The systematic and digital collection and use of product data brings great benefits to manufacturers and retailers: Product information management (PIM) systems create the conditions for improving the customer experience, increasing sales and optimizing collaboration between companies.

Nevertheless, the use of such solutions is not yet widespread among companies in Switzerland, Germany and Austria: Around one in four companies surveyed does not currently use a PIM system. About 50 percent have one in use and another 20 percent are in the evaluation or implementation phase. Use is most widespread in the consumer goods sector, least so in industrial companies.

Online retailers in particular could benefit

"Most companies do find PIM systems useful. However, many see predominantly the technical and operational benefits, such as the increase in data quality. Much less recognized is the financial added value and the potential for achieving strategic corporate goals," explains study leader Rainer Fuchs. For example, companies in the e-commerce sector in particular can use networked PIM systems to provide customers with detailed and transparent information about the properties, quality, origin and sustainability of their products. "In this way, they stand out in the increasingly competitive online trade, offer customers added value and ultimately achieve more sales," says Fuchs.

Lack of know-how

Obstacles to the increased use of PIM systems include underestimation of the benefits, a lack of internal expertise, and time-consuming implementation. This is because data from different company departments and applications often has to be pulled together for this purpose.

In customer relationship management, the systematic use of data and the deployment of corresponding digital solutions have been standard for years. "In the future, the importance of product data management is also likely to increase strongly," says Fuchs. PIM systems are software solutions in which product-related information can be systematically collected, consolidated and enriched, and integrated from other business systems. In addition, such solutions can automatically pass on data to various other channels, such as the product catalog of an online store.

The study "Value Driver Product Information Management" was conducted by the Institute of Marketing Management at the ZHAW School of Management and Law. It is based on ten interviews with experts and an online survey of over 100 companies in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The study took place between February and June 2021. It was conducted in cooperation with Novomind Brix IT Solutions as the corporate implementation partner.

"Working & Streaming" is the new motto in Lausanne: Together with Habegger, Gotham opened a new livestream studio in their premises in Flon at the beginning of September. The two companies are thus combining the best of two worlds. "Gotham stands not only for innovative coworking spaces, but also for community and exchange. That's why we didn't have to think twice when Habegger, with its proven experience in digital events, contacted us for a collaboration," explains Guilhem Sirven, CEO of Gotham.

The new offering aims to impress in particular with its well thought-out concept: Resident national and international companies can rent the coworking space and hold a digital or hybrid event at the same time. 12 spacious meeting rooms with room for up to 250 people, catering and state-of-the-art studio technology included. For the fun effect, there is a ball bath enjoy as well as a ping-pong table. Green screen productions as well as individual events can be realized in the studio.

Another studio in planning

However, the current studio is only a first step: in 2022, construction work for an even larger studio will already start in Flon as part of the expansion of Gotham's premises. "Digital and hybrid events will remain a need in the future. Not only can companies expand their reach, but they also pay into the sustainability issue by saving on travel costs," explains Jürg Schwarz, CEO of Habegger.

Women accounted for 28 percent, just over a quarter of the people mentioned in Swiss media coverage, the Swiss Conference of Gender Equality Delegates (SKG) announced Wednesday.

The proportion did increase by three percentage points compared with the last survey in 2015. However, the media still depicted a gender imbalance.

Women are particularly grossly underrepresented in traditionally male-dominated areas such as business (25 percent) and politics (23 percent). The situation is somewhat better in reports on art and entertainment (38 percent).

There are also clear differences between the language regions. In Ticino, for example, the proportion of women in media coverage is 21.5 percent, while in German-speaking Switzerland it is 29.1 percent.

Hardly represented as experts

The survey also showed that women were less likely to be in professional roles or occupations with leadership functions, he said. For example, they made up only 20 percent of the female experts but 50 percent of the eyewitnesses.

On the reporting date, the proportion of women among journalists in Swiss media houses was 39 percent. This represents an increase of two percentage points since 2015.

The proportion of women is particularly high in television and radio. However, women there more often take on the role of presenter rather than reporter. For example, women account for around 53 percent of presenters and around 35 percent of reporters.

On the global cut-off date of September 29, 2020, 669 articles, posts and tweets from newspapers, from radio and television, and from websites and Twitter channels were examined for this study of media coverage from a gender perspective in Switzerland.

SKG participated in the GMMP of the World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) for the third time. The survey has taken place every five years since 1995. (SDA)

On September 15, 1971, a bunch of Canadian hippies set out on an adventurous voyage in the North Pacific to protest nuclear testing by the United States. They christen their old fishing boat "Greenpeace", following their dream to save the planet from environmental destruction.

What started as a spontaneous idea exactly 50 years ago is now one of the largest environmental protection organizations in the world, active in more than 55 countries and with around three million members.

With spectacular actions, such as the fight against the sinking of the floating oil platform "Brent Spar" or against French nuclear tests on the Mururoa Atoll, Greenpeace can certainly be called a pioneer of public protest and has thus paved the way for many other movements in the past decades.

Under the motto "Dreampeace", Friendly Greetings is reviving the pioneering spirit of yesteryear and drawing on the environmental organization's historical fund for its anniversary campaign. Black-and-white images show the activists of the founding generation: Hippies who became heroes with their dreams - to oppose environmental destruction then as now.

The campaign encompasses all classic and digital channels and can be seen throughout Switzerland from Wednesday.

Responsible at Greenpeace Switzerland: Sonja Cuonz (Project Coordination), Franziska Neugebauer (Visual Communication), Emanuel Büchler (Multimedia Production). Responsible at Friendly regards: Pascal Deville, Samuel Textor (overall responsibility), Adrian Schräder, Michael Benz (strategy), Jasmine Segginger, Kathy Känzig (consulting), Christian Stüdi, Norihito Iida (creative direction), Dave Elmiger (text), Maude Mahrer, Laura Leuenberger (graphics), Lorenz Wahl (image editing), Film: Tom Kolinski (Editor).

With Geschenkidee.ch, another exciting brand joins the portfolio of the Ustermer agency, as Family writes in a statement. "Family presented us with an unexpected idea that stayed in our heads for days across disciplines. We did not make the decision easily, but this fact ultimately tipped the scales in our enthusiastic yes to the idea. We are looking forward to the implementation together with Family and are of course already very excited to see how the campaign will be received by our customers at Christmas," says Regina Ellmann, CMO of geschenkidee.ch.

The Corona pandemic has also made it more difficult for families to live together. Cases of domestic violence and psychological stress have risen in recent months. To draw attention to low-threshold reporting and help services, Child Protection Switzerland relied on digital channels and was able to record 46 percent more conversion with Google Ads in August 2021 compared to the previous month.

This conversion includes ads from victims or people seeking help at hotlines. In addition, clicks on corresponding information pages and dossiers increased by 81 percent.

Donations are used optimally

Tamara Parham, Head of Communications at Child Protection Switzerland, is convinced that digital channels such as search engine advertising help to close gaps in information: "Google supports us with a so-called Google Grant Account. This means that we are provided with a certain amount of advertising budget free of charge. For us, it was important to use this donation as effectively as possible and to achieve optimal results, which is why we looked for a partner with the necessary tact and experience in Ads&Figures."

Until now, insurance companies only helped people once they had paid. The direct insurer Smile now wants to change that and is opening the Smile app to the whole of Switzerland.

Now, non-customers without an immediate need for insurance will also be able to benefit from cooperation and free services for a smart digital lifestyle. All that is now required is to download the app free of charge directly in the App Store or in the Google Play Store can be downloaded.

At the start of the "More Smile for Everyone" campaign, the focus is particularly on the new free online shopping insurance. Smile.shopping protects app users free of charge against damage and loss of their online purchases - directly from the moment the app is loaded onto the mobile device. The faces of the protagonists in the two TV commercials, with emojis to match Smile, are intended to visualize how good this feels in case of doubt.

In addition to the two TV spots and online moving images, the campaign also uses display ads in high-reach environments as well as various social media measures and performance ads including remarketing.

The campaign is now in use along the entire funnel in German- and French-speaking Switzerland.

Responsible at Smile: Pierangelo Campopiano (CEO), Joséphine Chamoulaud (Head Marketing and E-Commerce), Ivana Gonzalez (Digital Marketing Project Manager), Jonathan Barreiro (Lead Business Development), Lucrezia Mazzola (Customer Experience Manager). Responsible agency: Equipe. Film production: Derderler. Media: Equipe.

In the Tubi-Areal Bischofszell, a community - in the form of an entrepreneurial eco-system - has been lived since spring 2021. In Hangar29, seasoned entrepreneurs join young entrepreneurs - seniority and innovative young entrepreneurship unite in one place.

Hangar29 brings together professional and highly motivated companies with expertise in the fields of communication, multimedia, video production and virtual reality. The makers of Hangar29 are Samuel De Cataldo, Bo Slatzky, Moritz Schmid, Claudio De Cataldo and Maurizio Tondolo, who are each actively represented with their companies and their teams in the "Tubi-Areal Bischofszell" and together conceive, create and realize multimedia projects in Hangar29. Together, professional and trendy productions are to be offered, this with charisma far beyond the borders of the Thurgau.

Virtuality and reality merge into innovation

The two Hanger29 studios cover a total area of 400 square meters. Worth mentioning here is the approximately 100 square meter green screen environment. This can be used to visualize any and virtual 3D backgrounds. Whether for an online event, a (commercial) film shoot, a panel event, a concert - it may and must even be thought in new dimensions.

With four autonomous tracking systems, cameras and 3D backgrounds move completely in sync with each other. The green studio background remains static and physical - the virtual image in the background changes instantly, depending on the camera movement. Hangar29 can also fade in virtual objects using the aforementioned technology.

The second studio is a conventional as well as physical facility, which is suitable for both traditional discussion rounds and simple video productions or product presentations.

The Hangar29 team accompanies its customers step by step from the creative-disruptive brainstorming to the ready-for-distribution production. From catchy text and effective images to intoxicating sound and gripping light - everything is available from a single source in and out of the Eco-System.

With three short fail videos, the FOPH wants to show young people aged 12 to 29 that they should dare to get the Covid vaccination, according to a media information of the Federal Office of Public Health FOPH on Tuesday. The self-ironic clips with young protagonists, in which some things go wrong, should take away young people's "diffuse" fears of the vaccination.

The vaccination coverage rate among boys still has potential, according to the FOPH. Of 12- to 19-year-old adolescents, 27 percent have received both vaccine doses so far, Virginie Masserey, head of the infection control section, said at the virtual event. 40.6 percent have been given one dose so far, she said. Among young people ages 20 to 29, 46 percent have been fully vaccinated so far, Masserey said. Fifty-six percent of them have received a dose, she said.

Easier everyday life

Vaccination brings not only health benefits, but also social benefits - everyday life becomes easier again, whether going out or traveling. The psychological consequences of the pandemic should also be reduced. This applies, for example, to the elimination of quarantine.

These advantages are also often the motivations of the boys to get vaccinated, he said. Especially since a certificate has been required since Monday for youngsters 16 and older to visit many indoor venues. "Vaccination allows boys to get back to normal," Masserey said.

According to the FOPH, the cost of the campaign is 230,000 Swiss francs, 70 percent of which is earmarked for the cost of dissemination in social media. The campaign will additionally run on conventional channels in public from October 5, it added.

Since the end of August, the FOPH has been recommending vaccination to all adolescents over the age of 12. It is rare for boys to develop severe courses, but they should also be protected from the effects of the virus. But they should also be protected from the effects of the virus, for example from Long Covid. Vaccinated individuals are also less likely to pass on the virus, and the emergence of other virus variants is reduced, Masserey said. Further campaigns are planned, he said. (SDA)

Streuli Pharma has been committed to human and animal health for over 150 years. With the founding of Streuli Animal Health, another corporate chapter has been added. The name says it all: with a specifically expanded product range and its own team, Streuli Animal Health focuses entirely on animal health.

Madonna creates a new identity for Streuli Animal Health that ties in with the history of Streuli Pharma and at the same time positions itself clearly and independently as the "obvious solution" in the new animal health market. The foundations for this are formed by an intensive examination of the market, the development of a clear positioning, and the carving out of the company's values.

Responsible at Streuli Animal Health: Barbara Schnyder (Management), Vivian Ilgar (Marketing). Responsible at Madonna: Massimiliano Madonna (direction & concept), Marianne Schmollgruber (art direction & UI design), Eva Jäger (graphics), Urs Zwyssig (text), Hans Schürmann (photography), Digital Craft (coding).

What can we learn from young people with regard to their current and future requirements for (digital) products and services? What contribution can our media make to represent a reliable accompaniment in the digital information environment of young people? These and other questions are the focus of the "Tages-Anzeiger Youth Lab", in which 30 young people from all over Switzerland between the ages of 16 and 19 participate.

After the start had to be postponed due to the Corona pandemic, the time has come on Wednesday. Weekly sessions will take place until December. Editors, product managers and marketing experts from all over Tamedia will learn more about the needs of young people in a total of 13 workshops, develop new ideas for the future in dialog and create content and products together. At the same time, the young people will have the opportunity to look behind the scenes of a major media company and slip into the role of a journalist, product manager or social media manager themselves.

The "Tages-Anzeiger Youth Lab" is managed internally by Katharina Graf, Head of Blogs at the Tages-Anzeiger and Adrian Zurbriggen from the Tamedia editorial team. They are supported by the Co-Editors-in-Chief of the Tages-Anzeiger, Priska Amstutz and Mario Stäuble.

The "Tages-Anzeiger Youth Lab" was conceived by Sandra Cortesi, who is also closely involved in its implementation. The Swiss national, who grew up in Colombia, has headed the Youth & Media Project at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University for thirteen years. She has several years of experience working with young people and already accompanied 20 Minuten's Youth Lab three years ago. "A Youth Lab is a unique format for learning more from young people and their digital behaviors, attitudes and needs in a creative way," Cortesi explains. "This is exciting both in terms of retaining and growing future audiences, but also competing for future talent."

Marco Boselli, Co-Managing Director of Tamedia and co-initiator of the project, adds: "It is and remains one of our greatest challenges to better understand our future target audience and to inspire them for our products. The Youth Lab enables a creative exchange between a company's employees and young people to reduce knowledge gaps and be even better prepared for the future demands on quality journalism and products in the digitally networked environment."

In her new role, Irène Troxler is to work with the digital team of the NZZ on Sundayconsisting of Boas Ruh, Seraina Schöpfer and Thomas Stamm, designated Head of Digital and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the NZZ on Sunday, drive forward a digital project that is closely linked to the NZZ on Sunday and its magazines. She will also work as an editor for the Sunday title.

Irène Troxler will report directly to Thomas Stamm. "With our plans in the digital area, we have succeeded in winning Irène back for journalism. I see this as proof of the feasibility of our product idea and a big plus for the NZZ on Sunday. Personally, I am most pleased to be able to work with Irène again," says Stamm.

From 2001 to 2019, Irène Troxler worked in various functions for the New Zurich Newspaper of which 16 years as editor for the Zurich department and most recently as head of the department. She began her journalistic career during her studies as a freelance journalist for various local newspapers. After graduating in history and international law from the University of Zurich, she first worked as an editor for the Winterthur weekly newspaper City Gazette.