WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO in the last few months

• Brand strategies for a couple of brands in the health & wellness space (client: creative agency)
• Brand repositioning for large national retailer (client: strategy & innovation boutique)
• Brand positioning for an upscale male apparel company (client: apparel startup)
• Brand positioning for online learning & creativity platform (client: tech company)
• Brand positioning for a global smartphone launch (client: strategy & innovation boutique)
• New business pitch for a large fast casual dining brand (client: creative agency)
• Creator community deep dive for a global video sharing platform (client: strategy boutique)
• Brand development for a luxury automotive brand (client: strategy & innovation boutique)

SPECIALTIES

Brand positionings 

New business pitches

Creative development

Advertising & marketing strategies

Cultural audits

Audience deep dives

Innovation/new product development 

Award paper coaching & support (Effie, Jay Chiat, Cannes Creative Effectiveness)

AUDIENCES

Millennials

Guys

Creative class and other experience-driven audiences

Health and wellness seekers

High income

Business owners and entrepreneurs

OTHER stuff from not too long ago ...

• Brand positioning for a nutrition and wellness brand (client: design company)
• Brand and product development for a new kind of lifestyle television brand (client: strategy boutique)
• Strategy and creative development for a financial services brand (client: creative agency)
• Consultancy on new wellness chain targeting a health-conscious audience (client: startup)
• Strategy and creative development for a healthy living & wellness brand (client: creative agency)
• Brand positioning for an upmarket water brand (client: creative agency)
• Brand repositioning for a upmarket travel company (client: creative boutique)
• Strategy and creative development for a luxury cruise brand (client: PR agency)
• Brand positioning for a new kind of agency network (client: agency holding company)
• Audience definition and positioning work for a jewelry company (creative boutique)
• Positioning work, cultural audit and portfolio analysis iced tea brand (client: global beverage company)
• Audience deep dive and positioning work for international car launch to Millennials (client: media company/boutique agency)
• Cultural audit and positioning work for a sparkling wine brand (client: creative boutique)
• Deep dive into the social and psychological basis of storytelling & implications for brands (client: global beverage company)
• Internal positioning and rollout plan to bring to life financial services brand through employees (client: branding company)
• Positioning and marketing plan to position new travel attraction  (client: global tourist attraction)
•  Flavor development work for a vodka to capitalize on new flavor trends (client: large spirits company)
• Creative workshop for a new kind of sweetener (client: large creative agency)
• Brand and product development for global e-commerce platform (client: startup)
• Strategy and research for a multi-agency new business pitch for a new live-saving drug (client: advertising holding company)

EDUCATION

SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS (New York) - Master of Fine Arts in photography 

OXFORD UNIVERSITY (Oxford, UK) - BA/MA in philosophy, psychology and physiology 

JOBS

JWT (New York) - Group Strategy Director 

BERLIN CAMERON UNITED (New York) - Partner/Chief Strategy Officer

FALLON MCELLIGOTT BERLIN (New York) -  Senior Strategist

BARTLE BOGLE HEGARTY (London) - Planner 

AWARDS

Three gold Effies, one silver and one bronze Effie, one silver Jay Chiat award, a bronze IPA Effectiveness award and a silver APG/UK award.

I grew up in a large family in a small village in the South of Germany. It’s lovely there, but I knew early on that I had to get out. I was punk, I was goth, I was shy, I was weird, I dropped out of high school. Working in a pants factory got old really fast, so I went on a popular German game show, made some money and ran away to London - note on the pillow, early morning train, that kind of departure.

With no qualifications, no connections and dodgy English my career prospects were limited. I worked in fast food joints and cafeterias for a couple of years, then decided to step up my game by learning to typing and do shorthand. I was a secretary for an additional few years, which gave me the confidence to think about continuing my education. I took evening classes for a year and did my A-levels (SATs). I did pretty well, and got accepted by Oxford University, where I studied psychology and philosophy. 

And then BBH London offered me the only trainee planner spot for the year. Which takes us to the beginning of my official résumé.

It’s a bit of an unusual bio, I’ll admit, but I thought it’s worth mentioning. I’ve learned a lot in those poverty years, the years of doing minimum wage jobs, where I was just another foreigner.

Empathy - if you're forever on the outside you're forced to figure out how the rest of the world thinks and feels

Fearlessness - realizing that the only way to create change is to make big bets

Humility - respecting people from every walk of life, because they could be me, and I could be them

Gratitude - even when things are bad, it's not scrubbing toilets for three dollars an hour

Optimism - dreaming big has yet to let me down

Resourcefulness - good with spit and duct tape

In no particular order

Art - Did I mention I have a master's degree in fine art, specialization photography (done at SVA a few years ago)? That means I'm usually pretty up to date what's in New York's galleries, museums and alternative spaces. I love looking at and talking about art. I also make art - I've had group and solo shows of my work in galleries here and in Europe. Favorite artists: Gillian Wearing, Darren Almond, Peter Hujar, Boris Mikhailov, Sophie Calle, Stephen Gill, Jim Goldberg and tons more.

Health, nutrition and public health issues - I care a lot about how we can solve our public health crises through changing behavior patterns and policies. I'm not only a voracious reader of the latest science research news but a skeptical self-tracker and experimenter. And I lift weights. It's also why I won't work on processed foods, snacks and drinks anymore. Apologies - I'm not judging you, just found it hard to square with my personal beliefs and actions.

If you have a project that is in the health/nutrition/exercise/aging field I would love to talk to you. 

History - I'm a bit obsessed with 20th Century history, especially the World Wars and the post-war period. I have read endlessly about it and done personal research and a photographic project. It's also the reason I'm a volunteer for Selfhelp, an organization that takes care of Nazi victims living in the New York City area.

Fashion - I am interested in the intellectual, technical and creative aspects of fashion design. Favorite designers are Gareth Pugh, Josephus Thimister, Haider Ackerman, Rick Owens and and Nicolas Taralis. I know how to draft and drape my own patterns and continue to take classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology.  I love making my own clothes and designing my own fabrics.

I love Georgian music and am currently trying to learn panduri. And generally spend far too much time hunting wild mushrooms.

Let's talk - whether it's about a specific project or just because.

sigridjakob at gmail.com