Agency Review: Schnyder Advertising
In honor of Advertising Week, we’ll be featuring an agency spotlight here and there at irregular intervals. This time, it’s „Schnyder Werbung.“ They caught our attention with a Red Dot Award and a great case study featuring “brinkertlück” for Valaisanne—the beer with the sheep.
Agency Name: Schnyder Advertising, Inc., Establishment date: 1985 Founder: Wendelin Schnyder Current agency heads: Michael Schnyder Number of employees: 16 Current customers: Valaisanne, Mazda Switzerland, Swiss Builders' Association, dasteam, LONZA, Feldschlösschen, F. G. Pfister Holding, Ulrich Imboden AG, secusuisse, Zermatt Mountain Railways, Aufdenblatten Collection, Valais Cantonal Police, etc. Agency address: Schnyder Werbung AG, Gewerbestrasse 6, 3945 Gampel Insta
Which campaign from the past twelve months are you particularly proud of?
Valaisanne – The Beer with the Sheep (in collaboration with brinkerlück creatives)
Important: We are even more proud of a recent branding project we did for the company Chewing apparatus in Zurich (a small but excellent dental lab). This year, we won a Red Dot Award in the Branding and Communication category in Berlin (the awards ceremony was in November).
The most important campaign in agency history to date - and why?
2017 – The campaign featuring Berta the black-nosed sheep, which was less of a campaign and more of a photo used as a key visual for the Wallis/Valais magazine in *Schweizer Illustrierte*. With this image, we won Switzerland’s PR-Bild Award in Hamburg. The image went around the world (RTL Punkt 12, various forums, South Korean media, etc.). As a small agency from Valais, we enjoyed international attention for the first time.
The most unusual place where your creatives retreat to be creative?
Our Future Hub, the only one of its kind in Switzerland with authentic replicas from Star Wars. If that’s too over the top, we’ll meditate 500 meters from our agency with real Valaisan dwarf goats 😉
What do you do when you have thought blocks?
We place a strong emphasis on co-creation with our clients. That has always been our goal. Only a robust dialogue throughout the entire process—involving both internal and external communication—leads to unique results. While we have clear internal processes and various methods for creating individual creative elements, nothing beats an open and transparent dialogue with the client.
What is your agency philosophy?
A brand shines from the inside out. Anything else is just expensive window dressing.
Why should talented people definitely come to work for you?
Since I took over the agency 12 years ago, we have never had a single resignation. We put our employees first, develop AI exoskeletons in the software sector, and follow a clear strategy of growing alongside our employees through new technologies and training—rather than simply becoming smaller and more efficient. For us, there’s only one direction: forward—and always with people at the center.
How long do employees stay with you on average?
On average, 8 years (as I said, we’ve never had anyone quit, even when we had as few as 15 employees). We usually help individual employees launch their own startups after a few years, and I take a stake in them. That way, we can tackle new markets together. Example www.fresh-fruits.ch They were both apprentices; 12 years later, we're business partners, and they're killing it on social media for clients like Air Zermatt and handling content production for Ringier / SI.
How old is your youngest employee, and how old is your oldest?
Our youngest full-time employee is 23, and the oldest is 69 😛
How high are the wages you pay compared to the industry average?
Higher than average, especially in the Valais region. In addition to above-average wages, our employees receive paid vacation every 6 weeks (the industry average in our sector is 4–5 weeks at most).
What is the ratio between the best and the worst paid employee?
The difference between Junior and Senior is around 25%
Pay transparency: Do employees know among themselves who earns how much?
No, we defined that together a while back. Basically, we’ve seen with other models that, over time, the question always comes up about who’s doing what and who secured which deal. We have a clear salary scale and transparent benefits—which we defined together with the team—that include one-time bonuses based on years of service.
How much overtime do you work on average per week?
So, the person with the most overtime clocks in at 40 hours a year—that’s less than 1 hour of overtime per week. We place a strong emphasis on work-life balance (flexible hours, one day of remote work, a beverage bar, and expense reimbursement), and every hour of overtime is paid or compensated with a day of vacation.
With which benefits do you compensate your employees for said overtime?
You can choose between an additional paid vacation day or receiving a cash payment.
How long do you get maternity leave and how long paternity leave?
14 weeks of maternity leave, 2 weeks of paternity leave
Is home office allowed - and if so, how often?
Of course. Basically, one day a week. We work 4.5 days, and the 42 hours are divided up depending on the person. Flexible work hours. .
What is the current quota of women?
70% Women's Quota – Let's Go! 😀
Do you employ interns?
Sure thing. He's currently a graphic designer in his final year of school—we mentored him for a year back then to help him get into art school (he's a one-of-a-kind guy with a very touching story!).
Do you organize team events?
Sure thing! As someone from Valais, it’s practically part of my daily routine 😉 A summer barbecue with my partner, a Christmas dinner that includes an outing, and various training sessions for the whole company where we go outside the office to prepare for new topics (e.g., change driven by AI for graphic designers, etc.)
Do you have an agency dog or other mascot?
His-Fauless: Loki (that little jerk has more followers than our agency :P)
Where do you drink your after-work beer?
At our Sichtbar – whatelse. Yes, we really do have a «Sicht-Bar.».
Anything else?
I think we’re one of the few agencies that no longer focus solely on external communications but also on organizational and internal communications. Especially in the age of AI, agencies are only considered if we deliver clear results—the idea of “dying in beauty” has now been definitively put to rest by AI. We need to become more relevant, better understand our clients’ businesses, and be a genuine, approachable business partner on equal footing. In my opinion, anything else has no future.
