Audi uses "Fifty Shades of Grey" for advertising purposes

Editorial - February 9, 2015

TV COMMERCIAL In the erotic movie "Fifty Shades of Grey", which opens in cinemas on Valentine's Day, the protagonists drive Audi. The car manufacturer is taking this as an opportunity to combine product placement in the film with a casual, fluffy advertising campaign. (more…)

Seven factors for the right channel selection when marketing online stores

Editorial - February 6, 2015

ONLINE-SHOPS Which digital channels are best for marketing an online store? Seven factors such as product range affinity or product presentation help with the selection. (more…)

ricardo.ch becomes Gold Partner of the HWZ Center for Digital Business

Editorial - February 5, 2015

DIGITAL BUSINESS Ricardo.ch is now supporting the Center for Digital Business at the HWZ as a Gold Partner. Switzerland's largest online marketplace has been shaping the digital landscape for a good 15 years and, together with the HWZ, would like to support Swiss SMEs in meeting the challenges of the digital age. (more…)

Classic pricing models on the brink of extinction?

Editorial - February 5, 2015

PAYMENT MODELS Digital services such as Spotify and Audible do it almost exclusively and very successfully; in online retail, deodorant, pet food and service subscriptions are booming; but the switch from one-off sales to regular payments also brings advantages in B2B business - both for the customer and for the company. (more…)

"Twitter Ads" for Swiss companies: what you need to know

Editorial - February 5, 2015

ONLINE ADVERTISING To make it easier for small and medium-sized businesses in particular to advertise on Twitter, the microblogging service is launching an advertising tool for the DACH region. MK answers the most important questions about it. (more…)

Advertisers Remain Optimistic About 2015

Editorial - February 4, 2015

STUDY In order to provide a reliable forecast for 2015, the Center for Customer Insight at the University of St. Gallen, on behalf of bsw leading swiss agencies and with the support of the Swiss Association of Advertisers (SWA), surveyed over 1,300 communications managers at 500 companies and asked them about their expectations for the current year. (more…)

Swiss E-Commerce Award 2015 is launched - the application deadline is running

Editorial - February 4, 2015

AWARD This year's Swiss E-Commerce Award has been launched - for the fourth time, an independent and broad-based jury is looking for the best online and mobile stores in Switzerland. (more…)

The four biggest mistakes of search engine optimization

Editorial - February 3, 2015

ONLINE MARKETING Search engine optimizers often promise a better ranking on Google. Nevertheless, they regularly make serious mistakes. The following article highlights the four biggest mistakes and contains tips on how to do things better. (more…)

The fight for customers

Editorial - February 2, 2015

BOOK TIP In the book "The Battle of the Customers", author Gary Vaynerchuck explains how marketeers can land targeted hits with Facebook, Twitter & Co. (more…)

Apple founder Steve Wozniak in Zurich

Editorial - February 2, 2015

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evoq and Swiss Post award prizes for the best festive cards

Editorial - February 2, 2015

MAILING In January, Swiss Post and Evoq awarded the "Nicolas - Prix Carte de Noël" for the most beautiful, the most appropriate and the most unusual festive card in 2014. No easy task given the almost 200 varied and colorful entries. (more…)

"Buzzwords get on my nerves per se".

In our "13 Questions to" series, Christoph Balsiger, Creative Director and owner of the Bern-based advertising agency Kargo Kommunikation, reveals what bugs him about the advertising industry - and why he didn't become a professional soccer player.

Editorial - February 2, 2015

1. where and how have you ever bluffed in your life?
At the poker table and in the advertising week.

2. what is definitely no longer coming to the office for you?
Lousy mood.

3. was there a moment in your life when you thought: Wow. This is great. And it's from me!
Yes, every morning, for almost 2 years, when I look into my daughter's eyes.

4. what do you see as the biggest challenge for advertising at the moment?
Staying in advertising and not losing your sense of humor in the face of all the Big Data.

5. if you had not become an advertiser - what then?
Professional footballer.

6. what do you never want to have to hear about yourself?
What is said about me.

7. is the opinion true that you can't grow old in agencies, or is that a prejudice?
It depends on the agency. At Kargo, the rule is: work little overtime, look after exciting clients, have fun at work and go out for a drink together every now and then. That way, nothing should stand in the way of growing old.

8. a buzz word that gets on your nerves?
Keywords per se.

9. what are you sorry for?
That it was far from enough for the professional footballer.

10. what qualities make you a good advertiser?
Curiosity and humor.

Which professional colleague would you take with you to a desert island?
My team and a couple of Macs.

12. what annoys you about the local advertising industry?
That the competition is so good.

13. why don't you conform to the usual clichés of an advertiser?
Who says so?

Christoph Balsiger is creative director and owner of the Bernese advertising agency Kargo communication and focuses on smart & networked multi-channel solutions. Christoph Balsiger founded the agency in 2010 after years of conceptualizing and creating for various agencies as a freelancer, studying communication and contemporary history, and working in the asylum sector.

The "13 Questions" appear both online and in the print edition of Werbewoche.

Implementation 13 Questions: Thomas Häusermann