To the point: Excellent advertising through excellent personalities

Tampons and socks, insurance policies and washing machines, mobile phone contracts and shoe insoles - advertisers promote all sorts of things.

ADC, Best of Swiss Web, Crossmedia Award, Edi, Effie, Swiss Dialog Marketing Award, Swiss Poster Award, Swiss App Awards ... and what they are all called - there are numerous national and international awards for every branch of advertising.

But who says to the personalities who invest all their heart and soul, their wealth of ideas and their time in a campaign: "You did a good job? Your idea has enriched us, made us laugh or made us think? We can't do without you in our community. We are proud of you!"

Heads in the advertising industry rarely hear compliments. They prefer to grumble, laugh at each other or rub their hands together when the campaign for which the competition is responsible doesn't work as originally planned. Yet we all put our hearts and minds into our work and all have to withstand the growing pressure on the market in equal measure. Not to mention the nonsense that some clients demand of us.

To ensure that the spotlight shines on personalities in the advertising and communications industry at least once a year instead of on campaigns that have been rounded off and smoothed out in many ways, so that people with rough edges, wit and a sharp tongue come into focus and are celebrated, Werbewoche has named an "Advertiser of the Year" every year since 1977 - and sometimes two.

Our trophy, designed by Zurich artist Max Grüter, is called "Egon". The Latin word "ego" - "I" - resonates in this name, a tongue-in-cheek allusion to the self-absorption of the industry. The figure's mouth, widened into a funnel and painted in bright orange, also takes aim at the advertising industry's mandate and need to communicate: I advertise, therefore I am.

However, you also need a good dose of self-irony to be a relevant player on the advertising market in the long term. Otherwise, the injuries caused by the hardball tactics used here can be too painful. Real advertising personalities therefore not only know what they can do - but above all what they can't and don't want to do. And stand by it.

Curdin Janett, CEO of Publicis and newly crowned "Advertiser of the Year 2015", shows how it's done: "I see my main contribution to the success of advertising campaigns as not preventing good campaigns in the first place," he says in an interview with Werbewoche. That works.
And why? It is honest, authentic, humorous and clever - clever because this statement makes it clear that in advertising there is rarely or never just one person who has a great idea and not just one person who can judge whether a campaign works or not. And that it is crucial to allow ideas to be developed in the first place before rejecting them (perhaps with good reason).

Just as there is always a clever man behind a strong, successful woman (and a strong woman behind a successful man), there is always a team behind a successful advertiser that works until an idea is right and works on all channels. And, ideally, a client who has a sense of humor and vision and can let go because they know they are dealing with professionals. With this in mind, congratulations on being named "Advertiser of the Year 2015", Curdin Janett. We are very excited to see what you will spice up and sell us next.

Anne-Friederike Heinrich, Editor-in-Chief
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