The writer Raymond Chandler once said that advertisers and chess players are the ones who waste their creative talent most senselessly. In 2010, Matthias Freuler said to himself that he didn't want to squander this gift quite so pointlessly in the future.

For 30 years he worked as a copywriter, concept designer and CD in classic agencies. "At some point you've seen it, at some point everything repeats itself. The Mobiliar campaign with the damage sketches, for example, we had once invented at Aebi Strebel, later I worked on it at Publicis and then, last but not least, at Wirz. If you only ever work at top 10 agencies, at some point you feel like you're in the movie "Groundhog Day. Always the same clients, the same colleagues, the same assignments and the same awards."

That's why, after ten years as Executive Creative Director at Wirz, it was a good time to finally do something else. However, it was clear to Freuler from the start: "Cutting vines in Tuscany or writing books in Ibiza is not my thing. I want to continue doing what I do best and love doing most: concocting ideas. Same, but different!" Looking for a job that would bring him more in the future, Freuler finally found what he was looking for at Spina's Civil Voices, an agency that specializes in clients and engagements from the NPO sector. In his career so far, he has certainly managed to "polish up the image of one or the other major client a little or to increase sales". But today Freuler knows that he gets far more satisfaction from doing something meaningful and sustainable for WWF, Solidar, the Salvation Army or Amnesty International.

"It's a damn good feeling when you come home from work in the evening and know that today you may have saved a few people from starvation, a few animals from extinction, or a few square meters of tropical forest from being cut down."

Matthias Freuler has already worked on campaigns for the Brockenhaus, the Salvation Army and the Tibetan Community during his time at Wirz. "But fundraising is really new territory for me. Not only can I use my creativity there, but I also learn something new every day." What's exciting about this is that at Spina's Civil Voices, nothing is ever done "out of the blue." Every mailing is tested and only when it has been proven which approach is the best is a mailing generalized. Each year, the specialist agency runs around 180 mailings. Spina's Civil Voices employs 30 people. The agency near Zurich's Volkshaus is organized with a "very flat hierarchy." Lorenz Spinas is the owner, managing director and executive creative director in personal union. "Then on the next level come the 29 of us," Freuler says with a grin. Some specialists come from NPOs and have already worked there as fundraisers. Others come from advertising agencies. Freuler acts as a CD on individual projects, where he can contribute his many years of classical experience. "My strength is certainly in creating campaigns. But in the meantime, I've also become quite adept as a fundraiser."

Stunning with Clooney and Blatter

Freuler has already attracted the attention of a very broad public with two viral films. His parody with George Clooney, who is beaten to death by a Nespresso light panel, promotes fair trade in coffee cultivation. The clip for Solidar Suisse has so far been clicked on Youtube over 900,000 times. The latest viral film, featuring Sepp Blatter as a samba dancer, which aims to draw attention to the fact that over 150,000 locals are to be displaced for the construction of a stadium at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, currently stands at 350,000 clicks. "Both Solidar films were about collecting electronic signatures for the corresponding petitions."

While the Blatter spot was realized with a professional ballet dancer under a custom-made silicone mask, a Clooney was found practically on the doorstep for the Nespresso parody: in the Zurich Brockenhaus. Serge Kaspar works there as a customer consultant and really does look almost better than the real Clooney. Nevertheless, Kaspar does not want to become a "look alike", but at most "model something on occasion" with his own personality. An amateur world star from the chop shop is admittedly not the new norm. Nevertheless, the switch from Wirz to Spina's Civil Voices has also changed a lot in terms of production and media. "In the past, I created elaborate commercials that were later brought to the people with a large media budget. They were shown to the target group at the best 'Tagesschau', 'Meteo' and '10vor10' times, but were not always actually seen by the target group. Or if they did, then perhaps only because they were too lazy to pee. Today I create films that have to be so exciting, funny, new or different that people watch them voluntarily and ideally recommend them to others. That requirement is infinitely greater, but also much more interesting." In most cases, he says, there is so little money available that a good idea is imperative for the message to find its way to people. "For a creative, this starting position is great." Seeding is also immensely important, of course. Whether a YouTube film sits on 3,000 views or the counter goes up to several hundred thousand "can very well be influenced - but not forced," Freuler knows.

Freuler's relationship with creative prizes has changed somewhat in his new job. "I participated in all these competitions for years and I still think that prizes are an incentive to do something good. Institutions like the ADC, Cannes or Clio are extremely important so that better work really gets made. Unfortunately, it has become apparent in recent years that the works that win competitions often have no relevance on the market. Instead, more and more work is being submitted to ADC, Cannes & Co today for which there was never a commission. Very often, not only is the commission fictitious, but there is also no corresponding client, or the client knows nothing about the fact that a work was submitted in his name. The main thing is to win a prize. In the long run, that's just no fun anymore."

Almost every agency that wants to be among the top 10 in the annual creative rankings today makes special efforts to realize so-called gold work. "The creation of pure fake work is now part of everyday life and is firmly integrated into the work planning. For me, Ruf Lanz and Spillmann Felser are pleasant exceptions when it comes to creative work for real clients," says Freuler.

But this is not meant to sound radically award-starved. After all, Freuler created two classics with Lovely, the polysportive milk cow, and as the "father" of the Mobiliar damage sketches, which are still in use today. But after an estimated 258 awards won, Award No. 259 just isn't quite as sparkling anymore. "Our clientele at Spina's Civil Voices couldn't care less about awards anyway." Nevertheless, Freuler remains in ADC. On the school board, he continues to take exams and debrief the young talents. The events and parties of the scene are also no longer his thing. "In my role as CD, I had to represent and was contacted by many people." Afterwards, he says, anyone who takes a step back quickly realizes that few of the many "close friends" remain. Those friendships, however, are really close and good and lasting. All the rest became "business friends, whom I honestly don't miss much either ".

He enjoyed spending a few "creative days" in New York with his family last month all the more for it. "It was a special experience to stand in Times Square with my 15-year-old daughter and 17-year-old son. To be so in the middle of this huge advertising hullabaloo and to be totally lulled and drugged." Advertising, as Matthias Freuler has once again discovered, can exert an almost magical fascination. You just have to do it for the right thing. Andreas Panzeri

Last year, many companies were particularly active on Facebook in order to get as many "Like" clicks as possible. This is according to the E- Commerce Report 2012, which was published on Thursday in front of the media in Zurich. Companies interested in rapidly increasing their number of friends rewarded a "Like" with vouchers or access to special offers, for example.

"However, it is difficult to estimate the value of these purchased friends," says the study, which was conducted by the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland on behalf of payment processor Datatrans in the first quarter. To this end, managers from 34 important companies active in Swiss e-commerce were surveyed.

Disillusionment after hype
"Two or three years ago, there was a gold-rush atmosphere on Facebook. In the meantime, disillusionment is spreading," Weltbild-Verlag boss Rita Graf is quoted as saying. "Facebook has less influence on purchasing decisions than we thought," explained e-commerce manager Janos Heé from the airline Swiss. According to the study, a number of companies that had made a serious commitment to social media were disappointed by their experiences to date. Some would reduce their involvement again.

The high expectations of the opportunities for customer loyalty had already diminished again in this year's survey, said study co-author Ralf Wölfle from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland. Swiss sees Facebook as a communication and marketing channel, but not as a sales platform, explained Heé. Matthias Thürer, Head of Marketing at ebookers.ch, echoed the same sentiment: "Facebook is not an e-commerce site. Our booking engine on Facebook only generates very few bookings." Companies can use social media to increase brand awareness, but hardly generate any sales, said Wölfle.

Sales via cell phone are booming
In contrast, orders via mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads continue to boom. SBB is now selling more tickets via cell phones than via its website, explained e-business manager Patrick Comboeuf.

A quarter of the companies surveyed in the study generate more than 5 percent of their turnover from orders placed via mobile devices. The boom in tablet computers should provide a further boost, said Wölfle. (sda)
 

With the advent of user-friendly smartphones and tablets, Internet users are increasingly visiting the web via mobile devices. Conversely, website operators now often offer their content via screen-optimized mobile sites or apps. With this change in behavior, the need for standardized and thus comparable usage data on the various mobile offerings is increasing at the same time, according to Net-Metrix in a release on the mobile publication in April.

On the front ranks
In April 2012, a total of almost 400 million visits were generated on the participating mobile sites and over 45 million visits were registered. With around 9 million visits, the iPhone app of 20 Minuten Online leads the visit ranking. It is followed in second and third place by the mobile sites of Blick Online with over 5.3 million visits and Bluewin with around 3.2 million visits.

A very similar picture emerges for the number of unique clients (UCs). In April 2012, the app of 20 Minuten Online was used at least once on around 482,000 iPhones, while the mobile site of Blick Online was accessed at least once on around 479,000 devices. The mobile sites of Bluewin (411,000 UCs) and 20 Minuten Online (311,000 UCs) follow in third and fourth place.

Net-Metrix's mobile publication comprises monthly, uniformly measured and certified key figures for the participating mobile offerings. The premiere took place on April 19, 2012 with over 40 offers. In the second publication on May 16, 2012, over 50 well-known Swiss mobile sites and apps are now represented.
 

With 482 (470) index points and thus an increase of 12 points, Adscreen continues to grow in April. In contrast, the Internet fell by 12 points to 671 (683) index points. The advertising pressure of the other media changed far less: TV and radio each gained one point with 601 (600) and 424 (423) index points respectively, while teletext lost two points with 97(99) index points. The overall market remained stable at 238 index points, while the electronic media as a whole were able to slightly increase their advertising pressure to 606 (605) index points.
 

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This year's Zurich Journalism Prize goes to Gion Mathias Cavelty in the newspaper category, Daniel Ammann and Julia Hofer in the magazine category and Joel Bedetti in the young talent category. The jury selected the award-winning works from almost 150 entries. Tobias Trevisan, the managing director of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, who has excellent connections in the Swiss publishing landscape, gave the keynote speech.

At the award ceremony, Andrea Masüger, President of the Foundation Board, announced changes that will apply from 2013. Texts that have only been published online will now also be eligible for an award. The previous prize categories will be abolished and in future a maximum of three prizes will be awarded, as well as a prize for the overall work. According to Masüger, this will "increase the flexibility of the jury's work and the selection of the best will not be restricted by category requirements".

Appreciations of the jury

This year's Zurich Journalism Prize, which is awarded in the newspaper, magazine and young talent categories, focuses on the quality of media work and the personal commitment of journalists. "In Gion Mathias Cavelty's text, the rebirth of the old-school opera reporter takes place in a contemporary setting," said jury member Marco Meier in his laudatory speech. "This legendary genre shines brilliantly once again in the reportage and finds its own independent form. High art is fun here," said Meier in recognition of the award winner.

Jury member Margrit Sprecher praised Julia Hofer: "She does what far too few media professionals do: she explores the seemingly familiar, her immediate surroundings. And comes across far more exotic things than some world travelers. It's not just the why that the jury liked. It's also the how."

"Daniel Ammann stayed on the Holenweger case for seven years with his research," recognized laudator Alain Zucker. "We are paying tribute to a journalist who unwaveringly, independently and skillfully uncovered gross abuses at the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland. Without him, they might never have come to light."

"What makes a good story? It has to tell something new, it has to tell it cleverly and it should be well written," says jury member Susan Boos. "Joel Bedetti has written a wonderful portrait of Meinhard von Seckendorff - the baron who studied at the University of Zurich for 90 semesters," she said in her laudatory speech.

> Brochure on the 2012 award ceremony (PDF)

About the Zurich Journalism Prize

The purpose of the Zurich Journalism Prize Foundation, established by the Zurich Press Association, is to make a concrete contribution to the promotion of journalistic quality through the announcement and awarding of a prize. The awarding of prizes for outstanding work is intended to encourage journalists to master their difficult task at a high level in terms of both content and style and to create journalistic highlights that will be remembered beyond the day. Since 1981, works published in the cantons of Zurich and Schaffhausen or written by authors who mainly work in these cantons have been assessed by an independent jury. It selects the prizewinners. The members of the jury are Fredy Gsteiger (President), Susan Boos, Marco Meier, Margrit Sprecher and Alain Zucker. The Foundation Board is made up of Andrea Masüger (President), Esther Girsberger, Kaspar Loeb and David Strohm.

«10 Days in Winterthur – The Discovery Tour» That’s the name of the Facebook campaign, as reported in the *Tages-Anzeiger*. Here’s how it works: Anyone who wants to can become an explorer for ten days and live for free in a shared apartment in Winterthur—if they win the vote. In return, they must post about their experiences on Facebook during that time. Facebook users can tell them what they should do. It’s a good idea—but the world doesn’t seem ready for it yet. After all, only two people have applied: Stefan (43) from Aargau and Fabienne (22) from Thurgau. And the both are in a neck-and-neck race. Right now, Stefan is in the lead—with 379 votes to 280. But that could change at any time—voting remains open until Thursday.

We can only speculate as to why almost no one wants to discover the beautiful city of Winterthur. The *Tages-Anzeiger* has jotted down a few ideas. For example, it’s suspected that no one who truly finds Winterthur beautiful wants to get hooked on it—after all, you have to leave the city again after ten days, and that can be painful. Or perhaps the idea of living in a shared apartment is off-putting. Or maybe no one wants to do things on someone else’s terms, let alone post about them on Facebook. Or maybe no one simply wants to go to Winterthur. Though that would be hard to understand. Such a lovely little town—simply the best Zurich has to offer.

> Euro RSCG Zurich: Winterthur is the best Zurich has to offer
> Euro RSCG: New Testimonials for Winterthur

The aim of the SSPA is to further promote awareness of structured products and demonstrate their potential to investors. The association is relying on Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett for the application. According to Jürg Stähelin, Managing Director of the SSPA, SFLB impressed with a clear strategy and a smart idea that can be implemented in a wide variety of media. The first results can be seen in the coming weeks.
 

With the aim of expanding the existing range of services and developing new business areas, Oliver Suter and Tanja Hollenstein will share the management of the agency from June 2012, the agency said in a statement. Oliver Suter will be responsible for creation and Tanja Hollenstein for consulting. "I am delighted to have gained Tanja Hollenstein as a partner, whom I have already known for three years as a committed employee and member of the management team," explains Oliver Suter, the previous sole owner. Tanja Hollenstein adds: "We are convinced that we complement each other perfectly and will be able to drive forward the strategy of concentrating on our core competencies and moderate growth together with our existing management and team over the next few years".

According to the press release, Tanja Hollenstein has acquired extensive expertise in the communications industry over the past 15 years, working primarily on the agency side, including at Paroli from 2008 to 2011. She has in-depth knowledge in the areas of corporate communications, strategic consulting, product PR, publications and crisis communications. She has supplemented her practical knowledge with a Master's degree in Business Communications. Her focus is on the areas of consumer goods, lifestyle, tourism and corporate social responsibility.

The motto of the 2011 annual report is "It's the people who make projects successful". In the editorial section, in addition to the numerical reporting, various employees who were significantly involved in the "Mission Apollo08" - the introduction of the new IT system AKIS net - have their say. They are portrayed in the office environment in front of a large screen, on which a statement on a specific project phase can be read.

Responsible at SVA Aargau, Aarau: Bergita Kayser (Director), Karsten Poppe (Secretary General), Claudia Meier-Suter and Beatrice Fiechter (Support Directorate). Responsible at Renzen Communications, Aarau: Achim Kaufmann (AD), Alain Götschi (consulting).

While healthcare expenditure in Switzerland is rising steadily, there are more than 140 effective, inexpensive medicines available in the form of Mepha generics to counteract this trend. This is also pointed out by the nationwide poster campaign designed by CR Basel for Mepha, which culminates in the specific request to always inquire about low-cost alternatives. Or: Ask your doctor or pharmacist about Mepha generics.

Responsible at Mepha: Andreas Bosshard (CEO), Christoph Herzog (Head Corporate Communications). Responsible at CR Basel: Gabriel Heuberger (CD) Philipp Kropf (AD), Philipp Schweizer (text), Monika Wüthrich, Peter Frey (consulting).

Sport.ch According to a press release issued Wednesday, the site is Switzerland’s largest independent sports portal, with 1.6 million visits per month. The web apps for iPhone and Android account for a steadily growing share of that traffic; soccer and ice hockey events, in particular, are increasingly being followed on the go.

Sport.ch is now relying on Adello for its mobile marketing. For ad management, the company is using Smart Ad Server technology, distributed in Switzerland by Adello, which supports not only standard IAB formats but also various rich media formats such as traveling ads and video layer ads.