"Conveying impulses from Switzerland"
Kurt Schmid, CEO of Lowe, on the BSW agency's creative plans
Kurt Schmid, CEO of Lowe, on the BSW agency's creative plansLowe, the Swiss branch of the globally active agency group, gained 4 percent in Switzerland last year in a market that shrank by 6.9 percent overall. For Kurt Schmid, CEO of Lowe, this comes as no surprise.what has Lowe done differently?
Kurt Schmid: For me, it's actually not so much the 4% last year that is so surprising. What I find more interesting is the growth we have recorded in the last three years. We already grew by over 30 percent in 2000. Since we moved to Zurich in 1996 and started with around CHF 10 million, our income has doubled to CHF 21.1 million within five years.
And the recipe for success?
Schmid: I don't know exactly what we did differently. The Orange budget win certainly helped us. Our diversity is also important. We have an American and an Australian as Creative Directors and a Frenchman as Strategic Planner. We don't just try to think Swiss, we want to be an international agency in Switzerland. Without such an international team, it would not be possible to serve our international clients so successfully.
Does the account look so positive because you have been particularly active internationally with Lowe?
Schmid: So far, we have practically not taken over any international business from the Group, but have realized everything on our own. This year, we will be starting a collaboration with Unilever for the first time. Otherwise, we have not taken on any customers from the Group.
What are the most important new customers?
Schmid: Certainly Orange. We won a presentation for Credit Suisse Life and Pension, plus Läkerol, Kraft Food Rama and at Lowe direct Mastro Lorenzo.
What do you expect from international business?
Schmid: Difficult to say. Perhaps in the Unilever sector. But I don't want to speculate on that and prefer to remain independent as Lowe. My aim is to convey more impulses from Switzerland than just to receive impulses from London, Paris or Milan. I'm very interested in exporting abroad from Switzerland, just like GGK used to do.
Has the name change from Lowe GGK to just Lowe as of January actually been received positively?
Schmid: Yes, both Lowe and GGK stand for something similar, namely Creative Committment. So there's no need for us to say that twice. Lowe embodies our philosophy perfectly, as does GGK. In the past, we were often confused with Hermann Strittmatter's GGK Zurich. So I've only experienced positive reactions because we've decided who we actually want to be. You can't always leave everything open.
With so much positive news: Have you also had to make compromises?
Schmid: It was a real struggle last year. Our customers, who are actually the heroes, have struggled just as much as we have. The loss of Sunrise was difficult after all the development work. That was our biggest customer. The fact that we then won Orange is a very pleasing development. Interview: Andreas Panzeri
Kurt Schmid: For me, it's actually not so much the 4% last year that is so surprising. What I find more interesting is the growth we have recorded in the last three years. We already grew by over 30 percent in 2000. Since we moved to Zurich in 1996 and started with around CHF 10 million, our income has doubled to CHF 21.1 million within five years.
And the recipe for success?
Schmid: I don't know exactly what we did differently. The Orange budget win certainly helped us. Our diversity is also important. We have an American and an Australian as Creative Directors and a Frenchman as Strategic Planner. We don't just try to think Swiss, we want to be an international agency in Switzerland. Without such an international team, it would not be possible to serve our international clients so successfully.
Does the account look so positive because you have been particularly active internationally with Lowe?
Schmid: So far, we have practically not taken over any international business from the Group, but have realized everything on our own. This year, we will be starting a collaboration with Unilever for the first time. Otherwise, we have not taken on any customers from the Group.
What are the most important new customers?
Schmid: Certainly Orange. We won a presentation for Credit Suisse Life and Pension, plus Läkerol, Kraft Food Rama and at Lowe direct Mastro Lorenzo.
What do you expect from international business?
Schmid: Difficult to say. Perhaps in the Unilever sector. But I don't want to speculate on that and prefer to remain independent as Lowe. My aim is to convey more impulses from Switzerland than just to receive impulses from London, Paris or Milan. I'm very interested in exporting abroad from Switzerland, just like GGK used to do.
Has the name change from Lowe GGK to just Lowe as of January actually been received positively?
Schmid: Yes, both Lowe and GGK stand for something similar, namely Creative Committment. So there's no need for us to say that twice. Lowe embodies our philosophy perfectly, as does GGK. In the past, we were often confused with Hermann Strittmatter's GGK Zurich. So I've only experienced positive reactions because we've decided who we actually want to be. You can't always leave everything open.
With so much positive news: Have you also had to make compromises?
Schmid: It was a real struggle last year. Our customers, who are actually the heroes, have struggled just as much as we have. The loss of Sunrise was difficult after all the development work. That was our biggest customer. The fact that we then won Orange is a very pleasing development. Interview: Andreas Panzeri
