Adam Springfeldt

THE CREATIVE DISRUPTOR

Executive Creative Director

Adam Springfeldt is an award-winning creative director and one of the founders of legendary agency Acne Creative. With a passion for pursuing ground-breaking ideas, combined with a sense of purpose for what’s morally right, Adam’s north star is using his creative powers for  enabling the greater good. 

You were with Acne  from the very beginning and built up its advertising arm from scratch,  before it was eventually sold to consulting firm Deloitte. What was the story?

Whilst studying  for my Masters at the Brandcenter in Virginia, I was looking for work experience in Stockholm.  This led me to the creative collective Acne, and I managed to get an internship there in  1998, two years after the company was started.  

The following summer, I did another stint, and after this I was offered a permanent position, combining the role of copywriter at the creative side, and being a film director on the newly  started production side. It was too good to turn down! For two years I directed commercials, learning everything about the production process, whilst also working as a creative.  

From day one, I loved the ethos of Acne – a free-spirited creative collective. Some of my friends were working for hierarchical, big-name agencies, but at Acne I always felt like an equal even if I was in a junior role. The pay wasn’t great in the beginning, but I had a lot of fun and learnt loads. The founders gave me a lot of trust, and I thrived being thrown at the deep end.  

What is the role of Acne Creative within the Acne Collective? 

The founding idea behind Acne was to create our own brands and products as well as  working for clients. This led to a fashion brand (Acne Studios), a toy brand (Acne JR), a bi- annual magazine (Acne Paper), an online computer gaming community (Netbaby), as well as the creative agency (Acne Creative). There were also other departments and offerings  that sprang up over the years; Acne Film, Acne Digital, Acne Play, Acne Fiction, Acne Photography etc. 

So, Acne Creative was the creative agency within this collective. We had our own clients but often used the skills and powers within the collective when we created our work.  

Why was the company called Acne?  

The name Acne was chosen for several reasons. It jarred with traditional agency names such as The Dream Factory and represented a teenage rebellious attitude that had energy and weirdness. It was so different that the Swedish Companies Registration Office refused to register the company and it had to be registered as the acronym of Associated Computer Nerds Enterprise instead.  

Over time, I helped Acne Studios to come up with an alternative; Ambition to Create Novel Expressions, which served the fashion brand better, and which also very much sums up what Acne stands for.  

What does a Creative Director do and what makes a good one?

The Creative Director is responsible for the creative output of an agency. The Creative Director manages the creative staff, including Art Directors, Copywriters, and Designers.  

In my opinion, a good Creative Director inspires and coaches the team to become better.  Creativity is a fragile thing, and if you push people too hard, people can lose their trust and confidence. The best ideas develop in an environment of inspiration, fun and trust, not fear.  

What drives you? 

Whilst I still was at Acne, I was driven by creating amazing, award-winning, disruptive work.  Today I want to do something that matters for people or the planet, contributing somehow.  Acne Creative created a lot of disruptive ideas and lifestyle / fashion – related branding projects. But we also came up with work that was about taking social responsibility and enabling diversity and projects in the sustainability space. Over time, I’ve become more interested in the latter.  

Thinking back on your career, what are you most proud of?  

I’m most proud of contributing to creating a company that has fostered a culture of creativity. In my viewpoint, Acne has a friendly, inspiring culture where anything goes, and the sky’s the limit. That resulted in some very nice work.  

Like we used to say at Acne: Discover How Far You Can Go.  

“The experience in London gave me the sense that I could move anywhere, and I could work anywhere. The world opened up.”

Which campaign are you most proud of?  

In 2005 we worked on the election campaign for The Social Democrats which had the headline ‘’Alla ska med’’ (Everyone should be onboard.) It encapsulated the core idea of social democracy, and in today’s current climate of division, it rings true more than ever. It was a call for unity in society and a stand against marginalisation.  

I’m also very proud of a campaign we did for the insurer Skandia called ‘’The price of alienation’’, where we worked with economists to calculate the true cost of people not  being part of society. The mathematical model was shared with municipalities throughout Sweden, and Skandia advised how the human and monetary cost of marginalisation could be reduced. We created 290 different versions of the film, with specific stats for each municipality. The campaign gained a lot of attention for a good cause.  

There were a magical few years where our collective output was at its peak; we created award-winning campaigns such as the above mentioned projects as well as ”The World’s Greatest Dice  Roll”; ”Bio-fuel”; ”50 Cars or 1 coach”; the magazine Acne Paper and the Byredo Parfums identity.

At the same time the work of the wider Acne collective was also hitting the headlines. Sofia Coppola wore Acne jeans in Vogue, Kanye West was turned down for a fashion internship at Acne Studios. Meanwhile, Acne Films created Superbowl spots, a mini-series featuring Justin Timberlake,  and a critically acclaimed feature film called Flickan (The Girl). To boot, we also threw some crazy parties with thousands of people at our offices in the Old Town in Stockholm! Never underestimate how parties can build a brand.  

You have also ventured into other companies beyond advertising. What are they?  In 2010 I invested in and co-created the brand Schnayderman’s, which is a fashion company specialising in shirts.  

And about a decade ago I helped found the social betting site Copabet, which has been  slowly growing ever since. Copabet is an alternative to the, in my view, immoral gambling companies. All bets on our platform are purely social, and all you can win are bragging rights. At this year’s Euros we had 54 000 active users.  

What is most important when pursuing a career within advertising?

Learning the craft and getting a theoretical foundation is important. But what is maybe even more important is being curious about the world in general (art, culture, politics, psychology, people) and coming up with interesting, relevant ideas. It is good to be a generalist and enjoy diving into different areas of society.  

Also, you can’t be afraid of being criticised. Your ideas will be criticised a lot and you can’t be too sensitive to that. You must learn, quickly, to separate your worth as a human being, and the ideas and work that you create. 

If you were to give one piece of advice to your young self, what would that be?

Don’t be afraid to take space, sticking your neck out a bit more.  

The Swedish School in London takes great pride in promoting a bi-cultural and global environment. Has the international outlook influenced you? 

When I moved to London from the small town of Västerås in 1984, it influenced me in a lot of ways. Firstly, some of my best friends are people I met at the school. Secondly, it also made me want to move abroad with my own family at some point. The experience in London gave me the sense that I could move anywhere, and I could work anywhere. The world opened up. It led me to studying in the States, and eventually it led me to open up Acne offices in other countries. An unintentional circle was drawn when my family and I moved back to London in 2017 and I realised my son was the same age as I was when I moved to London all those years ago!  

What is the fondest memory you have from the school? 

Obviously, having more than a handful of best friends from that time is an ongoing beautiful living memory. 

You still have a close connection to your former classmates. What unites you?

These days people can be connected to anyone, anywhere, but in the 1980s, you weren’t. The experience of growing up together in London made us a tightly knit group. This year we celebrated the 40-year anniversary of our friendship and eight of us travelled to the Isle of Skye in Scotland to camp and hang out.  

What is your advice to parents choosing a school for their children?  

Aim for a holistic experience rather than pressuring them for achieving certain grades. Give children the right to be children and give them some slack. Life is so much more than academic achievements. Foster individuals and citizens, not just grade averages. The future needs creative and empathetic critical thinkers, not knowledge-churning robots.