#100K: Martin Dambacher

Ketchum celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2023. This makes it probably the oldest communications agency in the world. A quarter, 25 years long, I worked at Ketchum and learned so much. So I´ll take this anniversary as an opportunity - meeting old colleagues and friends. And ask them some fundamental questions. Here is Martin Dambacher, Regional Communications Manager Germany at Liebherr (household appliances):

Martin, looking back over the last three Covid-Pandemic years, what is your biggest learning from this time?

During the lock-down I became aware of so many things that we had previously taken for granted. For me, however, most important was to meet people in person - whether privately or professionally.

Well, Zoom and Teams are smart solutions, no doubt. A virtual meeting can be quite effective. But nothing can replace a face-to-face meeting. It´s so important to see the whole body – body language is so much more than words or eye contact.

And it makes a difference if you put something real on the table. Three-dimensional and haptic.

I would never have thought what a difference it makes when people physically come together - even privately with friends.

Now that we're getting used to the "new normal" again, I've given my team at least one motto to follow: "Talking is better than writing (“Sprechen statt schreiben”)!" It's so much more efficient to talk to a colleague directly - in person or at least by phone - than to write a complicated email or direct message. So much is lost in the writing process. Communication is people business and that's how we should work-

As Communications Manager you search for new ideas – constantly. What do you need to be creative?

What I need to be creative? Quite simple: a quiet moment. For me, creativity consists of three phases: 1. Gathering and collecting – facts, information, background, 2. Questioning this material 3. Deep thinking in a quiet moment.

For that I do have an advantage: I live in the countryside. So I like to sit - with a good glass of wine – on my terrace and enjoy nature. In such a quiet moment, you not only get a good chance to think deep, but you also to look at the essentials – what´s really important. And - in this relaxed situation - you connect things that you might not connect under stress.

And I learned something else. In my time after Ketchum, in an advertising agency: Scribbling. Irritating for some of my young colleagues, I like to scribble and draw ideas. All too often I observe that many of our interns go straight to their computer and google “ideas” for a specific task. But that's not creative. That’s not "think about a new solution". That's "do some research". A completely different approach.

The best ideas don't come necessarily online - or are fixed in a brainstorming. The best ideas can come at any time – also at night. Therefore I always have pen and paper next to my bed.


What is your contribution making the world a little bit better?

Even before Covid, I was involved in sports for kids. But especially after the last three years, I see how important sport and exercise are for young children and kids. I am a football coach. 35 children aged 7 to 9 come to our training twice a week. And I take this training very seriously.

The most exciting is to see how motivated children are to move and do exercise – if the coach is a good one. And how that you can inspire kids to work for a common cause and purpose.

My engagement is not finding the best soccer pro. Much more important to motivate and bring along those who are in the normal midfield, who are not outstanding athletes and who will stop playing football at some point.

I do hope that I can give these children a gift beyond soccer: as our training is about sport spirit, about teambuilding, an understanding of fairness, camaraderie and community. Important values we urgently need for a functioning society. And it´s about fun – for the kids. And for me.