Storyteller, Brand builder, Art Director and Idea Maker – is how Mike Brooks describes his very creative job. The Creative Director realizes global automobile campaigns and was responsible this summer for the global CADILLAC rebranding campaign, which he successfully realized together with GoSee member PATRICK CURTET. We interviewed him on the campaign titled 'Days of Thunder – CADILLAC CTS_V'...
We show your work quite regularly on GoSee. What would you want us to know about the CADILLAC job you did with our GoSee member Patrick Curtet? It was a pretty big job. We shot 11 vehicles. Each with its own unique talent, locations, and color grading. Patrick (and his wife Marlyne) bring passion and creative magic to everything they do. Plus they are fun to work with. It was a wonderful experience.
Is there a new creative image concept behind the rebranding of CADILLAC for Lowe Campbell Ewald? A new mix of fashion/lifestyle and transportation? Our research showed that the Cadillac brand had lost relevance to luxury car buyers. People simply did not know what Cadillac stands for. And in the luxury space, the brand is the most important factor. So we decided to show them.
On your website we can read Storyteller and Idea Maker. Which story do you want to tell us with CADILLAC? Bold. Fresh. Luxury.
You are freelancing as a creative director on Chevrolet at Commonwealth/McCann Detroit. What exactly is your job? And what about your relationship to Lowe Campbell Ewald (are both companies working for Cadillac)? Right now I am working on projects for Corvette and the Chevrolet global brand. Commonwealth/McCann creates all of the brand work for Chevrolet around the globe, and the Detroit office is the headquarters. There is an incredible group of talent at Commonwealth/McCann Detroit, and I am lucky to be working with them. Cadillac recently moved their headquarters to New York City, and moved their brand account to Publicis in New York. Lowe Campbell Ewald is still publishing the Cadillac owner’s magazine and doing some nice stuff with it.
Photos, photographers, ... – do they still have a future in this ‘post prod & cgi era’ ? Yes absolutely. The right photographer is the key to making the product beautiful. They see the light. I believe the tools will always evolve, and photographer’s skill sets will evolve too.
How many photo shoots do you realize and what do you look for in a transportation photographer? Multiple per year. I look for three things in a photographer: 1) Their craft. Meaning their ability to create form and shape in automobiles. A true mastery of automotive photography. Understanding how the light interacts with the vehicle. At the end of the day, we are selling cars, and the cars need to look amazing. 2) The overall attitude of their work. When they create a photo of a thing, is it beautiful? Does the work excite me with its beauty? 3) Do they have the right style for the story I am trying to tell?
Currently you are living in Detroit? Detroit is known for let’s say going through difficult times. What is your opinion about the future of the world’s former automotive center? I love it here. So much freedom to make things. There is a creative energy that permeates the entire city.
What would you recommend us visiting Detroit? Yes. Come here and I'll show you. We can make a story for GoSee. You might want to stay.
Sounds excellent, we will certainly take you up on the invitation! Coming soon: GoSee News from Detroit. But before that, we would like to show you the summer campaign and can hardly wait to see the new projects of our GoSee friend and top creative...
Mike Brooks started his career after finishing his studies in 2000 at Berlin Cameron and Global Sunday LLC, he was Art Director at WONGDOODY and McCann Erickson. At Organic, he worked on projects for Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge. As the Associate Creative Director, he realized campaigns for the client SAAB as commissioned by McCann Erickson Detroit, which won multiple awards. He joined forces with Cadillac as a freelance CD, and as Associate CD at Lowe & Partners Worldwide, he was in charge of launching the models Escalade, ATS Coupe or ELR. Since March 2015, Mike has been responsible for the client Chevrolet at Commonwealth/McCann, and since September as Associate Creative Director. Chapeau!