Small questions, big thoughts

Not everything in Sweden is about Stockholm. Check into the west coast scene and you’ll find the great interactive agency Daddy. We had a quick chat with Daddys Creative Partner and Co-Founder Gustav Martner.

Agencies
Daddy – Creative Partner and Co-founder
Daddy Identity – Co-founder

So first thing first, when was your point of no return, when you decided this industry is something for me?
I’m not sure that I still have decided if it is. When in school I wanted to do children’s multimedia for a living. The first big project I did (1997) was a multimedia CD-ROM about a sausage. A sausage company put the CD-ROM at their sausages, sold over 50 000 units and I realized that multimedia for advertising purposes was something with huge potential - and creating them could be a great job. I was a vegetarian back then, though. So I guess that was my point of no return.

Mother, Farfar and Daddy, seems like the advertising industry is a big family. Tell us why you’re named Daddy?
After the all dot.com-craze in the late 90’s, I guess there were a lot of people that wanted to work in a less heriarcic and down-to-earth environment. The names might reflect that. Or it might reflect that all agencies are psycotic.

Since we’re students we like to hear your approach upon education. Everyone seems to be self taught in the online industry. Is education a waste of time?
I’m self taught, and just like you say, that is not very unusual in our industry. But the main reason for that is probably that there wasn’t any good alternatives around in the mid 90’s. And also: At that time, the competition wasn’t very hard - you could basically know a little HTML and get a great position anywhere. Today it’s more competition, what we do is more important to the clients and therefor it demands better educated people.

Important to point out, though, is that being an entreprenorial spirit always helps to make a career in advertising.

What makes a good web creative?
Being an entrepreneur. The best creatives approach a company’s problems like they were share owners.

Winning awards, who benefits the most of it?
1) The company behind the award show
2) The jury members (jury sessions are the most effective education you can get)
3) The agency
4) The creatives
5) The client
6) Society (because it makes the industry to think about quality)

Is there any fast lane to success, crazy clients, loads of money and kick ass creatives?
Yes, but only Nicke Bergström knows about it.

Short or long deadlines? Will an idea be better if you have lots of time?
Short deadlines to nail the idea. Long deadlines for production and making adjustments.
A web site or a banner will be better the more versions you make of it - but an IDEA for a web site or a banner will not be better the more versions you make of it.

Daddy seems to representing the west coast both in Sweden and the US. Is it a strategy of yours to keep the other “Swedes” out of the way?
No, we just love to live where there are harbours and trams.

What is the best thing right now?
The remix culture. Every good idea comes in 10 versions these days, isn’t that great?

Proudest moment for Daddy?
I’m proud every day. But one very nice experience was when we helped Faktum (the homeless people’s paper) to survive when they had troubles paying their bills etcetera. We were several companies and individuals that reacted very fast and helped them. They have been doing great since then.

The traditional agencies are starting to slowly catch up in the online area. Will we see creative interactive agencies picking up the offline work as well?
Yes, they already do. But don’t tell anyone.

How do you start your day on internet?
Checking my mail on my iPhone on the tram to work. Then looking out of the window enjoying the view of the harbour.

If you wasn’t a part of Daddy, where would you like to work?
As a tram driver. Or in the harbour.

Itunes or Spotify?
I have both, seldom listen to any of them. At work I’m listening to collegues and clients, and then when I’m home I listen to vinyl or play my accordion (or listen to my kids singing, yelling, screaming).

Latest Youtube clip you sent to your co-workers?
It was a classic, “fainting sheep”. I don’t remember why, though.

Well, that would be all for now, thanks for your time Gustav. And keep up the good work being Swedens finest on the west coast.Thank you - the same to you!

Interviewed by Linda L