Regardless of whether companies use customer magazines or digital corporate media: In most cases, the primary objectives of corporate publishing are image cultivation and information dissemination. However, triggering purchases - known as editorial shopping - still tends to take a back seat for many companies. What potential is there here for the future, and how can intelligent links be created between journalistic content and purchasing opportunities?

Sales support potential

The latest results of the CP Barometer Autumn 2011 (see infobox) clearly show that the communication managers surveyed consider corporate publishing to be fundamentally suitable for creating incentives to buy and increasing sales: 62% consider the potential to support sales with corporate publishing to be great or even very great, while a further third see at least partial opportunities to promote sales with journalistic content. For most company representatives, the sales-supporting effect of corporate media is primarily due to the fact that they can be used to present products well (72 %) and that customers can be informed about sources of supply (68 %). However, the direct trigger for action is also seen as an opportunity. For example, one in two people believe that corporate media can persuade customers to make personal contact with the company - for example with the sales force. As many as 41 percent see corporate media as a suitable tool for directing customers to direct purchasing options such as online stores. The majority of communication managers (55 %) are of the opinion that CP solutions can be used to support sales to both consumers and business customers.

Optimal media triad

Journalistic content is therefore seen as an effective sales driver. From the companies' perspective, websites and print magazines are best suited to editorial shopping. They are considered by 59% and 53% of respondents respectively to be very well or even excellently suited to supporting the sale of products and services. Around 40 percent each consider apps, e-newsletters, videos and mobile websites to be helpful when it comes to creating incentives to buy and increasing sales. By contrast, social networks (26 %) and blogs and microblogs (11 %) are considered to be less effective in terms of sales.

Of course, individual media can certainly be effective in supporting sales. As many as 40 percent of company representatives are convinced that sales can be effectively promoted by focusing exclusively on a single print medium such as a customer magazine. Mobile media used in isolation - for example apps - are also considered suitable by 40 percent of communication managers, while 30 percent think the same of the isolated use of online media. However, the orchestrated, coordinated use of various media is considered to be more effective. A media combination of print, online and mobile media is at the top of the list of favorites among communication managers. 76% of those surveyed believe that the sale of products and services can be promoted very well through such a media triad.

Intelligent links

Finely tuned media networks are therefore preferred when it comes to creating incentives to buy and increasing sales. So how exactly can different media be linked together to support sales? In particular, how can links be created between customer magazines and online stores? From the respondents' point of view, voucher codes for products or services in particular can encourage magazine readers to visit online stores: 40 percent of respondents consider them to be excellent or very suitable for encouraging readers to make an online purchase in an online store. The inclusion of a link in the print magazine combined with an incentive (e.g. participation in a competition or a discount for the first 100 people to click on the link) is also suitable for building a bridge between the customer magazine and the online store, according to 40 percent of respondents. There is less euphoria when it comes to mobile tagging: QR codes integrated into magazines, which are scanned with a cell phone and redirect the user directly to an online store via the cell phone browser, are only considered by 25 percent of company representatives to have a high level of traction in the digital world.

Added value in terms of content is crucial

The communication managers surveyed agree that certain factors must be fulfilled in order for corporate publishing to be used successfully to support sales. The fact that a well thought-out cross-media concept is essential for success has already been mentioned. However, it is also considered crucial that the media used offer the target group genuine added value in terms of content. In other words, relevant content with journalistic standards is required, such as in-depth reports and background reports, professional photo stories or exciting news. Purchasing decisions can only be positively influenced if you manage to establish yourself as a credible, honest and authentic source of information. The prerequisite for this is sustained editorial excellence. Conversely, this means ensuring that the content does not become too salesy despite all the sales support:

Excessive commercialization is seen by 87 percent of respondents as the greatest danger of editorial shopping.

Conclusion

Journalistic content can be an effective sales driver and a good alternative to traditional advertising measures. The combination of print, online and mobile media offers companies diverse and promising opportunities to showcase products, create incentives to buy and increase sales. It is therefore not surprising that eight out of ten companies expect the importance of editorial shopping to continue to grow in the coming years. The prerequisite for success is editorial excellence and journalistic substance. Potential customers do not want to be bombarded with platitudinous slogans, but want to be cajoled with credible, relevant content. Clemens Koob and Stefan Lohmüller*

* Authors:
Prof. Dr. Clemens Koob is Managing Director of the market research and strategy consultancy Zehnvier and Professor of Market Research and Strategic Marketing at Erding University of Applied Sciences. Stefan Lohmüller is project manager at Zehnvier, where he is responsible for the CP Barometer.

As part of its H2015+ strategy, Helvetia has developed a Group-wide brand positioning. The growing insurance company was looking for a lead agency to establish a uniform advertising presence for the communicative activities of all countries, the agency said in a press release on Thursday. Following the introduction of a common corporate design, Helvetia is thus taking the next step on the way to becoming a strong international brand.

Startbahnwest presented a communicative umbrella idea that can be implemented on a country- and product-specific basis. Over the coming months, the Zurich-based advertising experts will be overseeing the implementation of the advertising world in Germany, Austria, France, Spain and Italy. The results will be on display from January. The first measures will also be implemented in Switzerland from 2013.
 

For the year as a whole, however, there are still signs of a comfortable increase. In the first eleven months, advertising was placed for 4.2 billion Swiss francs. This is 5.4 percent more than in the same period in 2010, according to the market research company Media Focus on Thursday.

With a minus of CHF 7.4 million, which corresponds to a decrease of 19.8 percent, the financial sector reduced its advertising efforts the most. By contrast, significantly more was spent on tobacco advertising, which was up 141.4 percent on the previous year. According to Media Focus, with the exception of billboard and radio advertising, all media sectors suffered from reduced advertising spending. Television remains the most important medium for advertisers, accounting for more than one-third of sales.
 

Things that you don't actually want or already own are waiting nicely wrapped under the Christmas tree. Every year it's the same old horror with a bow around it. You often rush into town at the last minute to look for the perfect present. Influenced by the obliging advice, in most cases something ends up in the shopping bag. However, this something is usually a cliché-ridden item that all women, men, fathers, mothers, daughters-in-law or sons-in-law are sure to like. The fact is, however, that humanity is "unfortunately" not quite so simple-minded. The fundamental problem with looking for gifts is hardly due to a lack of choice, but rather the fact that people are not aware of what they could actually give. Thanks to online stores, it's easy to escape the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. The fact that these stores also make personal recommendations is also nothing new. However, when looking for gifts, it is primarily about the recipients and not A335675 about the buyer. Some providers have taken this simple fact to heart and offer personalized recommendations for your Facebook friends. This integrated function is particularly practical for stores that offer products from many different categories, such as Etsy (http://www.etsy.com/gifts) or Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/facebook). It would probably not be too bold to even call Amazon the inventor of personal recommendations in e-commerce. No wonder, they were also the pioneers of integrated networking with Facebook Connect.

Of course, you can also browse through your friends' FB profiles and Twitter timelines yourself. According to a study (http://mashable.com/2011/11/01/consumers-holiday-spending/), 61% of respondents actually search their family's online profiles to find suitable gift ideas. The professional tools rely on likes and mentions. Of course, they cannot read between the lines, understand irony or see the connection between status updates. However, the advantage of the integrated tools is, for example, that Amazon shows you when friends have already created their own wish lists or reminds you of upcoming birthdays. Naturally including a suitable gift suggestion. With Etsy, not only are the interests and likes of friends included in the search, but all search terms used on the website are logged and analyzed. This enables the store to make semantic suggestions. Likewise, corresponding areas of interest of friends that are considered extremely suitable can be searched in greater depth.

Reddit's "Secret Santa" project (http://redditgifts.com/exchanges/secret-santa-2011/) is also based on all the information that can be found about a person on the internet. Almost 40,000 people from 113 countries around the world have registered for international Secret Santa. You are randomly chosen to be the Secret Santa of a person who gives you their name, address and Twitter account. The search for the perfect gift for the unknown person then begins.

You are unlikely to discover things from friends and family that you didn't know about before, but perhaps things that you were no longer aware that they liked so much. Personally, I value Facebook & Twitter as a source of inspiration when looking for gifts. However, it's still not a panacea for a desperate search as long as grandma still prefers to knit woolly socks instead of surfing Facebook and your business partner doesn't reveal any other personal details about themselves apart from playing golf.
 

A beautiful, solid massif with a name that is easy to pronounce internationally. That was Fritz Gegauf's impression of Piz Bernina. The four-thousand-meter peak impressed the manufacturer so much that he dedicated his first household sewing machine to it in 1932. Today, "Bernina" is one of the 50 best-known brands in Switzerland. And the premium sewing machines also enjoy a great reputation internationally. Particularly in the USA, where Bernina International AG now generates 60 percent of its turnover, people are downright grateful for the Swiss company's excellent sewing and embroidery computers. That's according to someone who knows the US market very well: Hanspeter Ueltschi - owner and Chairman of the Board, Fritz Gegauf's grandson, rock star of the sewing industry. The 66-year-old received the latter title at a retailer event in America. Although he delegated operational management to CEO Claude Dreyer three years ago, Ueltschi does not miss the opportunity to go on dealer tours in person. However, he is not seeking admiration when he appears as "Owner from Switzerland". Rather, his aim is to bring the philosophy of the family business from Steckborn to the various markets. After all, family and tradition are Bernina's core brand values: "We are the only private company in the industry and also the last European one," says Ueltschi.

Competition lies in the Far East

Bernina shares the market with SVP Worldwide, the umbrella for the Husqvarna Viking, Singer and Pfaff brands, as well as Brother and Janome. According to Ueltschi, they have two competitive advantages: "They produce everything in the Far East and they currently have fewer currency worries than we do." The strong Swiss franc is preventing good growth. "We've had to increase our prices over the last four to five years, which has made our machines unaffordable for some segments," the company owner continues. Despite the difficult environment, the family business has so far managed to maintain its market share. According to Ueltschi, this is between 80 and 90 percent in Switzerland and between 25 and 30 percent internationally, depending on the country. The establishment of a Bernina plant in Thailand has also helped. Ueltschi is expecting a mediocre result for the current financial year. However, this will not stop him from reinvesting six percent of turnover in innovation every year. Around 40 employees are involved in the development of new machines at the Steckborn site.

Size matters

Before 2000, Bernina launched a new model every four years on average. After that, the development period was reduced to one to two years. Ueltschi says: "Today, we try to launch a new model range every year." In 2008, the company presented the world with the "biggest and fastest Bernina ever". The Rolls-Royce of sewing computers weighs an impressive 26 kilograms. Cost: 11,000 Swiss francs. It is not surprising that 80 percent of the Bernina 830 (see picture) is sold in the US market, as size matters across the pond. In 2010, three sewing machines were launched with the 3 series for design and quality-conscious sewing beginners and this September the 5 series was launched. However, Ueltschi does not see the innovation of his own products in the technical features: "It is the combination of simple operation and beautiful design that makes Bernina machines unique. " And the quality. The company wants to guarantee this despite partially outsourcing production to Thailand. "However, all development and testing will always remain in Switzerland," says the Bernina boss, adding: "I am Swiss and I want to create jobs in my home country. But this must be done within a reasonable economic framework." It is not only the fluctuations in the currency environment that are challenging. The image associated with the activity of sewing and handicrafts has also changed time and again. Whereas people used to sew and mend their own clothes for economic reasons, the market has shifted to the hobby segment. According to Ueltschi, there is currently a great deal of interest in textile design. This can be seen, among other things, in the fact that more fabrics and mercerie are being sold and more sewing machines are being repaired. DIY platforms such as Etsy.com and Dawanda.de confirm and reinforce the do-it-yourself trend. "We are noticing a rejuvenation of the target group. Many young people are exchanging ideas on the subject on social media in particular." The low-end "Bernette" range, which was developed especially for new markets such as Russia, is also benefiting from this trend.

Encourage creativity

The Bernina brand itself has also undergone a makeover this year (Advertising Week No. 20). The associated cross-market campaign has the motto "Ingredients - ingredients for creativity" and is intended to do one thing above all: inspire customers. This is also illustrated by the new slogan "Made to create". Because inspiration is a top priority at Bernina: Sewing and embroidery computers and the matching software have features that set virtually no limits to users' creative ideas. "Inspiration" is also the title of the company's own magazine, which provides its subscribers with ideas from the areas of fashion and home decoration four times a year.

However, Steckborn is aware that all the encouragement is useless if the machines cannot be operated. "Sewing is not an easy hobby. It takes practice," says the Bernina owner. Anyone who buys a "Model 830" or "820" receives up to eight hours of training - free of charge, of course. For the lower categories it is around four hours. Bernina also organizes courses at the "Creative Centre" in Steckborn, which are led by a textile artist. What falls into the "nice to have" category for customers is an absolute must for sales partners: training. "You can only become a Bernina dealer if you undergo at least two to three weeks of training beforehand," emphasizes Hanspeter Ueltschi. When a new product is launched, it is very important that the dealers are trained again for at least two days. After all, they must also be able to familiarize customers with the purchased machine later on. The company therefore relies on the expertise and infrastructure of specialist dealers worldwide for sales. According to Ueltschi, the sales network currently comprises around 2000 points of sale. Although the Bernina boss keeps a close eye on his subsidiaries and distributors to ensure that they select good dealers, he is not a fan of centralism: "I want to give people responsibility so that they can develop their own ideas and make their own decisions. If everything is chewed up in advance, motivation also decreases." Nevertheless, he knows: The success of his company stands and falls with the selection of retailers.

Conclusion: A great piece of tradition, 40 innovative minds, a portion of Swiss quality, a thousand inspiring ideas, a quantum of professional training, 2000 sales partners, a successful Swiss family business and countless creative amateur seamstresses. Simone Fankhauser

Peter Spuhler had already won the title three years ago. The SVP National Councillor from Thurgau is an entrepreneur of old grist and grain and yet modern character, as headhunter and consultant Thomas Biland commented on the election to the newspaper on Wednesday, according to SDA. He has forged an internationally successful rolling stock manufacturer with 3,500 employees worldwide and more than 1 billion Swiss francs in sales from a small commercial enterprise in Thurgau.

Fourth place went to the newly elected non-party member of the Schaffhausen Council of States and Trybol boss Thomas Minder. Fifth place went to Mark Ineichen of Otto's, followed by Magdalena Martullo Blocher (Ems Chemie), Michael Ambühl (State Secretariat for International Financial Matters), Martin Dolber (Digitec), Hansjörg Wyss (Synthes) and Albert Baehny (Geberit).

Last year, the then Coop boss Hans-Ueli Loosli won the freestyle, and in 2009 the winner was Samih Sawiris of Orascom.
 

The following information was still current as of Tuesday, December 13. You can find the latest facts here.

And Moritz Suter, the puppet put forward as the owner, is stepping down. But this hasn’t changed a thing. It remains to be seen whether the new official owner, Rahel Blocher—perhaps with the support of Filippo Leutenegger—will now take a proactive approach to tackling the financial problems. Given the economic outlook for the printing market, closing the printing plant may be the only option. As for the newspaper, the publisher faces the problem that it is closely tied, financially speaking, to Tamedia, a company Blocher dislikes. In addition to the advertising supplement «Metropool» and the “Magazin” insert, this primarily affects “Newsnet,” which, as of 10:30 a.m. on December 13, made no mention of the changes on Bazonline.ch but had placed the story in second position on Tagesanzeiger.ch. Tamedia Without Radio and TV Almost simultaneously, it was announced that Tamedia’s planned separation from the radio and TV business has been implemented. However, only the acquisition of Belcom AG at the beginning of 2012 is definitive. The sale of Capital FM to Zürichsee Medien and of Radio 24 to BT Holding still requires approval from the DETEC. In the case of Radio 24, this approval is subject to a condition. AZ Medien must reduce its 61.3 percent stake in Radio 32 AG to a maximum of 49 percent, as no single entity is permitted to hold more than two radio licenses. The two minority shareholders, Zofinger Tagblatt AG and Dietschi AG, are the leading contenders as buyers; however, AZ Medien itself holds a minority stake in each of these companies in the low double-digit range. It also remains unclear whether Radio Argovia will actually receive a new license. Competitor Roger Schawinski, with his Radio AG project, remains a contender for the license, as he was unable to buy back “his” Radio 24 and is likely to hold a second license. Ueli Custer

With the title "Person of the Year", Time honors the person who has had the greatest impact on the year that is coming to an end. A year after a Tunisian vegetable seller set himself on fire in protest at the situation in his country, the movement has spread across the Middle East to Europe and the US, changing global politics and redefining people power, Time explained the decision according to SDA. It is remarkable how much the leaders of the protest movements have in common, the latest issue of the magazine continued. Most of them are young, middle-class and educated. Almost all of this year's movements began independently of existing political parties or opposition groups.

Time puts "The Demonstrator" on a winner's podium that has already been occupied by US President Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bono from the rock group U2 and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. In previous years, these have made it onto the cover of the traditional "Person of the Year" issue in December. A year ago, the title went to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. Among the other candidates this year were the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and Kate Middleton, Prince William's wife. The reason the Times gives for this choice: "Across the world, the protesters of 2011 believe that their countries' political systems and economies are dysfunctional and corrupt, that they have evolved into sham democracies that serve the rich and powerful and block real change." Time editor-in-chief Rick Stengel adds that the broadest reports of 2011 had to do with the protesters. "They resisted, making demands without giving up, even when the response came in the form of a cloud of tear gas or a hail of bullets."
 

In addition to the Blick news apps, Blick am Abend and, since last Sunday, Sonntags Blick, the Blick Group also offers apps for skiing, soccer, tennis and ice hockey. There is also a sports bar finder and the Blick TV app for the iPhone. The digital channels have become an important vector of information dissemination at Blick, the group said in a statement.

Available on the iPad are the Blick app and the Blick TV app. The classic Blick News app is now available for the operating systems iOS (Apple), Symbian (Nokia), WP7 (Microsoft) and Android (Google). Blackberry and Meego for Nokia are to follow shortly, the Blick Group added.

The Blick Group launched its digital offensive on May 27, 2010, with a betting game app to coincide with the 2010 World Cup. Finally, on July 29 of the same year, the Blick payment app was launched. The 1 million download mark has now been broken after around 18 months.

Lucia Burtscher has established herself as a senior consultant at Ammarkt. In the past five years, for example, she has already been able to successfully accompany numerous competitor presentations and customer projects, as the agency writes in a statement on Thursday. Prior to her engagement at Ammarkt, she successfully completed her MBA studies. In addition, she shone last year in her training as a communications manager with the best result since passing this professional exam.

Burtscher's appointment to the management team follows the agency's newly defined strategy, which aims to equip Ammarkt for the challenges of the future, the agency said.
 

The NZZ has already been Media partner of the SEFwhich attracts Swiss business leaders to Interlaken in early summer. With the minority shareholding, the Zurich media house and congress want to bundle competencies and use them for new activities, according to a SEF statement on Thursday. A Young Entrepreneur Award is also presented at the SEF.
 

Have you already lived through it, your 15 minutes of fame? Can you claim to have attracted the attention of a broad public for at least 900 seconds? Have you been allowed to read your name in the column of a newspaper or see it flicker across a TV screen? It never ceases to amaze me how many people live only to become famous. But how does one achieve the uniqueness necessary to stand out from the crowd? Not everyone has an innate USP like a carrying voice, a striking face or a special talent. Those who have been neglected by Mother Nature must try to make a name for themselves through an outstanding performance. However, the return on investment should be closely examined when choosing this strategy, as it is very resource-intensive. Of course, awareness does not just fall into the lap of USPers either. Think of the "Roger Federer" brand and the years of hard work behind its positioning. Even celebrities like Robert de Niro, Angelina Jolie, her almost godfather Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts had to go through the bottom first before they reached the top. The elected and the highborn have an easier time of it. They usually succeed in joining the league of the most famous brands without any obvious talent, only by birth or election to office. This category includes heads of state, blue bloods and the Pope. A subcategory of these are the freeloaders of the glorious, the married and the life-partners. The piggyback strategy, however, is again more recommended for Mother Nature's minions: Market research shows that success is significantly influenced by factors such as bust size, leg length or facial features.

For those who don't like to plan for the long term, a one-off action is recommended. Looking at the long list of casting show participants around the globe, this seems to be an extremely popular strategy. However, the success rate is extremely low. If you can't score with a stellar performance, you should at least be bad enough to stand out from the mediocrity in the negative. People who make people feel ashamed are very popular, especially with TV stations and on the Internet. Which rewards those who make an ass of themselves with a few minutes of fame. This is also the case with "Where the hell is Matt" star Matthew Harding, who is filmed tripping and wriggling in front of landmarks all over the world.

The fact that even the weirdest oddballs can find a target group for their product is an amazing phenomenon. Let's switch back to Switzerland, to Zurich, to be precise. Here, a permanently drunk, loutish and swearing welfare recipient manages to be regularly mentioned in the newspaper columns. Hans Ulrich Flückiger - better known as "Hanf-Ueli" - seems to have found a home newspaper, especially in the commuter paper 20 Minuten. Although not the big money, but at least a new place to stay in the form of a caravan, the corresponding reports have already brought the Zurich. Now that's a return on investment! So, have you had your 15 minutes yet? Not? Then you are like me. Unfortunately, I don't have any special talent, and the prospect of a seat on the Federal Council is very slim due to my lack of party affiliation. Blue blood doesn't flow in my veins either, and since my marriage, the train has sailed for the treading-board strategy - even if, as far as I know, Hanf-Ueli would still be available. So what remains? The outstanding performance and I'm still working on it ...