Branded Storytelling

A cab ride is over, and the music on the car radio is also fading out. The young people in the back seat are thrilled by the awesome sound. And they scoff at classical music. But then the big stunner: "The new eve, on Radio SRF 2 Kultur," the presenter's voice enlightens the young people as to what has just been heard here. The station has changed. With a new positioning of the early evening program from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., it is increasingly addressing a broad and younger audience with topics such as film, art, music, but also science. However, Radio SRF 2 Kultur is still too often associated solely with high culture: Mozart, readings, choral songs. This image is now to be changed. Three TV spots are to communicate the development. The tongue-in-cheek short films were created and produced by Shortcuts. "We tried to stage witty dialogues in which we address how and where culture is enjoyed today," explains Bene Abegglen of Shortcuts. A cab serves as the stage. "Here you can have all walks of life perform." Moreover, it's a sympathetic idea to portray a cab driver as very cultured. After all, he sits in the car for hours every day - and listens to Radio SRF 2 Kultur while waiting.

The idea is simple, convincing and can also be realized within a reasonable budget. In short: an "original" Shortcuts production.

A trio complements each other

An advertiser, a filmmaker and a social media specialist stand for the style of Shortcuts. Filmmaker Peter Lehner has been a producer for 30 years in Switzerland, Germany and the United States. He studied film at New York University and shot or produced feature films and television series in Los Angeles for studios and networks such as MGM, CBS, and in Europe RTL, SAT1 and SRF. In addition, Lehner successfully founded and managed several film, commercial and entertainment companies such as Whitenoise and Ping Pong Film. Lehner is executive producer at Shortcuts. The advertiser Bene Abegglen looks back on more than 30 years of experience in the scene. He successfully ran the Contexta agency in Bern with his former partners. Abegglen is a member of the Art Directors Club, has been repeatedly appointed as a juror at national and international advertising festivals and has designed and been responsible for over 150 commercials to date. In 2011, Bene Abegglen sold his shares in Contexta Holding and co-founded Shortcuts AG in Zurich.

Patrick Mueller, the social media inputter at Shortcuts, has a master's degree in architecture from ETH Zurich and has never spent a minute in an architectural office. Instead, he started his own business in the field of corporate identity during his studies and co-founded the Internet start-up DigaDing. Two years later, this led to the social media agency smly. Mueller is "the representative of the young generation" at Shortcuts.

"We are not an advertising agency, we do creation and production. We shorten the process. The name says it all: Shortcuts. We appreciate being able to work closely with clients and agencies. Having ideas quickly and being able to implement them quickly and economically," says Bene Abegglen, speaking for the team.

Andreas Panzeri

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