The new agency location - three minutes from St.Gallen's main train station - enables agile forms of collaboration and increases the attractiveness for employees on the Zurich - St.Gallen axis.

The name change underscores the agency's expertise in digitally supported sales communication and public sector communication. Still owner-managed, Axel Thoma, Christian Hacker and Erich Koller have led the agency and the 15-person team since 2013.

According to a survey conducted by Ikea Switzerland together with YouGov, Swiss people are attaching less and less importance to their sleep. To counter this trend, the Chief of Sleep is to find sustainable solutions for better sleep with the help of sleep experts, among others, and present them in a playful way. As a sleep ambassador, he or she is to anchor the importance of rest and sleep in the minds of the Swiss, and also bring about more work-life-sleep balance internally at Ikea. The idea was developed and implemented in collaboration with Virtue, Ikea Switzerland's lead agency.

The company's brand promise manifests itself in the newly created position. In order to truly bring more home - that is, more peace and quiet - into customers' everyday lives and all-nighters, new approaches are needed. Or just: new jobs.

Ikea means business: The position has already been advertised - with a 60 to 80 percent workload. According to Ikea spokesman Manuel Rotzinger, various promising applications have already been received. The company is looking for a well-rested personality who is enthusiastic about the topic of sleep, sleeps exceptionally well and likes to sleep, and has experience in content creation and journalism.

VeloLoft is a specialist bike store with two branches in Zurich and one each in Hinwil and Baden. Among other things, the company has specialized in the increasingly popular e-bikes and VeloLoft is now also shifting up a gear in terms of electronic advertising.

VeloLoft is supported by TheIndustry, which took over the mandate in April. As such, the start-up produces regular photo and video content for VeloLoft, which is then shared on various social media channels with an affinity for Zurich. The Instagram account "zhwelt" in particular, with over 54,000 subscribers, has developed into a wide-reaching medium with a dedicated local community

In addition, TheIndustry created a display ad campaign and played it out in a network suitable for the customer. Various promotions were used as motifs, for example an e-bike could be tested for 14 days and up to 1000 Swiss francs could be saved. In conjunction with the social media strategy, a branding campaign was launched to further increase awareness of VeloLoft.

MK Werbewoche: Mr. Basler, why do classic push advertising measures, especially in the B2B environment, no longer work?

Roger L. BaslerPush has never really worked, there have simply been few or no alternative options. Basically, however, people in the B2B environment want to have a basis of trust before they make a decision. This is different from B2C, where people quickly buy a product, test it, and then find it good or bad. That's why B2B increasingly relies on pull measures, i.e. the long-term development of business relationships through knowledge and trust.

What is social selling and what is the strategy behind it? 

In social selling, we try to understand people and their motives. What does the CFO of an SME want to know? What moves the HR manager of a large company, how can we help and support each other and thus build a relationship. With the approach of helping each other and networking, one builds up a network density and interaction that leads to being remembered when it comes to problem solutions, i.e. services and products - in New English "top of mind".

Is digital & social selling the same as social media marketing or is it related to social media advertising? 

A categorization is not so easy, because in the vernacular one generally likes to speak of "social media" no matter whether it is simple posts, advertising or interactions. Basically, however, under the term of digital marketing the social media is a method, which is deepened in either social media marketing (push advertising) or social selling (pull relationship management). 

If social selling is a typical sales approach, how exactly does lead management work? 

Leads are identified and classified in a first stage, then fed and enriched so that they qualify as warm or closeable leads. Lead management as a system is therefore more method and continuity, which can be accompanied, for example, with LinkedIn's Sales Navigator or software such as Pipedrive or Hubspot. Here, one relies on systematic lists and a defined process, which should lead to learning more about the people on the one hand, but also to better personalize and match the offer. 

And what are the pitfalls of social selling? 

I think that many confuse social selling with "social advertising". That is, when someone makes a post for a workshop or recommends a product, it's quickly said "oh, she's doing social selling aka selling on social media", but that's not what is meant by social selling. Social selling is indirect and long term. But the reason why this is then bashed at especially other "experts" is because they don't understand it. They still think classically: Push advertising gives pull effect, so they earn money, with CPM and CPC but that does not always have the same effect. I think both have their justification, but depending on the goal and purpose, a combination is more effective, as long as the pull share is greater.

How big do you think the pull share should be?

I have a 5:3:2 rule for this: 5 posts (or 50 percent) should be helpful, not promotional or branded, 3 posts (or 30 percent) may relate to the company or person but not be salesy, and only 2 (or 20 percent) of the content should be salesy, so we also have the Pareto principle of 80:20 taken into account right away.

How do you become a topic ambassador and influencer for your own company? 

Anyone who reads the LinkedIn Social Selling Index - it is purely an index, you can't buy anything from it - will see that the basis is a good, well-founded network (class, not mass, is required), which means you should actively network and maintain this network (online and offline). Then follows with great weighting "arouse interest through insights", means in my words, document instead of create, from everyday life. What do I do all day job-related? Who do I help? Who else could I help. That's how you achieve visibility beyond your own company. However, companies that build up so-called corporate influencers should consciously address the issue, define guidelines without imposing major restrictions, accompany is more important than control. Success takes place in association and when you empower these people, that is, you look together at what messages you want to place, what fits the company AND the person and what can be learned when you play something out. An influencer is really nothing more than an ambassador with a multiplication effect via social networks - but also offline, we must never forget that.

Can anyone become a B2B influencer or subject matter expert on social media? 

Of course. Because everyone has received a leap of faith with the employment contract. That is, someone has trusted the person to do this job well, why should this person not be allowed to talk about it?

How do you manage to be seen as an expert and how do you achieve enough reach? 

It takes a long-term approach and you should take your own ego out of it. Helping instead of selling, documenting instead of creating. Someone once told me: A brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room. That can also be virtual. That is, if we manage to provide insights and help with our knowledge.

How did you build yourself into a B2B influencer? 

I wouldn't call myself an influencer (yet), more of a networker and someone who wants to motivate and inspire people. But I'm certainly well on my way to doing that by providing insights and sharing my knowledge, documenting my daily professional life and making what I learn available for free.

What formats do you use to show that you are the expert? 

I write books, have a YouTube channel and host workshops. A podcast is being created and I make sure that people also experience and feel me live. For example, you can have coffee with me for 20 minutes - depending on the distance, also online, but preferably in person. Espresso, black.

Do you have any specific tips on how to set the course for a successful start in social selling? 

First, you should think of an added value and take good care of your network by listening first and foremost. Does my added value fit in here? Who can I help and how exactly? Then get started and see what develops. It takes patience and time, but it will be a joy when you get the first feedbacks.

How will social selling continue to develop and what new trends do you expect? 

Video and especially live video will become increasingly important, just as podcasts are establishing themselves as exciting formats. We are only at the beginning here. So everyone is becoming a broadcaster, so let's make something of it.

Interview: Karin Bosshard

The company said it wanted to take the pressure off its users to achieve as many "likes" as possible. This was in response to accusations that online networks are detrimental to mental health.

For the time being, users will no longer be able to see how many likes a photo has received on another account. However, the number of likes on one's own profile is still visible.

The effort is about getting people to focus on "sharing the things they love," explained a company executive in Australia and New Zealand. "We don't want it to seem like there's competition on Instagram," she added.

The group did not disclose how long the test phase will last. The measurement tools that companies use to measure the reach of their advertising on Instagram are not affected by the change.

A week ago, Instagram announced its intention to combat hate comments with the help of artificial intelligence. In recent years, studies on the influence of online networks had shown that Instagram can have a negative effect on the mental health of its users.

A 2018 U.S. study by the Pew Research Center found that nearly 40 percent of teens on Instagram pressured themselves to only post content that they expected to get as many reactions as possible.(sda)

The Swiss affiliate marketing conference, which will be held by Adresult in Zurich for the sixth time this year on October 24, 2019, is now called TactixX and joins the German conference with the identical name. 

TactixX is a conference for affiliates, merchants, networks and agencies. For 13 years, TactixX has been held annually in Munich and is the largest affiliate marketing conference in Germany, with over 700 participants each time. The organizer of the conference is Oliro, which among other things is the operator of the retargeting provider Targeting360. 

By merging the conferences and rebranding the Swiss affiliate marketing conference, Adresult and Oliro are joining forces and taking advantage of resulting synergies to adequately meet the demand and development in the DACH market.

The Affiliate Marketing Conference in Zurich will already appear with a new name when it is held this year on October 24, 2019. The website rebranding, the announcement of the program and the start of ticket sales will take place on August 12, 2019.

SWL offers services to local corporate and private customers in and around Lenzburg. This also includes the area of fiber to the home (FTTH), which is playing an increasingly important role. With a nationwide fiber optic network, around 90 percent of all properties should be able to enjoy a lightning-fast connection for Internet, TV and telephony by 2020.

Under the motto "Your connection to the future", Blueheart's campaign dramatizes the development of fibre optic technology. It shows striking buildings from the Lenzburg region, such as the Widmi development or the Hero administration building, which are each connected to the local fibre optic network - symbolized by an oversized cable.

In the three months to the end of June, Netflix gained only 2.7 million new paid subscriptions worldwide, as the online video service announced in Los Gatos, California, on Wednesday after the close of the US stock exchange. In the U.S., Netflix even lost 130,000 customers. Investors who are used to success are not used to this - the last time there was a similar flop was in 2011, when the company spun off its DVD shipping business.

Netflix's user numbers fell far short of the expectations of Wall Street experts and also below its own forecast of five million new users. Overall, the streaming giant still managed an increase to almost 152 million paid memberships at the end of the quarter thanks to gains outside the US home market. Investors reacted nervously, however, and the share price fell by 13 percent at times in after-hours US trading.

The weak growth did not come as a complete surprise: Netflix delivered relatively few hit movies and series in the most recent quarter and also increased prices in a number of countries, including Switzerland. Expectations were therefore already subdued, but no one had expected such low user growth. The company acknowledged a particularly poor development in regions where subscription fees had been raised in the previous quarter.

As far as the financial results are concerned, however, business was still going well recently: Sales increased by 26 percent year-on-year to 4.9 billion dollars - and profits exceeded Wall Street's forecasts at 270.7 million dollars. This was no consolation to the stock market. However, the share price has already risen by 35 percent over the course of the year, making profit-taking a good idea.

But the real test of Netflix's mettle is yet to come. After entertainment giants like Walt Disney had been relatively passive in their pursuit of the upstart's rapid growth for years, losing more and more cable customers to TV on the Internet, the counterattack is now beginning. Not only Disney, but also AT&T's competitor WarnerMedia with its pay channel HBO and NBCUniversal have competing services in the pipeline.

The attack hits Netflix twice, because the heavyweights of the established entertainment industry not only have a lot of financial power, but also coveted content. And much of it has been available from Netflix in return for license fees. But because Disney and others are now launching their own online services, Marvel productions and other hits are migrating to them. Netflix is losing its two most successful U.S. shows, "Friends" and "The Office," to direct rivals.

Nevertheless, the company is not in a bad position. Netflix has an enormous production budget - this year alone, around $15 billion is expected to flow into exclusive content - and has great brand potential that is far from being exhausted. Netflix has hardly launched any fan merchandise for its successful productions, such as that offered by Disney for its superhero films.

And even though HBO - thanks primarily to the final season of "Game Of Thrones" - clearly outshone Netflix with a total of 137 nominations at this year's Emmy awards ceremony, this is probably only a snapshot. In the current quarter, Netflix has two superhits in the running with new seasons of "Stranger Things" and "Orange Is the New Black," which could attract many new subscribers.

In view of recent developments, however, it is hardly surprising that Netflix has no plans to increase revenues through advertising. The company is well aware that this could really scare off customers. "We believe we will operate a more valuable business in the long run by staying out of competition for advertising revenue and instead competing fully for viewer satisfaction," the letter to shareholders reads.

One thing is certain: The air will soon be thinner in the streaming market. Because it's not just the entertainment giants from Hollywood who want to open the hunt for Netflix. Tech companies from Silicon Valley, such as iPhone giant Apple, also want to get in on the booming business. In addition, there are already existing competitors such as Amazon and Hulu, which also show no signs of competitive fatigue. (sda)

The HotellerieSuisse association used to represent hotels, but today it represents the entire accommodation industry. With a new brand identity, the institution is positioned as the leading competence center of the Swiss accommodation industry. The brand identity was implemented by the Bloom Identity branding agency.

"The new appearance strengthens the HotellerieSuisse umbrella brand and at the same time takes into account the heterogeneity of the regions and sections," explains Maneka Fahrer Bruno, Managing Director of Bloom Identity. 

With the revision of the website, the brand is focusing on "digital first". "Especially in the digital age, a strong positioning and a future-oriented presence help us to represent the interests of our members credibly and competently," Patric Schönberg, Head of Communications and Marketing HotellerieSuisse, is convinced. "In line with the motto 'With the tradition that unites us, together into the digital future', we are delighted to be launching our new website together with our regional associations and partners."

Thanks to its reduced structure, the word/image mark has a modern look and adapts easily to digital channels. The choice of colors for the word/image mark, the spelling "HotellerieSuisse" and the use of the Swiss font "LL Brown" express Swissness. The appearance is rounded off with the network concept, which visually creates additional recognition value in the form of line elements. The new image is intended to make a decisive contribution to grouping the association's services in a more comprehensible way and thus expressing its expertise more strongly. "A word-image brand is the central, identity-creating element of a brand identity. It must therefore tell the story of the organization and reflect its attitude and activities," adds Maneka Fahrer Bruno. 

The new website represents the organization's identity and is based on the brand promise "to shape, revitalize and connect the Swiss accommodation industry together". The launch of the new image will be completed with the release of a revised web platform in spring 2020.

The protagonists - ice hockey player Eric Blum, biathlete Selina Gasparin, swinger Harald Cropt, musician Priya Ragu, rapper Marash Pulaj and drag queen Ennia Face - show the fusion of usually conflicting topics: Reconciling career and family, the identification issue of dual citizens, or reconciling two careers.

"The campaign aims to inspire Millennials to be brave, not to be pigeonholed and to live their own 'fusion'," says Matthias Schneider, Head of Corporate Communications at Coca-Cola Switzerland. Fusetea addresses those areas of tension that Millennials are most concerned with, according to its own research: the decision between career or family, the choice between a permanent job or self-employment. The more than 47 percent of Millennials with foreign roots are particularly concerned with the question of identification and belonging. The campaign was designed and implemented in collaboration with the agency Oppenheim & Partner.

Bianca Gähweiler has been working as a media spokesperson for the vacation home broker Interhome since 2017, while also supporting internal communications for the entire Hotelplan Group. The 33-year-old completed her diploma training in journalism at the Swiss School of Journalism MAZ in Lucerne. After working for six years as an editor and presenter at Schaffhausen's Radio Munot, she was project manager for communications at Generis, a company specializing in politics and business. "I am looking forward to this career step, which I will take with respect and great pleasure," says Bianca Gähweiler. She will report directly to Thomas Stirnimann, CEO Hotelplan Group, from mid-September 2019. 

Markus Fässler is also responsible for internal communications and sustainability, and will deputize for Bianca Gähweiler as media spokesperson in her absence. The search for personnel to complement the communications team has been initiated.

Prisca Huguenin-dit-Lenoir took over as head of Hotelplan Group's communications department in October 2007 and played a key role in building it up. Over the past twelve years, she has also worked as a media spokesperson and was voted Switzerland's best press spokesperson three times in a row for the tour operator. The 46-year-old has now decided to seek a new challenge. "The decision to leave the 'Hotelplan family' was a difficult one for me. But I realized that after all this time I would like to take another look at another company and I am open to different industries," says Prisca Huguenin-dit-Lenoir.

"We are extremely sorry that Prisca Huguenin-dit-Lenoir will be leaving us. She has shaped the communication of the Hotelplan Group over the last twelve years and was always available for employees and also journalists. We sincerely wish her only the best both privately and professionally, wherever her journey may take her," says Thomas Stirnimann, CEO Hotelplan Group. "At the same time, we are delighted that we have been able to recruit Bianca Gähweiler as an ideal successor within the team to head up Corporate Communications. We already wish her every success in her new role."

1. coop

Coop. For me and you. And Pascal.

2. Mc Donald's Switzerland

Simply good.

3. Denner

Denner - allotment

4. Sony Pictures Releasing Switzerland

Men in Black: International - Bold - In theaters from June 13

5. coop

Coop. Pour moi et pour toi. Et pour Pascal.