By promoting the cultivation of organic cotton, the Biore Foundation supports smallholder families from India and Tanzania and provides them with a sustainable livelihood. The foundation is also active in the field of education and supports schools in the growing regions.

The education of the smallholder children was at the same time the concept of the current Biore annual report 2014, which presents itself as a classic exercise book. The students of the supported schools copied the contents by hand in German and English and signed off the photos.

The result is a lovingly designed annual report in exercise book form, which makes the reader smile at its appearance and takes him back to his school days.

However, the Biore annual report has a clear message: it is, so to speak, proof that the students in the supported schools learn to read and write perfectly. But it also symbolizes the learning effect and the better future opportunities for the children and young people, as well as the close cooperation between the farming families and Biore.

Responsible at the Biore Foundation: Jürg Peritz (Foundation President); Christa Suter (Managing Director); Martina Amsler (Marketing & Corporate Communication). Responsible at KSP Krieg Schlupp Partner: Uwe Schlupp (overall responsibility); Benny Goldstein (creative direction); Lea Baldinger, Florian Kech (graphics); Daniel Zehnder (text); Giacomo Wyss (image editing); Flavia Meyer (consulting management); Eveline Mathis (consulting).
 

It is part of our professional ethics as media makers that editorial contributions are separated from advertising, publicity, public reports, whatever you call it, in a crystal-clear and recognizable way. Of course, you can't have a newspaper without advertising. And Werbewoche is also happy about every ad placed, every cent earned. That's how media making tastes today. Nevertheless, all of the many inquiries we receive as to whether a little PR and so on ... receive a clear message: "PR no! But if there's something newsworthy, we're all ears." Storytelling is still the best advertising. And if it still has to be a public report - the punch of which I doubt 100 percent - then please do so, but with the clearly legible headline "Public report". No, our readers are not stupid at all. And they don't want to be taken for fools either. Which is true for most readers.

Seen in this light, last Sunday was a Black Sunday for various Sunday newspapers and their readers, namely for those of Ostschweiz am Sonntag, Zentralschweiz am Sonntag, NZZ am Sonntag, all three papers of the NZZ Media Group, as well as for the readers of AZ Medien's Schweiz am Sonntag. All four papers in fact had an additional Bund, headed "Character" - of all things. The "additional Bund", exactly in the regular layout of the respective newspaper, turned out to be an eight-page brochure street of Mercedes-Benz. The clear indication that it was advertising was missing on all four frets. Whoever looked for it found the note "A Mercedes-Benz special bundle in the 'XYZ am Sonntag'" at the top of each page. But very tiny, alternatively sky blue and barely legible. And "Sonderbund" is rather euphemistic for this flat advertising supplement.

What do you want your readers to think, dear newspaper makers? And what do you want your employees to think? You put a cheaply made SUV ad on the same level as your (hopefully) hard-researched content that subscribers pay money for. Isn't that an insult to your readers? And a discrediting of your journalists? Doesn't matter, as long as the cash register isn't low anymore? You have earned quite a bit of money with this brochure route: 40,000 Swiss francs for Ostschweiz am Sonntag, 40,500 Swiss francs for Zentralschweiz am Sonntag, 41,000 Swiss francs for NZZ am Sonntag and 95,800 Swiss francs for Schweiz am Sonntag, if it has filled the entire edition with this unspeakable article. Business-minded or business-addicted? Sustainable in no case. I, for one, am disappointed with my NZZaS. By the way, the so-called "Sonderbund" opens with the following line: "Real personalities go their own way. Because they can." And the others? This almost seems to be a message with its tongue stuck out to the makers of the four Sunday newspapers. Or even to their readers: "sorry, we couldn't help it, we needed the money."

Journalists are expected to take responsibility for their articles, to act with moderation and prudence, not to endanger or attack anyone, and to follow moral principles. Shouldn't that be demanded of advertising salespeople and publishers? A highly visible, clear labeling of advertising would be the very least - which, by the way, is nothing new.

You think morals and ethics are big words for a small eight-page spread? I think morals and ethics don't start anywhere. And above all, they don't stop anywhere.

And something else on our own account:

Just under a year ago, I took over as editor-in-chief of Werbewoche from Pierre C. Meier. I didn't want to do everything new and different right away, but now the time has come: We want to arrive in the 21st century with the printed and digital Werbewoche and be ready for the future. Help us to do this. Please take a few minutes of your time and answer our Reader survey. After all, we make the advertising week for you. So we also need to know how you prefer to read it. Thank you very much! 

In addition to her role as anchorwoman, Grunder will also be the producer of the business magazine. In the almost ten-minute program, the relevant events of the past business week are analyzed in each case and information is provided about backgrounds and perspectives.

Grunder has been working for the Bernese regional broadcaster as a video journalist since July 2014. Prior to that, the native Bernese, who also holds an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Bern, lived in Los Angeles for four years, where she completed her acting studies at the renowned Lee Strassberg Theater & Film Institute. She then worked on various theater and film projects, most recently as part of an engagement at the Stadttheater Bern.

In a commercial for BGH Joy smartphones, the agency Del Campo Saatchi & Saatchi has stylized a well-known phenomenon that most people occasionally get annoyed about into an everyday drama: The fear of imminent buffering when streaming. (sis)
 

Schoch & Sonders now goes by the name Studio Schoch. Along with the name, the company's positioning is also being consolidated, according to a press release issued by the agency on Wednesday. The focus is on brand strategy, brand design and packaging design. Brand and market analyses will provide the basis for the perfect brand image.

In recent months, three new members have also joined the Studio Schoch team. By increasing the number of employees, Studio Schoch is responding to the positive order situation and the growing portfolio. Gabriela Hurdes and Dragana Knezevic support the team in consulting and are responsible for the efficient implementation of projects. Vera Loher contributes her talent and creativity in design.

From left to right: Gabriela Hurdes (project management), Vera Loher (design), Dragana Knezevic (project management).

 

Children to power!

The fact that children have a huge influence on their parents' purchasing decisions is clear as daylight to anyone who has one themselves - or who has ever watched little nagging gnomes whining in the supermarket. The international study "Little Big Influencers" by Viacom International Media Networks Northern Europe, formerly MTV Networks, now shows just how big the influence of the little ones really is.

APG and Google: best overall impression among advertising clients

Exclusively for Werbewoche, the Media.Research.Group has compiled an overview of the results of three ratings: the Agency Rating for Advertising Agencies, the Agency Rating for Media Agencies and the Media Trend Award. The results can now be compared at a glance.

The Motz von Butz: The gap between editorial and advertising

"Last Sunday, August 30, I took a closer look at the only 55 3/4 pages of advertising on 330 pages of the Sunday press."

Generation Millennials

Beat Hürlimann on advertising forays into the realm of the most promising marketing target group.

Constructive instead of destructive: journalism faces up to its responsibility

These days, the media are looking at themselves: where are the limits of freedom of expression, when can images and texts by violent criminals still be disseminated and how can journalism make a positive contribution to solving problems? Column by media expert Josefa Haas.

Small community made a world star

The Zurich Oberland does not have the glamor of Istanbul or South Australia. An image film about Gossau shows that the municipality nevertheless has a lot to offer - and does not conceal where it makes "kei grossi Gümp". The village of 9600 people unexpectedly shone at an international tourism film award with Roland Koch's honest image film. Roland Koch in an interview.

WordPress community Switzerland meets for Wordcamp

Wordpress is the most popular web software of all. Its greatest asset is its community - and it doesn't just talk shop virtually and globally. On September 18 and 19, it will meet at Zurich's Technopark for Wordcamp.

IAB Switzerland: From CRM to data-driven marketing

Retailers have a wealth of information about their customers' purchasing behavior. However, using this information effectively and profitably for online marketing campaigns is technically challenging. The foundation for effective and user-centered data-driven marketing already lies in the in-house CRM.

Head of the week: CEO with digital drive

Olivier Rihs has held various positions at Scout24 Switzerland for more than twelve years, and has been CEO of Switzerland's largest network of online marketplaces since 2011. His success story at Scout24 began when he left his job and home behind in 2001, sold his furniture and spent eleven months traveling through South and North America.

and much more

Thanks to WordPress, even non-experts have been able to create acceptable-looking websites for over a decade. The open-source software is free and can be installed relatively easily and adapted to your own needs. So simple, in fact, that more than half of all websites worldwide that have been created using a CMS are now based on WordPress.

Pascal Birchler, co-organizer of the Swiss Wordcamp 2015, is no longer an amateur user - even though he originally discovered WordPress for blogging. At the tender age of twelve, he created his first weblog and began blogging more and more about WordPress topics. He is now a qualified computer scientist and recently started working for the web company Required, which has a team of six employees and offers services almost exclusively for WordPress.

The project orders from Required show: WordPress is more than just an easy-to-use CMS for amateurs who want to put content online. "You can very well create complex websites based on WordPress: even if Switzerland is a little behind in this respect," Birchler clarifies. In addition to corporate blogs for SBB or Hotelplan, Required has also used the software for projects where it "just holds the strings together in the background", says Birchler. For example, for the portal www.bvbmedia.ch, where you can test and book advertising space for buses and streetcars online.

The two-day Wordcamp at Technopark brings together users and software developers. While the first day promises new insights for designers and users of all levels with speakers such as Konstantin Obenland (Automattic) and Petya Raykovska (Human Made), the following day is reserved for developers. "Around a fifth of the participants also came on Sunday," estimates Birchler, who has already helped organize the two previous Wordcamps in Zurich. It is essential for both users and developers to keep up to date with the fast-moving software, whose plug-in landscape changes almost daily due to the active global community.

Pictures from Wordcamp Switzerland 2014 by Florian Ziegler 

Larger agencies also rely on WordPress

Open source is no longer the sole domain of small companies. Larger web agencies now also rely on open source software such as WordPress. One of them is Liip. The agency lets its teams decide which technologies they want to specialize in. The 7-strong team, of which Stefan Oderbolz is a member, opted for WordPress six months ago. Unlike Birchler, however, Oderbolz describes WordPress as a "lightweight CMS": installation and hosting are simple, but the customers tend to be SMEs.

WordPress reaches its limits, for example, with complex authorizations or the integration of several external systems that have to import large amounts of data. "It also happens that other systems can do something natively that would have to be developed for WordPress first. That's not always worth it." Accordingly, his team is only deployed for projects that are suitable for WordPress in terms of size, complexity and type of customer.

However, Wordcamp organizer Birchler points out that open source often loses out because agencies have no interest in recommending an open source solution - and not because it doesn't meet the requirements: "Most web agencies prefer to rely on large proprietary systems such as Adobe Experience Manager because they are then the only point of contact and can conclude long-term maintenance contracts." The open source study published by the University of Bern in spring 2015 proves Birchler right in that the authors of the study still see a lot of untapped potential in the open source sector (you can find our summary of the study in here).

The community concept is central

Small web companies particularly benefit from the large network and the community-oriented way of working - "because you don't have to develop everything on your own and can concentrate more on implementing a website," explains Birchler. At his employer Required, other web agencies are therefore not seen as competition. "We benefit from working together and complementing each other's strengths." The connection with the community is correspondingly high, and give and take is firmly anchored in the mindset: "I think it's a shame if you earn money with WordPress and don't give anything back to the community," says Birchler.

But Liip, as a larger web agency, also cultivates the community idea. Some employees officially have so-called "open source budgets", which allow them to invest part of their working time in community work. There are many reasons for this. "It's important for employees to give something back, and it's fun to exchange ideas with like-minded people," says Oderbolz, who will also be attending the Wordcamp. Last but not least, it is sometimes "just the community that can help you out of a jam".

Text: Simone Isliker

About WordPress

WordPress is committed to the General Public License. This means that all adaptations to the open source software must be distributed under the same license, i.e. also open source. WordPress was created in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, and the first stable version was released in early 2004.
The fact that the software can be used by anyone doesn't mean that you can't earn money with WordPress. There is, for example, the business model of Automattic, operator of the portal www.wordpress.com, which is owned by Matt Mullenweg. They not only provide software, but also space on the web server. The basic offer is usually free, but Automattic charges money for additional functions such as more storage space or faster support. Automattic is estimated to be worth one billion US dollars.
Countless companies also develop paid themes (website templates) or plug-ins (extended functions or services), which they offer for sale on various portals. Open source does not necessarily apply to themes and plug-ins, even if there are many developers who disclose their codes. One of the most successful plug-ins is the online store solution WooCommerce. Today, around one in three online stores runs with this plug-in. It is even free of charge - you earn money with separate extension packages. This year, the company WooThemes, which developed the plug-in, was acquired by Automattic for an estimated 30 million US dollars. (sis)

20 articles per month will remain available free of charge. Further articles will be subject to a charge in future, as the four newspapers informed their readers on Thursday. Those who want to use more content and do not have a newspaper subscription will be offered a digital subscription with different terms.

The Bund, which also belongs to the Zurich-based Tamedia publishing house, introduced the paywall back in October 2014. (SDA)

In her opening speech at the Grand Opening, Leuthard called for media companies to diversify today. This is part of economic freedom and a downright entrepreneurial duty. "However, media companies have a special responsibility. Media are not just a commodity, but entertainment and civic education at the same time."

Doris Leuthard built a bridge from the art in the foyer to the journalism in the building: "Art is celebrated in the entrance, journalism is practiced on the upper floor. Art becomes journalism, where messages are painted with a brush - journalism becomes art, where clever headlines are chiseled out of mountains of files."

Federal Councillor Kurt Furgler had opened the Ringier Press House in 1978 with a quote from the French writer and philosopher Albert Camus - Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard did the same and closed her much applauded speech with the Camus quote "Happiness and success are only given to those who generously agree to share both".

In her welcoming address to the opening guests, Zurich's Mayor Corine Mauch emphasized that Zurich's future as a media capital is secure as long as the media companies tackle the major challenges facing the media industry with innovation, openness to new ideas and investment in the future. Ringier is the best example of this. Corine Mauch: "This can be seen at Ringier not only in the example of the Pressehaus, but also in the Digital Zurich 2025 initiative launched by Ringier CEO Marc Walder - the initiative will have an impact beyond the industry and will benefit Zurich as a business location as a whole." At the Grand Opening, Mauch conveyed the best wishes of Zurich City Council for Ringier's plans for the future.

Ringier CEO Marc Walder called on the guests to "perceive digital development as a historic opportunity, not as a disruptive threat". "What is needed is entrepreneurial courage, a willingness to innovate and political foresight," said Marc Walder. The successful conversion of the Pressehaus should stand for this.

While more than 500 Ringier employees had already celebrated their own Grand Opening the day before, with Swiss singer-songwriter Bastian Baker providing the musical entertainment, Belgian superstar Milow performed as a surprise guest on Thursday.

The current, extensive refurbishment began in December 2014. In addition to the new, large Energy Flagship Studio on the first floor and The Studio café-bar managed by Kramer Gastronomie with a small show stage and a view directly into the radio studio, The Gallery meeting zone was created alongside the redesigned foyer and the new reception desk by the famous British object artist Liam Gillick: a new meeting point for employees, waiting area for guests, meeting location and exhibition area for exhibits from the Ringier collection all in one.

Around 70 percent of Swiss companies rely on open source for web servers, databases, server systems or programming languages. Around a quarter are frequent users, i.e. at least half of them use open source technologies. This is the remarkable result of the Open Source Study Switzerland 2015. 38 public authorities, 98 ICT companies and 64 companies from other sectors were asked how and why they use open source software as part of the study.
Open source offers the opportunity to avoid the high license costs of commercial providers - and these can have a massive impact. The open standards and the community as a source of knowledge exchange are also seen as strengths by many respondents.
Nevertheless, there is still a lot of untapped potential with regard to open source, the authors of the study conclude. This applies in particular to public administration. It clearly lags behind the private sector, which uses open source in far more places. One of the reasons for this is probably the conditions for public tenders.

What still stands in the way of open source

The "bad reputation" of open source is no longer one of the most important obstacles. Instead, most of the companies surveyed cited a lack of interfaces (65%), dependencies on proprietary systems (64%), but also the lack of supplier liability (63%), which, according to the study, apparently unsettles many companies. The perceived lack of commercial support, to which 62% of respondents refer, is a cause for concern. In the case of proprietary software, the requested services can only be obtained from the manufacturer. In the open source sector, the market is more open and non-manufacturers are also allowed to offer support. Obviously, however, the demand for services is not sufficiently covered in every respect. (sis)

Schmidt succeeds Kurt Loetscher, who took on a new role at the Group in May and remains responsible for Public Affairs in Switzerland, as well as Hans Imboden, who has been interim Head of Communications since May. 

At the same time, Michelle Roth will take over the operational management of the communications department as Deputy Head of Communications in addition to her role as Head of External Communications, while Felix Fischer will remain responsible for internal communications.

Thomas Schmidt is in charge of global public affairs activities at Group level. He also took over as Head of Communications for the European region on August 1 and is a member of the European management team. Schmidt was previously responsible for the ABB Group's media office for more than 15 years. He holds degrees in economics from the University of Aberdeen and the London School of Economics.

Michelle Roth has been Head of External Communications at ABB Switzerland since 2012; she was previously Head of Public Relations at Axpo Holding. She has a degree in German Studies and Communication and Media Studies from the University of Basel.
 

The 17-minute image film about Gossau was surprisingly named one of the eight best tourism films in the world at the 2014 Grand Prix of the Comité International des Festivals du Film Touristique (CIFFT) in Vienna. Werbewoche spoke to director Roland Koch about modest budgets, compelling stories and life in the countryside.

WW: Your film beat 1500 competitors to make it into the eight nominees - alongside films about Istanbul, South Australia and Dubai. How did you manage that with your small film about a small Swiss community?
Cook: I was wondering the same thing. According to the jurors, it was the story. Tourism films usually rely on elaborate technical effects and bombastic images that are strung together and accompanied by music. Instead, I used simple means to tell a story that is resolved humorously at the end. It's about a director who believes he needs a big star for his image film about Gossau. While this star takes his time in make-up, the director begins to talk about Gossau. In the end, it turns out that the film doesn't need a star at all - because Gossau itself is the star.

You had a budget of 70,000 francs for the film. Would you have made a completely different movie if the budget had been bigger?
Especially with small budgets, you can't avoid developing a good idea so that you can work towards it with the available resources. This may even be easier if you have a small budget. Big budgets tempt you to create ideas for which you can use the available money. Elaborate effects alone don't make a movie better. But sometimes I would have liked to have invested more time in order to capture a very specific lighting mood in the landscape shots, for example.

What were the requirements of the municipality of Gossau?
The municipality's only requirement was to show the most beautiful sides of Gossau. But we didn't stage anything that wasn't there. It's an honest image film, for example about the outlets for young people in the village. There is only one youth club in Gossau, "grossi Gümp macht das nöd", which is how the film describes the local nightlife. Gossau can score points with other strengths.

You shot almost exclusively with non-professionals. What do you have to watch out for?
It is important that non-professional actors are not forced into an unfamiliar role or even made to perform a memorized text. If a mayor has to talk about the advantages of his community in front of the camera, it quickly comes across as stilted and wooden. We deliberately omitted such scenes and used a professional actor for the only speaking role, Peter Fischli. The amateurs in the film don't play roles, they play themselves.

Everyone associates certain ideas with Dubai or Istanbul. Is it more challenging to highlight what is unique about Gossau?
I think both would be equally challenging for me. If I got a film commission from Dubai, I would also want to show the nooks and crannies, the things that make the city authentic and likeable. To do that, I would have to scratch the surface of the usual points of interest. Perhaps as a director you even have more freedom to make a movie about an unknown place like Gossau - because there are no preconceived clichés.

How did people in the international environment of the award react to the film?
Of course, this was the first time many people had heard of Gossau. The reactions of the viewers were consistently positive, they found the community likeable. One juror from Berlin was even keen to get to know Gossau. He actually traveled to the Zurich Oberland and visited the village.

How well do you know life in the countryside from your own experience and what do you like about it?
I live in Flaach in the Zurich wine country. What I like about living in the countryside is that it's manageable and people know each other. It's also a nice balance to my everyday working life. When I take on photo assignments or work with large film crews, things are often hectic. I can take a deep breath in the countryside.

Interview: Simone Isliker

In a nutshell

The image film "Gossau ZH - the liveable municipality in the Zurich Oberland" was produced by director Roland Koch and screenwriter Flavien Allenspach on behalf of the municipality of Gossau. It has won eight international awards at festivals around the world, qualifying it for the final, the 2014 Grand Prix of the Comité International des Festivals du Film Touristique (CIFFT) in Vienna. There he unexpectedly made it into the eight nominees.