The Work That Made Me: Marlon von Franquemont-Koster
Marlon von Franquemont-Koster is a Dutch creative director at Fitzroy Amsterdam, working with both local and European clients. He has collaborated with major brands like Nikon, Hyundai, eBay, Heinz, and The Anne Frank House. His career spans leading roles at agencies including Duval Guillaume Brussels, UbachsWisbrun JWT, Jung von Matt (Spree), DDB Berlin, VCCP Berlin, INNOCEAN Berlin, and 180 Global.
In 2022, Marlon transitioned to freelance work, taking on roles as a creative director at GUT Agency and Wunderman Thompson. He has won over 180 industry awards, including Euro Effies, Cannes Lions, D&ADs, and ADCN Lamps. Marlon also led INNOCEAN to its first Gold Lion and the title of Agency of the Year at Eurobest. He gained global recognition for projects like 'Printed by Parkinson’s' and 'I AM NIKON'. Earning him top spots at global creative rankings such ADC, The Drum and D&AD.
In addition to his creative direction work, Marlon produces music under the name Odense and released his debut album, Odes, in 2022, available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon. He also teaches at institutions such as Miami Ad School and Willem de Kooning Academy.
LBB> The ad/music video from my childhood that stays with me…
Marlon> There is simply so much that I remember as a kid growing up, because the '90s offered us tons of great qualitative pieces of works and not only in The Netherlands. Ads were discussed and re-enacted during lunch breaks at school, at the dinner table and at work.
Different times.
At some point I showed more interest in everything in between cartoons and TV shows. Therefore its hard for me to pick just one, but if we look at the impact it had on me and the Dutch community there is one that stood out the most, 'Elephant' for Rolo made by Lintas.
The campaign went in pair with the strategic idea to position the Rolo chocolates not as a candy but as chocolate bonbons, damn clever. Because Rolo had more competition around itself in the candy section compared to the more expensive bonbon shelves. So, in-store they relocated the product from candy to bonbons.
The campaign resolves around the idea that one needs to think really hard what to do with the last Rolo chocolate because we all love one. In a series of ads we see how most of the people make the mistake by keeping it just for themselves, which lead to hilarious situations.
Even though it was made for the Dutch market it spoke to a global audience and was awarded with not only an Effie but also a Grand Prix in Cannes, a Gouden Loekie and Gold at the ADCN, to name a few.
LBB> The ad/music video/game/web platform that made me want to get into the industry…
Marlon> I was a huge fan of Warp Records in the mid-'90s, spending most of my pocket money on Aphex Twin's music.
At some point, Aphex teamed up with director Chris Cunningham, and together they created some of the most iconic music videos, like 'Come to Daddy' and 'Windowlicker'. It was through Cunningham that I discovered a VHS tape titled 'The Work of Directors: Spike Jonze, Chris Cunningham, and Michel Gondry'.
Mind-blowing and deeply inspiring.
The tape featured standout works such as 'Star Guitar' by the Chemical Brothers, directed by Michel Gondry; 'All Is Full of Love' by Björk, directed by Cunningham; and a Nissan ad, also by Cunningham, which aired on Dutch TV and loved it a lot.
Watching this tape made me realise that Chris had directed the ad, sparking my growing interest in a career in advertising. Knowing interesting things can happen when we blur the lines between art and marketing.
LBB> The creative work (film/album/game/ad/album/book/poem etc) that I keep revisiting…
Marlon> It’s the universe of 'Journey', an indie game available on PlayStation and Steam, released by Thatgamecompany in 2012.
Since its release, it has made a huge impact on me, and from what I understand, on many others as well. Without spoiling too much for those who are yet to play this gem, you start in a Sahara-like desert and must find your way through the worlds presented to you.
Each time you play, you’ll experience a different storyline. Something special happens when the credits roll. The level of care put into each chapter, from graphics to gameplay and music, is beyond anything I had played before and continues to inspire me to this day.
Gaming should never be just about graphics, but more about gameplay. I’ll take that with me.
LBB> My first professional project…
Marlon> After winning a local young talent competition together with Reinier Gorissen in 2006, we came into contact with Steam Amsterdam, a creative employer branding agency. Here, we had the chance to work on real briefs for major local brands alongside our studies.
One of them was UMC Utrecht (a university hospital), which was looking for an annual platform for their open days. We delivered the campaign 'De UMC Doe-het-zelf-dag' (The UMC DIY-Day), a day where future students could try-out everything themselves.
The platform ran for 14 years, reaching millions of people, and earned us our first Golds as industry professionals.
LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that made me so angry that I vowed to never make anything like *that*…
Marlon> It was in 2006, while I was studying art and advertising at the Willem de Kooning Art Academy in Rotterdam.
During the second year, my creative partner Reinier Gorissen and I developed a campaign for the Toyota Prius overnight. One of our teachers, Monica Kruisman, took us aside and gave us valuable feedback on our work.
We had to promise her that we would never settle for less in the future and would never walk into a room without believing in whatever we were about to present. A simple yet vital piece of advice. Thank you Monica!
LBB> The piece of work (ad/music video/ platform…) that still makes me jealous…
Marlon> How the Old Spice brand went from zero to hero is simply amazing. Addressing not just the men but their partners was a clever move, and the headline and execution were even better. The campaign went viral, reaching billions of people around the world, and bottles of Old Spice were sold in countries where the ads never aired. As a result, it won both the Grand Effie and the Grand Prix at Cannes Lions. A wonderful display of creativity and effectiveness, making it one of the most iconic and impactful ads ever made.
LBB> The creative project that changed my career
Marlon> It must have been working on the global 'I AM NIKON' campaign with Peter Gocht, Christian Kroll, and many others at Jung von Matt/Spree. It was a creative project that lasted four and a half years. It was enjoyable because I was challenged as a creative mind, not just a set of hands executing a task; as a result, I was able to develop myself beyond the label of art director.
There was a peculiar moment when I was working on the launch of the new Nikon D7100. I was preparing for a review the next morning and stayed late to prepare for it. I made print outs of every unique place around the globe, which covered the entire floor of the creative wing. From my office window, I could see an apartment building with families while I was stuck inside the office at night, creating a concept showcasing how amazing our world is. And made a vow, to get out there more often.
The shoot took place in Ethiopia, which was a once-in-a-lifetime production and was a true adventure exploring this beautiful country. The Nikon campaign received praise from Epica, Effie and Lürzer’s Archive.
LBB> The work that I’m proudest of…
Marlon> 'Printed by Parkinsons'
Most people keep their Parkinson’s diagnosis private, even from relatives. So, when Parkinson’s symptoms worsen, they often isolate themselves even more, which negatively impacts their condition.
We figured that it’s important for patients to open up, receive support from their environment, and, most importantly, feel understood. To make the impact of Parkinson’s visible, we created an art project that transformed the medical data of six patients into six art pieces, made with a 3D printer that was ‘infected’ with their own Parkinson’s EEG data. Each object represented the daily struggle of one patient and was paired with a short documentary about their life and the progression of the disease.
We launched the six art objects at an art exhibition in Berlin that we organised ourselves. And it worked; we saw amazing things happening within the community.
Today, the art objects are part of the permanent collection at the Humboldt Forum Museum of Modern Art in Berlin. It inspired the Neurological Department at Charité to further investigate how art and design can support patients' well-being during treatment and brought INNOCEAN its first Gold Lion.
Most recently we launched the follow-up we together with our friends at Innocean and UCL 'Tremors vs Tremors'. A project where Parkinsons tremors are used to fight itself.
LBB> I was involved in this and it makes me cringe…
Marlon> I’ll answer this question when I am a retired creative.
LBB> The recent project I was involved in that excited me the most…
Marlon> News has just come out: Fitzroy Amsterdam is becoming the new lead agency for Fairphone, serving the British, French, German, and Dutch markets. It’s an amazing chapter for all of us here at Fitzroy and Fairphone, and I can’t wait to see where our collaboration leads.
