The minimal agency

The founders of Pop Up Agency like to break free from constraints. «Just because we’re an agency now doesn’t mean we need a fancy conference room,» says Hofer. Meetings take place in his studio on Kanzleistrasse, at Benz on Kreuzplatz, at a client’s office, in a pub—or, like today, somewhere outdoors. «We’re a non-physical agency.»

The agency’s work location is as flexible as its structure is agile. True to its name, the Pop Up Agency comes into being when there’s a project. When it’s no longer needed, it disappears again. Regardless, Hofer and Benz continue to operate as sole proprietors and serve their own clients.

The Pop Up Agency’s motto is «as much of an agency as necessary.» No office space, no employees. It consists of a network of freelance communications experts who come together under one roof for each project. This business model allows fixed costs to be kept to a minimum and calculated in a targeted manner.

The core team at Pop Up Agency currently consists of seven people. The agency thus covers the key areas of communication: art direction, copywriting, strategy/consulting, social media, mobile, web, film/production, and events/catering. Additional specialists are brought in as needed for each project.

Roli Hofer (Art Director) and Michael Benz (Consulting/Strategy) are in charge. Hofer has been working as a freelancer for five years. Benz, who worked on campaigns such as «Slow down, Take it easy» at the Rod agency, founded his own communications consulting firm a little over a year ago.

For each project, Benz and Hofer conduct the initial assessment and select suitable specialists. If they wish, advertisers can put together the team themselves right away—and contribute their own expertise in the process. «We believe in the empowered client,» says Benz.

«Does the English humor come across?» Hofer asks. A passerby has stopped in the meantime and is looking on curiously to see what’s going on here.

In time for its official launch in October, the Pop Up Agency is already able to showcase several projects that have been carried out within the network. For example, the team worked on the Berne Declaration (BD) Drawing consumers' attention to the unfair production conditions in the chocolate industry. For once, the chocolate bunny isn’t hopping happily through the ad—instead, he attempts suicide. The sweet mascot simply cannot live with the fact that he is made from unfairly produced chocolate. A giant chocolate bar was also assembled via a Facebook page. Every consumer could add a small bar with their name on it. The mega-bar, consisting of over 13,000 pieces, was eventually put into production and presented to the chocolate manufacturer Lindt & Sprüngli in front of the media, along with a call to offer more fairly produced foods.

The work of Pop Up Agency speaks a modern, urban language. «Contemporary,» says Hofer. When it comes to content, they don’t want to be held back by any constraints. «We think in a media-neutral way and believe in the power of storytelling—especially in the context of integrated communication,» says Benz.

Stories that are particularly likely to be picked up by the media. This worked exceptionally well with the project «No louder than 40 decibels in front of the club,» which raised awareness among Zurich’s nightlife-goers about the noise problem around bars and clubs. Instead of taking the moral high ground, a bed was set up right in front of the venues. Inside, two actors tried to take a nap. If the guests were too loud, they were given a warning. The campaign was covered by various media outlets, including 20 Minuten and Tele Züri. «I believe that honest, funny, and touching stories are often shared—even by the media,» says Benz.

The strategy has also paid off for «LOCALIKE New York», a customized travel provider that arranges personalized travel itineraries tailored to customers’ interests and preferences. Pop Up Agency helped the American-Swiss startup get off the ground and, in addition to the planning process—including market analysis, research, positioning, and corporate design—managed its PR efforts in German-speaking countries. In addition to online and print advertising, media coverage in various publications helped raise the startup’s profile (including Die Zeit, Welt am Sonntag, GQ, annabelle, and SI Style).

«Are we almost done with the shoot? It's starting to get hot …,» Benz asks.

«One more question: For which clients are you the right partner?» – «Definitely startups—we have a lot of experience with them,» says Hofer. «And, in general, companies looking for a new, customized form of collaboration,» adds Benz. A collaboration in which clients can decide for themselves which services they need—and pay only for those. True to the agency’s slogan: «Whatever it takes.»

Isabel Imper

In a nutshell
Since September 2012, Michael Benz (Photo on the right) his own communications consultancy specializing in strategy, consulting, and PR copywriting. His previous positions include stints at the agencies Rod and Publicis. At Rod, he served as Head of Consulting and Strategic Planner, overseeing campaigns such as «Slow down, Take it easy»; at Publicis, he handled PR and co-led the «Migros M’08» project, among other responsibilities. Roli Hofer He has been self-employed for five years (ROLI HOFER Graphics/Concepts/Campaigns). Before that, he worked at the advertising agencies By Heart and Sulzer, Sutter.