"Advertising for a better world"

WW: The atmosphere in the Kongresshaus is a bit like that of a "general assembly" during the youth riots of the 1960s and 70s. Was it possible to meet Frank Bodin at similar manifestations in the past?
Frank Bodin: No, I was more at home in the world of art. When I moved out, it was a rude awakening. I ended up in a shared flat in Zurich. There I slept in a very small room under the grand piano. But I was out and about more than under it. I passively witnessed the youth riots around the AJZ. At the very first demonstration, I got caught between the police and the demonstrators because I wanted to go to the opera. I only became interested in politics from the age of 20.

How does this youth manifest itself in "One Young World": is it a modern version of the generation of 1968?
There is no comparison. In the Kongresshaus, 1200 young people from 169 countries discuss concrete projects for a better world in a committed, constructive manner. In contrast to 1968, this is more diverse and multicultural. Back then, it was a European movement. Anyone who listens here in the Kongresshaus for just half an hour immediately senses a lot of energy. I would have liked to have had an experience like that back then. But I experienced multiculturalism in a different form. When I was 17, I was a member of the World Youth Orchestra. There were also a lot of nations there. That resulted in a lot of friendships.

There are many prominent names behind "One Young World". Have there been any interesting encounters?
I was able to experience good encounters on three levels. The preparation enriched me personally and personally. Working on the Swiss Advisory Board with wonderful people such as Thomas Buberl, Pascale Bruderer, Nobel Prize winner Richard Ernst, Carolina Müller-Möhl, Pierin Vincenz, Eberhard von Koerber, Alain Treuer and all the others was a pleasure and simply a wonderful experience. They all made a huge commitment in terms of time. The second wonderful and actually the best experience was when the event suddenly happened. And the third experience was the "counselors", the international guests, many of whom I didn't know beforehand. For example, the celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. I am impressed by his charisma and his projects in the area of social commitment. Or Fatima Bhutto, a great and intelligent woman. And of course Desmond Tutu with his charisma and humor. All these people came to Zurich to achieve something. They don't need to do anything else for their fame. It's not a PR event for them, it's really important to them. You can be critical of the monarchy. What are representatives of this outdated form of government doing at "One Young World", where the future is at stake? But anyone who was able to experience the Norwegian royal couple as people could see that Crown Prince Haakon and Mette-Marit were genuinely interested in entering into a dialog with young people about human dignity.

"One Young World" was initiated by employees of the Euro RSCG London. Is this a kind of "cultural percentage" from your network?
No. This is very personally driven. David Jones and Kate Robertson were inspired to come up with this idea at the WEF in Davos. And I thought at the first event in London that this event should actually take place in Zurich.

Eight cities applied. What convinced Zurich?
Thomas Buberl and I emphasized Switzerland's multicultural orientation and federalism during the presentation. We are also a country with a great humanitarian tradition. The Red Cross comes from our country. Our direct democracy is unique in the world. I think we should also use these achievements to promote Switzerland a little and not just with the clichés of chocolate, cheese and watches. Especially now, when there are also critical headlines about Switzerland as a financial center, the many advantages of our country should be highlighted. The third argument was Zurich. Zurich is the smallest cosmopolitan city in the world. We have great cultural diversity, two important universities and various colleges. What's more, everything is within walking distance here. The emphasis on the small and the high quality tipped the jury over interesting and much larger world cities.

Now CNN is here and media from all over the world. Satisfied?
Euro RSCG is a communication network and we know something about this business. The interest is impressive. But it is a new event. It has to prove itself and put up with critical questions. Acceptance will not come overnight. But what we have achieved together in such a short time is promising.

Today, Frank Bodin is also involved in other political discussions. Does he see this as an obligation for a communications specialist?
My commitment has nothing to do with me as an advertiser, but is something personal. I have always been interested in other things beyond my profession. Art is very important to me and I also ask myself the question from time to time: can I make a difference to society with my means? As a communicator, you can live corporate responsibility. I was already doing that as a copywriter for Tibet back then. Today I have the means to do it on a larger scale.

How should the ideas from Zurich now spread?
Naturally, we at the agency thought about this and perhaps this really is our "cultural percentage". We launched the idea that with the changeover to winter time on the night of October 2, all the world's leaders would be asked not to sleep through this hour. They should use the hour gained to rethink decisions and implement neglected projects. We are trying to create a large community on Facebook that will confront the world's leaders with various questions. In this sense, the event in Zurich also had a good learning effect for us. Many employees from our agency were present at the Kongresshaus because they are involved in social media projects. It was therefore an incredibly good opportunity to look after people in practice and to set up new platforms. Interview: Andreas Panzeri