For almost 20 years, the Best of Swiss Web Awards have been honoring the best web projects of their year and their creators. A lot has happened during this time. The industry and the web have changed, digitalization has taken great strides forward, new players, technologies and development methods have emerged. Reason enough to adjust the category ranking. It will take on a new form in 2019.

Unlike in previous years, the number of points scored since the award was launched in 2001 no longer determines the place on the ranking list. Instead, there are now two lists per category: one shows the performance of web service providers over the past ten years, while the other looks at the past five years.

The idea behind it? On the one hand, providers that have left the market are no longer carried around as "ballast". On the other hand, the long-term success of Best of Swiss Web should continue to take center stage. On the other hand, the five-year horizon also highlights the trends and rising stars of the recent past. However, Best of Swiss Web will continue to fulfill its duty as a chronicler and will maintain the "Eternal Best List" in the background.

Points system category ranking:

• Bronze: 2 points
• Silver: 4 points
• Gold: 7 points
• Multiple contractors: The points were divided according to the number of companies.
• Mergers: Consolidation of all points of merged companies.

The "Data & Technology Driven Campaigns" category has only existed since 2018 and was previously known as "Performance". The winner in both the ten-year and five-year comparison is Equipe. A lot happened in the other ranks. Some companies such as Webrepublic and Festland made up a lot of ground, while others slipped down. For example, because they have not scored any points at all in the last 5 years. All category rankings and information about Best of Swiss Web can be found here.

Performance-oriented digital campaigns are judged in this category. These are campaigns that use a set of creative advertising media (online, mobile, social media, search engine marketing, affiliate, newsletter, etc.) to communicate the respective message in an innovative, stringent and target group-oriented manner and achieve or even exceed the set goals within a certain period of time.

Important assessment criteria are:

• Objectives of the campaign and achievement of objectives
• Budget used for the digital campaign (realization and media)
• Campaign success: participations/sales (CPC/CPL/CPO/CPS)

Lilia Glanzmann (top center), editor at Hochparterre since 2008, will take over the chairmanship and personnel management. She is also the delegate on the Board of Directors.

Agnes Schmid (top left) has been a marketing specialist at Hochparterre since 2003 and is responsible for the economy with immediate effect.

Werner Huber (top right), editor at Hochparterre since 2001, is responsible for content.

Köbi Gantenbein will continue to work as editor for Hochparterre. As publisher, he will also chair the newly appointed five-member Board of Directors (picture below). In addition to him and Lilia Glanzmann, the board includes architect and long-standing Metron CEO Regula Schneider, engineer and entrepreneur Christian Keller and architect and digitalization expert Wanja Bont.

Last year, Hochparterre celebrated its 30th anniversary. After being founded by Benedikt Loderer and Köbi Gantenbein at Curti Medien, being taken over by the founders in 1991 and Loderer's departure in 2010, the company is now entering its fourth life with 22 employees.
 

The small chamber voted in favor of Fabio Abate's (FDP/TI) proposal by 25 votes to 11 with two abstentions. The postulant argued that there are numerous companies that have difficulties with the turnover-based calculation of the radio and TV fee. This is because turnover does not correspond to the actual profit made.

At the same time, he made it clear that he did not doubt the corporate tax model in general, but only its design. The Federal Council should simply examine "a different system for calculating the levy".

Media Minister Simonetta Sommaruga opposed the proposal. The Federal Council is still of the opinion that the company levy system is the most suitable of the conceivable alternatives for achieving the objectives set. In addition, there is already a hardship provision for small companies.

Nevertheless, the Federal Council had already decided in its decision to introduce the new levy system that it would review its impact by mid-2020 at the latest, based on the experience of the first year of collection. If the results of the new levy system show that there is a need for legislative action, it will take the necessary steps. (SDA)

For almost half (46%) of advertisers, proving return on investment (ROI) is the top priority. This is closely followed by better targeting and segmentation (42%) and more efficient use of channels (40%). For advertising experts, the focus is therefore on fast and tangible experiences - even though almost a quarter (23 percent) see data-driven marketing as the most exciting opportunity for 2019 and want to put people at the center. By comparison, content and experience management is the top priority for two thirds (64 percent) of marketers, while less than half of advertising specialists rate loyalty and customer care highest. 

Philip Duffielt, Manager Director Advertising Cloud at Adobe EMEA, comments: "Advertisers and marketers are pursuing the same goal, but they are achieving it in different ways - some focus on building a connection with customers, others focus on data. That harbors risks: If a brand pursues two such different strategies, customers end up with a fragmented and inconsistent brand experience. Both strategies have their legitimate advantages, but the seamless integration of the two is crucial. Our report shows how customer experience management brings advertisers and marketers together to build a consistent brand in the long term."

Greater focus on quality and relevance

"Creativity and metrics go hand in hand. I'm convinced that we should focus much more on quality and relevance this year - supported by automation, the interplay of both factors will give you powerful content in an efficient way," says Mike Klinkhammer, Director of Advertising Sales EU at eBay, on the combination of creativity and data. 

Chris Hirst, Global CEO of Havas Creative and author of the new book "No Bullsh*t Leadership", takes a similar view: "Creativity has to be used intelligently: There are situations where the ad for a sports shoe brand needs to come across as super sexy and appealing. But sometimes the focus is on the question of why my feet hurt when I run - the context is absolutely crucial."

The study highlights that brands with strategies to increase customer satisfaction are on the right track. Companies that focus on building long-term customer experiences are three times more likely than their competitors to exceed their business goals.

Tackling customer satisfaction together

The message of Adobe's "Digital Trends Report" is clear: advertising and marketing teams must join forces and tackle the issue of customer satisfaction together. Only when existing data and insights are combined with ad targeting strategies will a consistent creative relationship with customers be possible. 

"The increasing personalization of customer experiences has led brands to rely more heavily on analytics and programmatic strategies. This is undoubtedly the right way forward. But the industry's big opportunity lies in reconciling data and creativity. Those who can combine campaigns with in-depth target group intelligence and exciting content in real time and play them out via the right channels will achieve relevance and personalization on a grand scale," summarizes Duffield.

The SRG management must now quickly engage in dialogue with politics and civil society, according to a joint media release from the Swiss Capital Region, the canton and the city of Bern on Tuesday. One is open for appropriate discussions.

The political decision offers SRG the opportunity to work with all partners to find a better solution in the form of "a compromise with a promising future. The National Council has sent an "unmistakable signal" to those responsible to "stop this process, which is wrong in terms of media policy".

The SRG Bern Fribourg Valais also expressed its satisfaction on Tuesday. The member society of SRG Deutschschweiz calls on SRG to take into account the regional anchoring and the federal character of the fee-financed public service enterprise.

The Swiss Syndicate of Media Professionals SSM now also sees SRG as having a duty. The staff of the SRF radio studio in Bern, which would be "massively" affected by the move, are still willing to contribute their ideas, it said. "But this requires full transparency from SRG regarding its concept plans."

According to an SSM survey, an "overwhelming majority" of current radio employees do not want to go along with a move to Zurich and would leave the company as a result. "This would mean that SRG would lose a concentrated load of journalistic competence in one fell swoop." (SDA)

"With Dirk Gesellnsetter and Ivan von Arx, we have two experienced sales people joining our team. Both have many years of professional experience from very different companies and industries and are an excellent addition to News Aktuell Switzerland," says Eljub Ramic, Managing Director of News Aktuell Switzerland.

Dirk Gesellnsetter (pictured above), a trained commercial employee, has many years of varied sales experience. Among other things, he worked for many years at the Swiss distribution and logistics group SWIP - most recently as Head of Internal Sales - and for six years at Argus Data Insights Switzerland as Key Account Manager. Before joining News Aktuell, he was a marketing and sales consultant at Present-Service Henckel von Donnersmarck & Co. for eleven years and was responsible for the development and expansion of the French-speaking Swiss market, among other things.

Ivan von Arx (pictured below) completed a commercial apprenticeship in Zurich. After several years as a commercial employee - including at Credit Suisse, American Express and Honeywell - he completed further training in sales and marketing. Von Arx then worked as an account manager at Perkin Elmer LAS, Migros-Genossenschaftsbund and most recently Cosmo Consult.

Three lion chances for Jung von MattU/Limmat in Cannes: The agency makes the PR shortlist twice with the social media sitter for the Ibis hotel chain. In the Media category, Jung von Matt is in the final with the siren test for Amnesty International.

Swiss software company Veeam also made it onto the shortlist in the Direct category.

Second Lion for Thjnk Zurich - this time instead of Health in a classic Lions category: Film Craft. As expected, the Pro-Infirmis campaign "Everyone is equal. No one is more equal" also at the Côte d'Azur and secures bronze for the agency on Tuesday.

Following the Zurich District Court, the Zurich High Court has now also ruled in favor of the Weltwoche-author Philipp Gut found guilty of defamation. Gut had written that the former Zug cantonal councillor Jolanda Spiess-Hegglin had only made up the alleged defilement by SVP cantonal councillor Markus Hürlimann in order to cover up her infidelity.

On Tuesday, the High Court sentenced Gut to a conditional fine of 60 daily rates of CHF 130 each with a probationary period of two years. Gut must also pay Spiess-Hegglin CHF 2,500 in satisfaction and compensation for her legal fees.

The higher judges therefore confirmed the district court's ruling from May 2017, finding that Gut did not have sufficient evidence to support his claim. The Weltwoche-The author reiterated in court that his article was correct and factual. He had good sources and stuck to the core statements of the text.

"Anyone who seeks publicity to the extent that Spiess-Hegglin does must also put up with critical reporting," his lawyer added. The verdict is not yet legally binding. Gut can still appeal to the Federal Supreme Court. Whether he will do so remains to be seen. According to his lawyer, the verdict will be analyzed first.

The Weltwoche-Author Gut asserted before the High Court that his article was correct and factual. He had good sources and stuck to the core statements of the text. "Anyone who seeks publicity to the extent that Spiess-Hegglin does must also put up with critical reporting," his lawyer added.

It was not until May that Spiess-Hegglin emerged victorious against the Ringier publishing house. The Zug Cantonal Court came to the conclusion that the View had violated the personal rights of the former politician. Ringier is to pay Spiess-Hegglin compensation of CHF 20,000. However, the Zug court rejected her request for an apology. Both Ringier and Spiess-Hegglin do not accept the ruling and are appealing.

Spiess-Hegglin resigned from the Zug Cantonal Council at the end of 2016 and has since focused on her fight against hate speech. She founded an association that aims to support victims of offensive comments. She has also repeatedly taken legal action against people who have insulted her over the Zug affair.

SVP politician Hürlimann chose a different path to Spiess-Hegglin. Instead of seeking publicity, he went into hiding and let the grass grow over the matter. He is now no longer a member of the Zug cantonal council either. (SDA)

However, Gut was successful with the civil claims: The High Court came to the conclusion that the article entitled "The fatal consequences of a misstep" was not taken from the online archive of the Weltwoche and does not have to be deleted from the SMD media database. In addition, the Weltwoche not print the judgment in the newspaper. This had been ordered by the district court.

However, the High Court was of the opinion that Philipp Gut was standing trial as an individual - and not the Weltwoche. As an employee, Gut has no authorization to delete texts.

Spiess-Hegglin also suffered a setback with regard to the Zug public prosecutor's decision to suspend proceedings, which she wanted to keep under lock and key for all time in order to prevent further media reports. However, the High Court did not consider this risk of a new violation of personality rights to be sufficient.

Moreover, Spiess-Hegglin was not entitled to demand this, as it had not referred the case to the High Court. However, an appeal would have been a prerequisite for making claims.

The process was triggered by a Weltwoche-In the article from September 2015, Gut looked into the affair surrounding Jolanda Spiess-Hegglin and her then council colleague Markus Hürlimann, in which knockout drops were allegedly involved. However, the proceedings against Hürlimann were dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Gut wrote that Spiess-Hegglin had only made up the desecration in order to cover up her faux pas in front of her husband. The investigation files would show how "the left-wing woman deliberately falsely accused the right-wing man".

It was not until May that Spiess-Hegglin emerged victorious against the Ringier publishing house. The Zug Cantonal Court came to the conclusion that the View had violated the personal rights of the former politician. Ringier is to pay Spiess-Hegglin compensation of CHF 20,000. However, the Zug court rejected her request for an apology. Both Ringier and Spiess-Hegglin do not accept the ruling and are appealing.

Spiess-Hegglin resigned from the Zug Cantonal Council at the end of 2016 and has since focused on her fight against hate speech. She founded an association that aims to support victims of offensive comments.

SVP politician Hürlimann chose a different path to Spiess-Hegglin. Instead of seeking publicity, he went into hiding and let the grass grow over the matter. He is now no longer a member of the Zug cantonal council either. (SDA)

The campaign was conceived and implemented by Eggliwintsch and realized together with photographer Michael Egloff, film producer Roman Peritz, Milos May from Hunter.film and bubble artists Alicia and Joseph Tal from Bubblezone. Among other things, this resulted in a key visual that reflects the unique atmosphere of Allianz Cinema.

In addition, a new Website of the open-air cinema series by Gold Interactive. The result is a platform that combines functionality and design in equal measure.

The National Council approved five identical parliamentary initiatives by 120 votes to 54 with 10 abstentions. These had been submitted by the presidents of the SVP, CVP, Greens and BDP as well as the vice president of the SP.

They demand that radio information broadcasts continue to be produced primarily in Bern and Lausanne and TV information broadcasts in Zurich and Geneva. The National Council's preliminary committee had spoken out against this.

It found that it did not make sense to impose such legal requirements on SRG. The regional anchoring is central, said committee spokesperson Martin Candinas (CVP/GR). However, this was not in question, as the SRG management had assured him. Politics should not intervene in SRG's operational decisions. SRG needs entrepreneurial freedom.

Lack of political sensitivity

The supporters of the initiatives disagreed. They see journalistic diversity in danger. The SRG obviously lacks political sensitivity, they said. Parliament must therefore intervene.

Gerhard Pfister (CVP/ZG) spoke of a "fall from grace in terms of state policy". During the referendum campaign for the "No Billag" initiative, the SRG argued that it was needed to ensure cohesion in Switzerland. After the vote, it no longer lived up to this claim. However, the SRG must take into account political arguments.

More than local patriotism

Martin Landolt (BDP/GL) emphasized that it was about more than just a local patriotic issue. SRG argued that federalism was not a question of office locations. If it were allowed to get away with this, it would justify any further centralization.

Politicians must not allow this to happen. In the referendum campaign for the "No Billag" initiative, there was talk of "cohesion" up and down the country. The SRG had preached wine, now it was only serving water.

Different perspectives

Beat Jans (SP/BS) conceded that the proposed amendment to the law was perhaps not ideal. However, this could still be worked on. "We want to send a signal to the SRG that we are against the closure of the radio studio in Bern."

Centralization would destroy the "Idée Suisse", for which politicians had put their heart and soul into the "No Billag" referendum campaign. Jans added that the demand was not directed against the people of Zurich. However, it is simply the case that the view of some things is different from Zurich than from Bern or Basel.

No one-size-fits-all

Albert Rösti (SVP/BE) also recalled the "No Billag" vote. A clear majority of the population had spoken out in favor of public television and radio, said Rösti, whose party had supported the abolition of radio and TV fees.

He warned against a "uniform mash" as a result of centralization. The way in which SRG had decided to relocate the radio studio was evidence of an arrogance that he had rarely encountered, Rösti stated.

The Council of States' turn

The proposals will now go to the Council of States. The outcome is uncertain. The small chamber discussed the SRG's relocation plans at length last week, but no decision was made: Beat Vonlanthen (CVP/FR) withdrew his motion after it became clear that the vote would be against. At the same time, he expressed the hope that the SRG would reconsider its centralization decision.

However, clear words were also spoken in the Council of States. The SRG was described as "stubborn and uncompromising". The centralization decision is a slap in the face for all SRG supporters, it was said. The canton of Bern, the canton of Geneva and the Bern Capital Region Association also criticized the SRG. The latter decided to relocate last fall. 170 employees are affected. (SDA)

In the early days, the digital money is likely to be used primarily for transfers between different currencies, Marcus told the news agency DPA. This would put Libra in competition with services such as Western Union or Moneygram, which charge high fees for international transfers. However, the vision is to eventually make Libra a fully-fledged means of payment for all situations.

It should be easy for consumers to exchange money between Libra and other currencies and make transactions with it. For example, it should be possible to make Libra transfers directly in Facebook's chat services WhatsApp and Messenger. With a link to the bank account, it should also be possible to exchange Libra for other currencies directly on the smartphone.

Facebook has forged an alliance, the Libra Association, to achieve the major goal of a full digital currency. This alliance, and not Facebook, is to manage the digital money. The current 28 members include the financial service providers Visa, Mastercard, Paypal and Stripe - which should make integration into payment systems easier.

Other companies on board include Vodafone and Ebay, the travel booking platform Booking.com, the music streaming service Spotify and the ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft. Marcus said that he hopes to have more than 100 members by the time Libra launches in 2020. Facebook will not have a special role in the organization.

Previous blockchain currencies such as Bitcoin are notorious for their massive price fluctuations - this is something Facebook wanted to avoid at all costs with Libra. That's why Libra will be fully backed by a reserve fund with various currencies such as dollars, euros and yen.

"For example, if someone buys Libra for 100 euros, these 100 euros flow into the reserve," explained Marcus. The Libra Association will also determine the ratio in which currencies and securities such as bonds are held in the reserve in order to ensure a stable exchange rate. Also, unlike Bitcoin, Libra is not created by the users themselves, but must be purchased from members of the alliance or on trading platforms.

Facebook leaves no doubt that Libra will ultimately become a global currency that can be used to buy anything, anywhere, just like today's money - whether online or in a store.

At the same time, Marcus qualified: "I think that any new currency will take a long time to become as big as an existing national currency of a large economy." One reason for this is that payment methods are already well established in the developed world. "For at least the next ten years, we will all still be receiving our salaries and paying taxes in the currency of the countries we live in."

At the same time, however, there are also countries with high inflation and poorly developed banking systems - and a digital currency like Libra could play a much greater role there "because it can offer a solution to many problems".

Facebook refers in particular to the 1.7 billion people who do not yet have a bank account. Spotify also explains that it hopes participation in the Libra system will enable it to better acquire customers in such regions. However, there are also limits to its global ambitions: Libra will not be available in China.

Various providers will be able to set up digital wallets to store and use Libra. Facebook wants to be just one of many wallet providers, which is why the online network founded the subsidiary Calibra with Marcus at the helm. "Facebook and Calibra will have no special rights or benefits, although we have written all the source code for the blockchain and the transactions," he said. Facebook is under massive pressure to improve data protection, particularly following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Users can operate in the Libra system under pseudonyms and have multiple accounts. "Transactions contain no connection to the identity of users in the real world," it said in a paper.

The usual regulation - for example, measures against money laundering - will take effect at wallet level, said Marcus. "We have spoken to regulators around the world." A hurdle has been set for companies wishing to become founding members of the Libra Alliance: they must have a market value of at least one billion dollars or more than 20 million customers. Members must invest at least ten million dollars.

The best-known blockchain currency, Bitcoin, is organized differently: With it, the units are generated by mathematical calculations on the users' computers - "mined", as it is called in technical jargon. The total number of Bitcoin that can be produced is limited. And the calculations involved are becoming increasingly complex. High-performance computers are now needed to create Bitcoin, which is why it is mainly commercial "mining farms" that are currently mining. This increases energy consumption and the scarce supply can lead to price jumps.

At its peak, one Bitcoin cost up to 20,000 dollars at the end of 2017 - followed by a slump. Bitcoin has since worked its way back up to more than 9,000 dollars, thanks in part to rumors about Facebook's plans. On Tuesday night, the price almost reached the 9500 dollar mark. (SDA)

Y&R Wunderman conducted the pitch presentation as a co-creation workshop, something the agency has successfully specialized in for several years. 

UPC is currently in an exciting phase. The company is pursuing a clear growth plan to quickly acquire new customers. In addition, it was announced in February 2019 that Sunrise intends to buy UPC. "Y&R Wunderman understood exactly what our goals and challenges are in the current situation and showed us perspectives for successful communication with our customers in an exciting time," Stefan Fuchs, Chief Marketing Officer at UPC Switzerland, explained the decision in a statement.

Prepared for agile approach

Intensive collaboration with flexible timeframes is not new territory for the agency at Hardturmstrasse. In technology projects in particular, it is customary for budgets to be awarded on a project-by-project basis and for requirements to change constantly. The agency's own work processes are therefore ideally prepared for an agile approach. "It is also extremely challenging to support the company's growth in the current context," says Swen Morath, CCO at Y&R Wunderman. 

The collaboration has already begun. The first results will be seen soon.