An alliance between the association Medien mit Zukunft VMZ, the We.Publish network and media experts Stephanie Grubenmann and Konrad Weber will launch a new exchange format at the beginning of 2024 with the support of the Mercator Foundation Switzerland. At regular intervals, large groups will discuss what is currently on the minds of publishers and editorial teams: Finding a way out of the crisis.

According to the joint press release, this is sorely needed. After all, the Swiss media have been in financial difficulties for some time. Advertising revenues are collapsing, willingness to pay is falling and user behavior is changing. In the Mercator-commissioned study "Explorative Analysis: Support for Swiss Local Journalism" from 2022, Grubenmann and Weber found that there is too little exchange among small, independent publishers in Swiss local journalism. They mainly operate within existing communities, which means that too little knowledge flows across media genre boundaries. This is where the series of events comes in and promotes cooperation within the industry. The aim is to "help people to help themselves".

The aim is to exchange best practices and further develop and adapt them to the respective context of media operations. Lectures, workshops and panels are planned - remotely and on site. The central idea is that not only invited experts will give lectures, but that publishers and editorial teams will be able to talk to each other about a wide range of topics and benefit from each other's knowledge. This could be: Which financing strategies work? How can more subscribers be acquired? What to do in the event of a SLAPP lawsuit? Does the industry need a CLA? How do you create a good foundation application?

The target group for this series of events are publishers and editors of small, independent media. In these companies, journalistic work, publishing tasks and marketing often coincide and are handled by small teams. We want to discuss exactly what the format should look like and what will be covered - at an open kick-off event on January 22, 2024. Together we want to discuss what is urgent, where there is a need for action, which experts should share their knowledge and what could help the media in this time of crisis.

"Of course, not all of the industry's problems will suddenly disappear into thin air, but we want to offer an initial approach to cooperation," explains Camille Roseau, Co-President of the VMZ. "We can't expect much help for the small media from politicians in the foreseeable future. However, the media we are addressing are too relevant to democracy to be left to their possibly sad individual fate. We are not only addressing our 30 members, but also have an open door for all other small Swiss media."

Media expert Stephanie Grubenmann adds: "Our study has shown that the experiences that independent publishers have in local journalism remain in the silos of the respective profiles. The exchange format is intended to remedy this: Knowledge should flow more easily across profile boundaries. This idea is groundbreaking: there has never been a similar exchange format in Switzerland before."

Nina Graf, member of We.Publish's management board, also sees exchange as the key: "The work of the We.Publish network to date has shown that collaboration is of great benefit to the industry. A rethink is now urgently needed. Our infrastructure with monthly remote meetings, where media professionals can share knowledge and benefit from expert knowledge, offers a valuable starting point for the new exchange format."

Anyone interested in taking part in the kick-off workshop on January 22, 2024 in Bern can register via leave your contact details using this form.

51-year-old Andrea Rytz took over as CEO of Schulthess Klinik in Zurich in 2016. During her eight years in office, she has trimmed the business for efficiency without damaging the internal climate. On the contrary. She learned the ropes as Director of Hirslanden Klinik Belair in Schaffhausen. She gained her theoretical knowledge with a Master of Advanced Studies in Health Service Management and an Executive Master in Business Administration at the University of Applied Sciences St. Gallen.

Outside of Schulthess Klinik, Andrea Rytz is a member of the Board of Directors of Künzli SwissSchuh and Suvretta-Haus in St. Moritz, as well as a member of the Hospital Board of Iintegrierte Psychiatrie Winterthur IPW. She is President of the Lengg area cluster and, since this year, has been a member of the "Organization of the Working World Health Zurich" association, where she is also President. There are many reasons why Andrea Rytz truly deserves the title of Woman of the Year. Women in Business.

"I am inspired by optimizing - myself, everyday life, processes, a company. The Woman of the Year award is for me as a person, but it belongs to my whole team," says Andrea Rytz, CEO Schulthess Klinik. "I would never be where I am on my own. Success requires support. Always."

"Andrea Rytz is an inspiring role model with her vision and her determination to tackle major challenges and apply herself with her positive energy," says Brigitte Selden, Editor-in-Chief of Women in Business. "With her commitment and her success, she is representative of all the other top performers in Switzerland."

The days are short and dark. Christmas is coming soon. There's a lot going on. Time to pause for a moment and gather energy for the new year. The Zurich agency Marty-Trezzini sees this as the perfect time to introduce the young yoga studio "Studio Y3" to Zurich residents.

With an activating campaign, passers-by should see how they will feel when they visit Studio Y3: You should not only be able to switch off in the studio, but now also on the go. This is ensured by playful social ads and posters at streetcar stops that lead to three guided meditations. In just three minutes, commuters can find new focus, peace or energy with the on-the-go meditations. No matter where they are.

The poster subjects form the heart of the campaign and were carefully color-psychologically matched to the desired effect of the meditations in advance: Blue has a calming effect, green provides the necessary focus and orange is intended to give new energy. One scan is enough to briefly forget the hectic pace of everyday life.

The posters have been on display across the city of Zurich since last week. Targeted social media ads will follow in the coming week.

Responsible at Studio Y3: Cecilia Vedder (owner). Responsible at Marty- Trezzini: Alix Gerber (creative direction/consulting), Francesca Kleinstück (concept/text), Emil Maeder (graphics/motion design).

In Andreas Häuptli, a person who knows the media scene very well is coming to the helm of SRG Deutschschweiz, according to a press release issued on Tuesday. He was Managing Director of the Swiss Media Association VSM until spring 2021 (Werbewoche.ch reported). Now he will represent the media landscape from a different perspective: "I am a staunch advocate of the public service and stand unreservedly for independent media; they are the foundation of our democracy," emphasized Häuptli in the Regional Council, the electoral body of the Swiss-German regional association.

From his current position as Managing Director of TCS Zurich, the largest section in Switzerland, he is familiar with a comparable, multi-level association landscape to that which he encounters at SRG. After his apprenticeship as a typesetter at the then Aargauer Tagblatt his career increasingly developed in the direction of marketing and digitalization. While working, he completed a corresponding MAS and took a seat on the management board of the NZZ before moving to the VSM publishers' association. He has led TCS Zurich since 2021, but his interest in the media never left him, and the opportunity to contribute to the development of SRG prompted him to apply for the presidency.

In his new role, Andreas Häuptli will also chair SRG Deutschschweiz, the largest regional company of SRG SSR. It is divided into six regional member associations with a total of 16,000 members. Ex officio, the association president also sits on the nine-member Board of Directors of SRG SSR.

Häuptli succeeds Andreas Schefer, who has to relinquish the chairmanship due to the statutory term limit. Schefer is delighted with the outcome of the succession process, which was first initiated with a public tender: "In Andreas Häuptli, a proven expert on the Swiss media landscape is taking over the leadership of SRG.D, and I am convinced that he is ideally suited to the challenging tasks ahead."

Audience Council: Peter Spring succeeds Martin Peier

At its meeting in mid-November 2023, the Public Council elected its former Vice Chairman Peter Spring from Widen AG as Chairman of the Public Council from January 2024. The election became necessary after Martin Peier stepped down from his position as Chairman at the end of 2023 and will also leave the Council. In view of the new concept for the Audience Council from January 2025, Peter Spring will be responsible for shaping a transitional year with the Audience Council, which will also pose particular challenges in terms of monitoring current SRF programs against the backdrop of media policy upheavals. (pd/swi)

In a highly competitive market, not only do you need the right brand positioning and an unmistakable brand identity, but also the right communication, according to a press release from the agency. Therefore FoodNow ordered the "Foundry Brand Menu" from Foundry.

Together, the new brand house was sharpened and refined with a few ingredients. Based on a holistic brand identity, strategy and positioning workshop, a hyperlocal campaign was developed in addition to the brand identity: Eye-catching and with a simple look for the visuals in the brand color as well as headlines designed to whet the appetite, FoodNow invites hungry people from Bern to Thun, Suhr, Solothurn, Olten, Wabern and many other towns in the Migros Aare area to order from the restaurant.

The first step is the targeted use of media in FoodNow's delivery areas, with posters, digital OOHs and creative displays on social networks:

FoodNow connects your favorite local restaurants with their neighborhoods, especially in smaller regions and towns that are otherwise overlooked by the international competition in the food delivery business.

How Switzerland orders food - now.

The headline from the campaign sums up exactly this attitude and FoodNow's vision for the future. And it assures that Foodnow works on an equal footing with customers, suppliers and restaurants.

Responsible at FoodNowFabienne Bickel (Head of Growth Marketing), Fabian Kuenzli (CEO). Responsible at FoundryFieke Clinckemalie, Ruben Mata Lopez (Design & Art Direction), Maximilian Lange-Brandenburg, Leon Marenbach (Copywriter), Arseniy Sahalchyk (Motiondesign), Gregor Wollenweber, (Production), Elena Frischknecht (Account-&Project-Manager), Susann Boutry-Kompa (Account Director), Michael Rottmann (Creative Direction), Sacha Moser (Lead Creative Direction).

He wants to take advantage of the fact that the Scoreboard is no longer the official publication for most municipalities in the region. The newspaper should establish itself as an information medium for the region.

A six-person editorial team with 300 full-time equivalents will ensure this. It will be headed by Fabian Christl, whose team will "report as comprehensively as possible from the region with a constructive and critical eye, highlight different views and promote discourse", as stated in the press release.

"We focus on the relevance of the content, not on the assumed or measured interest of the readership," Christof Ramseier, owner and CEO of Scribentes Media, is quoted as saying in the press release. This is also intended to counteract the shrinking diversity of media.

50,000 free copies

In the city of Bern and selected agglomeration municipalities, the Anzeiger will be distributed to all letterboxes without stop stickers. Around 50,000 copies will be delivered free of charge. The Bern Region Scoreboard can also be subscribed to.

To coincide with the first issue of the newly designed weekly newspaper, the publisher is launching the anzeigerbern.ch website with current editorial articles. They will be accessible to registered readers free of charge from January.

Official notices will continue to be issued by the Bern Region Scoreboard from Stettlen from 2024. This municipality has decided to continue delivering a print product to its population.

Most municipalities take a different approach. The option to publish official publications such as planning applications and municipal resolutions exclusively on the internet has been available in the canton of Bern since the beginning of 2023.

A year ago, the municipal association Anzeiger Region Bern decided to discontinue the Anzeiger at the end of 2023. The reasons given were the publication's deficits (Werbewoche.ch reported). (SDA/swi)

After the concept developer and copywriter in 2020 A Christmas dinner without a boss, in the year 2021 a second opinion and in 2022 almost nothing raffledThis year's prize is the most exclusive yet, says Kümin.

As a lyricist, he has "little to offer other than a head and two hands". So he raffles them off - along with the rest of his body. But only for one day. If you want to know whether there are any restrictions and if you really want to win the copywriter, you can find out more at its website. The raffle runs until December 22.

Weimer succeeds Daniel Rademacher, who most recently managed the planning for the agency's new Berlin newsroom and is now overseeing the rollout of the new Dpa editorial system "Rubix". During this time, Rademacher was replaced in his role as head of news by Uta Winkhaus, who will return to the political newsroom in March.

Sophia Weimer currently works in the Dpa Panorama department. For several years, she was also head of organization for the Germany desk in the Berlin central editorial office. She is also the program manager for the agency's Berlin newsroom and manages the major events in the new collaboration areas there. For the time being, she will retain this role alongside her role as Head of News.

Sophia Weimer joined Dpa as a trainee in 2011. After studying journalism and medicine, the Paderborn-born journalist worked mainly in the Berlin regional office and the Panorama editorial team.

Both Elisabeth Nagl and Patrick Fawer have years of experience in the creative industry. After studying Visual Design HF, Fawer, originally a trained goldsmith, began his career at the Contexta agency, where he worked as a graphic designer and art director for eight years. This was followed by twelve years at Erdmannpeisker and a brief stint at In Flagranti. During his career, Patrick Fawer has created campaigns and visual appearances for clients such as Swisscom, Swisslos, PostFinance, SBB, BLS, Mammut and Basler Versicherung. Now he is taking the step into self-employment. He describes himself as always open to new ideas. For example, he does not see artificial intelligence as a threat to the creative industry, but rather as a new tool that - when used correctly - offers endless creative possibilities.

After studying classical fashion design at Vienna's Schloss Hetzendorf, Fawer's partner Elisabeth Nagl worked in the costume sector, where she continues to work successfully today, supporting film, theater and advertising productions with her expertise. When asked what the interface between the two is, they refer to the agency's claim: visual competence, which is Vienne Bienne's strength. Fawer is responsible for advertising, graphics and branding and can also be booked as a freelancer. Nagl expands Vienne Bienne's creative output with multi-layered projects - T-shirt collections and other fashionable, artistic and creative ventures are currently being created under the Vienne Bienne L'Amour label.

Together, Nagl and Fawer are strong in all areas. Vienne Bienne describes itself as a 360-degree agency and is ready for any challenge. First insights into work to follow in early 2024.

Natalie Schönbächler joined ST in 2019 as an expert in social media marketing, media planning and distribution. This area is part of ST's marketing department under Chief Marketing Officer and reigning "Advertiser of the Year 2023" André Hefti. She also lectures at various universities on the topics of digital marketing, branding and digital platforms. She holds a Master's degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW. Before joining ST, Schönbächler worked for the Zurich agency Webrepublic.

"Natalie Schönbächler's proven expertise in digital marketing, her knowledge of digital platforms and digital transformation, coupled with her flair for the tourism industry and her strength as a team player, are the ideal prerequisites for her new role as our Head of Media," says André Hefti.

Anyone who is ill needs support. Especially when medical care is a day's journey away. That is why Solidarmed forms a team with donors from Switzerland and local people. This makes it possible to get well and stay well, even in the most remote corners of southern Africa.

From setting up maternity wards and mobile clinics to training local nursing staff - all of this is only possible because one important person is involved in Team Health: the donor.

The multi-year campaign is the result of a strategy process in which Solidarmed opted for the positioning "Being there. Because health needs teamwork.". The campaign runs with constantly changing storytelling on online banners, social media ads and DOOH screens. The direct mailings for the acquisition of new donors, also designed and realized by Spinas Civil Voices, also pick up on this theme.

Responsible at Solidarmed: Christian Heuss (Fundraising and Communication), Pierina Maibach (Fundraising and Communication), Lucy Kormann (Private Donations), Sidonie Spörri (Digital Marketing & Fundraising), René Sager (Design and Communication), Olivier Brandenberg (Image), Sergio Beti (Image Processing/Lithography). Responsible at Spina's Civil Voices: Susi Kammergruber, Steph Huwiler (CD), Heinz Helle, Eva Wirth (text), Nicolas Stark, Soraya Janser (art direction), Conny Geibel (consulting).

Pam Hügli joined the Serviceplan agency as Managing Director in 2016. From 2020, she was CEO of Serviceplan Group Switzerland, the holding company under which Serviceplan Suisse, the media agency Mediaplus Suisse and the digital agency Plan.Net Suisse are bundled, and also acted as spokesperson for the Zurich office.

"After eight intensive and exciting years and many successes, I have decided to take a break. Of course, such a step is not easy, but now is the right time for me and the company, also because we have found a good successor," says Hügli, explaining her decision. "I will definitely miss my colleagues from the House of Communication Zurich. At the same time, I'm looking forward to focusing my time on new things and using my experience elsewhere."

Markus Noder, Managing Partner International Serviceplan Group, regrets Hügli's departure: "We would like to thank Pam Hügli for her great commitment and excellent work. She has significantly shaped the agency group, greatly expanded its reputation in the Swiss market and successfully steered the Zurich office through unprecedented circumstances such as the Covid-19 pandemic. We wish her all the best for her future career and will remain connected with her in the future."

Diethelm takes over

In addition to her role as Co-Managing Director of Mediaplus Suisse, Nathalie Diethelm will take over Pam Hügli's role as CEO of Serviceplan Group Switzerland and spokesperson for the location. Diethelm joined the Serviceplan Group in spring 2023, prior to which she was CEO of Havas Switzerland for many years. She manages Mediaplus Suisse AG together with Pascal Fröhli.

"Nathalie Diethelm is not only a proven communications expert, but also a widely recognized and respected leader. She is absolutely the right person to lead the House of Communication Zurich into a successful future," says Noder.