On My Radar: Michael Vromans

What’s the best ad campaign you’ve seen recently?

I really loved the road movie ad (below - only available in Dutch) for internet provider XS4ALL by my former agency N=5. It's about a guy who prints his email attachment and transports it to all the way to the States, instead of sending the email.

It's a 360” road movie, where the guy follows the internet's route to find his brother and surprise him. It was the first time in quite a while that I immediately grabbed my phone to punch in the URL and watch the rest of the movie.

What website(s) do you use most regularly and why?

Behance, Codepen and Tympanus.net. Together, they’re a huge source of inspiration, reference and possibilities to propel any project forward. They provide a community of talented designers and coders around the world with the ability to share their work and ask others to give feedback on it, which is very constructive - especially as it’s nearly always positive and inspiring. In my opinion, that’s digital mindset in its purest form and what creativity should be all about.

What’s the most recent piece of tech that you’ve bought and why?

10 GoPro Hero4s (below) - for the new Peugeot project we’re about to shoot. It involves a high speed car chase, a race track and a lot of technology wired to a car.

I can’t say too much more about it except that we’re going to try and blur the lines between films and games. We’re adding these GoPros to the ones we're already using to shoot the interactive VR Film Catch the Dragon.

Facebook, Instagram or Twitter?

I’ve always been an ‘and’ person rather than an ‘or’ person. I use Twitter to stay up-to-date with the industry. I like receiving visual inspiration through Instagram. But the biggest question of all is learning to respond to what’s in front of you.

What’s your favourite app on your phone and why?

Audible. I love books but between my job and family life there’s very little time to sit down and read. I do however spend a lot of time on my way to and from the office or in client meetings. So, instead of listening to music, I listen to inspiring stories from great thinkers and creative storytellers, a bit of psychology and economics. It’s both efficient and inspiring, as every time I set foot in the office, I have already listened to some new insight that is relevant to what's going on that day.

What’s your favourite TV show and why?

Every Discovery Channel show shot under extreme circumstances. From Bering sea crab-catching to Polar gold-digging and jungle white-water fishing.

Under extreme circumstances, people have to go with the flow and rely on their experience and their technology. With each experience, the boundaries are pushed and new areas pioneered. It’s what we try to do every single day at DPDK, but it's the absolute opposite in terms of physical environment. In a way, I’m always jealous of the guys walking around in the unknown. But then, I get on my bike and ride to the office during a rainy shower - happy to come in to a dry, warm and freshly-designed office with top notch barista coffee.

What film do you think everyone should have seen?

For industry heads, I’d say Art & Copy. It's a 2009 documentary directed by Doug Pray about the thinking and decision-making behind some of the world’s most famous ads since the 60s.

Legendary creatives Lee Clow and George Loïs provide great creative insights and fab one-liners. My favourite from Loïs is simply delicious: “Advertising is like poisonous gas, it should tear you up, choke you and maybe you should pass out when you watch it."

Of course, the work featured in the film is out-dated, but the insights and challenges - especially about how to grab the attention of young audiences - are more relevant than ever.

Where were you when inspiration last struck?

I was in my new house and had just accidentally saw-ed through electrical wiring in the wall.

How great would it be, to have an app on your phone where you could chat live with a professional construction worker, ask tailored questions and get guaranteed answers, before sawing through important things?

What’s the most significant change you’ve witnessed in the industry since you started working in it?

The intertwinement of creativity, art and technology. Some years ago, there were creatives and developers - and being a creative meant you were either a designer or a copywriter. Code was the dull bit. But boy, did that change. Developers are reinventing themselves every single day. And when you put the right designers with the right developers, voila, champagne!

If there was one thing you could change about the advertising industry, what would it be?

I love when brands and agencies team up to introduce a product or service and in the meantime, they convert target groups into users and users into friends.

Like a mindfulness app for a health insurance company that helps you stay healthy - you don’t have to be a client to access it. Or maybe a games giant teaches kids how to brush their teeth. At DPDK, we recently launched an app that plans and manages your retirement savings. It’s open for anyone to use but Nationale Nederlanden clients receive added benefits.

These examples are relevant and long term. If the greatest creative minds in the industry thought up products and pitches like these all the time, we'd make a hugely positive effect on society.

What or who has most influenced your career and why?

I’ve had the pleasure of working with lots of nice, talented individuals. But to be honest, it’s the bastards that influenced me most. They’re no fun to work with, but you learn really fast how you don’t want to become. To know what you don’t want is powerful. It gives you a great sense of direction because it keeps your mind open for all other possibilities. By focusing too hard on the known, you won’t ever be able to discover new things.

Tell us one thing about yourself that most people won’t know…

I’m an avid gardening fan. I find that growing stuff, especially stuff you can eat, from something as simple and tiny as a seed is simply mind-boggling. Other then that, it’s just great fun watering plants together with my two years old daughter.