"The Toni commercial excited me and was neatly archived on a weekly basis".
Marcel Schläfle, co-owner and creative director of the communication and design agency Schläfle Trittibach, answers our "13 questions".
1. which print media do you privately subscribe to?
Brand Onethe business magazine. Transhelveticathe Swiss magazine for travel and culture. The Saturday edition of the Tages-Anzeiger because of the beloved Tagi Magi.
2. what advertising should be banned?
I am generally against advertising bans. But I would welcome it if I bought coffee capsules in a Nespresso store and didn't have to listen to the sales staff's commercial every time until I was allowed to pay. Fortunately, the Zurich coffee roasting company Black & Blaze has recently started offering its coffee in capsule form.
3. the best book you have read lately?
During the summer vacation, Max Goldt delighted me every day with "Wipe your lips and smile".
4. what is it impossible for you to do without?
Musique Non-stop.
5. a buzzword that gets on your nerves?
It's not a buzzword, but when people use the term "fötele", it makes my stomach turn.
6. what inspired you to enter the advertising / communications industry?
Brands have fascinated me since I was a child. It started with collections of branded decals, cans of cola, perfume bottles, Swatch watches and so on. Later, I used to snatch my father's Tagi Magito see the last cover page. The Toni advertisement inspired me and was neatly archived every week. I would never have dreamed that decades later I would be working at the same agency as the creator of this campaign.
7. which advertising medium do you find disgusting?
No advertising medium is actually disgusting per se. It's usually the advertising on the medium that's disgusting.
8. what do you still want to achieve?
There are still a lot of dreams in the drawer. For example, creating branding for an airline or designing the stage set and background screens for a music group.
9. name a campaign that has recently caught your eye in a positive way - but did not originate with you.
Unfortunately, apart from the ADC judging, you don't see much that stands out in everyday life. Only Apple always manages to catch my eye when the reduced posters beautify the city center. The realizations always give me an incentive to implement our agency motto "Less is more" even more consistently.
10. which five songs would you take with you to a desert island?
My mixtape would look like this: On arrival, Chris Martin would make his debut with "Paradise". On a hike through the interior of the island, Robert Smith would come in with "A Forest". When a monsoon suddenly sets in, the time is ripe for Annie Lennox and "Here Comes The Rain Again". On arrival at the fine sandy beach on the other side of the island, Dave Gahan should celebrate the perfect moment with "Enjoy The Silence". On the last swim before departure, Brian Molko brings things to a close with "The Bitter End".
11. does the advertising industry receive enough appreciation for its work?
I can't answer that globally for the industry. In any case, the level of appreciation among our customers is pleasingly high. This is probably also due to the fact that we work on every project ourselves and only go to the presentation when we are 100 percent convinced. There is probably nothing worse for agency owners than having to present a mediocre creation.
12. what was the best thing you have done in the last five years?
The step into self-employment and the founding of our own agency. In addition, the development and marketing of our own product - the Brandeau Tap Water bottle. Taking all the processes from naming and product development to advertising and market launch into our own hands triggered a lot of feelings of happiness.
13. which movie title best describes your career to date?
Do The Right Thing.
Marcel Schläfle is co-owner of the Zurich agency Schläfle Trittibachwhich specializes in branding, communication and design. He has spent the last 22 years working for creative agencies such as Publicis, Havas and Ruf Lanz. He is a long-standing member of the Art Directors Club Switzerland. He has won various national and international advertising awards with his campaigns.