The annual Swiss Digital Marketing Forum took place on Wednesday at the Goldbach Mediarena. This year's topic was the value and effectiveness of brand strategies in the new digital world. Numerous speakers presented current knowledge and new research findings and spoke about opportunities, risks and new technologies in digital communication.
On Wednesday, the Swiss Digital Marketing Forum took place as part of the Goldbach Mediarena on the topic of the value and effectiveness of brand strategies in the new digital world. After a welcome by Klaus Kappeler, CEO Goldbach Media, Andreas Haderlein, employee of the Zukunftsinstitut and head of the Zukunftsakademie, started with his presentation on today's megatrend "Social Media". He spoke about the three central challenges of the P2P economy & social commerce, clip culture and the localization medium of the Internet, as well as the opportunities for media, brands and people.
This was followed by Katarina Stanoevska, Vice Director of the Institute for Media and Communication Management at the University of St. Gallen, with a presentation on consumers and new communication technologies, according to a press release from Goldbachmedia. She showed what effects and challenges these will have on brand communication in the future. Bernd M. Michael, President of the German Marketing Association, then spoke about how to properly utilize brand potential in digital and interactive media. After the break, Nils Müller gave a future-oriented presentation on the power of brand worlds online and the reasons why communities and blogging lead to better consumer insights.
Christoph Blocher gave the introductory speech to the subsequent panel discussion, in which Frank Bodin, CEO Euro RSCG, Martin Dumermuth, Director of Bakom, Klaus Kappeler, CEO Goldbach Media and Albert P. Stäheli, CEO NZZ Group, discussed topics relating to the current communications and media landscape.
In the afternoon, the gold, silver and bronze winners of the Crossmedia Awards 2009 presented their winning campaigns at the first Crossmedia Workshop. They were each supported by a jury member in their presentation and in answering questions from the audience. The day was hosted by Filippo Leutenegger, former boss and presenter of the program "Arena".

Energy Zurich is further expanding coverage in its broadcasting area. An additional transmitter was put into operation at the Swissôtel in Zurich-Oerlikon a few days ago, as the radio station announced. This means that Energy Zurich can be better received on the northern city limits and on commuter routes heading north. Further projects for the expansion of the broadcasting area and the commissioning of new transmitters are underway, it added. However, some of these can only be realized after the final licensing decision for the Zurich-Glarus region.
Energy Zurich lost its license for Zurich at the end of last year, but is fighting for another license with a petition. The private station is receiving support from Bligg, Baschi, Ritschi, Stress and Seven with the new song "Stahn uf". According to an article in Blick am Abend, this is currently being played on all radio stations.

The Translumina Group has appointed Peter Helfenstein as CEO of Translumina Networks Switzerland with immediate effect. In this role, the 49-year-old will be responsible for the entire operational business in the Swiss market, according to a statement from the telecommunications and multimedia company. Helfenstein has more than 20 years of experience in the management of international ICT and consulting companies. In addition to his role as CEO of Collanos, which he will continue to perform, he also previously supported the development of the application lifecycle management consulting center Beteo as COO. Previously, he was Swiss Country Manager for Novell and Cambridge Technology Partners.

The German Commission for the Protection of Minors in the Media will examine the TV series "Erwachsen auf Probe" for violations of human dignity. The controversial series will soon be broadcast on the German private channel RTL.
The day after the broadcast of the first two episodes, a committee will examine whether "Erwachsen auf Probe" violates human dignity, the KJM announced in Munich on Thursday. It will also examine whether the series has a detrimental effect on the development of children and young people.
For the show, several pairs of parents give up their toddlers to be looked after by pairs of teenage strangers for four days. The reality format is controversial above all because, in the opinion of various experts, the separation from the parents is harmful to the young children.

Right into the heart of loyal fans: in the latest Audi commercial, a sleek new German sports car in typical Ferrari red drives right through the Ferrari home village of Maranello. The residents react - wonderfully exaggerated - with shock and even anger. See for yourself. The spot was realized by the Hamburg agency Kemper Trautmann.

Customer: Audi AG
Product: Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro
Title: New Kid
Campaign: Maximum Audi
Marketing management: Lothar Korn
Advertising management: Michael Finke, Anne Rohstock (project manager)
Creative Direction: Jens Theil, Gerrit Zinke
Art Direction: Gerrit Zinke
Text: Jens Theil
Customer advice: Andrea Bison, Niklas Kruchten
Strategic planning: Nils Wollny
Film production: Tony Petersen Film, Hamburg
Audio production: NHB Ton GmbH
Agency-Producer: Ruth Jansen
Olivier camera: Cocaul
Music composition: Audioforce, Berlin
Post Production: NHB Video GmbH
Production: Tony Petersen; Michael Duttenhöfer
Director: Sebastien Chantrel
Editing: Thierry Hoss
Sound design: Thierry Hoss; Wenke Kleine-Benne
Sound engineer: Wenke Kleine-Benne & Stefan Luetter

Elmar Ledergerber, former mayor of Zurich and new president of Zürich Tourism, is no longer satisfied with the current Zurich slogan "Downtown Switzerland". He wants to change the Heidi-Peter-Kuh image and is therefore looking for a more "urban" slogan, as can be read in Thursday's edition of Blick am Abend. However, Frank Bodin, reigning Advertiser of the Year and head of the agency Euro RSCG, warns against a change of slogan: "Continuity has a stronger effect than creativity, Downtown Switzerland" has established itself, according to the 2009 Advertiser of the Year. "People immediately think of Zurich when they hear the slogan, even though it is linguistically stupid," he is quoted as saying in the free newspaper. Big brands such as Coca Cola have kept their slogans for decades, which creates identity. It is better to stick with the slogan than to change it again.
"Downtown Switzerland" was designed in 2004 by the Hamburg-based company Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux and replaced the equally controversial slogan "Little Big City" (1996).

The Swiss Advertising Agency has implemented a swimming prevention campaign for various Swiss police forces. The aim is to sensitize swimmers to behave correctly in the water and thus avoid accidents. The visual is something that is normally seen at crime scenes: the figure of the alleged victim framed in chalk.
Classic advertising media such as posters, advertisements, flyers and dispensers are used. On a Campaign website You will also receive tips on how to behave correctly in the water. In addition, as a kind of guerrilla measure, exclusion zone buoys with messages such as "If your swimming cap lights up like mine, then everything is okay" or "You've seen me. But can anyone see you?" were used.
The campaign will run from June to September 2009 and will be used in the cantons of Zurich, Schwyz and St. Gallen, which border Lake Zurich. The campaign was commissioned by the police forces of the city of Zurich and the cantons of Zurich and Schwyz, the Road Traffic and Navigation Office of the canton of St. Gallen, the Navigation Control Office of the canton of Zurich, the Sports Office of the city of Zurich and the Swiss Lifesaving Association SLRG.
Responsible at Werbeanstalt Schweiz: Reto Dürrenberger (strategy), Sarah Hiltebrand (CD), Michael Manzardo, Mike Krüll (text/concept), Sarah Erni (AD-Assi), Christina Reuss, Michi Ottinger (consulting), Andi Laub (DTP). Photography: Tobias Stahel. Image editing: Felix Schregenberger.

Russian internet investors have joined the online network Facebook. The Moscow-based company Digital Sky Technologies (DST) has invested 200 million dollars and received preference shares in return, Facebook announced according to SDA.
The stake of just under two percent results in a projected value of only ten billion dollars. This is significantly lower than the valuation Microsoft made a year and a half ago. In October 2007, the software giant paid 240 million dollars for 1.6 percent of Facebook's preference shares, which would have corresponded to a total value of 15 billion dollars. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said that the current valuation was "fair" in view of the changed economic conditions.
In addition to the two percent of Facebook directly, DST wants to buy ordinary shares from existing Facebook shareholders such as employees for at least 100 million dollars. In this context, Zuckerberg denied that Facebook plans to go public soon. "We'll do it when we're ready. But that won't happen in the short term."

Roland Schlumpf, former head of the Tages-Anzeiger's parliamentary editorial team, is switching from the media to the communications sector. From September 1, he will head up Interpharma's communications office.
At the same time, he will take a seat on the Executive Board, as the Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies in Switzerland (Interpharma) announced on Thursday. Roland Schlumpf has worked as a journalist for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, the Tages-Anzeiger and Schweizer Radio DRS, among others.

Agence Virtuelle has acquired the vacation home provider Interhome as a new client. According to the Geneva-based agency, the main task will be to intensify Interhome's presence on search engines and thus increase booking volumes.
In addition, the e-marketing agency has developed an automated Twitter page of Meteo12.com created. This shows Twitter messages, so-called tweeds, with the current weather in Zurich and Geneva every few hours.

Time Warner, the world's largest media group, wants to definitively separate from its Internet subsidiary AOL. AOL is to become an independent listed company by the end of the year. "The separation is another important step in the reorganization of Time Warner," said Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes on Thursday, according to SDA. Time Warner will then be in a better position to focus on its core media content businesses.
AOL has been dead weight for the media giant for years in view of the downturn in the Internet business and the bleak outlook for online advertising. At the end of April, Time Warner officially announced that it was examining a spin-off of AOL. Time Warner and AOL merged in 2001 at the height of the Internet boom. AOL was valued at 165 billion dollars at the time; the deal proved disastrous for Time Warner. AOL made losses, Time Warner had to write off large amounts.
Prior to the separation, Time Warner will increase its stake in the internet service provider from 95 to 100 percent. The remaining 5 percent is still owned by search engine giant Google. Time Warner will acquire these in the third quarter of 2009.

It was with great dismay and deep sadness that the market research company GFK Switzerland announced on Thursday that Peter Hofer, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday following a routine examination in hospital.
Peter Hofer celebrated forty years of service in 2008. He had been CEO of GfK Switzerland (formerly IHA-GFK) since 1990 and Chairman of the Board of Directors since 2004 before announcing his resignation from the Management Board on June 30, 2009. "The death of Peter Hofer is a great loss for GfK Switzerland and the entire GfK Group. We are proud and grateful for all his services to the IHA and GfK over the past 41 years," the press release states. Peter Hofer was 63 years old. He is survived by his wife and four children. His successor as CEO will be Peter Meyer.