WW: Recently, your famous colleague and compatriot Jean Remy von Matt was in the south of France to be best man at the dream wedding of the new dream couple Veronica Ferres and Carsten Maschmeyer. That made headlines. Didn't you have an invitation?
Peter Haller: With respect, I don't know Ms. Ferres or Mr. Maschmeyer personally, but I wish them the best of luck. Apart from that, I have to say that I'm not a fan of glitz and glamor. It's not my thing and it's not our company's thing either. Incidentally, we had 400 guests here in Munich at the 2014 Innovation Day at the time, who discussed current developments with international experts. Even though Romano Prodi had to cancel due to his health, I enjoy such events. I am a service provider and not a showmaster.

Nevertheless, together with Jean Remy and Holger Jung, you are somehow among the last of the Mohicans in the European advertising industry. Both your agency Serviceplan and JvM are very successful, don't belong to any network and are owner-managed. Do you have an exit date?
No, I feel very good. I'm also proud that I organized my succession back in 2002 and that my son Florian took over. I no longer have any shares in Serviceplan. In this respect, I am no longer a decision-maker. But I am involved. What I say is my honest opinion and not my material interest.

But you are still managing director and the fact that Serviceplan is Europe's largest independent agency today is due in part to your success. The group has almost 2 billion euros in billings and you are over 70 and in the office every day. The number 105 makes for childrenWhy is Europe's number 1 practicing so much modesty?
Quite simply: Because the facts speak for us. Serviceplan is number 1 in the German creative rankings. We've been growing at double-digit rates for years, and our media agency Media Plus is also number 1 worldwide in terms of innovation, according to Recma. We make profits because we're the only agency that works fully integrated under one roof. Our management style is face-to-face and family-oriented. That's why management doesn't sit in an ivory tower somewhere, but down here on the first floor. My door is always open.

Serviceplan has been setting one sales record after another for years. What is the secret of your success?
Despite our size, we are a flexible company. For the holding company meeting, every Monday from 1 to 3 p.m., there are five of us at the table in Munich, my son Florian, Ronald Focken and Florian von Hornstein, and Alex Schill. We can decide immediately, We don't have to ask in Tokyo, London, Paris or New York. Our second pillar of success is continuity in personnel policy. The management team has remained unchanged for more than 10 years. Added to this is the success factor of our partner participation model. Every single one of our 60 specialist companies is run by managing directors who have a substantial stake in the company, which reduces the fluctuation rate to almost zero. This increases motivation and team spirit. We are here with people who understand each other and whom I like. That is an incredible privilege.

Your biggest coup?
That I have found the right successor in my son. I am proud of that. I handed over the agency to him in 2002 with 500 people, and now there are almost 2,000.

Serviceplan chose Switzerland in 2012. At the end of the famous Maja calendar, on 21.12.2012, Serviceplan Suisse opened in Zurich. It was supposed to be the start of a "golden age". Did it really turn out so golden?
In Switzerland, Serviceplan also relies on the pillars of creation, classic media and multimedia. We had found the ideal partners in Christian Baertschi and Sasha Moser at BMB. Started with 10, today the number of employees in the advertising agency alone is 35. For health reasons, Sasha Moser had to retire and we hired two experienced creatives, Raul Serrat and Christian Sommer. In addition to the creative agency, the network also includes Plan.Net Suisse AG and a stake in Media Schneider, which is proven to be the best media agency in Switzerland.

Why did you found Serviceplan in Switzerland in the first place?
The market is not very big. But there are some very important corporate headquarters there. Moreover, the market is not as price-driven as in Germany. The principle of "live and let live" still applies there.

Von Matt complains publicly about the Swiss ADC, Amir Kassaei from DDB unpacks the hatchet whenever possible. You, on the other hand, don't have anyone who really goes to town. Are you too much in need of harmony?
In fact, scandal was and is an effective instrument for drawing attention to oneself. Let's take my great hobby, the art collection. From Beuys to Baselitz, from Courbet to Richter to Hirst: they have all broken taboos, caused scandals, in order to make themselves known. But that is not our culture. I'm a trained economist, I studied economics. I know how to act sustainably and successfully as a service provider. In my philosophy, scandal simply has no place. But it's true that we are cautious in our public relations work. For example, we didn't take part in creative competitions in the past.

That changed decisively with the installation of your top creative Alexander Schill. With him, Serviceplan suddenly received international attention. Your Chief Creative Officer Schill has been collecting advertising Oscars on a permanent subscription basis since 2010. How much longer can you keep him?
It's true: We discovered a top man for our team in Alex in 2006. He installed another "house of communication" for Serviceplan in his hometown of Hamburg. Since 2008, he has been Managing Director and substantive partner of the entire Serviceplan Group. The big step into a new world for Serviceplan is the responsibility of my son Florian. He installed the "Best Brands" brand Oscar here in Munich from 2004, and the "Innovation Day" with well-known and famous speakers from 2005. Florian also initiated and promoted the internationalization of our agency group. We are very satisfied, we are growing far above average and I know that our CCO Alex Schill feels very comfortable in this environment.

At BMW, the creation was probably not so well received recently. In any case, Serviceplan had to hand over the creative budget to Munich-based competitor Heye, of all people. What went wrong there?
It is the law of competition that one of many budgets changes. We face up to that and respect the decision. Just to add: We only lost 15 percent of our BMW business with the BMW budget for Germany. BMW therefore remains a relevant customer of ours. We hold various BMW accounts both nationally and internationally.

Film man Til Schweiger recently declared in the Süddeutsche Zeitung that 19 out of 20 German commercials are sh... What do you say to that?
That's sheer ignorance. The Germans are at the forefront of creative awards today, even on TV. The German scene doesn't need any coaching from this side. Putting yourself on a pedestal and putting others down is as transparent as it is stupid.

Is it actually true that you wanted to become an opera singer?
Yes, that was my big dream. Actually against the will of my parents. At the time, I was training to sing with a well-known Wagner singer in Munich. But then hay fever thwarted my plans. I couldn't sing because of the allergy and then studied economics with little enthusiasm.

You came to advertising after your studies via the Carl Gabler advertising agency. You then moved to Dorland, a well-known Munich agency at the time. Why did you leave there and found Serviceplan?
The actual trigger at that time was the Dorland customer Champignon Camembert. The brand had great success with the TV campaign. The story: Two liveried servants present the green cheese box with the three mushrooms on the red carpet. The claim: "Ambassador of good taste". In contrast to the trade, however, the Champignon management was not at all happy. They found the somewhat artificial ambience embarrassing. They offered me their budget if I would leave Dorland. That is what I did. Together with Rolf O. Stempel, who was also at Dorland, I started my own business with Serviceplan in January 1970. Unfortunately, Rolf passed away in February 2013.

The interview was conducted by Peter Ehm, Germany correspondent for Werbewoche.

Serviceplan: Facts & Figures

- Year founded: 1970

- The four core brands: Serviceplan, Mediaplus, Plan.Net and Facit, under which all companies established in the group operate.

- Customers: Beiersdorf, BMW, Carglass, Castrol, Condé Nast, Walt Disney, Friendscout24, Samsonite, Thomas Cook, Ikea, Danone, Deichmann, Europcar, Lufthansa, Paulaner, Penny, among others,
Saturn, Siemens, UNICEF.

- Number of employees: 1877

- Per capita sales in 2013/14: € 134,000

- Gross Income: € 252 million (+16 %)

- Number of new customers: 70

- Placement in the current creative ranking (wuv): 1st place defended, including 20 ADC medals.

- Number of German locations: 5 - Munich, Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin and Cologne via majority shareholding in Liquid Campaign.

- Number of own international locations: 7 - Paris (2006), Zurich (2008), Vienna, Brussels, Dubai (2010), Milan (2011) and Beijing (2013).

- Number of international locations through agency cooperations and participations: 21: Moscow, Delhi, Beijing, Seoul, New York, London, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Madrid, Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Lima, Mexico City, Miami, Panama City, Santiago de Chile and São Paulo.

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WW: Recently, your famous colleague and compatriot Jean Remy von Matt was in the south of France to be best man at the dream wedding of the new dream couple Veronica Ferres and Carsten Maschmeyer. That made headlines. Didn't you have an invitation?
Dr. Peter Haller: With respect, I don't know either Ms. Ferres or Mr. Maschmeyer personally, but I wish them good luck. Otherwise, I have to say that I'm not a fan of glitz and glamour appearances. That's not my thing, and it's not the thing of our company. By the way, at the time we had 400 guests here in Munich for Innovation Day 2014, discussing current developments with international experts. Even though Romano Prodi had to cancel due to health reasons, I enjoy such events. I am a service provider, not a showmaster.

Nevertheless, together with Jean Remy and Holger Jung, you are somehow among the last of the Mohicans in the European advertising industry. Both your agency Serviceplan and JvM are very successful, don't belong to any network and are owner-managed. Do you have an exit date?
No, I feel very good. I'm also proud that I organized my succession back in 2002 and that my son Florian took over. I no longer have any shares in Serviceplan. In this respect, I am no longer a decision-maker. But I am involved. What I say is my honest opinion and not my material interest.

But you are still managing director and the fact that Serviceplan is Europe's largest independent agency today is due in part to your success. The group has almost 2 billion euros in billings and you are over 70 and in the office every day. The number 105 makes for childrenWhy is Europe's number 1 practicing so much modesty?
Quite simply: Because the facts speak for us. Serviceplan is number 1 in the German creative rankings. We've been growing at double-digit rates for years, and our media agency Media Plus is also number 1 worldwide in terms of innovation, according to Recma. We make profits because we're the only agency that works fully integrated under one roof. Our management style is face-to-face and family-oriented. That's why management doesn't sit in an ivory tower somewhere, but down here on the first floor. My door is always open.

Serviceplan has been setting one sales record after another for years. What is the secret of your success?
Despite our size, we are a flexible company. For the holding company meeting, every Monday from 1 to 3 p.m., there are five of us at the table in Munich, my son Florian, Ronald Focken and Florian von Hornstein, and Alex Schill. We can decide immediately, We don't have to ask in Tokyo, London, Paris or New York. Our second pillar of success is continuity in personnel policy. The management team has remained unchanged for more than 10 years. Added to this is the success factor of our partner participation model. Every single one of our 60 specialist companies is run by managing directors who have a substantial stake in the company, which reduces the fluctuation rate to almost zero. This increases motivation and team spirit. We are here with people who understand each other and whom I like. That is an incredible privilege.

Your biggest coup?
That I have found the right successor in my son. I am proud of that. I handed over the agency to him in 2002 with 500 people, and now there are almost 2,000.

Serviceplan chose Switzerland in 2012. At the end of the famous Maja calendar, on 21.12.2012, Serviceplan Suisse opened in Zurich. It was supposed to be the start of a "golden age". Did it really turn out so golden?
In Switzerland, Serviceplan also relies on the pillars of creation, classic media and multimedia. We had found the ideal partners in Christian Baertschi and Sasha Moser at BMB. Started with 10, today the number of employees in the advertising agency alone is 35. For health reasons, Sasha Moser had to retire and we hired two experienced creatives, Raul Serrat and Christian Sommer. In addition to the creative agency, the network also includes Plan.Net Suisse AG and a stake in Media Schneider, which is proven to be the best media agency in Switzerland.

Why did you found Serviceplan in Switzerland in the first place?
The market is not very big. But there are some very important corporate headquarters there. Moreover, the market is not as price-driven as in Germany. The principle of "live and let live" still applies there.

Von Matt complains publicly about the Swiss ADC, Amir Kassaei from DDB unpacks the hatchet whenever possible. You, on the other hand, don't have anyone who really goes to town. Are you too much in need of harmony?
In fact, scandal was and is an effective instrument for drawing attention to oneself. Let's take my great hobby, the art collection. From Beuys to Baselitz, from Courbet to Richter to Hirst: they have all broken taboos, caused scandals, in order to make themselves known. But that is not our culture. I'm a trained economist, I studied economics. I know how to act sustainably and successfully as a service provider. In my philosophy, scandal simply has no place. But it's true that we are cautious in our public relations work. For example, we didn't take part in creative competitions in the past.

That changed decisively with the installation of your top creative Alexander Schill. With him, Serviceplan suddenly received international attention. Your Chief Creative Officer Schill has been collecting advertising Oscars on a permanent subscription basis since 2010. How much longer can you keep him?
It's true: We discovered a top man for our team in Alex in 2006. He installed another "house of communication" for Serviceplan in his hometown of Hamburg. Since 2008, he has been Managing Director and substantive partner of the entire Serviceplan Group. The big step into a new world for Serviceplan is the responsibility of my son Florian. He installed the "Best Brands" brand Oscar here in Munich from 2004, and the "Innovation Day" with well-known and famous speakers from 2005. Florian also initiated and promoted the internationalization of our agency group. We are very satisfied, we are growing far above average and I know that our CCO Alex Schill feels very comfortable in this environment.

At BMW, the creation was probably not so well received recently. In any case, Serviceplan had to hand over the creative budget to Munich-based competitor Heye, of all people. What went wrong there?
It is the law of competition that one of many budgets changes. We face up to that and respect the decision. Just to add: We only lost 15 percent of our BMW business with the BMW budget for Germany. BMW therefore remains a relevant customer of ours. We hold various BMW accounts both nationally and internationally.

Film man Til Schweiger recently declared in the Süddeutsche Zeitung that 19 out of 20 German commercials are sh... What do you say to that?
That's sheer ignorance. The Germans are at the forefront of creative awards today, even on TV. The German scene doesn't need any coaching from this side. Putting yourself on a pedestal and putting others down is as transparent as it is stupid.

Is it actually true that you wanted to become an opera singer?
Yes, that was my big dream. Actually against the will of my parents. At the time, I was training to sing with a well-known Wagner singer in Munich. But then hay fever thwarted my plans. I couldn't sing because of the allergy and then studied economics with little enthusiasm.

You came to advertising after your studies via the Carl Gabler advertising agency. You then moved to Dorland, a well-known Munich agency at the time. Why did you leave there and found Serviceplan?
The actual trigger at that time was the Dorland customer Champignon Camembert. The brand had great success with the TV campaign. The story: Two liveried servants present the green cheese box with the three mushrooms on the red carpet. The claim: "Ambassador of good taste". In contrast to the trade, however, the Champignon management was not at all happy. They found the somewhat artificial ambience embarrassing. They offered me their budget if I would leave Dorland. That is what I did. Together with Rolf O. Stempel, who was also at Dorland, I started my own business with Serviceplan in January 1970. Unfortunately, Rolf passed away in February 2013.

The interview was conducted by our Germany correspondent Peter Ehm

Best Seller China

A lion in front of a product? - Not possible. Chinese people throwing themselves on the ground in front of a store? - Not at all. No national flag and no showing a dragon: These are just a few Chinese advertising laws.

Kathrin Guethoff (photo) knows these rules, which, by the way, are not written down anywhere. The Munich native has been living in Beijing for nine years, knows the script and language of the host country and is now head of Serviceplan Beijing together with Roger Strack.

Not even a year old, the agency already has 30 employees. If it wins the pitch in November, the creative director will have to hire 40 new people. The list of Beijing clients includes Shell, DHL, Osram, WMF and Metro. Ikea was won in association with Serviceplan Seoul - and is now having the first Swedish furniture store in South Korea advertised entirely by Serviceplan. Kathrin Guethoff, who also has a Chinese driver's license, is a sought-after speaker in the big wide Serviceplan world. Everyone is fascinated by the new mega market. Chief Executive Florian Haller is no exception. In summer, he personally presented a "best brands" study in Shanghai. Kathrin Guethoff and her team invited guests and the media - and quickly generated around 100 million media contacts.

FC Bayern München is also on course for media success in China. As Stefan Mennerich, Director of New Media, reported to the magazine digtator.de, FCB is number 1 in the ranking of European clubs in China: "It pays off that we intensively play the Chinese platforms Sina, Weibo and WeChat with our content." ehm

Serviceplan: Facts & Figures

- Year founded: 1970

- The four core brands: Serviceplan, Mediaplus, Plan.Net and Facit, under which all companies established in the group operate.
- Customers: Beiersdorf, BMW, Carglass, Castrol, Condé Nast, Walt Disney, Friendscout24, Samsonite, Thomas Cook, Ikea, Danone, Deichmann, Europcar, Lufthansa, Paulaner, Penny, among others,
Saturn, Siemens, UNICEF.
- Number of employees: 1877
- Per capita sales in 2013/14: € 134,000
- Gross Income: € 252 million (+16 %)
- Number of new customers: 70
- Placement in the current creative ranking (wuv): 1st place defended, including 20 ADC medals.
- Number of German locations: 5 - Munich, Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin and Cologne via majority shareholding in Liquid Campaign.

Number of owned international locations: 7 - Paris (2006), Zurich (2008), Vienna, Brussels, Dubai (2010), Milan (2011) and Beijing (2013).

Number of international locations through agency cooperation and participation: 21 - Moscow, Delhi, Beijing, Seoul, New York, London, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Madrid,
Lisbon, Buenos Aires, Bogotá, Lima, Mexico City, Miami, Panama City, Santiago de Chile and São Paulo.