Tamedia: Foundation stone laid for the new building

Following the demolition work on Werdstrasse, the cornerstone for the new Tamedia building is now being laid—with a special ceremony. On Friday, the cornerstone-laying ceremony took place for the new building, which will provide space for 300 workstations.

The building is a light-flooded glass building supported by a delicate wooden structure. This is according to Tagesanzeiger online. The Chairman of Tamedia, Pietro Supino, speaks of "an attractive working environment in which employees feel comfortable". According to Supino, the building should also take particular account of ecological aspects. For example, the building has a double façade, which serves as a natural ventilation system and should thus reduce the need for artificial ventilation systems.

The old buildings at Werdstrasse 11, 13 and 15 were no longer suitable for modern office use, as some of them had been built as residential buildings. They were therefore demolished in 2009, according to Tagesanzeiger.ch. The new model house is the work of architect Shigeru Ban. The Japanese architect mixes elements from the classical architecture of his homeland with Western influences.

Before the foundation stone was laid, Tamedia editors-in-chief placed a front page of their publication in a metal box and then buried it in the ground. The new building is due to be completed in September 2013.
 

Sonntag journalist acquitted at federal criminal court

A journalist for the newspaper Sonntag had incriminated Federal Prosecutor Erwin Beyeler on the basis of a confidential Fedpol document. The Federal Criminal Court has now acquitted him of the charge of publishing official secret negotiations.

In the article of July 11, 2010, the deputy editor-in-chief of Sonntag, Sandro Brotz, had reported on the involvement of former federal prosecutor Erwin Beyeler in the case of the ominous informant Ramos, who played a role in the Holenweger affair. According to SDA, he based his report on a document from the Federal Office of Police Fedpol that had been leaked to him and classified as confidential. The document in question was supposed to show that Beyeler, as former head of the Federal Criminal Police, had been involved in the engagement of ex-drug baron Ramos.

Subsequently, the Fedpol filed charges against the journalist for publishing official secret negotiations. Last February, the extraordinary public prosecutor appointed by the Federal Council, Pierre Cornu, ordered him to pay a fine of 500 francs and a fee of 220 francs. Now the Federal Criminal Court has acquitted Brotz, after his appeal, on Thursday of the charge of publishing official secret negotiations. Brotz will receive compensation of 9,890 francs. The decision can still be appealed to the Federal Supreme Court.

According to SDA, the editorial staff of Sonntag took note with satisfaction of the acquittal of Sandro Brotz before the Federal Criminal Court. In a communiqué, it said that it was welcomed that this acquittal would put further pressure on Article 293 of the Swiss Penal Code, which is hostile to the press. At the moment, political initiatives are pending to no longer criminalize journalists for publishing confidential documents.
 

Last but not least: Social media goes real life

Who are the people behind the virtual profiles on Twitter and Facebook? Bruno Santschi and Markus Tschannen from Bern are investigating this question in a two-week trip through Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

The journey, entitled RL Tour, begins on August 24, 2011, and RL stands for Real Life. Along the way, Santschi and Tschannen want to meet bloggers, Twitterers and Facebook friends and document their experiences in real time. The social media goes real life project is not intended to remain a private experience. In the travel blog rltour.com and on their social media profiles, the two want to report on their encounters in real time. They want to be constantly online for two weeks, uploading photos, answering questions and arranging new meetings.
Under the names @prunio and @souslik, they have made a name for themselves primarily on the microblog platform Twitter. But they have also taken a liking to Facebook, the new Google+ and the world of blogs. "It's not the technology, but the people behind it that make social networks exciting," says Tschannen.

Santschi and Tschannen are being supported on their trip by four sponsors. Data traffic abroad is being covered by Swisscom, the communications agency Klarkom is sponsoring the hire of a hybrid car including CO2 compensation, open source pioneer Puzzle ITC is covering various other expenses and photographer Barbara Hess, alias Pictura, has offered a professional photo shoot to provide the first images.
 

Petranix is the new media office of Bank Reyl & Cie

Petranix Corporate and Financial Communications is now managing the media relations office for the Geneva-based private bank Reyl & Cie. Reyl has had a branch in Zurich since early July 2011.

The focus of the consultancy mandate is on communication with the daily, business and financial media in German-speaking Switzerland and neighboring German-speaking countries.

The consulting and design agency Petranix, based in Adliswil-Zurich and with a representative office in Munich, specializes in corporate and financial communications. Its areas of expertise include strategic communication, annual reports, corporate responsibility, media and investor relations as well as corporate publishing. As part of an integrated communications consultancy, the agency offers communication and design solutions in the print and online sectors from a single source.
 

Swiss refreshes brand profile

After nearly 10 years, Swiss is changing its logo. The rectangular figurative mark is being replaced by a tail fin, while the Swiss cross remains.

It should be worn with pride instead of standing at the bottom in the corner, said Chief Commercial Holger Hätty at Thursday's press conference. Instead of "faster, bigger, better", the focus is on the little things, on "we are different", on values such as quality and consistency. The change in the brand profile is not intended to be a repositioning, but a further development, as Hätty emphasizes.
 

However, the logo is only one component of the overall concept. The entire brand identity is to rest on five pillars. In addition to the logo and the positioning, the changed brand profile is intended to provide customers with guidance and convey values. In communications, the focus is on Swiss aircraft. Because clear statements are important, says Hätty. The white Swiss cross on a red background and a grayish background provide the recognition effect. The new claim refers to the quality promise that is to be conveyed: "Our sign is a promise.

Depending on the duration of the implementation, Hätty expects costs in the "high single-digit millions. Over the next few months, the website and magazines will be converted to the brand profile, and Swiss should appear in its new dress at the beginning of October. The changeover should be completed by the end of 2012. Swiss is working with agencies Publicis and Nose to refresh its positioning and brand.

The refreshed brand profile is a first step in the changes at Swiss. "The next step is to review product components," says Hätty when asked about a visible product change, apart from investing in a changed logo.
 

Jung von Matt/Limmat: M-Budget WG - Remote controlled

Last fall, over 300 shared flats competed for the title of "M-Budget WG". Jung von Matt/Limmat has now expanded the concept and combined online, social media and TV to create an interactive reality format.

The campaign motto is "M-Budget WG - Remote controlled.". In addition to the shared flats, community involvement is therefore even more central to the campaign. Starting in the fall, users will have the opportunity to Migros.ch/m-budget-wgto determine tasks for the WGs and to select one WG per week.

Live programs are also produced together with the interactive HD television channel Joiz as part of the M-Budget WG promotion.
 

Draft FCB layoffs: around 250 employees

Following the loss of the S. C. Johnson & Son account, the agency Draft FCB has cut about 250 jobs. The manufacturer of cleaning and personal care products announced last week that it would part ways with Draft FCB after decades of collaboration.

In future, the company will work with Energy BBDO and Ogilvy & Mather. For Draft FCB, the S. C. Johnson account was the second largest, after that of Beiersdorf. According to the New York Times, the agency, which is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, has now announced that it will cut around ten percent of the jobs at its Chicago headquarters, which equates to around 100 jobs. Outside the USA, an additional 150 jobs are to be cut.
 

Blue Spirit designs advertisement for Panasonic

The Swissporarena, FC Lucerne’s new soccer stadium, is equipped with a total of 100 Panasonic monitors. To draw attention to the new equipment, the Blue Spirit agency designed an advertisement.

With the new stadium equipment, you are guaranteed not to miss a single rally anywhere in the arena, according to the slogan of the advertisement. The advertisement appeared in the special supplement of the Luzerner Zeitung for the stadium opening.

Responsible at John Lay Electronic: Bruno Wüst (Marketing Manager Consumer Systems),
Thomas Wicki (Project Manager Marketing Communications). Responsible at Blue Spirit Communications: Jae Erne (art direction), Andrea Golay (graphics), Marcel Kohler, Markus Pletscher (DTP, image editing), Peter Bietenholz (text), Enrico Bachmann (creative direction), Eveline Stocker (consulting).
 

Chinese Youtoube rival Tudoube crashes on its US stock market debut

China's second-largest online video portal Tudou has crashed on its stock market debut in the USA. The price of the YouTube competitor slipped to 25.37 dollars on the Nasdaq technology exchange in New York morning trading on Wednesday, 12.5 percent below the issue price. .

Tudou shares later recovered somewhat to 26.60 dollars. The Nasdaq was little changed. Despite the ongoing market turbulence, the fall in the share price came as a surprise. This is because Tudou placed its shares in line with expectations.

It was questionable whether Tudou would receive similar attention as the internet companies LinkedIn and Pandora Media recently did with their new issues. Interest in US-listed companies from the People's Republic has waned following numerous accounting scandals. Tudou was also affected by this. Added to this are concerns about the development of the US economy and Europe's debt crisis, which are causing a poor mood on the stock markets.

With its leap onto the trading floor, Tudou raised 174 million dollars. As is usual with foreign companies, the Chinese company issued depositary receipts, so-called American Depositary Receipts ADRs. In Tudou's case, there were six million of them.

Founded six years ago, the company offers a platform like its Google-owned rival YouTube that allows users to upload, share and rate videos. Tudou makes money primarily from the sale of advertising.
 

Interbrand Zurich strengthens

Interbrand is strengthening its new client business at its Zurich office with the addition of Cello Duff. In his role, he will work alongside Michael Pietig, Director of Business Development for Interbrand Central and Eastern Europe, to drive new business development in Switzerland and open up new client segments.

Cello Duff has worked in various marketing and communications areas on the agency and client side, most recently from 2004 to 2011 as Head of Marketing at Stoll Giroflex, where he was responsible for strategic market orientation and brand management, among other things.
 

Local.ch app cracks the million mark

The local.ch app has been downloaded over a million times and is one of the three most popular mobile apps in Switzerland. Since 2009, local.ch has also offered its phone book and Yellow Pages for smartphones.

Local.ch offers free apps for the most popular cell phone types: iPhone, Android, Nokia, Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry. The most frequently downloaded app is the iPhone version, and Local.ch has seen the strongest growth in downloads for phones with the Android operating system. Downloads for other device types are also growing steadily.
 

Quade & Zurfluh promotes Concordia in the pools

Under the slogan «Safety in and around the water,» Quade & Zurfluh organized the Baditour 2011—a promotional campaign for Concordia—at over 50 outdoor swimming pools throughout Switzerland. It concludes on Thursday at the Tiefenbrunnen Beach and the Lido Rapperswil.

The mascot Conci was always on hand to entertain the children with the Conci dance and the Conci song. The children and their parents were introduced to the bathing rules in a fun way through various activities on site. As a reward for their participation, high-quality gadgets were distributed, which could be used immediately in the pool. A family weekend in a Swiss hotel was also raffled off among all participants.

Concordia and its long-standing partner, the SLRG, have set themselves the goal of informing parents and children about the dangers of water and achieving a significant reduction in swimming accidents, QuZ said in a press release. Quade & Zurfluh developed the platform, planned and coordinated the project and was responsible for all printed materials, the competition and the visual appearance on site.

Responsible at Concordia: Mark Glutz (Head of Marketing - Member of the Management Board), Marc Winterhalder (Head of Advertising). Responsible at Quade & Zurfluh: Elmar Schäfer (Managing Partner), Conrad Eigenmann (Consultant), Patricia Schmidt (Project Manager).
 

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