Strike the right note

 
Re Wilk does 360° communication with Republica, is into advertising with culture and culture with advertising - and has the best chance of making the hit parade.  
Many advertisers play golf and don't feel guilty about indulging in this hobby with great skill and passion. After all, it can only enhance their image with customers. Re Wilk doesn't play golf, he plays the guitar. And he is a little reluctant to admit that he is very successful at it. The CD of the young Bernese agency Republica was already dreaming of a job in advertising at the age of 15. From the age of 20, he underwent an illustrious apprenticeship at Hofer, Jäggi and Seiler DDB in Bern and quickly became Head of Creation at Quer Werbefabrik (now Appalooza Productions) before moving to Republica. For two years now, Re Wilk has been using all this experience to make his mark on an agency for the first time as co-owner of Republica. with so much activity in the service of advertising, is it therefore a precautionary measure that he had the title song and three other compositions in the film "The Secret of Murk" performed under the stage name Ray Wilko? Re Wilk laughs. "No. I sing in English. And Ray Wilko just fits better." However, this has the disadvantage that many in the industry have not yet realized that some of the songs in this comedy by Sabine Boss, which won the Audience Award in Solothurn this year, were written by a copywriter and concept developer.
"I'm perhaps a bad advertiser for my own stuff," says Wilk - and promises to do better in the coming months with Wilko's new CD. After all, he is praised in relevant blogs as "one of the most talented and promising songwriters in Switzerland". One student website says that Wilko has been the Swiss "Elvis Costello" for ten years now. However, Wilk himself remains cautious in the face of so much enthusiasm for "You and Me". "It flatters me to always be a favorite of the critics. But their music rarely makes it into the charts."
This could change with "You and Me", Werbewoche is convinced after listening to the CD intensively. In addition to the current airplay, a wider audience will be able to hear this independent rock for the first time at the Gurtenfestival in July. Wilko and his band will be playing there for the second time, albeit no longer on the main stage as in 2002, but on the revitalized and iconic Waldbühne. A club tour throughout Switzerland is then planned for the fall. Wilko's dream is to tour abroad again with this CD. Just like in 2000, when he won the "Silver Rabbit" award from SF DRS, Annabelle and Hochparterre and was able to play for three weeks in the USA, including at the legendary South by Southwest Festival.
Wilk will no longer be able to allow his Wilko so much time off in future, as ambitious projects are also on the agenda with Republica. "Our work should lead to us being invited to more and more big pitches," says Wilk, explaining his goal. The 18-strong team is currently working for Hero Fruit2day, Schaerer Kaffeemaschinen, SMP SBB, Innova Versicherungen, Valora and Destination Jungfrau, for example. Grindelwald, Mürren, Lauterbrunnen and Wengen are being positioned under one brand for the first time. For this branding, Republica has been providing strategic advice to the participating tourist resorts for some time.
"One of our core competencies is that we take a holistic approach to such a task," explains the creative director. Clients at Republica are therefore not only served by traditional people, but are also supported by integrally-minded communication experts from all sectors throughout the entire development process.
"Anyone sitting in a plane at an altitude of 10,000 meters should be happy about their choice of destination. Because at this point, it is no longer possible to turn back," says the agency's own advertising. The agency accompanies customers "on the journey from the intention to travel to the certainty that they have chosen the right destination". Republica brands this advice in all key disciplines as 360° communication. Republica's employees are thus committed to the idea of the boundless. "Because if you live, think and work within boundaries, you won't make any great leaps in communication."
To foster this "comprehensive mindset", the agency has created its own "land of inspiration" for its employees. Republica was created as a management buyout of Contexta's below-the-line unit as it increasingly developed into a "comprehensive agency within the agency". Since then, the partners at Republica have been Barbara Trachsel as CEO, Chris Morgan as AD and Re Wilk as CD. However, they are "still on friendly terms" with Contexta and share the beautiful view of the Bernese Aare.
"Communication is culture." With Wilko's former colleagues at Appalooza Productions, with the music label Weltrekords (where - apart from Wilko - Züri West, Lunik, Kutti MC and Boob are also looked after in various ways) and with all kinds of other "free communication spirits", Republica shares "a sense of emotional experience" - from which joint project ideas and concepts are constantly emerging in an informal atmosphere.
Which brings us back full circle to the agency's CD. Culture determines new trends - also in advertising. And anyone who works in an agency that is culturally open across 360° will be the first to experience these new trends. "For our agency, work in this area is also important because it is not only fun for the employees, but also drives forward the culture of communication, which in turn benefits all our clients," Wilk and Wilko agree.
Andreas Panzeri