Rarely before have people been so unanimous: over 90% of Germans, Austrians and the German-speaking Swiss believe that the threat from the Corona virus should be taken seriously. About 60% of respondents in each of the three countries even say that the threat should be taken very seriously. Furthermore, an age effect is evident in all countries: The older the respondents, the more seriously the threat is taken.

Switzerland: social differences in hazard perception

Not all Swiss take the Corona crisis equally seriously, show the results in the Sinus milieu social model. The milieu of the established recognizes a particularly strong threat, with 71% of this group taking the danger from the Corona virus very seriously. "The sovereign social elite very clearly recognizes the impact of the Corona crisis on society as a whole and is concerned about social consequences," explains Roger Muffler, Head of Group Data & Marketing at KünzlerBachmann.

With a top score of 45%, the Digital Cosmopolitan milieu takes the Corona threat least seriously. "The cosmopolitan, digitally influenced avant-garde has an optimistic basic attitude. The danger from Corona is recognized, but perceived as less threatening," explains Muffler. The second significant future milieu of the Adaptive Pragmatists, i.e., the middle of the future, are in the Swiss average.

Significant country differences in expectations
The Corona crisis will undoubtedly leave its mark on society, and both positive and negative effects are expected. The strongest positive effects are expected in the organization of working life, such as the possibility of home office. 85% of Austrians, 81% of German-speaking Swiss and 66% of Germans expect positive effects in this area. A positive impact is also expected on health awareness, most strongly in Austria (77%), followed by Switzerland (69%) and Germany (64%). On the other hand, the most significant negative effects are expected in travel behavior, especially in Germany and Austria (53% each); in Switzerland, only 44% expect this.

Differences in assessment of the government's crisis work

In order to cushion the extensive impact and manage the Corona crisis, policymakers have taken far-reaching measures in recent weeks. In Austria and Switzerland, people are significantly more satisfied with crisis policy than in Germany: 81% of Austrians rate the current measures taken by their government under Chancellor Sebastian Kurz as very or rather good. The Swiss also give their government a good report card: 70% rate the Federal Council's crisis work to date as very or rather good. In Germany, although the majority still assess the government's work to date in connection with the Corona crisis as very or rather positive (52%), the Germans are nevertheless the most reserved in a country comparison.

Crisis policy is not supported equally by all social milieus

But not all Swiss people are equally satisfied with the crisis policy, as the results of the Sinus-Milieus social model once again show. The upper-middle-class milieu is particularly positive - with 83% approval - in its assessment of the government's work. "This status-conscious middle class with a traditional middle-class lifestyle has a high level of acceptance for ordinances that serve the common good, even if this currently entails severe restrictions," explains Manfred Tautscher, Managing Director of the Sinus Institute. Clearly less positively, thus with 57% agreement, the evaluation turns out in the milieu of the Eskapisten. "The young, fun and leisure-oriented lower middle feels relatively strongly restricted by the measures," explains Tautscher.

Strong growth in trust in healthcare, government and army

The biggest winner in terms of trust in the Corona crisis is the healthcare system, because for 61% of German-speaking Swiss, doctors and nursing staff enjoy more trust than before the crisis. In second place is the Federal Office of Public Health (59%). The Federal Council (51%) and the Swiss Armed Forces (48%) follow slightly behind.

A look at the neighbors reveals that in each country, other players played a leading role in the crisis. "Our data clearly show that only those who act with presence and take responsibility in a crisis win people's trust," explains Manfred Tautscher. In Germany, for example, health (44%) and social services (40%), police (37%) and governments (33% federal government, 32% state governments) in particular gain trust, whereas in Austria it is the government (64%), health (62%) and humanitarian organizations (60%).

The "Email Marketing Benchmark 2020" study by Episerver is conducted annually for six different industries and is designed to enable marketing managers to compare the key figures of their own email marketing with those of their respective industry. This allows them to develop a sense of how successful their email marketing is compared to their industry. The 2020 benchmark also provides six practical tips on how marketers can improve the performance of their email campaigns.

The average open rate of email campaigns in the "Retail and e-commerce" sector is 31%. It is only surpassed by the open rate in the "Finance, insurance and real estate" sector. Here it reaches 41 percent. On average, the open rate of email campaigns across all sectors surveyed is 29%.

More opens, but fewer clicks

The analysis shows that the open rate increased slightly in 2019 compared to the previous year in all sectors except fashion. On the other hand, click rates generally fell slightly on average compared to 2018. The "B2B", "Finance, insurance and real estate", "Travel and mobility" and "Internet, publishing and software" sectors were an exception. Here, click rates were slightly higher than in the previous year.

The "Finance, insurance and real estate" sector also performed better in terms of click-through rate at 8.9% than the "Retail and e-commerce" sector at 5%. The fashion industry, on the other hand, has the lowest click rate in the industry comparison at 3.3%. The study also revealed that newsletters to small distribution lists are clicked on particularly well. The click-through rate for messages sent to fewer than 2,500 recipients was 6.5% across all sectors.

Three characteristics of subject lines

How long? With personalization elements? With emojis? The design of subject lines is an important factor for the performance of email campaigns. The study took a closer look at three characteristics: the length (by character count), whether a personalization element such as name or place of residence was used and whether symbols or emojis attracted more attention. Some of the results:

• The more concise and shorter the subject line, the better the effect on the unique open rate.
• Across all sectors, the open rate, click rate and effective click rate are higher with personalization than without personalization.
• Symbols and emojis are also being used more and more frequently in email marketing.

With the following six tips, marketers can gain inspiration on how to improve their email marketing from the best practice tips also included in the study:

1. ensure appropriate list hygiene

Of course, you need recipients for successful email marketing, preferably lots of them. However, the recipient list must also be built up and maintained properly so that it does not become a performance killer.

2. measures for sustainable distribution structure

Without new registrations, mailing lists shrink in the long term. Companies can use pop-up layers, for example, to draw the attention of interested parties and customers to their newsletter.

3. increase relevance through personalization

A personal sender, personalized subject lines or individual product recommendations are among the best practices in email marketing today.

4. use "hidden data" to creatively address recipients

There is a lot of "hidden data" that can easily be used for a personalized approach.

5. surprise the recipient (and yourself)

In many cases, the actual behavior of the recipients differs from the expected behavior. If you experiment with appropriate tests, you can learn a lot.

6. optimize performance through successful A/B testing

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. A/B tests are a powerful tool for scrutinizing your own email marketing strategy, newsletter design and personalization.

A new department with journalists and creators is being set up within the company for the new line of business. The new unit is to launch brand worlds on digital platforms and provide them with content. The aim is to develop new target groups and build up a network.

"Most marketing or communications companies have the idea, content and the client's brand world," says Roger Hämmerli, managing director of Andy Was Right. "But the reach is missing and has to be bought externally. With our publishing unit, we want to close this gap for clients and users."

Rebecca Breitenstein becomes head of the new unit

The start-up is bringing another journalist on board, Rebecca Breitenstein. The 27-year-old was the preferred candidate for the unit after holding positions at SRF, Vice and NZZ. "From my own experience, I can say that very few people embody the required qualities as well as Rebecca does. Normally, we have to build up this skillset in people first," explains Roger Hämmerli.

"Social media should stand for communication again"

The publishing unit will start with three different brand worlds. "The mix of different target groups was important to us," explains Editor-in-Chief Leo Wehrli. For new brands, a clearly recognizable orientation, their own tonality and imagery are central, Wehrli explains further. "Otherwise we have another generic trash portal that nobody needs. Social media should again stand for communication between people and pick people up where they are."

The big advantage of the network is that the brands will not only be used for reach, but will also provide insights into how target groups and niches think. In addition, specific sponsored platforms are built on customer demand.

The new brands will be continuously presented on the official channels of Andy Was Right.

After seven years with more than 100 branding and web projects, the agency says it was time for a new website. Through new case studies and insights into the digitally focused design process, the agency's self-image is to be made tangible.

Image: SRG

Many planned productions could not be carried out, the Swiss Radio and Television Company announced on Tuesday. Although it is not possible to put a precise figure on the drop in revenue, the company expects losses in the double-digit millions.

"After careful consideration", the management had decided to apply for short-time work for part of the workforce. According to the information, the corporate sectors Operations of Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen SRF as well as the corresponding units at the French-speaking branch RTS and the RSI stations in Ticino are affected.

The Access Services and Service Technologies parts of Swiss Txt will also be affected. A total of around 600 employees will be registered for short-time work, the statement added.

SRG introduces short-time work in agreement with those affected and the Swiss Syndicate of Media Workers union. Employees will continue to be paid their full salary. SRG's aim in taking this step is to help safeguard jobs.

SRG is not the first media company to apply for short-time work in Switzerland due to the slump in advertising revenues in the Corona crisis. At the beginning of April, the NZZ Media Group announcedIt wants to introduce short-time working, At the end of March, the CH Media Group and already before the Tamedia Group and French-speaking Swiss media. (SDA)

In recent months, the importance of marketing automation has grown among Wortspiel's female customers. Rising click prices for Google Ads, for example, and also the financial challenges posed by the Corona crisis require better use of the clicks that have been bought at a high price. Marketing automation can help here, for example through individual advertising messages and channel-specific playout at the right time.

However, some of the well-known vendors in this space have terms that are challenging, especially for SMBs - such as very high prices, prepayment of those prices for an entire year, and mandatory product training with mid-four-figure costs.

Friendly Automate by Wortspiel is based on the open source solution Mautic, winner of the 2019 "MarTech Breakthrough Awards" in the category "Best Overall Marketing Automation Platform", and offers all the features of a professional marketing automation solution. It is said to offer fair pricing and a flexible monthly payment plan. All subscriptions include a free 90-minute onboarding session and regular training on the best marketing automation strategy.

The 42-year-old will leave SRF at the end of June, the station announced Tuesday. In 2002, Laeri began internal training, and from 2005 she worked as a business editor for "Tagesschau" and "10vor10".

In addition to this function, she also took over the moderation of the business program "SRF Börse" from 2008. Since 2017, she has been Reto Lipp's deputy on the business magazine "Eco". (SDA)

Despite the current difficult situation and the difficult to estimate future, the board of Expo Event has decided to stick to the realization of the Xaver Award in the current year. Thus, for the first time, the 19th Xaver Award will be postponed from the beginning of June to the autumn.

Those responsible are currently working on a resource-saving concept, based loosely on the motto "Back to Basic". In order to relieve the sponsors and supporters, the format will be more modest this year than in previous years.

The study was conducted by the market research service Focusgroups.io and asked consumers about their needs during the crisis and what they expect from local retailers.

1. people want to support local trade, but how?

The focus group discussions revealed that most people have a strong connection with local retailers - including a willingness to buy locally. The problem, however, is that many do not know how. Older customer groups in particular often lack access to information about alternative ordering channels, such as local online platforms. Younger customers, on the other hand, have no idea how to support a closed store. The many notices on the shop windows with telephone numbers and delivery offers go unnoticed - after all, the pedestrian zone is empty.

It is therefore important that local retailers also publicize their delivery service and drum up publicity! This can be done via digital channels such as Facebook as well as "old" forms of advertising such as newspaper inserts or advertisements in regional newspapers. This ensures that the young and older population are also made aware of the new online trade and alternative ordering channels.

(Note from the Werbewoche.ch editorial team: In Switzerland, various providers already offer a platform for local retailers to publicize their offerings. These include, for example Local-heroes.ch, Local-loyal.ch and Liestal.app.)

2. no customer expects a perfect online store from the store around the corner

With a lot of respect for technology and requirements, many retailers are currently trying to set up a hasty e-commerce project. The focus groups now provide some good news: Customers do not expect a perfect online store! Unlike the big online players, who have to win trust with professionalism and perfect stores, this is not so important in local retail during the crisis.

This trust is a great asset that retailers can build on. However, clear communication about the availability of goods and delivery times and costs is essential if this trust is not to be squandered. Security and choice in the payment process must also be guaranteed. These are still basic factors for online retail!

3. customer communication takes place via telephone, WhatsApp or e-mail

Three weeks ago, most customers could not imagine calling the stationer in the next village to order school supplies, for example, but today it is not at all far-fetched. Supposedly cumbersome communication channels such as telephone, WhatsApp or email are currently very popular and work very well for regular customers, especially in the catering sector, but also for florists, booksellers and electronics retailers. The participants in the focus groups considered a high level of availability and responsiveness on the part of the retailer to be particularly important!

4. improvisation works!

A lack of digital processes can be compensated for by good ideas and improvisation. For example, goods ordered by phone can be collected contactlessly from a hidden windowsill next to the house. One participant in the focus group told of a retailer who places ordered goods in a "treasure chest" locked with an access code in front of his store. Customers receive the code by email before collection and can then remove the goods from the treasure chest. Payment is made by envelope in the mailbox or by invoice.

5. vouchers "for afterwards" are booming

Many people have already purchased vouchers to support bricks-and-mortar retailers. However, there is uncertainty about what will happen to them in the event of insolvency. Retailers should address this concern and clearly communicate what will happen to the voucher in the event of insolvency. The focus group gave a particularly negative assessment to the case of a retailer who sent vouchers at excessive postage costs.

6. purchases are "only" postponed, not canceled

Even if many people today do not know what will happen to their jobs and therefore their purchasing power, there is generally a positive consumer mood. However, purchases are currently being made very cautiously, with people only buying what they really need. Purchases are therefore "only" being postponed and not completely canceled. Only in the travel sector does the situation look different. Here, participants are actually saying that travel savings are being used for larger purchases that they simply want to treat themselves to now.

"The current situation in brick-and-mortar retail is uncharted territory," explains Johannes Altmann, Managing Director of Shoplupe. "No study and no expert can currently say what customer expectations look like in this crisis." For this reason, the study was conducted on Focusgroups.io: "Retailers can currently only develop measures based on their 'gut feeling'; they don't know what customers really want. We want to shed some light on this with our focus group discussion, because although our survey is not representative, it shows many interesting approaches and customer opinions that are definitely of a general nature."

The coronavirus is greatly changing our everyday lives. This has consequences for well-being. The fear of infection, the request to stay at home, the home office, distance learning and the restriction of social contacts can put a strain on the psyche, according to a media release on Monday.

The website How-do-you.ch starts with the three possible answers to the question about well-being: "I'm not doing so well," "I'm doing well, but I'm worried about someone," and "I'm doing well, I want to keep it that way. Depending on the answer, new pages open with tips and further references. Themes include problems at work, in private life, at school/teaching or retirement.

Also accessible on the website are general suggestions for protecting mental health, such as staying in touch and moving, or asking for help and learning new things. They are supplemented with specific suggestions and ideas in Corona times.
The website also provides information on support services and shows what you can do if you are no longer feeling well. For example, the "Dargebotene Hand" (telephone number 143) and Pro Mente Sana (0848 800 858) offer advice. (SDA)

Our many loyal subscribers were due to receive issue 4 on April 8. However, due to the coronavirus crisis, many advertisers have postponed their ads. We are therefore integrating issue 4 into issue 5.

Issue 5 will be published on time on May 11. This time in a new look. The magazine for marketing and communication is now more compact, more modern in design and more reader-friendly. Let us surprise you. You will be delighted - and so will we on the editorial team.

May 11 - a normal day or still a Corona-influenced day in the home office? We don't know, but we want to make sure that you can hold our magazine in your hands despite working from home, read the exciting articles and experience the new layout.

In the form below, dear subscribers, you can enter your private address (you can also access the form via this link). We will be happy to send you issue 5, published on May 11, to your home. Registrations received by Wednesday, April 22 at 09:30 will be considered.

Note: We will no longer use your data after the mailing campaign and will delete it afterwards.

We hope you enjoy reading it now.

Your editorial team

A year ago, the apprentices at Feldschlösschen Brewery were given a special task: they were allowed to brew their own beer. Due to the great success of the campaign, the Rheinfeld brewing novices were called into the brewhouse again in 2020. Using spring water, Pale Ale malt, and aroma hops, the apprentices created "Golden Ale," a shiny golden beer with a pleasant sweetness and fruity, berry hop notes.

Valencia Kommunikation once again supported this unconventional way of promoting young talent and designed the packaging for the final product. The in-house illustrator staged the four apprentices as a black and white group picture, which is used on the outer packaging. The agency is also responsible for the labels and a POS display.

The entire proceeds from the beer will again be donated to the Swiss Brewery Association. This will use it to help finance a beer learning workshop. Feldschlösschen Lernendenbier will be available around Swiss Beer Day - on April 24, 2020 - exclusively and in limited quantities at Coop Retail.