"To save money, we invented the damage sketches".
Matthias Freuler, now Creative Director at Spinas Civil Voices, is responsible for advertising classics such as the «Damage Sketches» and “Lovely the Cow”—and for answering our “13 Questions.”.
1. what would you work for free?
For my son Tobias, who has set up an aid project for destitute students in North Vietnam.
2. where and how have you ever bluffed in your life?
When I reserved a table in the restaurant under the name of the ex-Velor racing driver Urs Freuler. (Went wrong, the lady on the phone had never heard of an Urs Freuler).
3. what does not come to the office under any circumstances?
Yucca palms.
Have you ever thought about leaving the advertising industry?
Yes, for about two hours. Until I realized that I have a nice work portfolio, but not a single job reference.
5. was there a moment in your life when you thought: Wow. This is awesome. And it's from me!
When I received a Gold Lion for the football-playing Milk Cow in Cannes by John Hegarty.
6. can you tell us a little secret?
Because the first Liebe-Mobiliar films swallowed up too much money, there wasn't enough left for a print campaign. So out of necessity, we invented the damage sketches to save on photo costs.
7. name a campaign that has recently caught your eye in a positive way - but did not originate with you.
The UBS pension campaign, precisely because it found favor with a client like UBS.
8. What inspired you to enter the advertising/communications industry?
My grandfather, who was a co-founder of BSW and one of the very first copywriters in Switzerland at the time.
9. if you had not become an advertiser - what then?
Architect or curator.
10. Do you fall for advertising? When?
Again and again, sometimes even on my own.
11. what is impossible for you to do without?
On my oldie Italian Laverda 1000.
12. which professional colleague would you take with you to a desert island?
Markus Ruf, with whom I have already spent two months on the island of Boracay when it was still lonely.
13. when you have an idea, how do you know it is good?
If it's really good, I have to show it to others immediately. ALL.
Matthias Freuler has been a copywriter/CD at Spinas Civil Voices since 2010. Prior to that, he worked for Advico Y&R, Aebi and Publicis. Most recently, he spent eleven years at Wirz Werbung as Executive Creative Director. His best-known campaigns include the milk advertising with the cow Lovely and the Mobiliar advertising with the damage sketches. Matthias Freuler is a member of the Art Directors Club.
The "13 Questions" appear both online and in the print edition of Werbewoche.
Implementation 13 Questions: Thomas Häusermann
