Political vote-rigging and disinformation on the web are not uncommon today - especially before elections or other political events. Social bots are software programs that simulate human presence on the web. A recent study by Ema Kušen and Mark Strembeck from the Institute for Information Systems and New Media at WU shows how well they do this. The two researchers used 4.4 million tweets to investigate how social bots influence the mood on the web and how they change their behavior when communicating directly with other users.

The results show that human users generally tend to follow the basic mood of a discussion in their tweets, while social bots try to reverse the mood by using opposite emotions. (Example: for the positive event Thanksgiving Day a social bot tweets: "Sissy Mitt Romney signed Massachusetts gun ban #thanksgiving #Trump #MAGA").

In the case of controversial events (such as elections), social bots send out emotionally polarizing messages in particular and thus try to influence public opinion. (In the context of the US presidential election, for example: "ObamaFail I'll be so happy to see this joke move out of the White House!!! #VoteTrumpPence16")

It became clear that social bots even intersperse polarizing messages in thematically unrelated discussions for this purpose. In direct communication with human users, however, this behavior changes: If social bots address their messages directly to Twitter users (with the address @TwitterUser), they also adapt to the general mood. Strembeck explains, "Social bots are no longer distinguishable from humans in direct communication based on the emotions they send."

In their analysis, Strembeck and Kusen were also able to identify a number of statistically significant patterns, so-called "emotion exchange motifs," that are typical for direct communication with human users. The new patterns for eight different emotions represent an important step in the research. "On the occasion of the current EU election, for example, there were warnings that various interest groups might try to influence the election in social networks. Among other things, the results can help to identify social bots more reliably in the future. In various follow-up studies, it will now be necessary to clarify why the behavior of social bots when sending broadcast messages differs from the behavior during direct communication," says study author Strembeck.

The annual "Reimagining Commerce" study, for which more than 4,500 online shoppers in eight countries were surveyed, shows that consumers are searching and shopping more frequently via voice, but security concerns prevail. Although 17% of online shoppers make purchases by voice command several times a month (compared to 11% in 2017), this still contrasts with 43% of consumers who cite a lack of security requirements as the main reason why they will not make purchases via voice-based devices this year. This is followed by a lack of product images (35%) and problems comparing products (33%).

"Where voice still has weaknesses, social commerce is catching up," says Marc Bohnes, Product Strategy Director at Episerver. "Our survey shows that social media leads to purchases and has a strong influence on young consumers. They have evolved from networks that were early adopters of simple buy-now buttons to a native part of daily life where scrolling quickly turns into shopping. Retailers looking to prioritize their activities this year should analyze what is currently working and what is helping to drive awareness and ultimately purchases."

In a new question in the study, Episerver found that over half of online shoppers (52%) who use social media have also clicked on influencer posts. And a third of these customers (31 percent) have ordered directly from such a post. In addition, a similar number of customers use social media as a source of inspiration (12%) when they do not yet have a specific product in mind when shopping. By comparison, only 11 percent of customers go to a company website for this purpose.

They attempted to automatically create hundreds of thousands or even millions of fake accounts. Facebook did not provide any information on the extent to which the fake profiles were created for political influence, according to the online network's findings.

The number of fake accounts deleted by Facebook is rising continuously. In the final quarter of 2018, there were around 1.2 billion, compared to around 1.55 billion in the previous six months. The online network attributes the rapid increase to increased attempts to automatically create fake accounts on a large scale.

The figures reveal the extent of these actions: Facebook has a total of around 1.6 billion daily active users and around 2.4 billion access the service at least once a month. According to Facebook estimates, fake accounts make up around five percent of these. Facebook does not include accounts that are deleted immediately after registration in this figure.

In addition, Facebook also ensures that attempts to create fake profiles are unsuccessful, for example by blocking suspicious IP address blocks in good time. Overall, Facebook detects 99 percent of fake accounts before they are reported by users.

Since the 2016 US presidential election campaign, Facebook has faced accusations that it is not doing enough to prevent the spread of fake accounts - and is now relying heavily on learning software to filter them out.

Facebook provided the figures as part of a detailed report on compliance with its community standards. Among other things, it also revealed that users challenged the blocking of 1.1 million posts in the first quarter - and 155,000 posts were subsequently restored. (SDA)

In the heart of Olten, the Ländiweg stretches for several hundred meters and offers a spectacular view across the Aare to the wooden bridge and the old town. However, this place attracts attention mainly because of its use, which has earned it the title "eyesore of the nation", as the lonely riverside path has increasingly become a meeting place for marginalized people and the local drug scene.

This is why Suchthilfe Ost is now taking the initiative to turn the path by the water into a meeting place for everyone. The first Ländiwegfest will take place on June 15, 2019 as part of this project. The Zurich agency has implemented the communication for this event, as well as an interdisciplinary campaign with social media, website, posters and other advertising materials.
 

Two works by Jung von Matt/Limmat were awarded prizes: The siren alarm for Amnesty International was shortlisted twice (categories: Use of Radio & Audio, Direct Response). The photography ban for Graubünden Tourism even achieved a historic record with one gold (category: Low budget), two silver (categories: Creative Use of Media, Use of Media Relations) and two shortlist entries (categories: Use of Branded Content, Use of Online): never before has a Swiss work been so well recognized at the D&AD Awards.

After winning gold at the Art Directors Club Switzerland, the Swiss Life campaign "Customer for 100 years" by Ruf Lanz also impressed the international jury of the renowned D&AD Awards. It was the only Swiss work to be honored in the Press & Outdoor category: with a wood pencil.

Thjnk Zurich can also look forward to a Wood Pencil. The Pro-Infirmis spot "Everyone is equal. No one is more equal." is the young Zurich agency's big award winner.

Pencil number six in silver (Graphite) goes to the Zurich-based design studio Offshore Studio with the Migrant Journal. (hae)

Reducing CO2 emissions is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and knowledge about alternative, more sustainable drive energy is still capable of development. CNG, for example, has the potential to make a significant contribution to reducing CO2 emissions. The portal Cng-mobility.ch is intended to counteract the information deficit and provide everything worth knowing about this still relatively unknown and, above all, underestimated drive energy.

The basis for this is to be comprehensive content marketing, which the Viva agency is implementing. High-quality and benefit-oriented content will be created, which will also be promoted via a dedicated CNG newsletter. Viva was already involved in the development of the national CNG mobility strategy, with content marketing forming the central pillar. The agency also worked with Galledia's online team to design the portal and build its content.
 

New appearance of the Rhäzünser website

The first measure is a technical and visual relaunch of the Rhäzünser website, which Valencia realized in cooperation with the subsidiary agency Nueva.

With a "mobile first" approach, the brand identity is now to be reduced and reflected in a responsive way. Parallax effects are used to switch between individual menu items and graphics. The Heinzenberg, which can be seen in the header of the main page, was specially shot for the website. The products can be ordered directly home, as they are connected to the Beer4you.ch online store.

Various advertising materials for "Craft Lemonade

As the first of two new products, Rhäzünser's new lemonade will be promoted through various subjects for wholesalers, restaurants and retailers, which were also developed by Valencia.

Visual for "Rhäzünser Juicy

For the launch of the second new product, Valencia created a visual that was used to design various advertising materials such as flyers, posters and advertisements.

Journalist Anna Wanner has been appointed to the Board of Directors of Aargau-based AZ Medien (Aargauer newspaper) has been elected. The 34-year-old Anna Wanner, Co-Head of the Domestic Press Department at CH Media, is the daughter of publisher Peter Wanner. Until the merger of CH Media, she had held the same position at AZ Medien since 2016. In her journalistic career, the now 34-year-old has worked for AZ Medien in the regional editorial departments of Aargau and Baselbiet, and was active for the domestic team of "Südostschweiz". She studied political science and history at the University of Zurich and Columbia University in New York and completed a diploma course at the Swiss School of Journalism (MAZ).

She has "inherited our family's entrepreneurial gene," Peter Wanner, Chairman of the Board of AZ Medien, was quoted as saying in a media release on Friday. The shareholders elected Anna Wanner to the board of directors at the annual general meeting.

The Board of Directors already includes the publisher's sons Michael Wanner and Florian Wanner. AZ Medien is a publishing house owned by the Wanner family. This holds 50 percent of CH Media, the joint venture between AZ Medien and the NZZ regional media.

At Watson, there have also been reinforcements on the board of directors, according to a statement. Andreas Keller is a partner at real estate consulting firm Wüest Partner and CEO of data analytics company Datahouse, which he founded as an ETH spinoff in 2005 and brought into Wüest Partner in 2014. After studying architecture at ETH Zurich, Keller studied statistics and computer science at Harvard University and later completed an MBA in Management, Technology and Economics at ETH Zurich.

Peter Wanner, publisher and Chairman of the Board of Fixxpunkt: "As a purely digital media company, Watson operates in an increasingly technology-driven market. Against this background, we wanted to strengthen our Board of Directors in a targeted manner. With his technology know-how, digital expertise and entrepreneurial experience, Andreas Keller is the ideal choice.

The Board of Directors of AZ Medien now consists of Peter Wanner (Chairman), Michael Wanner (Delegate), Kaspar Hemmeler, Dr. Hans-Peter Zehnder, Dr. Philip Funk, Florian Wanner and Anna Wanner.

The Board of Directors of Fixxpunkt (Watson) now consists of Peter Wanner (President), Michael Wanner (Delegate), Kaspar Hemmeler, Axel Wüstmann and Andreas Keller. (SDA/swi)

Primeo Energie wants to make possibilities accessible to its customers with corresponding offers and services to use energy more efficiently, more sustainably or simply more cleverly, which they also want to express with the claim "We make life smarter." Wirz Brand Relations developed the new positioning, the name, the new brand identity and the campaign, and the launch will take place in several phases.

The official switch from EBM to Primeo Energie already took place at the end of March as part of the annual media conference and an employee event. A regional campaign has been introducing the new brand to the population in the network area since April. As a sponsor of the Tour de Suisse, which will take place in June, Primeo Energie will then present itself throughout Switzerland. By the end of the year, all digital platforms and channels will have been completely redesigned to meet the growing expectations of an intelligent and needs-oriented approach at all levels.

In view of the changes in the energy market and the planned full market liberalization in Switzerland, the introduction of the new brand is a logical consequence of the growth strategy we have initiated. "The brand change is an important signal and supports our growth plans in Switzerland and France. We will be able to position ourselves even more clearly in the future and offer our customers the expected smartness in topics such as e-mobility, virtual electricity storage or photovoltaics," CEO Conrad Ammann is convinced.

This objective is also reflected in the new name, with which the company is deliberately breaking new ground within the energy sector: derived from the Italian "primo" (leading) and the French "primer" (surpass), Primeo Energie conveys the ambition of wanting to be the first and best choice for intelligent energy solutions. As part of the "Learning World of Energy" aimed at children and young people, the company is committed to ensuring that future generations also live more responsibly and more smartly.
 

Shopping around the clock, conveniently finding out everything about the product information and having the products delivered to their homes are the most important drivers for success, according to the results of the study. However, anyone who comes up with excessively high shipping costs has done the math without the host. In addition, this year also shows that e-commerce is increasingly becoming mobile commerce, where customers go on a shopping spree. 

Convenience is the magic word

Our shopping needs are as individual as our schedules. Online, many of these needs can be served ever better. Overall, the top five motivations for online shopping show that convenience is the most important argument for the Swiss when shopping online.

Product information is crucial

Because products cannot be touched and tested in an online store, it is very important for 86 percent of online customers to find sufficient information about the product. Product images are also crucial for 75 percent of customers to be able to judge a product.

High shipping costs deter

65 percent of customers hesitate to make a purchase if an online store charges high shipping costs. And 36 percent of those surveyed hesitate if returns are too costly, which means that free returns are simply expected these days.

Online vs. offline shopping

The product category determines the channel through which a consumer prefers to obtain information. The majority of airline and event tickets are researched online, but not necessarily purchased online. In the case of food and medicines, on the other hand, customers prefer to find out about products in the store, even if they may then buy them over the Internet.

Shopping via smartphone? Of course!

"Mobile first" is the motto for the future for every e-commerce provider. Well-optimized shopping apps and responsive implementations provide an important competitive advantage. 31 percent of digital natives say they shop via a mobile device one to three times a month - that's an increase of 4 percent over the previous year. A significant increase can also be observed among digital immigrants and silver surfers. 28 percent of digital immigrants even say they make a transaction on their smartphone every week.

Zalando app remains at the top

Around 40 percent of the Swiss resident population already uses mobile apps for online shopping. Zalando still holds on to first place, while Wish has established itself in second place and is opening the doors to Swiss customers in China.

The smartphone as a personal assistant

Today, smartphones are also a natural part of in-store shopping. To compare prices, research product information, ask friends for advice or benefit from promotions. 39 percent of digital immigrants say they use their smartphone for discounts and promotions or for promotional codes and coupons - among silver surfers, the figures are still 25 and 28 percent respectively.

The Advertising Statistics Foundation has once again compiled the net advertising revenue from the Swiss advertising market. Advertising expenditure for 2018 amounted to a total of CHF 4614 million. This means that advertising sales were 2.7% below the previous year's level. 

Press and direct advertising with the largest measured market shares 

Despite a decline in advertising sales of 9.6% to CHF 1,009 million, the press once again took the biggest slice of the advertising market pie (see chart). The press category with the highest turnover is the daily press and the regional weekly and Sunday press with CHF 610 million and a decline of 11.9%. The smallest decline in sales was recorded by the general, financial and business press category with a fall of 2.6%. Income from distribution costs for addressed and unaddressed advertising fell by 7.7% to CHF 908 million 

Television and radio in the red 

Net sales from television advertising totaled CHF 766 million, down 1%. Private Swiss broadcasters recorded an increase in sales of 3.1%. Radio advertising achieved advertising sales of CHF 144 million, down 4.5% on the previous year.

Growth in online advertising 

The statistics show the digital sales of CH publishers. Search engine advertising and social media were not included this year for methodological reasons. 

In total, online advertising sales amounted to CHF 547 million The growth in online sales has steadily slowed in recent years and now stands at 3.4% (2018: 5.9%). Online display advertising declined slightly for the first time at -0.5%. By contrast, the online classifieds markets (jobs, real estate, cars) achieved revenue growth of 7.3%. 

Outdoor advertising, cinema and promotional products on the rise 

Overall, advertising revenue from out-of-home advertising developed positively with growth of 2.4% to CHF 462 million. Cinema advertising also recorded an increase in sales (+3.2%). Advertising and promotional articles also recorded a positive sales trend with an increase of 5.6%.

Disneyland Paris has attracted over 320 million visitors since it opened in 1992. This summer, it will host the Lion King and Jungle Festival from June 30 to September 22, 2019. To draw attention to this year's summer season, Disneyland Paris has organized a PR stunt in collaboration with the PR & Distribution department of Keystone- SDA. Artist Patrick Wehrli of Redl.ch painted a fascinating 3D painting in Zurich's main train station. Thanks to the 3D perspective, viewers had the feeling of diving into Disneyland Paris via roller coaster. Keystone-SDA supported Disneyland Paris with the idea generation and implementation of the measure. The PR unit also took care of media relations and image production. The images were distributed to the Swiss media landscape via Keystone-SDA on the same day. On June 3, 2019, the same action will take place in Lausanne at the Place de l'Europe.

Influencer Sara Leutenegger poses on a fascinating 3D image by Swiss artist Patrick Wehrli of Redl.ch.

Patrick Wehrli from Redl.ch at work.