After years of tug-of-war, Google is dropping a plan that would have made it more difficult for the advertising industry to track users across different websites. The internet company had announced in 2020 that it wanted to push out so-called third-party cookies in its Chrome web browser by default. However, following headwinds from the advertising industry and regulators, there has now been a rethink: instead, users should be able to block cookies, which are switched on by default.

Cookies are frequently used small data records that are stored on users' computers and smartphones. Thanks to them, a website can recognize users, for example.

Track through the web thanks to cookies

However, for years there has been criticism of third-party cookies that are not set by the visited website itself, but by advertising service providers, for example. Thanks to these cookies, they can follow users across the web with their advertising and also create profiles for personalized ads.

In Apple's Safari web browser and Firefox, third-party cookies are blocked by default and can be activated by users. However, Google's plans to do so have met with resistance - not only from the advertising industry, but also from regulators.

Concerns of regulators

Since 2021, British regulatory authorities have been investigating whether the project could harm competition in digital advertising. Chrome has a market share of more than 60 percent among browsers. It was feared that the change would cut off Google's advertising competition - while the internet company's own advertising tools would become more attractive.

According to the new plan, Chrome users should make a "conscious decision" about cookies, which should apply everywhere on their journey through the web, according to a Google blog post on Monday. Google is talking to regulators about the proposal. (SDA/swi)

Following an increase in the TV audience and TV usage during the coronavirus pandemic and a brief decline afterwards, demand for TV broadcasters' offerings has stabilized again in the last two years. As in the first half of 2023, the daily reach of television remained unchanged at 63% in the past six months. In the same period, the time spent by TV audiences on linear or time-shifted television programs per day fell by three minutes from 181 minutes to 178 minutes. In short, television reaches the same number of people for slightly less time on an average day compared to the previous year.

Small differences between the language regions

This picture varies slightly across the three language regions. While in Svizzera italiana, the already largest TV reach compared to the rest of the country increased once again from 70% to 74% within a year, the viewing time per user fell by 5 minutes and now stands at 207 minutes per day. In French-speaking Switzerland, the size of the TV audience remained unchanged with a daily reach of 64%, while viewing time fell from 198 minutes to 186 minutes. Finally, in German-speaking Switzerland, the latest TV research figures show a decline in reach of one percentage point to 62% and unchanged viewing time of 173 minutes per day.

The TV research for which Mediapulse is responsible has so far recorded linear and time-shifted TV usage via conventional TV sets, also known as big screens. Since January 2024, the official usage data has also included the use of TV content via PCs, tablets or smartphones - so-called small screens. However, the cooperation required for this type of measurement by the TV broadcasters themselves or by the online distributors of TV content is currently still low, which is why this usage is hardly reflected in the current semester data.

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The survey of TV usage is based on a hybrid measurement approach in which the usage data from the TV panel is enriched with usage data based on set-top box data and linked together using a method developed by Mediapulse. As a result, the TV data is created on the basis of usage data from around 5,000 physical panelists and around 15,000 virtual user profiles.  

Further results on TV usage in the first half of 2024 can be found on the Mediapulse website at the following link Link.

Having to go to the toilet during the live broadcast of a football match is inconvenient. But it's really annoying for football fans when they miss a goal right then.

Ingo Zürich has developed a practical service for Geberit AquaClean shower toilets to prevent this from happening to fans at home in front of the TV: An algorithm has analyzed the matches of the Spanish La Liga, the Italian Serie A and the Swiss Super League over the last few decades. This data shows that there are clear tendencies in all matches as to when goals are scored in the respective games and when there are drops in performance.

Based on data from hundreds of thousands of minutes of play, it is possible to precisely predict in which phase of the respective match goals are most likely to be scored - and consequently also what is important for fans: When you can relax and go to the toilet without missing anything.

This information was recorded live in the form of cut-ins at the relevant moment of the match. And that in the most popular top games and derbies in these leagues.

At the top match between Juventus and AS Roma, spectators learned that for 22 years there has been a scoring drought between the 51st and 54th minute. In other words, this is the best time to relax and go to the toilet. Or that Real Madrid have already scored 16 goals between the 39th and 45th minute in the derby against Real Betis Sevilla, so it's better to relieve the pressure right beforehand.

In this way, Geberit AquaClean became the sender of information that made life easier for fans in an environment of maximum attention. "The implementation shows that you can use almost any medium in an innovative way," explains Swen Morath, Chief Creative Officer at Ingo Zürich. "What we particularly like about the concept is that it is based on an observation that we can all understand very well and creates a direct link to the product in a live situation."

After the recommended toilet break - statistically proven to last around four minutes in Switzerland - a competition for an AquaClean shower toilet was displayed. And the result: If fans kept to the time slots recommended by Geberit for a toilet break, they didn't miss a single goal - so the data wasn't lying.

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INTERVIEW

"The campaign is a brilliant start for Ingo ZH"

The rebrand from Wunderman Thompson to Ingo Zurich was completed in May 2024. The Geberit campaign around football matches is an early hit. Anna Kohler from m&k spoke to Swen Morath (left), Co-CEO of Ingo Zurich, and Stephan Vogel, CCO Ogilvy EMEA, about the launch of Ingo in Switzerland.

m&k: Ingo Zürich has made a good start with the current Geberit campaign.

Dr. Stephan Vogel: Absolutely, a great case with insights that are so close to people. Going to the toilet during an important football match - a horror (laughs). There is so much attention to detail in this campaign, Ingo Zurich has gone back up to 40 years in his research to really find out when the chances are best not to miss a goal when nature calls. Swen and his team got off to a real Ingo Zurich start. So charming and humorous.

 

Swen Morath, how smoothly did the rebrand go?

Swen Morath: I have already rebranded with the agency several times in recent years. The one with WT was difficult, with Ingo it's easier. People know the cases of Ingo Stockholm and Hamburg. Our clients have given us a lot of positive feedback. But the most important thing is that our team is enthusiastic about the Stockholm, Hamburg and Zurich axis.

 

Ingo is part of the Ogilvy family. Can you tell us something about the origins of the boutique agency?

Bird: Ingo was born in Stockholm in 2012 as a merger between Grey and Ogilvy. With campaigns such as "The Swedish Number" and "Moldy Whopper", the creatives at Ingo Stockholm have sparked international enthusiasm - the agency has become a star. Clients love Ogilvy as a large network agency, and that has enormous advantages. We work across agencies and benefit from borderless creativity. But our clients also love boutique agencies: they radiate proximity, are lean, agile and can still build on an extensive network. Two years ago, we positioned Ingo as a creative spearhead. With Hamburg and now Zurich, we have created a strong, creative axis.

 

What is your role as Chief Creative Officer EMEA?

We have around 5300 employees. When big international pitches are due, I organize that the right people are assigned to the respective projects. Once a year, the creative directors from all countries present their best projects. These meetings take place physically in different cities. We then look for the gold nuggets. We then look at how the work can be made even more brilliant. My focus is on supporting creative excellence and creating a climate of trust. I got to know Swen years ago and appreciate both his work and his personality. So it seemed a logical step for me to rebrand Wunderman Thompson to Ingo and integrate it into the Ogilvy family with all its benefits.

 

Swen Morath, how were you accepted into the Ogilvy network?

Morath: I took part in three international meetings, together with an incredible number of creative minds from Ogilvy, David Madrid and Ingo. I received a very warm welcome. I was impressed by how the network really lives up to its claim of Borderless Creativity. There really are no borders. That's why I'm very happy to now be part of the Ingo team and therefore also part of the Ogilvy family.

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Responsible at Geberit AquaClean: Margit Pfeifer, Selina Della Rossa, Gabriel Blanco, Karin Lang, Huyen Trang Nguyen, Corina Gossner, Irmak Divrikli. Responsible at Ingo Zürich: Susi Martin (consulting); Avsar Yildiz, Sonja Gross, Alisa Lomovceva, Dany Boletas, Johannes Jordan, Samuel Wicki, Bruce Roberts, Swen Morath (creation). Responsible at Blue Sport: Pascal Santi, Alessio Klucker.

m&k: Maximilian Groth, could you briefly explain how Decentriq came to be founded?

Maximilian Groth: Five years ago, I founded Decentriq together with my business partner Stefan Deml. We now have 30 employees. The idea for this platform was born when we were both working for a company that analyzes and then monetizes cell phone data worldwide - together with mobile phone providers. The question arose as to whether we could help enrich this data with data from third-party providers such as credit card providers. Combining data is very difficult for reasons of data protection and data security. And above all, you don't simply entrust your valuable data to another company.

 

So Decentriq was born out of this idea?

Exactly. We then had the idea of building a technological platform that would allow companies to work together more easily and in a compliant manner. As a company, we have a strong technological background and are categorized as a deep tech company. A few weeks ago, we won the ZKP Technopark Pioneer Prize, which has been awarded to one company every year since 2001. This prize is endowed with 100,000 Swiss francs. This is a great recognition for us. Our nickname among foreign companies is often "The Switzerland of Data".

 

Why are you called that?

We have created a neutral environment where you can collaborate on sensitive data in a secure and user-friendly way. A bit like Switzerland (laughs). What Switzerland is politically, we bring to the data economy. The Swissness factor is well received. We therefore say that we are really not a SaaS company in the sense of "software as a service", but a "SaaS Switzerland as a service". On a technological level, we embody what Switzerland promises politically: trust, value, neutrality and reliability.

 

Who uses the Decentriq platform?

We are generically positioned. We are used by a wide range of industries - the healthcare sector, banks, brand groups, sports data companies. In the healthcare sector in particular, large hospitals use our platform to make data available for research. We have already worked with the Ministry of Defense in the area of cybersecurity and with the City of Zurich in the area of public transport. We work with renowned companies in both the private and public sectors. Data protection and data security are our top priority, and we can guarantee this technologically.

 

What exactly is the platform like? How is data security guaranteed?

We have our background in cryptography. All data that is uploaded to our platform is encrypted beforehand - and it stays that way. The company can define how and by whom the data may be used. This is called "purpose bound data sharing". In this way, we can cryptographically ensure that the data is only used for a specific purpose. In short: data is valuable, and we exist to ensure that it cannot be accessed and used by just anyone. The company always controls the data and determines who can use it, how the data can be used and for how long. Data can now be used that previously could not be used, for example in the healthcare sector, for data protection reasons.

 

What is the technology behind it?

The technology we use is called "confidential computing". This is the same technology that Google will use in the future for its "Privacy Sandbox". Apple uses the same technology to ensure data security for its iPhone users.

 

How do media and media companies use this platform?

We offer solutions for the post-third party cookie era. Brands want to reach their target group in a compliant way. This is why we work with major media companies - not only in Switzerland, but also internationally. For example, RTL Ad Alliance in Germany is our client.

 

How exactly can you imagine this?

Let's take an example: Goldbach, with whom we have been working successfully for over a year, stores its first-party data in encrypted form on the platform, and brands do the same. A seed is then created, on the basis of which audiences are created and campaigns can be played out specifically to the target groups. This is also possible across multiple publishers. We work with many Swiss publishers. As a result, we have created something like a Swiss Garden.

 

They therefore offer these companies a way to keep the advertising money in the country.

Exactly. The advertising industry is a billion-dollar business, and so much simply flows out to the big foreign tech companies. Besides the American and Chinese platforms, most Swiss spend the most time on national platforms. So why shouldn't this behavior be used for advertising - even across national borders? Large agencies such as Publicis also rely on our platform. When I pitch to a European company, I start with the claim "A European solution for global demands".

 

What is the professional composition of Decentriq's 30 employees?

On a cultural level, it is clear to us and is also part of our values that we see data protection and data security as human rights. We are not open to discussion in this regard. Around 20 people are dedicated to engineering and product development, and around ten are involved in operations and commercial. We have major customers that we support, the platform regularly receives new features, is scaled and developed further, but at the same time we are driving marketing and sales forward.

 

How do you do marketing for a deep-tech product like yours?

We learn every day. We are working on how to make the abstract tangible. The analogy with Switzerland has helped a lot - the neutrality, the security, the quality, you can remember that. I personally underestimated that for a long time. Customers need to have that in mind. I often start with the question of whether anyone knows what SaaS stands for. Everyone knows, but then I say "Switzerland as a Service". And then the ice is broken. But then it's still a long way to encryption technology,

 

How convincing is Decentriq in terms of content?

We have invested in technical documentation and legal clarifications from renowned international law firms - because clean use cases are important. And, of course, the companies we work with and that rely on our technology are also a good reference.

 

For example?

In the DACH region, these include Goldbach, Ikea, RTL Ad Alliance, Adverserve, the Swiss military and, in the healthcare sector, Aachen University Hospital. We also work with large banks. The award we won as a leading deep tech company in Switzerland is of course also a reference.

 

What drives you personally?

Working with our team from Switzerland to create a platform that organizations around the world can use collaboratively to work on data in a networked way and thereby create added value for society. Advertising, for example, is essential in the financing of quality journalism.

With this step, the two agencies are strengthening their already close partnership, as Jürg Schmid explains: "It expands our range of expertise and promotes a holistic understanding of strategy and creativity from very different perspectives. Together with MRB's creation, we can not only accompany our clients on their entire journey, but also take them further - and simply achieve more."

For Silvan Metzger, principal owner of MRB, the partnership marks a new era in the agency's more than forty-year history: "In Jürg Schmid, the agency is gaining a charismatic and inspiring personality with an incredible amount of experience and a unique track record. Jürg and his team are absolute experts in tourism - and Swiss brands, or those who want to become such."

The three partners Jürg Schmid, Tiziano Pelli and Chantal Cartier have known each other since their time together at Switzerland Tourism and now run their agency together. At MRB, Frederick Rossmann and Cyrill Wirz will succeed Christoph Bürge, who has left the agency at the end of 2023, as partners and members of the Board of Directors.

The Rhaetian Railway is much more than just a means of transportation. In addition to the regional trains and the two premium products "Glacier Express" and "Bernina Express", it offers a variety of adventure trips: from culinary pleasure trips and nostalgia trips to scavenger hunts with Clà Ferrovia, the children's conductor, and seasonal leisure activities. All these trips take you over breathtaking viaducts, through historic helical tunnels, steeply up to the glaciers and down to the Mediterranean Puschlav. So there is a wide range of options for all ages and interests on over 17 lines.

To bring this closer to travelers throughout Switzerland, the agency TheGuys has implemented a 360-degree campaign under the new creative platform "Ganz schön abgefahren". Eight key visuals are used to convey the emotional "amazement moment" during a journey on the Rhaetian Railway to the various target groups. The passengers on the images are so astonished that they press their faces firmly against the train window, creating an entertaining and visually irritating image with stopping power. The window reflection of each train carriage also shows which highlights the passengers are currently marveling at. The subjects are complemented by clever, product-centered headlines, which are also intended to help ensure that the Rhaetian Railway is perceived as the first destination for unforgettable adventure trips.

The first flight of the experience campaign has been live on (D)OOH, print, social media and online channels in German-speaking Switzerland since the end of June.

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Responsible at RhB: Cornelia Alig (Head of Marketing Communications), Chantal Berger (Market Manager Switzerland), Fabio Battaglia (Head of Sales and Market Graubünden), Bianca Kohler (Web Publisher / Online and Mobile Specialist), Jana Putzi (Communications Specialist). Responsible at TheGuys: Gaston Filipp, Johnny Grubenmann (Creative Direction), Gianni Peng (Managing Direction), Alexander Laake (Graphic Design) Stefan Schlumpf (Photographer), Alessandro Fischer (Photo Assistant), Regula Zürrer (Hair&Makeup), Capture Media (Media Agency).

Deborah Murith has been a member of the Executive Board of McDonald's Switzerland since 2017, where she has held various key roles - first as Head of Corporate Relations Department, as Director of the Ronald McDonald Children's Foundation and most recently as Chief People Officer. In her previous professional positions, she held leading positions in public administration - including Head of Communications at the Basel Cantonal Department of Education, Culture and Sport and Deputy Head of Communications and Media Spokesperson at the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM). Deborah Murith studied communication sciences.

Two more new additions to the functional management of Communication

In addition to Deborah Murith, Swiss Post welcomes Alexander Schmitt and Michel Noverraz as new members of the Functional Head of Communications from November 2024. Alexander Schmitt is an experienced media and agency specialist who was most recently Managing Director and member of the Executive Board at OMD Switzerland, where he was responsible for the agency's strategic direction and corporate development. As a member of the Functional Head of Communications, he will manage Swiss Post's internal agency and thus strategically and operationally develop the Group-wide communication channels.

Michel Noverraz joins Swiss Post from Zweifel Pomy-Chips, where he is currently responsible for Brand Communication, E-Commerce and Consumer Service as Group Manager Brand Communication. At Swiss Post, Noverraz is responsible for brand management, including the positioning of the Swiss Post brand, brand strategy and brand design.

Judith Setz will take up her new position as Head of the VBZ Media Office at the beginning of August 2024. She has many years of experience in corporate communications, most recently as Head of Communications and a member of the Executive Board at the Office for Mobility of the Canton of Zurich. Prior to that, she worked for five years at the Canton of Lucerne, most recently as Deputy Head of Communications at the Department of Finance and the Department of Construction, Environment and Economic Affairs. Setz holds a degree in political science from the University of Zurich.

Many years of professional experience, including as an editor and project manager, round off her profile. Media work has been one of her main focuses throughout her communications career. "I'm looking forward to the wide range of topics at VBZ and the dynamic day-to-day business as head of the media office of one of the largest public transport companies in Switzerland," says Judith Setz about her new challenge.

Leo Herrmann remains Deputy Head of the Media Office and media spokesman.

Team Farner announces changes to the company management. Roman Geiser, the long-standing owner and Managing Partner of Farner and the driving force behind the internationalization to Farner International/Team Farner, will in future act as Chairman and focus on the strategic development/key accounts and growth of the European agency group via M&A. Roman Geiser will be succeeded as CEO by experienced industry expert Melanie Faithfull Kent, who is currently CEO of Hill & Knowlton (HK) Europe and a member of HK's global leadership team. She will take over the leadership of Team Farner on September 1 and lead the group into its next phase.

Roman Geiser has led the agency as Executive Chairman & CEO since Team Farner was founded in 2021 and has driven the international expansion of Farner International. "I am proud that Melanie Faithfull Kent is taking over the leadership of Team Farner. This allows me to concentrate on strategy and M&A in the next phase of the company's development as planned - in addition to remaining a shareholder - and to place the operational management of the agency group in Melanie's hands after the first brilliant phase of growth," comments Geiser on the change in leadership. "We have more than tripled our turnover and number of employees in the last three years, made twelve acquisitions and created one of the most influential agencies in Europe."

Melanie Faithfull Kent, who was previously responsible for the European agency portfolio in ten countries at HK, says of her new role: "I am very much looking forward to the exciting task of continuing Team Farner's success story. Team Farner's positioning as a management consultancy for integrated communication is groundbreaking for me. With its current presence in six countries, Team Farner covers the entire communication value chain, which enables us to offer our clients more than our traditional competitors.

"We are working on the future." This is the slogan used by the Texterin-texter.ch website to advertise the reorientation of the popular Federal Certificate of Proficiency in Copywriting. And indeed: "After more than a year of intensive preparatory work, we have succeeded in completely converting the previous certificate to AI, Artificial Intelligence," says Lisa Steger, examination director and well-known copywriter.

What are the benefits of ChatGPT?

How will AI change the job description of copywriters? Is it really possible to write faster with ChatGPT? And what about the quality of these texts? According to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT, professional texts are written 40 percent faster than before by text professionals using ChatGPT - while the quality of the texts increases at the same time.

Competencies in AI Graphic Design

But it's not just "writing robots" such as ChatGPT that are influencing the job profile of copywriters and authors. AI tools for graphic creation such as Midjourney also require new "interface skills" such as graphic design. Traditional graphic design professions are also being accelerated and enriched by the possibilities of AI tools such as Midjourney. Copywriters must therefore be well versed in AI tools for text and graphic creation.

Accordingly, the sponsoring association of the copywriting certificate has completely renewed the examination content and adapted it to the possibilities of AI, artificial intelligence, in the everyday work of copywriters and other professional writers.

Launch in May 2025

The start will be on May 5, 2025 with the written examination. Lisa Steger, who has energetically driven forward the new professional examination with her team, is delighted: "Thanks to everyone involved, we were able to implement the realignment of the job profile and, accordingly, the professional examination on schedule. The written professional examination will take place on May 5, 2025, while the oral examinations will be held on two days as before - on June 12 and 13, 2025."

Various measures are integrated into the "Brieffreude" campaign platform developed by Neu for Swiss Post. For example, communication by letter is also positioned as "social networking for 175 years" for the launch. Teads developed interactive formats for the campaign, while Havas Schweiz Media was responsible for media planning.

In the age of digital communication and social networks, Swiss Post wants to make the joy of the "real" letter more tangible. "Brieffreude" is intended to embody everything that makes a letter special: the joy of writing, the joy of receiving, the haptic experience and the personal form of this communication are special emotional aspects that a digital message cannot provide or can only provide to a limited extent. The hashtag is intended to hold together the communication of these very different facets via different forms of content in future.

Teads and Neu also launched the interactive format "inRead Scribble Ad Square" in collaboration with Swiss Post. This enables users to create handwritten messages directly on their mobile device. The campaign, which was played out in German, French and Italian, led to a high level of interaction and impressive results, for example with an engagement rate of over 15 percent and an attention rate of over 65 percent.

In addition to Teads inRead, the campaign also includes moving image assets for YouTube and digital assets. All measures and topics relating to the joy of letters can be found on the associated landing page. The community was also able to submit pictures of special letters as part of a competition.

With this campaign, Swiss Post wants to show that handwritten letters retain their charm and relevance even in the digital age.

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Responsible at PostJana Andraschko, Ines Müntener-Graf, Nathalie Koch. Photographer: Julia Ishac. Production: Tasty Pictures. Image editing: Lorenz Wahl. Responsible at Neu Creative AgencyNicole Vizcardo, Pian Gumpp, Adrian Staehelin, Simon Rehsche, Nico Ammann, Andrea Braschler, Adam Schwarz, Bettina Beyeler. Responsible at Teads:  Jannis Fatses. Responsible at Havas Switzerland MediaLena Rüdisüli, Timo Bendel.

Whether at a street survey on rental prices, at a barbecue with friends or on the train - the inner nerd sometimes bursts out in inappropriate situations. With a wink, the campaign by online retailer Digitec invites tech enthusiasts to share their passion where they meet like-minded people - on Digitec.ch. The online retailer's platform is positioned as a home for tech enthusiasts who want to share their insights and expertise in a lively community. The four videos of the first wave were broadcast in February 2024 (Werbewoche.ch reported). Three new clips now follow.

As is usual with Digitec campaigns, the new commercials were developed by the online retailer's in-house creative team, supported by specialized partners in the areas of pre-production, shooting and post-production.

The campaign has been online in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland since Monday, as well as on relevant social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitch.

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Responsible at Digitec Galaxus: Martin Walthert (Chief Marketing Officer), Flurin Spring (Creative Director), Jill Wanner (Teamlead Brand Communications Management), Annina Müggler (Teamlead Creation), Mariya Alipieva (Project Management, Brand Management), Armin Tobler (Director & Editor), Daniel Kobi (Art Director), Manuela Rüegg (Producer), Bastian Otter (Copywriter), Valentina Sproge (DoP), Cédric Feusi (Digital Marketing), Luca Giugliano (Digital Marketing & Media Planning), Fabrizia Wicki (Social Media), Martin Jud, Lorenz Keller, Samuel Buchmann, Patrick Vogt, Katja Fischer (Script Consultants), Alle Zusammen (Concept), Language Services (French Transcreation). External partners: Prisca Baumann (production design), Gabriela Wassmer (hair & make-up), Lukas Graf (gaffer), Raphael Werner (lighting technician), Florian Hinder (set sound), Yasmin Joerg (assistant editor), Simon Hardegger (grading), UKO - The Audio Suite (sound post-production), Atelier 229 (casting), Alex Biondi (location scouting).