Swift Brings on Award-Winning Creative Director Paul Bjork
Portland-based creative agency Swift welcomes aboard Creative Director Paul Bjork, a leading talent behind numerous award-winning campaigns from Taco Bell, including Blackout and Breakfast Phones. Notably, his leadership helped shape the brand into a culturally relevant social media powerhouse known for innovative work.He brings that expertise to Swift’s roster of global technology, consumer goods and financial services accounts.
“Paul has incredible chops and a proven ability to lead creative teams to success, there is no question about that,” says Joint CCO Rick Albano. “But we were also drawn to his humility and ease in building rapport with colleagues and clients. We believe his contributions will bring a new, exciting edge to Swift’s creative overall.”
In approaching wide-ranging challenges and projects, Bjork looks for novel ways to surprise people, and spark them to engage with brands. “To get a fan to speak for a brand unsolicited, when someone feels more than just the desire to buy—a sense of being a part of something bigger than just an ad—that’s always the goal for me,” he says.
Bjork’s team-sport mentality meshes well with Swift’s philosophy of collaboration. “I want my team to feel loose and have fun; that’s when ideas flow the best. Inevitably you spend a lot of time together, so camaraderie is huge for me,” Bjork adds. “It’s about trust. When you don’t feel that connection, the work isn’t as good.”
He emphasises partnership not just within creative but with strategic planners, data scientists and media partners. “Talking with experts across departments helps you find those nuggets that can lead to a great idea,” Bjork shares. “I want to know how we can get in the path of a consumer in a way that’s unexpected and not annoying.”
Bjork stays inspired by spending as much time as possible with his two boys (with whom he has a punk band), “Their fearlessness is amazing. I’m definitely trying to capture and bottle some of that.”
