News
Pink landmark for Stuttgart
New work of art
07.07.2011, W&V: schwarzspringer’s home Charottenhochhaus is in need of some renovation. The agency, which occupies pink offices on the 11th floor, thinks this 1960s building could do with a lick of paint. And the team has suggested giving the façade a pink makeover. Co-owner Stefan Springer says, “It would create a striking landmark for Stuttgart, between the city’s two art galleries.” He is willing to contribute up to €50,000 for the work. But the building’s owner and administrators are not quite so enthusiastic. So now it’s down to the city of Stuttgart to decide.
Party time in Stuttgart
Stuttgart agency secures three contracts and celebrates three birthdays
30.05.2011, Kontakter: There’s a 15th, a 20th and a 50th birthday to celebrate – and schwarzpringer is in charge of the festivities. The agency has developed a new logo, print ads, a large-scale campaign and a roadshow to celebrate local telephone directory Ihr Regionales’ 15th anniversary. schwarzpringer, run by Roland Schwarz and Stefan Springer, won the deal after submitting a proposal. The goal: to extend the apeal of the directory, which connects users to people and companies in their local area.Picandou, the goat’s cheese brand from manufacturer Rian, is turning 20. And it is taking the opportunity to launch a large-scale campaign, including a competition at retail outlets and on the Internet. Rian, which up until now had only promoted the cheese in stores, is looking to boost the popularity of the brand.And Ludwigburg’s free weekly newspaper is celebrating its 50th birthday with a new look and numerous promotions and activities. schwarzspringer is behind the campaign. The Stuttgart agency wants to grow by 20 per cent in 2011, making this year the most successful in its history – and creating a further cause to celebrate.
On the right level
18.10.2010, Kontakter: Stuttgart agency schwarzspringer has secured a deal with Bosch. Bosch Power Tools is launching Quigo, a device aimed primarily at women, which will hit the shelves in time for Christmas. “Quigo is the ideal tool for everybody who enjoys creating beautiful walls at home,” explains Claus von Berg, responsible for communications in Bosch’s measuring systems division. The laser provides a playful answer to a problem that in the past only a spirit level could solve. “And this is what we’d like to communicate,” says Berg. schwarzspringer is responsible for the international campaign accompanying the product launch, which is aimed at DIY enthusiasts and features the slogan “Takes the right line.” “We present the product in an emotional way that shows the Quigo in action,” explains agency manager Stefan Springer. The entire campaign, including print ads, TV commercials, sales promotions, and online and in store advertising, is based around this defining image. The key message is: the Quigo is versatile and easy to use.schwarzspringer was founded in 2007. The team, headed by Stefan Springer and Roland Schwarz aims to find defining images for brands. Each campaign is designed to communicate a brand’s key message consistently across all media.
Visit the Bosch Quigo site (German only) (externer Link)
From hard-wearing shoe to lifestyle brand
22.06.2009, Kontakter: Bernd Hummel is giving its shoe brand Kangaroos a makeover. For the first time in the company’s history, it has opted to work with a single agency: schwarzspringer.
Kangaroos aims to become a likeable, lifestyle brand, offering good value for money while remaining on trend. schwarzspringer secured the assignment several weeks ago – after winning a pitch for Pirmasens-based firm Bernd Hummel. The Stuttgart agency is now working on a major campaign, including TV and cinema, print, online, in-store advertising and promotions. The first sales activities publicising the Toggo kids’ summer camp are already underway on TV channel Super-RTL. “We were very taken with schwarzspringer’s integrated concept for consumers and retailers. We have embarked on this new path in our anniversary year, and will continue to follow it in future,” explains Torsten Sereda, who is responsible for marketing for Kangaroos. The brand is turning 30 this year and until now, it had no clear-cut, consistent brand messaging. But in his quest to reinvent Kangaroos as a lifestyle brand, Sereda has entered a long-term agency agreement – for the first time in the company’s history. In the past, Bernd Hummel, which owns the brand, had worked only sporadically with agencies.
The focus of the new marketing activities is the well-known and highly popular Kangaroos brand of shoes. But the new image will have an impact on the company’s other products, including Kangaroos-branded sportswear, bags and watches. schwarzspringer boss Springer does not want reveal too much yet, but he says, “The kangaroo logo will play a central role.” The campaign is set to be a blend of real and animated elements that bring the brand to life in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek manner. The first results are expected in 2010.
Mineral water meets sport
10.05.2009, Kontakter: Mineral water brand Ensinger wants to create a younger image and extend its appeal beyond the Stuttgart region. schwarzspringer made a successful pitch and has been awarded the Ensinger account. The new campaign will launch in a few days.
A new challenge for schwarzspringer. After a successful pitch, the Stuttgart agency has been tasked with redesigning the Ensinger brand. The campaign, comprising print ads, radio spots and billboard advertising, will kick off soon and has an estimated budget of almost one million euros.
“The new image matches perfectly with our brand personality and our sponsoring activities,” remarks Ensinger marketing head Stefan Schurr. The company sponsors Bundesliga teams, such as Stuttgart’s football club and Friedrichshafen’s volleyball team.
DThe new slogan developed by schwarzspringer captures the client’s close association with sport. Starting in May, the southern-Germany-based brand will use the tagline “Ensinger ist Sport” (Ensinger means sport) to draw consumers’ attention to the high calcium and magnesium content of the mineral water (Ensinger – with valuable magnesium). “This is the USP,” says agency owner Stefan Springer, “but the new image with its sporty visuals is much more fitting for the brand.” The mineral water market is fiercely contested and discount supermarkets and brands from other areas have made life difficult for Ensinger, which is based in Vaihingen-Enz close to Stuttgart. Now the company wants to attract a younger target group and extend its appeal outside the region.
As Schurr explains, “schwarzspringer’s concept will support us for years to come and will be deployed more intensively at retailers.” Integrated retail concepts, and sales activities and promotions are already in planning. In addition, schwarzspringer is working on a packaging revamp that will be launched in the second half of the year, and on a new corporate design. Since 2007, schwarzspringer has worked for brands such as Bonduelle, Fixies, Daimler, AMG and Voith.
schwarzspringer is probably the best-looking agency in Germany
27.01.2009: Its offices were ranked among the 25 best designed in the world in the 2008 AIT Best of Office Architecture Award. AIT readers were asked to select their favourites from all the projects featured since 2006. Design company ZieglerBürg and schwarzspringer were among the winners.schwarzspringer's entire concept is based around the slogan “the defining image” – and creating clear, consistent communications. So it is no surprise that the agency’s colours pink and white are a common theme in its office interiors. The custom-designed desks and shelves are made from Trespa panels and communicate a feeling of weightlessness. The furniture conveys lightness and creativity, further strengthened by open-plan rooms, extremely thin glass dividing walls and a pink carpet. The offices are on the 11th floor of a Stuttgart highrise, and offer a breath-taking vista of the city. The minimalist furnishings and impressive ceiling elements draw the eye automatically to the panoramic windows and the fabulous view. Lamps mounted in the balustrades light up the façade at night – in pink, of course (pantone 2356 to be more precise). That means schwarzspringer's offices are visible from afar, creating a distinctive landmark in the night sky. The consistent design remains true to schwarzspringer’s concept of a defining image, helping cement the company’s character and philosophy in the minds of visitors.
schwarzspringer nominated for 2008 Corporate Design Award
10.07.2008: The Stuttgart agency does not just look for defining images for its clients. schwarzspringer has introduced a consistent corporate design for its own communications – from its fixtures and fittings, to the car park signs, from office layout to lighting. The organisation aims to occupy a unique space in the advertising world, using imagery and colour to instil its philosophy in the minds of clients, visitors and employees. And the approach is starting to pay off: the agency has been nominated for the 2008 Corporate Design Award.
Maximum comfort
Fixies Classic and Comfort nappies take first and third place
01.12.2007, Rundschau: Feeling totally comfortable is something people of all ages strive for – adults, children and even babies. That’s why soft, well-fitting nappies are a must. The Fixies brand of nappies aims to use only the softest materials and to avoid potential allergens. To this end, the company performs extensive tests on the materials to ensure they are gentle on the skin.Fixies has revamped the packaging of its Classic range of pull-on nappies (according to IRI, they generate €146,000 revenues each week) and its Comfort Plus line. Fixies Classic nappies are now number 1 and Fixies Comfort Plus number 3 on the Rundschau list of top-selling baby care products. Fixies sales manager, Christian Weihprecht, describes the typical customer as “a self-assured woman who knows what she wants.”
Fixies returns to TV
After a long pause, Fixies launches a new campaign – developed by schwarzspringer
12.07.2007, W&V: Nappy brand Fixies has returned to the world of advertising. After a three-year break and following a brand relaunch in April 2007, Fixies was back on our screens this week. The commercials are being aired on popular private channels. In addition to the TV spot (produced by Sterntag in Hamburg), print ads have appeared in parenting magazines (media: Mediaedge CIA).Stuttgart agency schwarzspringer, founded earlier this year, is behind the campaign whose slogan is “gentle protection for softer skin.” At the helm are former directors of Wensauer & Partner Stefan Springer and Roland Schwarz plus brand expert Thomas Andresen, co-founder of the market research institute Icon Brand Navigation. The agency employs around 20 staff.The focus of the TV campaign is Fixies’ skin-friendly system. Since July 2005, the nappy brand has been owned by Novacare, a French manufacturer of hygiene products. Previously, the brand was part of the German Hartmann Group but the Heidenheim-based firm opted to focus on its core medical range and sold Fixies.
It’s official: newcomer schwarzspringer wins Fixies account
09.07.2007, new business: schwarzspringer, founded earlier this year, has won the Fixies account and will be responsible for the relaunch of the nappy brand. Fixies was acquired by French company Novacare two years ago. When we reported on the launch of the new agency, the deal had not been finalised.
After a three-year break from TV advertising, nappy brand Fixies’ new spot will air on 9 July on popular German channels RTL, Sat. 1, ProSieben, Vox, RTL 2, kabel eins, and super RTL. It is the first comerical to be created and executed by newly founded agency schwarzspringer. (Production by Sterntag Film, Hamburg). The ad will drive a comprehensive brand and product relaunch campaign. In line with its aim of capturing a defining image, schwarzspringer has selected a key visual with the slogan “gentle protection for softer skin” which will be consistent across all Fixies communications. According to agency boss Roland Schwarz, the defining image shows confident mothers cradling their sleeping babies. They swear by Fixies nappies because they are gentle on the skin.
In addition to the TV spots and print ads for parenting magazines, schwarzspringer has developed the entire corporate design and packaging for Fixies Classic, Fixies ComfortPlus and Fixies Pants. Marketing director William Lecoanet, senior product manager Daniel Wetzel and junior product manager Kerstin Krombholz are overseeing the campaign on the client side.
The 20-strong agency has also sealed deals with Daimler-Chrysler and Bonduelle, and is looking to recruit copywriters and graphic designers. Founders Schwarz and Andresen are about to be joined by the third partner, Stefan Springer, whose contract with Wensauer & Partner is due to expire, freeing him up to assume his new role in the management team.
New agency schwarzspringer gets off to a flying start with almost 20 employees.
Stefan Springer will join them at a later date.
15.01.2007, new business: This time it’s not advertising hotspot Hamburg or creative melting pot Berlin making waves with a brand new agency. It’s Stuttgart – where brand guru Thomas Andresen, 47, and creative thinker Roland Schwarz, 40, founded schwarzspringer Werbeagentur at the beginning of the year. As Schwarz explains, “The location was never an issue. We’d prefer to be one of the frontrunners in Stuttgart than lost among the masses in Hamburg.” And schwarzspringer is already towering above the rest because the team has made the top floor of a highrise its new home. But the crew is not quite complete: Stefan Springer, 45 will round off the trio in the summer. He is currently still contract bound to Wensauer & Partner in Ludwigsburg, where he was managing director.And it was at Wensauer & Partner that Schwarz and Springer met. Schwarz came from Jung von Matt, where he co-founded the Berlin branch JvM/Spree. He masterminded the Deutsche Post World Net campaign for the organisation’s IPO – winning him a Gold Effie award. He has also worked for Audi, Daimler Benz Aerospace, Sparkassen, Wirtschaftswoche, Yello-Strom and Blaupunkt.Andresen, brand expert and consultant, was employed at GfK in the 80s and co-founded Icon Brand Navigation, now Icon Added Value, in the 90s. After Icon was acquired by WPP, Andresen set up his his own business, Markenvorsprung, which is headquartered in Attersee, Austria, and which he continues to run today. Moreover, Andresen is on the supervisory board at a number of organisations, including wine manufacturer Schlumberg, and research institutes.Now, Andresen and Schwarz have joined forces to deliver targeted, out-of-the-ordinary communications. This calls for an in-depth understanding of brands, a thorough knowledge of advertising and its impact, and outstanding execution skills. And as Andresen says: “Based on our extensive expertise, this is exactly what schwarzspringer can offer its clients.”A central mission for schwarzspringer is to capture the defining image of a brand. Because, as the founders explain, a brand will be successful if consumers have a clear picture of it in their minds. In addition to Andresen and Schwarz, the team includes account managers Petra Athen (previously at Athen) and Kerstin Dücker (Leonhardt & Kern SEA), creative director Martin Klaiber (Wensauer & Partner) and designers Sandra Hermann (Wensauer & Partner) and Robert Rosenstock (Schindler Parent & Compagnie).The new agency already has almost 20 employees. And we have learnt that the Voith Group and nappy maker Fixies are very taken with its business model. The Fixies brand has been sold by its owner Paul Hartmann to Novacare, a French manufacturer of nappies and hygiene products. Other potential clients to include a local automotive player (Daimler-Chrysler, perhaps?), a food manufacturer and a financial services provider. schwarzspringer will deliver B2B and B2C communications.The portfolio ranges from TV campaigns, to packaging and brochure design, to promotions. And even though the rumour has not yet been confirmed, we can drop a hint that schwarzspringer is preparing to take over all Fixies’ advertising activities. The brand is currently being relaunched and is planning a new TV campaign. One thing is certain: Fixies can look forward to a rosy future with schwarzspringer – because the agency has picked pink as its corporate colour. This idea was born when all three future partners met for dinner to discuss the initiative. Independently of each other, they each arrived wearing a shirt in a “fresh and optimistic” shade of pink.