Nominated for "Advertiser of the Year": Martin Walthert, Digitec Galaxus
The Digitec-Galaxus CMO is responsible for advertising that causes a stir and generates sympathy. The campaigns are a conscious investment by the online retailer in classic branding.
Digitec Galaxus stands for advertising that is different, humorous and well-known throughout Switzerland - and is created by the internal marketing team itself. So successful, in fact, that the Migros subsidiary regularly tops rankings in terms of image and awareness. Martin Walthert has been in charge of marketing almost since the company was founded, then alone, today with a 70-strong team behind him.
The marketing manager is a member of the Digitec-Galaxus management team and is committed to ensuring that the digital company also invests in classic advertising. "In marketing, there is a tendency to make everything automated, everything online, everything performance-oriented, because it promises a tempting but also supposed measurement accuracy," Walthert says. "We are a counterexample. We do performance-based advertising, of course, but at the same time we invest a lot in branding, image campaigns and emotional branding. And that works extremely well."
In from the start
Martin Walthert started at the company 14 years ago, directly after completing his studies. Since then, both the company and the demands on marketing have changed constantly, says the 42-year-old. In the beginning, he wrote newsletters himself, created product advertisements and printed flyers. Today, he manages six teams. "Constantly adapting to new situations has shaped me," Walthert says. "Just because we did something that way last year doesn't mean it has to be that way this year."
In addition to strategic decisions and budget and personnel planning, the Marketing Manager is also actively involved in the creative team. He helped shape Digitec's well-known product review campaign and Galaxus' "We have the products, you have the life" campaign with in-house creative director Flurin Spring and production company Plan B. "We're still adapting scripts on the set in some cases," he says. "We sometimes adjust the scripts and polish the dialogs while still on set. Our collaboration is very straightforward," says Walthert. "We rely on humor, but have to be careful that no one feels offended. With my intuition, I can offer the team good support in terms of what goes too far and what doesn't."
Nominated for "Advertiser of the Year" as head of marketing? Martin Walthert hesitates briefly and then says, "We have a great creative team and ultimately invest in the industry. That's why I think it fits." It's not about operational details, he says, but about the weight you give to advertising and the way you do it. "And I have something to say about that."
Campaigns Digitec Galaxus
Galaxus Christmas Campaign 2019
An idea that has been circulating internally for quite some time, to show the "reality" behind the usual cliché-all-together-Christmas-songs in the proven Galaxus manner.
Digitec product review campaign
In June 2020, the latest edition of Digitec's star campaign included real issues in the context of the Corona crisis in addition to "normal" ratings.
Galaxus Thanks Spots June 2020
In the crisis spring of 2020, many advertisers relied on thank-you messages. Galaxus also wanted to implement something appropriate, with (self-)irony, but - especially important here - without making fun of the situation. The spot, starring Martin Walthert, was a success and has 1.2 million views on Youtube...
Werbewoche: What was your first thought when you heard about the nomination for "Advertiser of the Year"?
Martin Walthert: I was surprised and pleased as it is unconventional and probably took some courage to set up. But it shows nicely that the results and the appreciation of creative advertising are in the foreground and not the organizational setup.
What would you want to achieve as "Advertiser of the Year"?
I would advocate more creative courage and the self-confident use of "classic" campaigns, especially on the part of advertising companies. There are a lot of good ideas out there, but often the results show that too much was wanted (with perhaps too many stakeholders) instead of focusing on an essential goal and pursuing it consistently. Related to this, I also think it is important to measure the achievement of the communicative goal with the appropriate methods, which in my experience is often somewhat mixed up and leads to wrong conclusions. For example, a campaign that is intended to strengthen emotional brand loyalty does not have to show an immediate increase in website traffic or even an increase in sales. Only this paves the way for a clear message, the conscious use of means and the choice of the right channels.
As the communications manager of a successful, fast-growing company with two well-known and popular brands, I think I can make a credible case that creative, carefully crafted campaigns are not just a nice-to-have luxury, but a key long-term growth driver.
What does advertising mean to you?
Advertising is a dissemination of information with the aim of a (hopefully) consciously pursued effect on the cognitive and / or emotional level of the recipient. Thus, except for the commercial aspect, it is no different from many other types of communication. And as with most forms of communication, the recipient does not appreciate being taken for a fool, having his senses insulted or being bored. Why, then, do we do this so often in advertising communication, even though so much money is at stake?
Where do you see the biggest current challenges in the advertising and communications industry?
The digitization of advertising channels brings with it a new supposed precision in measuring their success. The temptation is great to trust these figures blindly and to finally believe oneself to be in possession of this simple, one-dimensional control lever "x francs of advertising investment = y francs of additional sales". This then tends to encourage a shift in advertising budgets away from "classic" advertising towards digital performance marketing. However, the deeper you dive into the numbers, the more you see how little we still know and the complexity of different factors acting simultaneously and influencing each other. I would therefore advise not simply trusting the superficial performance figures, but, as already mentioned, pursuing a conscious advertising strategy with different, clearly separated goals and also measuring and optimizing these separately.
What are you particularly good at - and what do you let your team take the lead in?
I think I strike a pretty good balance between pursuing and defending a clear vision and strategy for our advertising communications on the one hand, and on the other hand having the self-reflection to constantly question and adapt the chosen paths - especially in view of our dynamic growth. I also enjoy working creatively with my team to fine-tune the campaigns. However, others are better suited for the big new idea, as well as for the very deep dive into the numbers. I lack a bit of patience there.
What have been your career highlights since spring 2019?
Certainly the general success of our company and how we have been able to lead it through the Corona crisis with relative ease. Of course, we were structurally "lucky," if you can call it that. But it has already become clear how robust and at the same time flexible and uncomplicated we are. And for me personally: what fun it is to work in such a management team. In addition, we carried out several smaller and larger restructurings in the marketing department and were able to recruit excellent people in the process, which makes me very optimistic about our future potential.
Who or what has had a particular impact on you professionally?
Les Binet and Peter Field's work for EffWorks/IPA.
Martin Walthert is Chief Marketing Officer and a member of the Executive Board at Digitec Galaxus. The 42-year-old grew up in Zurich-Wollishofen, went to Kanti Wiedikon and then studied journalism at the University of Zurich. While still a student, he helped out at Digitec, among other side jobs, building PCs and using newsletters as an early form of content marketing. Immediately after graduation, he joined the online retailer and has remained there to this day. He lives with his wife and two children in Kilchberg. His biggest hobby, besides hiking and scrambling in the mountains, is being a singer and board member of the Bach Collegium Zürich.
Information on all nominees and the "Advertiser of the Year" election can be found at here. The online election will start on Wednesday, September 16, 2020 via newsletter. All subscribers to the Werbewoche and m&k newsletters are eligible to vote. Register here for free. The final winner of the "Egon" trophy will be determined 50/50 by the newsletter readership and the "Advertiser of the Year" jury.
7 Questions for Martin Walthert
