President's Lecture

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman of the Board, Nestlé S.A. talked to Berlin School participants and selected members of the public about the latest research in consumer engagement, Nestlé's Accelerated Innovation Team and how the complex organization localizes social media efforts. Mr Brabeck-Letmathe also took questions from the audience on current issues Nestlé is facing and how to keep ideas fresh and team members motivated.

Brabeck-Letmathe tent talk

Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Chairman of the Board, Nestlé S.A. talks to Berlin School President Michael Conrad about his personal style of creative leadership, the first three moves he made as head of the company and his philosophy on keeping innovation a focal point in creative organizations.

Bill Roedy

Bill Roedy is a giant in the entertainment and media business, having built Mtv Networks into a global powerhouse with brands like Mtv, VH1, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. A graduate of West Point, the US Military academy, he served in the U.S. armed forces and rose to become the NATO missile commander before trading in his uniform for a life in business. Having obtained his MBA from Harvard School of Business, Bill spent more than a decade helping build HBO in the US before embarking on his 20+ year adventure with Mtv. His time as Chairman and CEO of Mtv Networks International was marked by tremendous growth, but also by the ability to keep the brands relevant and localized for each market.

Bill distinguished himself at Mtv by backing importance causes, like the fight against HIV/AIDS, and used the full force of Mtv's soft power to raise awareness and change minds.  Having retired from Mtv in early 2011, Bill is still extremely involved in global health initiatives, serving as an Ambassador for GAVI, the child vaccination program, and numerous other health causes. You can learn more about him here: http://www.billroedy.com/

At our November 2011 Graduation and 5th Anniversary Celebration, Bill delivered a keynote address full of personal memories of his time in Berlin and in the aftermath of the Cold War, and he shared a fantastic list of his 10 leadership principles to live by. After the speech he signed copies of his new memoir "What Makes Business Rock" for a long line of Berlin School participants and alumni eager to meet him. Here you can enjoy an inspirational speech from a man with the humility of a foot soldier and the heart of a lion (as our friend - and Bill's -- Seymour Stein has said of him).

iPhone testimonials (November 2010)

Impromptu iPhone interviews with Berlin School participants by Michael Conrad. (Interviews filmed November 2010).

The question: "When we were developing the concept for this program, Sir John Hegarty said that this has to be a life changing event for the participants. What was it for you?"

Ménage à Trois

How can an unsexy brand in a boring category like banking reach consumers and make an authentic impression on them? Drawing on her Berlin School research and years of professional practice, Luciana Olivares presents her findings in her award-winning Master's Thesis, "Ménage à Trois"  She explains a methodology by which brands can identify with a mutual love between themselves and their consumers, and she then shows his this process yielded spectacular results for her company, a Peruvian bank. It capitalized on its regard for Peruvian gastronomy, long a source of national pride, to generate a vast array of activities and products that anchored BBVA Banco Continentale and Peruvian Cuisine next to each other in consumers' hearts. Luciana and her bank went beyond the well-worn methods of celebrity endorsement or community outreach to go much deeper in authentically and creatively promoting something it loved. The results catapulted her bank to the top of brand identity in her market and serve as a helpful blueprint for marketers everywhere.

Marcello Serpa tent talk

Throughout his career, Marcello has been noted as Brazil's most honoured art director, having won gold, silver and bronze medals in the principal Brazilian and international advertising festivals. At the Cannes Festival, in 1993, he won Latin America's first Grand Prix and 31 Lions during the last 6 years.

He is the most awarded art director in the 24-year history of the Annual of the Club de Criação; the most honored Brazilian at the Art Directors Club of New York, with Latin America's only two Gold Medals; winner of two Grand Prix at the New York Festival; Best Creative Professional at the Prêmio Caboré in 1993 and 1999; three-time winner of the Abril Advertising Prize; Professional of the Year for Rede Globo Awards in 1993; winner of Gold and Silver statues at the Clio Awards; winner of three Grand Prix at FIAP (Latin American Advertising Festival). He created two covers for Archive Magazine and is the only Brazilian art director to receive Gold at the One Show.

In 1998, he was the first Brazilian to preside over the jury at the London Festival. In 2 consecutive years, he was named Best Creative Director in Latin America and Brazil at Latin Spots magazine's "El Ojo de Iberoamerica" Awards.

Berlin School

Cannes Creative Leaders Programme

Following an intensive 6 days of classroom instruction in Berlin and 6 days of blended learning sessions in Cannes during the Cannes Lions festival, three 2011 Cannes Creative Leaders Programme participants share insights about their program experience and what the key take aways were for them (Till Hohmann, Chief Creative Officer, JWT Germany, Patrick Tom, Executive Creative Director, TBWA\Vietnam and Nina Mosurashvili, Marketing Communication Director, TBC Bank Georgia).