"My plan is to not have a plan for once".
Peter Brönnimann is leaving Leo Burnett after twelve years. Axel Eckstein will succeed the reigning “Advertiser of the Year” as the new Executive Creative Director. Peter Brönnimann and Andy Stäheli discuss the reasons behind this decision and what the future holds.
As of March 3, 2014, Axel Eckstein will take over as Head of Creation together with existing Executive Creative Director Johannes Raggio and will become part of the management team of Leo Burnett Switzerland. This writes Leo Burnett in a statement on Friday.
"Still a lot of fun to create".
Peter Brönnimann, Advertiser of the year 2013After almost 12 years at Aemtlerstrasse, Brönnimann has decided to leave the agency, take some time off and then take on new challenges. Brönnimann has deliberately not given much thought to what this time-out will look like, as he tells Werbewoche.ch: "My plan is not to have a plan for a while after so many years - except for the fact that we will visit my parents-in-law in Australia in the summer. He also leaves the decision open as to what will follow after that. He can imagine anything, he says, including advertising. "I still very much enjoy creating good communication ideas."
No unexpected turn
Brönnimann has been with the agency since its launch in 2002 and has been jointly responsible for many award-winning campaigns. Among other things, Brönnimann was jointly responsible for the turnaround sets - the most awarded poster campaign in the world in 2013 (Werbewoche.ch reported). Did his life also take an unexpected turn here, or had his departure already been certain for some time? "You don't make such decisions overnight. For some time now, I've often felt the need for a change, and I'd also like to make other experiences. Andy Stäheli and I then drew up a roadmap together that left enough time to find a good successor. And I am glad that such a successor has been found in Axel Eckstein," says Brönnimann.
The separation followed "on good terms," as Leo Burnett CEO Andy Stäheli also confirmed to Werbewoche.ch: "100 percent! We've been on the road together for a very long time and I respect Peter's decision to take a break after almost twelve years at Aemtlerstrasse and to want to do something new afterwards." In the statement, he thanks Brönnimann "for his many years of commitment and his constant striving for fresh ideas."
Deep understanding of brands
With Axel Eckstein, Leo Burnett Switzerland gains a proven creative with almost 20 years of experience in major national and international agencies, who is an excellent fit for the agency, says Stäheli: "Axel has a deep understanding of brands and broad industry know-how, his constant drive for the new and his personal view of effective communication, have made him our preferred candidate in the Swiss market." Axel Eckstein is a member of ADC Switzerland, ADC Germany and the Account Planning Group Switzerland. "With Johannes Raggio as existing and Axel Eckstein as new Executive Creative Director, we are simultaneously counting on continuity and new momentum - and thus on the continued successful future of the agency" says Andy Stäheli.
"Not only top professionally, but also as a person".
Stäheli is optimistic about the future and has no fear that Brönnimann will be followed by other top performers at the agency in the sense of a castling. "Our employees really enjoyed working with Peter - and I'm sure that they and our clients will enjoy working with Axel just as much," Stäheli told Werbewoche.ch. Eckstein is not only top-notch professionally, but also fits in perfectly with the existing team in human terms, he added. "We will continue to create popular brand ideas and thus move people and brands at an above-average rate. This credo is lived by all our employees and Axel also has the same understanding of efficient communication."
Thomas Häusermann
