Almost six years have passed since the last redesign of the titles. More than half of all visits to the consumer information portal websites are now made via smartphone or tablet. It was therefore time to update the sites not only visually, but also in terms of content and technology. 

Thanks to the redesign, the current magazine articles, tests and comparisons, guides, sample templates, information sheets and warning lists are presented in a generous, reader-friendly layout that is optimized for all screen sizes. A clearly designed store for guides rounds off the offer.

In addition to the layout, access to the content has been improved and expanded: Subscribers can now also benefit online from free legal, financial or consumer advice and submit their inquiries directly via the protected user area. The consumer tests with the product tests and the "Test winner" section have been expanded to include a new "Tastings" section. The revised site search uses the "Apache Solr" search engine and enables full-text searches with real-time search suggestions.

Users without a subscription can search through all content and - if it is a paid article - read the corresponding teaser texts. However, only subscribers have full access to individual or all online and magazine content. A new online subscription model gives occasional visitors access to all content for a month for just eight francs.

As part of the redesign, the technical foundation of the sites was also completely overhauled. The free content management system "Typo3" used was updated to the latest version and the programming was optimized accordingly. Great importance was attached to the security of the websites and user data. No personal information is stored and all web traffic is routed through a content delivery network to ensure maximum performance and security. The content, subscriber accounts including automated synchronization with the internal subscription management, newsletter dispatch and many other features can be managed by those responsible at Konsumenteninfo directly from a convenient user interface in the CMS.

Update carried out the redesign and technical conversion in close cooperation with the publisher. The Zurich-based agency has been advising and supporting Konsumenteninfo with its online activities since 2006.

Native Advertising

Digital advertising with new formats.

• Author: Coskun Tuna and Cevahir Ejder
• Publisher: Springer Gabler, 2018
• Pages: 105
• ISBN: 9783658213688

Everyone knows them by now: the "sponsored posts" that appear online alongside journalistic articles and don't look like advertising at all. What some see as surreptitious advertising 4.0, others see as the future of content marketing. Native advertising makes it possible to play out customized content via various online media. The authors describe the potential of this new form of advertising. Even if it lacks practical examples of success, getAbstract recommends the book to anyone who wants to get an overview of the new form of online marketing.

Podcasting

Concept. Production. Marketing..

• Author: Brigitte Hagedorn
• Publisher: Mitp-Verlag, 2018
• Pages: 246
• ISBN: 9783958459359

Podcasts are an interesting marketing tool: they create the opportunity to address listeners personally and thus build trust. Anyone thinking of becoming a broadcaster will find a good overview of all the important aspects of podcasting in this book. The author gives practical advice, encourages you to think about your own ideas and even provides detailed instructions on how to use the relevant software - a must for all podcast beginners.

Phishing for Fools

Manipulation and deception in the free market economy. 

• Author: George A. Akerlof and Robert J. Shiller
• Publisher: Econ, 2016
• Pages: 411
• ISBN: 9783430202060

Have you ever been "phished"? No? Then you are either smarter than the Nobel Prize winners Akerlof and Shiller, or you are very much mistaken. Because even the two star economists have to admit in retrospect that they were phished when buying houses, cars and cat food: they entered into transactions that were good for the other side but bad for themselves. The ubiquitous manipulation is studiously ignored, leading to enormous distortions - from rampant obesity to global financial crises. An eye-opening and enjoyable read for anyone who wants to show the phishers and their accomplices the red card.

Sales Excellence Development

With the central sales department to top performance in sales. 

• Author: Christian Belz, Matthias Huckemann, You-Cheong Lee and Michael Weibel
• Publisher: Schäffer-Poeschel, 2018
• Pages: 302
• ISBN: 9783791040844

Salespeople are lone wolves - that's how people often think. In large, sometimes global companies, however, this way of thinking is fatal. The authors of this book are convinced of this. That is why they advocate a central sales development department that strengthens sales and makes it fit for the future. Sales Excellence Development is based on a study with 550 participants. The complexity of the topic is already clear from the number of authors: in addition to the four main authors, a further eleven contributors were used for the practical cases. The result is full of technical anglicisms, complicated diagrams and requires a high level of concentration from the reader. The photos of cheetahs in the book are nice - even if they unfortunately lack contextual reference. Less attractive are the many tapeworm sentences. getAbstract recommends the book to sales directors and sales managers. As expressly recommended by the authors, they should select the passages that are of interest to them.

The social media campaign is flanked by a new Young Circle website, which keeps the community up to date with book tips, exclusive events and exciting insights from the world of books. Jim & Jim is responsible for the entire concept and content creation. The focus is on further increasing membership and engaging the young book community. The Young Circle offers its members a 10 percent discount, free delivery, and exclusive events and news from the world of books. With Lo & Leduc, both of whom studied literature, the Young Circle has ambassadors at its side who love stories themselves. They provide the community with their book tips and have already been to Orell Füssli stores in 2018 for an exclusive showcase and reading.

Now the self-confessed bookworms are even writing a story themselves with the Young Circle: Riri and the pepper mill. Here, the rap duo alternates with the young people. As a Young Circle member, you can submit a part of the story, which is then voted on in the community. The submission with the most votes becomes the continuation of the story. Through this mechanism all community members can contribute to the story: as authors but also in the function of jurors.

Jim & Jim activates 12- to 19-year-olds and their influencers with a target-group-specific social media campaign on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook. For this, a campaign video was produced together with Lo & Leduc. In addition, the agency relies on specially filmed portrait ads. The measures are flanked by a WhatsApp newsletter and POS measures in Orell Füssli stores. In the first campaign phase, many creative and high-quality story submissions have already been received, as well as qualitative traffic to the blog. Youngcircle.ch generated.

The participating young people can win prizes, such as a writing workshop or a language trip, with their contribution to the story. The aim is to get young people excited about the world of books and to promote their reading and writing skills.

Jim & Jim supports Orell Füssli with the "Content as a Service" model in order to flexibly and specifically deliver relevant content for the blog and the WhatsApp newsletter. This ensures that the community is continuously provided with content and can thus be activated.

Most accidents on the road are due to human error. But smart cars think for themselves and help minimize the risk of careless moments. The blue speedster - protagonist of the campaign implemented by Bold - has been on billboards and the Internet since June.

The central element of the campaign is the web portal Smartrider.chwhere car owners and buyers can quickly and easily find out about the latest driving assistance systems and find the model that suits their needs. It explains the systems with attractive animations and evaluates their safety benefits. Which car model has which systems can be compared.

After an apprenticeship as a retail specialist and the subsequent commercial diploma, Aslan completed her studies as a tourism specialist in Zurich. The enthusiastic endurance athlete gained her first experience in PR at Panta Rhei PR, where she supervised PR and marketing measures in terms of content, organization and editing.

"Aslihan Aslan brings very important experience from PR and the service sector. Her knowledge in the areas of social media, influencer marketing and media relations, but also from the conception of PR and marketing cooperations are valuable for us and our customers," says Eljub Ramic, Managing Director of News Aktuell Switzerland.

From left to right: Marcin Baba, Florian Birkner, Nicolas Vontobel, Raul Serrat, Michael Kathe and Thomas Lüber

"We are insanely happy to welcome Marcin to our ranks and are convinced that he will enrich our team as a person and as an outstanding creative in all disciplines," Executive Creative Director Raul Serrat enthuses.

Marcin Baba was most recently responsible for creative product at FCB Zurich. Under his leadership, integrated campaigns with interactive experiences have been created for clients such as Zürich Versicherung, Neuroth, MTV Mobile, Helsana and Hockey Club Davos. His work has won over 100 national and international awards, including five Cannes Lions. Thus, another highly decorated ADC member moves into the House of Communication.

Magic Ticket (former kids' club) and Gleis7.ch (former youth program) will now become SwissPass Smile. A free program of Swiss public transport that aims to delight the everyday life as well as the leisure time of children, young people and families with ever new ideas. The online platform swisspass.ch/smile offers a broad and individualized selection of exclusive offers from exciting brands and plenty of inspiration for excursions big and small. So whether you want to go on a voyage of discovery through the country's UNESCO treasures or prefer to look for new swimming pools - at SwissPass Smile you get the total package travel experience from a single source.

The new "Much Experienced" campaign, which promotes the SwissPass Smile offer, has been on display in Switzerland since the beginning of August. The focus is on children, young people and families - who are taking a well-deserved break on the train or in the Postbus, after all they have already experienced a great deal thanks to SwissPass Smile. The subjects shine in the new film, on posters, and in a broad-based online campaign.

As a member of SwissPass Smile, you enjoy not only the exciting destinations, but also the way there. Children (and the young at heart) can listen to a special audio play about the little castle ghost of Rapperswil with MärliTrax. The fairy tale is accessible free of charge via the online platform exclusively on all Swiss public transport trains and was inspired by the popular St. Gallen - Geneva train route.

The Digital Library is another offering of the online platform. Members can browse a handpicked selection of nonfiction books and novels on all trains and read them free of charge during their journey. The library was developed in collaboration with Orell Füssli.

The agency TBWA\Zürich, which won the account after a multi-stage pitch, was responsible for the concept, design and campaign. The online platform was implemented in collaboration with Unic. The Responsive website always shows individual content to the different target groups and thus ensures even greater relevance in everyday life and leisure.

"Keeping followers of brands engaged is just as time-consuming and difficult as attracting them in the first place. Once you have them, you can't afford to lose them," writes Mark Raymond, Content Developer at GoodFirms.

Disruptive factors create "unfollowers" 

An earlier survey by GoodFirms found that four out of five social media users have used the "unfollow" option on a brand. To find out why, the company asked 484 people whether they had ever unfollowed a brand and why.

Of the "unfollowers", a large proportion (79%) said they were no longer interested. Another reason for 67 percent was the posting of content that is irrelevant to the brand. Other disruptive factors include posting too frequently (42%), inappropriate or offensive posts (39%) and lack of engagement with the brand (37%).

Relevance and consistency are crucial 

Some respondents also had problems with the spread of fake news by brands, the abundance of advertising and poor product quality. According to Raymond, it can always happen that users turn their subscriptions into "unfollowers", but many brands unintentionally accelerate this process. "Brand managers need to focus on brand-relevant content, consistency, user engagement and transparency if they want to keep their followers," says Raymond. (pte)
 

The nationwide delivery of unaddressed advertising mail is part of DMC's core business, Swiss Post announced on Monday. In order to better position itself in the advertising market, which has been in decline for years, and to exploit synergies, Swiss Post acquired the Basel-based company Distriba and integrated it into DMC at the end of June.

In a first step, DMC took over the six permanent employees of the former Distriba AG as well as around 150 delivery staff on the same terms of employment as before.

In a second step, the delivery routes are to be adjusted, processes optimized and synergies exploited. As a result of the situation in the traditional advertising market, the demand for a second delivery window per week is decreasing, while cost pressure continues.

DMC has therefore analyzed its delivery processes and intends to adapt them. From the beginning of 2020, deliveries will only be made once a week on two consecutive days. Today, there are two delivery windows for unaddressed direct mail items: Monday/Tuesday and Wednesday/Thursday.

DMC employs around 4,500 people throughout Switzerland, of which around 4,430 work part-time in delivery. If the current two delivery windows were reduced to one per week, this would affect around 3370 employees, Swiss Post writes. This would result in adjustments to the employment contracts.

According to Swiss Post, the reduction to one delivery window per week would have an impact on DMC employees at the Niederbipp BE site, where the consignments are processed. Production there would have to be switched to single-shift operation and around 25 employees in production and administration would lose their jobs. 

A social plan should help to cushion the effects of the planned changes. DMC will also begin talks this year with the Syndicom trade union and the Transfair staff association on a collective employment agreement for printed matter.

The Syndicom trade union is calling for a generous social plan for the delivery staff affected. The reduction in delivery days from 2020 will lead to a reduction in working hours and therefore also to a pay cut.

The declining demand in the traditional advertising market is not a new development and is expected to continue. Syndicom is therefore calling for a collective labor agreement for the entire industry that includes cushioning measures in the event of restructuring and offers employees in the industry security. (SDA)

Six episodes show how shepherd Helmut prepares his sheep for the Miss Zermatt competition. With the web series, Zermatt Tourism wants to draw attention to the Shepherd Festival, which will take place in Zermatt on September 8, 2019, and where Miss Zermatt - the destination's most beautiful black-nosed sheep - will be chosen.

Zermatt Tourism was able to recruit Swiss comedian and presenter Stéphanie Berger for the filming. She takes on the role of the expert who gives the shepherd Helmut tips. The six episodes will appear on the Zermatt - Matterhorn social media channels from August 2 to September 6, each Friday at 9 am. The language of the videos is Swiss German, with additional subtitles in English.

Episode 1:

The Board of Directors of La Région has appointed the long-standing journalist as its new editor-in-chief, the newspaper announced on Tuesday. Pomey began his journalistic career in 2006 at La Région started. He later worked at Le Matin Bleu, 20 Minutes, and Le Matin. For the past three years, he has been Head of Communications at Lausanne City Police.

The new editor-in-chief succeeds Caroline Gebhard, whose departure a few weeks ago caused a stir beyond the canton of Vaud. Gebhard said she had been dismissed. Her lawyer claims she was dismissed unfairly. The Board of Directors, on the other hand, stated that the editor-in-chief had resigned of her own accord.

The city council of Yverdon had previously complained to the newspaper. La Région had not adequately reported on several local events. The city announced that it would no longer publish its official information for the population in the regional newspaper in future. The paper had been earning almost 28,000 francs a year with the newsletter.

The affair led to a crisis in the city government. The three left-wing councillors broke with the principle of collegiality. They claimed that they had not been involved in the city council's decision to dispense with the municipal newsletter. The right-wing majority of the city executive accused the left of lying.

At the beginning of July, a demonstration was held in Yverdon in support of the former editor-in-chief and for freedom of the press. A petition with 820 signatures disapproving of the "veiled dismissal" was sent to the Board of Directors of La Région sent. (sda)

As part of an information campaign, the Swiss Armed Forces have asked prospective officers and non-commissioned officers to offer presentations on military career opportunities at their former schools, writes SVP cantonal councillor Sascha Schmid in his motion. The presentations could improve the image of the Swiss Armed Forces and reduce the shortage of personnel.

The parliamentarian argues that it is in the interests of the canton of St. Gallen to ensure a well-staffed army. It ensures security and the ability to cope with extraordinary situations. The decision as to whether such lectures can take place lies with the educational institutions.

Schmid is now asking the government whether it is prepared to "allow and encourage" presentations by members of the armed forces. He also wants to know whether educational institutions in the canton of St. Gallen have been approached and whether information events have already taken place. The government has not yet commented on this.

This is not a campaign, clarifies army spokesman Daniel Reist at the request of Keystone-SDA. At their request, interested schools are provided with information about the army from the perspective of cadre candidates or cadres. The aim is to provide personal experience for people of approximately the same age.

The first presentations have already taken place. It is too early to draw conclusions at this stage. "But in the schools where the presentations were held, the response was very positive," says Reist. (sda)