Last year, Podcastschmiede was able to launch many new productions. Now Simon Lechmann is expanding the agency's team. "Audio on demand is the medium of the hour," says the longtime radio host. The medium creates intense experiences: "I only need my imagination, can switch off all external influences and concentrate fully on the content. The images that arise in my mind are always very personal. That's why this listening experience is so unique."

Lechmann takes over as co-editor of Podcastschmiede along with deputy managing director Cheyenne Mackay. "I'm enormously pleased that Simon is bringing his talent for storytelling to us," Mackay said. "He has exceptional ideas for podcast formats and knows how to execute them."

Discover new marketing formula

A good podcast per se is not enough, it must also be heard. For this reason, Podcastschmiede focuses on marketing the productions and brings marketing specialist Daniela Thielecke on board. Thielecke brings almost 17 years of experience from radio marketing, which she most recently used in digital startups. "No one in Switzerland has perfected podcast marketing yet. With Daniela, we will try everything and discover the secret formula," says CEO Nico Leuenberger.

Tippinpoint describes itself as a "new business medium for finance, sustainability and digital transformation. The medium analyzes and comments on the most exciting developments in the financial world. The focus is on "rapidly developing trends" in the areas of sustainable finance, ESG and impact investing, as well as decentralized finance and blockchain.

Behind Tippinpoint is a small team of experienced journalists and media makers, according to the website. The new publication thus competes, among other things, with existing online business platforms such as Finews.ch and Inside Parade Ground as well as with the publication The Marketwhich is backed by the NZZ Group, or Cash.ch of the Ringier-Axel-Springer Group.

The founder of the new online medium Beat Schmid has been writing about banks and financial topics for more than 20 years. Until October 2021, he was a writer and head of news at Tamedia. Before that, he was deputy editor-in-chief and head of business at the Switzerland at the weekend of as well as chief economist at the SonntagsZeitung. Alongside Schmid, journalist Katharina Bart is responsible for an English-language article on the launch of the new online medium. (SDA)

The transfer was initiated by Philippe Hansen during a business lunch at the Vietnamese restaurant around the corner. "The money for a bowl of noodle soup was never better invested," says the Bold co-founder. "Matthias is an important and inspiring building block in the further development of our agency and it's just incredibly fun to work with him."

"At Bold, I have found my place in a team that is outstanding in both human and professional terms," says newly appointed Executive Board member Matthias Gerber. "From campaigning and branding to motion design and development, everything is created here from a single mold. I'm looking forward to being able to use this bundled creative potential in my new role in an even more targeted way for our clients."

"Deciding quickly and designing decisively - that simply works best in small, sporty media houses like the Looping Group," says Bettina Billerbeck, CBO of BMM, previously Editorial Director of the Gruner & Jahr Living titles.

Billerbeck has been with BMM as a freelance consultant for six months. "We tailor for the Madame-In addition, Petra Winter and I have a lot of plans for the future. And the Looping Group, with its special spirit of journalistic creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, is exactly my arena."

Petra Winter, in addition to her role as shareholder of BMM and editor-in-chief of Madame & Mr. is now expanding its offering for luxury brands looking for support in their media communications. "For 70 years Madame and for two years also Mr. sharpened its expertise in the luxury sector. Since the acquisition of the Madame through the Looping Group, a fine manufactory for media brands has formed around our magazine brands. We are sitting on a wealth of experience that can enrich not only our own brands but also customers from outside. I am very much looking forward to applying our journalistic know-how to new business of this kind," says the new CCO and Editorial Director of the Madame & Mr. quote in a news release.

Publicis has been the lead agency for Calanda and Eichhof for many years, and the collaboration with the brewery will be even closer in the future: Publicis Zurich is now responsible for the Swiss social media channels of the four brands Heineken, Birra Moretti, Eichhof and Calanda.

In addition to the creation and production of all content, the contract also includes community management and channel support, the paid strategy and the coordination of all processes. The collaboration will also include online promotions, live marketing, experiences with SoMe connection and the support of influencer measures and pop-ups.

"In recent years, we have been able to make a significant mark on the traditional Calanda and Eichhof brands," says Matthias Koller, CEO of Publicis.

"Publicis has already conceived and implemented numerous great and creative campaigns for our brands," adds Andrys Aardema, Marketing Director at Heineken Switzerland. "We now want to benefit from this creativity end-to-end: From the big core idea to the one-off, daily post, we can ensure that everything comes from the same mold."

Publicis Zurich will take over the management of the channels as early as February 2022.

As part of the 175th anniversary of Testex, the brand was sharpened in a multi-stage process. The Zurich agencies Plan|b Agentur für Massnahmen and Sofies Kommunikationsdesign jointly developed the brand design and accompanied the launch of the new, but at the same time familiar brand.

By reducing and adapting visual elements, the new brand presence appears tidy and fresh without losing its recognition value. The appearance is to convince by its simplicity, whereby complex contents can be represented and communicated in a simple way. In this way, the Testex brand is to radiate self-confidence in its new dress and position itself as a trustworthy, innovative and smart player in the market.

Various ad campaigns, banner ads, and the anniversary campaign can be seen in various trade magazines as well as on Testex's social media channels and trade shows. The campaigns run in German, English, Korean, Indonesian and Chinese, among others.

Responsible at Testex: Marc Sidler (Chief Marketing Officer), Corinne Blumer (Group Marketing Officer), Nicole Soliani (Group Communication Officer), Jenny Michel (Group Junior Marketing & Communication Officer). Lead: Mike Schmid (overall management / lead agency, Plan|b Agency for Measures). Responsible at Sofies Kommunikationsdesign: Roger Steck (Design, Concept, Consulting), Kevin Casado (Brand Management & Consulting, Design), Carla Berger (Design), Stefan Wolf (Design), Enzo Moser (Design).

On the day her first column is published, she is 20 years old; one day later she celebrates her 21st birthday. Noa Dibbasey was an intern in the politics department from August 2020 to April 2021 - before that she had appearances on the Blick Instagram channel Soda.

Dibbasey is studying social sciences in Bern. For the column, she will not write academically, but true-to-life every second Friday about topics, attitudes and conspicuousness of Generation Z. 

"Noa Dibbasey has already shown her outstanding talent as an intern at Blick. Now I am delighted that we can add a young, idiosyncratic voice to our circle of columnists," says Christian Dorer, Editor-in-Chief of the Blick Group.

Adobe's latest Digital Trends 2022 report looks at how business professionals are responding to current market challenges and opportunities.

The report shows that the pandemic-related shifts toward increased online consumer behavior will continue in 2022 and even pick up speed. Companies must therefore consistently drive forward digital projects in order not to lag behind the competition.

Among the report's key findings are that 85 percent of German business leaders say customers expect digital structures today. A similar percentage (82 percent) also say that customers expect more digitally driven experiences beyond 2022. In addition, almost three-quarters (74 percent) report that customers are increasingly communicating with their company via digital channels.

"Brand communication and customer interaction must meet the highest standards both online and offline. In the past year, the balance has shifted significantly in favor of digital, and the end of third-party data is putting companies in a bind," says Christoph Kull, Vice President & Managing Director Central Europe at Adobe. "The foundation of sustainable customer relationships is the same in both worlds: building trust is essential, and a personal as well as relevant approach offers a veritable competitive advantage. Those who offer this in digital customer contact and across all channels create the basis for stability and further growth."

Digital transformation: Who does not push the envelope, will be left behind

Click&collect, virtual changing rooms - the pandemic has created a host of new shopping opportunities. More than two-thirds (69 percent) of companies say their customer journeys have changed significantly in the past 18 months. It is likely that this trend will continue beyond the pandemic.

However, there is a significant gap between brands' confidence in their own ability to deliver digital experiences that meet customer expectations. Only a few marketers are convinced that their company "exceeds customer expectations" (13 percent), while just under a quarter (22 percent) feel they lag behind the competition when it comes to digital experiences.

To meet these challenges, 42 percent of business leaders plan to optimize customer experiences across all channels. More than half (53 percent) also plan to increase spending on customer data technology and customer experience management systems.

Customer trust is the decisive success factor 2022

Third-party cookies will soon be a thing of the past. Many companies are now looking for new, better ways to offer their customers personalized experiences while earning their trust. Responsible handling of personal data is critical to this. Companies that have a robust first-party data strategy have a clear advantage here: more than two-thirds (69 percent) of German marketers are convinced that they can use first-party data effectively for personalized customer experiences.

Taking agility to a new level

Agility and the breaking down of data silos and thus a holistic view of customers are decisive factors for personalized experiences "at scale". However, many companies are lagging behind here. 37 percent of marketing specialists state that their company is "average" or "weak" or even "very weak" (20 percent) in terms of cross-team data exchange. This is a great opportunity to leverage untapped potential and create consistent experiences across all channels with the help of standardized customer profiles.

Skilled workers still lacking

However, personalization on a large scale requires the appropriate skills. Three quarters (75 percent) of German business leaders are concerned about whether their employees have the necessary skills. To close the skills gap, more than half of those surveyed intend to focus on recruiting specialists in the areas of customer experience and digitization this year, as well as investing in training for teams and employees (56 percent).  

The "Digital Trends 2022" Report from Adobe is based on responses from nearly 10,000 marketers, IT professionals and executives from around the world. The core question is how attitudes towards digital experiences are changing and what focus areas are considered important in the industry to remain competitive in 2022 and beyond.

The complete report can be downloaded from the Adobe website can be downloaded.

Gretz Communications PR & Marketing has its first French destination in its portfolio after a successful competitive tender. For France, the Swiss are the third largest tourism market in terms of revenue and the fourth largest in terms of overnight stays. For Brittany, the Swiss are the fifth most important European market.

The destination was an early adopter of sustainable tourism, which is probably one of the reasons why it has become one of the most popular vacation destinations in Europe for the Swiss.

With Brittany as a new client, Gretz Communications continues to expand its tourism portfolio. The agency has distinguished itself in the market for several years with a wide range of loyal clients from Swiss destinations, but also from neighboring regions and long-haul and Mediterranean destinations, and has also been able to win various new clients in the hotel sector.

Through media relations and targeted promotions, Gretz Communications' work will consist of highlighting Brittany's strengths and sensitizing tour operators to include relevant offers in their catalogs.

Designboom.com has 3.5 million monthly visitors and was founded in 1999 by designers and art directors Birgit Lohmann and Massimo Mini. The web magazine and its associated social media channels have a global community, primarily in Europe, North America and Asia. The readership consists of 70 percent architects and designers.

"We warmly welcome Designboom to our newly formed DAAily Platforms organization. Our companies are international market leaders and enjoy high credibility in the industry thanks to the selective nature of their content. Architonic.com, Archdaily.com and Designboom.com each cover specific interests in product, project and news content," says Architonic-ArchDaily CEO Stephan Bachmann.

While Architonic's three platforms ArchDaily and Designboom will continue to operate as separate channels with their own branding, the two companies are merging into one organization under the name DAAily Platforms. "With our platforms, we generate traffic of more than 270 million visits per year. The interplay and cross-platform impact of our content and service offerings gives our customers maximum brand visibility and business opportunities," explains Bachmann.

As the world's largest architecture and design community, DAAily Platforms is expected to reach a total of more than 21 million followers across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter.

"We have been partners of Architonic ArchDaily for many years and are delighted to now take the next step and open a new chapter together. The potential for strategic synergies is great. Together we can amplify the effectiveness of stories, multiply visibility and create exciting business opportunities," explains Designboom Editor-in-Chief Birgit Lohmann.

The financial details of the merger were not disclosed. Architonic, now Architonic ArchDaily, was acquired by NZZ Group in 2015 as part of its digital growth strategy.

The concept of the campaign is to emphasize the special profile of those who pursue distance learning alongside their work, family life or sports career. They are striving and versatile people who fulfill many tasks in multiple roles on a daily basis at the same time. In a word, they are plural.

This plurality is intended to provide an original point of friction in the campaign by subverting the rule of congruence of personal pronoun and inflected verb.

The nationwide campaign consists of a spot for the internet and social networks as well as two billboard and DOOH subjects.

The fifth of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals calls for gender equality and the advancement of girls and women to be achieved by 2030. Ringier also believes it is time to close the gender gap, as the media company wrote in a statement on Monday.

The "EqualVoice United 2025" alliance aims to consistently address this goal in the Swiss workplace and achieve it as early as 2025. In cooperation with EDGE, the global certification standard for gender equality in business, Ringier is embarking on this path together with the nine other Swiss companies Bank Cler, Ebay, the Insel Group, ISS, Mastercard, Migros, Oerlikon, Swiss Post, Sunrise UPC and Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland.

As part of their commitment, the ten companies sign a charter that sets out the four most important areas for action. The companies are to commit to these by 2025:

1. Anchoring equal opportunities and equal rights in the organizations
2. Promoting a mentality of equality and integration
3. Communicating the benefits of equality to other companies and society
4. Create contemporary working conditions for all employees

"According to the Global Gender Gap Report of 2020, it will take 99.5 years until gender equality is achieved worldwide. We don't want to wait that long," holds Annabella Bassler, initiator of the EqualVoice initiative and CFO of Ringier. "We are pleased to join nine companies in forming the EqualVoice United network to work together to achieve the goal in the Swiss workplace in 2025. With EDGE at our side, we have the necessary expertise."

The following people have signed the charter: Mariateresia Vacalli, CEO Bank Cler, Valérie Schelker, Head of Human Resources Swiss Post, Severina Pascu, Deputy CEO / COO Sunrise UPC, Sarah Kreienbühl, Member of the Directorate General of the Federation of Migros Cooperatives MGB, Roland Fischer, CEO OC Oerlikon, Simona Scarpaleggia, Board Member EDGE Strategy, Daniela Massaro, Country Manager Switzerland Mastercard, Fritz von Hardenberg, CFO Central and Southern Europe eBay Marketplaces, Julia Braun, Chief People & Culture Officer and Member of the Management Board ISS Switzerland, Marc Walder, CEO Ringier, Michèle Bürgi-Hadorn, Head of HR "Development & Recruiting" and Diversity Insel Group (in picture, from left to right).l.t.r.).