Migros has been rewarding its customers for their loyalty with Cumulus points for 17 years. Now a new dimension is being added. In future, Cumulus members will be informed about the proportion of their purchases made with products from sustainable production. For the Cumulus Green share, purchases of products that carry one of currently 12 sustainable labels will be recorded. Throughout the development of the concept, Migros has relied on cooperation with the WWF.

Publicis accompanied the development of Cumulus-Green up to its launch on the communications track.

Responsible at Migros Cumulus: Benedikt Zumsteg (Head of Customer Marketing), Roman Reichelt (Head of Umbrella Brand), Lisa Moser (Head of Cumulus Program Management), Alexandra Brunner (Head of Direct Marketing), Philipp Kuonen (Project Manager Umbrella Brand / CI / CD), Daniela Wettstein (Project Manager Strategy Umbrella Brand), Nathalie Lustenberger (Junior Project Manager). Responsible at Publicis: Wim Roelfs (CD), Carlos Mejia and Marvin Hugentobler (art direction), Oliver Gisi (text), Karin Lang, Dolores Baeza and Maria Gasieniec (consulting), Adrian Häni, Samuel Bollow and Flavia Hänni (DTP/lithography), Romeo Bucceroni (production consulting). Photography: Markus Müller.
 

Walter Meyer is the founder and CEO of Onlineprinters. Together, the two will manage Onlineprinters Holding and its subsidiaries Druckerei und Verlag E. Meyer and Onlineprinters. Fries, an online printing specialist, brings many years of extensive strategic and practical experience in the industry, according to a statement Thursday. In his last position as a board member of photo book manufacturer CEWE Color, he was responsible for its German operations and the development of B2B online printing company Viaprinto until the end of 2013. He gained international management experience at the Boston Consulting Group, and before that he managed Mohn Media's prepress and sheetfed production at Ber-telsmann AG.

Press photo: The new Onlineprinters management team (from left to right): Walter Meyer (founder and Managing Director) and Michael Fries (Managing Director since July 1, 2014).
 

The first campaign aims to promote the use of bicycles in everyday life. The second supports the complete switching off of electronic devices before leaving for vacation, the agency said in a statement.

The Velo Affair campaign was created in collaboration with Schweiz Mobil, Swiss Cycling and Pro Velo Schweiz. The interactive 360° campaign under the motto "Velo Affair" aims to communicate the trend to the general public that the bicycle is a popular means of transport among Swiss people. An online photo contest, in which participants show their love for bicycles by posting personal and original photos on the specially created microsite Velo-affair.ch, combined with various communication measures such as billboards, advertisements and web banners are main components of the campaign. A jury of experts as well as the online users via their "Likes" enable the participants to win prizes such as cash or one of three bicycles. The campaign is also supported by a street marketing campaign, the simultaneous distribution of 20,000 bicycle saddle covers throughout Switzerland and the presence of a team of photographers at the slowUps in Murten, Solothurn and Sion (organized by Switzerland Mobil).

Currently, more than 800 photos are posted on the microsite Velo-affair.ch. The competition ends at the end of August 2014.

The Switch Off campaign was created in collaboration with Swisscom, Sunrise and UPC Cablecom. Many people are unaware that their electronic devices continue to draw power when they are switched off but still connected to the wall socket, the agency said. This issue is the main component of the new awareness campaign, which launches fittingly before the vacations, it said.

The campaign is divided into two waves: A first one before the summer vacations and a second one before the fall vacations. The first wave is present with a poster campaign in the streets and at the train stations and a spot in the open-air cinemas. A street marketing campaign, with sunglasses and luggage labels reminding people of the campaign's goal "On vacation, switch off!" was set up. A presence on the SBB website rounds off the campaign. The second wave in the fall will take place mainly online.

Responsible at Energy Switzerland: Chantal Purro (Office fédéral de l'énergie OFEN). Responsible for Franz & René: Valérie Pecalvel (Strategic Direction ), Luciano Gerber (Client Service Direction), Nicole Gütiger (Account Manager), Marco de Albuquerque (Junior AD), Sven Jungo (Graphic Design).

 

The same parties, associations, and commentators have been harping on the "Anti-Racism Law ARG" for almost twenty years, using the same set pieces over and over again. Particularly popular is the complaint about "attacks on the freedom of expression", also put forward by bourgeois right-wing extremists who like to cover up media representatives with defamation suits. The accusation of "political correctness" is also rarely missing. Not even Arthur K. Vogel, editor-in-chief of Der Bund. As early as winter, he was already getting worked up "about the Sharia of political correctness," about "a body of laws and sanctions whose authors and enforcers" were unknown. Now, at the beginning of summer, he comments on the acquittal obtained by Dominic Lüthard, president of the right-wing extremist party National Oriented Swiss PNOS, before the Supreme Court. Lüthard had first warned of the threat of "Islamization" at a rally in Langenthal in October 2010, then wiped five cardboard minarets off a Swiss flag with a broom. Is Lüthard really just saying that the five existing Swiss minarets should disappear? After all, those who want to discriminate have practice in speaking in symbols when they want to exclude or disenfranchise minorities. Two organizations file criminal charges. Vogel accuses them of wanting to "prosecute unpopular political actions or expressions of opinion". In plain language: Vogel discredits what he claims to defend. He does not consider that Lüthard, with the five cardboard minarets that stand for the five existing Swiss minarets, may also have wanted to expel all Muslims from the country, which would then be punishable. Conclusion: The acquittal of the Bernese chief justice is understandable, but Vogel's reservations against the complainants and the public prosecutor are not.

Incidentally, a second observation is remarkable: The media persistently pay attention to questionable criminal charges against celebrities, leaving other criminal proceedings against racism to the left. The proceedings against Willy Schmidhauser, once president of the Swiss Democrats SD of the canton of Thurgau, only received coverage in the local media recently. The proceedings began in November 2009, a few days before the vote on the ban on minarets, with a nationally reported story in the SonntagsZeitung. The SD man claimed at that time - after arbitrarily selected Koran quotations - in Ulrich Schlüer's Schweizerzeit column that a "friendly federal coexistence" with Muslims was impossible. Immigration and naturalization of Muslims would have to be reconsidered. Yes, it remains "only the mass home creation of Muslims ". After the first media reports, the SVP National Councilor Schlüer hurriedly wrote of a "blunder ". Geneva Muslims filed a criminal complaint months later, because no one else had done it and also the prosecution authorities had not become active, although the racism criminal norm is one of the official offenses. After almost three years, the public prosecutor discontinued the proceedings against Schlüer. With understandable reasoning, in the first place the author is responsible for a published text. Remarkable, however: the discontinuation order proves the lack of quality control on the Schweizerzeit editorial staff. Both editor-in-chief Schlüer and "final editor" Reinhard Wegelin successfully defended themselves by pointing out that they had not looked at Schmidhauser's text at all before putting it in the paper. The main thing was that the length was right. Now the district court of Andelfingen has ruled in the first instance: Schmidhauser's text is racially discriminatory. The verdict is not yet legally binding. Some regional media report, the rest remain silent. Also Arthur K. Vogel's Der Bund. Silence can also be used to create an atmosphere.

Hans Stutz, Lucerne
Cantonal Councilor for the Green Party and author of the chronology "Racism in Switzerland".
 

Domestic sales are still shrinking, but not as much as they did from 2011 to 2012. While they fell by around CHF 300 million last year for the seven media companies with publishing activities and the four marketers, sales were "only" CHF 236 million lower in 2013. This corresponds to a drop of 3.9 percent. The marketers (Publigroupe, Goldbach Group, Publisuisse and APG|SGA) lost slightly less. However, the turnover of Publigroupe and thus of press marketing fell by 7.6%, while that of the two marketers of TV and radio advertising (Publisuisse and Goldbach Group) rose by 1.6%. APG, on the other hand, had to accept a decline of 2.7% after an increase from 2011 to 2012. SRG, with its secured fee income, reported lower revenue for the second time in a row. Since 2002, however, it has grown by 7.9% or CHF 118 million to CHF 1.6 billion.

UPC distances itself from Publigroupe

This varied development is documented in the chart "Overview of revenue development". It also shows that UPC Cablecom, which has been included since 2009, has now increased its lead over Publigroupe's domestic turnover to a good CHF 400 million. In 2009, UPC was still around CHF 179 million behind. While Publigroupe's domestic turnover has shrunk by over CHF 450 million since then, UPC's has increased by around CHF 129 million. It should be noted that Publigroupe switched its accounting to Swiss GAP FER in 2012, where the significantly lower net turnover is the new unit of measurement. APG|SGA also took this step in 2013. However, the impact on revenue is only marginal here because, unlike Publigroupe, it only markets its own advertising space. As Goldbach and Publisuisse continue to report their revenues in accordance with IFRS or a comparable standard, Publigroupe's billing total was used for cross-comparisons with other companies. This amounted to around CHF 830 million in Switzerland in 2013.

As the chart "Sales development of marketers in Switzerland" shows, the difference between Publigroupe and Goldbach Group has shrunk since 2002 from over CHF 1.6 billion to around CHF 425 million. With a 2.5 percent increase in domestic sales to CHF 405 million, the Goldbach Group continues to hold a clear second place ahead of Publisuisse, which increased its sales by 0.5 percent to CHF 324 million. APG|SGA, on the other hand, suffered a 2.7 percent drop in domestic sales to CHF 289.1 million. In a long-term comparison with 2002, however, APG|SGA as well as Publisuisse and Goldbach are clearly in the black, while Publigroupe has lost no less than 947.4 million francs or 53.3 percent of its invoiced volume since then.

Ringier at all-time low

Four companies contributed a total of CHF 218.2 million to the decline in domestic sales of the big players compared to 2012. Publigroupe contributed the most with CHF 72.6 million. It was followed by Ringier with CHF 60.7 million, Basler Zeitung Medien with CHF 48.3 million and NZZ Mediengruppe with CHF 36.6 million. Overall, the media houses active in publishing in Switzerland last year generated CHF 165.6 million or 3.6 percent less turnover than in 2012. If SRG is excluded, the absolute decline in turnover is reduced to CHF 146.5 million, but the relative decline increases to 5.0 percent. As the chart "Turnover development of press houses in Switzerland" shows, only Tamedia was able to increase its turnover. This follows a significant slump last year. All the others suffered losses. Ringier has reached a new low of CHF 710.7 million and has lost around CHF 111 million or 13.5 percent in domestic sales since 2002. Of course, the sale of the Betty Bossi stake and the TV program guides to Axel Springer also contributed to this.

In contrast, the NZZ Media Group achieved practically the same turnover in 2013 as in 2002. However, LZ Medien was not yet consolidated at that time. In 2002, they achieved a turnover of 122.1 million francs. NZZ has also created a small cushion for the future with the complete takeover of Freie Presse Holding, as this means that the sales of the two regional publishers in St. Gallen and Lucerne flow almost completely into NZZ sales.

Somedia now ahead of Baz

Following the total sell-off of all printing activities and the concentration on its core business, Basler Zeitung has undergone a veritable horse cure, which is reflected in an almost 28 percent lower total turnover of CHF 126.3 million. It has thus fallen behind Somedia (formerly Südostschweiz Medien), which, after a drop of 5.9 percent last year, still achieved sales of CHF 128.1 million and has thus returned to roughly the same level as in 2003. Compared to 2002, the decline amounts to 8.9 percent, while the Basler Zeitung Medien is almost 60 percent lower than then. This is the main reason why AZ Medien was able to easily maintain its position as the number four press publisher, which it gained in 2010. In contrast to 2012, when the acquired sales of electronic regional media led to a jump in turnover, they now had to accept a decline of 3.8 percent to CHF 242.2 million. Compared to 2002, however, turnover has increased by 22% or just under CHF 44 million.

Declining print shares

The significant decline in sales at the press houses is not really surprising given that the advertising volume of the press fell by CHF 168 million or 9.4 percent. As we do every year, we will therefore attempt to analyze the dependence of the two largest press houses on the print advertising market in more detail here. If the revenue shares from advertising sales and printing are taken together, both Ringier and Tamedia are clearly becoming less dependent on the print advertising market (see chart "Revenue shares from the print advertising market"). At Tamedia it is now below 50 percent for the first time and at Ringier below 40 percent for the first time. However, Tamedia is "benefiting" from a new accounting rule, because since 2013, revenues from 50 per cent shareholdings in listed companies can no longer be included on a pro rata basis. And because this affects 20 minuti Ticino, Berner Oberland Medien and Edita in Luxembourg, three investments with a high proportion of revenue from the print advertising market, print revenue has fallen more in accounting terms than in reality. However, this effect should only amount to around one to two percentage points.

Rising non-print shares

On the other hand, revenue shares from non-print have risen significantly at both publishers (see chart). They already account for more than a third at Ringier. Ringier is also benefiting from the entertainment sector and the revenues of the Energy Group. The trend here has been linear since 2009. This is in contrast to Tamedia, where a clear upward trend was only recorded last year. The various acquisitions in the online sector - including the joint venture with Ringier for the jobs platform Jobs-ch - have contributed to this. As a result, Tamedia's online media revenues increased by no less than 53 percent to CHF 204.6 million. On the other hand, Tamedia suffered a small setback in terms of revenue shares from distribution (see chart). The increase in sales prices for print media was therefore not enough to compensate for the decline in paid circulation.

In contrast, the NZZ Media Group was able to increase its income from sales (reader market) by just under CHF 1 million year-on-year to CHF 153.8 million. This growth is due exclusively to the regional media, which generated almost CHF 2 million more and thus more than compensated for the loss of CHF 1 million at NZZ Medien. In contrast, the NZZ Media Group generated CHF 198.5 million from the advertising market, 7.7 percent less than in 2012. However, this income is not broken down into print and other media. Nevertheless, the newly published segment information shows that the NZZ media lost 8.0 percent of revenue in the advertising market and the regional media 10.1 percent.

Immense differences

Unfortunately, however, companies do not live from turnover, but from what is left over at the end of the day, i.e. from profit. And there are still huge differences. While Tamedia reported a 5 percent lower net profit of CHF 118.5 million in 2013, Somedia only made CHF 1 million and AZ Medien just CHF 1.8 million. The two marketers Publigroupe and Goldbach Media reported a loss. Publigroupe's loss is attributable to the print business, which has now been sold to the German investment company Aurelius. Goldbach Media's loss is based on amortization of goodwill and other intangible assets as well as impairment losses at Wilmaa Digital TV. Excluding special effects, a profit of CHF 9.4 million is reported for 2013, which is almost a third more than in 2012.

The "Profits and losses" chart shows a real three-tier society. Tamedia lives in a world of its own, regularly posting triple-digit profits since 2010. However, since the peak value of CHF 177 million in 2010, it has shrunk by almost a third. Four companies with double-digit profits of less than CHF 50 million (SRG, NZZ Media Group, Ringier and APG|SGA) sit in second class, so to speak. The poster site rental company is the only company apart from Tamedia to be above the average. The CHF 47.7 million also represents its second-best result since 2002. Only 2007 was even better with CHF 65.4 million. By contrast, Ringier's net profit of CHF 26.5 million was only lower in 2011 (CHF 22.8 million) and 2009 (CHF 17.8 million). The NZZ Media Group posted a result of CHF 24.9 million, which is only just below the ten-year average of CHF 25.9 million. SRG returned to profit after the high loss in the previous year - due to a one-off provision for the pension fund.

Baz back in profit

Companies with single-digit profits or losses are in third place. The Basler Zeitung Medien stands out positively, having made a profit of CHF 8.1 million in the previous year. This is eight times as much as Somedia, which has roughly the same turnover. As an SRG subsidiary, Publisuisse is not geared towards high company profits, as the purchase of advertising time and sponsorship from its parent company is clearly the more important aspect for SRG. A good CHF 281 million flowed into SRG's coffers in 2013. Last year's profit of CHF 2 million is only CHF 0.6 million lower than the ten-year average.

In contrast, AZ Medien's profit of CHF 1.8 million is well below the ten-year average of CHF 6.5 million. According to the 2013 annual report, this is partly due to the costs of around CHF 3 million for the development of the news portal Watson. This portal will continue to consume more money than it generates in the current and coming years.

Together with investments in the new national television channel TV24 and a new printing press, AZ Medien plans to invest 45 million Swiss francs in the current year. This was announced by CEO Axel Wüstmann in an interview with the in-house newspaper Nordwestschweiz. The interview was entitled "Aren't you overdoing it with your investments?". In view of declining revenues in the print business, this is a perfectly legitimate question, which at least underlines the editorial independence of Nordwestschweiz.

Will the P become a racehorse?

In terms of profit and loss margins (as a percentage of total turnover), there is more of a two-tier society. As the chart shows, four companies were above the average of 3.6% in 2013. In this analysis, Basler Zeitung Medien outperformed the NZZ Media Group. And APG|SGA is still clearly ahead of Tamedia. However, both companies are the only ones to achieve a double-digit margin. At 2.6 percent, Ringier is just behind the average of 3.6 percent. The sixth-placed SRG at least still achieves a margin with a one before the decimal point. All others are below this or - as in the case of the two marketers with a loss - are even negative. Publigroupe achieved the highest profit margin of 17.6 percent a year ago, ahead of Tamedia, AZ Medien, APG|SGA and NZZ Mediengruppe. The sale of the loss-maker Publicitas therefore also makes sense from this point of view. However, it remains to be seen whether the new owner will be able to turn the tide so radically and turn the lame horse back into a racehorse. Doubts are justified.

Declining number of employees

Behind all these figures, of course, there are also people. The MTJ has therefore also been recording the number of employees at the end of each financial year since 2002. However, these cannot simply be compared on a 1:1 basis, as Ringier and Somedia report the headcount, while all others add up the number of full-time equivalents (FTE). Nevertheless, in order to track the development, the MTJ has calculated an employee index that begins with the value 100 for all companies in 2002. The corresponding graph shows the very different development, which is strongly influenced by the press houses, where more than half of the people still work. The overall index therefore runs largely parallel to that of the press houses and is not included in the graph for reasons of clarity. The press houses reached their peak with an index of 110 in 2007 and have since fallen 12 points below their initial value. APG|SGA reached its peak value of 124 one year later. The current value of 90 is of course strongly linked to the exit in Southern and Eastern Europe. This is in contrast to Publigroupe, whose fall by almost half since 2008 is likely to be primarily due to developments in Switzerland. By contrast, the index for TV and radio marketers has gone through the roof. However, the Goldbach Group, which has expanded both in Switzerland and abroad, has contributed to this to a large extent.

Tamedia 2013 as in 2002

The per capita performance of individual companies, on the other hand, is only comparable if they report the number of employees on the same basis. This is why the intrinsically attractive comparison between Ringier and Tamedia makes no sense. However, a comparison between Tamedia, the NZZ Media Group and AZ Medien for the period since 2002 is certainly possible and attractive. The chart "Turnover per full-time position" shows some remarkable facts. For example, Tamedia achieved by far the highest value per FTE in 2006 at around CHF 427,000. After the integration of Espace Media in 2007, however, the figure fell by almost a quarter to CHF 320,000 by 2009. The integration of Edipresse then brought a slight increase again, and in 2013 profitability per FTE was back at the 2002 level. This naturally raises the question of where the much-vaunted synergy effects have gone. Christoph Zimmer, Head of Corporate Communications at Tamedia, poses the counter-question of where the value would be without the mergers. On the other hand, he rightly points out that turnover per FTE should always be interpreted with caution. Investments in new projects initially only lead to an increase in the number of employees, but only after a delay to a corresponding growth in turnover.

Equalized profitability

However, this argument applies less to the rather erratic development at AZ Medien, as the growth in turnover was achieved almost exclusively through the acquisition of already established media. However, it is also a fact that one full-time employee generated more revenue in 2002 than in 2013. In contrast, the NZZ Media Group has continuously increased its revenue per FTE since 2002 to CHF 318,000. A particularly strong increase can be observed following the full consolidation of the turnover of LZ Medien from 2004. Interestingly, the figures for all three media companies have been converging strongly since 2009, the first year after the major slump in sales. While the value was practically the same for all three in 2012, in 2013 the NZZ Media Group was only CHF 22,000 ahead of AZ Medien, which was still CHF 83,000 ahead of the NZZ Media Group in 2002.

However, Basler Zeitung Medien clearly took the cake last year. It tripled its turnover per FTE to just under 800,000 francs. This followed a radical reduction in staff from 630 to 158 full-time positions through the sale of all activities that were not part of the daily newspaper's core business - in particular the entire printing division.

Ueli Custer

 

The campaign aims to increase the appeal of retirement and nursing homes as places to work and live. In keeping with the times, the campaign is also geared toward the use of mobile devices. One element is promoting the campaign on posters that feature a QR code. This code leads to the Mobile-friendly landing page by Curaviva Thurgau, where interested individuals can easily request information about specific training opportunities and career prospects via an online form.

 

On the occasion of the "Night of the Brand" on June 5, Prof. Dr. Thorsten Tomczak revealed the secret of the institution that boldly and ambitiously calls itself the Swiss Academy of Marketing Science. It aims to act as a link between the interested public and marketing professorships. The range of activities is broad and includes the stimulation of marketing research, the expansion of cooperation between Swiss universities beyond the Röstigraben and the creation of high-quality education. The news of the Academy's foundation has been met with much applause and raised expectations. At this stage, promising future activities are already apparent, particularly in the area of continuing education.

A good response to the current situation

Gray and black clouds hang over Swiss universities. The Erasmus program is under threat, the state's cornucopia is running dry. The competition from the universities of applied sciences is self-confident. It seems that the tightening situation also represents an opportunity. Pressure from outside is creating allies. The Swiss Academy of Marketing Science wants to have an impact both internally and externally. Internally, it defends marketing that works scientifically and moves closer to practice. Externally, it emphasizes the relevance of Swiss research activities.

Two awards as signals of the goals (and values) pursued

The first award, the Rigour & Relevance Research Award, was presented to researcher Prof. Dr. Reto Hofstettler, who began his career at the University of Bern, continued at the University of St. Gallen and now teaches at the University of Lugano. The laudatory speech was given by Thomas Amstutz, CEO of Feldschlösschen Getränke AG and president of the jury. His research work was honored with the clear indication that the work itself and the results were understandable and of great practical benefit. The second award, the Swiss Academy of Marketing Science Award, went to Dr. Dominique von Matt. As co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of what is currently probably the most successful Swiss advertising agency, he has been taking the time for years to introduce students at the University of St. Gallen and other universities to agency work. Here, the connection between practice, teaching and university is realized at the highest level. Prof. Dr. Harley Krohmer from the University of Bern and Vice President of the Swiss Academy of Marketing Science gave the laudatory speech.

The first cooperation project: a Master's program

The name elements "Academy" and "Science" refer to education and educational projects. In a market that is not transparent, the aim is to create courses that meet the highest standards. The Swiss Academy of Marketing Science becomes the umbrella brand for educational products. It thus guarantees modularity at various venues, in effect a quality standard. An initial project is underway at the Universities of Bern and St. Gallen. Two CAS courses will be offered in Bern and one CAS course in St. Gallen. Further building blocks for a planned Master's degree will come from both institutions. The first CAS course in Marketing Management and Sales has already been successfully completed and starts on 18. 9. 2014. Details can be found at www. imu-weiterbildung.ch. Prof. Robert Hasenböhler, Head of Continuing Education at the Institute of Marketing and Management at the University of Bern, is optimistic: "We are a little surprised by the success of this first course ourselves, but we are very pleased."

And what else?

It is obvious that further services are provided by the Academy: it assumes the patronage of high-quality events. It supports publications. It represents both science and the Swiss marketing community. In any case, those responsible will not run out of work. www. academy-of-marketing-science.ch (red)
 

A recent study by the Council for Research Excellence in the USA provides some clues to answer this question. It suggests that there is definitely a relevant group of consumers who enhance their TV experience with social media. It also shows that the use of Facebook & Co. plays a role in new TV formats and during sports reports. For the "Talking Social TV 2" study, the Council for Research Excellence examined the TV-related social media use of 1665 American internet users between the ages of 15 and 54. Over a period of three weeks, the study participants were asked to document their everyday media use with the help of an app. The focus was on primetime TV consumption and social media use. At the end of the study period, the researchers were able to analyze 78,000 diary entries for 1,600 TV shows. The results of these analyses show first of all that a considerable 19% of consumers use TV-related social media on a daily basis. This includes both TV-related social media use directly while watching TV and at any other time. A closer look at this social TV use in the broader sense, which includes not only active posting but also reading TV-related posts, shows that TV-related social media use takes place both while watching TV (10% of consumers) and outside of actual TV viewing (11% of consumers). According to the survey, women (index 109) have a slightly higher affinity for social TV. The median age of 35 also makes it clear that it is not just the youngest who are active.

An analysis of the TV sessions recorded shows that consumers also use social media during every sixth primetime session (16%). In half of these cases (8% of all TV sessions), the use of Facebook, Twitter & Co. is also related to TV - either to the current program (7% = social TV in the narrower sense) or other programs (1%). The 25 to 34-year-olds have a particular affinity for social TV in the narrower sense (index 131). The most popular social platforms during TV consumption are Facebook, which is used during 11% of TV sessions, well ahead of Twitter (3%).

In additional analyses, the US researchers came to the conclusion that consumers particularly like to share content with friends and family during brand new TV shows: Facebook, Twitter & Co. are used in 10 percent of all corresponding TV sessions (index 142). In addition to premieres, science fiction programs and sports formats are particularly attractive when it comes to social TV - here, consumers exchange information about current events in 11% (index 152) and 9% (index 129) of all TV sessions respectively.

Another finding: consumers are more inclined to use social TV if they do not watch TV on a traditional TV set, but use alternative devices for remote viewing. According to the study, consumers use social TV during 11% of all TV sessions on the PC (index 144). Social TV use is even more pronounced when watching TV on a smartphone or tablet: Facebook & Co. are used during 18% (index 241) or 21% (index 287) of all TV sessions to exchange information about what is happening on TV. Overall, the study results suggest that social TV will continue to accompany us - but without immediately becoming part of everyone's everyday routine.

Clemens Koob

Key Facts

- 19 percent of US consumers use TV-related social media on a daily basis.
- TV-related social media use takes place both while watching TV (10% of consumers) and at other times (11%).
- Social media is used during 16 percent of primetime TV sessions.
- During 7 percent of TV sessions, social media are used to exchange information about the current program (social TV in the narrower sense).
- Social TV is particularly popular with brand new shows (10% of sessions), sci-fi (11%) and sport (9%).
- There is also a higher tendency to use social TV when watching TV on a smartphone (18% of sessions) or tablet (21%).
- Social TV will continue to accompany us - but without becoming an everyday routine for everyone.

 

Facebook has bought the manufacturer of VR (virtual reality) glasses for gamers, Oculus Rift, and thus has the ticket to a dominant position in the VR market. The VR impact is likely to reach our everyday lives via gamers in the coming years. What attention should marketers pay to Oculus Rift and what opportunities does the hardware open up for marketing?

After the "Second Life" hype eleven years ago, VR has gone quiet. However, Oculus Rift technology (110° viewing angle, fast reaction time to movement) and Facebook's investment in the company have given virtual reality a new boost. Oculus Rift products are not yet available to buy; they are offered to developers as a beta version. If you look at the films on YouTube, users are enthusiastic about the VR games that have been specially created for the glasses. In order to accelerate the penetration of Oculus Rift, Facebook is pursuing a strategy of forging partnerships with the major players in the gaming market. At the moment, VR glasses are bulky, heavy and fascinate nerds. If Oculus Rift succeeds in establishing VR together with the gaming industry, it is only a matter of time before tools suitable for everyday use are available and virtual reality becomes interesting for the mass market. Facebook sees virtual reality as a new platform on which to share experiences and adventures with friends. Internet users spend 40 percent of their time on social platforms and 40 percent gaming. Now Facebook wants to merge these two worlds. Companies that already rely heavily on Facebook for their marketing activities need to consider what role their brand should play in the Oculus ecosystem. You can already find approaches on YouTube: a virtual tour of a Tesco supermarket and participation in training for the British O2 rugby team. The rugby team opens up a new world of experience via VR and enables fans to participate in the life of the brand.

VR can challenge marketing in the coming years: Creative VR concepts with high entertainment value or information content that not only fascinate, but also create experiences that were previously not possible, are in demand. Mapping the real world, as Tesco does, will probably not be enough.

By the way: Oculus Rift supports the relaunch of Second Life. The new version should be available in 2016.

Imre Sinka

Images: Keystone

 

The program for the evening was: World Cup - MV - World Cup. After a goalless first half in Brazil, the supporters of the Zurich advertising club went to the general meeting. One agenda item followed the next every minute. The merger of the ZW with the Association for Advertising Communication comm-on was approved unanimously, the former board members Roberto D'Elia, Daniel Suter and Patrick Frey were thanked and bid farewell and the new members Edith Swiezy, Fabian Dieziger, Kim Osinga, Wanda Ledermann and Bruno Felder were welcomed to the board and also elected unanimously. After 15 intensive minutes, club president Danijel Sljivo closed this year's general meeting of the Zurich Advertising Club.

Andreas Widmer, host and CEO of the Y&R Group Switzerland, then took on the Zurich Advertising Club's entourage. The boss himself gave a tour of the advertising agency's offices, provided insights into its activities and answered the audience's questions. However, he also tried to keep things brief so that the football-hungry ZW members could get back to their lives as quickly as possible.

Shortly after 8.30pm, the Y&R(+ZW) viewing area at Hardturmstrasse fell silent. Ángel Di María, striker for the Argentinian national team, hammered the ball into the Swiss goal to make it 1-0. But the melancholy didn't last long. Soon people were laughing and talking again, drinking wine and eating canapés. Even this historic defeat for the Swiss national team in São Paulo was unable to dampen the mood of the Zurich advertising club that evening.
 

If one was on vacation in Ticino, visited the markets in Luino to buy cheap shoes, clothes and bags.

Today, everything is simply happening on a larger scale. Thousands of Swiss shopping tourists flood the city center of Constance every Saturday and bring a bomb business to the local trade. The cash registers are glowing, the credit card readers are in constant use, and on Monday everyone tries to show off their oh-so-cheap purchases over coffee during the break. We find a further increase further north. There, it is the markets in Poland near the German border that attract thousands and thousands of consumers. Huge selection, poor quality, copies instead of originals - the main thing is cheap. But even in the south, shoppers don't have to go hungry. Now in summer, there are regular bus shopping trips from the French Riviera over to Italy. Fake branded goods at unbeatable prices can be found there. If you are clever, you can push the low price down even further. The only problem is that French customs regularly carry out extremely strict checks. Entire busloads of fake Louis Vuitton bags, Hermes scarves, Gucci shoes and Rolex watches then disappear into a large dustbin and are publicly destroyed with great publicity.

The need to get something at a lower price (than advertised, than in the price list, than the colleague paid, etc.) seems to be a deeply human need. However, this private bargain mentality has unfortunately been spreading in the business world for some time now. Even more discounts, even more additional services, something free on top, haggling has become a professional hobby. For years, the Swiss media industry prided itself on being true to its rates. Tempi passati. At the latest with the success of electronic media, the print media also had to learn that their rates were negotiable. The advent of digital advertising then accelerated the whole thing.

Now there is a new scam. Imagine you go to a good restaurant, ask for the menu, then choose the menu for 200 francs and a wine for 180 francs. The whole thing with intensive advice from the maître. After all, the customer is king. When the poor guy finally wants to take the order, they say, but they only have 100 francs in their pocket. What would happen? They would probably be kicked out without a word.

Fictional history? In the restaurant business, perhaps. In the media industry, reality, or as the smart guys and girls say: best practice.

Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief

[email protected]
 

In his last positions, Philipp Skrabal was Managing Director Creation and co-owner at Wirz Werbung as well as Executive Creative Director at Advico Young & Rubicam/ Y&R Group and Creative Director at Publicis.

The entire communications industry talks about content. Such content is undergoing an exciting transformation in the age of digital channels. The classic separation between PR and advertising is becoming less and less important. "Cross-media " in this development no longer refers only to different media, but also across different disciplines. "At Farner, content and multidisciplinary thinking is deeply rooted in the DNA ", says Philipp Skrabal. "Farner's model of generating insights, developing an overarching idea from them, and then making it tangible across all touchpoints is the future and very much aligns with how I see it." As the new Chief Creative Officer, the former Wirz creative director now wants to "bring creativity as an impact multiplier to the PR flagship" Farner starting in August. As Switzerland's leading communications brand, Farner wants to play an active role in shaping the change in communications. "Moving campaigns and communication solutions need not only strategy, good content and complete implementation, but also a lot of creativity," says Roman Geiser, CEO and Managing Partner of Farner Consulting. "Advertising and PR can and must cross-fertilize each other," Skrabal is convinced. "Earned media" will be a topic here. Likewise, Farner's great digital expertise is to play a key role in Skrabal's new work. "I will be able to work closely with Daniel Jörg, our digital strategist." At Farner, Philipp Skrabal will take on a dual role. On the one hand, he will manage the Farner Advertising market unit from August, and on the other hand, he will further develop the agency's creative signature in all communication disciplines as CCO.

In his last positions, Philipp Skrabal was Managing Director Creation and co-owner at Wirz Werbung as well as Executive Creative Director at Advico Young & Rubicam/Y&R Group and Creative Director at Publicis. He is a board member of ADC Switzerland and is one of the most awarded advertisers in the country. Just recently, his most recent work was honored with four Silver EFFIEs and the Crossmedia Award in Gold. Skrabal got his start in the industry by taking a preliminary course at the School of Applied Arts in Zurich. It soon became clear to him, however, that a more practice-oriented education could bring more benefits. He found an apprenticeship with Seiler DDB. After the apprenticeship and another year at Seiler DDB came an offer to join Euro RSCG as a junior AD. The following five years also brought a detour to Lintas, where Skrabal worked in a team at the time with Pierre C. Meier, now editor-in-chief of Werbewoche.

"Very enriching" was six months in Australia, where Skrabal got the chance to work in Sydney within the Euro Group. "That gave me a completely new professional image. In the mid-90s, as an AD in Switzerland, you mainly spent a lot of time implementing, typography and design, and relatively little time looking for ideas. In Australia, I did nothing but look for ideas all day. Then the traffic management team came, took our suggestions and went to the studio to implement them," he says, describing the somewhat different distribution of the creative processes. This is in contrast to a process "where a headline was often first written by the copywriter and then the AD looked for a suitable image to go with it. After returning to Switzerland, Skrabal also began to manage his time as effectively as possible here. "I also learned to prepare better and delegate differently. I consistently distributed work and took as much time as I could myself to come up with ideas." Philipp Skrabal was able to experience another turning point in his professional life with Daniel Matter. At the agency, which shortly before had merged with Benker Steiner, he was allowed "for the very first time to do what I myself found good. Before, I always had to fight internal battles," Skrabal muses. "In many agencies, they weren't so much after good ideas as they were interested in a smooth process with an unagitated customer. But sometimes the best solution isn't one where everything just flows through."

At the time, the passionate creatives had done a lot of work for Migros at Matter & Partner and won other important budgets. "Matter was in its heyday. We made it to number five in the rankings with 15 people." Skrabal was appointed CD and also to the executive team during this period. "That was a very formative time because they let me do it and gave me room to grow. I saw: the limits are my own. And not those set by my environment." After six years, however, Skrabal wanted to leave "this comfort zone" behind and try his luck in a "big store." "Markus Gut, with whom I did my training, asked me in 2004 if I wanted to join Publicis as a CD. I had a nice time at Matter. Nevertheless, I made a conscious decision: I now want to know what I can also bring to an organization like Publicis from my knowledge." The thing to learn was that it's a completely different mechanic to lead people when you yourself are one of the movers and shakers in a team of 8 creatives - or are allowed to and have to work with 40 others. "There, it's just a challenge until you know all the employees with their strengths and weaknesses a little better and learn how to motivate each one. That's another area where I've learned a lot. And I've been able to look after some great budgets."

When Markus Gut joined the Y&R Group as Chief Creative Officer, it was quickly clear to Skrabal that he too wanted to accept the offer to join. "I didn't just get on very well and amicably with Markus Gut. Andi Widmer and his Futurecom, which had already dominated the digital sector for more than a decade at the time, were also behind the project. I knew: this is an essential part of the future. And I have to and want to be one of the first to come out of traditional advertising and know the digital possibilities, the playing field as well as the rules of the game and want to incorporate them into the new advertising." After just two weeks at Y&R, the new crew won a pitch for Sunrise in 2008 and got off to a pretty dynamic start with the "revolutionary story" around the slogan "Free Internet." "There were a lot of hungry people on the digital side at the time. Advico was top staffed and becoming more open. That was also a very good phase for me," Skrabal looks back.

When "one stage was completed" with the move into the Hardturmstrasse, the opportunity came just at the right time for the ECD to move up another level with Wirz. "Of course, already with the prospect of being a partner." Moreover, after the real estate bubble burst, Skrabal saw "what handicaps a large network can have when it comes to acting entrepreneurially." Headquarters dictates where to spend and save. "That was a decisive reason for me: the challenge of once again giving Wirz a creative touch. But above all, the entrepreneurial freedom to be able to decide for myself where to invest and where we need new people today, even if they won't be fully profitable tomorrow." For Markus Gut, the departure of his longtime companion was never a problem. "We were friends and he knew exactly what moved me. We still exchange ideas regularly today." Although the end at Wirz was then in November 2013 "an unpleasant one over which I had no influence," Skrabal looks back on four very successful years. The agency moved up from No. 6 in the rankings to No. 2 for the second year in a row in Werbewoche's rankings. "We won a lot of awards around the world, were doing well in content, I learned a lot from the work." Wirz also won four silver EFFIEs and the gold Crossmedia- Award this year under the creative leadership of Philipp Skrabal. "Wirz was again an agency that was talked about. It was trusted with a lot. That also showed a great influence on the people I was able to hire. I was very happy about that and it's also something that stays. We won great clients, Ikea as one example, which was also not insignificant for the creative success we were able to celebrate afterwards."

That's why he doesn't look back on that time with frustration or disappointment at all. "On the contrary. It has brought me an enormous amount. Mobiliar was also a very important customer for me. There is probably nothing more difficult than finding new ways in a concept that has been successful for a long time for a customer who is so demanding and professional. "Skrabal and his team succeeded, for example, with branded content for the young TV station Joiz and the claims quiz "Wer's glaubt". With Christoph Ott and his Mobiliar team, Skrabal's team "found new solutions that brought in a lot of fresh blood. The Mobiliar campaign has been transferred into a new era". Of course, Philipp Skrabal does not want to take all the credit for the success. He "only" had overall responsibility. "What I really creatively led, on the other hand, were Ikea and Mobiliar. Here I also had a great team around me. They grew into these successes together with me. That's why I'm not surprised that many of the top performers from my era are now gone."

The ousted Executive Creative Director and soon-to-be father of five had to "first recover from the shock. The decision was also incomprehensible to many colleagues in the market, he says. "I thought to myself: What does that mean for me now? This has already shaken certain value systems in me. I then thought: Is the large agency model, the way most of these agencies have functioned for the last 25 years, really the right model for the future? My very personal answer to this question is: No." Everyone can have their own opinion on that, he said. For Skrabal, however, the ejection triggered a thought process where he asked himself, "Where does the future lie? If it's not the big agency, how do you have to be positioned? Is it a matter of being a lone wolf in the service of others? Is it smaller agencies? Is it agencies that come more from the corporate space? Agencies from the PR space?" The media shift is forcing corporate and marketing communications closer together. "Digital channels are becoming the backbone for every brand. In the future, it will take a team of interdisciplinary architects and, of course, project management. Make money with ideas, not with realization." Parallel to these strategic considerations, contact was made with Roman Geiser. Skrabal remembered the CEO of Farner Consulting very well from his earlier days at Burson Marsteller and his job for "Free Internet". So one thing led to another. "I saw: On the other side, you think the same thoughts and come to the same conclusions. Then it also became clear relatively quickly: This is a very big opportunity."

Andreas Panzeri

Opening of Ikea Rothenburg: One of the most successful Swiss promotions in recent years: Gold at the Crossmedia Award, silver in Cannes, EFFIE, Epica, Eurobest. 1.5 million YouTube views for the viral with Didier Cuche for Mobiliar. PR already in the DNA: Skrabal's ideas made headlines again and again. Links for the Sauriermuseum Aathal.

Branded content for MobiJeunes: The six-part damage quiz show "Who Believes" on Joiz. Skrabal worked on the format for a year and a half. 20 Minuten and numerous ambient actions ensured media distribution within the campaign. The work won gold and a silver EFFIE at the Crossmedia Awards (r.).