The brand builders

Fashion is not for conflict-avoiding, harmony-addicted advertisers." Davilla's credo pops. But Stefan Andorfer (47) and Denise Ender (37) are not trying to provoke with this statement. They are simply convinced that fashion advertising needs clear differentiation and radical paths, far away from the cuddly course on which average advertisers navigate with their clients. "Building and managing a brand is actually quite simple," says Andorfer. "The quintessence of a true brand can be stated in three sentences. You have to recapitulate these again and again to check whether planned activities fit the brand." When fashion designers focus on their collections quarterly or semi-annually and discuss colors and cuts, Davilla sees himself as a guardian of the brand. "Many who try to be a brand keep destroying themselves with inappropriate actions," Andorfer knows. Of course, Davilla doesn't influence his clients' collections. But Andorfer and Ender make sure that the focus of a campaign is not exclusively on the latest designs, that the brand remains at the center. With this focus, Davilla provides its clients with the complete design of campaigns, brochures or magazines, from concept to shooting to the finished product. The agency would also be the right partner for a young designer who wants to build his brand first. "We offer support there, too," Ender emphasizes. "We know about brands and what it takes to get a start-up off the ground."

Davilla was founded by Andorfer in Bregenz in 1991. "Davilla means Andorfer in Italian," the founder explains the agency's name. "My father is South Tyrolean and there they used to translate German names into Italian. So for fourteen days we were called Davilla. As a child, I often heard this story and I just liked the name." For 15 years, Davilla was a normal advertising agency with no specialization. Andorfer advertised very successfully for clients such as Swatch, ABB, the Vorarlberg state government and Migros. Ender joined the team in 2005. She brought with her extensive experience from the fashion industry, and so in 2006 Andorfer and Ender decided to say goodbye to the belly-loading system and to focus in future on print advertising for fashion, lifestyle and sports. Only ABB, a long-standing customer, remained in their portfolio. "We already had a few clients from the fashion industry for whom we were already managing great projects," says Ender. "It made sense to specialize in this field instead of trying to serve everyone on a one-size-fits-all basis. In fashion advertising, there are so many nuances and subtleties, something is always changing. We thought it made sense to focus on that." Today, Davilla works in Germany for Ara Shoes, fashion and lifestyle house Breuninger, Burlington and Hudson, Romano Accessories, and hosiery manufacturer Kunert. In Austria, Davilla advertises for Estebe Menswear, Hefel comforters, Huber lingerie, Revital and fashion house Strolz, and in Switzerland for L'hommage men's cosmetics and Schlossberg bedding.

Leg Bregenz, leg Switzerland

Davilla's expansion to Zurich took place in 2005. "Bregenz is far from the action and not very well connected," Andorfer explains. "We both have a good relationship with Switzerland and Zurich is a great city, the smallest big city in the world. We found: An optimal starting point." Not only Davilla's Swiss customers, but also the German and Austrian ones welcomed the choice of location.

Andorfer and Ender employ eight people, seven in Bregenz and one in Zurich, and the agency even has its own illustrator. However, Andorfer and Ender hire final artists, photographers and copywriters as needed. And even when it comes to programming websites, the two bring in specialists. This means they can always rely on state-of-the-art professional work. Andorfer commutes back and forth between the Bregenz and Zurich branches, while Ender works mainly in Bregenz. And of course they are both on the road a lot, especially when shoots are scheduled. The photo shoots often take place in studios in Vienna, Lucerne, Zurich, Hamburg, Munich, Berlin, London or Milan, but occasionally also outdoors, for example on Mallorca, in Cape Town or Lech am Arlberg, where the crew was snowed in to the hilt in April 2010, even before they could take the first pictures. "For us, it's not just locations in the far south that are important, but also those in the regions where our customers are rooted," emphasizes Andorfer. "Especially with Swiss clients, we try to stay in Switzerland with the shoots. The regional reference is very important here."

Andorfer and Ender handle around 25 shoots a year with twelve different photographers. During the photo shoots, a storyboard specifies in detail how the makeup and hairstyles must be, which colors and accessories may be used, which positions the model must take and how she must be photographed. Every step is meticulously prepared so that there are as few surprises as possible on set. Nevertheless, there are regularly. Says Ender, "One or more representatives of the client are always present at the shoots, and every time at least one of them comes up with something creative on the spot." For example, during a shoot in the Maggia Valley, a sporting goods supplier came up with the grandiose idea of photographing a pair of skis on a rock. That may look nice. But anyone who skis knows that there are few things worse than scraping over a rock with your skis. "Sometimes shoots are like a big kiddie garden, where it's difficult to stick to the line we've discussed," Ender says. "But that's crucial for brand management. We also put up with friction with our customers because, after all, our job is to ensure the brand's image. If one of the team didn't keep calling everyone on their way, there would be chaos." In an emergency, Ender refers to the storyboard that has been approved by all sides. So far, she has been able to recapture every client who was bubbling over with ideas.

Of course, Andorfer and Ender need a lot of intuition for fine-tuning with their clients. They often use a simple trick to convince clients of their approach: they not only photograph subjects as they imagine them, but also try to capture the client's ideas in the picture at the same time. "We do that with the first shot, with the second one as well, and by the third one, time is already threatening to run out because another seven shots have to be done on the same day ..." says Andorfer. "But often the client only recognizes which approach is the better one through this concrete comparison of the shot material." Some clients also get impatient when Davilla chooses the same visual language for several consecutive shoots. They constantly want to change things up, innovate, place new accessories. "Watch out," Andorfer warns. "It takes at least three years for the visual language and the message of a campaign to reach the consumer. So a company needs a bit of patience until its campaign makes an impact, until trust in a brand and its products has grown."

The two advertising professionals also have to keep a tight rein on their photographers. Andorfer: "If you tell a photographer after the first picture that this is already super, then he shoots down the next pictures exactly according to this mode and everything really always looks the same. We're the ones who say, 'Stop, this can be better, this can't be it yet.'" Last but not least, Andorfer and Ender also have to worry about the well-being of their models. When the entire crew was snowed in in Lech, some of the models panicked because of the four-meter-high snow. That's when it was Denise Ender's job to calm and comfort. "It was a great April in Lech," she says looking back with a laugh.

The advertiser and the fashion expert

Stefan Andorfer was born in Dornbirn, Austria, in 1963. As a boy, he dreamed of becoming an aircraft engineer; as a teenager, he wanted to study architecture. But Andorfer's parents intervened: The job prospects for architects were poor. So Andorfer studied economics in Innsbruck, a rather interesting course of study, as he found. Specializing in marketing is at least a ray of hope, which then determines Andorfer's further career path. After graduating, he worked for two years in an agency, then, at the age of 28, he set up his own advertising agency, Davilla. So this year Davilla celebrates its 20th birthday. "From the very beginning, I had the ambition that my clients get more than advertising from me," Andorfer says. "Because advertising, in my eyes, is only meaningful if it pays in for the brand." Andorfer's role model is New York star advertiser David Ogilvy. That makes further explanation unnecessary.

Denise Ender was born in St. Gallen in 1973 and even as a little girl she knew: I want to be a graphic designer. "For me, graphic design is not just a job, I live it, it's part of me." Ender is fascinated by the consistent, straightforward work of Austrian graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister, whose designs adorn the CD covers of the Rolling Stones, Lou Reed and David Byrne, for example. After graduating from high school, Ender attended the Advertising Academy in Vienna for two years, then went to Milan, first to the Istituto Superiore di Comunicazione and then to the Istituto Europeo di Design, where she earned her master's degree in graphic design. She then worked for two years in New York at a design agency specializing in fashion and perfume brands. There she produces newsletters and magazines for Clarins, Chanel and DKNY. After so much abroad, home calls again in 1999: Ender works for seven years at her father's advertising agency in Au SG and in Lustenau, Austria, which she is supposed to take over. But things turn out differently. In 2002, at the anniversary event of a magazine, Ender meets Stefan Andorfer, one of her competitors. Nevertheless, everything fits. A short time later, Ender joins Davilla.

The difference between bikini and screw

Davilla has a very unique signature. The agency's images should be very aesthetic and stylish, while remaining natural and emotional. "We want skin to still look like skin, for everything not to be smooth and artificial, for fine hairs to be visible on the face, and for it to still look beautiful," Ender emphasizes. "If faces and bodies are retouched to death, no consumer can identify with it anymore." Davilla intends to continue on his path of specializing in fashion photography with an almost artistic ambition over the next few years, and an expansion of the Zurich branch is on the cards. Consistently, Andorfer and Ender turn down requests from representatives of other industries who like the agency's style of imagery. "Emotions are 'in' these days, and even technical companies want photos that lend emotion to their screws or engines," Andorfer says. "But we're definitely not the right people for that."

And then the two fashion experts have another dream in common, which they hope will become reality in two to three years: "We have been working with a lot of energy for some time now on two projects that are very close to our hearts. If everything works out the way we imagine, we'll suddenly be our own customers and no longer have to rely on convincing our clients of our definition of quality." The two don't want to reveal more at the moment. But apparently they are in the process of building two brands of their own. We'll be hearing more from them soon.

Andorfer and Ender also have something in common: their two children Anna (4) and Paul (2). The two advertisers are not only a good business team, they are also involved in a private relationship. In their often limited free time, they have no time for skiing or cross-country skiing. Instead, they enthusiastically attend exhibitions and art openings. And then their kids are also part of the party.
Anne-Friederike Heinrich

In a nutshell
Denise Ender
*16.10.1973 in St. Gallen
1993-1995 Advertising Academy, Vienna
1995/1996 Master of Graphic Arts, Istituto Superiore di Comunicazione, Milan
1996/1997 Master Art-Direction, Istituto Europeo di Design, Milan
1997-1999 Design agency 360° Degrees, New York
1999-2006 Ender Advertising, Au/Lustenau
since 2006 Managing Director Creation Davilla, Bregenz/Zurich

Stefan Andorfer
*19.4.1963 in Dornbirn (A)
1981-1986 Studies of Business Administration, major in Marketing, University of Innsbruck
1989-1991 Konzett, Bregenz
since 1991 Founder and Managing Director Consulting Davilla, Bregenz/Zurich
www.davilla.com