Monami Agency Review
In the agency spotlight, Monami offers insights into the company's culture, salaries, work practices, and milestones such as MTV Unplugged with Patent Ochsner.
Agency Name: Monami AG
Establishment date: April 1, 2016
Founder: David Cappellini
Current agency heads: Manuela Brunner (CEO, Partner), Rahel Kühne (Head of Project Management, Partner), Tim Schaerer (Head of Creative Strategy, Partner), Max Mottas (Head of Creatives, Partner)
Number of employees: 30
Current customers: Raiffeisen, Swisscom, SBB, SIGG, Soda Stream, Suisse Garantie, Switzerland Tourism, Zurich Tourism, City of Zurich, Swiss Recycle, Cupra, Coop City, Cornercard, CSS, Doetsch Grether, ECL, EKZ, Heineken, Immoscout, Interdiscount, La Biosthetique, Ricola, VITREA, ZHAW, Swiss Sports Aid, Volg, etc.
Agency address: Zurich and Berlin
Which campaign from the past twelve months are you particularly proud of?
To be honest: It’s a bit like choosing a favorite child, so we’d rather avoid answering that question. But we can say what truly brings us joy: when our ideas strike a chord and create a tangible sense of momentum within communities and target audiences. We notice that the quality of our concept development and execution is continuously improving, and that AI has not only allowed us to make our processes even better but has also created a real competitive edge for our clients. And in that context—unspectacular, but important—we continuously invest in our strategic work. We’re convinced that this very area will become an increasingly decisive lever in the coming years.
The most important campaign in agency history to date - and why?
No doubt about it: MTV Unplugged in Switzerland with Patent Ochsner. It all started in 2018 with a crazy idea and a pretty bold email to Germany asking why the format had never actually been done here. The answer: A few had tried, but no one had succeeded. That was incentive enough. Three years later, we found ourselves at the Casino Bern—a little shaky—on stage with Büne Huber, an accordionist with a colorful past (long story), and tickets that sold out in 15 minutes. That turned into two concerts, an album, a film, an SRF documentary, and a story that has had a massive impact on our history—one we’ve also been able to share brilliantly on social media.
Why is this the most important campaign for us?
Because we’ve proven that a small Swiss startup can bring a global brand to its doorstep—without a massive budget, but with passion, great storytelling, and the willingness to just go for it. And because we’ve known ever since: Being a first mover isn’t a matter of luck—it’s a mindset. Sometimes all it takes is an accordionist on the street to get the ball rolling.
The most unusual place where your creatives retreat to be creative?
We're not fans of micromanagement. So we don't know for sure; we can only speculate.
What do you do when you have thought blocks?
We ask Claude for advice. Just for fun (or maybe not) J I think there are as many approaches as there are employees. And speaking of that: sometimes collective intelligence helps. You can always find someone on the team who’s up for a brainstorming session—even across different disciplines.
What is your agency philosophy?
We strive for a good balance of a sense of the times and strategic acumen, combined with common sense. It is especially important to cultivate and make use of the latter in times like these.
Why should talented people definitely come to work for you?
Because at Monami, you really get to shape the company and quickly take on responsibility. With a team of 30 people, no job here is abstract—you can see right away what your work accomplishes. We have major clients, our own in-house production, and at the same time the freedom to try new things. We have a good mix of experienced and less experienced people on our team, so you always have someone by your side who can support or guide you on a specific topic at exactly the right moment. In addition, every employee here has their own personalized career plan, allowing them to consistently track and assess where they currently stand in their development and where they’re headed. If, after a year with us, you look back at your impact and don’t think, «Wow, look at what I’ve learned and accomplished here,» then we’ve done something wrong. And: we can truly say that our culture and our sense of community are deeply nurtured and healthy. At least, that’s what we hear time and again—and it’s what we strive for every single day. Emotional security is important for being able to perform at your best, isn’t it?
How long do employees stay with you on average?
We have employees who have been with us almost since the agency was founded, and of course we also have some who haven’t been here that long. Currently, the average length of service is 2.1 years. We’re proud of that, especially considering that many young people work here.
How old is your youngest employee, and how old is your oldest?
21 vs. 47 years. Our average age is 32.1 years.
How high are the wages you pay compared to the industry average?
We can’t say for sure because transparency isn’t necessarily consistent across industries, but we know from our own experience that our wages are very competitive with the market. We don’t believe in underpaying people, but we also don’t believe in overpaying them. Salaries should reflect performance, responsibility, and value creation.
What is the ratio between the highest-paid and the lowest-paid employees?
It reflects experience, responsibility, and contributions to the vision, the culture, and the company's success.
Pay transparency: Do employees know among themselves who earns how much?
Of course, employees talk to one another—that’s just part of the job. We actively discuss our pay ranges during pay and performance reviews so that everyone knows where things might be headed next. For us, pay—and pay transparency—is a basic requirement. We’re comfortable talking about money at any time.
How much overtime do you work on average per week?
See the next answer.
What benefits do you offer to compensate your employees for this overtime?
They’re allowed to make up for it, sure. But honestly: We’re very careful during resource planning to ensure that overtime doesn’t even arise in the first place, if possible. And if a surge does happen, we work to reduce it as quickly as possible. That’s an integral part of our culture. We want well-rested, healthy employees. For us, sound resource management is simply part of the job. That said, it’s no walk in the park here: We’re used to really diving into our 8 hours a day. And so, many visitors to our agency are often amazed at just how much is already going on here at 8 a.m.
How long do you get maternity leave and how long paternity leave?
Both fathers and mothers receive 2 weeks more than required by law at our company.
What are your home office regulations?
Everyone works wherever it works best for them and the team. So we don’t have set days or set rules. But we can be proud that we still always have a high level of office attendance. One reason is certainly our nice office, but the most important one is that we simply have a good atmosphere and people enjoy being in the office. It’s just easier to work together, and it’s more fun, too.
What is the current quota of women?
Until the end of last year, the ratio was 50:50; currently, the balance has shifted, and we have a 60:40 ratio of women to men.
Do you employ interns?
Yes, we always have interns with us—in creative/video as well as project management and strategy. The key factor here is whether we can envision hiring the person full-time after their internship—both in terms of their skills and our available resources. And we’re actually very successful at making that happen!
Do you organize team events?
You bet. Although, the best ones are the ones that aren’t on the calendar anyway. A “Split the G” after work has naturally evolved into an unwritten tradition. For our culture, that’s at least as valuable as any meticulously planned team event. Then there are our Inspolunches with fascinating personalities from all walks of life who can inspire an agency. Minds that pull us out of our own bubble. And our weekly “Lights & Downs” on Thursdays—our team check-in where we discuss the week’s highlights and lowlights. It sounds unspectacular, but it’s worth its weight in gold. Then there are the bigger events: Our team weekend takes us to ever-changing destinations, following the alphabet. This year it’s the letter I’s turn (we’ll let ourselves be surprised by where we’re headed). Honestly: We just really enjoy spending time together. And that’s exactly what shows in our work.
Do you have an agency dog or other mascot?
We have several dogs. On good days, up to five dogs run around the office—which can get quite intense at times. But we’ve basically set things up so that it stays pleasant for everyone involved. Secretly, we still dream of having an agency guinea pig, but until we feel ready to take on that responsibility, our spare time goes toward caring for our rather sprawling plant collection.
Where do you drink your after-work beer?
We’re currently still in our infamous little disco room. Everything that’s been celebrated, decided, and forgotten by the next morning there could easily fill a whole chapter of the agency’s history. But we’ll have to move soon because our office is being torn down. Our new office is still under construction. Here’s a little sneak peek: We’re heading to Escher-Wyss-Platz! There, we’re creating our new home base for great ideas and the important things in life: creating something new together with friends—and celebrating it, too!
Interview with Manuela Brunner, CEO and Partner
For more information about Monami, visit here
