"We are looking for personnel"
Agencies: Geri Aebi, CEO of Wirz Werbung, on new business wins and the new atmosphere on Zurich’s Uetlibergstrasse.
Agencies Geri Aebi, CEO Wirz Werbung, on budget gains and the new mood on Zurich's Uetlibergstrasse.WW Where Wirz Werbung stands today?Geri Aebi: After a really difficult year, we also found it difficult to advertise for New Biz. Potential customers were asking themselves: Will this company still exist the day after tomorrow? So we concentrated on existing customers, cut costs and simplified structures. That was the big job for me in my first year as CEO at Wirz.
Did the calculation work out?
We have taken part in five pitches in the last four months and won four of them, as well as two new customers without a pitch. The biggest are Helsana and AZM Aargauer Zentralmolkerei, including Floralp. Our latest coup is Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB). Four agencies pitched for a new umbrella campaign. In the final round, we presented in the morning and received the positive decision in the afternoon - a real winner.
Is the agency out of the woods?
I am cautious with buzzwords like turnaround. But at least for next year, we can look ahead with confidence.
Have the staff cuts now been halted?
For the first time in a long time, we are looking for staff again - and not just to replace employees who are traveling the world. We still need a strong BGL, a young consultant, a great graphic designer. Wirz is a force to be reckoned with again.
Last year, Wirz lost 25 percent of its turnover. Jost Wirz and some partners had to inject over three million francs to keep the agency afloat. How has this process affected morale?
Several partners - including myself as a new partner - have subscribed to additional share capital. The moral? I can primarily speak for Wirz Werbung as the successor to Hansueli Schweizer. Some things were not quite as I had hoped or expected. But even though we cut back from over 100 to 70 employees in a year and a half, the mood remained surprisingly positive.
What is your most important asset in these turbulent times?
It was certainly important that, after a phase of unclear leadership, there was once again someone to take the lead and tell us what to do. As the new CEO, I recognized one or two weak points and was able to find solutions. Leaner structures also mean that I want our people in consulting and creation to take on more personal responsibility. Employees and customers appreciate that.
But ultimately you had to take a firm hand to secure the agency.
I signed my contract when the industry was still in a very euphoric mood. Before 9/11, before the new economy bubble burst. Logically, I was suddenly asked to do completely different things. And in an agency that had always been regarded as very humane and generous, some tough cuts and unpopular measures were necessary. However, this was easier for me as the new CEO than for someone who had built up his internal contacts and relationships over decades.
The new office building was also built during this time. What about the letting?
The decision to build a new building was an absolutely sensible investment in the long term, but the move came at a rather unfortunate time. Higher rental costs were compounded by the economic crisis. Some of the space has already been sublet. At the moment, Wirz PR and Identity are moving in together, freeing up space in the high-rise building.
How do your customers react when they are shown through your luxurious entrance hall?
There isn't really anyone who doesn't like the new building. But customers are only interested in one thing: does our advertising make a difference in the market? With 70 people, we are considered a large agency in Switzerland, but ultimately we are an SME. In an international comparison, we would be somewhere in the midfield, perhaps in 37th place. But unlike a ten-man agency, we can also deploy several teams in internal competition at high pressure. It is also an advantage to have the specialists in-house: whether they are our own, such as our strategic planners or art buying - or those of our sister agencies from online and direct marketing or PR and identity.
Interview: Andreas Panzeri
Did the calculation work out?
We have taken part in five pitches in the last four months and won four of them, as well as two new customers without a pitch. The biggest are Helsana and AZM Aargauer Zentralmolkerei, including Floralp. Our latest coup is Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB). Four agencies pitched for a new umbrella campaign. In the final round, we presented in the morning and received the positive decision in the afternoon - a real winner.
Is the agency out of the woods?
I am cautious with buzzwords like turnaround. But at least for next year, we can look ahead with confidence.
Have the staff cuts now been halted?
For the first time in a long time, we are looking for staff again - and not just to replace employees who are traveling the world. We still need a strong BGL, a young consultant, a great graphic designer. Wirz is a force to be reckoned with again.
Last year, Wirz lost 25 percent of its turnover. Jost Wirz and some partners had to inject over three million francs to keep the agency afloat. How has this process affected morale?
Several partners - including myself as a new partner - have subscribed to additional share capital. The moral? I can primarily speak for Wirz Werbung as the successor to Hansueli Schweizer. Some things were not quite as I had hoped or expected. But even though we cut back from over 100 to 70 employees in a year and a half, the mood remained surprisingly positive.
What is your most important asset in these turbulent times?
It was certainly important that, after a phase of unclear leadership, there was once again someone to take the lead and tell us what to do. As the new CEO, I recognized one or two weak points and was able to find solutions. Leaner structures also mean that I want our people in consulting and creation to take on more personal responsibility. Employees and customers appreciate that.
But ultimately you had to take a firm hand to secure the agency.
I signed my contract when the industry was still in a very euphoric mood. Before 9/11, before the new economy bubble burst. Logically, I was suddenly asked to do completely different things. And in an agency that had always been regarded as very humane and generous, some tough cuts and unpopular measures were necessary. However, this was easier for me as the new CEO than for someone who had built up his internal contacts and relationships over decades.
The new office building was also built during this time. What about the letting?
The decision to build a new building was an absolutely sensible investment in the long term, but the move came at a rather unfortunate time. Higher rental costs were compounded by the economic crisis. Some of the space has already been sublet. At the moment, Wirz PR and Identity are moving in together, freeing up space in the high-rise building.
How do your customers react when they are shown through your luxurious entrance hall?
There isn't really anyone who doesn't like the new building. But customers are only interested in one thing: does our advertising make a difference in the market? With 70 people, we are considered a large agency in Switzerland, but ultimately we are an SME. In an international comparison, we would be somewhere in the midfield, perhaps in 37th place. But unlike a ten-man agency, we can also deploy several teams in internal competition at high pressure. It is also an advantage to have the specialists in-house: whether they are our own, such as our strategic planners or art buying - or those of our sister agencies from online and direct marketing or PR and identity.
Interview: Andreas Panzeri
