On a Cupcake Tour

3,000 advertising campaigns, 500 clients. That’s the track record of the Stoz advertising agency’s 25-year history. Founded in 1987 by Gusti Stoz, the Pfäffikon-based advertising team now consists of five members. In addition to Max Sommerhalder (print technician, project manager) and Karl Gubser (graphic designer, art director), the founder’s two sons, Michael (graphic designer) and Dennis (print technician), are on board at the agency. To mark this year’s milestone anniversary, the company based in the Zürcher Oberland has come up with a special promotion. Together with his two sons, owner Stoz cruised around the area in a promotional sports car and presented clients and partners with a box of handmade cupcakes.

The tour was intended, on the one hand, to foster personal connections, and on the other, Stoz Sr. wanted to introduce his two sons, who are set to take over the business one day. Stoz describes it as a successful initiative. «For us, it was a wonderful and eventful promotional tour. The idea was very well received.» Everyone took at least a quarter of an hour to talk with us. «And with some of them, we’d still be sitting here today,» jokes Stoz. Although the birthday tour is also part of preparing for the succession, Stoz, at 63, isn’t thinking about retiring just yet.

He’s too attached to his job for that. When he talks about his career as an advertiser, he gets carried away. He finds the diversity of the clientele particularly exciting. In recent years, the agency has had the opportunity to be creative for a wide variety of clients. «From media companies to landscapers, shopping centers, trade associations, and local municipalities,» says Stoz. He speaks just as positively about working together as a family. «There’s nothing better than coming up with an idea together with my sons.» However, Stoz still has one wish for the agency’s future: instead of working on many individual projects, he’d like to be able to provide more comprehensive support to companies again. imp