Head of the week: "In the stomach, the choice was made quickly".
Geri Aebi returned to Switzerland after fifteen years and took over as head of Wirz Werbung
Geri Aebi returned to Switzerland after fifteen years and took over as head of Wirz WerbungHead of the week "In the belly, the choice was made quickly".
At first, I just laughed and spontaneously declined," recalls Geri Aebi when first asked if he would like to join Wirz Werbung as CEO. At that time, he was sitting in Vienna and managing the business of Lowe GGK. In the meantime, however, he has changed his mind.
After 15 years, Aebi left Danube City, where he set out to find his advertising fortune. After completing his business studies and working for four years as a copywriter at his brother Jean Etienne's agency, Aebi & Partner, he decided in 1987 that the time was ripe for a stay abroad. However, he left Switzerland with the idea of turning his back on it for only one or two years. Geri Aebi signed on with Demner & Merlicek. Two years and a world trip later, he switched to GGK Vienna. "Then it kind of went silly, and I got stuck there," says the 43-year-old, understating his rise to CD and finally to managing director of the agency.
A rivalry between courting brothers was not a reason for him to leave Switzerland, but is also not an obstacle to return: "From my point of view, there was never any competition. We get along very well. And Jean Etienne is 14 years older than me, so that's almost a different generation." The younger brother doesn't see any reason for a profiling neurosis, and the older one probably doesn't have to fear having to leave the country for the sake of peace.
Aebi sees the timing for a return to his hometown as ideal: "My two sons are 6 and 9 years old, so now we can still transplant them relatively easily. That was one of the writing on the wall for me." He saw another in Wirz Werbung's move to a brand new building, marking the beginning of a new era for the agency. For Aebi, it was "now or never," and after discussions with Jost Wirz and Hans-Ueli Schweizer, the advertiser opted for the "now.
The move out of Austria didn't come easy for him: "In the stomach, the choice was made quickly, but the skull took a while to catch up." The appeal of pinching himself again and starting over instead of staying comfortably seated prevailed.
He first has to get used to the close-knit, manageable Zurich again. But he also has critical words for the neighboring country: "In Austria, agencies make less of an effort to achieve creative excellence, people are more easily satisfied, and that's dangerous. The tougher competition in Switzerland appeals to him, and his goal is to further distinguish Wirz as a creative brand in this environment.
He's also not unhappy about the solidarity among Helvetic agencies: "It's nothing but reasonable if they don't want to hurt each other all the time. We're all in the same boat called advertising, and the sea is rough enough at the moment."
Bruno Amstutz
At first, I just laughed and spontaneously declined," recalls Geri Aebi when first asked if he would like to join Wirz Werbung as CEO. At that time, he was sitting in Vienna and managing the business of Lowe GGK. In the meantime, however, he has changed his mind.
After 15 years, Aebi left Danube City, where he set out to find his advertising fortune. After completing his business studies and working for four years as a copywriter at his brother Jean Etienne's agency, Aebi & Partner, he decided in 1987 that the time was ripe for a stay abroad. However, he left Switzerland with the idea of turning his back on it for only one or two years. Geri Aebi signed on with Demner & Merlicek. Two years and a world trip later, he switched to GGK Vienna. "Then it kind of went silly, and I got stuck there," says the 43-year-old, understating his rise to CD and finally to managing director of the agency.
A rivalry between courting brothers was not a reason for him to leave Switzerland, but is also not an obstacle to return: "From my point of view, there was never any competition. We get along very well. And Jean Etienne is 14 years older than me, so that's almost a different generation." The younger brother doesn't see any reason for a profiling neurosis, and the older one probably doesn't have to fear having to leave the country for the sake of peace.
Aebi sees the timing for a return to his hometown as ideal: "My two sons are 6 and 9 years old, so now we can still transplant them relatively easily. That was one of the writing on the wall for me." He saw another in Wirz Werbung's move to a brand new building, marking the beginning of a new era for the agency. For Aebi, it was "now or never," and after discussions with Jost Wirz and Hans-Ueli Schweizer, the advertiser opted for the "now.
The move out of Austria didn't come easy for him: "In the stomach, the choice was made quickly, but the skull took a while to catch up." The appeal of pinching himself again and starting over instead of staying comfortably seated prevailed.
He first has to get used to the close-knit, manageable Zurich again. But he also has critical words for the neighboring country: "In Austria, agencies make less of an effort to achieve creative excellence, people are more easily satisfied, and that's dangerous. The tougher competition in Switzerland appeals to him, and his goal is to further distinguish Wirz as a creative brand in this environment.
He's also not unhappy about the solidarity among Helvetic agencies: "It's nothing but reasonable if they don't want to hurt each other all the time. We're all in the same boat called advertising, and the sea is rough enough at the moment."
Bruno Amstutz
