In Switzerland, the Danish director Martin Werner is known among others from spots for the Ovaltine or Love Life " Got an itch? Then please go to the doctor". His latest work, a five-part series of commercials for a premium collection of the Jack & Jones fashion label, in which Christopher Walken turns into an extremely cool super tailor, is currently attracting international attention. True to the campaign's claim "Made from cool," the Hollywood actor, known as the Captain Koons from the cult flick Pulp Fiction, used his superpowers in the production of the collection - without batting an eye. After Paris, the campaign by Danish agency & CO. Copenhagen has now also been shown in Lisbon at the Eurobest with the Grand Prix honored.

WW: Martin Werner, the campaign claim is "Made from cool. A difficult specification for a director?
Very. There is a reason why the word "cool" is not used too often in advertising. Everything associated with "cool" is almost doomed to become "uncool. The goal was to create an attractive, "cool" image around the product. My ambition as a director was that all the elements in the spot - the clothes, the scenography, the music - supported the coolness.

What was the briefing, or in other words: What was given, what is your contribution?
My task was to find an actor who was capable of believably embodying the claim "Made from cool". It was in this context that the name Christopher Walken came up. Neither the agency nor I could think of a better actor for the role. My contribution consisted mainly of convincing Walken and his agent. An ambitious goal, since Walken had never done commercials before.

How did you convince him?
I wrote him over and over again about how I wanted to approach the project and explained to him: If he ever decided to do advertising, this would be just the thing... And then, fortunately, there was his wife, a well-known casting director in Los Angeles. She was thrilled with my commercial with George Clooney for DNB Bank and also did some convincing.

A well-known actor does not make a good advertisement. You've often filmed with Hollywood actors. What does it depend on?
When you hire a prominent actor just to show a famous face, it usually comes out badly. It's about the person as a whole. Take the movie with George Clooney, for example. He is the most eligible bachelor in the whole world. When a woman wakes up after a night of drinking with a guy by her side, a guy she apparently even married; who better than him? Clooney was perfect! It's the same with Christopher Walken. His integrity and mysterious nature made him ideal casting. Just imagine the commercial with Mick Jagger or David Bowie, it wouldn't work.

What was the biggest challenge for you during the shoot?
Walken is an introvert. The difficulty was building a relationship with him and making him feel comfortable doing commercials.

How did you manage to do this?
By cooking a 3-course meal for him and his wife. Walken loves food and is a passionate cook himself. When he traveled to Copenhagen for the two-day shoot, he originally wanted to eat at Noma (editor's note: well-known restaurant with two Michelin stars). In the end, he decided to eat at my place. I cooked myself. It was very nice, very personal.

How much in the films is real, how much computer-generated?
Most of the tricks are computer-based. That was quite a bit of work. The preparations took four months. We had to make sure that the tricks would work even if Walken didn't follow the stage directions exactly. Walken just plays the way he wants.

What do you like most about the films?
Walken, of course. And: The films are very "cinematic", almost "old school". Little happens, but then suddenly something happens - for example, the way he folds the shirt (video 0:25). The combination makes it. At first nothing, and then, suddenly, "one thing becomes everything." At first, I didn't want music either. Then, when we started playing with the spots, we realized it would be exciting if the spots developed. (Music: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds)

There's a fine line between coolness and embarrassment. How do you avoid slipping onto the wrong side?
You have to have the courage to reduce and focus on the core message. For example, we said: We have Christopher Walken, but, we don't let him speak. Enriched with a few simple but precise and effective film effects, the comedy, the enchantment really came into its own. Walken does not come across as a Hollywood star trying to sell something. It does not suddenly do something that you never expected from him.

There are five spots in total. Which one is your favorite?
The one with the sheep, he's the coolest.

Is there a continuation of the campaign?
You never know...

What is your next film project?
At the moment I am working on a commercial for a perfume by Benetton. But for once without famous actors.

Interview: Isabel Imper

In Switzerland, Martin Werner is represented by Pumpkin Film. Further information: Pumpkinfilm.ch.

 

After the first wave of posters to publicize Europaallee in the middle of the year, Vizner Borel is following up for Zurich's newest district: Five new poster subjects that spread a wintry festive mood, invite people to visit Europaallee and draw attention to the various Christmas attractions such as the Christmas market, Sunday sales and Christmas Punch and Judy show. The agency made the announcement in a press release on Monday.

Responsible at SBB Immobilien for Europaallee: Adrian Bucher. Responsible at Vizner Borel: Lajos Vizner, Guillaume Borel (Overall Responsibility), Eveline Jakob (Consulting), Florian Steiner (Art Direction), John Leuppi (Copy), Rainer Schaer (Photography), JBW Media (Media).

Typical autumn hazards such as fog, deer crossing and first snowfall are often underestimated and lead to accidents. The game is intended to make young and old drivers aware of these dangers, provide tips for safe driving and draw attention to the various services offered by TCS.

In the online game "TCS GrandTour I - Autumn Dangers", players have to successfully master dangers. The further players drive their car accident-free through the Swiss autumn landscape, the more points they collect for the ranking. Regardless of the ranking, each player can win a TCS driving training course as well as many other prizes. As in real life, TCS also offers numerous tips and services in the game to help players navigate through road traffic as accident-free as possible, according to a statement on Monday.

The game can be played on a PC as well as mobile on tablets or smartphones. The game was designed and realized by Wirz Corporate, and the programming partner was Netigo in Düsseldorf.

TV24 complements AZ Medien's existing TV portfolio with the stations Tele Züri, Tele M1 and Tele Bärn and benefits from their many years of experience in marketing, programming, technology and distribution, the media company announced on Tuesday. Broadcasting is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2014. (SDA)

 

The picture sparked a sexism debate, as was to be expected. Only a few of the female commentators found the dress code suggestion funny. Many describe the post as sexist and most simply find it flat. Male fans, on the other hand, mainly want the picture back, which the agency removed from the profile on Tuesday morning, or use the opportunity to vent their anger at moralizing feminists. Some of them are taking a swipe at vegans, homosexuals and other minorities who would impose their opinions on society.

However, there is a general consensus across the genders that Jung von Matt does not reach the creative level of client campaigns with such social media activities. But the agency gets points for viral marketing. Because the story made the rounds on numerous online portals on Tuesday. However, the question is whether it conveys the message that Jung von Matt wants to convey to clients or future employees. As a Facebook post, the image is seen as a spontaneous joke and therefore an authentic expression of humor and tone. (sis)
 

From February 7 to 23, 2014, the world's best athletes will compete for Olympic gold, silver and bronze in Sochi. As a long-standing Leading Partner of Swiss Olympic and partner of Swiss Ski, Rivella will be at the start with a major promotion, as the beverage manufacturer announced in a statement on Tuesday.

Under the motto "Pack and Win," a sweepstakes has also been launched since December 1, 2013 as part of the broad-based promotion. Those who help their favorite athletes from the skiing, ice hockey or bobsleigh sectors to pack their bags will, with a bit of luck, win prizes worth a total of CHF 250,000. These are VIP weekends for the Ski World Cup Final in Lenzerheide including meet and greets with the ski stars, vouchers from Ochsner Sport and exclusive Olympic fur hats.

The Rivella promotion "Pack and Win" is communicated on Rivella labels and packaging materials. In addition, the promotion will be advertised online through a banner campaign and accompanied by special activation on Facebook. For this purpose, a Facebook app was specially programmed to receive additional codes for the "Pack and Win" sweepstakes. Anyone who wants to start a fun race with their favorite athletes even before the 2014 Winter Olympics can take part in the promotion at Rivella.ch/sochi part.

Hager offers customized solutions in electrical power distribution, from switches to switchgear. Komet designed and realized the new image for Hager Switzerland.

The imagery showcases Hager's logo as bright cubes in the energy expert's various fields of activity. The visuals can be seen on various print and online measures as well as at Hager Switzerland's trade fair appearances.

Responsible at Hager Switzerland: Michael Studer (Head of Marketing). Responsible at Komet: Thom Pfister (CD), Joël Weber (AD), Stefan Cecere (graphics), Antonia Bekiaris (text), Simon Schatzmann (head of consulting), Bettina Ammann, Miranda Bieri (consulting).

At the end of October, Facebook made a surprising announcement: young people between the ages of 18 and 25 are increasingly running away from the network. Although the network is gaining in absolute numbers and continues to grow, it is doing so in other target and age groups. As surprising as this was in the Swiss and German media, 13-year-old Ruby Karp blogged on the trend platform Mashable.com on August 11: "I'm a teen living in New York. All of my friends have social networks (...) but lately, I've been noticing something different. Facebook is losing teens, and I think I know why. " / "I'm a teenager from New York. All my friends use social networks (...) but lately, I've been noticing something different. Facebook is losing teens, and I think I know why."

Reason number one: Uncool

The first reason: networks are becoming increasingly outdated. Which young people want to be on the same site as their parents, teachers or even grandparents? While Facebook has grown in the 40+ user group (up 40 percent since 2010), according to a study by the US research institute Pew, 42 percent of 18 to 29-year-olds and 34 percent of 30 to 49-year-olds said they spent less time on Facebook every day last year than before. In addition, Facebook has not done itself any favors with its constant layout improvements, nor with the changing privacy settings. If something becomes too complicated, young people prefer to turn their backs on it.

Reason number two: Alternatives

The second reason is even more trivial: the alternatives have increased - massively. The network currently has around 300 social media platforms. These include veterans such as Twitter (short messages) or Foursquare (check-ins), newcomers Pinterest (online collections) or Tumblr (micro-blogging) and, above all, Instagram. The service corresponds to the absolute self-image of today's youth: show me what you do and I'll tell you who you are. Not much writing, just photos, no complex security and privacy settings (private or public) and very little text. Facebook also recognized this trend when it bought Instagram for USD 1 billion in 2012.

The hidden champions

But which networks are now in the second and third tiers? It is becoming increasingly clear that victory will be decided on the cell phone. For the over 30s and older among us, a website in the classic sense is still a point of contact with an orientation factor. Including navigation and a classic structure. However, the generations after us are already very fond of Whatsapp and Snapchat. Whatsapp transforms the personal address book into a chat room in which pictures and videos can be easily shared, locations transmitted and status messages distributed. Snapchat has specialized in a particular niche: with the Snapchat app, images can only be made available for a certain period of time, from 5 to 60 seconds, it is up to the sender how long the message can be seen. If a screenshot is taken, the sender receives a message. It was only in mid-November 2013 that the founder of Snapchat turned down an offer of USD 3 billion from Facebook. Why is Facebook interested in Snapchat? The latter recently beat Facebook in the daily photo-sharing competition, i.e. more users upload photos via Snapchat than via Facebook: specifically 400 million so-called "snaps" per day, compared to 350 million on Facebook. However, the Facebook figure does not include the images from Instagram (around 55 million).

Next generation networks

Where is the journey heading in this highly competitive and often confusing market? The trend is clear: social - local - mobile. People want to be informed internationally, but they want to interact locally with people who share the same interests as they do: There's Riffer (for guitarists), Goodreads (for book fans), Redkaraoke (you guessed it) and Nextdoor (for the neighborhood). All apps and websites can be easily found and tested. Even though most networks currently have large users in the USA and Germany. So if networks are to be increasingly personal, local and above all mobile, two networks are well on their way to overtaking Facebook & Co or being acquired by them. These two newcomers are already champions in the USA and the question remains as to when they will roll into Europe and Switzerland: Path.com and Highlig.ht (note the division of name and domain). The special thing about it: both are apps, not websites, and allow the user to set up and expand their own small local network. Path.com is an app that allows users to track their entire daily routine - including when they get up and go to bed. Highlig.ht, on the other hand, relies entirely on the "sixth sense". The app shows when highlighters are nearby, which friends and interests you have in common (even if you are not friends with them) and when friends come into the vicinity, the app notifies me automatically. Big Brother with a stalking function sends its regards. But here, too, each user decides for themselves whether to participate or not.

Opportunities for entrepreneurs and companiesn?

What does this mean for entrepreneurs and companies? Do we now have to multiply and rewrite all our marketing plans? No. Because Facebook and Twitter will continue to be the dominant networks, at least until 2015. SMEs would do well to observe the market and analyze which target group really makes sense in which network. For brands and consumer goods, however, this means that even classic online campaigns will work less and less, simply because users are withdrawing from access. With personal, localized networks, ads are effectively being switched off more and more. Through ambassadors and sponsored stories on a large scale, shared across all networks (as Red Bull has already done with Stratos), the cards will be reshuffled once again from 2014.

Author: Roger Basler

Roger Basler is a business economist FH, Head of Marketing at Preloved and an independent Company architect. He specializes in business development, new media, social commerce and digital marketing.
 

Until January 6, 2014 you can still Axel-springer-preis.de Applications are now open for the 23rd Axel Springer Prize for Young Journalists. Prize money totaling 54,000 euros will be awarded in the Internet, print, television and radio categories. Four juries will decide on the winners. The award ceremony will take place on May 6, 2014 at the Axel Springer Building in Berlin.

All journalists who were not older than 33 when their articles were published are eligible to apply. German-language articles on current political, economic, cultural, sporting or social topics can be submitted.

You can also find further information on Facebook.

"Our experience shows that many parents are not aware of what their children experience in cyberspace," said Daniela Melone, head of parent counseling at Pro Juventute. This is because, unlike other educational topics such as contraception, today's parents of teenagers are not familiar with online communication from their own youth.

An educational short film gives parents an insight into the online world of young people and encourages them to integrate cyber risks into their children's education. In a further step, schools receive information documents that they can send to parents. In the following weeks, parents will be made aware of the educational short film via YouTube and cinema advertising. This is part of Pro Juventute's current awareness campaign (Werbewoche.ch reported), which addresses cyber risks such as sexting.

An expansion of sex education to the online sphere is urgently needed, writes the foundation in a statement on Monday. It is no longer enough to teach your child about contraception or STDs. Cyber risks such as the misuse of sexting and grooming must also be addressed at home. Parents would like support and advice in this regard.
 

By January at the latest, Mr. and Mrs. Swiss start thinking about their next vacation. Hotelplan has looked for a way to be present with its brand image earlier. The approach, which Hotelplan developed together with Coundco, consists of two tracks: an Advent game and a Christmas e-card generator.

Each player can take part in the Advent game once a day. If they share the game on Facebook, they get another chance to win on the same day. This motivates users to spread the word about the game. With the e-card generator, users can send individual greetings. Both the text and a picture can be personalized.

Users can find the game and e-card generator on the Facebook fan page or directly on Advent.hotelplan.ch/en/. Participants can win instant prizes every day or one of three travel vouchers in the main prize draw.

Responsible at Hotelplan: Manuela Byland (Team Leader Branding & Sponsoring). Responsible at Coundco: Florian Wieser (strategy), Tina Sebald (project management), Marie Sophie Pascher (design), Theo Gutmann (web development).

 

The artist Spencer Tunick used similar images to draw attention to global warming and thus gained worldwide recognition. Bodies are also used to advertise all kinds of things. The bodies in the clip by British agency Man and Hatchet advertise the body itself for once. Or rather for the fitness device manufacturer Withings. In the clip, the dancing bodies show the unathletic Sam that he should listen to his body more. They open his eyes, for example.

In various formations, the bodies ask Sam to move more and he finally realizes that it's fun. In the end, he dances along in their ballet and they open their hearts to him. A clip that so expressively encourages us to listen to our own bodies cannot be accused of pure showmanship with naked bodies. (sis)