Contemporary avant-garde?
Business loves imaginative people!
Aneta Pisaniec-Drabik, a graduate of Fashion Business at the Parsons School of Fashion and Design in New York, Journalism department at the University of Warsaw, and Cultural Diplomacy at Collegium Civitas. She has hundreds of advertising productions to her credit, dozens of created brands, and thousands of people who have benefited from her work. An aesthete sensitive to beauty, a person discerning the needs of the world, and an experienced expert in the field of image creation. She successfully combines several roles, goes beyond established patterns, and refuses to be confined to the established “cages” of narrow specializations. Branding through art is not only her passion but also her mission. She perfectly understands both: the needs of her clients and their target audience.
You’ve been professionally involved in PR and marketing for years. In your opinion, what defines a strong brand?
The identity of its client and the dream of who that client would like to become. For me, a strong brand is the one that comes to mind first when we need something or when we are blessed with an opportunity to pick whatever we please. That’s why I envy Louis Vuitton’s actions. I know that to some extent, its employees can create marketing art without worrying about recognition. For many women around the world, a dream handbag is associated with that brand. Similarly with luxury watches. There are hundreds of fantastic brands, but for most people Rolex is the one that comes to mind first.
What do you consider your greatest success in your career so far?
When I close my eyes and see the faces of people with whom I’ve created a project, built a brand, organized an event, or devised an advertising campaign, I smile, and they smile back at me. Thousands of people have passed through my life, and I am convinced that the vast majority of them remember collaboration with me very positively. I have always worked in a way that everyone involved in a given work– from the company’s management to its low-level supporting staff – felt a valuable part of a team dedicated to deliver something big.
What do you start with when a new brand is added to your portfolio?
You know, it often happens that people come to me knowing that they want to create a brand, but they don’t even have a name or an idea for a logo. I start by asking them questions that will help me understand the reason for creating such brand. I want to get to know them so that the company I’m going to help them create is consistent with who its creators are. And then I tell them how important CSR activities are, and start educating a potential client about the impact of business on societal development. From that moment on a client knows that it won’t be easy with me, that I will push to do those seemingly „charitable” things. Why? To position the brand as conscious, responsible, and thus strong. Fortunately, nowadays more and more entrepreneurs understand that and is willing to go this route.
CSR is super important for you. However, there are people who believe that such actions should not be loudly communicated to avoid giving the impression that philanthropy is just a tool for building a positive brand/company image.
My life and work would not make sense without creating CSR campaigns. Therefore, I choose my collaborators and clients with this key. But helping is difficult; it requires effort and commitment. Life has taught me that to accomplish really big things, it’s easier to work in a team. If there are people who, for various reasons, share your idea for a project and want to contribute to it, it’s worth taking advantage of their willingness to help. There are too many needs in the world to reject good intentions. Besides, I believe that goodness breeds goodness. And I don’t mind a certain ostentation in this. Most people who do a lot of good things for the world talk about it loudly. In that way their actions mobilize others. Does it look good in terms of marketing? I think it looks great! Is it bad that companies exploit that? I don’t think so. Of course, one can help quietly and feel a need to keep it secret. That is a choice, and everyone has a right to do so, but we need to remember that many need motivation; that they want to feel a sense of belonging to a larger community. That’s why the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity (WOSP) works so well in Poland, that’s why UNICEF is so popular. As I said before, one’s action can spark actions of others. If properly promoted, it might have a multiplying effect.
Of course, I wouldn’t want to work with every client, and I wouldn’t propose charitable actions to everyone just to improve their image. I would never work with a slaughterhouse, fur animal farm, and other enterprises of that kind.
So you want to share certain values with a potential client – I respect that. Does that mean that you see a connection between the brand’s owner and the brand itself? Or, on the contrary, you believe that the personality of the owner can be detached from the character of the brand at all?
„Most of the brands I know and have helped create were a reflection of their creator. People typically want to be noticed, understood and appreciated. They often express themselves by building their own companies. For some of us it’s a kind of art. It involves our personality.”
Of course, companies are also created to respond to the market t through which the customers indicate their demands. However, the world is changing and, in many sectors, today’s consumers increasingly expect more than a simple fulfilment of their immediate needs. While their desires still need to be satisfied, they want that to happen in a particular way. Especially when it comes to luxury products or services they want to be pampered. They also want to be able to identify with the supplier and the values that it represents. The customers sense very well who simply gives them what they want by following the trends set by others, and who is authentic, set the trends, and offers not only a product or a service but an experience and an identity.
Do you think there is an increasing interest in personal brand professionalization in business? Do you have any specific examples that show that it can be done really well…?
There are many people who have a good image, and even more who copy them. The general rule is that if you succeed in something, you have to expect that others will try to emulate you. In principle, there is nothing wrong with wanting to resemble someone that we like, respect, find motivating, or consider a role model. What’s sad about this though is that by looking at people who imitate others by repeating their gestures expressions, and the whole way of being, we don’t see the real individuals anymore, but rather products carefully crafted to resemble something that they are not.
„That is what I definitely want to avoid. I always work with clients focusing on who they are. I don’t wish replicate anyone, no matter how successful that person might be. I don’t follow any models or templates. I rather help people to become even more themselves, by revealing to the world their inner beauty and features that in my opinion make them interesting to others.”
If I could dream up the ideal clients, they would definitely be:
Examples? Roger Federer, Iga Swiatek, Oprah Winfrey, Lily Collins, in contemporary fashion – Jacquemus, who just received the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from Anna Wintour during Paris Fashion Week.
And going back to product brands: do you have your own personal love brands?
I do, of course! Among the luxury brands, as I already mentioned, my number one is Louis Vuitton. I really like also Jaeger le Couture. Besides, there are plenty of smaller companies that I adore, such as e.g., Sézane, Longchamp, or Chylak. In addition, I believe that Schiaparelli under the direction of Daniel Rosberry is truly great. And I love Alexander McQueen’s fashion house.In the personal brand category, I am in love with Cedric Grolet, an outstanding French pastry chef.
Let’s delve into it: why did you choose these specifically?
Have you seen the LV campaigns? Some of them are so beautiful that you can watch them like an Oscar-winning movie. Also, I can fully relate to the mission of that brand, which is: Life is a journey. After all, it started with making coffers and suitcases. In my opinion, the messaging and aesthetics of LV are consistent, beautiful, inspiring, and timeless. LV sets trends by collaborating with the best contemporary artists who have a tremendous influence on the way in which we think about art, like e.g., Yayoi Kusama. For me that brand has always been somewhere in between fashion and art.
Another fantastic manifestation of their work is the headquarter of LV Foundation in Paris, a building designed by Frank Gehry which regularly hosts truly awe-inspiring art exhibitions. I was enchanted by the one that juxtaposed Joan Mitchell’s works with Claude Monet’s paintings. I admire LV for its continuous development, setting trends, and for this element of stability, like their characteristic checkerboard pattern, which always goes well with everything.
Longchamp is consistent, in everything it does, it can be crazy and extravagant, but nevertheless, you can always count on its elegance and simplicity. Sezane is a brand that emerged from the vintage world. I really like combining the „old” with the “new”. Chylak is a Polish brand, and as a Pole and a fashion fan, I am very proud of it. It has products of the world-class quality and design. And Schiaparelli and McQueen are pure artistry in fashion. Their designs are just magical. They are the true works of art. They are not just clothes, but statements. They manifest certain values and attitudes.
„Jaeger-LeCoultre and the iconic Reverso model. I love this watch for its elegance, uniqueness, and reliability. Additionally, my father wore a watch from this brand when I was a child, so I’ve always associated watches with Jaeger-LeCoultre”
Jaeger Le Couture is in my subconscious the image of my dad. He wore a beautiful, golden watch from this company when I was a child. Cedric Grolet is simply a pastry genius. I watch how he makes pastries. His videos on Instagram allow you to relax, and on the other hand, inspire you to work. There is some mysterious self-assurance in him that makes you trust that each and every dessert he makes is a holly grail. And when you try it, it holds its promise.
The brands I choose are a reflection of who I want to be.
Many experienced marketing specialists believe that two types of clients are the most challenging: global corporations and startups. What is your opinion in this context?
I was born to create startups. Everything in me that is creative and bold wants to create new things, help those who are just entering the market, and rediscover it with them. Startups are difficult clients because they don’t fully know what they want, they are still in their forming stage, but that interaction with the market that helps them to assume their final shape, that feeling of working on a living organism that adapts to the world in order to conquer it, have always been very satisfying for me. Large corporations, in turn, come with large budgets, giving you an opportunity to fulfil your wildest marketing dreams. However, that comes with an equally large pressure, stress, expectations, and the burden of responsibility that you have to cope with. It is very challenging, but I love to be challenged. It gives me energy and ignites my creativity. For me, the most difficult clients are those who don’t know what they want and at the same time are not open to suggestions. Whether they are big corporations or startups is irrelevant. What matters and poses the problem is that they are closeminded.
What, in your opinion, is the most important aspect when creating a brand for a company that is just taking its first steps in the market?
If I were to answer that question professionally, it would be to accurately define the target audience. However, answering less from a business perspective and more from my heart, I would say being 100% sure that you want to own a business and that you are ready to face all the difficulties that come with it.
How do you approach challenges when starting to work with a company from an industry that you aren’t very familiar with?
You’re probably referring to my experience with Quantise, with whom I’m currently collaborating. At the beginning it was indeed a bit of challenge, but it was mainly in my mind. rather than in actual obstacles.
„A brand is a story that we want to tell to a customer that we want to reach, regardless of whether we sell perfumes or financial services.”
I need to understand what the company does, but I do not need to be an expert in it. My colleagues at Quantise are there to implement certain solutions in companies, while my job is to make the latter realize that they have a need for Quantise’s services. Moreover, quite honestly, I’m constantly learning. I’ve started reading more about financial markets and I am starting to actually understand that world As I said before, I like challenges. They motivate me to acquire new knowledge. I always approach my work with enthusiasm and I am eager to broaden my horizons. Furthermore, when you come to any field as a novice and an outsider.
„You have a great advantage of not being poisoned by the established patterns. You can see things unconventionally and take paths less travelled, thus gaining a chance to stand out. I like to test new ideas; I’m not afraid to think outside the box.”
For several years, you have been living in Switzerland. Has it somehow changed your professional perspective?
I feel like I’ve been reborn in Switzerland. It gave me space to breathe, allowed me to focus on detail, to slow down. Life flows more slowly here, and as a result, business moves at a different pace too. Moving to Switzerland gave me a chance to go back to things that I buried in a drawer. I’m grateful for this turn of events. Geneva, where I live, is very international, and Switzerland itself has three official languages and three dominant cultures: French, German, and Italian. Each of them is rich and different, and yet, they work well together. That itself is a proof that in Switzerland nothing is impossible. And when I am tired with the multicultural urban hustle and bustle, I run away to the mountains and work from there in a complete peace, surrounded by beautiful nature and silence.
Looking at your social media profile, it’s clear that you have an artistic soul. You said that you’re interested in photography, art, and fashion. But does that sensitivity to beauty help you in your work?
It often gets in a way! I want my work to enchant others. But, unfortunately, that is not always the goal. I have to follow what works best for the client. My artistic nature needs to be kept in check. On the other hand, I am a careful observer and I draw inspiration from so many things. My brain works like a huge memory bank, constantly replaying captured frames and images. I see a potential for a photo shoot, fashion show, or visual ad all around me. When I meet people who intrigue me, I want to show them to the whole world. I want to share what inspires me with others; spread good ideas so that they flow freely and change the world. When I was in Barcelona I visited a house designed by Gaudi. At the end of the tour, there’ was a visual show letting the visitors to enter his mind. Before the projection, I was sceptical, but afterwards, I felt an incredible relief. I could perfectly relate to what I saw. I was appeasing to know that I’m not the only one struggling with the exhausting pursuit of beauty each and every day! Knowing that even geniuses like Gaudi were overwhelmed by the task of taming the chaotic beauty of the world and translating it from impressions, feelings, and imaginations into real objects, was a relief.
It is a struggle. A self-imposed struggle that I love, even though I am often emotionally drained and never fully satisfied. Each expression of beauty is immediately followed by another vision that I want to bring to life. That’s how I am, and I can’t change it. I also do not want to change it.
Also because it helps with clients. There is that energy in me that allows them to know in an instant whether my sense of aesthetics and personality matches their needs and expectations. If it is the case, we set sails to create beauty together. If not, we part ways without wasting one another’s time.
You have created hundreds of advertising campaigns, built an image of many individuals, produced numerous events, fashion shows, and vernissages, are you still hungry? Do you want more?
I am and I do! The world doesn’t stand still. What was captivating just three years ago doesn’t impress anyone anymore. I don’t want to stand still. I’m constantly moving, learning new things, pushing the frontier. I keep developing with each new client and each new projects.
„I have a wonderful team of super talented people located in different parts of the world. Thanks to this, wherever fate takes me with a project, I am always confident that everything will turn out fine.”
You are a graduate of journalism, you’ve written expert columns for news portals, worked in television, and for many years professionally engaged in PR and marketing. While living in Switzerland, you completed online studies at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York. What is your biggest professional dream?
To never rest on my laurels and be always eager to work. To have strength and motivation for it. To show people that they should not be satisfied with doing one thing if they’re capable of doing more. To motivate them to improve and thus build an image of themselves that they can be proud of. I have a few more dreams, but I won’t talk about them now, not to jinx them.
Sounds beautiful! What is your strength?
Optimism, creativity, childlike sense of wonder (the latter is very useful in building brands because children are brave, they don’t see limitations). And a sixth sense when it comes to human psychology. If I weren’t creating brands, I would probably be a psychologist.
The campaign that has recently captivated you most?
Maybe at first I won’t talk about a campaign, but an exhibition. What really fascinated me recently was the Expo 2020 in Dubai. I discovered wonderful things there and was enchanted by pavilions of some countries. One of the most beautiful was Bahrain. Surprising, innovative, elegant, beautiful. I mention it because it totally surprised me. I expected to see displays of wealth, splendour, luxury, but instead, I saw the real depth. It was a good reminder to avoid thinking along the establish lines and stereotypes. As for campaigns, I was really touched by the Greenpeace’s work with Ludovico Einaudi. Moving, minimalist, and wrapped with the genius of the composer.
Art trading? You advise people on what to buy. Do you target well-known names or rather look for aspiring artists and young talent?
It depends on the client, the purpose of purchasing artworks, and even the country of origin. Buying art is a complex process, both business- and emotion-wise. Some companies buy paintings, sculptures, etc. as investments, others for the enjoyment of an owner,, still others to create an inspiring space for their employees. Each of these reasons is valid, and each requires a different approach.
Why did you get into this? Is this just another business for you or is that something more?
It just came to me. I could say, „be careful what you wish for because it might come true” (laughs). I’ve always wanted to work with art. When I was in high school, I was thinking about studying art. However, fate led my life in a different direction. But art and artists have always been part of my life. Having my own agency where I organized events, I also had an opportunity to do vernissages. I collaborated with an auction house, engaged artists in my marketing activities. Since I’ve been living in Switzerland, there have been requests for assistance in purchasing, so I started to focus on that additionally, and I do it with great passion and dedication.
„Advising on the purchase of artworks is one form of branding for me. I create a space that defines a person in a society. That’s how I see it, which is why I don’t separate it from my other professional activities.”
Which person who is an important benchmark for you in business?
I can’t point to just one person. I like people who are brave and who don’t create businesses just to make money. I know that it sounds idealistic. But I truly believe that it’s not only money that is the real driving force behind businesses, but also the dream of overcoming one’s weaknesses, fears, and stereotypes. That’s why those who have truly succeeded in creating a profitable business from scratch are often interesting, strong individuals.
Rationalist or visionary – which word describes you better?
Definitely the latter. I often do things that others don’t seem to need. It doesn’t bother me because I see ahead and aim for the future.
The message that is particularly important to you…
Firstly: „The journey is the destination”, „To ignite others, one must first burn oneself”, and „You are the sum of the five people you spend the most time with. Be careful who you surround yourself with”. These determine my life decisions and my approach to work.
Thank you for the conversation.
Lidia Lewandowska
Lidia Lewandowska, a business journalist with 20 years of experience. Founder of the respected cosmetics portal WirtualneKosmetyki.pl and the initiator of the prestigious Love Cosmetics Awards competition. Author of the book „Beautiful Stories: Success of Polish Cosmetic Brands”