"It takes more courage for bad advertising than for good".
ADC Chairman Andreas Prokesch on the 2001 Advertising Year
ADC Chairman Andreas Prokesch on the 2001 advertising yearA "farewell" as eloquent and fresh as only he can make it: For the last time, ADC Chairman Andreas Prokesch led the ADC Gold Jury as unofficial jury chairman. Prokesch talks about the 26th Cube Award, the art of reconciliation and his thoughts on creative advertising.what is so groundbreaking about this year's Gold campaigns?
Andreas Prokesch: The work of our Managing Director Helen Müller and the whole team behind the scenes was worth its weight in gold for the ADC again this year. Thank you very much!
Were you able to identify any new trends in the works submitted?
Prokesch: The trend continues unabated: Everything will be fine - with a good client, a good briefing, a good strategy, a good idea, a good culture of debate and good implementation.
How is the quality of this advertising vintage in general?
Prokesch: We will ferment the award-winning works for the ADC yearbook and let them rest in the rack for 10 years, and then at the latest we will be delighted with this vintage.
Your conclusion after 26 years of ADC: Has the standard of the submitted work increased, remained the same, or deteriorated?
Prokesch: Some of the things that are being swept under the carpet today would have been gold-plated 26 years ago. Which once again means that not everything shines.
Can you spot any newcomers?
Prokesch: Yes! The three youngsters from Publicis who are responsible for illustrating the agency's Christmas mailing: Nadine Geissbühler, Flo Wacker and Markus Wyss. They won gold with their memory game and deserved it. Or, for example, non-ADC member Lars Müller, whose "Freitag" book won gold. Or the young agencies Guye Benker, Hesskiss, Korolnik and RufLanz. Or the old agency Wirz.
Guye Benker, Hesskiss and RufLanz are among the usual suspects rather than new discoveries. So will the dice be distributed mainly among the existing club members after all?
Prokesch: Benker, Hess, Lanz and Ruf are working under new auspices - as an agency instead of as individual masks. The music plays differently. Lars Müller is not an ADC member and won gold. Lang Gysi Knoll is not an ADC member and won silver in the film category. DDB Zurich, Netvertising and New Identity also have no members and each won silver. And Rainer Kuhn. And if I were to list all the bronze winners/non-ADC members, you would have to fill half a page in this issue with their names instead of an advertisement.
What importance do you attach to lobbying in such competitions?
Prokesch: The ADC sees itself as a lobby for good advertising - and less for the advertisers who create it.
Which works do you think have a chance at this year's advertising festival in Cannes?
Prokesch: All gold-plated and some silver-plated works have a good chance - and perhaps even some that have been awarded bronze or have fallen by the wayside. Because every jury judges the same work a little differently.
What did you pay particular attention to during the evaluation?
Prokesch: That the written laws of the ADC, such as "You shall resign without being asked to do so", and the unwritten laws of the ADC, such as "You shall make good advertising yourself before you make others look bad", are observed.
Has advertising become bolder thanks to the ADC?
Prokesch: Bad advertising takes more courage than good advertising. Surprisingly, however, there is no more good advertising. ADC Honorary President Jean Etienne Aebi has said this time and again. But it still needs to be said again and again.
Has it become easier or more difficult in the past year to win clients for a bold, ADC-worthy idea?
Prokesch: The trend is that there are more and more agencies and agency doors, but fewer and fewer clients or at least fewer and fewer budgets. The distribution battle is correspondingly greater. And this sometimes leads to almost abstruse dealings between some clients and their agencies. One example: a briefing from Swisscom. It didn't just contain the task, but the entire solution - including an image idea and a huge number of words that should have been packed into a "smooth" headline. All I could really say afterwards was: "Deeper than you think."
Based on the advertising, will you now buy one of the award-winning advertised products?
Prokesch: I already used Hakle moist for every bowel movement, but now I will recommend this residue-free feeling even to my best friend. I go on vacation without a tour operator. Nevertheless, I always forget everything afterwards.
Has this competition raised your professional pride as an advertiser to a new high?
Prokesch: We have the best job, and the ADC hands out the most coveted awards. Nevertheless, there are a few things that are at least as exciting and important as a 2-for-1 campaign or the line extension of a deodorant. Claude Martin comes to mind, for example, who made unforgettable campaigns and now hopes at the Lighthouse that he won't be completely forgotten.
Has there been any work that has achieved art status for you as an art director?
Prokesch: It's an art that the ADC members can argue so much year after year and still be "almost a family" again after the end of the gold judging.
Why were the ADC family members at loggerheads this year?
Prokesch: We always argue about the same thing: what is really good - very, very good advertising? Fortunately, everyone has a slightly different idea.
What advice would you give your jury chairman successor Daniel Matter?
Prokesch: Dani doesn't need any advice from me to do a good job. Interview: Luca Aloisi
Andreas Prokesch: The work of our Managing Director Helen Müller and the whole team behind the scenes was worth its weight in gold for the ADC again this year. Thank you very much!
Were you able to identify any new trends in the works submitted?
Prokesch: The trend continues unabated: Everything will be fine - with a good client, a good briefing, a good strategy, a good idea, a good culture of debate and good implementation.
How is the quality of this advertising vintage in general?
Prokesch: We will ferment the award-winning works for the ADC yearbook and let them rest in the rack for 10 years, and then at the latest we will be delighted with this vintage.
Your conclusion after 26 years of ADC: Has the standard of the submitted work increased, remained the same, or deteriorated?
Prokesch: Some of the things that are being swept under the carpet today would have been gold-plated 26 years ago. Which once again means that not everything shines.
Can you spot any newcomers?
Prokesch: Yes! The three youngsters from Publicis who are responsible for illustrating the agency's Christmas mailing: Nadine Geissbühler, Flo Wacker and Markus Wyss. They won gold with their memory game and deserved it. Or, for example, non-ADC member Lars Müller, whose "Freitag" book won gold. Or the young agencies Guye Benker, Hesskiss, Korolnik and RufLanz. Or the old agency Wirz.
Guye Benker, Hesskiss and RufLanz are among the usual suspects rather than new discoveries. So will the dice be distributed mainly among the existing club members after all?
Prokesch: Benker, Hess, Lanz and Ruf are working under new auspices - as an agency instead of as individual masks. The music plays differently. Lars Müller is not an ADC member and won gold. Lang Gysi Knoll is not an ADC member and won silver in the film category. DDB Zurich, Netvertising and New Identity also have no members and each won silver. And Rainer Kuhn. And if I were to list all the bronze winners/non-ADC members, you would have to fill half a page in this issue with their names instead of an advertisement.
What importance do you attach to lobbying in such competitions?
Prokesch: The ADC sees itself as a lobby for good advertising - and less for the advertisers who create it.
Which works do you think have a chance at this year's advertising festival in Cannes?
Prokesch: All gold-plated and some silver-plated works have a good chance - and perhaps even some that have been awarded bronze or have fallen by the wayside. Because every jury judges the same work a little differently.
What did you pay particular attention to during the evaluation?
Prokesch: That the written laws of the ADC, such as "You shall resign without being asked to do so", and the unwritten laws of the ADC, such as "You shall make good advertising yourself before you make others look bad", are observed.
Has advertising become bolder thanks to the ADC?
Prokesch: Bad advertising takes more courage than good advertising. Surprisingly, however, there is no more good advertising. ADC Honorary President Jean Etienne Aebi has said this time and again. But it still needs to be said again and again.
Has it become easier or more difficult in the past year to win clients for a bold, ADC-worthy idea?
Prokesch: The trend is that there are more and more agencies and agency doors, but fewer and fewer clients or at least fewer and fewer budgets. The distribution battle is correspondingly greater. And this sometimes leads to almost abstruse dealings between some clients and their agencies. One example: a briefing from Swisscom. It didn't just contain the task, but the entire solution - including an image idea and a huge number of words that should have been packed into a "smooth" headline. All I could really say afterwards was: "Deeper than you think."
Based on the advertising, will you now buy one of the award-winning advertised products?
Prokesch: I already used Hakle moist for every bowel movement, but now I will recommend this residue-free feeling even to my best friend. I go on vacation without a tour operator. Nevertheless, I always forget everything afterwards.
Has this competition raised your professional pride as an advertiser to a new high?
Prokesch: We have the best job, and the ADC hands out the most coveted awards. Nevertheless, there are a few things that are at least as exciting and important as a 2-for-1 campaign or the line extension of a deodorant. Claude Martin comes to mind, for example, who made unforgettable campaigns and now hopes at the Lighthouse that he won't be completely forgotten.
Has there been any work that has achieved art status for you as an art director?
Prokesch: It's an art that the ADC members can argue so much year after year and still be "almost a family" again after the end of the gold judging.
Why were the ADC family members at loggerheads this year?
Prokesch: We always argue about the same thing: what is really good - very, very good advertising? Fortunately, everyone has a slightly different idea.
What advice would you give your jury chairman successor Daniel Matter?
Prokesch: Dani doesn't need any advice from me to do a good job. Interview: Luca Aloisi
