Kerstin Mende – Head of Art Buying at Scholz & Friends in conversation about creative challenges, featuring the DURAVIT campaign ‘Upgrade your everyday’ on GoSee and in person at UPDATE BERLIN

With over 30 years of experience in art buying, Kerstin Mende is one of the most influential figures in visual brand communication in Germany. She began her career in the creative industry in 1992 as an art buyer at BBDO. Her journey continued at renowned agencies such as FCB Hamburg, Jung von Matt, and McCann Erickson, among others. Since 2004, she has led the art buying department at Scholz & Friends, one of the country's leading creative agencies. In this role, she manages clients including McDonald's, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Toom, Sparkassen, IWC, FAZ, Mazda, and several ministries, contributing to numerous award-winning campaigns over the years.

In addition to her agency work, Kerstin Mende is actively involved in the creative community. She has been a part of the GoSee family for many years, lending her expertise to the UPDATE Berlin in the areas of photography, film, and campaign production. She serves on various juries and regularly contributes to curatorial formats like the BFF Förderpreis, always with the aim of promoting, showcasing, and connecting creative talents.

Kerstin, you've been leading art buying at Scholz & Friends for over two decades. That must mean you're doing something right to stay at the same agency for so long? Kerstin: Others can judge that. Over the years, my role at Scholz & Friends has evolved significantly. I started as a freelancer, then built a team, and now I oversee all German-speaking locations of the agency. And to keep things interesting, I still take on freelance projects occasionally.

What still excites you about your work today? Kerstin: I have the most fulfilling job I could imagine. On one hand, I thoroughly enjoy the creative evaluation—meeting new people almost daily who present their work and assessing which projects they might be suitable for. On the other hand, I also appreciate the commercial aspect. Yes, I can get excited about Excel spreadsheets and enjoy negotiating costs. Over the decades, the job has changed a lot, but I always find something positive in every change. Besides, looking in the rearview mirror doesn't help. Not everything was better in the past!

What are you currently working on? Which of your campaigns are on air? Kerstin: At various locations, we handle several automotive clients. Currently, campaigns for Audi, Mercedes NF, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and Mazda are on air. We're also running campaigns for Brax (featuring Bastian Schweinsteiger and Ana Ivanovic), Telekom, Discover, and DerTour.

"Upgrade your everyday" for Duravit—Scholz & Friends showcased the aesthetics of everyday life. Can you tell us more about this? Kerstin: It was a great example of an integrated campaign, combining photography and film, with a single photographer/director responsible (Kai Uwe Gundlach). It's rare these days to produce solely for print or just for moving images. We now cover both aspects in about 90% of our projects. The combination for Duravit was excellently executed, especially because we had a top-notch team.

VW Commercial Vehicles and Scholz & Friends teamed up with "The Transporter" Jason Statham. Can you share more about this campaign?
Kerstin: Campaigns like this are particularly challenging because, in addition to the high standards and client expectations, the needs of the celebrity must also be considered. This requires professional partners (in this case, Markenfilm). Balancing these needs takes strong nerves, as the process often presents new challenges. But the effort was worthwhile.

How do you generally collaborate with the creative team, and how has the role of art buyer or art producer evolvedKerstin: We continue to be a sparring partner for the creative team. We regularly organize portfolio reviews and advise on feasibility. Ideally, this happens before potential campaigns are presented to the client. Many ideas are now visualized using AI. Here, we sometimes need to temper expectations, as what AI generates isn't always feasible or usable (e.g., rights clearance).

You manage automotive clients like Audi, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, and Mazda. What unique aspects must be considered in visual brand communication in the automotive industry? Kerstin: As mentioned, it's rare that we "only" do photography. Clients increasingly require moving image content as well. This applies to almost all clients. It's crucial to determine who leads the production—if we're producing elaborate TVCs, it's the colleagues from the TV department whom we support. If it's campaign shoots with additional moving images, which is usually the case, it's our responsibility. In extreme cases, we have separate teams for each discipline (film/photo and social media). A common challenge is the limited number of vehicles available on set, requiring tight coordination among teams and meticulous planning.

Throughout your extensive career, you've overseen numerous photo and film productions. Is there a project that stands out, and if so, why? Kerstin: The most thrilling productions are those involving celebrities. It's especially important to act professionally and flexibly.

Some highlights include: A calendar shoot for the Opel Adam, where we booked Bryan Adams as the photographer. We received the assignment very last minute, and from the idea to the production, it was about six weeks. I'm truly proud that I managed to secure him for the project on such short notice.

Our Berlin office has been handling IWC Schaffhausen for several years. One production with Lewis Hamilton took place in Qatar during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic when no one was vaccinated, and there was constant uncertainty about exposure. It had to be in Qatar because Lewis was racing there. We organized and managed this production remotely. Additionally, Lewis insisted on working with a photographer active in the Black Lives Matter movement, so we engaged Misan Harriman. Due to the pandemic, we also booked a backup photographer from Dubai, who remained on standby in the hotel throughout the production. The COVID-19 measures on-site were intense, with designated areas taped off where the crew could move. Only select individuals were allowed near Lewis Hamilton.

Two other notable productions for IWC include a shoot in Boston with Tom Brady and one with Gisele Bündchen during the rainy season in Costa Rica. The shooting locations were predetermined because the talents were there. In Costa Rica, it rained 80% of the time during our photography and filming. The production had to adapt quickly, setting up coverings in a short time.

What are the most important criteria for you when selecting photographers, directors, and talents for your diverse productions—beyond their portfolios? Kerstin: Beyond excellent portfolios and reels, it's essential to get to know the individuals behind the work. Both on the creative side and among artists, we often deal with strong personalities. It's crucial to assess whether the teams will work well together. That's why we conduct regular meetings.

How do you navigate the balance between creative vision and budget constraints? Any tricks? Kerstin: Great question! It's always a challenge. That's why preliminary cost checks are essential. If we don't receive a budget guideline from the client, I estimate the costs roughly so that the consulting team can assess if it aligns. If it doesn't, we need to figure out how to achieve the goal. The job often involves compromises, and there's not always

What was the craziest challenge you’ve ever had to solve during a production? Kerstin: The Bryan Adams production I mentioned. I think with Jason Statham, it took about a year to finalize all the contracts – and in this case, we had less than four weeks.

How do you see the future of art buying, and what role will new technologies and platforms play? Kerstin: We’ve been noticing for a while now that the job is becoming more complex and increasingly focused on consulting. Expertise in film is becoming more and more important. With so many technical possibilities, it's crucial to stay on top of things. Especially when it comes to AI, it’s important to understand what’s possible, what’s allowed, and what’s not. Many people don’t realize that the legal terms of AI providers vary widely. I’m really happy that we have a great legal department at WPP, and we work closely together. WPP has even created something called a “Risk Map” that evaluates dozens of AI platforms in terms of usage rights and legal safety. Since we manage many disciplines in a single production and need to give accurate budget assessments, experience is more important than ever. We’re also noticing that clients are less decisive these days – they often change their minds, and we sometimes have to calculate productions in ten different versions. Another major topic is green production. We’ve received intensive training and make sure that all productions are handled with sustainability and environmental awareness in mind. It’s our responsibility to draw attention to that.

What’s one shoot that was so chaotic you still laugh – or almost cried – thinking about it? Kerstin: The production with Gisele Bündchen in Costa Rica, in the middle of a tropical downpour.

If you hadn’t become an art buyer – what would you have done instead? Kerstin: Psychotherapist 😉

 

Kerstin Mende – Head of Art Buying Scholz & Friends Germany

 

Kerstin Mende – Head of Art Buying Scholz & Friends Germany

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