"What's going on around the world at the moment has been worrying me for some time and inspired me to write my latest song," explains the Swiss artist with German roots. "If the truth is no longer an absolute good, then the door is open to arbitrariness - with consequences for the writing of history, our value system, the education of our children and our legal system."

Media such as Fox News knowingly and deliberately spread untruths and thus deceive millions of people, Bauhoder continued. "Manipulation of the media and elections have fundamental consequences for our society and jeopardize the continued existence of democracy. The internet - once celebrated as a great achievement of mankind - has the potential to bring about the downfall of human civilization."

The music video for the ex-advertiser's song was produced by the audio-visual production department of Zurich agency "Die Antwort".

Lyrics: Bernhard Bauhofer. Composition: Bernhard Bauhofer, Leo Niessner. Production: Leo Niessner, Slade Templeton, Influx Studios. Video direction, editing, AI effects: Andrea Filippo Mossa. Production: The answer.

In the hectic pre-Christmas period, the many Christmas adverts are once again competing for attention and the well-intentioned Christmas cards are piling up in the wastepaper basket. In order to stand out from the crowd, construction machinery dealer Avesco, which is primarily known for the US brand Caterpillar, came up with the concept for a special kind of Christmas campaign.

The Christmas campaign consists of presenting something that has never existed in this form before: probably the biggest Christmas güetzi in Switzerland.

"We want to surprise our customers with something special, put a smile on their faces and attract positive attention - in our industry and beyond. In the recipe video, we show how spectacularly we baked this Güetzi: With the help of our machinery," says Avesco Marketing Manager Philipp Pongracz.

The CEO of Avesco, Marcel Rüfenacht, guides us through the film with a good dose of self-irony as the boss in the baking studio.

Integrated measure: digital and as a Christmas present

The Christmas campaign is designed as an integrated measure: it is played out with the video on social media and the giant 26-centimeter-diameter Güetzi are sometimes presented to customers as a Christmas gift.

In addition to raising awareness among existing and potential customers, other aims of the campaign are to strengthen the emotional bond with the Avesco brand and to convey the tongue-in-cheek message that the company does not take itself too seriously and also implements unusual projects for its customers with courage and boldness.

The idea for the Christmas campaign originated at Avesco, which refined the concept together with the Bern-based video production agency Boff. Avesco's in-house construction machinery mechanics made the special baking utensils, such as a drill whisk, dough kneading attachment for handling excavators and a large excavator cookie cutter.

Responsible at Avesco: Philipp Pongracz (Head of Marketing, Concept/Idea). Responsible at Boff: Yves Farine, Alejandro Ortega (video production).

The debut campaign by Ceres Media and Raclette du Valais AOP aims to convey the message "it's the right cheese that counts, the original". This first advertising campaign incorporates various media into the strategy, including online display ads, social media ads, DOOH at the POS and print in the local media.

The visual implementation of the campaign is in the hands of Tonic Agentur für Form & Inhalt in Brig, which has been responsible for the positioning, marketing and anchoring of the Raclette du Valais AOP brand since 2018.

After four years as editor-in-chief of Radio 1, Dave Burkhart is moving to Swiss radio and television SRF. "Dave Burkhart has done an outstanding job since his appointment. I would like to thank him for that. I wish him every success in his new position", Roger Schawinski, Head of Radio 1, was quoted as saying in a press release.

Dave Burkhart will be succeeded by his former deputy Adrian Sutter. Sutter has been with Radio 1 since June 2015 and was also Head of Sport. "Adrian Sutter knows our store and our commitment to news and background information inside out. I am convinced that he will also do a great job in his new role," continued Schawinski.

Just in time for the cookie season, a new term is sweeping through the industry and scaring agencies and marketing and communications departments alike. Cookieless future. Don't worry, it will still be possible to bake and eat cookies at this time of year. It's not that bad yet. But still bad enough. Why? Because the clock is ticking. After Google's initial announcement in 2020 that it would ban third-party cookies, time has now run out. Once announced, it will be implemented at some point. Alphabet is not doing things by halves and announced in mid-2022 that it will definitely be over next year. And this is causing many marketing and sales experts to either panic or stubbornly refuse to accept the inevitable. They behave like children who have just learned that there will be no more Christmas cookies from now on. At least those that are bought. That's embarrassing, because it's serious now.

No more buying biscuits

You are only allowed to offer what you have baked yourself. And that's a good thing. Because, as we know, convenience food is expensive and unhealthy. This is the same for real biscuits as it is for digital biscuits. It is therefore important to know how the change will affect online advertising and marketing. The problem is that most people don't even know what it was like before, with the tracking of users and collection of analytics data. The terms and conditions, which online users simply click on or off, would explain this if they were to read them. But anyone who has ever tried this realizes that they are no smarter afterwards and from then on simply opts directly for the "Accept all" option that lights up so beautifully and invites them to click.

Terms and conditions are so incomprehensibly worded that neither clients nor agencies really had any idea what they actually meant in legal terms. By contrast, lists of ingredients on convenience food products read like children's fairy tales.

Since the main purpose of cookies is identification, they are largely used for this purpose: to tell websites who their visitors are. But what exactly are cookies? Just like their namesake, biscuits, cookies also come in different flavors. Our own cookies (first-party cookies) and cookies from third parties whose services we use (third-party cookies). These third-party cookies, which are not located on the website we visit, are now abolished. Browsers other than Google Chrome have been blocking third-party cookies for some time, and trackers simply use other methods and technologies that allow them to track users.

So it's not just cookies, which are usually linked to third parties via banners or other functions and reveal our behavior on websites to these mysterious third parties. Like children who secretly steal biscuits, we leave our traces everywhere. And in the form of cookies, which then betray us and are sold again. So it's no wonder that everyone who has made money from them is a little nervous. It's like if we were only allowed to eat homemade biscuits and couldn't buy any more. Healthier, but not as convenient.

* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He has been eavesdropping on the industry for over 30 years, discovering words and terms for us that can either be used for small talk, pomposity, excitement, playing Scrabble, or just because.

Founded in 2010, the agency Zone B has made a name for itself in recent years, particularly in the sports event sector. "We are called upon to develop holistic strategies and concepts for our clients that go far beyond the brainstorming, planning and realization of events. For example, we are responsible for the marketing communication of the Bernese Young Boys and many other clients," explains Beat Wenger, founder and owner of Zone B.

Since the beginning of December 2023, Rolf Loepfe, an expert in brand management, communication and design, has joined the agency's management team. He was most recently head of the communications agency and a member of Stämpfli's Executive Board. He was previously Managing Partner at two branding and communications agencies and an independent communications consultant in Bern. He has extensive experience in branding, brand management, strategic communication and design.

However, the collaboration between Loepfe and Zone B is not new territory: "I was already able to support Zone B in the background on several mandates a few years ago. The collaboration was successful and a lot of fun. I am very pleased that we can build on this basis," says Loepfe. And it's actually also like coming home, as Loepfe had set up his workplace in the Vidmarhallen at Zone B when he was self-employed.

Marcel Trachsel founded Int/ext Communications in December 1993 and, together with the team, has developed the consultancy over the years into a major consultancy firm for reputation management and reputation risk management in Switzerland. Today, numerous clients rely on the strategic advice and services of Int/ext.

Marcel Trachsel reached official retirement age in the summer of 2023. He will therefore sell his shares to the other partners at the end of the year, who will lead Int/ext into the future. Claudia Bracher Wolfensberger will take over as Chairman of the Board of Directors at this time. Marcel Trachsel will remain with Int/ext as Senior Advisor.

"I am very proud that Int/ext is still operating so successfully 30 years after it was founded. I am now passing the baton to experienced people who have been running the company with me for years and enjoy my full confidence. I wish Claudia Bracher, Martin Huschke and Michael Felber and the entire Int/ext team all the best for the future. As Senior Advisor, I look forward to continuing to actively contribute to the success of Int/ext in my new phase of life," Trachsel is quoted as saying in a press release.

The Manifesto "Artificial intelligence only within the framework of the Swiss legal system" formulates clear principles that must be observed by operators and developers of artificial intelligence (AI), the VSM announced on Thursday. Compliance with these principles and Swiss law is crucial for the continued existence of the economic basis of media professionals. In this way, the public's trust in facts, journalism and democracy can be maintained.

The VSM requires AI operators and their applications to respect intellectual property, fairness in the market and competition, transparency regarding the use of content, quality and integrity of content, security and responsibility as well as cooperation between AI operators and the media.

In addition, the VSM Recommendations for how media companies should deal with AI applications in journalistic work to its members, according to the press release. Responsible use, transparency, journalistic control and training are important. (SDA)

In view of the dynamic changes in the media market, the Corriere del Ticino Group has developed new solutions to better serve its business customers. In this context, Francesco Parisi will devote himself exclusively to the media group's special projects in future. He will retain his responsibility for the national and Italian market and serve as a link between the agencies and the clientele.

Parisi, who has worked for the Group for almost 15 years, brings extensive experience in developing this type of project into an important cornerstone of the future business model. In his new role, he will act as an independent consultant in exclusive collaboration with the Group's publishing division.

As of February 2024, Laura Rossinelli will also take on the role of Sales Manager with direct responsibility for the Italian-speaking Swiss market. She will also lead the sales team and be supported by Daniele Longhi as Head of Operations. Both will report directly to Group CEO Alessandro Colombi.

APG|SGA has won the tender put out by the municipality of Lancy for the marketing and management of posters on public land. Financial aspects accounted for around fifty percent of the evaluation criteria. Sustainability, a marketing concept to be drawn up, the organization and various references regarding cooperation with existing partners were also assessed.

The partnership with Lancy comprises a total of 146 advertising spaces throughout the area. The contract was concluded for a period of five years and will begin in January 2025.

A website is a company's digital business card. The web and advertising agency Interpunkt in Suhr has taken this to heart and their web presence completely redesigned in-house with the open source CMS Drupal. The marketing professionals stand for entertaining communication. The new design is intended to convincingly reflect this approach. Managing Director Fabian Koch explains: "The technical redesign and intuitive user guidance of the website offer our visitors a comprehensive overview of our expertise, our values and our innovative strength.

Entertaining 3D animations

The new website presents itself with entertaining 3D animations as well as inspiring video and photo productions. All measures were produced in-house. The elements are intended to give the site an authentic dynamic that can also be felt and experienced in the collaboration with the 7-person team. In addition to an appealing overview of the services, the numerous reference projects in particular provide a good insight into the skills of the communication professionals.

The agency is convinced that the new melody has what it takes to become a catchy tune. The initial musical input came from Spar advertising manager Lillian Steiner. Silverspot audio specialists Remo Civatti, Managing Director, and Nicolas Vonlanthen, Creative Director, built the new melody on this: "It was an exciting task. The result is a fresh and upbeat brand composition to sing along to, a musical masterpiece that we can all be proud of."

Silverspot and Spar were jointly responsible for casting the vocal part. The perfect voice of Silverspot employee Michelle Civatti was chosen for the new Spar brand melody, which will accompany Spar customers in the near future.

This new melody will now be used across the entire Spar Switzerland brand to create an unmistakable acoustic identity. The first step is to incorporate it into the store announcements and the video material produced by Spar.