"The timing is perfect"
Danielle Lanz has left Guye & Partner and is starting her own agency
Danielle Lanz has left Guye & Partner and is setting up her own agencyThere is rumbling at the Guye & Partner agency. It recently lost its long-standing client SSR to By Heart, and after almost three years, Creative Director Danielle Lanz is setting up her own agency. The 1999 Advertiser of the Year plans to open her own agency soon. Guye & Partner is ranked 26th in the BSW ranking and generated gross operating income of CHF 3.7 million in 1999. Rumor has it that you left Guye & Partner at the beginning of the year. Why was there no official statement for so long?
Danielle Lanz: Christophe Guye and I agreed that the press release would not go public until the end of January. This gave us enough time to inform customers beforehand.
How do you look back on your time at Guye & Partner?
Lanz: Working with Christophe Guye was very pleasant. We had the same idea of what good advertising is and were a great team. When I joined Guye & Partner as Creative Director almost three years ago, there were nine employees; today there are 26. It was a challenge for me to take the agency - together with the copywriters and ADs - to the creative top and keep it there.
Why are you leaving Guye & Partner?
Lanz: After working as a CD at Guye & Partner for almost three years - always on a freelance basis, by the way - I am now ready for a new challenge.
It was also rumored that you were going to take a stake in Guye & Partner. Why did nothing come of it?
Lanz: Christophe Guye did offer me a financial stake, but we couldn't agree on the conditions. I therefore came to the conclusion that founding my own agency was the more attractive option for me in many respects. Now, at the age of 31, I have the desire and the drive to do it. The timing is perfect.
When is it supposed to start?
Lanz: The agency launch is planned for the middle of the year in Zurich. I will start with six employees. Talks with potential partners are still ongoing. I'm currently looking for agency premises and would be grateful for any tips.
Do you already have an agency name?
Lanz: It will be available as soon as the agency constellation has been finalized. However, an office telephone number where I can be reached immediately is already in operation: 01 212 10 47.
If you want to start with six people, surely you already have customers?
Lanz: I have already been promised two larger budgets. I will announce their names in due course. But one thing is already certain: together with freelance concept designer Markus Ruf, I will continue to manage the advertising for the BIG fashion chain. By the way, the new campaign will start soon.
What would be your dream customers?
Lanz: First and foremost, they are customers who, like me, believe that creative advertising sells better. As the Effie judging regularly shows. The industry these clients come from is only of secondary importance to me.
You have been working together for quite some time now with the Advertiser of the Year 2000, Markus Ruf, and you also won the ADC this year. Wouldn't that be a dream constellation for your new agency?
Lanz: Markus Ruf is known to value his freedom and independence. So it might not be easy to integrate him into an agency and get him interested in things like budget control, expense reports and Monday morning meetings. But it would certainly be an interesting constellation. We'll see.
Interview: Samuel Helbling
Danielle Lanz: Christophe Guye and I agreed that the press release would not go public until the end of January. This gave us enough time to inform customers beforehand.
How do you look back on your time at Guye & Partner?
Lanz: Working with Christophe Guye was very pleasant. We had the same idea of what good advertising is and were a great team. When I joined Guye & Partner as Creative Director almost three years ago, there were nine employees; today there are 26. It was a challenge for me to take the agency - together with the copywriters and ADs - to the creative top and keep it there.
Why are you leaving Guye & Partner?
Lanz: After working as a CD at Guye & Partner for almost three years - always on a freelance basis, by the way - I am now ready for a new challenge.
It was also rumored that you were going to take a stake in Guye & Partner. Why did nothing come of it?
Lanz: Christophe Guye did offer me a financial stake, but we couldn't agree on the conditions. I therefore came to the conclusion that founding my own agency was the more attractive option for me in many respects. Now, at the age of 31, I have the desire and the drive to do it. The timing is perfect.
When is it supposed to start?
Lanz: The agency launch is planned for the middle of the year in Zurich. I will start with six employees. Talks with potential partners are still ongoing. I'm currently looking for agency premises and would be grateful for any tips.
Do you already have an agency name?
Lanz: It will be available as soon as the agency constellation has been finalized. However, an office telephone number where I can be reached immediately is already in operation: 01 212 10 47.
If you want to start with six people, surely you already have customers?
Lanz: I have already been promised two larger budgets. I will announce their names in due course. But one thing is already certain: together with freelance concept designer Markus Ruf, I will continue to manage the advertising for the BIG fashion chain. By the way, the new campaign will start soon.
What would be your dream customers?
Lanz: First and foremost, they are customers who, like me, believe that creative advertising sells better. As the Effie judging regularly shows. The industry these clients come from is only of secondary importance to me.
You have been working together for quite some time now with the Advertiser of the Year 2000, Markus Ruf, and you also won the ADC this year. Wouldn't that be a dream constellation for your new agency?
Lanz: Markus Ruf is known to value his freedom and independence. So it might not be easy to integrate him into an agency and get him interested in things like budget control, expense reports and Monday morning meetings. But it would certainly be an interesting constellation. We'll see.
Interview: Samuel Helbling
