Heads of the week: The pair runners
John Leuppi and Sascha Fanetti want to build up Saatchi & Saatchi Simko Zurich as creative directors and offer potential clients an interesting alternative.
John Leuppi and Sascha Fanetti want to build up Saatchi & Saatchi Simko Zurich as CDs and offer potential customers an interesting alternative.
We heard that "quite a few people applied," laughs Sascha Fanetti, not without pride. "Among them were also well-known creative directors," adds John Leuppi. But they didn't want to hire them because they would probably have continued the style of their previous agencies. And that wasn't the aim, reveal Leuppi and Fanetti, who were eventually given the go-ahead as the creative directors of Saatchi & Saatchi's "start-up" in Zurich. Two still "young" CDs that can boast enough silver in their hair as well as gold at the ADC and many other national and international awards.
The two have since been congratulated from all sides for their coveted acceptance. "It remains to be seen whether they'll still think it's so great when we take part in the pitches," jokes Fanetti. And both agree: they want to offer potential clients an interesting alternative to traditional agencies with fresh creative ideas and the "Lovemarks philosophy".
Plans have already been made in the past by various networks that also wanted to have their own address in the Mecca of Swiss advertising. It worked for some, but not for others. For their own challenge, the new CDs see the advantage that Saatchi & Saatchi Simko is not just a strong brand stretching out its arms to Zurich. The agency in Kreis 4 is also to be developed into a strong company itself. CEO Kaspar Loeb and Chief Strategic Officer Pascal Schaub are at the helm. "Two strong, competent personalities who we greatly value," say Leuppi and Fanetti.
In the first phase, the new agency will employ around twelve people in Zurich. "We already have more work on our plate than manpower in the agency," calculate the creative directors. Depending on the outcome of the pitches, the agency on Bäckerstrasse can therefore grow very quickly. "Nothing is impossible for us. Thanks to our big, strong sister in Geneva, we can reliably serve not only small, but also medium-sized and large clients with great ideas, good quality and the best service."
The first customers have been transferred from Geneva to Zurich. "It makes sense to be able to serve Orange B2B, Seat and Happy Bett directly on site." But Saatchi & Saatchi Simko is also attracting keen interest from various companies in Zurich when it comes to new business. "The appeal of the new in combination with an established brand," summarizes the duo. This constellation was also the decisive factor in their decision to join the new agency.
"We are given a lot of freedom, but we also have correspondingly high expectations," say the two CDs, who can now decide for themselves which of their ideas are worthy of finding their way onto the open market. In addition to this new creative responsibility, Leuppi and Fanetti also enjoy steering the style of their work in their desired direction themselves. "There are no entrenched structures in the agency yet. We can constantly adapt them to our needs."
"I was due for this step at some point," says John Leuppi. He has been working in advertising since the early 1990s. He spent almost seven of those 18 years at Wirz Werbung. He sees "having a say and helping to shape what is done" as one of his biggest motivations in his new job.
Sascha Fanetti feels the same way. "We would have been stupid if we hadn't seized this opportunity." The first two CDs at Saatchi & Saatchi Simko in Zurich have been working successfully as a team for some time. This was the case with Wirz for three years. They spent two years together as a duo at Daniel Matter. "We're almost like an old married couple: the occasional argument, no sex and still lots of fun every day." After all, they often spend more than ten hours a day together in their job.
Fanetti never wanted to do anything other than advertising professionally. "It's probably a family illness for me." His father was head of marketing at an international chemical company for 40 years. Sascha wanted to start out as a graphic designer. But because he couldn't draw, he "had" to learn typesetting. He worked more specifically towards his goal at the renowned design agency CI Programm. Then, after three years, he returned to advertising as an AD assistant at Aebi Strebel and Honegger von Matt, where the 36-year-old Fanetti was able to develop into a graphic designer "autodidactically". He moved to Daniel Matter for five years and earned his spurs as an AD. This was followed by two extremely successful years at Ruf Lanz before he moved to Lesch + Frei. After a period as a freelancer with his own clients, Fanetti was finally hired by Wirz, where he also met John Leuppi again.
He first trained as a machine mechanic and supplemented his curriculum with a commercial apprenticeship. Obviously, a lot of curiosity and the necessary talent later opened the door to the coveted Ringier School of Journalism in Zofingen. There was also a workshop on advertising with Hansjörg Zürcher and André Benker. Leuppi was bitten by the advertising bug and joined Advico as a junior copywriter after journalism school in 1990. After six years, he moved to Honegger von Matt and later to Daniel Matter, where the 44-year-old was able to experience all stages of Matter's agency history.
A year in Brazil was also "very exciting". Together with his South American wife and two children, the advertising man emigrated to Brazil, where he opened a restaurant and bar in the south of the country. When the Argentinian tourists from this inflation-stricken country began to disappear, the Leuppi family returned to Switzerland. Despite everything, the adventure remained "a rich experience that has helped me personally".
In Zurich, he returned to advertising with great enthusiasm. First a comeback at Matter and then at Wirz, where he worked as a senior copywriter for almost seven years.
And when they're not working?
Fanetti likes to get on his motorcycle: preferably on one of his Ducati bikes on the GP circuits in Mugello, Barcelona or Brno. Family man Leuppi also rides a motorcycle, but only on the road. Instead, he loves to accompany his two boys to their football matches.
Andreas Panzeri
We heard that "quite a few people applied," laughs Sascha Fanetti, not without pride. "Among them were also well-known creative directors," adds John Leuppi. But they didn't want to hire them because they would probably have continued the style of their previous agencies. And that wasn't the aim, reveal Leuppi and Fanetti, who were eventually given the go-ahead as the creative directors of Saatchi & Saatchi's "start-up" in Zurich. Two still "young" CDs that can boast enough silver in their hair as well as gold at the ADC and many other national and international awards.
The two have since been congratulated from all sides for their coveted acceptance. "It remains to be seen whether they'll still think it's so great when we take part in the pitches," jokes Fanetti. And both agree: they want to offer potential clients an interesting alternative to traditional agencies with fresh creative ideas and the "Lovemarks philosophy".
Plans have already been made in the past by various networks that also wanted to have their own address in the Mecca of Swiss advertising. It worked for some, but not for others. For their own challenge, the new CDs see the advantage that Saatchi & Saatchi Simko is not just a strong brand stretching out its arms to Zurich. The agency in Kreis 4 is also to be developed into a strong company itself. CEO Kaspar Loeb and Chief Strategic Officer Pascal Schaub are at the helm. "Two strong, competent personalities who we greatly value," say Leuppi and Fanetti.
In the first phase, the new agency will employ around twelve people in Zurich. "We already have more work on our plate than manpower in the agency," calculate the creative directors. Depending on the outcome of the pitches, the agency on Bäckerstrasse can therefore grow very quickly. "Nothing is impossible for us. Thanks to our big, strong sister in Geneva, we can reliably serve not only small, but also medium-sized and large clients with great ideas, good quality and the best service."
The first customers have been transferred from Geneva to Zurich. "It makes sense to be able to serve Orange B2B, Seat and Happy Bett directly on site." But Saatchi & Saatchi Simko is also attracting keen interest from various companies in Zurich when it comes to new business. "The appeal of the new in combination with an established brand," summarizes the duo. This constellation was also the decisive factor in their decision to join the new agency.
"We are given a lot of freedom, but we also have correspondingly high expectations," say the two CDs, who can now decide for themselves which of their ideas are worthy of finding their way onto the open market. In addition to this new creative responsibility, Leuppi and Fanetti also enjoy steering the style of their work in their desired direction themselves. "There are no entrenched structures in the agency yet. We can constantly adapt them to our needs."
"I was due for this step at some point," says John Leuppi. He has been working in advertising since the early 1990s. He spent almost seven of those 18 years at Wirz Werbung. He sees "having a say and helping to shape what is done" as one of his biggest motivations in his new job.
Sascha Fanetti feels the same way. "We would have been stupid if we hadn't seized this opportunity." The first two CDs at Saatchi & Saatchi Simko in Zurich have been working successfully as a team for some time. This was the case with Wirz for three years. They spent two years together as a duo at Daniel Matter. "We're almost like an old married couple: the occasional argument, no sex and still lots of fun every day." After all, they often spend more than ten hours a day together in their job.
Fanetti never wanted to do anything other than advertising professionally. "It's probably a family illness for me." His father was head of marketing at an international chemical company for 40 years. Sascha wanted to start out as a graphic designer. But because he couldn't draw, he "had" to learn typesetting. He worked more specifically towards his goal at the renowned design agency CI Programm. Then, after three years, he returned to advertising as an AD assistant at Aebi Strebel and Honegger von Matt, where the 36-year-old Fanetti was able to develop into a graphic designer "autodidactically". He moved to Daniel Matter for five years and earned his spurs as an AD. This was followed by two extremely successful years at Ruf Lanz before he moved to Lesch + Frei. After a period as a freelancer with his own clients, Fanetti was finally hired by Wirz, where he also met John Leuppi again.
He first trained as a machine mechanic and supplemented his curriculum with a commercial apprenticeship. Obviously, a lot of curiosity and the necessary talent later opened the door to the coveted Ringier School of Journalism in Zofingen. There was also a workshop on advertising with Hansjörg Zürcher and André Benker. Leuppi was bitten by the advertising bug and joined Advico as a junior copywriter after journalism school in 1990. After six years, he moved to Honegger von Matt and later to Daniel Matter, where the 44-year-old was able to experience all stages of Matter's agency history.
A year in Brazil was also "very exciting". Together with his South American wife and two children, the advertising man emigrated to Brazil, where he opened a restaurant and bar in the south of the country. When the Argentinian tourists from this inflation-stricken country began to disappear, the Leuppi family returned to Switzerland. Despite everything, the adventure remained "a rich experience that has helped me personally".
In Zurich, he returned to advertising with great enthusiasm. First a comeback at Matter and then at Wirz, where he worked as a senior copywriter for almost seven years.
And when they're not working?
Fanetti likes to get on his motorcycle: preferably on one of his Ducati bikes on the GP circuits in Mugello, Barcelona or Brno. Family man Leuppi also rides a motorcycle, but only on the road. Instead, he loves to accompany his two boys to their football matches.
Andreas Panzeri
