Intr is a Bern-based agency specializing in branding, branded content and concept development. Its clients include organizations such as PostFinance, Mobiliar and the State Secretariat for Migration SEM, as well as young companies such as the Zurich-based interior label Schoenstaub and the natural wine shop Trallala. The agency, which is run by Arci Friede and Denise Häberli, has grown steadily in recent years and has successfully established itself in the market. 

Together with Remo Bitzi and Marc Schwegler, the owners of Staaacks, an agency for communications management based in Zurich and Lucerne, Friede and Häberli decided to strengthen the company's profile and expand its competencies.

As of the beginning of 2022, the two agencies will merge: The owners of Staaacks will join the management of Intr. This merger will add to Intr's portfolio clients such as the Swiss cultural foundation Pro Helvetia, for which Bitzi and Schwegler produce the international online magazine V/A - Various Artists care, or the Zurich Theater Spectaclewhose communication they manage. 

With this addition, Intr is strengthening its profile in the development and implementation of brand and content strategies, in publishing and in communications management. The existing competencies would be expanded with the new partners, especially in the areas of PR, media relations and editing.

Following the merger, Intr employs 23 people at its headquarters in Berne and its branch office in Lucerne. 

The Blick Group and Switzerland Tourism had called for the vote - and almost everyone took part. 76 Swiss ski destinations competed for the first time in five categories for the "Blick Winter Awards" in recent weeks.

The Blick community was also active. More than 10,000 new users registered for the election with the login alliance "OneLog". According to Blick, 53,000 votes were cast for the participating winter destinations.

Double award for Arosa Lenzerheide

Arosa Lenzerheide won twice as the best ski and snowboard area and in the category "Family Friendliness". The award in the category "Small and Beautiful" went to Melchsee-Frutt. Goms won over the Blick community as the best "cross-country skiing" destination, and Zermatt-Matterhorn came out on top in the "sports and fun" category.

Award on Blick TV

The "Blick Winter Awards" were presented at an awards ceremony on Blick TV by prominent laudators such as ski legend Marc Girardelli, Olympic silver medal winner Brigitte Oertli, tourism professor Jürg Stettler, energy expert Robert Wendlinger, Switzerland Tourism Director Martin Nydegger and Blick CEO Ladina Heimgartner.

Award and advertising space for the winning destinations

In addition to the "Blick Winter Award", the winning ski resorts also benefit from an advertising budget of 85,000 Swiss francs, which can be used in all channels of the Blick Group - online, TV, social and print.

Ochsner Sport has been a Premium Partner of Swiss Olympic since 2015 and is also supporting the Swiss delegation at the Winter Games in Beijing. These include ski crosser Fanny Smith, cross-country skiers Laurien van der Graaff and Nadine Fähndrich, skiers Loic Meillard and Beat Feuz, and snowboarder Pat Burgener.

In the current campaign for the Olympic Games, Ochsner Sport shows how these athletes prepare for the Olympic Games on the Swiss sports field. How they give their all for their big goals and also train at night or in heavy snowfall. This is to show that the Olympic fire burns in the athletes long before the Games.

The film also features the new, official Swiss Olympic Team Collection from Albright, the exclusive brand of Ochsner Sport. The brand is the official supplier of the Swiss Olympic Team for the first time and is available at Ochsner Sport.

The campaign can be seen around the Winter Olympics on TV and in various online and social media formats. In addition, an ad stretch and various POS measures were implemented.

Responsible at Ochsner Sport: Marco Greco (Head of Marketing), Patrizia Fiechter (Team Leader Classic Communication), Nathalie Brunner (Classic Communication), Paddy Käser (Team Leader Content and Social Media), Jasmin Marti, Alexandra Schmutz (Content and Social Media). Responsible at Thjnk Zurich: Alexander Jaggy, Pablo Schencke (GF Creation), Lukas Amgwerd (Text), Lukas Frischknecht (Art Direction), Andrea Bison (GF Consulting), Marie Vuilleumier, Andrea Häfliger (Consulting), Gordon Nemitz (GF Strategy). External partners: Animals (director), Hillton (producer), Jingle Jungle (recording studio), Adrian Bretscher (photographer).

"The sharpened brand strategy defines our values and philosophy in a contemporary way and aligns us for the future," explains François Pugliese, CEO of Elite Beds. The actions of the manufactory are based on the know-how passed down and developed from generation to generation for 125 years to produce the best sleeping places.

In moving images and print, natural light, warm colors, large-scale nature shots of the Aletsch Arena, scenes at the Hotel Le Mirador Resort & Spa and detailed images from the bed manufactory in Aubonne on Lake Geneva were used.

In doing so, the human being takes a place in nature in the foreground: characters that are meant to stand for passion and joie de vivre - and for whom sustainability and orientation towards the future is a way of life.

The production was realized by the Los Angeles-based film and production company Heimat Films, owned by Basil Schneeberger of Switzerland. "Thanks to the great collaboration between Elite Beds and Heimat Films, we were able to put together an impressive, multimedia campaign," said Marie Pugliese, business developer at Elite Beds. "The use of the new brand campaign since January in TV, print, digital and social media allows for high visibility. Premium placements ensure optimal performance."

Responsible at Elite Beds: Marie Pugliese (Business Developer), Sophie Franklin (Communications). Responsible at Heimat Films: Basil Schneeberger (Art Director), Andrea Wüest (Production).

As the city administration announced on Friday, the campaign is based on posters featuring well-known Biel/Bienne residents. They promote tolerance and solidarity with queer people. These people include the singer Caroline Alves, the tiktoker Naswyn and the SVP member of parliament and city councillor Sandra Schneider.

Website with testimonials

On the other hand, the city administration has developed a new Website is published. There, people talk about their experiences with this topic. There are also legal bases and information on help and advice centers. The city of Biel has also set up a reporting office for people who have experienced or observed discrimination.

The aim is to make the problem visible to the public and encourage people to help others in discriminatory situations, writes the Biel municipal council. Biel is a "diverse city" that draws on its diversity. The municipal council has set out this vision in the Biel 2030 strategy and intends to implement it.

Campaign also in Valais

In mid-January, the canton of Valais also announced that it was launching a campaign against homophobia and transphobia. In addition, a new position on this topic will be created at the Office for Equality and Family Affairs. A report had shown that LGBTIQ+ people in particular are less mentally healthy than the rest of the population.

The analysis found, for example, that there is more addictive behavior and a two to five times higher risk of suicide attempts in this group. LGBTIQ+ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer people. (SDA)

Challenges of the 21st century - such as climate change or digitalization - confront the younger generations with a comprehensive uncertainty about the future. Many young people now want to take this future into their own hands. Almost every second German, for example, says that he or she would like to work for a large company in order to be able to work on larger and more influential projects. This is followed by around a third who would prefer to found their own startup in order to have full control over career content and the impact of their business.

The young aspiration to find meaning and shape the world is equally reflected in the fact that more than one in three would work in a low-paid job that is nevertheless meaningful to him or her. More than half of young Germans also say they would rather work less and devote their time to problems that are meaningful to them. In a generational comparison, this contrasts with two-thirds of respondents from the baby boomer generation who disagree - a social paradigm shift.

Principles put to the test

However, the younger generations' desire for change is not only driven by content; it also does not stop at the established rules of the game in working life. Whereas a university degree was previously considered unavoidable, three-quarters of the 18- to 34-year-olds surveyed now believe that careers and a successful life are possible even without such an educational qualification. The absolute majority, around 90 percent of young respondents, also say they would support an unconditional basic income for their generation - motivated first and foremost by the generation's increased need for security, but also flexibility, so that they can invest time in the issues that are important to them.

Investment in employer branding important

"Young generations have not only had to forfeit essential experiences during the global health crisis, they have also witnessed how little has been done for them during these times. As a logical consequence, this gives rise to an increased need for security with a desire for their own control over their lives and an aspiration to help shape the world around them in a meaningful way," explains Sandra Onofri, Havas Germany Group Strategy Director. "Companies that can't or don't want to meet these demands, just like companies that don't have a compelling purpose to show for it, will lose key talent in the competitive labor market. This makes investments in employer branding, for example, an indispensable economic factor for every company."

The Generation Covid" study was created by Havas and conducted as an online survey by Market Probe International. Around 17,500 people in 32 countries took part in the study. The report is available at Havas website.

"Alphabet, Google's parent company, generated $75.3 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter of last year. That's 32 percent growth over the year before," said Ruth Porat, CFO at Google, when presenting the latest quarterly figures. That growth, she said, reflects a broad-based trend toward more ad spending and increased online activity by consumers. "Our investments have helped us deliver the services to people, our partners and businesses that they need," she emphasized.

The company intends to continue this strategy in the future and invest specifically in potentially promising business areas. "Podcasts, gaming, learning content, sports - we will take a very close look at all these areas," says Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who speaks of a "whole new level of opportunities" in this context. With regard to YouTube in particular, he also sees online shopping as a potential growth driver. "But we are still at the beginning here," Pichai admits.

Alphabet with $257.6 billion in revenue

Overall, Alphabet posted $257.6 billion in revenue in the past fiscal year. The number one revenue driver continues to be advertising in the context of Internet search queries. The corresponding revenues increased by almost 36 percent year-on-year to 43.3 billion dollars. The YouTube video platform came in at $8.6 billion. For the full fiscal year 2021, advertising revenues on the video portal amount to 28.8 billion dollars. (pte)

Online Team Hacks

Impulses and tools for online collaboration.

• Author: Brigitte Berscheid and Kathrin Strehlau
• Publisher: managerSeminare Verlag, 2021
• Pages: 272
• ISBN: 9783958910980

Online collaboration from the home office is effective and saves time. However, the digital opportunities for online teams require managers and employees to learn new ways of working, processes and skills. This book explains in detail how digital collaboration works and what tools are really needed. It also offers downloadable job aids and an overview and evaluation of different programs. A practical guide for anyone who wants to find their way around the confusing market of digital tools - clearly laid out and easy to implement.

The customer-centric company

A practical handbook.

• Author: Dirk Johannsen and Werner Katzengruber
• Publisher: Wiley-VCH, 2021
• Pages: 240
• ISBN: 9783527510894

Amazon and Apple are leading the way: They have perfected customer centricity with products that are tailored to customers and their wishes, and with excellent service. This practical handbook is a helpful guide for anyone who wants to follow in their footsteps. The authors explain in detail which strategies, structures and culture are needed to become truly customer-centric. Unfortunately, they are too stingy with practical examples. These would have made the material easier to digest - for the benefit of the customer, in this case the reader.

Meaning is the New Marketing

A source of inspiration for brands, organizations and people who seek meaning in their work.

• Author: Yousef Hammoudah and Nico Zeh
• Publisher: Campus Verlag, 2021
• Pages: 256
• ISBN: 9783593514697

Forget classic marketing tools, because they no longer work, say Yousef Hammoudah and Nico Zeh. The secret to success, they believe, lies in sustainable, value-based brand communication. The two authors have developed a model for this, which they present with passion and euphoria. The book is peppered with excursions into a wide variety of theories and delves deep into the authors' biographies. Above all, however, it whets the appetite for a different kind of marketing that contributes to an open, fair and sustainable society.

Post bureaucratic organizing

Forms and consequences of agile ways of working.

• Author: Judith Muster, Finn-Rasmus Bull and Jens Kapitzky (eds.)
• Publisher: Vahlen Verlag, 2021
• Pages: 248
• ISBN: 9783800663767

So-called post-bureaucratic management approaches such as agility or Scrum are supposed to help overcome the problems of rigid bureaucracies and hierarchies. This anthology presents the experiences of several companies with post-bureaucratic methods. These are often dismissed as "management fads." Here, the book goes further than others by reflecting on post-bureaucratic approaches from a theoretical perspective as well. Of particular interest is the criticism of management fads expressed in several contributions.

At the request of the news agency Keystone-SDA, the FOPH confirmed a corresponding report from Blick.ch Thursday. Because of Omikron and its very rapid spread, the agency had felt compelled to make adjustments in an even shorter time and in a more flexible manner. Therefore, before the start of the second phase of the campaign, it was decided "that it would not be effective as planned and therefore should not be implemented."

The first phase of the campaign will end at the end of the week. At the center of the campaign was an explanatory video on the FOPH website. The FOPH has been using excerpts of the video to promote booster vaccination on various social media channels since January 19. A short version is currently also being produced in five other migration languages and can thus also be used by these communities, the FOPH stated in its response to the inquiry.

According to the latest figures released Thursday by the FOPH, 39.83 percent of the total population and 74.57 percent of those over 65 have received booster vaccinations to date. (SDA)

Non-food stores posted a 3.7 percent gain in 2021, GfK reported Thursday. Food and near-food sales, on the other hand, were down 1.0 percent. This was also due to strong comparative figures.

In the previous year, 2020, retail sales - despite Corona and the spring store closures - had grown 7.8 percent, the best performance in several decades, according to GfK. Back then, grocery stores had boomed thanks to hoarding purchases, with food and near-food sales shooting up 10.9 percent.

In terms of cumulative growth at the end of 2021, the do-it-yourself sector was in the lead. The leisure segment also performed extremely well: fitness equipment, everything to do with cycling, winter sports supplies, and e-bikes would have continued to be in vogue in 2021. Furthermore, demand in most toy sub-segments increased significantly, with demand for toys in the high-priced segment also rising at Christmas.

Increase according to FSO higher

GfK's findings thus differ from those of the Swiss Federal Statistical Office (SFSO). On Tuesday, the latter had communicated a nominal sales increase of 4.2 percent on the basis of provisional figures for the retail trade. (Werbewoche.ch reported). In real terms, i.e. excluding inflation, the figure was 4.7 percent. All sectors that had suffered losses in 2020 due in part to the coronal pandemic had largely made up for them, the FSO said.

The difference in the data can be explained by the type of survey. The retail trade turnover statistics of the FSO are based on a random sample of around 3,000 companies. It is collected on a monthly basis, with small businesses being surveyed on a quarterly basis for monthly sales figures.

At GFK, the figures are based on actual sales figures that the service provider receives from over 40 major Swiss retailers. According to the data, these account for around 40 to 50 percent of total sales in the industry. Specialty retailers are not included here. (SDA)

After 2021 saw a resurgence in the industry, Andrea Baumgartner began consulting again with retail start-up brands looking to make a difference. According to Baumgartner, the timing couldn't be better, as companies are investing in their brands and the global travel retail market is slowly picking up.

Consumers are looking forward to new things and starting to travel more, and local and global marketing activities are gaining momentum. People want to enjoy shopping experiences and be emotionally touched by brands. This is where Promo Passion wants to start.

As a full-service provider, Promo Passion assists with packaging development and other marketing work, both nationally and internationally, and helps brands in all categories with promotional activities in Global Travel Retail.

The agency acts as an external all-round partner for the carefree implementation of promotional activities in all aspects, but also for daily marketing tasks. With Promo Passion, brand owners should gain internal capacities with which they can concentrate on value-added work and outsource cyclical requirements. The service is not limited to the travel retail environment.

Founder with many years of experience

After working for almost 20 years in the international environment including Global Travel Retail, Andrea Baumgartner had run more than 100 promotions for various brands around the world, it was time to start her own business.

After 14 years with German spirits company Underberg, where she held global responsibility for international markets and travel retail, Baumgartner joined wine and spirits company Distell International Ltd. As Head of Marketing Global Travel Retail, she developed and implemented global marketing campaigns, created and launched product innovations and worked closely with local distributors.

Last year, Swiss retailers recorded a nominal increase in sales of 4.2 percent. In real terms, i.e. excluding inflation, it was 4.7 percent, according to figures released by the Federal Statistical Office FSO on Tuesday. However, these figures are still provisional.

Food sales stagnate after strong 2020

This development was driven by all sectors except the food industry, which stagnated after the strong 2020 in the previous year.

According to the FSO, all the others were strongly up, almost offsetting the losses reported in some cases in the previous year. Sales in the non-food sector, for example, increased by 7.4 percent in nominal terms. In 2020, sales figures had still been in the red (nominal -3.7%).

The "Information and communication technology equipment" (+7.8%) and "Market stalls, mail order and internet trade" (+6.3%) sectors again recorded sustained strong growth. They thus confirmed the upward trend from the previous year, when they had each reported double-digit growth rates.

There was also renewed demand for products from the "other household appliances, textiles, do-it-yourself and home furnishings" sector, as shown by the nominal increase in sales of +3.5 percent.

Double-digit sales growth

Meanwhile, the "other goods (clothing, pharmacies, watches and jewelry)" and "publishing products, sports equipment and toys" sectors (+11.0%) and "publishing products, sports equipment and toys" (+6.6%) managed to offset their prior-year losses.

This also applied to service stations. For 2021, the industry was expecting a nominal increase in sales of 12.8 percent, following a decline of 14.2 percent in 2020.

At the end of the year, retail sales adjusted for sales and holiday effects fell by 0.5 percent in nominal terms (-0.4% in real terms). However, even seasonally adjusted sales in December fell by 2.2 percent in nominal terms compared with the previous month (-2.0% in real terms). (SDA)