The strong growth in online trade has continued since the beginning of the pandemic until today, according to the study published on Wednesday by the ZHAW School of Management and Law. In addition, not only are more orders being placed on the Internet, but they are also being placed more frequently on average: "Around 40 percent are reporting a higher order frequency," the survey of 284 Swiss Internet retailers and 63 online stores from neighboring Austria states.

Record sales expected

Many online retailers have thus recently benefited threefold. In addition to the influx of new customers, Internet stores have also enjoyed higher purchase volumes and frequencies, says ZHAW researcher Darius Zumstein, summarizing the findings.

"Overall, we estimate that sales in Swiss online retail will reach at least 15 billion Swiss francs in 2021," according to the forecast. That would correspond to an increase of almost 50 percent compared to 2019.

The "Online Retailer Survey 2021" was conducted by the Institute of Marketing Management at the ZHAW School of Management and Law. According to the information provided, the 365 online stores surveyed are active in the private and business customer sectors as well as manufacturer online stores. The survey took place for the fourth time this year. (SDA)

50 years after the introduction of women's suffrage, Allianz Suisse would like to know what the situation is like in terms of equal treatment of the sexes in everyday life. Does the so-called women's or men's bonus still exist? Are more competencies attributed to the other gender in certain areas?

With the help of voice distortion technology, a recording studio and around three dozen phone calls, Allianz and Sir Mary got to the bottom of this question. The agency found the perfect protagonists in presenters Melanie Winiger and Marco Fritsche, since both like to break with traditional gender roles anyway.

The result is a good six-minute mix of entertainment and awareness-raising, which is intended to make an important area of Allianz Suisse's existing diversity commitment tangible for the network community.

Role reversal of a different kind

Driven by the question of how it feels to be perceived as the opposite sex, the protagonists went through three different challenges using a voice distortion device. The tasks were based on common female and male stereotypes in the areas of humor, patience and competence. Among other things, they had to test which gender made the people on the other end of the line laugh faster. The trick: the moderators themselves didn't know whether they were conducting the conversation in a male or female voice. In eight out of ten cases, Winiger and Fritsche were unable to determine the reactions to their calls based on gender. "It was surprising for me because I had taken one or two preconceived opinions into the experiment," they concluded.

Innovative technology and loose narrative form

Filming took place in the heart of Zurich at Jingle Jungle, whose recording studio was unceremoniously converted into a TV studio and equipped with the appropriate technology. Live, minimalist setting, without script and real reactions was the motto. Sir Mary's approach was to present content in an unagitated and documentary-like way.

Nani Nold, Diversity, Inclusive & Work Well Manager at Allianz Suisse sees the advantages in this kind of agenda setting for gender issues: "Even today, gender inequality is still topical and equal opportunities in work and everyday life should be on our agenda. With the experiment, we address the issue in an authentic and entertaining way and raise awareness."

Allianz's commitment to diversity

Allianz Suisse is the main sponsor of the Swiss Diversity Awards. The insurer is also committed to inclusion far from the diversity campaign. For example, its diversity projects in the workplace range from its own LGBTIQ+ networks and the inclusion of people with disabilities to career support for female talent. The insurer was even awarded the "Edge Asses" label for its commitment to gender equality.

The Voice Swap movie is streaming now on Instagram and Facebook.

Responsible at Allianz: Thomas Wegmann, Thomas Jost, Rahel Habersaat, Simone Schmitt, Corina Brunner. Responsible at Sir Mary: Florian Beck, Adrian Merz, Julia Fischhaber, Katrin Espelage, Torben Cording, Sabrina Huwiler, Andreas Portmann, Jessica Do Amparo, Nicolas Hostettler, Daniel Zuberbühler. Responsible at Filmgerberei: Maria Brendle (Director), Flavio Gerber (Executive Producer), Marike Löhr (Producer), Silvio Gerber (DP), Luca Zuberbühler (Editor), Urs Westermann (Animation), Unsere Farben (Our Colors), GREAT GARBO (Music), Jingle Jungle (Sound Design).

On June 24, 2021, Google announced that it would abolish third-party cookies: Chrome should no longer support such cookies by the end of 2023. This leaves the marketing industry with one question: What does the future look like without cookies? In its new whitepaper, Dentsu Switzerland would like to show alternatives with which marketers and publishers can continue to meet their tracking and measurement needs - even in a future without cookies.

"At Dentsu, we believe it is critical to bring all parties involved to the table and shape the future together," said Jonas Eliassen, CEO of Dentsu Media Switzerland. "After our digital roundtable on Cookie-less Future with internal experts, partners and customers, we further processed the findings in a taskforce. The result is reflected in our new whitepaper and is at the same time an invitation to start the conversation with us."

Email hashes and unique customer identifiers are becoming increasingly important as cookies are eliminated. Tech companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon are showing how access credentials can be used for tracking. Is a long-term investment worth it? How can customer experience be designed without cookies? What are the benefits of Customer Data Platforms and Data Management Platforms? The Whitepaper from Dentsu Switzerland is intended to answer these and other important questions.

The initiation of the brand evolution with a modernized visual identity starts at the digital front door: the Visa Website, which presents itself with a fresh and modern look. The aim of the redesign is to illustrate the evolution and purpose orientation of the Visa brand and to offer users a simplified yet emotional user experience.

The multichannel brand evolution campaign includes digital, OOH measures and DCLPs, social media and TVC.

In a TVC spot running in Switzerland from this week, the financial services company shows how it connects the Visa network: with other people, with opportunities, technologies and merchants. In addition, there is a new, modern look in the accompanying digital campaign, on OOH posters and in social media: Cut outs on a white background put the focus on people. In addition, headlines with a casual, smart tone are intended to get to the heart of how the Visa network connects people.

The posters will be on display in Zurich, Basel, Bern, Geneva and Lausanne from mid-September.

The announced cost-cutting measure is part of a transformation process, director Mario Timbal is quoted as saying in the statement. In total, RSI has just under 1,000 full-time positions.

According to the communiqué, the initiated process is based on three pillars: First, RSI wants to achieve a "greater transversality" in the creation, production and distribution of content.

Secondly, the company is striving to "further simplify production and decision-making processes" and thirdly, it wants to record all organizational and operational processes even better in order to make the company "even more agile, flexible, faster and more present".

The reorganization of RSI also provides for new decision-making and organizational processes to "support the creative process. At the same time, according to the media release, the various audience groups in Switzerland are to be placed "at the center of the public service offering".

The package of measures was presented to the social partner SSM a few days ago, as RSI's communications department notes. The union has initiated "a participatory phase" that will last until the end of September. Final decisions would be announced by mid-October.

SRG SSR must cut a total of 250 jobs by 2024. Radiotelevisione Svizzera, based in Lugano, is an SRG SSR enterprise unit and must save CHF 8 million by that date, according to the communiqué. (SDA)

Experience something together with friends, have a great time together. That's what's behind the claim "Feldschlösschen connects" from the Swiss cult brewery. This basic idea is also reflected in the world of gaming. With the new communicative platform, Feldschlösschen wants to become the beer that accompanies gamers during unforgettable gaming moments with their clan.

With "Cheers to the Gamers," Feldschlösschen celebrates gamers and their passion. The aim is not to put the brand as a product in the foreground, but to clarify the mission and express honest respect for the gaming culture.

The dedicated advertising campaign developed by Family will be shown in particular on streaming platforms and therefore uses exclusively gaming terminologies when addressing the target audience.

The digital campaign can be seen on all channels relevant to the target group - including YouTube, TAM! and various other online platforms.

Responsible at FeldschlösschenJérôme Rueff (Brand Director); Sven Schädeli (Brand Manager). Responsible at Family: Claudio Catrambone (Creative Director/Overall Responsibility), Corinne Schneider (Account Director), Svenja Hässig (Agency Producer), Severin Binkert, Marc Ambühl, Mery Wunderlin, Marion Gwerder, Matthias Rüegg. Producer: Milos Marjanovic. Directed by: Marc Gallifa Giraldo. Music: Spacetrain. Media: Mediaschneider.

Digital advertising that leaves consumers with an emotional memory, i.e. is intended to evoke a certain feeling or an overarching brand perception, performs best when it is placed in the context of suitable content. In the right context, ads lead to 43 percent higher overarching ad recall, which is referred to as "global memory." This is the finding of IAS' new biometric study, "The Context Effect." The study, conducted in partnership with Neuro-Insight, goes far beyond traditional survey data on consumer preferences and examines consumers' brain activity in response to contextually-tailored advertising.

"This study, based on the latest neuroscience and neurometric findings, clearly demonstrates how big an impact a website's context can have on advertising recall and audience engagement," said Tony Marlow, CMO of IAS.

In "The Context Effect," consumers rated the ads shown in three types of contextual matching. The resulting insights will help brands ensure the maximum success of their digital ads.

Thematically appropriate content

Thematically appropriate ads lead to better recall: Thematically appropriate ads - that is, when they match the surrounding content vertically, such as a car ad near car content - provide 23 percent higher activation in the part of the brain responsible for remembering practical details, which includes key messages, calls to action and brand elements. These ads also increase overarching ad recall by 27 percent - the memorability of general themes, overarching stories, or audio and visual elements.

Informative fit

Informative advertising works best when it matches the core message of the surrounding article: The results of the IAS study show that matching the promotional information with the message of an item elicits very strong detail recall, also called "detail memory," and leads to a 36 percent increase in detail recall. This can be particularly relevant for campaigns that focus on a clear "call to action" with which brands want to activate consumers to interact.

Advertising as part of the online experience

Consumers perceive advertising as part of their online experience: The vast majority of consumers (63 percent) considered advertising as part of their online reading and not as annoying or distracting. Only 36 percent scroll past an ad without reading it.

Contextual strategy important

These results show that by activating contextual strategies, digital marketers can achieve higher brand recognition and evoke positive emotional responses from consumers*.

Within the framework of the "Context Effect" study by IAS 60 consumers from the USA were observed during a 30-minute mobile experience. Neuro-Insight's Steady State Topography (SST) was used to track and record brain activity in real time. The subjects were also asked to associate ads with the context in which they appeared.

After about two years in NZZ Technology, Thomas Stamm is moving back to the editorial department. With his work in process innovation and requirements management, he has made a significant contribution to establishing digital-first production during this time, NZZ writes in a statement. "With his vast journalistic experience from the daily title and his knowledge regarding digital transformation, Thomas brings ideal skills to the position," says Jonas Projer, editor-in-chief of the NZZ on Sunday. "I am very excited to welcome him to our team."

"I see my new role as a great opportunity to use my experience from various departments at NZZ to benefit the NZZ on Sunday and the magazines," says Thomas Stamm about his new position. "In doing so, I can further develop an already very good product with an outstanding team."

Stamm held various positions at the NZZ from 2007 to 2018, including Senior Editor Mobile & Apps, then Head of Newsroom for the daily edition and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the NZZ. From June 2018, he was responsible for setting up the business portal Themarket.com. In the last two years, Stamm gained further digital experience in technology at the NZZ publishing house, where he was responsible for the digitization of journalistic production as part of CTO Andreas Bossecker's team. Already during his studies in general history, political science and social and economic history at the University of Zurich, Stamm worked for several years as service editor Stock Exchanges and Markets for the NZZ. From 2004 to 2007 he worked as a PR consultant and in various private equity projects.

Montana Sport has been supplying the Swiss sports trade with products from the world of sports for over 80 years and is the exclusive importer of the Asics brand in Switzerland. The Zurich agency Rosarot was commissioned to market the new Asics Gel-Quantum 180 Sportstyle shoe. The many special features of the shoe were to be presented to a by Millennials and Gen Z.

Influencer identification by athleticism and style

Maximum authenticity was one of the highest goals in the conception of the influencer campaign. The selection of ambassadors includes nine influencers who have high credibility on the values of "sportiness" and "style". Thus, the more than 365,000 followers were also identified as prospects of Asics. The influencers thus conveyed credible stories and offered their followers the opportunity to experience the Asics Gel-Quantum 180 in action and to buy it at a lower price.

The influencers used all formats of the social media channels and generated a total of 17,191 likes and 625 comments with their content. Via the influencers' stories, 1,103 users swiped up on the link and landed directly in the Montana Sport landing page store. Numerous orders were received as a result of the influencers' personal discount codes. Thus, the campaign provided a quantum more boost in sales figures and a quantum more enthusiasm in the target group. 

Responsible at Montana Sport: Sarah Buchmann (Marketing Manager Asics). Veresponsible at Rosarot: Labinot Gashi (Director Digital), Moreno Carroccia (Campaign Management). Responsible at OneLine: Egzon Cekaj, Liliano Tenore, Sami Gashi (Consulting).

The company V-Locker has developed a parking tower in which bicycles can be conveniently stowed in individual boxes and stored on top of each other with the help of a rotation lift. In addition, the box can also accommodate a helmet, clothing, sports bag or shopping bag. The Velobox at the destination can be booked via an app before departure. The automatic bike tower is also operated via smartphone.

In cities, the topic of densification is omnipresent; free spaces are scarce in urban areas. The issue also affects space-intensive facilities such as parking facilities. With vertical space utilization, the parking tower can accommodate up to 60 bicycles in the space of one car parking space. Expensive earthworks are not necessary, and the tower is also mobile. It can be moved in a maximum of 48 hours - helpful when local situations change.

To ensure that the first bicycle towers will soon be ready, Schläfle Trittibach has been commissioned to develop a crowdfunding campaign. The goal is to install the towers at various train stations. The more parking towers that are installed, the denser the network of secure parking facilities will become.

The campaign can be seen on posters and social networks.

Responsible at V-Locker: Jens Kirchhoff (CEO), Hubert Müller (CMO, Marketing & Sales), Elisabeth Brand (Communication & Sales), Thomas Klosa (CGI Artist Meyer-Hayoz). Responsible at Schläfle Trittibach: Marcel Schläfle, Christoph Trittibach (Creative Direction).

The investigation is expected to take around two years, the Weko announced on Tuesday. It said there were indications that Directories was hindering competitors and putting end customers at a disadvantage with the introduction of Swiss List products.

The investigation will now examine whether Swisscom Directories actually holds a dominant position and is abusing its position within the meaning of the Cartel Act.

Criticism of pricing policy

Directories is the publisher of the printed telephone directory and operator of the two online directory services local.ch and search.ch. In spring 2019, it launched the single product Swiss List.

With the introduction of Swiss List, Directories has fundamentally changed the price and conditions for the addition of the telephone directory entry, the Weko criticizes. Various products and services are now only offered in bundled form. According to an initial assessment, this could lead to a hindrance of competitors and to the disadvantage of the market opponent.

Swisscom Directories says it will examine the final report of the preliminary investigation in detail and submit its comments to the secretariat of the Competition Commission within the deadline. Until the investigation is completed, Swisscom Directories will not make any further statements, it says. (SDA)

The project "Relaunch Css.ch" wins the title "Master of Swiss Web 2021" at this year's Best of Swiss Web award night. The project not only received high marks from the approximately 100 expert judges, but also convinced the readers of Netzticker and the approximately 800 guests who voted live in the Samsung Hall for their favorite project. "Relaunch Css.ch" also secured silver in the Creation category and bronze in the Business and Usability categories, in addition to the Master title. The project, commissioned by CSS Insurance, was implemented by Unic and One Inside.

82 awards in eleven categories

Of the total of 326 project entries, 83 made it onto the shortlist (Werbewoche.ch reported). The jury of 100 experts selected 11 gold, 26 silver and 36 bronze winners. It would not have been surprising if most of the project entries this year had revolved around Covid-19 in one form or another - after all, the Swiss economy is still under the influence of the pandemic. But as the winners of this year's Best of Swiss Web show, many companies are already looking to the future again. The result is a diverse lineup of projects that represents the creativity and creative drive of an industry even in uncertain times.

"Kln.swiss" - Schreinermanufaktur wins the special "Best of .swiss" award

After a strong start last year, Dot.swiss again presented the "Best of .swiss" award. This awards the best web project of the year with the .swiss domain extension. The federal red buoy went to the SME and carpenter start-up "Kln.swiss". The company name Kln.swiss stands for the founders Kim, Luca and Nico. The three full-blooded entrepreneurs are carpenters by passion and want to share their enthusiasm for wood with the people with the brand.
In the special category "Best of .swiss", the projects are judged on the basis of their craftsmanship, but also on whether they implement in their visual design and impression the characteristics of innovation, quality and reliability that are considered typically Swiss.