MUSIC+SOUND AWARDS TALK TO...
Steffen Gentis
BBDO Group, Germany
Chief Production Officer // Advertising
January 2020
It would be great to hear a little rundown of your career to date…
Schooled in the African bush and the beaches of Cape Town and Malibu, California. Studied Photography, crazy career as a fashion and beauty photographer in the 80’s - Milan, Munich, Vogue, Harpers, Marie Claire etc… Then a couple of hundred music videos in Berlin after the Wall fell down, then TV shows for MTV, RTL etc. Parallel to this about a dozen commercials a year all over the world. Joined BBDO in 2004 and never looked back. Constantly innovating and improving and adjusting, and looking for best ways to drive the creative output of the BBDO agencies in Germany.
We all know how important music and sound are to an ad’s impact. Can you tell us about any projects you’ve worked on where the music or sound played a particularly significant role?
Yes sure, this film for Braun really captures how music can tell a story and set the tonality for a communication piece https://youtu.be/zQgPW6mW42U
More obvious is something like Smart “Skip Leg Day” https://youtu.be/yYhlDo96L6k
More subtle, but really doing a lot of the humorous heavy lifting is the music Smart “Off Road” film https://youtu.be/82WkbKV0Ge8
Same brand, radically different approach is a project like “Soundscapes” https://youtu.be/PLUFleqSma4
In fact all work we do, be it Smart or any other brand, involves a lot of thought and energy in sound design and music. Here a recent example https://youtu.be/Wiens0cAs7w
At what stage in the production process do your team usually consider music and sound?
First step to any production is a production strategy, if the idea is based on music like the Braun ad above, Music will be part of that first conversation. Otherwise we do talk about it in great depth when we kick off production, even is we do sometimes end up only shaping and composing music once the video part is finished…
How do BBDO go about finding composers, sound designers, artists? Do you rely mainly on established relationships with music / sound production companies and publishers? Does the agency have a system to keep abreast of new talent in the industry?
Good question. There is so much “wiggle-room” in the musical conversation between a composer and an advertising creative, that sometimes it helps to have someone moderating that conversation, with a vocabulary that brings everyone on the same page. This is the agency producers job, and it helps them to always work with the same people, because that moderation is easier and you get a lot of efficiency out of it. But I like to challenge this whenever I can, and open the way for new and different relationships. I am lucky to work for an agency with a massive output, and a huge mix of creatives from all over the world – they all bring ideas and suggestions to the table that are really interesting and add value. And because we work with so many different people, we get the chance to build many trusted relationships with some really awesome musicians and composers and companies. Anyway, we always keep our ears open for the new, and we are lucky also to have amazingly talented artists and a great musical heritage in Berlin and especially Düsseldorf. We showcase this regularly with the Soundlounge.
Roughly what is the ratio of original music Vs existing tracks used in your ads?
I have to think about that… the archives are getting really good, and a lot of them offer the adjustment of existing tracks, so we compose a bit less than we used to…
How often are you finding re-records are commissioned?
I suppose you mean licensing a composition and rerecording with another artist? Seldom
Have BBDO orchestrated any artist and brand collaborations?
Yes. Not too crazy about that.
Are there any words of wisdom you can impart on what agencies look for when choosing which creative supplier to work with?
If you want to understand how an agency buys music, hire someone who bought music for the best agency in town, or go work at the best agency yourself.
Honestly, music is so important in advertising, it does all the emotional heavy-lifting, does a huge part of the story telling, and can really pay into the audio equity of a brand – I think its often underestimated by the creatives and clients. But there are so many good suppliers out there, that creating a couple of strategic partnerships with people you trust to advise you well is a good idea. That’s what our soundlounge is also about, and hanging out with music people, letting them inspire you, or brainstorming with them is also valuable and exciting. So cultivate those relationships, create opportunities to exchange ideas, and build trust.
