A first round of funding went to 50 newsrooms in the U.S. and Canada. The remaining funds are to go to the media companies via marketing expenses. The core of the deal is for Facebook to buy ad space from them, US broadcaster NBC reported.

Facebook had already announced in early 2019 that it would support regional media with $300 million over a three-year period. (SDA)

So many orders are usually only placed just before Christmas: Online retailers like Digitec Galaxus are booming thanks to corona.

To keep the coronavirus under control, the Federal Council has declared an "extraordinary situation": Stores that do not serve basic needs must remain closed. People are asked to stay at home if possible.

Many people are therefore ordering online: "We are currently receiving as many orders as usual just before Christmas," says Digitec-Galaxus spokesperson Alex Hämmerli. And his counterpart at the Brack Group Competec, Daniel Rei, adds: "The only difference is that Christmas Day doesn't come: so there are always lots of orders."

In a recent video interview with FDP National Councillor Andri Silberschmidt published on Instagram, Brack boss Roland Brack even went so far as to say: "I would like to see fewer orders."

But not everyone is benefiting from the boom: fashion retailer Zalando, for example - the sector's top dog in Switzerland - has cut its forecasts for this year. The first quarter alone will be significantly worse than recently expected by analysts: European customers have held back on purchases and restricted their consumption.

Customers have to be patient

On the other hand, online orders are now also shooting up at retailers for whom their store network is a strong pillar. Bookseller Orell Füssli Thalia, for example, is reporting a 50 percent increase.

The flood of orders also has an impact on delivery times: At Digitec-Galaxus, it takes about two days longer than usual for orders to reach customers. At Orell Füssli Thalia, there may be delivery delays of around three to four working days. And at Ikea, customers now have to reckon with 25 days for normal furniture deliveries.

The grocery stores are also currently overwhelmed with orders: Orders at Coop@home have doubled, says Coop spokeswoman Marilena Baiatu. In most regions, delivery times are fully booked for several days. There are also waiting times at Migros' LeShop, and Farmy, which specializes in regional foods, is already fully booked for the whole of April, according to information on its website.

Swiss Post is also demanding all of this: to remedy the situation, it has already applied to the Federal Council for special permission - and received it - to deliver groceries on Sundays too. It is also reducing its service by closing some of its branches and taking more time with deliveries.

Flexible reallocation of personnel

Online retailers and their logistics partners are therefore required to rapidly increase their capacities. At Migros' online retail subsidiary Digitec-Galaxus, for example, logistics has been strengthened with over 200 new employees. "We are borrowing some of them from companies that have fewer or no orders because of the pandemic," says Hämmerli.

Brack has also recruited over 50 employees in logistics and wants to take on more. As it is not possible to train so many people at once, Brack said that there are ten new people every day. Night and Sunday work has also been requested. Certain products, such as toilet paper, have also been removed from the range to ease the workload. Employees from other departments were also called in.

The Coop subsidiaries Microspot and Coop@home were able to organize themselves through internal changes alone. For example, employees who normally work in the now closed stores of Microspot's sister company Interdiscount are now helping out in online retail.

According to Thomas Lang from the management consultancy Carpathia Consulting, the larger stores now have a certain advantage overall: they are better prepared for such peaks, as they experienced a similar rush on Black Friday or Christmas. "But in the current situation, this will probably last even longer, and they have not been able to prepare for these capacities any longer."

Additional boost possible

It remains to be seen whether the additional boom in online retail will continue beyond the coronavirus crisis. No predictions can be made, says Microspot spokeswoman Sachs. "It remains to be seen whether more consumers have acquired a taste for online shopping after the reopening of bricks-and-mortar retail," says Brack spokesperson Rei. However, Brack expects the situation to return to normal.

Others expect at least a certain after-effect: Galaxus, for example, is expecting a reverberation effect: "Many older Swiss people in particular are discovering the advantages of shopping online these days," says Hämmerli.

Coop@Home also expects that the strongest growth in the food store within the Group for years will be further boosted by current developments. In general, online food retail still has a lot of potential: according to recently published figures from the Swiss Mail Order Association (VSV), e-commerce only accounts for 2.8 percent of the total volume.

One thing is clear: business has been steadily shifting from stores to online retail for some time now. "The current situation will certainly give this shift an additional boost," says e-commerce expert Lang. The boost is coming "above all from shoppers who are generally shopping for the first time or in additional product ranges for the first time and have been impressed by the simplicity and convenience."

However, this is not bad news for Swiss retailers. According to Lang, retailers do not have to expect to lose market share to large international players such as Amazon. "With the exception of fashion, online retail in Switzerland is very much in Swiss hands," says Lang. In addition, the latest figures from the industry association SAAM show that Swiss online retailers have recently regained market share for the first time. (SDA)

In view of the "extraordinary situation" caused by the rampant Corona pandemic and in addition to the communication measures of the federal government and the FOPH, the canton of Bern has asked Komet for help in the rapid realization of a social media campaign. The campaign is aimed primarily at 16 to 25 year-olds and is intended to raise awareness of the need to stay at home, contrary to their lifestyle habits - not least out of solidarity with people who are particularly at risk.

Since March 25, the video ads have been played out on Insta, Facebook and Snapchat throughout the canton, including in French. In these, Bernese celebrities and influencers who are particularly popular with young people call on people from their homes to do the same: "Bärn, blib deheime!"

For example, Insta-Influencer Younes Saggara, model Tamy Glauser, ice hockey player Roman Josi, social media entertainer Rash Junior, Luc Oggier from Lo & Leduc, Nemo and others were won over to the project - none of them needed much convincing.

Photo: Screenshot Instagram.com

"Wherever your thirst is at home" is the new brand claim developed by Scholz & Friends Zurich and is intended to position Rivella with a commitment to a modern and authentic Switzerland that is becoming increasingly open, colorful and diverse. The concept of home becomes a brand and campaign theme within which individual Swiss passions, lifestyles and activities are portrayed.

The opening spot shows where people's thirst is at home. The spectrum ranges from the Central Swiss traditional costume club from Küssnacht to the voguing crew, from the Société Nautique de Genève Aviron rowing club to streetball addicts, from the Graubünden ski slope in Arosa to Zurich street skaters. The spot was directed by the Swiss duo Animals alias, and the music composed especially for the spot was by Pablo Nouvelle.

The campaign is present in high-reach media such as TV, online, and social media, as well as with an on-pack promotion at the PoS. Further campaign activities will be rolled out successively throughout Switzerland over the course of the year, orchestrating the campaign across media.

In emergency situations, children and young people need people in whom they can confide. Sometimes also outside the family. Every day, around 400 children and young people seek advice from the more than 70 professional counselors at Beratung + Hilfe 147. The current situation is additionally stressful for many young people. "At the moment, many young people are contacting Beratung + Hilfe 147 because they are afraid of the current isolation, which may be getting worse," explains Thomas Brunner, head of counseling at Pro Juventute.

For many young people, there is something very threatening about the thought of no longer being able to move freely, no longer being able to maintain social contacts and thus being much more on their own - they are at home, separated from their circle of friends, disconnected from the usual daily structure and are in closer quarters with parents and siblings, which can provoke new conflicts. In addition, no one can predict how the economy will develop - an uncertainty that can weigh heavily on young people, especially those about to enter the workforce. Even in the current situation, Beratung + Hilfe 147 is available on all channels around the clock.

Worry Barometer 2019: Information on sexuality most frequently requested online 

The media usage behavior of children and young people is changing all the time - they are increasingly using written channels or looking for answers on the web as a first step. The use of professional advice content on the website 147.ch has therefore been growing steadily for several years. For the first time, Pro Juventute therefore surveyed a "digital worry barometer" of the topics that are most frequently requested online at 147.ch.

The figures for 2019 show: Contraception (11.3%), masturbation (6.8%), pregnancy (4.9%) or the first time (3.7%) - the topic area of "sexuality" is by far the largest among the topics requested online, accounting for 43% of all page views. Until ten years ago, questions about sexuality were also the most frequent in telephone counseling (23.5% in 2009), but today they account for only 8.4% of direct contacts.

"It is clear that questions about sexuality continue to play an important role in young people's everyday lives. Young people often look for information on this topic on the Internet, which can be answered with digital content - provided it is of high quality. That's why we at Pro Juventute have enriched the 147.ch platform with information texts and answers to common questions over the past two years," explains Thomas Brunner.

Serious personal problems determine daily counseling routine 

In counseling by phone, SMS, email or chat, the increase in serious personal problems is coming to a head. They already accounted for more than a third of counseling sessions in 2019, at 35.6% (up from 10.9% in 2009). These are mainly suicidal thoughts (9.3%), depressed mood (4.6%), crises (3.8%), anxiety (3.6%) or mental illness (3.5%). Although these topics are also increasing in the online statistics and already account for 13% here, "it is evident that young people continue to look for a direct counterpart who listens to them and can address their individual problem, particularly in the case of serious personal problems," Thomas Brunner explains further.

Expansion of the chat with peers 

Sometimes it is easier to talk about one's own situation with peers. That's why Pro Juventute launched the "Chat with peers" in 2017. Once or twice a week, teams of young people are available online for a personal chat. The young counselors are accompanied by counseling professionals from Beratung + Hilfe 147. Due to the success of this offer, it was further expanded in 2019 and is now available in German, French and Italian.

In 2019, this chat counseling was used by 2057 young people. Also during the Corona crisis, the "chat with peers" is open to young people in German-speaking Switzerland every Monday and Tuesday between 7 pm and 10 pm, and to young people in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino every Monday between 7 pm and 10 pm.

Young people design campaign

But Pro Juventute does not only involve young people in counseling, the new communication campaign was also implemented by nine young adults aged 16 to 22. Seven photographers and two filmmakers from different regions of Switzerland developed the image and film concepts for seven relevant topics from the everyday counseling life of Beratung + Hilfe 147 as part of a pop-up agency (Werbewoche.ch reported).

Together with model friends and accompanied by Rod Kommunikation, the young people created their posters and films in an intensive week of work in mid-February. "We gave the artists a largely free hand and are delighted with the results. The young people brought in their own perspective and their pictures and films are therefore particularly touching," says Ingo Albrecht, campaign manager at Pro Juventute.

The images and films will be published online from Monday. From June 8, 2020, they will also be on display as posters throughout Switzerland.

Since mid-February 2020, the Blick Group's new channel has been reporting daily on politics, business, sport and entertainment on Blick.ch and in the Blick app. Today, the Blick Group is launching a cross-media campaign in collaboration with Thjnk Zurich and Webrepublic to further position the new video offering for the web. "We want to reach new users as well as encourage existing users to visit Blick TV more often. To this end, the focus of our campaign is primarily on digital channels," says Nicolas Pernet, Head of Commercial Management at the Blick Group.

Blick TV will be advertised until the end of the year using various advertising media such as online and print ads as well as video ads, on TV stations, newspapers and magazines and on social media. Cinema and out-of-home will follow in the fall.

The digital channel reports live on a current event within 180 seconds. This is also the campaign's central communicative idea: under the claim "Blick TV: live - Switzerland's fastest channel", several subjects express the digital TV experience around the core topics of news, sport and entertainment. Blick TV's orientation as an offer for smartphone use is also emphasized in the motifs.

WWZ is one of the 100 largest employers in central Switzerland and supplies customers in the canton of Zug and beyond with water, gas, heat, a wide range of electricity products and telecommunications, as well as services ranging from areas such as e-mobility to digital TV offerings. The new image of WWZ, a company with a long tradition, includes communication at the image level as well as product advertising across all areas, along with extending measures.

Born in Austria, she has been working in the field of graphics and design for 25 years and has continuously trained alongside this. She is currently head of design at the Infel agency. In addition, she has various freelance mandates as an art director and video journalist. Doris Oberneder's previous positions include Migrosmedien and Axel Springer Schweiz, as well as other publishing houses in Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

She takes over from Marina Bräm, who has decided to focus on her self-employment, further education and her commitment to the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in the future.

Radio 32's Marketing and Sales departments will be integrated into the organizational structure of CH Media's Entertainment division. They will be headed by Denise Hildbrand, Head of Marketing, and Hardy Lussi, Head of Marketing. As a result, Radio 32 is to benefit from supra-regional content from the central newsroom as well as know-how from the "Music & Research" and "Program Strategy & Development" departments.

As of April 1, Manfred Joss will become Head of Programming at Radio 32 and will thus be responsible for presenting as well as for the station's local newsroom. He will report to Nicola Bomio, Head of Programming at Radio CH Media. Joss has been with Radio 32 for nine years, most recently as editorial director. The Radio 32 program team will focus even more on regional topics in the future.

Regional positioning to be maintained

Three months after the acquisition of a majority stake in Radio 32, the station will be integrated into the Radio division under the leadership of Florian Wanner, Head of Radio at CH Media. Thomas Denzel, previously Managing Director of Radio 32, will take over as Head of Sales at Radio 32 in the future.

While prevention campaigns normally have to contend with a limited willingness on the part of the population to receive information and a great deal of competition for topics, the coronavirus pandemic has created almost ideal conditions for the authorities to convey their messages. The population is paying a great deal of attention to the topic and is readily absorbing information, and more than 95% of the population is aware of the messages on rules of conduct and hygiene. This leads to an exceptionally high level of awareness in all segments of the population. However, the success of prevention work is ultimately measured by actual behavior. And here, too, it can be seen that a predominantly large proportion of people in Switzerland adhere to the rules of conduct. This applies to both older and younger people.

More focus needed on risk groups with pre-existing conditions

The target group-specific prevention message for people with a pre-existing condition (79%) was less well received than for older people (90%). They also have an increased risk of suffering a serious illness. In contrast to older people, however, they are hardly recognizable as a group in public spaces and their behaviour is less discussed. The results of this population survey now show that this group should be made more aware in the context of prevention.

Akeptance very high

Acceptance of the Federal Office of Public Health's prevention messages is currently exceptionally high, as is trust in the FOPH's work. On a scale of 1 to 10, the average score is 8.9. This level of trust also entails a special responsibility. Unlike at the beginning of the prevention campaign, when there was still little receptiveness to the relevant messages, the FOPH's statements and information are currently received and accepted directly by a clear majority. A great deal of authority is attributed to them. Awareness of this exceptional situation is important for balancing public relations work by the FOPH and the authorities in general.

Responsible younger generations

The study shows that the vast majority of the younger population, which feels less directly threatened by the coronavirus than the older population, is also making a very important contribution to prevention work. At the same time, the crisis in its entirety has particularly drastic consequences for younger people who are at the beginning or in the middle of their lives. With regard to longer-lasting, restrictive measures, the contribution of younger people deserves special recognition.

In a statement on Monday, the reason given for the discontinuation of the regional editions was the changed news situation and the sharp drop in advertising sales.

New appear 20 minutes in one version each for German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland and - unchanged - Ticino. As soon as the situation returns to normal, the regional editions will be published again as usual, it added.

In addition, the newspaper is now also coming to the stores: in cooperation with food retailers, the 20 minutes 150 new box locations throughout Switzerland. Despite widespread working from home and the elimination of commuting, 50 percent of the normal circulation is currently finding its way to readers. However, the new box locations will ensure that interested readers continue to receive the most important news. The newspaper could also shorten any waiting times in front of the stores. (SDA/swi)

After posters, cinema, TV sponsoring and the 20-minute boxes, a classic TV campaign with Beem now also has an on-top option and thus a new function. By means of "Audio Content Recognition" technology, viewers can get content directly from the TV screen to their cell phone.

The interactive TV spot for the new Feldschlösschen 1876 lager will be broadcast daily until April 12 in the evening program on SRF zwei and the German private stations ProSieben and Sat.1. Beem Signage integrated into the spot provides information about the interaction option. Depending on the TV station, different content is played out. This means that viewers can either take part in a promotion or find out more about the new lager.

All those who have either manually activated the Beem function in the apps of 20 Minuten or Bluewin or downloaded the Beem app can interact with the TV spot. When the spot is aired, the app must be opened, and a Beem banner appears in the newsfeed indicating that Beem-enabled content has been found. Tapping the banner opens the Beem platform with the corresponding content.