This media law was passed by the parliament in Moscow on Friday evening in view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine and signed by President Vladimir Putin. Up to 15 years in prison are now threatened for the dissemination of alleged "false information" about the Russian armed forces. Penalties are also threatened for those who publicly "denigrate" the army.

"Due to the restrictive conditions for correspondents and the consequences they face, SRF currently no longer has any employees on location in Russia. However, the situation is being reassessed on an ongoing basis," SRF announced on Saturday in response to a request from the Keystone-SDA news agency. Previously, the online portal of 20 minutes reported about it.

The French-speaking Swiss radio and television station RTS was already no longer permanently represented in the Russian capital, according to a statement from Geneva. Radiotelevisione Svizzera RSI had also announced the withdrawal of its staff from Moscow to Keystone-SDA on Saturday evening.

Earlier on Saturday, German public broadcasters ARD and ZDF said they had suspended coverage from their Moscow studios. The British BBC and the U.S. news channel CNN had already announced this step.

Russian President Putin, who last Thursday launched a military invasion of neighboring Ukraine, had signed several laws on Friday evening to further restrict free speech in Russia. (SDA)

He described it only as tragic that Russia had allowed itself to be provoked by the West, informed Infosperber on Saturday with. This Comment was met with "justified criticism" from readers and, according to the platform's editorial team, undermines the credibility of Infosperber in question.

The Internet platform also noted that Müller regularly wrote about Russia and geopolitical issues. In addition to the perspective of NATO, which readers know from the major media, he has provided information about the Russian perspective, which is often neglected in other media. However, he consistently refrained from analyzing Putin's policies, which had led to criticism for some time.

The platform Infosperber sees itself as a supplementary medium for a readership already informed by other media. In addition to providing supplementary information, it also seeks to uncover dependencies and exercises media criticism. (SDA)

However, he said, the focus remains "on providing a reliable supply of essential food and beverages to the local population."

Nestlé is represented in Russia with several brands and has six local factories and over 7000 employees. The products include breakfast cereals such as "Nesquik" or "Fitness", which are also known here in Switzerland.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Nestlé had temporarily closed all plants, warehouses and supply chains in Ukraine last week. Nestlé employs around 5000 people in the country.

However, the company was still determined to supply the people in Ukraine, it had said last Friday. Nestlé had therefore drawn up contingency plans to restart production and the supply of products as soon as the situation allowed. (SDA)

The campaign consisted of three waves. Various Gen Z influencers from all over Switzerland were brought on board. According to Webstages, they shared the content with over 7.5 million followers.

Last year, the M-Budget community was already able to vote on the design of the new Tasteas. The first wave started at the end of January and consisted of two activities. M-Budget invited the two influencers Jesina (@jess.amweg) and Anna (@arturitodiepls) to Bischofszell to the production facility. On site, they were shown the production of the new Tasteas, which they captured in a TikTok video. Other influencers were sent a Tastea button box. They created a video in their own style and drew the attention of the community to the upcoming launch.

For the second wave, Behat (@mrsuisse) and Jesina (@jess.amweg) took to the streets in Zurich and Bern with the new Tastea. Passers-by were allowed to test the two flavors in advance. They also shared their reactions with their community on TikTok.

The last and third wave accompanied the sales launch in all Migros stores throughout Switzerland. In addition to the familiar faces for the first two phases, other influencers were brought on board for the launch, who received the Taste Box and shared the unboxing on their channels.

After completing his undergraduate and graduate studies in journalism and media research, computer science and linguistics at the University of Zurich, Oliver Wirtz has worked in various positions at Swiss media companies, in the real estate sector and in the communications industry since 2000.

At the beginning of his career, Wirtz worked for Tamedia as editor and webmaster for the news magazine Facts where he later served as deputy head of the online magazine periodical pool. In 2006, Wirtz became head of the online editorial department at Ringier for SonntagsBlick. Between 2008 and 2013, he was responsible for the online presence of PCtipp and Computerworld as well as business development at the international publishing house IDG Communications as a member of the management board, web director and deputy editor-in-chief.

After a 13-year career in publishing, Wirtz moved to the Swiss startup sector. As Head of Marketing at Newhome.ch, he was responsible for all national and regional marketing activities during the start-up phase of the proptech company for four years. Since 2019, Oliver Wirtz worked at AgentSelly as Head of Marketing & Communications.

"Oliver Wirtz will work with his team to develop new target groups, build a low-threshold parent education offering, expand our digital channels and develop cross-media business models," lets Thomas Schlickenrieder, CEO of Elternsein Foundation and former publishing director of Fritz+Fränzi, quote in a news release.

Calculations show that Swiss Post will no longer be able to finance itself from 2028, said Group CEO Roberto Cirillo at a virtual media conference on Friday. This is because communication will become more digital, letter volumes will decline and investments in logistics will be necessary due to increasing parcel volumes. In the interview, Cirillo referred to the report by the independent commission of experts, which outlined the future of Swiss Post from 2030 at its presentation just over a week ago.

The report on the reform of Swiss Post had concluded that the financing of the basic service is at stake. Because of digitization, Swiss Post's basic service mandate is to be adjusted: Letters are to be delivered only on three days of the week and no later than three days after delivery. In return, priority speed is to become the standard for parcels.

The expert commission's analyses coincided in many cases with Swiss Post's findings, Cirillo said. Swiss Post also wants to anchor digital services in the basic service. The answer to the challenges of the future is the "Post of tomorrow" strategy, which has been under implementation for a year. The first "fruits" of the new strategy will be presented next Thursday at the annual media conference.

No clear cutting planned

According to Cirillo, the public postal service will continue to play a central role in Switzerland after 2030 as Swiss Post's raison d'être, "but increasingly in digital form. Swiss Post therefore wants to invest in the physical and digital public service and continue to manage without taxpayers' money in the future.

Cirillo envisions a path to this end without any cutbacks - the new strategy would have no consequences for staffing levels. However, the exact aspects of financing can only be clarified once the scope of the new public service is known, Cirillo said. However, he said, Swiss Post needs more entrepreneurial freedom to be prepared for the future. This includes the acquisition of suitable companies, he said.

Unlike the expert group, Swiss Post does not want to cut services. "Removing A Mail from the basic service is not an option for the Post," Cirillo said. This delivery method is a need, he said. The expert group also proposes that basic payment services be provided independently of postal services, something Cirillo also opposed. The post offices are an important pillar of Postfinance and payment transactions in general, he said.

Furthermore, the expert commission is in favor of abolishing Swiss Post's residual monopoly for letters weighing less than 50 grams. But this monopoly is still an important and, above all, the only financing instrument for the basic service, despite diminishing returns, Cirillo stressed.

Swiss Post is also prepared to share the deficit in newspaper transport as long as the basic service is solidly financed. It is up to parliament to decide whether newspaper delivery should be removed from the basic service. It remains to be seen whether customers will be willing to bear the deficit from 2030, Cirillo said.

Union against downsizing

For the Transfair staff association, it is clear that nationwide access to basic postal services must continue to be guaranteed in all regions of Switzerland, according to a statement. The proposal to reduce the delivery of A Mail and abolish the delivery of newspapers would torpedo the public service and effectively mean a cutback.

The commission, headed by former Aargau FDP member of the Council of States Christine Egerszegi, recommends that the Federal Council make a fundamental decision soon on "the guidelines for the future basic service." Cirillo also said it was high time for discussions on public service. (SDA)

The four tourism organizations of regional importance in the canton of St. Gallen - Heidiland, Rapperswil-Zürichsee, Toggenburg, St. Gallen-Bodensee - can receive financial support for services in marketing.

The canton keeps a tourism account for this purpose. This is a closed financing cycle: The funds come from the lodging and hospitality taxes collected by the municipalities. In addition, half of the Kursaal levy, which is paid by the B-Casino in Bad Ragaz, has been added to this so far.

This tourism bill has become increasingly skewed. "Falling numbers of overnight stays in the canton have reduced the income from the accommodation tax," it says in the documents for the consultation. At the same time, the tax on the casino in Bad Ragaz "has been declining for years". The reason given is the intensified competitive situation due to the casinos in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Pandemic led to further outages

The pandemic has further aggravated the situation. The canton waived the accommodation and hospitality taxes for tourism businesses in 2020 and 2021 as support. All these factors now mean that the reserves in the tourism account would probably be depleted in 2023.

The government therefore wants to take 2.2 million francs from the special equity capital as a one-off contribution to compensate for the shortfalls during the pandemic. In addition, the entire Kursaal levy is to be used for tourism promotion in the future. Until now, half of it went into the state budget. There, the government expects annual revenue shortfalls of 900,000 francs.

With the revision, the support of tourism projects, with which cantonal contributions to individual hotel buildings were possible, is also to be abolished. The support possibilities within the framework of the New Regional Policy (NRP) are not affected by this, the State Chancellery announced on Thursday. The consultation on the bill lasts until April 14. (SDA)

The last two years in particular have accelerated the change in the job profile of C-level marketers and greatly increased the demands on brand management, writes the sponsors of the new award in a joint statement. Clear positioning and unique product benefits are no longer sufficient as success drivers in marketing - values such as sustainability and diversity, the meaningfulness of a brand and the behavior of a company are becoming increasingly important. Customers, partners and employees are becoming more demanding when it comes to choosing a company and its products. Digital channels have massively increased the transparency and speed of communication, making agile and innovative behavior on the part of marketing managers indispensable.

To honor the successful building and management of a brand with all these challenges, the CMO of the year will be elected for the first time in Switzerland in 2022.

The sponsorship behind the award

The award is organized and supported by Admeira, Horizont, Serviceplan Group Switzerland, Swiss Marketing Forum and the University of St.Gallen. On April 8, the nominees for the first edition of the "CMO of the year" announced. The winner will be announced at a gala event on June 2, 2022.

The jury includes marketing experts from various fields of activity, namely Martin Baumüller, Head Division Marketing & Brands / Group Executive Board at Geberit International, Bernhard Brechbühl, media manager, Nicholas Hänny, co-founder, CEO and CMO at Nikin, Pam Hügli, CEO and partner at Serviceplan Suisse, Beat Hürlimann, editor and video reporter at Horizont Schweiz, Ursula Kaspar, Owner and CEO at the Institute for Limbic Communication and Strategy, Coralie Klaus Boecker, Head of Marketing & Digital at Zurich Airport, Andreea Prange, Head Customer Experience & Strategy and Member of the Executive Board at Axa Switzerland, Sven Reinecke, Executive Director Institute for Marketing & Customer Insight at the University of St. Gallen, Petra Rohner, President of PR Consulting and owner of the Swiss Women Network Foundation, Sarah Safri, Group Marketing Director at SMG Swiss Marketplace Group, Ulrike Samer, Managing Director at CareerTeam Switzerland, Rolf Suter, Managing Partner of Mediaplus Suisse, Uwe Tännler, President of Swiss Marketing Forum, Christoph Timm, Head of Marketing Communications at Swisscom, Sandra-Stella Triebl, Media Entrepreneur & President of "The League of Leading Ladies" Ladies Drive, Patricia Widmer, Vice Director Executive School of Management, Technology & Law at the University of St. Gallen, and Admeira CEO Frank Zelger.

Specifically, the Streaming service "Oneplus" from CH Media will become an integral part of Sunrise UPC's TV offering, the two companies announced jointly on Friday. At the same time, Sunrise UPC is taking a 20 percent stake in CH Media TV AG. This is a long-term, strategic partnership.

CH Media also becomes the main partner of MySports, Sunrise UPC's sports and entertainment offering with a focus on ice hockey. From the coming season, MySports will have the overall media rights to the National League.

Blick Group also participates in National League

In addition to CH Media, the telecom company Sunrise UPC also brought the Blick Group on board. This will make the National League accessible to a broad audience on TV and digital channels, according to a media release from Sunrise UPC and the National League.

According to MySports, CH Media is the market leader among private TV providers in Switzerland. In digital, the Blick Group is a sports flagship with expertise in ice hockey and a strong online presence. Ice hockey fans would watch all Nationa League games on MySports.

In future, one National League match each will be shown weekly on CH Media's TV24 and on Blick.ch, according to the media release. The concrete distribution plans for German-speaking Switzerland, French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino will be worked out in the coming months. MySports and the National League extended their media partnership last year until 2027.

SRG in talks with Sunrise UPC

Swiss television SRF and the other SRG stations are directly affected by the redistribution of broadcasting rights for the National League. SRG is making intensive efforts to obtain the corresponding broadcasting rights for all language regions until the 2026/27 season, Roland Mägerle, Head of SRF Sport and Business Unit Sport SRG, is quoted as saying in an interview on the SRF website.

SRG is still in talks with Sunrise UPC about acquiring rights to broadcast its own National League programs. Mägerle: "Exactly how SRG broadcasters will be able to report on Swiss club ice hockey from the 2022/23 season is still open, however." (SDA)

1. not planning ahead and for the long term

In many companies, it is high time to drive forward and improve the digitization of operational processes. However, it would be wrong to rush into it. A clear strategy and long-term planning are needed.

It is crucial to objectively analyze the needs of the company and define the appropriate measures. There also needs to be a clear roadmap to follow in order to achieve the goals set: When do which measures need to be taken and what are the implications? Will the existing processes and instruments still be relevant in a few months or years? What legal requirements must be observed?

2. not clearly stating own goals and needs

Measures to promote digitization seem inevitable, but companies must not embark on the process without clear goals. Each step must be motivated by real needs and the corresponding solutions must be appropriate and effective.

The achievability of the goals must be checked as part of the strategy development. In addition, the planned measures must be clearly budgeted and it must also be defined which employees are involved and in what form. The goals must be quantifiable and measurable in order to make progress recognizable.

3. do not involve the teams and train them sufficiently.

The company's employees are directly affected by the digital transformation. Their working methods and tools are changing. These upheavals can have unpleasant consequences. Some employees may be overwhelmed by the changes and begin to resist them. The resulting effects on the company are numerous: productivity decreases, more mistakes happen, the working atmosphere deteriorates, and so on.

Therefore, everything possible must be done on the part of the company's management to facilitate the transition. Information about the digital transformation is needed, with explanations about its necessity, the goals to be achieved, and the means to be used. Employees must be trained in the use of the new tools and methods - tutorials, webinars and workshops are needed. Employees must understand the foundation for the transformation and be able to actively participate.

4. neglect of the customer relationship

Digitization can play a key role in the purchasing process, especially by automating and optimizing processes. This also enables the company to better meet the needs of the customer. The latter must be placed at the center of the digital transformation, as he is also affected by the changes to the company.

The tools and processes used must maintain or even improve a satisfactory customer experience. For example, by providing additional services or improving the efficiency of the service. It is important to repeatedly analyze customer expectations in detail to ensure that the digitization measures taken are suitable.

5. disregard the human factor

The digitization of the enterprise cannot happen without people. While it is essential to select the best tools and develop effective processes, people remain the decisive factor. Without him, there is a risk that the digital transformation will fail. It needs the consent of employees and customers. Technology must serve people, not people serving technology.

* Carsten Brandt is Head of Brand & Communications at B2B platform provider Visable.

During a twelve-month development period, FOX worked with customers to develop Standing Ovation into a new consulting service.

The new offering focuses on the end customer's brand experience, the agency writes in a press release. The holistic experience design process aims to create sustainable success for customers. To achieve this, comprehensive knowledge about the company and the existing customer experience is first analyzed. "Based on the insights gained, we optimize the customer experience," says Michael Dancsecs, owner of Standing Ovation. "We develop prototypes, test their effectiveness and implement them. By monitoring their effectiveness and identifying key performance indicators, we provide our customers with valuable data that measurably and sustainably increases their success. And ultimately generate more revenue."

Standing Ovation's new advisory service appears independently on the web at Focusonxperience.ch

The pandemic has had a major impact not only on tourism, but also on the requirements for tourism education. The IST - College of Tourism & Outdoor has taken advantage of these drastic changes to completely reorient itself.

The aim of the brand relaunch was to sharpen the positioning of the IST School of Tourism and to make it visible in the dynamic tourism and outdoor industry with a modern, self-confident image. Now IST appears with modern remodeled classrooms in Zurich, an expanded range of studies, flexible lesson design and a new CI/CD including a new website.

"We are very pleased that with this relaunch, not only does the design come across as fresh and modern, but we also meet today's technical requirements," says Managing Director and Overall Head of School Nicole Diermeier. "Our new appearance strikes a chord with the times. It is modern, simple and high-quality. It reflects the quality of IST," adds IST Marketing Manager Lory Gauch.

Daniel Kraft is responsible for the conception and implementation of the IST relaunch. "Logo, visual language, typeface and color scheme - all elements of the new brand identity play together to make IST's vision a long-term experience for the relevant target groups," explains the brand strategist.

The IST logo has its origins in the Swiss cross and, through its dynamic cut, simultaneously stands for departure, development and progress.

The IST imagery is intended to evoke emotions and shows people, places, being on the road, the vast tranquility and urban life. The images are meant to invite you to consciously experience the moment and to discover the world in a fascinatingly close and surprising new way.

The color world with the characteristic IST colors strikingly and confidently underline the understanding of and the claim to tourism and outdoor.

The IST typeface is modern, unobtrusive and flexible, making it ideal for authentically communicating the full range of facets of the tourism and outdoor industries across all channels.

Responsible at IST, Higher School of Tourism & Outdoor: Nicole Diermeier (Executive Management), Lory Gauch (Marketing Management). Conception and implementation: Daniel Kraft (brand strategy, project management), Israel Moreno (design), Clau Isenring (text).