In spring, Swiss Post announced a rate increase and a rate extension which, although at first glance appears to be a more favorable rate variant, has a negative impact on advertising customers. The VSGZ therefore intervened with Swiss Post and asked for a meeting.

During discussions, it was possible to stagger the rate increase. Instead of the planned price increase on January 1, 2020, the additional costs incurred will be passed on to the publishers in two annual stages. The VSGZ and Swiss Post will form a working group to find a solution that makes sense for both sides with regard to a more favorable tariff variant.

The VSGZ represents free newspapers in the German-, French- and Italian-speaking regions of Switzerland, which are distributed to almost 1.5 million households every week.

The textile chain H&M has already published a tweet in the USA in the new format, in which three images are linked together in a common link.

"A picture is worth a thousand words - both online and offline. Images are very important for online marketing, but what makes a big difference are captions. It is only through these that you are also found well in Google searches. So if there are more images and therefore more captions, the probability increases. That's why Twitter is now going down this path," Andrea Starzer, CEO of PromoMasters, tells the Pressetext news agency.

With the carousel format, Twitter aims to enable ads that are more eye-catching and rely more heavily on visuals. "We're constantly experimenting with new creative ways to deliver the best possible experience for users while providing great value for marketers," citing Social Media Today the company.

Starzer says it's very important for Twitter to include the new format in its app, especially because competitors like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest have been using it for some time. "The carousel format also has the advantage of making images move. Users reflect more on moving images than on still images. So marketers don't have to go to the trouble of producing a film for every product," says the expert. (pte)

Rahel Bösch (left) succeeds Bettina Bertschinger (right).

Bösch most recently worked in corporate communications at CH Media, the joint venture between AZ Medien and NZZ Regional Media that has been in operation since October 2018. "I am looking forward to the new task, to many encounters with interesting personalities in a challenged industry," says Bösch. Andreas Binder, President of SwissMediaForum: "With Rahel Bösch, we have been able to win a committed and competent colleague as Managing Director - I look forward to working with her. I would like to thank her predecessor Bettina Bertschinger for her outstanding work since the Forum was founded."

Co-program management remains with Christian Dorer, Editor-in-Chief of the "Blick Group," and Patrik Müller, Editor-in-Chief of the central editorial office CH Media and "Schweiz am Wochenende. SRF journalist Susanne Wille will continue to moderate the congress.

The "SwissMediaForum - the Swiss Media Congress" is an annual two-day congress for media, business and politics and will next take place on May 7 and 8, 2020 at the KKL in Lucerne.

Toddlers drown within 20 seconds even in shallow water - and usually silently. Floaties and other swimming aids can only slightly counteract drowning accidents. The BFU, the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention and official partner of the campaign, cites inadequate or lack of supervision as one of the main causes of accidents in and around water.

Concordia, together with the BFU, therefore once again drew attention to bathing rule number 1 this year with the slogan "Always keep an eye on children - little ones within reach" in around 50 Swiss swimming pools. To prevent bathing accidents, small children should always be supervised within reach, i.e. from a maximum of three steps or two meters away. With a throwing game, in which children can shoot sandbags through a hole from a distance of two meters, the health insurer makes parents aware of this maximum distance to the child.

Swiss outdoor pools were able to order the new Badmeister T-shirts and campaign posters from the BFU store again this year. The Badi-Tour was flanked by poster season sites in the outdoor pools as well as street posters around the pools throughout Switzerland.

The Association of Cantonal Banks (logo above) takes issue with the new logo of Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank (below right, via Handelszeitung).

In the future, it not only wants to dispense with the full name "Kantonalbank," but it has also visually modified the iconic cantonal bank emblem with the K into a speech bubble, as evidenced by a logo filed with the trademark register. 

The Association of Cantonal Banks (ASCB) is now taking action against this, as it stated in a statement to the Handelszeitung explains. A formal objection has been filed with the Institute of Intellectual Property, writes spokesman Christian Leugger. The trademark contradicts the trademark regulations and the association's internal guidelines for the design of the trademark, he writes. They are in talks with the bank and are striving to find an agreement "in the interest of BLKB and our other members. BLKB actually wanted to officially launch the new brand identity in September.

With numerous brand and product positionings as well as overarching communication platforms, in which Schäfer has played a decisive role over the years, he has made a significant contribution to the success of clients, the agency writes in a statement.

For the last 14 years, Peter Schäfer has been responsible for the strategy, service offering, image and positioning of clients such as Coop, Credit Suisse, SBB and BAG (Federal Office of Public Health) as a cross-location planning director and member of the executive board at Havas.

The South African has lived in Switzerland for over 30 years. He was not only a board member and president of the Account Planning Group Switzerland (APGS), but also had the privilege of holding various teaching positions at the HWZ, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and the London School of Marketing. Furthermore, he was a guest lecturer at the University of St. Gallen. 

With his move to Y&R Wunderman, Peter Schäfer is returning to his roots, having worked for Advico in Gockhausen more than 15 years ago before joining Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett.

"I am honored to be a part of Y&R Wunderman and very much look forward to this challenge. I strongly believe in Y&R Wunderman's unique position in the market and believe that the company's culture is due to the fact that Y&R Wunderman has a long-standing integration of creation, strategy, data and technology, as well as leveraging excellent strategic tools. This paves the way for more innovation in the development and maintenance of brands and communication strategies. It also implies early and targeted client engagement, resulting in longer-term growth," Peter Schäfer said in the release.

Yvan Piccinno, Managing Director of Y&R Wundermann: "Thanks to his professional experience, proven expertise, enjoyment of coaching and impressive track record, Peter Schäfer is exactly the person we envisioned for this responsible position. Competencies in brand and communication strategies, integrated into the corporate organization, are central cornerstones of a modern agency and bring real added value to our clients. Peter's winning manner is also a perfect fit for our team." 

Peter Schäfer will take up his new position on September 1, 2019.

Also in September, Saskia Kremser starts at Y&R Wunderman and completes the five-person strategy team.
 
 

The new concept was implemented for the first time at the opening ceremony and the library's services were presented in a tangible way. 

In particular, publicizing the services offered by the Pestalozzi Library Zurich and its social mission were clarified and brought to the fore at the opening ceremony. The library was able to draw attention to various workshops on offer in its new home. 

The opening was publicized via posters in the center of Zurich, advertisements in district newspapers, online newsletters relevant to the district, social media and other online platforms. In addition, the program was sent to households and businesses in Kreis 5 by post shortly before the opening. 

Sales at Switzerland's largest private media group increased by 9.8 per cent to CHF 524.1 million in the first six months of 2019. The main drivers of this growth were the acquired companies Goldbach and Zattoo, as Tamedia announced on Tuesday.

By contrast, operating profit fell by a good 22% to CHF 41.0 million. The decline is mainly due to increased depreciation and amortization as a result of the acquisitions as well as investments in digital platforms and paid media. The margin amounted to 7.8 percent after 11.0 percent in the previous year.

The bottom line was a consolidated profit of 53.6 million francs. This represents an increase of a good 34 percent compared to the previous year. However, this includes an extraordinary gain of around CHF 18.7 million from the sale of Tamedia's stake in Localsearch to Swisscom.

The reported figures are above the ZKB's estimates in terms of turnover, but clearly below the EBIT. The Zurich cantonal bank expected sales of 495.5 million and EBIT of 46.4 million.

Print remains under pressure

A look at the segments shows the already familiar Munster in publishing. The business with printed journalistic newspapers and magazines remains under pressure. "Compared to the previous year, we lost around CHF 18 million in the print advertising market, which could not be compensated for digitally", CEO Christoph Tonini is quoted as saying in the press release. The decline in sales also had a significant impact on profitability, particularly in the Paid Media segment. At EBIT level, the margin here was a meagre 0.8 percent.

The situation is clearly better in the commuter media and marketing segment. The pressure on the printed editions of commuter newspapers, which was also noticeable here, was more than offset in the first half of the year by the strong growth in digital advertising income and the strengthening of the advertising marketing business through acquisitions.

Marketplaces are challenged

And unlike in previous periods, business in the marketplaces and investments segment is no longer going quite as well. According to CEO Tonini, the digital marketplaces are feeling the effects of competition from international providers. In order to prevent potential disruption, Tamedia is therefore investing in the expansion of personnel and IT, which is putting significant pressure on margins. The management is convinced that these investments will be profitable in the long term.

Imprint calls for a change of course

The journalists' association Impressum is critical of Tamedia in a statement issued on Tuesday. The demand: "Massive" investments in the editorial offices instead of cutting titles. In view of the half-year figures, Tamedia should accept the demands of the editorial offices in French-speaking Switzerland and refrain from making redundancies for at least two years. Furthermore, the Group should reinvest the profits generated by internet platforms in journalism. These investments in the editorial offices are necessary to ensure that titles such as the Tribune de Genève in Geneva and The Covenant and the Bernese Newspaper could retain their respective identities in Bern. (SDA/pd/hae)

Previously, Anja Sachse (pictured right) was Project Manager Operating & Sales at the Convention Bureau, and now succeeds Marion Azzato.

Bettina Güntensperger (pictured left) will retain her previous functions, which means that in future Anja Sachse will be responsible for congresses and all sales activities. She will also remain project manager.

"In summer 2017, I fell head over heels in love - with Eastern Switzerland. I am delighted to be able to continue marketing this insider tip among Swiss regions in the future. I believe in the great potential of our region and am proud to be able to represent it even more strongly in my new role," says Anja Sachse delightedly. Tourism Director Thomas Kirchhofer is also convinced and says: "With the newly appointed co-management, the day-to-day business can be optimally strengthened and the development process for future challenges in the market environment can be skillfully and actively shaped."

Login is responsible for apprenticeships, internships and further education in the world of transportation. In order to promote the entrepreneurial skills of the apprentices, Login was looking for a solution with gamification elements.

Interpunkt designed a web-based simulation game based on the characteristics of strategic board games. With this idea, the agency managed to prevail against the competition. 

"The web-based solution allows Login to be easily distributed and quickly duplicated according to class size," says Fabian Koch, Managing Director of Interpunkt, with conviction. The implementation is carried out by the agency's in-house web development team. The project is being developed in close cooperation with the person responsible at Login. 
 

A selected number of interested parties will now be given a closer look. "I am confident that we will find a suitable buyer," Tonini continued.

The Zurich-based media company Tamedia announced in July that it was divesting itself of the Annabelle wants to separate. The magazine, which is heavily dependent on the advertising market, no longer fits in with the Group's strategy, according to the statement (Werbewoche.ch reported).

Founded in 1938, Annabelle is considered the first typical women's magazine in the German-speaking world. It has been published by Tamedia since 1982. (SDA/hae)

The three spots "Resources", "Society" and "Economy" were created as part of a Sunrise campaign and summarize the benefits of the respective topic in 30 seconds. Each spot refers to the associated article with all the facts and statistics. It was challenging to reproduce the technically complex subject matter in such a short time in quick and easy-to-understand images without a narrator, using only text in the picture. 

The spots are used in the owned and paid media environment as well as in the POS screens of the Sunrise stores. Technically, a mixture of 2D and 3D animation was used, which flow smoothly into each other. A specially composed music sets the rhythm and tempo of the animation.