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STATEMENT Interactive, digitally connected, programmable, yet wearable and washable—that’s the new T-shirt from Ballantine’s. The «tshirtOS» serves as a wearable (and promotional) platform to convey the desired message. (more…)

YOUTUBE has published the top trending videos from 2014 measured by views, shares, comments, likes, etc. There is also a list of the top ten channels that received the largest increase in subscribers. (more…)

OFFLINE DAY On December 15, 2014, Switzerland’s second #offlineDay will take place. By consciously doing without the internet and smartphones, the two Swiss social media experts, Tom Brühwiler and Kevin Kyburz, aim to call for a more mindful approach to social media. (more…)

Nicole Rüdlin, Director of the Internet World Trade FairMs. Rüdlin, what trends do you see in e-commerce for 2015?One megatrend for 2015 is undoubtedly mobile in all its forms. Concepts and strategies launched in 2014 will have to prove themselves in practice in 2015. It also remains to be seen how consumers will respond. Our latest study on this topic reveals a certain ambivalence among smartphone owners—a mix of anticipation and reservations—which is perfectly normal. Before the iPhone, very few consumers believed in the mobile Internet either.Mobile payments have been the subject of increased media discussion in recent weeks. Will we be paying via mobile devices in the future?That’s likely to be the next big step. The new iPhone 6 is the first smartphone to come with „Apple Pay“ pre-installed—a payment app featuring a carefully curated network of partner retailers and banks. Add to that 800 million potential iTunes customers. These are excellent conditions for the technology to take off. Incidentally, this shouldn’t require a major adjustment on the part of retailers, since most terminals are already equipped with NFC, the short-range wireless technology.What role will social media play in the field of mobile commerce?Social media has lost some of its appeal in a business context. However, when it comes to the point of sale (POS), features like customer reviews offer a lot of potential. This is because, here too, mobile devices make it possible to bridge the gap between online and brick-and-mortar retail. But it’s not just about reviews or recommendations—which are now also available in-store—but also about customers being able to instantly share products and experiences with friends and involve them in the in-store purchasing process. Retailers can engage potential buyers with smart location-based services—that is, services that use the user’s current location—whether through local offers or broader campaigns, such as requiring a shopper to visit five stores to gain access to a special offer.Where can retailers get a good overview of these new e-commerce technologies?This certainly works very well at trade shows and conferences. Presentations, in particular, can be helpful because they often include accounts of failures and discuss how to solve specific problems. In German-speaking countries, the Internet World trade show in Munich has become a staple; it takes place on March 24 and 25, and visitors can learn about and discuss the latest trends in e-commerce as a whole—both at the high-profile conference and on the trade show floor. Globally speaking, the Internet Retailer Conference + Exhibition (IRCE) in Chicago is also worth mentioning; from a European perspective, the Global E-Commerce Summit in Barcelona would be of interest. Information about the Internet World trade show at www.internetworld-messe.de

CONDUCT The Swiss Association of Advertising Clients (SWA) has launched a new «Code of Conduct» for the Swiss media industry. (more…)

MARKETING DAY Eleven projects were selected for the Swiss Marketing Trophy and can look forward to the award ceremony, which will take place on March 3 as part of the Swiss Marketing Day. (more…)

1. what would you most like to promote?
For the next James Bond film.

2. who is the most fun lunch partner?
My father (84). At every meeting, he gives me a reading folder full of articles on technological, economic and social trends. Pleasant inspiration for my everyday life.

3. the best testimonial ever?
John Lydon (ex-singer of the Sex Pistols) for Countrylife British Butter. What a surprising image transfer.

4. Has your media behavior changed in the last three years? If yes, how?
That's a rhetorical question, isn't it?

5. if you had not become an advertiser - what then?
I don't see myself as an advertiser. Rather as a discoverer and craftsman in the age of digital transformation.

6. what is for you the current biggest challenge for advertising?
Brands need to have an engaging dialog with their target audience. Or with Walt Disney: "Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again and bring their friends."

7. what do you think about owned media?
Better than Paid Media, less exciting than Earned Media.

8. what is impossible for you to do without?
History in all forms. On History Channel, as an audio book, as a historical novel.

9. what advertising should be banned?
Political Advertising.

10. can you tell us a little secret?
I'm part of the dropout tribe.

11. What inspired you to enter the advertising/communications industry?
Anno 1994 I was excited about the unlimited possibilities of the internet. Today I am even more so.

12. what are you determined to achieve?
We want to be one of the leading agencies in Switzerland and are well on the way to achieving this.

13. which websites do you regularly use for private or professional purposes?
There are a lot of them. Especially shopping sites.

Peter van der Touw is CEO and founding member of Notch Interactive. The Zurich-based agency employs around 40 people. Notch Interactive is positioned as a digital agency, but develops communication solutions across all channels. Brands such as Denner, Sonova, Ricardo.ch, Manor, Search.ch, Sanitas, Kitag, Zühlke Engineering and Swisscom rely on the experts of the company founded in 2010. To this end, the team draws on familiar and sometimes unconventional tools of modern communication. Peter van der Touw has already been awarded various industry prizes such as DMPreis, Best of Swiss Web, Best of Swiss Apps and Swiss Effie. The Swiss of Dutch-Indonesian origin has worked for MRM Partners Worldwide, Euro RSCG Dialog and Maxomedia, among others.

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

Implementation: Thomas Häusermann

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