"Actually, I've been thinking about leaving the advertising industry every day for 23 years"

1. the best book you've read recently?

"Just Kids" - Patty Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe

2. if you had not become an advertiser - what then?

Doctor. People themselves are the greatest magic in this world. But luckily I also have a lot to do with people in advertising.

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

Of course you can grow old in advertising. As long as you stay young at heart.

4. what is it impossible for you to do without?

To my family and my motorcycles.

Have you ever thought about leaving the advertising industry?

Yes, actually every day for 23 years. I think I still come back to the agency every morning because I give myself the freedom to leave when I no longer feel like it. But who knows if that moment will ever come. I'll just keep going for now.

6. can you tell us a little secret?

No. Without secrets, there would be no curiosity. And curiosity is the beginning of everything. I love secrets.

7. what inspired you to enter the advertising industry?

I went to Berlin to study at the Berlin University of the Arts in 1990. But to be honest, it was only because I wanted to experience the exciting time of reunification in Berlin. From there, I was then hired directly by Springer & Jacoby in Hamburg. It just kind of happened that way. I never really wanted to do advertising. I just slipped into it. As I said, I actually wanted to be a doctor.

9. name a campaign that has recently caught your eye in a positive way - but did not originate with you.

I still think "Like a Girl" by Always is great. Addressing a socially relevant topic and creating a change in awareness is what we are all trying to do with advertising these days. If you can also link this unmistakably to your brand and sell more products, that's a great thing. Everything done right.

9. what characteristic makes you a good advertiser?

That I never really wanted to be an advertiser.

10. why don't you conform to the usual clichés of an advertiser?

Because deep down, I'm probably a doctor after all.

11. when you have an idea, how do you know it is good?

When I don't have to think about why it's good. It's like a warm shower of bliss. A perfect moment. Like a good glass of red wine.

12. which advertising campaign from your childhood left a lasting impression on you?

Afri-Cola. Because of the sexy nuns.

13. what goes through your mind when you see a campaign on the street or on television that you have penned?

"Could have been better."

Alexander Schill has been the Global Chief Creative Officer of the Serviceplan Group since 2008. In 2006, he was a founding member of Haus der Kommunikation Hamburg, the Serviceplan Group's first location outside of Munich at the time. Within a few years, he led the agency group to the top of national and international creative rankings. In recent years, he has won over 50 Cannes "Lions", including two Grands Prix in 2012 and 2013.

The "13 Questions" appear both online and in the print edition of Werbewoche. Interview: Nora Dämpfle.