At the 38th Annual General Meeting of the Zurich PR Association ZPRG on Monday, the numerous members present looked back on an exciting year for the association in 2023. The ZPRG organized a total of ten events on relevant specialist topics last year. The topics included diversity and inclusion, the revised Data Protection Act, corporate video and designing with artificial intelligence. The events are reportedly well attended and the networking is highly valued by members and their guests. In 2023, the ZPRG recorded a slight increase in membership in all categories.

Successful Communication Summit after Covid break

In cooperation with the Zurich Press Association ZPV, a Communication Summit on the topic of communication and trust was also held again in 2023 for the first time after the Covid break. In addition, the ComSumCast podcast has now established itself among communication experts. Six personalities from the fields of communication and business were interviewed by SRF presenter Reto Lipp in 2023.

Board member Raphael Bühler steps down

Raphael Bühler, CEO and partner of Bühler & Bühler, has been a member of the ZPRG Board since 2018. In his role, he organized numerous events and contributed to the further development of the ZPRG with his ideas, impulses and commitment. He has now stepped down from the Board as of yesterday's General Assembly. The Board members Roland Baumann, Katharina Krämer, Riccarda Engi and the Presidium with Vice President Marie-Françoise Ruesch and President Dominik Allemann were confirmed by the members of the General Assembly for a further year.

The Ringier Group presented its annual report on Tuesday as part of the "Speak" event at Cinema Corso in Zurich. The current report for the year 2023 was designed by AA Bronson. For the realization of the publication, the artist had taken inspiration from the book published by General Idea in the 70s and 80s. File Magazine oriented. The annual report was published as Digital and print version published in German, English and French.

Solid, but "not brilliant" result

The operating profit of the Ringier media company rose to 105.5 million Swiss francs (2022: 104.9 million Swiss francs), as the Ringier Group announced on Tuesday. Ringier CEO Marc Walder commented on the result to media professionals as "solid, but not brilliant".

The digital share of operating profit reached a new record level of 83%. Sales amounted to CHF 918.9 million (2022: CHF 932.6 million).

The Ringier Group invested around CHF 100 million in digital development, according to a press release. One focus is the use of artificial intelligence (AI), both in the media and in the Group's other business areas.

Focus on AI: collaboration with Palantir

To this end, the Ringier Group has entered into a strategic partnership with the AI and data software company Palantir. Walder expects the increased use of AI to bring major benefits for the company. Among other things, a chat bot is planned on the View-website.

In the media business in Switzerland, the Ringier Group felt the same negative developments in 2023 as other media companies, such as the decline in subscriptions to paid titles.

Since last year, the View no longer offers its entire content online free of charge. Some of the content is now only available to "Blick+" subscribers. According to the annual report, 16,000 "Blick+" subscriptions were sold within the first 6 months. "I am more than satisfied with this figure," said Walder. For the first time, the decline in print subscriptions was more than compensated for by digital subscriptions.

In the longer term, Walder continues to expect major upheavals in the traditional media business. "We will probably have fewer media brands in five to ten years' time than we do today," he said. However, the company still believes in media, even if it is difficult to earn money with it.

The Ringier Group, which owns the View employed 6571 people at the end of last year (2022: 6486). The company operates around 140 companies in Switzerland, other European countries and individual African countries. (SDA/swi/bh)

The claim of the current campaign "Safe, whatever comes" is tailored to the young target group and is intended to show that Mobiliar also understands and insures the special needs of young people.

The campaign is divided into several levels, with an important component being the "Gen Swap" social campaign: older Mobiliar employees immerse themselves in the world of young people together with young influencers and get to know the needs of Gen Z better. Each experience is illuminated from both sides.

"With this campaign, we are showing that we are also a reliable companion for young people on the threshold to adulthood and that we know their needs. We do this not least by listening to them carefully and taking them seriously," explains Sarah Pittet from Mobiliar.

The campaign uses a dynamic mix of two levels to appeal directly to young people via the visual world. The main subject shows Gen Z in authentic, everyday moments of their lives. The picture-within-a-picture shows a situation, a dream, a world in which they would prefer to be at the moment, thus creating a contrast to the real world.

The application starts with a positioning campaign characterized by a dynamic mix of above-the-line measures, performance and social campaigns. At the same time, "Gen Swap" is running with three experiences in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland, followed by a second wave in late summer.

Order: the furniture. Responsible Agency: Jung von Matt Limmat, Blish. External partners:inside: Sebahat Film + Foto (Production & Photo), Mediaschneider (Media), Nathistyle, Teodoranct (Creators).

The Neu agency on Zurich's Helvetiaplatz is continuing to develop and is strengthening its strategy with Romana Schmidtpeter as Strategy Director. The Zurich native has many years of experience as a strategist at Jung von Matt Limmat and has already provided strategic advice to brands from all sectors. She studied business administration and marketing at the University of St. Gallen and is also on the board of the Art Directors Club Switzerland.

Newly emerged from Heimat Zürich in summer 2023 (Werbewoche.ch reported). The agency, based in Zurich's Helvetiaplatz, combines strategy and creativity for campaigns that make brands interesting. Its clients include Bank Cler, Swiss Post, Sky, Kinderschutz Schweiz and Wingo.

The magazine Technology and knowledge is explicitly aimed at experts from industry and research and was founded in 2016 by Eugen Albisser as an online-only magazine. "At the time, I missed the progress in the specialist media and longed for specialist journalism that was more modern, more innovative and, above all, more digital," says Albisser, explaining the move. According to Albisser, the young online magazine quickly established itself. Medienart's involvement started in 2019. The group has itself published a number of young specialist magazines such as eTrends, Phase5 and Domotech was launched. This investment gave Medienart access to the online storytelling platform of Technology and knowledge. In return, the online magazine was expanded to include a print edition and was given an additional editor-in-chief in Markus Back. The two specialist journalists have succeeded in establishing the magazine as an "opinion-leading and innovative platform". In the print sector Technology and knowledge is read by around 27,000 professionals and 9,000 subscribers. The online platform also generates over one million views per year and is one of the leading magazines in the industry in Germany.

Another leap

"Now we want to take another leap," explains founder Eugen Albisser, "and for me it is a logical and consistent step, as the takeover will allow us to prepare for the coming years of growth with a greater focus and in a larger group." Jürg Rykart, co-owner of Medienart, also underlines the importance of the upcoming developments: "The next few years will bring immense change in the media sector, particularly through artificial intelligence and general digitalization. With the innovative platform and the two visionaries from Technology and knowledge we can all gain a significant advantage."

Few changes

According to the information provided, there will be few changes to the editorial and sales team. Eugen Albisser remains Editor-in-Chief Digital at Technology and knowledgeMarkus Back continues to manage the print magazine as Editor-in-Chief Print, and Christian Heim is responsible for customer care.

Albisser will also take over as Head of Digital for the magazines eTrends, Phase5 and Domotech take over. Editor Fabian Schatzmann will also be part of the newly created online team. Albisser argues that this constellation will allow them to act much more freely.

Grün Stadt Zürich is currently looking for motivated gardeners with completed vocational trainingwho are ready to take on a new challenge and work together to make the city of Zurich even greener and more beautiful.

The concept of Die Antwort focuses on the urban jungle. In the campaign, gardeners from Grün Stadt Zürich pose confidently in their city and show that they do everything they can for the greenery in Zurich.

The cross-media campaign will be played out digitally and analog. The "urban jungle" will also be the central theme in communication at events and exhibitions.

Responsible at Grün Stadt Zürich: Jill Altenburger. Responsible agency: The answer.

The Digital Trust Label DTL initiated in January 2022 is intended to promote trust and transparency in digital services. Building on this, the list of criteria has now been expanded to better incorporate AI. This was done in a comprehensive and collaborative process with partners and the Digital Trust Expert Group, the Swiss Digital Initiative SDI wrote in a press release.

"Similar to an organic label or a nutritional value table, the Digital Trust Label acts as a seal of trust for the digital world," explains Doris Leuthard, President of the SDI Foundation Board. "With this updated set of criteria, the DTL is now AI-ready and closes the current gap between the increasing demand for AI and evolving regulation. The DTL enables companies to advance the use of AI in a trustworthy manner."

The updated criteria catalog serves as the basis for DTL certifications, as well as guidance for organizations that want to harness the potential of AI in a responsible and trustworthy manner while protecting end users of AI-powered digital services. As AI continues to evolve, the SDI also intends to publish further guidance.

If you want to benefit from AI, you have to be trustworthy

The SDI has been working on the topic of digital trust since it was founded in 2020. This topic is becoming even more important in the context of AI. The question of the trustworthiness of AI systems and the integrity of data inputs and outputs is slowing down acceptance and fuelling mistrust among users and companies alike, the SDI continues.

Building on the existing DTL criteria catalog, the additional criteria specifically address the trust issues raised by AI and GenAI. Along the existing DTL dimensions - security, data protection, reliability and fair user interaction - the AI-specific criteria mention, for example, information and transparency obligations towards end users and risk management procedures. They also address distortions in algorithmic systems and ethical considerations regarding training data.

Organizations that have already received the DTL for a digital service include Cisco, Credit Exchange, Julius Baer, Kudelski IoT, OneLog, PeopleWeek, Swisscom, Swiss Post, Swiss Re, Tresorit UNICEF and Wefox.

Dimant holds a Bachelor in Marketing & Advertising from the London College of Communication. He began his professional journey at Procter & Gamble, where he gained experience in brand management, trade marketing and shopper marketing. In 2010, Ronen Dimant moved to Barilla Germany, where he worked as Marketing Manager in the Bakery division for Central Europe.

After holding various positions within the company, Dimant took on the role of Marketing Director for Central Europe in 2018, leading the region's marketing strategies and activities. At the end of 2021, he took up his last position as Managing Director Iberia in Barcelona, where he was responsible for the markets in Spain and Portugal

With the new anthology, Säntis-Schwebebahn aims to tell exciting stories and use them as a content pool for year-round communication. For the second year in a row, shareholders can discover facets and insider tips of the Säntis world alongside key figures in "minSäntis". The "dinSäntis" adaptation was created for guests. The storytelling is characterized by articles with deliberately contrasting topics, picture galleries and facts to lighten the mood.

Content pool for activation

In close collaboration with Die Botschafter, Säntis-Schwebebahn has created a rich pool of content. Each issue is structured in such a way that dozens of digital contributions can be generated for year-round communication. In analog guest communication - at tourism trade fairs, in direct sales and via distribution to hotel guests - "dinSäntis" is used all year round.

Responsible at Säntis-Schwebebahn: Jakob Gülünay (Managing Director), Fabienne Dörig (Project Manager). Responsible at Die Botschafter Kommunikationsagentur: Axel Thoma (concept), Carmen Fraefel (project management), Tammy Kissling (design), Rosalie Manser (text). Photography: Bodo Rüedi.

Security, a good mood, first crushes or heart palpitations: Brack.ch delivers what's good for you. The current image campaign for the online store, which was created from content and form, was developed under this guiding principle.

Brack.ch was given an authentic, natural look for the moving image and out-of-home campaign. The subjects provide an insight into the normal everyday life of the Swiss: relaxed, unagitated and true to life. Situations are shown that are intended to trigger pleasant feelings - and for which Brack.ch has the right products.

For the first wave of the campaign, five commercials including three associated key visuals were produced, which pick up on the commercial subjects and the central idea "Brack.ch delivers what's good for you".

In order to emphasize not only the emotional message but also the wide variety of products and quality of Brack.ch, pure product subjects were also created, which combine the content of the commercials and their main message with the wide variety of Brack.ch products.

The image campaign has been running in German- and French-speaking Switzerland since May 6. The five commercials are being shown on television and online on social media and YouTube. The key visuals are scattered across a large area in the form of (D)OOH and placed as online banners.

Responsible at Brack.ch: Simon Thoma (Head of Marketing), Sandrine Knechtli (Head of Marketing Communications), Olivier Pasche (Head of Marketing Creation), David Waltenspuel (Brand Manager), Corina Buchelé (Graphics & Design), Seraina Gemperli, Gabriela Hagenbuch, Kevin Roth (Photography), Franziska Dowitad (Translation Management), Niklaus Schlumpf, Michael Suter (Video Producers). Responsible for content and form: Dominik Stibal (CEO), Karin Estermann (Executive Creative Director), Caroline Minar (Art Director), Dario Brazerol (Junior Copywriter), Stefanie Hager (Project Manager). Production: Soha Film, Jan-Eric Mack (Director), Jan Mettler (DoP), Patrizia Jaeger (Styling), Robin Fessel (Set Design), Simon Gutknecht (Editor), Roger Sommer (Colorist), DubDub (Sound Studio), Sabine Müller (Production Coordination), Rudi Haller (Executive Producer), Micha Freutel (photographer).

The latest brand campaign from functional clothing manufacturer Odlo was launched on Monday. Once again, everything revolves around the new brand claim "There's more out there", which was presented at the beginning of 2024 together with Odlo's new brand strategy (Werbewoche.ch reported). With the new brand direction, Odlo wants to give athletes fresh inspiration and rekindle their enthusiasm for nature - so that they can experience outdoor moments that they want more and more of.

The summer campaign continues to focus on reawakened athletes and therefore people who seek physical and mental fulfillment in nature. Their quest for freedom, sporting challenges and unique moments in the open air form the core.

Multiple Olympic biathlon champion and current brand ambassador Martin Fourcade is once again the face of the creative campaign. In his enthusiasm for versatile outdoor moments, the Frenchman swaps his skis for sneakers. The accompanying commercial shows Fourcade doing his favorite summer sports. He enjoys moments that reward him for heading out into nature.

Close cooperation with Lenzerheide

As with the previous creative spot, the current video was produced near the Odlo headquarters in Hünenberg in close collaboration with the Lenzerheide vacation region turned.

Artificial intelligence is not only omnipresent in newspaper articles, TV and online reports, AI has also arrived in the media and communications industry. Digital ethics expert Cornelia Diethelm will give a lecture on Forum for the Swiss print and media industry "Power Pur" in Schlieren on precisely this topic. In her presentation, Diethelm will dispel misconceptions and reveal the most successful strategies for integrating AI.

Today, we are seeing above all what could be technologically possible with artificial intelligence. There are more and more pilot tests and tools that are intended to simplify our lives with the help of smart technologies. However, there is a time lag before it becomes clear where these possibilities can be put to good use. The head of the CAS "Digital Ethics" course at the HWZ cites chatbots - computer programs that can simulate and process human conversations in written or verbal form - as an example. However, most of these technologies are not yet suitable for everyday use.

"Although the technology is there, it hasn't led to all companies using chatbots," says the expert. There is a feeling that AI has its digital fingers in every pie these days. According to Diethelm, however, this is not true because such systems are much more complicated than expected. "You have to look at each project individually to see whether and how well an AI implementation actually works." Such an introduction always involves "a lot of work" to ensure that it works properly at the end of the day.

First sound out the need

The 51-year-old cites the insurance company Helvetia and the Swiss Federal Supervisory Authority for Foundations as examples of corporations that actually use intelligent chatbots. "As with any implementation of AI, the need must always be sounded out." Just because there is a fascinating technology does not mean that the algorithms really make sense everywhere and will pay off at the end of the day.

If customers are more dissatisfied when they are served by a poor chatbot, then such an introduction makes no sense. It is also important to keep an eye on the costs. "The complexity of a project is often underestimated," says the Managing Director of the Center for Digital Responsibility. One example of this is self-driving cars. We are all still waiting for the technology to improve. "Autonomous driving is much more complex than we originally thought."

Diethelm is not suggesting that we should wait until the day after tomorrow to start an AI project. You simply have to think about what really makes sense. "A lot of thought needs to go into this in advance."

Calm down

Will much of what concerns AI never come true in the future, we want to know from the entrepreneur? Are certain circles and the media simply exaggerating here? "Certain headlines are intended to arouse interest and shake people up", so it's often just about clicks when it comes to artificial intelligence. Some people are also very alarmist. But they are a minority.

"We must not assume that AI can do everything." At the moment, generative AI dominates the scene, which only corresponds to a small part of what actually makes up our jobs and our lives. Artificial intelligence, which generates texts, images, videos and other data, is great. However, a professional local provider does not want subjects from the USA, but needs photographs from the region, which artificial intelligence cannot yet provide. "Just because it's possible to generate photos doesn't mean that everyone will be taking AI pictures in the future."

No "man-machine" comparisons, please!

Artificial intelligence is perhaps hyped so much by people and experts with a more technological understanding. However, AI is "only" about methods based on mathematics and statistics. And according to Diethelm, this is not identical to everyday life. "Our lives are not just about calculations and probabilities."
The "man-machine" comparison is being made more and more often, but AI really only deals with very specific and individual activities. Logically, artificial intelligence can calculate better than humans, "but that doesn't mean that the system is more intelligent".

The algorithm can relieve and support us: "But AI is not a miracle weapon and will not make us obsolete." A chatbot has to be set up by a human and then checked again and again to ensure the quality of the results is right. "Above all, we humans very often have to find solutions that chatbots can't cover," the Aargau native tells Werbewoche.

Man must look to the right

AI is not a system that runs by itself. "It still needs people or high-level expertise from people." The problem is that we currently focus too much on the machine and place it too firmly at the center.

The digital ethics expert describes artificial intelligence as a "means to an end", like a hammer that helps us hammer in a nail. However, even if we all had many practical devices at home today, humans would still have to do the household chores in the end.

Cornelia Diethelm advises that companies should start investing in the education and training of their employees when it comes to AI. A conceptual knowledge of what artificial intelligence is (and what it is not) should already be taught in schools. "If you understand how AI works, you can better judge where the algorithm can perform well and where it can't."

Internal training makes the company more independent. "This reduces the risk of a provider promising you the blue sky." To evaluate AI offerings, you only need a certain amount of basic knowledge. "AI really isn't rocket science!"

"Power Pur" - the forum for the Swiss print and media industry

Digital expert Cornelia Diethelm will on May 23 at the "Power Pur" event will give their presentation. Columnist Kurt Zimmermann, AI pioneer Chris Beyeler, diversity expert Esther-Mirjam de Boer and football referee Urs Meier will also be offering insights at the former NZZ printing plant, the "JED Events" in Schlieren. The overarching theme of the half-day event is "Reshaping Print & Media": specifically, it is about "Today's talents and tomorrow's technologies". The conference will focus on the shortage of skilled workers due to a lack of diversity and the challenges of artificial intelligence.