A reader had complained to the Press Council that the French-speaking Swiss daily newspaper had not paid enough attention. She was referring to articles on the issue of foreigners, according to the Press Council's decision published on Wednesday. As evidence, the complainant cited dozens of online comments that often used very crude language about various groups. In this specific case, the Press Council has now come to the conclusion that two reader comments were discriminatory and therefore partially upheld the reader's complaint. In its decision, the Press Council also makes some fundamental points: it does not see itself as a guardian of "political correctness". The forums are a platform for expressing opinions and should also be largely free in terms of the language used. However, the Press Council reminds the media of an earlier decision according to which "the more heated the mood of the population is, the more strictly latently discriminatory letters to the editor should be avoided".

The newspaper rejected the accusations in its statement. Over 500 messages were received daily in the online forum. Their control is the responsibility of specialized web moderators. In addition, anyone wishing to publish a comment must first identify themselves. In addition, a charter must be signed in which the commentator undertakes to comply with the applicable law, particularly with regard to violence and racism. If a comment is nevertheless posted that contradicts this charter, it will be removed quickly. (SDA)

The company is currently experimenting with a range of new formats on Google Maps, explained Sridhar Ramaswamy, the manager responsible for advertising, on Tuesday. These include, for example, "sponsored pins", which in future could draw attention to nearby cafés, petrol stations or restaurants during a search. Ramaswamy announced that there would be a series of changes to the advertising products "later this year". The main aim is to better reach smartphone users with ads. The Google manager explained that advertisers should be able to reach customers who are in their vicinity via the Google search engine or the map service. The changes also affect the display of sponsored links above the results of a Google search. The titles and descriptions of these links will therefore be longer. Advertisers are to be given "more advertising space" - optimized for the smartphone screen - in order to better present their products and services even before the customer clicks on them.

According to Google, initial tests of the new features showed a 20 percent increase in clicks. This benefits not only advertisers, but above all the internet giant, as Google is paid by them per click. Google is the money machine for its parent company Alphabet. The internet service earns money primarily from online advertising. In the first quarter, Google generated revenues of 18 billion dollars from advertising - an increase of 16 percent compared to the previous year. (SDA)

The IAB Academy continues to show encouraging growth, with over 200 participants attending digital marketing courses last year. Thanks to the implementation of numerous events and more memberships, there is also a 25 percent increase in sales. Furthermore, David Burst remains in office as president. In addition, six new people have been added to the board.

The General Assembly of IAB Switzerland in the Volkshaus in Zurich granted discharge to the entire Board. Newly elected to the board were Marco Gasser (20 minutes), Philipp Semmler (Mediaschneider), Tom Hanan (Webrepublic), Daniel Hünebeck (UBS Switzerland), Wolfgang Büchner (Ringier) and Remo Baumeler (Audienzz) elected.

This is a clear commitment by the IAB to be an association for the interests of the entire digital advertising industry. David Burst was re-elected as President. The Executive Committee continues to consist of one representative each from the publisher, client and agency sides, as well as the Managing Director and his deputy. As in previous years, the IAB can look back on many well-attended events, trade publications and excellent finances in 2015 - not least because of the well-positioned Executive Committee and Board.

Focus 2016/17

The IAB has responded to the demands from the market and, together with the expert groups, departments as well as focus groups, has formulated priorities. In the coming months, the working groups will focus on the following topics: Standards, Benchmark Visibility, Transparency and Market Development. The aim is to reduce complexity and increase market transparency, particularly in the areas of standards and research.

IAB Academy continues to gain ground

The importance of training in the field of digital marketing is growing continuously in Switzerland, which was also reflected in the expansion of the IAB Academy's course program in 2015. The mainstay in the past year was the already established digital marketing diploma courses, in which important basic know-how is imparted. In addition, the IAB Academy again held a training course for managers and added an intensive seminar on search engine marketing to its program. Furthermore, an entry into the field of in-house training was particularly pleasing: For a special workshop at a major Swiss bank, the IAB Academy was able to put together a tailor-made program and train employees from various marketing departments. The IAB Academy's pleasing result in 2015 was a total of 210 participants in the various course programs.

National and international presence of the IAB

In September 2015, IAB Switzerland hosted its own 120 square meter stand at Dmexco in Cologne for the first time. The Swiss country pavilion will be further expanded this year on September 14 and 15 and, together with its partners, will contribute to the Dmexco motto "Digital is everything - not every thing is digital". The "Digital Marketing Award" - the Oscars of the digital advertising industry - was again presented at Kaufleuten on November 19, 2015. The award ceremony will be cancelled this year and will instead take place as part of the planned IAB trade conference and Dmexco satellite on March 9, 2017.

 

Philippe Chappuis, 41, studied law at the University of Basel and then journalism at the Maz in Lucerne. Philippe Chappuis began his journalistic career in 1996 at local radio station Radio Edelweiss (now Energy Basel) as an editor and presenter. He later entered the world of television at Telebasel and Ringier: From 2006 to 2008, Philippe Chappuis worked for the business magazine Cash-TV and also gained experience as a video journalist.

The Basel native has been anchorman for Radio SRF 4 News since 2008 and has also headed the station's anchor team since 2013. On December 1, 2016, Philippe Chappuis will move within SRF to the TV correspondent position in Basel. There he will form a team together with Georg Halter, who has already been reporting from this region since 2012. Philippe Chappuis succeeds Michael Keller, who is leaving SRF.

Philippe Chappuis in a statement: "The move to Basel and the return to television come at a very exciting moment. My home region is changing markedly. And on the technical level, a lot is in motion at the same time." Barbara Flückiger, Head of TV Domestic Correspondents: "Philippe Chappuis is an experienced journalist and, as an Urbasler, very familiar with the region on the Rhine bend. I am delighted that we have been able to sign him on as our new correspondent."

The game is old, but always funny. Because sooner or later there will be laughter. Two opponents stare into each other's eyes with serious expressions. Whoever laughs first loses. Normally, the opponents sit opposite each other. In Brazil, JWT has connected them via intelligent billboards distributed in different parts of the city. Equipped with a camera, screen and facial recognition software, the machines noticed when one person laughed - and spat out a Kit Kat bar on the other side. A total of 5628 times. And for once, even the loser had something to laugh about. (hae)

 

Google unveiled a new mobile-optimized ad format Tuesday at its Performance Summit. Expanded Text Ads (ETA) in Adwords offer 50 percent more space for ad copy. Marin Software has compiled six facts about the new Adwords format that advertisers should know:

1. definition of the ETA

Expanded Text Ads are a mobile-optimized ad format in Google Adwords to boost performance in mobile search results. They are also played out in desktop search results.

2. more characters for two headlines

The new ad format has two headlines that are linked with a hyphen. Each headline can consist of up to 30 characters. The old format only allowed one headline with a maximum of 25 characters.

3. longer description text

The maximum number of characters for the description text for the advertised products or services is also increasing. Instead of two 35-character texts, only one text with a limit of 80 characters is possible.

4. automatic display URL

The display URL is now automatically extracted from the destination URL. Advertisers can now create up to two path ranges. For example, for "golf" and "shoes," the URL would look like this: Powpowsports.com/golf/shoes.

5. higher click through rate

Initial test results from ETA show that the increased presence of the ad has a positive effect on the click-through rate (CTR).

6. customization of the text displays

Previous text ads must be adapted in Adwords to be compatible for the ETA format. Various tools can automate this process.

"Advertisers should get familiar and experienced with Expanded Text Ads as soon as possible. To make the text ads ETA-compatible, Marin Software has formed an exclusive partnership with Boost Media. This will automatically adapt the ads to the new format," comments Bert Bröske, Marketing Director EMEA at Marin Software. "Google is just stepping on the gas in the mobile space, implementing the most far-reaching changes in 15 years. The harbinger was already the elimination of ads on the right side in search results in February. In the next one to two years, all publishers will increasingly focus on mobile and optimize their mobile marketing," Bröske continues.

Marin Software is a global advertising technology company and leading provider of the Advertising Cloud for cross-channel performance marketing. Through Marin, digital advertising campaigns with a total value of more than 7.8 billion US dollars are controlled and managed per year.

From a chance meeting a few years ago in an office community in Zurich West, an inspiring partnership emerged. Now the three network partners Heike Scholten, previously managing director of Scholten Partner, Paolo Stolfo, previously owner of Büro Stolfo, and Janick Tagmann, previously managing director of Tag und Mann, have decided to make one out of three. Berta Kommunikation is strong in strategic online and offline communication and emphasizes the convincing use of language and vivid images. The agency offers clever solutions with reach, an excellent network and focuses on long-term partnerships with impact. The team of eight integrally realizes large and small projects as well as campaigns for clients from business, politics and society.

The three Berta founders learned their broad communications craft, conceptual approach and technical know-how from scratch. Their paths led from large companies (Electrolux, E-Plus Mobilfunk), business associations (economiesuisse, Swiss Bankers Association) and agencies (Grey Group Germany) to self-employment and now to the founding of Berta communication.

Heike Scholten

Janick Tagmann

Paolo Stolfo

The Austria/Switzerland regional organization of UPC and UPC Cablecom has existed since mid-2014. In December last year, CEO Eric Tveter announced the rebranding of this organization. As of Wednesday, the "Cablecom" is history at UPC Cablecom. Now the company appears in Switzerland, just as in Austria, with the name UPC. CEO Eric Tveter: "As of today, we are now also UPC in Switzerland and appear under the same name in both countries. We see ourselves as an international company that stands for customer focus, good service, innovation, exciting entertainment and the fastest nationwide Internet."

At the same time, there is a new brand identity with a new, colored logo. This logo will also be introduced in Austria in the coming months. Along with the new brand, UPC is launching UPC News TV in Switzerland - its own infotainment program that has been broadcast in Austria for nine years.

UPC News TV - international concept in new branding

Together with the new brand, UPC is launching its own infotainment program UPC News TV in Switzerland. The magazine, hosted by Sandra Zotti, has existed in Austria for nine years and will now be broadcast weekly in both countries. In Switzerland, the show can initially be seen on the TV25 and StarTV channels. In Austria, the show will continue with a new concept and new TV studio on UPC's own info channel and the channels W24, SIXX Austria, WNTV and Tirol. UPC News TV is also available online.

In addition to the world of UPC, the cross-national magazine also takes a look at the national and international telecom and media scene, brings news from the multimedia world, highlights current technical developments and reports on various events. Eric Tveter: "With UPC News TV, we provide insights into the company that are not otherwise available in this form. We show the people behind the company and how products find their way onto the market. Reports on events, film tips and expert discussions make the program even more exciting. I'm very pleased to be able to receive UPC News TV in Switzerland now."

The latest product innovations are responsible for this: With voice search, UHD picture quality, and TV Air, viewers experience television in a whole new way. The new campaign is designed to show Swisscom's innovative strength and at the same time illustrate how attractive the medium of TV is. "Even as children, we are drilled into our heads that TV is bad and makes square eyes. But let's be honest: TV can also be captivating, emotional and intelligent. Especially when unique innovations like intelligent voice search in Swiss German make our customers' lives easier," says Tim Alexander, Head of Marketing & Communications at Swisscom. With UHD picture quality, the TV experience becomes even more intense, and with TV Air, TV can be watched anytime and anywhere, even on the go. In short, it makes watching TV even more fun. This insight led to the campaign's central idea: The latest generation of the best entertainment is here.

The campaign was creatively implemented by Swisscom's lead agency Heimat. In a TV spot, a worn-out movie hero plays the leading role: an old knight who doesn't want to warm up to Swisscom TV 2.0 at all. Because no one likes to watch him himself now. Even his own son prefers the latest features of the TV box to his father's old films.

Spot variation "UHD

Spot variation "Voice control":

The TV spot has been running since May 23 on all high-reach stations in Switzerland - flanked by online measures, print ads, posters and social media.

Film production: Who's Mcqeen Picture
Director: Greg Bray
Client: Swisscom
Creative agency: Heimat, Berlin
Media agency: Mediaschneider, Zurich
Web agency: Emoticom, Bern
Online agency: Plan.Net, Zurich

 

Local Water 37, water from springs on the Uetliberg, offers the people of Zurich a local alternative to water from abroad. When Urs Grütter, the initiator of Local Water 37, accidentally discovers a water purchase right in the land register extract of his property, the foundation stone of an extraordinary project is laid.

For the branding of Lokales Wasser 37, Grütter relies on Starbrand, the integrated strategy and branding unit of Havas Worldwide Zurich. Starbrand handles all aspects from brand consulting and corporate identity to corporate design, and developed not only the positioning, name, logo and labels, but also a number of promotional measures for Lokales Wasser 37.

The positioning is based on the responsibility that Local Water 37 assumes toward the environment and the population. The Zurich spring water is only delivered within a radius of ten kilometers and thus pollutes the environment up to 80 percent less than other table water consumed in Switzerland. In addition, all profits are used to support water-related development projects. "A drop that makes a difference" is therefore the brand promise.

Local Water 37 takes its name from the bottling plant at Rennweg 37 in Zurich. Most water sold in Switzerland bears its village of origin in its name. The house number, however, is very differentiating. Because Local Water 37 is, so to speak, the water from the neighborhood.

Responsible at Local Water 37: Urs Grütter, Smita Grütter, Peter Koller, Isabelle Zehnder, Sandra Cueni, Heinz Seidemann. Responsible at Starbrand/Havas Worldwide Zurich: Peter Schäfer (Planning Director), Lukas Bossart (Account Planner), Joya Martellosio (Planning Assistant), Michael Kathe (Creative Director), Magnus-Matthias Sambo, Gregor Juritz (Senior Copy Writer), Denis Schwarz (Art Director), Claude Schweizer, Davide Schenker, Laurie Morard (Graphics), Frank Bodin (Overall Responsibility).

Voters approved the law last summer by a narrow majority. This also lays the groundwork for the transition from the current reception fee to a device-independent levy. However, this transition will not take place until later—by early 2019 at the latest, as the Federal Council states in a press release. The device-based fee will be replaced by a general levy. This is intended to reflect the fact that most households have reception devices, since radio and TV programs can now also be received on cell phones and computers. Registration with Billag will no longer be required, and inspections will also be eliminated. It remains to be seen who will collect the household levy. What is certain is that households will see a reduction in their burden. The levy will drop from the current 451 francs to a maximum of 400 francs per year, as the Federal Council states. Most companies will also pay less. Private radio and television stations will benefit from the revision. In the future, they will receive 67.5 million francs from radio and television reception fees—13.5 million francs more than they do today. Subtitling for the main news programs of regional television stations will also be financed by the reception fee. An additional 45 million francs from previous license fee revenues will be made available for digitization. (SDA)