5 Minutes with… Käthe Lisson
“Maybe I am Manuel Neuer.” If you get it, you get it; if you don’t, I am really sorry you weren’t in Germany during a historic time of advertising.
The year is 2014. I was a teenager in a regular German school, and there was not a day when someone did not reference the iconic Coca-Cola Zero campaign featuring German soccer goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. The tagline, to this day, is part of a German cult and is regularly brought up as an inside joke.
What does that have to do with today’s interview? Well, I am so glad you asked. DEPT is currently expanding its creative work in the DACH region, and the agency decided to bring powerhouse Käthe Lisson, who worked on the Manuel Neuer campaign, on board. She is now officially the DEPT executive creative director and vice president creative in the DACH region, working to make the German-speaking region more competitive.
To hear all about her TV inspirations, early career breakthroughs, and proudest moments, read on.
LBB> Where did you grow up, and what sort of kid were you? Were there any clues back then as to the career path you’d end up taking?
Käthe> I grew up in the countryside, right on the North Sea coast, in a village of about 8,000 people. My younger brother and I were raised in a house my dad designed himself. Next door lived my grandparents, with whom I spent a lot of time during my early childhood, because both my parents worked a lot, and that really shaped me. It taught me the importance of being independent and made me want to build a life where I could always stand on my own two feet, financially and otherwise, if necessary.
My parents say I was a very creative kid -- though I guess most parents say that about their children. But a few years ago, after my grandfather passed away, my mum gave me a folder full of stories I’d written as a kid, which he had apparently kept all those years. One of them was a version of Rapunzel I had rewritten into something like an advertorial for a German hairspray brand. So I guess I started noticing advertising pretty early on -- and found it so fascinating that I began weaving it into my stories.
LBB> How did you get into advertising? Was it a purposeful decision or more of an accident?
Käthe> In high school, art was one of my final exam subjects. My teacher had always wanted to be an advertising photographer but ended up as an art teacher -- though he never lost his interest in the industry. He introduced us to that world, and for my final art exam, I had to create an ad for Philippe Starck's Louis Ghost chair, combining it with the Venus de Milo. I got top marks, and from that moment on, I knew I wanted to work in advertising.
My mum had a friend whose son was a copywriter at Jung von Matt in Hamburg. She asked if I could talk to him, and he kindly walked me through the industry and the different roles. After that conversation, I knew exactly what I wanted to be -- a copywriter. He even helped me prepare for my copy test for an internship at Jung von Matt, which I started right after finishing school. I'm still grateful for how he helped me get my start.
LBB> In the early days of your career, what were some projects or clients that particularly helped you to grow and understand the business?
Käthe> I was lucky enough to be part of the Hornbach team at Heimat Berlin during my first job. Hornbach is a German DIY retail chain known for running extremely creative, unexpected campaigns for decades. During my time at Heimat, I learned a lot about what truly makes communication successful: deeply understanding your audience, uncovering genuine human truths within them, and translating those insights into ideas that surprise and connect. To this day, close collaboration with strategy remains one of the most exciting parts of the creative process for me -- that moment when those human truths are discovered is the best.
LBB> Are there any lessons that you wish you'd learned earlier?
Käthe> Absolutely. I wish I'd learned earlier that I don't have to put up with everything. When I started in advertising 20 years ago, the culture was much rougher than it is today. Colleagues throwing elbows, disappointed bosses, one all-nighter after another. I thought that's just how it had to be – until I learned the hard way that working like that takes a toll on your health. That's exactly why I became the kind of leader who gives creativity space, safety, and guidance.
LBB> Who are your creative heroes and why?
Käthe> To answer that, I have to step outside advertising and into the entertainment industry. As a creative, my favourite tone is humour, so I draw a lot of inspiration from late-night shows, stand-up, and comedy-centered TV and streaming shows. They're maybe not exactly heroes, but definitely people I look up to for what they've created. Just to name a few: Lorne Michaels for SNL. Tina Fey for being in it, but also everything else she does. The same goes for Seth Meyers. Stephen Colbert for The Late Show and staying strong. Phoebe Waller-Bridge for shaping comedy as a female screenwriter. Bill Burr for staying angry, Bill Hader for always being a bit off, Ali Wong for breaking the rules, and Trevor Noah for his ability to answer any question on the spot -- smart and funny.
LBB> What's the thing you're most proud of in your career so far?
Käthe> I helped build Coke Zero as a brand for the German-speaking market, establishing football as a key asset and working with top players as brand ambassadors. During that time, the team and I not only made Coke Zero the number one light soda in Germany, but I also learned how to write with and for celebrities. In one campaign, Manuel Neuer -- Germany's national goalkeeper at the time – delivered the line: "If you want, I am not your girlfriend, but Manuel Neuer." It became a pop culture moment that people still bring up more than ten years later.
LBB> What are you recently most proud of and why?
Käthe> I recently joined DEPT® as Executive Creative Director and VP Creative for the DACH market. Taking that step – and already feeling so integrated into the teams and client work after such a short time -- is something I’m really proud of.
LBB> What are your most exciting plans for the agency?
Käthe> For me, DEPT® has the potential to become one of the leading creative agencies of the next generation. That setup is incredibly exciting to me because I know the work we create doesn’t just entertain or move people – it actually makes an impact. We’re not putting ideas out into the void and hoping for the best; we know we’re reaching the right people. And we can even adjust in real time if something isn’t working. Yet despite all the focus on efficiency and effectiveness, there’s no compromise on strong creative ideas.
LBB> What are some of your favourite projects you have worked on so far, and why?
Käthe> I worked on the launch of Apple Pay with Sparkasse – bringing the future of payments to Germany, a country that adopts technology slowly. The tone that made it work? Humour. I had the pleasure of collaborating with JJ Adler on this campaign.
I wrote and produced another campaign with Manuel Neuer, this time imagining him as an insurance agent – a life he might have lived if he hadn't pursued professional football. The line –Who doesn't try, won't experience it” – is tied to Coke Zero.
Early in my career, I was part of a team that created a delicatessen brand where we could all pitch and design new products. It started with wine in beer-sized bottles to compete with beer at outdoor events. As a copywriter, it was fascinating: entrepreneurial and design-driven, with the thrill of finding your own product idea on actual supermarket shelves.
LBB> What trends in the industry do you find yourself ranting about the most and why?
Käthe> I’m quite tired of all the talk around AI as THE solution for everything, especially when it's mainly pitched as a cost-cutting tool. Sure, it can make things cheaper. But cheaper doesn't mean better, and it rarely means effective. Right now, we're watching brands drown in a visual sea of sameness, and if we hand everything over to AI, we're only making it worse. Now more than ever, we need human creativity to steer the ship. We need to know when AI serves the work – and when it destroys it.
LBB> Outside of work, what's inspiring you right now?
Käthe>
- ‘The Bear’, for writing dialogue, for camera work, and editing.
- ‘Hacks’, for punchline writing.
- ‘Slow Horses’ and ‘The Pitt’, for storytelling.
Yes, I know – that’s the 2025 Emmy list — but this is also my life. I watch all the good shows (and a few bad ones for pop culture references). It’s stuff like this that inspires me the most to keep writing.
LBB> What is exciting you the most about your new DACH leadership role?
Käthe> For me, DEPT® is an agency of the future. The close integration of tech, media, data, and creative is exactly what brands will need to meet their objectives – and to serve the needs of people. In order for a brand to continue being recognized in our complex digital world, campaigns need to be excellently designed and precisely executed.
Normally, a brand would have to assemble a network of multiple agencies to achieve this. At DEPT®, it’s all available under one roof. Media experts, creatives, and data analysts sit together at the briefing stage, allowing ideas to be developed more intelligently and making the process far more efficient. I, as a creative, find this absolutely exciting, because all the tools are there; we just have to use them.
LBB> What changes can people expect now that you have the role?
Käthe> I am trying to elevate the creative work we do at DEPT® for the DACH region, by growing the clients we already have and also winning bigger scopes where we can show that we are not just tech. Or not just media. Or not just social. Or not just design. But that we are all of that — and more. That we are all about brand platforms and know how to bring them to life. I want us to be invited to the big pitches. And then win them.
LBB> Anything you would like to add?
Käthe> Thank you for having me. And just to be clear -- I don’t sit in front of the TV all day, even if this interview makes it sound that way.
Feature image credit: Florian Reimann
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