Since January 2023, Christian Holzer, Imelda Ruffieux, Fahrettin Calislar and Sarah Polson-Neuhaus have formed the editorial management team of the Freiburg News. According to a press release, the distribution of tasks among four people has proven its worth in day-to-day editorial work.

Now there is a change. The previous Head of Digital, Christian Holzer, wants to change career direction and is leaving the company at the end of June. Sarah Polson-Neuhaus, previously responsible for video and storytelling, will take over as Head of Digital from July. Fahrettin Calislar (Production) and Imelda Ruffieux (Themes) will retain their current areas of responsibility.

The Board of Directors is also planning to strengthen the editorial management team. The journalistic management is intended to increase the journalistic perception and relevance of the Freiburg News and its publications will be further strengthened, it continues. The position will be advertised shortly and should be filled in the second half of the year. By strengthening the management positions in the editorial department, the Board of Directors wants to ensure that the launch of the new digital platform is successfully implemented and that the cooperation project with RadioFr and Frapp develops successfully in the future.

Itziar Marañón will then take over the management alone. Maraõn has been Co-Managing Director of Camapax since 2022. Previously, the trained journalist was deputy head of the City of Bern's Office for Migration and Racism Issues.

According to the press release, Marañón said that Campax had established itself as an important player in Switzerland's political and social landscape under Freimüller with few resources and a great deal of passion and would continue to consolidate this position. Freimüller intends to concentrate on building a software company for campaign technology in the future.

Campax claims to be the largest Swiss citizens' movement and was founded in 2017. (SDA)

SRF is constantly monitoring which social media platforms the Swiss-German population is using and how users interact with and consume SRF content. This was announced on Thursday by a media spokesperson for SRG, to which SRF belongs.

In general, SRG's aim is to use the available resources efficiently. The "SRF 2024" corporate strategy also envisages SRF concentrating on its own digital platforms, such as the SRF News app, and strengthening their content.

SRF plans to operate two more X-channels beyond mid-May: Those of SRF News and the corporate channel "SRF". This is in order to continue communicating the most important topics and corporate communications via X. According to SRG, SRF News operates the channel with the widest reach of all SRF channels on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter.

In contrast, the SRF regional journals and SRF Meteo said goodbye to their followers one by one in posts on X on Thursday. The SRF meteorologists want to remain active on Instagram and Threads, another short message service. (SDA/swi)

In the third edition of the Junior Agency Awards, the first inter-university competition for marketing communication, which was launched in spring, students work in teams to develop a multi-year marketing concept for the Art Museums of Switzerland. They receive expert support from coaches from the LSA agencies. After an internal university preliminary round at the end of May, the winning teams will compete against each other on June 10, 2023 with their designs in front of the now-known expert jury. The evening will be hosted by Danijel Sljivo.

Eight-member jury

In addition to the client André Hefti, CMO of Switzerland Tourism, this year's jury once again includes representatives of LSA member agencies: Wirz Co-CEO Petra Dreyfus, Essence Mediacom CEO Florence Siebert, Julius Jäger, Executive Strategy Director at Jung von Matt Brand Identity, and Farner ECD Fabian Bertschinger.

The jury will receive additional expertise from the reigning "Advertiser of the Year" Andrea Bison, Co-CEO, CCO and Partner at Thjnk, Goldbach CEO Michi Frank and Mirco Hecker, Brand Partnerships Lead Switzerland at TikTok.

In the current press freedom ranking, Switzerland is in ninth place, three places higher than last year. However, this does not represent any progress, writes RSF in a press release. The score, which is based on the results of five indicators*, has not risen compared to the previous year, but rather fallen - 84.01 points compared to 84.4 last year. Switzerland's improved ranking therefore only reflects the decline of three other countries that were ahead of Switzerland in the previous year, namely Lithuania, East Timor and Liechtenstein.

In the area of "Legal framework", Switzerland is only ranked 27th, well below the result for the other indicators. In this context, RSF refers to the problem of applying the criminal provisions of the Federal Banking Act to media professionals, which has still not been resolved. On the contrary: in December 2023, the Council of States voted in favor of a postulate entitled "Handling the further use of illegally acquired data". If the postulate were to be implemented by the government, this would represent a further worrying step backwards, RSF writes further.

RSF Switzerland also notes that the principle of public access, which establishes the right of private individuals to access documents held by the administration, continues to be the subject of various circumvention strategies. This is particularly the case with environmental issues. The organization has addressed this aspect in a Dossier described in detail. It expects that the "National Action Plan for the Safety of Media Professionals in Switzerland", which was launched by Federal Councillor Albert Rösti exactly one year ago, on May 3, 2023, will bring measurable progress.

Switzerland performs "fairly well" in the "socio-cultural context" indicator, which measures in particular disparagement and attacks on media and media professionals based on gender, class, ethnic origin or religion. However, the score is declining and Switzerland has fallen from fourth to eleventh place in this indicator. In this context, RSF Switzerland refers to the precedent set by far-right ideologue Alain Soral in 2023 and expects the judicial authorities to be unyielding when media professionals are the subject of hateful and discriminatory statements.

The development in the "Security" area is positive - Switzerland was able to gain points slightly here. In previous years, verbal and even physical attacks on members of the media, particularly at demonstrations by "opponents of the measures", had led to a lower ranking.

*The five indicators on which the results are based are "Political context", "Economic context", "Legal framework", "Socio-cultural context" and "Security".

In April, the renowned creative competition in New York announced this year's winning projects. This year, TBWA\Zurich was the only Swiss agency to secure precious metal. With "Cutcakes", Terre des Femmes 2023 ran a moving campaign to raise awareness of the issue of female genital mutilation, which in many places is part of the rite of passage from girl to woman and the consequences of which women usually suffer for the rest of their lives (Werbewoche.ch reported). With the vulva cakes, TBWA\Zürich wanted to symbolically demonstrate that not every ritual is a celebration.

The work for Terre des Femmes was awarded gold in the "Creative Use of Data" category in April and silver in the "Integrated" category. Ruf Lanz was the only other Swiss agency to be nominated in two categories. However, Welti-Furrer Fine Art Transport's "When art has to travel" campaign was shortlisted twice in the "Print" and "Art Direction" categories.

On Wednesday evening, TBWA\Zurich had another reason to celebrate: the team responsible, led by Manuel Wenzel, was able to swap its golden prize for a "Grand Clio" at the Clio Award Night at Gotham Hall in New York City; the jury therefore went one better for the "Cutcakes" campaign. With m&k advertisingweek.ch the Chief Creative Officer talks about the campaign that brought TBWA\Zurich its first Grand Clio, as well as the award scene.

Cutcakes" addresses the relevant but also sensitive topic of genital mutilation. What was the feedback on the campaign?

Manuel Wenzel: In fact, and somewhat surprisingly for me, the work was polarizing. And that despite the actual basic idea of somehow making the undeniable madness surrounding the topic of genital mutilation presentable. But we also wanted to present it in such a way that it would trigger something. The comments ranged from "applause" to "repulsive". In my view, however, the only thing that is truly repulsive is the fact that 200 million women and girls worldwide are directly affected.

What are the limitations of a campaign for such a sensitive topic?

There are no limitations in the conventional sense, but of course we were a little nervous about whether Instagram would let it through its filter or whether it would be censored or blocked due to offensive content. It was also important to us to focus more on presenting the facts about the women and girls affected than on the perpetrators.

Now TBWA\Zurich has won gold, silver and even a Grand Clio for "Cutcakes" - according to our information, the first Grand Clio ever for Switzerland, congratulations! Was there already a premonition that the campaign - despite polarized feedback - would convince the jury?

Let's just say we had high hopes, otherwise we wouldn't have submitted the project. You always make this assessment beforehand, not least for budgetary reasons. But awards are also always a bit of a lottery. One and the same work may win a shortlist or even nothing in one competition and then suddenly win silver or more in the next. Sometimes all it takes is one person on the jury to mumble a bit and the others are already unsettled - depending on the "industry significance" of the person mumbling, of course. And if you want, you can find something to talk down almost every piece of work. Of course, the principle also works the other way round.

How did "Terre des Femmes" react to winning the award?

The people at Terre des Femmes were extremely happy. They are a lot of fun to work with because they show their sense and enthusiasm for good creation even during presentations. So it's no wonder that they regularly win awards with their campaigns.

You were already in 2021 yourself represented on the film jury of the Clio Awards and know the processes. With this in mind, what significance does this gain have for you personally?

When you realize how high the quality of the work submitted to international shows generally is, the two awards naturally mean a bit more to us. The Clio Silver and Gold were already very, very cool, but when the Grand Clio became the highest award, it was very special. It wasn't one of the best, but the best work in the "Creative Use of Data" category - at least according to the Clio judges. (smiles)

On Wednesday's award night, you received your Grand Clio in New York City. How is this success being celebrated?

Because it is such a special award, we decided that I would fly there with the team that came up with the idea. That means I'll be toasting with Katharina, Sarah and Dom somewhere in New York. No more will be revealed.

In your opinion, how has the award hype changed since you started working in the creative industry?

From my point of view, practically nothing has changed for creatives, or rather the emotional significance for creatives. People are still extremely happy about awards and are - rightly - proud when things work out. In general, it's become a bit of category overkill. Sure, there are a few more disciplines, or rather sub-disciplines, but in Cannes, for example, there are around 100 pages full of categories that you could enter - and the clever copywriters there also formulate things in such a way that you can get the feeling that your work is just right for many categories. The reason is also clear: you earn a lot of money with it. Overall, a few fewer shows would increase the value of the remaining shows and their prices even more.

What does TBWA\Zurich think about awards in general and award campaigns?

Our philosophy is to submit the so-called day-to-day business and a relatively large amount of it. We try to be so good at practically every briefing that it could theoretically be good enough for an award. And we are absolutely aware that some of these works only have a chance of being shortlisted/bronze. But that has always worked out well in recent years. In 2022, we won with ten different works for seven different clients in 28 categories. 2023 with twelve works in 14 categories and for six clients. We are proud of this because it shows the breadth of what we can create for our paying clients. And yes: I explicitly include (international) shortlist or bronze placings in this, because you don't get them for free either. We think that's almost more important than winning silver or more with one or two works - although the latter is of course more worthwhile in the creative ranking (laughs). Maybe we can do both this year.

What other awards are you hoping for this year? And with which campaigns?

Of course, we hope to win a few more prizes with "Cutcakes". But also the Chicken McNuggets of Love I think it's very strong and award-worthy work. Apart from that, as always - and as previously described - we submit a lot of work from our day-to-day business. Our Anniversary campaign for the Ronald McDonald Children's Foundation I really like, for example. But also our Malbuner films and the Campaign for Davos Klosters we are happy to submit.

After the Launch of the new brand identity designed by Dachcomwhich characterizes the communication of all locations, follows with the launch of the new platform Ksa.ch another milestone in the comprehensive branding project for the KSA Group.

The intuitive "all-device" platform is designed to reach all stakeholder groups directly and provide them with the relevant information. The world of the KSA Group is bundled and brought to life on hundreds of pages, taking all brand elements into account.

The Pimcore-based platform connects all information such as departments, employees, offers and services. News, events and FAQs are also linked to each other and to the target groups. By implementing this matrix taxonomy concept, the content is always output according to target group, but also according to specialist areas or other topics. The centralized data management is also easy to handle for the editors of the KSA Group.

The new platform not only aims to impress with a sophisticated navigation concept, but also to fulfill the KSA Group's brand promise "There for everyone. Close to everyone" by focusing on the user experience throughout the entire visit.

Responsible at the KSA Group: Julien Buro (Head of Marketing and Communication); Marcel Beyeler (Digital Marketing Project Manager), Serena del Deo (Digital Communication Specialist). Responsible agency: Dachcom Digital / Dachcom Winterthur.

More than 60 invited guests celebrated the kick-off of the Romandie chapter at Palexpo at the end of March. Celebrationpoint project manager Julien Babel is delighted with the response: "We've been working towards this for several months, with lots of positive feedback. The need for networking across the Röstigraben is definitely there: companies from French-speaking Switzerland are interested in the MICE sector in German-speaking Switzerland - and vice versa. We can now officially open the bridge and offer a hand for successful event and marketing inquiries!".

Born in Geneva, Babel has lived in Zurich with his family for seven years and has only been part of the Celebrationpoint team for six months. He is also very well connected in the Swiss event and marketing industry: "It's really important to be present in both language and economic areas, as personally and as simply as possible," continues the 40-year-old. Celebrationpoint aims to advise, plan and implement meetings, incentives, conferences and events throughout Switzerland, without language barriers and with the best contacts.

The collaboration between Celebrationpoint and the host location Palexpo was reportedly very professional. Claude Membrez, General Manager of Palexpo, presented his vision, the expansion plans and possibilities of the congress center and gave a tour of the new modern rooms. "With combined forces, visionary organizers and innovative formats, new trade fairs and events must be brought to life in order to fill the hotels and rooms and create added value for the region. As Palexpo, we offer our hand in this," said Membrez.

Celebrationpoint founder Ewa Ming adds: "Such projects are only possible together. That's why a vibrant network and strong, courageous partners are so important. To develop new formats and to take on a pioneering role in the business event industry."

Both MICE buyers and suppliers can join the Celebrationpoint community. For members, there is specific business networking, inspiration, edutainment, offers and exclusive events. For the launch, Julien Babel special offers launched for Suisse Romandie.

CH Media launches the job portal on Labor Day "Jobzüri.ch"which focuses on the needs of the Zurich working world. The new platform joins the network of regional CH-Media job portals, consisting of Ostjob.ch, Zentraljob.ch, Jobbasel.ch, Jobbern.ch and Jobmittelland.ch.

Targeted addressing of needs

"Regional SMEs are primarily looking for local employees, while jobseekers are often on the lookout for job opportunities in their area. Our regional job portals specifically address these needs and offer an attractive alternative to national platforms", Henrik Jasek, Head of Classifieds at CH Media, is quoted as saying in a press release. This commitment will now be extended to the Zurich region.

Intuitive and uncomplicated application

Jobzüri.ch offers job seekers an extensive range of jobs and intelligent search functions, according to the press release. The platform is designed to be user-friendly for both desktop and mobile. Interested parties can apply for advertised positions directly on the job platform in an intuitive and uncomplicated way. Among other things, push messages can be activated and application documents can be uploaded and sent.

More reach for advertisers

In addition to traditional online job advertisements, companies looking for suitable candidates receive a wide range of additional offers that guarantee more reach and attention for their job vacancies. Job teaser formats in CH Media's daily newspapers, news portals and radio stations can also reach passive job seekers. In addition, companies benefit from efficient employer branding with high visibility in their region.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) said that her authority had created means to protect European citizens from targeted disinformation and manipulation by third countries. "If we suspect a breach of the rules, we act. This applies at all times, but especially in times of democratic elections," said the former German defense minister.

The alleged infringements include the fact that Meta is not sufficiently combating the spread of misleading advertising and disinformation campaigns in the EU. Furthermore, the Commission suspects that users' options for complaining about content on the platforms, for example, do not meet the requirements of European law. Furthermore, Meta does not grant researchers sufficient access to data.

According to a new EU law, platforms such as Facebook, X, Google and many others will have to take faster and stricter action against illegal content such as hate speech and hate speech online in future. Otherwise they could face hefty fines. The Digital Services Act is also intended to make it easier for users to report illegal content. In principle, large services such as Facebook and Instagram have to follow more rules than small ones.

The Commission emphasizes that the initiation of proceedings is merely an examination of a suspicion and that the authority's preliminary assessment does not yet represent a final result. The Commission will continue to gather evidence, for example through interviews. In addition, the EU Commission could theoretically accept concessions from Meta.

In October, EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton had already warned Facebook about too much manipulated content on the platform in connection with elections. Breton wrote that he wanted to be informed immediately of the details of the measures Facebook had taken to curb falsification, also with regard to upcoming elections in the EU.

The European Parliament will be newly elected in the summer. Green MEP Tobias Bacherle welcomed the Commission's approach. "The responsibility of the large platforms as our digital debate space is immense in the super election year," he said. These spaces for exchange must be well moderated.

Many in the EU assume that Russia is trying to influence the elections. Belgium recently made it public that intelligence information showed that there were attempts to have as many pro-Russian MEPs as possible elected to the European Parliament. Last week, the Belgian EU Council Presidency triggered the international community's crisis response mechanism (IPCR), which is intended to facilitate a closer exchange of information on ongoing measures against Russian influence.

Proceedings are already underway against the online platform Tiktok and the short messaging service X (formerly Twitter). Tiktok is being investigated as to whether the Chinese company is endangering the mental health of minors with its app version Tiktok Lite (Werbewoche.ch reported). X was sent a list of questions following indications of illegal and misleading contributions to the attack on Israel by the Islamist Hamas, which the company had probably not answered to the satisfaction of the EU Commission. Proceedings were initiated against X in mid-December. (SDA/swi)

Shoppyland Schönbühl has been advertising with the "Shoppy" duck for many years. Now, for the first time, it also adorns a train combination on the RBS S8 line between Bern and Bätterkinden, showing potential customers the quickest way to the shopping center. The train, designed by Komet and named the "Shoppy Express", is the first branded train combination to run on the RBS network for a long time.

Normally in orange, the strikingly colorful "Shoppy Express" is designed to attract attention in train stations, at stops and along the entire route of the S8 - in other words, where the majority of Shoppyland customers live and work. At the same time, the "Shoppy" duck, which is emblazoned several times on the "Shoppy Express" as a larger-than-life and friendly waving conductor, also deliberately appeals to children and thus the socio-demographic core target group of families.

Responsible at GMA Shoppyland: Martin Welti (Head of Markom Shopping Malls), Caroline Häuselmann (Deputy Head of Markom Shopping Malls). Responsible at Komet: Jeff Gerber (CD), Daniel Müller (Text), Claudio Parente (AD), Cyril Sollberger (Graphics), Dominik Keller (DTP), Corinne Hert (Client Service Director), Claudia Shatri (Senior Consultant). Photo: Thilo Larsson Photography. Event Marketing: Emotion.company.

Nathalie Lüthi has extensive experience in the areas of marketing and communication with points of contact to the topics of sustainability and sales, writes ZFV in a press release.

Most recently, she was Head of Marketing and a member of the Executive Board at Zürich Tourism. Prior to that, she held a similar position at Red Bull Switzerland, where she was responsible for positioning the brand in Switzerland. She holds a federal diploma in marketing planning and has completed various advanced training courses in the fields of strategic communication management, management and leadership, as well as organizational consulting and development.