"At the end" - Jean-Remy von Matt between advertising myth and conceptual art
An advertising executive bids farewell—or so they say. *Am Ende* is at once a memoir, a think tank, and a provocation for the older generation. It’s well worth reading, especially now, as the industry is falling apart and courage is in short supply.
The book reads like a rear-view mirror that shows more than memories - an attempt to capture one's own work in a narrative that oscillates between self-analysis and industry commentary. Between observation, confession and quiet irony, a self-portrait emerges that challenges and raises the question:
What remains of the advertiser?
Von Matt, who was born in Brussels, grew up in Switzerland and rose to iconic status in Germany, tells his story without pathos, but with a great love of condensation. Instead of a case-movie orchestra: quiet tones, clear edges. The shift from service provider to conceptual art seems consistent - and that is precisely why it is controversial. His "Carpe Vitam Clock" (the remaining time of life as a digital display) is a beautiful idea of mindfulness; as a work, however, it remains closer to branding thinking than to radically open art.
The trick with the grading
Chapter rating that gets "worse" towards the end - a clever reader hook. But there is a lot of substance behind the trick. If you want to, you can distil know-how at the back that you can use to build your own positioning. Von Matt knows this, of course. And allows us the balancing act between reading pleasure and teaching.
Radically simple - or not at all
There are flashes of the old school everywhere: Being able to say no. Protecting ideas against doubters. Condensing until only the unmistakable remains. The "eleventh toe" as a question to remember for every idea - wonderfully unforgettable.
Advertising today: fragmented, insourced, insecure
While old advertisers are writing books (or making art), brands are shifting budgets in-house, agency ecosystems are fraying, AI is delivering serviceable mediocrity by the piece. This is precisely why we would like to see the old Von Matt toughness: less fear, more attitude, less committee, more decision-making. The industry needs daring again for the simple that trusts.
Mother, Baby Elephant, Banana
The most beautiful passages are biographical: a mother as a master of affectionate framing; the "baby elephant" as a measure of distance - a communication image that etches itself into the collective memory; and the banal banana as a pop icon. One senses that good advertising begins in everyday life, not in the white paper.
Conclusion: At the end? Not yet.
"Am Ende" is not a swan song, but a handbook for the next act of courage. Anyone stuck in the in-house routine (or who thinks AI is creativity) will find the counter-program here: consolidate, decide, take responsibility. And yes: the remaining life clock is ticking. So much the better.
"Am Ende" is available in bookstores. The book has 240 pages, weighs 404 grams and consumes 60 calories per hour of reading.
