AME's Grand Jury members are known for their global reputations as both industry leaders and award-winning marketers Their commitment to ground-breaking effective work and  understanding of the partnership between creative and effective work has delivered impressive results for prestigious global brands. They are some of the genius minds associated with many of AME’s award-winning entries.

2021 AME Grand Jury member Matthias Breitschaft is Managing Partner Serviceplan Consulting Group, he brings years of strategic expertise and leadership experience to the jury panel. After working for Ogilvy, Scholz & Friends and Jung von Matt, Matthias in 2015 he co-founded the brand strategy and transformation agency VORN Strategy Consulting, where he supported national and international customers both in questions of brand management as well as digital transformation and its impact on people, branding, communication and business models. He has served as Managing Partner of the Serviceplan Consulting Group since 2018.

What particularly motivates him is partnering with people and their brands to drive both forward as a comprehensive, customer-focused and future-oriented brand and transformation catalyst.

In the interview below, Matthias shares his insights on emerging innovations, how the brand's voice has evolved since COVID, the role of effectiveness competitions and much more.

AME Awards: Why are effectiveness competitions like the AME Awards important?

Matthias Breitschaft: They pull and push us all to best performances. In times when advertising created by advertisers has to fear more and more for its justification (We’ve all had that one client who keeps questioning the very legitimacy of our work. “Where is the special achievement? Anyone can do a bit of creativity! It can't be that difficult (= expensive)!”), awards like the AME are proof that our work moves and has the power to create change. And that is an important sign, both for our clients and internally, in our industry.

AME Awards: How has the brand’s voice changed since the pandemic confinement measures? Speak to the evolution of brand positioning, values, and tone of voice during COVID.

Matthias Breitschaft:  Honestly, the same rules for successful and high-impact brand communication apply as before: a feeling for a societal momentum; an empathy for people and their worries, joys, needs and a sound self-assessment: What can I as a brand contribute to people's lives?

But while we’re operating under the same general rules, COVID has changed the game. The pandemic has made everything much more complicated: moments and momentum are so different and change so quickly; people and their needs, worries, joys as well. And to apply the right self-assessment is almost a feat! But since I believe in the projective power of a brand, I am convinced that a little humility and restraint certainly won't do any harm at the moment – however, a brand should always contain and represent a positive image of the future.

AME Awards: What will advertising look like next year? What brands have evolved and succeeded during this year and why?

I like to take a more holistic view. I'm not only interested in a brand, but in the entire company that ultimately carries the brand to market. In 2021, I see those ahead who have sent their marketing and their organisation on a holistic journey: A transformation journey in terms of brand and communication, but also in the use of data, in terms of their (marketing) organisation and culture and in terms of their innovation strategy.

This does not happen overnight, but the quick wins that result from it are obvious and show how much potential there is in transformation.

AME Awards: What innovations are changing the way agencies create on behalf of brands or launch new products?  Does big data and AI play an even bigger role today?

Matthias Breitschaft: Definitely! And there will be much more! We are just at the beginning. Now they say AI can't replace creativity. That may be true, but Big Data and Brand Intelligence will change the way brands are experienced. Both enable REAL customer centricity with real understanding of what people do and how and where they experience the brand. And creative work can thus be developed directly in response to these patterns: A Brand Experience that is truly thought and developed from the customer's perspective.