A well-told story fascinates and leaves you wanting more. Whether in a children's book or in advertising, it creates a world of its own and takes you on a journey of experience. As an advertising agency, Komet has made strong brand stories its mission: to create a story that brings a brand to life and makes it tangible. Brands such as Visana, Christ Watches & Jewelry or the traditional club BSC YB rely on the implementation of the creative forge in the heart of Bern.

This May, Komet celebrates its fifteenth anniversary. When the agency was launched in 1999 under the name Cosmic Bern, the team included founder Marcel Durst and three other employees. Originally founded as a partner agency of Zurich-based cosmic AG, the company quickly found its own creative path in the communications industry and developed into one of the most important players in the Bern advertising market. In 2011, the decision was made to separate from the partner agency in Zurich and to adopt a new name and appearance as Komet Werbeagentur.

Reinforced by Gabriela Fust and Thom Pfister, three active partners and co-owners are now at the helm of the full-service agency with 25 employees. From its inspiring location on the banks of the Aare, Komet manages communication budgets ranging from classic advertising, cross-media campaigns and public relations to brand strategy and business development. The portfolio includes well-known clients from a wide range of industries, from retail to banking. With a strong focus on design and exceptional creation, Komet is always pleased to receive prestigious national and international recognitions such as the ADC, red Dot or the German Design Award. Since 2008, the agency has organized and curated the annual exhibition "Soirée graphique", which reflects and helps shape the latest trends and tendencies in visual design. KOMET is a member of the bsw Leading Swiss Agencies.

Komet Advertising Agency BSW: Marcel Durst (Managing Director), Gabriela Fust (Managing Partner), Thom Pfister (CD / Partner),Simon Schatzmann (Head of Consulting / GL Member), Roland Zenger, Joël Weber (AD), Zora Gauch, Reto Eckert, Reto Meyer, Stefan Cecere, Silvio Demuth (Graphics), Tamara Nöthiger, Martina Glaus, Cédric Egli (DTP), Isabelle Mitchell, Antonia Bekiaris (text/concept), Suzanne Scherer, Rebecca Lineham, Miranda Bieri, Sarina Künzli, Linda Segessemann, Bettina Amman, Moritz Durst (consulting), Anabela Sommer, Paola Maggio (administration), Kurt Schori, Bernhard Stettler (Komet Business Development).

Fanny Smith; her name is on everyone's lips. The exceptional young talent from Vaud on the international ski cross scene is taking Swiss sport to new heights this 2014/15 winter season. And since March, she has been featured on Red Bull cans (355 ml). The best opportunity for the brand to launch a major promotional campaign for this Swiss premiere.
The center of the campaign is the website: Highfive4fanny.ch. A digital user-generated platform (UGC) that allows fans of the young Vaudois and everyone else to deliver their personal message to Fanny Smith with a "high five" video made with their smartphone, webcam or any multimedia device.

The video producers can then share their videos and, with luck, win a week all inclusive in the home of the ski cross champion, in Villars-sur-Ollon, and meet Fanny in person. The goal: to generate a digital chain of "High Five" to accompany, congratulate and surprise Fanny Smith!

The activation of the campaign was mainly launched through the Red Bull cans and 6-packs in retail stores and through the brand's social networks. To be as close as possible to the target group and pick them up, Franz & René also designed a mobile video box that was set up on the ski slopes of Lenk, Villars-sur-Ollon and Davos during the end of the season. The life-size 6-pack allowed the boys to join in directly on the ski slopes and regristrate their videos at 2400 meters above sea level. These videos were then automatically posted on the Highfive4fanny.ch website.

The architecture and the process of the campaign are ready for development, further measures will be integrated shortly. The action runs until June 13, 2014 on Highfive4fanny.ch.

Responsible at Red Bull: Brand Marketing Team. Responsible at Franz & René: Valérie Pecalvel (Strategic Direction); Luciano Gerber (Client Service Direction); Vincent Eichenberger (Campaign Manager); Marco de Albuquerque (AD); Sven Jungo (Graphic Design & Screen Design). Development and programming of the website: Maxomedia, Bern. Production video box: Lettra Design, Bern. Web-Media Communication, Geneva Images: Franz & René.

The campaign is strikingly different from other campaigns in the sector, according to a statement. In supposedly inconspicuous terms, Real Clean discovers the dirt that can accumulate. A total of six subjects will be used this spring. On the one hand as advertisements in business and SME magazines, on the other hand in animated form on selected digital posters and as banners.

Responsible at Real Clean: Toni Romano (overall responsibility). Responsible at Ruf Lanz: Markus Ruf, Danielle Lanz (Creative Direction), Andreas Hornung, Maren Beck (Text), Isabelle Hauser (Art Direction), Colette Magnin (Consulting).

Several times a year Ikea makes many products permanently cheaper. One of the bestsellers has now also received the "Another price cut" award: the Ektorp sofa, which, with 20 changeable covers, adapts to the taste of any couch owner in no time.

The Swedish furniture store has always pursued the philosophy of involving its employees in communication. For example, the models in the current catalog are Ikea employees. Wirz Werbung has realized a national campaign that ties in with this concept. Swiss Ikea employees were cast and photographed for the price communication. On three poster sujets, they each show a different living room style for the home - and of course always on the matching Ektorp sofa with a new, lower price.

Responsible at Ikea: Katrin Polzer (External Communication Manager), Ebba Barchan (Project Leader Campaign), Alberto Costa (Interior Design Leader). Responsible at Wirz Advertising: Livio Dainese, Fernando Perez (ECD), Rob Hartmann (CD), Niels Schäfer (AD), Marietta Mügge (Text), Angela Erni (Graphics), Stefan Schmid, Lorena Ladner, Prisca Grolimund (Consulting), Sebahat Derdiyok (Agency Producer), David Willen (Photography).
 

The result is a responsive microsite featuring seven individual contests and numerous social features. From April 21 to April 4, as well as during a second round from September 1 to September 14, participants can win daily prizes and the grand prize of two flights to Brazil, with a total value of 3,000 francs.

Through target-audience-specific banner campaigns and Facebook sponsored ads, the various target audiences are optimally directed to the contest landing pages, where—in addition to the contest—they can find general information about Dar-vida and access the full product range. The site is bilingual (German and French) to appeal to customers throughout Switzerland.

Contact at Hug/Dar-vida: Karin Strik (Head of Brand and Product Management at Dar-vida). Responsible at Campfire: Dirk Unger (Creative), Patric Martin (Consulting), and Pius Caduff (Programming). Responsible at Erdmannpeisker: Gabriel Peisker and Sybille Erdmann (Overall Responsibility), Daniela Müller (Consulting); Urs Zwyssig (Copywriting); Mediaschneider (Media Planning).
 

The media enjoy constitutional guarantees of freedom. This is a key prerequisite for enabling them to contribute to the free formation of opinion and, in particular, to expose abuses. However, this protection is not absolute. When individuals and institutions come under media scrutiny, the media’s reporting may, for example, come up against the limits of the protection of privacy, freedom of religion, or the prohibition against discrimination. Thus, legal issues and disputes frequently arise that the media themselves bring into the spotlight through their form of mass communication.

As part of the Media Institute’s traditional Media Law Conference, Gitti Hug, a partner at the law firm Altenburger, will be among those explaining what copyright law has to say about the controversial practice of sharing on social media. In her presentation, Nancy Wayland Bigler from Bakom examines how free and open the media landscape should be in the digital space. Denise Schmohl, who has just completed a dissertation on this sensitive topic, explains why editorial confidentiality is coming under increasing pressure in Switzerland. In his presentation, National Council member Balthasar Glättli emphasizes how important net neutrality is for media freedom. Christoph Born, a partner at Wenner & Uhlmann, clarifies the extent to which case law provides unambiguous guidance when assessing satire in the media.
Based on these principles.

Other presentations at the Media Law Conference will also provide practical tips on the proper use of digital photos and on conducting research in archives. The Media Law Conference will take place on Wednesday, May 14, 2014, at the Hotel Krone Unterstrass in Zurich. For more information, please visit here.
 

Contexta has a Facebook campaign Appenzeller Käse invited its fan community to reserve a seat on one of the typical wooden benches that fans were already familiar with from other advertising formats as a small thank-you. Each participant was given a seat with a name tag. The feedback was overwhelming: within a very short space of time, more than 5,000 people had secured a place on a bench that was ultimately 1km 13m and 32cm long. Appenzeller thus set a new Guinness World Record.

The goal of increasing brand awareness was achieved: within four weeks, more than half a million people from a total of 66 countries became aware of Appenzeller Käse through Facebook.

Creative excellence from Switzerland

For the third time in a row, a Swiss agency has convinced the jury of the Facebook Studio Awards (2013: JvM/Limmat; 2012: Walker). Swiss companies and agencies are thus demonstrating that they can easily keep up with the global creative elite, according to a press release issued on Wednesday. "Facebook thrives on special moments because strong brand stories are important to people on Facebook. That's why the Facebook algorithm helps good creative spread every day. And that's why we invite creatives once a year to submit their best work for the Facebook Studio Award. In 2014, 15 of over 500 submissions made it onto the virtual winners' podium. The fact that Switzerland is establishing itself as a haven for creative excellence is particularly pleasing. The results show that the best stories often come from charming little ideas. And good storytelling doesn't just appeal to the market, but also to people - even tough ones like creative judges," Marc Wirbeleit, Creative Strategist at Facebook, was quoted as saying in a press release on Wednesday.

Facebook Studio Awards

The Studio Award recognizes brands and agencies that have implemented particularly creative and successful campaigns on Facebook. The work was evaluated by the Facebook Creative Council - a jury of international creatives from the world's leading agencies. In May 2014, the winners will be honored at an awards ceremony in New York City. A total of 15 campaigns from 10 countries were honored. Information on all of this year's winning campaigns and general information on the Facebook Studio Awards can be found at here.
 

The relaunch is based on an in-depth editorial review and is intended to pave the way for the magazine of the future: the greatest possible selection and in-depth analysis of current topics, comprehensive research and upgraded editorial content. The redesign will be implemented visually with a new logo and the use of expressive images and fonts, according to a press release issued on Wednesday.

With the conviction that systematic editorial cooperation with other titles is becoming increasingly important, the magazine publishes a selection of the best articles from the international and German-language press every week. The magazine also works with around 50 bloggers as a source of ideas, whose articles are regularly published in the printed edition.

The "Forum of 100" congress organized by L'Hebdo, which brings together around 1000 personalities from business, politics, science and culture, is celebrating its 10th anniversary on 15 May at the University of Lausanne and is publishing a special issue on the 100 ideas that will shape the Switzerland of tomorrow to mark the occasion, the press release explains further.

When planning the magazine, the editors wanted to know from Podladtchikov who his dream woman was. He suggested photographing her himself for the cover. Friday was enthusiastic about the idea and agreed to the experiment.

Podladtchikov is a passionate photographer in his spare time and exhibited his pictures for the first time at the Perla-Mode gallery in Zurich in 2011. He met the model Aurélie Claudel at a dinner in New York. The 33-year-old has already walked for Victoria's Secret, worked for renowned magazines such as Sports Illustrated and graced the cover of French Vogue, staged by star photographer Mario Testino. According to the press release, Claudel describes the 25-year-old Podladtchikov as a great photographic talent: "His photos are raw and spontaneous."

Aurélie Claudel came to Zurich from her home in New York especially for the shoot. Podladtchikov staged her in a way that was both sexy and classic. "Working with a supermodel of Aurélie's caliber is just amazing for me," he says. The cover and photo series will appear in 20 Minuten Friday on May 2.

The average unbiased reader of the article "Die eingebildete Astronautin", which appeared in the Tages-Anzeiger in August 2010, comes to the following conclusion according to the Federal Supreme Court: Barbara Burtscher repeatedly and actually systematically spread untruths about herself or about her professional qualifications or her professional activity to the public and to that extent lied.

Maurice Thiriet, formerly a journalist at the Tages-Anzeiger and now at the online magazine Watson, was unable to prove that this was actually true. Nor could he prove that he had done everything reasonable to verify the truth of his defamatory statements. The lower courts had convicted him of defamation (Werbewoche.ch reported). The Federal Supreme Court has now dismissed his appeal against this.

Injury accepted

The Federal Supreme Court stated in its decision: Thiriet knows that the term "impostor" used by him can also be understood in the sense of liar and fraudster. He knew or at least accepted that such a statement could affect a person as an honest person.

After the initial media hype surrounding her work and person, the astrophysicist had repeatedly pointed out that she was not a budding NASA astronaut and was only completing astronaut training on a private basis.

Barbara Burtscher had no influence on headlines in the print media such as "Our woman at NASA" or "Swiss woman trains Mars landing for NASA", writes the Federal Supreme Court. At most, she could be criticized for not making it clear early, often and clearly enough that she was not a budding astronaut. In the opinion of the Federal Supreme Court, this does not mean that the astrophysicist is an impostor.

Synonyms not decisive

The court rejected Thiriet's argument that, in the case of ambiguous terms, the most favorable meaning for the journalist must always be assumed, taking into account media freedom. Even if the term "Hochstaplerin" can be used as a synonym for braggart or busybody, it is not understood as such in the overall context of Thiriet's article. (SDA)
 

Over the past five years, Aperol has gone from being a trendy drink to a classic, especially thanks to its most famous mix variant - the Aperol Spritz. The mega posters can be seen until mid-May and mark the start of the summer campaign, which will continue with the "Perfect Serve" cinema spot and posters in Swiss cities.

Responsible at Campari Switzerland: Pierina Maibach (Marketing Manager), Thomas Imhof (Brand Manager). Responsible at TBWA\Zurich: Frederick Rossman (Creative Direction), Edith Swiezy (Consulting).