WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO (LAST 18 MONTHS)

• Brand and product development for a new kind of lifestyle brand (client: strategic boutique)
• Strategy and creative development for a financial services brand (client: creative boutique)
• Consultancy on new wellness chain targeting a health-conscious audience (client: startup)
• Strategy and creative development for a healthy living/wellness brand (client: creative boutique)
• Brand positioning for an upmarket water brand (client: creative boutique)
• 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)
• Strategy development for a TV channel and lifestyle brand (client: boutique design agency)

and a couple of projects that are so thoroughly covered by NDAs I can't even begin to describe them them.

PROJECT TYPES

Positioning work, new business pitches, creative development, cultural audits, audience deep dives, new product development and workshops.

AUDIENCES

Millennials, high income, creative class and other experience-driven audiences; health & wellness seekers, business owners entrepreneurs & creators.

AND BEFORE THAT ...

• 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, its best practitioners and its future (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 destination  (client: global tourist attraction)
•  Flavor development work for a vodka to capitalize on 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 Planning Director 

BERLIN CAMERON UNITED (New York) - Founding Partner/Senior Planner/Planning Director

FALLON MCELLIGOTT BERLIN (New York) -  Senior Planner

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 typing and 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 including. I’ve learned a lot in those poverty years, the years of doing menial 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 our behavior patterns. I'm not only a voracious reader of the latest science research news but a skeptical self-tracker and experimenter. And I lift heavy weights. It's why I am proud to be a permanent advisor for Activate! Brain and Body Fitness. 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.

I've also volunteered as a Caregiver Ambassador for New York Methodist Hospital. If you have a project that is in the health/nutrition/ exercise/aging/behavioral economics 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 fabrics.

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

sigridjakob at gmail.com