"We just wanted to finance our studies"

1. what would you work for free for one month?
We work for customers such as the "Foundation for the Cerebral Palsy Child" at reduced rates. And personally, I have been supporting sports clubs and the Bielersee winegrowers with unpaid commitment for years.

2. what does not come to the office under any circumstances?
Potted plants that look like a Desert Storm after a week.

3. the best self-promotion?
We publish ZaK, the newspaper for stimulating communication, twice a year. It always surprises me how many people we don't know want to subscribe to ZaK.

4. do you tell other people how much you earn?
No, I'll leave the complaining to others.

5. who was the most fun lunch partner?
My partner. Over and over again.

6. what do you personally think about the effect of advertising?
It exists!

7. if you had not become an advertiser - what then?
Head teacher? Kindergarten teacher? Fireman? Butler? I often feel like a little bit of everything.

8. what do you see as the biggest challenge for advertising at the moment?
Digitization. We are only at the beginning, and it will not only turn the advertising world completely upside down.

9. what is it impossible for you to do without?
My partner. My business partners. Friends. Family. Co-workers. Customers.

10. a buzz word that gets on your nerves?
This has changed over the years: from reason why to insight to storytelling to content marketing. The question is always the same: How do we shape the relationship between people and brands?

11. can you give us a little secret betrayed?
24 years ago, Lorenz Schmid and I only wanted to finance our studies with In Flagranti. And at first, we had no intention of becoming a successful agency.

12. which advertising medium do you find abominable?
Shirt collars. Ties. Cheap pens. WC doors.

13: Why would you advise or advise your children not to seek a career in advertising/communication?
I think the opportunity to take on responsibility at a young age, the versatility of the job and the diversity of the people you meet are unique.

Michael Hählen was founded in 1990 in flagranti in Lyss. Today, the owner-managed agency employs around 30 people and is number three in the Mittelland region according to the BSW ranking. In flagranti's clients include the Lungenliga, Die Post, BKW, and Hauert. Hählen has been a member of the BSW board since 2012 and was nominated for the title of Advertiser of the Year in 2014.

The "13 Questions" appear both online and in the print edition of Werbewoche.

Realization: Thomas Häusermann