Markus Gut becomes a partner at Farner Consulting and expands the branding division

Markus Gut, one of Switzerland's most awarded creatives, joins the owner-managed agency as a partner and expands the management team. He heads the new Farner Branding unit and, together with Fawer and Bertschinger, is expanding the new business area. Farner Consulting thus comprehensively covers all areas of brand management.

Minimal attention span, fragmented channels, diverse media consumption, the shift from "mobile first" to "voice first" - the demands on brands have never been as complex as they are today. If brands are still to orient and facilitate purchasing decisions, they must be developed "purpose first": with a mission statement and values that also create company growth from within.

Establishment of a specialized branding unit

Brands with "purpose" and a clear value orientation promote all a company's activities. For this reason, the communications agency Farner Consulting is strengthening its branding expertise by founding a unit specializing in branding. 

Brand expert Markus Gut will be in charge of the division at the Zurich location. He will become a partner and member of the management of Farner Consulting as of September 1, 2019. He will be assisted by brand strategist Martin Fawer and designer Fabian Bertschinger as well as the resources of the overall agency. 

Consulting and brand management along the entire cycle 

The three-person branding team assists clients in creating a distinctive brand, its "purpose" and values, in brand design to product & packaging design, in developing integrated brand strategies, in digital branding and brand experience for umbrella, individual and product brands. 

Farner Consulting thus offers the entire value chain of brand management from a single source - from brand development to strategic brand positioning and creative brand communication to specializations such as employer branding. Through close collaboration between Farner Branding and the other units, the agency maintains brands and their "purpose" consistently across all channels.

Three top brand experts for Farner Consulting

Markus Gut has been shaping the Swiss creative industry for more than 25 years. He worked for many years as CCO at Publicis and, as CCO, helped build up Y&R Group Switzerland. Most recently, he served successfully as CEO and partner at Process, a branding agency based in Zurich, Shanghai and Taipei. Gut has been a board member of the Art Directors Club Switzerland for many years, a member of the British D&AD, the International Advertising Association (IAA) and the Swiss Graphic Designers Association SGV. He is also an advisory board member of the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and lectures as a brand expert at the HWZ, the HSG and the Ad School. Markus Gut is one of the most awarded creatives in Switzerland and has won renowned creative, communication and design awards for national and international clients. 

Roman Geiser, CEO & Managing Partner: "Markus Gut is one of Switzerland's most successful and committed communications experts in the industry. To strengthen our offering for brands, he was my first choice. I am delighted to welcome Markus to our team."

Markus Gut, Partner: "I couldn't resist Roman Geiser's request. Setting up the new Farner Branding division is a unique opportunity for me. In addition, the position offers an optimal mix of entrepreneurship and being part of the number 1 in the Swiss agency market." 

Fabian Bertschinger is a highly endowed designer, creative director and also ADC and SGV member, whose work has been honored with various international awards. He was Head of Design at the Swiss snowboard and skateboard brand "Zimtstern" and Design Director at MetaDesign Zurich. Most recently, he was Creative Director and Member of the Executive Board at Process. He teaches as a guest lecturer on the topics of branding and design at ZHAW, at the University of Basel and at FinTech Incubator F10.

Martin Fawer is a brand strategist and has many years of experience in brand positioning and strategic support for brand development. During his professional career, he has been active in all disciplines of communication and, among other things, supervised the brand relaunch of Orell Füssli as Head of Marketing and Communication. Through his work also on the corporate side, he is very familiar with the clients' perspective. Since 2014, Martin Fawer has been Consulting Director and Member of the Executive Board at Process, where he led the consulting team for brand strategy, brand positioning and brand architecture.