Agency check: Friendly greetings

Agency dog? Maternity leave? Overtime? Working from home? In our «Agency Check» section, we put Swiss agencies through their paces. This time, the spotlight is on: Warm regards from Zurich.

Editorial - June 5, 2019

Address: Bäckerstrasse 26, 8004 Zurich
Establishment date: April 1, 2014
Founder: Samuel Textor, Pascal Deville
Current agency heads: Stefanie Schmid (Consulting), Manuela Brunner (Strategy), Pascal Deville (Creative Director), Samuel Textor (Creative Director)
Number of employees: 18
Current customers: Baloise, Coop, Franke, Public Eye, Solidarmed, Sonova, City of Zurich, Swiss Milk, UBS

Which campaign were you most proud of last year?

With the Sound Taxi for Hansaton (Sonova), we have certainly set a benchmark in Switzerland in terms of innovation and experience - even if the idea for it came about on an agency trip to Berlin and the client is from Austria.

The most important campaign in agency history to date - and why?

The escort campaign for FC Zurich Women, our first work with our own agency. Even then, the campaign contained all the ingredients that Freundliche Grüsse embodies today.

The most offbeat place your creatives retreat to be creative?

With us, it actually happens in the agency, we love it here.

What do you do when you have thought blocks?

We are reshuffling the teams, adding intellectuals and musicians.

What is your agency philosophy?

Create positive impact.

Why should talented people definitely come to work for you?

With our positioning, we are certainly a special case in the Swiss agency landscape: Who manages the balancing act between commerce, commitment and technology?

How long do employees stay with you on average?

Difficult to say with an agency that has only been around for just under five years.

How old is your youngest employee, and how old is your oldest?

23 years and 41 years, respectively.

What is the ratio between the best and the worst paid employee?

1 to 1.6.

Pay transparency: Do employees know among themselves who earns how much?

Some of our employees live together in shared apartments. The cleaning schedule is certainly not the only thing discussed there.

How much overtime do you work on average per week?

About 10.

With which benefits do you compensate your employees for said overtime?

"Above ground" can be fully compensated.

How long do you get maternity leave and how long paternity leave?

Our contracts are very straightforward - also when it comes to benefits. But we are always generous when it comes to part-time and other special solutions. After all, people should be able to fulfill their potential as mothers, fathers, musicians, whatever.

Is home office allowed - and if so, how often?

Permitted, but no one makes use of it. Berlinoffice is better for us - working and living in Berlin Lichtenberg, our branch in Germany.

What is the current quota of women?

What we need is more of a male quota - the proportion of women is currently around 60 percent!

Do you employ interns?

Yes, but so far only as part of our support program "Integrated - opening up new fields of work for refugees" (Friendlygreetings.com/integrated).

Do you organize team events?

So far, Berlin, Art Basel and Fantoche are on the agenda. Alpamare and Skiweekend can be saved for maternity or paternity leave. For our 5-year anniversary this summer, however, we will come up with something.

Do you have an agency dog or other mascot?

Yes, since the agency was founded our fries boxes.

Where do you drink your after-work beer?

In the immediate vicinity of our agency refrigerator.