®© works — Roberto Costa | Branding & Marketing Consultancy

About

Roberto Costa

A creative strategist and brand architect forged at the intersection of design, culture and global marketing.

RC Works is the independent practice of Roberto Costa — Creative Director, VP Marketing, and brand consultant with 20+ years of experience building category-defining brands. Trained at Art Center College of Design (La Tour-de-Peilz / Pasadena), Roberto spent a formative decade at Swatch Group, rising from Head of Advertising to VP Marketing under the direct stewardship of founder Nicolas G. Hayek.

His work spans global brand campaigns, retail identity, fashion collaborations, cultural partnerships, digital strategy and entrepreneurial brand-building — across fashion, technology, wellness, leisure and territorial promotion. Roberto brings board-level strategic thinking together with hands-on creative direction, in three fluent languages and across five continents.

Current role: Head of Advertising & Brand Activation at Vaud Promotion, steering the territorial brand strategy for the VAUD+ brand across all channels.

Global Brand Strategy Creative Direction VP Marketing Visual Identity & CI/CD 360° Campaign Direction Go-to-Market Strategy Brand Partnerships Digital & Social Media Product Development Entrepreneurship International Fairs Board Advisory AI Certificate – SAWI LBS Digital Marketing HEC Entrepreneurship

Apr 2024
On-going

Head of Advertising & Brand Activation

Vaud Promotion — Lausanne, CH

Defines and implements the territorial brand strategy for the VAUD brand across digital, press, social media and SEA/SEO. Leads 360° campaigns, artistic direction, video and photo. Member of Operational Committee (2025).

2019–2024

Brand Strategy & Communication Consultant

RC Works — Lausanne, CH

Vaud Promotion: contributed to positioning of VAUD+, claim "it begins here", and created the institutional film "Quart d'heure Vaudois" (3 languages). Helvitek Labs: built brand from inception to commercialisation with Thilo Brunner (ON Shoes) and Lorenzo Petrantoni (Nike, Nestlé, Swatch).

2017–2019

Marketing Director

Rivieras Leisure Shoes — Paris, FR

+300% sales growth in year one. Created global e-commerce site, opened flagship in Le Marais, restructured B2B to B2C, secured deals with Australian Open and Saint James.

2014–2017

Brand Strategy & Communication Consultant

RC Works — Copenhagen & Tel Aviv

Cyborgnest/Sensae: brand vision workshops, positioning and creation of two distinct companies. Physimax Technologies (acquired by Dario Health): redesigned product offering used by NBA, NFL, U.S. Military and orthopaedic centers.

2008–2012

VP Marketing

Swatch — Biel, CH

Management Board member. Oversaw multi-million dollar plans across 25 subsidiaries. Forged partnerships with Venice Biennale, 007 (22-watch collection), Jeremy Scott. Initiated Swatch Social Media. Redesigned corporate identity and retail presence globally.

2004–2008

Head of Advertising & Internet

Swatch — Biel, CH

"Shoot My Ride" — world-first concept in 5 alpine snowparks: 95K+ uploads, 136M+ reach in 5 months. Partnership with Blue Man Group for the 333,000,000th Swatch sold. 3-year MTV Awards partnership.

Pre-2004

Art Director

Motown Records & Ridley Scott Associates, NYC · Bühler Flettner & Partner, Frankfurt · Swatch Design Lab, New York

Built foundations in advertising, music, film and design. Designed watches at Swatch NY Design Lab before relocating to Milan as Global Design Lab Creative Director.

Projects

Selected Work — Vaud Promotion

Out-of-Home / OOH

VAUD — Mega Poster, Bern Hauptbahnhof

Large-format OOH campaign activation at Bern's main station — flagship execution of the VAUD territorial brand campaign "Es beginnt hier / It begins here", reaching hundreds of thousands of daily commuters.

Brand Film — Digital Campaign

VAUD — "Aventure" (10s)

One of five thematic 10-second brand films produced for the VAUD+ digital campaign. Each film captures a facet of the Vaud brand promise — this one centred on the spirit of adventure.

Brand Film — Digital Campaign

VAUD — "Innovation" (10s)

Brand film highlighting Vaud's innovation ecosystem — from EPFL to medtech and cleantech — positioning the canton as Switzerland's engine of forward-thinking enterprise.

Brand Film — Digital Campaign

VAUD — "Savoir-Faire" (10s)

Celebrating the craftsmanship and expertise rooted in Vaud — from watchmaking heritage to culinary excellence and artisanal traditions that define the region's identity.

Brand Film — Digital Campaign

VAUD — "Inspiration" (10s)

A film about Vaud as a place where creativity and culture flourish — from Lausanne's arts scene to the landscapes that have inspired writers, thinkers and artists for centuries.

Brand Film — Digital Campaign

VAUD — "Liberté" (10s)

The final film in the series — evoking Vaud's open landscapes, freedom of movement, and the spirit of a region that invites you to live life on your own terms.

Services

What RC Works Does

01 Brand Strategy & Positioning Competitive analysis, brand platform, go-to-market, business roadmaps →

02 Creative & Art Direction 360° campaign concept, photography, video, retail & environmental design →

03 Visual Identity & CI/CD Logo, colour, typography, design guidelines, merchandising standards →

04 Digital & Social Media Strategy E-commerce, SEA/SEO, content marketing, social media management →

05 Strategic Brand Partnerships Fashion designers, artists, cultural institutions, sports properties →

06 Start-up Brand Building Zero-to-one: naming, identity, business plan, seed strategy, industrialisation →

07 Board Advisory & Consulting C-suite strategic counsel, change management, international market entry →

08 International Fairs & Events Conception, organisation and brand activation at international trade & cultural events →

Brand. Think. Create.

Brand.
Think.
Create.