Over the past few days, Open Air Lumnezia OAL has presented act after act of the open-air festival taking place in July using newly designed communication media. The 38th edition of the festival in the heart of the Grisons mountains is also accompanied by a change of agency: last year, the Grisons and St. Gallen agency Trimarca was already able to realize various implementations. For this year's communication, Trimarca designed and implemented the entire visual identity.

Eye-catching design

Unlike in previous years, the focus was not on an explicit campaign idea, but on creating a world of its own. The new look combines dynamic elements and vibrant colors to create a simple yet eye-catching design.

The artistic key visual was used for the design of the website and is also used on social media and all analog communication measures such as the festival wristband, the volunteers' shirts and the ticket.

Responsible for Open Air Lumnezia: Norbert Cavegn (President), Catia Tschuor (Communications). Responsible at Trimarca: Sarah Gini (consulting), Nicole Derungs (project management), Jani Bernardo (graphic design), Raphaela Mareischen (graphic design), Sandro Fischer (animation).

Migros is once again donating over six million francs to Swiss cultural associations this year. Until April, club vouchers will be distributed with every Migros purchase of CHF 20 or more, which can be allocated to the registered cultural associations. The clubs can use the cash they receive to fulfill a wish.

Wirz has launched an integrated campaign for this purpose (Werbewoche.ch reported). As in last year's edition, Ese Agency was entrusted with the conception and implementation of the social media campaign. In a total of 15 videos in three languages, Switzerland's amateur culture is presented and celebrated in a humorous way.

Comedians leave the stage to the experienced

For example, the two comedians Dani Hutti and Mike Casa can be found in unusual settings for them - dancing in traditional costumes, in a tambourine club or in children's theater. But always close to Swiss culture - with all its facets.

The funny short clips are intended to convey the campaign messages with a wink. Together with emotions and insights into club life. The two of them quickly realize that they won't get very far with faxes - when it comes to dancing, making music or acting.

The content pieces are intended to capture the entire spectrum of cultural creation. They are prepared in a target group-oriented way for a diverse but social media-savvy community: with comedians, street challenges and meme intermezzos.

From the heart of the cultural community

The social media concept focuses on authenticity. In a campaign video, for example, club members who benefited from last year's edition explain themselves how the registration process works. Credible testimonials for culture can be found in all content sections and are intended to create identification potential.

Elia Binelli, founder of Ese Agency, is particularly pleased about this proximity to culture: "Our independence began with a music magazine. That's why we are very passionate about working with Migros a second time to create more visibility for culture." The 27-year-old ran the urban medium for years together with his business partners Emanuel Ernst and Severin Gamper Lyrics Magazine.

Responsible at Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund: Laura Geerts, Melina Schweizer, Joelle Greber, Vanessa Heredia. Responsible at Ese Agency: Elia Binelli (responsible), Elia Binelli, Emanuel Ernst, Damian Steffen, Aline Braun (concept), Moira Meier, Ian Weber, Elia Gagliotta (production).

Around 42 percent of Swiss people read one of the three regional Migros weekly newspapers. The two Migros magazines in particular are perceived as Migros products and are often used to prepare for shopping. The range of content is appreciated, but a clear profile is missed. These and other results of market research served as the starting point for the relaunch.

The outdated basic layout of the Migros magazines has been fundamentally revised and redesigned by the Zurich agency Büro Haeberli. The new look creates space for additional formats, enables a stringent magazine structure and should offer even more reading pleasure. "The newspaper now looks more airy and at the same time has a higher profile and is easier to read," says project manager Sabine Eva Wittwer from Migros Supermarkt MSM, describing the redesigned Migros magazine.

More supermarket and closer to customers

In future, the choice of topics will focus more strongly on the defined main target groups of families and golden agers as well as Migros' core business. "Migros supermarkets and hypermarkets play a central role in the lives of our readers and should also be given more weight in Migros magazine," explains Wittwer. New sections and formats will enliven the five thematic blocks "News", "Advice", "Enjoyment", "My Region" and "Life" and follow the tried-and-tested, long-standing credo of Migros magazines: behind all Migros products, services and offers are people and stories. These will continue to be brought to life for readers in the usual journalistic style.

Responsible for Migros Magazine: Project management: Sabine Eva Wittwer (Head of Producing & Distribution), Dennis Wegener (Project Manager), Bettina Bendiner (Head of Content Marketing). Project team: Franziska Bock (Project Manager Editorial Systems), Steve Gaspoz (Head of Migros Magazine, Member of the Editorial Board), Marlies Seifert (Head of Content Migros Group), Lisa Stutz (Head of Supermarket Content Department), Stephanie von Allmen (Senior PL Strategy & Operations). Responsible for Haeberli office: Nicolas Haeberli (Project Management, Creative Direction), Åsa Froelander (Art Direction, Graphic Design), Jeremy Schorderet (Art Direction, Graphic Design).

Among other things, it reveals that Reddit was able to increase revenue and reduce losses last year.

Reddit allows users to join online groups according to their interests. In the past quarter, the platform had an average of 73.1 million users per day. Around half of these came from the USA. Registered US users spent an average of 25 to 30 minutes per day on Reddit, according to the report.

Many users exclusively on the platform

With a view to the advertising industry, the service emphasizes that many of them are also not found on other online services. Almost a third of US Reddit users are not active on Facebook, 73% are not on Snapchat and 53% are not on Elon Musk's Twitter successor X.

Reddit will also give some particularly active users the opportunity to buy shares in the IPO - which is unusual. Unlike many other investors, there will be no obligation for them to hold their shares for a certain period of time before selling them. In the current version of the IPO prospectus, there was no indication of what proportion of the shares available for sale will go to users.

Share allocation according to activity level

As far as the procedure is concerned, it is known that some users and moderators of Reddit's online groups will be offered the opportunity to participate in the IPO. The shares will then be allocated according to the so-called "karma" rating, which reflects the reputation and activity of users on the platform.

Reddit also noted in the usual risk warnings in the prospectus that user participation could lead to major price fluctuations after the IPO. Users on the platform formed the movement in 2021 that invested in shares of some of the companies questioned by Wall Street, such as the video game retail chain Gamestop, causing share prices to rise.

Reddit increased its turnover last year from 666.7 to 804 million dollars. The loss fell from 158.6 million dollars to 90.8 million dollars. Reddit did not initially provide any information on the targeted valuation or the volume of the share placement. According to information from the financial service Bloomberg, Reddit was recommended a valuation of around five billion dollars. (SDA)

After a long break, Baba Shrimps are back with a new EP, which will be released on March 1st. To celebrate the EP launch, the indie band and agency Brinkertlück Switzerland have come up with something special: on Friday, fans will have the opportunity to order a pizza with Baba Shrimps live via Uber Eats at Con Gusto. With a bit of luck, Baba Shrimps will visit the lucky winners directly at home, deliver the pizza and perform two or three songs from their new EP live.

"Nowadays you have to find new ways to present yourself as a band. This campaign together with Uber Eats gives us the opportunity to do so," explains Adrian, lead singer of Baba Shrimps.

"Linus has already impressed us as a freelancer on various projects. He completely won our hearts with the idea of coloring an entire mountain. It was clear then that we wanted to work with him," says Claudio Catrambone, founder and CCO of Family, on the new appointment. With his heart on his sleeve, his deep connection to Swiss subcultures and his creative punchline thinking, he is already a firmly integrated member of the team.

Linus Konetschnig started his agency career at Jung von Matt Limmat as a Trainee Future Creative Leader and left the agency to gain a different perspective on the tasks of a copywriter on the client side. At the same time, he had a mini-career as German rap artist "Tracksuitdaddy" - with over a million clicks across all channels.

"Rap and copywriting are more similar than you might think. Whether I write lines that my audience celebrates or whether I write lines that the customer celebrates is almost the same in the creative process," says Konetschnig. But as long as Spotify doesn't pay artists properly, rap will remain "just a fun excursion full of irony and exaggerated self-expression for the time being", the copywriter continues. "But who knows - maybe that one customer with the major label deal will come along."

"We didn't expect such a strong recovery," said Thomas Wüthrich, Director of Zurich Tourism, to the media on Thursday. "We are surprised ourselves."

Most tourists staying overnight in the region currently come from Switzerland. Instead of London or Paris, many Swiss travel to the Limmat for a city break. Swiss guests are followed by those from North America, Germany, the UK and Southeast Asia. Zurich is then often the starting point for trips to other regions.

Brit:innen come to ride the train

Americans in particular have a lot of catching up to do, Wüthrich continued. The British, on the other hand, are remarkably happy to travel by train. The Advertising campaign with Roger Federer and Trevor Noahwhich promoted the "Grand Train Tour of Switzerland" in 2023, a combination of all the well-known panoramic routes. This journey also passes through Zurich, where rail travelers often stay overnight.

Those who stay away, however, are the Chinese guests: since the coronavirus pandemic, there have hardly been any groups taking photos in Zurich city center.

Hardly any more Chinese group tours

There are initial signs that the Chinese are coming back to Zurich, but as individual tourists rather than in groups. Zurich Tourism is advertising in the Chinese market, but according to Wüthrich, "with the handbrake on."

Those who also do not return are classic business travelers who stay one or two nights in the Zurich region. This segment has definitely been lost due to the online meetings that have become commonplace. "The only business trips left are for congresses, when you can meet a lot of people in a short space of time."

Figures likely to stagnate

As far as the current year is concerned, Zurich Tourism expects overnight stays to stagnate. "Last year's development is unlikely to be repeated in 2024," said Wüthrich.

Even though Switzerland is still primarily known abroad for its mountains, overnight stays in cities now account for a third of all overnight stays. Zurich accounts for the most overnight stays, followed by Geneva, Basel and Lucerne. (SDA)

At the end of January, the publisher CH Media announced that it was City Gazette Olten at the end of February 2024 for economic reasons, as the city writes. Until now, the Stadtanzeiger - in addition to the website Olten.ch and the notice board - one of the official publication organs of the city of Olten.

The city council has now decided that from March the Anzeiger Thal Gäu Olten The city gazette is to be replaced as the official publication organ and the city's communication concept adapted accordingly.

It is said that this is a continuation of a proven collaboration. Even during the Corona period, when the City Gazette was published only every two weeks for economic reasons, construction publications and other urgent notices were published in the Anzeiger Thal Gäu Olten has been published.

Not everyone has digital access

In the run-up to the decision, the question arose as to whether a print publication should be dispensed with. The city writes that the fact that not all residents have access to digital services speaks against this. In addition, the government council decided in 2021 that simply posting a document on the municipal website was not sufficient for official publication.

Publication is an "obligation to provide" and the "passive provision" of a document does not meet the requirements. According to the government council, no one can be expected to check a website every day to see whether there is any notification that could trigger an appeal deadline. (SDA)

According to the press release, the new Managing Director will focus on the strategic development of the company and wants to continue the successful course it has been on to date. Ruoss knows the Swiss market and brings with her marketing and sales experience from various management positions - for example at Mars, Upfield and the baked goods manufacturer Aryzta.

According to the press release, her predecessor was at the helm of Ricola Switzerland for over twelve years. He was thanked for his "great contribution to the successful development of Ricola Schweiz AG", Thomas Meier, CEO of the entire Ricola Group, was quoted as saying. (SDA)

Based on a thorough analysis of the existing websites and the development of a future-proof information architecture and contemporary web design, Nueva won the pitch for a redesigned digital presence for the KliK Foundation back in 2020. Since then, Nueva has developed a comprehensive news platform, a large number of country pages in various languages and a scrollytelling page for a new journal, including the presentation of the annual report. The highlight of the collaboration was the new concept, design and implementation of the foundation's entire digital presence.

According to Nueva, the biggest challenge of the project was to rethink the structure of the website. Dozens of different pages, sub-pages and landing pages - from overview pages about country activities from Peru to Georgia as well as the numerous service areas such as hydrogen trucks or mobile pellet heating systems in Germany - were placed in an overarching context and linked together in a meaningful way.

Optimized and automated in the brand new headless CMS

Most of the pages were revised by the KliK Foundation and translated into various languages before being automatically transferred to the brand new headless CMS Storyblok. In addition, all existing news articles, including images, were transferred from the old system to the new one using a specially developed content importer. This saved numerous hours of work and tedious manual input. The pages indexed over the years were carefully redirected to the new location to ensure the foundation's good search engine ranking.

Mega flyout navigation for a better overview

The heart of the new website is a navigation that reflects the page structure and provides users with a clear overview of the content. Area colors were used to help users find their way around. The individual program pages have been standardized so that the information is always presented in the same look and structure. This should not only make it easier to add new programs and country pages in the future, but also to find information. The numerous existing landing pages for countries and service areas have been seamlessly integrated into the new website.

Comprehensive element construction kit for all cases

Various new content elements were developed and added to ensure that the website meets the high requirements. These include various teasers, image galleries, PDF readers, a contact form with various settings options and a clearly laid out download hub. With the intuitive user interface of the Storyblok CMS, content such as text, images or videos can be easily edited, updated and timed by the customer.

Finally, the existing contribution calculators, which enable the direct and simple calculation of a subsidy contribution online, were made clearer and more intuitive and connected directly via API. Technically, the project was implemented using the powerful Vue 3 framework Nuxt 3. This is designed to enable maximum performance, SEO integration and scalability through server-side rendering.

Responsible at the KliK Foundation: Dr. Marco Berg (Managing Director), Yannick Michaelsen (Head of Domestic Communications), Andrea Reiter (Director International Communications). Responsible at Nueva: Remo Brunner (Managing Partner), Nicole Tobler (Project Manager), Yuki Tschopp, Jonas Hermann, Alexander Cox (UX & Design) Jonas Müller (Head of Technology) Luca Margadant, Philip Koch, Taisiia Efremova (Frontend Developer).

Targeting advertising measures to specific customer segments is becoming increasingly difficult, especially in view of the imminent abolition of cookies. Mercedes-Benz Switzerland has acted proactively and uses first-party data from the third-party provider Matto-Group to be able to reach the target group without cookies. Initiated by Patrick Bossart, Head of Marketing & Communications at Mercedes-Benz Switzerland, Nannette Passberg, Chief Client Officer at OMG, and Matto-Group as a partner for first-party data, the first test campaign was rolled out to Swiss publishers in November and December.

Data matching for the target groups

The campaign was designed to prove that first-party data, specifically socio-demographic data from Matto Group, in conjunction with Swiss publishers brings at least as many users to the site as the intent cookie data that will no longer be available in the future. To this end, the publishers' email addresses were matched with first-party data from Matto Group to create contact classes without cookies and optimize reach.

The campaign had one main goal: to prove that the use of first-party data from Matto-Group brings valuable clicks to the site that perform at least as well as intent data.

Convincing result

The results of the campaign impressed all participating partners: with 33% fewer impressions, the campaign with Matto-Group data led to 19% more on-site engagements, 10% more users and 5% more visits than the campaign with intent data. "The results speak for themselves: the test campaign impressively demonstrated that it is possible to minimize wastage even without cookies," says Bossart. Matthias Thomann from Matto Group emphasizes the strategic importance of the new targeting: "The use of our first-party data not only offers an attractive alternative to cookie-intent data, we have shown with Mercedes-Benz that the ROI of a campaign with our first-party data is significantly higher. Our customers benefit from a significantly higher advertising impact per advertising franc."

Based on official documents, Swiss media professionals produced more stories in 2023 than ever before, showing how Migros put pressure on the price watchdog or how an investigation into leaks in the Federal Council violated the personal rights of thousands of people. The best transparency story of 2023 was chosen by a Expert jury a series of articles by Simon Marti in the "NZZ am Sonntag" on China sanctions.

From spring 2021, the Federal Council wrestled with the delicate question of whether it should support EU sanctions against China for human rights violations against Uyghurs. For months, the government had a coordination group clarify the legal aspects, opportunities and risks of such a decision.

Mechanisms of decision-making disclosed

After several consultations, the Federal Council rejected measures against Chinese officials or companies. This contradicted the Confederation's official China strategy, which places a strong emphasis on human rights. The Federal Council did not communicate its decision to the public. This would undoubtedly have caused a stir and attracted criticism.

On the concealed process in the government demanded NZZ-on-Sunday-journalist Simon Marti obtained documents from the administration and fought for access, which was initially denied, in an arbitration procedure. "This type of research makes it possible to efficiently decipher the mechanisms of a very political decision-making process," says Nicole Lamon, member of the expert jury.

Regional prize goes to Léman Bleu

The Prix Transparence Regio, which honors research in regional and local journalism, goes this year to Jérémy Seydoux from "Léman Bleu". He investigated the question of whether Fabienne Fischer, then a member of Geneva's Green Party State Council, had misused state funds for her election campaign.

A Geneva cantonal councillor had received numerous documents and emails under the cantonal publicity law that pointed to discrepancies in the election campaign of the Green Party state councillor. The journalistic analysis by Jérémy Seydoux showed that offensive communication activities had indeed taken place by two of the State Councillor's employees. This may have exceeded their regular duties and served their personal interests rather than the department.

Öffentlichkeitsgesetz.ch awards the national Prix Transparence for the sixth time. The award is presented to media professionals who apply a publicity law in a targeted and effective manner.

• In 2022, the journalist Yves Demuth was honored by the Beobachter. He persistently demanded facts about interned young women from the administration.
• In 2021, journalist Adrienne Fichter was honored by Republik. Using official documents, she reconstructed internal federal discussions about the privatization of electronic identity. 
• In 2020, journalists Jan Jirát, Kaspar Surber and Lorenz Naegeli were honored by the Woz. For five years, they fought for data that provided a deep insight into the Swiss arms business.
• In 2019, Nina Blaser and Anielle Peterhans from the "Rundschau" were honored. They brought the facts about the price negotiations for a cancer drug to the table.
• Philippe Boeglin was honored by La Liberté in 2018. He used the Publicity Act to expose the army's excessive spending.