In this way, the spirit of the Zurich night can also be experienced during the lockdown and enriched with plenty of the players' own memories. To complete the experience, the Züribrätt also comes up with its own, matching Spotify playlist and a specially implemented Instagram filter.

Game for the good cause

But there is much more behind the game than just fun and awareness of the difficult situation of Zurich's nightlife. The "Züribrätt" is also and above all a sign of solidarity with an important goal. The entire profit will be transparently passed on to the BCK in the form of a donation, which has already been fighting the crisis situation in the industry for months with its fundraiser "Spending instead of going out".

"With this, we as an agency want to lend a hand to an industry that has been hit insanely hard. At the same time, we want to bring carefree hours and memories into the households of everyone who misses the Zurich night. Because we miss it too," explains Dominik Stibal, CEO at Inhalt und Form.

Alex Bücheli, Managing Director of BCK, also has clear words to say about the project: "The cause seems amazingly authentic. It's great to see that so many people are committed to our cause and participating in one way or another in our fundraising 'Für e gueti Nacht - Ausgeben statt Ausgehen'."

Eleven pubs with the game

On board, in addition to BCK, are the eleven Zurich bars Gonzo, Frieda's Büxe, Fat Tony, Heldenbar, Hive Club, Klaus, Longstreet, Olé Olé Bar, Supermarket, Vagabundo and Zukunft. They also made a significant contribution to the game with limited-edition drink vouchers for after the lockdown. Nici Faerber, co-owner of Klaus, was on board from the start: "I thought it was a great idea right away. We all love the enormous diversity of bar and club culture that this city offers. I also see the game as a bit of a memento of that. And what's more, the donation to BCK supports this culture in these difficult times."

The Zurich-made "Züribrätt" will be available from Thursday in three different versions for either 79, 129 or 169 francs. At Zueribraett.store you can get a copy of the first edition, limited to 500 copies.

The Corona virus has kept the entire world in suspense for more than a year now and has not left the advertising and communications industry unscathed: In addition to all the challenges posed by home offices, canceled advertising budgets and closed stores, there were also many opportunities and lessons that Swiss agencies were able to learn from the crisis. In the first part of our mini-series, Equipe, Heimat Zürich, Hinderling Volkart Part of Dept, Jung von Matt Limmat, Ruf Lanz, Serviceplan Suisse and Wirz das have highlighted both the past and current year. For the second part Farner, Havas, Inhalt und Form, Rod and TBWA\Zürich talked about challenges, opportunities and lessons learned from the Corona crisis.

In the final part, Contexta, Notch Interactive, Publicis, Spina's Civil Voices, Thjnk Zurich and Wunderman Thompson reflect on the crisis. How was 2020 for the agencies? And with what resolutions did they start 2021?

Nadine Borter, Contexta

"With creative nomadism, we put ourselves in a controlled state of emergency two years ago. When lockdown was declared a short time later, we were ready: 2020 was a very successful and creative year for us. A year where our shared mindset revealed its full value. It was one of the best years in our 52-year history.

It was the worst year from a social perspective. We can see little good in Covid-19. The fact that the marathon is federally declared a triathlon doesn't make things any better. The good-guy coating is peeling off. Underneath, the ugly face of a pandemic is revealed. We are all learning how important good, understandable and empathetic communication is. Or rather, would be. But criticism from the sidelines is not appropriate here. The only criticism we can level at the media is that a minimum of responsibility toward the people in our country should actually prohibit clickbait headlines like the ones we are served every day.

2021 we continue on our path. We have fun with great clients and make the best out of every project. Currently, we work in our home office and - when necessary - in our nomadic office in the Wasserkirche Zurich. We believe more than ever that the best ideas don't come from order, duty by the book or fancy offices, but from movement, adventure and free thinking. The last few months have shown us that almost anything is possible in a very short time, if you allow yourself to break with conventions. Or if you are forced to do so by external circumstances.

We are moving on in mid-March. Right now we are evaluating a car wash and a fitness center. We always move our office to where our customers' customers are. Where life is happening. And this one will come back. It's just a matter of time."

Peter Van der Touw, Notch Interactive

"The year 2020 had several exciting challenges at the start for Notch:

1. The integration in Publicis Zurich
2. The cultural and process transformation into a larger setting from both agency sides.
3. Virtual onboarding of new employees during home office hours

The chance to work with even more specialists à la "Power of One" was very fruitful. The willingness to learn from both sides also continues to be inspiring.
The switch to Mobile Office went well and worked quickly. Of course, face-to-face, physical meetings still have a different quality than brainstorming over a virtual beer.

In 2021, we want to continue to actively support our customers and new customers in the digital transformation and even expand our services in this area thanks to the network. Be it in the strategy and conception of UI/UX design as well as programming of platforms and apps, in digital campaigning, in performance campaigning including media or in the content area and social media. We can now also advise our clients on digital CRM and marketing automation.

At this point, also a compliment to our teams, who have adapted extremely quickly to the new situation and are fully passionate about serving our customers."

Matthias Koller, Publicis

"The year 2020 was honestly mixed for Publicis, with ups and downs - as most years are. Last year, for reasons we all know, was perhaps a bit more intense with higher ups and lower downs. What I am happy about, however, are the various client and project wins as well as the excellent cooperation with the former Notch employees. The two agencies do each other extremely well.

The biggest challenge - and this is no big surprise - was the Corona crisis. More specifically, the resulting switch to a home office and the lack of physical interaction with employees and customers. We had to learn a lot very quickly - which was of course exciting and helped us to move forward. Some customers have major problems because their core business has been massively restricted or completely shut down. Others are benefiting. What they all have in common is that they therefore also have new needs in the area of communication.

What we learned in the process: Flexibility and adaptability help enormously. Often we are simply too strong in learned and habitual patterns, which we can break or adapt only with difficulty. Last year we were forced to do this. And lo and behold: Not only is it going better than we thought, in part these adjustments have also brought us further. Be it in the way we work together, in the use of tools or in completely new ways of thinking when it comes to jointly tackling and solving our customers' challenges.

In 2021, we are looking forward to many new things. First and foremost, of course, to tangibly implement our new focus. For both our customers and our employees. But I'm also looking forward to many laughs; to tackling challenges as a team and to many creative ideas and implementations at the highest level."

Susi Kammergruber, Spinas Civil Voices

"Virus. Zack. Home office. That's how fast it happened when we were one of the first agencies in Switzerland to switch to home office. The trigger was an employee who had spent a weekend in Milan, which turned out to be a hotspot the next day. It quickly became clear that we weren't just sending him home, but that to be fair we were rehearsing the emergency for everyone.

Laptops and monitors were taken away from the agency as if in a robbery. What remained were two almost empty floors and five lonely employees. Two weeks and a digitalization push later, the real emergency: a nationwide lockdown. We are ready for the total emergency situation. Luckily, because the phone is ringing off the hook.

Our customers are pretty much all NPOs. The uncertainty was great everywhere: Is it permissible to advertise for donations in such times of crisis? Or should one even do so? With a lot of extra effort from our teams and courageous customers, many appeals for donations for Corona emergency aid were made from home office to home office. Courage and dedication were rewarded: the Swiss population strongly supported the weaker ones with donations in these exceptional times.

What was challenging for everyone at first became the norm over the course of the year. Art directors and copywriters now hold their ideas on paper up to the camera rather than under their noses. Creative campaigns emerged, significantly more than usual - logically - for online channels. New strategies for digital fundraising have been tested and gone live. Following the population digital push, we see in the numbers that online can now be a viable channel for fundraising. This is a big opportunity for NPOs.

So everything would actually be fine. If it weren't for the Corona blues. We miss each other. We try to offer as many opportunities as possible to talk besides work with Zoom sessions like 'Bier um vier' or 'Jetzt es Kafi'. But if you've been sitting in front of your computer all day, you'd rather get up for a break, stretch and get some fresh air. The initial will to persevere slowly gives way to a certain tiredness. I think we all feel the same way.

It's been proven that home offices work. And everyone actually thinks it's great. But not forever. And so we will integrate the total exception from the past, that you can work from home, as a new normality in our agency's everyday life. Let's hope that everything else will soon be normal again, too: drinking coffee together, putting our heads together, brainstorming ideas - together at the same table. Not because it would be more efficient. But because it's so much more fun."

Alexander Jaggy, Thjnk Zurich

"In 2020, we came through our fourth year with full employment and were even able to expand our business in the second half of the year. Campaign productions in compliance with FOPH safety guidelines have posed challenges for clients, agencies and film productions alike, but have also revealed new ways of streamlining processes.

In this context, it is interesting to observe the impact of the pandemic on consumer psychology and the opportunities that have emerged. The crisis has sharpened the brand profile of some customers in a natural process.

We have standardized the home office for the future. In 2021, we will switch to mobile working. Everyone can work where they want. Furthermore, our forecasts for the current year are cautiously optimistic, as the saying goes. We have used the time to work out our brand identity and adapt our market offering. In addition, we're looking forward to two or three nice projects launching in the first quarter."

Swen Morath, Wunderman Thompson

"2020 felt a bit like looking left and right before crossing the crosswalk, only to be hit by a plane. The year took a very dramatic turn, which of course affected and challenged Wunderman Thompson Switzerland greatly. But compared to other industries, such as events or travel, we got off more lightly. We can be grateful for that.

After the switch to virtual collaboration worked very quickly and mostly smoothly, one of the big challenges was certainly to quickly adapt customer needs under the permanently changing parameters and reflect them in innovative concepts. At the same time, when you are thrown in at the deep end, you swim faster. Without Corona, it would have taken years before we would have handled digital tools like Miro or Teams so naturally.

In crises, creativity is a sought-after commodity and an important tool for overcoming them. New ideas are needed, in all areas. That's why I'm sure that our industry, thanks to its creativity, can also use every possible future as an opportunity.

But - one does not even dare to think about it yet - almost certainly the end of the pandemic will come. This end will hopefully release a great deal of energy. At the beginning of the last century, after a devastating First World War and an even worse pandemic, came the famous "Roaring Twenties." A boom of culture, science and economy. I would like to see us at the beginning of the new "roaring twenties.""

The Corona virus has kept the entire world in suspense for more than a year now and has not left the advertising and communications industry unscathed: In addition to all the challenges posed by home offices, canceled advertising budgets and closed stores, there were also many opportunities and lessons that Swiss agencies were able to learn from the crisis. In a first part of the miniseries, Equipe, Heimat Zürich, Hinderling Volkart Part of Dept, Jung von Matt Limmat, Ruf Lanz, Serviceplan Suisse and Wirz das have highlighted both the past and current year.

For the second part, Werbewoche.ch asked Farner, Havas, Inhalt und Form, Rod and TBWA\Zürich. How was 2020 for the agencies? And with what resolutions did they start 2021?

Philipp Skrabal, Partner and Chief Creative Officer, Farner

"First and foremost, my 200 or so colleagues are in good health. No one is or was on short-time working. We were able to maintain our sales from the previous year and even grow as a Group.

Personally, I'm still very impressed with how quickly we were able to flip the switch and be productive in the home office. Last spring, we bridged the social distance with virtual aperitifs and photo challenges, keeping our spirits up and developing resilience. The second shutdown feels different, somehow more normal, not the same sense of emergency. I feel the same on the customer side. You start to know it and it's annoying. I often think about the restaurants I usually go to over lunch, like Bar Basso. I feel sorry for the great team there. So do the many cultural workers. That's where we agencies are privileged.

Personally, I can also see good things in the situation. For example, not having to commute anymore. I haven't had that much time for sports in a long time. Unfortunately, the refrigerator is also closer than usual.

And yet, we would all like nothing more than to get our heads together again in the same beautiful rooms on Löwenstrasse, to work things out together and then go out to eat together. Or to celebrate together.

The new year has started well - even if many things will remain uncertain for a while longer. The first two weeks have already brought four new clients, and we are in a top position in terms of personnel. Our path consistently leads across a broad setup - from advertising, marketing, change and corporate communications and branding to public affairs and data & commtech, which allows us to work on highly complex tasks, such as in the digitally driven transformation of companies. And we systematically combine our creative power with our data and technology expertise. This much-vaunted co-creation between specialists on the agency and client side doesn't happen by itself. It must be cultivated if it is not to end up as a buzzword or lead to mediocrity. Excellence is key, especially in challenging times."

Patrick Beeli, Havas Switzerland

"2020 was a big challenge for the whole industry. 2021 will be no less difficult, as we cannot yet grasp the impact of the pandemic. It will be exciting to see how flexibly customers and agencies work together in these turbulent and uncertain times without sacrificing quality and speed.

The new challenges we have to master together with our customers strengthen the relationship between customer and agency. Discussions are more often held at eye level again, because we're all in the same boat."

Karin Estermann, Content and Form

"For Content and Form, 2020 was a very successful year. We were able to quickly turn the initial uncertainty into positive creative energy and, with many ideas and inputs, guide ourselves and our customers through the new situation. A small example of this is the "Restart Switzerland" initiative, which we implemented quickly and successfully in the lockdown.

In 2020, we also founded the media agency "Iundf Media Impact", which has successfully established itself and wonderfully integrated into the "Iundf Family". In general, the interplay between creation and technology was even more strongly demanded this year, which suited our orientation.

But what gave us the most pleasure were our employees, on whom we could always fully rely during this time. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our family. It was also nice to have offspring - two new agency babies were born in 2020.

2020 was a very human year for us - despite social distancing, we felt a great sense of cohesion in terms of content and form. The biggest challenge for us was to transfer the agency spirit to the digital world. Our "Prosecco Fridays" were missed by the employees. New forms of team building were in demand. In addition, the new home office is not the right working model for everyone, which makes it all the more important to pick up each employee individually. And of course, planning on customer projects also had to be made more flexible.

But we are still in a very privileged industry. Overall, there are endless new opportunities for us. Online consumption will continue to expand, so there will be many more digital, personalized campaigns that address customers individually and thus give them real added value.

For ourselves, we have realized that humans as beings are very adaptable and we are more flexible than we thought. Pitching from the home office is now normal, which was hardly imaginable before. Staying loose and not being afraid must continue to be the motto. Talking to each other even more, promoting the "social life" even more - despite social distancing. Even more laughter together, even if it's only through the webcam. We have to cope with everyday agency life and stress together, not alone, even in the home office.

What's more, the lockdown has made us all more open to digital interaction in 2021. Consumer behavior will shift even more online. In the future, consumers will think much more carefully about what they really need. Therefore, the personal relevance of a product or brand must be clearly evident to the customer. It's our job to advertise this in such an individual and creative way that the product reaches the buyer."

Regula Bührer Fecker, Rod Communication

"2020 has gone by in a flash for Rod. The basic feeling was that we all moved closer together. The Corona campaign on behalf of the FOPH kept our whole team very busy - on all days and at almost all times. However, the constructive cooperation with the FOPH and the urgency of the task always made up for the expenses. Week after week, we had to anticipate how opinions in Switzerland were developing and where we could help in terms of communication. Communication became systemically relevant in 2020. Sensing this gave us a sense of purpose.

To be honest, we simply had so much to do that we didn't have to deal with the crisis in such depth. All of us at Rod are more than aware that this is a privilege. As of March 2020, we were all in the home office and just kept working. And because there was so much to do, it quickly settled down. Personally, I find it a challenge to separate work and home because everything merges. Being able to switch off is certainly an art form in the home office that I haven't yet mastered excellently. My children are very quick to correct me when I mentally have one foot in the office.

I felt the biggest opportunity from the crisis was that the collaboration with the customers and the team was put on a very new, more honest and direct basis. In the call, you have to be very present and active in order not to have any misunderstandings. That collaboration tools were introduced faster and used more actively. I found it nice to get better together here.

In recent months, the Swiss media have done a super job, achieving record numbers. Nevertheless, many suffered from the outflow of advertising funds. Swiss advertising clients and agencies are dependent on strong media in our country. I would like to see clients become aware of these dependencies again, and not shift the bulk of the money to Silicon Valley. I'm not usually so protectionist or patriotic - but when it comes to the media, we have to take more care to preserve values.

In the new year, the FOPH's vaccination campaign is keeping us very busy. It must be continuously adapted to the new situations. I personally hope that the population's willingness to be vaccinated will continue to grow, and that we can contribute to the vaccination decision through communication. In addition, we are working on other exciting projects such as the relaunch campaign of Annabellewhich I'm really looking forward to myself. In addition, we are developing a new communications strategy and implementation together with Helvetas. So there's a lot going on - but of course we're also looking forward to further inquiries."

Matthias Kiess, TBWA\Zurich

"Despite all the adversities, the year 2020 has left many positive marks on us at the agency. We were all catapulted into an unexpected learning process, which manifested itself in many ways. In the foreground were certainly the new "Ways of Working", which manifested and established themselves very quickly. From today's perspective, I see this as very positive. The year has brought us together and numerous successes, especially at the end of the year, have contributed to the fact that we have started the new year with a lot of positivity.

Even though the year ended well, we also had our challenges to overcome. Immediately digitizing ways of working and collaborating, consistently protecting employees, customers and partners, maintaining all functionalities and securing the business to ensure job retention. On top of that, as part of a global structure, we have many stakeholders who get involved with good intentions, but also make additional work once again.

In addition to the regulatory requirements, the change to "working from anywhere" mode was certainly the most drastic change that affected us - quite positively. Nevertheless, I believe that home office fatigue is slowly starting to take hold. Social interaction that goes far beyond scheduled appointments is missing, and reinforcing culture and cohesion is becoming increasingly difficult. With the best will in the world, online aperitifs cannot simply replace shared, physical celebrations.

Fortunately, the economy has not come to a complete standstill and most of our customers are active in sectors of the economy that have perhaps not been hit quite as hard as other market players have been. Certain areas have become so dynamic that they have even opened up new potential. Consumer behavior has changed permanently, affecting e-commerce, audio as a channel, convenience services, VR/AR, or e-sports, for example, which also creates new opportunities for agencies to penetrate new business areas.

At the same time, consumers are also looking for orientation, which strong brands that operate in the spirit of the times can give them. Value and an even more conscious lifestyle are changing needs and accelerating changes in the market.

Thus, the courage to change does not have to be sought for a long time at all; there is no alternative to change at all. And we have experienced this in a largely positive way. Decentralized work is uncomplicated and brings a lot of efficiency. Questioning our own business model has also become a success criterion and has induced new momentum, which creates new opportunities for us.

As soon as the Corona madness comes to an end and we can orient ourselves to a new reality and standardize, there will once again be a liberating jolt that will inspire one or the other. We will all open a new chapter, in which new thinking and acting is required. Those who recognize this will also benefit from it."

The coronavirus has been keeping the whole world on tenterhooks for more than a year now. It will soon be twelve months since the first coronavirus infections were reported in Switzerland. As with all other industries, the virus has not left the advertising and communications sector unscathed: In addition to all the challenges posed by working from home, canceled advertising budgets and closed stores, there have also been many opportunities and lessons that Swiss agencies have learned from the crisis. Werbewoche.ch asked around in the industry. What was 2020 like for agencies? And what resolutions did they start 2021 with?

Markus Hammer, Equipe

"2020 was a challenging and labor-intensive year for Equipe. Overall, however, we are very satisfied with how we managed it internally and together with our customers. Nevertheless, the overall situation naturally continues to weigh on us. Because without wanting to sound negative: I believe that we are currently only feeling the beginning of what will be a lasting change.

The biggest challenge here is the massive change in customer behavior. The entire lockdown situation has not only massively changed purchasing behavior, but also the demands placed on brands and their benefits and services.
Until recently, many companies were hesitant when it came to digitizing their products, services and processes and facing up to the challenges of a rapidly digitizing world. This is now taking its toll and will cause major problems for many clients and agencies alike. This is because the majority of agencies are first and foremost a reflection of their clients, both in terms of their digital capabilities and their expectations of them.

Nevertheless, there are currently also an incredible number of opportunities to further develop customers in a targeted manner and to successfully shape tasks together. This is because topics such as marketing transformation, 1-2-1 marketing, but also the entire aspect of developing communication and campaigns from a consistent mobile-first approach or viewing social media as a very serious channel within the sales funnel, have finally arrived with most clients.

Two years ago, for example, there were still debates about purpose statements, but now, in a very short space of time, a new and more serious culture of discussion has spread among many brands about what brands will have to achieve in the future and what their actual raison d'être is. I think this is good for our industry in one way or another.

The coronavirus situation has not only massively accelerated digitalization, but has also brought with it many other, sometimes radical changes. Entire industries and previously viable business models will disappear or be replaced by new, digital products and services. I think we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg of cumulative changes at the moment. The most important thing will be to critically scrutinize and purposefully challenge what has worked and still works in some cases. Because today's status quo is merely the breeding ground for what will come tomorrow.

I think that this year will be similar to last year in many respects. Because the crisis is by no means over. We still don't know how things will change in detail and how they will ultimately turn out on a large scale. However, we at Equipe are very confident that as an agency and team with digital DNA, we will successfully master this challenge together with our clients."

Nico Ammann, Home Zurich

"Despite all its adversities, 2020 was a successful year for Heimat Zürich. Corona has turned the world upside down. In 2021, we want to use this to make ourselves even more relevant. For customers who rely on creative solutions for change, progress and success."

Michael Volkart, Hinderling Volkart Part of Dept

"2020 was quite a year for us - it started with a double whammy. In January, we announced that we were joining the Dept agency group. Then, practically at the same time, came the lockdown and the start of the new home office era. On the one hand, there were the opportunities that arose in the new Dept environment and, on the other, the daily challenge of keeping a team together during the pandemic, motivating them and ensuring communication from home. As a result, we have not yet been able to do sufficient justice to our claim of enabling our employees to truly feel part of a global agency. First of all, we had to focus on the stability of the team and on internal issues here in Switzerland.

The tension between all the demands was enormous and challenged us greatly at times. This made it all the more valuable to be part of a group with Dept that recognized the complexity and sensitivity of the issues and events at all times, trusted us completely and allowed us to act in an entrepreneurial manner.

Fortunately, the economic uncertainty caused by coronavirus was kept in check - not least thanks to our balanced customer and project mix. We also felt a great urge from customers for innovation and digitalization, which opened up new inquiries and projects for us. In the Dept context, we reacted and communicated quickly, unbureaucratically and comprehensively to coronavirus, which gave us peace of mind.

For us, 2020 was a year in which we primarily had a stabilizing effect and were able to put ourselves in a secure and good starting position for 2021. We will use this new year to open another chapter. We are looking forward to the opportunity to use the combination of creativity, technology and data for our further development and that of our customers in an international context with Dept. We are eager to start new, more comprehensive projects, combine disciplines and put our strengths into a broader context. In this way, we are learning at all levels and opening up new fields."

Roman Hirsbrunner, Jung von Matt Limmat

"2020 was a challenge. On an individual and collective level. But it was also a challenge that we mastered together as an agency.

In spring 2021, we naturally also asked ourselves how working in a changed world works. Accordingly, we have invested a great deal in order to initiate the necessary changes with and for our customers as well as with and for our employees. And in terms of form and content: working together remotely and digitally has now become part of everyday life - keyword "work from anywhere" - and in terms of content, we were able and allowed to look strategically into the future with many of our customers.

What we learned in 2020: It is always worth working iteratively, building prototypes that you constantly change and improve. Especially in times of great uncertainty, you have to take advantage of this fact. Nothing must, everything can. We have also practiced this in our collaboration with our customers: working on ideas quickly, agilely and with little hierarchy and implementing them in the shortest possible time. And 2020 has also shown us how important and challenging it is to live a culture even in times when we are not together. Transforming culture into the digital space requires a great deal of commitment and a willingness to no longer take anything for granted.

For us, 2021 is all about excellence and momentum. A piece of work, a project or an idea only becomes excellent when it is conceived, implemented and perceived at the right time. We are constantly working on our setup and our culture to guarantee a breeding ground for inspiration and excellent ideas. Our creative ecosystem is growing and many new opportunities are growing with it. For our employees as well as for our customers."

Markus Ruf, Ruf Lanz

"On January 2, 2020, I was sitting on the terrace of the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore with my sweetheart in a vacation mood and heard about a new type of virus from China for the first time. Back then, the only necessary protection consisted of generously misting with mosquito spray. Today, the world is a different place. With regard to Ruf Lanz: entire presentations were suddenly a waste of time and many things had to be redone. Our motto: create instead of lament.

Just three examples: For VBZ, we used the colors of the canceled Zurich Pride with the streetcar lines nevertheless brought onto the road - for a tolerant, colorful Zurich. For Hiltl we have the Protective measures pointedly linked to the animal-friendly attitude of the vegan pioneer. And for the foundation Tier im Recht we used the Time to pause for thought on wildlife tourism.

We are convinced that in times of uncertainty, the attitude of a brand becomes even more important. People want to know what it stands for and what contribution it makes to society. Staging this contribution in a surprising and smart way remains our goal in 2021."

Raul Serrat, Serviceplan Suisse

"The situation in 2020 was unexpected and radical for all of us. At first, we thought that the lockdown and working from home would nip creativity in the bud. But we discovered that this was not the case. Suddenly working from home worked surprisingly well. Creativity always creates and finds new solutions and ways to keep things moving forward. The well-coordinated teams continued to work creatively online. Crisis situations often bring to light whether people really work together constructively, and we are very proud of our colleagues in this respect.

But it has certainly been a strange year and we are all missing the personal contact with each other. Keeping the agency culture alive to some extent was and is probably one of the biggest challenges for us as managers during this time. The exchange of ideas between people creates space for new ideas; in the agency this happens all by itself, in the home office you have to explicitly make time for it. Our awareness of how important the atmosphere in the workplace is for creative people has grown even more, and we will continue to cultivate this carefully. I also firmly believe that this situation brings with it a few insights that we will retain and cultivate in the future. And from the second half of 2021, there will be a lot to catch up on: we are all very much looking forward to coffee breaks, aperitifs and parties together."

Petra Dreyfus, Wirz

"2020 was probably one of the most extraordinary years we have experienced as an agency. Despite all the adversity, however, we are grateful and proud to have had a successful year in business. This was made possible in particular by the trust and flexibility of our existing clients, great new business and, of course, our employees, who proved in 2020 that real teamwork works even in extreme situations.

In spring 2020 in particular, our world was turned upside down: campaigns and projects that had been developed for months had to be canceled or completely rethought, sometimes shortly before launch, so that they corresponded to the current situation in terms of tone and visual appearance. In addition to these challenging tasks, we as an agency had to get used to the fact that planning as we had known it in the past was no longer possible. Internally, we also had to do without many cherished rituals this year.

However, like many other Swiss companies, we have proven to ourselves that many things that were previously dismissed as "unrealistic" or "not working" actually do work. We have learned a lot about digitalization in the workplace and value this modernization. Internal rituals and events that we were unable to hold as usual gave way to other, innovative forms of team building and entertainment: for example, we held an internal online jass tournament.

We also proved to ourselves that we are more flexible than we perhaps thought. It was confirmed to us once again that we have incredibly innovative and adaptable employees who are fighting their way through the pandemic working day with discipline and creativity. However, as a creative agency, we realize that working from home has its limits and is no substitute for personal and creative exchange. We humans simply need real community.

In 2021, our most important concern remains investing in even more highly qualified, motivated and enthusiastic employees. With Kathrin Jesse joining us from DDB Berlin in April, for example, we are able to reposition the head of our strategy department with an absolute dream team. Of course, we also have a lot planned for our valued customers. We can only reveal this much: there are already some highlights in the quiver."

Children eat on average half the daily intake of vegetables recommended by health experts, a widespread problem at the family dinner table. Since persuading parents is only effective to a certain extent, other creative solutions are needed - after all, the eye also eats. But not all of them are effective by a long shot.

The vegetable brand HAK has also recognized this and therefore launched "The Helping Plate" - a plate that helps children eat more vegetables without them realizing it. The plate's design follows scientific findings that Wageningen University has developed in this area.

Plate deception

The plate does not look like a typical children's plate, which is intended. This is because children copy their parents' behavior in many situations, and this is much easier for them if they eat from a similar "adult plate. In addition, another design trick makes children unconsciously eat more vegetables: On the one hand, the size of the plate and the indentation in a certain place are supposed to artificially reduce the portion size, and on the other hand, a color shading is supposed to make the vegetables look more appealing.

DDB Unlimited developed the idea of the "Helping Plate" and is also responsible for the campaign. The plate is produced in the Netherlands by Royal Goedewaagen and sold through the department store de Bijenkorf. Whether the trick will work with the children remains questionable - but it's definitely worth a try.

To promote the launch of organic barista Mylk in the UK, Rebel Kitchen, together with its agency Grey London, launched an OOH campaign with a little twist. Usually, the brand hides jabs against animal dairy products in its campaigns.

In the context of the 2021 Inauguration, however, the company, which is known for its uncompromising stance on ethical issues, wanted to send a somewhat different message for once. In January, the company launched a series of advertisements that changed the focus from what was initially a completely normal advertisement to a clear message to President Trump, who is no longer in office.

Smoking claims the lives of more than eight million people worldwide every year - and the trend is rising. Although the dangers of smoking have long been known worldwide, relatively little is said about this "pandemic," whose mortality rate is rising continuously.

The Cancer Society of Finland wants to change this and has therefore launched an awareness campaign that ties in with the Covid 19 pandemic. The mask visuals have something familiar about them, given the current situation - but they are still intended to be disturbing. Because the message conveyed is serious: quitting smoking is more important and urgent now than ever before.

1. the best Swiss campaign ever?

I don't know if it's the best Swiss campaign of all time, but Galaxus' spots strike a chord like none have in a long time.

2. what does not come to the office under any circumstances?

The biggest energy guzzlers in a company: Power games and intrigues.

3. when you have an idea, how do you know it is good?

You can never be one hundred percent sure. But when solid strategic considerations have preceded and creative minds have brooded over it, all you need is your gut. As soon as it reacts, it's an almost unmistakable sign that the idea on the wall is a good one.

4. why don't you conform to the usual clichés of an advertiser?

I would say that my interest in our customers' topics is deeper and more intense. It's different than if I were advertising for a smartphone or a car brand. Of course, there are also differences within our portfolio, but at the end of the day, every campaign is a project of the heart.

5. what goes through your mind when you see a campaign penned by you on the street or on television?

Some campaigns touch me as a human being at that moment. Then I know that we have done a really good job, and I donate.

6. the most important person in your professional career?

Lorenz Spinas for sure. That may sound a bit cliché, but it's true. When I started as a consulting group leader in his agency, I would probably have called anyone crazy who predicted that I would one day become the managing director and co-owner of Spinas Civil Voices. It has been an exciting and educational journey. I am very grateful for this trust.

7. what was the best thing you did in the last five years?

Saying yes to partnership. Since the beginning of the year, Lorenz Spinas, Susi Kammergruber, Steph Huwiler and I have been co-owners of the agency. The journey has brought us all a big step further and welded us together. Lorenz and Steph provide outstanding ideas and we two women manage operationally.

8 - Ever thought about leaving the advertising industry?

If I hadn't come across Spina's Civil Voices almost 15 years ago, I would have taken a different path back then. A sense of purpose in my professional life is very important to me. Now I'm lucky enough to be able to work every day on issues that are close to my own heart.

9. what role do awards play in the advertising industry?

Arguably still an important one. However, in our campaigns, the response from the public is the most important yardstick - the response and engagement we trigger. That's why we rarely submit work. So it was all the more surprising to win the SDV Lifetime Award this year, which of course made us incredibly happy. It's nice to know that colleagues from the professional world also think our work is great.

10 Why aren't there more women in the top echelons of the Swiss advertising industry?

I don't think that only applies to the advertising industry. Balancing family and career is still a big challenge for women. And they too seldom dare to pull out their elbows.

11. what do you still want to achieve at all costs?

In terms of content, we try to make the world a little better every day anyway. Formally, we're committed to taking digital fundraising to the next level, both strategically and operationally.

Do you have a role model?

Not a specific one. Often, the right person comes to mind at the right time, and I ask myself: How would they do it? The spectrum ranges from my grandmother to Speedy Gonzales.

13. the best book you have read lately?

The Service Public Revolution by Cédric Wermuth and Beat Ringger. A remarkable book with meaningful food for thought on how the necessary change in the world can still be possible.

The one-minute spot begins with a meteor moving towards the world at an ominous speed. Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that it is a gigantic mountain of waste. Meanwhile, on Earth, the disturbing news is communicated on television, and so it is in the household of a young family. But when the young daughter puts on her headphones, the bad news fades out, and "Make it Better" by The Barons begins to play. With this musical backdrop, the spot now shows all the eco-friendly behaviors of the entire family that help reduce waste and energy. Through these acts, large chunks keep breaking out of the mountain of trash, whereupon it becomes less and less threatening and eventually consists of just a single crushed plastic bottle - ultimately probably the most difficult problem to tackle.

With this internationally distributed sustainability campaign, Ikea and Mother London talk about the positive effects of a sustainable lifestyle. The video campaign is supported with OOH posters promoting ecological Ikea products.

In the middle of the Corona summer, the two then Rod Creatives Mona Fluri and Mateo Sacchetti dared to take the step into independence: On July 1, 2020, their own agency "Mona and Mateo" was launched - a courageous venture to make such a decision in uncertain and challenging times. In the meantime, six months have passed, and the young agency has just launched a large-scale sustainability campaign for Basler Kantonalbank (Werbewoche.ch reported). What has changed for the two creatives during this time?

Advertisingweek.chMona and Mateo have been around for six months now. How have the first months of independence gone by?

Mateo Sacchetti: Very quickly and very intensively. The first weeks were quiet. Then the phone rang a few times. Then suddenly it was Christmas.

You launched your agency in the midst of a worldwide pandemic - that certainly wasn't easy. What impact did the situation have on your work?

We didn't really perceive Corona as an additional challenge. We simply didn't have the time to give it much thought. We hope it will stay that way.

What developments have there been with Mona and Mateo so far?

We started as a team of two - without customers and without premises. In the meantime, we have been allowed to work for the Basler Kantonalbank, Ewz and Modissa, among others. In October we moved into a nice, small agency in Gundeli. In addition, Nicole Waldis joined us as a graphic designer in January 2021. We want to grow even more this year, but are deliberately taking things slowly.

Your claim is to offer "new advertising. Have you already been able to incorporate this into your work?

Yes, we think so. Especially in the cooperation we have received appropriate feedback from our customers. This motivates us to keep our standards high and our promise of "new advertising" to our customers. We continue to work hard at it.

A challenging year 2020 is coming to an end. We are using the remaining time to replenish our energy stores and hope that you can also recover a little. We wish you wonderful holidays and a happy new year. Stay healthy! We look forward to your continued loyalty in the new year!

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Werbewoche.ch / m&k / Advertising week