"Fun and joy not forgotten"
Michael Preiswerk (54), chairman of the German ADC and a Swiss citizen, on quality standards.
Michael Preiswerk (54), chairman of the German ADC with a Swiss passport, talks about quality standards.WW Mr. Preiswerk, how does it feel to be the new chairman of the world's largest ADC?Michael Preiswerk: The largest ADC in the world? No, our exhibition in this form is the largest in the world.
biggest. In Germany, the ADC show is certainly decisive in terms of opinion leadership. For me, the election is both an honor and an obligation.
The two Gs of GGK, Karl Gerstner and Paul Gredinger, are honorary members of the German ADC. In this context, your predecessor Sebastian Turner spoke of the role model function of Swiss advertising. How do you see that?
Swiss advertising is very important in Europe. Definitely at the top. I'm a fan of its clarity, consistency and originality. The prejudice that the Swiss are lazy with their mouths is also disproved by the many good campaigns. When they say something, it's a precision landing.
Speaking of level: despite three percent more submissions, your juries awarded a good 25 percent fewer works. Is that self-mortification or a loss of standard across the board?
Rather the first. The juries have become stricter in their judging, which has made the ADC more exclusive. You see, many works in Germany stand out for their good design, but are stripped of ideas. We, on the other hand, evaluate ideas. The best ones. And those that also meet international standards. Furthermore, this year the juries were required to award not only quality, but real existing quality.
You are referring to the fake festival that many people painted on the wall in the run-up to the competition.
If you look at the result, we were able to prevent this. Which is not to say that only large clients were awarded prizes.
The introduction of the "low budget" category was also mentioned as a possible solution. How do you feel about this?
Such voices were raised again. However, the budget size of the commissioned work does not play a role in our assessment. The lowest switching frequency is permissible as long as the publication circumstances are plausible and the campaign resonates with the target group. After all, it is precisely the work with smaller budgets that must assert itself through good creation. And show what is possible.
Let's move on to your goals for the German ADC. What do you want to change during your term of office?
I don't want the whole thing to be taken too seriously, too German. Yes, we do advertising and we take our job very seriously. But we mustn't forget the joy and the fun in all this seriousness. After all, who is called upon to take an optimistic view of the world in this day and age if not us advertisers? Of course, I can't change that, but I would like to point it out. We should try to come up with even better ideas with more light-footedness.
For the first time, however, they also had the judges chosen by lot. They were then only assigned to the categories half an hour before their task. What is the purpose of this?
The idea was to introduce even more objectivity and neutrality here. This would prevent any potential cliques and the possibility of prior consultation.
ADC Germany has noticed a trend towards more emotion, humor and even poetry in the work. Are you also observing this development internationally?
Yes, and not since today. As far as Germany is concerned, Brazilian imagery is being replaced by narrative and more human advertising. Just one example - the GTI campaign. Furthermore, there is always better humor. As we are experiencing an oversaturation of comedy programs on television, the punchlines in advertising have to get better. Good examples of this: Media Markt, Hornbach, K-fee.
In 2004, German creatives were among the most successful participants in the international competitions for the first time. Will Germany's advertising soon join the league of the top
Scorers like England, Scandinavia, the USA and Brazil?
Yes, German advertising has arrived internationally. We have worked hard on ourselves in recent years and taken the criticism to heart. The question of where we stand in an international context is no longer asked so often. That's a good thing. But it is also necessary in the age of the Internet. German companies that are internationally oriented with their products and services also want to cross borders in their communication.
You don't sound like a Swiss abroad, but like a native German. What else is typically Swiss about you?
(laughs) I still have a Swiss passport. And when I discuss a topic with my wife and start to say something, she's often very quick to ask: Well, is there anything else coming up?
Basel native with agency in StuttgartAs the son of a Basel judge, Michael Preiswerk decided to go to graphic design school. There he studied under Samson "Cioma" Schönhaus, who was able to save hundreds of doomed Jews from the Nazis with his forged passports. After graduating and completing an internship in London, he joined GGK in Düsseldorf as an AD, where
Michael Schirner is his mentor.
Preiswerk's unconventional work soon earned him awards at home and abroad - including the Cannes Golden Lion for Advertising. After several years at McCann-Erickson Frankfurt as CD/CCO Vice Chairman, he set up his own business and founded the agency GPP with Peter Godenrath, of which he is now Managing Partner. His clients included major brands such as Puma, Club Med and Camel. Today, the spokesman for the board of the German ADC mainly looks after medium-sized companies. (la)
Interview: Luca Aloisi
biggest. In Germany, the ADC show is certainly decisive in terms of opinion leadership. For me, the election is both an honor and an obligation.
The two Gs of GGK, Karl Gerstner and Paul Gredinger, are honorary members of the German ADC. In this context, your predecessor Sebastian Turner spoke of the role model function of Swiss advertising. How do you see that?
Swiss advertising is very important in Europe. Definitely at the top. I'm a fan of its clarity, consistency and originality. The prejudice that the Swiss are lazy with their mouths is also disproved by the many good campaigns. When they say something, it's a precision landing.
Speaking of level: despite three percent more submissions, your juries awarded a good 25 percent fewer works. Is that self-mortification or a loss of standard across the board?
Rather the first. The juries have become stricter in their judging, which has made the ADC more exclusive. You see, many works in Germany stand out for their good design, but are stripped of ideas. We, on the other hand, evaluate ideas. The best ones. And those that also meet international standards. Furthermore, this year the juries were required to award not only quality, but real existing quality.
You are referring to the fake festival that many people painted on the wall in the run-up to the competition.
If you look at the result, we were able to prevent this. Which is not to say that only large clients were awarded prizes.
The introduction of the "low budget" category was also mentioned as a possible solution. How do you feel about this?
Such voices were raised again. However, the budget size of the commissioned work does not play a role in our assessment. The lowest switching frequency is permissible as long as the publication circumstances are plausible and the campaign resonates with the target group. After all, it is precisely the work with smaller budgets that must assert itself through good creation. And show what is possible.
Let's move on to your goals for the German ADC. What do you want to change during your term of office?
I don't want the whole thing to be taken too seriously, too German. Yes, we do advertising and we take our job very seriously. But we mustn't forget the joy and the fun in all this seriousness. After all, who is called upon to take an optimistic view of the world in this day and age if not us advertisers? Of course, I can't change that, but I would like to point it out. We should try to come up with even better ideas with more light-footedness.
For the first time, however, they also had the judges chosen by lot. They were then only assigned to the categories half an hour before their task. What is the purpose of this?
The idea was to introduce even more objectivity and neutrality here. This would prevent any potential cliques and the possibility of prior consultation.
ADC Germany has noticed a trend towards more emotion, humor and even poetry in the work. Are you also observing this development internationally?
Yes, and not since today. As far as Germany is concerned, Brazilian imagery is being replaced by narrative and more human advertising. Just one example - the GTI campaign. Furthermore, there is always better humor. As we are experiencing an oversaturation of comedy programs on television, the punchlines in advertising have to get better. Good examples of this: Media Markt, Hornbach, K-fee.
In 2004, German creatives were among the most successful participants in the international competitions for the first time. Will Germany's advertising soon join the league of the top
Scorers like England, Scandinavia, the USA and Brazil?
Yes, German advertising has arrived internationally. We have worked hard on ourselves in recent years and taken the criticism to heart. The question of where we stand in an international context is no longer asked so often. That's a good thing. But it is also necessary in the age of the Internet. German companies that are internationally oriented with their products and services also want to cross borders in their communication.
You don't sound like a Swiss abroad, but like a native German. What else is typically Swiss about you?
(laughs) I still have a Swiss passport. And when I discuss a topic with my wife and start to say something, she's often very quick to ask: Well, is there anything else coming up?
Basel native with agency in StuttgartAs the son of a Basel judge, Michael Preiswerk decided to go to graphic design school. There he studied under Samson "Cioma" Schönhaus, who was able to save hundreds of doomed Jews from the Nazis with his forged passports. After graduating and completing an internship in London, he joined GGK in Düsseldorf as an AD, where
Michael Schirner is his mentor.
Preiswerk's unconventional work soon earned him awards at home and abroad - including the Cannes Golden Lion for Advertising. After several years at McCann-Erickson Frankfurt as CD/CCO Vice Chairman, he set up his own business and founded the agency GPP with Peter Godenrath, of which he is now Managing Partner. His clients included major brands such as Puma, Club Med and Camel. Today, the spokesman for the board of the German ADC mainly looks after medium-sized companies. (la)
Interview: Luca Aloisi
