Society now has a high level of knowledge about the relationship to artificial intelligence. However, the sponsors of the Association for the Promotion of Digital Understanding are convinced that these findings have not yet been addressed enough and that too little information about the opportunities and risks has been provided.

The Association aims to promote digital understanding in society, the economy, legal understanding and ethics, as well as an understanding of the application of AI. To this end, the VFDV provides information on the possibilities of digitalization in society, politics, industry and the economy and aims to publish information and studies - including third-party studies - on the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence in a comprehensible form. The focus is on legal issues, technical developments, political decisions and ethical questions. In addition, the association wants to support projects and efforts that contribute to understanding and answering relevant problems with AI in society. It can also award contracts to third parties that serve this aim and purpose. Association members are informed about the activities of the VFDV twice a year via a newsletter and receive free access to studies and discounts on events.

According to the new study by The Trade Desk, German citizens also have a clear idea of what data needs to be collected for personalized advertising. The brands and products they prefer rank first, followed by the purchases they have actually made and finally their personal interests and preferences.

"Our study shows that consumers know the value of their data," says Daniel Neuhaus, Vice President DACH at The Trade Desk, who is responsible for business in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. "This 'end of naivety' does not necessarily have to be negative for advertisers. On the contrary: the study results provide valuable information on the form in which data-based advertising makes sense and, above all, is already accepted by consumers today," Neuhaus continues. "Consumers' wishes for data-based advertising that is relevant to them should therefore be the starting point for future advertising campaigns in order to optimize the consumer experience."

Transparency and control over data with new EUID

With uniform identity solutions based on the email address, consumers can also be shown advertising that is relevant to them across all channels. In the case of streaming services, for example, using the email address is now a learned and accepted part of the user experience. However, according to the study, 58% of respondents would also agree to a solution based on their email address being used instead of cookies when surfing the web. An important prerequisite: the email address would have to be encrypted.

Users' expectations of the media and advertisers are therefore clear: they only want to see ads that are relevant to them without having to compromise on data protection. "Thanks to new identity solutions such as the encrypted and pseudonymized European Unified ID (EUID), publishers and advertisers can already meet these user demands today," says Neuhaus. "At the same time, they give consumers transparency and control over their data so that they can, for example, access premium content for free or at a lower price."

The survey by advertising technology company The Trade Desk was conducted by market research institute Appinio. In April 2024, 1,500 adults in Germany aged between 18 and 65 were surveyed.

The SRG's performance mandate must first be defined, only then can the level of fees required for this be discussed, said SVP National Councillor and Action President Manfred Bühler at a media conference in Zurich on Monday.

The fact that the Federal Council had simply extended the existing SRG license by four years and only wanted to revise it after the vote on the popular initiative "200 francs are enough! (SRG initiative)" is the wrong approach.

Central National Councillor Philipp Kutter emphasized the importance of independent private media. However, in order for them to be competitive, the SRG's mandate must be clearly defined. He did not understand why SRG had to acquire Champions League rights at any price when private providers were also available.

The debate on the role of the SRG must be conducted openly, added SVP National Councillor Gregor Rutz. For example, it could also be examined whether the SRG's online advertising ban should be dropped. This could put a stop to the outflow of advertising money to Google and Co. However, SRG would have to be obliged to earmark a portion of this income to private media companies for agency services or user research, Rutz demanded.

Parliament was promised a debate on public service eight years ago during the Billag vote, said FDP National Councillor Peter Schilliger. "We are still waiting for a comprehensive debate today." This must now be made up for.

Parliament will discuss the SRG initiative this year. The Federal Council rejects it, but wants to reduce the media fee from CHF 335 to CHF 300 in two stages by 2029. (SDA)

According to a study by Robert Walters younger professionals - including Gen Z and millennials - prefer email and instant messaging for work-related communication. The study found that 59 percent of these younger workers prefer these methods to phone calls, and 50 percent admit to feeling uncomfortable making business calls.

For these younger generations, efficiency seems to be the key: Just 16 percent find calls to be an effective use of time, and only 14 percent use them as their primary method of communication. This preference for text-based communication has led to "phone anxiety" - a growing discomfort when making or receiving calls, the study authors are convinced.

In contrast, older generations such as Generation X and baby boomers continue to prefer direct, interpersonal communication. The study shows that 49 percent of these older employees believe that fewer calls and meetings could damage business relationships.

Christian Atkinson, Country Director of Robert Walters Switzerland, notes that while younger professionals are adept at using digital tools, this can sometimes come at the expense of meaningful face-to-face interactions. "Younger professionals, often referred to as 'digital natives', are adept at using technology to communicate, which increases productivity and convenience. The downside, however, is the potential loss of the personal connection that face-to-face or phone interactions can provide," explains Atkinson.

Understanding fear of the telephone and tackle

The increase in telephone anxiety correlates with the shift towards digital communication. People who suffer from telephone anxiety can experience stress, increased heart rate, nausea, trembling and difficulty concentrating when talking on the phone. This form of anxiety stems from the fear of embarrassing themselves or causing discomfort to the person they are talking to.

According to Atkinson, there are various strategies for overcoming the fear of the telephone and balancing communication preferences.

Young professionals should be given opportunities to practice in a controlled environment. This could help to reduce anxiety and build confidence.

By introducing mentoring programs, employees of different generations can learn from each other and understand different communication styles.

A balanced approach can also be effective: Digital communication is efficient, but integrating opportunities for phone and face-to-face interactions can build trust and relationships.

"Employers should consider employee preferences and strive for a balance that leverages the benefits of instant messaging while recognizing the value of face-to-face contact," advises Atkinson. By catering to different communication preferences and reducing the fear of using the phone, companies can create a more inclusive and effective working environment.

The VW Golf has been around for 50 years. And in its eighth generation, the car is more attractive, smarter, and more efficient than ever.

The Zurich-based agency KSP showcases this in a cross-media campaign that looks back with nostalgia while also looking forward with enthusiasm. On billboards, in movie theaters, across many digital channels, at all Volkswagen dealerships, and even in the form of an entertaining digital Golf game.

Person in charge at Amag Import, Volkswagen: Melanie Felder (Head of Marketing), Melanie Hanimann (Trade Marketing Manager), Jennifer Kober (Digital Marketing Manager). Responsible at KSP: Alba Rau (Senior Art Director), Stephanie Waldvogel (Senior Motion & Video Creator), Nico Kesper (Copywriter), Sophie Beisswenger, Andrea Neff (Consultants), Manuela Hollenweger, Bianca Jäger (Production), Daniel Krieg (Strategy), Webrepublic (Media), Swiss Online Publishing (Social Media), Setaprint (OOH Printing), Slaughterhouse (Film Post-Production), Jingle Jungle (Film Sound), Ast & Fischer (High-End Image Editing), Supertext (Translation), Brame (Gamification Implementation).

Anne Applebaum and Radosław Sikorski received the Hans Ringier Foundation’s «European Prize for Political Culture» on Saturday in Ascona. The award honors «individuals who, through their journalistic and political work, are wholeheartedly committed to the free, democratic West,» according to a statement from the Hans Ringier Foundation. «The life’s work of this extraordinary couple encompasses Western thought from the United States to Israel to Poland—the realm of freedom stretching from West to East. Anne Applebaum and Radosław Sikorski embody democracy and an open society, as well as the will to defend and promote these values. »All freedom-loving citizens owe these two individuals a debt of gratitude for their journalistic and political work,” said Frank A. Meyer, President of the Hans Ringier Foundation, commenting on the selection of this year’s award recipients.

Christian Lindner, German Federal Minister of Finance, paid tribute to the two award recipients in his laudatory speech: «Anne Applebaum and Radosław Sikorski are shaping the debates of our time and, with them, the political culture in Europe. At present, authoritarian forces are seeking to undermine the liberal order through lies and even open violence. Drawing on their deep understanding of Soviet oppression at home and imperialism abroad, Applebaum and Sikorski chart paths toward the preservation of freedom. They are standard-bearers of the free world. For this, they deserve the 2024 European Prize for Political Culture, our gratitude, and our deep respect.»

The award ceremony took place during the traditional «Dîner Républicain,» which is held annually at the «Castello del Sole» hotel in Ascona at the invitation of Frank A. Meyer.

The prize, worth 50,000 euros, «The Hans Ringier Foundation’s »European Prize for Political Culture” is being awarded for the 18th time and has previously been awarded to Jean-Claude Juncker, Boris Tadić, Jürgen Habermas, Pascal Lamy, Jean-Claude Trichet, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Donald Tusk, Wolfgang Schäuble, Heinrich August Winkler, Mario Draghi, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Margrethe Vestager, Sir Christopher Munro Clark, Zuzana Caputová, Peter Sloterdijk, Kaja Kallas, and Alexei Navalny.

The Audience Award has been presented since 2003 as an additional special award as part of the Swiss Packaging Awards, which the Swiss Packaging Institute SVI will host for the 56th time in 2024. In this award, the public decides who wins, not the jury. Voting has been possible online since Thursday. This time there are 14 packages to choose from. The main sponsor of the audience award is the Empack packaging trade fair.

The Swiss Packaging Award is the flagship of the Swiss packaging industry and is intended to reflect the creativity and innovative strength of the Swiss packaging industry. The winners also receive a ticket to take part in the international packaging competition "World Star Award".

37 innovative packaging solutions were submitted this year, including six entries for the Young Talent Award. In the six main categories, sustainability is ahead of all others with 20 entries and shows how intensively packaging companies are working on developing sustainable packaging solutions that meet consumer requirements and political guidelines. The judging will take place on September 10 and the award ceremony on October 17.

The new school year starts on Monday in most districts of Aargau. This is a big step not only for the first graders, but also for the kindergarten children. After a certain introductory period, they face the challenge of making their own way from home to kindergarten.

To achieve this, they are supported by police officers. Members of the Aargau regional police force regularly visit schools and kindergartens. They show them how to cross the road safely. "Wait, wait, wait, run", explains Roger Schneider from Repol Zurzibiet.

Comic by Globi illustrator

In many of the 50 or so participating municipalities, children and parents received a school route comic - together with the timetable - before the summer vacations, drawn by Zurich Globi illustrator Samuel Glättli. "It explains, for example, that the safest and not the fastest route should be chosen," says Schneider.

Once the kindergarteners have completed their traffic lessons - after the start of the school year - there is another highlight: the traffic instructors present them with a magnetic illuminated medal with the words "I can do this. I walk on foot".

"This can be attached to the luminous ribbon or the luminous vest," says Schneider. And it should also motivate the children to walk to school on their own.

20,000 children reached annually

The campaign was realized in 2019 by the Baden agency Kommpakt on behalf of Badenmobil. Following the launch in the Baden region, the municipalities in the neighboring district of Zurzach have also been involved in the campaign for some time. Together with the municipality of Köniz BE and three municipalities in the canton of St. Gallen, according to the website Icandothat.ch The campaign reaches around 20,000 children every year. (SDA/swi)

RTL Group CEO Thomas Rabe wants to scratch the billion euro mark in operating profit in two years. He could imagine that earnings before interest, taxes and goodwill amortization (EBITDA), adjusted for special effects, would rise to around one billion euros, the manager said in a conference call in Luxembourg.

The MDax-listed media group published its half-year figures in the morning: the operating result fell by five percent year-on-year to 172 million euros. This was due to higher programming costs for the broadcasting of the European Football Championship matches.

The Group also specified its targets for the Fremantle production business: the division is not expected to reach its sales target of three billion euros until 2026, one year later. The operating margin adjusted for special effects (EBITDA margin) should then be around nine percent.

Fremantle produces content in the areas of entertainment, drama and film as well as documentaries. In the first six months of the current year, the production business accounted for a good third of total sales. (SDA)

The 38-year-old native of Lucerne can look back on an impressive career. Lara Dickenmann took her first steps in professional football at FC Zurich before moving to Olympique Lyon. She won the Champions League twice and six league titles with the top French club. She then played for many years at VfL Wolfsburg, where she won the Bundesliga championship and DFB Cup double four times. She was the Swiss national team's record international player (135 games) and goalscorer (53 goals) for a long time. Lara Dickenmann ended her active career in 2021 and most recently worked as General Manager Women's Football at Grasshopper Club Zurich.

"Lara has had a unique career and is regarded as a pioneer of Swiss women's football. In addition to her expertise, she brings a very unique perspective on the sport and will also be able to offer exciting insights into women's football in the run-up to next summer's European Championship," says Emanuel Gisi, Head of Sports at Blick.

The write-down amounts to just under six billion dollars. Just the day before, rival group Warner Bros. Discovery had written off 9.1 billion dollars on its TV channels such as CNN and Discovery (m&k reported).

US cable television was once a reliable money maker for Hollywood. However, viewers and advertising dollars are now increasingly going into streaming.

Paramount achieved an adjusted operating profit of 26 million dollars in its streaming division in the past quarter, following a loss of 424 million dollars in the previous year.

At the same time, the number of subscriptions to the streaming service Paramount+ fell by 2.8 million to 68 million within three months, mainly because a bundling deal in South Korea ended.

Group revenue fell by eleven percent to 6.8 billion dollars due to the decline in the American cable TV business. Analysts had expected more. The bottom line was a loss of 5.4 billion dollars after a loss of almost 300 million dollars in the same quarter of the previous year. (SDA/swi)

Following intervention by the EU Commission, Apple is giving app developers in Europe greater opportunities to direct their users to cheaper offers via links. At the same time, there is a new fee structure for this.

In June, the EU Commission criticized Apple for restricting developers' communication with users too much in the case of external links. For example, they were not allowed to publish price information within the apps. According to the Commission's initial assessment, the company's actions violated the Digital Markets Act (DMA). It is intended to curb the market power of large platform operators.

Apple has long been in dispute with some app providers, such as the Spotify music service, about linking to external offers. The background to this is that Apple charges 15 or 30 percent for purchases within the apps - and some developers want to direct users to offers outside the platform.

Most restrictions no longer apply

With the release of the next operating systems for Apple devices in the fall, most restrictions will now be lifted. App makers will be able to advertise offers directly in the applications and direct users to websites and other app platforms with web links.

The restriction remains that the links may not be used to create user profiles and advertising. Apple will also continue to inform users that they are leaving the App Store area.

New fee structure

Apple is also introducing a new fee structure for transactions concluded via such links to external offers. This includes a five percent levy on payments made by a new user in the first twelve months. Apple sees this as a kind of commission for the fact that a user and a developer came together via the App Store. It therefore only applies when the app is downloaded for the first time.

There is also a basic levy for twelve months for purchases made via a link to external offers. This can amount to between 5 and 20 percent. From Apple's point of view, the fees reflect the value of the App Store as a platform for developers. (SDA/swi)