A career worth living
Kaspar Loeb, new Chief Executive Officer at Publicis, explains why he prefers being an advertiser to being a journalist.
Kaspar Loeb, new Chief Executive Officer at Publicis, explains why he prefers being an advertiser to being a journalist.
The newly appointed Managing Director at Publicis is delighted with his new-found prospects. To the left of his desk, "news junkie" and ex-journalist Kaspar Loeb can look out over the editorial office of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. To the right, the view falls on the execution site of Zurich's "Böög". The field near Bellevue, which still looks rather uncultivated after the Knie guest performance, almost provokes the hope that this winter will be driven away by warmer moods, also in economic terms, by Sechseläuten at the latest. "If things go well, the Swiss advertising industry will grow by four to five percent in 2004," predicted Kaspar Leob in his first interview as CEO of Publicis in the HandelsZeitung. There will be agencies that will "suffer a lot" this year. Those who were able to experience the infectious dynamism in Kaspar Loeb's new office early in the morning during the interview do not even have to ask which category Publicis should belong to in the coming year.
The most exciting job on the scene
Kaspar Loeb commented that he had been offered "the most exciting job in the Swiss agency scene" when he was surprisingly appointed as Fredy Collioud's successor shortly before Christmas, although some had been reporting this for some time. Cornelia Harder had been regarded as the sure crown princess for this important job. However, her promotion was blocked - no less surprisingly for some - because her partner is CEO at McCann-Erickson and therefore at the competition. Competition has obviously become tougher. However, Kaspar Loeb formulates his goals in a tone that still sounds sporty: "Fredy and I are delighted together that we can shake up this market a little."
With Publicis Werbeagentur, Fisch.Meier.Direkt and the media agency Optimedia, the Publicis Group unites the three leading companies in advertising, dialog marketing and media in Switzerland. The group serves clients such as UBS, Coca-Cola, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Nestlé, Migros and Swisscom Mobile. The agency not only regularly tops the creative rankings of the most awarded agencies, but also dominated the 2003 awards ceremony for "Efficient Advertising" with three Effie Gold Awards.
He is aware that he is "stepping into a pair of very big shoes", said Kaspar Loeb in his inaugural speech at Theaterstrasse. For Fredy Collioud, the "team player with extensive brand and management experience" also embodies the ideal "rejuvenation of the management team". Kaspar Loeb enables "an important step into the future of the agency at the right time".
Loeb will combine the previously split roles of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. "But I don't want to put on a one-man show," explains the new Chief Executive Officer, who can continue to rely on "a strong back-up" with Fredy Collioud as Chairman and President of the Board of Directors.
Kaspar Loeb knows that he can "start from a strong position" at Publicis and he is pleased that he can rely on the creative ideas of many "sensational people" in his new job. And where does he see problems or challenges? "If you started in advertising in December 2000 and you survived until December 2003, then nothing scares you anymore," he says.
Taking responsibility
Such a lightning career in advertising was not on the cards for Kaspar Loeb right from the start. After studying law in Basel, he had little enthusiasm for a career as a lawyer despite his degree. The young lawyer first worked as a commercial teacher. Then, at the age of 26, the media lured him in for the first time. Loeb was accepted into the Ringier School of Journalism. "A lucky choice," he says today. He was able to complete various stages, "the most important of which" was a six-month stint on the Blick editorial team at "Heisse Draht". It was there that he gained the decisive distance from the more academic world of university. "People with really real problems would call there," he recalls of this life experience.
The young journalist went on to work on the planning and launch of the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. He later switched to Politics and Economics, where the declared political man wrote about economics for the first time. This new specialization led him to Weltwoche and finally to Cash-TV. Reflex magazine might have been a further journalistic challenge. However, the rival project to Facts from Ringier was stopped at the last moment.
"As luck would have it", Kaspar Loeb received his first offer from the advertising industry at precisely this time. The Zurich agency Zintzmeyer & Lux wanted to test the proven journalist as a branding specialist. The communications expert succeeded. After just one and a half years, he was appointed to the management of the branding agency. "Can a journalist do successful advertising?" was the suspicious question asked in the industry when Loeb moved directly to the traditional agency Seiler DDB as CEO after five years with the brand specialists.
Advertising, branding and journalism - Kaspar Loeb doesn't see them as separate disciplines. "I'm interested in communication in all its forms," he says. However, being a copywriter was never a desirable option for him. "Then I would have preferred to remain a journalist," he muses.
Today, he does not regret that he did not stay. A journalist can exert a lot of influence without having to bear much responsibility for it. "But I've always been interested in taking the rap for what I do," says Loeb proudly. As an advertiser, he has much more responsibility because customers have very clear expectations. And if you don't meet these expectations, you have a problem. "This challenge attracts me," reveals the new manager in the highest chair on the Swiss agency scene.
Kaspar Loeb is married to a cultural journalist, so he loves culture in all its forms and enjoys relaxing in the south of France.
On the Olympus of the Swiss agency scene: Kaspar Loeb, new Managing Director of Publicis
Andreas Panzeri
The newly appointed Managing Director at Publicis is delighted with his new-found prospects. To the left of his desk, "news junkie" and ex-journalist Kaspar Loeb can look out over the editorial office of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. To the right, the view falls on the execution site of Zurich's "Böög". The field near Bellevue, which still looks rather uncultivated after the Knie guest performance, almost provokes the hope that this winter will be driven away by warmer moods, also in economic terms, by Sechseläuten at the latest. "If things go well, the Swiss advertising industry will grow by four to five percent in 2004," predicted Kaspar Leob in his first interview as CEO of Publicis in the HandelsZeitung. There will be agencies that will "suffer a lot" this year. Those who were able to experience the infectious dynamism in Kaspar Loeb's new office early in the morning during the interview do not even have to ask which category Publicis should belong to in the coming year.
The most exciting job on the scene
Kaspar Loeb commented that he had been offered "the most exciting job in the Swiss agency scene" when he was surprisingly appointed as Fredy Collioud's successor shortly before Christmas, although some had been reporting this for some time. Cornelia Harder had been regarded as the sure crown princess for this important job. However, her promotion was blocked - no less surprisingly for some - because her partner is CEO at McCann-Erickson and therefore at the competition. Competition has obviously become tougher. However, Kaspar Loeb formulates his goals in a tone that still sounds sporty: "Fredy and I are delighted together that we can shake up this market a little."
With Publicis Werbeagentur, Fisch.Meier.Direkt and the media agency Optimedia, the Publicis Group unites the three leading companies in advertising, dialog marketing and media in Switzerland. The group serves clients such as UBS, Coca-Cola, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Nestlé, Migros and Swisscom Mobile. The agency not only regularly tops the creative rankings of the most awarded agencies, but also dominated the 2003 awards ceremony for "Efficient Advertising" with three Effie Gold Awards.
He is aware that he is "stepping into a pair of very big shoes", said Kaspar Loeb in his inaugural speech at Theaterstrasse. For Fredy Collioud, the "team player with extensive brand and management experience" also embodies the ideal "rejuvenation of the management team". Kaspar Loeb enables "an important step into the future of the agency at the right time".
Loeb will combine the previously split roles of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. "But I don't want to put on a one-man show," explains the new Chief Executive Officer, who can continue to rely on "a strong back-up" with Fredy Collioud as Chairman and President of the Board of Directors.
Kaspar Loeb knows that he can "start from a strong position" at Publicis and he is pleased that he can rely on the creative ideas of many "sensational people" in his new job. And where does he see problems or challenges? "If you started in advertising in December 2000 and you survived until December 2003, then nothing scares you anymore," he says.
Taking responsibility
Such a lightning career in advertising was not on the cards for Kaspar Loeb right from the start. After studying law in Basel, he had little enthusiasm for a career as a lawyer despite his degree. The young lawyer first worked as a commercial teacher. Then, at the age of 26, the media lured him in for the first time. Loeb was accepted into the Ringier School of Journalism. "A lucky choice," he says today. He was able to complete various stages, "the most important of which" was a six-month stint on the Blick editorial team at "Heisse Draht". It was there that he gained the decisive distance from the more academic world of university. "People with really real problems would call there," he recalls of this life experience.
The young journalist went on to work on the planning and launch of the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. He later switched to Politics and Economics, where the declared political man wrote about economics for the first time. This new specialization led him to Weltwoche and finally to Cash-TV. Reflex magazine might have been a further journalistic challenge. However, the rival project to Facts from Ringier was stopped at the last moment.
"As luck would have it", Kaspar Loeb received his first offer from the advertising industry at precisely this time. The Zurich agency Zintzmeyer & Lux wanted to test the proven journalist as a branding specialist. The communications expert succeeded. After just one and a half years, he was appointed to the management of the branding agency. "Can a journalist do successful advertising?" was the suspicious question asked in the industry when Loeb moved directly to the traditional agency Seiler DDB as CEO after five years with the brand specialists.
Advertising, branding and journalism - Kaspar Loeb doesn't see them as separate disciplines. "I'm interested in communication in all its forms," he says. However, being a copywriter was never a desirable option for him. "Then I would have preferred to remain a journalist," he muses.
Today, he does not regret that he did not stay. A journalist can exert a lot of influence without having to bear much responsibility for it. "But I've always been interested in taking the rap for what I do," says Loeb proudly. As an advertiser, he has much more responsibility because customers have very clear expectations. And if you don't meet these expectations, you have a problem. "This challenge attracts me," reveals the new manager in the highest chair on the Swiss agency scene.
Kaspar Loeb is married to a cultural journalist, so he loves culture in all its forms and enjoys relaxing in the south of France.
On the Olympus of the Swiss agency scene: Kaspar Loeb, new Managing Director of Publicis
Andreas Panzeri
