When online dating emerged in Switzerland over 15 years ago, it was seen as something that was used in secret and hardly talked about. Nowadays, this type of dating is firmly anchored in everyday life and is the number one way to find love: 46% of those who have met their partner in the last two years met them online. These are the findings of the latest representative study by online dating agency Parship.ch, which surveyed 1,000 men and women aged 18 to 69 in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland.

If you look at the results including all partnerships that were formed before online dating, one in five couples in Switzerland met online, with 30-39-year-olds leading the way with a share of 30%. "Once you reach a certain age, you have a busy career and a relatively fixed circle of friends and colleagues. It's hard to meet new people in everyday life," explains Parship.ch psychologist Barbara Beckenbauer. "In this case, online dating is an obvious and efficient way to find a suitable partner."

How has the move from offline to online love changed the search for a partner in different parts of Switzerland? Has it become easier or more difficult with digital media?

• German-speaking Swiss - especially those from north-western Switzerland, Zurich and eastern Switzerland (80%) - think that online dating is more flexible today than it used to be. Of all the Swiss, the Genevans are the least likely to agree (42%).
• People from Zurich (66%) and Vaud (75%) are the most likely to say that appearance plays a greater role today.
• Vaudois and Northwestern Swiss are the most likely to believe that there is more pressure to find the perfect partner today (60%).

With regard to Relationship duration and Type of partnership there are also cantonal differences and different results for D-CH and F-CH:

• German-speaking Swiss (72%), and among them above all the Bernese (79%), believe much more frequently than French-speaking Swiss (60%) that partnerships are ended more lightly nowadays, that people have higher expectations of a partner than in the past (D-CH: 66%, F-CH: 52%, Bernese 79%) and that people enter into more partnerships overall (D-CH: 55%, F-CH: 48%, Bernese 60%).
• Northwestern Swiss say most frequently that partnerships have become more short-lived overall (76%, D-CH 64%, F-CH 54%) and that people are less willing to compromise (63%, D-CH 53%, F-CH 51%).
• Eastern Swiss in particular believe that people are not so quick to commit themselves these days (63%, D-CH 53%, F-CH 44%)

Regional differences in the Relationship phenomena:

Ghosting (ending a budding or established relationship suddenly and without explanation by breaking off contact)

• One in four people in north-western Switzerland has already been ghosted (27%), while it has happened most frequently to people in the Central Plateau and Zurich (24%). The Bernese are the least likely to practice ghosting (9%) and have experienced it the least (19%, together with the Valaisans 16%).

Zombie-ing (getting in touch again some time after suddenly breaking off contact and acting as if nothing had happened) and Benching (keeping someone warm, even though interest is moderate, until you meet someone "better")

• These relationship phenomena occur most frequently in north-western Switzerland. 33% there have experienced someone contacting them again as if nothing had happened. "Keeping warm" is also most frequently practiced there (21%) and also most frequently experienced (23%). With the exception of Geneva, however, this is more likely to happen in German-speaking Switzerland than in French-speaking Switzerland.

Parallel Dating (going out with two or more people at the same time)

• People from Zurich tend to go out with two or more partners most often (33%). Vaud residents do this least often (12%), but they are the most likely to say that it has happened to them (29%, Zurich residents below average at 16%). Cushioning (going on romantic dates in addition to an actual relationship in order to have a reserve in case something happens)
• People from Geneva and north-western Switzerland are most likely to have another romance going on in addition to a relationship (23% and 22% respectively). People from Geneva and Zurich also state most frequently that they have been affected by this (21% and 19% respectively). This behavior is least common in Bern, whether actively (10%) or passively (5%).

But how has the move from offline to online love changed the search for a partner? Has it become easier or more difficult with digital media? There is no consensus on this question, as the study results show:

- Women are more likely than men to think that appearance plays a greater role today (68% vs. 55%), that there is more pressure to find the perfect partner (54% vs. 44%), that there is greater competition (49% vs. 41%) and that finding a partner has become more difficult (30% vs. 24%). At the same time, 40% of women find that there are more potential partners (men 50%).

- The under 29s in particular find that the search for a partner is more flexible today (74%), that appearance plays a major role (72%), that they face greater competition (54%), but at the same time have more dates than before (44%). There is also more pressure today to find the perfect partner (58%)

Parship.ch psychologist Barbara Beckenbauer comments: "It is quite possible that the low-threshold access to a large number of singles, who are also on their best behavior, unsettles many because it threatens to undermine their desire for exclusivity and longevity. Especially as all surveys in recent years have repeatedly shown the same picture: The vast majority of people want a long-term partnership with the values of exclusivity and loyalty that are also required of their partner. Regardless of gender and age."

With regard to Relationship duration and type of partnership women and young people are particularly critical:

• Women are more likely than men to think that relationships are ended more frivolously (77% vs. 61%), that people today have higher expectations (67% vs. 57%), and that relationships tend to be short-lived (67% vs. 56%) and superficial (54% vs. 40%). - The 18-29 year olds also have a similar impression to the women: more often than the other age groups, they believe that partnerships are ended more lightly (76%), that they are therefore also more short-term (72%), that people have more partnerships today (63%) and are less willing to commit than in the past (55%).

"The commonly postulated assumption that dating and partnerships have become more superficial and fast-paced due to digital media is more a reflection of the respondents' concerns than a reflection of reality," says Parship.ch psychologist Barbara Beckenbauer.

The figures also clearly show that the general impression regarding the shorter duration of a relationship is misleading: two thirds of couples who met online have been together for between 5 and 15 years. In these periods, they even exceed the figures for offline couples. Among those who met offline, long-term partnerships of more than 20 years are the most common (although a comparison with online couples is not possible, as online dating did not exist in Switzerland 20 years ago).

Anyone who deals with the topic of "partnership" cannot avoid buzzwords such as ghosting, benching or parallel dating. However, as the study shows, these are not specific online dating phenomena. Especially as people whose partnerships have existed for over 15 years (and therefore did not start online) have also experienced these phenomena - albeit less frequently.

• Ghosting (ending a budding or established relationship suddenly and without explanation by breaking off contact)
  • One in five people have been "ghosted" (20TP3T and 22% respectively), but one in five men (19%) and only one in seven women (14%) have used this tactic themselves. It has happened most frequently to 60-69 year olds (25%), and to one in five of the others. The 30-39-year-olds (21%) were the most likely to have done it themselves.
  • Relationship duration longer than 15 years: 14% self-happened, 13% self-made
• Zombie-ing (get in touch again some time after suddenly breaking off contact and act as if nothing had happened)
  •  This is particularly an issue for the U50s: 25% of them (and even 30% of the U29s) have already experienced it, and 16% have already used it themselves.
  • Relationship duration longer than 15 years: 13% self-happened, 9% self-made
• Parallel Dating (going out with two or more people at the same time)
  • Is definitely an issue among 18-49-year-olds (26%), with just under one in five - with the exception of the over-60s - being affected themselves
  • Relationship duration longer than 15 years: 17% self-happened, 18% self-made
• Breadcrumbing (contacting the other person just often enough to feign interest)
  • One in five men (21% vs. 14% women) and one in four under 29 (27%) have done it themselves. It has also happened to 16% of men (15% women) and 22% of under 29s themselves.
  • Relationship duration longer than 15 years: 11% self-happened, 10% self-made
• Cushioning (enter into romantic dates in addition to an actual relationship in order to have a reserve in case of an emergency)
  •  Just under one in five men (19%) admit to having other romantic dates in addition to an actual relationship as a "reserve for emergencies" (women 13%). The 30-39 age group in particular seems to have a great need for "security" in this respect (23%).
  • Relationships have lasted longer than 15 years: 7% happened by themselves, 10% were self-made Even if the phenomena are not new, they can have an unsettling effect, as Barbara Beckenbauer confirms: "Of course there are people who exploit these opportunities and thereby abuse the trust of another person. But they have always existed, even before the internet. And no matter how we look at it, most people looking for a partner simply want to find someone with whom they can enjoy togetherness and plan a future together."

Wolf has been manufacturing sun shading and weather protection products since 1969. The company also offers a nationwide repair service for sun shading products of all brands.

Just in time for its 50th anniversary, Dachcom has developed a new overall image for Wolf, including a new logo and claim. The rebranding underlines the manufacturing and service expertise and the broad range of skills of the company, which is established throughout Switzerland, in a fresh and self-confident way and remains true to the striking company color green. 

The new claim "Wolf puts everything in the shade" is intended to reflect the expertise of a company established throughout Switzerland as well as Wolf's wide range of shading solutions. The Wolf headlines, which run through all measures, give Wolf its own unmistakable language.

The new Wolf image is now being used in all of the company's communication measures, from building and vehicle lettering to employee clothing, business stationery, image and product brochures and giveaways for customers.

"Bern in Space" was very well received by the public. Events were held on the Bundesplatz, in the Kursaal, at the University of Bern and at around 20 partner institutions. The major space organizations Nasa and ESA also joined in the celebrations together with the whole of Bern.

Stämpfli Kommunikation developed a celebratory campaign with the University of Bern, putting Bern at the center of attention as a space city and hotspot of international space research. The aim was to do justice to the brand identity of the University of Bern as a serious educational institution and to maintain its scientific credibility.

"Together and in partnership with Stämpfli Kommunikation, we developed a strategy for our anniversary that met our needs and wishes. We were very impressed by the clear design language of the campaign. This is science communication at its best!" says Nicola von Greyerz, Project Manager "Bern in Space".

The campaign was deliberately kept visually simple. The moon stands close, bright and sometimes silver in the center of the printed matter and posters, while the headline points out that Bern was and is not only on the moon, but also in space. Both the scientific stakeholders and the general public should be able to identify with the chosen visual language and the high-quality production.

Based on the NASA mission patches, the Stämpfli Kommunikation team created an official anniversary logo. This shows Bern's solar wind sail on the moon and thus captures Bern's first highlight as an internationally important "space city". The signet could be found on numerous implementations. In addition to the merchandise collection, pins were also produced for officials and dignitaries. Beer mats could be found in various bars in Bern. And the stickers were enjoyed not only by the little ones, but also by researchers at the University of Bern.

The University of Bern and Stämpfli Kommunikation made full use of the potential and actively involved around 20 participating partner and other Bernese organizations, including Bern Welcome, the City of Bern, the Bern Historical Museum, the Dampfzentrale Bern, the Kornhausforum, the Stauffacher bookshop, the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the Rex cinema and various hotels, restaurants and businesses such as the Hotel Schweizerhof and Globus. They all had the opportunity to order communication material directly from the agency and thus support the anniversary campaign.

Dispensers specially produced for the anniversary were provided, which were deliberately designed to be discreet. The general identification with the University of Bern and the "moon landing" theme developed a momentum of its own even before the celebrations. For example, Casa Nobile produced limited edition moon chocolates by arrangement, and Confiserie Glatz delighted with a special almond bear.

The media also took an interest in the University of Bern and its role in international space research. Various interviews with contemporary witnesses and reports on past and future missions involving the University of Bern were published in the local and national press.

To underline its clear positioning and the fact that the music is not compiled and mixed by algorithms, My105 has introduced the claim "DJ Radio". "We exercise a kind of filter function and compile our own channels with hand-picked songs in various genres from around 35 million songs that are otherwise available on the usual streaming services. In this way, we are more or less the listeners' personal DJ," says My105 boss Giuseppe Scaglione. My105 focuses on the sound of the younger generation with styles such as hip hop, German rap, urban Latin and dance/electro.

In addition, the music medium has invested in its acoustic image and was able to engage international producers for the renewal of its own sound layout - including the production of jingles and packaging elements. The first results of this collaboration can already be heard on my105.

The Zurich-based start-up Fashwell has apparently been bought by Apple. This reports Inside-it.ch with reference to an article by Macrumors. Fashwell is developing an image search that could be used to find clothes or furniture in online stores, for example. "With an app, users photograph items of clothing. The intelligent software then finds similar items in online stores," promises the ETH spinoff.

Most Fashwell employees state on their Linkedin profiles that they have been working at Apple since January. Accordingly, the takeover probably already took place at the end of 2018, Macrumors assumes. However, there is no official confirmation from Apple or Fashwell. (René Jaun/Netzwoche/hae)

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According to the research team, the influence of media on political views is limited because people react to them very differently and many personal factors are at play. "Political persuasion is hard. If it were easy, the world would look significantly different today," says Adam Berinsky, a professor at MIT and co-author of the study.

To determine how biased coverage affects viewers' political views, the MIT team conducted a series of experiments and surveys with several subgroups of subjects. These were divided based on factors such as ideology and preferences in media. The researchers showed study participants political content from partisan and nonpartisan media and tested their reaction to it.

It turned out that respondents who voluntarily consume partisan media are less influenced by their content than those who are more inclined toward nonpartisan media. This means that non-political people who do not have a fixed opinion are more likely to be persuaded than those who already know what their preference is. According to the researchers, just one exposure to partisan media can shift the political orientation of a previously apolitical person by one-third. Partisan reporting can also have an impact on partisan viewers, they said, but it is much smaller.

Berinsky points out that most people in the U.S. are not interested in political news. Influence by partisan media is unlikely among a large portion of the population, he said. "We've only found that these people are impressionable because we've forced them to watch news," Berinsky says. In the future, the scientists also want to explore the effects of reporting that goes against the views of the viewers. (pte)

The ad with the text "Should Turkish judges be able to overturn our ban on minarets? If you don't want that, say yes to the self-determination initiative! The illustration of a minaret was kept in the same color as the logo of 20 minutes.

Although the publisher had taken into account the usual criteria for the separation of content and advertising by using a different font for the advertisement than for the usual front page, writes the Press Council in its decision published on Friday. In addition, the client "Egerkinger Komitee" was mentioned and there was a label as an advertisement.

But this reference was hardly visible and the committee was hardly known to the general public. Above all, however, everything had been laid out on a single graphic level and therefore there had been too little clarity for the readership about the front page, which usually always contained the most important information.

The Press Council assessed page 2 differently on the basis of two complaints: There, the difference between the political advertising and the editorial content was clear at first glance due to the completely different typeface. Also, no false impression could have been created, although in this case the required labeling as "advertisement" had been missing. (SDA)

Shortly before that the Wall Street Journal reports Facebook is offering media companies up to $3 million a year to place headlines and excerpts from articles in the new space. Among the media outlets approached are the Washington Post, the financial service Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal-mother Dow Jones. Facebook did not comment on this information.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had brought the separate news section into the conversation in April. He said in a conversation with the head of the Springer media group, Mathias Döpfner, that the online network wanted to place greater emphasis on "high-quality and trustworthy news. Zuckerberg did not rule out royalty payments to participating media companies.

Facebook has vacillated back and forth in its approach to media content in recent years. At first, the online network became an increasingly important platform for media companies to reach users. But then, in the wake of the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign, Facebook was abused for the mass distribution of fake news - and set new priorities. In early 2018, Zuckerberg announced posts from family and friends would be given more weight than media content in users' news feeds. At the time, Facebook rejected the idea of a separate area for media content - a path taken by competitor Snapchat, among others.

Facebook and Google are particularly strong in the online advertising business - and they also receive advertising revenues that used to go to media companies.

Facebook offers media partners according to Wall Street Journal the choice of whether to hold their content directly on the online network's platform - or to place only headlines and excerpts in the new area that lead on to their own websites. The newspaper could not find out whether media companies have already agreed to license content to Facebook. (SDA)

• Just under 32 percent can imagine that personalized offer advertising will lead to more purchase frequency for them
• 46.2 percent of respondents say that notices about new products and special offers generate the most interest
• 14.9 percent of respondents want to pay less attention to price in individual offers

Just under 32 percent of respondents can imagine that personalized offer advertising would lead to more frequent purchases. Among respondents who would like to see advertising tailored explicitly to them, this figure is 46.4 percent. If we now narrow it down once again to the group that is open to advertising, the willingness to increase purchase frequency even rises to 55 percent. And only 15.5 percent of respondents generally rule out this behavior.

When asked whether consumers place more value on being reminded of everyday products they have already purchased or on news about special offers, the results are clear: The majority say that notices about new products and special offers (46.2 percent) or a mix of these with information about products already purchased in the past (42.7 percent) generate the greatest interest. Only a few consumers are interested in receiving advertising exclusively about items they have already purchased (12 percent).

Another result of the survey shows that personalized offers have been proven to reduce customers' price sensitivity. On average, 14.9 percent of respondents said they would pay less attention to the price of personalized offers. In the target group that is open to advertising, 25.8 percent already put the offer before the price. And almost 31 percent of the 30 to 39-year-olds who are open to advertising pay less attention to the price.

"The survey clearly shows that consumers are willing to change their consumption behavior," summarizes Jochen Freese, Managing Director of Ingenico Marketing Solutions. "On the one hand, they would visit retailers with personalization competencies more often, which leads to additional sales. For another, retailers might even forgo discounts and thus margin reductions, which increases revenue. However, this does not work for retailers who understand personalization to mean merely addressing consumers by name," says Freese. "We mean an offer tailored to the consumer that relates his or her buying and search habits to those of all other customers and that, above all, is used at all consumer touchpoints for a more relevant and thus more successful dialog."

The Press Council has approved two complaints against the two media. They had mentioned the surname of the quadruple murderer in the aftermath of the appeal process in the Rupperswil case from mid-December 2018.

In articles published on December 14, the two media argued why they wanted to call the quadruple murderer by his full name from now on. For one thing, his defense had given the surname after the conclusion of the appeal trial the day before, which meant that the same right applied to the public. Secondly, the name had been abbreviated for far too long, and the perpetrator had forfeited his right to protection of personality. Furthermore, a pixelated picture of the quadruple murderer in the police car was also published.

The Press Council does not dispute that the quadruple murder in Rupperswil was an exceptionally serious crime. There was also a great public interest in the case and therefore also in the murderer.

However, this is not to be equated with an overriding public interest in identifying confessional reporting. In the assessment of the Press Council, there is no such interest. A murderer and his relatives who are affected by the court report have a right to protection of their privacy, regardless of the heinousness of the act, writes the Press Council. The person concerned must not be identified as a matter of principle.

The Press Council welcomed the decision of all the Swiss media, including the Blicksto consistently abbreviate the surname until the appeal process. This would have shown consideration for a possible, admittedly rather theoretical resocialization and especially for the family of the quadruple murderer.

Reporting through Dec. 13, 2018, shows that informing the public about the resolution of a felony or a related court ruling does not necessarily have to imply identifying reporting.

With the naming would have View and Blick.ch unnecessarily pilloried the murderer and thus his family. None of the exceptions listed in the Journalists' Code, which would allow naming or identifying reporting, had been met. The editorial team had thus violated the journalists' code.

With the picture of the perpetrator in the police car had Blick.ch on the other hand, his privacy was barely violated. The face had been only small and indistinctly recognizable, also because the rearview mirror of the car had covered a part of it. Thus the quadruple murderer was hardly identifiable. (SDA)
 

Sales fell by 9.6 percent to 115.2 million Swiss francs, the company announced on Friday. Operating profit at EBIT level reached 8.1 million Swiss francs, compared to 3.2 million in the same period last year. This includes special effects of 0.3 million (previous year -0.6 million). Net income was positive at 5.4 million Swiss francs, this after a figure of 0.0 in the previous year.

Following the sale of parts of the company in the previous year, the Zeiser Division is focusing exclusively on its core business of serializing banknotes and security documents. Sales here amounted to CHF 14.6 million. Compared to the comparable net sales of 8.2 million in the previous year, this corresponds to a significant increase of 78 percent, the company continued to write.

In security printing, sales fell by around 4 percent to 56.0 million and operating profit by around 2.9 percent to 6.6 million. Lower capacity utilization and an increase in the proportion of international customers in the product mix are cited as reasons.

In the Book Retailing Division, sales increased by 4.6 percent to 40.9 million Swiss francs. This resulted in a positive operating result of 0.4 million, following a loss of 0.9 million previously.

This was due to an improved market performance and the continued implementation of the transformation program, the statement added. The digital and online mail order business had grown and the branch business had been expanded with openings in Europaallee in Zurich and the Seedammcenter in Pfäffikon SZ.

Net sales at Orell Füssli's publishing companies were 8% lower than in the same period of the previous year. Orell Füssli speaks of weaker sales figures in the children's book sector. The "Globi" publishing house was unable to match the figures for the same period in the previous year, while the non-fiction sector showed a pleasing trend.

Orell Füssli continues to expect a "declining earnings situation" for 2019. In the largest security printing segment, orders for international customers would predominantly be produced in the second half of the year. Zeiser will be able to continue its positive development. A stable development is expected for the book trade. Once again, the Christmas business will determine the economic success of the financial year. (sda)

"Companies do not define themselves, but are defined by what consumers tell each other about them. Users on the Internet are more likely to trust other users than companies. Many companies still don't understand this and want to buy trust. One of the ways they do this is by buying editorial content," says Bernd Pfeiffer from LimeSoda in an interview with Pressetext.

Outbrain conducted the survey online with around 1,000 adult users. 28 percent of respondents have clicked on a native ad in the past six months, but only 22 percent trusted what they read. Content on Facebook is considered particularly suspicious, with only 17 percent of respondents trusting it. The content of native ads is not always comprehensible. 57 percent understand what such advertisements on the Internet are trying to tell them, but only 51 percent understand the content of native ads on Facebook.

Despite the mistrust, native ads can also have positive effects. Recommendations about products through native advertising can be quite enriching for users. Around 40 percent of respondents repeatedly find interesting content through these recommendations. Almost half (46%) believe that they have already learned something from the recommendations.

Pfeiffer advises against trying to gain the trust of users with seemingly editorial content: "Companies should be honest in their advertising. They shouldn't use mixed forms and shouldn't pretend something to users. People are now very good at recognizing hidden advertising on the Internet and revealing it online. As users talk negatively about a company to each other in this case, it only damages its reputation," says Pfeiffer. (pte)