In a collaboration between Switzerland Tourism and the Grand Tour of Switzerland association and a total of 16 Swiss regional radio stations, radio listeners were called upon this summer to submit their favorites for the soundtrack of a road trip for their respective region.

This resulted in eleven different playlists, one for each stage. Each stage of the tour thus receives its own soundtrack, tailored to it.

The eleven playlists consist of between 40 and 100 songs and are now available online on Spotify.

The presence on the Swedish music streaming service Spotify is of great importance for the marketing of Switzerland as a vacation and travel destination. With its global reach and 207 million active users, the portal offers a valuable showcase for the road trip through Switzerland.

The attitude of most companies and their managers towards the topic of AI is still rather critical, distanced and skeptical. This is the result of the latest Leadership Trend Barometer conducted by IFIDZ, Frankfurt, in which 108 managers from German-speaking countries took part.  

For example, according to the online survey, less than half of respondents (45%) believe that AI applications would bring more advantages than disadvantages to companies. In addition, less than a third (31%) believe that managers could benefit disproportionately from AI. And in terms of business decisions, not even a quarter of respondents (21%) are convinced that AI can provide important support in this regard.

According to Barbara Liebermeister, Head of the IFIDZ, this critical and distanced attitude is not fundamentally negative: "A healthy skepticism towards new technologies is often necessary." However, skepticism becomes counterproductive if it leads to a (mental) blockade. "And we get this impression when, for example, three out of four respondents are of the opinion that AI should not be used to prepare, substantiate and derive decisions" - i.e. one of the main fields of application for AI in the corporate context.

One reason for the skeptical attitude towards AI could be a lack of expertise. Two thirds of respondents (66%) confirmed that there is very little knowledge about AI in their environment. The vast majority (78%) also stated that they themselves did not know the difference between "strong" and "weak AI". 

A "weak AI" can perform individual tasks very efficiently - for example, accepting simple orders and initiating the processing procedure. A "strong AI", on the other hand, can also analyze and solve more complex tasks and learns as it goes. Only 10 percent of respondents consider themselves to be "competent discussion partners" on the subject of artificial intelligence.

This lack of knowledge correlates with a lower understanding of AI in the sense of a deeper penetration of the topic. For example, only one in four respondents (25 percent) know what impact AI could have on their own area of work. And only just under a third (31%) state that they have already had experience with AI - for example in the form of chatbots or voice and image recognition.

"This reluctance to address the topic of AI is consistent with the results of our individual leadership diagnostics," emphasizes Patrick Merke, member of the IFIDZ Executive Board. This also shows that the majority of managers have not yet actively addressed the topic of AI. Although not every manager has to be an AI expert, such a low level of knowledge is worrying, "as AI is currently one of the most important innovation topics," says Merke.

According to Liebermeister, the results of the IFIDZ Leadership Trend Barometer confirm the findings of other studies on this topic. According to the studies, there is a lack of knowledge in many companies in German-speaking countries regarding the potential applications of AI. This needs to be rectified promptly, as research in the field of AI is currently very intensive and new AI applications are being developed at a rapid pace, which have the potential "not only to redesign business processes in companies, but also to develop completely new business models". And the IFIDZ is convinced that at least the top decision-makers in companies need to be aware of this if they want to develop sustainable strategies for their company.

Most recently, Bartneck was part of the management team at media agency Mediacom. Prior to that, he managed the entire digital unit of Mediacom Zurich and was responsible for a large client portfolio. "His many years of experience in the field of digital advertising and his broad product knowledge make Bartneck a leading industry expert in Switzerland", writes Converto in a press release. According to CEO Matteo Schuerch, the new addition is intended to "better meet the needs of large and complex advertising campaigns".

The first attempt at a new Tobacco Products Act failed due to advertising bans: Parliament rejected the law in 2016. At the second attempt, the Federal Council initially also envisaged advertising restrictions. However, following criticism during the consultation process, it removed these (Werbewoche.ch reported).

According to the Federal Council's draft, the current law on advertising restrictions is to remain in place. There is currently a ban on tobacco advertising on radio and television. Advertising for tobacco products aimed specifically at young people is also prohibited.

Ban in the press and internet

The Health Committee of the Council of States is now unanimously proposing an additional ban on tobacco advertisements in newspapers and magazines as well as advertising on the Internet, as it announced on Tuesday. Tobacco sponsorship of international events is also to be banned.

The law that failed in 2016 also provided for both. However, there were also plans at the time to ban billboard advertising for tobacco products and commercials in cinemas throughout Switzerland. Both are already banned in some cantons, but permitted in others (Werbewoche.ch reported).

Compliant with WHO agreement

The SGK writes that its amendments create the conditions for ratifying the World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Due to the lack of restrictions on advertising and sponsorship, Switzerland has not yet been able to ratify the convention.

Effective protection of children and young people and compliance with the minimum requirements of the convention are its top priority, writes the Commission. With a view to the Convention, the Commission also wants to ban sales promotion through the free distribution of tobacco products. It wants to oblige the tobacco industry to disclose expenditure on advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship.

Lex Expo Dubai

The SGK also wants to write into law that events and activities organized by the Confederation, cantons and municipalities may not be sponsored by the tobacco industry. This was decided by 10 votes to 3.

Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis was recently criticized because a cigarette manufacturer was scheduled to sponsor Switzerland's appearance at Expo 2020 in Dubai. In the end, the Department of Foreign Affairs renounced the money from the tobacco multinational.

Popular initiative pending

In the overall vote, the committee approved the bill by 11 votes to 0 with 2 abstentions. The Council of States is expected to deal with it in the fall session. The advertising bans are likely to be at the center of the debate. In the consultation process, the SVP and the FDP as well as business organizations had spoken out against further restrictions.

A minority of the Commission, on the other hand, wants a ban on all advertising that can reach minors. This provision would fulfill the main objective of the popular initiative "Yes to the protection of children and young people from tobacco advertising". It was recently announced that the initiative will be passed (Werbewoche.ch reported).

No cigarettes for under 18s

The sale of tobacco products and electronic cigarettes to minors is to be banned throughout Switzerland under the new law. The committee voted in favor without a countermotion. Today, an age limit of 16 applies in some cantons. Three cantons have no age limit.

The Commission also welcomes the Federal Council's proposed regulation of e-cigarettes and tobacco products such as snus. All e-cigarettes - whether nicotine-free or containing nicotine - should be subject to the Tobacco Products Act.

No vaping in non-smoking areas

The packaging must be labeled with warnings. E-cigarettes and tobacco products for heating, the vapor of which is inhaled, are subject to legal protection against passive smoking: Where smoking is prohibited, vaping is also prohibited. The Commission agreed to this by 7 votes to 2 with 1 abstention.

If the Council of States Committee has its way, e-cigarettes should be taxed in future. With a motion, the SGK wants to instruct the Federal Council to create the legal basis for this. As the topic was not the subject of the consultation process, it has decided not to include a provision in the law, writes the committee. (SDA/hae)

In addition to numerous complaints about disregarding the star entry in the telephone directory or the stop-advertising sticker, the cases can be roughly divided into three subject areas: "gender discrimination", "competitor complaints" and complaints in which other laws were affected in addition to the principles of the SLK and the Unfair Competition Act (UWG). Specifically, this concerned the Foodstuffs Act, the Radio and TV Ordinance and the Animal Welfare Act.

Tele-Basel presenter and former "Bachelorette" Adela Smajic used a revealing yoga clip to promote a political program on her channel. The Fairness Commission described the appearance as "gender-discriminatory".

Animal Welfare Ordinance (TSchV): The complainant considered claims such as "Really strong, our cows can get out regularly" to be incorrect and therefore unfair. The SLK adjudicating chamber was not of the same opinion and dismissed the appeal in its entirety. According to the Federal Office for Agriculture, 14% of cows do not have regular access to pasture. However, the TSchV also requires tethered cattle to have regular access to pasture. The average consumer can therefore correctly assess the contested advertising claims; all the more so as he knows that animal welfare in this country is far stricter than abroad.

Competitor complaints, which companies can use to have the advertising of competitors assessed, have become regular fodder for the Fair Trading Commission in recent years. In the first half of 2019, these included the following complaints:

The price is hot: A laser eye center was unable to prove that it had actually advertised the regular price and the promotional price as required by the Price Disclosure Ordinance (PBV) - namely for a maximum of two months and only half as long as it was in force. The complaint was upheld.

No comparison: The decisive part of this appeal was also upheld. It concerned an advertising cover that was allegedly one of the "Top 10 Swiss print media". In view of the vanishingly small proportion of editorial contributions, this claim was unfair.

Worth imitating: Fairness law does not recognize a general prohibition on imitating other people's services. Such advertising is only unfair if, on the one hand, the original has distinctive character, on the other hand, it is copied in essential parts, there is a risk of confusion and the imitation is unnecessarily suggestive. This was not the case with this complaint; it was therefore dismissed.

Caught on the dog: The case was similar for the advertising of bedbug sniffer dogs and the question of which of the two parties was the original. As the name "Bedbug Hunter" is also purely descriptive and cannot be registered as a word mark, the complaint regarding trademark theft was rejected. However, it was upheld due to a misleading logo and false information regarding the training and certification of the animals.

According to the Commission on Fair Trading, this campaign is not unfair - it is of the opinion that consumers can correctly assess the claim.

Foodstuffs Act (LMG): More complex was the case of the advertising of food supplements which, according to the Foodstuffs Act (LMG), may not be imported into Switzerland - except for purely private domestic use - or may not be imported in the dosage offered. In order to assess this complaint, the SLK consulted the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO). Ultimately, the respondent was recommended to adapt its communication in three cases: For products that are not permitted in Switzerland at all, for a misleading product reference and for medical recommendations that are not permitted in this context according to the Federal Council's Information on Foodstuffs (LIV).

Is your wife dusty? Then it's high time for a xxx vacuum cleaner". This claim was deemed unfair as it ascribes stereotypical characteristics to women. The statement "If you are dusty - then it's ....." would have been harmless.

I always come: Are advertising slogans such as "I always come" and "I look in every crack" for a pipe cleaning service sexist or not? It was undisputed by the Board of Appeal that there was a factual connection with the activity; it was also undisputed that the statements had a sexual reference. With regard to the average consumer, the SLK came to the conclusion that there was no inappropriate depiction of sexuality.

Is it still okay to say cleaning lady? The URL of a cleaning company was objected to as it gave the impression that only women should do housework. The SLK did not consider it to be gender-discriminatory, as "cleaning lady" is a common job title.

In total, the three adjudicatory chambers have dealt with 51 complaints, two appeals and one request for sanctions in four meetings so far this year. The detailed reasons can be found on the website Fair-advertising.ch in the "Decisions" area.

Radio and TV Ordinance (RTVO): A Facebook clip from a media company was only marginally about yoga. The actual purpose was to attract viewers to its own website on a voting Sunday. The fact that this was done with a scantily clad woman doing the "bridge" yoga exercise so that the viewer's gaze fell directly on her cleavage was deemed unfair and gender-discriminatory. However, the media company argued that the Fairness Commission was not responsible, but rather the Radio and TV Ordinance (RTVO). However, this would only have applied if the media company had shown the video in its own program.

Daniela Lager, 55, has been a presenter for radio and television since 1985. Her career began at Radio Munot, after which she moved to New York, where she completed an internship at TV station WPIX and worked as a freelance correspondent for Swiss local radio stations. Back in Zurich, she moved to Radio Z and later worked for Tele Züri and the Swiss window of RTL/ProSieben.

Daniela Lager has been working for Swiss radio and television since 2000. She was first a presenter and editor at the "Tagesschau" news program, then spent 13 years in the same position at the news magazine "10vor10. In the fall of 2016, the Zurich native joined the radio talk show "Persönlich" as head of talks. She also continued to work as an editor and reporter for "10vor10.

Now Daniela Lager is taking over as host of the health magazine "Puls" from November 2019. To do so, she will give up her stint as a TV news journalist, but will continue to lead the conversations on the radio talk show "Persönlich", alternating with the other presenters. Daniela Lager succeeds Odette Frey at "Puls," who, as previously announced, has decided to change careers and will leave SRF at the end of September. In October 2019, Pascale Menzi will lead the show, who has been and will continue to be the deputy of the main presenter.

The health committee of the Council of States unanimously proposes to additionally ban tobacco advertisements in newspapers and magazines as well as advertising on the Internet, as it announced on Tuesday (Werbewoche.ch reported).

The bill supported by the Commission still does not meet the requirements of the World Health Organization's (WHO) International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the alliance criticized in a statement Tuesday. The proposed solution is not sufficient to effectively protect children and adolescents from tobacco advertising. This would require more than just partial restrictions, it is convinced: "Only a comprehensive ban on advertising, sponsorship and sales promotion can protect minors from the perfidious lures of the tobacco industry."

The Alliance for a Strong Tobacco Products Act will work to ensure that the Council of States closes the remaining loopholes in the draft law in September, or at least reduces them by adopting the minority motion of Council of States member Stöckli. Said motion is intended to "at least achieve the minimum requirements of the World Health Organization (WHO) International Framework Convention on Tobacco Control."

The umbrella organization KS/CS Kommunikation Schweiz is not very pleased with the decision of the parliamentary committee. In a statement, it said it was "very disconcerted" by the decision to support additional advertising restrictions, even though it was clearly in favor of stricter protection of minors in the Tobacco Products Act. Advertising would be made the scapegoat by the commission.

KS/CS had lobbied in particular for the deletion of two articles of the second draft: On the one hand, cantons should not enact stricter regulations than the Confederation (Article 20), as this would contradict "all constitutional ideas of legal certainty, legal uniformity and equal treatment". On the other hand, the tightening of warnings (Article 19) was objected to. These are already regulated in detail in the self-regulation of the tobacco industry with the Swiss Commission for Fair Trading and are enforced so strongly that in many places the view prevails that the warnings are prescribed by law.

The association relies on self-regulation. Advertising bans would not solve any social problems; the number of smokers among children and young people has been falling continuously since 2010 even without them. Even Pro Juventute is of the opinion that education and information in schools are much more important. Total advertising bans are also unconstitutional, he said, and are a direct attack on the free market economy as well as civil rights. The fact that "the healing power of advertising bans is a utopia" is shown by the case of France, where a ban on tobacco advertising has been in place for years, yet the country has higher rates of smoking than Switzerland. (hae)

Together with Co-Editor-in-Chief Vincent Fragnière, Jean Le Nouvelliste positioned in the middle of the canton's authoritative debates, the publisher Editions Le Nouvelliste announced Tuesday. She was the first woman to head the editorial team of the Valais newspaper and opened the title to new content and forms, said publisher Eric Meizoz.

Fragnière will remain editor-in-chief and will play a central role in forming the new editorial team. The new organization of the editorial management of the titles Le Nouvelliste, Le Journal de Sierre and La Gazette de Martigny is to be presented in the coming weeks.

Jean was formerly editor-in-chief of Le Matin. She was also a member of the Board of Directors of Keystone-SDA from June 2015 to early 2018. (SDA)

Children play, chat and daydream on the way to school, forgetting that dangers lurk on the road. This behavior is age-related and road traffic is a major challenge. Children's awareness of dangers is still poorly developed and they have a limited field of vision due to their smaller body size. This is why the BFU's three-year campaign focuses on raising the awareness of adults in road traffic.

Formeldrei implemented all online and offline communication measures for the national campaign financed by the FVS: Posters, online measures, Website, spots, 360-degree VR movies, explanatory videos and various print measures. 

With over 171,000 participants in 2018, the UBS Kids Cup is the largest youth project in Swiss sport. Every year, children and young people up to the age of 15 compete in the sprint, long jump and ball throw disciplines throughout Switzerland. This year even the millionth participant could be celebrated.
 
"Great things start here" is the new campaign slogan for the more than 1000 regional athletics events. This is to be understood quite literally. Because not only can great sports careers be launched at the UBS Kids Cup, but lifelong friendships can also blossom, new passions can be discovered and self-confidence can be developed. And even from defeat, participants can still gain valuable life experience.
 
In the films used on various online channels, however, the focus is on the athletic talent of the young participants: The children's videos are accompanied acoustically by professional sports commentators; as if they were big stars. The numerous former UKC participants, such as Géraldine Ruckstuhl and Jason Joseph, who are well on their way to becoming world-class athletes, prove that they can indeed become such stars.

Through the cooperation with Connects, Tradedoubler customers are to benefit from the long-standing and local expertise in the Swiss affiliate market and direct access to relevant and exclusive publisher partnerships. Connects' existing customers will also benefit from the cooperation between the two affiliate networks, as custom-fit environments for ad placements can now also be offered internationally. 

Says Thomas Pilz, Managing Director and Partner at Connects: "We are delighted that this collaboration now provides our customers with local and international expertise for their best possible market communications, and also enables us to maintain the important consulting relationships."

Claudia Batschi-Rota, Country Manager DACH about the future cooperation: "Our Swiss customers, agencies and publishers can look forward to extended local expertise and will be served by Connects as experts in the Swiss market according to our very focused business development approach. In line with our motto Connect and Grow, we will continue to be a local growth partner for our advertisers, publishers and agencies!"

Waveup offers the Swiss surfing community a platform that allows surf fans to become part of a nationwide network of like-minded people. They also receive a subscription to the "WaveupMag", get cheaper tickets or goodies for music and sporting events and benefit from special offers, for example in the "Visitor Store" surf store and the "Burton Store".

In order to convince even more surfing enthusiasts to become Waveup members, Farner develops and implements the social media campaign for Waveup and also handles conversion tracking as well as systematic landing page and conversion rate optimization.

"Farner convinced us with a solution where everything was thought of," says Pascal Brotzer, founder and president of the Waveup association. "We are also pleased to have an enthusiastic surfer as our contact on the agency side."