The company designed and operated numerous corporate blogs for large companies and institutions, offered consulting in the field of social media and developed its own software tool for professional social media communication, the Social Media Kit. Blogwerk also operated its own blogs (e.g. Newly.com). As Blogwerk announced on Thursday at the Website will cease operations at the end of February. According to the announcement, the integration of Blogwerk's competencies could not be implemented as expected. A new buyer could not be found. However, the operation of the social media kit applications is secured until the end of 2015. Founder Peter Hogenkamp commented on the closure on Twitter with the words: "The worst nightmare comes true." (hae)

The therapeutic products control authority Swissmedic intervened. Swissmedic spokesperson Lukas Jaggi confirmed a report in Blick on Thursday that the authority is "examining measures". The Therapeutic Products Act prohibits advertising to the public for prescription-only medicines. The mention of Botox in the program was therefore not permitted. Jaggi said that the infringement was probably not deliberate. The producers of the youth program - in contrast to science editors - were simply not sensitized enough to the topic.

The case is being investigated internally by SRF because the broadcaster paid for the cosmetic treatment. Such a payment is not permitted under SRF's journalistic guidelines, said SRF spokesperson Jonathan Engmann. However, SRF is fundamentally behind the portrait and the series, which is about presenting extraordinary people. (SDA)
 

The newspaper will be in your letterbox for the first time on January 6, 2015. The Klettgauer Bote will be published as usual on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, according to a press release. It is produced in Schleitheim by Stamm + Co, and the publishing director is the previous publisher of the Landzeitung, Thomas Stamm.

The joint newspaper will combine the content of the Klettgauer Zeitung and the Landzeitung and report on events throughout Klettgau. The Klettgauer Bote will also be non-partisan. An editorial board will maintain the connection to the population. The Klettgauer Zeitung was previously published on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with a circulation of 1,476 copies. The Schaffhauser Landzeitung has a circulation of 2256 copies and was published on the same days. The new newspaper will have a circulation of around 3000 copies, as was reported on request. (SDA)
 

The changes come into force on January 1, 2015. Users give their consent by continuing to use the network's services after that date. Facebook has so far created its users' advertising profiles based on their activities on the network itself. Now, apps and websites used outside of Facebook will also be included for this purpose. In the US, this has already been the case for several months. For example, someone who searches the Internet for offers for their next vacation could have ads for travel displayed on their profile the next time they visit. If someone buys a stereo system over the Internet, ads for speakers or other accessories will most likely be displayed on their Facebook page. Anyone who does not want this to happen should be able to turn it off. To address privacy concerns, Facebook also published an interactive guide on "Privacy Basics." It is designed to help users control their information on Facebook. (SDA)

Communicating animal welfare issues is not easy: most people would actually support the cause, but don't want to see shocking and distressing images. So they prefer to look away and focus on more easily digestible topics instead of informing themselves. This explains, for example, why many people still wear real fur collars, even though organizations and the media have been informing people about the scandalous background for years. They are certainly not bad people, but they don't want to be informed and prefer to hide behind arguments full of holes and lame excuses (which can now be read again in the reader comments on the major online portals).

Perhaps it would be more efficient to shake people up with positive emotions. An Australian initiative shows how it can be done - and how to turn media, which is no longer so new, into an effective viral weapon. On November 17, it posted a video called "People being awesome" Facebook. The film is a series of human duck rescues, accompanied by music. At the end there is an appeal to the voters and the Labor Party of Victoria to take a stand against the apparently brutal and senseless duck hunt there. Plus link Saveourducks.com.

The video does not appear to be particularly elaborately produced or particularly original - many clips are already familiar from YouTube. But it works: The film was viewed over 88 million times (!) on Facebook in nine days and shared more than 1.8 million times (!). It was liked 750,000 times and commented on 35,500 times. Social media campaigns could be so easy - if they really hit the mark for a change. (hae)

The 51-year-old is a proven industry expert. After studying literature and philosophy at the University of Geneva, he was drawn to RTN, one of Switzerland's first private radio stations, as a radio presenter and later as account manager. He was then jointly responsible for the commercialization of the first Swiss radio advertising window and for the launch of the local television station Léman Bleu. He then moved to Goldbach, where he held various management positions within the Group from 2002. As Head of Sales, he was a member of the management of the subsidiary Goldbach Media for ten years before being appointed to the extended management of the Goldbach Group as Director Austria & Switzerland in 2014. He now joins the Group Executive Board as a new member in the function of Chief Commercial Officer. The other members of the management, the Executive Committee, of Goldbach Group are: Michi Frank, CEO, Lukas Leuenberger, CFO, Klaus Nadler, CMO, and Roland Wittmann, CSO.

For Jens Alder, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Goldbach Group, this is a strategic and logical decision: "We are clearly committed to focusing on our core competence as a digital sales house, so it was only the last logical step to integrate the Chief Commercial Officer into the Executive Board.

"Raoul Gerber has always proven to be a brilliant strategist and visionary over the past twelve years, during which he played a key role in shaping the development of Goldbach Media as Head of Sales; his personality and many years of industry knowledge make him an ideal addition to the existing management team," says Michi Frank, CEO of Goldbach Group.

Silvia Finke, who has lived in Zurich for eight years and is very well connected, according to the statement, is looking forward to the new task. "C-Matrix looks after interesting customers. Contributing my knowledge and skills to successfully solve their concerns will certainly be very exciting and varied." Alfred Köcher, Managing Partner, is also pleased about the addition: "With Silvia Finke, we have engaged one of the few people from the consulting environment who also has intensive experience in the industry. This will benefit our clients. We are all looking forward to working together." C-Matrix was founded in 1992 as a PR agency and today operates offices in Zurich, Bern and Geneva as a communications and business consultancy.
 

The Swiss Army Knifes - one in white, the rest in red - hang tightly packed from the ceiling. They form a globe that symbolizes Victorinox's worldwide presence. The white knife represents Switzerland and at the same time the home of the well-known traditional brand. According to the press release, the globe weighs 650 kilograms and measures a good two meters in diameter. Endurance and care were required during production and assembly: the knives hang from no fewer than 764 ropes of varying lengths. No wonder Frontwork needed around 1900 man hours to complete the work of art.

Frontwork develops complete solutions for visual appearances of companies, brands and products and employs 60 people in Wallisellen near Zurich.

The reason for the irritable mood is the Facebook call Borg's appeal to the audience to support the show. SRF Head of Entertainment Christoph Gebel: "We consider Andy Borg's appeal to be very clumsy. Rushing ahead in this way, at a time when decisions have not yet been made, has certainly not helped the cause." From a Swiss perspective, interest in the show remains high. Gebel: "But the show urgently needs to be brought into a new era."

Borg speaks out clearly against this planned "rejuvenation" on Facebook: "I keep hearing behind closed doors that the average age of the audience needs to be corrected downwards. But I am proud to say that our Stadl viewers are 68 years young on average." The "best agers" and "silver agers" like the show the way it is - not everyone has to like folk music.

According to Tele and TV-Star, the heads of BR, ORF and SRF are now discussing a modernization. According to Christoph Gebel, they need to think about "what the show should sound like afterwards, what it could look like - and last but not least, who will present it". A decision on how to proceed with the show will be made in spring 2015. What the future holds remains to be seen. Back in 2012, there was speculation that the show would end (Werbewoche.ch reported). (hae/pd)

Image: Keystone
 

"In Germany, we will soon be going live with a large publishing house," says Joiz boss Alexander Mazzara in the Handelszeitung. The starting point for the new technology service is the youth channel's existing business model. Joiz combines TV, web, mobile and social media in an interactive channel concept. The channel finances itself primarily through advertising, sponsorship or branded entertainment and, with its multi-channel advertising offering, meets the ever-increasing demand for new and customized forms of advertising with clear measurement tools that did not previously exist. Joiz stores everything its registered users do. "The data we can provide will increase the prices of advertising media many times over," Mazzara told Handelszeitung.

Business life is currently undergoing a lasting change. Experts are talking about the "Age of the Customer" (source: Forrester Research). They are firmly convinced that companies will only remain competitive if they focus clearly and consistently on the needs of their customers. This also has a massive impact on online retail. The e-business specialist Arithnea in Neubiberg near Munich explains the most important trends that will result from this change for e-commerce in the short and medium term.

1. multi-channel approach becomes business-critical: Companies that do not seamlessly integrate their online and offline channels will face difficulties in the near future. When customers buy or reserve products online, they expect to be able to pick them up or exchange them in-store if they wish. To do this, however, the store must always be aware of what has happened online and vice versa.

2. content and commerce are increasingly merging: Nowadays, online shoppers want a comprehensive "web experience" - seamless brand and theme worlds that pick them up emotionally, appeal to their target group and make the products "come alive". This cannot be achieved by presenting functional product features alone. Those who enrich product information with high-quality and relevant content (texts, photos, videos or blogs) can use this qualitative differentiation to secure market share in a strong growth market.

3. mobile commerce is catching on: Mobile devices are becoming increasingly important not only in the information phase, but also in the purchasing process. The functional scope of the cell phone as a "digital Swiss army knife" is expanding and our everyday lives are becoming less haptic and more digital. Mobile payment will soon become widespread. Customers will then be able to make convenient cashless payments at the checkout by simply placing their cell phone on their hands and authenticating themselves with a fingerprint or PIN.

4. the approach is personalized and targeted to the moment: The systematic recording and evaluation of customer activities - keyword Big Data - enables an increasingly individualized approach to potential buyers. In future, this will go far beyond the usual classification according to target groups such as gender, age or marital status. Geo-location will also become more important: a shopper who is out and about in the city center will receive a discount voucher valid for thirty minutes for a predefined product on their smartphone, in the immediate vicinity of which they are currently located.

5. B2B is oriented towards B2C commerce: Purchasers in companies are mostly B2C customers in their private lives and are characterized by these standards. They expect an adequate and efficient "experience", even when buying screws or excavators, for example. Usability and customer orientation are the key buzzwords that the B2B sector is increasingly addressing and must address in order to remain competitive.

6. companies reorganize their processes: Through an internal realignment, online retailers need to ensure that their back-end processes focus on the customer rather than internal structures, departments or processes. Many shoppers expect a product ordered online to be delivered to them as quickly as possible. This is why companies are increasingly implementing picking and logistics processes for same-day delivery. This also applies to the food trade, which must guarantee a continuous cold chain for fresh goods.

7 Augmented reality is in the starting blocks: The first approaches to virtual shopping are already a reality. For example, customers want to see how a piece of furniture will look in their own home. This trend towards "virtual reality" will continue and expand into "augmented reality" in the medium term. With the help of smart glasses, shoppers will then be able to take a tour of a store - at home and without the hassle of driving or searching for a parking space.

"Consistently focusing on customer needs is the be-all and end-all for a successful online store today. This applies to both B2B and B2C commerce," says Heiko Wilknitz, Member of the Management Board and Business Unit Manager E-Commerce & PIM at Arithnea. "Companies that ignore this and don't offer online shoppers what they expect will simply be left behind in the future."

As a strategic e-business partner, Arithnea realizes solutions in the B2B and B2C environment: from consulting and strategic orientation to creative design and technical implementation to the operation of e-business solutions. Its clients include companies such as Airbus, BSH Bosch and Siemens Hausgeräte, Prosieben Sat 1 and Sport 1. Arithnea has around 140 permanent employees, is based in Neubiberg near Munich and has branches in Bremen, Frankfurt and Stuttgart.

Teaser image: Arithnea.com