In its statement on the revision of the Consumer Credit Act (KKG) at the beginning of April, the Federal Council spoke out in favor of a ban on aggressive advertising for small loans (Werbewoche.ch reported). However, he leaves it up to the industry to define what this means in concrete terms. SW Schweizer Werbung welcomes the decision in favor of self-regulation. However, the umbrella organization for commercial communication does not agree that consumer credit advertising to teenagers and young adults should be generally prohibited.

SW Schweizer Werbung understands the problems associated with young adults getting into debt, the umbrella organization said in a statement. However, a ban on advertising for consumer or small loans is not considered to be effective in any way. On the other hand, the association welcomes the fact that, according to the Federal Council's latest decision, the financial sector is to be given the authority to define for itself, within the framework of a convention under private law - with the Swiss Fair Trading Commission as the arbitration tribunal - which advertising should be considered aggressive and which should not. However, SW Schweizer Werbung considered the Federal Council's intention to generally classify advertising that specifically appeals to teenagers and young adults as aggressive and therefore ban it to be too far-reaching. All the more so as the Association of Swiss Credit Banks and Financial Institutions (VSKF) states in its draft for self-regulation that it is precisely this target group that should not be addressed by advertising. SW Schweizer Werbung supported the VSKF in formulating the draft and clearly supports the position formulated therein.

Self-regulation: faster and more cost-effective

Self-regulation makes all the more sense as experience has shown that out-of-court settlements are faster, more efficient and cheaper than any criminal or civil proceedings. Penal provisions in other areas, such as those for disregarding the star rating, have shown that laws can be ineffective and, on the contrary, exacerbate the problem. A ban also makes little sense, as the Federal Council has left open the option of defining what constitutes aggressive advertising on its own initiative should self-regulation fail.

Advertising bans do not solve social problems

In its statement, SW Schweizer Werbung mentions that even Pro Juventute considers an advertising ban to be the wrong approach. The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts study "Achtung, fertig, Schulden" shows that preventative measures have the greatest effect. These include, first and foremost, addressing values and norms in the family and teaching financial skills at school. Pro Juventute commented on this in a media release on December 10, 2013: "A ban on advertising for small loans would miss the real problem," said Stephan Oetiker, Director of Pro Juventute: "Young people today are constantly exposed to consumption opportunities. A ban on advertising for small loans is at best a drop in the ocean."

Against this background, SW Schweizer Werbung is in favor of integral self-regulation within the framework of the KKG as proposed by the Economic Committee of the National Council. Apart from this, there is no reason to restrict advertising for products that can be legally purchased. According to the umbrella organization, advertising bans are usually justified on populist grounds and always contradict the constitutional right to economic freedom.
 

1. do you fall for advertising? When?

Looking at my current armada of gadgets: yes, obviously frequently.

2. the best self-promotion?

Impressive Cases.

3. what do you think about owned media?

Much 🙂

4. a buzz word that gets on your nerves?

Hashtag.

5. what does not come to the office under any circumstances?

A fountain of mist.

6. is the opinion true that you can't grow old in agencies, or is that a prejudice?

Well, that depends very much on the function and the personal attitude. Depending on that, it is easy or impossible to grow old in an agency.

7. ever thought about leaving the advertising industry?

You should always think about whether you are in the right industry. So far, the decision to stay has always been clear.

8. if you had not become an advertiser - what then?

Maybe demigod in white after all. Or bush pilot.

9. do you tell other people how much you earn?

Not me, my wife takes care of that.

10. has your media behavior changed in the last three years? (If yes, how?)

The screen size for my media consumption has become drastically smaller. I hope my eyesight can keep up with the trend.

11. what is impossible for you to do without?

Humor.

12. what do you never want to have to hear about yourself?

He can't take a joke...

13. what would you not advertise under any circumstances?

For fog wells.

Bernhard Herzig founded Maxomedia together with Roman Hirsbrunner in 1996. Over the past 17 years, they built the agency from a 2-man garage operation to an innovative 50-person agency. In October 2013, Hirsbrunner moved to Jung von Matt/Limmat. Since then, the previous Head of Digital Bernhard Herzig has been responsible for the management of Maxomedia.

The core business of the architectural office is the conversion and new construction of high-quality residential buildings. In addition, the office has already developed several commercial buildings. Based on the corporate strategy of the owner-managed company, Branders developed the foundations for a new design system with the architects.

According to the press release, the aim was to give the office a modern appearance without neglecting the classic core values. In addition, the aim was to always maintain a balance between a personal and a technical appearance. For the redesign of the brand identity, Branders developed a restrained design system that brings the office's work to the fore.

Dominicschmid.ch

Responsible at Dominic Schmid Architecture: Dominic Schmid. Responsible at Branders: René Allemann (CEO) and Dennis Oswald (Senior Brand Designer).
 

The 27 leading PR agencies in Switzerland that are members of the BPRA generated fee income of CHF 72.5 million in the 2013 financial year. Two thirds of PR agencies recorded a decline in turnover in 2013, as the 2013 market statistics of the Federation of PR Agencies in Switzerland (BPRA) show. However, ten agencies recorded an increase in turnover of between 1% and 23%. This corresponds to a decline in turnover of 4.4 percent in the industry. According to the press release, there were revenue winners and losers in all provider categories. The reasons for the turnover development of the individual agencies do not lie in overarching market trends, but in the addition and loss of individual larger mandates, personnel changes in the agencies or developments in specific client segments. In the annual market survey, BPRA agencies state that project business is increasing at the expense of basic mandates. As in previous years, social media and digital communication were identified as key drivers for the agencies' business.

There has been no change in the ranking of the largest agencies: The market continues to be led by Farner Consulting (+5.5 percent), followed by Burson-Marsteller (-26 percent). They are followed by YJOO Communications (+4.2 percent) and Furrer Hugi & Partner (+16.7 percent). New member Wirz Corporate follows in fifth place. According to the industry survey, the driving client sectors are healthcare, NGOs, foundations, associations and clubs, followed by banks, insurance companies, finance companies, the pharmaceutical industry and the energy sector. The most sought-after service categories are corporate communications, strategic consulting, marketing communications, online communications/digital PR and public affairs.

23 member agencies are CMS-certified, the remaining members are still in the (re-)certification process. With the international quality standard CMS II, the BPRA has its own mandatory certification for members, which defines ethical and qualitative standards. BPRA members therefore undertake to work in accordance with standards that must meet high economic, ethical and quality requirements.
 

The Ringier station will move to the Pressehaus later this year. Radio Energy Zürich is currently located not far from the headquarters, also in the Seefeld district. The station will now be based right next to the main entrance, where a kiosk is currently located, among other things. "We have wanted to open up the Pressehaus to the public for some time and rejuvenate it," Ringier CEO Marc Walder told the media on Wednesday. He said that by moving the studio to the headquarters and opening the Radio Energy Café, they have now found a good way to achieve this. (SDA)

Image: Keystone

The concept behind it: During the week, people are bombarded with news day after day - online and offline at ever shorter intervals. This daily flood of information can be quite confusing, as the wildly jumbled headlines show. In contrast, "Schweiz am Sonntag" is positioned as the newspaper that checks the entire flood of information for relevance and provides orientation with well-researched and well-written stories. In short: the newspaper that keeps you on top of things.

At the moment there are numerous new subjects on display, which also refer to current events and excitement of recent weeks.

Responsible at Schweiz am Sonntag: Patrik Müller (Editor-in-Chief), Tanja Laube (Head of Marketing), Tabea Riesen (Marketing Manager). Responsible at Ruf Lanz:  Markus Ruf, Danielle Lanz (Creative Direction), Florian Birkner, Markus Ruf (Text), Marcel Schläfle (Art Direction), Laura Hofer (Graphics), Tanja Felix (Consulting).

Together with b-to-v Partners, a network for entrepreneurial private investors, Ringier Digital is acquiring a 20 percent stake in the e-commerce platform Verkaufen.ch. In addition to the financial participation of both partners, Ringier Digital's involvement also takes the form of media-for-equity. The principle of exchanging advertising time and space for company shares enables young companies to build up a high level of advertising pressure as well as target group-specific marketing and thus rapid brand development, as detailed in a press release. Thomas Kaiser, Chief Digital Officer Ringier: "Ringier Digital is active in high-growth consumer markets. The sale of private, used consumer products has great potential. Recommerce is also backed by a committed and experienced team with a clever, scalable business idea." In addition to media services, Ringier is also providing its expertise as Switzerland's largest media company. Recommerce COO Peter Oertlin is delighted: "The commitment of two such experienced partners is a good sign that we are on the right track. Thanks to Media-for-Equity, we can present our services to a wide audience."
 

The new premises of Swiss Quality Broker were to express their uniqueness and passion for performance, results and lifestyle. Frontwork accepted the challenge and developed an overall concept for the new premises in Pfäffikon SZ, as announced in a press release on Tuesday.

The uniqueness of the client is expressed everywhere: on the glass partitions covered with crystal foil, the large-scale pictures and the wall designed by two graffiti artists from Paris. The highlight of the conversion is the loft-style bar on the top floor. It exudes an industrial flair and is an ideal place for a creative break or for thinking up new, expansive visions together.
 

Three new copywriters have joined the Etextera team this spring. With Sandra Meichtry, Dominique Anne Schuetz and Petra Cupelin, the agency has brought three experienced copywriters on board, according to a statement on Tuesday.

Managing Director Ruth Hardegger-Wickli says: "The first months of 2014 have been positive. With the professional reinforcement of our team, we avoid risking a staff shortage in the coming months. The three copywriters at Etextera have already proven their competence. The customers were thrilled."  

A specially developed app measures the volume and ensures participation via pack prize code. Every day there is a new prize that is possibly even louder than the participants - a powerful Ion Block Rocker. And if you invest a few decibels more, you can win a trip to the USA as the grand prize.

The campaign focuses consistently on mobile and web: In addition to the app, there are mobile and online banners, the microsite Screamandwin.ch as well as accompanying campaigns on the Emmi Energy Milk Facebook page.

And to ensure that not only the screamers have fun, but also the viewers (and listeners), there are videos: Clips of particularly skillful screams promote the action in parallel on selected online channels, and many more will be available to admire on Facebook and YouTube.

For the total of four months of disturbance of the peace, those responsible apologize in advance.

Responsible at Emmi: Jolanda Vögeli, Marina Niederberger. Responsible at Scholz & Friends: Christian Vosshaben, Thomas Müller, Dan Nessler, Lorenzo Müller, Avsa Yildiz, Martina Miani, Manuela Miksa, Wim Lanz, Lukas Frei (creation), Mathias Rösch, Holger Schicke (consulting).
 

Lisa Känzig has been working at Radio 1 for around five years. She started with an editorial internship in 2009, was then employed part-time in the editorial department alongside her ZHAW studies and most recently hosted various daytime, evening and weekend programs, such as her own show "Känzig am Samschtig".

Hannes Diggelmann is a new member of the Radio 1 presenting team. Following his internship at Kanal K in Aarau, the 30-year-old joined the editorial team in January 2014. In future, he will present various daytime, evening and weekend shows on Radio 1.  

The four-member jury of recognized experts (this year's jury members: Constantin Seibt, Lotta Suter, Gerhard Lob and Marie-Pierre Genecand), which is newly composed each year, justifies its decision by stating that "exceptionally good journalism" only emerges when "the well-trodden paths" are left behind. Both award winners had done this in their own unique way. Al Imfeld traveled far and wide, found his stories in refugee camps, slums and factories and wrote "about the little people, the powerless" in small newspapers and books. Viktor Parma, on the other hand, has been working "for 32 years in the most written-about place in Switzerland: the Federal Palace", from where he has written "about the powerful", above all in Switzerland's highest-circulation newspaper, Sonntagsblick, and in three books.

The 79-year-old Al Imfeld, son of a large family of mountain farmers from the Napf region of Lucerne, came to journalism after studying theology, philosophy, development sociology and tropical agriculture. He has traveled to many countries for his research and is considered one of the best experts on Africa. He founded the Third World Information Center and is co-editor of the "Dialogue Africa" series. His research and columns have appeared in daily newspapers and magazines. To date, Al Imfeld has published over 50 non-fiction books, short stories and volumes of poetry, often on development issues, including "Hunger und Hilfe: Provokationen" (1985), "Wir weinen nicht mehr, Afrika: Frauenleben" (1994), "Fremde Heimat & tausend Grenzen: 101 Gedichte" (2005) and "Mission beendet: Reflections on the Religious Conquest of the World" (2012).

The 64-year-old Victor Parma began his career as a journalist in the 1970s at the Schweizerische Depeschenagentur. He then worked for the "Basler Zeitung". In 1981, he moved to Bern as a journalist for the Swiss parliament, from where he wrote for Bilanz, Weltwoch, Basler Zeitung and Sonntagsblick. He has been a freelance journalist and author since 2009. In his core area, Switzerland's economic and political system, he published the bestsellers "Machtgier - Wer die Schweiz wirklich regiert" (2007), "Schurkenstaat Schweiz? -Tax evasion: Wie sich der grösste Bankenstaat der Welt korrumpiert und andere Länder destabilisiert" (2009, with Werner Vontobel) and "Die käufliche Schweiz - Für die Rückeroberung der Demokratie durch ihre Bürger" (2011, with Oswald Sigg).

With Oliver Classen the two prizewinners are honoring a committed journalist who, like others, is "increasingly walking a tightrope and crossing borders" as a result of the media crisis. The former journalist and editor at Werbewoche and Handelszeitung moved to the Berne Declaration eight years ago as a media spokesperson. There he played a key role in the publication "Rohstoff: Das gefährlichste Geschäft der Schweiz" (2011), which became a bestseller. This was "a genuine journalistic achievement", as Al Imfeld and Viktor Parma emphasize.

Pro Litteris, the Swiss copyright society for literature and the visual arts, has been awarding the annual Pro Litteris Prize of CHF 40,000 and the Sponsorship Prize of CHF 10,000 since 2012. The prizes are awarded to individuals who have made outstanding and lasting contributions in the four fields of literature, visual arts/photography, journalism and publishing. The main prizewinners are selected by an independent jury, which in turn determines the sponsorship prize.

This year's award ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 18, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. in the Kaufleuten Klubsaal in Zurich.