Germans bring out the best in Brits

“We must turn from doubters to believers,” said Liverpool’s new manager as he sat in front of the cameras and lights of the world’s media in 2015.

Five years and multiple major trophies later, in an age where broken promises have sadly become the norm, everyone’s a believer in Jurgen Klopp. Should we be surprised? Well, few things in life are guaranteed, but if you’re going to make predictions about likely success stories, German and British collaborations are a good place to start.

Where did the Beatles go to hone their craft? Hamburg. Who designed their iconic Revolver album cover? Klaus Voorman. Where did David Bowie choose to live when he hit a wall creatively? Berlin. Where was Sir John Hegarty when he first spotted Audi’s now famous tagline ‘Vorsprung Durch Technik’? Ingolstadt. Which supermarket is the fastest growing in the UK? Lidl. I could go on…

Evidently, something special happens when ambitious Brits and Germans get together. The two nations seem to bring out the best in each other, unlike other more celebrated international partnerships.

So, aside from working in Germany, with Germans or on German brands (Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho is proof that you should try all three), what can we extract from these incredibly successful Anglo-German collaborations to improve our creative output?

Preparation:

There are many reasons why VCCP have a phenomenal pitch conversion rate, but their thorough preparation is often cited as a key factor. Just like Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and the Beatles in Hamburg, their new business team have recognised that rehearsing relentlessly is where the difference between good and great is often made. ‘Winging it’ might occasionally pay off and everyone seems to have a ‘fly by the seat of their pants’ story to tell, but all too often it ends in disappointment.

In Germany, it’s completely unacceptable to turn up unprepared. Perhaps this explains why so many talented Brits have fulfilled their potential under German leadership. Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes and Klopp’s Liverpool captain, Jordan Henderson, are just two examples of Englishmen thriving in an environment where meticulous preparation is non-negotiable.

Decisiveness:

You only have to compare Boris Johnson’s muddled approach to Covid-19 with Angela Merkle’s to understand the importance of taking swift and decisive action when presented with a problem.

Like any half decent advertising agency strategist, Klopp is renowned for insatiably gathering information before condensing it into the essential and most urgent details. Inside Melwood, Liverpool’s training ground, this is regarded as a key skill that helps drive one of his most notable qualities - the ability to take big decisions rapidly and getting those decisions right.

Similarly, Hamburg was where the Beatles realised that if they were going to fulfil their potential, they’d have to change their line-up. Stuart Sutcliffe’s heart wasn’t in it and Pete Best was famously replaced. Whilst Brian Epstein and George Martin were influential in these decisions, the band’s time performing on the city’s unforgiving Reeperbahn hardened Lennon and McCartney’s resolve. Their creative product was stronger because they identified a more talented operator and, once Paul accepted that he couldn’t play all instruments simultaneously, acted decisively.

Punctuality:

Klopp is the exact model of planning and efficiency he expects of others. He insists on punctuality and many players have learnt the hard way. Meanwhile, advertising industry employees spend a large portion of their already busy working weeks waiting for ‘important’ meetings to start. And then when they eventually do, the absence of a clear agenda often renders them completely pointless.

Refreshingly, most Germans don’t do fashionably late at work. Instead they’ve recognised that whilst punctuality might not be the sexiest of agency attributes, it gives people more practical working time. Perhaps that’s why four of the top ten independent agencies in the world are from Germany and the likes of Audi have been able to create such beautifully crafted advertising in the UK.

Looking first from within:

Klopp’s dream at Liverpool is to have a team full of Scousers. Culturally, he gets the importance of having people in his team who embody what the club is all about. Not that he is a romantic. If there’s a game-changer elsewhere, Liverpool will be on the prowl.?

Promoting from within is not only cost effective, but it also creates stability. If you look at Agency of the Year winners, a consistent theme is the presence of a leadership team that has ‘homegrown’ talent at its core; people who’ve risen up through the ranks and get what makes the agency tick.

Sadly, too many agencies are making decisions from a spreadsheet, which has resulted in the next generation of leaders plying their trade elsewhere or leaving the industry all together. Klopp’s read Moneyball, but true to his German roots, his Liverpool squad uses data to fine tune performance, rather than becoming a slave to it.

David Bowie, an artist loved by the Liverpool manager, famously fled LA to Berlin driven to the brink of madness by cocaine, overwork, marital strife and a paranoid obsession with the occult. Whilst I’m not suggesting that we should all do the same (only a few of us share all five of these issues after all), embracing the German way of life might just make us better at our jobs. It’s certainly worked at Liverpool FC, a team that once again is the envy of the world.