"A good idea still comes before everything else"

In 2016, the Publicis Group launched the "Power of One" initiative worldwide. The aim was to unite all of the Group's creative, PR, production and design agencies in the individual countries under the common umbrella of "Publicis Communications". Former CCO Thomas Wildberger, who was appointed CEO in the same year, has been demonstrating how this "Power of One" works in Zurich ever since. In 2017, Leo Burnett and Neukauf MetaDesign moved to Stadelhoferstrasse. A further step towards total restructuring followed in 2018: the Leo Burnett subsidiary Alpha245 disappeared and was merged with Saatchi & Saatchi. This course - combined with various personnel reinforcements - is paying off. Publicis' client portfolio includes Migros, Swiss, UBS, Sunrise and Heineken (with Calanda and Eichhof ), and it is rumored that other prominent advertising clients could be added in the future. Publicis Communications remains the Swiss agency with the highest turnover in 2018 and - as in previous years - leads the market. the ranking of Leading Swiss Agencies.

Advertising Week: Your personal highlight of 2018?

Thomas Wildberger: The fact that we have brought the global UBS account back to Zurich. Since the middle of the year, more than 20 international experts from strategy, media, creation, consulting and production have been working together in a fully integrated manner in the UBS team that was set up specifically for this purpose.

Which Swiss campaign did you particularly remember in 2018?

The referendum campaign for the new football stadium in Zurich. At last, derby victories against GC will be even more fun.

What has been bothering you this year?

My little daughter, who crawls into our bed a little too often at night. And shortly afterwards the jealous dog. However, I usually fall asleep so quickly after going to bed that I hardly notice when a foot or paw lands on my face.

What do you think was the most influential theme in the advertising industry in 2018?

Some topics such as micro-influencers, gamification, omnichannel or low-hanging fruit. Correctly applied all okay, but nothing has changed in the fact that if you want to make a difference as a brand, a good idea still comes before anything else.

A key trend for 2019?

That a good idea still comes before everything else. (Incidentally, this also applies to the trends of the coming years).

What is the biggest challenge facing the advertising industry in the coming year?

Understand that marketing is not just about advertising, but also about strategy, product, service and transaction. Therefore, all of these pillars should be established and orchestrated under one roof - and with the highest level of technological understanding. This is the only way to create an overall experience that is fun for everyone.

What makes you confident that 2019 will be a good year?

We have established our "Power of One" initiative well over the past two years. The various companies are already working hand in hand in many areas. In particular with Publicis.Sapient, our partner for business transformation, we have already been able to tackle several projects together. I am therefore looking forward to the coming years, as we are ideally equipped to create many total experiences together with our customers.

2018 is drawing to a close. Time to look back once again - and to venture an outlook for the coming year. Werbewoche asked representatives of the Swiss advertising industry. They have all left their mark on the creative industry in one form or another. All interviews can be found in the current Werbewoche 20/21 of December 18, 2018.

Interviews and text: Thomas Häusermann