At Tuesday's Annual General Meeting, the shareholders of WEMF for Advertising Media Research decided to add a seat to WEMF's Board of Directors, thus including a representative of the media agencies in the management body. Beat Krebs was elected as a new additional member of the board of directors - and thus also as a new member of the board of the WEMF association. He is a representative of Leading Swiss Agencies (LSA) and Managing Director at OMD Switzerland.

Chairman of the Board Jürg Weber explains: "WEMF's task as a neutral and independent industry research organization is to ensure transparency in the media and advertising market. In order to live up to the Joint Industry Committee claim, it is important that representatives of the media industry as well as advertising clients and advertising marketers/brokers are involved in the decision-making processes. The addition of an LSA representative to the Board of Directors takes additional account of this idea." Beat Krebs is a proven industry expert who will contribute the views and concerns of the media agencies and thus help shape the projects and business of WEMF, the Chairman of the Board of Directors is quoted as saying.

Previous members of the Board of Directors confirmed 

All previous members of the Board of Directors were confirmed in their functions. Thus, the current Board of Directors of WEMF is composed as follows:

• Jürg Weber, President, Delegate of the Swiss Media Association VSM (previously)
• Eric Meizoz, Delegate of the Médias Suisses Association (until now)
• Gianluca Bonetti, Delegate of the Stampa Svizzera Association (until now)
• Andreas Häuptli, Marcel Kohler, Roberto Rhiner, Alexander Theobald, all delegates of the VSM (all to date)
• Roger Harlacher as representative of the Swiss Advertisers Association (SWA) (previously)
• Beat Krebs (Leading Swiss Agencies) (new)

Swiss Post has chosen Livesystems for the digital lots in its public tender. From January 2021, Livesystems will take over the exclusive marketing of the AdScreen network in all post offices throughout Switzerland.

"With the new marketing network at the point of sales of the post offices, we perfectly round off our cross-media range of services" shares Christian Imhof, CEO of Livesystems dooh.

The previous "CanalPoste screens" are adapted to today's market needs together with Livesystems. The company's own news portal Nau.ch becomes content supplier.

With the products passengertv, gasstationtv, cityscreen and the analog advertising spaces of VBZ, Livesystems reaches a nationwide audience of millions in public spaces and in the private and public transport sector every day in Switzerland. The post office network adds further target groups.

With the "Minis" feature, slimmed-down versions of other apps can be integrated directly into Snapchat. The first apps presented allow users to buy movie tickets and create flashcards, among other things.

Chinese apps like WeChat and Tencent - a major Snapchat shareholder - are raking in billions by charging fees on other providers' business on their platforms. Snapchat, however, is not currently planning any such levies.

In another innovation that could bring in new advertising revenue, Snapchat will in the future display information about cafes, restaurants and shopping stores on the map integrated into the app. The map was previously used primarily to see the whereabouts of friends.

Augmented reality

Snapchat also wants to give Apple and Google more competition in so-called augmented reality (AR), in which digital content on the screen is integrated into real environments.

After initial fun applications like virtual masks or cat whiskers, Snapchat built a business platform that lets people try on sneakers on the display, for example, or get an impression of the shade of cosmetics on their own face.

At a partner conference on Thursday, Snap showed off its expanded arsenal for app developers in the space. This includes the "Local Lenses" feature, which scans entire streets in 3D to enable augmented reality experiences based on these models.

The "Scan" function recognizes objects in front of the camera and displays information about them - Snapchat cites plants or dog breeds as examples. Google has built up a similar visual search engine with its "Lens" service.
Snapchat, on the other hand, does not do everything itself, but serves as a platform for various specialized services. Various apps can integrate the Snapchat camera with their functions - and at the same time combine it with their own machine learning algorithms.

Dent ironed out

With the "Dynamic Lenses" function, developers can integrate information from their apps in real time. This could become even more interesting when AR glasses are available in addition to smartphones, in which digital content is projected onto the glasses. According to media reports, Apple, among others, is working on this. The iPhone company has also been relying on AR applications for years.

Snapchat originally became popular, especially among young users, with the idea of making viewed photos disappear on their own. Snapchat has since recovered from a dip in growth due to competition from Instagram, among others, and a poorly received redesign of the app. In the past quarter, the number of daily users rose to 229 million - with a significant increase of 11 million users. (SDA)

Learning Matters is a producer of learning media as well as a consultant and developer of concepts for digitally supported learning. Learning Matters founders Cyrill Locher and Markus Münch have a substantial stake in the new company and will manage and further develop Somedia Learning as co-managing directors. Likewise, the employees and customer relationships will be brought into the new company.

For Susanne Lebrument, Delegate of the Board of Directors of Somedia, the entry into the business with digital learning media is a consistent step within the framework of the digitization strategy: "A media company deals with the collection, selection, evaluation and curation of information every day. This contributes to the enlightenment, education and democratization of our society. Entering the digital learning media business for Somedia was therefore an obvious choice."

For the Learning Matters team, the merger with Somedia will result in numerous synergies and growth potential, including in the areas of video, audio, web technology and human resources. For the customers, only little will change: the previous and current projects will continue to be supported by the proven team in Wädenswil. At the new location in Chur, numerous new jobs are to be created by Somedia Learning over the next few years. (pd)

"Back on the road together" is the message of Wirz's latest campaign for all Swiss public transport. The goal is a shared, protected journey back to normality after the lockdown. Personalities from the worlds of medicine, media, culture and entertainment use concise statements to convey safety when boarding trains, buses and streetcars.

Influential faces were recruited for the campaign: from cabaret artist Bänz Friedli, TV presenter Gülsha Adilji, radio presenter Marion Kaelin, journalist Jonas Schneiter, singer and influencer Nick Antik, to experts such as epidemiologist Marcel Salathé, who has a strong media presence, and medical experts Didier Pittet and Christian Garzoni.

The wide variety of testimonials makes it possible to target the three national regions of German-speaking Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland, and Ticino according to how they feel. The campaign can be seen in all train stations on posters, RailPosters, SBB screens and eBoards, as well as in advertisements in "20 Minuten". It will also be widely communicated in a wide variety of digital formats, both animated and static, as well as on the channels of Switzerland's various transport companies.

"Back on the road together" is the second flight of the awareness campaign for Swiss public transport, which started with "This is how we protect ourselves" and was also created and realized by Wirz.

Art historians have been puzzling over the Mona Lisa, Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous portrait, for centuries. Which woman was portrayed? Is it possibly a self-portrait of the painter? And what is behind the mysterious smile?

F5's 90-second TV spot for air conditioning manufacturer Midea reveals the secret. After a number of artists failed in their attempt to make the Mona Lisa smile and were subsequently fired, Leonardo da Vinci brings the solution with one of his inventions: He builds the world's first air conditioner, made entirely of wood, of course, and entirely to the delight of all those present who were obviously suffering from the heat. So Mona Lisa is also finally happy and lets herself be drawn by the Maestro with a smile on her face. Puzzle solved.

You don't necessarily have to get on a plane to experience dreamy viewpoints, Caribbean-like beaches, spectacular mountain railroads or leisurely hiking trails. In addition to excursion destinations, the weekly blog also provides tips on where to stay. "The interest in travel destinations in Switzerland has probably never been greater than it is now. With our blog, we want to show what great excursion destinations are virtually on our doorstep," Marius Egger, deputy editor-in-chief of Watson, is quoted as saying in a statement.

Blogger and former Watson editor Chantal Stäubli satisfies her urge to travel for Watson after her long quarantine and searches for the greatest excursion gems in Switzerland. With the title "7 places in Switzerland that you can finally discover!" she kicks things off and invites her readers to recommend other highlights.

The mission of the Tezos Foundation is to ensure that as many stakeholders as possible can participate in the further development of the Tezos network and the Tezos cryptocurrency (XTZ). Tezos drives social, political and economic innovation on a global scale.

Farner's brand specialists conducted a strategy and positioning process. From this, an unobtrusive rebranding was created that provides an appropriate stage for Tezos technology. The rebranding is now being rolled out successively across all touchpoints.

The survey questioned 300 people at manager and C-level in the areas of customer experience, support, e-commerce and those responsible for digital innovation. The survey investigated how companies use visual tools to achieve a more personal, trustworthy and secure interaction with customers. It shows that companies are on the right track with visual integration - for example through co-browsing or camera sharing. However, they are still struggling to make the contact seamless and secure with the existing tools.

Tools currently in use are slowing down progress 

According to the survey, the responsible decision-makers prioritize building trust and simple interaction. However, they face major problems in meeting this requirement.

• Building trust (67%) and a simple, uncomplicated interaction experience (62%) is the top priority for most respondents. However, 70 percent and 40 percent of respondents respectively also see the greatest challenges in both disciplines.
• The main problem for 48% is creating a secure environment. 44% see difficulties in creating a secure and convenient interaction with the service employee.

Many of the tools currently in use are obviously inefficient. This is because they do not help to improve the consumer's well-being during the conversation. Companies therefore need to expand their existing channels and develop additional forms of personal interaction.

Increasing investment in visual engagement

Companies are increasingly relying on tools such as video, co-browsing, screen sharing and comment functions. They want to pursue their priorities in support and at the same time meet growing expectations.

• A clear majority of 89 percent intend to invest or increase their investment in such tools in the next 12 months.
• With high expectations of the technology, many expect a quick return on investment. More than half of those surveyed expect improvements in satisfaction and trust (56% each) as well as in the customer experience (52%).

Tools designed with such goals in mind have now proven to be very successful - they create first-class support experiences in which service agents can take the interaction partner by the hand at every step and thus build the desired trust.

Not every tool will work

Visual interaction technologies have great potential. However, they often do not have the necessary security functions for a smoothly running and therefore trust-building conversation. Other tools require too much activity from the other person. Companies that neglect these aspects suffer the consequences.

• 70 percent stated that downloading software or an app is necessary for visual support. 62 percent stated that they do not support mobile devices.
• 58 percent even said that personal information is not anonymized.
• The use of mobile support (35 percent) and the option to anonymize personal data (31 percent) are most important to consumers.

"The dramatic increase in the need to engage customers remotely, coupled with limited opportunities for face-to-face interaction, has made digital transformation a top priority for every organization. Organizations need to close gaps in digital workflows and integrate more face-to-face interaction into the online experience," said Anand Rajaram, Head of Product, Support Solutions at LogMeIn. "Visual engagement technologies are an extremely effective way to do this. As innovation is in short supply, many existing tools lack the functionality to reduce consumer effort and build consumer trust. In other words, support staff often do not have the tools to help them understand the problems of the interaction partner and guide them to a solution."

Nina Siegrist will be the new Co-Editor-in-Chief of Schweizer Illustrierte and will lead the editorial team together with the current Co-Editor-in-Chief Werner De Schepper from July 1, 2020. She takes over the post from Stefan Regez, who will henceforth focus on his duties as Head of Consumer Magazines and member of the Executive Board of Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland.

As an experienced journalist and longtime employee of Schweizer Illustrierte, Nina Siegrist knows the DNA of the tradition-rich magazine very well: "Our brand is cult and has represented journalism that focuses on people and direct, personal contact for over a hundred years. I'm looking forward to being able to play an even more active role in shaping the future of Schweizer Illustrierte - a wonderful but also challenging task, especially in these times." Nina Siegrist and Werner De Schepper share editorial responsibility on an 80-percent split. A statement for the compatibility of family and career: Nina Siegrist is married and the mother of twins, Werner De Schepper is the father of three children.

Nina Siegrist, born in Schaffhausen in 1979, studied journalism, business administration and film studies at the universities of Zurich and Hamburg. She gained journalistic experience at the Schaffhausen Newsat Schaffhausen television and at the Hamburger Abendblatt. After stints at Swiss television and private broadcaster 3+, she held various positions at Schweizer Illustrierte from 2008, including head of business. In 2015, she took over as editorial director of the magazines SI Travel and SI Green. Since January 2019, Nina Siegrist has been a member of the editorial board of the Swiss Illustrated and was responsible for its relaunch, among other things.

Halder looks back on many years of experience in international and national communication, design and conception. The 57-year-old has worked as a concept designer and art director in small creative hotshops, as well as a creative director in large networks such as GGK, RSCG, Ogilvy & Mather, TBWA, Publicis and J. Walter Thompson, both at home and abroad. His work has been recognized at various award shows such as Cannes, Epica, New York Festival and many others. Ralph Halder is also a member of the Art Directors Club Switzerland and president of the commission for the Higher Technical School "Interactive Media Design" and "Communication Design".

"We feel that interest in vacations abroad is on the rise again," Hotelplan Suisse CEO Tim Bachmann was quoted as saying in a statement on Thursday. This is currently particularly evident for beach vacations around the Mediterranean, for example in Greece, Cyprus or Portugal.

In an interview with AWP, spokeswoman Bianca Gähweiler added that Hotelplan was feeling the growing demand in travel agencies, in telephone consulting, but above all on the Internet. This is shown by the recent significant increase in click numbers on the websites of the group's various travel brands - Globus Reisen, Travelhouse, Hotelplan and Migros Ferien.

Desire to spend a vacation by the sea

"Many of our customers like to spend their vacations by the sea. Be it in the summer or only in the fall," the Hotelplan spokeswoman continued. However, customers are still holding back.

According to Gähweiler, booking figures for vacations abroad are at a low level. The Corona crisis has unsettled consumers. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that, although Switzerland will open its borders to EU countries in mid-June, there are still no flights to various beach holiday destinations.

Meanwhile, the booking figures for Germany are on the rise. According to Gähweiler, this is primarily due to Europapark Rust. In addition to park admission, overnight stays can also be booked there.

Trend towards Swiss vacations remains

An awakening of the Swiss people's desire to travel would not necessarily be good news for the local tourism industry. In times of Corona, the domestic population becomes the beacon of hope, as fewer tourists will arrive from abroad due to travel restrictions both in summer but also later in the year.

That is why Swiss tourist regions, hotels and campsites are increasingly relying on domestic guests. To win them over, Switzerland Tourism recently launched a campaign with the slogan "I need a vacation, I need Switzerland".

This seems to be catching on. At the beginning of the month, for example, the largest Swiss campsite operator TCS reported that the sites are already almost fully booked in the summer months. The loss of foreign guests was almost completely compensated for by Swiss customers.

This is also evident at the vacation home provider Interhome, which belongs to the Hotelplan Group. Especially with a view to the summer vacations, Interhome's apartments in Switzerland have already been well booked, said spokeswoman Gähweiler. A trend towards domestic tourism can also be observed at Interhome in Germany or France. (SDA)