Manager with drive

In 2008, Draftfcb/Lowe Group was not one of the top players in the league of creative agencies. The merger of Draftfcb and Lowe had not been long ago and the agency was in a state of flux. Two corporate cultures had to come together, everything was being put to the test. It was exactly the right time for Cornelia Harder to join Draftfcb. "It was a great challenge for me to lead the agency into a new era." The manager is always drawn to places where she can make a difference. This was already the case at the beginning of her career, when she was responsible for marketing communication at the umbrella organization of Swiss milk producers SMP and launched the successful advertising dairy cow Lovely together with Advico. An enormously enjoyable time, as Harder says looking back. "I had a lot of freedom of action and was able to develop and support new concepts and campaigns."

For a similar reason, she moved from Publicis to Publigroupe in 2005 to manage the business of Publicitas Mittelland. The prospect of a change process awaiting her at the Publigroupe subsidiary drew the manager to the marketer side. At the time, Publicitas had just taken over the advertising management for the newspaper titles of the AZ Media Group, and the AZ sales organization was subsequently integrated into the Publicitas branch. Salespeople who had previously fought each other on the market were suddenly sitting in the same office. This was a demanding management task that had to be solved quickly with the necessary sensitivity. A challenge to her liking. Harder is ambitious, determined and dynamic.
 
"My motto is 'more drive'," she says. "In our business, you have to be able to think and act flexibly." The fact that the manager is currently forced to shift down a gear due to an operation on her Achilles tendon puts her patience to the test. With the boot, a kind of giant snowboard boot that holds her foot in place like a plaster cast, everything moves a little slower. "I'm in slow mode at the moment," says Harder. She misses the sporting balance to her work. She likes to play tennis and speeds up on her skis in winter. However, she would never think of complaining. She can easily cope with being confined to crutches for a few weeks. "Otherwise, I have a good constitution and am never ill."

The former volleyball player knows how to take defeats in her stride, get up again and motivate the team to perform at their best. This experience serves her well in everyday business life. When things get tough, she shows perseverance. If something doesn't work right away, she gets back to work with renewed vigor. After a setback, she heads into a pitch with renewed motivation.

"Cornelia is very ambitious," says Executive Creative Director Dennis Lück about her, "but not in a tense way. She is committed to creative work with joy and positivity." The agency boss inspires her team with her spirit. "Cornelia knows how to motivate others," says Lück. In hot phases, Harder ensures that everyone pulls in the same direction. In return, they celebrate together later and clear their heads. Just recently on a weekend trip to Engelberg.

A good connection to creation

Harder doesn't believe in traditional hierarchies. She is part of the team, whether as a coach and for strategic input during pitches or at customer presentations. True to her motto "One team one spirit". Let's go for it! Words from the English language keep creeping in during conversations with her. In addition to management expressions, Harder, who once headed Publicis Lausanne as CEO, also likes to weave in French terms. Harder has succeeded in achieving a financial turnaround at Draftfcb. She has cleaned up the company and made it profitable. And the agency is also at the forefront creatively. In the creative rankings, Draftfcb climbed from 15th to 7th place, and is ranked 6th by the ADC.
 
Harder owes this creative upswing above all to ECD Dennis Lück, who came to Wallisellen from Scholz & Friends in October 2011. "Things have been looking up creatively since Dennis joined us. The Managing Director works closely with him. "We are valuable sparring partners for each other. As our business is based on creative ideas, teamwork is crucial. And not just at management level, but throughout the agency."

The manager chose her creative partner carefully. "I put him through his paces," says Harder and laughs. Before Lück started at the agency, he had to prove what he was capable of. As in a customer competition, he had to develop concepts and claims based on a defined brief. Harder wanted to make sure that the new ECD was conceptually strong and creatively innovative, but also that he would fit into the team as a person. It worked: "As a duo, we have now also built up a creative reputation within the global network and are currently being rewarded with international projects," says Harder.

Above all, Harder and Lück are united by their ambition to make more out of a briefing. "That is our credo." When BMW wanted a DIN A5 Christmas card, the agency turned it into a successful viral - the fastest Christmas card painted on the passenger seat of a BMW M5 speeding around the race track. This was followed a year later by the fastest Christmas song featuring an a cappella group that audibly struggles to hit the right note during the high-speed drive. Draftfcb also creatively implemented the briefing of the Rigiblick Theater for an annual report. The balance sheet was rewritten and staged as a stage play, and the annual report was distributed at the end in the format of a Reclam booklet. The fact that Draftfcb is moving forward creatively has been noted in the industry. The Theater Rigiblick annual report won a silver Cannes Lion and the Art Directors Club awarded it a gold cube and two bronze awards.

Draftfcb took home a bronze Lion from Cannes for the fastest Christmas song. Harder's nomination as Advertiser of the Year is not least an expression of her increased visibility. A surprise - and an honor - for the agency boss. "The nomination is recognition of my consistently good work in Swiss advertising. Staying at the forefront for so long - in a hectic business like advertising, where being young and successful counts above all else - is not something that can be taken for granted." After many years in the business, Harder knows how the cart runs. Nevertheless, she never gets bored. Routine is non-existent in her job. She likes that. On the other hand, she criticizes the fact that volatility has generally increased due to the tough price pressure in the industry: "I would like to see ideas and intellectual property valued more again." It is not unusual for pressure on margins to be passed on to suppliers. "But what we don't like is that we are being put in the same supplier drawer as a screw manufacturer.

Purchasing creative ideas is treated the same as buying two tons of paper. That is absurd. Creative ideas that bring added value to the client must be fairly rewarded. In fact, agencies should simply reject projects that are not properly remunerated," says Harder. However, as Managing Director, she knows only too well that this is easier said than done. The competition from home and abroad never sleeps. And wages have to be paid at the end of the month. Harder has set the goals for Draftfcb: "We want to keep up with the best creative agencies." As an agency that has distinguished itself with excellent car advertising, Draftfcb is recommended for further orders in this sector. "We are ready for new car clients," says Harder. There are also plans for a change of location. When the lease expires next year, the agency definitely wants to move to the city center. Personally, her recovery is currently a priority. The plan is for Harder to play a tennis match or two again in the summer. Immediately afterwards, she will have surgery on her other Achilles tendon. Just in time to be ready for the ski season. Isabel Imper

In a nutshell
Cornelia Harder has been managing the business of Draftfcb/Lowe Group since June 2008. During her career, the trained advertising manager has worked for both clients and agencies. She was responsible for marketing communications at the umbrella organization of Swiss milk producers (SMP) and is regarded as the midwife of the advertising dairy cow Lovely. In 1995, Harder crossed the Röstigraben to join Publicis in Lausanne, where she looked after national clients such as Nestlé, L'Oréal and Swiss Lotto. After six years, she was appointed Managing Director of Publicis Zurich. During this time, Harder was also active in the industry associations BSW Leading Swiss Agencies as president and board member as well as on the board of SW Schweizer Werbung.