Until now Manuela Frenzel Texts and Consulting focused on expanding existing customer relationships and entering into new collaborations. At the beginning of 2022, the company is now offering copywriting and marketing and advertising psychology consulting for the first time. "I decided to take this step because the demand for my knowledge and experience is high and I want to respond accordingly," says owner Manuela Frenzel.

In 2020 and 2021, the focus of "Manuela Frenzel Texte und Beratung" was on being able to respond promptly to new customer needs and how to reach as yet undiscovered industries and customers. With visibility, inquiries increased steadily over time.

At the end of 2021, Frenzel decided to no longer focus the company exclusively on copywriting, but to offer her expertise in copywriting, marketing, advertising and customer psychology as a consultancy service. Various IT clients from the DACH region are already taking advantage of the company's services.

"If you want to survive on the market as an entrepreneur in this day and age, you absolutely cannot neglect copywriting and customer needs," Frenzel is convinced. For her, this is the key to sustainable business success.

In 2022, the portfolio of "Manuela Frenzel Texte und Beratung" will be further expanded. This is ensured by further training at the ZHAW School of Management and Law with the course "WBK Conception, Design and Implementation Chatbot". The demand for chatbot solutions in customer communication is increasing.

m&kFlorian Birkner, how did you come to work for Sir Mary?

Florian Birkner: I still know Flo Beck from the old Publicis days and worked as a freelancer for the agency in its founding year, which worked out super well. The agency ticks differently and it shows that digital nerdism and brilliant ideas go very well together without taking each other's light away. That, in particular, is what I found appealing. When I heard they were looking for a senior copywriter, I immediately contacted Flo.

What did you have from the outside for Impression of Sir Mary?

A good one. It's nice to see something happening in the industry other than the same old personnel and customer merry-go-round. The first thing that strikes you about the agency is its style: the black and white PR images, the website, the luminous colors, the graffiti, and these three founders, who look as if they were cast together in the 90s for a boy band. At the same time, the agency has been really successful over the past few years with notable client and employee growth in the middle of Corona's darkest days. What I've never understood, though, is why they chose such a dumb name, more reminiscent of cocktails than groundbreaking digital campaigns. But fortunately, owners shape
their names and not vice versa.

"...these three founders, who seem like they were cast together for a boy band in the '90s."

Has your impression been confirmed?

Everything is always great in the beginning. But seriously, I was actually a bit nervous during the first few days. What can I expect here? Is everything really as different as it seems from the outside? And am I even in the right place here? Already after the onboarding with Nadine I realized: Yes, it is different. And yes, I'm in the right place. Simply because digital here is not just unimaginative tech stuff that primarily serves as a profiling tool, but is always seen as the best possible means to the best possible end. "We decomplex digital" is more than just a slogan that sounds cool.

Is there anything else that runs differently than in other agencies?

To be honest, what irritated me at the beginning was the fact that it wasn't at all clear to me who was in charge here. Rather, I encountered a team of equals with a wide variety of competencies. I've never worked in an agency where there's no one who has to puff themselves up artificially because everyone involved is aware of their importance to the job. That makes a lot of things easier, and it's not as self-evident as it might sound.

Can you tell us anything else about the office? What is the situation with Sir Mary?

A bit unusual, but quite okay. Here, too, the focus is not on status and show, but on pragmatism and functionality. The agency started five years ago in the "Berta," an office with a bay window, two balconies and six rooms. Pleasantly large and bright, but without the luxury that agencies usually like to boast about, more like start-up groove. The "Q" was rented in the third year, a second office on the other side of the street. You can wave to each other from the balcony and it happens that you change sides of the street to get to a meeting. The "Q" has a different charm than the "Berta". Here, a wall was torn down without further ado and two apartments were combined. The result is a huge room with a long table that can seat 20 people. Workshops are also held here, and in the corner there is a small studio set-up for pragmatic content productions.

Are there also negative things to report?

Ask me again in six months, and I'm sure I'll come up with more. At the moment, the only thing that really bothers me is the so-called carpet room, a meeting room in the Q that has been carpeted all around. Some people think it's stylish, but I find it rather stuffy. I'm also annoyed by the men's room, where the door handle has been loose for weeks, and the graffiti on the walls reminds me of squat parties in East Berlin, which I actually wanted to leave behind long ago. Speaking of parties, at the last agency aperitif, we ran out of beer at 4 a.m. So you have to ask yourself, what happened to the good old glamorous advertising world?

"Some people think it's stylish, I think it's rather stuffy."

There are people in Switzerland who want to fulfill their loved ones' heart's desires but cannot afford to do so financially. Spar lives up to its new slogan "Always there for you" for these people and fulfills numerous wishes with its "Make a wish" campaign in the run-up to Christmas. Serviceplan Suisse documented the recipients, their loved ones and the great joy when the gifts were handed over.

There's the aunt who knows exactly what her 10-year-old nephew's big wish is: he really wants to see the northern lights. Or the pensioner who wants to give her blind, newly married daughter a marriage bed for the new apartment. The wish of a seriously ill woman is also sent to Spar by her daughter: a special device that simplifies the production of photo books. These are just some of the 1,000 or so wishes that Spar is fulfilling this year with its pre-Christmas "Make a wish" campaign.

The content team from Serviceplan Suisse documented the handover of the gifts. According to the agency, it was not an easy assignment, as it was necessary to maintain respect for the people in an intimate moment of happiness, but still capture the emotions. For Karin Locher, Head of Marketing at Spar Handels AG, the content production team from Serviceplan Suisse did a good job: "These videos are really very successful. Emotional, respectful and authentic. We are very happy with the result".

The videos were realized by Serviceplan Suisse and can be seen on Spar.ch, the Spar Facebook page and on screens of Spar stores since December 22, 2021.

Responsible at Spar Handels AG: Karin Locher (Marketing Manager), Marcel Küng (Marketing Manager Graphics and Photography), Taro Eckstein (Function) and Lukas Haltmeier (Social Media Manager). Responsible at Serviceplan Suisse: Dominic Shota Schweingruber (motion design, camera), Thomas Lüber (creative direction, concept, direction), Barbara Hasenböhler (head of content & corporate communications), Marcin Baba (executive creative direction), Pam Hügli, Raul Serrat (overall responsibility).

In its 26th collection, the LZ Christmas campaign of the Lucerne Newspaper achieved a new record result: The readers of the Lucerne Newspaper and its regional editions in Zug, Nidwalden, Obwalden and Uri donated a total of CHF 5,695,426 to people in need in Central Switzerland. This means that for the second time in a row exceeded the five million mark as CH Media writes in a press release. The majority of the total of 18,752 donations came from private individuals; many companies were equally generous.

Bettina Schibli, President of the LZ Christmas Campaign Foundation, is correspondingly enthusiastic: "The willingness to donate to the 2021 Christmas Campaign was overwhelming. It exceeded our highest expectations. It's wonderful that thanks to these donations we can once again help so many people from Central Switzerland."

The donations benefit people in need. A total of 3520 requests for assistance were received, which were submitted via social institutions and social authorities and are then examined by the Advisory Board. The Advisory Board has already dealt with more than 3000 of these and has responded positively to most of them. This advisory board, made up of 13 voluntary social experts from all over Central Switzerland, is intended to guarantee that the donations are used as efficiently as possible.

70 million francs collected in 26 years

Since it was founded in 1996, the LZ Christmas campaign has already collected a cumulative total of around 70 million Swiss francs and dealt with around 52,000 requests for help. According to CH Media, this makes it by far the most successful collection campaign by a Swiss newspaper.

The Christmas campaign is significant for the entire region of Central Switzerland and is held in high esteem for its activities. It is particularly appreciated that the donations are given quickly and unbureaucratically to those who apply for them and thus have an immediate positive effect.

Donations are already being accepted for the 27th edition of the LZ Christmas campaign. Officially, the new collection campaign will start in November 2022.

According to the initiators, 9500 people die every year in Switzerland from tobacco-related diseases. This is 40 times more than the annual number of traffic fatalities. More than 14 percent of deaths in Switzerland are attributable to tobacco, the sponsors of the popular initiative "Children and young people without tobacco advertising" stressed to the media in Bern on Thursday.

At the same time, tobacco consumption causes direct costs of three billion Swiss francs in the healthcare system every year. The initiative will be voted on February 13.

At the age of 15, 15 percent of young people smoke occasionally to regularly (excluding e-cigarettes). By the age of 17, almost 24 percent smoke occasionally to regularly. The majority of smokers thus start before the age of majority. However, the adolescent brain in particular is more receptive to nicotine.

Tobacco marketing is aimed at young people. After all, no one starts smoking after the age of 21, Alexander Möller, a pediatric pulmonologist at the Children's Hospital in Zurich, is quoted as saying in a press release.

The direct link between tobacco advertising and consumption has been proven by numerous studies. Virtually all studies show that there is a causal link between the frequency with which children and adolescents are exposed to advertising and promotion of tobacco products and the frequency with which they start smoking, the initiators stressed.

Criticism of the Tobacco Products Act

Today, tobacco advertising is where young people are: on the Internet and social media, in free newspapers, at festivals and at kiosks. For them, tobacco advertising is omnipresent. It is precisely this advertising that the new Tobacco Products Act continues to allow. Parliament has therefore deliberately neglected the protection of young people.

The major health organizations in Switzerland are behind the tobacco advertising ban initiative. In addition to the Alliance Healthy Switzerland, these are the Family Doctors and Pediatricians Switzerland, the Cancer League, the Lung League, the Association of Swiss Doctors FMH, the Foundation Addiction Switzerland, the Swiss Druggists Association, the Swiss Pharmacists Association Pharmasuisse, Pediatrics Switzerland, the Lung Specialists and the Cardiologists.

Of the parties, SP, Greens, EVP and EDU are represented in the initiative committee. The GLP supported the initiative in parliament by a majority.

Counterproposal by the Federal Council and Parliament

For the Federal Council and Parliament, the far-reaching advertising bans go too far. They want to achieve more protection for young people with an indirect counter-proposal to the initiative - the new Tobacco Products Act.

Advertising for tobacco products and e-cigarettes is to be banned nationwide on posters and in cinemas. Sponsorship of international events will also no longer be possible. No smoking products may be sold to minors.

The non-partisan "Committee against advertising bans" also rejects the tobacco advertising ban initiative as too extreme (Werbewoche.ch reported). Since there are hardly any places where young people do not spend time, and hardly any media that cannot also be viewed by young people, the initiative would in practice lead to a complete ban on advertising, opponents argue. (SDA)

According to the committee, the initiative "Yes to protecting children and adolescents from tobacco advertising" wants to ban any kind of advertising for tobacco products that can reach children and adolescents. Since there are hardly any places where young people are not present, and hardly any media that cannot also be viewed by young people, the initiative would in practice lead to a complete ban on advertising, the opponents of the initiative argue.

Encroachment on economic freedom

"This is a disproportionate encroachment on the constitutionally guaranteed economic freedom and freedom of information," said National Councilor Philipp Kutter (center/ZH) and President of the Swiss Fair Trading Commission, on Thursday at the media conference of the non-partisan Committee Against Advertising Bans. It is part of the fundamental economic and commercial freedom that legal products can be advertised.

"Advertising is a non-negligible source of income for the media, the cultural sector, festivals, small stores, kiosks or gas station stores," noted National Councilor Damien Cottier (FDP/NE). There are 11,000 direct and indirect jobs involved, which generate an added value of more than 6 billion Swiss francs per year.

National Councilor Mike Egger (SVP/SG) told the media that adults are responsible for their own health and should also decide for themselves which legal stimulants they consume.

Indirect counterproposal

The Federal Council and Parliament also reject the initiative and oppose it with an indirect counter-proposal. According to this proposal, advertising for tobacco products and e-cigarettes will be banned nationwide on billboards and in movie theaters. Sponsorship of international events is also no longer possible. No smoking products may be sold to minors.

The No Committee supports the Tobacco Products Act. "The new Tobacco Products Act goes far without exaggerating the paternalism of the state," said National Councilor Rocco Cattaneo FDP/TI. It succeeds in striking a balance between effective protection of minors and the protection of economic interests.

Proponents of the initiative, argue tobacco advertising tempts children and teens to smoke (Werbewoche.ch reported). They point to the approximately 9500 or 14 percent of deaths in Switzerland each year that are attributable to tobacco consumption.

The proponents also criticize that the new Tobacco Products Act allows advertising that reaches children and young people. The SP, the Greens, the EPP and the EDU are represented in the initiative committee. The GLP supported the initiative in parliament by a majority. (SDA)

Obviously, a lot of books are being read in Switzerland during the pandemic. At least that is what the growth in sales in the bookstores in German-speaking Switzerland suggests. Although these were also closed for weeks in 2021, the interest of readers was unbroken. According to estimates by the Swiss Booksellers and Publishers Association (SBVV), every second book was sold online.

According to a press release on Thursday, not only the large bookstores but also the smaller ones have benefited from this trend. The latter have expanded their web stores. In addition, "many customers are loyal to their local providers online as well," it adds.

According to SBCV, two factors contributed to the sales increases. Books became 1.4 percent more expensive on average and five percent more books were sold.

Christmas business, which started early last year, was good as usual. It was 1.5 percent up on the previous year in 2021. In this context, SBCV refers to studies according to which books are the second most popular Christmas gifts after food. (SDA)

Agency life has its special sunny sides. The FS Parker agency likes a relaxed working atmosphere, humorous interactions and, above all, mastering exciting projects and achieving goals together. Although Covid brought challenges, the crisis also brought the team closer together and raised questions about team management, the agency says.

On the one hand, there is the question of why there is still a need for an office when remote work works so well. On the other hand, there is the question of how to support each other in the home office to take care of physical and mental well-being. In addition, many employees would have had time for introspection and reflection on life's big questions in the past year. How should this new approach to various life issues be integrated into everyday work?

"The home office is a dream come true for the marketing and communications industry, and especially for creatives," says Hannes Sigrist, Executive Creative Director at FS Parker. Despite all this, working alone in isolation doesn't seem to be the best thing in the world for many people. FS Parker believes that a good mix brings out the best of both worlds: three days at the agency, two days at home.

Well-being despite home office

To promote the personal well-being of team members, the agency invited Heidi Hauerwho, in addition to her career in communications, also works as a health and life coach, invited the agency to virtual lunch talks. The agency learned how to eat healthily in the home office and embarked on a three-week "Healthy Eating Challenge. The exchange of ideas on a topic far removed from to-do lists would also have brought fresh dynamism to the team.

"Mindfulness" is one of the buzzwords of 2021, and the agency wanted to know what it was all about and how they could incorporate the concept into their everyday lives. In a Mindfulness workshop, the agency worked together with Heidi Hauer to develop tools that enable her to work with more mindfulness, presence and clarity.

Mindfulness means something different to each person. "Each and every one of us has activities that bring him or her into the here and now," says Christoph Schmidt, CEO of FS Parker. The agency designed its annual team event with this in mind. During a three-day excursion to the Upper Engadine, the activities included a yoga session and mountain climbing at dizzying heights. But also a meal in a Michelin restaurant or the golf taster course allowed for many shared moments in the now.

Initiative aims to establish wellbeing and mindfulness

To prevent Wellbeing & Mindfulness from mutating into mayflies, the agency has launched the "Stay Healthy - Stay Smart" initiative. "We financially support our employees in activities that promote health and quench thirst for knowledge. In addition, we appointed an employee as a Mindfulness Ambassador. She regularly reminds us to practice presence with tips, links and videos," explains FS Parker CEO Schmidt.

According to the agency, the initiative is already bearing fruit. "The team feeling today is better than ever. We have more understanding for each other when things don't go so well, and we support each other. Mindfulness tools enable us to keep an eye on what's important, recognize problems earlier, have the courage to address them and find more creative solutions," says Mindfulness Ambassador Bettina Schlichter.

Responsible for FS Parker: Christoph Schmidt (CEO & Managing Director); Hannes Sigrist-Thompson (Executive Creative Director); Noelia Blanco (COO & Key Account Director).

Two Google subsidiaries are therefore to pay a combined fine of 150 million euros. For Facebook, it's 60 million euros.

Cookies are small data sets that are stored on the device when you visit a website. This makes many things easier, but personal information can also be transparent and transmitted to advertisers.

The Cnil complained that on the Google.fr, Facebook.com and Youtube.com pages, cookies could be accepted with just one click, but several clicks were necessary to reject them. This impaired the freedom of consent and violated French law.

The platform operators would now have three months to adjust their handling in France. For each day of delay, 100,000 euros would be due.

A spokeswoman for Facebook's parent company Meta said they are looking at the authority's decision. The company's own cookie settings give people more control over their data. The company will continue to develop and improve these settings. Google said it was aware of its responsibility to people's trust and was committed to further changes. (SDA)

In the study "Why Shopping's Set for a Social Revolution." Accenture looks at the market potential of social commerce. The term "social commerce" encompasses a person's entire shopping experience, from product discovery to the final purchase transaction, which takes place on a social media platform. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of social media users surveyed said they had made a social commerce purchase in the past year, which Accenture estimates equates to nearly two billion social commerce consumers worldwide.

A survey conducted in Switzerland by ZHAW shows that Swiss online retailers are still somewhat hesitant about social commerce (Werbewoche.ch reported).

The fact that social platforms serve as an entry point for online activities and that users consume news, entertainment and communication offerings there was demonstrated once again not least by the pandemic. The continuous increase in the amount of time users spend on social media underscores the importance of online platforms in everyday life. This also influences people's buying behavior. This opens up new revenue streams and opportunities for platforms and brands to design user experiences.

Smaller brands and individual businesses can benefit from this development. 54% of the social media users surveyed expressed that they would like to support small and medium-sized businesses when purchasing via social commerce sites. At the same time, 64% and 57% of the respondents, respectively, said that they would rather buy something for themselves when buying via social commerce platforms, considering the same sellers* or influencers*. This confirms the importance and potential of correct positioning on social commerce platforms.

"Social commerce can make it easier for smaller brands and individual entrepreneurs to creatively engage with customers, while also requiring big brands to rethink traditional e-commerce strategies," said David Holtmann, managing director of Accenture's consumer goods and services practice. "Getting social commerce right requires manufacturers, sellers* and brands to take their products and services to where consumers are and will be. A dynamic ecosystem is emerging in which platforms, marketplaces, social media and influencers interact. Data and expertise should be shared. This is the only way to create the right incentives for customers and to offer the best customer experience in an integrated digital marketplace."

Still little confidence present

Despite the upward trend in social commerce, half of the social media users surveyed are concerned that purchases are not adequately protected or refunded when necessary. A lack of trust is thus becoming the biggest obstacle for the new sales channel, similar to the situation at the beginning of e-commerce.

"One of the main reasons for the reluctance to engage in social commerce to date is the lack of trust in the credibility of providers. Active social commerce users* point to inadequate guidelines for returns, refunds or exchanges and see room for improvement here," says Holtmann. "Lack of trust is a problem that can only be overcome slowly. However, providers* who focus on these consumer* concerns are in a better position to gain market share."

Who buys what?

Accenture projects that by 2025, most social commerce purchases globally will be in apparel (18%), consumer electronics (13%), and home textiles (7%). In China, fresh food and snacks are also among the big product categories, accounting for 13%. Cosmetics and personal care, while smaller in terms of total social commerce sales, will quickly gain ground on traditional e-commerce. This category is expected to account for over 40% of digital spend on average in the major markets by 2025.

Further core results of the study

• Consumers in China, India and Brazil are using social commerce more frequently. Eight out of ten social media users in China use social commerce to make purchases in a particular category. In the UK and the US, the majority of social media users have never made a purchase via social commerce.
• Customers in China, India, and Brazil place more value on features that help them discover and evaluate potential purchases. In the UK and the US, on the other hand, prices and discounts are more important.
• Trust is more important for older generations than for younger people. Older shoppers value security features and appreciate familiarity with the brand. Younger generations are attracted to livestreams and trust buyer reviews more.

Accenture conducted a series of studies on social commerce to gain a better understanding of this market. As part of a Online survey 10,053 social media users in China, India, Brazil, the USA and the UK were surveyed between August 12 and September 3, 2021. In addition, interviews were conducted with buyers and sellers between May 26 and June 2, 2021.

Accenture's forecasts for the social commerce market were created using econometric models that take into account the optimization of consumer preferences to accelerate existing market dynamics. The social commerce market includes products or services ordered through social networks, regardless of the method of payment or fulfillment. It includes transactions between businesses and consumers (B2C) and between consumers (C2C).

The merger of the former Scout24 Switzerland and TX Markets to form SMG Swiss Marketplace Group in mid-November 2021 combined the strengths of Switzerland's digital marketplaces (Werbewoche.ch reported). Now these are to be further developed and strengthened in a targeted manner. The Group's goal is to play a pioneering digital role. Jens Paul Berndt is also expected to make a significant contribution to this as CTO.

"Jens embodies the perfect CTO for us. He knows the industry like the back of his hand and, thanks to his technological background and broad management experience, brings with him everything it takes to successfully take us forward as a group in the field of digital marketplaces," Group CEO Gilles Despas was quoted as saying in a statement on Thursday. Berndt originally studied medical informatics in Heilbronn, Germany. Before joining Homegate in 2016, he held various management positions at the German Scout24 Group in Berlin and Vienna.

In addition to CEO Gilles Despas, the Executive Leadership Team of SMG Swiss Marketplace Group now includes Chief Financial Officer Boris Gussen, Integration Leader Jessica List, CTO Jens Paul Berndt, and the heads of the business units Pierre-Alain Regali (Managing Director Automotive), Martin Waeber (Managing Director Real Estate) and Francesco Vass (Managing Director General Marketplaces).

More focus, motivation and success with OKR

Basics and Best Practices.

• Author: Erno Marius Obogeanu-Hempel and André Daiyû Steiner
• Publisher: Wiley-VCH, 2021
• Pages: 378
• ISBN: 9783527510689

The Objectives and Key Results method, or OKR for short, does not reinvent the wheel, but it sure gets it moving. The authors of this book explain in detail what is behind the method and how it can best be introduced and implemented. Practical examples and checklists help to implement OKR in your own company. Negative examples and counter-arguments make clear where pitfalls lurk and obstacles might arise. A very helpful, comprehensive handbook for anyone who wants to get to know OKR or perfect it.

The practical book for the modern sales force

Design acquisition, consulting, sales and development processes in a customer-centric manner.

• Author: Ralf Koschinski
• Publisher: Wiley-VCH, 2021
• Pages: 288
• ISBN: 9783527510887

Even in the online age, sales representatives are not obsolete. But they need new skills and a new focus: namely, the value that their offering creates for customers. In a practical and compact way, Ralf Koschinski describes how sales representatives can structure their processes and profitably combine offline and online activities. His manual provides a wealth of checklists and tips that can be implemented directly. A helpful guide for personal development as a salesperson and a valuable working aid in day-to-day business, especially in B2B sales.

Chief Behavioral Officer

How to use the psychological insights of behavioral economics to increase business success.

• Author: Dominik Imseng
• Publisher: Vahlen Verlag, 2021
• Pages: 180
• ISBN: 9783800666263

Companies should not only ask themselves how they can make their offer better or cheaper. They should also ask themselves how their customers make decisions and how they can be influenced, advises Dominik Imseng. Findings from behavioral economics, which the book summarizes in a compact and comprehensible way, can help here. None of this is really new, but it is brought to the point in an entertaining way with many examples. Of course, all these manipulation techniques are ethically questionable. After all, buyers can also learn from the book how marketing seeks to manipulate them.

Influencer

The ideology of advertising bodies.

• Author: Ole Nymoen and Wolfgang M. Schmitt
• Publisher: Suhrkamp Verlag, 2021
• Pages: 192
• ISBN: 9783518076408

Many a feature article has been written about the influencer as a phenomenon of our time in recent years. However, influencer analysis has probably never seen such an arsenal of experts as the authors offer: from Marx and Adorno to Simone de Beauvoir and Eva Illouz. This not only works well, but is even highly entertaining for long stretches. Only rarely does a comparison miss the mark; criticism of capitalism and cultural pessimism then seem a bit sweeping. Otherwise, this book is teeming with clever quotes for clever conversations.