Urs Rellstab has held the position of Deputy Director at Economiesuisse in recent years and was responsible for overall communication and campaigning. He studied economics in St. Gallen. Rellstab then worked as a journalist and was editor-in-chief of a regional newspaper at the age of 34. He later moved to the Society for the Promotion of the Swiss Economy (wf) as Head of Communications. At the international agency network Burson-Marsteller, Rellstab will have overall responsibility for the Swiss agency with offices in Zurich, Bern and Geneva. He will also head up the Executive Board, which is made up as follows: Toula Stoffel (Healthcare & Science Communications), Martin Hofer (Corporate Communications and Training), Theo Zijdenbos (Public Affairs), Tony Burgener (Head of Agency Geneva), Roland Bilang (Energy & Environment), Daniel Jörg (Digital Communications/Crossmedia) and Roland Oberhauser (CFO).

The early extension of the contract underlines the desire of both parties for a long-term and sustainable partnership, according to a press release issued on Tuesday. The partnership in the Mittelland region is of strategic importance for Publicitas, according to René Gehrig, Director Central Region Publicitas.

In her role, Tina Franel is responsible for developing the advertising market, particularly in the small and medium-sized enterprise segment. Most recently, Franel was responsible for marketing the magazine Ecolife and "Yoga! Das Magazin". Janina Prosperati joins Beobachter from Migros-Magazin and Saisonküche and will be responsible in particular for Beobachter Natur.

(Image: Tina Franel)

The best-selling gift was Amazon's own Kindle reading device, according to a report in the British Guardian. The Seattle-based company did not disclose how many devices have been sold since its launch in 2007. Amazon's range of e-books already includes more than 390,000 copies.

(Image: Keystone)

The visual concept has a modular structure and is scalable for further phases. The use is divided into seven modules: Health & Beauty, Education & Knowledge, Culture & Events, Brands & Diaologue, Special Services, Hotels & Longstay and Offices & Headquarters.

Responsible at Unique (Flughafen AG Zurich): Jussi Jokinen (Head E-Marketing). Responsible for co-links: Patrizia Lehmann (project management), Lorenzo Mutti CD).

As the scientists found out with their experiment, people in a sad or angry mood respond better to a commercial that conveys joy. In contrast, anxious or embarrassed participants respond more positively to a commercial that promises calm. So far, so good. But now comes the catch. As an advertiser, how do I find out what mood consumers are in? Here, too, there are tips: In January, for example, consumers are stressed and in a negative mood because they have to exchange so many Christmas gifts. What's needed, then, is joy. According to the publication, marketing managers can even adjust to the mood of the population as a whole: At the moment, economic crisis is the order of the day, with a general tendency to worry. Spreading feelings of joy is of little help here; calming down is the order of the day. Everything clear?

In recent years, Federal Councillors Ueli Maurer and Christoph Blocher, as well as the then SP party president Ursula Koch, have harshly criticized the media. There was talk of media products being useless and superficial, even of bungling and courtesy. The publishers each gave thunderous applause. "Imagine if Federal Councillor Maurer had told farmers in a speech that the production of local food was important. But he said that what the farmers produced was inedible and far too highly subsidized. He doesn't eat their produce," Lebrument drew an apt comparison. "A new beginning is needed," Lebrument called out to the 400 or so publishers and media professionals. The Swiss press must learn to believe in its own products again, he said. The Swiss media landscape is one of the best on the planet. Media diversity is very high. There are around 4,000 media outlets, including 2,800 newspapers, magazines and opinion papers.

Pillars of democracy
Anyone who takes a look at the media offerings will see why direct democracy has made Switzerland one of the most successful models among countries.
"I call on you to redraw our image to the outside world," said the publisher president. The industry must once again succeed in painting a realistic picture of the media world. The much-maligned quality of the media is not as bad as is often claimed. The controls were working. And the newspapers were not created to talk at the mouths of politicians and managers. They are there for people who want to get a picture of the country's problems and tasks.
The press fulfills this task excellently. The political landscape, the development of a flourishing economy, the establishment and expansion of a high-quality education system and the good social institutions - the press has made a significant contribution to all of this thanks to good public information. With few exceptions, the press has done a good and intensive job since the founding of the federal state. It is the task of the media professionals to emphasize and repeatedly underline this. Especially when they are once again attacked for a few trivialities.

(Pictures: Keystone)

Florian Fels has held various positions at Axel Springer since 1993. Most recently, he was CEO and Chairman of the Management Board of Axel Springer Polska, one of the leading publishing houses in Poland, which publishes four daily newspapers and eleven magazines and also operates numerous Internet portals. During this time, he launched new newspapers and magazines and established Axel Springer Polska among the top 20 Internet providers in Poland.
The new Ringier Central Europe division has been created as part of the adjustment of the Group Executive Board to the new strategic direction, the publisher writes in a press release on Monday. The Ringier Group Executive Board, chaired by Christian Unger, Group CEO, comprises Florian Fels, CEO Ringier Central Europe, Samuel Hügli, CFO, Thomas Trüb, CEO Ringier Asia/New Markets, Marc Walder, CEO Ringier Germany and Switzerland, and Marco Castellaneta, CCO.

At the beginning of November, the Thurgauer Zeitung called for applications for the Readers' Council. Publisher Peter Hartmeier and his team have now selected five women and seven men from around 100 people. The average age is 41. Decisive factors for the selection were profession, education, age, gender, geographical origin, political position, hobbies, interests and leisure activities. The Readers' Council meets twice a year and the results of the meetings are reported on a regular basis, as the newspaper announced on Monday. The first meeting will take place on March 3.

In addition, the duration of the previously one-hour program "Abendinfo" will be extended by 30 minutes until 6.30 pm, as Radio Argovia announced on Monday. From 7 p.m., the radio will broadcast news every hour. The "Nachtinfo" program will continue to be broadcast from 11 p.m. to midnight. Radio Argovia already broadcasts news every half hour in the morning. The private radio station belongs to the AZ Medien Group.

The 13th edition of the creative competition for moving image communication will take place in Mannheim from March 4 to 5, 2010. Further information on submission, tickets and the festival: Spotlight-festival.com.

The free tip newsletter had 40,000 subscribers in Switzerland at the beginning of last year. At the same time, Ron Orp invested in design, platform and technology in 2009 and expanded its advertising offer and sales. Ron Orp's Mail is currently published in eleven cities in four countries. Further launches in Switzerland and abroad are planned for 2010.