Jorg Riommi wants Publicis Romania to have great work and great ideas in 2015

Jorg Riommi, Chief Creative Director la Publicis Romania, took over the creative reigns of the agency for a while now, and used his German side to organize his creative team, which he deems extremely talented.

In an interview for AdHugger, Jorg tells us more, including when it comes of his plans for 2015, Romanian advertising market in European context and compared to Germany and Italy (markets where he previously worked) and what’s the must have for creatives to generate great works.

AdHugger: You returned to Romania, after a German experience and after a previous Romanian experience. What happened with Publicis’ creative department since you took over?

Jorg Riommi: Hey, I’m back, yes! When I arrived in Publicis, I found a large and extremely talented creative department with a huge potential on many great brands. I also found the need of the team for a strong creative lead after a short period of vacuum and the need to organize them in a slightly different way, which I’m doing.

AdH: What are you aiming for in 2015?

J.R.: Great work: get more great ideas, and more great ideas done. Win more new clients.

 

AdH: Festivals – good or bad for agency’s creativity? Why?

J.R.: I think festivals are fundamental to our industry, to set a benchmark of quality and reward innovation. This is a crucial role for a business that is based on performance and the new. Like it or not, fact is that they are the currency of our industry, especially from a creative point of view. There are a lot of distortions of course, but the good always outperforms the evil, let’s say so.

AdH: You have international experience and also previous experience on Romanian market. How is the Romanian advertising in European context? What are the differences between Romanian creative industry and the Italian one? What about the German one?

J.R. I think Romanian creativity is living some golden years in advertising. From a creative point of view, despite the heavy impact of the economic crisis, I see that the market is open to new ideas and experimental approaches.

Romania is the strongest economy in Eastern Europe, so it has a leading role in the region and in the development of New Europe. It’s a fast changing country, oriented to modernity and technology that is rapidly transforming into a startup hub and a bubbling environment for ideas and entrepreneurs. Where I think each young person, somehow, can see him/herself as an entrepreneur; busy building his own vision and making his dreams happen. I just love this energy. Energy and that sense of hunger and will to prove that I didn’t find as strong in the advertising business, and in general, in Italy when I left 8 years ago.

Both Italy and Germany are in a totally different place in the spectrum of European economies evolution – but, you see, they live on the successes of the past and right now rather than being on the rise and with the high energy of change and improvement, they start being a bit stuck between “it was better before” and “but we cannot go back”.

I’m confident that Germany, though, with its commitment to work and work ethic, and its sense of excellence (and budgets) will always keep being at the top of the game. What I don’t share with them (and also one of the main reasons why I came back from Germany), is that they will keep paying a high price for this: pleasure, fun, life. I didn’t have so much fun working in the advertising industry in Germany. I wonder if one can at all.

AdH: What’s the must have to create great works for someone working in advertising?

J.R.: Will. Talent. Passion. Dedication. Hard work. And, most of all, I think resilience. I use this word more and more and I share it with my creatives. Resilience in advertising and more, in general, is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and deal with the frustration and limitations we all face in work and life. Not only bounce back, but cope with ease with these frustration factors, and find the smart way to always overcome them and make things happen. That is the one thing that matters in the end: make things happen.

What you do as a creative, what’s in your folio at the end of the year, what other creatives admire and respect you for. How much good, positive envy did you generate with your work this year?

AdH: You judged and also were awarded at top international festivals. So, please, tell us what does a creative work need to be recognized in international festivals?

J.R.: It needs to be fresh, simple, smart, problem solving, well crafted, inspiring, and possibly a game changer. An expression of the new, pushing the limits a little bit further. You will find these qualities in each big winner.

AdH: Can you please tell us who is Jorg Riommi and what are his passions?

Right now, Jorg is a happy fresh father, and his first son Jay is the best idea he ever had.