The market researcher
Head of the week Lukas Zihlmann is the new Managing Director of Publitest and wants to promote market and media research.
Head of the week Lukas Zihlmann is the new Managing Director of Publitest and wants to promote market and media research.
Publitest has almost 45 years of market research experience. Many employees have "an enormous wealth of experience". There are 2,300 households registered in the "well-maintained consumer panel", which are available for product tests and achieve a response rate of up to 90 percent. "However, too few manufacturers of consumer goods and branded products are aware of this," states Lukas Zihlmann - and is already in the midst of describing his new challenges.three months ago, Lukas Zihlmann joined Publitest as the new Managing Director. The former Managing Director of Media Focus was attracted by Publitest's significantly broader range of services. In five "very exciting and eventful years" at Media Focus, the main focus was on advertising statistics. He was able to successfully sell this single discipline of market research to more and more clients until the company now "entered somewhat calmer waters". For Zihlmann, the offer of a change came at the right time.
Publitest has an excellent reputation as a market research company, "but we and our services have sometimes been somewhat under-recognized on the market. We want to change that," says Zihlmann, explaining his goal for the new Publitest. The company strategy is to be realigned this year in order to position itself more clearly both internally and externally in the Swiss market research sector. "All in all, it's about making our experience, knowledge and expertise better known and actively seeking and shaping contact with our current and future customers."
In times of fierce competition between the media, on the shelves and for customers, the possibilities of market research are becoming increasingly important. However, the industry is "challenged to show what can be achieved with market research" and where it makes sense. For Zihlmann, market research can even be "mandatory", for example when launching a new product. In this way, a producer or agency can have the best possible guarantee that a campaign will not only work on the desk, but also in practice. Testing new products is already standard practice for large consumer goods companies. "For less large companies, however, this can still be developed," believes Zihlmann.
The other side of the challenge for market researchers is the respondents. How willing are rushed people to complete a questionnaire? Meticulously researched address files are needed to catch the right person in the right situation at the right time. Market research must also be clearly differentiated from the telemarketing activities of other companies. These also sometimes start with a few questions under the pretext of market research before moving on to the sales pitch. "This is where the entire industry is called upon to clearly distinguish itself from telemarketers," says Zihlmann.
In addition to market research, media research is also an important pillar at Publitest. Customers have been successfully supported here for many years, "which is a sign of their satisfaction and has brought us a great deal of expertise", particularly in the areas of readership analyses, copy and advertising tests and positioning studies.
Zihlmann also wants to make the market even more aware of these qualities. The key account management is therefore another important reason why Publitest wanted Zihlmann as its new Managing Director.
Lukas Zihlmann has already gained a wide range of experience and successes in his work to date. Zihlmann entered the world of direct marketing by chance. After commercial college in Lucerne, he worked in the mail order business for Schuler Weine and enjoyed the methods of direct advertising: "You have direct feedback on your own work and a sense of achievement when customers order. If they don't, you have to do something better."
In order to keep improving, Zihlmann trained for a year in Munich at the Bavarian Academy of Advertising to become a direct marketing specialist, later in Switzerland to become a certified marketing manager and finally completed the Executive MBA course at the University of Zurich in 2005-2007. After an agency job in Munich, Zihlmann spent four years building up and managing the creative department at the Zurich publishing house Weka Verlag.
He was able to continue working with a different target group at Meister Verlag, where he sold books on gardening, hobbies and cooking as a product manager. After a brief stint in marketing and communications at Sunrise, he was brought back to Weka Verlag as Head of Sales and a member of the Executive Board. Most recently, from 2002 to 2007, he was Managing Director at the market research company Media Focus, a joint venture between IHA-GfK and AC Nielsen in Zurich.
Zihlmann's decision to move to the now "small but mighty" Publitest was also based on the fact that he prefers being the managing director of a smaller company to being the head of department in a large one. "I like the variety of my activities, the close collaboration with my colleagues and the direct contact with our customers." That's why he can't be found at his office desk all day.
Zihlmann finds relaxation above all with his family and three children. "I also try to maintain my circle of friends as much as possible, and I love cooking and eating." There is hardly any time for other hobbies, as his wife also works 50% in marketing at the Red Cross alongside the family. They met in Munich, which is why he wants to "finally visit the Oktoberfest again soon".
Andreas Panzeri
Publitest has almost 45 years of market research experience. Many employees have "an enormous wealth of experience". There are 2,300 households registered in the "well-maintained consumer panel", which are available for product tests and achieve a response rate of up to 90 percent. "However, too few manufacturers of consumer goods and branded products are aware of this," states Lukas Zihlmann - and is already in the midst of describing his new challenges.three months ago, Lukas Zihlmann joined Publitest as the new Managing Director. The former Managing Director of Media Focus was attracted by Publitest's significantly broader range of services. In five "very exciting and eventful years" at Media Focus, the main focus was on advertising statistics. He was able to successfully sell this single discipline of market research to more and more clients until the company now "entered somewhat calmer waters". For Zihlmann, the offer of a change came at the right time.
Publitest has an excellent reputation as a market research company, "but we and our services have sometimes been somewhat under-recognized on the market. We want to change that," says Zihlmann, explaining his goal for the new Publitest. The company strategy is to be realigned this year in order to position itself more clearly both internally and externally in the Swiss market research sector. "All in all, it's about making our experience, knowledge and expertise better known and actively seeking and shaping contact with our current and future customers."
In times of fierce competition between the media, on the shelves and for customers, the possibilities of market research are becoming increasingly important. However, the industry is "challenged to show what can be achieved with market research" and where it makes sense. For Zihlmann, market research can even be "mandatory", for example when launching a new product. In this way, a producer or agency can have the best possible guarantee that a campaign will not only work on the desk, but also in practice. Testing new products is already standard practice for large consumer goods companies. "For less large companies, however, this can still be developed," believes Zihlmann.
The other side of the challenge for market researchers is the respondents. How willing are rushed people to complete a questionnaire? Meticulously researched address files are needed to catch the right person in the right situation at the right time. Market research must also be clearly differentiated from the telemarketing activities of other companies. These also sometimes start with a few questions under the pretext of market research before moving on to the sales pitch. "This is where the entire industry is called upon to clearly distinguish itself from telemarketers," says Zihlmann.
In addition to market research, media research is also an important pillar at Publitest. Customers have been successfully supported here for many years, "which is a sign of their satisfaction and has brought us a great deal of expertise", particularly in the areas of readership analyses, copy and advertising tests and positioning studies.
Zihlmann also wants to make the market even more aware of these qualities. The key account management is therefore another important reason why Publitest wanted Zihlmann as its new Managing Director.
Lukas Zihlmann has already gained a wide range of experience and successes in his work to date. Zihlmann entered the world of direct marketing by chance. After commercial college in Lucerne, he worked in the mail order business for Schuler Weine and enjoyed the methods of direct advertising: "You have direct feedback on your own work and a sense of achievement when customers order. If they don't, you have to do something better."
In order to keep improving, Zihlmann trained for a year in Munich at the Bavarian Academy of Advertising to become a direct marketing specialist, later in Switzerland to become a certified marketing manager and finally completed the Executive MBA course at the University of Zurich in 2005-2007. After an agency job in Munich, Zihlmann spent four years building up and managing the creative department at the Zurich publishing house Weka Verlag.
He was able to continue working with a different target group at Meister Verlag, where he sold books on gardening, hobbies and cooking as a product manager. After a brief stint in marketing and communications at Sunrise, he was brought back to Weka Verlag as Head of Sales and a member of the Executive Board. Most recently, from 2002 to 2007, he was Managing Director at the market research company Media Focus, a joint venture between IHA-GfK and AC Nielsen in Zurich.
Zihlmann's decision to move to the now "small but mighty" Publitest was also based on the fact that he prefers being the managing director of a smaller company to being the head of department in a large one. "I like the variety of my activities, the close collaboration with my colleagues and the direct contact with our customers." That's why he can't be found at his office desk all day.
Zihlmann finds relaxation above all with his family and three children. "I also try to maintain my circle of friends as much as possible, and I love cooking and eating." There is hardly any time for other hobbies, as his wife also works 50% in marketing at the Red Cross alongside the family. They met in Munich, which is why he wants to "finally visit the Oktoberfest again soon".
Andreas Panzeri
