"We're thinking about how to give users choice," Wojcicki said while appearing at a conference hosted by the technology blog Recode on Monday (local time). It is already known that Youtube is working on a subscription service for music. On Youtube, advertising clips are displayed before the start of the video that a user wants to watch. Typically, they can be clicked away after a few seconds. Google does not report Youtube's advertising business individually. According to estimates by market researcher eMarketer, revenues reached $5.6 billion last year. Meanwhile, half of Youtube usage takes place on mobile devices, Wojcicki said. The total time spent watching Youtube videos increases by about 50 percent each year, he said. (SDA)

According to the press release, Myret Zaki has a solid track record in management. As editor-in-chief of Bilan since 2010, she has worked in particular on repositioning the magazine and expanding its digital offering. Myret Zaki's tasks as editor-in-chief will include ensuring continuity in Bilan's reporting, developing new editorial print and digital content and further developing the events organized by Bilan, including "Les 300 plus riches de Suisse" and "Soirée Femmes Leaders".

After completing her bachelor's degree in political science at the American University in Cairo and an MBA at the Business School of Lausanne in 1998, Myret Zaki worked for four years as a financial analyst in a private bank. In 2001, she joined the business editorial team of the daily newspaper Le Temps, where she was responsible for the financial pages and supplements. In January 2010, she was appointed deputy editor-in-chief of the business magazine Bilan. Myret Zaki is the author of three non-fiction books dedicated to the financial sector. The book "UBS am Rande des Abgrunds" was published in 2008, "Das Bankgeheimnis ist tot - Es lebe die Steuerflucht" in 2010 and "Dollar-Dämmerung", the translation of the 2011 French original "La fin du dollar", was published in 2012. In 2008, Myret Zaki was awarded the Swiss Journalist journalism prize for French-speaking Switzerland.

Myret Zaki will be supported in the editorial management by the two new deputy editors-in-chief Dino Auciello, who is currently responsible for the online offering Balance.ch and Serge Guertchakoff. Cristina d'Agostino, the journalist responsible for the special issue Luxus-Bilan, completes the trio of deputy editors-in-chief.

Photo: Bilan.ch

Special subjects were created for the Sunday press and for financial publications, while megaposters were designed to charmingly highlight budget planning. The campaign will be used from November 3 with a mix of offline and online measures in various media and will promote UBS e-banking and mobile banking.

Responsible at UBS: Daniel Fischer (Head of Marketing UBS Switzerland), Daniela Ciotto (Head Swiss Marketing Initiatives), Manuela Gualeni (Project Manager Swiss Marketing Initiatives), Daniel Hünebeck (Head Client Dialogue Marketing), Mirela Jusic (Digital Campaign Manager). Responsible at Publicis: Thomas Wildberger (CCO), Ralph Halder (ECD), Bruce Roberts, Regine Cavicchioli (AD), Albert Matzinger, Christian Schirmer, Thomas Schöb (Text), Pascal Schaub (Group Head), Gina Armellino, Beat Huber (Consulting), Adrian Häni, Samuel Bollow (Production). Responsible for film: Sonja Meier, Sandra Monse (Condor Films).
 

The sales activities in Olten will be brought together under one management and the editorial office of the Oltner Tagblatt will be organizationally integrated into "AZ Nordwestschweiz". As part of the takeover of Dietschi AG, AZ Medien is reorganizing itself in order to focus its activities in Olten more specifically on market requirements, as detailed in a press release.

Giuseppe Sammartano, CEO and Head of Sales, is leaving Dietschi at his own request to take up a new professional challenge. René Rindlisbacher, Publishing Director of Stadtanzeiger Olten, is leaving the company by mutual agreement at the end of March 2015. The company management would like to thank Giuseppe Sammartano and René Rindlisbacher for their great commitment to Olten.

"By merging the sales teams, the advertising market in the Olten area can be served more efficiently. We are delighted to have gained an experienced sales professional for this task in Predi Vukovic," says Dietrich Berg, Managing Director Newspapers.

Editorial office Oltner Tagblatt

Beat Nützi, Editor-in-Chief of the Oltner Tagblatt, will report to Christian Dorer, Editor-in-Chief of AZ Nordwestschweiz, as of 1.11.2014. Beat Nützi and his editorial team will continue to work locally to make Olten the most important newspaper for the region. The Oltner Tagblatt is already an edition of the AZ Nordwestschweiz newspaper network.

The Digital Magazine Awards has been in existence for five years now and awards outstanding and new digital magazines under an international jury. Mirus has earned a place on the list in the "Title Launch of the Year" category. The final elections will take place in Camden, London, in November. "We are quite surprised to be there alongside all these big players. Basically, we don't have any time to celebrate, because we're busy producing the second edition, which will be published in December," said publisher Stefan Jermann in a statement on Tuesday.
 
Mirus was conceived and designed by the Truce design agency. The CMS, which was developed from scratch and is completely responsive and based on a grid, was built over a period of one year. Mirus was launched in September (Werbewoche.ch reported).

The editorial team summarizes under Mediamonitor.ch The website brings together substantial, factual and opinionated articles from specialist and consumer media. The service was launched on Tuesday and can be subscribed to by e-mail. Specialists and managers receive an overview of the changes in the communications industry in the areas of "Media", "Journalism", "Social Media", "Communication", "Production/IT" and "Working World/Jobs". The editorial team focuses primarily on author contributions and journalistic texts that help to better understand media change and the effects on their own specialist area.

The dossier structure clearly bundles topics such as "e-marketing", "digital printing" and "media on the social web". This results in consistent collections of articles for interest groups in the media and communications industry. The new industry service is updated daily and subscribers receive a weekly overview of topics by e-mail. The Medienmonitor can also be followed via Medienwoche's social media channels on Facebook or Twitter or via RSS feeds at topic or dossier level.

Medienmonitor is not only based on Medienwoche in terms of its appearance, its editors Nick Lüthi and Ronnie Grob will also curate the platform for the subject areas "Media" and "Journalism" in future. With Dominik Allemann, Irène Messerli (Bernetblog.ch) and Nicole Schnell (Schnellkraft.ch), further expert support has been gained in the specialist areas of "Communication" and "Social Media". Readers also shape the editorial program, and specialist articles worth reading can be submitted directly via the platform as a link tip.

The new platform in responsive web design was created by Marco Leisi from The Band, while Markus Böniger from Weblotion was responsible for the IT.
 

Every year, McDonald's Swiss Weeks celebrate recipe classics such as raclette, fondue and Bündnerplättli with McDonald's typical interpretation. McFondue, McRaclette and McGrischun therefore no longer need to be explained down to the last onion ring. Instead, the new TV commercials celebrate the countless ways and places in which Swiss specialties can be enjoyed. McDonald's is recommended as one facet of the modern variety of traditional Swiss delights.

The motto: "Everyone loves Swiss specialties where and how they want. For example, during Swiss Weeks at McDonald's." According to the press release, the film was shot in Switzerland with a Swiss director and production.

Responsible at McDonald's Switzerland: Thomas Truttmann (VP Marketing, Communications, Public Affairs, Supply Chain), Leonie Bringold (Marketing Manager), Severine Caspard (Marketing Consultant). Responsible at TBWA\ZÜRICH: Thomas Ammann, Marietta Albinus (Creative Direction), Sara Steinmann (Text), Werner Schellenberg (Art Direction), Katalin Bertyak, Stephan Lanz (Consulting), Ben Strebel (Direction), Pumpkinfilm (Production), Hastings (Sound).

Online users on the portal Donateyourvoice.waitrose.com a few days ago, I was asked to sing and record Dolly Parton's song "Try". You can choose to sing the whole song or individual harmonies in different vocal ranges.

The singers decide for themselves whether they only want to sing or whether they also want to be filmed by the camera. The vocal passages received are finally mixed into a single virtual choir by music producer David Kosten. The resulting song will form the soundtrack to the Waitrose Christmas campaign and will be made available for download as a single. The proceeds generated will be donated in full to two charitable organizations, the Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity and the Trussell Trust. The crowdsourcing project runs until October 28 at 11:59 pm - so hurry if you still want to take part. The success of the cross-media campaign developed by BBH London seems pre-programmed - the sheer number of people who have the feeling of being part of a Christmas fairy tale when it is broadcast... the idea probably hits the mark. (hae) 

Heston Blumenthal, celebrity chef and Waitrose testimonial, is also taking part:

For her commitment at the interface between school and home, she will receive this year's Education Award from the PH Zurich and the Pestalozzianum Foundation at the PH Zurich University Day on October 31, 2014.

Read here the Werbewoche interview with Ellen Ringier on the relaunch of Fritz+Fränzi.

"Ellen Ringier's commitment is long-standing, constant, persistent, and involves personal and some financial investment." This is what the jury wrote when awarding this year's Education Prize of the PH Zurich and the Pestalozzianum Foundation. Ellen Ringier was motivated to found the Foundation Elternsein and initiate Fritz+Fränzi by the increasing educational challenges facing teachers and parents. "I had the impression at the time that not all the people involved were able to deal with this complexity," she says. In contrast, she says, there was no magazine or consulting service that specifically dealt with these demands. That's why the editorial team is particularly concerned with topics relating to the upbringing of school-age children and adolescents.

Ellen Ringier's goal is to strengthen parenting skills and network existing offerings. "I would like to achieve that parents and teachers exchange more about their problems." The focus of Fritz+Fränzi has shifted over the years. At the beginning, for example, the meaningful leisure activities of one's own children was a big topic. At that time, the editorial team would not have chosen an annual focus on "mental disorders," as it does today, says Ellen Ringier. On receiving the education award, she says: "I feel very honored. Building up the foundation and the magazine has been the greatest effort in my life. The Education Award is the first public recognition of my commitment." (SDA)

Teaser image (Ellen Ringier): Parenting.ch

Overall, the quality of the Swiss media continued to erode last year, is - not for the first time - the main finding of the yearbook, whose fifth edition was presented on Monday. Almost all types of media lost quality, from SRG broadcasters to subscription newspapers, private television and online portals. The root of the evil: low quality is rewarded. "This is devastating," sociology professor Kurt Imhof, who launched the yearbook, told the media in Bern. At stake, he warned, is informed democracy.
 
"Pronounced free culture"
 
Those who produce quality are among the losers in terms of advertising revenue, according to the study. "The funds for quality journalism are collapsing," said study co-author Mark Eisenegger. Nearly one in three francs spent on advertising in the 45 largest Swiss newspapers now goes to the four free newspapers, according to the yearbook. According to the study authors, consumers' media budgets are growing, but spending on purely journalistic products is falling. This "pronounced free culture" is also reflected in the fact that Switzerland is far behind in the introduction of paywalls. In addition, entertainment, free offers and infotainment bring in not only advertising money, but also audiences. Media titles classified as "low quality" in the study already reached 66 percent of the population in 2013. In 2010, the figure was only 38 percent.
 
Breaking News Trend
 
In the case of subscription newspapers, the financial bloodletting is reflected in the fact that both the size of the papers and the proportion of in-house services are shrinking, the study says. Instead, media are increasingly relying on so-called soft news instead of hard news. Sports and human interest stories are displacing factual reports of political or economic relevance. According to the study, social networks such as Twitter are contributing to this development, as it is primarily soft news that is shared via these networks. Classification performance is also suffering under the pressure of cost-cutting rounds in media companies. Instead of explaining the world, there is a trend toward "breaking news," Eisenegger said.

Call for media funding

In view of the yearbook's findings, Imhof is clear: "Journalism must be promoted." In his view, the priority is to strengthen editorial offices, primarily in the cantons. Imhof rejected Avenir Suisse's proposal to turn SRG into a fee-financed free provider, as this would not strengthen editorial structures. Journalism, however, needs editorial offices - and not newsrooms, these "work halls, execution boxes," Imhof said. Peter Studer, media lawyer and former president of the Swiss Press Council, called on publishers to take off their "blinkers" with regard to direct media funding before the quality press disappears altogether.

Association: Quality is good

The Swiss Media Association was once again critical of the yearbook. The quality of the Swiss media is good, Director Verena Vonarburg stated in response to an inquiry from sda. "Complaints, such as those made by the authors every year, are not made any truer by repetition." Today, citizens have access to a diverse and attractive range of media that previous generations could not even have dreamed of.

The Syndicom trade union and the journalists' association Imprint, on the other hand, share the researchers' assessment. They see the declining quality as a consequence of the worsening working conditions of journalists, as they said on request.

Despite all the negative results of the study, Imhof says there is also good news: the debate about quality has grown, thanks to the contribution of Avenir Suisse, for example. "Five years ago we were lonely and got spanked, today we get spanked too, but we are less lonely."

The 2014 Quality of the Media Yearbook - Switzerland Suisse Svizzera was written by the Research Institute Public Sphere and Society at the University of Zurich. The study was financed by the Public and Society Foundation and the University of Zurich. (SDA)

Media release Fög (PDF)

The six main findings of the yearbook in brief:

Revenue: Entertainment beats information journalism

It can be stated that advertising revenues preferentially accrue to entertainment offerings at the expense of information journalism, and that the audience's willingness to buy entertainment offerings is also greater. The free culture has largely dissolved the price consciousness for journalism. Although consumers' media budgets are growing, spending on information journalism continues to decline.

Journalism: Reach displaces quality

The trend toward entertainment is also continuing within information journalism. Advertising favors those offerings in print, TV and online that satisfy entertainment needs with short soft news and thus achieve high reach. This development is reinforced by growing mobile consumption and by human interest needs in social networks: "Viral news" is predominantly soft news.

"At the bottom" quality does not need to be maintained, "at the top" it cannot be

The resources for diverse, professional information journalism are collapsing. As a result of this dynamic, the overall quality of information journalism is declining. In the case of low-quality offerings, it does not need to be maintained because of the high demand, so it continues to decline; in the case of offerings with a quality claim, under the pressure of savings rounds, click-rate orientation, and the pressure for topicality online, first the classification services decline, then the thematic relevance. Quality is not rewarded economically - on the contrary: the free culture undermines the most fundamental regulatory mechanism of the economy via relative prices.

Unbroken concentration and diversification

The difficult earnings situation for a diverse and professional information journalism leads via economies of scale to an extraordinary concentration process and to an equally shrinking diversity of offerings. The diversity of providers in the online sector is even more limited than in the already massively shrunken press sector. However, the revenue losses in information journalism are only having a limited impact on the revenues of the major publishers. These are developing into conglomerates through diversification and exploitation chains, in which journalism is becoming one business among others and must also generate returns alongside more profitable businesses such as the online sections. Among the big three publishing houses in the Swiss press and online market, only the smallest player, the NZZ Media Group, is pursuing a brand strategy that gives journalistic quality priority strategic importance. However, the brand is primarily cultivated through marketing.

Erosion of the journalistic professional culture

In order to maintain returns in the information market, an actual industrialization and marketing control of journalism is taking place alongside incessant rounds of cost-cutting. Production processes are controlled by content management systems (CMS), in which journalists produce uniform content in large newsrooms and increasingly for all channels and more and more media titles. This sets the further development dynamics in the big houses: Economies of scale can be achieved by using these newsrooms for more and more offerings; editorial departments, along with their departmental specializations and cultures, are losing importance in favor of the new workshops of all-round journalism. Above these workshops, more and more title makers, together with marketing, will bottle the news onto the in-house media titles. In addition, a small privileged guard of "noble feathers" will be employed, who will have to take care of the reputation of the media titles. Within the professional culture, whose standards, institutions and self-image should in themselves act as dampening elements against this dynamic, there is a little more resistance and reflection, but still little overall. As a result, the industry hardly perceives itself as an industry with central functions in society and allows the erosion of its standards largely without resistance. This weakens the Swiss media industry politically as well.

Loss of diversity and change in issue and actor resonance and agenda building.

Because the development dynamics are hardly slowed down by the profession itself, but are driven by revenue losses and reach optimization, agenda building and the topic and actor resonances in the language-regional media arenas are changing. Topics that used to belong to the niche of tabloid journalism are also being taken up by media titles with quality standards and are developing into short-term "media hype" that dominates the entire media arena. This dwindling of distinction between quality titles and tabloid topics is accompanied by an alignment of title agendas. In political terms, the resonance of political actors and topics also increasingly obeys the dictates of reach-oriented news values and no longer reflects the "slow drilling of thick boards," as Max Weber once described the task of political personnel. Accordingly, those actors and topics that are most provocative and can be morally and emotionally charged receive the most resonance. A media system under the dictates of reach presents us with a different world and a different Switzerland, namely a one-sided and polarized one.

Detailed explanation of the main findings (PDF)

Teaser image Kurt Imhof: Keystone
 

This is also shown by an analysis of the issues that attracted the most attention for each party. In the case of the SVP in 2013, these were the family and immigration initiatives, which the party itself had initiated. The SVP also received the most attention of all parties in relation to the US tax dispute. In comparison, the SP was only able to make a name for itself in the debate on manager salaries. Although its response to the AHV and healthcare reform was higher than that of other parties, it was relatively low in absolute terms.

In the case of the FDP and CVP, it is noticeable that they almost exclusively dominated media coverage of issues relating to their own development. The two parties attracted the most attention with their party platforms and candidates in by-elections. The FDP also made headlines with the Geneva elections in fall 2013, while the CVP was mentioned most in connection with the criminal charges against former Councillor of States Bruno Frick. In terms of share, the SVP received more attention than the SP (20 percent) and FDP (16 percent) combined. While the figures for the two parties roughly correspond to their voter strength, the SVP was far overrepresented with 37%. Not surprisingly, the SVP received the most attention in the tabloid media.

The unequal chances of resonance would force the parties to launch initiatives and sharpen their programs, said Christine Egerszegi, member of the FDP Council of States in Aargau and member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for the Public Sphere and Society, speaking to the media in Bern. "The compromise is a sign of weakness." This is not good for Swiss consensus politics, she warned. (SDA)
 

Samsung is known as a manufacturer of high-tech devices in the entertainment sector. That Samsung also offers innovative solutions for the household is less known in Switzerland. To change that, Leo Burnett Switzerland was commissioned with a campaign. To make the washing machine popular on social networks, the agency took Switzerland's most popular betting game as a model and redesigned it to suit the product and the media.

Under the name Hashtag Lotto, a WW9000 is now being playfully raffled off on Samsung Switzerland's Facebook page and Twitter channel for two weeks. For the online campaign, the washing drum of the WW9000 was unceremoniously transformed into a lottery drum. And the unusually simple participation mechanism via hashtag is intended to ensure a high level of involvement: Participants simply have to tweet the hashtag #WW9000Lotto with their number or post it on Samsung's Facebook page and they are entered into the draw. In this way, the level of awareness of the washing machine increases with every tip from the user.

The 1st draw: Monday at 5 p.m.

In line with the participation, the drawings of the winning numbers are also published on the social networks. Using short films via Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The lottery fairy will draw the first winning number at 5 p.m. on Monday. So anyone who hasn't yet picked a number can still do so: Facebook.com

The announcement spot for the action:

Responsible at Samsung Electronics Switzerland: Gabriel Gee-Jay Jenny (Social Community Specialist), Alexander Decurtins (Digital Marketing Specialist), Alexander Tschobokdji (Head of Marketing I Strategic Marketing). Responsible at Leo Burnett: Axel Eckstein (ECD), Martin Arnold (text), Johannes Dörig (AD), Alba Rau (graphics), Fabienne Romanens (social media manager), Suzana Kovacevic, Erasmo Palomba (art buying), Annika Seidel (consulting). Responsible at AJMO Productions: Mario Hipleh (director), Jovica (cinematographer), Aaron Marty (lighting), AJMO Productions (editor).