The 20 films were selected by the pre-selection committees from around 1,400 entries in the "International Short Film Competition" and "Young Animation" (student film) competitions. They impress with original stories such as "Life with Hermann H. Rott" by Chintis Lundgren from Estonia or black humor and great visual effects such as "Accidents, Blunders and Calamities" by James Cunningham (New Zealand).

ITFS Amazon Audience Award

From now until April 29, every Internet user with an Amazon account can watch the cartoons for free on amazon.com/itfs and vote for it (a Prime subscription is not required). The winner of the ITFS Amazon Audience Award will be announced at the ITFS Awards Ceremony on Sunday, May 1. The director of the winning film will receive prize money of 5000 euros. The ten best-placed short films in the competition will then be included in the Amazon Prime Video Germany offering.

To mark the market launch of Bridgestone's new technology, the commercial emotionally demonstrates the safety aspects of Drive Guard: a young mother drives through the night with her sleeping children in the back seat. She has a puncture and simply drives on. The dramatic story has a happy ending: despite the damage, the mother is able to get her children home safely - without having to put on a spare tire in a deserted area at night. (uma)
 

The commercial will be shown in selected movie theaters and on TV. Bridgestone is launching the campaign this month in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK.

Astrid Gartenmann has held a wide variety of positions at Publicitas and the former Publimedia, most recently as Director National Sales. In this function, she is responsible for the national client and agency business as well as for the media department of Publicitas Switzerland. She is also involved in various bodies representing the interests of clients and marketing partners, including the Consultant Recognition Commission of VSW and the Swiss Advertising Statistics Foundation.

After more than 20 years of service, she has decided to take on a new professional challenge, Publicitas writes in a statement. She will therefore leave the company by the end of September 2016 at the latest.

Christoph Marty, CEO: "With her great commitment and sense of responsibility towards customers, partners and employees, Astrid Gartenmann has made a significant contribution to making Publicitas a reliable partner for nationally active customers, advertising and media agencies. For this and for her years of loyalty, she deserves my warmest thanks."

Publicitas will provide information on the successor at a later date.
 

The Video product group will start immediately with Rahel Schneider (Head of Sales Video), Christian Zweifel (Head of Digital Projects), Renée Priem (Key Account Manager Video) and from June 1 with Linda Leuthold (PRM Internet TV).

The unit's offering includes Goldbach Group mandates such as the Cineman, Cine.ch, Teleboy, Wilmaa or Zattoo platforms, which are bundled and brokered by Goldbach Media to provide customers with convenient and easy booking. With the restructuring, Goldbach Media is responding to the growing relevance of online video products.

"Online video platforms are becoming increasingly popular with users. We want to make this versatile medium accessible to our customers in a simple and convenient way for their campaigns. We are pleased to have found a strong leader for this project in Lorenzo Leutenegger," explains Gabriel Blume, Sales Director of Goldbach Media, in a statement.

Both Lorenzo Leutenegger and Thomas Plattner have been part of the Goldbach team for a long time and have held various positions there. Lorenzo Leutenegger was most recently Head of TV Product Group 2, while his successor Thomas Plattner was Deputy Sales Director of Product Group 1. As the new Head of Branch Office, Lorenzo Leutenegger will also take charge of the branch offices in Berne, Basel and Lausanne, as well as deputizing for Sales Director Gabriel Blume.
 

In addition to elements of multimedia storytelling, a classic folding map is used to cover all levels of information transfer. Mind developed a concept for the communication of the experiences by the nature park, in which the existing social media channels are used in the same way as the classic on-site appearances, for example at trade fairs. The digital platform Nature Park is an independent website on which tours are listed. Each individual tour is presented using multimedia: the route highlights are described with drone footage, short videos, photos and descriptive texts. This tells the story of each individual tour - giving potential visitors a first impression from the comfort of their own home. Great importance was attached to the device-specific possibilities and restrictions, for example videos on smartphones are embedded as GIFs to offer a better user experience and performance.

Online and offline media logically linked

If you want to tackle the tour, folding maps with detailed route descriptions and other technical aids (Swisstopo map, GPX data) will help you stay on the right track. The tours are also listed on Strava. The launch of Natourpark marks the start of the Hagen tour, which leads to the highest point in the canton of Schaffhausen. Further tours will follow in the course of the year.

Neverland Space recently showcased the virtual reality artwork "XOL" by Los Angeles-based visual artist and musician Lionel Williams, at the QWSTION Invites store in Zurich. A mystical universe of colors and sounds, XOL offers a fascinating opportunity for people who are interested in hallucinogens but are afraid of the possible side effects. Or as Yves Sinka, one of the founders of Neverland Space and the digital agency Y7K, describes the VR artwork: "Virtual reality can trick the brain, switch off the outside world and leave the viewer totally immersed, without the side effects of a chemical down". With VR goggles, you really do feel transported into a virtual world. The possibilities of this technology seem limitless - from e-commerce and 360° architecture models to branding, retail and event experiences.

Virtual Reality - a Hype with a Future

Yves Sinka, co-founder of digital agency Y7K, is convinced of the marketing benefits of virtual reality; he sees the hype as a trend with staying power.

Advertising Week: Virtual Reality - Hype or Trend 2016?
Yves Sinka: Virtual reality will certainly offer many exciting possibilities in the future, both in the arts and in marketing. However, the technology is not yet ready to implement this in a targeted manner. In 2016, virtual reality will definitely not yet conquer our marketing world.

What opportunities do you see in VR for marketing in Switzerland in the future?
Sinka: The possibilities are boundless in the future. One area is certainly e-commerce or the real estate market. But VR could also be used in many ways for event marketing, retail or brand experience. But in addition to the technological implementation, the interest of the customers is clearly still missing in Switzerland - who has an Oculus Rift at home today that still costs around 800 francs? Gamers, perhaps. VR is certainly most likely to be established in the gaming sector.

Which VR projects stood out to you?
Sinka: The outdoor brand North Face, for example, has offered an indoor experience in the store, with virtual reality glasses. The film shows the ascent of a mountain climber, which the Oculus user can follow live. But here, the climber simply had a 360° camera on his back, so the user could follow what was happening around him. Very impressive! But really nothing more than a 360° movie. This is not really virtual reality marketing yet, in my opinion - but is going in that direction. Often these projects are in the "now and wow" category. That's how VR is being used a lot right now. Sapient Nitro, for example, has released a tool for the real estate market. With the glasses in their office, the customer can view the various apartments. There is definitely a business idea behind this.

What fundamentals are still missing in the first place for a solid implementation of VR for marketing?
Sinka: The problem right now is that various fundamentals are missing. For example: Where is the consumer group that has such glasses? The VR glasses from Oculus, for example, were all beta versions and so expensive that almost no one has them. You also need to have a good Windows computer to use the glasses. Macs aren't even supported yet, to my knowledge. Just from a user perspective, virtual reality is still a niche product. Therefore, the assertion in the room that 2016 is the year of the virtual experience is still a bit of a stretch. In addition, there is the generation of content. The technology is not yet advanced enough to create good content. Sure, there are already good 360° videos. But these are often very heavily edited, because otherwise you would see the whole film crew. Accordingly, such videos are still difficult to shoot because lighting and sound are not as easy to influence as is usually the case with moving images.

Which industry do you see as a pioneer for VR ?
Sinka: To be honest: the porn industry. Porn tends to be a pioneer in the field of video, as this is where customers are most willing to buy the corresponding gadgets - i.e. VR glasses, which still cost around 800 francs today. In other areas, such as art or e-commerce, the glasses will certainly come into play sooner. It's just that in these industries, it's more likely to be individual projects. A clothing brand, for example, could set up the glasses in the changing room so that customers can test virtually and without effort which combination of clothes suits them. As I said, there are many possibilities. The only thing is that the technology is not yet mature enough, and VR glasses are usually only found in private homes among the technology freaks - including us at the agency.

Facts

Neverland Space, a project by the Zurich agency Y7K, is an online gallery that puts digital art in the spotlight. It shows works that thrive on the Internet: GIFs, anima-tions, virtual sculptures, videos and virtual reality. The gallery doesn't normally exhibit in a physical space. "But for XOL, it makes sense," says Yves Sinka, one of the gallery's founders. That's because the VR art project gives visitors a chance to experience virtual reality live. The project is on display at the QWSTION Invites store in Zurich. Y7K is offering a VR workshop together with Hinderling Volkart at the end of May. Here you learn the basics to create a small VR experience. Werbewoche is giving away two places: Send an email with a short motivation to [email protected].

Interview: Ursina Maurer

Barbara Wittmann supports national and international clients in the development of recruiting strategies via LinkedIn. Together with Alexandra Kolleth, Head of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, she will be responsible for the business development of the world's largest business network in German-speaking countries. Previously Senior Vice President Sales and Sales Operations at ImmobilienScout24 and in various leadership, business development and sales roles at Dell, the manager has more than 20 years of experience.

"The competition for talent is becoming increasingly intense and the requirements for workers in terms of their qualifications are therefore changing continuously and rapidly," says Barbara Wittmann. "Successfully operating companies therefore need two things: transparency with regard to the labor supply and a platform to get in touch with candidates easily and efficiently. LinkedIn is more convincing in both aspects than any other solution. I am therefore very much looking forward to working with my team to introduce HR managers to the advantages of LinkedIn recruiting solutions."
In her role at ImmobilienScout24, Barbara Wittmann was responsible for sales of digital marketing solutions for business customers in the real estate industry. Prior to that, she worked for Dell in Germany and the US for over 15 years, most recently as General Manager and Executive Director Sales. For the tech company, she managed solution sales of hardware and software products in the enterprise sector as well as the implementation of a multichannel sales strategy. In addition, Barbara Wittmann was responsible for setting up a new location in Halle an der Saale with over 1,000 employees. Barbara Wittmann completed her MBA studies at the University of Texas in Austin, USA, and holds a degree in Slavic philology, economics, and social and economic history from Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.
 

More than a third of revenue now comes from the digital sector, as Ringier announced on Wednesday. In 2014, the share was still just under a third and a year earlier it was around a quarter. The traditional newspaper and magazine business, on the other hand, also lost ground last year, publisher Michael Ringier told journalists. Overall, turnover fell by 4.3 percent to CHF 946 million in 2015. This was also due to currency conversions. Profit almost halved, falling from CHF 21.4 million to CHF 11.3 million. Ringier blames this on costs for new products and new markets, among other things. For several years now, Ringier has been seeking to become less dependent on its core business and is therefore tapping into new sources of income such as digital marketplaces, e-commerce, ticketing, radio and sports marketing. In addition to more than 140 publications, including Blick and Schweizer Illustrierte, Ringier now has around 160 digital platforms and more than 70 mobile applications. (SDA)

In the past, Clear Channel has worked closely with the airport authorities to develop Zurich Airport into an "internationally recognized model for first-class and creative airport advertising", the advertising marketer said in a press release on Wednesday.

Matthew Dearden, President of Clear Channel Europe, is delighted with the contract extension: "Zurich Airport is a beacon in our portfolio with our analog and digital premium advertising spaces, because no other environment is as interesting for advertisers as international airports due to the extremely attractive target groups."

The Federal Council adopted the strategy at its meeting on Wednesday. It applies with immediate effect and will be continuously developed in dialog with business, science, research and civil society. The Federal Council wants to send out a "clear signal" that it is focusing on the opportunities of digitalization, said Infrastructure and Communications Minister Doris Leuthard to the media in the Federal Palace. However, the state cannot fix everything, it mainly creates favorable framework conditions - it is now up to the economy. The Federal Council is "convinced that the digital revolution will above all bring opportunities for Switzerland", said President Johann Schneider-Ammann. Everyone should benefit - from individual residents to the economy. Accordingly, practically all areas of life are affected, from e-health to high-speed broadband and traffic control to security.

One person, one password

This also includes e-government - a field in which Switzerland is "in a bad position" according to Leuthard. Today, users have to register individually and create access data for every organization in the administration or healthcare sector with which they have electronic contact. The Federal Council wants to counter this password chaos with harmonization: it wants to have a barrier-free and user-friendly digital solution developed for the nationwide verification of digital identities - based on international standards and without compromising security. Among other things, this requires a coherent data policy. It should allow the potential of data collection to be used without losing control. Individual citizens should be given extensive control over their personal and material data and be able to prevent its further use. At a national level, the development of a data infrastructure based on the open data principle is being driven forward across the entire administration.

Keeping an eye on Airbnb and Uber

In turn, the economy should be able to develop as freely as possible in the digital space. Federal Councillor Schneider-Ammann's Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) is analysing the consequences of digitalization for the economy and clarifying the necessary framework conditions - in particular competition law, regulatory issues and the impact on the labour market. The federal government also wants to keep an eye on the sharing economy. According to Schneider-Ammann, service providers such as Airbnb or the ride-hailing service Uber are helping to share resources and use them efficiently. However, it is also important to pay attention to weaker market participants and address potential regulatory issues in good time. (SDA)

Digital Switzerland" strategy (PDF)

After studying education, Irène Messerli worked for several years at the media company Ringier in Zurich. Back in Bern, she headed the communications department of a university and was then head of communications at the Bern Cantonal Police. She has been with Bernet_PR for four years and took over the agency together with Dominik Allemann three years ago. Bernet_PR AG was founded 25 years ago. As the first communications agency with its own website, the networking between online, print and personal with all the opportunities and challenges of digital communication is a strength. Bernet PR has been a member of the BPRA for two years.

The Board of Directors of the PR Agencies Association BPRA is composed as follows: Andreas Hugi (Furrerhugi), President, Roman Geiser (Farner), Philippe Eberhard (Cabinet privé de conseils), Reto Wilhelm (Panta Rhei), Tanja Hollenstein (CR Kommunikation), Irène Messerli (Bernet PR).

For many people, the image of the Catholic Church is strained to the point of being poor. Time and again, controversial topics and scandals dominate the headlines. It is often forgotten that the church today has a lot of positive things to offer. A broad-based campaign in the diocese of St. Gallen aims to bring this back into the public consciousness. A pitch was held to select the lead agency, which Cactus won.

Despite all the difficulties, the church continues to offer numerous people a spiritual home. In addition, however, it is also very concretely involved in many charitable projects. In the diocese of St. Gallen, for example, school programs, Caritas markets for those affected by poverty, counseling centers for mothers in need, care for prison inmates, hospital chaplaincy, and youth work are all supported and promoted in this way.
In order to be able to carry out these and many other important initiatives for the benefit of society, the church is dependent on the solidarity of the population. A broad-based campaign is therefore being launched to highlight the various facets and offerings of the institution. The communication measures include outdoor advertising, direct mailings and advertisements in print media. The first poster subjects will be published in May 2016.

Responsible at the diocese of St. Gallen: Damian Kaeser, Sabine Rüthemann and Elisabetta Rickli. Responsible at Cactus: Gabriele Masciali (concept), Roland Sauder (graphics), Doris Ben Kahla (image editing), Dominique Eilinger (production).