Magic of the beginning

The "Öpfelchammer" in Zurich has always been a place where good stories begin. Gottfried Keller was inspired to write new works here.
inspire, locals and tourists alike prove their courage in the "beam test" - and entire generations immortalize themselves in the
wooden furniture. The perfect atmosphere to meet the former Swiss CEO of the Serviceplan Group - because he is also at the start of a new story: Christian Baertschi has left his top job to take off again with his new company "Open Opportunities".

m&k: Christian Baertschi, it's been several months since you stepped down as Serviceplan CEO. Are you still happy with your decision?

Christian Baertschi: Definitely. My decision was made much longer ago and I haven't regretted it for a second. We are living in exciting times and the uncertainty, which scares many people, also holds many opportunities.

What has been the best experience so far in the "time after"? And is there anything you have missed in the past few weeks?

I had some great experiences in the "time after". Among other things, I was pleased to receive a request from a former client to work on the strategic development of his company and a first joint project with a former business partner. I am also pleased that I can invest more time in the projects I am now working on. I can focus more intensively on specific tasks as I am less occupied with management issues. I missed my colleagues from the House of Communication. When you're in daily contact with so many people before, you have to get used to the new situation first. The same goes for the much smaller volume of emails - although that is also very pleasant.

Your move into self-employment again seemed unusual and very courageous to many. What prompted you to do it?

I turned 51 this year and I essentially asked myself the question: What will the next ten years look like? And derived from that: What do I want to do? Where can I make an interesting contribution? What challenges me? How do I make sure that I don't get too far out of my comfort zone? By nature, I am someone who likes change and always sees the positive in new things. The communications industry is undergoing major changes and this is creating interesting new opportunities.

At May you told Werbewoche.chthat you are looking forward to the first truly relaxed summer in years. Hand on heart: starting a new business during the pandemic, it can hardly have been that relaxing, can it?

Well, I don't know anyone who has had a relaxed experience this year. But after 16 years without long vacations and always having a lot of responsibility towards customers and colleagues, it was relaxing to have a lot of time for family and private activities.

Your new company is called "Open Opportunities". Tell us what exactly you have in mind.

People, markets and brands are changing faster than ever before. For many companies, it is not easy to recognize opportunities arising from change in marketing and communication in good time and to seize them quickly enough. There is not a lack of ideas, content and possibilities, but rather a lack of capacity to systematically collect and assess these and implement the promising opportunities in a timely manner. At the same time, we are now in the age of indifference. Promises that are not backed up with concrete solutions, actions, deeds or activities do not move people and are ignored. As a result, many communication campaigns are becoming increasingly ineffective. People talk about positioning, but do not take an independent position.

And that's where you want to start?

Yes, with systematic approaches and tools that enable companies to better recognize, specify, drive and implement opportunities in the area of marketing and communication. We want to help build and promote an opportunity-oriented culture in companies. We do this not only as consultants, but are also prepared to take on responsibility.

"Open Opportunities" is based on the premise that there is a lot of talk in the Swiss advertising and communications industry, but (too) little action. What do you think this means?

I don't think it's simply a problem of the advertising and communications industry. After all, it only reflects the orders that are placed with the agencies and the conditions under which they are developed and approved by the clients. A major retail company, a large health insurance company and a well-known telecommunications company have just
launched their new communication campaigns within a few weeks. The promises: "More for life", "Hello life" and "Ready for life". All of them worked with renowned agencies. Simply blaming the agencies for this would be a bit short-sighted. Advertising communication with generic promises that are not based on solutions, actions, deeds or activities is no longer enough today.

The same applies to the current purpose discussion. Most companies spend a lot of money on PowerPoint presentations that explain the company's raison d'être to the various stakeholder groups. But only a few prove their purpose with action.

What exactly do you want to do differently from your competitors on the market?

We do not see our offering as competition to agencies, but as a new service. Our aim is to be perceived as an in-house partner, because differentiation is first and foremost a corporate task. Many opportunities also come from areas that at first glance may seem to have nothing to do with advertising and communication. At second glance, however, it is precisely these opportunities that can make a surprising, independent presence in the market possible.

What does successful communication depend on?

A number of attributes can be listed, but ultimately credibility and authenticity are crucial. The easiest way to create credibility and authenticity is with concrete actions and not with empty promises. This is a fundamental leadership principle and also applies to raising children. (laughs)

What opportunities do you - and therefore your clients - gain from the new, autonomous structure in which you now operate?

We are easier to integrate into existing structures because we enjoy working in-house with customers, do not have to sell production capacities or entire teams and can propose solutions without vested interests. We have a network of experienced specialists from different areas, sectors and markets, which we can bring together easily and streamlined under the umbrella of Open Opportunities. So if there is a need for know-how and experience in a specialist discipline or on a specific topic, we can provide this access in a straightforward manner - without the need for a comprehensive mandate.

The last time you started your own business, the result was an agency that was later bought by Serviceplan and had well over a hundred employees when you left. Would you like to see a similar scenario for Open Opportunities?

Of course, I hope that the response is positive and that our offering is well received in the market. I am personally and fully committed to our customers and their success. And our future team will be recruited with the same ambition. But we are primarily aiming for qualitative growth, not personnel growth. We are also working on the development of products and services that should better enable companies to seize opportunities themselves and build an efficient implementation culture.

Even if you are now a start-up entrepreneur: You can recognize a professional by their pitch.

I didn't mean that at all. (laughs) Honestly. On the other hand, while we're at it: By the way, we are still looking for customers to realize what I was just talking about. They are very welcome to refine this offer with us so that it becomes an exciting cooperation for both sides.