5 Minutes with … Andreas
From humble beginnings as an intern, where he clinched his first professional award, to his pivotal role at Gojek and his contribution to winning the Media Agency of the Year in 2019, Andreas has been a driving force behind Indonesia's creative advertising scene.
Now the chief creative officer at Dentsu Indonesia, he's made history by securing Media, Digital, and Creative Agency of the Year awards in 2022. Andreas attributes this success to fostering a culture of innovation, sharing insights and knowledge, and nurturing the creativity that keeps Dentsu Indonesia at the forefront of the ever-evolving advertising industry.
Speaking with LBB’s Tom Loudon, Andreas shares his journey and the principles that have led him to where he is today.
LBB> Your journey in the advertising industry started as an intern at Euro RSCG Indonesia, where you won the first professional award for the company. Can you share your most memorable experience or lesson learned during your early days in the industry?
Andreas> Since college, I have made a living by actively seeking and competing in hundreds of college award shows just to earn small pennies for my living. I had no option back then. But, when I interned at one of the big agencies in Indonesia, I had the opportunity to enter a professional award. It was different. I remember presenting alone to the brand owner; I got support from the brand side; they opened access to their bank of images to support this project. I got help from the internal photographer, did the DI processes, and composited it by myself. It was such a wonderful experience, beyond the result of the award I got.
LBB> You led the creative team at Gojek, one of the most innovative companies in Indonesia. How did your role as a creative director contribute to the company winning the Media Agency of the Year 2019 award?
Andreas> When I was in Gojek, we had a solid team, constantly pushing every campaign to the highest level. Of course, winning Media Agency of the Year is not an individual effort. Winning awards proves having a good culture in the agency; to make this culture happen, everyone plays a part. My role? Similar to my current role at dentsu. I am managing the work and team, but at the same time, I am also part of the team.
LBB> At Dentsu One & Isobar – now dentsu Creative – you won the only Gold at Citrapariwara and brought home the Media Agency of the Year 2020 award. What creative strategies or campaigns played a significant role in these achievements?
Andreas> We are very proud of our campaign, “TOA BASMI CORONA”, which translates to “The mosque speaker that fights Corona”. Indonesia has the most mosques in the world, these signify togetherness and are a compelling platform to spread information. Through mosque speakers, we shared crucial knowledge about COVID-19 to help people in rural areas understand social distancing, which was easily communicated in Jakarta but not in rural areas. We designed the information using Islamic verses so that it could be used in any mosque and achieved mass adoption of the advice, as well as the support of the Indonesian Ministry of Religion.
LBB> In 2022, you created history by winning Media Agency of the Year, Digital Agency of the Year, and Creative Agency of the Year at Citrapariwara. Could you share the key factors that contributed to this remarkable accomplishment?
Andreas> Winning awards is not the goal; it results from having a good culture inside the agency. In 2019, we started to build this culture. We created a new system, a new way of learning, and new time management to make the work more efficient. It was a collective effort and commitment to invest in the future of Dentsu Creative Indonesia. We started to see the impact in the following year when we got the first Media Agency of the Year. Following the following year, we kept the Media Agency of the Year title and became the runner-up for Digital Agency of the Year. Finally, in 2022, we combined the Media, Digital, and Agency of the Year for Dentsu Creative Indonesia for the first time in history. Again, winning these awards is not an individual effort. It’s a collective effort and collaboration.
LBB> Throughout your career, you've been part of various agencies and worked with diverse teams. What leadership qualities or principles do you believe have been central to your success in the advertising industry?
Andreas> We are in the business of creativity, and our product is, first and foremost, our talent. To achieve the most outstanding results, it is essential to have a set of shared values, trust in each other and a belief in what you are working towards.
LBB> Your journey has seen you take on different roles and responsibilities. How do you stay creatively inspired and keep pushing boundaries in an ever-evolving industry?
Andreas> The enemy of creativity is being outdated. Therefore, there are two things that I have to do every day. Firstly, I keep myself relevant in this fast-paced world through knowledge. Being the first to try new social media and crawling into as many new podcasts as possible. I like being a stranger in a new world. Joined new communities, tried to operate a new toy, and committed to talking to strangers daily during public transport. It is unrelated to our work, but trust me, it is like vitamins for our minds. We even have weekly office meetings to share knowledge and insights from different perspectives to fuel our creativity.
The second is to push our minds to connect any new findings and insights to the work that we handle. It won't fit, or perhaps the audience and the brand DNA are not suitable, but by pushing every day, we train ourselves to stay relevant, inspired, and fresh.
These two steps are what I call finding the dots and connecting the dots.
LBB> Looking ahead, what trends or changes do you anticipate in the advertising and creative media industry, and how does Dentsu Creative Indonesia plan to stay at the forefront of these developments?
Andreas> We can never predict the future, but whatever happens, creativity will win. We must continue to train ourselves, keep learning, and produce magic—generating works to create a culture, shape society, and invent the future. Though there is no crystal ball, Dentsu Creative’s annual Trends report, which launches in December 2023, is a valuable resource to inform our planning.
