Patrick Becker joined Hiltl in 2018 as Head of Marketing, Design and Guest Relations and was also part of the Hiltl Executive Board. Just recently, the "125 Years of Hiltl" campaign created by Ruf Lanz was awarded gold at the Swiss Out of Home Awards as the best Commercial Local and Regional campaign, for which Becker had overall responsibility (Werbewoche.ch reported).

Before joining Hiltl, Patrick Becker worked in the film industry for over twelve years, holding various positions at Warner Bros. Entertainment and Pathé Films, where he was responsible for publicity, promotions and marketing of theatrical films. He holds a master's degree in journalism, political science and film studies from the University of Zurich and a diploma in social media management from HWZ.

"I want to sell concrete mixers online." That was one customer's request on the new Agency matching platform Kampadre. The young Swiss startup has launched an agency directory that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze companies' goals. They are then connected with agencies that are best suited to support the companies in achieving their goals.

To this end, Kampadre draws on a database of over 90 agencies from the advertising industry that have already registered on the platform.

Why such a platform is needed

According to Kampadre, the market for agencies in the marketing sector is confusing and complex. In Switzerland alone, more than 4,000 companies are active in the advertising industry. In addition, there are no legally binding quality regulations for terms such as advertising agency. It is therefore not surprising that SMEs and startups have difficulty finding a suitable agency for their projects in good time.

Kampadre aims to address this problem with AI that allows users to find a suitable agency just by describing their goals. In doing so, the startup promises instant results: To do this, companies have to enter their goals, problems or needs, and Kampadre's AI then finds a selection of suitable agencies in just a few seconds.

In addition, the startup does without hurdles. No registration and no e-mail address are required. The service is completely public, free of charge and accessible to all searchers.

Win-win situation

This results in a win-win: companies save time and money in their search, while agencies benefit from qualified inquiries.

"When it comes to marketing, a suitable agency is the 'unfair' advantage that many entrepreneurs are looking for. But by the time you find it, it's often too late," said founder Raphael Aebersold. "Kampadre changes that by helping businesses and agencies find each other more efficiently."

This was announced by the government on Tuesday. It is thus implementing the demand of a motion that the Grand Council passed by a narrow majority in the winter session 2021. The innovation affects parties, interest groups and candidates.

Campaigns of more than CHF 20,000 for cantonal elections and referendums are to be disclosed in future. In the case of these campaigns, contributions of more than 5,000 francs must also be disclosed.

Higher thresholds are envisaged for the cantonally regulated elections to the Council of States: More than CHF 50,000 for campaigns and more than CHF 15,000 per contribution. Under federal law, these values also apply to National Council elections.

The consultation period lasts until January 22, 2024, and the new transparency rules are to be applied for the first time in the 2026 cantonal elections at the latest.

Controversial demand

The amendment to the law is based on a motion from the ranks of the SP, the Greens, the EVP and the GLP, which was passed in December 2021. The government had recommended rejection of the proposal. At the time, it argued that the cost and benefit of such disclosure would not be in a favorable ratio.

Proponents countered that transparency in party financing is important. Those who are honestly committed have nothing to hide. (SDA)

When it comes to preventing construction projects in Zurich, the name Hamasil is not unknown. Among other things, the foundation based in Zurich's Kreis 5 delayed the construction of the Prime Tower by several years.

The latest appeal is directed against the "Prime123" building project by Welti-Furrer in Zurich West. Here, apartments for 1,000 francs, 150 trees, gastronomy and retail as well as a modernized parking garage with electric parking spaces are to be built.

The building project, which renowned teams of architects have been working on for eight years, was approved by the city of Zurich in June 2023. The Hamasil Foundation's appeal has now delayed this project.

According to owner Thomas Knecht, Welti-Furrer has always been open to constructive talks: "Unfortunately, these have been refused by the Hamasil Foundation and its founder Martin Seiz for 1.5 years. Mr. Seiz refuses not only to talk to Welti-Furrer in person, but also to the media."

That is why Welti-Furrer decided on a striking recourse of the recourse and clarifies the population with mega-posters of her agency Ruf Lanz directly on the spot and very clearly about what is to be prevented here.

Already the first poster "Hamasil prevents apartments here for CHF 1000.-" attracted a lot of attention in the neighborhood and in the media. The comments showed that many people do not agree with the appeal.

Now Welti-Furrer is doing the same: The second megaposter alludes to the founder of the foundation, Martin Seiz, and informs the neighborhood population that the former timber merchant wants to prevent 150 trees from being planted here.

Both megaposters refer to the website Prime123.ch. There, the accusations of the Hamasil Foundation are taken up point by point and refuted with facts. In this way, people in the neighborhood should be able to inform themselves.

With the help of a comprehensive analysis of all applicant contact points and the valuable insights gained from focus group interviews with Guma employees, the employer promise was developed from scratch. The findings from this form the value proposition to employees at Guma and serve as a guideline for the current employer branding campaign.

Since the food producer's recipes are usually top secret, they cannot be used as a lure for recruiting employees. Fortunately, Guma's most valuable secret ingredient is known - its employees. For this purpose, Emarket created the key visuals with real employees, which were implemented in both image and video format.

The focus of the employer campaign is on the employees, and thus also on the variety of job profiles that Guma employs at its site in Bilten Glarus. The campaign positions Guma as an attractive employer on social media and aims to raise awareness of the company in the Glarus area and as far away as Zurich. According to information, the first wave of the campaign had already contributed significantly to increasing employer brand awareness. It was particularly pleasing that the careers page became the most visited subpage during the campaign period. 37 percent of the total traffic was generated by the campaign. The positive impact of the campaign was also reflected in the number of applications received.

Responsible at Guma: Nicole Ackermann (Business Development & Marketing Manager), Claudia Weber (Head of HR), Regula Kümin (Head of Quality & People). Responsible at Emarket: Roy Müller (Managing Director Switzerland), Nadine Oechslin (Marketing Project Manager), Sandra Garcia (Graphic Design), Tania Schober (Employer Branding Consultant).

The 34-year-old Hug has been acting as Co-Editor-in-Chief since summer 2021 and, as such, is also a member of the editorial team of the Lucerne Newspaper and its regional editions. She began her journalism career in 2012 at the LZ started as an intern, in 2013 she completed a traineeship at the Zug Newspaper. There she later headed the municipalities department and in 2017 took over the function of deputy editor-in-chief. Rahel Hug comes from the canton of Lucerne and has lived with her family in Walchwil for several years.

The current co-chief editor from Zug, Harry Ziegler, is standing down at his own request after seven years, it was announced. In the future, he will work for the editorial team as chief reporter for politics. Carmen Rogenmoser has been promoted to deputy editor-in-chief of the 14-member team. (SDA/swi)

Satisfied employees are demonstrably 31% more productive and three times more creative than dissatisfied ones. This makes it all the more important to create framework conditions that strengthen teams and contribute to a motivating working atmosphere. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, this is a real plus.

Tools suitable for everyday use

To ensure that the usually scarce personnel and time resources in SMEs do not put a spanner in the works here, Health Promotion Switzerland offers a wide range of free tools that can be easily, quickly and effectively integrated into everyday working life. With the "Leadership Kit" managers have tools at their fingertips that can be used easily and without prior knowledge to strengthen employee well-being and teamwork. HR managers have the "HR Toolbox" about compact and time-saving solution approaches to a wide variety of HR situations.

Better feedback with the "3W model

At Liip AG, the approximately 200 employees work agilely in self-organized teams according to Holacracy. A good feedback culture plays a key role in creating a positive team atmosphere and achieving common goals. The digital agency also uses the 3W Model tool from the Leadership Kit for this purpose. It helps to formulate feedback clearly and constructively based on the three W aspects of perception, impact and desire.

Nadja Perroulaz, Co-Founder and Lead People at Liip: "I really like the structured design of the 3W model. It helps to get a much better feedback quality and supports teams even in more difficult situations. I recommend the 3W model and the leadership kit to teams (employees and leaders) because it can be easily and playfully integrated into everyday life and feedback is one of the most important things to 'move forward'."

The Leadership Kit provides leaders with 26 tools in these 5 action areas:

• Achieving goals enables a sense of achievement
• Meaning conveys meaningfulness
• Positive emotions promote the team climate
• Commitment puts strengths in the spotlight
• Team relationships support sustainable relationships

The HR Toolbox supports HR managers in the two subject areas:

• Acting with concrete tools for e.g. home office, healthy leadership, conflicts and mobbing
• Understanding with compact knowledge for positive impact on areas such as absenteeism, stress, motivation, employer attractiveness.

The author Dorit Schmidt-Purrmann is a communication expert and consultant for BGM. She also works for Health Promotion Switzerland.

Everyday life can be a real drain on your strength. All the more so when fatigue hangs like a millstone on your leg. For the two new Verfora products "Veractiv Recharge" and "VeractivResist", fatigue is personified: In the form of an animated energy thief, the Müdus Schwerus.

The little wimp completes Verfora's family of pests. With Müdus Schwerus, Schnupfus Maximus, Reisus Krankus and Co once again receive reinforcement to challenge our health. The TV commercial reveals whether they are successful.

The Bern-based agency Bold is responsible for the concept, strategy and implementation of the campaign. The various DOOH, print, TV and online measures will be in use throughout Switzerland from mid-October.

Responsible at Verfora: Emmanuelle Giry (Head of Marketing), Christian Köhli (Marketing Manager), Stephanie Berkien (Brand Manager). Responsible agency: Bold. Production: Mike Huber (director), Chantal Gugger, Sören Schmidt (executive producer), Sven Pepeonik (camera), Alessandro Biffi (editor). Animation: Colorbleed, Our Colors (color grading), DubDub (sound design), Uko (audio).

The long-standing collaboration between Team Farner and Swiss Transfusion SRC enters the next round. Because people with leukemia and other blood diseases often wait in vain for a vital blood stem cell donation. One reason for this is that there are still too few young people registered in the registry for blood stem cell donations.

A new integrated campaign by Rod Kommunikation, Farner and Blueglass from Team Farner aims to change this and encourage young people in particular to register - and thus give others the chance of a longer life with little effort. Registering for a blood stem cell donation takes just a few minutes and is free of charge.

The campaign can be seen throughout Switzerland on posters, in cinemas, as well as on online advertising media and all popular social media channels.

Responsible at Swiss Transfusion SRC: Franziska Kellenberger (Head of Marketing and Communication); Simona Triet (Responsible for Marketing Blood Stem Cell Donation), Sarah Tran (Responsible for Online Communication). Conception, creation and realization: Rod Communication, Farner | Team Farner. Photography: Torvioll Jashari. Production: Tina Aich Production. Landing page: Blueglass | Team Farner (design), Deltacity (programming). Media: JBW Media, Blueglass | Team Farner.

In the modern business world, every day looks different. Companies are continuously encountering new challenges and growing competition. With constant change comes increased competitive pressure. To remain competitive and relevant in this environment, brands must constantly adapt.

Often it requires a huge change where they have to reinvent themselves. This process is also called rebranding. In this process, a brand undergoes a comprehensive transformation and develops a fresh brand identity. But how do you decide when the time is right for rebranding? And what are the benefits? How do you plan carefully, and what are the potential risks and challenges?

What is rebranding?

Every brand needs a unique identity to stand out from others. This is defined by corporate identity, which includes design elements such as logos, slogans, web design, colors and fonts.

Companies are faced with the task of adapting to the constantly changing market. As new technologies and products are introduced, customers' requirements also change. This consequently requires changes in brand strategy.

Rebranding often starts with the adaptation of the corporate design. In this way, brands can improve their positioning and address new potential prospects in order to expand their target group. This often involves changes to colors, fonts and logos that create brand recognition.

Yet rebranding is an extremely complex process that can take a brand in a new direction and requires careful planning. It's not just about design changes - both the overall brand image and the message the brand wants to convey are redesigned.

Many brands use rebranding to overcome crises or to signal to their customers that they want to improve. Thus, the timing for rebranding depends on various factors and requires careful consideration of opportunities and risks.

Opportunities and risks of a new brand identity

In principle, a rebranding can help to significantly strengthen the trust of the clientele. A significant change in brand identity often signals a positive change.

Many companies start the rebranding process with the goal of differentiating themselves from the competition. An updated corporate identity can help the brand appear more modern, appealing and contemporary.

One of the many opportunities of rebranding is the fact that new target groups can be addressed. For example, a new image can attract younger consumers and thus reach a broader demographic. With respect to existing target groups, a new corporate identity can make the brand appear more credible and professional. In addition, a creative and eye-catching brand identity can lead consumers to perceive the brand as innovative and competitive and develop a stronger bond. Finally, rebranding can also increase market value and attract the interest of investors and other key stakeholders.

Despite the many benefits of rebranding, there are also some risks and dangers that need to be considered. For example, the biggest risk is confusing and even losing loyal customers if the rebranding is not well thought out. Especially for established, well-known brands, rebranding can cause confusion and anger among customers. In the worst case, the brand's reputation can be damaged.

There are also some financial implications involved in rebranding. The entire rebranding process involves significant costs - including domain name changes and other expenses. Therefore, it is important to plan the rebranding process carefully and strategically.

Successful rebranding in just a few steps

Effective rebranding requires careful planning and execution to avoid potential mistakes. For example, the rebranding of X, formerly known as Twitter, did not bring the expected success: the new logo and name confused millions of users. Also, the old trademark "Larry the Bird" can be seen in some places on the platform, and the new X logo has not yet fully caught on.

The first step should be to set clear goals. Do you want to create a new image, address a new target group or improve the credibility of the brand? Accordingly, the goals should be clearly defined before starting the rebranding process.

In addition, the analysis of the current identity is extremely important. Here, the strengths, weaknesses and potential problem areas of the brand should be identified. By conducting comprehensive market research, it is possible to analyze how the brand is perceived from the outside and what the needs of the target group are.

In the third step, the new design is developed. Here, the corporate design is modernized to stand out from the competition. Every aspect - including colors, fonts, logos, images and more - is considered.

The new identity is then implemented. Here it is important to consistently implement the newly developed corporate identity. For example, the website, social media profiles and other marketing material should be updated accordingly. It is also important that the company's own target group perceives and understands the rebranding. For this, correct and transparent communication is essential for the company.

Ultimately, rebranding should be continuously monitored and adjusted, because a rebranding process is never truly complete. It is important to monitor the effects closely in order to make adjustments if necessary and ensure long-term success.

Conclusion: Great opportunities with rebranding

Rebranding involves a redesign of the brand. A successful rebranding process enables a brand to reposition itself in the market and stand out more clearly. The focus is always on the needs and desires of the target group. It is also a way to appeal to a broader audience. The right time for rebranding is when the existing brand identity no longer meets the intended goals and a new corporate identity offers more potential. It is important that the individual steps are implemented clearly and consistently and monitored continuously. This is the only way to achieve long-lasting success with rebranding.

* Dominik Sedlmeier is CEO of the agency El Clasico Media and expert in the fields of communication, marketing and public relations.

In guest articles on Werbewoche.ch, the authors themselves are responsible for their content and accuracy. The opinions expressed reflect their views.

Based on a qualitative analysis with in-depth customer interviews, Albin Kistler's normative framework was sharpened in a two-day workshop. With the updating of the profile, the visual brand presence was then revised.

"Albin Kistler did not have to reinvent itself, but it did have to set new priorities," says CEO Rico Willi. The common thread remains the claim "We keep our word" and the customer promise to offer the best performance. In terms of content, the brand profile is accentuated by attributes that additionally describe how the core value of excellence is lived: the entrepreneurial team, the performance culture based on partnership, and continuity in personal customer care.

With the update of the profile, the visual brand presence was also gently revised. The logo is to simplify the effective digital appearance in the short form as an icon. The goose, the brand's emotional identifier for over 20 years, remains. "The interviews had clearly revealed how fitting the goose is for Albin Kistler's profile and how great the awareness has become in the meantime," explains Daniel Zehntner, Managing Partner of Martin et Karczinski. For new subjects, stills and moving images, a cheerful goose photo shoot was carried out with Noe Flum. The result was, among other things, a flight shot of the branded animal.

In terms of content, a campaign communicates the seven ingredients of Albin Kistler's recipe for success: from its own research and proximity to the companies to the basic optimism in its investment philosophy. The combination of text and images ties in with previous campaigns, but brings new momentum to the campaign.

The rock-solid asset manager Albin Kistler is also continuing on its path in digital channels, idiosyncratically and unusually for the industry, with regular display campaigns and a podcast series. The podcast is intended to show that conveying knowledge from the world of finance can also be done in an understandable language.

With over 18 years of experience in the marketing industry in senior roles at companies such as Clear Channel, Annabelle and the Weltwoche as well as an EMBA degree in General Management from the HWZ, Schwab brings with him a deep understanding of the industry. In addition to his qualifications, Schwab also has an extensive and established network of contacts within the communications industry. Most recently, he was self-employed and handled the marketing of sports and music events with his company MVP Sponsoring.

In his new role as Commercial Director, Stephan Schwab will be responsible for establishing and expanding sustainable business relationships. "Stephan Schwab will bring new impetus to our marketing organization with his wealth of experience. I have worked with him during our time together at Annabelle We've worked well together before, so I'm very much looking forward to the renewed camaraderie," said Michel Mariani, Chief Business Officer at Capture Media.