IGEM Promotion Award 2014 goes to Larissa Haltiner
On June 3, the IGEM (Electronic Media Interest Group) presented its sponsorship award for the second time. The prize, worth 5,000 francs, went to Larissa Haltiner for her bachelor’s thesis on «Communication on Social Media» at the HWZ.
Larissa Haltiner's work beat out no fewer than 22 other entries. Using the Facebook platform as an example, Haltiner explores the question of the acceptance of corporate and marketing communication on social media.
An online survey of Facebook users in Switzerland shows that while 70 percent of respondents definitely accept Facebook appearances by companies or brands on Facebook, almost the same number are bothered by them. On the other hand, only five percent of respondents have never clicked the "Like" button on such a page. The relationship to ads on Facebook is also split. Just under 60 percent accept them, while a good 40 percent are annoyed by them. However, almost 40 percent of respondents have already consciously clicked on such an ad, but 50 percent state that these clicks did not really get them anywhere. The central motive for paying attention to corporate and marketing communications on Facebook is clearly interest in the brand or company.
The award ceremony took place on June 3 as part of IGEM's 2014 general meeting in the paper room of the old Sihl paper mill in Sihlcity in Zurich. Although Larissa Haltiner now works in Silicon Valley, she was able to receive the award in person thanks to a business appointment in Switzerland.
Of the 23 papers submitted for the 2014 sponsorship award, nine met the requirements for inclusion in the final round and final evaluation by the jury. Almost half of them, namely four, were written at the HWZ Hochschule für Wirtschaft in Zurich. Three others came from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. The two winners of the first IGEM sponsorship award, which was presented in 2012, also came from these two universities.
The next sponsorship award will be presented in 2016. The deadline for applications is November 30, 2015. For more info, see here.
