"We like to dig a little deeper"
Danielle Lanz and Markus Ruf at the launch of their agency, Ruf Lanz
Danielle Lanz and Markus Ruf at the take-off of their agency Ruf LanzWhen two creative aces found an agency with a lot of advance praise, the industry has great expectations. If the two conceptual designers are Danielle Lanz (1999 Advertiser of the Year) and Markus Ruf (2000 Advertiser of the Year), the reputation is likely to weigh on the agency like a millstone. With Ruf Lanz, the advertising couple is turning their lifelong friendship into a business partnership.When it comes to mergers, it's not always easy to reach agreement on the order of proper names for the company. Who gave in on you and settled for second place?
Danielle Lanz: (laughs) Nobody gave in. We first asked ourselves what sounded better. But with two such short names, there were no preferences. So we left it to chance and "hobbled". Markus chose the longer one.
Markus Ruf, as you know, professional independence was sacred to you. How much did it cost you to give up your freedom?
Markus Ruf: I enjoyed dancing at various weddings. Wyler Werbung, Guye & Partner, Publicis and others were great brides. But after seven years, I wasn't averse to a new challenge. And since Danielle Lanz was thinking about starting an agency at the same time, one thing led to another. The number of people with whom you can imagine a business partnership is, after all, very limited.
You were unable to go on the training trip to the Côte d'Azur because of the agency build-up. What have you had to do without lately, Danielle Lanz?
Lanz: I'm also skipping Cannes this year. Not just for time reasons, by the way. We'd rather invest the money spent there on hotel, festival ticket, Colombe d'or and Martinez bar in the infrastructure. But we're still keeping our fingers crossed for the Swiss finalists.
When two of the most creative and award-winning advertisers start an agency together, the expectations of clients and audiences are high. How do you deal with the pressure?
Ruf: We're pleased that we're trusted with something. And we have created the conditions to ensure that we also have the necessary time in our own agency to make creatively surprising advertising. That's why Katja Barlogis has been with us from the start as head of consulting, and she complements us perfectly. Incidentally, it's true for every creative today: Those who rest on their laurels are wearing them in the wrong place.
Does Ruf Lanz see itself as a full-service agency or rather as a creative consulting agency?
Reputation: Despite all the nice expressions: as an advertising agency. Size is not the deciding factor here. We both worked in large agencies for a long time. Even there, it's only two or three people who invent and launch a campaign. For production, media and web design, we work with very good partners who we've known for a long time.
As we all know, one and one don't always add up to two, especially when two strong, ambitious personalities want to do things together. What sum can we expect from your addition?
Lanz: We didn't just start working together on July 1. We've already gone through the longest trial period in the world. After all, we've been working together successfully for seven years. During that time, we've noticed that we complement each other perfectly. The fact that we're no longer doing campaigns for other agencies, but for our clients, certainly doesn't diminish our ambition.
At the start of your agency, there are three of you. How do you envision the further growth of Ruf Lanz?
Lanz: Our goal is not to become as big as possible as quickly as possible. If an agency has to take on clients just to be able to pay office rents, employee salaries and the like, then usually neither of them is very happy afterwards. It's better to grow slowly, but qualitatively.
What prestigious mandates are you starting with?
Ruf: Although we have not yet made any acquisitions and are only providing information now, we have already received inquiries. As long as no contracts have been signed, we're holding back on announcements. By the way, Ruf Lanz's first campaign was already seen in April in WerbeWoche - the one for the fashion chain BIG.
Ruf Lanz is your first independently managed advertising agency. Do you set priorities when building up the client portfolio, do you have preferences in terms of industries?
Ruf: Not in terms of industries, but in terms of willingness to creatively surprise with advertising. If advertising today is not surprising, it cannot be successful. The ad is skimmed over. The poster is overlooked. And the TV spot at best triggers the need to go to a quieter place. We would like to spare our customers this fate.
How will you divide the customers among yourselves?
Lanz: For now, we both work as a team on all projects. We could put a sign in front of the door like the restaurants and write on it: Here the boss still advertises personally.
What other criteria do you want to use to position Ruf Lanz in the agency landscape?
Lanz: We see ourselves as truffle pigs who like to dig a little deeper to get at the most beautiful tubers or ideas. After all, creativity in advertising is not an end in itself, but a prerequisite for its efficiency. And that makes it more fun. For those who make it. To those who see and read and hear it. And to those who pay for it. Interview: Luca Aloisi
Danielle Lanz: (laughs) Nobody gave in. We first asked ourselves what sounded better. But with two such short names, there were no preferences. So we left it to chance and "hobbled". Markus chose the longer one.
Markus Ruf, as you know, professional independence was sacred to you. How much did it cost you to give up your freedom?
Markus Ruf: I enjoyed dancing at various weddings. Wyler Werbung, Guye & Partner, Publicis and others were great brides. But after seven years, I wasn't averse to a new challenge. And since Danielle Lanz was thinking about starting an agency at the same time, one thing led to another. The number of people with whom you can imagine a business partnership is, after all, very limited.
You were unable to go on the training trip to the Côte d'Azur because of the agency build-up. What have you had to do without lately, Danielle Lanz?
Lanz: I'm also skipping Cannes this year. Not just for time reasons, by the way. We'd rather invest the money spent there on hotel, festival ticket, Colombe d'or and Martinez bar in the infrastructure. But we're still keeping our fingers crossed for the Swiss finalists.
When two of the most creative and award-winning advertisers start an agency together, the expectations of clients and audiences are high. How do you deal with the pressure?
Ruf: We're pleased that we're trusted with something. And we have created the conditions to ensure that we also have the necessary time in our own agency to make creatively surprising advertising. That's why Katja Barlogis has been with us from the start as head of consulting, and she complements us perfectly. Incidentally, it's true for every creative today: Those who rest on their laurels are wearing them in the wrong place.
Does Ruf Lanz see itself as a full-service agency or rather as a creative consulting agency?
Reputation: Despite all the nice expressions: as an advertising agency. Size is not the deciding factor here. We both worked in large agencies for a long time. Even there, it's only two or three people who invent and launch a campaign. For production, media and web design, we work with very good partners who we've known for a long time.
As we all know, one and one don't always add up to two, especially when two strong, ambitious personalities want to do things together. What sum can we expect from your addition?
Lanz: We didn't just start working together on July 1. We've already gone through the longest trial period in the world. After all, we've been working together successfully for seven years. During that time, we've noticed that we complement each other perfectly. The fact that we're no longer doing campaigns for other agencies, but for our clients, certainly doesn't diminish our ambition.
At the start of your agency, there are three of you. How do you envision the further growth of Ruf Lanz?
Lanz: Our goal is not to become as big as possible as quickly as possible. If an agency has to take on clients just to be able to pay office rents, employee salaries and the like, then usually neither of them is very happy afterwards. It's better to grow slowly, but qualitatively.
What prestigious mandates are you starting with?
Ruf: Although we have not yet made any acquisitions and are only providing information now, we have already received inquiries. As long as no contracts have been signed, we're holding back on announcements. By the way, Ruf Lanz's first campaign was already seen in April in WerbeWoche - the one for the fashion chain BIG.
Ruf Lanz is your first independently managed advertising agency. Do you set priorities when building up the client portfolio, do you have preferences in terms of industries?
Ruf: Not in terms of industries, but in terms of willingness to creatively surprise with advertising. If advertising today is not surprising, it cannot be successful. The ad is skimmed over. The poster is overlooked. And the TV spot at best triggers the need to go to a quieter place. We would like to spare our customers this fate.
How will you divide the customers among yourselves?
Lanz: For now, we both work as a team on all projects. We could put a sign in front of the door like the restaurants and write on it: Here the boss still advertises personally.
What other criteria do you want to use to position Ruf Lanz in the agency landscape?
Lanz: We see ourselves as truffle pigs who like to dig a little deeper to get at the most beautiful tubers or ideas. After all, creativity in advertising is not an end in itself, but a prerequisite for its efficiency. And that makes it more fun. For those who make it. To those who see and read and hear it. And to those who pay for it. Interview: Luca Aloisi
