Rogier Vijverberg of SuperHeroes Talks about How to Win the Attention Game with Younger, Ad-Averse Generations

Ask Rogier Vijverberg what’s the next frontier for brands, and he’ll likely tell you it’s Digital Street Art. Rogier Vijverberg founded the agency SuperHeroes in Amsterdam in 2009 with an ambitious mission to save the world from boring advertising. Nearly 15 years later, SuperHeroes is still an independent agency, but now with offices in New York (or Williamsburg, Brooklyn to be precise) and most recently Singapore… driven by that same mission.

A self-described “digitalist,” with the title of Chief Creative Hero, he calls SuperHeroes “a thumb-stopping agency that wins the attention game with digital natives with audience-first creativity.”
This year he also founded a new digital street art collective called JIMMY to work with global brands. The studio creates social content also known as ‘faux-out-of-home/ CGI-ads’ and is taking over cities around the world with fantastical digital storytelling.

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JIMMY artists make the world their creative canvas by adding zany, surreal artistic elements to public spaces. The work plays with reality, causing the audience to actually wonder what is actually real. JIMMY recently developed new experiential marketing for the FENTY x PUMA partnership to tap into the thumb-stopping power of CGI-generated social content for the global launch of the Avanti sneaker.
Scroll down for images from Instagram.

To learn more from Rogier Vijverberg about new directions in advertising that garner attention and generate a sense of authenticity among younger, ad-averse generations, watch the video interview on Internationalist Marketing TV (IMTV) on YouTube by CLICKING HERE.

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In our conversation, we discuss the following:

What is your perspective on current trends in advertising and how “creativity” is defined today?
Certainly, your work has evolved in the past 15 years. Is that largely due to what technology can achieve, shifts in contemporary culture, or a new generation with different ideals? Or something else?
Talk about the breadth of your clients— I realize they range from retailers to mass brands to even a computer manufacturer like Lenovo. What are they all looking to achieve?
You’ve suggested that digital street art is the next frontier for brands. Explain why you started JIMMY… and tell us about some of the “installations” you’ve done.
Do we ever “age-out” of pop culture? Or can your work become memorable to any generation?
What would you say people want or expect from brands today? It is first and foremost a memorable experience or is there something more? Again… does it vary by generation?
Are there any areas that are “taboo” now in terms of a brand making a connection with a consumer? In other words, should any topics be off limits in today’s world of advertising, marketing, and social media?
With offices on three continents, do some ideas resonate more within certain geographies…. Or does tapping into true pop culture mean the same type of expression everywhere, particularly for a global brand?

Or tune in to our Trendsetters podcast….

Listen to Rogier Vijverberg and The Internationalist’s Trendsetters podcast series here on iHeartRadio’s Spreaker or wherever you download your podcasts. TRENDSETTERS: Rogier Vijverberg of SuperHeroes Talks about Greater Ad Attention through New Mixed-Reality Creative & CGI

For its first initiative, JIMMY has created work for the Fenty X Puma partnership to introduce a new line of athletic shoes—the Avanti. This includes Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) featuring giant chrome soccer balls, emblazoned with the FENTY x PUMA logo, sandwiched between global landmarks in New York City, London, Paris, Shanghai, and in Barbados. Viewers don’t need a filter or lens to view the art installations, just access to Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.

Giant chrome soccer balls with the FENTY x PUMA logo, sandwiched between global landmarks in Paris, Shanghai and London as viewed on Instagram.

According to Rogier Vijverberg, “The FENTY x PUMA brand has been on the cutting edge of culture and saw an opportunity to create a product launch that would stop people in their tracks. It drives engagement, sharing and brand support,” The artist responsible for the production of the digital art featured in this FENTY x PUMA launch is Germany-based Tobias Woldeck (@Hati.Hati.Mas), whose work transports viewers to a topsy-turvy, sci-fi version of reality. SuperHeroes previously collaborated with Woldeck on the global launch of Lenovo’s Yoga Pro 9i laptop.

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