Galloping into a new league
As the new Head of Account Management, Peter Schaefer aims to help boost creativity at Euro RSCG.
important in his work. Since the beginning of December, Peter Schaefer
at Euro RSCG. As Head of Account Management, he sees
The focus here is on interfaces between strategic planning,
Consulting and creation.
For someone who "always wants to build something new" is
Euro RSCG is currently exactly the right address. "The agency has
made a big step in the last three years." Schaefer says
This has boosted both growth and the yield of creative awards.
"There is a cultural change taking place here, and it is a big
The challenge of being able to continue building in the next phase
consolidation."
Schaefer previously worked at Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett on the construction.
He has been with this youngest BSW agency since its foundation. With
he previously spent three years at Advico Young &
Rubicam as a Senior Strategic Planner. Shortly before the then
exodus of the crew around Spillmann and Felser, Schaefer was given a "very
lucrative offer" as the head of strategic planning at a
agency in Bangkok. But he was persuaded,
to accompany the new foundation "and has never taken this decision to this day.
regretted". SFLB is "an exciting agency". His move has therefore
nothing to do with his previous employer - but a lot to do with
Euro RSCG.
Schaefer can work on Gutstrasse for clients who work for him.
This is yet another new dimension in advertising. The work for
customers such as Swiss Post and SBB "must be defined much more broadly than if
it is only about the design of an advertising campaign". This is about
generally about communication and problems, developments that can be seen as
services are embedded in our public sphere.
Schaefer finds it exciting how advertising agencies are currently looking for ways to
to expand their services. "Euro RSCG is a
agency, which is also able to apply the cross-media concept that is often
really lives," he is convinced.
Peter Schaefer got into advertising "by chance". The native
South African first studied communication sciences in Johannesburg
and then studied at the London School of Economics. There he was allowed to
He completed an internship at FCB Worldwide in 1987. He later worked at
Friends "without having studied graphics" with QuarkXPress and Photoshop
also worked as an image designer. Even back then, however, he
strategy saw more opportunities for his talents and was
as a junior planner for FCB in London and in the short term also for
LS-FCB in Johannesburg. At this agency he has the
Strategic planning for clients such as Kelloggs, IT&T and Gulf Air
learned "on the job".
As he wants to delve deeper into the topic of the economy
his former professor in London drew his attention to a
Scholarship for postgraduate studies at the University of St. Gallen
attentive. For the application, Schaefer provided an extensive
dossier together. However, this was stolen from him along with his car.
"Switzerland or not Switzerland?" therefore seemed to him like a
question of fate before he set to work on the whole dossier.
once again.
The double effort was worth it. In 1989, Schaefer was allowed to
important foundations for his career at the Marketing Institute of the
University of St.Gallen. After the metropolis of London
Eastern Switzerland seemed "almost a little too idyllic". At the
Offer in strategic planning at FCB Worldwide in New York has
He therefore did not hesitate for long. About advertising in America
Schaefer, however, is not just uncritically enthusiastic. "There is far too much discussion
much about market research and statistics and neglects the
creation," he believes.
He returned to Switzerland in 1996. Schaefer became
consulting group leader at Wirz and worked here on the communication
of the IPO for Swisscom before joining Advico Young in 1999.
& Rubicam. Here he fondly remembers the work for
the former Swissair. "The world's most refreshing airline" was a
of his favorite campaigns. At SFLB, he particularly liked the campaign
for Annabelle "Women are like that." His contribution as a strategist in all
Schaefer sees these campaigns in the task of creating a good
basic idea, which then serves as a springboard for the creation.
to take the brand forward.
It was also important for Schaefer to share his knowledge again and again in the
to discuss lessons. "Younger people are a source of new
Ideas and trends." Schaefer is a lecturer at Sawi and has worked on
courses in brand management at the Lucerne School of Business
helped out at the ADC Creative School and previously also at the
London School of Marketing in the field of Consumer Behavior.
In his spare time, the single man plays tennis. As he lives in South Africa with
grew up on horses and competed in show jumping championships,
he dreams of riding his own horse again one day.
Other interests include African and English literature.
His commitment to the social youth project is also important to him
Schtifti.
Andreas Panzeri
