Graduation ceremony CAS Marketing Communications with guest speaker Philomena Schwab
Brands, markets, media and people. These are the four central areas of the CAS Marketing Communications. Last week, however, the focus was on 27 people: after 18 course days with 162 lessons, countless hours of certificate work and twenty-minute exams, they successfully completed their course and were presented with their well-earned certificates at the Zunfthaus zum Rüden.
Head of degree program Stefan Vogler paid tribute to the successful year. The guest speaker was Philomena Schwab, who was voted one of the "30 best under 30" in the field of technology by Forbes.
Once again, a group of students has completed the CAS Marketing Communications, and with particular success. "I was able to present 27 highly committed graduates with their certificates and am proud of them and their achievements, which they achieved alongside a demanding job. Many alumni keep telling me that this CAS was a career booster," says course director Stefan Vogler.
Guest speaker Philomena Schwab provided the study group with a final input as part of this CAS. The game designer grew up in Schwamendingen, completed a Master's degree in Game Design at the ZHdK and published her survival computer game "Niche" shortly after graduating. This sold over 100,000 copies. In 2017, business magazine Forbes named Philomena Schwab one of the "best 30 under 30" in the field of technology.
In her keynote speech, she gave the audience a refreshing insight into the topic of game design in Switzerland. She pointed out that games should not be underestimated economically - they generate more revenue worldwide than films - and that games are also being developed in Switzerland. The number of studios developing games in Switzerland has increased significantly. There are currently around 80 studios, twice as many as two years ago. She used the example of her game "Niche" to illustrate how a game is developed. Even if her successful formula of "idea - crowdfunding - early access - full launch" sounds simple, the effort behind it should not be underestimated. Above all, it became clear that this is someone who is passionate about games and their development, or as she says herself: "It's the joy of creating and the variety that drives me."
Afterwards, course director Vogler recognized the diverse and interesting certificate theses, which ranged from "Integrated marketing communication in a digital age using the example of the luxury watch brand H. Moser & Cie" to "Stationary vs. online distribution channel using the example of Fitnessshop24" and "Relevance and use of audio content using the example of SBB". Christa Weidmann, who works at Migros Genossenschaftsbund, was awarded the prize. She not only wrote the best paper, which dealt with "Brand identity and brand positioning of customer cards using the example of the (Migros) Cumulus card", but also achieved the best overall result. Weidmann, who has now completed the last CAS on the way to her MAS in Business Communications, is satisfied: "I was able to benefit greatly from this very practice-oriented CAS; fresh input from competent lecturers and great fellow students to question and optimize long-established processes and methods in everyday work."
A look at the lecturers' evaluations shows: Lennart Hintz, who taught Media Planning and achieved the maximum number of points, was extremely popular with the students. He is the second person after Dr. Karin Jeker Weber to receive top marks from the students. Unfortunately, he was unable to accept the trophy in person due to illness.
