#100K: Bram Smets

 

Who names an agency after a misunderstanding? Brum Smith is doing this. Or sorry, Bram Smets is doing this. And that already shows Bram´s wonderful sense of humour.

I met Bram several years ago at Ketchum Brussels. Then he went on as a spokesperson of the Eurostar - the train that connects the island, UK, with France and Belgium. 2009 when four Eurostar trains were stuck under water in the channel tunnel, Bram was at the forefront of crisis PR. In all the hustle and bustle and in the middle of the night, a BBC reporter simply mixed up his name and Bram Smets became Brum Smith.

A great story for Bram to give birth to his own PR-agency: Brum Smith, a fully integrated communications agency specialised in public relations and media relations. Located in Brussels. Or wherever you need them.

Bram introduced me to the diplomatic world of Brussels - where you always have to be careful (and super friendly), because you´ll meet - on European territory – clients and stakeholder for sure more than twice in a lifetime.

I am very happy that Bram had time for a #100K interview. Hi Bram, I´ll ask all my interviewees at the beginning about their learnings with Covid. Three difficult years are behind us. How did you experience the pandemic and what do you remember most about that time?

It may sound strange, but I actually have good memories of that time. Life slowed down. Was less hectic. We worked less. In general, we did less. And thus had more quality time.

Oh wait, yet, when I think back, it was crazy. Especially at the beginning. I had started my own business in November 2019, founded my own agency. And suddenly everything stopped. What a challenge. But everyone had to deal with it. Therefore I saw the pandemic and the lock downs as a test of my own resilience, and even more, how resilient we were together as a society.

It was exciting to see how much we learned in such a short time. How we learned to do our business differently. And fascinating to see how creative we've become in changing our work and responding to all these challenges. In retrospect, we should be more proud of that. Looking back with gratitude is difficult for many - everyone wants to get back to "normality" as quickly as possible, but that also means back to hectic, stress and "same as usual”. That's a bit of a shame. After all, slowing down was also enriching – and we should keep a bit of that.

Brum Smith is a creative agency. Not a classic advertising agency, you are specialized in influencer and media contacts. But in this area in particular, you have to be more creative than ever. Relying only on good old "news value" doesn't work at all anymore. You have to find new ways and solutions to generate attention and interest for your customers' messages. For years I've known you as a creative mind who is always looking for new ideas. But how do you do it? What is your secret? What do you need to be creative?

To be creative, I have to get out. I must disconnect. And I can do so best on my bike. The best ideas are on the street while bike cycling. Ideation – for me - doesn´t happen while working. The best ideas come when I'm sitting on my bike – alone on the street.

Some may see that as an excuse to follow my hobby. But here's the thing. The best ideas come when I am relaxing – don´t think about problems to intense. When I do something joyful – which has nothing to do with work.

And of course I need inspiration. Also this doesn't come necessarily from work. It comes from art, from books – preferably from fiction. Right now I read Apeirogon by Colum McCann. The story of two fathers, Bassam Aramin who is Palestinian and Rami Elhanan, who is Israeli. Their live is different and similar: Rami’s thirteen-year-old daughter, Smadar, becomes the victim of suicide bombers; Bassam’s ten-year-old daughter, Abir, is killed by a rubber bullet. Rami and Bassam had been raised to hate one another. And yet, they learn of each other’s stories, they recognize the loss that connects them. Very worth a read and inspiring in so many ways.

This brings me to my third question, which I ask all my interviewees: after three years of pandemic, we can be glad that this difficult time is over. We could take a breath. But the world has not become easier. Quite the opposite. The world has become more difficult than ever: War, energy crisis, inflation, crisis of democracy, populism. And above all, the climate crisis. We are confronted with major challenges. That makes it all the more important for each of us to think about how we can meet them and what our role is in making the world a little bit better after all. Where do you see your role in this?

We are a small agency. But that´s no excuse. Every year, we take on at least one major project to support a social or environmental issue. I'm particularly proud of our commitment to cancer research. We support a Belgian NGO in the field of cancer and raise as much money for them as possible.

And it works best when you combine the useful with the enjoyable. That's why our Cycling-event in favour of cancer research is the most fun for me. We will even do an Alps-Drive to collect as much funding as possible for cancer research. For us this is a purpose project plus a teambuilding event. Well, the strongest and most impactful purpose projects are those that add value for everyone involved.



About #100K
In 2023 Ketchum - an international communications network - celebrates its 100th anniversary. This makes it probably the oldest communications agency in the world. I´ve worked more than 25 years at Ketchum and learned so much at this agency. I am thankful for this time and the many colleagues and friends I´ve met there. So I´ll take this as an opportunity to meet old Ketchum-friends. And ask them some fundamental questions. Thanks to Bram, Karen Strauss, Robert Burnside, Lukas Adda, Linda Eatherton, Gustav Averbuj, Sabine Stadel-Strauch, Gesine Märten and Martin Dambacher.