Thomas Hayo

Thomas Hayo is the only German creative to combine a global career in the advertising industry with on-camera expertise. He masterfully meets—and exceeds—the expectations of every audience, all while remaining analytical and free of vanity. Always a service provider at heart, Thomas Hayo lets the product take center stage.

He moves effortlessly between the real and the fictional worlds he creates as a creative director for millions of consumers. Before building a new world, he immerses himself in countless others, absorbing them like a sponge. At the absolute center of his focus are always the client and their audience. And while this globetrotting cosmopolitan has traveled the world, the Saarland native has always stayed true to his German roots.

Armed with his German virtues, Thomas Hayo made his mark early in New York—the epicenter of capitalist consumer culture—remaining unshaken even by clients with mega-budgets. He has created international campaigns for Pepsi Cola, Kodak, Kellogg’s, Levi’s, Sony, Reebok, Johnnie Walker, and De Beers, making the world’s most successful brands even stronger. His work has featured global icons such as Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, and Robert Redford, with several of his campaigns showcased at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

After a creative break, Thomas Hayo took the leap into self-employment as a creative director in 2008. When he was discovered in 2011 for the casting show Germany’s Next Topmodel by Heidi Klum (ProSieben), he seized the opportunity—using the genre’s boom to position himself early on as an expert, mentor, and distinctive personal brand.

Thomas Hayo lives in New York.