"Too much whining"

1. you could swap your smartphone with someone else's for a day. Would you? And if so, with whom?
If so, I'd like to work with Frank Lang from Publicis so that I can replenish my stock of cat videos and Godzilla images.

2. what does not come to the office under any circumstances?
Employees for whom "that's not possible" is not followed by "but here's how".

3. which professional colleague would you take with you to a desert island?
My creative director Daniel Unger, as he proved to be a DJ and mood maker with great taste, in addition to a few musical blunders ("The Smurfs' song" in the morning at the agency).

4 Have you ever considered leaving the advertising industry?
Several times, but since I have not yet found a "less bad" industry, I have remained loyal to it and plan to continue doing so.

5. what do you never want to have to hear about yourself?
"He always made an effort."

6 Does the advertising industry receive enough appreciation for its work?
It probably receives as much appreciation as it currently deserves. If we want more, we have to earn it again.

7. a buzz word that gets on your nerves?
Every buzzword that describes something that has existed for a long time under an unspectacular name. And therefore actually every buzzword.

8. what inspired you to enter the advertising/communications industry?
During my IT training at the age of 15, my former principal wanted me to decide whether I wanted to work in IT or advertising. This combination did not exist in his world. Fortunately, I still haven't been able to decide on a single field and so I ended up in the communications industry by chance, as it is full of people who also don't want to limit themselves mentally.

9. is the opinion that you can't grow old in agencies true, or is that a prejudice?

The older advertisers I know have at least remained mentally young and fresh thanks to the daily agency routine. Purely out of self-protection for my own future, I plead for "prejudice".

10. what annoys you about the local advertising industry?
Too much whining and half-hearted attempts to become more digital without discarding old patterns and ways of thinking.

11. why don't you conform to the usual clichés of an advertiser?
I only wear my black scarf when it's cold outside.

12. when is there a bad mood in your agency?
When the ham croissants at the bakery are sold out again and things aren't moving fast enough.

13. what do you regret?
I didn't rely enough on my gut feeling twice during interviews with candidates. That won't happen to me a third time.

Nicola Schlup is Managing Director of the newly founded Swiss branch of Nexum. The federally certified marketing manager has been successfully combining the worlds of communication and IT for over 14 years. Nexum is the consultancy and agency for communication, interaction and transactions in the digital age. As one of the largest owner-managed full-service providers in Germany, Nexum has 130 permanent employees in Cologne (headquarters), Hamburg and Munich as well as the majority holding Nexum Agency Switzerland with offices in Bern and Basel. Nexum has been Coop's lead online agency for nine years and its clients include Swiss Post, BMW, Lufthansa Miles & More, Metro and Otto.

The "13 Questions" appear both online and in the print edition of Werbewoche.

Implementation 13 Questions: Thomas Häusermann