Hippies und Esoteriker

03/14/2023

The Next Generation Challenge in Communication

As family entrepreneurs, we reveal our greatest secrets to the next generation: strategies and approaches, methods and solutions that DRIVE uses to make the world a better place. And what do they do? They write a commentary about it. But all we want is the very best for our clients, the world, and everyone in it: happiness, the greatest possible success, and world peace! We are happy to share this cheeky text with you here. Because, after all, it's fun.

DRIVE – A company full of esotericists!?

“We're all hippies here,” says founder Stephan Probst. When asked why, he responds with an ironic laugh, as if it were obvious. He's right in a way – his father's old motorcycle is in the office, Marvel characters can be seen in the background during MS Teams meetings, and he regularly draws brutal, bloodthirsty comics. This esoteric boss seems very dubious.

Walter Probst, die 1te Generation, mit der Agentur-Velocette Leval

Why on earth...

But why on earth are there people who are crazy enough to work like this? Why are these hippies successful in their industry? What is their big secret?

Apart from a shared caffeine addiction, the DRIVErs are united by a similar mindset. Unbelievable but true: the people here actually know what they are doing.

The employees are qualified, there are clear concepts and transparent structures. DRIVE's goal is similar: “We want our clients to be able to precisely define the core of their business – their goal. It's like a phase of self-discovery,” says Stephan Probst. So the hippie theory still stands.

Der liebe Lennon bei seiner Bed-Peace-Aktion

Why does DRIVE want to be better than ...?

“Your entire identity encompasses all possibilities, including the best version of yourself.” Is that enough to differentiate yourself? You need to determine what defines your company at a given moment in time, come up with a vision for the future, and figure out how to get there. Stephan Probst says: “Be the best version of yourself.” That's the motto of competitive athletes.

The complexity of the communications business lies in combining the best and the true – in other words, the current situation and the perspective. “We are very good at that. And we want to be the best at it.” The esotericists seem very confident in themselves. In their business, however, this is certainly not the wrong attitude and is another point that connects the DRIVErs.

The goal of DRIVE is similarly ambitious

They want to enrich the world through better values, better understanding, and more togetherness. You might think that Stephan Probst wrote his concept for DRIVE together with John Lennon. Lennon's quote, “A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality,” could also hang in a nice frame right at the entrance to DRIVE's agency offices, because it also applies to internal processes: “We have to keep learning and improving all the time in order to work well and cleanly together. When we communicate well with each other, we work more efficiently and can concentrate on the essentials. This enables us to make the world a better place – and that's the concept we want to convey to our clients. That's what drives us.” Stephan Probst seems to have a penchant for dramatic and therefore memorable phrases. Stylistically, he does this well: he uses the “pluralis modestia”—in other words, he always talks about ‘us’ and not just “himself.” Plural, not singular. Together, not alone—Lennon would be proud. Obviously effective—because the DRIVE hippies all have the same motivation.

Making everything better – starting with the world!

It sounds almost naive: “We can make the world a better place – with communication!” It could be the motto of a superhero series. All they need is capes and masks – they already have motorcycles, good messages, and conviction in abundance. What do these heroes want to do in the next five years to improve the world? Stephan Probst has a clear goal: “We show the way” (like the Mandalorian). This way is supposed to describe how to communicate best. The hippies are as self-confident as ever: they are sure that they will convince others. “Our way is the right way. We say what it looks like and we know how to communicate it well.” A little arrogant, you might think – again, something that connects the DRIVErs. This path, which has been described in very vague terms so far, consists of five steps:

Spread the word
Show the world
Prove it
Achieve it
Heal

A classic drama in five acts with a happy ending. The fifth point in particular suggests that the DRIVErs are followers of a secret philosophical doctrine – esotericists through and through. So be careful – if Stephan Probst hears about this comparison, he'll draw a stupid comic about it.