Catch up with Pavel Flégl, Creative Director at Isobar Czech Republic
Bistro, the leading creative agency in Czech Republic, has been part of Dentsu Aegis Network since 2016, and rebranded as Isobar Czech Republic in October this year. Following the announcement, we caught up with co-founder and creative director, Pavel Flégl, to find out more about the journey so far.
You co-founded Bistro Agency in Prague, which recently rebranded to Isobar Czech Republic. Tell us about the journey so far.
Bistro was founded by myself and two others in June 2006. Together, we loved creating digital campaigns, microsites, Facebook apps and so on as digital was on rise in the Czech Republic. The passion we injected into our work helped to push the local market bar higher and higher, and we quickly grew into one of the leading digital agencies in the market.
In 2014 we were acquired by the Czech media group Adexpres which opened up a completely new world of opportunities for us. We reached out to new clients and we moved from pure digital into more a strategic and experience-oriented agency. As we continued to grow, we were acquired by Dentsu Aegis Network in 2016, which is where the Isobar story began, being rebranded to Isobar Czech Republic in October 2018.
How does your office environment foster creativity?
In 2017, we moved into a wonderful new office with a huge social area, where we meet, discuss and inspire one another every day. Our people also have the opportunity to kick off their day with a delicious breakfast provided by a local chef, or a morning workout in the gym, boxing or yoga classes. For all of us, our workspace is a second home and it’s vital to have an environment which is an incubator for ideas and creativity.
Being a creative, what excites you most about being part of a global agency network?
The Isobar network is young, and has a huge range of market leading capabilities. Growing by acquisition Isobar is very diverse which is extremely inspiring, and something I learn from daily. I think there is a fascinating journey ahead of us and we are very proud to be part of it!
Where did the idea for the hugely successful “Thank you, Czechs” work for People in Need come from?
The brief was simple — inform the general public in the Czech Republic about the activities of the Czech NGO, People in Need, who focus on long term development in countries across the world. But we couldn’t simply put a creative spin around specific real world problems such as hunger, poverty or water scarcity.
But every solution provided by People in Need has one common outcome — grateful people in their homelands. So we decided to use the simple “Thank you” gesture as the core element of the campaign. We connected with these grateful people so they could thank the Czech public in their own native languages, helping to break down anti-immigration rhetoric dominating the country after the parliamentary election. These “Thank you” messages, handwritten in Arabic, Burmese or Ukrainian were placed on 37 billboards in three major cities, helping the campaign become the main topic across all media in the country for two weeks.
The Czech Republic team works with some amazing clients. What other recent work are you super proud of and why?
I am particularly proud of the work we’ve done for ŠKODA. Last year we created campaigns focused on students of IT and technology-oriented with the objective of changing the perception of the brand among young people and encouraging them to apply for jobs. From the agency point of view our work was recognised at various award shows, but most importantly, our client changed the perception of their brand. ŠKODA is now perceived as an industry leader and, and on the top of that, they’ve received an increase in applicants from fresh graduates.
Finally, how has the creative and digital landscape evolved during your career, and where is it heading?
The whole industry is moving forward so rapidly, that it’s difficult to predict the next big thing in the Czech Republic. Whether it will be AI, dynamic TVCs, data-driven creativity, or VR/AR, I still believe in technology as an enabler, not the ‘doer’. If there is something I have been constantly focusing on during my career, it’s the simplicity of big ideas, based on true, human-centered insights. Once you have a great creative story to tell, technologies help elevate the message effectively.
