Edda Kentish Interview(s)

Creative advertising can face an uphill battle during uncertain times. For that reason, I feel that it is very important to help promote the value of good creative work so that when the good times come around, brands can capitalize on the investments made during the harder times.

Everyone in our industry is creative. Anyone who works or has worked in advertising can recognize the power of ideas. In general, I favour less siloed work environments where different perspectives can be heard, and that's also an integral part of being a creative. Understanding - and finding uses for - different perspectives.

In my mind, good creative doesn't have to come from money. The small ideas; the stunts; the innovative products that can only come alive when money is tight -- all of this has value. And it deserves to be seen.

The perfect PHNX Awards winner is humble, recognizes talent, understands that brand building needs to be consistent and has a good balance between tactical versus story-driven content. Brands that commit to their purpose, their storytelling and their consumer are the ones I find most compelling.

We are obviously living in an age of uncertainty and crisis fatigue is a very real thing. Some brands use this time to focus on their core business and retreat to short-term thinking. While understandable, this can result in creative that is safe - perhaps too safe.

I am partial to my home market, Iceland -- a small market with small budgets. I am very inspired by people here who find insights to fuel creative work on a budget and one I'm inspired by every day is Erla María Árnadóttir.

In a wider context, I have been following the work of Paul Bennet (formerly of IDEO) and find his approach very inspiring. I am also a fan of agency Dixon Baxi in Sweden.