WW: In 1996, copywriter Frank Bodin was appointed CD at McCann-Erickson in Geneva. Three years later, the agency had become one of the most creative and successful. What was the secret to its success?
Frank Bodin: First, an idea of how the agency should set itself apart from other agencies in the market; second, hard work; third, luck—for which one must be grateful; and fourth, an outstanding team. The agency’s success wasn’t just my doing, but the result of an extraordinary leadership team at the time that knew how to bring together a wide variety of strengths. As long as everyone pulled in the same direction, the agency was unbeatable.
Was McCann your first coaching job?
I began my career as a full-time advertising professional in 1992 at GGK. I worked there as a copywriter for seven months before moving to Jean-Etienne Aebi for three and a half years. McCann-Erickson was then my first opportunity to take on independent responsibility. I still remember exactly how some colleagues laughed at me and predicted my swift downfall in the creative wasteland of Geneva. The agency’s solid financial foundation and Geneva’s status as an international hub—far from the advertising mecca of Zurich—were decisive factors in my decision to move to French-speaking Switzerland. I figured I could build something new and different there. I set out with a clear strategy: to transform a solid American agency specializing in Opel campaigns into a world-class Swiss agency. My stroke of luck was that, right from the start, we were invited to pitch for one of Switzerland’s iconic brands—the SBB’s overall budget—which we then went on to win.
That rapid success was repeated at Euro RSCG Switzerland, where you became Chairman and CEO in 2001. How did you manage to turn the company around there?
A turnaround means rapid change, and rapid change means taking radical steps—though with the necessary respect for the past. I had a crystal-clear vision of how the Euro RSCG brand needed to be revitalized to succeed: Creating Results through intelligence and innovation. I was forced to replace the entire management team in Zurich and Basel. The brand strategy also served as the foundation for the business strategy—a five-year plan with clear objectives: ranking in the top 5 creatively, in the top 5 quantitatively, and achieving profitability that would also satisfy shareholders. To achieve these goals, I had to create a new culture of innovation within the agency. To do this, I initially focused less on the creative side and more on other areas. For example, I first introduced strategic planning using tools such as StarEssence. And then I worked until I dropped.
You studied music and then, practically overnight, became a copywriter. Where do you get your knowledge of strategic work?
I also attended a business high school and studied law, though I didn't graduate. Besides, most classical musicians are very much like mathematicians in nature.
The rules of composition …
Johann Sebastian Bach described composing as 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent transcription—that is, 10 percent idea and 90 percent craft. In advertising, there’s the added factor that it serves a specific purpose and is therefore often subject to strict constraints. Anyone who analyzes the creative mechanisms in advertising a little more closely will quickly recognize patterns. At some point, I grew bored with being solely an advertising creative. Much of what calls itself creative isn’t really creative at all, but rather a rearrangement of familiar mechanisms. An invention, for example, is truly creative. Or a scientist’s hypothesis.
So you never felt it was a balancing act to juggle the creative and entrepreneurial sides of your work?
On the one hand, I have a very creative, intuitive side, but at the same time, I also have a very analytical, rational side. It’s like playing chess and carving chess pieces at the same time—a gift, but also sometimes a challenge for those around me and for myself. So it can happen that my creative colleagues suddenly stop seeing me as creative, or, conversely, that I don’t quite fit the stereotype of a CEO’s career path.
What makes Euro RSCG so successful today?
First and foremost, the employees of Euro RSCG and the success of our clients. That’s why I view the “Advertiser of the Year” award as a recognition of our people in Zurich and Geneva, as well as our clients. Added to this are our agency’s specific strengths, such as our creative output. Or our strategic strength, backed by extensive expertise in brand management and market insight. Or our “Power of One” model with integrated units for direct and online marketing. Or our cross-media approach: for example, we were the first agency to win the Crossmedia Award. Or the fact that we’re one of the very few agencies with two truly strong locations in Switzerland, bridging the Röstigraben. I make no secret of the fact, however, that despite above-average success in new business, last year was also a difficult one for me. The year began with an accident. A torn ligament. Then we were plagued by a string of bad luck that was beyond the agency’s control: For example, no sooner had we won Tele2 and gone on air with a spectacular campaign than the client merged with Sunrise. The same thing had happened to us just a few months earlier with 1818. This, along with a few other disappointments, really took a toll on my morale. However, there were—and still are—countless bright spots, above all happy clients and what is currently truly the best team Euro RSCG Zurich and Geneva have ever had. These people deserve opportunities to prove their skills and passion. That was some shameless self-promotion.
You've won over 500 awards. Which one means the most to you?
Winning over customers is the greatest reward. Creative awards can be a wonderful recognition of the work done and a source of motivation. I’ve received quite a few. Of course, I’ll never forget my first prize at the Jecklin Music Competition, which led to a performance at the Tonhalle and a record deal. I was also proud of my multiple Aargau fencing championship titles and even a medal at the Swiss Championships. I won my first ADC Cube right away for my very first advertising copy for the Grand Hotel Victoria-Jungfrau. My first Lion remains unforgettable—it was the only one left standing on stage in Cannes because I wasn’t allowed to go up there. An ad featuring two copulating brains was honored by Reader’s Digest as the world’s best ad with the Global Gold Pegasus award. Last year’s Gold EFFIE and the Grand Prix at the AME Awards in New York a month ago are the most recent examples of campaigns where creativity played a decisive role in achieving the objectives. And, of course, I’m particularly delighted to have been named Advertiser of the Year.
Was it sometimes frustrating to be nominated nine times?
Being nominated so often over the past few years is a sign of consistency. I never had a problem with not being named Advertiser of the Year; my only issue was when my not being selected was made such a big deal.
Would the mainstream be easier?
Building a profile is part of our job. I was lucky enough to advance quickly in my career. I wasn’t afraid to question even the sacred cows of our industry and send them to the slaughterhouse. And I’ve done more than just advertising—for example, I’ve written books and composed music—which not only sparked interest in me but also aroused envy and resentment from people who didn’t know me at all. That hurt me at times and weighed on me. Fortunately, I’m surrounded by wonderful people, both at home and at work.
Serving on numerous juries—such as those at Cannes and the Clio Awards, as well as serving as president of the Golden Drums—was certainly a valuable experience. What did that mean to you?
First, you get to meet the best and most interesting people from all over the world. And second, these juries take place all over the globe. Whether it’s selecting the Clios from among thousands of entries in the New Texas desert or watching great ads with great people right in the heart of London, it’s both inspiring and a joy.
How do you perceive the reputation of the advertising profession?
Judging by the number of applications Euro RSCG receives every day, our profession is held in higher regard than some might think. It’s also a good sign that many of our clients view us as partners rather than simply as suppliers. But it’s no secret that there’s already a dangerous trend toward coarseness and a lack of style in the media and advertising world. Advertising is not a commodity, nor is it simply a service. There’s a big difference between a consultant and an advertiser: with advertising, something magical can suddenly emerge that can fundamentally change a company. We absolutely must uphold the magic of our industry.
On the other hand, there’s a trend where Coop and Migros are using sales promotions as a form of advertising. Search engine marketing also requires a very different kind of creativity. Is traditional advertising slowly becoming a luxury product?
Not at all. New media provide us with additional and fantastic opportunities for dissemination. Added to this are the cross-media opportunities created by the intelligent integration of a wide variety of channels. However, this must not lead to two misconceptions. Mistake number 1 is the belief that these new possibilities make everything predictable: after all, the most unpredictable thing is precisely what matters most—people. And mistake number 2 is the belief that new media channels replace ideas and content.
Some people want advertising that you no longer even recognize as advertising. Is that something worth striving for?
Surreptitious advertising, guerrilla marketing, and viral marketing all sound a bit unsavory. With digitalization—and the resulting democratization of the media—we can no longer force our advertising agenda on people, because they can filter us out at any time. For us, this means nothing less than that our advertising must be so well done that people are happy to watch, read, listen to, and experience it. No matter what medium we’re using. So in the future, the content and the idea will become even more important and must be our top priority—not figuring out which new channels we can use to bother people next.
Right now, there’s a trend toward large agencies and fragmentation among specialists. Where do you see the opportunities?
An extraordinary idea really only needs one person to come up with it. However, when it comes to more complex projects, its cross-media implementation, management, and time to market require a certain scale. And multiple people can also inspire one another. Eight of the top 10 agencies in the BSW ranking are also in the top 10 of the creative ranking. However, size is relative: if you look at the ten largest agencies in Switzerland, they are like Davids facing Goliaths in the international competitive arena when compared to agencies in major markets such as Germany, France, and the UK. That concerns us.
You are currently the president of the BSW. What motivates you?
There’s hardly any other forum where you can regularly exchange ideas with so many industry leaders. I consider that a privilege. The 55 advertising agencies and 10 media agencies that make up BSW leading swiss agencies account for only about 7 percent of all agencies in Switzerland, yet they handle approximately two-thirds of all advertising spending: In 2007, the BSW agencies managed advertising budgets totaling over 2 billion Swiss francs and generated 363 million Swiss francs in gross operating revenue. This demonstrates the industry’s significance. BSW leading swiss agencies is not only the association of top agencies but, like «The Leading Hotels of the World,» also sees itself as a quality label—one that offers clients investment security and grants the agencies a status of which they can rightly be proud. The BSW therefore does a great deal to promote quality—for example, through training and continuing education programs, or by organizing the Swiss EFFIE, which is held in particularly high regard by clients. Or through initiatives such as the English-language publication «Creativity swiss made,» which aims to strengthen Switzerland’s position as an advertising hub vis-à-vis internationally active Swiss corporations as well as internationally active companies abroad. This is a form of location marketing for Swiss marketing. We need a healthy dose of protectionism.
Heritage preservation?
If a major French company were to consider setting up an agency in Switzerland instead of in France, it would be revolutionary. Things are different in Switzerland. Despite all the globalization, there’s nothing wrong with a healthy dose of protectionism. If local agencies can’t keep up, they shouldn’t be protected. But it’s a vicious cycle: The more business moves abroad, the more jobs are lost here, and the fewer people with international experience there are in Switzerland. That’s why I believe it’s a truly legitimate concern for our industry that companies based in Switzerland should consider Swiss agencies first before looking to London, Paris, or Frankfurt. If a long-established Swiss retail giant invites a German agency to pitch, then this isn’t just a problem for our industry—it’s a problem for all of Switzerland. It’s about jobs. By the way: I’m most proud of creating good jobs.
And what else? What makes you happy about working in advertising?
Happy customers. Happy employees. And when my kids come up to me and ask if those awesome Tele2 commercials were made by our agency, and I can say yes.
Do you still sometimes think about the career you could have had as a musician back then?
No, not at all. I was once fortunate enough to play under Yehudi Menuhin. Years later, I approached him about a testimonial campaign and explained to him on that occasion that I was no longer a musician but now worked in advertising. Menuhin’s reaction: First, that he’d be happy to participate in the campaign, and second, that the best people he’d ever met were those who knew «when to stop playing the violin.» I never wanted to end up as a music teacher, and the decision was a conscious one. I then tried other things—composition, law, opera directing… At some point during that phase, I didn’t just try my hand at advertising—I discovered it for myself. That’s still the case today, though I can certainly imagine starting something completely new again someday. Art is still important to me, too. Right now, I’m creating robotic sculptures together with Johannes Hedinger. The premiere of the first sculpture took place in October at the art fair in Berlin. The goal is an installation featuring 50 humanoid robots in a room, imitating people and human behavior. It’s incredibly bizarre when a robot looks at itself in a mirror or blows itself up.
Art and Advertising: A Mutual Enrichment?
No, I keep those two things strictly separate. I need a counterbalance to my job.
Interview: Andreas Panzeri
