Germany: The Deutsche Disconnect

It's got loads to sell and talented folk to sell it, but Germany's advertising output – aside from the work cited in the next few pages – is uninspired. Joe Lancaster discovers the problems include a lack of collaboration and creative connections between industry folk and the fact that there aren't enough good scripts around.

It doesn’t take a genius to deduce that a combination of the highest GDP in Europe, some of the continent’s most creative minds, mustard-keen producers and incredibly talented directors should equal a national advertising industry with an output to be envied by all.

So what’s going wrong in Germany? ‘I’m so jealous of the US and UK, those guys get to do such great work,’ is almost a catchphrase among the ad folk there.

Other than a slump in the spring of this year, when for a few months, work inexplicably dried up for everyone in the German market, the country’s titanium-coated economy has allowed general business to continue as usual while its European peers struggle to balance the books. When it comes to advertising however, clients are still cautious. “It’s a difficult time. The days of clients spending €1m on a 30-second ad are over,” says Moritz von Schrötter. Find out how his production company, Parasol Island, has not only coped, but thrived, in the new climate.

“There are so many TV channels now that you can’t afford to be on them all, so you don’t have huge TV spots anymore,” explains Ralf Heuel, CCO and partner at indie agency Grabarz & Partner. “If you want to reach a specific demographic, there are smarter ways.”

Fun times with research institutes

Tim Menzel, EP and partner at 18-month-old company, cloud visual brand entertainment, is excited. “Agencies are looking for uncommon ways to do things. As a production company you have to be as flexible as possible to get bigger or smaller to fit the budget. It’s fun – for every board you have to find a new way [of operating].”

cloud is focussed on finding those ‘new ways’ by using emerging technology to create branded content and entertainment and has worked closely with the Fraunhofer Society – the research organisation for 60 nationwide scientific institutes, one of which developed the MP3 player. “We have a cooperative with them and get access to developments. We try to find a way to bring [the new tech] to clients,” he explains. “But clients have to trust us and give us the funds [in campaign budgets] to use tech that didn’t exist before.”

Heuel agrees that clients need to embrace new media. “They have to and they will. If you have an app for example, you don’t have 30 seconds contact with consumers, you have 30 minutes.” Although Germany has perhaps been slower than the UK or US in catching on, it seems it is now happening. “New media accounts for nearly 30 per cent of our business now,” says Florian Beisert, MD of the biggest production company in Europe, Markenfilm, which employs more than 200 people. “We quite often get boards with other stuff attached, such as web films, long format, etc.”

Although Grabarz's Heuel feels the new media revolution is generally a positive thing – “We believe [advertising is] like making a deal with the consumer today. You give them something and they give you something back,” – he also points out how it can have its downsides: “Most print ads for cars in Germany now work like billboards for online, so the whole charm and wit that print used to have is gone. People say print is just a ramp to [get the consumer to] go online.”

But if all this interactive/new media work is being signed off by clients and everyone is still grumbling, does that mean it’s all dull as dish water? Of course not all of it is, there have been some outstanding campaigns in Germany recently, such as this year’s Days of Hope by Saatchi & Saatchi’s Berlin office, which opened in 2011. In the campaign, created for Diakonie to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless in winter weather, homeless people presented weather reports on TV. It ran in several countries and gained 350 million media impressions, won a gold and three silver Clios among a number of other international awards, but most importantly it led to increased charity donations and even offers of jobs for homeless people.

Other impressive German campaigns of late include LABAMBA’s work for Nivea (see page 60); the 11-Lion-winning (including the Grand Prix for Good) WWF Ant Rally by Proximity BBDO Germany, in which half a million ants were employed for a ‘protest march’ to save the rainforests; and of course several campaigns by Serviceplan, an independent agency network that has grown from a boring-but-effective shop to creative hotbed under the guidance of Alexander Schill. Read about how he did it on page 48.

These campaigns, as well as a handful of traditional pieces of work such as TVCs for Fanta by Jung von Matt Hamburg (see page 42); Smart Fortwo, also by Proximity BBDO; and Hornbach Crack by Heimat, directed by Martin Krejci through Stink Berlin – recently ranked by journals Horizont and W&V as Germany’s Most Creative Production Company – are shining lights in an otherwise pitch-black night.

“Clients are afraid of losing their jobs if they make a mistake,” exhales Markenfilm’s Beisert. “There isn’t much freedom – everything is tested 15 times,” he adds. “It makes it hard to climb the creative rankings. If there are only four or five good scripts each year, getting just one can kick you to the top.” However, he also admits that it’s not just clients who are to blame for the country’s failure to realise its creative potential. “There’s not enough connection between agencies and production companies like there is in London, where they talk earlier on a project. We need better relationships to improve creativity – agencies should talk to the director earlier.”

Fighting for directors

It seems crazy that in a nation renowned for its organisation and methodical approach to work, Germany is similar to Italy in that, other than a few who usually have to be paid retainers, most directors aren’t repped exclusively by one production company. Naturally it leads to the same problems that the Italians face: The second a script hits the producers’ inboxes, they better be paying attention, because it’s literally a race to dial the director’s cell phone. “While we’re talking I need to have someone watching my inbox,” sighs Beisert. “You have to be first on the telephone to beat your competitor,” agrees cloud’s Menzel, although he believes the industry is moving more towards exclusive representations. “You should be thinking about who’s best for the job, not rushing to the phone. I want production companies to work together more. Of course you have to be competitive, but I think we have to speak more to each other.” Beisert agrees. “It’s the biggest problem in Germany. It means we don’t talk, we just fight instead.” Acki Heldens, EP of one of the country’s other big guns, Tempomedia, sums it up well: “I’m more like a politician than a producer.”

Another symptom of the non-exclusive representation system is that creatives can become lazy when it comes to deciding who to approach for a certain job. They know that within reason most production companies can employ most directors and several EPs concede that they are regularly sent scripts without the agency having even looked at their roster. Whoever suggests the most suitable director – and gets through to him/her first on the phone – will be invited to pitch. “My opinion is that agencies should scout for the director they want and approach their production company. That’s how I want to work and how I want my producers to work,” says Alexander Schillinsky, head of production at 260-person independent creative agency Kolle Rebbe.

Competition is fierce. “There are so many production companies in Germany. Our goal has to be: make it cheap, fast and with a good director so the outcome is the best and the client and agency are happy – not to make big profits,” explains Elinor De la Forge, who founded Black Pearl in May last year. The five-person film production company is unique in that it takes a tour bus to shoots where the crew can live and work. Their recent web films for the World Rally Championship show how nimble they can be, with footage shot on day one, edited on the bus overnight and released online on day two.

“The market is more ready for boutique production companies now,” says Mandy Kothe, EP at the tiny-but-feisty Wanda Hamburg, which opened in 2012 after a short stint in Berlin proved disappointing. During that time the company was more a satellite office for the French HQ, whereas now it is a registered German (GMBH) company. “Foreign production companies only make it here by using local talent,” she says in reference to directors on her roster such as Georg von Mitzlaff, Sven Bollinger and Claas Ortmann.

From YDA wins to driving taxis

When it comes to directing talent, Germany is in no short supply. Thanks in no small part to Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, quite probably Europe’s best commercial film school, every year an army of staggeringly talented newcomers step on to the scene, ready for war. As well as the Porsche Awards, hosted at Baden-Württemberg, Saatchi & Saatchi hosts a purely German version of its New Directors Showcase, organised by the network’s head of creative services for Germany and Switzerland, Michael M Maschke. “It’s in the DNA of Saatchi & Saatchi to look for new directing talent,” he says proudly at a screening of this year’s reel in the Düsseldorf HQ. In its fifth year, the submissions were judged by top-drawer industry figures including Guido Heffels, co-founder and ECD of Heimat; veteran director Martin Schmid; Saatchi’s ECD Alexander Reiss and several more. Over 17 hours’ worth of entries were received and the 15 selected commercials, test spots, music videos and short films were screened at the ADC in Hamburg, as well as on a tour of Berlin, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, where other agencies were invited to attend. Names to look out for include Tom Schlagkamp, Julian Reich and former shots New Directors Denis Parchow, Andreas Bruns, Andreas Roth and Kai Schonrath (see page 81).

Sadly every army that goes to war suffers casualties and the problem Germany’s young directors will face is the same one that the peers of Alex & Steffen, the Tempomedia duo and owners of Unexpected, who shot the Fanta spot (see page 42), faced when they won a YDA in 2005: There just aren’t enough scripts for everyone. “There was a guy who also won [at the YDA] and assumed he was going to be the next big thing,” recalls Alex Kiesl. “We heard he drives a taxi now.”

In December last year, the ADC and the Gesamtverand Kommunikationsagenturen (GWA), the umbrella association of the biggest agencies, reorganised the German agency rankings. Five awards were chosen to be relevant for the creative index (London International, Cannes Lions, One Show, D&AD, and the German ADC) and a further five for the efficiency index (GWA Effie, Cannes Effectiveness, Euro Effie, Effie Worldwide, AME). This has naturally led agencies to dramatically alter their approach to awards as they fight to top those indexes and it is common knowledge in the market that a large amount of ‘gold ideas’ are produced – with client consent – for the purpose of winning metal at awards shows, with some agencies spending up to €150,000 on Cannes entries alone.

Like many territories, Germany is not lacking in creative talent, cash, or products to sell. What it is lacking, apparently, is clients with balls and until that changes, it’s unlikely we’ll find creatives looking upon the country’s advertising scene through eyes that are green with envy.