The Swiss software company Adnovum, headquartered in Zurich and with branches in Bern, Budapest, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore, is reorganizing its management. This will create the organizational framework for the further sustainable expansion of the core business of application development, according to a company statement. At the same time, the IT Consulting, Application Management and Products divisions will be strengthened.

Peter Gassmann, previously Head of Marketing and Sales and Head of IT Consulting at Adnovum, has been appointed Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and member of the Executive Board. In this role, he will be responsible for Adnovum's market strategy and the expansion of the IT Consulting division. Gassmann, a graduate engineer HTL, has been working for Adnovum since September 2010. As a project manager and senior IT consultant, he was involved in the design and implementation of solutions and strategy development in the areas of security and identity and access management. In April 2012, he took over the management of the strategic IT Consulting division and subsequently expanded AdNovum's IT consulting offering. Prior to this, he worked for Zurich Financial Services and Sun Microsystems, among others.

Knut Eschweiler will take up the newly created position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on February 1 and become a member of the Executive Board. In this role, he will be responsible for financial management and human resources. Knut Eschweiler, lic. oec. University of Zurich, has 14 years of experience as CFO and member of the Executive Board of IT companies in the areas of Finance and Controlling, Corporate Services and Human Resources. He previously worked as CFO at Adcubum, Bluewin, Swisscom Wholesale and the IT department of the City of Zurich.
 

AZ Medien is consolidating a central service unit in the Media Switzerland division with the sales department. The sales division, headed by Richard Schmied, will in future report to Roland Kühne, according to a press release issued on Monday. In addition to the newspaper and book publishing, the customer contact center (KKC) and sales will be managed as a central service organization in the Media Switzerland division. The aim is to place the KKC and sales with over 2,000 distributors and 8 clients under one management.
 

Back in December, Leutert announced that he would be retiring at the end of 2015 (Werbewoche.ch reported). According to the article, word of Gebel's plan has spread at Leutschenbach in recent weeks and has met with little enthusiasm in the sports department. Gebel has only worked briefly in sports departments in his career - at the Bieler Tagblatt and the Canal 3 radio station. He is said to have good contacts with SRG director Rudolf Matter. It is not least thanks to this connection that Gebel is said to have made the leap from DRS 1 program director to head of TV entertainment in 2011.

Notker Ledergerber, Head of Sports Programming, and Roland Mägerle, Head of Major Projects in the Sports Business Unit, are also said to be interested in succeeding Leutert. This department primarily negotiates the broadcasting rights for major sporting events and was previously headed by Urs Leutert, who also held the position of Head of Sport. According to SRG spokesperson Daniel Steiner, the company intends to retain this personal union. The NZZ am Sonntag sees this as reducing Gebel's chances, as he has no experience in the field of sports rights. (hae/NZZaS)

As a cleaner, Beat Schlatter happens to witness the team meeting of the planned air show at the Dübendorf airfield and thus knows the choreography. After an instruction for flight students, the military pilots sit down at the cockpit, perform their flight acrobatics under the "choreographic guidance" of Beat Schlatter, which are marveled at and applauded by the extras with "Aaahhh!" and "Ooohhh!

The short film "Flugshow" was created in collaboration with the production company Filmgerberei and its director Tillo Spreng. The contribution points out the importance of an early ankylosing spondylitis diagnosis. In fact, there are about 70,000 people with ankylosing spondylitis in Switzerland. But most of those affected by this painful rheumatic disease are unaware of their diagnosis. Moreover, it takes an average of six years from the first symptoms of the disease to diagnosis. "During this time, sufferers often live in uncertainty. Is exercise good for them or should they take it easy? It is therefore enormously important to shorten this long period of uncertainty," emphasizes René Bräm, Executive Director of the Swiss Bekhterev's Disease Association. At Bechterew.ch there is a diagnostic test. Equally unmistakable is to show how important active movement is for those affected in order to fight against the stiffening in the back.
 

Responsible at the Swiss Bekhterev's Disease Association: René Braem (Managing Director). Responsible at Filmgerberei: Tillo Spreng (director), Silvio Gerber (camera), Maximilian Speidel (production manager), Alessandro Biffi (post-production).

Boesch was initially able to present the first report on the elections in Greece as planned. However, after switching to correspondent Werner van Gent, Boesch was obviously no longer able to continue presenting. "She felt sick and blacked out," SRF spokeswoman Andrea Wenger told 20 minutes. Sports presenter Sascha Ruefer stepped into the breach with the sports news. Afterwards, however, the "Tagesschau" had to be canceled. Presenter Boesch had fallen ill and was no longer able to continue presenting, said Ruefer. How SRF writes, Boesch is now feeling better again. (SDA/hae)

 

I can get over the little bit of fever, I thought. But then it suddenly got dark... Merci @sascharuefer and @WasilikiG! #srftagesschau

- Cornelia Boesch (@CorneliaBoesch) January 25, 2015

It's not better to swim when you're drunk, but more dangerous. For example, the risk of circulatory shock in the water - known as swimming death - increases considerably if you have had too much to drink before going for a swim. Alcohol also reduces and impairs many of the body's own protective mechanisms, which work in an emergency situation.

The Australian campaign #DontDrinkAndSink reminds people that drinking alcohol and having fun in the bath do not belong together. The agency 303Lowe from Sydney created three commercials in December that do without any shock images or drama. Actor Dan Ewing, pro skater Corbin Harris and TV presenter Erin Molan give the supposed alcohol ads a prominent face - by Australian standards. And even if it's not summer on this side of the globe, we can still keep the message in mind. (hae)
 

According to Schweiz am Sonntag, the idea of turning the greater Zurich area into a digital cluster of European significance had its breakthrough in the last two months when the high-profile committee was formed to drive the initiative forward. The committee includes prominent CEOs: Heinz Karrer (Economiesuisse), Harry Hohmeister (Swiss), Sergio Ermotti (UBS), Patrick Warnking (Google Switzerland), Urs Schaeppi (Swisscom), Andreas Meyer (SBB), Herbert Bolliger (Migros), Markus Hongler (Mobiliar), Detlef Trefzger (Kühne & Nagel) and Ivo Furrer (Swiss Life Switzerland). Politicians are represented on the committee by Zurich Mayor Corinne Mauch (SP) and Cantonal Councillor and Director of Economic Affairs Ernst Stocker (SVP).

According to Walder, the cross-industry initiative is not only aimed at Zurich as a media location, but will be open to all companies. All industries are facing huge challenges due to digitalization - especially the financial centre, according to Walter. The Ringier CEO therefore sees the idea as "a huge opportunity for this location and for Switzerland as a whole". The vision of Europe's digital capital is modeled not only on Silicon Valley, but also on Tel Aviv and New York, where Walder got the idea from Mayor Bloomberg and his "Media NYC 2020" initiative.

Specifically, "Digital Zurich 2025" has the following objectives: Supporting the digital transformation of Swiss companies, training digital talent, attracting start-ups and ensuring a good political framework. A kick-off event will be held in spring to provide information on how these goals are to be achieved. Zurich is in a good starting position thanks to Google's European location, but also faces strong competition from cities such as Berlin and London. For Google, the location has suddenly become more expensive due to the appreciation of the Swiss franc. However, the company is sticking with Zurich and wants to expand further, as Google CEO Eric Schmidt told the Switzerland on Sunday insured. (hae/SaS)
 

In a broad-based promotional campaign, the magazine called on its readers to create their own chicken spice blend from 25 ingredients and to give it a name. The Swiss spice specialist Oswald was won as a promotional partner. Zurich-based agency Match Communications developed and provided communications for the reader campaign. The campaign included the website Well-seasoned.ch, web banners, print ads, POS advertising at kiosks, a magazine topper with scented varnish, and other complementary measures.

Around 1'500 spice creations were submitted. They were evaluated by an expert jury from the point of view of which entry has the best marketing chances. The expert jury includes Karin Oehmigen, culinary expert Swiss LandLiebe, Beat Welti, Managing Director of Oswald, Oskar Marti ("Chrüter-Oski"), experienced top chef and herb specialist, and Thomas Stocker, product developer at Oswald. Among three finalists, Mrs. Margrit Ruckstuhl from Winterthur was awarded with her winning blend "Oma Babettes Güggeli". Oswald will include the winning blend in its product range. It will be on sale from May 2015.

Responsible at Ringier: Christina Schurter (Head of Subscriber Marketing), Barbara Steiner (Product Manager), André Frensch (Editorial Director LandLiebe), Nadia Neuhaus (Photographer Judging). Responsible at Match Communications: Michaela Döbeli, Christian Staub, Roland Sennhauser.
 

The 51-year-old Daniel Grossen, Internet pioneer and founder of the Scout24 Group Switzerland, comments on the reasons for his involvement as follows: "For quite some time, I have been observing the digital development in the advertising market with strong interest. The innovation and technological performance of adwebster has convinced me enormously."

The 55-year-old Martin Bisang, entrepreneur and ex-banker, comments on his entry into Adwebster as follows: The dynamics of adwebster remind me of our Bellevue founding days, where conventional structures could also be totally reinvented. It is extremely exciting for me to create "new things" with entrepreneurs like Daniel Grossen and Andi Nigg."

Both new shareholders will join Andi Nigg and Franz d'Huc on the Board of Directors. Franz d'Huc, who has accompanied adwebster as a corporate coach and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) since 2012, took over as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on January 1, 2015. The business economist and entrepreneur (EMBA in Entre-preneurship FH St. Gallen) has been accompanying startups in the Internet industry for over 20 years as a trustee and consultant. Sandro Albin 32, Chief Operation Officer (COO) and Franz d'Huc will continue to drive the operational growth of adwebster. This new structure in the management allows the previous CEO Michel Lazecki 39 to focus fully on the technological development of adwebster.

In addition to the changes in the Board of Directors, Adwebster is pleased to announce the addition of Caroline Schultheiss, Account Manager, and Dragan Dojcinovic, Account Consultant, to the team.

Ovomaltine, Via/Radion laundry detergent, Lindt chocolate, the Opel Kadett, Maggi Golderbs soup, Union Bank of Switzerland, Pepsi Cola and Coop coffee: these eight products and companies were touted in the first commercial break. The spots, in black and white, showed ovomaltine-starched, athletic boys, men dreaming of an Opel with plenty of storage space for the girlfriend, and a German businessman raving about the Bankgesellschaft while on vacation in Ticino. Running ads was much more expensive back then than it is today. Broadcasting a 30-second spot cost 3600 francs, which would be the equivalent of 12'700 francs today. Today, a 30-second spot costs an average of only 3500 francs.

The hefty price had its reasons. There were hardly any other stations to which viewers could have switched, and the attention paid to the spots was high. The advertising association "Schweizer Reklame" wrote in May 1965: "Demand for the article has increased, as our customer assures us, at least 5-fold, and all because of the TV ads."

TV commercial Ovomaltine, 1965 (Source: Youtube/Ovaltine)

"Better than you had to fear"

The TV commercials were discussed intensively in the press. One newspaper praised the films as "solid and down-to-earth, graphically flawless. The Olten newspaper Das Volk wrote on February 3, 1965: "The flash films last 20 seconds, 30 seconds, once 40 or exceptionally 60 seconds. Whether this advertisement strikes like lightning is another question. You can hardly blow your nose, otherwise you've missed the nice little story." The Luzerner Vaterland was even more critical on May 1 of the same year: "One thing can be said today with full satisfaction: the spots are of better quality than one had to fear. Of course, this also means that the possibilities for comparison are not so good. What comes in over our borders is below a responsible limit."

For television, the commercials were the salvation: At the beginning of the 1960s, the young company, which had been on the air since 1953 as a trial operation and definitely from 1958, was on the brink of extinction. This was because the federal government had ordered it to do without advertising. The calculation did not work out: The fees paid by the 180,000 television households brought in only two million francs, too little for a daily program. In 1964, the Federal Council finally gave the go-ahead. After long negotiations, the newspaper publishers also agreed. In return, they were given a stake in the then marketing company AG für das Werbefernsehen (AG for advertising television), so that they could also earn something from TV advertising themselves.

Advertising should not interfere

For the SRG Director General at the time, Marcel Bezençon, it was clear: "The introduction of an advertisement that does not disturb the subscriber and that will bring in several millions is a success." In the very first year, television earned 21 million francs. Publishers also breathed a sigh of relief: The drop in advertising was only two percent. Until today, the allowed advertising time has been increased again and again. In the beginning, only 12 minutes per day were allowed. Now, the legal maximum for SRG is 15 percent of broadcasting time. However, only 12 minutes of advertising may be broadcast per hour. Interruptive advertising has been allowed since 1992. In 1998, the ban on advertising on Sundays and public holidays was dropped. It is difficult to say whether and to what extent viewers are bothered by the involuntary program breaks. Most complaints do not make it to the broadcasters.

Publisuisse, which emerged from the AG für das Werbefernsehen, collects all complaints from all language regions. In the past two years, there have been just 35 complaints, according to a statement made by Publisuisse. Moreover, the complaints tended to be of a content-related nature, for example because of the permissive "Love Life" campaign of the Federal Office of Public Health.

Publishers demand advertising ban for SRG

The publishers are less relaxed today. They have not held a stake in Publisuisse since 1995 and are on a confrontation course with the SRG, because the latter is contesting advertising revenues with the private sector and at the same time profiting from fees. At the beginning of the year, publisher president Hanspeter Lebrument therefore demanded that SRG get out of the advertising business. His proposal: SRG should receive the fees, while the private broadcasters should receive the advertising. This idea is not going down well with SRG. Without advertising, the broadcasters would have to forego 25 percent of their revenues. According to SRG, cuts would probably first have to be made in in-house productions, which are the most popular with viewers. The SRG is also convinced that the advertising money would then not end up with Swiss private broadcasters as intended, but with the advertising windows of RTL, Sat1 and others, i.e. abroad. (SDA)

Image: Keystone

The first commercial block can be seen at Publisuisse.ch

The realization of the winning project will be fully financed with additional support from SRG SSR. The 6th CH-Dokfilm-Competition 2015 is launched by the Migros Culture Percentage on the topic of time. Jacqueline Zünd's film project (production: Real Film, Zurich) is titled "2.8 Days" and is dedicated to the topic of children of divorce. Two adults separate, a family falls apart, children's lives are divided. Two worlds emerge from a supposed unity, spread over two spaces. Starting from the current practice in Switzerland, where joint custody becomes the rule in the case of divorce, the Zurich director sets out to approach the situation from the perspective of the children. The focus will be on external as well as internal spaces - and on the spaces in between.

Jacqueline Zünd convinced the jury with her idea to address the reality of children of divorce and thus a socially and societally relevant issue for Switzerland in a documentary film. "This time we had the choice of three very strong projects. The decision was made in favor of a project that illuminates the topic of space from a new perspective and in a cinematic style," says Nicole Hess, Project Manager Film in the Directorate of Culture and Social Affairs of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives, and jury president. The film addresses a current issue in a cinematically independent and differentiated manner. It is expected to premiere in cinemas in 2016.

The jury was composed of:

- Nicole Hess, Project Manager Film, Directorate Culture and Social Affairs, Migros-
Federation of Cooperatives, Zurich, Jury President
- Simon Baumann, director and producer, Suberg
- Barbara Pichler, Director Diagonale, Graz
- Lara Stoll, slam poet, Winterthur
- Nicolas Wadimoff, documentary filmmaker and producer, Geneva
- Sven Wälti, Head of Co-Productions, General Directorate SRG SSR, Bern

Competition theme 2015: Time

In 2015, the Migros Culture Percentage is holding its sixth CH documentary film competition, this time on the theme of time. It invites Swiss filmmakers to deal with this current and socially relevant factor for Switzerland in documentary form. We are looking for film ideas that take a differentiated and independent approach to the subject of time. They can be everyday stories, but also interpretations of an intellectual or philosophical nature that point beyond everyday life, the present and the real. The competition will again be held in two stages.

Entry deadline for the 1st round: May 8, 2015, award ceremony as part of the Locarno Film Festival 2015; entry deadline for the 2nd round: December 6, 2015; award ceremony for winning project as part of the Solothurn Film Festival 2016.

It extends to Ohmygift.ch the New Year celebrations until the end of January. To facilitate the move and at the same time to please the addressees, things that no longer have a place in the new premises are given away. Those who go in search of an original gift, soon realize that this is more about the fun than disposing of items.

Responsible at Havas Worldwide Genève: Gabriel Mauron (CD), Thibaud Genevois (text), Simeon Brandner (AD).