«We are continuing to expand our own photo studio so that we can train more high-quality photography professionals, but also to meet the growing number of client orders,» said agency director Stefan Grob. Currently, four apprentices are being trained in the agency’s own photo studio, and assessments are being conducted for IV eligibility. With Frosan von Gunten on board, the studio’s former manager, Roger Nigg, now has optimal support.

Photographer and artist from Eastern Switzerland

From a young age, Frosan von Gunten has been a photographer through and through. After attending secondary school in Romanshorn and Frauenfeld, Frosan completed an apprenticeship as a photographer at the Vocational School of Design in Zurich. Until she joined the Advery photo studio, she worked primarily as a freelance photographer in the fields of portraiture, fashion, lifestyle, and advertising.

In addition to commercial photography, von Gunten is also active as an artist. At least once a year, she organizes an art exhibition—featuring her own works or in collaboration with the artist collective FaD.

(Photos by Gataric-photography.ch and Coworking.tadah.ch)

In recent weeks, the entire industry has seen that you don't have to sit in an office together all the time to work together successfully. And also the challenges that families face when they cannot rely on the usual childcare provided by grandparents, daycare centers or after-school care.

To offer moms and dads a helpful solution to spontaneous or emergency childcare gaps, Wunderman Thompson partnered with Tadah Coworking Space with Childcare earlier this year. The space was started by former ad women who know where the shoe pinches and how fiercely.

"With our flexible subscription, working parents can now check in with Tadah at short notice, work on site in peace and quiet, and have their children professionally looked after at the same time," explains Swen Morath, CCO at Wunderman Thompson Switzerland. "Without any major logistical effort and the costs are covered by the agency."

In order to protect the members - especially those who belong to the Corona risk group - the General Assembly and the related award will be held via livestream. SFJ will send all members the documents with the possibility to vote in writing in the coming days. The AGM will be held via Zoom on September 18, 2020 from 4pm to approximately 5pm.

The Call for entries for the SFJ Award 2020 The best technical articles are being sought, three of which will be awarded prizes at the General Meeting. There are prizes worth 2500 Swiss francs to be won.

"We want content on Instagram to be authentic and come from real people - not bots or people who want to mislead others," Instagram writes on its official blog. This is the Facebook subsidiary's justification for the step to carry out ID checks in the future. Most users, however, are to remain unmolested. A check is only planned for accounts that show conspicuous behavior that points to bots or fraudsters.

Proof of identity introduced

Like all major social media platforms, Instagram is struggling with a flood of bots and abuse from scammers, including political misinformation and fake fans. In this very battle, the photo and video service is now relying on identity verification if an account appears suspicious. This should happen, for example, if there are indications of a bot, there are signs of possibly "coordinated, inauthentic behavior" (keyword election manipulation), or other conspicuous features such as an excessive number of subscribers from another country.

Passport or driver's license

In case of an identity check, an account can be temporarily restricted, according to the official blog. According to Instagram information, an official photo ID such as a passport or driver's license, on which the full name, age and a photo are clearly recognizable, is suitable as proof of identity in any case, but two weaker documents can also suffice. According to Instagram, the data used will not be published and will be deleted 30 days after the end of the test. The account can be fully used again after the audit. If someone does not comply with the request to disclose their identity, the account remains restricted or is deactivated. (pte)

Freelance music professionals from classical to pop have been hit particularly hard by the Corona crisis. The vast majority of performances this year have been cancelled from one day to the next. As a result, the Lucerne Festival has commissioned Freundliche Grüsse to develop a campaign to draw attention to the plight of freelance musicians in Switzerland.

The charity campaign started on Wednesday, parallel to the "Life is Live" festival, and is scheduled to run for 16 days. Participants film themselves interpreting Beethoven's Ode to Joy. They can sing, drum, clap or rap. The video is then uploaded to the campaign website Solidarityformusic.ch - and you have already made your personal donation of sheet music.

The barometer of collected music notes increases with each uploaded video, showing solidarity with freelance musicians. The number of notes per video increases when several participants are creative together or even a band, orchestra or choir is used.
Those who do not want to play music can simply donate a sum of money on the website.

At the end of the project, all contributions from partners in the campaign and the monetary donations collected via the campaign website are transferred to Sonart, the Association of Music Professionals in Switzerland. They distribute the funds to freelance musicians in need who have applied to Sonart for financial support. In addition to numerous well-known musicians such as Cecilia Bartoli, Crimer, Francine Jordi, Knackeboul, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Erika Stucky, the solidarity campaign is also supported by a prominent patronage committee - including Federal Councilor Alain Berset.

The action will be accompanied on Lucerne Festival's social media channels - the most creative contributions will be shared and collected under the hashtag #SolidarityForMusic.

Former COO Walter Zollinger (left) has been CEO of Tom Talent Holding since August 1, 2020. He takes over from Thomas Sterchi (right).

Founder and main shareholder Thomas Sterchi, as active Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Group, will in future only concentrate on the strategic orientation with a focus on "New Business". Partner Beat Arnold will remain on the Executive Board as Chief Financial Officer of the Group.

Zollinger has been COO and partner of Tom Talent Holding for over seven years. Previously, he founded and managed his own companies and gained a great deal of experience in corporate management and business development in management positions. He is married and father of two children.

"We have grown steadily and on a healthy basis over the last few years. The Group owns valuable companies in the entertainment, event and recruiting sectors. With the handover to my new CEO, we are now implementing a management structure that can react quickly to operational challenges and that will focus on the core topics," says Thomas Sterchi.

The annual summer slump did not stop at this exceptional year. At CHF 329.3 million gross, advertising pressure in July was only slightly above the annual low from April, when the nationwide lockdown caused the advertising market to collapse (Werbewoche.ch reported). The year-on-year decline amounted to -9.2%, which is less than a tenth of the previous year's figure for the first time since February. Accumulated advertising pressure in the first seven months of the year is around 18% below the previous year's figure.

Advertising pressure in the overall market

Development of advertising pressure as at July 2020 in million gross francs

Out-of-home still top, TV advertising flop

Out-of-home advertising continues to flourish. Following a recovery in advertising pressure generated by out-of-home advertising in June, the media group even recorded an increase of around ten percent in July compared to the previous month. Compared to the previous year, this corresponds to an increase in advertising pressure of a whopping 22.3%.

Meanwhile, advertising pressure in all other media groups continued to decline year-on-year. Television advertising was hit particularly hard in July: TV advertising pressure was around a quarter lower than in the previous year. The decline in TV advertising is also reflected in the media mix. In March, TV advertising was responsible for an impressive 34% of total advertising pressure. After a constant decline over the past few months, the figure in July was still 21%.

On the other hand, radio advertising is proving to be very crisis-proof and constant. This year, radio advertising pressure has consistently accounted for between 2% and 3% of total advertising pressure in the Swiss advertising market. With a slight decline of 3.4%, radio advertising pressure in July was almost at the previous year's level.

Top retail sector up again YTD

As in June, the cleaning sector and construction, industry, furnishings are up YTD compared to the same period last year. Thanks to the advertising pressure generated in July, the retail trade sector has now joined them. However, the majority of sectors are still facing a decline in advertising pressure YTD. The 18% year-on-year decline in cumulative advertising pressure from January to July is therefore not surprising.

Only six sectors increased their gross advertising pressure in July compared to the same month last year, while 15 of them reduced their advertising pressure. Accordingly, the overall market saw a year-on-year decline of 9.2% in July.

News from the Top 10

The Disney+ streaming service is the most advertised product in July. However, Disney just missed out on a place in the top 10 advertisers ranking, with the Walt Disney Company coming in 12th. After the Federal Office of Public Health's coronavirus information campaign recently occupied 4th and 1st place among the top products, it was ranked 6th in July. This means that the FOPH is once again not among the top 10 advertisers.

Advertising printing in the industries

Top of the month

The top advertisers and most frequently advertised products and services (excluding product range and image advertising) in July

Media Mix

Media Mix for the month of July

With a degree in political science, she has ten years of experience in various communication disciplines in Switzerland and abroad and worked in journalism and media relations for several years. Most recently, she was a PR and communications consultant at the Vademecom agency and media spokesperson for German-speaking Switzerland at Terre des hommes - Children's Aid.

The central element is the website designed and implemented by Bold Safe-mountain-hiking.chwhere users can test their mountain fitness with a self-test, among other things.

The broad-based national campaign is designed to arouse the interest of hiking fans with simply worded messages and magnificent alpine landscapes, and to provide information in advance about the requirements of the white-red-white marked mountain hiking trails.

The country inn has over two hundred years of history, enjoys a national reputation and is very popular with sports clubs as well as private guests and groups. Juniors and seniors alike come to the Leuen for pre-match refreshments and post-match entertainment.

A special typo campaign was created for this Leuen tradition. Thematically, the headlines focus on the sports of football, handball and ice hockey. The campaign can be seen in daily newspapers and specialist magazines.

More than half of children facing surgery suffer from anxiety, which in extreme cases can have a noticeable and measurable negative impact on postoperative processing and healing.

The VR app allows children between the ages of 5 and 10, as well as their parents, to prepare for an upcoming operation via their own smartphone and the "Kinderinsel" Cardboard glasses that come with it. In a positive way, it is intended to help reduce fears and uncertainties.

The app relies on both an explorative and a narrative didactic approach and consists of three chapters: an immersive VR story, an interactive operating room, and a 360-degree video tour. Throughout the VR app, children are accompanied by the friendly "Kinderinsel" penguin "Kimi," who appears at various points and explains everything about the upcoming surgery.

From focus group to VR implementation

Nexum conceived and realized the app over several stages. The various development steps include the elaboration of the didactic approach, the development of the story, the creation of the texts, the creation and design of various 3D animated protagonists (penguin, child, parents, various medical professionals, etc.) as well as the programming and technical implementation using the VR development platform Unreal.

Children helped with design

In the run-up to the conception, the agency gathered important insights around the expectations and wishes for the VR app in a focus group workshop with the target group and set about learning about possible fears in connection with upcoming operations.

Accompanied in virtual reality 

The "Kinderinsel" app is primarily aimed at children, but deliberately involves parents in the preparation for surgery as well. A central feature of the app is therefore the mirroring function also developed and implemented by Nexum, which allows parents to follow what their child sees, does and experiences in virtual reality on a second smartphone.

The bilingual app "Kinderinsel" is available for the general population and not only for patients of the Insel Group. The app is now available free of charge for iOS and Android available.

Compared to non-participants, participants in the demonstrations are more likely to inform themselves about a brand before they buy it (33% vs. 25%) and support brands that they can reconcile with their conscience (46% vs. 41%) and that make the world a little better (41% vs. 27%). This was the result of a study by the JOM Group, an agency for hybrid marketing communication.

For the people surveyed, sustainability is primarily linked to the environment. Conservation of resources and the CO2 balance are the decisive criteria for around 46%. Quality, such as organic certification or fair working conditions, followed at a considerable distance.

The social environment is the most trustworthy source of information

80 percent of respondents stated that they research various brands on the Internet. "Fridays for Future" participants also rely heavily on their social environment. Almost half rely on the personal experience and opinions of friends or acquaintances, with those aged 20 and over (54%) relying even more than younger respondents (46%). Demonstration participants are skeptical about the social media profiles of brands. Websites, forums and blogs hardly play a role. This shows that "Fridays for Future" participants are more skeptical about information about brands from the digital space, especially when the content is generated by companies themselves.

Brands: The winners and losers

Alverde, the own brand of the drugstore chain dm, and the organic supermarket chain Alnatura are at the top of the list of spontaneous mentions. Both brands impress with their natural ingredients and raw materials as well as their credible communication and external presentation. Respondents were also able to rate a selection of 26 brands from the food, transportation, retail, textiles, insurance, automotive and entertainment sectors. This showed that around 64 percent were critical of the brands. Lufthansa (84%), New Yorker (85%) and McDonald's (87%) in particular have little to do with sustainability according to the young target group. In contrast, the supermarket chains EDEKA and REWE are perceived positively, particularly by the active "Fridays for Future" participants, alongside Deutsche Bahn, Tesla and Jack Wolfskin.

Conspicuously inconsistent with favorite brands

When it comes to their favorite brands, the young generation is inconsistent. For example, 62 percent rated the sports manufacturer Adidas as rather unsustainable, but 77 percent would consider buying Adidas items. The situation is similar with H&M. For 75 percent, the company does not stand for sustainability, but buying it is an option for 68 percent.

Amazon is also very striking: While 74 percent consider the company to be unsustainable, 85 percent say that a purchase is still an option for them. For 36 percent, a purchase is definitely an option.

Young people react more consistently when it comes to excluding brands from the "relevant set". In a spontaneous response, around 13% of respondents reject all brands from the food manufacturer Nestlé. The reasons include poor working conditions, immoral practices and environmentally harmful production. The top three no-go brands are rounded off by Gucci, whose products are considered too expensive, and KIK, which is accused of child labor, exploitation of workers and producers and poor product quality.

Impact of sustainability campaigns

In order to test the impact and credibility of corresponding campaigns on the "Fridays for Future" participants, 300 demonstration participants were shown moving image campaigns from Rewe, H&M and McDonald's. Of the three commercials, the retail chain Rewe was particularly convincing on all levels. 81 percent stated that the commercial is credible. 86 percent are of the opinion that it fits the REWE brand. The commercial primarily addresses aspects that the younger generation sees as benchmarks for sustainability, including regional organic products, short transportation routes and CO2 savings.

In terms of credibility, respondents were divided on the H&M and McDonald's commercials. Both brands are perceived as less sustainable, which also has an impact on the rating of the commercials. Although the majority of respondents like the McDonald's commercial, it is not perceived as being very appropriate for the brand.

"The young generation still seems to be in a bit of a dilemma at the moment. They are torn between trendy "love brands" such as Adidas or Nike and consistently implementing their own convictions when prioritizing brands. We are convinced that this will change. It can therefore be assumed that sustainability in all its facets will increasingly develop into a strategic success factor for brands. The fact that Fridays for Future participants in particular are increasingly informing themselves about brands with a critical eye is in no way an obstacle to companies using sustainability issues in their advertising. It just has to be credible, transparent and comprehensible," summarizes Volker Neumann, Managing Director JOM Group.