This means that there are currently 42 social media managers in Switzerland with a degree at university level, according to a statement from the HWZ. Markus Pfister received the award for the best degree with an overall grade of 5.7. The third course began in mid-February 2012 and the one in August is being planned and is already well attended.

The graduates of the CAS Social Media Management are: Sibylle Augsburger, Manuela Brunner, Adrian Ehrbar, Eva Feuz, Justyna Grund, Rebekka Häberli, Michael Kunz, Peter Kuster, Anita Meier, Marc Mouci, René Müller, Markus Pfister, Katja Sauerwein, Christine Schlittler, Silver Schlittler, Bernhard Schweizer, Désirée Strassmann, Daniela Wallner Kern, Regula Wysling.

In 21 days of study, CAS Social Media Management students are enabled to develop, implement and manage a social media strategy for their company from the perspective of integrated communication. The course is aimed in particular at marketing and communication professionals who want to supplement their skills with the latest developments in the field of interactive digital media and thus keep their consulting and implementation skills up to date.
 

Around 170 guests followed the presentation by management researcher Hans A. Wüthrich on the topic of "Experience - the end of all fantasy?", as OMD writes in a press release. The examples of pattern-breaking management decisions presented probably inspired most of those present to critically rethink their own management structures. Good ideas and applications were also highlighted and discussed in the subsequent panel discussion moderated by OMD CEO Manfred Strobl with Lisa Feldmann, Editor-in-Chief Annabelle, Thomas Truttmann, Marketing & Communications Director Switzerland & Head of Sports Europe McDonald's Suisse Restaurants and Patrick Warnking, Country Director, Google Switzerland.

Manfred Strobl.

Hans A. Wüthrich.

Panel Discussion.

 

Society is driven by change. Currently, the new mobility is having a profound impact. We are all on the move everywhere and at all times with our smartphones or iPads. These can be used more and more for almost everything. We can spontaneously photograph a poster with our smartphone and use it to trigger a purchase. We can use our iPad on the train to look for the right hiking boots for the upcoming vacation - which we have booked on the Internet from home, of course.

How will such a development soon change our everyday shopping behavior? How will we shop tomorrow? What impact will more and more mobile options and distractions have on our desire to continue visiting a shopping center in the future, for example?

Answers to these questions of tomorrow are already being sought today at the Glatt shopping center. In October 2011, the country's first try-out store opened in Switzerland's leading shopping center. Since then, curious customers have been lining up there every day to browse a bit among the "racks" of the future.

A visit to the Glatt Try Store has little in common with the usual shopping experience. You won't find any shopping carts, conventional shelves or checkouts here. The Try Store is architecturally designed in the style of a Parisian concept store. New products are presented on elegant pedestals at generous intervals, as decoratively as possible. But an even more decisive innovation is the futuristic technology. Next to each individual product, an iPad is within reach. Secured by a cable, the device contains an innovative shopping application that combines product selection, recommendation features and a gaming experience.

"As Switzerland's leading shopping center, Glatt always strives to offer its customers a special shopping experience. With the Glatt Try Store, we have broken new ground and brought a piece of the future into the shopping center with a shopping concept that is all about innovation," says a delighted Stefan Gross. The CEO of Glattzentrum has noticed an "enormous interest on the part of Glatt visitors". "The extremely positive feedback shows us that we have hit a nerve with the Try Store. As a shopping center operator, we are gaining very valuable experience with the Try Store on changing consumer behavior and the use of new communication technologies in tomorrow's shopping landscapes."

The concept was developed and implemented by Bruno Beusch and Tina Cassani with their agency TNC Network. They advise companies on the topics of replay value, customer engagement, and the integration of new communication technologies and game strategies in the shopping of the future. TNC Network conducts innovation seminars and has produced the congress series and think tank "Gamehotel" on the growing influence of interactive entertainment and mobile lifestyle and communication platforms on the consumption habits of today's customers in Paris, California, Zurich and Cologne since 2003.

Consumer, Trysumer and Playsumer

In the "Age of Engagement," it will be increasingly important to offer formats that reach consumers who demand active and playful participation in brand and shopping environments. As "trysumers" and "playsumers ", consumers want to track down trends themselves, try out new products before buying them, and share their opinions with friends.

A now concrete application with the Try Store in Glatt is based on interested consumers being able to discover new products in a playful way. "With 100 different types of soft drinks, new cosmetic products every day, and almost innumerable variations of sweets, it has become increasingly difficult for consumers to discover anything new in the wide range of products on offer," says Bruno Beusch. In the Try Store he developed, a changing collection of 15 to 20 new products is now presented clearly and "attractively" every month in a beautifully designed showroom.

A new fair trade syrup from Migros, a soft drink made to an old Russian recipe, a shampoo or sushi in a box from an American label are new products that have just been launched on the market. These find their test audience in the Try Store. Anyone who registers on the iPad next to the displays as interested in the tryout offer becomes a "trystorista" and is allowed to choose two products for free. The trial customer can order these directly in the store via the iPad. They also specify whether they want to pick up the goods immediately at the pick-up counter or only after another tour of the shopping center. Those who have obtained their two products must pause for four days. Then his account is open again for a new quota with two items.

Selected game dynamics characterize this shopping experience. The Glatt Try Store is based on a multi-level engagement architecture, which is based on proven game mechanisms. At its core is the concept of replay value. "This value guarantees a high quality of experience, even with frequent use, by combining game enjoyment, active participation, reward systems, and status upgrades, thus enabling positive influence on consumer behavior and customer loyalty," explains Bruno Beusch.

Social shopping and tryvertising

The Glatt Try Store combines various impulses from social shopping, concept stores, freemium models and the principle of tryvertising - "try before you buy". And in such an environment, the elements of social media must also come into play. Using an integrated Facebook button, "trystoristas" can report their loot to their friends and recommend it to others. The iPad also features a game architecture that can be used to play very simple games. These are one-minute games that are designed "to make shopping fun for people," explains Beusch. Because he is convinced: "If we want to appeal to consumers today, we have to pick them up on their desire to play and their joy of discovery. That's our approach."

So is the Try Store a playful form of market research? - At TNC, they see it more as a new marketing platform. Instead of the detergent looking "cheap" in a different environment, the supplier gets an attention for his products with the elegant presentation in the architecture of a concept store, which he could not reach otherwise. In addition, there is a very above-average shopping experience with the various game elements.

The game mechanisms are introduced in such a way that there are certain levels. The more actively a "test shopper" selects and recommends products, the higher he or she climbs in the membership level. With the most interested commitment possible, one can rise from "Trystorista Trendsetter" to "Trystorista Royal". According to his level, a customer gets his two products delivered in a differentiating shopping bag. "A tongue-in-cheek status appeal that's meant to be fun," Beusch explains. And it works.

Often, employees would briefly do some shopping in the Try Store over lunch and then return to the office with a Level 3 bag - in order to provoke their colleagues there, who would also show up in the Try Store a short time later. To then triumphantly outbid their colleagues with a Level 4 bag. "This is fun, which does not amount to me collecting points for later perks. That's why no bargain hunters come, but interested customers who are curious about new products," Beusch estimates.

Visitors to the Try Store want to be able to interact with brand environments in a playful way and get involved. "I am convinced that game mechanisms play an important role everywhere where it is a matter of being able to address and engage a consumer," is Beusch's credo. Such a shopping technique makes the experience sustainable and exciting. 

Customers from a wide range of target groups visibly enjoy the Try Store in Glatt. "The whole thing is designed to exude a certain value," Beusch emphasizes. The experiment is set up right in the center of the mall. Three store agents are permanently present in the Try Store to take care of customers. The need for a shopping experience that is as human as possible is also served at the pick-up counter. There, after just a few visits, the staff converses animatedly with the "trystoristas" about the new products, just as they do with old regular customers. The offers come from market-leading partners. These include Migros companies and other prominent Swiss brands such as Emmi, Wander, Zweifel, Rausch, Hug. But also international brands such as Kraft Foods, Reckitt Benckiser, Palmolive, General Mills, Guhl and smaller labels for niche discoveries.

And the benefit for the manufacturers? Of course, they receive valuable data and feedback on their new products from TNC. "But the partner companies receive absolutely no customer data from us," emphasizes Beusch. Anyone who registers with the Try Store can rely on complete anonymity. "That is also one of the success factors." The required e-mail address is only used to ensure that no one can have more than one account.

Bruno Beusch assumes that this product discovery in an upscale game ambience will be better received than the simple distribution of samplings. "The customer chooses two products of a certain value. In return, he doesn't have to reveal his data. In return, he gives the products his full attention. That's invaluable in the confusion of today's consumer landscapes."

This appeals to a new type of consumer who doesn't want to give away anything of his or her privacy in market research - but still wants to get something. At TNC, we know that in the future, customer appreciation will be a key factor. In the Try Store, customers are approached personally and individually and are involved in a positive feedback loop. "We show this customer that we take him seriously as a consumer. We're giving him something. His opinion is important to us, and it's proven that he will positively remember and buy the products he discovered in an inspiring environment."

Many of the products offered in the Try Store can be found parallel to the test presentation or a short time later on the shelves of the stores in the Glatt. Whether and how the experiences from the Try Store will creatively change behavior between these shelves in the future, too, is something no one can oraculate today. But the experiment has already shown concrete results: "We are overwhelmed by the continuing success, which has far exceeded our expectations. After five months of operation, the number of members is well into five figures. During these months, we have worked with 30 partners from the cosmetics and food sectors and have already presented over 130 new products in the Glatt Try Store," says CEO Stefan Gross, summing up the success.

The Try Store in Glatt will remain open until the end of March. Then the idea will go on tour. In the fall, another consumer and experience format will follow for a customer from the shopping center sector in Germany, in which tried-and-tested game strategies from TNC will be used.

Andreas Panzeri
 
The smooth
Glatt closed 2011 with total sales of CHF 634 million, slightly weaker than in the previous year. The year 2011 was marked by the most extensive store renovations in 20 years, with between 5 and 10 percent of the sales area closed in the first ten months as a result of the total of 30 renovations. At 8.3 million, visitor numbers show a clear upward trend (+5.3 percent), which management attributes to greater attractiveness and improved accessibility.

In a nutshell
TNC Network (www.tnc.net) was founded in Paris in 1995. The agency, led by Managing Director Bruno Beusch, specializes in the application of game strategies and new communication technologies in consumer and experiential environments. TNC Network develops innovative retail, experience and marketing formats for international clients, based on an overarching engagement architecture. 

 

Despite state restrictions, the newspaper is committed to the basic democratic values of freedom of opinion and freedom of the press and to safeguarding human rights. Founded in 1993, the newspaper is an independent, opinion-forming press organ in Russia, stated Frauke Gerlach, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees, in the press release. "The editorial team works under difficult conditions." The newspaper, which is available in Germany, England, France and Spain, among other countries, makes an important contribution to Russia's European network.

Last year's prizewinner, the Italian publisher Inge Schönthal-Feltrinelli, had already emphasized press and media freedom as a key issue in Europe. The award ceremony will take place on May 10 in Aachen. The award is presented in the style of the Charlemagne Prize for an outstanding contribution to European integration in the media sector. (SDA/DPA)

(Image: Wikipedia.org)

Marius Born has already worked as a freelancer for various editorial departments of Swiss television ("10vor10," "Reporter," "Eco"), according to a statement on Thursday. In this capacity, he accompanied the launch of "Eco" in the fall of 2007 and has since been a freelance writer for the business magazine. On December 1, 2009, he took over as editorial director of "Eco". The position of editorial director of "Eco" will be advertised.

 

Stefan Regez (pictured) studied geography, history and geology at the University of Bern, Ringier wrote in a statement on Thursday. He began his journalistic career in 1995 as a freelancer for the Handelszeitung. From 1999 to the end of 2006, he was on the management board of Gossweiler Media, five years of which as editor-in-chief of Jungfrau Zeitung. In 2007, he moved to Zurich as a communications consultant, first becoming head of news in December 2007 and later editor-in-chief of the commuter newspaper News. Since April 1, 2010, he has been Head of News and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Schweizer Illustrierte.

The new deputy editor-in-chief of SI will be Ueli Walther. The 52-year-old studied Swiss history, ethnology and journalism at the University of Bern, began his journalistic career at Der Bund, the Bernese newspaper, was head of the domestic editorial department of the Swiss Political Correspondence SPK in Bern and news editor of the Sonntagszeitung. In 1995 he joined Ringier, first moving to Cash, and from 2000 was deputy editor-in-chief of Blick. From 2004, Walther worked as deputy editor-in-chief of Sonntagszeitung - and since January 2011 he has been head of news at
20 Minuten Online. The date on which he will take up his post is still open.

Monique Ryser will become a member of SI's editor-in-chief with immediate effect. The 49-year-old worked for the Berner Zeitung from 1982, was an accredited federal house journalist for Associated Press AP from 1989 to 1993 and a federal house journalist for Blick from 1993 to 1998. In 1998, Ryser became head of news at SI and founded her own consulting agency in 2004. To date, she has already served as editorial director of Schweizer Illustrierte's special issue Grün, which is published four times a year. Her part-time mandate in the editor-in-chief is limited until the end of the year.

 

The employees did not know where they were going. Only a forecast for the expected temperatures was revealed. Plus the advice: take your passport with you. And clothes for four days. High above the clouds, it became clear that the entire Webrepublic team was flying to Kos for a long weekend. There they moved into their cabins. The sailing trip took them to various islands. On each island there was a new theme to work on. "Vision Cruise" was the motto of the staff training. "Sailing is a creative environment where you can not only unwind but also have good conversations," says Tom Hanan, pleased with the success. Half a week in the same boat has turned more than 20 employees into a crew.

"Company culture" is a key concern for Webrepublic's Managing Director. "You're surrounded by people who do their work with enthusiasm, heart and soul." This also includes very open communication. "What we do at the core of our agency for online marketing is the absolute spearhead of innovation in terms of communication and distribution on the Internet. There's no book to look up yet. We're always doing the latest. Innovation is just too fast," Hanan analyzes. There is also something adventurous about this mood. That's why, after a call to Webrepublic, the music of "Indiana Jones" also sounds in the queue. "We interpret ourselves as the explorer fighting his way through the jungle with a machete." An even better image might be a laser sword.

The "Indiana Jones" of Swiss search engine marketing has found his calling at Google. Before Tom Hanan became the first employee of Google Switzerland in 2003, he sailed around the world as a skipper for six months.

Before leaving, Tom Hanan briefly emailed an application to [email protected]. His references said: Grew up in Zurich as the son of a Swiss and an American. Studied astrophysics as well as business administration and marketing in the USA. Entered the professional world in 1998 at Multimedia Development. This was P's first online media agency, which later became Real Media. Hanan then spent three years building up Yahoo Switzerland.

The promise from Google reached him on the high seas in the Caribbean. First from his own apartment in Erlenbach, then briefly in Seefeld, and soon after starting in the Hürlimann area of Zurich, Tom Hanan built up Google's key account business in Switzerland and Austria in a rapidly growing company of soon to be 700 Internet specialists from all over the world. In the last two of his eight years at the search engine giant, Hanan was responsible for the agency landscape. "During this time, I saw that there was still room for an agency specializing in the field of search engine marketing," he says, summing up the logical step to his first own company. Webrepublic is strongly influenced by Hanan's time at Google and Yahoo.

In its core business, the agency creates and manages search engine marketing campaigns. Founded as a startup in 2009 by Tom Hanan, Webrepublic in Zurich's Mühle Tiefenbrunnen has "grown organically but quickly with its clients and their size". In this rapidly changing environment, the young agency has continued to identify the needs of the market. "We quickly saw that the best campaign is useless if the website is not optimally right. So we offered to optimize the website as well."
At Webrepublic, we not only look efficiently at how the user comes to the site, but also analyze very quickly: What he does when he is on the site? Where does he come from geographically? What language do they use to access the site? How efficiently can the site answer the user's questions? "This allows us to make the whole cycle as efficient as possible. From the user's question to the so-called conversion - a purchase or registration."

At Webrepublic, work is being done at an apex where advertising or media budgets are increasingly being scrutinized by customers for their efficiency. This is where Facts and Figures can be delivered. "Our clients get a campaign that is highly efficient," Hanan promises. Search engine campaigns are based on the analysis of how the user searches for products. Entering the keyword "last minute" in Google's search box, for example, is only the first step in the decision-making process when booking a trip.

After an initial review of the search results, you go back to Google and specify the search by "last minute with beach". This may be followed by "last minute with beach toddler care ". Thus, an average search includes 20 to 30 queries. "This is where we need to understand: At what point is someone in the decision-making process? " That's where the right message needs to be communicated. On the other hand, the specialists at Webrepublic also analyze what happens when the user is on the website. "A campaign is only 50 percent of the story. The other 50 percent happens when the user is effectively on the site. That means we have to make it so that this site really speaks the language of the user. That's why I often say: Whether a website is good or bad is not decided by the agency or the head of marketing, but by the user. We have to analyze and understand how the user interacts with that site."

Webrepublic does not do website design. "But we analyze the efficiency level of websites and have a partner who then changes small elements on the website. You can play around with small elements and test them over and over again." To do this, search engine advertisers direct some of the traffic to version A and the other to version B. Then they measure live where more is happening. "At our core, it's about speaking the user's language as efficiently as possible."

Does such work already have more to do with statistics than with conventional advertising? Hanan calls it "data-driven innovation. The communication measures are clearly measured. After all, the advertisers see exactly what the result is. In this sense, 90 percent of the campaigns run at Webrepublic clearly have the objective of "generating sales.

But Tom Hanan is convinced: "The classic advertising values such as branding, image and emotion will still have their raison d'être in digital communication. But then more in the area of banners and graphic elements. When graphic elements are placed by Webrepublic, the computers come into play immediately in each case. "We measure the entire path from the graphic ad to the search queries that were triggered as a result of this ad, and then follow the customer further until finally the purchase." For one large client, search volume and keyword analysis was used to generate valuable information for the company's product development. For Webrepublic's customers, trends can be analyzed and uncovered in a targeted manner.

Webrepublic was born "out of the emotion of starting an agency that wanted to go a different way and challenge old structures - I was looking for a name that reflected that." A small star stands out in the logo. This is meant to hint that Webrepublic also wants to push forward a small web revolution. "We grow with our customers and, where it will end, we see extremely flexible." And because the Internet is guaranteed to continue to grow, jobs for 35 people have already been reserved in the mill as a precaution. "But I don't want to lose my identity and grow faster than my legs can carry me," Hanan says.

Webrepublic has a very stringent approach to how people are recruited and trained. "In the environment we operate in, it's difficult to find the right people. We're often asked by clients if we can provide them with someone who has the inside track in the online space." That's why Hanan also helps recruit new employees for its clients with targeted campaigns.

For Migros, Webrepublic built a dedicated department in-house. "We wanted a team that could associate itself intensively with Migros, its brand and its message. When we write the ad texts for the AdWords campaign, we want them to take Migros' language and emotions into account."

Like Google, Webrepublic also works internationally from Zurich: "We don't see it as Swiss Wide Web, but World Wide Web," says Hanan. He is convinced "think global act local" is quite centrally important on the Internet. "But a campaign that we set up in Switzerland and want to adapt for Austria or Germany, we have to adapt to how the local market ticks." This becomes possible because of the analysis of local search habits. "Because we drive such an approach, our goal is definitely that we will and can internationalize." At Webrepublic, the team already includes native speakers who speak French, Italian, Spanish, English and Russian. In addition, all Webrepublic employees have the Google Ad Words Professional certificate, from office managers to software developers.

Technology is also an important topic in the Webrepublic environment. For example, an ETH developer is also on board the team, and Abhay Puri, one of the first 20 Google employees worldwide, is on the Advisory Board to provide advice and support to the Zurich-based company. "Abhay Puri is one of Google's original engineers and always provides us with ideas for new products that enable us to serve our customers even more efficiently." As a result, Webrepublic has now become the first agency to program a Warehouse API. This is a program that automatically and dynamically synchronizes search engine campaigns with the current state of the warehouse. This is interesting for all customers with online stores that have several 100,000 products on offer. As soon as a product is sold out, the keyword is paused in the campaign.

And what will come next? Skipper Tom Hanan can't see beyond the horizon either. But: "I know the course we have to steer. On the way there, the wind will still change very often. Then we'll have to adjust our course or trim the sails accordingly."

Andreas Panzeri

During Webrepublic's four-day sailing trip in September, the 20 employees completed workshops in alternating teams. Films were shot in ancient settings in the Aegean Sea in which, for example, "customer service" was reinterpreted in these ruins. Everyone had to keep a logbook and record in it their visions of where the journey should go from the employees' point of view. These visions have since been incorporated into the management's planning, so that the whole team feels involved in the development of Webrepublic.
 

First things first: Employers are not allowed to simply send home employees they cannot currently keep on the job and reduce their wages accordingly. This would only be permissible for individuals who are expressly hired on an on-call basis and who, in the past, were also employed only irregularly and as needed. For everyone else, the rule is: Contracts must be honored. Under the Swiss Code of Obligations, companies that can no longer employ someone—or can only employ them to a limited extent—are still obligated to pay the usual wages. Employees are not required to make up for the involuntary reduction in working hours. This applies until the employment relationship is properly terminated (Art. 324 CO).

Of course, you can adjust your employees’ contracts to reflect changes in economic conditions. This means you can implement pay cuts (A420310), reduce the workload of individual employees, or scale back overly generous expense policies, bonuses, or long-service gifts to a realistic level. You can also eliminate voluntary benefits entirely. However, this cannot be done overnight—unless the employees agree. If an amicable agreement is not possible, you can only amend the contracts by complying with the applicable notice period (known as a “notice of amendment”). To do so, it is sufficient to present the contract amendment to your employees for their signature, specifying that the changes will take effect only after the applicable notice periods have expired. For example, if the contract amendment is communicated in April, the new terms will take effect on August 1, assuming a three-month notice period. Another option is to expressly terminate the existing contracts while simultaneously offering employees a new contract with revised terms. This approach is recommended when not only individual provisions are being changed, but entirely new contract terms are to apply.

According to the Federal Supreme Court, termination for cause is permissible. In exceptional cases, however, such a termination may be deemed abusive if it results in a significant deterioration of working conditions for which there is no objective justification. The burden of proof, however, lies with the employee. It would clearly be abusive, however, to threaten an employee with termination if they do not agree to an immediate change to their contract.

BOOK TIP
Labor Law: From the Contract to Termination
This handbook by an Observer labor law specialist provides clarity. What should be included in an employment contract? What should you do if your pay is cut? How does overtime work? How do I give proper notice of termination? How can I defend myself? Here you’ll find expert answers to your questions, landmark court rulings, and plenty of practical tips. 272 pages, CHF 36.–
11th, revised and updated edition, 2011.
ISBN 978 3 85569 440 2
Beobachter Publishing House
 

It has long been standard practice in telecommunications to handle customer contact via toll-free numbers when specific orders or requests are involved. Is it also an advantage for data traffic on smartphones and tablets if the sender of advertising messages covers the transmission costs? The American telecommunications company AT&T sees a market need here, and at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the end of February, the head of the relevant division announced plans to introduce a counterpart to 0800 numbers for data traffic by next year. App operators will be able to advertise that users of their mobile apps will be spared these costs. But it’s not just about apps: The latest cell phones with sufficiently large screens invite advertisers to showcase their products to customers on the go via high-resolution videos. When video ads are streamed in high quality to mobile devices (made possible by fast and powerful data networks), large amounts of data can be used up quickly. In this context, it might become standard practice here as well for the sender to cover the data costs—a move that would certainly be well-received by the public and, at best, rewarded with strong demand.

For both Swisscom and Orange, the American telecom giant’s plans are nothing new: «We already explored ideas like this a few years ago, for example regarding SMS costs,» says Swisscom spokesperson Olaf Schulze, adding, «So far, however, we haven’t seen any demand from advertisers.» « And Therese Wenger, Director of Media, PR & Political Affairs at Orange Communications SA, points to tests conducted in 2008 for a mobile advertising concept in which Orange customers received credit when they accepted ads. She, too, notes: »We have refrained from introducing such an offering so far.« Tobias Kistner, corporate spokesperson for Sunrise Communications AG, reports that there have been repeated attempts in this area with third-party providers, »but such models have not really caught on yet.”.

Switzerland is a country with flat-rate pricing

In other markets, such credit models have long been in place and are successfully used in advertising campaigns. As a result, advertising on mobile devices is not only better accepted, but—more importantly—it allows for the incorporation of a reward element into a campaign as an additional incentive. This is because mobile devices are considered very personal items, and advertising messages that appear on them are correspondingly unpopular. «The acceptance threshold for advertising on mobile devices is quite low,» says Tobias Kistner. However, in Switzerland, advertisers have so far faced little risk of provoking public resentment when they burden smartphone and tablet users with the data traffic required to download their messages. Unlike in other countries, flat-rate plans for mobile browsing are widespread here, and even prepaid customers are increasingly using data packages, so the data consumed by advertising messages is hardly significant. «Flat-rate plans are certainly the future,« Kistner is certain, explaining: «Our experience shows that customers don’t use data services in the first place because a price per MB is completely unpredictable. With voice calls, per-minute billing is predictable, and the customer knows what a 30-minute call will cost. With mobile devices, some processes even run in the background that are completely opaque to the customer and can lead to significant uncertainty if billing isn’t on a flat-rate basis.» Swisscom takes a different view: «We expect that our customers» needs regarding mobile internet usage will continue to vary widely in the future. Customers want to be able to choose how they use their cell phones. While we do see a trend toward higher data volumes, we do not expect unlimited flat-rate data plans to become available anytime soon,« explains Olaf Schulze. Meanwhile, Therese Wenger concludes that the 1 GB of data offered by Orange at a flat rate is »a de facto flat rate for the vast majority of customers.”.

Key Growth Driver

In the mobile advertising market, network operators are of particular interest because their networks are what make this business possible in the first place. As customers use the mobile Internet more and more intensively, it has long since become a major source of revenue. As Therese Wenger of Orange puts it: «Mobile data traffic is of central importance to us and a key growth driver.» Last year, the company—which was recently acquired by the British private equity firm Apax Partners—generated about one-third of its network revenue from mobile data services. The volume of data transmitted over the mobile network has increased thirtyfold over the past two to three years. At Swisscom, according to company spokesperson Olaf Schulze, data volume has doubled within a year. While this generates additional revenue for providers, it also requires very high investments in the network to handle the volume of data. Nevertheless, the prices customers pay per MB have fallen by 96 percent over the past four years. Swisscom plans to invest 1.7 billion Swiss francs in network expansion this year, and Orange has launched an investment program totaling over 700 million Swiss francs for the next five years, with the vast majority of the investments going toward the expansion and modernization of the mobile network. The increase in data traffic is attributable to the boom in smartphones (iPhone, etc.). At Orange, about eight out of ten mobile phones sold today are so-called smartphones. And at Swisscom, two out of three newly sold cell phones are smartphones. The number of active smartphones on the Swisscom network has also risen sharply by 63 percent in one year, reaching 2 million. Both network providers (no data was available from Sunrise on this topic) expect this trend to continue.

Swisscom Sells Its Own Ad Slots

When it comes to supporting the advertising industry in implementing mobile advertising, network operators are taking a low-key approach. «Orange does not offer any mobile advertising services,» says Therese Wenger, while Sunrise and Swisscom primarily point to tools for sending SMS/MMS messages, mobile display banners, and advertising in mobile apps. They are even more reluctant to address questions about sharing user-specific data, even though this could be lucrative for network providers. For example, when it comes to information about a cell phone user’s location—which can be derived from the cellular network—location-based advertising could be implemented far more easily and effectively than with GPS data. Instead, Swisscom is in the process of launching its own offerings in the mobile advertising market: In the free version of Swisscom TV air—the TV service that can be received via cell phone or tablet—special ads will be displayed when users switch channels. (Similar offerings are available on online video services such as Zattoo or Wilma.) Olaf Schulze reveals that a pilot program is currently underway. Demand is already so high that a corresponding commercial offering for advertisers is expected to be available soon. In Switzerland, traditional TV commercials have been used for this purpose so far, but in other countries such as the UK or the U.S., there are already commercials specifically tailored to mobile devices that also allow for interaction. «We expect this trend to take hold in Switzerland as well in the long run,» Schulze predicts.

Christoph J. Walther

TAKING IT A STEP FURTHER: THE ADVERTISING CELL PHONE
Smartphones are all the rage, but they’re relatively expensive. Market saturation is on the horizon, and in the long term, growth will only be possible with new pricing models—such as the ad-supported cell phone. Instead of money, the ad-supported phone is «paid for» with attention and data on consumer behavior. In the U.S., for example, the online retailer Amazon.com offers a discounted version of its Kindle e-reader that displays subtle ads for its own products. This principle also applies to the ad-supported cell phone: Before it can be used, an ad must be clicked away. These ads constantly reappear when the phone is not in use and prompt an immediate response. This could be an online order, or a coupon that can be redeemed in-store. In return, the user receives a credit to their cell phone account each time. Surveys are particularly lucrative—and, in fact, the highlight of the ad-supported cell phone. Answer three questions about your own purchasing preferences regarding orange juice, and in return, you get five minutes of talk time or internet access. This is how the advertising cell phone learns its user’s preferences and can optimize future ads accordingly. For marketers, the advertising phone provides a unique platform for market research. Surveys can be conducted in the blink of an eye, and the data on the panel offers unparalleled depth. When it comes to the data collected this way, the advertising phone is ruthlessly transparent. Not only is the basic concept—paying with information instead of money—clearly communicated, but the insights are also shared back with the user: «People who prefer the same brand of orange juice tend to prefer So-and-So coffee.» The advertising phone will be especially popular among bargain hunters because it offers the coolest deals and promotions. And the advertising phone is integrated into the world of social media, which helps it go viral: “Just bought 3-for-2 orange juice at the # Super Store, thanks to my # promotional phone,” the device tweets from the user’s account after redeeming a mobile coupon that arrived upon completion of the orange juice survey. cjw
 

There is currently a lot going on in the new world of television and pay TV. One of the providers that was a major player in French-speaking Switzerland when people still wanted to rent DVD cassettes has not been intimidated by Bluewin TV's offensive for on-demand films, but has also countered with a large-scale campaign. However, DVD Fly has not only entrusted the agency Numéro 10 with a new advertising idea. Because the term "DVD" no longer comprehensively covers today's technologies, the agency was also allowed to develop a new naming and thus suitable branding. The new name is Hollystar. Strategist Gilles Aeby wants to bring the world of cinema into play. Cinema at home - with the Hollystar rental options. The newly christened brand is thus made up of the words Hollywood and Star - which is a pretty clever legal move. The graphic design of the logo is based on the old neon signs that adorned cinemas in the best days of film. Numéro 10 wants to make the name known with a competition - in keeping with the agency's style, of course, with a not entirely classic idea. This was launched with a
TV commercial. It plays with well-known film genres and their special characters. Bitch, Angel, Lover, Spy, Vampire, Killer: Which of these characters could Hollystar be?

On the website www.hollystar.ch There are various questions on the Hollystar website that also reveal Hollystar's extensive range. With a little luck, anyone who reveals the true identity of Hollystar can win 10,000 dollars. With this playful lure to the website, the user can finally find out that the newly strengthened rental company still has over 20,000 DVDs waiting to be rented, as well as films in Blue-Ray format. Thanks to a special deal with the post office, these are delivered overnight by the next morning if ordered by 7pm. Subscribers can also have 2500 attractive films delivered via streaming. pan

 

The singer and yodeler fits perfectly with her life motto "real natural" to the natural product line of Ricoter, writes Hofer communication in a message. Ricoter specializes in the production of environmentally friendly peat-free soils.

The campaign can now be seen throughout Switzerland. Posters, advertisements, brochures, truck designs and roll-ups were realized.

 

Migros Culture Percentage has been organizing the Steps dance festival for 26 years. As a biennial event, this massive festival tours Switzerland every two years. In this edition, performances will take place on 45 stages in 33 cities. The 95 performances are hosted and organized on-site by local theaters. Unlike other cultural initiatives, Steps is not sponsored by Migros but is organized and artistically directed entirely by the theaters themselves from start to finish. The 2012 dance festival, directed by Isabella Spirig, is dedicated to the theme «Femininity in Choreography.» Accordingly, the 14 participating companies will feature female dancers and internationally successful female choreographers.

A Unified Brand for the First Time

Another first is Steps« new brand identity. A pitch for the project was announced this spring, and Sennhauser Creative Consulting in Zurich won the contract. At the request of the Migros Culture Percentage, Steps is now officially called the »Migros Culture Percentage Dance Festival Steps.« The hallmark of the new identity is the typography. For Christian Zwinggi, Head of Communications at Steps, these white letters set against a black background offer endless possibilities for communication, even across a wide variety of theaters. In the past, there was a problem where many event organizers, as program presenters, wanted to incorporate their own logos. With this typographic design, all venues from Geneva to Schaffhausen can now present a unified image. The »Migros Culture Percentage« block placed before each event title is also intended to »make Migros clearer as the sponsor,” explains Barbara Salm, Head of Communications in the Department of Culture and Social Affairs. Likewise, the text blocks allow the various dance troupes to be presented with a consistent visual design on posters and in the program booklet. The look also features on Migros shopping bags, which promote the festival in select stores.

As with the last festival, this widely publicized campaign once again features photos of the participating dancers. For Steps 2012, an on-site photo shoot was organized last fall with two companies. However, the soloists from Cie Helene Waldmann in Berlin and the dancers from the Ballet National de Marseille were not photographed on stage; instead, they were filmed dancing in their everyday urban environments. Video footage was also captured during these sessions. This footage can be found on the Steps.ch website and has been edited into short clips for cinema screenings. The visual material was produced by Rene Sennhauser and Stefan Jermann. In addition to a workshop for 5,000 children, this year’s Steps dance festival will also feature performances in retirement homes for the first time. There will also be a series of dance films shown in theaters.

Andreas Panzeri