As the summer months quickly approach and our series of egtabites takes a well-deserved break until September, we are happy to put the spotlight on egta’s newly-elected President.
The Statutory session at egta’s CEOs & Top Execs’ Summit on 9-10 June, marked the transfer of egta’s presidency, with outgoing President Laurent Bliaut, Deputy General Director, Marketing, Strategy & Innovation at TF1 PUB, handing leadership of the association to Walter Zinggl, Chief Executive Officer, IP Österreich.
The entire egta team would like to warmly thank Laurent for all his work during his presidency and the many outstanding initiatives and events we had the opportunity to work on together. Especially during this demanding period impacted by the pandemic.
Walter was kind enough to share his thoughts on egta, his presidency, and the future of our industry in the years to come in a short interview.
Can you tell us what made you decide to run for egta President?
Since 2002 – only interrupted by three years between 2010 and 2013, when I was at the head of Maxus Austria – I have had the distinct honour of serving on egta’s Board.
Having been in the communications industry since 1981, I felt I could contribute to the association by bringing my experience and know-how to the Board. On top: I love the egta spirit, and even more, adore being part of it! To be elected by valued sales house colleagues from 43 countries and 163 organisations around the world is both flattering and a real challenge.
After the tumultuous period of Covid-19 and in a rapidly-changing global advertising market, I’m more convinced than ever of the vital role of our association.
What are your short and medium-term priorities as a broadcaster and as the association’s President?
I will endeavour to help shape the current topics in the global discussion between clients, agencies and media representatives at all levels: measurement solutions, brand safety, challenges faced by individual channels and even more so those faced specifically by radio and TV sales houses.
What do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities for our industry in the next few years?
We must remember that our GRPs and the media value they bring are precious: sales houses have what the markets want – the only thing to agree on is the price. But negotiating is part of the game, and we are used to it.
Our members with their local knowledge are also better equipped to respond to changes in the market, than any of the GAFAs. With video in our DNA, we are in the perfect position to navigate the linear/non-linear landscape, adapting our portfolio to meet national and international demands. But it requires hard work and we need to prove ourselves every single day.
To become increasingly successful, sales houses should share know-how and intensify their positioning vis-à-vis the global players. The help of national trade associations can be valuable here, as well as the vital role that The Global TV Group plays, with egta as its coordinator.
And the association should also become the logical discussion partner for all agency associations, advertisers’ associations and cross-national legal institutions. Sharing insights across the industry and continents remains vital.
What message would you like to share with egta’s members?
The future is always unknown, so the best way to predict it is to create it. But don’t forget to have fun along the way!
OTHER CASE STUDIES
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THE VISUAL TRANSFER EFFECT: HOW SOUND BUILDS BRANDS
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RMB TURNS QR CODE VOTING INTO A SHARED VIEWING MOMENT THAT STRENGTHS BRAND IMAGE FOR SPRITE AND DELI CHOC
24. 2. 2026Campaign objectives The chocolate snack Deli Choc and soft drink Sprite brands worked with RMB to reach younger audiences by becoming part of Belgian hip-hop show “PLAYGROUND”, supporting new rap talent through a live QR vote and cross-platform content. This helps the brands appear as enablers of the format rather than separate ads. For RMB… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
CANADIAN SUPERSTAR ANDREW PHUNG HELPS VIA RAIL CHALLENGE CAR CONVENIENCE ASSUMPTIONS WITH LONG-FORM STORYTELLING ACROSS CBC’S TV ECOSYSTEM
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HOW L’ORÉAL PARIS AND RTL MADE STREET HARASSMENT HARD TO IGNORE
24. 2. 2026Context Sexual harassment in public spaces is one of the most common forms of gender-based violence in the world. Two figures frame the issue: 80% of women have experienced street harassment, but 85% of people say they lack training on how to intervene. Ad Alliance and L’Oréal created a campaign to respond to this problem… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
HOW AD ALLIANCE USED VIRTUAL SET GRAPHICS TO RESKIN THE LET’S DANCE STAGE FOR UNIVERSAL PICTURES
24. 2. 2026Context This campaign promotes a film by changing the look of a well-known TV studio during the ad break, so the show setting becomes part of the idea. Universal Pictures International Germany supported the live-action version (made with real actors) of How to Train Your Dragon, based on a well-known animated franchise. The ad special… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
CHANNEL 4 SHOWS HOW PUTTING ACCESSIBILITY FIRST BENEFITS BOTH CUSTOMERS AND COMMERCIAL WITH CURRYS’
24. 2. 2026Context Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award 2025 set its brief under the theme “Inclusive by Design”. It asked brands to embed inclusive practices into the creative, rather than at the end of production. The initiative linked that ambition to airtime: £1m of advertising space across Channel 4’s portfolio sat behind the winning campaign. The… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
HOW BMW USED A COUNTDOWN TO HOLD ATTENTION FOR TWO MINUTES
24. 2. 2026The iX3 launch in Belgium used prime time to make a first impression quickly. The plan did not rely on many repeated 30-second ads. Instead, it opened with a two-minute film that ran without interruption. In this campaign, this timeframe was used as a clear countdown linked to the car’s driving range. The number on… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
TURNING PEAK TV SHOW ATTENTION INTO TRUSTED CONTEXTUAL SPOTS AND FAN FOLLOW UP CONTENT
24. 2. 2026Context A plot cue inside a flagship soap can set the terms of the next ad break, because viewers stay anchored in the same scene and characters. Emmerdale’s familiarity, plus its own show social channels, gave the message a recognisable voice on TV and somewhere to continue after broadcast. In this case, the ITV campaign… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
USING ELECTION NIGHT VIEWING HABITS TO MAKE A RETAIL MESSAGE FEEL LIKE ENTERTAINMENT
24. 2. 2026This campaign connected Bauhaus’s retail messaging to a major national television event. In Finland, municipal and regional elections feature hours-long results TV programmes that track vote counting as results come in. Bauhaus (a major home improvement retailer) partnered with the biggest national broadcaster, Sanoma, to create branded entertainment within this format, using “price” as the… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
WHEN DISNEY CAME TO DANCING: A LIVE SHOW BECOMES A FAIRYTALE
24. 2. 2026Inspired by Disneyland Paris’s Disney Music Festival, where performances by Disney-movie characters fill the park with dance and live music, DPG Media’s creative team proactively conceived an unprecedented brand integration: a dedicated Disney-themed episode of Dancing With The Stars. The concept was not driven by a client brief. Knowing the client’s wishes and dreams, and… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL
WHEN A CROSS-FORMAT APPROACH MULTIPLIES IMPACT: BOL × HUIS GEMAAKT ACROSS CONTENT & CONTEXT
23. 2. 2026Description Bol is Belgium’s largest e-commerce platform, a household name for buying books, electronics, and everyday items online. But furniture and home décor? That was not what consumers associated with the brand. DPG Media set out to change this perception through a multi-format partnership with Huis Gemaakt (“Home Made”), a popular Flemish TV show where… Continue reading EGTABITE 391: AN INTERVIEW WITH EGTA’S NEW PRESIDENT, WALTER ZINGGL