Caples format with a new concept

WW: Alex Schmid, you have been Chairman for Switzerland at the Caples Award in New York for over 20 years. How has the competition developed during this time?
Alex Schmid: In the early days, the whole thing was very hands-on: a mostly American jury judged the entries in small groups at bistro tables, after which the awards ceremony took place. Today, the composition of the jury is much more international, and the award ceremony is framed by a congress lasting several days, at which creation in the age of consumer data is addressed and discussed at a strategic level.
 
What reasons and developments have made it necessary to completely revise the competition this year?
A lot of legacy content has accumulated over 35 years. It was time to clear out old categories and establish new categories such as digital content. In general, digitalization can be described as the driver for innovation.
 
What are the most important innovations?
The "Courageous Client Award" is definitely the most exciting. This recognizes the partnership between client and agency. This is the case when the agency was able to persuade the client to leave the comfort zone of briefing and presentation or, conversely, when the client pushed the agency to the limit. The categories "Digital Content", "Mailings flat" and "3-D" were also included. Mobile marketing and mobile apps were merged into one category.
 
What specific advantages does this bring for Swiss submissions?
In international competitions, we always have the handicap of size and brand awareness. It's difficult for us to keep up with the Coca-Cola or Nike cases. The new, simplified categories suit us very well, the focus is much more on the cause than on the brand or industry.
 
What opportunities do you see for work from our small country in an international comparison?
Since the reforms, I have stepped on the gas again. Results come quickly when you are active. I experienced this first-hand at Cannes: if you move forward, something happens, if you sit back, it's all over. This year we won three Lions again in the Direct category at Cannes. But this is only possible if you are represented on the jury and promote the event during the year. You can see this clearly from the figures: since we have increased the number of submissions and have a Swiss jury, the number of finalists and winners has also increased. In New York, Rene Eugster and Roger Ruegger from Switzerland will once again be on the jury. I have no special task in New York, apart from the privilege of representing Switzerland at the Award Night. And I am convinced that the trend is pointing upwards, so I think our chances for the future are good, setbacks will come of their own accord ...
 
Who should definitely submit and where do you think there is special potential?
Unfortunately, the direct categories of many awards have developed into a melting pot of diverse ideas. The German Direct Marketing Association in particular deplores this trend. For this reason, many dialog agencies no longer submit entries at all. At the Caples Award, real dialog concepts are judged by real dialog experts. In this respect, I can only encourage dialog marketing agencies and clients with dialog expertise to take part.
 
Interview: Andreas Panzeri