Just recently, thousands of Zurich residents demonstrated against the lack of living space. Now, certain real estate advertisements are offering a hectare of rainforest for just 40 francs, which at first glance misleads potential buyers. The real message is that a donation of 40 francs can protect one hectare of rainforest for a year, which has a direct impact on the conservation of the habitat of endangered orangutans. The guerrilla campaign is intended to "charmingly play on the desires of the market", as stated in a press release.

However, the Borneo Orangutan Survival Switzerland campaign is not only intended to generate donations: "The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of the situation of orangutans and their habitat," explains BOS Switzerland Managing Director Dr. Sophia Benz. The importance of the rainforests as CO2 reservoirs is also emphasized.

The ads link to a landing page where interested parties can find out more and donate directly.

Responsible at BOS: Judith Maurer (Communication), Dr. Sophia Benz (Management). Responsible at Saatchi & Saatchi Switzerland: Laura Jaggi (Art Direction), Christine Boje, Vincent Geller (Text), Sören Schröder (GF Creation), Holger Schicke (GF Consulting).

In a comprehensive analysis of 29 international studies with over 90,000 participants, researchers from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Zurich investigated how the five basic personality traits - openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and emotion control - correlate with social engagement.

The results show that extraversion and agreeableness in particular are associated with a higher level of commitment to volunteering and a greater willingness to donate money to charity. People who are extraverted are more likely to volunteer, while helpful and empathetic people are more likely to donate.

In contrast, other personality traits such as conscientiousness or openness had less influence on social engagement. The study therefore offers valuable insights for organizations and decision-makers who want to develop targeted strategies to promote volunteering. "Our results confirm that individual differences in personality play a role in whether and to what extent people are socially engaged," explains Wiebke Bleidorn, Professor of Psychology at the University of Zurich. According to the lead author, a better understanding of these relationships could help to encourage people to work for the common good based on their individual strengths and motivations.

The study by Bleidorn et al. was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

The three commercials use humor and creative word creations to show how unexpected new connections are made in Zurich. Be it through a fleeting glance or a good conversation that makes you forget space and time. The campaign is intended to visualize that only Zurich can offer these unique conditions for spontaneous, often unnoticed moments that make business events something very special.

"The diverse cultural offerings, the short distances between the event locations and the partnership with the Zurich Convention Bureau make it easy for event managers to create profound experiences and bonding moments for their teams," explains Vanessa Reis, Head of Convention Bureau at Zürich Tourism. "We want to convey this with a wink in our campaign."

The encounters are emphasized in the campaign through original wordplay and pointed acting. Zurich is thus not only in demand as an event location, but also as a city that spontaneously creates lasting impressions and new connections.

The campaign is designed to address business meeting and event planners in Germany and the UK on digital channels. In several flights, the target group is targeted with single image ads in addition to the commercials in order to cover all touchpoints of the user journey from the first contact to lead generation.

Customer: Zurich Tourism. Responsible at Sir Mary: Adrian Merz (Executive Creative Director), Katrin Espelage (Creative Director), Jodok Meier (Copywriter), Leandro Disler (Art Director), Torben Cording (Senior Art Director), Paul Gutjahr (Art Director), Raphael Hirt (Storyteller), Florian Maissen (Design Intern), Jasmin Jost (Senior Account Manager), Sinah Bucheli (Junior Account Manager), Anna Jakrlin (Senior Digital Strategist), Florence Scherer (Senior Strategist), Andrea Küng (Media Consultant), Katharina Günther (Managing Director Planning & Consulting), Céline Zemp (Senior Digital Operations Specialist), Max Jäger (Senior Digital Operations Specialist), Daniel Zuberbühler (Managing Partner). Production: Farbfilm Studio (Production); Laurent Arber (Executive Producer), Alessandra Dolci (Producer), Anne Mancsou (Assistant Producer), Pascal Holzer (Post Producer), Rupert Höller (Director and Editor), Matthias Helldoppler (DoP), Xavi Santolaya (Grading), Joan Minder (Photography), Jingle Jungle (Sound Design & Mix).

ChatGPT is getting a new function. With the latest update, the chatbot is intended to assist users as a shopping assistant, as OpenAI reports. To this end, ChatGPT searches structured metadata from third-party providers, such as price information or product descriptions, and provides users with suitable articles for their inquiries.

According to OpenAI, the chatbot spits out suitable products including images depending on the requirements in a query - for example, preferences in size or color - and generates product descriptions or labels such as "budget-friendly". When clicking on the products, ChatGPT displays several suppliers - so far without sorting them according to categories such as price or shopping policies.

One thing distinguishes the AI assistant from the Google search engine: "The products are selected independently by ChatGPT and are not advertising," writes OpenAI in a Blogpost. How The Verge reports, the company is working with partners to ensure that current prices are displayed. However, OpenAI does not specify which partners are involved.

The roll-out of the new function will start on May 29 for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Free and all non-logged-in users, as OpenAI announced on the short message platform X. (Dajana Dakic/jor)

This article first appeared in Netzwoche.

Luzia Baldauf brings with her a broad range of expertise gained in various communications roles at companies such as Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland, Bristol Myers Squibb and UBS Switzerland. In her current position as External Communications Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland, she is responsible for corporate communications, media relations and social media channels.

Previously, Baldauf worked as Communications Manager at Bristol Myers Squibb and gained her first experience in event management at UBS and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), where she was involved in international events, congresses and the Winter Olympics.

"With Luzia Baldauf's support, we will raise awareness of our newest parents' house at the Zurich Kispi, where parents of hospitalized children can live from summer 2026," says Andrea Hemmi, Director of the Ronald McDonald Children's Foundation.

The conversation also focuses on the bank's special commitment to the Züri-Böögg, which "prepares" itself every year in the ZKB counter hall for its grand appearance at Sechseläuten.

Schnydrig Moser also explains in the podcast how ZKB embodies the essence of Zurich's attitude to life. Its role as a partner of Sechseläuten and its symbolic proximity to the Züri-Böögg underline the bank's connection to regional traditions. It also shares its expectations of successful management and shows how the bank empowers various customer groups to confidently strengthen their financial competence.

The department, which emerged from the HWZ Academy, is now being expanded to include entrepreneurship and innovation. The HWZ is thus consistently pursuing its vision of becoming the "most entrepreneurial" university in Switzerland. Barth, who has extensive experience in corporate management and product management, will in future be responsible for the orientation and further development of the study programs in this area.

Dr. Linard Barth holds an M.A. HSG in Business Management and a PhD in Business Economics and Management. Even before starting his business studies at the HSG, he founded his first limited company with two school friends. After graduating, he gained experience in industry, including as Head of Business & Sales Development at DMG MORI. In 2017, he moved to the Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW, where he took on responsibility in several areas of the Institute of Marketing Management at the Competence Center for Product Management. There he supported numerous start-ups and SMEs with innovative projects, worked in training and further education, including as head of the CAS Pricing & Sales course, and completed his doctorate on the topic of "Value generation with digital twins". At the end of 2024, he founded his latest company together with former students.

Influencer marketing is at a turning point: while younger industry insiders and large companies continue to see potential, the general appeal of this form of advertising is declining. This is shown by a recent study by Marketagent in cooperation with the Austrian Marketing Association (ÖMG) and the Public Relations Association Austria (PRVA), in which 600 marketing and communication experts from Switzerland and Austria were surveyed.

Have we had enough of content creators?

In the attractiveness ranking of digital forms of advertising, influencer marketing is in last place - in Switzerland, only 37% of advertising professionals find it attractive, in Austria 41%. Older communication professionals are particularly critical: only 26% of experts aged 50+ still find this form of advertising attractive (under 30s: 70%). Influencer marketing is also only viewed positively by 2 out of 10 Swiss respondents.

Nevertheless, around 4 in 10 (39%) domestic industry insiders expect influencer marketing to become increasingly important in the coming years - paradoxically, in an environment that is increasingly showing signs of "influencer fatigue".

"Hardly any other topic is currently being discussed as controversially as influencer marketing," explains Thomas Schwabl, founder of Marketagent Switzerland. "While large corporations such as Unilever want to massively increase their use, we are hearing more and more about influencer fatigue and declining importance. And our study results are just as dualistic: While influencer marketing is rated the least attractive of all digital advertising formats, more than half of the communication experts surveyed expect it to become more important in the future."

Content creator in transition: attitude instead of glossy

The biggest challenges in connection with influencer marketing are the oversaturation of consumers (49%), the loss of authenticity (48%) and the problems surrounding fake followers and bots (48%). Around two thirds of those surveyed are experiencing the first signs of fatigue, with 24% already talking about very pronounced fatigue. When selecting content creators, the focus should therefore be on authenticity (87%), content quality (86%) and thematic relevance (82%). Marketing professionals consider reach to be of secondary importance. On the contrary: micro-influencers in particular (10,000-100,000 followers) are considered the most effective option according to 32% of respondents.

"In an increasingly oversaturated digital world, it is not the size of the reach that determines success, but the credibility of the message," says Roland Zeindler, Managing Director of Marketagent Switzerland. "Authentic, relevant content is more important today than ever before - and it is micro-influencers in particular that marketing and communication professionals believe have the greatest potential here."

Despite criticism, many industry insiders appreciate the advantages of influencer marketing: addressing specific target groups (39%), reach (38%) and setting trends (31%) are cited as key strengths. The use of influencers appears to be most suitable for addressing new target groups (42%), increasing awareness (40%) and promoting impulse purchases (39%).

The agency was tasked with anchoring this "historic, but perhaps somewhat dry event" in the minds of the population with a campaign and thematically appropriate activities.

Siegfried & Roi found inspiration in the cantonal constitution that came into force in 1874: paragraphs were translated in a contemporary way and linked in a targeted manner with events, digital highlights and offers from the Zug City Archive. A total of twelve motifs drew the attention of thousands of people to the anniversary campaigns every month via various analog and digital channels.

According to the agency, the modern and provocative interpretation of Section 11, which allows the public to inspect the state accounts, attracted particular media attention: "We have money and are happy to show it." 20 minutes and other media companies "rewarded" the courage with earned media in the form of articles and free airtime on TV.

Responsible at the City of Zug and Zug City Archives: Dieter Müller (Head of Communications), Thomas Glauser (City Archivist), Frederik Furrer (Deputy City Archivist). Responsible at Siegfried & Roi: Milan Pavic (Creative Direction), Moritz Solleder (Strategy, Consulting), Nastasia Pavic (Art Direction), Florian Krauth (Graphics, Animation).

To mark the 20th anniversary of the severe weather warning service, Bern-based agency Republica has created a multi-stage campaign that is also intended to appeal to younger target groups. The campaign focuses on everyday situations in which the weather plays a special role - for example when hiking, gardening or celebrating outdoors. Typical elements from these situations were staged as detailed 3D visuals in the form of weather icons.

"Weather icons do one thing above all: they inform," explains Creative Director Florian Birkner. "With the modified icons, we combine the factual message with an experience, making it more relevant for our target group."

The campaign will be played out in multiple stages as DOOH and on social media channels. There, the individual features of the app are highlighted in short, eye-catching clips. It becomes clear how useful Wetter-Alarm is in everyday life - with precise warnings, location-specific and global forecasts and 500 live cams in Switzerland. This is the brand's first campaign in its 20 years of existence.

Responsible for weather alerts: Florian Walther, Managing Director Weather Alert; Nadia Krattiger, Marketing Manager Weather Alert; Saskia Aebi, Digital Content Specialist. Responsible at Republica: Creative Direction: Florian Birkner; Art Direction: Nora Wieszinski; Copy: Severin Miszkiewicz; Production Art: Nuran Reber; Motion Design: Nina Hofmann; Account Director: Michael Dängeli; Production: Marty-Trezzini.

The Family Agency in Uster, founded in 2020, is strengthening its leadership team and bringing Johnny Grubenmann on board as its new Creative Director. Most recently, he worked at Publicis Zurich and the agency he co-founded, TheGuys, where he made a significant contribution to the creative output.

Together with his co-CDs Flo Weitzel and Jan Walser, he will continue to drive the Family Agency's growth trajectory, as detailed in a press release: "I'm really looking forward to helping shape the future of Family with Flo, Jan and the whole team. Uster is already a creative hotspot - and I plan to turn it up a few more notches," says Grubenmann.

Grubenmann's previous positions include agencies in Switzerland and abroad such as Jung von Matt Limmat, TBWA\Zurich, TBWA\Raad in Dubai, Sir Mary and Vice Media Group. During these years, he has worked for clients such as Samsung, McDonald's, UBS Global, Nissan Middle East, Rhaetian Railway, SRF and Coop - and has received several awards for his work.

"We believe in strong ideas, honest collaboration and working together as equals - and Johnny is a perfect fit for the Family," says Family CEO Claudio Catrambone about the new appointment.

From Tuesday, the revised podcast will appear under the name "SRF Geschichte" as part of the SRF Wissen umbrella brand. The content will continue to focus on Swiss history, but with a new structure that divides topics into several parts to highlight their historical relevance for the present.

To kick things off, the podcast is dedicated to the history of the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC), from its beginnings in Lugano to the political dimension of the contest and its significance for the LGBTQ+ community. Future topics will include the history of women's football in Switzerland, Switzerland's role in the Cold War and cultural phenomena such as Fasnacht.

The relaunch also entails a change in the publication structure: initially, three episodes will be published on a weekly basis, after which the podcast will be published every two weeks on Tuesday mornings.