Arndt C. Groth
CEO of PubliGroupe

The publishing and media landscape in Switzerland remains very vibrant, especially when compared to neighboring countries. Today, there are just under 441 newspapers in the Swiss media landscape, 106 of which are daily newspapers, often with a very local or regional focus. In addition, the language regions are very well covered. This broad and deep media coverage reflects strong publishing traditions with deep roots. At the same time, pressure on print publications is increasing sharply, as it is abroad, with a double-digit decline in advertising revenue each year.

This trend, which still cannot be even remotely offset by new, digital revenue streams, is intensifying economic pressure and will lead to further consolidation. Media providers are responding to this change in different ways. Some are rapidly shifting their portfolios toward online business and divesting themselves of newspaper titles; others plan to monetize traditional journalistic products over the long term across all channels. To achieve long-term success in the media business, marketing processes in particular must be automated and workflows designed to be highly efficient. Inventory must be sold programmatically to the greatest extent possible, and personalized service must be focused on premium inventory.

Ralph Büchi
Executive Board Member for International Affairs at Axel Springer AG and Delegate of the Board of Directors of Axel Springer Schweiz AG

The digital transformation is already in full swing here as well. In the media industry, we must recognize that the new digital possibilities can, in some cases, rapidly disrupt our existing business models. The entire technical and media ecosystem is changing very rapidly. We do not view this as a threat, but rather as an opportunity for journalism—provided, of course, that we adapt quickly. This requires, above all, a cultural shift and a new understanding of our readers and customers.

Roger Köppel
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Weltwoche Verlags AG

Journalism in a democracy cannot be replaced, but competition has intensified dramatically. Everything is free. Readers have much more power than they used to. As a result, newspapers must be exceptionally good to avoid becoming obsolete. Every publication must focus on its own strengths. It doesn’t matter whether the content is printed or broadcast. What counts is the content—that is, the brand. Die Weltwoche invests everything in research and journalism.

Giovanni di Lorenzo
Editor-in-Chief, *Die Zeit*

Unlike other countries, Switzerland can be proud of its media landscape. With the NZZ and Le Temps, it has two outstanding national print publications, and the quality of its public radio and television stations is impressive. However, I am concerned to see that it is precisely the established Swiss publications that are under pressure from free media, and that some publishers are investing more in editorial cost-cutting measures than in forward-looking ideas. In principle—though I am no prophet—I would say that a decision must be made today: Either we commit to high-quality journalism, which will pay off sooner or later—that is, journalism that unobtrusively guides people, educates them in the best sense of the word, and in the process entices them to read. Or we try our hand at fast-paced news and celebrity journalism. Well-crafted, independent local journalism also has a future. But anyone who, for whatever reason, cannot commit to one of these areas will have a hard time.

Jörg Tobuschat
Publishing Director, Member of the Executive Board, Axel Springer Schweiz AG

By international standards, Switzerland remains a country with a strong tradition of print media and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future. However, the above-average penetration of electronic devices is a clear indication of the momentum with which digital media offerings are making their way to consumers here as well. Print and digital media will continue to complement one another. Precise product positioning and market leadership—as exemplified by Axel Springer Switzerland’s offerings—create the best conditions for successful journalistic and commercial endeavors, both today and in the future.

Philipp Welte
Executive Director of Publishing at Hubert Burda Media

To succeed in a digital media world, we must place consumers at the center of everything we do even more decisively than in the past. For us, this means constantly exploring new ways to reach consumers while continuing to use traditional channels to connect with them through an ever-evolving range of products.

Andreas Schoo
Group Managing Director of Bauer Media Group

The Swiss media market is one of the most interesting in Europe. This also applies to the magazine market. For our company, Switzerland is at the top of our list of priorities.

Manfred Strobl
CEO of Omnicom Media Group

The Swiss publishing and media landscape is undergoing structural changes due to a number of factors: advancing digitization and convergence, cost pressures and efficiency efforts, changing needs of young media consumers, more restrictive budgeting on the part of advertisers, and a (modest but) noticeable trend toward globalization. We are observing a shift toward electronic media, a disproportionately high use of mobile media content (with disproportionately low media spend), more fragmented information consumption, and a growing need for interaction with engaging brands and companies.

Omnicom Media Group, with its agencies OMD and PHD, therefore forecasts continued cost pressure on and within media companies, an even greater emphasis on short-term thinking in our clients’ decision-making and commitment behavior, higher expectations regarding media companies’ involvement in the success of the advertised products and services, and a legitimate desire for more meaningful data and facts (keyword: Big Data). We continue to observe a demand for the greatest possible transparency among market participants—coupled with an optimization of the value chain (keyword: automation of media planning and buying, especially in digital media).

Alexander Horrolt
Managing Director, Goldbach Audience (Switzerland) AG

One fundamental difference is that Swiss media companies are less nationally oriented than their counterparts abroad; they are more deeply rooted in and tied to their regions. Furthermore, the Swiss online market is still in its infancy. This is, of course, partly due to the fact that, compared to Germany, it is a relatively smaller market, which consequently has fewer resources and staff available for development and implementation. But we in Switzerland are catching up with international trends, since the impact of the media remains the same.

Prof. Dr. phil. Stephan Weichert
Professor of Journalism at Macromedia University of Media and Communication in Hamburg

For decades, Switzerland’s publishing and media landscape has enjoyed an excellent reputation as one of the most journalistically diverse and financially well-resourced in the world. But even this landscape has not been left unscathed by the newspaper crisis: Everywhere, editorial staff is being drastically cut, budgets are being slashed, and newspapers are even being shut down. This creeping erosion of the press is a trend that seriously calls into question the status of journalism as a public good, even in Switzerland. Above all, the aggressive tactics of free tabloids, the unsuccessful online subscription models, and the mass exodus of readers and advertisers are causing publishers serious difficulties. I therefore strongly believe that calls for alternative revenue and funding models will grow louder in Switzerland as well—especially since there are quite a few foundations and patrons here who could advocate for the preservation of quality journalism—and perhaps even want to do so. In addition, there are also some exciting crowdfunding initiatives in Switzerland that deserve attention.

Dr. Andreas Bölte
CEO, Aegis Media Central Europe

The Swiss market exhibits several distinctive features compared to other similar markets. While the Swiss advertising market might seem relatively straightforward given its size, multilingualism, the political system, and the structure of the media landscape all contribute to its unique complexity. To a greater extent than in other markets, almost all media groups are moving toward a duopoly, which tends to slow down the general pace of media developments. Nevertheless, the global trends of globalization, convergence, data, and technology will also reach Switzerland, albeit perhaps with a time lag. This will pose a particular challenge for all market participants.

Against this backdrop, we see ourselves more than ever as drivers and innovators with high standards in technology, organization, and innovation. The entire communications industry is in the midst of a unique transformation process. However, the greatest and most fundamental challenge remains the media talent that is helping to shape this transformation—especially within Switzerland’s highly concentrated advertising community. In addition to our own excellent training and development programs—which we are continuously expanding as a group—this also requires a new approach and new avenues for collaboration with universities.

Carl-Eduart Meyer
Chairman of the Board of Directors of News aktuell (Switzerland) AG and Managing Director of News aktuell GmbH in Hamburg (Germany)

Just as in Germany, Swiss daily newspapers will also have to grapple with a painful consolidation process in the medium term. This is especially true in a comparatively small market with a multitude of publications. The price of digitization will certainly have to be paid: dwindling circulation and falling advertising revenue. This development is coupled with publishers’ gradual shift away from their core business.
Until recently, it was unthinkable that a German newspaper publisher like Axel Springer would sell off its crown jewels. The decision to part ways with some of its long-standing brands is a clear sign that publishing executives themselves no longer believe in the long-term viability of their newspapers. The challenge will be: How can print and online be intelligently integrated? Perhaps it will be the resourceful Swiss, of all people, who show the world the way to a successful future for newspapers. They certainly have what it takes.

Norbert Küpper
is a newspaper designer and organizer of the European Newspaper Award

Magazines: An agricultural publisher—Landwirtschaftsverlag Münster—has come up with a great idea: *Landlust*. This laid-back mix of gardening, baking, cooking, crafts, and home decor is setting new standards in print media. With a circulation of more than one million in the fall of 2012, and the trend continuing to rise, this has led to a flood of titles in Germany with similar names and similar designs. The wave spilled over into Austria with *Servus für Stadt und Land* and has likely already reached Switzerland as well. *Landlust* in particular—the catalyst for the development of this new segment—is stepping up its television advertising and now also features ads from brand-name companies such as Daimler-Benz.
You can also imagine a project like this on a regional level—it already exists in some regions of Germany. The idea is sometimes turned on its head: “Stadtlust” was also launched recently.

It’s foreseeable that such publications could also be successfully launched in Switzerland. They are published 6 to 12 times a year. I can also easily imagine regional newspapers serving as publishers. There is clearly a huge readership for light, entertaining reading. There is no end in sight to this boom.

Newspapers: Switzerland is in a much better position than the rest of Europe when it comes to weekly newspapers. As far as I know, there are currently seven titles. They are visually appealing, offer high-quality content, and seem to have a good volume of advertisements. People apparently have the time and leisure to read newspapers, especially on weekends.

Regional newspapers vary greatly in terms of design. There are quite a few that look very elegant. They’re essentially weekly newspapers that come out almost daily. This trend will only intensify, because in the future, publishers will be more likely to avoid, for example, running a two-column article of 60 lines, since many readers are constantly online via their smartphones and receive the latest news every minute. Then there are also very successful commuter newspapers that focus on short news items as well. It then becomes risky to reprint a story because the news is already outdated. It’s better to post it online, or the newspaper can provide more background or cover other aspects of the topic. That, in turn, requires a longer article or a different approach.
A daily weekly newspaper features relatively long articles and large-format images. Most newspapers in Switzerland can do this without any trouble.

Social Media: I don’t have much insight into what’s happening in Switzerland. But I see many regional newspapers across Europe that also cover topics on Twitter and Facebook. It’s really interesting to see how newspapers gather reader feedback via Facebook or how they use social media to attract very young people to the newspaper. I’m sure this is no different in Switzerland than in other European countries.

Future Trends: There will be a lot of developments in the areas of visual storytelling and alternative storytelling in the future. The Scandinavians are leading the way. You can see this at the European Newspaper Awards: Stories can also be told using a photo essay combined with a block of text and info boxes. Or you can use a large photo and add small blocks of text to explain details in the photo. Alternative storytelling means avoiding the traditional, self-contained text and, for example, creating a list of 10 points. Or you can address a topic through questions and answers. We don’t see many examples of this from Switzerland yet. This is partly because editorial and layout departments haven’t yet discovered these new stylistic approaches for themselves.

Alexander Duphorn
CEO, Goldbach Media (Switzerland) AG

The use of media for communication solutions is undergoing a transformation. To expand their journalistic capabilities, publishers are increasingly restructuring their organizations to focus more on moving images. Print and TV, in particular, are experiencing increasing digitization; for TV, this means that, in addition to traditional broadcast TV, new digital services—ranging from video on demand to moving images viewed simultaneously on mobile secondary devices—are emerging. More and more is also happening online, where the Internet as a distribution channel dictates the narrative form. The linear medium of TV is increasingly being paired with other media in a multiscreen environment.

Jörg Kachelmann
Meteorologist, twitter.com/j_kachelmann

I'm afraid I don't know enough about *Das Gesamtkunstwerk* to answer a question like that. Basically, for a variety of reasons, it's beneficial for the Swiss media landscape when Frank A. Meyer is in Germany and not on the phone with Michi.

Survey: Christoph J. Walther

In his new role, Raffael Huber will be responsible for marketing all stations of the Music First Network Group and will build and lead a completely new sales team of six employees in total.

Raffael Huber knows the electronic media advertising market from many years of experience. He previously worked as Team Leader Cross Screen at Goldbach Audience, Team Leader Sponsoring at Swiss Radio and Television, and as TV Account Manager and Radio Account Manager at Goldbach Media. Raffael Huber completed his education at the University of Zurich, where he studied and graduated in journalism, business administration and sociology.
 

A lot has changed at Rufener in recent months. After more than two decades of success in 45 countries around the globe, the event agency founded in Zurich in 1990 has said goodbye to the restrictive addition of "events" to its brand. The profile has been sharpened and the focus has been redirected to three different divisions. The event sector was expanded to include the disciplines of creation and consulting.

"Rufener has long since been offering its customers expertise in creation as well as consulting in strategic planning and integrated communication over and above its core competence in event management," says Jennifer Somm, explaining the strategic move. The economist from the previous management team was newly promoted to CEO in charge as of June 1 and launched the re-branding.

A newly designed corporate identity, including a new website, further reinforces the new orientation. Three defined corporate colors clearly highlight the agency's three service areas: events, creation and consulting. This development is also reflected in the personnel composition. In addition to event managers, the 30-strong team also includes an increasing number of strategically experienced concept developers and designers.

"Rufener wants to position itself as a partner in all areas of live communication, because we see encounter communication as a comprehensive discipline," explains Jennifer Somm.

When Schoscho Rufener founded the company, his agency was one of the first in Switzerland to act as a general contractor. Clients had just one point of contact for purchasing catering, entertainment, technology and location. Later, Rufener also became the first event agency in Switzerland to establish its own creation department. "We saw that creation is an important part of letting a stringent identity emerge. You can certainly score points with the customer if the implementation on the set is perfect. But creation and consulting are added values that are essential today," Somm knows. A tailor-made solution therefore also includes a sound understanding of the brand values. "Only when we have extracted that can we also create something that brings the expected return on investment for the client," Somm says. "Anyone can put out a few cüpli. But we want to create something sustainable that substantially strengthens the brand."

In this sense, Rufener no longer sees the general contractor model as the sole USP for the future. "Former suppliers have now developed from caterers to general contractors themselves. Numerous large companies have also set up their own competent event departments. But what is missing in many events today are the ideas as well as a strategic background." Below-the-line is a growing budget item. Responsible integration of these measures into the overall communications mix is therefore called for here. In this interplay, Rufener wants to increasingly appear with strategic competencies in the future. "In this context, we also offer our consulting services without a mandatory contract for implementation. We see ourselves more and more as an agency for creative and strategic consulting."

Jennifer Somm has been working at Rufener for five years. Her background includes an education at the University of St. Gallen. Her studies at HSG provided a good foundation. The degree in finance and accounting was an important basis for Rufener's current managing director for management tasks. "In my first time at Rufener, HR as well as finance and accounting were placed with me. Areas that tend to get short shrift in agencies." Step by step, this was to become more. Just as it has always been part of Somm's working style.

While still in St. Gallen, she did an internship on the side at "10 vor 10" and was later able to earn her degree as a desker at Schweizer Fernsehen. "I was allowed to follow the news from all over the world all day and summarize what was important for the editorial team." Later, she realized small contributions herself as a freelancer. After graduation, she was "torn" about whether she wanted to stay in television. "But I was only 24 and felt I should do something else."

An ideal opportunity for further development arose at Burson Marsteller. In the agency for political and business lobbying, Jennifer Somm not only found a boss in Iwan Rickenbacher from whom she could learn a great deal, but also her mentor. "I was always lucky to meet someone who firmly believed in me and at the same time gave me all the freedom to develop myself." After all, she says, work is the most fun "when you can spend your whole life learning and progressing."

But life also has other things in store. For example, the birth of her daughter. And because Jennifer Somm has learned in her previous jobs that people here "have to be 200 percent committed if they really want to be there," she has decided that a career in the media and a toddler are not compatible for her.

The suitable alternative was to work as a teacher. At the high school in Zug, Jennifer Somm taught business administration and law. "This employment brought with it a structured day with free time that could be planned." Also, the lively discussions with adolescent middle school students were a valuable experience. Still, for Somm, a maker, lecturing became somewhat one-dimensional over time. "My passion for being able to discover new things fell flat. In addition: in the meantime, dealing with the way young people think was also covered more and more at home. I was served enough in this regard by my own daughter - setting limits, keeping rules and allowing freedoms."

Jennifer Somm increasingly felt she wanted to apply those skills with adults and in a larger organization. "I like to lead and most of all inspire a team so that we can achieve something together." That, she said, is also what defines her qualities. "I come into the office every day and always have new ideas. Then I stand in creation and try to motivate people to turn it all around again and maybe start from scratch, because everyone feels: there needs to be an even better solution here."

She had philosophized about such an attitude to work with Schoscho Rufener at a chance meeting. "He then thought that he could actually always use someone like me. So he took the risk, even though I didn't have any event experience to show."

The experience soon followed. When Schoscho Rufener retired to the Board of Directors after the sale to Messe Schweiz Group, Jennifer Somm joined the Executive Board at the same time. "We discussed various models and then decided that, in addition, creation would be based with me. That sounds like a big balancing act. But it's exactly the facet that makes up our offering. In the end, creation also needs a great deal of precision - especially with the large budgets that we manage at Rufener. And conversely, finance also needs a certain amount of creativity."

Jennifer Somm is convinced that all employees in her agency are "individualists" and should be managed and encouraged accordingly. "As an event manager, you have to take on a lot of responsibility at a young age. A 30-year-old has to lead a catering team of several dozen people at an event with 3500 guests. On top of that, there's the technology and the supervision of the artists for the show acts." That's where matured trust helps more than control. "However, it's important that we have clear objectives and know where we want to go - with an event, but also with our agency."

Andreas Panzeri
 

So you can find under Ruflanz.ch over 750 advertising pieces, sorted by client or by medium. Plus everything you need to know about the owner-managed agency.

Ruf Lanz also praises the campaigns of other agencies. Markus Ruf and Danielle Lanz asked their team to each present a subject from their favorite campaign. The only condition: No praise for campaigns from their own agency.

Station was commissioned for the programming. Station implemented the concept in Responsive Design. This means that the website works on any device. The Drupal-based website also offers a high degree of flexibility in the maintenance of the content and can thus be easily kept up to date.

Responsible at Ruf Lanz: Markus Ruf, Danielle Lanz (overall responsibility), Marcel Schläfle, Markus Ruf (concept), Marcel Schläfle (design), Markus Ruf (text), Armin Arnold (content management), Colette Magnin (consulting). Responsible at Station: Fabienne Haltinner, Annina Berweger, Patrick Stoll (consulting). Karin Zürcher, Patman (creation), Luisa Low Pew, Gunisigi Balaban, Osiris Roost (development).

The 56-year-old is a former Publicitas executive and most recently worked at AZ Medien as Managing Director Systems & Services and member of the Executive Board. In his new role, Sauser will report directly to CEO Alain D. Bandle.

Sauser will be responsible for processing (order preparation and processing), IT and facility services and will play a leading role in the introduction of Mediaspectrum's new core system by Publicitas BPO partner Xentive. The new system solution will enable Publicitas to process advertising campaigns via a web-based platform from 2014 and thus further automate advertising placements.

From 2009 to 2013, Sauser was responsible for the introduction of self-direction in advertising sales at AZ Medien and later Managing Director of Systems & Services, which included IT, prepress, order processing, invoicing and process management. From 1980 to 2007, Sauser held various management positions in sales and marketing at Publicitas.

Alain D. Bandle, CEO Publicitas: "I am very pleased to be able to fill the position of Operations Director at Publicitas with an experienced person like Rainer Sauser. Rainer Sauser has in-depth knowledge of operations, which is of great importance for the increasing automation in the Publicitas process landscape".

 

Almost every day, the media report on black money in Swiss banks, the tax dispute with the USA or with Germany. Against this background, it is hardly surprising that many Swiss believe that Switzerland's reputation has suffered in recent years. Wrongly so, as the current study "Swissness Worldwide - Image and International Added Value of the Swiss Brand" shows, which was conducted by the Institute for Marketing at the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and htp St. Gallen Managementberatung in collaboration with Jung von Matt/Limmat and the market research institute GfK Switzerland.

Switzerland enjoys a good reputation internationally. It is seen as a country with a lot of nature and a high quality of life, and is regarded as reliable and trustworthy. Contrary to the domestic view, Switzerland's image has even improved internationally in recent years, as a comparison of the current study with its predecessors shows. The Chinese, Indians and Brazilians in particular see Switzerland's image as significantly better today than they did in 2010, which is good news for Swiss companies that use their origins as a marketing tool and in their communications. 

You can find the full article here as PDF.

A model with wax strips all over her upper body surprised passers-by on Zurich's Bellevue promenade by asking them to remove them. Each wax strip was also a 25% discount voucher for a waxing treatment at the Design Spa. Over 350 vouchers were distributed in this way and generated a high viral effect, the agency announced in a press release on Thursday. Both the website and the Facebook page saw a 15 percent increase in visitors shortly after the campaign and the first waxing treatments have already been booked.

Responsible at Ease Design Spa: Pascal Stalder (Managing Director). Responsible at Statement: Philipp Brunner, Renato Auer (overall responsibility).

First came the free newspapers, which were ridiculed in turn ("short fodder, info tidbits"), then - when they began to compete with the established newspapers not only for readers but also for advertising - regarded with suspicion. Counter-strategies? None. After all, one was better! 20 Minuten was then bought by Tamedia, the other free titles went under. Things turned out well for Tamedia, leaving the other publishers with free competition.

Then came the fall from grace with the Internet. Virtually all publishers put the news from their daily newspapers online for free. "Net culture", "that's the way it has to be", they said. The reasoning was as simple as it was wrong: If as many users as possible click on the free news on the Internet, then the advertising will also come. In theory, that's true. But only if you're number 1 or 2. And it never compensates for the decline in print. From rank 3 on, very little happens in Franconia.

The triumph of tablets led to app hype. That way, you could sell additional content. And, of course, advertising. Or so they thought.

New hype: paywall. Countless variants (metered, freemium, social) are being thought up. The success - if it is introduced at all and not postponed for the umpteenth time - is referred to as "encouraging", which means "doesn't really bring anything".

The current trend is mobile hype. More and more people are using smartphones to access websites. The advertising will come then. One hopes.

It is striking that for at least ten years, most of the strategies of the media companies have been pure reaction strategies. Someone - usually someone from outside the industry - did something and then they reacted. There was rarely any truly groundbreaking strategic thinking. They saved on the product and hoped for better times. Or they diversified into other areas outside the industry.

A radical change is needed. And it needs to happen quickly. Only then can the change succeed. But to do so, it is necessary to throw entrenched, traditional ways of thinking overboard. Quickly and thoroughly.
Other industries facing a similar crisis have shown the way. This is the only way. Otherwise, there is a risk of termination.

Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief [email protected]

Arndt C. Groth
CEO of Publigroupe

The publishing and media landscape in Switzerland remains very vibrant, especially when compared to neighboring countries. Today, there are just under 441 newspapers in the Swiss media landscape, 106 of which are daily newspapers, often with a very local or regional focus. In addition, the language regions are very well covered. This broad and deep media coverage reflects strong publishing traditions with deep roots. At the same time, pressure on print publications is increasing sharply, as it is abroad, with a double-digit decline in advertising revenue each year.

This trend, which still cannot be even remotely offset by new, digital revenue streams, is intensifying economic pressure and will lead to further consolidation. Media providers are responding to this change in different ways. Some are rapidly shifting their portfolios toward online business and divesting themselves of newspaper titles; others plan to monetize traditional journalistic products over the long term across all channels. To achieve long-term success in the media business, marketing processes in particular must be automated, and workflows must be designed for maximum efficiency. Inventory must be sold programmatically to a large extent, and personalized service must be focused on premium inventory.

Subscribers can read more at this link the assessments of

Ralph Büchi
Executive Board Member for International Affairs at Axel Springer AG and Delegate of the Board of Directors of Axel Springer Schweiz AG

Roger Köppel
Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Weltwoche Verlags AG

Giovanni di Lorenzo
Editor-in-Chief, *Die Zeit*

Jörg Tobuschat
Publishing Director, Member of the Executive Board, Axel Springer Schweiz AG

Philipp Welte
Executive Director of Publishing, Hubert Burda Media

Andreas Schoo
Group Managing Director of Bauer Media Group

Manfred Strobl
CEO of Omnicom Media Group

Alexander Horrolt
Managing Director, Goldbach Audience (Switzerland) AG

Prof. Dr. phil. Stephan Weichert
Professor of Journalism at Macromedia University of Media and Communication in Hamburg

Dr. Andreas Bölte
CEO, Aegis Media Central Europe

Carl-Eduart Meyer
Chairman of the Board of Directors of News aktuell (Switzerland) AG and Managing Director of News aktuell GmbH in Hamburg (Germany)

Norbert Küpper
Newspaper designer and organizer of the European Newspaper Award

Alexander Duphorn
CEO, Goldbach Media (Switzerland) AG

Jörg Kachelmann
Meteorologist, twitter.com/j_kachelmann

Teaser image: hae/Wewo

»January is the result of a «business blind date,»" explains Fredy Espejo, glancing over at his new business partner, Emanuel Gürth. The two corporate design specialists met a few years ago online while searching for business synergies on social media platforms. The exchange was so inspiring for the designers that their online connection soon extended into the offline world. Espejo and Gürth met at regular intervals to discuss the world and their work. About two years ago, the designers finally moved into a shared office in Zurich’s Wipkingen district. At that time, Espejo was still focused on his own company, Gemdesign, while Gürth was busy with Gürth Design. As they worked, however, they increasingly found themselves looking “very closely over each other’s shoulders.”.

(Photo: Paolo Emmanuele)

The founding of the agency Januar Designbureau marks the next step. Januar sees itself as a «design boutique» specializing in brand identity, visual communication, and new media. It’s a lean, small agency where projects go directly from the client to the designer. To bring projects to life, a suitable team is assembled from a network of freelancers on a project-by-project basis. Design always remains a top priority.

Their very first clients are the designers themselves. For their new agency, they first had to define their own identity and develop their corporate design. A name that’s visually appealing—and embodies the core of the company.

«When clients come to us, they have a deep desire for change,» explains Espejo. The first month of the year symbolizes the process of starting anew, during which the designers guide their clients.

Espejo and Gürth like to focus on maximum minimalism. This penchant for minimalism is evident, among other places, on their website. Only one font style («light») is used—no «bold,» no «regular.» Gürth tends to be even more of a purist than Espejo. «Emanuel is the go-to guy for elegant super-flat design,» says Espejo. He himself finds it a bit harder to reduce things to the bare minimum. Gürth: «Fredy always manages to add a shadow here and there.»

The designers have invested a lot of time in their own presentation. This is also evident in their business cards. Simple, white, laminated paper with black lettering (letterpress); only the bright orange, 1-millimeter-thick edge (color-cut) stands out. One detail that immediately catches the eye is the black sleeve, finished with transparent hot foil stamping, in which each card is housed.

As of the start of January, the owners are already able to showcase some of their work from their previous freelance careers. For the Hermathin fashion boutique, Gürth designed an elegant overall brand identity under the tagline «Fine Fashion.» A rebranding was carried out for the crane manufacturing company René Kunz. Since 2010, Gürth has also been managing the «Tonhalle Late» concert and event series. He is responsible for the relaunch of the design concept and produces new flyers and posters every few months. True to the motto «classic meets electronic,» elements of classical and modern music are visually highlighted in each design. A speaker is inserted into the trumpet in place of a mute, and the black keys on the keyboard have been replaced by faders or sliders.

January’s client portfolio also includes financial service providers such as GFP Global Financial Products, the asset manager RFinanz Rindlisbacher & Partner, and Controva, a provider active in the trust industry. For the latter, Espejo developed a corporate design and a communications concept, including a visual identity. Blue, all caps, serif font. Together with the blue-and-white figurative mark prominently displayed to the right above the lettering, the visual identity is reminiscent of that of Credit Suisse. The design process, however, was quite different, the designer explains. He modeled the small blue-and-white logo after a mathematical function. He filled in the area below the curve and rotated it around its own axis.

Espejo and Gürth have acquired many of their clients through their personal network. They use this channel very actively: «At some point, I realized that you can acquire clients just as effectively through personal connections.» Is Espejo the kind of person who hands out flyers at a neighbor’s housewarming party? «I try not to be pushy. But of course, you talk about what you do for a living. It would be unwise to withhold that information from someone.»

January, however, does use the web more often for customer acquisition. Through Xing, LinkedIn, and Facebook, Espejo and Gürth have already reconnected with a few former colleagues—and ultimately turned them into clients. Conversely, they’ve also discovered freelancers through social media and awarded them contracts. Find and be found. Or as Espejo puts it: «Social media is the perfect opportunity to give chance a chance.»

Isabel Imper

in a nutshell
After six years of working in graphic design and motion graphics for the production company Frame Eleven, Fredy Espejo (38) founded the design agency Gemdesign in 2005. Emanuel Gürth’s (28) career path took him from graphic designer to art director at a full-service advertising agency in Zurich. After two years of freelance work, he started his own business, Gürth Design, in 2010. As of September, the two designers are joining forces to form Januar Designbureau. Their client portfolio includes companies such as GFP Global Financial Products, Sherpany, Fashionfish, Veloplus, Tages-Anzeiger, Hermathin, the Müller-Möhl Foundation, the Tonhalle Orchestra, and the Anne Frank Fund. 

 

With the rapid growth of mobile devices in Switzerland, IAB Switzerland aims to accelerate their use as a sales and marketing tool. The Mobile Compendium 2013/2014 offers a guide to mobile advertising.

Furthermore, the use of mobile devices (divided into cell phones and tablets) is analyzed. The focus of the Mobile Compendium is on the topic of mobile advertising media as well as tracking and targeting. The topic of mobile sites versus mobile apps is also a component of the compendium. Finally, some best practices are presented in detail.

The current Mobile Compendium can be ordered free of charge as a PDF or in the print version from IAB Switzerland ([email protected]).

In addition to the Mobile Compendium, the IAB Academy is offering an in-depth seminar on mobile marketing on October 2 and 3 and December 4 and 5, 2013.
 

The Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin has an interview section called «Don't say anything right now». The name says it all: Responses are given not with words, but with photographed gestures. Chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrück is a guest in Friday's latest issue.

When asked, «Peer the Flopper, Peer the Problem, Peerlusconi—you don’t have to worry about getting any nice nicknames, do you?» Steinbrück responded by flipping the camera the middle finger. This was likely a reaction to the media’s months-long fixation on his gaffes. Our current “Affengate” scandal seems downright tame by comparison. His direct, dry, and at times almost brusque manner has led the SPD candidate to put his foot in his mouth on more than one occasion in the past and once made him, prematurely, a hopeless challenger to Angela Merkel. However, the fact that he doesn’t worry about rubbing people the wrong way—unlike Merkel, who never ventures out on a limb—also earns him sympathy, and as a result, his poll numbers have been rising steadily in recent weeks. He comes across as authentic because he seems to say what he thinks at all times—image be damned.

Like Süddeutsche.de According to reports, his spokesperson, Rolf Kleine, wanted to prevent the middle-finger photo from appearing on the front page. In his opinion, his protégé had reacted «a little too spontaneously» to that question. But Steinbrück approved the photo, saying, «No, that’s fine.» And—at least at first glance—he’s receiving a lot of positive feedback, particularly in the blogging community and on social media. (hae)

©Süddeutsche Magazin/Alfred Steffen