Resist the ordinary
Self-Promotion: Creative agencies are experts when it comes to advertising. At least, that’s how the average Swiss person views the creatives in the industry. But when it comes to self-promotion, many local advertising agencies fall short or simply don’t bother.
Self-promotion Creative agencies are experts when it comes to advertising. At least that's how the average Swiss person judges the creative people in the industry. But when it comes to self-promotion, many local advertising agencies fail or don't bother at all. Andreas Prokesch has nothing good to say about the industry's self-promotion: "The self-promotion you get from Swiss advertising agencies is miserable," complains the freelance copywriter and chairman of the Art Directors Club (ADC) Switzerland. As long as he can remember, he hasn't seen a single good example of self-promotion. "And certainly nothing that would have knocked me off my chair." Daniel Matter, co-owner of Matter & Partner, is not a bit milder when it comes to self-promotion in the Swiss advertising scene: "In an international comparison, we are a long way behind." Even France and Italy are better than Switzerland. "And that should give us pause for thought," says Matter.
Lid on the saucepan
A survey by Werbewoche shows just how bad self-promotion is. By e-mail, Werbewoche asked the twenty largest and most creative Swiss advertising agencies how important self-promotion is to them and what they pay attention to. Only eight of the agencies asked answered the questions, two of them inadequately. And one agency wrote back: "Sorry, we can't answer you. Because we don't want to let anyone look that far into our cooking pot."
Prokesch is not surprised by this result: "Why talk about self-promotion when for many agencies it is either not an issue or a tiresome one? It is perceived by many agencies as a purely punitive task. "Some team is often ordered to quickly design their own advertising. And at the end, the head department goes over it and adds its two cents," says Prokesch. "That has nothing to do with enjoyable advertising."
This is also confirmed by Pascal Staub: When asked "What was the worst briefing you have ever seen?", the Head of Strategic Planning at Publicis replied: "The most impossible briefings I have ever seen were the briefings for our agency presentation. I received 120 briefings, as many as we have employees. But all of them were useless."
The result of the advertising week is therefore hardly surprising.
Survey: Agencies such as Ruf Lanz and Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB) keep their own advertising to an absolute minimum. "As a very young agency in the start-up phase, we prefer to concentrate on the development of specific campaigns and optimum client support," says SFLB. Their efforts in terms of self-promotion are quickly enumerated: Printing of business cards, clear labeling of the agency, presence on the Internet. "No further measures are planned in the near future," says Peter Felser, SFLB CEO.
Other advertising agencies rely on boring mailings, plain brochures, relationship management and joylessly compiled documentation. A few organize an annual panel discussion or an event like Publicis' traditional "Sechseläuten-Apéro". But only a fraction of the Swiss advertising scene dares to do anything surprising. All the more striking are examples such as the Euro RSCG carrier bag, which bears the words: "The Euro RSCG presentation was strong. If you don't agree, just put the bag on."
There is another wayThere is another way, as Matter & Partner and Antaris prove. They rely on image advertising and the agency brochure "Der kleine Klinkenputzer" (Matter & Partner) or mini-campaigns (Antaris) and are successful with them. "Our image advertising is well received," confirms Matter. Instead of being squeezed in somewhere in the daily work routine, it is carefully and lovingly crafted - at least that was Matter & Partner's intention. "We treated ourselves the way we treat our clients," explains Matter. In other words: "We worked with briefings, strategy meetings, a schedule, a team - consisting of a copywriter, art director, graphic designer, consultant and advertising assistant - and: with employees who were really motivated." Agency owners Andy Schlatter and Daniel Matter were responsible for executing the image campaign. "That didn't make the task any easier, but it didn't make it any more difficult either," says Matter.
With little money, but all the more imagination, Antaris is also advertising on its own behalf. The Thalwil-based agency lures stock market enthusiasts onto its trail with a clever mini-campaign in the financial market section of the NZZ and the bait words "WerbeFONDS" and "ValuePAPIERE". Only the subline "Invest in your advertising" and a telephone number give away the intention.
The success proves Antaris right: "The self-promotion works well. We've already had several calls," says agency boss Christian Frei happily. However, he sees the campaign not only as self-promotion, but also as advertising for the entire industry. "Unfortunately, the associations don't do much in the way of self-promotion. That's why we are forced to generate attention." The three-person agency doesn't actually have the means to do this. "We can afford this campaign because we believe it will pay off in the long term."
The Antaris mini-campaign has so far cost 5,000 francs in advertising costs and a lot of heart and soul. Until further notice, the small ads will appear in the NZZ and
in the SME magazine Zürcher Wirtschaft. Matter & Partner invests two to five percent of its operating expenses in self-promotion, PR, customer care and participation in national and international juries. Wirz Werbung spends as much as CHF 1,500,000 a year. The figure is likely to be even higher for large agencies such as Publicis and Euro RSCG. However, they do not want to give any figures.
Nevertheless, in an international comparison, Publicis, Euro RSCG and Wirz Werbung perform rather poorly when it comes to self-promotion. Even if the overriding principle at Euro RSCG is: "What is good for our clients is also the best for the agency with the star:
1. business idea, 2. marketing idea, 3. communications idea. 4. ad idea." And at Publicis and Wirz Werbung, the motto is: "Self-promotion is a matter for the boss." As a rule, self-promotion at Publicis is conceived and to a large extent written by Chief Creative Officer Jean Etienne Aebi, and then voted on by the management.
Ants on a yellow backgroundOutstanding or even sensational examples of advertising on one's own behalf can only be found abroad. McCann-Erickson Hakuhodo, Tokyo, once launched a poster with a sheep's head, logo and the slogan "Don't you want to buy a good fighter?". Young & Rubicam, Milan, showed lots of black ants on a yellow background, accompanied by the claim "resist the usual". And even small agencies are showing courage. The Berlin agency Etter & Partner, for example, advertises with a man wearing a lampshade on his head and the headline: "If you are looking for someone who can come up with some stylish, functional and durable interior design campaigns and has more than 25 watts in the bulb, just call the advertising agency Michael Etter & Partner. Phone 030/651069".
However, the self-promotion plight in Switzerland is nothing new. This is also shown by a study published in February 1996 by Luzi Rageth, owner of BASE-Marketing. As part of a series of marketing tests, he examined seven successful advertising agencies in terms of self-promotion. His conclusion: "In terms of volume and advertising quality, the self-promotion of advertising agencies is clearly inferior to the services that these agencies provide for their clients." The study also found: "Even taking into account the special business-to-business problems of these companies with fewer than one hundred employees, the saying that 'the shoemakers themselves wear the worst shoes' proved to be true for this sector."
Little has changed since then. "I don't understand why something hasn't been done in Switzerland for a long time when it comes to self-promotion," criticizes ADC boss Prokesch. After all, there is plenty of room for improvement - for example, having the competitor do the self-promotion.
As Staub said in a recent Werbewoche interview: "To do good advertising, you need outsiders - in other words, an agency to hold up a mirror and find out which diving platform has the most beautiful pool with water in it. You can't advertise for yourself."
A few have at least considered letting the competition do their own advertising: "Many years ago, I once skirmished with Ruedi Wyler about designing each other's own advertising. Who would have benefited more from that is still up in the air," admits Jean Etienne Aebi.
"Miserable" is ADC President Andreas Prokesch's verdict on the performance of advertising agencies when it comes to self-promotion.
The advertisers at Etter & Partner in Berlin have more than 25 watts in the "bulb": Self-promotion with a strong claim that attracts attention.
With this ad, Matter & Partner wants customers who also believe in advertising: self-promotion with an anti-cyclical effect.
The little doorman advertises for Matter & Partner and tells potential customers what they should look out for when dealing with an advertising agency: Self-promotion with a lot of humor and a fine pinch of irony.
Euro RSCG asks customers to turn the bag inside out if the advertising agency's presentation was not "baggy": Self-promotion with a high benefit effect.
The exception to the ruleAs a "little encouragement and a sign of hope", the newly founded advertising agency Catsky & Partner had a special edition of the Better Times newspaper printed at the beginning of the year. This rare example of successful self-promotion documents the creative potential of Claude Catsky using "a few positive, optimistic newspaper headlines from around the world, which have only one small flaw: they are fictitious."
Without expensive graphics, but with plenty of ideas and impact, the Better Times then features 20 pages of headlines such as "Bush renounces Iraq war in favor of a boxing match against Saddam Hussein" or "After FC Basel wins Champions League: Beckham wants to switch to FCB". The Catsky & Partner agency published the collection of this good news in an edition of "about 1000 copies"
can be printed. The Better Times also comes with a coupon. "Write your favorite headline for 2003..." is the invitation. Anyone who sends in the coupon can win an original portrait caricature of Papa Nico Catsky, a DVD by Woody Allen, a crate of champagne or a dinner at "Sonnenberg". As is usual with such coupons, you can of course also take part in the competition without wanting to get to know the agency. (pan)
Annelies Friedli
Lid on the saucepan
A survey by Werbewoche shows just how bad self-promotion is. By e-mail, Werbewoche asked the twenty largest and most creative Swiss advertising agencies how important self-promotion is to them and what they pay attention to. Only eight of the agencies asked answered the questions, two of them inadequately. And one agency wrote back: "Sorry, we can't answer you. Because we don't want to let anyone look that far into our cooking pot."
Prokesch is not surprised by this result: "Why talk about self-promotion when for many agencies it is either not an issue or a tiresome one? It is perceived by many agencies as a purely punitive task. "Some team is often ordered to quickly design their own advertising. And at the end, the head department goes over it and adds its two cents," says Prokesch. "That has nothing to do with enjoyable advertising."
This is also confirmed by Pascal Staub: When asked "What was the worst briefing you have ever seen?", the Head of Strategic Planning at Publicis replied: "The most impossible briefings I have ever seen were the briefings for our agency presentation. I received 120 briefings, as many as we have employees. But all of them were useless."
The result of the advertising week is therefore hardly surprising.
Survey: Agencies such as Ruf Lanz and Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB) keep their own advertising to an absolute minimum. "As a very young agency in the start-up phase, we prefer to concentrate on the development of specific campaigns and optimum client support," says SFLB. Their efforts in terms of self-promotion are quickly enumerated: Printing of business cards, clear labeling of the agency, presence on the Internet. "No further measures are planned in the near future," says Peter Felser, SFLB CEO.
Other advertising agencies rely on boring mailings, plain brochures, relationship management and joylessly compiled documentation. A few organize an annual panel discussion or an event like Publicis' traditional "Sechseläuten-Apéro". But only a fraction of the Swiss advertising scene dares to do anything surprising. All the more striking are examples such as the Euro RSCG carrier bag, which bears the words: "The Euro RSCG presentation was strong. If you don't agree, just put the bag on."
There is another wayThere is another way, as Matter & Partner and Antaris prove. They rely on image advertising and the agency brochure "Der kleine Klinkenputzer" (Matter & Partner) or mini-campaigns (Antaris) and are successful with them. "Our image advertising is well received," confirms Matter. Instead of being squeezed in somewhere in the daily work routine, it is carefully and lovingly crafted - at least that was Matter & Partner's intention. "We treated ourselves the way we treat our clients," explains Matter. In other words: "We worked with briefings, strategy meetings, a schedule, a team - consisting of a copywriter, art director, graphic designer, consultant and advertising assistant - and: with employees who were really motivated." Agency owners Andy Schlatter and Daniel Matter were responsible for executing the image campaign. "That didn't make the task any easier, but it didn't make it any more difficult either," says Matter.
With little money, but all the more imagination, Antaris is also advertising on its own behalf. The Thalwil-based agency lures stock market enthusiasts onto its trail with a clever mini-campaign in the financial market section of the NZZ and the bait words "WerbeFONDS" and "ValuePAPIERE". Only the subline "Invest in your advertising" and a telephone number give away the intention.
The success proves Antaris right: "The self-promotion works well. We've already had several calls," says agency boss Christian Frei happily. However, he sees the campaign not only as self-promotion, but also as advertising for the entire industry. "Unfortunately, the associations don't do much in the way of self-promotion. That's why we are forced to generate attention." The three-person agency doesn't actually have the means to do this. "We can afford this campaign because we believe it will pay off in the long term."
The Antaris mini-campaign has so far cost 5,000 francs in advertising costs and a lot of heart and soul. Until further notice, the small ads will appear in the NZZ and
in the SME magazine Zürcher Wirtschaft. Matter & Partner invests two to five percent of its operating expenses in self-promotion, PR, customer care and participation in national and international juries. Wirz Werbung spends as much as CHF 1,500,000 a year. The figure is likely to be even higher for large agencies such as Publicis and Euro RSCG. However, they do not want to give any figures.
Nevertheless, in an international comparison, Publicis, Euro RSCG and Wirz Werbung perform rather poorly when it comes to self-promotion. Even if the overriding principle at Euro RSCG is: "What is good for our clients is also the best for the agency with the star:
1. business idea, 2. marketing idea, 3. communications idea. 4. ad idea." And at Publicis and Wirz Werbung, the motto is: "Self-promotion is a matter for the boss." As a rule, self-promotion at Publicis is conceived and to a large extent written by Chief Creative Officer Jean Etienne Aebi, and then voted on by the management.
Ants on a yellow backgroundOutstanding or even sensational examples of advertising on one's own behalf can only be found abroad. McCann-Erickson Hakuhodo, Tokyo, once launched a poster with a sheep's head, logo and the slogan "Don't you want to buy a good fighter?". Young & Rubicam, Milan, showed lots of black ants on a yellow background, accompanied by the claim "resist the usual". And even small agencies are showing courage. The Berlin agency Etter & Partner, for example, advertises with a man wearing a lampshade on his head and the headline: "If you are looking for someone who can come up with some stylish, functional and durable interior design campaigns and has more than 25 watts in the bulb, just call the advertising agency Michael Etter & Partner. Phone 030/651069".
However, the self-promotion plight in Switzerland is nothing new. This is also shown by a study published in February 1996 by Luzi Rageth, owner of BASE-Marketing. As part of a series of marketing tests, he examined seven successful advertising agencies in terms of self-promotion. His conclusion: "In terms of volume and advertising quality, the self-promotion of advertising agencies is clearly inferior to the services that these agencies provide for their clients." The study also found: "Even taking into account the special business-to-business problems of these companies with fewer than one hundred employees, the saying that 'the shoemakers themselves wear the worst shoes' proved to be true for this sector."
Little has changed since then. "I don't understand why something hasn't been done in Switzerland for a long time when it comes to self-promotion," criticizes ADC boss Prokesch. After all, there is plenty of room for improvement - for example, having the competitor do the self-promotion.
As Staub said in a recent Werbewoche interview: "To do good advertising, you need outsiders - in other words, an agency to hold up a mirror and find out which diving platform has the most beautiful pool with water in it. You can't advertise for yourself."
A few have at least considered letting the competition do their own advertising: "Many years ago, I once skirmished with Ruedi Wyler about designing each other's own advertising. Who would have benefited more from that is still up in the air," admits Jean Etienne Aebi.
"Miserable" is ADC President Andreas Prokesch's verdict on the performance of advertising agencies when it comes to self-promotion.
The advertisers at Etter & Partner in Berlin have more than 25 watts in the "bulb": Self-promotion with a strong claim that attracts attention.
With this ad, Matter & Partner wants customers who also believe in advertising: self-promotion with an anti-cyclical effect.
The little doorman advertises for Matter & Partner and tells potential customers what they should look out for when dealing with an advertising agency: Self-promotion with a lot of humor and a fine pinch of irony.
Euro RSCG asks customers to turn the bag inside out if the advertising agency's presentation was not "baggy": Self-promotion with a high benefit effect.
The exception to the ruleAs a "little encouragement and a sign of hope", the newly founded advertising agency Catsky & Partner had a special edition of the Better Times newspaper printed at the beginning of the year. This rare example of successful self-promotion documents the creative potential of Claude Catsky using "a few positive, optimistic newspaper headlines from around the world, which have only one small flaw: they are fictitious."
Without expensive graphics, but with plenty of ideas and impact, the Better Times then features 20 pages of headlines such as "Bush renounces Iraq war in favor of a boxing match against Saddam Hussein" or "After FC Basel wins Champions League: Beckham wants to switch to FCB". The Catsky & Partner agency published the collection of this good news in an edition of "about 1000 copies"
can be printed. The Better Times also comes with a coupon. "Write your favorite headline for 2003..." is the invitation. Anyone who sends in the coupon can win an original portrait caricature of Papa Nico Catsky, a DVD by Woody Allen, a crate of champagne or a dinner at "Sonnenberg". As is usual with such coupons, you can of course also take part in the competition without wanting to get to know the agency. (pan)
Annelies Friedli
