Head of the week: "Political communication should be more humorous"
Jean-Blaise Defago has been a member of the executive board at Burson-Marsteller in Bern since June 1
Jean-Blaise Defago has been a member of the Executive Board at Burson-Marsteller in Bern since June 1Head of the week: "Political communication should be more humorous" /
As Secretary General of the SVP, Jean-Blaise Defago increasingly struggled with the party's policies. And after the recent discussions about the advertising campaign for the vote on the military laws, he is probably also glad that he no longer has to represent this style of communication to the outside world. Moreover, after five years in politics, he felt like tackling something new.
The offer from Burson-Marsteller in Bern therefore came at just the right time. Lic. phil. Jean-Blaise Defago was fascinated by media studies, so it was no wonder that he joined the information service of the Federal Chancellery after completing his studies in Fribourg. Along the way, he obtained a diploma as a federally certified PR consultant at the Sawi.
Defago is delighted that he now finally has the opportunity to put his theoretical PR knowledge into practice. Agency life is new to him. At the communications agency Burson-Marsteller, the 39-year-old will be primarily responsible for Public Affairs/Corporate Communications for the Bern and French-speaking Switzerland region as a member of the management board. He sees a particular need for action in the region between Biel and Neuchâtel, but also in the canton of Vaud with its numerous newly established companies.
He knows that as a consultant, he now has to put the customer's concerns first, he says, when asked about the potential for conflict in his new job. This will probably not always be easy for the extraverted and communicative doer.
As a PR consultant at Burson-Marsteller, Defago can well imagine taking on political mandates. These will gain in importance in the future anyway, Defago knows. He also believes that advertising for political causes is becoming less and less different from commercial advertising. Those who want to make well-founded arguments are hardly reaching the public any more.
The SP and SVP have probably been so successful with their campaigns in recent years because they have been concise and striking. For Defago, however, the highest credo for political communication remains the demand for truth and respect for the opponent. "But political communication should be a little more humorous," says Defago.
He will put his own political career on hold for the next few years and devote himself entirely to his new role. Networking will be a priority for him, not only in Bern, but also in the canton of Fribourg, where he lives with his family. He has already spun a thread to weave a network:
He becomes a member of the board of the influential ice hockey club Fribourg Gottéron. Anita Vaucher
As Secretary General of the SVP, Jean-Blaise Defago increasingly struggled with the party's policies. And after the recent discussions about the advertising campaign for the vote on the military laws, he is probably also glad that he no longer has to represent this style of communication to the outside world. Moreover, after five years in politics, he felt like tackling something new.
The offer from Burson-Marsteller in Bern therefore came at just the right time. Lic. phil. Jean-Blaise Defago was fascinated by media studies, so it was no wonder that he joined the information service of the Federal Chancellery after completing his studies in Fribourg. Along the way, he obtained a diploma as a federally certified PR consultant at the Sawi.
Defago is delighted that he now finally has the opportunity to put his theoretical PR knowledge into practice. Agency life is new to him. At the communications agency Burson-Marsteller, the 39-year-old will be primarily responsible for Public Affairs/Corporate Communications for the Bern and French-speaking Switzerland region as a member of the management board. He sees a particular need for action in the region between Biel and Neuchâtel, but also in the canton of Vaud with its numerous newly established companies.
He knows that as a consultant, he now has to put the customer's concerns first, he says, when asked about the potential for conflict in his new job. This will probably not always be easy for the extraverted and communicative doer.
As a PR consultant at Burson-Marsteller, Defago can well imagine taking on political mandates. These will gain in importance in the future anyway, Defago knows. He also believes that advertising for political causes is becoming less and less different from commercial advertising. Those who want to make well-founded arguments are hardly reaching the public any more.
The SP and SVP have probably been so successful with their campaigns in recent years because they have been concise and striking. For Defago, however, the highest credo for political communication remains the demand for truth and respect for the opponent. "But political communication should be a little more humorous," says Defago.
He will put his own political career on hold for the next few years and devote himself entirely to his new role. Networking will be a priority for him, not only in Bern, but also in the canton of Fribourg, where he lives with his family. He has already spun a thread to weave a network:
He becomes a member of the board of the influential ice hockey club Fribourg Gottéron. Anita Vaucher
