Lots of noise thanks to new interactions
Noise works in cross-functional teams to maximize creativity and innovation. Patrik Giacobbo has also rejoined the team a few months ago. Building on his experience as Head of Creation at Namics in Germany, he is set to make some noise at Noise once again as the new Managing Partner for Digital.
At a time when the boundaries between classic advertising and digital communication are becoming blurred, there is a risk of disorientation. In an age of growing communication channels and ever more new devices, the evaluation of strategically correct touchpoints and their intelligent networking is "of central importance," according to the Noise website. 13 specialists work in this agency. Patrik Giacobbo has also been back on board for a few months. The pioneer from the world of the Internet is to further expand Noise's competencies in the digital field for the future. As a sparring partner on the creative side, he can rely on the classic support of CD Andreas Mädler.
With its three core competencies of consulting, digital and creation, Noise already has a high level of technological expertise. "We have the experience to be able to develop special solutions that are suitably tailored to new challenges and requirements," knows Patrik Giacobbo. Innovative and creative use of media to strengthen brand relationships is already an important credo. "But this will become even more important in the future," Noise is convinced. Convergence as the key to success creates measurability, efficiency, effectiveness, added value and retention. To achieve this, a perfect interplay of strategy, creativity and technological knowledge is a prerequisite. A combination that is also perfectly reflected in the professional career of the new Managing Partner Digital.
The crazy time around the hype
Patrik Giacobbo started out as a photographer. In the 1980s, he attended the photography class at the Zurich School of Applied Arts, as it was still called back then. After graduating, he was well stocked with interesting jobs as an advertising photographer. Nevertheless, he wanted to broaden his professional horizons. In the 1990s, he found his start as a graphic designer at Wirz Interactive, one of the first agencies in Switzerland that dared to fully embrace the future of digital advertising. "That was an exciting time, because everything was still completely new in the Internet sector. We were living in the big hype even before the bubble. We didn't know what exactly was coming. But we were sure that online would become very important," Giacobbo recalls of those pioneering years.
The Net and other digital media such as the CD-ROM - a forerunner of today's USB sticks - offered creative space for what were then "crazy" premieres of new ideas. But the technical innovations were also a playground for autodidacts. "There was no training yet," Giacobbo looks back. Back then, no one was talking about today's hyped "cross-media " advertising either. "People didn't look at anything integrated yet. We produced a CD-ROM with digitally controllable content, alongside it we did below-the-line campaigns and our colleagues ran classic advertising. Integrating the different channels came much later." Even today, three years after the advent of QR codes, many agencies and clients would still be far from fully exploiting the technical possibilities. "After all, it's not yet a cross-media idea if the classic posters are also shown once again in online advertising. New interactions have to come into play here."
Patrik Giacobbo experienced this specialization around the beginning of the new millennium. With the new era, Wirz Interactive also became the new company Assai Dialog + Digital, and Giacobbo was able to take on responsibility as Art Director. Among the biggest clients were Saab and Opel. For the client from Germany, Assai was able to create a comprehensive online platform for the car manufacturer using storytelling. The focus on Germany was then continued at Namics. Founded in 1995, the spin-off from the St. Gallen University of Applied Sciences was a pure online agency and soon established itself as a leading web service provider. For a time, the agency belonged to PubliGroupe. Following a management buyout in 2012, Namics is now one of the largest networks owned by participating partners, with "over 400 digital talents" in the meantime. Right from the start, the idea was that Namics would offer its services across borders, just like the Internet. In addition to the headquarters in St. Gallen as well as Zurich, branches were soon added in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich. For these, Nathalie Strobl, then Head of Creation at Namics Switzerland, was looking for a colleague for the same position in Germany. An offer Patrik Giacobbo could not refuse, even though he could not immediately take his still young family with three school-age sons to the north. From 2005 on, Giacobbo had an office desk in Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich at the same time. On weekends, he went to visit his family in Zurich "whenever possible", only to start the Monday most sensibly with a flight back to Hamburg. As Head of Creation, Patrik Giacobbo employed a total of 60 people in his team in Germany and was able to "sustainably strengthen and build up" all three branches. Notable clients included BASF, Deutsche Börse and Hapag Lloyd. "In Germany, everything is ten times bigger. That was a very valuable experience for me as a Swiss. You have to be able to hold your own in much bigger competition. I also had to learn to negotiate harder," says Giacobbo about his experience in the big canton.
But as his three sons grew more and more into teenagers, the father no longer wanted to see his boys coming home from the outing only on weekends. So he moved back to Switzerland in 2009. First for a few months at Namics Zurich. There, however, the specialization had become "a bit too technical" for the creative. Patrik Giacobbo finally discovered more opportunities for his development at Noise.
"This is where I was able to really live integrated advertising for the first time. A lot of people were talking about it. With Noise, there was actually a real dialogue between the designer and the technician. Technology can open up new avenues for the creative, for example in gamification, where we use games for advertising. Their operation opens up new dimensions. That, in turn, is technology. That's why the designer has to know what's feasible. Otherwise, he can't even come up with ideas. That's why we need close contact, and that's something we cultivate very intensively at Noise. Everyone sits at the same table right from the start."
Nevertheless, there has been another short "time out" for Patrik Giacobbo at Noise. In 2012, he founded the company "8°" together with two colleagues. The vision was a pure digital agency in the field of communication. However, his partners have increasingly turned to the development of new apps. Giacobbo wanted to do more project work. So they parted ways again "on good terms" and the advertiser returned to Noise, where he was "welcomed back with open arms." And the future? "We want to grow, but in a healthy way. I want top people around me. And the more order volume I can generate, the more I can hire good people," is Giacobbo's strategy. At the same time, it is also important to the team player: "With my people, I want a contact at eye level. "
Andreas Panzeri
