Jury Insights – Interview with Leopold Kreczy
In this Jury Insights interview, we speak with Leopold Kreczy, Head of Creative Performance & Creative Director at Wien Nord Serviceplan and a creative with more than a decade of experience in the advertising industry.
After studying Advertising & Brand Management in Austria and the UK, Kreczy began his career as a copywriter before moving into creative direction. Over the years, he has worked at several of Austria’s leading agencies, including Jung von Matt, Serviceplan, Wien Nord and Heimat Wien, while receiving numerous national and international awards for his work. He also regularly contributes to the industry as a jury member, including at ADC Europe, the CCA and Austriacus.
As a member of this year’s Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards jury, Kreczy shares his impressions of the entries, highlighting the work coming from the tourism industry and the high production value of this year’s films. He discusses what makes an entry stand out in a corporate environment, why creative bravery matters, and why even complex B2B stories ultimately need to connect with people on a human level.
“It takes bravery from the client, the agency and the production to do something really different.” – Leopold Kreczy
- Q: Can you tell us a little about your professional journey? What has been the most defining moment of your career so far?
I studied advertising & brand management in Austria and in the UK. I started as a copywriter and became a creative director pretty soon. After 12 years in different creative agencies and collecting a few national and international awards, I am now the head of creative performance at Wien Nord Serviceplan.
- Q: Has participating in the jury changed the way you view your own work or the industry?
Participating in the jury showed me how broad the spectrum of corporate films is and at the same time it proofed to me that no matter what’s the industry or the topic, it’s always creativity that stands out especially in a corporate B2B world.
- Q: What are your impressions of this year's entries? Are there any trends or approaches that have caught your attention?
My impression of this year’s entries is that the tourism industry has the most outstanding work from a creative point of view. There are projects from countries all over the world that really surprised me.
Overall I have to say, the production value of the corporate films is very high. There are cinematic movies up to one hour playtime. And still it’s always the creativity and the idea that decides if the film is outstanding or not.
- Q: In your view, what distinguishes a good entry from an award-winning one?
Especially in a corporate environment it’s the creative and brave solutions that separate a good entry from an award-winning one. It takes bravery from the client, the agency and the production to do something really different.
- Q: What does a corporate film need to have for it to stay in your mind long after the judging is over?
The corporate films that stay in my mind have the same ingredients like every other good film: something very human, emotional and surprising. The decision makers in every B2B target group are also just humans, who want to be entertained. No matter if it’s humor, excitement or emotionality.
- Q: If you could see one industry (e.g. Finance, Tech, Pharma) completely reinvent the way it tells its stories, which would it be—and why?
I think that the tech industry maybe should reinvent the way it tells stories. Some of the biggest tech brand in the world, like Apple or Claude A.I. are already doing it. They tell the technological advantages and features in a very human way. Because even when you are selling complicated technology, you are selling it to humans.
- Q: As a jury member, what do you believe is the true value of awards, and why are platforms like the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards important for the industry?
The value of awards has many aspects from my point of view:
The most important one is to highlight remarkable projects that set creative benchmarks and inspire others.
To reward brands for their bravery to do something new, something different, maybe even something no one has ever dared to do before in their industry.
And last but not least, it’s about showing appreciation to the brands, agencies and production companies of an outstanding project and to give the great people behind the hard work a stage.