Agencies: With its groundbreaking cross-media campaigns, Crispin Porter + Bogusky has become one of the most outstanding agencies. Dominik Imseng met with Chief Creative Officer Alex Bogusky.  
WW: As someone who just served as jury president at Cannes, this first question might surprise you. Mr. Bogusky, could it be that your agency is so creative because you’re not very interested in awards? Alex Bogusky: There’s actually some truth to that. If you really want to create something new, you can’t focus too much on creative competitions, since they don’t necessarily encourage innovative work. You can even see that in the new Titanium & Integrated category, which I chaired this year at Cannes, where many of the submitted campaigns followed the same formula. Which is perfectly normal: Creatives naturally look to work that has already won awards for inspiration. And the same goes for jurors.
How are the teams that develop cross-media concepts at your company put together? As a rule, it’s also the job of our copywriters and art directors to come up with the ideas. But in reality, ideas come from a wide variety of departments, since everyone involved in a campaign—not just the creatives—is 100 percent responsible for its quality. So we never have that situation where someone says, «Here’s the briefing and strategy. Make something out of it.» That’s why even consultants and strategists contribute ideas here. And strategies can also come from creatives. For example, a large part of the strategic planning for «Truth» (see box) came from an art director and an agency producer.
Speaking of strategic planning: Someone once said that planning is «market research done right.» But when you see how often your campaigns are based on relevant insights, you get the feeling that planning at Crispin Porter + Bogusky is «strategic planning done right.»In fact, we’ve thought a lot about planning and how to make it as effective as possible, and we’ve realized that conventional strategic planning is an extremely advertising-centric process. So we started bringing in people with academic backgrounds—such as sociologists or anthropologists—who are sometimes such geniuses that we simply can’t send them out to clients.
You think they’re nerds? Well—let’s call them scientists who help us understand the roots of contemporary pop culture so we can influence it for the benefit of our clients. And then we have another group of people in our strategic planning department who use investigative journalism methods to uncover relevant insights. This cross-pollination between traditional strategists, researchers, and journalists works quite well.
How do you approach presentations against the competition? Do you just present the strategy, or do you also show how it’s been implemented? It varies, but I prefer to present the creative execution as well. There was a period when we didn’t have to pitch very often because we were getting new business directly. But I’m not sure if that was such a good thing, because it meant we didn’t always get that kind of energy rush that’s simply necessary for good advertising.
And when you present campaigns: How many are there? We prefer to go with just a single idea—the one we’ve truly fallen in love with, because it’s the easiest to adapt in various ways. But you always have to remain objective about that one idea. Only after you’ve put it through its paces can you be sure that it’s really love and not just a mental orgasm. (Laughs.)
If you had to describe what makes great advertising stand out in a single word, would that word be «simplicity,» as Marcello Serpa says? Hmm… that’s a tough question.
Looking at your own work, that word might be «connection.» That’s actually a good word. The foundation of good advertising must always be what we at the agency call an «essential truth»—something in which everyone can recognize themselves and our society. Only then can advertising truly move people.
Miami, Boulder in the Rocky Mountains… Can you imagine opening a branch even in a traditional advertising hub like New York or London? When I think of all the people who criticize us simply because they don’t know us personally, that wouldn’t be a bad idea. We’re actually quite isolated in Miami, and even more so in Boulder, which makes it difficult for outsiders to get a sense of what goes on inside the agency. But what I definitely don’t want to be is the Worldwide Creative Director who flies from office to office and still can’t really help.
In a conversation you had with Lee Clow, your great role model, he spoke of advertising as one of the most repulsive industries on the planet and said that the energy he needs to create outstanding advertising comes from his effort to make at least five percent of advertising intelligent. You looked very moved when he said that. Do you share his view? Well—it’s not that I’m ashamed to be an advertiser.
But you're ashamed of the work done by so many of your colleagues. To be honest, I'm often ashamed of my own work.
You're joking. Seriously. Whenever one of our commercials comes on at my house, I change the channel. Especially when relatives are around.
Why? Because I never think our work is good enough. And aside from that, I’m more interested in the impact our work has than in the work itself. But to get back to your question: I’m not ashamed to be an advertiser. But I don’t have any respect for traditional advertising. That doesn’t mean I look down on the people who create that kind of advertising. I’m just angry about how intrusive and mindless advertising usually is. That’s why I love to play around with advertising. And that really pisses off a lot of people in the industry. But I’ve stopped getting worked up in public about bad advertising. I paid quite a price for being seen as the figurehead of the «new school of advertising.» There are a whole lot of Crispin Porter + Bogusky haters out there. It’s become its own blogging community that takes issue with the fact that I don’t like advertising that treats people like fools.
Maybe that’s why you don’t have a branch in New York yet. That’s where the big network executives are based—the ones whose best clients you regularly poach. You’ve figured me out: I’m not in Miami and Boulder to go surfing and snowboarding—I’m just hiding out there so I don’t get beaten up all the time. (Laughs.) But there’s another advantage to having offices in Miami and Boulder. And that is that I don’t really get a sense of what’s going on in the advertising industry there.
Seriously? Seriously. This might sound strange, and I probably shouldn't even say this, but I really try to expose myself to as little advertising as possible. Of course, I'm surrounded by it—I watch TV and surf the Internet. But I don't read trade magazines or attend advertising events.
Do you have any other flaws—if that can even be called a flaw? My biggest flaw? (Thinks for a long time.) I don't like meetings.
Internal or with clients? Mainly the ones with clients. If I had more of a consultant’s mindset, I’d probably be much more successful! (Laughs.)
Keyword «Success»: Is there a specific decision you can point to that, without it, you wouldn’t be where you are today? To be honest, I don’t think decisions are that important. What matters is that you do your best with every decision you make. And there’s something else I strongly believe in: Find what truly fulfills you. That one thing you really love to do, and you’ll see that the right decisions will fall into place on their own.
Alex Bogusky Date of Birth: July 31, 1963
Marital status: married (two children, ages 10 and 7)
Place of residence: Miami and Boulder, Colorado
Education: Graphic Designer
Early Career: Professional Windsurfer
Most Recent Award: Interactive Agency of the Year in Cannes
Alex Bogusky
He got his start in advertising in the late 1980s at an agency in Miami that had 16 employees. Today, that agency is called Crispin Porter + Bogusky and employs 400 people in Miami and another 250 in Boulder, Colorado. Every project begins with the same question: «How would we promote this product or this company if there were no TV commercials, billboards, or print ads—or even if we didn’t have any money for advertising at all?» The most famous answer
The answer to this question was the Subservientchicken.com website for Burger King, which is considered perhaps the most effective marketing campaign of all time. Millions upon millions of Internet users from over 100 countries visited the website—and media coverage of it generated millions in free publicity. »Bogusky succeeded in doing that, too.”
with the anti-smoking campaign «Truth.» The highlight so far: 1,200 body bags were placed in front of a cigarette company’s building in New York («1,200 people die each day from cigarettes. Did you ever think of taking a day off?»). The web video about the campaign sparked a massive media response.   
Interview: Dominik Imseng, Concept Developer at Matter & Gretener

 The public prosecutor's office in Ticino is investigating the broadcaster TeleTicino on suspicion of illegal advertising. The reason is a banner from the gambling company Interwetten.com, which operates from Malta, on the station's homepage. The advertisement has since been removed from the network, as TeleTicino announced in a communiqué on Wednesday. The broadcaster was reacting to a Blick article from the same day. The article states that advertising for foreign betting providers is prohibited. The broadcaster claims to have known nothing about this: Neither the supervisory authority nor the magistrate had informed TeleTicino of the possible illegality of the banners, the statement said. The banner, which earned the broadcaster a thousand francs per month, was launched on July 16.
The TV station has now voluntarily forwarded an inquiry to the Ticino public prosecutor's office and the Swiss Federal Gaming Board, writes Chairman of the Board of Directors Alberto Ménasche.
It is unclear why the Ticino authorities did not take action on their own initiative. The Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) had already filed a criminal complaint against TeleTicino with the Ticino cantonal police on July 18.
The FOJ spokesperson Folco Galli told SDA on Wednesday that this action was taken on the basis of a tip-off from a third party. TeleTicino is not an isolated case. There are always cases of illegal advertising.
Motorcyclist Thomas Lüthi, for example, who also advertises for Interwetten.com on his homepage, is also facing legal trouble, as TeleTicino writes. The gambling company's banner can also be found on a website run by fans of HC Davos.

 The hunt for the Eurobest Awards 2007 opens on Thursday, August 30: From this day, entries for the competition can be submitted online. The new Media category is available this year. It is based on the criteria of strategy, planning and execution. The newly created category complements the existing categories of Radio, TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor, Interactive, Direct & Sales Promotion and Integrated Advertising. The entries will be judged at the end of November in London. The shortlisted entries will be announced on November 28 and the winners on November 30.

 This year's publishing format revolves around the topics of color, standardization and automation. Speakers will provide answers to questions from the industry and highlight trends for the media production of the future, while manufacturers and suppliers will also present their products. The Publishing Forum is being organized for the second time this year by the Prepress Switzerland specialist group of the Swiss Printing Industry Association (VSD). It will take place on Tuesday, November 27, 2007, at the Kongresshaus Biel with a focus on color management and automation. In the foyer of the Kongresshaus, manufacturers and suppliers will be giving product presentations on the tools used in media production to monitor their processes, optimize data and control processes.
In the morning, Erwin Widmer, Florian Süssl, Eddy Senn and Stephan Jaeggi will present facts on colour management and standardization according to ISO 12647 in the areas of proof evaluation, current standards, the correct setting of data and the PDF workflow with media-neutral data. In the afternoon, Bernd Zipper, technology and strategy consultant from Germany, will give an overview of the new possibilities in publishing opened up by "web-to-print". He will not only look at current solutions, but also venture a look "outside the box" and present his vision of future publishing. Stefan Jaeggi uses a practical example to illustrate the current possibilities of automation.
Access to the product presentations by manufacturers and suppliers is free, but admission to the specialist presentations is subject to a charge. The seminar pass costs CHF 280, for VSD members CHF 180 (prices plus VAT). It also includes admission to the product presentation in the foyer of the Congress Center.

Color TV Black is not just black. Thanks to plasma technology, Panasonic flat-screen televisions achieve a deeper black. The greater bandwidth between black and white tones is also the reason for the proverbial picture depth, which makes the colors stand out better thanks to the Real Black Drive system. Jung von Matt/Limmat has used deep-sea fish to advertise the new screens. Fish on coral reefs are in any case a motif that is ideal for demonstrating the brilliance of the images. It is therefore "only logical to seek out the deep sea and depict the unknown creatures of the darkness to realize the depth of the image," says CD Alexander Jaggy.

Jungfilmer Wirz and Topic-Film help Talent Screen with film promotion. 
Talent Screen is once again looking for Swiss film talent with a future this fall. The competition is breaking new ground in the promotion of young talent. In the Movie Marathon, a short film has to be shot within 48 hours. In the Pitch Battle, screenwriters have to present their ideas in front of an audience. The venue for both competitions is the Theater Gessnerallee in Zurich. The competition will be communicated with a commercial, which must of course also be worthy of an award. Under the direction of Andres Brütsch, Wirz Werbung, together with Topic-Film, has recreated the world-famous Bond scene with Ursi Andress 45 years after its premiere. However, the Ursi double is getting on in years. "Tired of old films?" asks the commercial, which is looking for people who are capable of creating new great classics. The deadline for applications is August 31. Creative people from the advertising industry are "very welcome".
   
Andreas Panzeri

 For once, the last have the chance to be the first: The Art Directors Club Germany is extending the submission deadline for this year's creative young talent competition by one week until September 10. Students and juniors in the advertising and communications industry from Germany, Austria and Switzerland have until then to submit their work. The best entries will be chosen at the ADC Junior Days from October 26 to 28 in Munich: ADC Talent, ADC Junior or ADC/Focus Student of the Year.

The Zurich-based advertising agency Fishwishion has won the budget of the Frauenfeld start-up center Start. According to the agency, the decisive factor was the concept of a complementary product campaign. With an analogy to the rabbit and the hedgehog from the fairy tale and the claim "For clever hedgehogs and fast rabbits", the start-up center presents its range of services for young and young-at-heart companies in an emotional version. Three small advertisements will run from the beginning of September 2007 until February 2008, accompanied by a website and initial images in the reception area. Further appearances of Hase und Igel are planned according to the principle "less is more", the communiqué continues.
Responsible at the Start! Foundation Center: Peter Britschgi. Responsible at Fishwishion advertising agency: Maurice Codourey (concept, text), Marco Moro (media); illustration and graphics: Res Zinniker/illustres.

 The private television station U1 from Schlieren ZH may continue broadcasting for the time being. The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) has decided this with a precautionary measure. Cablecom originally wanted to take U1 off the analog network at the end of August. This is why the precautionary measure had to be taken relatively quickly, confirmed Bakom spokesman Bernhard Bürki on Monday at the request of SDA.
Cablecom can lodge an appeal against the decision with the Federal Administrative Court within thirty days. "The provisional measure says nothing about what the final decision will be," Bürki continued.
Bürki went on to say that it remains to be seen when a final decision will be made. This is the first time that the supervisory authority has had to make such a decision based on the new Federal Radio and Television Act (RTVA).
The initiators of the planned new sports channel Schweizer Sport Fernsehen have an interest in U1 being declared a "must carry" program by Bakom. From September, they want to cover popular sports on U1 that are not covered by Swiss television.

 The SVP's poster with the black sheep is causing annoyance among chambers of commerce and foreign business people. The British-Swiss Chamber of Commerce thinks the poster is damaging Switzerland's image. It has heard negative reactions from British tourists and employees in Switzerland, Cashdaily reports. According to board member Tim Whiteman, Britons are asking whether Switzerland is comparable to Germany before the last war. He demands that the authorities do something about the SVP poster so that the economic environment does not suffer.
Swissmem President Johann Schneider-Ammann told Cashdaily: "I don't hope that the SVP posters will permanently damage Switzerland as a business location." Eric Sarasin, president of the German-Swiss Chamber of Commerce, on the other hand, urged calm. Now is not the time to shoot at sparrows with cannons.
Zurich SVP National Councilor Hans Kaufmann and party president Ueli Maurer are also dismissive: The posters pose no threat to the Swiss economy. Only criminal foreigners are targeted. More security and peace would strengthen the business location.

As part of the presentation of the new Nike Total 90 Laser football boot, Nike has launched a campaign with a series of internet commercials featuring various European world-class players in a rather bizarre precision shoot-out; Wayne Rooney, Torsten Frings, Gennaro Gattuso and Florent Malouda are beset by a Jackass-like foursome, the "Sanchez Boys", who challenge their accuracy and - thanks to the shooting precision of Nike's new miracle shoe - are shot together by the football gods according to score.Nike's "Exactly-where-you-want-to-go" tour aims to encourage football enthusiasts to do the same as the Sanchez boys, film their most precise and spectacular shots and upload them to the Nike website. This will allow them to compete virtually with others. The official clips with Rooney and Frings can currently be seen on the Nike website, all others will follow later. Good entertainment is guaranteed.

 Simone Schäfer, who has been with the company since the beginning of June, is to become the new Head of Communications at the fashion house PKZ Group. The federally certified communications manager previously worked for the agency group DDB and Cr Basel and was responsible for Cablecom's brand communication, according to a press release issued on Tuesday. The previous head Caroline Röösli is leaving the company after 10 years and moving to Cm Dialog in St. Gallen on November 1; she will be responsible for dialog marketing at the full-service agency as head of consulting.