The Advertising Personality of the Year award is one of the social highlights on the Swiss agency scene's agenda. The creatives chose their "king" for the first time back in 1977. This year, the title was awarded for the 37th time. The industry leader of the year was chosen by the subscribers of Werbewoche. A final round of nominees were put forward by a kind of "Academy" of all previous advertisers of the year. After last year's winner Peter Brönnimann from Leo Burnett Switzerland, the nominees for the current title were six nominees for election. Geri Aebi as a seasoned CEO of a large agency, the strategist Regula Fecker, Michael Hählen as a representative for SME communication, Michael Hinderling for digital, Alexander Jaggy for a comprehensive full service and Philipp Skrabal for a creative with a desire for change.

Advertiser of the Year (Photo: Thomas Stuckert)

Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief of Werbewoche, is delighted that the Advertiser of the Year is also perceived by the public and the media as an "ambassador for the industry". "The media acceptance of our choice and the numerous requests for a specialist commentary on current advertising topics show that our Advertiser of the Year is perceived as an opinion leader for Swiss advertising."

The two new advertisers of the year were awarded the "Egon" trophy. The little man with an oversized mouth as a megaphone was designed by Swiss artist Max Grüter. The trophy is a small nod to the fact that advertisers are often said to have (too) big a mouth. The "Egon" was presented for the first time this year as part of the "Night of the Brand" as the festive conclusion of the Swiss Brand Congress at the Dolder Grand in Zurich. As a double victory was not planned for the Egon production, the two winners will have to make do with a miniature version for the time being. The large award, produced for the first time by 3D printers and slightly revised this year, will follow.

On this evening, attended by many personalities from the business and communications sector, the "Campaign of the year" award. The entertaining show was hosted by Miriam Rickli with naturalness, charm and spontaneity. In addition to the two awards presented by Werbewoche, the "Swiss Academy of Marketing Science Award" and the "Rigour & Relevance Award" for outstanding achievements in scientific marketing research were also presented afterwards. Feldschlösschen CEO and jury member Thomas Amstutz promised free beer on the Bundesplatz if Switzerland reached the World Cup final. Realistic or not - the audience responded to this news with thunderous applause. (pd/hae)

Advertiser of the Year 2014:

Regula Fecker is one of four partners at the Rod Kommunikation agency. The strategist already won the title of Advertiser of the Year in 2010. She is jointly responsible for the current "Love Life - Regret nothing" campaign as well as other popular campaigns such as "Slow down. Take it easy." Her work for the current SBB campaign is also highly visible. In addition, the Miami Ad School graduate is passionate about researching the Swiss advertising industry. Regula Fecker was elected to the SRG Board of Directors in 2012.

Alexander Jaggy has been working in advertising for 24 years. He is Executive Creative Director and co-owner of Jung von Matt/Limmat and has been with the agency since 2001. Previous positions include BBDO Zurich, GGK Zurich, Springer and Jacoby in Hamburg, Jung von Matt Hamburg. Alexander Jaggy is a board member of ADC Switzerland and a member of ADC Germany. He is also a graduate of the Berlin School of creative leadership. Alexander Jaggy and his team can currently be seen in various projects for Migros, Max Shoes and Graubünden.

WW: You were already "Advertiser of the Year" once in 2010. Anyone who holds this title is also considered a Swiss "advertising ambassador". Has your message changed since then?
Regula Fecker: First of all, I am simply delighted with the recognition from the industry for the work that I have been able to do with Rod together with my partners for seven years. My message is still the same - a claim for me, for Rod, for the industry, a commitment to the clients, namely "A Bigger Bang for the Buck".

You were - among many other things - a singer in a rock band in your youth. What has remained of the rocker?
Alexander Jaggy: At least not the long hair - music is still an important part of my life. The most essential thing in a band is team spirit. Nothing works without it. I try to spread this spirit every day in our agency. Since my time on stage, I've had a certain fearlessness when it comes to performing. That's why I'm hardly nervous before presentations. Once you've had to sing regularly in church halls in front of a handful of critical audience members, almost nothing can rattle you.

Does advertising offer creative people more opportunities to develop today than in the past?
Fecker: Yes, I think so. In terms of content, concept, technology, media - a playground of new possibilities lies ahead of us. But that's precisely why we need to force ourselves to keep things simple now more than ever!
Jaggy: Clearly yes. It also has to do with media behavior. It's no longer linear - newspaper in the morning, radio at lunchtime, television in the evening. We watch TV programs when we want and get news via social networks. At the same time, the variety of new communication options is increasing. There's no question that this is very demanding and time-consuming. But it also makes working as a creative a thousand times more interesting.

However, it has also become more difficult to reach an increasingly fragmented target audience. Should creatives leave this task even more to the search engines in future?
Jaggy: Technology is now so firmly interwoven with our lives that it is almost impossible to separate the real and virtual worlds. The big challenge will be to provide the audience with the right information in the right place. Search engines can help us to locate target persons, but the offer still has to come from the marketers.

More and more "younger" media are being used in advertising. Where do you see the opportunities and challenges for a creative who has grown up with double-sided ads and cinema advertising?
Jaggy: It's not the medium that matters, but the idea. If you have good ideas, you will still be a sought-after creative in ten years' time. No technology is capable of writing a strategy or developing a campaign. That's why it's increasingly important these days to switch off the computer and switch on the brain.

Advertising used to finance social reporting in our media. This model is being phased out. How do you see this development?
Fecker: The model is not quite dying out either. But consolidation is taking place, the small and niche players are dying, diversity is dwindling. For media brands today, it is vital to retain as many people as possible, as this keeps them attractive for advertisers because they can reach many people at once. 20 Minuten has been doing the best job of all the print media in Switzerland for years.
Jaggy: The media are still primarily financed by advertising. However, the cake is distributed differently. Today, investments tend to be made in digital and electronic media. Journalism is ultimately in the same predicament as advertising: customers are no longer prepared to pay appropriately for clever ideas and good craftsmanship. Quality has to pay again.

How do you use Facebook, Twitter and the like in your private life?
Fecker: My private use of social media is completely irrelevant. In our job, you should never draw conclusions about others from yourself.
Jaggy: "I like."

Successful advertising today has to break the rules, according to a recent trend study. What rules have you ever broken?
Fecker: The best thing to do is to take a look at our new LOVE LIFE campaign from Rod ... Oh, it's a joy to see how my partner David Schärer's ingenious PR strategy works and breaks all the rules! And we have no regrets.
Jaggy: My old companion Pius Walker and I once offered a client a lot of money to realize one of our advertisements. We were so convinced by the idea that we put all our savings on the table, a little over 10,000 Deutschmarks. Fortunately, the customer nobly rejected the money and placed the ad anyway. A win-win situation with slightly blackmailing features. I admit that.

You were also trained for your management role at Jung von Matt at the Berlin School of creative leadership. What did you learn there?
Jaggy: The Berlin School was a stroke of luck for me. And I am eternally grateful to Michael Conrad for giving me the chance to take part in this course. I was able to learn about creative leadership from the best in the business. I also got to travel the world, made many new friends and my English improved. I vividly remember a sentence from the dean of Northwestern University: "The optimist invented the plane. The pessimist invented the parachute."

You also trained at the Miami Ad School. What did you learn there?
Fecker: How important it is to present and sell your own ideas well. You can't delegate that. In Miami, we had to present a campaign in English against 6 other teams in front of 50 people every Tuesday evening. I hated it: sweating, losing my voice, sheer panic. Until a lecturer said to me: "You know what? Nobody in this room wants you to fail. Because that's just unbearable to watch."

You both worked abroad for a long time. What did this recent experience away from Switzerland bring you?
Jaggy: Immediately after my time at GGK Zurich, I went to Germany. The move abroad made me more open and competitive. Springer & Jacoby was my personal steel bath. Tough in the matter, human in my dealings. The philosophy of the three Es - Simple, Exact, Imaginative - still shapes me today.
Fecker: I left as a junior and came back as a senior.

You also founded your own agency when you were still young. What do you think about this decision today?
Fecker: I am extremely proud of what David Schärer, Oliver Fennel, Pablo Koerfer and I have achieved together with our team over the last few years. And the clients we are now able to work for as lead agency - BAG, Baloise, Erdgas, Hotelplan, LAAX, MINI, Migrolino, Mobility, Sinalco, SBB, 20 Minuten ... good brands, good people, a great privilege.

What do you like about working at the head of Rod Kommunikation?
Fecker: I'm not at the top, that's Pablo Koerfer, our Managing Director. But to come back to your question: I like the fact that we have fast processes, are unbureaucratic and that I personally don't manage, but also work for our customers myself, solve their problems and find out directly what has worked and what hasn't.

Regula Fecker is not the only one who has founded her own agencies. Was that never an idea for Alexander Jaggy?
Jaggy: Having my own agency is not an issue at the moment. I am very happy with my environment at the agency. We have a strong crew together and still want to achieve a lot. As a partner in the agency, I'm content with the J in JvM for the time being.

What do you like about working as an ECD at Jung von Matt/Limmat?
Jaggy: What I enjoy most of all is working with people. On the agency or client side. I no longer make a big distinction. I like the versatility of my job. And I like complex tasks. It's like solving a puzzle without being able to look up the solution. There's something appealing about that.

The agencies have large steamers and maneuverable speedboats. What are the advantages of the two models?
Jaggy: I only know of a few speedboats that have remained consistent. These agencies deserve the greatest respect. However, you need talent and capacity to be able to handle certain projects. And that is only possible with a critical mass.

Where do you see yourself in ten years' time?
Fecker: On a farm in the Zurich Oberland with a barn converted into a workspace: one leg in the vegetable garden, one leg in business.
Jaggy: To be honest, I have no idea. Maybe I should consult Mike Shiva.

Suppose we want to realize a home story with the "Advertiser of the Year". What can we show or reveal and what not?
Jaggy: You won't get a picture of me in the bubble bath. Apart from that, I'm relatively relaxed.
Fecker: Why don't you accompany me for a day on the SBB through Switzerland, then we'll be "on the road at home" together. We would drink a lot of coffee, talk and observe and analyze Switzerland. That's probably as close to a home story as I would let you get.

Interview via chat: Andreas Panzeri

It's bad at first. I always try to stay calm and block out the pain. After a minute, it slowly gets better. And then comes the moment when I know: I have to get out now, otherwise I won't be able to move properly all day." 

This is not how Peter Brönnimann describes his work at Aemtlerstrasse, but his weekly swim in Lake Zurich. Whether it's a bright Saturday morning in June, a rainy autumn day or a snowy winter weekend: Brönnimann ventures into the water. Without a protective suit, even if the lake is just a few degrees. Only on his hands does he wear neoprene gloves in winter, so that his hands are immediately functional again after swimming.

In winter, it's already very hard and not really casual, admits Brönnimann. "Many people think you get used to it. I doubt that. It seems extremely cold to me every time. It becomes casual in March or April, when it gets a little warmer, 9 degrees and above. Funnily enough, that's when you feel relatively comfortable."

Why does Brönnimann nevertheless perform the ritual all year round? Does the creative artist like to test his physical limits? Does he chase from one spectacle to the next? Not at all, says the ECD. He pauses and considers before answering, "It's a special nature experience, totally calm and pricelessly beautiful, very simple and yet spectacular - and always different: one time the sun is shining, the lake is smooth, the next time there are huge waves, it's raining, it's windy. Other times it's snowing."

Brönnimann has a lot to gain from the everyday, the simple. For him, the morning train ride to Zurich, which others dismiss as an annoying commute, is one of the best parts of the day. "It doesn't feel like riding the train at all. It's more like sitting in an armchair reading the newspaper." The creative likes having people around him and listening to the conversations. If an exciting scene is taking place next to him, he plugs in his headphones - as camouflage - and leans back. On the train, he has already heard the most absurd dialogs. He has witnessed a relationship being ended on the phone, a personnel manager conducting a job interview, or two punks talking about the proper use of dishwashers. Scenes, if you saw them in a movie, you would think the plot was contrived or sought after. "Rail travel is often cinema live," ECD says.

When it comes to his own life, Brönnimann is more reserved with words of enthusiasm. Here, the creative director and co-founder of Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB) seems to apply a different standard. If you ask him what his everyday life is like, he says he has a frighteningly unspectacular life - and that's just fine.

But Brönnimann also talks about Brad Pitt leading an unspectacular existence. "Sometimes I almost feel a little sorry for him," he says. "I think he has a boring life - at least when he's filming." Just as Brönnimann thinks the glorification of acting is wrong, he thinks the advertising world, which likes to be associated with glamour, is anything but glamorous. Filming, for example, rather reminds him of the military. "Getting up early, standing around a lot and waiting."

Immersion in different worlds

What Brönnimann particularly appreciates about his work is the variety. Apart from a few fixed points - getting up at half past six, having breakfast with the family and taking the S-Bahn to Zurich - no two days are the same. Sometimes he's on the road and immerses himself in another world during a shoot. For example, with weather forecaster Martin Horat. On another day, he first discusses a campaign with a CEO of a corporation and then assesses work with his team in the afternoon. At other times, Brönnimann takes time to be creative himself. Then he's working on a concept with Johannes Raggio, with whom he's been sharing the creative reins for the past few months, or sitting alone in front of a white sheet of paper.

When Brönnimann talks about how his career as a copywriter went, he stacks his hands deep: he didn't study enough at grammar school, only just managed to pass his A-levels and ended up studying "nothing proper" (journalism). He then made a program on local radio that nobody wanted to listen to, later wrote bad copy for the Berner Zeitung newspaper and was finally hired by Martin Suter. "It's still a mystery to me today why Suter took me on back then. I had nothing really good to show for it."

However, Brönnimann really gets into raptures when it comes to SFLB's advertising output. The creative work brings the agency top positions in the rankings every year. However, it is at least as important to the creative that the advertising appeals to the target audience. "I believe that popular advertising is what sets SFLB apart. Work that most people like to look at a second time. Or a third time ..." For example, the simple but ingenious turnaround sentences for Swiss Life. Or the ongoing campaign for Switzerland Tourism, in which the protagonists are committed to the well-being of tourists with Swiss thoroughness, yet with a lot of charm and a pinch of humor. In the current winter film, Sebi and Paul are currently busy clearing away all the clocks so that guests can relax and enjoy their vacation. The cuckoo clock is nailed shut, the hands of the church clock are collected and a crowing ban is placed in front of the rooster's beak.

Brönnimann sees advertising Switzerland as a very special obligation. "You are, so to speak, the advertising foreign minister, and you polish Switzerland's image with your work." But Brönnimann would also make a good ambassador himself. "I love spending vacations in Switzerland." Snowshoeing or skiing in winter, damming streams in summer. There couldn't be a better vacation. After all, he says, taking the train to the Alps is more comfortable than being crammed between two rows of seats on an airplane to visit the in-laws in Australia. Even more so with a height of 1.94 meters.

But the creative would rather let his work speak for itself than stand up as an advertising medium himself. He also finds it very pleasant that the customers and not the advertisers are at the center of advertising. "If an advertising spot - like a newspaper article - began with who was responsible for it, that would be totally comical," says Brönnimann. "So we advertisers are relatively modest."

For once, Brönnimann is nevertheless in the spotlight this year as Advertiser of the Year. What does the title mean to him? "I'm proud and very flattered. It is an honor for my work," says the ECD and adds immediately, "but first and foremost the title is a great honor for all those who work at SFLB and are committed. It's called Advertiser of the Year, to be sure. But everyone in the industry knows that it takes good people to do good work in all places."

At SFLB, Brönnimann appreciates the mix of down-to-earth and international flair at the Leo Burnett agency. "And we're lucky enough to work for great Swiss brands and for clients who believe in the power of good ideas." After all, having the best ideas is of no use if they are not recognized on the client side. "We can consider ourselves very lucky in this respect."

Brönnimann is not at all worried that he will run out of ideas. "Many people have the feeling that creative people have fewer ideas as they get older. I don't believe that." You do become more efficient with time. "My experience is that you know more quickly whether you should pursue an idea when it runs through your brain." There is also a pinch of composure that Brönnimann did not yet know as a junior advertiser. When he used to see an interesting scene in the movies, he would immediately study whether he could use it for an advertisement. Today, he has moments when he leaves advertising far behind. "I've found that I can create best when I'm creating".

Isabel Imper
 

After the two strategists Regula Fecker from Rod Kommunikation and Nadine Borter from the Bern-based agency Contexta in previous years and the media specialist Urs Schneider In 2012, a classic creative director was once again named advertiser of the year this year. Peter Brönnimann was presented with the "Egon", the little man with an oversized mouth as a megaphone, on Thursday evening at the ABC cinema in Zurich.

Brönnimann is Executive Creative Director and co-founder of Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett SFLB and is the creative head of a team of 80 employees at the Zurich agency. Numerous works from Brönnimann's team have won multiple awards, which secured SFLB first place in this year's creative rankings. Well-known works include the advertising films for Switzerland Tourism, the commercials with the "name discount" for Micasa and the campaign for the weekly newspaper WoZ.

You can find a portrait of Peter Brönnimann here here.

Peter Brönnimann with the "Egon" designed by Swiss artist Max Grüter.

The industry leader of the year is chosen by the subscribers of Werbewoche. A final round of nominees is put forward by a kind of "Academy" of all previous advertisers of the year. The list of "established names" is supplemented by the editorial team of Werbewoche with new faces that have caught the magazine's eye over the course of the year.

Other nominees in the final round:
Geri Aebi, CEO Wirz Werbung, Zurich
Mark Forster, Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Adello, Zurich
Cornelia Harder, CEO Craftfcb/Lowe, Zurich
Gabriel Peiskler, founder and CD Erdmannpeisker, Biel
Peter A. van der Touw, CEO Notch Interactive, Zurich

Visitors to Werbewoche.ch were also consulted. Over the past two weeks, they were able to vote for one of the six nominees - and supported the result of the subscribers. If the online users had had their say, Peter Brönnimann would also have been voted "King" of the advertisers. The creative received 31% of the votes, with Geri Aebi in second place, voted for by 24% of users.

Photos: PPR Media Relations

Advertising Week would like to thank the sponsors and partners for their
Commitment to the 2013 Advertiser of the Year Award!

 

 

WW: Where will Urs Schneider put Egon?
Urs Schneider: In the conference room. It's not just me who is responsible for the performance, we are a team. I see myself as an employee and certainly don't take the Egon home. It stands next to the other things like our Effie or the media awards.

Mediaschneider has already won many prizes. What does the title "Advertiser of the Year" mean?
I never thought I would be "Advertiser of the Year". I'm not a creative, I'm in the bean counter department. I don't actually do much creative work. Except for the tailor-made strategies and media plans for our clients. That's why the choice came as a surprise to me.

Today, media planning also requires a creative view of things.
Plus minus. Media has gained in importance. The channels have multiplied. There are also unusual ideas in the media. There may be a central media idea that can be implemented later. But in the end, you can't say who invented it. We discuss a strategy and alternatives that can be examined. But the decisive idea comes from creation.

What brought you into this world of advertising?
I did a commercial apprenticeship at P. It used to be an institution. My teacher was René Gyr, the director of the Baden branch at the time. In the beginning, I actually spent more time on bookkeeping. I was already aiming for a federal diploma as an accountant. I then had to make a decision: Do I want to be an advertiser or work at a bank? I then decided to train at Sawi and obtained a federal diploma as an advertising assistant. I then went to work for a media broker. This first job was a stage in London.

Why London?
I'm relatively good at math, but I also wanted to improve my English. In London, practically nobody at the agency spoke German and I had to communicate in English. However, they quickly realized that thanks to my German and French, I could be trusted with the media contacts for Germany, France and the eastern states. I was able to do my job as a media planner very well and had a great time in London.

Did you like this international level?
Yes, I would have liked to stay in this international scene, but then I returned to Geneva and worked at P for three years from 1975 and was promoted to head of media. After Geneva, I was made a good offer at Publicitas Zurich. That was the reason why I stayed in Switzerland in the first place. I seriously toyed with the idea of going abroad again.

Was it a mistake that you didn't go?
I would probably have had other prospects. Instead, I graduated from Sawi as an advertising manager. Then I got an offer at Publimedia, a "think tank" of P, where we were responsible for training P employees and looked after various mandates from publishers. I gained a lot of practical experience there. From there, I became Head of Marketing at P Zurich. For ten years, I was promised that I could one day take over the management. I had a good time with Hans Ro¬senast, the director at the time. I learned from him how to manage people. But the promises of the General Management were not fulfilled and so, after a total of 25 years at P, I left and moved to Ringier. I first worked at Blick Verlag. I had to bring the poor advertising sales back up and was advertising manager for two years. I actually got the advertising pages back on track and became Key Account Director at Ringier. It was the first such position in the history of the publishing house. That was in 1993 and I had a great job. Max Wiener showed me how to look after large customers properly and successfully. I also had to look after the most demanding customers. That's how I came into contact with Wolfgang Mecklenburg. It was a wonderful and interesting time at Ringier. With Oskar Frei, I was again lucky enough to have one of the greatest bosses. He gave us a lot of freedom. He didn't tell us how to do things, just where we wanted to go. That had a huge impact on me.

How did you become self-employed?
In 2000, I went to this "demanding customer" Wolfgang Mecklenburg. He wanted me to take over his store later. This was a special challenge and I was also able to get involved with M&M. Then came the fateful day when the owner's wife, Edith Mecklenburg, died unexpectedly. We always got on well together. But when Wolfgang Mecklenburg remarried and changed direction, there were no more prospects for me in the team. There was only one option left for me: to set up my own company. I started with two employees and zero customers. I had no income for a year and we lived off our reserves. During this time, my wife Marlise gave me great support. Without her understanding and help, starting my own business would never have worked. I soon found customers who trusted me. The first were Biomed, Erdgas, Manor and Bluewin. Then finally came the grounding of Swissair. This historic catastrophe turned out to be our good fortune on the other side.

Take off with Swiss?
I had previously been in charge of media for Crossair. When the subsidiary became a rescue company, the people in charge really wanted to continue working with me. So we were able to work for Swiss from the very beginning and that has remained the case to this day. It was all a bit of an adventure at the time. Then one thing led to another and we have been able to record double-digit growth rates every year since 2001. During this time, our billings have increased more than tenfold.

In 2007, Mediaschneider acquired a stake in The whole Media Basel and in 2011 in Media Plus in Bern. A strategy to become number 1?
The entire media scene in Switzerland has changed massively over the last ten years. The big international agencies have arrived, including five major networks that have carved out more than 50 percent of the cake for themselves. Now it's even 70 percent. I had to react to this situation. M&M has oriented itself more abroad. I told myself that the media business is fundamentally local. We only generate around 15 percent of our sales abroad. 85 percent is generated here. So we said to ourselves: we want to form a counterweight to the international networks. The only thing I am looking for is cooperation with independent agencies in order to pool expertise and strengthen the quality of our services. With this in mind, I have joined the two agencies. We have thus become a group of independent media agencies. This group is now in fourth place in the Rec¬ma ranking in Switzerland. Together we have 270 million billings and employ 43 people. This allows us to maintain our position, which is very important for us.

Power when negotiating?
Thanks to our size, we have a certain degree of independence and can negotiate conditions with media providers that are just as good as those of the largest international networks. I am convinced that we are also doing a good job in purchasing today, with a clean, transparent business policy. That's what I strive for and nothing else. Of course, the whole thing still needs to evolve. Six years ago, our customer Swiss Airlines told us that we were not the "deer" when it came to online advertising. That's why Swiss wanted to work with PlanNet in Munich. As a result, we came into contact with this specialist agency. It is part of the Serviceplan Group, the largest in-house agency in Germany. They are considered to be the best in terms of quality. So we complemented each other and said: "If we are going to enter into such a cooperation with an agency abroad, then it should be with Serviceplan. I want to make progress with them.

Have you connected with Serviceplan?
I sold 25 percent of Mediaschneider to Service¬plan. On the other hand, I was able to acquire a 25 percent stake in PlanNet. I am very pleased about this step, which will strengthen our know-how and innovative power for the future for the benefit of our customers. This connection also brings customers that we can support for Service¬plan in Switzerland. Of course, we have our own online department. But a partnership with the specialist takes us much further and provides a better basis for the new digital media. These were the reasons why I opted for this mutual participation. I am retaining a majority stake and will continue to do so. I am really looking forward to a successful collaboration.

Interview: Andreas Panzeri