In the social media study conducted by web and communications service provider Namics as part of the Harbour Club Symposium, communications managers from leading Swiss companies were asked about their approach to social media. The study focused on key success factors for successful corporate communication in social media. Clear differences were identified between the "benchmark" companies with experience in social media and the laggards.

The fact that social media communication rarely has a chance of success without management commitment is demonstrated by the Namics social media study based on the results of the "benchmark" companies, as well as the realization that companies that start with social media now cannot avoid a strategy and guidelines. The time for experimentation is over, according to Namics in a press release. Professionalization in social media requires governance basics for social media newcomers in order to avoid mistakes and achieve quick success.

The social media strategy and guidelines, the involvement of management in social media, the social media competence of communication managers, resource planning, response times for social media interactions, performance measurement, content creation and free access to social media were surveyed across all sectors, but also on a sector-specific basis.

> To the detailed results of the study

This has been decided by the NZZ Board of Directors. This realignment is being planned. Bettina Schibli, Head of Corporate Communications at the NZZ Media Group, confirmed a report by Persoenlich.com. In addition to the existing pdf edition, there will be a new digital edition that can be read on various devices. Texts from the print edition will be adapted to the needs of online readers. The content for the print, iPad and online editions will be created by the same editorial team. There is no longer a separation between print and online journalists at the NZZ. Markus Spillmann is responsible for the entire editorial team. Peter Hogenkamp continues to head the digital media. (SDA)
 

The Xaver Award aims to make the success of live communication measures and outstanding achievements of the trade fair and event industry from 2011 known to a broad public, according to a statement on Thursday. The award will be presented in a total of seven categories. The creative industry and, above all, the clients of such projects are to be offered a compactly presented "best-of show" in the style of an instructive work show. The Expo-Event.Live Communication Association of Switzerland is breaking new ground in the organization and promotion of the event by taking the Event Management Circle (EMC) on board as co-organizer and thus specifically inviting renowned Swiss clients.

The starting date for project submissions is November 23, 2011, and the closing date for entries is January 31, 2012. All companies in the live communication industry registered in Switzerland that have implemented projects as contractors or have had projects implemented as clients can participate.

> More information about the Xaver.12

As of January 1, 2012, Tamedia will start marketing the two online platforms itself Femina.ch and Lesquotidiennes.chas the company announced on Thursday. Femina.ch claims to be the largest women's platform in French-speaking Switzerland and the online counterpart of the magazine of the same name. The same editorial team also produces Lesquotidiennes.ch, the news site with a pointed look at current topics from the economy, politics and society from a women's perspective.

With the four online platforms Annabelle.ch, Femina.ch, Swissfamily.ch and Lesquotidiennes.ch, Tamedia is launching Pool Féminin for advertising customers in 2012. According to Tamedia, this will provide a high-reach national premium advertising medium with over 70 percent women at a reduced pool rate. The Online Magazines sales team at Tamedia, headed by Tom Uebersax, is responsible for marketing.
 

Looks stands for clear forms, refined functionality and high quality, the agency said in a press release - these are three characteristics that can also be found in well-known Swiss design classics such as the station clock or the peeler. For this reason, reference was made to this unmistakable and world-famous design language in the design. For its part, the traditional Japanese manufacturer Masunaga guarantees the highest quality and is the perfect collaboration partner for production.

The new appearance will be used on various materials, from the discreet branding of the eyewear models to the sales display. The communication in 2011 is primarily aimed at opticians' stores and is intended to establish the brand among professionals and at the POS. A separate advertising campaign for the end consumer target group will follow in 2012.

Responsible at Allink.Creative: David Zangger (CD), Mike Walder (project management), Lukas Zangger (graphics), Monika Jagodzinski (graphics). Responsible at Luks Eyewear: Ilan Luks (Owner - Managing Director).

Omnimedia and Ticketcorner enter into a partnership in the marketing of online advertising on Ticketcorner.ch. This allows advertisers to book banner spaces directly through Omnimedia. "We have been marketing not only Scout24's platforms for some months now, but have expanded our portfolio to include the marketing of third-party sites. The partnership with Ticketcorner is an important milestone on this path," says Urs Lüchinger about the partnership with Ticketcorner.

In March 2012, the Swiss Music Awards will be held for the fifth time. SF zwei will broadcast the awards ceremony live, while DRS 3 will provide live inserts and broadcast background reports from the event. During the show, the industry association of Swiss music labels IFPI will award a total of ten SMA trophies to the most successful national and international musicians. Who is awarded is determined by the audience via voting and a nine-member jury. The Swiss Music Awards are produced in collaboration with Joiz.
 

Early this morning, two busloads of ski instructors dressed in blue and yellow work uniforms and equipped with skis, snowboards and winter sports boots showed up in Zurich. First, the ski instructors hijacked various streetcars and suburban trains. The commuters were informed about the direct connections to Davos Klosters, where the winter season will be opened tomorrow, Friday, with the "ski pass for free" campaign. The 120 or so ski instructors then gathered at the meeting point in Zurich's main train station and, together with passers-by, did a warm-up for the start of the season. "Anticipation is the best joy," read the banners that the mountaineers brought with them to the Unterland. Later, ski instructors gave free ski lessons on the escalator into ShopVille.

> Follow action on Facebook
> Follow the action on Twitter

Bergbahnen Davos Klosters opened the first chairlifts in the Parsenn and Jakobshorn ski areas on Friday. Thanks to the cooler temperatures, the slopes at the Totalpsessel as well as on Usser Isch at Jakobshorn could be covered with snow. The operation is continuous during the week. At the same time, the mountain restaurants Höhenweg, Weissfluhjoch, Parsennhütte and Totalpbar on Parsenn as well as the mountain restaurant Fuxägufer on Jakobshorn open. This also marks the start of the "Ski pass as a gift" campaign. Over 50 hotels in Davos and Klosters are giving guests a ski pass for Jakobshorn and Parsenn for every overnight stay until December 23, 2011.

And that with the Non-swinging pants for the AWZ, Bern, the out-of-home campaign "Hals und Beinbruch" for Pitsch Sport, Gossau SG, and the self-dissolving textile mailing for Swiss Textiles, which even managed to win in two different categories. Agentur am Flughafen from Altenrhein is the only Swiss agency to make it onto this year's shortlist.

The awards ceremony will take place on March 22, 2012 in New York. The agency at the airport was already the first Swiss agency to bring home an award from the John Caples International Awards, one of the most prestigious international dialog marketing competitions, in 2006.

> To the finalists list

"It is typical of the city of St. Gallen and also typical of GBS to organize an event like Tÿpo St. Gallen". With these words, Monica Sittaro, Vice Rector of the GBS St. Gallen, opened the first Typography Symposium, which took place from November 18 to 20, 2011 at the Gewerbliches Berufs- und Weiterbildungszentrum St. Gallen. Around 450 participants attended the event and listened attentively to the presentations by 13 typography luminaries, as detailed in a press release. In addition to the Swiss book designer and typographer Jost Hochuli, other well-known names such as Bruno Monguzzi, Gerrit Noordzij, Ralph Schraivogel and Tina Roth Eisenberg aka Swissmiss were also present.

Tÿpish Switzerland

And what is typical of Swiss typography? Martin Tiefenthaler, graphic designer, theorist and co-founder of the Typografische Gesellschaft Austria, stated in his contribution that it is typically Swiss to even ask this question. As part of Tÿpo St. Gallen, the German Forum Typografie was also a guest in Switzerland on the occasion of its 25th national meeting. Andreas Maxbauer, Chairman of the Forum
Typografie Deutschland responded to this question: "Swiss typography is above all a generic term. The genre in which the greatest ornamentation is the addition of a second color". And in a conversation after the event with St. Gallen designer Jost Hochuli, he explained that the term Swiss typography is actually misleading. In the 1930s to 1960s, it was mainly people from German-speaking Switzerland who represented this ideology. When asked whether Swiss typography still exists today, he replies: "Basically, we are still moving in this direction. Almost everything I have done is inconceivable without Swiss typography".

To be continued

For Thomas Gerig, Head of Department at the St. Gallen School of Design, the event was a complete success. "We were overwhelmed by the great interest and lively participation at Tÿpo St. Gallen. We have already received a lot of positive feedback from the participants". So what got off to a successful start this year could well be repeated. It has not yet been decided when the next Typography Symposium will take place. What is certain, however, is that the organizing school of design already has ideas for a possible next event.

(Photos: Photopress/Regina Kuehne)
 

As a fan of French fries, you know that deep-frying makes the chips so crispy, the agency said in a statement. Zweifel's new apple chips, made from hand-picked apples, are quite different, it says: They are crispy because they are air-dried. Advico Y&R's product launch ad dramatizes this with apple rings hanging on a clothesline outside in nature. This allows the target audience to imagine at a glance what is in the Apple Chips package already on the shelves. Zweifel's new product, like the ad, is designed to appeal primarily to women who enjoy light, natural snacks. The implementation of the idea leans on the fairy-tale designed packaging. From November 18, the ad created by Advico Y&R will be present in various media.

Responsible at Zweifel Pomy-Chips: Roger Harlacher, Denise Spirig. Responsible at Advico Y&R: Dominik Oberwiler, Martin Stulz (CD), Lukas Wietlisbach (AD), Annik Weber (graphics), Marion Lim (text), Kerstin Schnyder, Pascal Trütsch (consulting), Marie-Christine Gerber (photography), AschmannKlauser (image editing).

Other churches and religious communities are invited to follow the example of the two large Swiss national churches, Switzerland Tourism announced on Wednesday. Switzerland Tourism is primarily targeting guests from the United States. Faith has a higher value for most Americans than, for example, in Europe, Alex Hermann, Director North America of Switzerland Tourism is quoted in the release. According to Hermann, Switzerland Tourism North America therefore expects an increase in faith tourists from the U.S., who, for example, combine a visit to Switzerland with the Passion Play in Oberammergau (D).

The project "Religious Landscape Switzerland was launched by the Church and Tourism Commission of the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches (Reformed) and the Commission for Pastoral Care of Tourism, Leisure and Pilgrims (Catholic) in 2007 in collaboration with Switzerland Tourism. (SDA)