My job is to turn the motivation into great work

My job is to turn the motivation into great work

Dec. 10, 2016

Alina Shiboyan for Ads of Brands™

 


Michael Ohanian

Executive Creative Director, 

thjnk agency

“Creative” - this was the exact word how Michael Ohanian has described himself. A person, whose biggest aim and wish of the childhood was to become a soccer player, today is one of the most successful creative directors in the world of advertisement.

"That was the hardest part for me. Explaining my roots to others."

 

Ohanian, a usual and ordinary Armenian surname, but getting it wasn’t as easy as seems at the first sight. My parents originally came from Istanbul, Turkey. They moved to Germany because they wanted their children to grow up in a Christian environment. My brother and sister were born in Turkey, I was born in Germany. Originally our surname was Ohanoglu – which is a typical Turkish surname ending. That was the hardest part for me. Explaining my roots to others. “No I am not Turkish, I am Armenian!” “Armen what?” “Armenian”, “But your surname sounds Turkish”, “Yes it is”. When I got the German citizenship me and my sisters decided to change our name back to Ohanian. Thanks to Mikitharian and Kim Kardashian things got easier for my kids (smiling).

“I met her at my sister’s engagement: we are married for 15 years”

 

        Today Michael Ohanian has his own Armenian family, in spite of the country they live, they are Armenians.         His wife is an Armenian, their children are grown up and surrounded with Armenian spirit and culture: “I am         married to an Armenian woman. To my German environment, this feels like cliche. You know the stories.           She was not promised to me as a child. I met her at my sister’s engagement. It was love at first sight. We         are married for 15 years and have two beautiful children. A son and a daughter. They are so great”.

        “We do not speak a lot Armenian at home, but we try to teach our children as much as possible about               Armenian culture. Their grandmothers always talk in Armenian language to them. So my kids understand,           but they’re not used to talk. My daughter visited - Taline Concert in Hamburg some weeks ago. She knows         every song. Of course, we visit the Armenian Church. We celebrate Christmas twice. Once at December           24th and like every Armenian at January 6th”.

 

“I wanted to create stuff, that people talk about. And that’s still my driving force”

 

After High School I didn’t want to study. I started an apprenticeship in a small agency in my hometown. When I started, I wanted to become an account guy. Yes, really. After I red David Ogilvy and a book by the Saatchi brothers, I thought being a creative in an agency is the better job. I wanted to create stuff, that people talk about and that is still my driving force.

- I have tried to get a job in Frankfurt. It was so hard - closed doors everywhere. But I was really obsessed by the idea of becoming a copywriter that after a million calls I got an intern job offer by Ogilvy. But still that wasn’t enough. After 6 month, I decided that I want to work in a hot shop. That was my start at Jung von Matt”.

“I was lucky to work with the best”

 

Being a person who always inspires others to do better than the best, to reach high levels, Michael has his own inspiration sources. “My biggest inspiration were always the people I worked with. I was lucky to work with the best. Hartwig Keuntje, Armin Jochum, Jean-Remy von Matt. I have learned a lot from them. Moreover, I had great team partners and colleagues”.

“Totally different. That is what I really like”

 

“There is so much happening in the ad industry. We have more possibilities than ever. We still can think in stories, in services and products.

"The last couple of years I have worked exclusively on automobile accounts – Mercedes, BMW and Audi. Now I work for REWE – a big German supermarket. Totally different. That is what I really like. A great challenge”.

“My job is to turn the motivation into great work”

 

It is always curios how successful and talented people create their teams, choose the one who will complete their working unit. “It’s a mixture of different things. Personality, chemistry is important of course.  Beside that, I think it is all a lot about passion. In some cases, motivation even beats talent.  So, if I have the feeling the guy in front of me is highly motivated but his portfolio might lack a bit – I sometimes give -a chance. It is part of my job to turn this motivation into great work and make the employee better”.

“How to become a man of the ad?”

 

Again its passion. “I met a lot of smart and talented people. Those who lacked passion didn’t make it to the top”.

“That’s what I really love about my job…”

 

“What I really love about my job – it might sound cliche but there is no typical day. If to describe some usual part of a day - first thing in the morning is an ice-cold coke. I cannot do without it. Meanwhile checking my calendar, making a hierarchy of what is most important for the day: answering emails and then meetings, doing planning with the account people my creatives. Sometimes I cancel all the meetings to work on stuff myself”.

One Ad story…

 

“My first advertising work was for Cannes Lions, which was a low budget commercial for BILD – the German SUN. It got a bronze lion.

There is a lot of other stuff I am proud of.

The Mercedes “Sorry Spot” for example. One of the copywriters told me his idea. I loved it immediately. I called Jean-Remy and told him the story. He also fell in love with it, but we knew it would be very hard to sell the idea as a script. Nearly impossible - a Reaper in a Mercedes. No way. We decided to shoot the commercial first. And that’s what we did. We presented the finished film to the client and they loved it because the execution was so charming. They bought it. Then it happened. At the on air date a Mercedes test driver (the guys who test the cars on the road) was involved in an accident, where some people died. It got a huge media coverage. We had to stop the airing.  Can you imagine - the day the ad should be aired! I was so frustrated. That evening I watched the Champions League final – and guess what? The first spot in the commercial break was our spot. I freaked out. The client will kill us. That will be a massive storm. But everyone loved the commercial and nothing happened”.

“My favorite one…”

 

"I am a big fan of Droga5. They always surprise with a great insights and combine that with creative excellence."

Don’t follow the money, let the money follow you”

 

It is always inspiring and encouraging hearing some advice from the one who has his own place, step in the field of advertisement.

“Become a master of your craft, observe people, be curious, get a feeling for insights ! Learn to code! It is all about the work. Always ask yourself: where can I make the best work?
Don’t follow the money, let the money follow you - otherwise you will make wrong decisions”.

And the most important to remember is:

“Don’t talk, walk”


Michael Ohanian,

Executive Creative Director, thjnk agency

* Thjnk is the most efficient owner-managed agency in Germany according to the EuroEffie Index, was voted for "Agency of the Year" by EuroEffies in 2014 and was the first German leading agency to win a golden Global Effie.


 

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