Andrea Richter joined the ten-strong team at int/ext Communications, the Basel-based PR and consultancy firm, at the beginning of August 2008. She previously worked for Ciba in Basel as Head of Communications Switzerland. According to a press release, she will focus her expertise on project management, copywriting, planning and implementing complex communication measures and consulting.Andrea Richter studied history and German literature at the University of Basel. She then worked for several years in Corporate Communications at Ciba, including as Editor-in-Chief of the employee magazine Switzerland, as Head of Internal Communications and Crisis Communications in the Switzerland region and as a media spokesperson.

Melanie Schneider joined the management team at Jung von Matt/Limmat as Head of Public Relations at the beginning of August 2008. With this step, the Zurich-based agency is expanding its brand PR division and continuing to drive forward its cross-media strategy with integrated and specialized departments. Andrea Gnädinger, who has headed the five-person PR department ad interim for the past twelve months, will once again focus on her consulting mandates at Jung von Matt/Public Relations.36-year-old Melanie Schneider is a federally certified PR consultant and was responsible for the Internet, television and landline telephony areas as Head of Communications at Swisscom for several years. Previously, as Head of Corporate Communications at Bluewin, she was responsible for the development of the Internet brand, sponsoring and media relations. At the same time, she acted as media spokesperson.

A blessing for North Baden: Regionalwerke Baden, the energy and water supplier for the city and region of Baden, will soon be providing large parts of the city with free Internet access. As part of the "Baden.WLAN" campaign, everyone in the Baden Nord area will soon be able to surf for free. An expansion of the offer to the entire city of Aargau is being planned. The advertising agency S&W, which is also based in Baden, is currently drawing attention to the offer with a poster campaign, flyers, advertisements and floorminders on site and an Internet portal. Responsible at Regionalwerke Baden: Heinz Bolliger (Corporate Communications).
Responsible at S&W Advertising Agency: Urs Wiezel (CD), Jörg Krummenacher (AD), Martin Perini (text, concept).

The Lausanne publishing group Edipresse is acquiring a majority stake in the free weekly newspaper Le Régional. The publisher has announced that this will not affect the editorial independence of the paper. The investment came about as a result of a request from the newspaper to Edipresse due to financial difficulties, as reported by SDA. With the help of Edipresse, Le Régional is now to return to profitability. One of the measures planned to achieve this is a change in format. In addition, the paper will now be distributed not only east of Lausanne to Montreux but also in the Chablais, increasing its circulation from 98,000 to 115,000 copies. To enable Le Régional to gain a foothold in the Chablais, Edipresse is giving up its weekly newspaper 24 Heures Hebdo Riviera Chablais. Three new jobs are created in the editorial and advertising acquisition departments.

The coveted Golden Drum Awards will soon be up for grabs again this fall. As every year, the jury will select around 200 nominees from an estimated 1500 participants and ultimately award 38 intercontinental trophies and one grand prize. In a press release from mid-August, the organizing committee informs about the submission deadline, which is only three weeks away, and reminds us that many international careers in the advertising business began at the Golden Drums. Entries for this year's festival can be submitted until September 7. The 15th edition of the Golden Drums Advertising Festival will then take place from October 5-10 in the Slovenian coastal town of Portorož.

At the beginning of 2009, the Handelszeitung will have a new advertising manager in Renato Oliva. The 44-year-old was previously responsible for financial advertising. He takes over his new role from René Grolimund. The 64-year-old will retire at the end of 2008. Renato Oliva began his career in 2000 at the former Handelszeitung publishing group in advertising sales for the investor magazine Stocks. In 2003, he also took over the Swiss representative office of Axel Springer International. Since 2005, Renato Oliva has been responsible for the sale of financial advertisements in the Handelszeitung. René Grolimund has worked in advertising sales at Handelszeitung since 1965 and took over as advertising manager in 1991. As advertising manager and member of the management of the former Handelszeitung publishing group, he made a significant contribution to the success of the company, according to a statement from Axel Springer Switzerland.

Good news for Wirz Werbung: for the launch of a new product, Emmi invited tenders from four agencies for a competitive presentation, which the Zurich-based advertisers won. Wirz presented an innovative solution that was convincing both strategically and creatively, said David Jäger, Head of Marketing Communications at Emmi, in the press release issued on Thursday. The launch campaign will be shown from the beginning of October.

The Swiss marketing and event trade fair Suisse Emex'08 will take place from August 26 to 28, 2008 at the Zurich Exhibition Center. Under the motto "Turning Visions into Business", visitors can expect a platform of ideas for marketing, communication, events and promotion. Over 350 exhibitors will be present, according to the organizers. The parallel Marketing Congress by Swiss Marketing (SMC) will present the future of marketing. Suisse Emex'08 is now presenting an "all-inclusive" trade fair experience with a focus on "Experience Marketing". The admission price of CHF 45 includes all event programs and presentations in the Emex Forum, on the show stage and on the three expert stages. The trade fair is divided into three areas in four halls: Marketing and Communication in Halls 3 and 4, Event and Live Communication in Halls 5 and 6, Promotional Products in Hall 5.

The Aarau agency Renzen Communications implemented a competition for Swiss Post in which creative minds are asked to invent a new sport, present it in a funny video clip and upload it to Postshop.ch. The three best videos win cash prizes of up to CHF 5,000 and are published on 20 Minuten web TV.
At the same time, Internet users who vote for their favorite on the Postshop website can win attractive instant prizes. The winning clips will be chosen by a jury of celebrities, including former snowboarding world champion Gian Simmen. The competition will be advertised on the Internet and in advertisements. The campaign draws attention to suitable offers from the online Postshop, such as camcorders or other multimedia devices.
Responsible for post offices and sales: Andreas Etter (Head of Marketing Communications), Michel Teutschmann (Marketing Communications Consultant), Yvonne Raudzus (Head of Central Communications) and Jessica Era (Product Manager PostShop online). Responsible at Renzen Communications: Hanno Lietz (concept), Abe Gillis and Daniel Roth (text), Emmanuelle Friedli (CD art), Sam Hoehn and Marco Schweizer (graphics) and Claudia Trombini (consulting).

The St. Gallen printing and communications company Zollikofer is cutting seven out of a total of 220 jobs. The ongoing, intensified competitive situation in the printing industry is leading to a reorganization and thus to job cuts, according to the press release issued on Tuesday; three people will take early retirement and four people will be made redundant. A social plan will be implemented for those affected. Zollikofer AG is a company of Swiss Printers AG, which in turn is a subsidiary of Ringier, NZZ and the Edipresse Group. Swiss Printers unites four printing companies: Ringier Print Zofingen, Zollikofer St. Gallen, NZZ Fretz Schlieren in German-speaking Switzerland and IRL Imprimeries Réunies Lausanne in French-speaking Switzerland.

Sleep system manufacturer Riposa has broken with the unattractive clichés of conventional mattress advertising. The latest prank is a TV commercial developed by Euro RSCG Zurich, which will run on all Swiss TV channels from late summer. In it, people do sport while they sleep. They illustrate the campaign idea of strengthening the body while sleeping. The nocturnal scenes were shot in super slow motion and accompanied by calm yet intense music. The commercial, which will later be expanded with a print campaign, emotionally links the technological pioneering role and innovative strength of the Riposa brand with the health-oriented lifestyle relevant to the target group, the agency announced. Responsible at Riposa AG: Walter Schnellmann (Executive Board), Iva Schnellmann (Marketing Management).
Responsible at Euro RSCG Zurich: Axel Eckstein (creative direction), Alexander Fürer (text), Isabelle Buehler (graphics), Andreas Sedmak, Sarah Gianesi (consulting), Frank Bodin (overall responsibility). Film production: Snap Film AG. Michael Kindermann (producer), Nico Beyer (director), Lars Löhn (music).

Karl Waechter Ing., a specialist in refrigeration, heating, and plumbing, has awarded Primus Communications GmbH a public relations contract. The contract covers the coordination of communications activities with a focus on German-speaking Switzerland. Karl Waechter Ing., based in Zurich’s Seefeld district, places great importance on providing optimal support to the local media and on drawing greater attention to its numerous innovations in the future, according to a press release from the agency. Primus Communications, which specializes in tourism, is expanding its range of industries with this new partnership.