In terms of commercials, Bell and Heuter and the other creatives have been generating spots for Dutch cellular phone network Ben, roughly 30 in 1999 and 20 so far in 2000.

"This year we wanted to top up last year's series," says Bell. "The idea was to do a summer campaign all about the individual and the phone, the good and the bad of how people handle their phones."

"Old Ladies", a spot written by Bell and art directed by Erik Kessels and Hein Mevissen portrays a man so enthralled by his mobile he fails to notice a pair of grannies beating the bejeezus out of each other just behind him. Another spot, "Car" warns viewers of the dangers of driving and cel phone talking, actually encouraging occasionally shutting off one's phone.

On this and other projects, KesselsKramer creatives work with different partners for different projects, avoiding cemented writer/art director teams. Similarly, Heuter says the agency sources out many creative projects.

"KesselsKramer is quite small with 22 people, but we network with a hundred people from creative disciplines, like illustrators, directors, artists or fashion designers," says Heuter. "For commercials it's the usual process, working with directors and photographers. We also work with people with different backgrounds, like architects or philosophers, to get them involved in making the concept and sharing different views of how people understand."

Bell aptly sums up the role of the KesselsKramer creative: "We can produce ideas and we can execute ideas."

The commercials created by Bell, Heuter and the rest of the KesselsKramer team balance hip visuals (check out Ilse "The Launch" directed by Jan Kounen out of HLA London) wordplay (in Dutch, bol means tubby, so "Introduction" a spot for Bol.com, shows the online book vendors' HQ as a happy facility populated by the uniformly plump) and stark honesty. The latest campaign for longtime KesselsKramer client Hans Brinker Budget Hotels again highlights the harsh yet wise economics of staying at the low-end hotel. A maid at the hotel is seen flooring a backpacker in the hallway or substituting a swift kick to a bed frame for a wake-up call. The ads were shot by Luke Forsythe of London's Great Guns.

"It is high profile creative work and the first KesselsKramer client," says Bell. "The Brinker stuff is high profile creative but low budget, so everyone gets something out of it creatively rather than being money led."

The agency doesn't do award shows, instead saving its funds for other PR, such as the KesselsKramer Office Sponge (a seemingly normal sponge with suggested usages attached). Heuter even participated in a cultural exchange with Barcelona agency SCPS.

"(SCPS and KesselsKramer) wanted to learn from each other. They are more traditional, with people sitting at a table and coming up with ideas and briefing outside creatives, which we really don't do," says Heuter, explaining how KesselsKramer generates ideas from discussions with clients and then verbally briefs hired guns. "So we were exchanging ways of working. What I picked up from them is to be more easy going and laid back."

Bell, Heuter and cultural projects manager Joanna Van Der Zanden also spend time and brain cells on Do, an open concept brand established by, but separate from, KesselsKrammer.

"The whole idea of Do is the name. Other people come up with the ideas and Do helps fulfill the project," says Bell, describing publishing and photography projects facilitated by Do. "Recently (Dutch industrial/furniture desigers) Droog Design wanted to come up with new kinds of furniture under the Do philosophy."

Operating under the honest idea that things can only happen by doing, Do changes constantly. Rather than focusing on products or services, Do begins by first creating a brand mentality. The Do/Droog collaboration, Do Create, was exhibited at the International Furniture Fair 2000 in Milan. The concept was simple: the designer creates a partially completed product and the customer interacts, completing it with their own personal touches. This open design, interactive way of approaching the public was applied to a Web-based TV forum, DoTV.

The 24-hour Internet broadcast lured in viewers and fostered discussion as to where TV may be going. Bell, who was awake for 48 hours during the forum is well acquainted with late nights

*(see Party Slut Sidebar).

WEB.FILES

KesselsKramer> www.kesselskramer.nl

Do> www.dosurf.com