Big brands, big goals
Philipp Skrabal, the new Creative Director at Publicis, wants to fully exploit the creative potential even with major clients.
Philipp Skrabal, the new CD at Publicis, wants to fully exploit the creative possibilities, even with large clients. "For me, the challenge is to go from being the hunter to the hunted - in the leading and so-called most creative agency in Switzerland," says Philipp Skrabal. Following the partial departure of Chief Creative Officer Jean-Etienne Aebi, Publicis has restructured the Creation department and set up a Creative Board. Skrabal is to strengthen the team of Executive Creative Director Markus Gut as Creative Director. Philipp Skrabal has made a name for himself at Matter & Partner for almost seven years, most recently as CD and member of the management board. "I didn't actually think about changing", muses the new man at Zurich's Theaterstrasse. "I had a great time at Matter & Partner." But when Markus Gut presented his board plans to him over a friendly beer, Skrabal realized that Publicis "was a great opportunity". He had always followed this agency closely in the sense of appreciating how truly great and sustainable campaigns were made here - "ones that the public remembers".
It was also creatively eye-catching posters and advertisements that inspired Philipp Skrabal to pursue a career in advertising at a young age. At the age of 15, he therefore attended the preliminary course at the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts. "That was the only thing I wanted to do." He then trained as a graphic designer at Seiler DDB. From 1992 to 1996, he gained his first concept experience at Euro RSCG and became an AD at the age of 23. Finally, he was allowed to move to Australia for six months as part of a job swap within the network. "That was exactly the right time, because I was going through a motivational crisis at the time and had the feeling that I couldn't assert myself with my ideas."
In Sidney, the young Swiss "got to know a completely different way of working, the Anglo-Saxon way". Here, the distribution of tasks is much more structured, which allows an AD, for example, to focus much more on the conceptual aspects. "Here, in medium-sized agencies, everyone has to do everything. That can also be exciting, but you can become much better in a discipline more quickly if you can concentrate fully," says Skrabal.
He now hopes to find a bit of this culture at Publicis, Switzerland's largest agency. Skrabal's personal goal is to be able to do "on these great brands" such as Nestlé, UBS, Renault or Bilanz at Publicis "on a grand scale", which he previously achieved at Matter & Partner "on a medium scale".
With this previous work, ADC member Skrabal is proud of his last five years for Theater Spektakel, for example. "The current campaign shows how you can advertise such an event in a surprising way." His Aproz trucks, which drive into Vals or Rhäzüns with Migros mineral water, have also attracted attention in a cunning way. One idea that has also been successful in international competitions is Skrabal's jeep with wild geese. Instead of their leading goose, the birds follow a Chrysler jeep with an innovative navigation system.
Skrabal and his team have won over 75 awards for Matter & Partner in the last six years, half of them international. The agency has thus risen from 21st to 20th place in the creative ranking.
moved up to 6th place. The new CD in what is now the first and largest Swiss agency has two children and rides a racing bike in his spare time.
Wants to contribute his Anglo-Saxon experience: Philipp Skrabal, the new CD at Publicis.
Andreas Panzeri
It was also creatively eye-catching posters and advertisements that inspired Philipp Skrabal to pursue a career in advertising at a young age. At the age of 15, he therefore attended the preliminary course at the Zurich School of Arts and Crafts. "That was the only thing I wanted to do." He then trained as a graphic designer at Seiler DDB. From 1992 to 1996, he gained his first concept experience at Euro RSCG and became an AD at the age of 23. Finally, he was allowed to move to Australia for six months as part of a job swap within the network. "That was exactly the right time, because I was going through a motivational crisis at the time and had the feeling that I couldn't assert myself with my ideas."
In Sidney, the young Swiss "got to know a completely different way of working, the Anglo-Saxon way". Here, the distribution of tasks is much more structured, which allows an AD, for example, to focus much more on the conceptual aspects. "Here, in medium-sized agencies, everyone has to do everything. That can also be exciting, but you can become much better in a discipline more quickly if you can concentrate fully," says Skrabal.
He now hopes to find a bit of this culture at Publicis, Switzerland's largest agency. Skrabal's personal goal is to be able to do "on these great brands" such as Nestlé, UBS, Renault or Bilanz at Publicis "on a grand scale", which he previously achieved at Matter & Partner "on a medium scale".
With this previous work, ADC member Skrabal is proud of his last five years for Theater Spektakel, for example. "The current campaign shows how you can advertise such an event in a surprising way." His Aproz trucks, which drive into Vals or Rhäzüns with Migros mineral water, have also attracted attention in a cunning way. One idea that has also been successful in international competitions is Skrabal's jeep with wild geese. Instead of their leading goose, the birds follow a Chrysler jeep with an innovative navigation system.
Skrabal and his team have won over 75 awards for Matter & Partner in the last six years, half of them international. The agency has thus risen from 21st to 20th place in the creative ranking.
moved up to 6th place. The new CD in what is now the first and largest Swiss agency has two children and rides a racing bike in his spare time.
Wants to contribute his Anglo-Saxon experience: Philipp Skrabal, the new CD at Publicis.
Andreas Panzeri
