Head of the week: "I'm a career changer".
Otto Walter joined Publicitas Basel at the beginning of November as advertising manager for the Basler Zeitung
Otto Walter has been head of advertising for the Basler Zeitung at Publicitas Basel since the beginning of NovemberHead of the Week "I'm a career changer"
When Otto Walter heard that Henri Robyr was leaving the post of BaZ advertising manager, he thought to himself that this would certainly be a very exciting job. "But I didn't want to come out of the closet," Walter recounts. The reason: As former head of key accounts at Publicitas and, since the beginning of 1999, as operational head of Publimedia Basel, he had a job that satisfied him all around. He didn't want to leave this young branch again.
He was all the more surprised when Robyr offered him the job. Because Publicitas Basel and BaZ also reacted positively, Walter accepted.
He has been in this position since November 1, but was already introduced to his new task by Robyr in October, just at the time when it was a matter of setting the rates for 2001. It was decided not to increase the local column rates at BaZ - because of the new competition from commuter newspapers and Baslerstab. Another decision: BaZ ad sales are to be intensified on the national stage, mainly in Zurich.
"I've never represented a single title in the advertising market," Walter reports. On the other hand, he only wanted - if anything - to switch to the side of a major title "because this task is particularly exciting." So now, as BaZ advertising manager, he also has a say in Swisspool.
Otto Walter, 44, has only been in the media business for three years. "I'm a career changer," he says. He originally trained as a structural draftsman and worked for eleven years in various architectural offices. Among other things, he was involved in the construction of a high-rise building in Basel that now serves as the headquarters of Coop Switzerland. He never imagined that some 20 years later he would regularly enter this very building to visit Coop as one of the Publimedia key accounts.
The "link" between then and now was the period from 1986 to 1997, when he was editorial director of the Baudoc library and the monthly bulletin at Schweizer Baudokumentation. "That's when I became interested in publishing," he says. He completed Sawi's training as a publishing salesman and applied to Publicitas Basel as head of key accounts. No sooner had he taken up this post in 1997 than, following Ofa's integration, he was already tasked with setting up Publimedia Basel.
Otto Walter is married and father of two children. He lives in Basel, whistles for the "Basler Bebbi", is interested in painting and is a regular ART visitor. His real name is Otto K. Walter. The K stands for Kilian and should mark the difference to the name of his father. His father's name was Otto F. Walter. And was a writer. Markus Knöpfli
When Otto Walter heard that Henri Robyr was leaving the post of BaZ advertising manager, he thought to himself that this would certainly be a very exciting job. "But I didn't want to come out of the closet," Walter recounts. The reason: As former head of key accounts at Publicitas and, since the beginning of 1999, as operational head of Publimedia Basel, he had a job that satisfied him all around. He didn't want to leave this young branch again.
He was all the more surprised when Robyr offered him the job. Because Publicitas Basel and BaZ also reacted positively, Walter accepted.
He has been in this position since November 1, but was already introduced to his new task by Robyr in October, just at the time when it was a matter of setting the rates for 2001. It was decided not to increase the local column rates at BaZ - because of the new competition from commuter newspapers and Baslerstab. Another decision: BaZ ad sales are to be intensified on the national stage, mainly in Zurich.
"I've never represented a single title in the advertising market," Walter reports. On the other hand, he only wanted - if anything - to switch to the side of a major title "because this task is particularly exciting." So now, as BaZ advertising manager, he also has a say in Swisspool.
Otto Walter, 44, has only been in the media business for three years. "I'm a career changer," he says. He originally trained as a structural draftsman and worked for eleven years in various architectural offices. Among other things, he was involved in the construction of a high-rise building in Basel that now serves as the headquarters of Coop Switzerland. He never imagined that some 20 years later he would regularly enter this very building to visit Coop as one of the Publimedia key accounts.
The "link" between then and now was the period from 1986 to 1997, when he was editorial director of the Baudoc library and the monthly bulletin at Schweizer Baudokumentation. "That's when I became interested in publishing," he says. He completed Sawi's training as a publishing salesman and applied to Publicitas Basel as head of key accounts. No sooner had he taken up this post in 1997 than, following Ofa's integration, he was already tasked with setting up Publimedia Basel.
Otto Walter is married and father of two children. He lives in Basel, whistles for the "Basler Bebbi", is interested in painting and is a regular ART visitor. His real name is Otto K. Walter. The K stands for Kilian and should mark the difference to the name of his father. His father's name was Otto F. Walter. And was a writer. Markus Knöpfli
