As specialists in the media environment, media specialists deal with the processing of information from various channels. Their main areas of work include designing and maintaining websites, creating multimedia content and writing presentations and documentation. According to the agency, the areas of cross-media and interactive are ideally suited to the varied activities of a budding mediamatician. Eyekon offers an apprentice insight and cooperation in all training-relevant topics: From the creation of interactive communication projects to active programming and administrative tasks. The agency has therefore actively sought to create an apprenticeship and promote the urgently needed young talent in the Swiss ICT sector.
 

The company has texts for corporate communications and marketing communications brought to the point by the women's text agency. This includes media releases and interviews for specialist and consumer media.
 

This is the conclusion of a new study from the USA, for which the market research company Knowledge Networks conducted an online survey of 1,557 consumers aged 13 and over on behalf of the Television Bureau of Advertising. According to the study, television reaches more people every day than any other medium. 88.3 percent of consumers aged 18 and over watch television every day. The Internet is used by 73.1 percent of adults, putting it ahead of radio (58.8 %) and daily newspapers (36.1 %). Only one in four (24.8 %) look at a magazine every day.

Compared to 2010, it is clear that TV is able to maintain its strong position, although the daily reach of the internet has increased from 67.5% to 73.1% in this period. In 2010, the daily reach of TV was 89.5%; now it is only slightly lower at 88.3%. An analysis of reach according to socio-demographic parameters is also interesting. This shows that TV can also keep up with the Internet in terms of reach among the very young, i.e. 13 to 17-year-olds: 76.7% of this group watch TV daily, 76.3% of them use the Internet daily. TV is also ahead when it comes to reaching particularly high-income target groups: 90.5% of consumers with an annual household income of more than 100,000 US dollars watch TV every day - followed by the Internet, which is used daily by 83.4% of this group.

However, TV is not only the medium with the greatest reach, but also the one with the highest usage time. On average, Americans spend 5.2 hours a day watching TV, 3.0 hours on the internet and 1.4 hours on the radio. On average, women spend more time using media than men (12.0 vs. 10.5 hours a day). However, TV is clearly number one for both genders (5.4 vs. 5.0 hours a day). On average, 13 to 17-year-olds also watch TV longer than they use the internet (3.1 vs. 2.3 hours a day).

So what about the influence of the media on consumers' purchasing decisions? In this respect, too, the study comes to exciting results. For example, 39.8% of those surveyed said that TV was the best way to find out about products they would like to buy or try out. Only 8.7 percent say this about the Internet, only 8.0 percent about daily newspapers and only 6.8 percent about magazines. The situation is very similar when consumers are asked which medium has the greatest influence on their purchasing decisions. Almost four in ten respondents (37.2 %) state that television has the strongest influence on their purchasing decisions.

Only 10.6% said the same about daily newspapers and just 5.6% about the internet. The impact of TV advertising is rated highest by all age groups. Even among 13 to 17-year-olds, 36.4% of respondents perceive TV as the most influential advertising medium, while only 12.0% of young people see the Internet as the most influential advertising medium.

The fact that TV advertising has a major influence - and interacts well with the web - can also be seen in the following result: 51.0 percent of adults state that they have already searched the internet for further information on products advertised on TV.

Clemens Koob

 

We sit in the business lounge in Miami and are disappointed: few non-alcoholic drinks and only munchies." "Can't claim compensation online for canceled flights? " "Why can't I book business class seats online on European flights?" Increasingly, passengers are contacting Swiss via Twitter or Facebook when they are dissatisfied with a service or have questions about a flight or booking. To be sure, Swiss' social media channels are much more than a customer hotline: Employees give customers and fans a look behind the scenes on the blog, and special offers are published alongside photo spreads, YouTube videos and contests. The core of the social media strategy, however, is customer service. "In our case, it became clear early on that this was the service users wanted most of all," says Christian Lüdi, Social Media Manager at Swiss International Air Lines. "If we only published offers on Facebook, this would be met with a lack of understanding from users. By their very nature, social media channels are not designed or geared for that. The focus is on dialog."

The online service experienced a temporary rush in spring 2010, when the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjalla paralyzed half of European air traffic. Lüdi provided the latest information via Twitter and Facebook and answered around 1,200 customer inquiries within five days. Subsequent questions were also answered on Twitter and Facebook. However, only the expansion of the team now makes it possible to offer the service in several languages and to respond quickly - and thus to meet a 24-hour service.

Around 25 employees stationed in Basel and Cape Town are on duty for this with immediate effect. Agents from the customer service department will take turns answering the phone and then responding to inquiries on social media. Lüdi doesn't want to be pinned down on how quickly Swiss responds to inquiries. "We have set a maximum time limit internally for processing. However, we deliberately do not communicate this information. There are also isolated cases that can take longer because the clarifications are complex." A review of the Twitter stream shows that the response times mostly range from a few minutes to one or two hours.

More than a telephone hotline
For the user, the advantages of the social media service are obvious: no waiting on hold for the telephone hotline, simple and free contact with the company that is available everywhere thanks to mobile devices. For simple questions, the service works without any problems. As soon as things get more complex, however, the limited space puts a spoke in the user's wheel. It's not easy to formulate a complicated question in 140 characters. Swiss therefore also refers its customers to e-mail contact for such inquiries. Frequently, inquiries must also be handled by email for confidential reasons: "As soon as we need the booking reference, for example, we can no longer communicate via a public channel like Twitter for data protection reasons, but have to switch to email."

Currently, Facebook and Twitter are used about equally for requests, Lüdi said. But it looks as if more inquiries will soon be made via Twitter. And this is despite the fact that Swiss has far fewer followers on Twitter than fans on Facebook. Unlike the telephone hotline, requests on Twittter and Facebook are usually visible to other users. From the company's point of view, this has the advantage that frequently arising questions do not have to be answered again and again. The flip side of the coin: Criticism and belligerent comments are just as visible. One or the other passenger sometimes writes himself into a rage when the flight is delayed or something else goes wrong. How does Swiss deal with such reactions? "Everything stays on the wall with us, except spam," says Lüdi. "Nothing is deleted unless it is a sexist or racist comment." If a user comments inappropriately, this is usually dealt with within the community, as other users intervene.

However, Swiss has also been confronted with a major avalanche of negative feedback: When it unveiled its new logo about a year ago, it was met with a hail of negative comments on the social web. In such cases, Lüdi relies on providing users with background information - which Swiss did in the case in question. The Chief Commercial Officer, Holger Hätty, answered questions about the logo in a chat for an hour. "After that, it suddenly quieted down," says Lüdi.

Whether the reactions are positive or negative, it's the two-way communication that is the main attraction of social media from the company's point of view. "We work a lot to offer the community something. At the same time, we receive valuable feedback," says Lüdi. "Frequent flyers in particular, who know our products and aircraft well, have a great need to share and often see potential for improvement." Swiss also uses social media as an inexpensive and effective market research tool. A survey is quickly created. For example, to find out whether customers are satisfied with the newly introduced Business Class. Likewise, Lüdi used the portals to recruit for a food tasting, in which food for long-haul flights was to be tested. In no time at all, 100 applications came in via Facebook. The social media manager needed 30 testers.

Lüdi also has to keep an eye on what users write about Swiss on other portals. Surprisingly, the social media manager does not have a specific monitoring tool for observing communication on the web about Swiss. For monitoring, Swiss relies on free tools such as Google Blog Search or search queries on Facebook and Twitter. And, if necessary, approaches commentators: "We even contact users who still write about Swissair when they have a problem."

Social media soon everywhere
Due to the expansion in the area of social media, Lüdi's main task at the moment is to network all employees involved with social media internally and to ensure that everyone reaches the same level. "Social media is permeating the company more and more," says Lüdi, describing the current situation. As the example of the customer service employees shows, the responsibilities lie with different departments. The two country-specific Twitter channels for Switzerland and the USA, which exist in addition to the official channel, are maintained by the respective marketing department. Local support for the social media channels is currently taken care of by employees at various geographical points - in Zurich, New York, Mumbai, Tokyo and Shanghai. And employees from all areas write for the blog.

Social media activities are carried out in close cooperation with the corporate communications department. And of course, the branding department also wants to have its say. "Every social media manager has discussions with the branding department at the beginning - just because of the restrictions of the platforms. " For example, the airline is called "@SwissAirLines" on Twitter due to the limited number of letters, and not "Swiss International Air Lines" according to the rules. The old logo, the double cube, also proved unsuitable for social media because its rectangular shape did not fit into the square embeddings. This led to the development of new guidelines for social media in the branding. In the case of the old logo, it was agreed to present only one of the two cubes.

In addition, Swiss is confronted with the dependency on third parties such as Facebook, YouTube, etc. on the social web. "It would be a communications disaster if Facebook were to close overnight. Then the 124,000 relationships we have via Facebook would simply be gone," notes Lüdi. Swiss does not have a complete database in which all users are stored. It would be possible to obtain the email addresses of users with their consent or, for example, through competitions. However, all 124,000 would probably not disclose their details. In addition to the incomplete contact data, the airline has to cope with changes, some of which are made virtually overnight. The legal situation is also murky. "Facebook has the copyright on every image we upload to our page. As a company, if you want to participate, you just have to comply with the guidelines." Where the journey is headed is not yet clear to Lüdi. "As a company, we go with the community. It's a constant feeling out of what the fans want." Swiss is currently working on setting up location-based services. However, nothing is ready to be announced yet. One interesting development is specific networks such as Wayn.com, where the focus is exclusively on travel, so the target group is easier to grasp: "There, we already know that everyone is interested in traveling around the world. However, such portals are still in their infancy. So for the time being, the strategy is to wait and see.

Isabel Imper

 

You encounter them more and more often, the digital advertising spaces. At train stations, airports, gas stations, pharmacies, post office counters and retailers. Clear Channel is also increasingly relying on the moving image. For several years, the company has been marketing digital screens at Zurich Airport and Euro Airport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg. Now it wants to conquer the shopping centers.

While the majority of providers such as Goldbach Media advertise in stores, Clear Channel places its screens outside the stores, in the mall. Starting immediately, screens are being used in four shopping centers - the Löwen Center in Lucerne, the Centre Meyrin near Geneva, the Perry Center in Oftringen, and the Wankdorf Center in Berne. For the time being, free-standing pillars with integrated displays will be installed. However, it is also possible to integrate screens directly into walls or existing structures, as Jürg Rötheli, CEO of Clear Channel, explained to Werbewoche.

With its new offering, Clear Channel is primarily competing with the "digital out-of-home" provider Neoadvertising, whose advertising spaces can currently be seen in 48 shopping centers - 28 of them in French-speaking Switzerland, 19 in German-speaking Switzerland, and one in Ticino. The main competitor APG, which already markets eBoards and ePanels at train stations, does not yet offer a comparable service. But there could soon be more competition. Digital advertising in shopping centers is definitely considered interesting and as a contractual partner of the ten largest shopping centers, APG is examining corresponding possibilities, says Beat Holenstein, Head of Partner & Product Management at APG.

More attention with moving images

Among other things, Clear Channel expects the integration of digital advertising spaces in the shopping center to result in more targeted guidance of visitor flows. By combining posters and digital advertising, consumers could ideally be guided from outside the shopping center, through the parking lot, and into the center or individual store, according to Rötheli.

In addition to still images, animations and film sequences run on the screens. In contrast to TV commercials, however, this is without sound. The spot lasts 10 seconds. No coincidence. To accommodate clients, the spots are offered the same length as APG, says Rötheli. "So that clients who book a mix consisting of shopping centers, train stations and airports, for example, don't have to produce separate spots."

As a first step, Clear Channel now wants to add more shopping centers to offer national coverage and thus become attractive to larger advertisers running nationwide campaigns. Rötheli is confident that the digital advertising sector is capable of massive expansion. "There is an irreversible trend toward digital underway," the CEO said. Clear Chanel, for example, expects to generate around 10 percent of its global sales from digital advertising by 2014. In Switzerland, the share is likely to be lower. Things are also underway in the outdoor advertising sector, where billboards are increasingly being replaced by digital advertising spaces. Together with APG, Clear Channel is currently in talks with the city of Zurich about a digital pilot. The aim is to start the test phase before the end of the year, says Rötheli.

Isabel Imper

 

Zürcher Oberland Medien has entrusted the Nudge agency with the realization of subscriber acquisition measures for the "Zürcher Oberländer" and "Anzeiger von Uster". The first implementations will soon be seen, the agency said in a press release.
 

WW: In which areas do Swiss film producers see their opportunities in the future and where their impending dangers?

Roduner: In the field of commissioned film - and in the following we will only talk about this - we are in the midst of change. The structures of client, agency and production have become overlapping. New opportunities for new media and platforms are merging hierarchies. Everyone is doing everything. The opportunity for us producers lies in consistently addressing the issue and having the courage to initiate change and go down paths that no one else wants to go down yet, because there are no guardrails in place yet.

Kristian Widmer: The threats are identical to the opportunities: new products, changing value chains, new rules of the game.

Levente Paal: Both can be found in the diversity of applications. But I see it primarily as an opportunity. Conceptually, we need to set everything up in such a way that it all fits together in the end, regardless of the area. That corresponds to the general contractor "film producer" anyway.

Nadia Rosasco: In flexibility, in customer proximity and in understanding towards the client. We Swiss are different, unique. And only those who grew up and have roots here, who know the mentality of the Swiss, have the necessary background to support customers in their projects in a Switzerland-related way.

What are current challenges for Swiss film producers?

Rosasco: To still produce high quality films in a high price country with ever dwindling budgets.

Paal: Nothing should cost anything anymore. With this attitude, appreciation for the complex work is also lost. Maintaining motivation for oneself and an entire team under these conditions is very demanding.

Reiner Roduner: Primarily redefine its own areas of competence. We must embrace the current changes. Offer new solutions.

Widmer: The challenge is to recognize with the necessary serenity what remains and to accept with the required consistency what changes.

How does our quality compare internationally?

Paal: The fact that Swiss films keep winning prizes at international competitions shows that there are no differences. We usually only see the best works from foreign productions. Therefore, the impression is created that only excellent films are made abroad. But you only need to look at foreign TV commercials and image films on websites to quickly realize that this is not the case.

Widmer: Due to the size of the market, the volume of productions from Switzerland is significantly smaller than that of other nations. This alone reduces the number of outstanding films statistically. Viewed in a differentiated way, Swiss commissioned films can be seen in the truest sense of the word. Those who know this can also dive for pearls in Switzerland.

Roduner: I think the award-winning EDI films are in no way inferior to an international comparison. There are many reasons why clients and agencies often choose to work abroad. The price pressure can be one, the choice of the advertising agency, which is domiciled abroad, or the choice of the director, who is often tied to foreign productions.

How do Swiss producers experience internationalization in the advertising film market?

Roduner: The pressure has become enormous. Unfortunately, a lot of things are now only about price. Quality becomes secondary. We have a bad hand when it comes to budget comps with our colleagues from abroad, which then often forces us to produce abroad - and that in turn weakens our own market.

Widmer: Positive, because thanks to internationalization the number of available talents for Swiss customers is also growing. Negative, because the current € exchange rate tempts people to demand know-how abroad. This problem affects film productions as well as agencies.

Paal: It is always difficult to accept when the prevailing tenor is that everything and everyone is better abroad. At the same time, you have to face the situation and accept the challenge, or start something else.

Rosasco: The price pressure is massive and it is becoming increasingly difficult to compete with our neighbors. But here, too, I am relying on our roots. The trilingualism, the Röstigraben, all peculiarities that only we Swiss know. That's why I think we will always prevail against foreign competition.

Haller: The market has become increasingly international in recent years. I see it as a challenge - and also as an opportunity - for Swiss producers to optimally combine international and national production so that the best possible film can be made.

Switzerland would have all the possibilities: Money, landscape, talent. Why are we still not a leading film nation?

Paal: Switzerland has no film industry. That is why it is not perceived by the public. If Swiss television shows up somewhere and sets up three lamps for some interview, people already perceive that as "Hollywood". Even people from the advertising industry often can't separate the wheat from the chaff. The phrase "label drinker" comes to mind.

Haller: Compared to many countries, Switzerland - by its standards - unfortunately has few training centers for filmmaking. Nevertheless, there are many talented people who train themselves as an alternative, either self-taught or abroad. Likewise, there are producers who follow young interested people. Unfortunately, this is only possible to a limited extent for most productions.

Roduner: No, we are not a film nation. We are not, because we generally look abroad and often just copy and adapt. There are exceptionally creative agencies in Switzerland that deliver great new ideas. But they often fall through because people prefer to take the safe route. In our country, commercials are generally a means to an end and not a matter of the heart - and that's why we're not a leading film nation.
Widmer: Neither in feature films nor in commissioned films are money, landscape and talent the ingredients that make a country a leading film nation!

Rosasco: We can hardly be called a great film nation. No. Swiss clients lack courage and humor. No one dares to laugh at themselves. It's a matter of mentality. The trilingualism doesn't make it any easier to produce a national campaign that is equally well received in all parts of the country. This usually results in a compromise. And compromises are usually unsatisfactory.

Are there too many film producers in Switzerland - measured against the small market?

Rosasco: In my opinion, the number of serious competitors is healthy.

Widmer: This question will and must be answered by the development of the market. The opinion of an individual market participant seems irrelevant to me, because he will naturally want fewer competitors.

Haller: Yes and no. In Switzerland, there are many smaller "boutique productions" that can devote themselves fully to a project, which I also see as an advantage.

Paal: That brings us back to the introductory question: Are there any film producers left at all? Add to that the fact that the small market is being expanded to Europe - and then the competition is definitely too big.

How have budgets for commissioned films changed and how will that evolve?

Widmer: When it comes to budgeting, clients no longer focus solely on a film's impact objectives, but increasingly also on the distribution channels. Creation, production and distribution are increasingly merging in image and product films.

Haller: Budgets have tended to become smaller, but this is also related to technological progress. However, the market ultimately regulates prices.

Paal: It can't cost anything more. Budgets have become incredibly tight, according to the motto: three for two. But there are also professionals among the customers who know that quality has its price. That's why there will be more and more "cheap" films and a smaller proportion of high-quality ones. The cost gap is getting bigger.

Rosasco: Budgets are getting smaller and smaller. Virals are still seen as small, cheap "Internet films" that should cost nothing. But they should still spread by themselves. A film is a film. Whether it is shown on the Internet, on TV or in the cinema. And if a film is supposed to spread by itself, then it has to be cheeky. Which is unfortunately very rarely the case here.

How have the demands and perhaps false expectations of clients changed?

Haller: The standard for commissioned films has always been high. There has been very good Swiss filmmaking in the past and we are always trying to improve in order to keep up with the international level.

Roduner: Confusion about the effectiveness of the Web and Internet and their possibilities are the big issue at the moment. The right weighting of spending has become a central question. TV - cinema - web and internet? The expectations of the clients are mostly clear. Achieving them more difficult than ever.

Paal: There is no internal debate. To exaggerate: You want a film, but you don't know for whom and where it should be shown. The main thing is that it is ready next week and costs as little as possible.

How has Youtube changed the market?

Paal: Youtube has made films internet-ready. More is being produced thanks to Youtube.

Rosasco: Customers expect their films to spread by themselves like Youtube films. But this ignores what makes Youtube films: wit, courage, irony, schadenfreude ... attributes that are unfortunately very rare in Swiss advertising films! Simply producing a "visually bad film in the style of home made", which may cost nothing and has a script that is not funny: that is not enough for independent distribution.

Widmer: Thanks to Youtube, clients are becoming more aware that not every moving image moves. The measurability of the effect can hurt, but there's no way around it in the long run.
Haller: Youtube is a great information platform for us; everyone can see what's currently "hot" on a topic. I find that exciting.
 
All companies want moving images on their websites. Are professional film producers feeling any of this boom, or is it going through a different market?

Roduner: We feel that quite enormously. The market is open. Currently, agency and film people are merging. New companies are being founded, new markets are being explored and a lot of pioneering work is being done. The first ones are already plowing the way.

Widmer: The demand for moving images for the web is clearly noticeable. However, production requires different workflows than classic commissioned and commercial film production. A production company is faced with the question of whether it can and wants to adapt its processes to this.

Haller: It depends on the client. There are very nice websites that are equipped with professional footage and just as there is the opposite. So it is partly noticeable for us.

Rosasco: We feel this development strongly. However, it is rare that "only" such material is produced. Very often, additional material is requested after a shoot, which can be used for the webpage, the app, the banner.

Paal: So-called Internet films have had, or in some cases still have, the status of "cheap film". On Youtube, the whole range is visible. There are films for no money up to very very expensive productions everything. There the film producer already starts with school children.

The development of digital photography has permanently changed the profession of photography. Only the best still have jobs. The jobs in the midfield are taken over by professionally equipped amateurs. Is such a development also emerging in the film business?

Paal: There is indeed content that can be executed by ambitious amateurs. But as soon as it comes to film that wants to do more than document a state of affairs, it needs film producers, concepts, scripts, directors, cameramen, outfitters and so on. And then we're back at it.

Roduner: In the low budget area, definitely. There is a lot of production in this area, precisely because the web offers so many possibilities. But here the circle closes and that's why there's an Edi. He wants to promote creative filmmaking and pull exceptional productions out of the mud of mediocrity. But he gives everyone a chance, even a professionally equipped amateur.

Widmer: I expect that in the future, as in every industry, there will be three groups: the quality leaders, companies with price leadership, and a group in between that is either able to pursue a niche strategy or can only hold its own in the market with difficulty.

Rosasco: I don't see such a development. Without being disrespectful to photography, film is a much more complex matter. In film, a dramaturgy is needed so that the goal, the consumer's attention, is awakened. And dramaturgy has to be learned, it's not for amateurs. Due to the constantly growing technical possibilities, many new young talents are emerging in this field. But it would be wrong to call them amateurs.

Haller: The biggest changes I see are the costs and the time factor. The pressure has become greater here. But making a film depends above all on the people. My concern is that today anyone can claim to be able to make a film professionally - but it's really like a good book: everyone has a computer and paper. Still, not everyone can write a good book. The positive thing, however, is that young talents can become self-taught.

What would be a nice and what a concrete wish of the film producers to the Swiss advertising agencies and clients?

Rosasco: More courage, more irony in the scripts. This is especially true for the clients. Because as you learn again and again, there are definitely funny scripts that then unfortunately have to give way to compromise.

Widmer: I would like to see agencies and film productions working hand in hand to prove to their clients what outstanding films can achieve.

Haller: It is in the interest of all of us to promote filmmaking on our own doorstep, so that it will continue to be possible to make outstanding films in Switzerland.

Survey: Andreas Panzeri
 
 
Peter Beck, Beck & Friends, President Swissfilm Associati on

WW: What developments have led to discussions within the industry when planning and defining the criteria for EDI competition?

Peter Beck: From the very beginning, 12 years ago, it was clear that the Edi should be a national competition. It was to become a showcase for the quality and creativity of Swiss commissioned and commercial film production. This claim was clear for the organizers as well as for the EDI and is still valid today. The definition of the individual areas and criteria is more difficult. The communication with film and moving image, the emergence of completely new channels and countless new possibilities requires a flexible adaptation of the categories.

What circumstances had to be specifically considered?

It's not that difficult to create a new category like multimedia and interactive, for example. The question is, is this area really developing in this direction or is it just a flash in the pan? Then it needs an appropriately professional jury. And then it also needs enough suitable entries in this category.

Does the Edi also have something to do with "homeland security"?

I don't understand the question. Edi is a national competition under the patronage of the Federal Department of Home Affairs and honors Swiss achievements. This competition does not protect anything, it is the benchmark for films and productions of our creative industry in Switzerland. Those who want to compete internationally have many other opportunities to do so.

How does our quality compare internationally?

Switzerland can compete very well internationally in the area of quality. Measured against the small market and thus also the selection of productions, the proportion of high-quality productions is large. In the area of corporate film, Swiss productions have also performed above average in international competitions in recent years.

The activists rope themselves up and unfurl a huge banner. We expect something typical Greenpeace like: Stop! But it says: Bravo! With this film, KSB Krieg Schlupp Bürge wants to make a big splash at the opening of the new Umwelt Arena Spreitenbach - the exhibition and event arena for all areas of environmentally friendly living. The message should be: "The Umwelt Arena inspires all visitors, even the critical ones", as the agency writes in a press release.

The Umwelt Arena brings together over 40 interactive exhibitions from the four main partners Zürcher Kantonalbank, Coop, Erdgas Zürich, ABB Switzerland and over 90 other exhibitors under the largest building-integrated solar roof in Switzerland.

Responsible at Umwelt Arena Spreitenbach: Katharina Teuscher (Managing Director), Monika Sigg (PR and Advertising). Responsible at KSB war Schlupp Bürge: Uwe Schlupp (Creative Director), Beat Egger (Text/Concept), Rahel Witschi (Art Direction), Flavia Salvisberg (Consulting). Responsible at Onfilm: Hans Kaufmann (director), Pascal Walder (cinematographer), Peter Scherz (production design), Marko Strihic (editor). Visual effects: Online video. Production: Michèle Seligmann, Michael Gloor, Rhea Mandanis.

 

WW: Alex Schmid, you have been Chairman for Switzerland at the Caples Award in New York for over 20 years. How has the competition developed during this time?
Alex Schmid: In the early days, the whole thing was very hands-on: a mostly American jury judged the entries in small groups at bistro tables, after which the awards ceremony took place. Today, the composition of the jury is much more international, and the award ceremony is framed by a congress lasting several days, at which creation in the age of consumer data is addressed and discussed at a strategic level.
 
What reasons and developments have made it necessary to completely revise the competition this year?
A lot of legacy content has accumulated over 35 years. It was time to clear out old categories and establish new categories such as digital content. In general, digitalization can be described as the driver for innovation.
 
What are the most important innovations?
The "Courageous Client Award" is definitely the most exciting. This recognizes the partnership between client and agency. This is the case when the agency was able to persuade the client to leave the comfort zone of briefing and presentation or, conversely, when the client pushed the agency to the limit. The categories "Digital Content", "Mailings flat" and "3-D" were also included. Mobile marketing and mobile apps were merged into one category.
 
What specific advantages does this bring for Swiss submissions?
In international competitions, we always have the handicap of size and brand awareness. It's difficult for us to keep up with the Coca-Cola or Nike cases. The new, simplified categories suit us very well, the focus is much more on the cause than on the brand or industry.
 
What opportunities do you see for work from our small country in an international comparison?
Since the reforms, I have stepped on the gas again. Results come quickly when you are active. I experienced this first-hand at Cannes: if you move forward, something happens, if you sit back, it's all over. This year we won three Lions again in the Direct category at Cannes. But this is only possible if you are represented on the jury and promote the event during the year. You can see this clearly from the figures: since we have increased the number of submissions and have a Swiss jury, the number of finalists and winners has also increased. In New York, Rene Eugster and Roger Ruegger from Switzerland will once again be on the jury. I have no special task in New York, apart from the privilege of representing Switzerland at the Award Night. And I am convinced that the trend is pointing upwards, so I think our chances for the future are good, setbacks will come of their own accord ...
 
Who should definitely submit and where do you think there is special potential?
Unfortunately, the direct categories of many awards have developed into a melting pot of diverse ideas. The German Direct Marketing Association in particular deplores this trend. For this reason, many dialog agencies no longer submit entries at all. At the Caples Award, real dialog concepts are judged by real dialog experts. In this respect, I can only encourage dialog marketing agencies and clients with dialog expertise to take part.
 
Interview: Andreas Panzeri

Anyone who presents their marketing expertise in the Marketing Trophy ring and is nominated or even allowed to step onto the winner's podium can benefit in many ways: "The Marketing Trophy was and is great marketing for marketing. The award has proven the effectiveness, efficiency and credibility of our campaigns. Both internally and externally, SAM employees have gained in prestige. Winning the Marketing Trophy has filled them with pride and motivated them to continue developing and implementing innovative and effective marketing campaigns," says Katja Breitenmoser Karpf, Head of Marketing at SAM. Helmuth Fuchs, Managing Director of the Pro Kloster Einsiedeln Foundation, confirms that this also applies to the NPO sector: "The Marketing Trophy and the fact that our project to renovate the monastery square in Einsiedeln was awarded the public and jury prize was a great reward for everyone involved in the project. Even more important, however, were the extremely positive reactions from donors, partners and people who previously knew nothing about our project. The award was the best advertisement for the Klosterplatz project. " The monastery, which is of national and international cultural importance, has benefited both materially and ideally.

Credible recognition of top performance

Trophy winner Georg Twerenbold, Partner Best of Swiss Gastro, found the jury's assessment very fair in human terms and extremely competent in professional terms: "The Marketing Trophy team supported and accompanied us with professional advice and service-oriented service. We received a very fair and professional assessment from the expert jury. We are still reminiscing about the experience today, which we pass on to our network at every opportunity. We can highly recommend taking part in the Marketing Trophy and attending the Marketing Day." Peter Josika, CEO of Directory Assistance 1818, confirms that this award is of great importance for both the companies and the participating agencies. When asked what spontaneously comes to his mind about the Marketing Trophy, he replies: "I spontaneously remember that the award was discussed very positively within the Group and that there was a lot of talk about it in the Swiss telecommunications industry at the time. We were congratulated several times. Draft Low employees who were involved at the time certainly all have this award on their CV. It may also be possible to say that our 1818th twins (in the commercial), who were sometimes initially seen as a bit 'weird', may have become even more of a Swiss cult thanks to the award, although this is certainly only one of many factors."

Gain high monetary value

At the next Swiss Marketing Trophy awards ceremony, there will be an additional benefit: media services worth CHF 10,000 for the Trophy winners and supporting consultancy services for the special prize, also worth CHF 10,000. Taking part is therefore a highly recommended option. Anyone who wants to seize the opportunity can register now - and may soon be among the nominees or even winners with real benefits.

 

It happened again recently: the magazine dedicated a longer story to the press councils in the Scandinavian countries. "Self-Regulation Done Right" was the title of the story. Based on the Norwegian media's coverage of the mass murderer Anders Breivik, the magazine used a number of convincing examples and was full of praise to outline why the conviction has prevailed in Northern Europe more than anywhere else in the world that functioning journalistic self-regulation is not a nuisance, but helps the credibility of journalism - provided that the media report appropriately on the work of the press councils.
 
 In the German-speaking world, Switzerland probably comes closest to the Nordic ideal, while the press councils in Austria and Germany tend to operate in the shadow of media attention. The Swiss Press Council is certainly doing its bit to establish quality awareness in editorial offices. It not only makes a genuine effort to ensure fairness when dealing with complaints. It has also always been presided over by respected journalists whom the founding father of media studies, Emil Dovifat, would have ennobled as "journalistic personalities" - since 1991 it has been Roger Blum and Peter Studer, with Dominique von Burg currently in office. Even the German media magazine Message has not only been commenting on interesting German cases for years, but also pays the same attention to the Swiss Press Council. However, Swiss editorial offices also know that the Press Council is dependent on the support of journalists if it is not to operate in a vacuum, and report on its decisions accordingly.
 
Unfortunately, it is anything but easy to develop a culture of journalism in Europe that combines the ability to accept criticism with the struggle for credibility. This is shown by initial research results from the MediaACT project (www.mediaact.eu), which systematically examines the suitability of self-regulation instruments in twelve European and two Arab countries, as well as a recently published study by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, which specifically compares press organizations internationally. In Austria, meanwhile, the tabloid of the same name and previously the notorious Kronenzeitung newspaper recently sued the recently reinstitutionalized Press Council in the courts of law. Intimidation instead of promotion - that is certainly the wrong signal.
 
It remains irritating as to why journalists and media companies, who are so keen to publicly criticize others for their misconduct, find it so difficult to admit their own mistakes. In any case, this has nothing to do with the need to save money, as more transparency and credibility would be extremely inexpensive. It starts with correction columns, which editors would have to take care of if they finally set them up, but which hardly cost any money. The funds required for a press council would be distributed among the media companies - if they only wanted to, they could pay for it out of their petty cash. Ombudsmen who mediate conflicts and media journalists who continuously report on media and journalism would be much more expensive. However, if ombudsmen do their job well, they will save media companies many an expensive legal dispute.
 
And even media journalism does not necessarily require additional resources. It would suffice to set different priorities within the editorial team - simply to sensitize the public to journalistic quality. All that is really needed is the realization that credibility is a valuable asset of journalism, because only media-competent readers, listeners, viewers and users are able to distinguish between PR and journalism and will be prepared to pay for solid, properly researched journalism. Sophisticated journalism needs such audiences - precisely because in the foreseeable future it will no longer be able to finance itself from gushing advertising revenues. 

The 30-second program tells the story of the regionally much-discussed news about the brown bear M13, which collided with an RhB locomotive a few weeks ago, as a gripping story with a crazy causal chain. Because behind every news story there is a story, which is carefully researched and vividly illustrated by the RTR journalists.

The new spot will be on air throughout Graubünden from September.

Responsible at RTR: Mariano Tschuor (Director), Maurus Dosch (Commercial Director), Esther Bigliel (Communications and Marketing). Responsible at Euro RSCG Zurich: Alexander Holtz (CD), Ivan Madeo (concept/text), Philipp Lengyel (art direction), Remo Rudolf (graphics), Cara-Anne Specker (art buying), Christina Mayer (strategy), Marcel Mägerle, Niklaus Huwyler (consulting), Frank Bodin (overall responsibility). Kompost Film (film production), RTR/Jingle-Jungle (sound studios).