The two best students of the year, Nadine Rohn (Marketing) and Jasmin Natascha Kneubühl (Sales), have shown an outstanding performance. They were presented with the Swiss Marketing Award for their achievements by the two presidents of the examination boards for the federal professional examination for marketing and sales specialists, Robert Wernli and Christoph Portmann.

Of a total of 412 people, 293 passed the exams in marketing. In sales, with 380 participants, the pass rate was 61.8%, which corresponds to 235 people.

Sprinters need a lot of stamina. With its current campaign, the Swiss running shoe specialist On wants to question the sports world's one-sided fixation on winning - and highlight perseverance as at least as important a quality for athletes.

The campaign is spearheaded by the short film "Der unendliche Sprint" ("The Endless Sprint"), which in 171 seconds paints an intimate portrait of Germany's top athlete Alexandra Burghardt and her 22-year journey to becoming a national champion. The film is being released just as the 29-year-old athlete celebrates another success: winning the 200-meter dash at the 2023 German Athletics Championships in Kassel.

"Winning isn't everything" is the campaign's unusual message for a sports brand, showing that mental strength and resilience are just as important as crossing the finish line first:r - whether as a professional, junior or amateur runner:in.

"The Infinite Sprint" was penned by Berlin-based creative director Oliver DeVitre and directed by Stuttgart-based filmmaker Mischa Meyer, both of whom now live in Los Angeles. The campaign is a collaboration between On and Oliver DeVitre's transatlantic agency Gold for Cash Inc. and was produced by Berlin-based Akkurat Studios.

Responsible at On: Gessica Giulini (Sports Marketing Lead). Responsible at Gold For Cash Inc: Oliver DeVitre fka Frank (Creative Director), Mischa Meyer (Director), Louis Lustermann (DoP). Responsible at Akkurat Studios (production): Nian Tang (Producer), Sophie Werche (Production Assistant), Rocco Kopecny (Executive Producer), Rwdy Music (Music), Cabin (Edit House), Nathan Rodgers (Editor), Mikey Pehanich (Colorist), SLGH Hamburg (Postproduction / Online).

In the past five years, Maybaum Film's production of content for social media, recruiting videos, product or explainer videos has grown exponentially, the agency writes in a statement: by 2022, the Maybaum crew was managing more than 150 video projects of varying sizes.

Professionally produced video content is a crucial factor for successful online marketing. But professionalism alone is not enough. Timeliness and regularity are equally important. "SMEs in particular face major challenges with the content hunger of online channels. There is often a lack of time, staff and budget to create and publish fresh video content on a monthly basis. We wanted to offer a solution for this," explains CEO Michel Alraun.

As part of a strategic reorientation, Maybaum Film has renewed its range of services and developed its own workflow software. The model "Maybaum Always On" is intended to enable longer-term and sustainable collaboration. The video content is planned for three, six or twelve months using an editorial plan and implemented largely autonomously by Maybaum Film. The in-house software "MayPlanner" is used for coordination, creation, production planning and approval.

"With MayPlanner, we immediately have an app on the go that optimizes the workflow for long-term collaboration," explains Susi Payne, Head-of Tech at Maybaum Film. "The intuitive mapping of the production workflow, from campaign planning to final delivery, saves time and resources and helps us and our clients invest budgets more effectively in production value."

The offer is complemented by "Maybaum All Access". On the individualized content platform, customers have access to their finished videos, extended footage, BTS material or complete interview sequences. All assets are prepared according to CI and provided with personalized tags.

With this strategic realignment, Maybaum Film wants to address future-oriented companies that have a high demand for video content and want to play exciting videos to their customer groups on a monthly basis.

AI can now do almost anything: write texts, generate videos and images, plow through huge data sets in seconds. And it can also think through existing images. What else happens outside the image? That's exactly what Mobiliar and Jung von Matt Limmat wanted to know from AI in their current campaign.

The idea is based on a simple but exciting observation: AI, which like the insurance business is based on data, also calculates damage. If one expands harmless-looking images with the AI Photoshop tool "Generative Filling," damage cases are generated in the image expansion every now and then, such as dented cars, spilled paint, or broken dishes.

Hanna Poffet, Marketing Communication Manager at Mobiliar, says: "In our communication, for example with the damage sketches or the Mobiliar commercials, we always try to pick up on the zeitgeist and current topics to underpin Mobiliar's promise. The AI idea, which came about by chance and playfulness, therefore convinced us all the more because it applies exactly to both." Nicole Bieri, also Marketing Communication Manager, adds: "In this campaign, Mobiliar humor uses modern means, but the mechanics are actually the same as in the damage sketches.

A situation is supplemented by other elements that give the entire story a new twist. That's why the AI idea excited us from the very first moment. Because it, too, knows that damage is part of life."

The campaign uses stock imagery in the style of Mobiliar's imagery and integrates the Swiss insurer's traditional promise: "Whatever comes your way - we'll help you quickly and without complications."

The campaign has been present in German-speaking Switzerland for two weeks since Monday with two TVCs, at DOOH locations and with online assets.

Responsible at the Mobiliar: Hanna Poffet, Nicole Bieri (Marketing Communication Manager), Lorenz Jenni (Head of Brand Leadership & Marketing Communication). Responsible at Jung von Matt Limmat: Anouk Karrer (Creative Direction), Jan Theus, Luca Schneider (Art Direction), Fabienne Weidmann, Tina Mons (Account Management), Annette Häcki (Managing Creative Director), Cyrill Hauser (Managing Partner), Luitgard Hagl (Managing Creative Director and Agency Lead). Responsible at Blish: Alessa Fanzoi, Fabrizio Rutishauser, Matthias Fasnacht, Jlona Kopf (media realization). Responsible at Mediaschneider: Laura Castellana (Client Service Director), Lisa Kaniampuram (Media Consultant), Tarek Alfaiech (Senior Media Consultant), Stephan Bänninger (Media Consultant).

The Employer Branding Switzerland 2023" Monitor is designed to provide companies and HR units with insightful insights in times of skills shortages and addresses issues that may never have been on employers' radar because they were deemed unimportant or irrelevant. The study is designed to provide companies with insights to analyze, sharpen or realign their own employer positioning for clear market differentiation. The Klar agency developed and conducted the study together with the market research company Blue Eyes Marketing.

According to the study, the working atmosphere is more important than the salary for employees in Switzerland. However, this does not apply equally to every age group. The study also examines what other expectations employees have of their employers, what their wishes are and what their no-gos are. The study also reveals differences between Gen Z and the baby boomers and reveals how important a company parking space is and what role the staff restaurant plays.

The Monitor by Klar and Blue Eyes Marketing is conducted annually and is based on a representative online survey of 525 employees in German-speaking Switzerland who could imagine changing jobs. The first survey was conducted from December 2022 to January 2023 using a structured questionnaire.

Interested parties can Order the most important insights of the study here.

• Population: men and women, 20 to 60 years old
• Sample size: Total of 525 interviews, soft quotas on occupational groups (academics, craftsmen, office workers)
• Maximum sampling error: +- 4.4%
• Survey topics: Work culture characteristics, employer attractiveness, and employer benefits.
• Psychography: The Klar Monitor is based on the "blue mind" psychography model. The data collected is applied to the generation models/personas on the basis of their values.

The creative competition is organized by the Association of Outdoor Advertising Switzerland AWS and honors analog, digital and innovative outdoor advertising in Switzerland.

The 14-member jury of experts from the fields of advertising, culture and design, headed by jury president Christian Brändle, reviewed and evaluated all the entries submitted to the competition. "There are real discoveries on the shortlist. The 34 nominees are convincing, among other things, for their aesthetic originality, precise implementation of the advertising message, and artistic unconditionality," Brändle said of the judging.

The narrowest selection shows very different clients and areas of application of OOH media. The variety ranges - to name a few examples - from Ticino Tourismo and the Pantone Color Institute with the campaign "Colori del Ticino", to the large-scale portraits of young filmmakers as visuals for the "57th Solothurn Film Festival", to the awareness campaign "Daheim " for the emergency sleeping center Nemo, to the subject "The Rip", which symbolizes for Tamedia how media professionals factually deepen simple news images.

Award Night in September

Who will ultimately win the gold, silver and bronze awards as well as the overall prize across all categories for "Poster of the Year" will be announced on September 13 at the "Woohw!" event in Zurich.

The Raja Group has appointed 52-year-old Franck Chenet to the newly created position of Group Marketing Director. He has also been appointed as a member of the Group Management Committee. He reports to Nathalie Chapusot, member of the Raja Group Executive Committee and Managing Director of Marketing and Technology.

Chenet is now responsible for developing the Group's multichannel strategies and optimizing the customer experience. Under his leadership, the Group's brand profile is to be sharpened as well as the collaboration of the cross-functional marketing teams intensified on an international level.

Born in France, he began his professional career in Canada and the USA. He worked at Brodart for 13 years. Most recently, he was responsible for international development at Brodart as a member of the Executive Committee.

In 2008, Franck Chenet returned to France and took on various sales and marketing management positions at Fiducial Group, a B2B services group. In 2014, he became Managing Director of Skinjay, a cosmetics start-up in Lyon, France. From 2016 to 2022, Franck Chenet was Group Director at Antalis, responsible for digital transformation, service, communication and corporate social responsibility.

Franck Chenet studied at the Ecole Nationale de Commerce de Paris in France and at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, USA. An expert in digital transformation, Chenet also speaks at numerous conferences. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Adetem, the French professional association for marketing professionals.

BBT Software is active in the market for operating software for insurers - first and foremost health insurers. Rocket's task was to reflect BBT's innovative strength appropriately in its external appearance as well.

In a co-creation process, the website was Bbtsoftware.ch underwent a complete redesign. In addition, the logo was rejuvenated with fresh, interlocking colors and a new claim was integrated. To match the new look, Rocket also created a completely new visual world for BBT.

As a basis for simplifying future communications work, the Lucerne-based agency also developed its own website with Frontify from the classic CI/CD manual in PDF format. As an online design manual, it is always kept up to date and can be consulted by all those involved as needed.

The Board of Directors of Bern Welcome has elected Gábor Filep as Head of Leisure Tourism & Bern Tourism Network. He will take up his position on January 1, 2024 and will be a member of the Executive Board in his function.

Filep grew up in Ostermundigen and now lives in Bern. After training as a chef in a 5-star hotel in Bern, he obtained a diploma as a Hôtelier-Restaurateur HF at the Hotel Management School in Lucerne and completed further training in "Circular Economy & Sustainability Strategies" at the University of Cambridge. The 33-year-old gained hotel industry experience in Switzerland, Spain, the USA and the Netherlands. Currently, Gábor Filep manages the Harry's Home Hotel & Apartments Bern Ostermundigen.

Until Gábor Filep takes up his position, Manuela Angst will continue to head the Leisure Tourism & Bern Tourism Network department on an interim basis.

"I'm not available" - only 24 percent of communications professionals in Switzerland and Germany take this complete time off from work. According to News Aktuell's PR Trendmonitor, a large majority of 76 percent are permanently available to their superiors and colleagues even during their career break.

Thus, the work cell phone remains switched on in most cases and is one of the most frequent communication channels. Almost half of the respondents (48 percent) state that they can be reached by their company via SMS, WhatsApp or other messenger services. As many as 39 percent respond to e-mails, and 38 percent answer the phone.

However, the results also show that PR professionals only proactively contact the company in isolated cases. Only one in eight respondents (13 percent) actively write e-mails, only 9 percent actively contact the company via short messages, and 5 percent call the office to actively inquire whether there were any problems during their absence.

Team spirit in the foreground

The survey results also shed light on the motivation and team spirit of communications professionals. Asked about the reasons for being available during their vacations, 70 percent say they want to help colleagues in emergencies. A good third of respondents explicitly want to be available for the team (37 percent). Another 23 percent state that they have to continue working on important projects during their vacation.

Only 10 percent cite any expectations on the part of superiors as a reason. Colleagues are even less likely to demand availability (3 percent). 5 percent are available during their vacation so that they don't miss any important news in their absence. Career, meanwhile, is not a reason: Just 1 percent state that being permanently available during the vacations could actually be beneficial for career advancement.

How do PR pros feel about being accessible to their company during the vacations?

• I can be reached via SMS/WhatsApp/Messenger services 48%
• I can be reached by e-mail 39%
• I can be reached by phone 38%
• I actively write emails 13%
• I am actively reporting via SMS/WhatsApp/Messenger services 9%
• I am actively calling the office 5%
• I am not available 24%

Why are PR professionals available during the vacations?

• To help in emergencies 70%
• I want to be responsive to my team 37%
• Important projects I need to continue working on 23%
• My supervisor or manager expects it 10%
• I do not want to miss anything 5%
• My colleagues expect it 3%
• Beneficial for my career 1%

For the "PR Trend Monitor" by News Aktuell and PER, an online survey was conducted in February 2023 among 297 communications professionals from companies, organizations and PR agencies in Switzerland and Germany. For the results above, the survey asked how the communications industry feels about being reachable during their vacations and for what reasons they are reachable.

Through his professional stations at Publigroupe, TX Group and in his latest projects in New Zealand, Pecora brings a lot of experience in the field of programmatic advertising and digital marketing, according to a statement. "With Albi Pecora, we have brought on board one of the few programmatic professionals from the very beginning. We are very proud of this. With him, we can live up to our high ambitions," says Dragan Dojcinovic, CCO of Nau Media.

Albi Pecora has already taken up his new post on July 1: "Nau.ch has built up an outstanding reputation. I'm thrilled to be working for the young and dynamic portal, building on its existing strengths and developing innovative advertising opportunities."

The editor of L'AgefiNouvelle agence économique et financière, submitted a corresponding application at the beginning of 2022. This request was rejected by the Federal Office of Communications Bakom and later by the Federal Administrative Court.

The appeal against this decision was again not upheld by the Federal Supreme Court, as L'Agefi reported in its Tuesday edition. In the opinion of the 2nd Public Law Division, the newspaper's right to be heard was not violated.

Accordingly, the lower court was entitled to reject the requested expert opinion, which was to determine whether the title had a specialist character or not. For the judges, this point is a legal question that cannot be delegated to an expert.

Focused on finances

The complainant also argued that the Federal Administrative Court had acted arbitrarily by failing to take into account the very different subjects covered by the title, which gave rise to its multidisciplinary character.

For the Federal Supreme Court, however, this diversity does not exclude that L'Agefi was strongly focused on finance and economics and was aimed at readers who were primarily interested in these topics. Under these circumstances, the Federal Court confirmed that L'Agefi, as a trade press title, was not entitled to indirect press subsidies.

In a reaction on the pages of L'Agefi director and editor-in-chief Frédéric Lelièvre takes note of this decision and regrets it. "It is not a matter of regretting the receipt of a state aid, but of fighting against a blatant distortion of competition," he is quoted as saying. (SDA)