"I fall for advertising constantly".
David Lübke, Creative Director at Publicis Zurich, faces our "13 Questions".
1. what would you most like to promote?
Lego. Not necessarily because it's the most challenging of all tasks - you can see that time and again in the successful global campaigns, which the Danes certainly didn't commission, but were proactively offered. But because Lego is my passion. My apartment is full of them.
2. what advertising should be banned?
A ban would probably be going too far, but I've always had a lot of trouble with small loans. Targeting people who can't or shouldn't be able to afford a loan and then dismissing any moral or legal concerns with the fine print is not for me.
3. do you fall for advertising?
Constant. I always notice that when I have to decide between an original and its generic. Quality, even just the perception of it, is simply what counts for me. It doesn't matter which product or service it is.
4 Where does the Swiss advertising industry stand in international comparison?
Somewhere in the front midfield. The fact that I can't say we're at the top has to do with our size - the really big budgets and orders rarely come our way - and with Swiss reserve and our tendency to understatement. Thinking a little bigger would sometimes do the whole industry good.
Have you ever thought about leaving the advertising industry?
Who doesn't? But we all suffer from Stockholm syndrome in the industry and like to play the role of the under-stress bloomer. That's why I'll probably stay for a while.
6. when you have an idea, how do you know it is good?
When everyone who hears them rightly says, "Sure, what else?" Great ideas are usually simple enough that, in retrospect, you don't even see any other possibility, because they seem completely self-evident. Of course, such ideas are not always the order of the day, so it's all the nicer when you discover them.
7. what do you think about owned media?
Done well, these can be incredibly valuable channels. However, owned media should not be just a megaphone. Many companies and organizations use their channels for one-way communication - and usually think way too much about it. Most brands should use these channels to add another facet to their public perception that comes across as good and close, and not simply as an additional loudspeaker for corporate communications that are happening anyway.
8. a buzzword that gets on your nerves?
Not a buzzword per se, but "wink." A catch-all word that has lost all meaning in recent years and is now practically synonymous with anything that involves humor of any kind.
9. what role do awards play in the advertising industry?
Basically, awards are a good orientation aid for potential clients. Agencies that win big at the ADC, BoSW, international awards, and of course at the Effie, get into the "relevant set" more quickly. Of course, prestigious awards are also welcome opportunities for ego boosts: Who doesn't like it when colleagues appreciate or even admire their own work?
10. which award would you like to win one day?
My father always said he didn't care if I won a Cannes Lion or Olympic gold first. So Olympic gold is the next goal. Hopefully, gaming will soon become Olympic.
11. why don't you conform to the usual clichés of an advertiser?
I wear a beard and ride a Vespa. I think the question is superfluous.
12. which feature film have you seen most often so far?
It's an annual neck-and-neck race between three trilogies: "Indiana Jones," "Back to the Future" and "Die Hard. Classic '90s kid stuff.
13. which film title best describes your career so far?
Independent of the content? "Serendipity.
David Lübke ...
... is Creative Director at Publicis Zurich. He first wrote advertising copy at the age of 16, before working as a journalist for various newspapers and magazines - only to land in advertising a few years later. For ten years now, he has been writing, conceiving and realizing major campaigns for national and international clients at Stadelhoferstrasse.
This interview first appeared in Werbewoche print edition 1-2/2021.