"They give us a lot more credit than we give ourselves."

The 48-year-old Peter Hirrlinger has lived in Munich for 18 years and works as a freelance copywriter and creative director. In October 2012, he was elected to the board of the Art Directors Club Germany as a representative of the Munich section. 

Werbewoche.ch: Peter Hirrlinger, congratulations on your election - how did it come about?
Peter Hirrlinger: Thank you very much! I'm also a little pleased for Switzerland that I can sit on the Board here. How it came about: Board members have to stand for election every two years. I was told by some ADC members that they would welcome it if I stood for election.

What tasks does the new post entail? In addition to the honor and appreciation, are there also duties that are less attractive?
Well, the German ADC is huge, so you have to deal with a lot of representation, politics and organizational stuff. And woe betide the Germans if they set up an association - they're almost better than the Swiss. But luckily we have an office with over ten permanent employees who support us.

What has the feedback from your German industry colleagues been like so far? Are they happy that a Swiss is providing "support"?
They are actually delighted. As a Swiss citizen, you enjoy a certain exotic and sympathy bonus here. Switzerland generally has a high reputation. Germans still associate us with virtues such as reliability, quality and good education. They have much more confidence in us than we do in ourselves. They also like our singsong and Shaqiri.

You have been living and working in Germany for 18 years - what made you decide to turn your back on Switzerland?
I was a copywriter at Weber,Hodel,Schmid back then. I thought it was the best agency in Switzerland at the time. After four years, I had the feeling that I needed to develop further, but I couldn't imagine working for any other agency in Switzerland at the time. I also felt a bit constricted in Switzerland; I just wanted to go out into the big world. And because I'm a copywriter, I wanted it to be in German. I made a deal with the agency that they would send me to a training camp in Germany for two or three years and then I would come back. The two years have now turned into 18; I'm still learning.

How long have you been working as a freelancer in Germany and how have you built up your network?
I've been working freelance since 2010, before that I was CD at Heye & Partner and creative director at Start. This gave me plenty of opportunity to gain a certain level of recognition. I was lucky enough to work on big and well-known brands such as McDonalds, Bosch and the Süddeutsche Zeitung. There was even a bit of BMW. And after a lot of work for food clients such as Ritter Sport, Molkerei Müller or Wagner Pizza, you're suddenly also considered a food specialist, so a network comes naturally.

As a Swiss citizen living in Germany, do you notice anything about the relationship problems between the two countries that have been discussed time and again recently? Keywords: tax dispute, aircraft noise, immigration debate.
My impression is that these issues affect Switzerland much more than Germany. The fact that many people have invested their money in Switzerland has not only been known since the tax data CDs. On the whole, the Germans react with bewilderment when you tell them that we now have a dispute with each other. They really appreciate us and want to be loved back a little. I think that would make them happy.

Interview: Thomas Häusermann