Gold is worth more than ever - at least the golden cubes of the ADC Switzerland: On Saturday, the association of leading creatives in the communications industry awarded the best works of the year, handing out four gold for groundbreaking work, 23 silver and 65 bronze.

Many large companies were among the winners: Gold was awarded twice to Swiss and once to Neuroth Hörgeräte-Akustik. Migros and Samsung are represented several times in the silver and bronze categories, as are well-known brands and companies such as Suva, Bank Coop, Swiss Post, Graubünden, Switzerland Tourism, Welti-Furrer and Milch.

The gold work

Cat. Digital Craft: World of Swiss - Hinderling Volkart

The "World of Swiss" experience platform takes the user on an interactive journey above the clouds and behind the scenes of the airline. The technologically highly innovative and user-friendly virtual flight journey sets a new standard of craftsmanship and was awarded gold in the Digital Craft category, according to the ADC press release.

Cat. Film: "Seats for Switzerland" - Publicis 

 

This series shows in documentary form how Swiss brings people together who have not seen each other for years. According to the ADC, the emotionality and authenticity of these stories set a new standard in Swiss advertising films and were awarded gold.

Cat. Promotions, Events: The hearing test concert for Neuroth - FCB Zurich

With the world's first hearing test concert, the hearing aid acoustics company is breaking new and impressive ground in communication.

Cat. Design, Corporate Identity: Electron Festival - The Workshop

For Switzerland's largest electronic dance festival, the symbols of electronic drawings were developed into new graphic figures and an independent language.

The evergreens

With an Evergreen, the ADC honors excellent campaigns that have been based on the same central idea for at least three years and demonstrate the highest level both strategically and conceptually.

Suva - Ruf Lanz

In its various accident prevention campaigns since 2002, Suva has used a unique tone to encourage Switzerland to behave safely during leisure time with humor and sympathy instead of admonishment.

Swiss Life "Turnaround rates" - Leo Burnett Switzerland

Once again, the creative and strategic performance of the Wendeatz campaign for Swiss Life, which ran from 2011 to the end of 2014, was recognized.

The start-up Jacando is a job placement portal for private customers and companies that aims to efficiently bring together job seekers and job providers. The Basel-based Tageswoche is incorporating Jacando's services into its classified ad portal Tageswoche.ch/classifieds as announced in a press release on Friday. The media company is responding to the fact that the job market has almost completely migrated from print to the Internet with the change in media.

Private applications are free of charge, companies pay 250 francs per job advertisement. In addition, companies have the option of booking an additional "matchmaking service" for a fee of five percent of the annual payroll, which considerably simplifies and accelerates the recruitment process. "This service is particularly interesting for small and medium-sized companies, as they usually do not have their own HR department and are nevertheless dependent on filling their vacancies in the best possible way," Dennis Teichmann, head of marketing at Jacando, is quoted as saying in the release. 

Anyone who occasionally travels by streetcar in Zurich is bound to have come across the VBZ streetcar, which Sympany Insurance has equipped with 100 practical everyday tips has provided. Recently, the Mazda campaign "Life Hacks" implements a similar idea. It uses short commercials to show how everyday life can be improved by breaking with common conventions. In an international campaign, WWF is now showing how the use of aggressive chemicals can be avoided. Will it help in a case of hardship? Leo Burnett Sydney created the commercials for WWF with the necessary touch of irony. (sis)

Andsjö does not explicitly confirm the new brand name. But he comments on the speculation as follows: "All I can say about this is that if this is the new brand, it would be a short, simple name that comes before Swisscom and Sunrise in the alphabet."

The reason for the change: At the beginning of 2017, the five-year license agreement that Orange Switzerland signed in order to be able to continue using the name of the French Orange as a subsidiary expires. In order not to be under time pressure, the decision was already made in 2014, says Andsjö.

The company estimates the cost of the rebranding at around 40 million Swiss francs. This amount is made up of the redesign of the stores and an increase in marketing expenditure to communicate the new brand.

But the new brand will also save money, since the license fee for the Orange name will be eliminated. Says Andsjö, "I'm not allowed to give the exact figure. But a range of 18 to 20 million francs per year has been mentioned in the media." If one assumes these figures, the company will be operating more cheaply with the new brand after just two years. Above all, however, the company has so far "invested in the brand of another company instead of building up its own brand," Andsjö told the NZZ am Sonntag.

After the launch event next Thursday, the stores will be closed for 72 hours and refitted, Andsjö announced in an interview with NZZ am Sonntag. The goal is to have at least 90 percent of the stores open with the new brand on the following Monday.

Asked whether Swiss telecom operators will face a price war from Salt's new owner Xavier Niel (known for aggressive price cuts), Andsjö replied in the negative. "We are launching a premium brand. Xavier Niel now operates in France, in Monaco, Israel and Singapore, and has a different strategy everywhere. Still, there is a kind of Xavier Niel DNA, and that is simplicity and innovation. But the pricing is different from market to market." (NZZ am Sonntag/sis)
 

The good cinema year announced has been confirmed in the first quarter of this year, and an attractive open-air summer is on the horizon. Publicitas Cinecom offers both classic cinema advertising on around 310 cinema screens and open-air cinemas as well as accompanying marketing and promotion measures. Juliane Merz and Marc Mühlemann complete the 20-strong team, which ensures that their regional and national clients have a successful and cinematic presence.

Juliane Merz is Head of Sales Cinema National. She has many years of sales and marketing experience in a wide range of media genres. Most recently, she was Advertising Manager for Das Beste from Reader's Digest. Together with her team, she is responsible for cinema marketing on a national level. The regional sales team remains under the leadership of Marcus Schuhmacher.

Marc Mühlemann is Product Manager Cinema. Marc Mühlemann holds a degree in business administration from a university of applied sciences as well as further training in marketing and sales innovation. Most recently, he was Product Manager Business Development at Homegate AG, where he was jointly responsible for the development of an online mortgage. Prior to that, he worked for a long time at UBS in various functions, including Senior Client Advisor and Marketing Specialist.
 

While downstairs in the exhibition more than 600 interested people viewed the work of dialog marketing agencies and their clients, the expert jury reviewed and evaluated the competition in separate rooms within the exhibition. The judging took place after the vernissage. The jurors were familiar from last year with digital judging using I-Pads and were able to evaluate the works in 17 different categories with little administrative effort.

Shortlist 2015

Awards were presented in 17 categories at the Swiss Dialog Marketing Prize. Who will win the awards is still open. But the jury has now determined the nominees for the categories. You can find the 2015 shortlist here.

The Award Night - the place of the award ceremony

The Award Night 2015 will take place on June 19, 2015 at the Kongresshaus Zurich. The winners will celebrate their victory on stage at a gala event. Further information and tickets can be found at Sdv-award.ch.

 

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If he could start again, he would take a diplomatic direction, Lahor Jakrlin is sure. Not only would he like to use his linguistic skills for negotiation - for balanced communication - as an impetus for change, but he also sees himself confronted daily with terrible facts that he would like to address. He is referring not only to a "rampant regimentation mania in Switzerland, accompanied by an insane expansion of the public service," but above all to a worrying rise in visible aggression among young people with foreign roots. So the Besa exhibition was born out of a desire to help improve things. "I have noticed that many immigrant children in Switzerland do not know the roots of their own culture; they have no foundation, nothing to be proud of, to feel connected to," he elaborates. Many Albanian youngsters, for example, know nothing about Besa, the Albanian code of honor, which promises to protect its guests. Even less known, apparently, is the fact that thousands of Jews survived World War II in Albania. The background, the promise Besa, is simply explained, but weighs all the more: in the Balkans, the Nazi regime hunted Jews with the help of its fascist allies. In Albania, too, people had to decide what to do with their Jewish neighbors in the face of the deadly fate that awaited them. The response of the plain Albanian people was simple, according to Yakrlin. "The Besa code of honor protected all Jews from certain death, this despite the danger that threatened any Albanian family that hid Jewish refugees with them."

"I can talk endlessly"
 

Born in 1955 in Zagreb, Croatia, and living in Switzerland since 1963, Lahor Jarklin moved from Bern to Bleiken near Oberdiesbach in the Emmental in 1997. His house is 863 meters above sea level - and thus about 63 meters above the fog line, he writes with a wink in his CV. In general, his projects, texts, and statements are almost always marked by small side-swipes and ironic asides - always in quiet tones, usually

accurate, never offensive. Texting has always been his passion. But not just in writing. "I can talk endlessly," he warns.
 

He put this talent to good use and founded the Fruitcake Werbung + Presse agency in 1985, when he was barely 30 years old. He began his career after a commercial apprenticeship as a tour manager for Popularis Tours and then as a buyer and resident manager for Airtour Suisse SA. In between, he introduced the branch for Western Switzerland for the international group Continental and did live reports and moderation at Radio ExtraBE (today Radio Bern1). He entered the agency world as an advertising assistant, junior copywriter and sales representative at ATW Agentur für Touristik und Werbung in Bern. One year after founding Fruitcake, he also worked for two years as initiator, co-owner, co-publisher and co-editor of the Berner Landbote.
 

"I've always liked to design, and my dream job as a child was definitely not locomotive engineer - although, open-spaces-minded as I was and am, I would certainly have liked to become a cowboy," he reflects on his résumé. He has also always enjoyed writing. "My reports to headquarters in Bern entertained the whole tour operating team," he recalls. A few years after founding Fruitcake, Jakrlin married and became a father for the first time three years later. "My kids," though long grown, are at the top of his list of interests.

 

Regionally active

The RBS (Regionalverkehr Bern-Solothurn) train runs from Bern to Worbboden through pasture and farmland, past large farms, timber-framed houses and natural streams. But the location doesn't play such a big role in the agency's work, says Lahor Jakrlin, "except that some potential clients would probably prefer to have their agency visits in more urban surroundings." And, of course, the fact that the increasing number of civil servants in Bern means that companies are being pushed out to more business-friendly cantons - a trend that has been observed for some time. In addition, another fact threatens the existence of agencies in the tourism canton of Bern: "In 1985, there were about ten times as many mountain railroads as there are today," Jakrlin cites as an example. Today, there are no fewer, it's just that they are now bundled into one company. "A lot is lost for agencies through mergers," he concludes. The same is true with regional transportation. Jakrlin recalls Zug Design, which the agency had executed in collaboration with Luigi Collani - best known for his aerodynamic and biomorphic shapes for cars, planes and consumer products. "After the mergers, today you don't need three or four advertising agencies, but only one. Of course, there's a big fight ... and then companies look for an agency in Zurich," Jakrlin laments. In the end, however, it's the agency and its work, not the location or awards, that count. Besides, the view of the Bernese Oberland and the good country air, as well as the proximity to Bern, also have their advantages, Jakrlin knows.

Lahor Jakrlin and his helpers at the Besa exhibition Anja Materny (Media Design, Polygraphy, Communication Consulting) and Kaya Murer (deputy AD Graphics, Creation) in front of a poster for the exhibition. Between them stands (symbolic of the events) a suitcase, which was present at every exhibition, adorned with the signatures of the vernissage visitors.
 

Looking at the greenery around the Fruitcake agency, he always realizes: "You simply can't starve here, in this country. We live in great prosperity, but therefore also have great guilt - we could do a lot," he says with conviction. From the level that we have in Switzerland, one simply has to be able to imagine what is going on in world history. We can't just pretend that it doesn't concern us or look away neutrally for the time being. In this context, diplomacy is certainly the right way to go, Jakrlin is convinced: "Whenever people come together, perhaps also in a conflict situation, the only way to get closer is in the form of distraction - and intellectual distraction at that: you have to think and imagine something new.

Ursina mason

The Fruitcake agency also liked to advertise with a wink in the past.

In a nutshell:
 

• 1983 - today: publicist, columnist and author, organizer of various exhibitions
• 1985 - today: Fruitcake Werbung + Presse AG (Managing Director, Creation, Production)
• 1986 - 1988: Initiator, co-owner, publisher and co-editor Berner Landbote Verlags AG
• 1987: Co-founder of the London Touroperating Dan-Air Tours AG Bern
• 1984-1985: Advertising assistant, junior copywriter and sales representative ATW Agentur für Touristik & Werbung AG, Bern
• 1983 - 1984: Staff member for news and life reports at Radio ExtraBE (today Bern1)
• 1981 - 1983: Introduction and management of the Western Switzerland branch of Continental Suisse SA
• 1975 - 1981: Travel Manager Popularis Tours, employee Planning/Purchasing of Airtour Suisse SA, of which 1979/80 Resident Manager London

Fruitcake.ch

Besa-Expo

The Besa expo consists of twelve portraits by US photographer Norman H. Gershman. He photographed descendants and family members of Albanian rescuers and juxtaposed the images with texts of the respective rescue operation. Introductory panels about the Holocaust, the history of Albania, the "Righteous Among the Nations" and the photographer Gershman complete the exhibition. The traveling exhibition, a logistical effort beyond compare, took place from May 2014 to April 2015 in Basel, Biel, Solothurn, Aarau, Windisch/Brugg, Zurich, Bern, Lucerne, Kollegium Immensee, St. Gallen, Lausanne, Geneva, and finally, as a highlight at the language border, at the University of Fribourg. Lahor Jakrlin gives the "spirit of reconciliation and tolerance" as the reason for this exhibition. In Switzerland, he says, Jews and Muslims, both minorities, have little contact; the Besa exhibition is intended to show a matter-of-factness with which Muslims rescued Jews. "As it were, Jews granted asylum in Israel to Bosnian and Albanian Muslims in an act of gratitude during the Balkan wars," Jakrlin elaborates. The aim is to use these historical "episodes", which have been largely unknown up to now, to invite the general public to talk about what happened and thereby get to know each other.

In the past financial year, AZ Medien generated sales of CHF 247.7 million (previous year: CHF 242.2 million / +2.3%), an Ebitda of CHF 25.2 million (previous year: CHF 28.6 million) and an operating result of CHF 6.3 million. (previous year: CHF 8.3 million.) The bottom line is a negative net result of minus CHF 6.0 million due to high write-downs and start-up losses on investments.

According to a statement on Friday, the company is maintaining its course of expansion and diversification into new channels. In the past financial year, Dietschi, the publisher of the Oltner Tagblatt, was taken over in full, the magazine Haustech was acquired from Axel Springer Schweiz, and the printing center in Aarau was expanded and modernized with the acquisition of a new rotary press, allowing the closure of the Subingen and Olten printing sites and thus leading to significant rationalization.

In electronic and digital media, the company launched the national TV24 channel, launched the Watson mobile platform, and created the central AZ Digital division. The projects and measures are on track, but continue to require a high level of resources; the start-up losses were written off in full. In total, the Board of Directors has approved investments of over CHF 40 million for 2014.

CEO Axel Wüstmann commented on the unsatisfactory result in the release as follows: "AZ Medien was able to increase sales both through acquisitions and new products, particularly in the electronic and digital business in 2014. However, the extraordinarily high start-up losses in the digital business and electronic media, as well as various one-off effects and depreciation and amortization, led to a negative consolidated result. For the current year, AZ Medien again expects a significant improvement in profitability."

 

It's about gravediggers, circumcisers and sexologists; about nuns, Yenish and marmots; about hedge fund managers, prostitutes and professional soccer players - the final theses of the diploma students cover a broad spectrum. Now they have been rewarded for their work: after two years of study, 41 young journalists received the Maz diploma yesterday, April 16, 2015. Almost all of them have a permanent position in an editorial office after graduation.

Hansi Voigt, editor-in-chief of Watson, said in his keynote speech that even if journalists currently suffer from a bad image - society "will not get along without people who are committed to the truth." The generation now graduating, Voigt said, would take advantage of opportunities that the journalistic generations before them "didn't even begin to see." Despite currently rampant "collective cynicism," "You still have the most beautiful profession in the world," Voigt called out to the graduates.

Completed the diploma training in journalism (in parentheses the editorial offices of the traineeship): Camilla Alabor (Zürcher Oberländer), Jonas Baud (Kleintiere Schweiz), Simon Binz (Solothurner Zeitung), Tanja Bircher (20 Minuten), Serena Bonomi (SDA), Oliver Bosse (March-Anzeiger), Denise Bucher (Magazin Tages-Anzeiger), Seraina Degen (Basler Zeitung), Elia Diehl (Aargauer Zeitung), Evelyne Fischer (Willisauer Bote), Sabina Galbiati (Aargauer Zeitung), Dominik Galliker (Berner Zeitung), Patrick Gasser (Jungfrau Zeitung), Daniel Graf (Südostschweiz), Peter Hanselmann (Radio Top), Kerstin Hasse (Bündner Tagblatt), Seraina Hess (Rheintaler Bote), Raffaela Heusser (Höfner Volksblatt), Marielle Käser (Radio 32), Salome Kern (Winterthurer Stadtbote), Simon Knopf (Tages-Anzeiger), Silja Kornacher (Migros Magazin), Karin Leuppi (Radio 32), Andrea Moser (Radio Munot), Fabio Müller (Bundeshausradio), Janine Müller (Aargauer Zeitung), Marco Pescio (Liechtensteiner Volksblatt), Raphael Reichen (Radio Pilatus), Isabelle Riederer (20 Minuten; a&w Verlag), Mireille Rotzetter (Freiburger Nachrichten), Marlon Rusch (Schaffhauser AZ), Lynn Scheurer (Tages-Anzeiger), Michelle Schwarzenbach (Schweizer Familie), Sarah Serafini (Aargauer Zeitung), Larissa Tschudi (sda), Michel Venetz (Walliser Bote), Linda von Burg (Inside-it.ch), Matthias von Wartburg (Energy Bern), Reto Wattenhofer (SDA), Simon Widmer (SonntagsZeitung), Christian Zürcher (Tages-Anzeiger).
 

The most money was spent on vehicle advertising in March. However, at 50.6 million francs, the total here fell by 3.3%. In contrast, more money was spent on food advertising, which recorded an increase of 6.3% to CHF 46.2 million. Retailers also stepped on the gas. They increased their advertising expenditure by 42.8% to CHF 40 million compared to the same month last year.

The biggest slump was in tobacco products. Here, the advertising budget plummeted by almost half to CHF 0.9 million. The IT sector also spent massively less (minus 31.1 percent) on advertising.

Broken down by company, the two retail giants Coop (up 30.4%) and Migros (up 23.5%) are at the top. Consumer goods manufacturer Procter & Gamble follows in third place (down 9.8%). The most popular product in March was Zalando.ch, ahead of Swisscom Vivo and UPC Cablecom Horizon Start Combi.

As in previous years, the most money was spent on TV advertising (32.1%), ahead of daily, weekly and Sunday press (27.2%). Only three percent of the budget was spent on internet advertising. 

You can find the complete Advertising Market Trend Report from March 2015 here here.