Some stuff.

Just a quick update. A lot of work to do today and in the next two. My desk looks quite scary with a lot of paper, empty and filled cups of coffee and a bunch of toystuff standing around. So the next post will obviously be on the weekend. Perhaps then I can tell something about the APSotW stuff that Russell is going through right now.

By the way a big hello to the readers from the USA and the UK who visited this blog. I never thought that you exist. Or that someone actually would read this but my ZoomCloud told me that it was used by users from USA, UK, Germany and from "?". Quite surprising. But in a nice way.

Snaps Of The Day.

With Pascal, a fantastic director of photography and friend, at Zoe's.

Mandy and Anne simultaneously checking mails at nhb studio.

At the agency with the gorgeous and full-haired Toby visiting the office of my art directress Nina and me.



At home playing some FIFA Soccer 2007.

How does your perfect agency looks like?

Minutes ago I wrote to the brilliant Flora (go, visit her blog) about how the perfect agency would look and feel like. And I am not talking about that "I wanna work for Nike and Adidas, Volkswagen and Apple"- or "I wanna work in an agency that gets all the goofy ideas done I did at Starbucks during coffee break"-wishes. And I don't wanna hear (who should answer? my zero readers?) that you would like to work for Wieden+Kennedy or CP+B or 180°. I know. Everybody wants that.

So, tell me. I think I will post my agency tomorrow.

Update the tide.

Another picture taken in the morning at Fischmarkt.

A big HELLO to Nina.

I am a bit late with this but I think my 0 readers won't mind. A few weeks ago I was teamed up with my new art director or art directress. God gave her a small sized body height but a big heart. And luckily the same craziness and sneaker-love that he gave me. Great.

So, here you can see my view of her while she is surfing the internet for nice pictures for a new business pitch.



And yes, actually she can smile as well.

Goodbye, old office.

Weeks ago I left my old office and moved just to the office next door. Because I got a new art director. Nina is very small and probably that's why we got a smaller office. No, actually in the old office we were sitting with 3 people. Now we're just the two of us.

But I will miss the old one. Because our agency is situated in an old store house it had two big sliding doors. So it felt a bit like being outside when they were open. And we had this wonderful scratch in the wooden floor which looks like the Nike Swoosh.

The Horror The Horror

This week was bad. Really bad to me and some others creative teams on my floor. It seemed to me that the whole week was a Friday 13th. Not only I flooded my powerbook by mistake with a solid 1.5 litre bottle of water but all my / our clients seem to go mad, insane und stupid. Sorry to say that. Usually I like them all but they are step by step making our work a freaking horror-show. There is a bad mood in every office.
But somehow we'll pull our heads out of this shit and will try to get some nice work back in the ring instead of this stuff that the clients are testing right now. We don't know how, but we'll somehow manage it.

Why are you so afraid?

I don't know if ad agencies in England or the US have the same behaviour when clients set up a meeting to see work or to brief the agency on new projects. But in Germany I somehow feel 100% angst when the client is on his way. Agencies are afraid to rumble with them or even to talk for their point of views. Why? Because the client could give the budget to another agency, so let's forget about doing what we think is right and just behave like aboulic puppets.

Something is wrong. If your client trusts you and somehow thinks that the work you have done pushes the brand forward, then the last thing he will do is leaving the agency just because you have a different opinion. Good work needs some fighting. So do it. I don't want to spend any more hours working like a dog in order to sit in an agency meeting and hear words like "Oh, brilliant. But that's not exactly what we think the client wants. We would have to start a discussion and somehow will have to explain and defend our point of view...that's not what we like. Just walk the easy way and do some of this mediocre stuff, okay?"

No, not okay. In a matrimony when you are suppressed by your partner and have to play roles and are not allowed to think and act the way you think is right you spend some time at a therapist. or split up.

And honestly, do you really think that they want an agency with a philosophy called "Yes, you are right! Always!"