The comedy based on the best-selling novel "Wolkenbruch's Whimsical Journey into the Arms of a Chic" by Thomas Meyer was the most successful Swiss film in local cinemas in 2018, with around 300,000 admissions so far. The Federal Office of Culture announced the nomination in Locarno on Friday.

Switzerland is sending a film into the race this year that will be very well received by audiences, according to the jury's statement of reasons for its selection. "Where is a person born into and how does he find his own way?" Director Michael Steiner has staged these questions in a "humorous and moving" way.

The film is set in the Jewish-Orthodox milieu of Zurich. At the center of the story, which is peppered with Yiddish dialog, is the student Motti Wolkenbruch (Joel Basman), who falls in love with the "shiksa" Laura (Noémie Schmidt), to the dismay of his mother.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Hollywood will publish the Short List in December and the five films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film on January 13, 2020. The Oscars will be awarded on February 9, 2020 in Los Angeles. (SDA/swi)

"Referring to Willy Brandt is a gross abuse and simply obscene," the long-serving President of the Bundestag Wolfgang Thierse told the Daily Mirror Thursday.

According to the report, the party is using an election poster with a photo of Brandt and his slogan "Mehr Demokratie wagen" (Dare more democracy) ahead of the state elections on September 1. Brandt was head of government in a social-liberal coalition between the SPD and FDP from 1969 to 1974. He was SPD party leader for more than twenty years.

Thierse also once again criticized the right-wing populist party's reference to the GDR civil rights movement. "Equating the Federal Republic of today with the GDR of the past is an unbelievable trivialization of the GDR."

With slogans such as "We are the people!" or "Complete the turnaround", the AfD is running a campaign under the slogan "Wende 2.0". According to the party, many of the East Germans' hopes for the "first turnaround" (1989/90) have not been fulfilled.

Criticism was already hailing on Wednesday. Acting SPD chairwoman Manuela Schwesig, for example, said: "The mendacity of the AfD can hardly be surpassed."

In addition to Brandenburg, elections will also be held in Saxony on September 1 and in Thuringia on October 27. The AfD state chairmen of Brandenburg and Thuringia, Andreas Kalbitz and Björn Höcke, come from West Germany and had nothing to do with the peaceful revolution in the East. (SDA)

Photo: Tagesspiegel/Privat, via Twitter.com
 

This year's campaign started with a call on Calanda's social media channels. The community was asked to make suggestions for regions that should get their own label. The suggestions with the most likes and positive reactions advanced to the next round. Thus, the fans promoted their favorite region with a lot of commitment. The result was a collection of 20 regions. In collaboration with the Calanda team, Markenkern selected suitable scenic highlights for each region and created 20 labels.

The beer with the special labels is available throughout the Calanda market area - in restaurants and bars and now also at Coop. Collector's cards are available for lovers of the labels.

The campaign is accompanied by a competition on social media in which guided tours of the Calanda brewery in Chur can be won. For lovers of the special labels, there are also collector's booklets to stick in at selected gastronomic establishments and on Facebook.

The website Business Insider reported, citing a spokesperson, that the platform, which belongs to Facebook, had kicked Hyp3r off the platform after the research became known and asked it to stop collecting data.

Instagram users can decide whether their posts on the photo platform are visible to everyone or only to certain users. The publicly accessible images, videos and information can then be accessed not only via the app, but also via the web version of Instagram. Hyp3r developed methods to automatically collect and store the files.

According to the report by Business Insider Instagram posts that contained the location of users. The location data was also read and stored. One of Hyp3r's services for customers such as hotels was to present collected Instagram posts from their locations. At the same time, they were also able to target users who were staying at the competition with advertisements. Hyp3r built up a database with thousands of locations of hotels, fitness clubs and stores.

From Instagram's point of view, the automated data collection violates the terms of use, Hyp3r explained Business Insider However, the company did not see any breach of the rules. The case is also an example of how detailed user profiles can be created on the basis of publicly available information and used by the advertising industry. According to the report, Hyp3r also uses automatic image recognition on the collected photos to evaluate what can be seen in the images.

Instagram had already cut access to location data via the official interface for developers last year. But Hyp3r has found a way to get the information anyway, wrote Business Insider. It was not clear why Hyp3r's automated data collection had not been detected by the Instagram systems. (sda)

Swiss Volley News, announcements of national team matches, the Supercup, the Mobiliar Volley Cup Final as well as snow volleyball and beach volleyball tournaments are prepared by the Nau editorial team and distributed on the out-of-home platforms Passengertv, Cityscreen and Gasstationtv.

Livesystems is successful in the field of digital out-of-home media and online advertising and became Switzerland's first digital media house with the launch of the news portal Nau.ch in fall 2017. Every day, over 2.2 million viewers are reached via the various platforms on public transport, at gas stations and in public spaces. 

Werner Augsburger, CEO at Swiss Volley, is full of praise for the new media player in a statement: "I am extremely pleased that we have found a strong and innovative media partner in Livesystems and their products, which will not only distribute our sport via modern digital channels nationally, regionally and locally, but will also play an active role in the coverage of our events."
 

How the Corriere del Ticino and Tagesanzeiger.ch writethe Swiss Football Association and its long-time head of communications are going their separate ways with immediate effect. The new SFV President Dominique Blanc and Secretary General Robert Breiter have informed Marco von Ah on Thursday that they will henceforth do without his services.

The separation comes a year after the World Cup in Russia, during which the national team and the media executives involved were harshly criticized for communication weaknesses. The main criticism concerned the handling of the so-called "double eagle" affair. The SFV's communications department did not cut a happy figure and failed both in advance and afterwards to take the communications scepter firmly to itself. There was also criticism of national coach Vladimir Petkovic's shirking of the press conference after the elimination. In the aftermath of the World Cup, another fatal communication slip occurred when general secretary Alex Miescher called for a ban on dual nationals in the team - and didn't even seem to be informed that the scolded captain Granit Xhaka doesn't even have two passports.

The newspaper Corriere del Ticino interprets the separation as a consequence of the Heusler report. In the report, former FC Basel president Bernhard Heusler examined the structures surrounding the national team after the unrest surrounding the World Cup. In the report published last November, Heusler admittedly refrained from discussing personnel. "But anyone who knows him can assume that he has spoken plainly internally," suspected the View.

An official successor has reportedly not yet been determined. (hae)

In 2019, the Havas Brand Predictor will again show how the Swiss rate national and international brands. The annual pulse measurement provides in-depth information about brand strength and future brand development. Havas' population-representative evaluation procedure is based on the brand perceptions of the Swiss population, surveyed on the basis of dynamics and trust. This year, megatrends that can no longer be ignored once again dominate: digital lifestyle, neo-ecology and Swissness. ProSumer's assessments prove that these three trends will continue to dominate the market in the future. 

The Brand Predictor sheds light on brand positioning and development, providing direct imperatives for a brand's upcoming tasks. "In order to maintain a top position for years, a brand must find the optimal mix of continuity and surprise. More precisely: guarantee continuity in quality, visibility and brand promise, while at the same time constantly surprising with innovations and new communicative measures," says Nathalie Diethelm, CEO of Havas Village.

The Brand Predictor has been collected by the strategy and communications agency Havas in collaboration with the market research institute management tools research since 2012. The parameters for the survey are the dynamics (= perceived popularity) and trust (= perceived reliability of products and services) of brands in Switzerland. Recognizing current and future developments with a system - looking into a crystal ball is not enough, it must be well-founded and verifiable. A total of 2,942 people assessed the developments in the area of dynamics and trust of national and international brands.

The big advantage of Brand Predictor is the integration of ProSumers. These are opinion leaders with a specific consumption and personal profile that distinguishes them from the rest of the population. Their assessments are 6 to 18 months ahead of the mainstream. By comparing the assessments of the population vs. ProSumers, predictions can be made about future market and brand developments in Switzerland. "The Brand Predictor study predicts the future," explains Andreas Logk, managing director at Management Tools Research. "This clearly sets the model apart from other brand tools. Their evaluations tend to be based on one-dimensional criteria as well as past successes, but without saying anything about future and growth potential." In addition to food consumer goods and retail, the Havas Brand Predictor covers 28 other industries with its brand selection, from finance to automotive to tourism.

Today's consumers are informed, interested and value sustainability, transparency and corporate responsibility. It is therefore hardly surprising that brands that experienced a turbulent year in the media also suffered setbacks in the brand perception of Swiss people. In the financial sector, Bitcoin and Raiffeisen in particular lost momentum, i.e. popularity among the population. After the hype surrounding cryptocurrency (Bitcoin, evaluated here as a brand, was the biggest dynamic gainer in last year's Brand Predictor study), talk of a bursting speculative bubble does not seem to have passed the Swiss by. This year, Bitcoin is the biggest dynamic loser, showing how volatile brand perception is, especially for progressive, young brands.

Netflix continues to be on the fast track and once again ranks as the most dynamic brand in the Swiss market. "The dynamic value reflects two factors of brand strength: firstly, it is an indicator of the growth potential of a brand. And secondly, the dynamic value shows how differentiated a brand is positioned. A differentiated brand is considered relevant to consumers in everyday life and is therefore also popular (= dynamic)," explains Marcel Benz, Strategy Director, Havas.

A look at the most dynamic brands in Switzerland makes it clear: With WhatsApp, Youtube, Zalando, Instagram and Twint among the top 20 in terms of dynamism, brands from the digital lifestyle continue to be among the winners. There is also a growing awareness of sustainability in shopping. Coop Naturaplan, Migros Bio, Max Havelaar and BioSuisse can look back on a strong Brand Predictor year. Consumers have become more critical and are asking for labels and private labels that stand for regionality, sustainability, fairness, orientation and safety. "From the region. For the region." is once again the strongest brand by Brand Aggregate (trust and momentum aggregated) this year.

The top 20 in the area of trust make it clear that Swissness remains a quality and trust criterion. This is because Swiss people continue to place a great deal of trust in Switzerland. In particular, brands from the Swiss retail and retail trade determine the top 10 of the trust ranking: From the Region. For the region., Le Gruyère, Migros, Lindt, Ovaltine, Zweifel, Rivella, Cailler, Ragusa, Coop Qualité & Prix are proof of this. In the retail and retail trade sector, Lidl was able to catch up with Migros and Coop. Lidl and Aldi are already the more popular grocery retailers (especially among women), Migros and Coop continue to enjoy greater trust in quality and services.

A look at ProSumer's most dynamic brands reveals that many existing consumer trends will continue to dominate the market in 2021: it will remain digital, regional and organic. Digital brands such as Booking.com and Huawei will establish themselves according to ProSumer forecasts and gain relevance in consumers' everyday lives. According to ProSumers, IKEA in particular will gain in brand stature. The fact that ProSumers see clear potential in IKEA is an indicator of a brand's profile and degree of differentiation. This year's ProSumer forecasts also show the importance of subbrands in particular. Lindt, as one of the strongest brands in the Food & Beverages segment, also has strong subbrands for ProSumer in this category: Goldhase, Lindor, Excellence. Strong subbrands have a vitalizing effect on their umbrella brand. 

Stadlwieser has been head of the crisis-ridden MCH Group for just under two months. He heads a company that posted a loss of 190.4 million Swiss francs last year and had to make 30 employees redundant as part of the cutback of 50 jobs. On Thursday, the new CEO faced questions from media representatives in Basel for the first time.

In principle, Stadlwieser is positive about the MC Group's future prospects. "We are not in such a bad position," he said. He cited the transformation process that has been initiated as the reason for his optimism. In the renewal of its strategic organization and business plans, the MCH Group is being accompanied by the consulting firm McKinsey.

In the trade fair business, Stadlwieser sees a need for action above all in digitization and internationalization. Here, he cited the "lead fair" Art Basel, with its additional footholds in Miami and Hong Kong and an advanced level of digitization, as a role model. "So far, however, we have not yet succeeded in dragging these strategies over to other fairs," he said.

Baselworld concerns not only watches

He was referring in particular to Baselworld, which, despite a number of important departures, was still one of the world's leading trade shows. Thus, in addition to the radically changed market conditions, he definitely also cited management errors as the cause of the crisis. "Trade show appearances are expensive and are increasingly judged from the point of view of return on investment," Stadlwieser said.

But he still sees great potential in Baselworld, even if the 2020 show has to absorb another weighty departure in the form of Breitling. "We intend to open up the field a bit; Baselworld is, after all, not just a trade show for watches, but also for jewelry and gemstones," Stadlwieser said. Here one wants to make now a fair participation in the "middle range" with pre-modulated and thus more favorable stand constructions palatable.

Stadlwieser is also confident - "fingers crossed" - that Breitling will be back on board for the 2021 edition. He cited the upcoming concept and schedule adjustments as the reason for this confidence.

Stadlwieser, however, does not want to focus solely on the two leading trade shows. By name, he described the industrial fairs Swissbau and Igeho as "strong products". He even sees positive prospects for public trade fairs despite the abandonment of Muba, albeit increasingly on a festival level. Here he cited Giardina and Criterion in Zurich as examples.

Live Marketing Solutions growth area

Stadlwieser predicts good prospects for the Live Marketing Solutions (LMS) Division, a weighty and growing business unit of the MCH Group. This division comprises the services "strategy and conception, marketing consulting, event management, exhibition and event construction, and multi-media solutions". In 2017, the MCH Group acquired MC-squared, one of the leading service companies in the exhibition and event market in the USA.

Stadlwieser did not want to comment on possible changes to the ownership structures - there had been increasing calls in the Basel Grand Council for the canton to withdraw from the board of directors. These structures had no influence on the current course of business, he said. (SDA)
 

In order to generate trials throughout Switzerland and anchor the five brands emotionally with the target group, USP Partner was commissioned by Feldschlösschen to develop and implement five live marketing activities for the brands Feldschlösschen Alkoholfrei, Eve, Somersby, Schweppes and Bilz, and is now in the middle of implementation.

For the two brands Somersby and Eve, USP developed a concept that should not only create a top-of-mind awareness, but also achieve a top-of-heart status. The agency therefore implements promotions in various shopping centers in Switzerland: equity samplings, which immerse consumers in the world of the advertised products with emotional stand appearances.

For example, Eve's brand presence exudes some glitz and glamour from New York, and Somersby's appearance is light and summery like the product itself. The consumer touchpoints feature further branding and visibility elements and guarantee a strong brand presence. 

In order to reach as many people as possible and generate trials, USP is using so-called mass samplings for the Feldschlösschen Alkoholfrei and Bilz brands at the largest and busiest train stations in Switzerland.

"With the Feldschlösschen Alkoholfrei and Bilz products, in addition to creating brand awareness, the focus was primarily on experiencing the good taste of the products and showing the consumption possibilities. We want the consumer to experience the 'aha experience'," explains Dominik Nyffenegger, CEO and partner at USP. 

The St. Jakobshalle in Basel is traditionally the venue for the annual Swiss Indoors, Switzerland's biggest sporting event and one of the most prestigious indoor tournaments in the world. This year, the ATP Tour 500 will take place from October 19 - 27, 2019.

The stands in the public area attract over 70,000 visitors. Exhibitors can't miss the positively buzzing environment at Swiss Indoors Basel. Outside the center court is the foyer, which is getting a new look for 2019.

In collaboration with the Valais singer Stefanie Heinzmann, the agency has reinterpreted the title song and the intro to "Maya the Bee". The "unknown land" becomes the well-known Valais, lovingly recreated in the visual style of the original.

The creators took artistic license with the lyrics in dialect, which become a message of love from singer Heinzmann to her homeland. And instead of a bee, the black-nosed sheep "Elma" flutters through the landscape in the imaginative Valais version.

The aim of the music clip is to evoke childhood memories and show where such lush nature can be found in Switzerland. The video will be distributed online and on social media from the beginning of August.

The company's magazine for lighting solutions is published annually in German and French and includes reports from the world of light, Neuco reference projects, sustainability topics, celebrity interviews and the latest product highlights.

In the film, star chef Andreas Caminada and star architect Gion A. Caminada present the latest culinary offering in Fürstenau. An old stable was converted into a restaurant and hotel. In collaboration with the architect, Neuco developed and implemented the lighting design.