"The industry is still very much trapped in its silo"

You could swap your smartphone with someone else's for a day. Would you? And if so, with whom?

At once! Just not with my eldest daughter, that would be too exhausting for me. If he were still alive, it would probably have been Claude Nobs' phone. Yes, now I would have to think a little longer ...

What would you work for free?

For my own projects, friends and family.

Where and how have you bluffed in your life?

I'm a direct and open guy and try to avoid tactical games.

What definitely does not come to your office?

I gave up my own office in favor of a team-internal think tank, and there's room for everything my team brings along in terms of thoughts and ideas. Otherwise, I work a lot on the road on the train and am thus immune to most disruptive factors. However, I don't like rubber trees in either place.

Was there a moment in your life when you thought: Wow, this is great! And it's from me!

Yes, even five such moments - the births of my children.

Is the opinion that you can't grow old in agencies true, or is that a prejudice?

In an industry driven by innovation and ideas, growing old is especially difficult if you are not prepared to question yourself again and again. To remain successful over a long period of time, you have to embrace the new and not cling to the familiar. Personally, I like change - that helps, of course.

Where do you currently see the biggest challenge for the advertising industry?

The industry as a whole is still very much trapped in its silo. Advertising agencies work almost exclusively with paid advertising space, both online and offline. Yet the most intensive brand experiences often take place elsewhere. On the social web, on the street, at events, in stores or in the media. Because we are a much broader communications agency, we don't always have to sell the same thing, but look at what makes sense and actually helps the brand. For us, the distribution of weight between media work, social media, events or advertising is irrelevant. The disciplines are always at the service of an overriding idea.

What is it that you can't possibly do without?

To my family, to my racing bike and to ice from El Bertin in Schaffhausen.

Which advertising medium do you find abhorrent?

I'm annoyed by the little ads on my smartphone, which I occasionally tap on involuntarily without reading glasses.

What role do awards play in the advertising industry?

They help your career and are addictive. Like almost every addiction, this one costs a lot of money.

Which professional colleague would you take with you to the desert island?

I take my iPad Pro with me to every island, of course not everyone is happy about that!

And which five music albums would come with you to the island?

So right now that would definitely be Deichkind "Befehl von ganz unten", Rodrigo y Gabriela "11:11", New Order "Substance", Muse "The Resistance" and maybe Gorillaz "Plastic Beach".

What goes through your mind when you see a campaign penned by you on the street or on TV?

I observe how people react to it. On the social web, I always read all the comments - it's amusing and allows me to draw conclusions.

Philipp Skrabal has been Chief Creative Officer at Farner since 2014 and leads the Advertising & Events division. Prior to that, he was co-owner of Wirz Werbung, where he was head of creative, and worked as a CD at the agencies Advico Young & Rubicam and Publicis. He is a board member of ADC Switzerland and responsible for the education department. In 2009, 2011 and 2014 he was nominated for Advertiser of the Year.

The "13 Questions" appear both online and in the print edition of Werbewoche.

Implementation: Thomas Häusermann