The power of the collective: "Comm-unity" agency founded
Thomas Aerni, Roman Albertini, Michael Aerni and Stephan Lehmann-Maldonado are launching a new agency model. Comm-unity creative collective AG combines expertise in branding, content marketing, design, digital solutions, storytelling and strategy and focuses on decentralized work and the creative power of the collective.
Companies such as Apple, Swatch and On owe their international breakthrough not only to technology, but also to design and storytelling. They are examples of how creativity is a key factor for success on the market.
But what does it take for companies to give creativity enough space? And make it a top priority? "Companies need travel companions to support them on this journey," says Thomas Aerni, Partner and Lead Strategy at Comm-unity. They need to understand the value chain on the one hand and be able to provide new impetus on the other - and translate it into practicable solutions. "This is precisely why we have developed our new Comm-unity creative collective AG agency model."
Comm-unity is the result of the merger of the agencies Basel West Unternehmenskommunikation, Sagbar, Visuelle Fabrik and Aerni Digital Solutions. The oldest of its roots goes back to 1969, when Albin Kirchhofer founded the predecessor of Basel West. He focused on content marketing early on, which is why Comm-unity describes itself as a Swiss pioneer in this field.
Community instead of hierarchies
"Our cooperation is not a quick fix, but has grown organically through joint projects," explains Aerni. "We are convinced that we gain strength as a collective - through creativity, collaboration, communication and critical thinking."
The four owners Thomas Aerni (Lead Strategy), Stephan Lehmann-Maldonado (Lead Content), Roman Albertini (Lead Design) and Michael Aerni (Lead Digital) make up the management team. Each of them can look back on a successful entrepreneurial career and is an expert in their discipline. "Each of us masters different tools. The art for us is not just to play sheet music, but to improvise as a collective. This is how we often come up with innovative solutions that lead to eureka moments for customers," says Stephan Lehmann-Maldonado. "For us, community means mastering challenges together - instead of creating hierarchies that divide."
The new creative collective works decentrally from several locations - Basel, Aarau, Bremgarten, Rotkreuz and Zurich. "Our model allows us to feel the pulse of the markets better and be geographically closer to our customers," says Roman Albertini.
