The Motz of Butz: Farewell Pierre C. Meier
A famous pop singer once claimed that life begins at 66. That wasn't true for Pierre, so it's worth a "thumbs up.".
PCM was a very intense advertising sparring partner to me in the best days of advertising and my editor-in-chief at Advertising Week for the last 4 years.
I take this column as an opportunity to talk about the Meier, the Pierre, the media monster - as CEO Berberat of Fiat called him -, or even the PCM (I forgot the C or never really took note of it. Journalists just call themselves that: Frank A. Meier, Kurt W. Zimmermann) to tell anecdotes. Unfortunately, I can't bring him back to life by doing so. But I will try to reveal some vivid moments from our times together.
At the very beginning of TBWA Zurich, Pierre joined the then five-strong team as an experienced media specialist. Through Carl Ally's Geneva office, we came to pitch the Fiat Suisse SA budget and hooked this big fish. So Pierre and I often traveled to Geneva, dined at Entrecôte, had another beer at the Bataclan, and spent the night at Du Rhône. Our AD Josi Spühler and the lyricist Francis Sulzer (unfortunately also no longer with us), Pierre and I had the same idea: to start our own agency.
At a retreat in Venice at the Gritti Palace, usual for those times, the B,S,S,M was launched. Pierre was always an extreme gourmet and so this new beginning was crowned accordingly.
The Fiat budget - Pierre's favorite client - then said goodbye to TBWA and opted for B,S,S,M. Twice a year, Swiss advertising was presented to the management in Turin, all in English. Pierre presented the strategy. In it, the word "proposition" appeared. To our internal amusement, he managed to turn it into "proposchissen" not only at the rehearsal but also in front of Fiat management. I even think it was intentional! After the presi we had Prosecco and seven Mirafiori (Fiat 131) chauffeured everyone to the Gatto Nero. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon the 12 excellent courses were eaten and at 18.30 o'clock we took the plane from Milano Linate to Zurich. At the bar in the departure hall, Pierre accidentally left his James Bond Attaché Case, which he only noticed on the flight. The next day he read in the newspaper that Linate had to be evacuated for 4 hours because of a mysterious piece of luggage. His suitcase with all the file notes was returned to him without complications.
Pierre was always an entertaining travel and work companion. Whether annually at the opening of the Geneva Motor Show or at our client Badrutt's Palace Hotel in St. Moritz, it was always amusing. Pierre always used to say that the fee from Badrutt's Palace was about the same as the expense bill from the King's Club and Junior Suites.
We lost track of each other for a while, until Pierre made me the head of the week. He suggested that I should write down my suggestions for improving advertising in the form of a column. Just this "Motz von Butz". At that time we ate together again more often and chatted, not like in the Gritti Palace, but with the same fun. Pierre, we miss you.
So this week, no setter.
Theophil Butz, graphic designer, advertising agency owner, inspirer and, for more than three years now, also mothballs for Werbewoche readers. Please send any relevant information to [email protected].
