The agency worked out Siegfried's business model for communications, through content consulting, information graphics and design. In addition to the annual report, a corporate brochure, an employee magazine and various communication tools were created to celebrate the company's 140th anniversary. The company's claim: "Expect More".

Responsible at Siegfried: Peter A. Gehler (overall responsibility), Claudia Kienberger (project management), Marianne Oberli-Abderhalden (editorial office). Responsible at Eclat: Daniel Zehntner (overall responsibility, consulting), Helm Pfohl (design direction), Céline Stemmer (project management). Responsible at Neidhart & Schön, Zurich: (prepress and press).

Affilinet has been active in Switzerland for 15 years, but until now Swiss customers were served from Germany. Now, with its new office in Zurich and its own platform for Switzerland, Affilinet offers its advertisers, publishers and agencies an independent marketplace with full transparency over the publisher portfolio and country-specific program offerings. From now on, market-specific rates and publisher commissions can be paid in Swiss francs. The more than 90 partner programs of customers such as Thalia, Thomas Sabo, Steg Computer, Office World as well as Zalando can benefit from these advantages.

"With our new national subsidiary in Zurich, we are doing justice to the growing market in performance marketing in Switzerland and meeting our partners' desire for personal support on site. In addition, it is our goal to drive the internationalization of the performance business and significantly expand our market position in Europe," said Dorothea von Wichert-Nick, CEO of Affilinet in a statement.

Matteo Schuerch will take over the management of the Swiss branch in his function as Managing Director. "The Swiss market offers enormous growth potential in the area of e-commerce. At the same time, affiliate marketing in Switzerland still has some catching up to do compared to other countries. Through our investment in Switzerland, we want to bring professional performance marketing closer to our customers, provide innovative solutions and actively increase transparency and security in this area. Concrete goals are both the expansion of our publisher base in Switzerland as well as the
Optimization of existing programs in order to lay the foundation for new successful Swiss partnerships," says Matteo Schuerch.

 

Now the company is looking for sponsors for the two athletes. The athletes represented by Infront Ringier already include Fabian Cancellara (cycling), Jonas Hiller (ice hockey), Lara Gut (alpine skiing), Yann Sommer (soccer), Mirjam Jäger (freestyle skiing) and Christian Schuler (Swiss wrestling).
 

Companies are sitting on marketing gems: satisfied customers, committed employees, expectant investors, bulging product pipelines and lots of ideas. They are all waiting to be integrated or discovered. Time to stand up, dive in and bring the most beautiful gems to the surface. Spots on! Rarely before has the current been more favorable for allowing people to exchange ideas for projects across borders, to let people talk about positive experiences or to open up new sources of income in general. YouTube is currently launching its own country page for Switzerland. Artists, companies and other content producers will be able to have their particularly sought-after videos placed with third-party advertising and earn money from the advertising revenue. Videos that generate viewership are paid for. Other services are launching similar offers. "Social goes business. "

During their purchasing decisions, buyers are influenced by more and more impulses from more and more contact points. The currency in the battle to get through is relevance, and the place where relevant content is created and disseminated is the social newsroom. In order for a social newsroom to really get going and for many gems to constantly come to the surface, the operators should follow a few important promotion rules:

1. include news and current events: When Felix Baumgartner falls from the sky for Red Bull, excited people report UFO sightings or the country in corpore launches rockets on August 1st, it provides a talking point and offers companies the opportunity to place their own stories in the same context. Provided that the context, story and the company's own brand form a quickly comprehensible arc of suspense. Otherwise, the rocket risks backfiring.

2. show social competence: Classic marketing jargon with exuberant product promises has no place in the social newsroom. People trust people more than brands. According to an Edelman study from the USA, internal specialists and like-minded users with authentic experience reports are the most credible ambassadors. People also like stories that touch their hearts and express an attitude. In 2012, Starbucks announced that it supported Washington's efforts to legalize gay marriage, prompting the National Organization for Marriage to call for a boycott. Starbucks CEO Schultz was not deterred by this and explained his commitment in the business magazine "Forbes" as follows: "It is not an economic decision to me. The lens in which we are making that decision is through the lens of our people. We employ over 200,000 people in this company, and we want to embrace diversity. Of all kinds."

3. pursue overarching goals: It is important that the impact of every piece of content produced contributes to at least one strategic target account. Coca-Cola wants to double its business volume by 2020! According to Anthony Newstead, Global Director of Innovation at the beverage giant, the content strategy plays an important role on this path. Coca-Cola has revolutionary plans. Consumers, franchising and bottling partners are to be increasingly involved in the development of new products as part of structured collaboration models. This approach of working with external sources of inspiration means a departure from the previous principle of the culturally deeply rooted "Secret Formula" to the mantra of a modern "Sharing Formula". As Newstead puts it: "We are going through a phase of risk awareness rather than risk aversion when it comes to innovation. You need to have a good way to communicate for that to work and email is not it: social collaboration is the way to go. You have to move away from a command control top down secretive model to a more collaborative one."

4. establish a "hub and spoke" organization: The newsroom consists of a central hub, the marketing department for example, and a large number of internal and external sources (spokes), all of which are potential content providers. The control instrument and centerpiece is a centrally managed editorial program, which is created and kept up to date in close cooperation between the hub and the sources. Two things are particularly important: firstly, each source must contribute content that contributes to a common relevance account for a specific stakeholder group. Secondly, the rapid technological development with constantly new user options requires a system that is agile enough to react to changes and at the same time automated enough to remain efficient.

5. create a valuable database: User behavior and attitudes can be recorded quite reliably with a mix of automated monitoring tools and personal observations. The corresponding data provides important impulses for the creation of context-related content for specific target groups or for the time-optimized use of the various social media platforms. A great deal is possible today and development is very dynamic.

6. build up know-how about the platforms: Everyone who contributes content must have in-depth knowledge of the use and impact of the platforms that are most important to them. Each genre, whether blog, microblog, network or store application, requires different content and forms of presentation. The members of the hub train, coach and motivate the content creators on an ongoing basis and keep the relevant guidelines up to date.

7. involve creative minds: The newsroom needs dedicated minds to create the relevant content, and it needs creative minds to give the content shine and impact. Brilliance and impact can be achieved with a visual design that stands out, a story that provides something to talk about and a dramaturgy that leads users quickly and easily to their destination.

8. recognize trends at an early stage: Every era brings forth developments that should not be missed. Currently important trends are "localization" and "social sales". Two digital giants, Facebook and Google, have just launched applications that bring virtual and real spaces closer together. "Google Glasses" enables live broadcasts from experience locations directly and in high resolution on screens. And Facebook "Nearby" allows users to find particularly popular places within their circle of friends, such as restaurants or playgrounds. In addition, Facebook's new structure allows globally and nationally active companies to run several locally adapted subpages in parallel. The Social Newsroom is the perfect executor of the social media strategy. How do you bring your hidden marketing gems to the surface? Share your experiences in forums, on your social media platforms or on my blog www.huerlimanncc.com.

Beat Hürlimann

 

Manuel Dähler, Director Mediapulse (Photo: Pierre C. Meier)

WW: The switch to the new measurement system has turned into a ratings debacle. The industry has been without audience figures for almost four months. Was Mediapulse a little naive when it made the switch?
Manuel Dähler: No, the changeover was planned for a long time. The story began in 2010 with a customer satisfaction survey. One customer requested that time-shifted television and web usage also be recorded. We then investigated which providers could get to grips with the Swiss situation and, together with customers and the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom), drew up a list of requirements for a new measurement system. On this basis, three companies were invited to submit an offer. In December 2011, our Board of Directors (BoD) finally decided to award the contract to Kantar Media.
 
Why did the BoD take so long and only decide on a provider a year before the changeover?
In August 2011, the Executive Board submitted a proposal to set up a new panel. Before the BoD agreed, it had various points clarified: For example, whether the applicant companies also offer the option of integrating radio research retrospectively. Or how the applicants are perceived in other countries. It took time to gather this information. However, we had already started negotiating the contracts before December, which subsequently enabled a swift conclusion. The decision in favor of Kantar was made on December 8 and the contract was signed on December 22. But it's true: Setting up a new panel in a year is quite a feat.
 
We like to believe that.
However, Kantar did not have to start from scratch. Mediapulse had already started to build up an address pool in 2009 with the New Establishment Survey, from which targeted samples could be drawn. If Kantar, as a foreign provider, had first had to get to know the characteristics of the Swiss population, one year would of course have been utopian.
 
Why wasn't the old panel simply converted?
Around half of all households would have had to be recruited anyway. We no longer wanted to recruit the addresses purely by telephone, as before, and also wanted to include households without a TV set but with an Internet connection. In addition, there would have been certain distortions in the old part of the panel (biases).
 
What kind of distortions?
In the last four years, we have had to replace between 20 and 25 percent of all households on the GRP panel for technical measurement reasons. Many households purchased new devices that the old measurement technology was unable to record. The lost households were replaced with socio-demographically identical households that had "older" devices. This made the panel more technically conservative. Households with new technologies were significantly underrepresented. Alongside the change in media use, this is the main reason why the new data differs so greatly from the old data.
 
One factor that made the changeover risky was the lack of a transition phase. Why was the old panel not continued in parallel?
Parallel operation was planned for December and took place. In spring 2012, Mediapulse had to decide whether parallel operation was necessary beyond the deadline of January 1. We assessed how high the risk was that Kantar would not be able to set up the panel within a year - leaving us without a panel. If this risk had been high, we would have allowed the old panel to continue. As Kantar has always reached the target size on time for the last five or six panels, we decided not to extend it. From this perspective, we made the right decision. The panel was there on time and parallel operation was not necessary.
 
With a parallel system, the advertising industry would now at least have data ...
Let's imagine that the old panel was still running. The differences we know today would still exist. There would be two numbers for the same item. If I've learned anything from the whole exercise, it's that advertisers only want one number.
 
That is correct.
Apart from that, a parallel operation cannot be there to tweak the figures until they look like the old ones. The new system is good if it does not produce any errors and if the basis, the recruitment, is in order. Under these conditions, there is no reason to fundamentally question the figures - even if they look different. There is no alternative to jumping into the new world.
 
It was foreseeable that there would be winners and losers in the system change - stations that would gain and others that would lose. Did Mediapulse think about how to deal with the "losers" beforehand?
Of course, we have looked at the media acceptance of the new currency. We have paid less attention to the magnitude of the figures for individual broadcasters - certainly not enough from today's perspective.
 
Has Mediapulse looked at the figures with the broadcasters?
Not at station level, but we provided information about the key data at events in December and explained in great detail what changes there are: at the level of the country regions and the main target groups. We are relying on a new projection, which entails changes in key target groups. We have more households than expected - and fewer with children. The reach has increased slightly and the duration of use has decreased slightly.
 
And what happened next?
Information events with sender-specific data were held again at the beginning of January. In February, the BoD then began to debate whether the data should be published. We submitted the data to the BoD, which had it assessed by specialists.
 
These experts said yes?
They said yes - and after an in-depth discussion, the Mediapulse BoD also said yes. As a result of this decision, we began supplying data to marketers and broadcasters on February 14. From that moment on, every broadcaster knew their programs.
 
Only your own?
No, every customer saw more or less everything - including the competitor programs.
 
How did they react?
Despite all the preparatory work, certain customers were shocked when they saw the new data. Even those with representatives on the Mediapulse Board of Directors (see info box on the left). Some intervened, so the BoD decided to wait before releasing the data. In addition to the first report, which was already underway, the BoD commissioned a second one, which focused in particular on local problems.
 
Why was the media science departmentCommission (MWK) not involved?
The MWK was involved when Mediapulse decided to request an external expert opinion at the beginning of January. We wanted to work with the MWK, but it was not possible to obtain an expert opinion in time. As a result, external experts were commissioned.
 
So the MWK was contacted?
Yes, we contacted the MWK in January.
 
Why wasn't the MWK brought on board for the development? After all, it had been involved in TV research for years.
Firstly, the MWK has a supervisory mandate. It does not act in advance, but issues monitoring reports retrospectively. Secondly, we know from previous reports where the Commission has its finger on the pulse, where it identifies weaknesses and where it makes suggestions for improvement. This knowledge was certainly incorporated into the evaluation.
 
Let's move on to communication: Mediapulse provided only scant information about the events. Your assessment?
Mediapulse's focus in the first three weeks was on troubleshooting, not communication, that's right. Firstly, there were problems with the station splits, secondly, errors occurred when assigning the audio recordings, and the third difficulty was the weighting via concession areas. These problems had to be solved quickly. Mediapulse was focused on this. We didn't know on what basis we should have provided information. Looking back, we have to admit: Perhaps we should have said publicly what we were currently doing. That would have increased transparency and created trust.
 
What happens now: when will there be figures?
Mediapulse has been delivering figures to its contract customers - marketers and broadcasters - since February 14. There was an interruption over Easter due to the super-provisional order. It stated that Mediapulse was not allowed to release any data - with the exception of customers to whom it had previously supplied the data under a confidentiality obligation. As we did not have an explicit confidentiality agreement with our customers, we stopped releasing the data until the court told us on request that we could release the figures again. On the other hand, everything relating to the marketing, planning, optimization and billing of advertising is not our responsibility, but that of the marketers (see info box on the right).
 
In other words, marketers and broadcasters receive data and are in principle allowed to give it to their customers?
Yes, at least that is the interpretation of our lawyers.
 
What about the agencies: do they have access to the figures?
Mediapulse is still not allowed to serve agencies. Agencies that not only work with marketers' tools but also obtain data directly from us are affected by the stop due to the super-provisional ruling.
 
What is going on at Mediapulse in this regard?
We are in intensive talks with 3+ with the aim of eliminating the superprovisional injunction. We are trying to find an agreement - but not on the condition that there is a "Lex 3+". There is no way that 3+ will get an individual solution. And we are prepared to take a stand in court if we cannot reach an agreement.
 
Many broadcasters have given their customers a performance guarantee. Do you expect complaints from broadcasters who are experiencing a decline?
Due to our contracts, the target is relatively small - unless we can be proven to have made gross errors. I expect individual complaints from customers, but not masses. We assume no responsibility for the business that our customers do with the data.
 
Finally, the local stations: For small stations, the range of fluctuation in ratings is large - and has apparently become even larger with the new system.
The fluctuations did not increase. The difference between the GFK panel and the Kantar panel is simply that we can now show confidence intervals (statistical measure for the fluctuations of a measured value).
 
Is it even possible to survey local stations with the national panel?
You can also report audience figures for local stations, but you have to keep an eye on the confidence intervals, which are large in the local area. This has to do with the fact that there are fewer households in small regions. If we wanted to reduce the confidence intervals, we would have to measure x times the current number of households.
 
Shouldn't we admit to ourselves: The recording of local stations is pointless due to the large confidence intervals?
The problem that the confidence intervals become larger in small rooms cannot really be solved. However, if several days are combined, for example, the values become more stable and therefore more meaningful. However, other countries no longer report any figures at this level. We are currently in talks with Telesuisse, the Swiss regional television association, and are discussing various solutions. Of course, there is also the question of how much local broadcasters really depend on national viewer figures for marketing.
 
Interview: Isabel Imper and Pierre C. Meier

Between independence and interests
The Mediapulse research organization, owned by the Mediapulse Foundation, provides data on the distribution and use of radio and television programme services in Switzerland. It was established to implement the legal mandate (Art. 78-81 of the Federal Act on Radio and Television, RTVA). According to Art. 78 of the RTVA, it should be independent of the SRG, other broadcasters and the advertising industry. De facto, however, the Board of Directors - with the exception of Chairman Marco de Stoppani - consists of representatives of vested interests: Rudolf Matter (SRF, representing the SRG), Martin Schneider (Publisuisse, representing the SRG), André Moesch (Telesuisse, representing the private broadcasters), Martin Muerner (VSP, representing the private broadcasters), Klaus Kappeler (Goldbach Media Group, representing the advertising industry), Roger Harlacher (SWA, representing the advertising industry).

 

The «forest of newspapers» is turning «red,» wrote Markus Spillmann, editor-in-chief of the NZZ and a member of the executive board, in a recent article. The readership is shrinking, advertising revenue is eroding, and part of the revenue shortfall has «so far been offset by cost reductions and price increases.» Others have written this as well, noting that the measures taken so far will no longer be sufficient in the future: «Structural change is eating away faster than it can be fed.» Spillmann puts forward—as a rallying cry and as an advocate for his industry?—an ambitious set of requirements for journalists: «Print is losing relevance, but journalism is not.» He concludes that there is a need for «more and better-qualified professionals, whether in publishing or journalism.» He’s right about this, too—even if he doesn’t comment on the level of salaries and fees!

But what about the «bread and butter»—the money! Is it really just declining advertising revenue and production costs? A look at annual financial results shows that the few remaining Swiss newspaper publishers have mostly remained in the black in recent years. So they cut costs in a timely manner—on the one hand, by scaling back journalism, and on the other, by cutting jobs or—with pay cuts for employees—outsourcing them. And what do the publishers do with the profits they’ve generated? Do they keep the «funds» in the business as a reserve for the challenges of structural change? After all, publishers love to emphasize the political significance of their media.

Nothing of the sort—they pay out generous dividends to shareholders, thereby depriving the media of «fodder.» The NZZ, for example, plans to pay out a total of 8 million in dividends to shareholders this year—just as it did last year (subscribed share capital: 4 million). Peter Wanner’s AZ-Medien posted a profit of just under 15 million in 2011 and paid out 3.7 million to shareholders. For 2012, AZ-Medien reported a profit of 19 million; the full annual report—and thus the dividend payout—is not expected to be released until early May.

Tamedia is being even more generous. It plans to distribute around 47 million, primarily to members of the Coninx founding family. The payout is logical, given that the group is publicly traded and thus subject to the constraints of the financial sector. To achieve the return on equity targeted in these circles, the group plans to save an additional 34 million in the coming years. Will this increase the relevance of journalism?

There’s one question Spillmann doesn’t ask: What if privately run print media can no longer adequately fulfill the public information responsibilities required of them by the government? Shouldn’t we look for new funding models—for example, publicly funded print media similar to SRF? Or through public foundations? Or should foundations step in, as in Basel? (But what about places where no one wants to or can donate assets?) Or perhaps a model like the one the SP recently presented in a working paper? NZZ media editor Rainer Stadler has already dismissed the idea, saying the SP «won’t get very far» because its proposals would «step on the toes of numerous players in the media industry.» Well, these stakeholders will continue to brush aside their political shortcomings for as long as they can.

The fact is: Print media are losing their lifeblood—and so are journalists. A particularly common trend: Journalists are being replaced by «experts,» a practice especially prevalent in free newspapers. Or, put another way: The knowledgeable journalist—labeled an «expert»—is expected to help fill editorial content for free. Here’s an example from my own experience: Some time ago, I received an email inquiry from an editor. His publication was planning an article on Swiss right-wing extremists and asked if I’d have «time for a background interview.» «Depending on how it goes, I could imagine turning this into an article, possibly including quotes from you or an interview.» As a freelance journalist, I replied—in essence—that I did not want to provide editorial content for free. The editor then had to check with his bosses and eventually replied that even «an information fee» was out of the question. «So, unfortunately, all I can offer you is the publicity and visibility that comes with an appearance in Migros Magazine (circulation: 1.6 million; readership: 2.3 million).» Indeed, it’s not just print media that’s running out of material—journalists are, too.

Federico Mazza has a Master's degree in Communication and Movie Design from the Politecnico di Milano. He then spent two years as a corporate designer at the Nationale Suisse Group in Basel, where he was responsible for internal brand communication. He has been supporting the TBS team since February 2013.
 

Frederick Rossmann was already drawing comics for a newspaper at the age of 14. After arts and crafts school and an apprenticeship as a graphic designer, he also worked for Ogilvy in Mexico, JWT/Fabrikant and Contexta. Today he is Creative Director at TBWA in Zurich Seefeld.
 
What the little ones are forbidden to do at home, Fredinko alias Frederick Rossmann lives out freely at Grafik 13: He paints a wall of 4 meters × 7 meters during the entire work show. Piece by piece, a unique piece is created, of which he also lets himself be surprised," the invitation on www.grafik-schweiz.ch said. "I like to make things that entertain people ", Frederick Rossmann is now pleased with the success of his idea. "I didn't just want visitors at the vernissage to stand around more or less bored with cüplis in their hands. They should also get involved themselves." That's why the illustrator put up a board in the Maag Hall with the call "I need help" and asked the audience to color in his drawings. And indeed, the visitors did not ask twice.
 
"People participated enthusiastically. After three days, there wasn't a single white spot left on the 28-square-meter canvas," Frederick Rossmann recounts during a later conversation at TBWA in Zurich. He has been responsible as Creative Director at this agency in Seefeld since 2008. And his entire team also shows pride when Rossmann clicks on the making-of "Fredinko Collaborative Painting Project at Grafik 13" on Youtube, with the "time lapse" film of his artwork. Grafik 13 provided insight into the current Swiss graphic arts scene on the weekend of March 23. At the art happening, "the 100 best Swiss graphic artists, illustrators, typographers and designers" presented their work from the past year. The work show was held for the second time and aims to highlight the trends in Swiss graphic design and make them known to a wide audience. "Due to the Internet and digitalization, the boundaries between graphic design and neighboring disciplines such as art or illustration are becoming increasingly blurred," the organizers believe. That's why the show is called "Graphic Design and Young Art".

Almost a pro already at 14

Frederick Rossmann already knew at a very young age that he wanted to move in this scene at some point. Frederick Rossmann took his first steps in Germany. At the age of six, he moved with his family "from a big city to the mountains. In Glarus, he found himself "in a beautiful, ideal world. But everything seemed more or less monotonous to him. The salvation for his psyche thirsting for fantasy was only one "colorful dog". The rest of the mountain population perceived him as a "funny bird". In other words, "the guy had an advertising agency." And Urs Schönbächler, with his now-defunct agency called Lapsus, was ultimately instrumental in nurturing Rossmann's creative talent.
 
Frederick, a teenager, discovered his love of design in 1989, when he was 14 years old. "Together with my brother, I designed the youth page for the Glarner Nachrichten on Wednesday afternoons. They took over the job as successors to the now well-known TV presenter Patrick Rohr. "We suggested it would be cool if we could introduce a comic strip on the youth page," Frederick Rossmann recalls. Today, he says, those were mostly just cartoon jokes. Nevertheless, the experience was very valuable. "We were able to let our imagination run completely free, and in the process we learned a lot about graphics autodidactically, because we even had to do the layout ourselves." For the technique of drawing, Frederick was influenced by his father. The architect advised him, "It doesn't take talent. You have to think sharply, observe and analyze. If you understand how something is constructed, then you can put it on paper." That was just "architect-speak," CD Rossmann smiles in retrospect about these first tips around his artistic work. The comics in the newspaper, however, were convincing. The "funny bird" from Lapsus became aware of the talent and generously offered Rossmann the opportunity to illustrate an entire book. Two more followed later, and finally a set of Jass cards for a brush factory. "That's how I got into advertising."

Despite more and more commissions, however, the self-taught graphic designer still didn't feel entirely comfortable with this. "I knew that I also had to do some training if I wanted to play in the top league one day." So after his Matura in Glarus, Rossmann added another year at the School of Applied Arts in Zurich. Because his native city seemed a bit less monotonous than the mountain world in Glarus, he sent applications to various agencies after school. With Remy Fabrikant, he took the bait with an offer for an internship. After a few weeks, however, the mountains brought him back. Or at least the better-paid offer at the agency Die Bündner. For that, Rossmann had to show up to work in Chur wearing a suit. "We also had customer contact, so the CD wanted us to be decently dressed."

The junior graphic designer invested 250 francs at C&A in a matching work uniform, including tie, and could probably have made a career at the foot of the Alps if Remy Fabrikant hadn't also done some touching up. "In Chur, I learned a lot because I had to do everything myself. I took briefings, developed ideas, wrote headlines and, after designing the subjects or brochures, also went through all the work in print. In my youthful recklessness, I probably would have gone into business for myself before long." But Rossmann suspected, "Then I might have eventually found happiness as a field and meadow graphic artist." Remy Fabrikant knew how to prevent that with an offer of an apprenticeship as a graphic designer at JWT. Although already 23 years old, Rossmann accepted the deal and worked on the Maag site for the next three years. His diligence was rewarded with the best final apprenticeship examination "in Switzerland".

Later, Frederick Rossmann also continued his development at the creative school. He became art director at JWT, worked for Heineken, Nestlé, Cailler and later at Contexta for "Beck & Bondi". Throughout all these engagements, however, AD was more than concerned with still making art himself. "I continued to illustrate for newspapers and magazines." And because there is a sense of humor in all of his work, the designer was also able to land a job as a gag writer for a show on Swiss television. And time and again between all these activities, the wide world lured the ex-mountain man. Rossmann traveled through Central America and got stuck in Mexico. And he traveled a few more times after meeting his current wife overseas. He also still took advantage of his stays in Mexico to freelance there for Ogilvy on an irregular basis. "The agency was very creative. But I could immediately see a problem with execution." So Rossmann was hired as a consultant "right off the bat" to optimize output and get the agency ready for awards in Mexico as well.

In the meantime, the trips have become somewhat less frequent since his wife Brenda moved to Switzerland and has a small son with Frederick. But at least a culinary touch of Mexico has remained with the Monroyal Cakes project. "It's a brand we're trying to raise together," the advertiser explains. Rented into a bakery, Brenda now concocts a fresh daily assortment of ten varieties of pastries. The patisserie is sold in the newly opened Say Chocolate Boutique in Europaallee near Zurich station. The new commitment fits perfectly with Frederick Rossmann's philosophy, which he also sees in terms of advertising development. "We don't know where advertising will lead. What is certain is that we don't want to bore our audience. That's why we will get more involved in the future when it comes to optimizing a client's product or offer" Rossmann is convinced. At TBWA, this approach is being taken into account with a new claim. "Create," is the motto simply but not simply. The opinion is that from the specialized advertising agency continuously a completely general "creation institution " is to become. A place where Frederick Rossmann has unconsciously felt at home for years.

Andreas Panzeri

When I read this, I initially thought it was a belated April Fool's joke - and a state of war: "Zurich is planting vegetables on traffic islands." However, the matter is quite serious. To save money, the city of Zurich is planning to grow vegetables instead of flowers on public green spaces such as traffic islands or at streetcar stops from 2014. So if you get on or off the tram, your eyes will soon be treated to leeks and fennel instead of stepmothers and columbines. Gone are the days of eating the hated kebab on the streetcar, now carrots are being nibbled everywhere. And what was no longer in stock at Coop pronto can now be picked at the streetcar station.

Everyone benefits and the city can save up to 10,000 francs a year. Lukas Handschin, spokesman for Grün Stadt Zürich, confirms that the vegetable islands are no joke. The concept is rooted in the SP's call for an "edible city". According to well-informed sources, the Grossmünster is soon to be baked out of gingerbread as part of this concept. As a kind of crispy house for the Christmas season. If everyone eats them, it will also be a sign of ecumenism in action. But joking aside. Because the local council has already waved the minestrone through and next year Zurich is getting serious. Cabbage stalks, beetroot and parsley everywhere. And leeks too.

Pigs at Central

After a week of thinking about it, I am still torn as to whether I find "urban farming" imaginative, funny or embarrassing. Of course, all families would be delighted if the concept were implemented consistently. That would mean placing small cages with bunnies and pigs on the islands. And a horse here and there. And perhaps Alex Rübel would also contribute a few flying foxes from his Masoala hall. As a kind of symbol for the Greater Zurich Area, as people think internationally here. Only then would the whole thing be complete. So, as you can see, I'm leaning towards the "embarrassing" rating.

But if the Zurich vegetable invasion were now a guerrilla advertising campaign, for example for the Zurich Farmers' Association, Coop's horsemeat-free organic vegetables, Tibits or Zurich's Engrosmarkt - that would of course be a blast. Perhaps one or two advertising agencies will manage to come up with the idea for an adventurous client by 2014 and create a campaign that will be remembered for years to come: "Oh, they were the ones with the vegetables all over town ..." Vegetarian branding would be something new.

Pollutants in cabbage and turnips

However, there are some concerns. Green city councillor Ruth Genner warns against growing vegetables on urban borders. This is because the traffic islands are often next to roads (oh my!), which makes the vegetables inedible due to the high level of pollution. Moreover, it should be borne in mind: Undetected genetically modified maize could affect public transport users and car drivers, which would again drive up health costs. That's why I prefer to rely on the assessment of my favorite a cappella band "basta" from Germany: "Sex is overrated - leeks too." (www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbkSgsk40mo) And keep one thing above all else away from vegetables.
 

The newsletters addressed to you during the day today are not relevant and can be ignored. Friday's newsletter will (hopefully) be published punctually at 2 am.
 

This is because the bank experiences this diversity on a daily basis, the agency said in a press release on Wednesday. In addition, following the introduction of the new corporate design last year, the publication has been given a new self-confidence in its appearance with graphic elements. This is the fifth time the agency has developed the concept for the bank. The assignment included the content and visual concept and bilingual implementation - from conception, image direction and layout to media production.

"Perspective"

The main theme of this year's issue is "Perspective" and is captured in a separate picture section. To this end, the agency looked over the shoulders of 41 people and captured their everyday perspectives. The result is an independent illustrated book within business communication.

For structuring purposes, Source designed ten introductory chapter pages, each of which graphically incorporates the subsequent topics - integrated in color into the overall layout. The corporate design of Zürcher Kantonalbank, which was introduced last year, provides the framework. The agency used the same visual and textual language to create the associated sustainability report, which goes into more detail on sustainability-related aspects and specifically covers the indicators of the Global Reporting Initiative.

 

Individual brands have only limited success in gaining and retaining customer loyalty. This is shown by a new study commissioned by ICLP on the subject. Companies often fail to meet the needs of their customers - even when it comes to rewarding loyalty flexibly, quickly and in a customer-oriented manner.

The new representative study entitled "Driving greater loyalty in Europe" was commissioned by the loyalty marketing agency ICLP. It comprises the observation of 912 consumers in Switzerland, France and Germany. Among other things, the study shows that there are gaps between what is important to customers in the area of loyalty and loyalty programs and what companies actually offer in reality.

The results in Switzerland show that loyalty bonuses are at the heart of every loyalty program. According to consumers, these should be redeemed as flexibly and promptly as possible. According to the survey, 75% of Swiss customers expect companies to be more flexible and 68% to be quicker in rewarding their loyalty.

The biggest gap between supply and demand in Switzerland is in the area of mobile. While 67% of respondents stated that the combination of loyalty programs with mobile technology is very important to them, only 35% are satisfied with the performance of brands in this area. This results in a deviation - a so-called "gap" - of 32 percent. This is followed by deviations in the areas of customer-oriented communication (16% gap) and flexible remuneration (12%).

On the other hand, the study also shows that companies overestimate the relevance of certain areas. This is particularly true for social media. For example, there is a negative gap (-10 percent) when it comes to sharing loyalty bonuses on social networks. Only 20 percent of respondents consider this exchange to be important. In turn, 23 percent attach great importance to the opportunity to exchange information with a brand via social media, resulting in a negative gap of -5 percent.

The youngest generation makes the most use of the digital and mobile offering. This is far less surprising than the fact that the 55+ generation also regularly uses social networks and mobile apps to interact with brands. However, the study also shows that consumers generally have the impression that there are too many social media applications and mobile apps in the area of loyalty programs.

The study also revealed that 57% of Swiss consumers are willing to join a loyalty program. However, only 40 percent believe that membership of such a program actually brings positive benefits. This is where companies need to start with adequate communication to emphasize the value of their loyalty programs in order to attract new members and keep existing ones active.

Judith Raymakers, General Manager for ICLP Europe comments: "These results show that consumers want more control and choice when redeeming rewards in loyalty programs. Companies need to work harder to create added value for their customers. Simply collecting points and saving money is no longer enough. Although companies must not ignore and neglect social media, they must make sure that they do not invest money and time unnecessarily in this area. It would be disastrous for market players in Switzerland if they worked against the needs of customers. Consumers know exactly which channels they want to use and it is recommended that companies act accordingly and find ways to satisfy these needs.