"Markus Gut and I share the same understanding of strong brands".

The communications agency Farner Consulting is expanding its branding expertise with the establishment of a unit specializing in branding (Werbewoche.ch reported). Brand expert Markus Gut will head up the division at the Zurich office. He will become a partner and member of the management team at Farner Consulting on September 1, 2019. He will be supported by brand strategist Martin Fawer and designer Fabian Bertschinger as well as the resources of the agency as a whole. The three new additions join from the branding agency Process to Farner. 

Werbewoche.ch: Roman Geiser, when did the plan to set up the Branding Unit materialize?

Roman Geiser: In addition to corporate communications and public affairs, Farner has also systematically expanded its marketing communications offering in recent years: first with Daniel Jörg in digital communications, then with Philipp Skrabal in advertising and finally through the merger with YJOO Communications, an agency specializing in brand communications. Today, we can take an integrated approach to brand management. But what we still lacked was the visible competence to work on the core of a brand. The decision to set up a branding unit and broaden our brand development activities is the logical continuation of recent years. This decision matured in parallel with the expansion of marketing communication and is now ready to be implemented. We now cover the entire value chain of brand management in all its breadth.

Did you also consider taking over an entire branding agency?

We examined various options and decided on the path we have now chosen. A merger is not just about the strategic "fit", but also about the people behind it. Farner is more complete and more broadly based than any other agency in Switzerland. New colleagues must fit in with our multidisciplinary approach and share our understanding of communication. This is absolutely the case with our three new colleagues. That is why we are starting in this constellation. 

Is the establishment of the unit directly linked to the appointment of Markus Gut or did the company want to strengthen the unit and was actively looking for a suitable person?

Farner is experiencing above-average growth in the three areas of advertising, digital marketing and brand communications. That's why we wanted to expand our offering for brands. We first defined the strategy for ourselves and only then looked for the right constellation. We believe we have found the right solution with Markus, Martin and Fabian. 

Have you known Markus Gut for a long time? What has connected you so far?

We have actually known each other for a very long time. We got to know each other more than 15 years ago at the Y&R Group. At the time, I was responsible for the Group's PR offering with Burson-Marsteller and sat on the Board of Directors of Y&R Holding. Markus then joined the Group as a top creative. This led to a good friendship that went far beyond our time at Y&R. We share the same understanding of strong brands and effective communication and have therefore always worked together very well and successfully.

How did Farner manage to take over the entire well-rehearsed and established trio from Process?

There was no master plan to bring Markus, Fabian and Martin to us together and thus weaken a competitor. All three wanted to change for individual reasons and had resigned. Farner was not the catalyst for the changes at Process, but the solution that brought everything together.

Are you planning to expand the branding area at Farner or are you limiting yourself to the three people for the time being?

We are convinced that we can grow in the area of branding over the next few years and we believe in the power of strategically well-positioned brands that have an impact across all channels. We are now starting with the nucleus around Markus, Martin and Fabian and will then gradually expand - always in combination with the agency's other units, of course.

How important is branding in the overall Farner construct?

We do not view branding in isolation and detached from other services. However, it is an essential aspect of brand management that we can now offer more comprehensively. Brands today must be based on a "purpose" and clear values and be able to communicate these unambiguously. This "purpose first" approach to brand development brings companies and target groups closer together.

Markus Gut has acquired a great deal of expertise on the subject of China at Process - can Farner make use of this or is it irrelevant?

Farner is primarily a nationally oriented agency that thinks internationally. In Switzerland itself, we have seven offices in all economic and language regions of Switzerland. In addition, we manage many international mandates in various partnerships. We help foreign companies to gain a foothold in Switzerland and support Swiss companies that are expanding abroad. We do not have a particular focus on China.

Is Farner the agency that is currently pushing the accelerator pedal the hardest in Switzerland in terms of expansion and growth?

We do not pursue growth as an end in itself, but examine which trends and opportunities create added value for our customers and fit in with our corporate strategy. In doing so, we realize three things: that our multidisciplinary approach meets a customer need, that the integration of the various disciplines is becoming increasingly important and that technology is having a growing influence on our business model. However, we are never concerned with size or growth per se.

Will further units be launched in the near future?

Our primary focus now is on building up the branding unit with our three new colleagues and the cooperation with Du Da deepen. But we will continue to anticipate trends and new market requirements.

First Skrabal, then Gut - Do you have other top creatives in mind?

No comment. (laughs)