In January 2019, a new cross-media unit started work within NZZ Media Solutions. The seven-member NZZ Creative Solutions team, consisting of Sandra Kobel, Head of Creative Solutions, Marc Bolliger, Project Manager Creative Solutions, Nico Krönert, Project Manager Creative Solutions, Armin Apadana, Graphic Designer and Concept Designer, Norman Bandi, Head of Content Solutions, Sandra Monn, Project Manager Content Solutions and Elmar zur Bonsen, Head of Corporate Publishing, is now complete and offers advertising clients communications consulting and solutions across the entire portfolio from NZZ. In this way, NZZ Media Solutions is meeting the growing demand from advertising customers for cross-channel marketing approaches.

At the heart of the NZZ Creative Solutions concepts is a tailored and media-neutral central idea, which is implemented with a 360-degree approach in a coordinated media mix. In addition to print and online media, the more than 100 NZZ Live formats are an important component in enabling interaction with an educational and high-income target group with high purchasing power. When it comes to conception, NZZ Creative Solutions can draw on journalistic storytelling and design expertise at the highest level, from idea to implementation.

"A successful advertising campaign is characterized by an optimal interplay of different media," says Sandra Kobel, Head of NZZ Creative Solutions. "With our creative media concepts, we exploit the maximum potential of integrated communication."

The owner-managed agency Oppenheim & Partner will take over the global media relations of the equestrian event White Turf as lead agency with immediate effect and will also expand the social media presence. The White Turf has been taking place since 1907 and is one of the "Swiss Top Events", which includes a total of eight events from culture and sport and is broadcast internationally. "It is our goal to make the world's only horse race on a frozen lake even better known and also attractive to a younger target group. To achieve this, we need to modernize the overall communicative presence and, in particular, manage our own channels more intensively," emphasizes Tina Seiler, Senior Consultant and White Turf Mandate Manager at Oppenheim & Partner. In addition to classic media work and social media, the performance mandate also includes influencer marketing - a core competence of the agency.

Thomas Walther, Chairman of the Board of the St. Moritz Racing Club, is delighted with the award of the mandate: "The White Turf should continue to be one of Switzerland's top events in the future. We are certain that in Oppenheim & Partner we have found the partner who will help us to raise our profile in the long term."

In addition to White Turf, the agency recently won three other mandates. Since spring 2019, Oppenheim & Partner has been the official press office of star chef Pascal Schmutz. In addition, the agency is now responsible for the press relations of the fitness company John Reed and has accompanied the market entry as well as the opening of the first local club in this context. In the technology sector, the agency is working with car insurer Kasko2go. The Zug-based startup wants to use innovative technical solutions to promote a safe driving culture in society, ensure greater equity and at the same time reduce excessive premiums (Advertising Week reported).

Silenccio offers its customers a monitoring and prevention service combined with insurance and thus aims to make everyday life on the Internet safer. Following AXA's investment in Silenccio, Silenccio's offering will be significantly expanded and its management thus enhanced.

"We are enormously pleased and happy to have Katrin Sprenger, a proven and experienced digital expert and manager, as our new CEO. We still have a lot of plans and are convinced that Katrin is the right person for the job," says Alexander Mazzara.

Katrin Sprenger worked for over 10 years in full-service digital agencies, most recently at dreifive/Goldbach Interactive as Head of Digital Solutions and part of the extended management team. The business graduate previously headed the consulting and the campaign and social media team, among other things. In addition to many years of experience in the digital sector, Sprenger also brings extensive knowledge of human resources and business management.

"I am very excited about the new challenge and look forward to contributing my experience to this future-oriented and innovative project and supporting the Silenccio team," says Katrin Sprenger about her new role.

"Andjela brings event and digital know-how and interesting mandates from the region and the greater Zurich area. We can offer her clients access to specialists from all communications sectors, as well as bring in our creative power," says Christian Ruppanner, head of Viaduct. 

Viaduct is using the newly gained synergies in its range of services to drive existing and future customer projects forward with strengthened know-how and to meet market requirements.

Concerns would have to be addressed before launch, according to a speech text by Marcus released ahead of a hearing Tuesday afternoon Swiss time before the U.S. Senate Banking Committee. Facebook does not intend to offer its Libra currency until all regulatory concerns are resolved, Marcus asserts.

"The Libra Association expects to be licensed, regulated and subject to supervision," Marcus said. The Libra Association has already held initial discussions with Finma, he said. The discussions are also confirmed by Finma: "Finma is aware of the 'Libra' project and is in contact with the initiators of the project," a Finma spokesman said on Tuesday when asked. However, he did not want to go into details: "Basically, it is Finma's role to assess such projects from the perspective of Swiss financial market law."

In addition to Finma, the Libra Association wants to cooperate with U.S. authorities, for example, in the fight against money laundering, according to Marcus. For example, it wants to register as a payment service provider with the U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network FinCEN.

Libra will not compete with traditional currencies, Marcus assures. "The Libra Association will work with the Federal Reserve and other central banks to ensure that Libra does not compete with national currencies or interfere with monetary policy."

Libra is to be linked to a basket of the currencies US dollar, British pound, euro and yen and hedged by short-term government bonds, as Marcus confirms earlier statements. Such a linkage is also intended to avoid massive price fluctuations as with the cryptocurrency Bitcoin.

The Swiss authorities could also play an important role in terms of data protection. The Libra Association will not hold any personal data about the people who will use the Libra blockchain, Marcus reassured. "It cannot and will not monetize any blockchain data." In that regard, he said, the Federal Privacy and Public Information Commissioner will be the Libra Association's regulator.

Facebook subsidiary Calibra - which provides Facebook users with an electronic "wallet" on the Libra blockchain - will also not pass on the financial data to Facebook, Marcus said. Therefore, the data cannot be used for targeted advertising, for example.

One benefit Facebook will derive, he said, is that many small and medium-sized businesses will be able to conduct transactions with their customers directly through the Facebook platform in the future. "We hope that will lead to consumers and businesses using Facebook even more in the future." That, he said, will then lead back to higher advertising revenue for Facebook.

Libra is scheduled to launch in the first half of 2020. Facebook's announcement in June startled central banks and politicians around the world. Most recently, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin expressed concern about the plans.

His ministry has made it clear to the group and other financial services providers that they must implement the same anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing measures as traditional firms, Mnuchin said Monday. The social network is "a long way" from getting the green light from authorities on Libra, he said. (sda)

More than 2,600 volunteers spend 203,100 hours a year helping others on behalf of the Zurich Red Cross. To ensure that many volunteers continue to help their fellow human beings in the future, the relief organization is launching a campaign today to draw attention to the fact that anyone and everyone can help. A total of six volunteers and the people they help in their free time can be seen on various posters in the canton of Zurich.

"Community is not a question of origin," Olivia, who supports a foreign-language guest child as a volunteer, is convinced. Nermin, a volunteer in the public transport escort service, wants to make a contribution to society with his commitment. Everyone can do good in their own neighborhood. Any support is valuable and benefits the disadvantaged in the canton of Zurich - whether in the form of time or a donation.

On July 23, 2019, the Zurich Red Cross will also organize the "Red Cross Night" at the Allianz Cinema together with Allianz. Allianz donates 20 percent of the ticket revenue to the integration program "mitten unter uns. Thanks to its partners, the Zurich Red Cross can also show a short commercial with Stefan Gubser at the Allianz Cinema for over four weeks. (pd/swi)

In their new image spot, Basler Versicherung and Baloise Bank SoBa take advantage of the fact that many things simply work better in pairs, and thus want to showcase their USP of dual competence. 

In the image spot, the branding was consistently continued according to the familiar pattern of recent years. A well-known song - "It Takes Two" by Marvin Gaye in Tina Turner's version - provides the sound for life as a couple. 
 
This time, too, the strategic idea behind the spot mechanics is storytelling through variable self-similarity, which brings the individual products together under a clear brand umbrella. After the pension spot with the song "Life Is Life" and the mortgage spot with "Our House", this is now the third spot in this mechanism.

Chris Benros has many years of marketing experience and is now responsible for all communications activities of kasko2go. Until the end of 2018, the 45-year-old was Head of Marketing and Communications Switzerland and Germany at healthcare software company Polypoint. Prior to that, the Basel native worked as Head of Marketing for the credit insurance company Coface and the financial services provider Intrum Justitia. Chris Benros holds a Master's degree in Information Systems Management from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland and has since continued his education in IT, social media and project management.

The Zug-based startup wants to revolutionize the insurance industry. The new car insurance product is soon to be launched in Germany and Austria, and then in other Western European countries. To this end, Chris Benros is currently building up a powerful marketing team.

Kasko2go's solution uses AI and telematics data to provide a real-time assessment of driving behavior and a significantly cheaper alternative to conventional insurance. The premium is calculated monthly based on the kilometers driven and deducted as discounts from the agreed premium. In particular, infrequent drivers such as public transport commuters and Sunday drivers can thus benefit from attractive insurance conditions.

The industry ranking shows little change in June. Leisure, catering and tourism continues to lead the service sector. In June, as in the previous month, finance again claimed the bronze medal. With the exception of retail trade, which grew by 4 percent, and food, which grew by 2 percent, all of the top 10 sectors were more defensive in terms of advertising, in line with the downward trend on the advertising market. One quarter of the decline in advertising print across all 21 sectors can be explained by the top 3 sectors.

Compared with the same month last year, gross advertising print decreased in most sectors. One of the major outliers was the tobacco industry, which continued to increase its advertising print in June. The gross value print now stands at 3.4 million gross Swiss francs. This means that it has passed the red lantern to the energy sector. This represents a significant increase of 679 percent compared to the same month last year and 228 percent compared to the previous month. The biggest driver in June is Philip Morris with its "smoke-free alternative IQOS". The media also increased its gross advertising print by 34.9 percent and even improved its position by one place.

Gross power print in June is down more than 5 percent in 13 of the 21 industries. The biggest declines are in initiatives and campaigns, energy, cleaning, telecommunications and digital and household. Here, declines range from about a quarter to a third of advertising exposure. Events, Personal Needs and Transportation, on the other hand, remain at a stable level.

Advertising pressure in the sectors with year-on-year comparison.

The top 10 advertisers and most advertised products and services excluding assortment and image advertising in June.

The integration of search data for desktop in January 2017 and mobile in July 2017 into Media Focus' advertising statistics led to a significant increase in the Internet share of the media mix. Since January 2018, Search data has also been collected for French-speaking Switzerland. The share of Search is 85% for the German-speaking region and 15 percent for French-speaking Switzerland.

The 17-member band has been around for more than 30 years, and over the years has developed into a sought-after party band. 

In order to make the band even better known and to ensure more gigs, the agency at the airport now supports them pro bono in their communicative appearance. The first measures include a contemporary corporate design and the design of the new website. Cobana.ch.

The communications expert holds an MBA in Digital Marketing and was most recently Client Service Director at the creative agency Freundliche Grüsse, where his responsibilities included the social media department. As team leader, he will bring his business experience to bear in order to advise clients in a holistic and results-oriented manner. 

Christian Haueter: "Blueglass' data-driven creative approach is forward-looking and I am proud to be part of this successful team. I'm looking forward to putting my experience to work for our clients and realizing effective online campaigns together with them." 

Haueter completes the 12-strong department, which offers search, programmatic and social media marketing: Depending on the client's needs, the team boosts user interest and search volume via social media or programmatic advertising, or taps into existing interest via Google Ads and retargeting.

Expomobilia specializes in exhibition and event construction and is part of MCH Live Marketing Solutions.

Frank Marreau succeeds Florian Faber, who has been CEO of Division Live Marketing Solutions and a member of the Executive Board of the MCH Group since January 2019. 

Marreau was born in France, grew up in northern Germany and has lived in Switzerland with his family since 2006. He studied International Management and Marketing in Germany and worked for a long time in Germany and Switzerland for Marbet, a subsidiary of the Würth Group with headquarters in Künzelsau Germany and branches in Switzerland, in management positions before joining MCI Switzerland in 2015. There he was first Strategic Development Director and since fall 2015 Managing Director MCI Zurich and MCI Vienna.

"We are delighted to have gained Frank Marreau, an extremely competent and recognized expert in our industry, and wish him every success in the Expomobilia team," emphasizes Florian Faber.