Search for the best idea without distraction
In May, Urs Schrepfer and Christian Bobst will celebrate two years of working as sought-after freelancers. The duo works successfully as a team for agencies both large and small.
What still excites me? What is still really exciting? Urs Schrepfer has already seen a lot in advertising. After graduating with a degree in German studies, he spent 10 years at Advico, where he developed from copywriter to CD. When some of his colleagues left and Spillmann Felser founded Leo Burnett, Schrepfer also moved on to Jung von Matt/Limmat. Before returning to Advico as Executive CD and Managing Partner and then as Executive CD at TBWA. "A lot of good times came together," he looks back. One day, however, he reached the point where he realized that organizing and managing had become much more important than finding creative ideas. Especially in network agencies. "Over time, you're made a CD because you're seen as a not-so-bad creative and because you're good with people. And at some point you realize: I'm just sitting around in meetings." Especially if you work in the executive sector. Schrepfer continues. "There are many good things about it, but sometimes as a creative you want to ground yourself a little more." - Having time, sitting in front of a blank sheet of paper and generating ideas. In other words: "Back to the roots." In such a mood, Urs Schrepfer thought to himself: "I've never worked as a freelancer before."
The same experiences
Christian Bobst was in a similar frame of mind when he and his long-time friend and creative partner were once again discussing God and the agency world over a beer. That evening, they both realized: "We were moving in the same direction independently of each other. We wanted more time for our own projects," explains Christian Bobst.
He studied graphic design and started his career in advertising at Wirz. Christian Bobst later moved to Advico as AD, where he already worked with Urs Schrepfer as part of the team. When the founding of SFLB turned the agency in Gockhausen upside down, he was lured to Berlin, where Bobst was able to gain valuable experience abroad at Jung von Matt/Spree for two years before Schrepfer brought him back to the new Advico, where he became CD. And since then? "I was no longer interested in moving up the management ladder. The higher up you get, the more time you spend on politics and meetings," Bobst analyzed in much the same way as Schrepfer. And he has never tried freelancing either. So he finally came up with the idea: "We could do it together."
This type of shared office can be set up "without any great risk". You see whether the assignments develop in the desired direction and how the resulting lifestyle actually works out. "Otherwise, we can always return to an agency," say Bobst and Schrepfer, as corresponding offers are open to both of them.
Formally, the two are now registered as two individual companies. In practice, they function as freelancers who work as a team, primarily for agencies. In May, the unconventional "start-up" on Zurich's Quellenstrasse can already look back on two years of success. For their client portfolio, Schrepfer and Bobst relied on a certain range of regular agencies right from the start. "Which doesn't rule out the possibility of new ones being added all the time." The aim is to achieve an ideal mix of larger and smaller agencies. These "smaller" ones in particular are often found in other corners. "Agencies in the areas of PR, corporate design or the Internet that don't have a traditional department themselves have asked us several times for particularly exciting projects."
But even with the big agencies, freelancers don't just have to be content with the role of stopgap. "Of course, we are occasionally booked when there is a need. But we are also called in for important prestige campaigns, perhaps to provide a broader range of services." Bobst and Schrepfer present some of their ideas as anonymous ghostwriters. However, their work for Swisscom at Saatchi & Saatchi, for example, as well as various jobs for Euro RSCG, where Christian Bobst stood in for the CD Axel Eckstein for three months, was openly acknowledged. And Schrepfer took over the pitches.
Occasionally also separately
However, it can also happen that Schrepfer and Bobst do not work together for a longer period of time. "Everyone also has scope for favorite tasks and their own projects," explains Schrepfer, who immediately denies that he is working on a novel. "I simply like the new situation of being able to focus on what I enjoy most in advertising." You are no longer constantly "multi-tasking" with seven projects running simultaneously. "We really have time for new ideas and can concentrate on one topic." With their model, Schrepfer and Bobst not only generate a "gain in work quality", but also a better quality of life when you no longer have to constantly get bogged down. "It's very important to us that we can concentrate on something and work very precisely." When there are two of you and you've been working together for years, "a day can be very productive". Searching the entire creative spectrum for a possible solution for ten hours without distraction - hardly any CD who is permanently employed in an agency and also has to deal with spontaneous phone calls from their clients can afford to do that.
Conversely, however, Schrepfer and Bobst do not want to interfere with their competencies as CDs. "Even though we were both CD ourselves: As freelancers, we see ourselves as creative suppliers. But we work specifically towards a certain breadth of ideas. That's our concept. We don't want to play CD in our jobs, we just want to help solve a problem for the agency by suggesting different ideas."
Bobst and Schrepfer have also been able to get to know a few "very good CDs" at smaller and as yet unknown agencies. "The new and small agencies are growing a lot and work very innovatively. They come from a completely different mindset because they didn't grow up in the traditional sector. But they know exactly what they are doing. However, they don't have as many people to deploy. Then they bring us in."
A freelance team must be a relief for the client. Because both have been responsible as CDs for years, Schrepfer and Bobst can imagine what a CD expects in a particular situation. "We come away from a presentation with a good feeling when we know Now someone's heart is lifted." In the past, it was a good feeling when they were able to sell their own idea or push through a campaign. Today, as externals, the two want to "take something off the CD's hands and inspire it to take new paths". Schrepfer and Bobst see one of their qualities as being able to come up with a wide range of solutions in a short space of time. "As a freelancer, you have to listen very carefully, quickly get to grips with a new subject and also pick out the nuances."
As a freelancer, you are not let loose as an "uncontrolled missile". You have to be a controlled speedboat. This form of service can also be a very valuable addition to a pitch for stressed agencies.
Advertising has become more and more sophisticated as it has become increasingly interlinked. "You used to do TV, print and a bit below the line. Today you need involvement," Bobst is convinced. To achieve this, you can no longer simply break down the classic and its idea into the various measures, but have to break an idea down from the bottom up. "What do we want to achieve? What media can we use to set this in motion?"
To achieve success in this way and develop a strategic umbrella idea, experience and knowledge of a wide range of media are required. Which Bobst and Schrepfer can of course guarantee, even with their often younger clients. It is not least in such new territory that the two feel very much at home.
The circle opens
"People are always talking about the advertising pie and are usually talking about maybe seven agencies. But the small pie has now become quite big," says Schrepfer. He enjoys this opening up. Today, people from a wide range of disciplines contribute their ideas to advertising. "That's why we as freelancers have to be able to play the whole keyboard." Schrepfer also sees an untapped area of commitment in product development. Christian Bobst wants to use his newfound freedom in the freelance working model more for photography and documentary work. He sees a trend towards advertising, PR and journalism being brought together more in the future. "How do I document true stories in an attractive form?", he sees as a possible task for him in this communication. "Tell stories, but authentically," is his aim. He identifies such a need on websites: documenting the activities of companies and organizations in an inspiring way with video, photos and sound. "This requires material. But it has to be affordable," Bobst calculates, referring to the development of Mediastorm.com in the USA. The demand for moving images is likely to develop into an attractive market based on the multimedia possibilities of the Internet. The term "authenticity" has already become a buzzword in advertising. What is actually "authentic" in some current cases, however, remains to be discussed, says Bobst. Bobst's various works for the aid organization Heks can be seen as successful examples of advertising using real information. In April, he spent three weeks traveling in Senegal. Before that, he documented development projects in Georgia and the Philippines. Together with filmmaker Peter Indergand, the small team put together a whole package including a documentary film, TV commercial, posters and photo documentation.
"Thinking outside the box," says Christian Bobst about this commitment. "After 15 years in advertising, you end up in a mental glass house. You want to question yourself and stop using the same mechanisms over and over again." For Urs Schrepfer, such impulses can also come from the immediate environment. For example, in the form of targeted collaboration with other specialists. "With people who come when you need them."
A new agency could perhaps emerge from such a network one day. However, it would not be a clone of the existing models. "The future certainly needs more capable speedboats than another big tanker." Andreas Panzeri
freedom for your own ideas and also offers a better work-life balance.
