The German Brand Award was presented for the sixth time. The competition, which was initiated by the German Design Council, presents the most innovative brand appearances as well as creative campaigns.

2021, a total of 13 "Best of Best" awards were presented, the highest honor of the Brand Awards. Among them is Planted, a Swiss company. Together with its creative agency Foundry, the ETH spin-off was able to secure the title of "Sustainable Brand of the Year. In addition, there was one gold and two silver awards.

The "Best of Best" winners at a glance

• Corporate Brand of the Year: RWE
• Employer Brand of the Year: MHP Management- und IT-Beratung
• Digital Brand of the Year: Adam Riese (Wüstenrot & Württembergische Group [W&W])
• Brand Efficiency of the Year: IU Internationale Hochschule (International University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef)
• Brand Experience of the Year: Deutsche Telekom AG (Magenta Moon Campus; flora&faunavisions)
• Lighthouse Project of the Year: BMW Motorrad (smartphone instead of trade fair presentation - digital transformation of product launches at BMW Motorrad; LOBECO GmbH)
• Brand Strategy of the Year: Sartorius (Sartorius Brand Relaunch; loved GmbH)
• Brand Innovation of the Year: Deutsche Telekom AG (Liquid Brand Design; MetaDesign)
• Product Brand of the Year: Womanizer
• Service Brand of the Year: FPS Attorneys & Notaries (APPEL NOWITZKI)
• Sustainable Brand of the Year: Planted (Foundry Berlin)
• Brand Impact of the Year: Regionique
• Brand Revival of the Year: Oventrop

German Brand Award 2021

The Swiss winners

To determine the winner, Havas Switzerland surveyed the most dynamic and trustworthy brands in Switzerland. The population-representative study was conducted this year among 4518 people in German- and French-speaking Switzerland. The study covered a total of 489 brands, including brands of the 101 Promarca members.

As a result of the survey, Beyond Meat was voted the most dynamic brand with the highest perceived future and growth potential among Promarca members.

This award comes at a time when demand for plant-based products is increasing in Switzerland. "The sustainability trend has further diversified and manifests itself impressively through plant-based meat. At the top in terms of momentum, Beyond Meat was a new entrant," said Nathalie Diethelm, CEO of Havas Switzerland. "Especially among young people aged 15-26, the sustainability trend and the dynamics of plant-based meat are even more visible."

Verena Wiederkehr, European Plant-Based Evolution Lead at Beyond Meat, explains: " We are very proud to have been chosen as Promarca's Most Dynamic Brand 2021. We see this award as recognition for our intense and relentless focus on innovation, enabling people to continue enjoying the meals they love with the great taste and added benefits of plant-based meat."

The plant-based burger from the American brand Beyond Meat is designed to taste and look like the original made from beef. In Switzerland, Beyond Meat is distributed by the company FFF Fresh & Frozen Food. Thomas Wirth, CEO of FFF Fresh & Frozen Food, is delighted with the award: "This award makes us incredibly proud. We have been involved in vegetarian convenience products for many years. We see the launch of Beyond Meat 2019 in the Swiss market as a milestone, which has made a decisive contribution to sustainably anchoring modern meat alternatives in the consciousness of consumers and a broad public. This award is confirmation of that."

In 2020, 6,432 new products were launched on the Swiss market by Promarca members.

Fagsi builds, rents and sells mobile rooms. A modular container system can be used for temporary and low-cost living and office spaces as well as classrooms. The subsidiary of the Alho Group produces the containers in Wikon, Lucerne, and also maintains a large rental park there for immediate delivery.

Basel West has developed a multi-stage promotion. A mailing promises a discount and offers all-round service and advice for agile room concepts. For personal contact, a handout with a visualization of standard modules and special equipment up to sanitary, kitchens and furniture serves. The promotion took off in the first quarter and has contributed to a marked increase in orders, according to the agency.

---

Responsible at Fagsi: Christian Käser (Managing Director); Sylvia Sarbach (Assistance/Marketing Communications). Responsible at Basel West Corporate Communications: Thomas Aerni (consulting/art direction); Markus Siegenthaler (concept/text); Cora Beck (realization); Roman Albertini (illustration).

Two new members of the Board of Directors were elected at the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders of Wemf AG für Werbemedienforschung on Monday. Thierry Kunstmann succeeds Eric Meizoz as representative of Médias Suisses. Stefan Wabel succeeds Andreas Häuptli as representative of the Swiss Media Association.

Previous members of the Board of Directors confirmed

All previous members of the Board of Directors were confirmed in their functions. Following the new election, the Board of Directors of Wemf is composed as follows:

• Jürg Weber, President, Delegate of the Association of Swiss Media(VSM) (previously)
• Thierry Kunstmann, Delegate of the Médias Suisses Association (new)
• Gianluca Bonetti, Delegate of the Stampa Svizzera Association (until now)
• Marcel Kohler, Roberto Rhiner, Alexander Theobald (all previously) and Stefan Wabel (new) as delegates of the Association of Swiss Media (VSM)
• Roger Harlacher as representative of the Swiss Advertisers Association (SWA) (previously)
• Beat Krebs (Leading Swiss Agencies) (previously)

In the fall of 2020, Thjnk Zurich and Credit Suisse launched the new digital banking offering "CSX" with the "Call of Customers" campaign, with which all banking transactions are carried out via app. Now Credit Suisse is going into the next round, using its long-standing football commitment as a stage. The "Call of Customers" becomes the "Call of Footballers.

So in its new campaign, Credit Suisse again lets the target group have its say. This time, it's footballers who ask the bank challenging questions, such as: Can't banking be simpler? Just like football. Credit Suisse's answer to this is: "Sure it can." This answer, and at the same time attitude, remains the focus of the campaign throughout all advertising materials.

At the center of the 360-degree campaign is the new film "Call of Footballers. Here, the target group has its say in various vignettes. Former national players Gelson Fernandes and Stephan Lichtsteiner are also featured. In addition, various short online formats with amateur footballers and current national team players were realized around the various product benefits.

The campaign has been on show online and at POS since the beginning of June. A prominent TV flight with two different 20-second versions of the film will run during the European Championship from mid-June to mid-July. This will be flanked by print and various digital and social advertising media segmented by target group and driven by data.

In addition to its long-standing partnership with the SFV, Credit Suisse will also be the title sponsor of the Super League from July, meaning that the campaign on digital channels will be extended after the European Championship.

 

 

 

In addition to the campaign with Thjnk, Credit Suisse presents the "Swiss Football AR Lense" on Snapchat, an augmented reality experience with which football fans can virtually meet the stars of the Swiss national team and digitally capture this moment - as a reminder of what was probably the most extraordinary European Championship to date. And with a zoom background video, you can now also show your colors in the home office. The video can be downloaded directly at Credit-suisse.com/fussballfieber. The initiator of these ideas is Credit Suisse, and they were produced by Filmgerberei.

 

---

Responsible at Credit Suisse: Roman Reichelt (Chief Marketing Officer); Dang Nguyen (Global Head Strategy, Branding & Advertising); Sandra Caviezel (Global Head Sponsorships & Partnerships); Thierry Pool (Global Head Digital & Data); David Schätti (Head Marketing Initiatives & Advertising CH); Sabrina Mock-Marty (Head Marketing Initiatives & Advertising Digital Banking); Kendra Ueberholz (Marketing Initiatives & Advertising Digital Banking, Project Management); Marisa Piffari, Isabelle Reiser (Marketing Initiatives & Advertising Digital Banking); Simon Bietenhader (Digital Campaigns); Michael Rütti (Football Sponsorship); Reimund Immoos (Head Global Media & Cross Channel); Tanja Klotz, Kristel Gschwend (Media & Cross Channel). Responsible at Thjnk Zurich: Alexander Jaggy, Pablo Schencke (GF Creation); Lukas Amgwerd (Text); Lukas Frischknecht, Leandro Disler (Art Direction), Gianluca Spezzacatena (Polygraphy), Michael Rottmann (Creative Direction); Andrea Bison (GF Consulting); Anna Magnaguagno, Marie Vuilleumier, Nino Zuberbühler (Consulting); Gordon Nemitz (GF Strategy). External partners: Pumpkin Film: Martin Werner, Kasper Wedendahl (director); Jan Mettler (cinematographer); Per Kasch (photographer); Stefanie Brand (producer); Claudia Brand (postproduction producer); Nicolaj Monberg (editor), Jonas Krag (composer); Ballad (sound design); Jingle Jungle (recording studio); BaconX (grading/VFX); Südlich-t (online); Media: MediaCom, Webrepublic, Swiss Online Publishing; Ardawan Okhovat, Siyanna Ahmadu (Snapchat); Headraft; Filmgerberei: Alun Meyerhans (director); Andi Widmer (camera); Pamela Polanco & Flavio Gerber (production).

Roman Geiser was honored Wednesday with the Sabre Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement. The Sabre Awards are presented by New York and London-based PRovoke Media.

"When Roman Geiser joined the owner-managed Farner agency in 2012, he was already an established player in the European communications business and the firm was a dominant force in the Swiss market," writes Paul Holmes, founder and chairman of PRovoke Media, in honoring Geiser. "Since then, Farner Consulting has expanded its leadership position in the market, tripling in size in less than a decade. After another outstanding year in 2020, Farner is now one of the 60 largest public relations firms in the world, one of the 20 largest firms headquartered in Europe and one of the six largest independent European firms."

Geiser has driven this growth, he says, by transforming a traditional corporate communications consultancy into a modern full-service agency with outstanding data and analytics capabilities, an impressive digital practice, and expertise in marketing communications - including advertising and other creative services - as well as branding and identity. For this success, which Roman Geiser and Farner have achieved together over the past ten years, he has now been honored with the Sabre Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement.

Making chips is something for experts. Just like playing soccer at European Championship level. That's why the Zweifel chip factory also needs game reviews at halftime, video evidence, and summaries after successful games. The current campaign by chip manufacturer Zweifel shows exactly how this works.

Focus, focus, focus

"First Kezz, then Provençale and then Paprika" - with full focus, the chip expert explains to his team what today's game lineup should look like. Not much different than during a soccer match. And the two other commercials that will run throughout Switzerland around the European Championship matches on TV and online TV from Friday are also intended to prove: Switzerland's favorite team sport and Zweifel snacks have more in common than you might think.

Orange fire, green production

The production of the spots was done with Who's Mcqueen Picture and according to the guidelines "Greenproduction" of the Swissfilm Assocation. "Greenproduction" supports filmmakers in producing in a climate-friendly way. One of the objectives was to keep the shoot with the chip experts completely climate-neutral. Due to Covid restrictions, the goal was not fully achieved, but: "The entire crew gained valuable experience for future shoots and we were all made particularly aware of the topic once again," says Annette Häcki, Executive Creative Director of Jung von Matt Limmat.

 

---

Responsible in case of doubt: Gina Chiellino (Marketing Coordinator), Marina Domazet (Digital Media & Content Manager), Pia Gaube (Media & Project Manager), Marc Brändli (Digital Marketing Manager), Philip Honegger (Head of Marketing & Communications). Responsible at Jung von Matt Limmat: Cla Campell (Text), Luca Schneider (Art Direction), Ian Musgrove (Graphic Design), Florence Scherer, Anne Muhl (Strategy), Melissa Diday, Marcel Walzl (Project Management), Annette Häcki (Executive Creative Director), Cyrill Hauser (Chief Client Officer). Responsible at Jung von Matt Services: Pepe Kägi, Lisa Moser (media realization). Responsible for Mediaschneider: Janine Nussbaumer (Client Service Director), Anna Perez (Senior Consultant). Responsible for TW Media: Christoph Welti (Media Director), Loredana Preite (Media Planner). Responsible for Who's Mcqueen Picture: Kay Kienzler (Director), Jan Mettler (DOP), Clemens Petersson (EP), Karl Sigudarson (Line Producer), Adrian Weber, Kevin Vogel (Post Supervisor). Production: BLOOP. Sound & Music (voice recording & mix), Stefan King (color grading), Mirjam Kluka (photography), Katrin Lohman/Visualeyes International (photo production).

After work, you can be out in nature very quickly. That's good for your work-life balance and for your health. And children also benefit from it. If they play outside a lot and move around freely, this promotes their physical and mental development. They almost automatically become hardened little Rambos.

Wirz's location campaign for the Graubünden brand draws attention to this in two documentary-style films - the parents who have moved here deal with the fact that their daughter cuts down mighty trees or jumps down spectacular waterfalls as a matter of course. The films show young and expectant parents that Graubünden not only offers them diverse career and leisure opportunities, but also opens up a natural environment for their children.

Alongside various banner and social media formats as well as print ads, the two films form the next wave of the multi-year campaign to promote Graubünden as a "natural metropolis". After the attractive career opportunities in the canton have been highlighted so far, interested newcomers are now invited to the Hub "Living and Working in Graubünden" with articles about childcare, schools, leisure and real estate opportunities and more.

The campaign has been on air since Monday.

 

The 47-year-old from Biel hosted "Echo der Zeit" until the end of May. Before that, she worked in various capacities at Radio SRF, Radio 24, TV3 Schweiz and Canal 3.

Her years of journalistic experience and appetite for new audio adventures would be a perfect fit for Audiobande, the joint venture of independents dedicated to professional podcasting said in a statement.

The Audiobande includes journalists Jennifer Khakshouri and This Wachter as well as sound designers Simon Meyer and Lukas Fretz. From the Audiobande's kitchen come elaborately produced journalistic audio documentaries like the one for the NZZ on Sunday produced audio series "Sihlquai" and "Missing: Ursula Koch. The latter was awarded the Swiss Press Award 2021 in the audio category.

The Audiobande often moves thematically in culture and science, according to the statement. So far, Audiobande has produced podcasts in Swiss German, High German and English. Thanks to Nicoletta's language skills, productions in French, Italian or Spanish are now possible.

Johannes Hapig: Sacha Moser, Pascal Baumann, to start with I have to ask you a question about the photo shoot we did for this interview: Concrete backdrop, Berlin aesthetic, tattoos - Is Foundry's goal here in Switzerland to become "the most handsome people in advertising"? 

Sacha Moser and Pascal Baumann (unison): Thank you for the compliment. But we would prefer "The most hands-on people in advertising".

Sacha Moser This is more in line with both of our characters and is also hopefully the greater added value for our customers who are focused on growth.

 

Pascal Baumann, you joined Foundry as Creative Tribe Leader after leaving Sir Mary. But you've known Foundry founder Sacha Moser for a long time. Do you remember when you met for the first time?

Baumann: Phew..., that's a difficult question. I think we met for the first time at Publicis. Sacha was a permanent employee and I was a freelancer. We looked after a joint client, then saw each other again and again - before the pandemic also often at airports, I must say, because in normal times we both worked a lot from airport lounges. And so, after I said goodbye to Sir Mary, we got talking quite naturally.

Moser: I was of course enormously pleased, but also surprised. I think you contacted me first?! The possibility that you join here, I would not have dreamed at first. But we didn't rush into anything, we developed ideas together in a very relaxed way ... and even now we are calmly looking at what suits us.

 

Sacha Moser, you don't run a "classic" communications agency. What exactly does Foundry do?

Moser: We help companies to grow. Our clients are primarily substantial startups, but also established companies that want or need to realign themselves. We check and optimize strategy, processes and branding; we take care of marketing and communication. But we also lend a hands-on hand when a flagship store has to be canceled. (laughs). In general, we are here for all those who operate with a "beginner spirit". Or would like to learn to do so. Good examples are, among others, our customer partners Planted or Alpian and the very recent addition to the Tribe, the Student Projecthouse, ETH's in-house startup incubator.

 

You're Swiss, but until now you've primarily built Foundry in Berlin. Why are you now returning or expanding to your home country?

Moser: Our strategy is growth. Not only for us, but also for our clients. Until the beginning of 2020, we mainly served an international clientele, but for a while now we have been adding more and more internationally active companies from Switzerland or with important Swiss branches. That's why we definitely wanted to strengthen our Zurich location.

 

Pascal Baumann, was that also the reason why you left Sir Mary? Did you want to "build up" again?

Baumann: On the one hand, that's certainly an important reason. On the other hand, it became a bit too tight for me at Sir Mary. Sir Mary is primarily a locally oriented agency...

 

 ...which is extremely successful in Switzerland.

Baumann: Yes, and rightly so! But I had always worked rather internationally before my time at Sir Mary and felt that I missed that. I love my colleagues on Bertastrasse, and I miss them too, because they are fantastic people. But after the pandemic, we will only be celebrating together, not working together. (laughs). Foundry opens up new perspectives for me: There are clients here that I find insanely exciting. Planted, Alpian and the ETH Startup Incubator are all very digitally oriented, but not yet jaded by the "castling" by all the big agencies. These are companies that you haven't already worked for several times in your own career.

 

What is different about these companies?

Baumann: They have young, ambitious employees who still want to achieve something. I have learned that for me, the beginning of a project, when there is a lot to define and create, is always the most exciting. Whether it's at Foundry in Switzerland or at the companies we serve as customers. This freedom to be innovative, to improvise, to simply do things, is something I really enjoy. Hands-on, that is... Later on, it will be "cerebral" and structured enough. (laughs)

 

It sometimes seems to me that the only real freedom you have in advising clients is when you work for startups, turnaround cases or, at best, NGOs?

Moser: Well, that certainly depends on the situation. In general, I would say that if someone "has to" communicate - to make themselves known, to realign their business, or simply because their economic survival depends on it - the willingness to come up with really creative solutions is greater. Of course, we can then come up with more unconventional ideas. But you also have to wear a very big hat. Because if a project fails, you have even more responsibility. That's when you have to roll up your sleeves.

 

Speaking of "hands-on". Pascal Baumann, I still remember well how you once printed 8000 copies of our Advertising week have sprayed by hand with graffiti.

Baumann: Do you also remember the tendonitis I got? (laughs) I simply put my heart and soul into everything I do. Sometimes, of course, I think I could have gone to a government agency. Then I would sit in front of a screen for six to eight hours and maybe make zoom calls. But when we're out of the woods with this pandemic, the analog is all the more important to me. I want to create visual worlds that you can not only look at, but feel.

 

What Sacha Moser said earlier about painting the stores fits in with this.

Moser: I would like to emphasize that once again: Brand building works for us on various levels - digitally, of course, but we also build spaces. Right now, we have a project in Geneva where we are building out 1400 square meters of studios for the new, digital customer service. An important touchpoint. In Berlin, we developed the concept for 120 stores for the cable network and Internet provider Pyur. These are brand experiences across borders, across dimensions. We take our cue from Pippi Longstocking in all the tasks that come our way - how did she once say? "We've never tried that before - so it's bound to go well!" Of course, we have the necessary experience and specialists, but it is a question of attitude.

Baumann: For me, that's also a totally important point that defines Foundry. I mean, of course it's advertising, of course it's communication, but I've rarely seen so much variation in an agency. We don't just do digital campaigns, social media - we also do interior design, design books, clothes, films... Where else can you find that?

 

Their unofficial company motto, I learned in the preliminary conversation, is "Mindset Beats Skillset."

Moser: That's right! It's even written on the cups we have in the kitchenette. It comes from Markus, one of our leading employees, and shapes Foundry - or rather the people who are at Foundry. We are equal parts strategically led and creatively driven, and we derive our principles from that. For example, we said last March 2020, when it all started, no matter what, we're not going to lay anyone off in the next twelve months. So when it went towards June, July 2020, and the situation remained so complex, I was sweating a bit. But it was absolutely worth it. We invested in the team again, stepped on the gas in the last two quarters and won new customers. And already in Q4 2020, we were able to record our biggest growth since the start of the company. For many, this crisis was also an opportunity; especially in the digital area, we have an enormous number of inquiries. That's why we have built up a new performance and media unit.

 

Your business model is to help ideas come to life. Do you think there will be a startup boom after the pandemic - and that Foundry will then gain even more exciting clients?

Baumann: You raise a very important point there. You can think what you want about Corona and all the measures. But they had one brilliant aspect - and that was the time to rethink. The calm gave you a chance to see your own point of view and, above all, where you wanted to go. If you held on to old behaviors during the crisis, of course you didn't stand a chance. But if you used the time to orient yourself, to see what possibilities there were to develop yourself ... then it was incredible. And - without wanting to sound cynical - somehow I'll miss that as soon as it's over. This pioneering spirit that you feel will accompany us into the future. Woe betide you if you didn't use it.

---

At Foundry work, according to the agency, "doers with a hands-on mentality" who "love to build brands that last over the long term." In doing so, the team around founder Sacha Moser relies on the "power of relevant and differentiating content, defining aesthetics, bold ideas and groundbreaking partnerships."

In recent years, Foundry has grown rapidly and now has offices in Berlin, Zurich and New York City. But the basic principles have not changed: "Creatively driven and strategically guided, we support companies and organizations in developing a shared vision. In this way, we ensure sustainable growth and create solutions that touch people and move them in a positive way," the agency says. 


Women from Zurich and all over Switzerland stood up and still stand up for their ideas of a democratic society with courage, anger and desire. The Exhibition "50 Years of Women's Suffrage in Zurich - What More Do You Want?" at the Stadthaus Zurich honors this commitment.

A democracy is a space in which different opinions are formed, examined and expressed, and decisions are made together. This is the ideal. Women in Switzerland remained scandalously excluded from this space of voting and electing for a long time. With great perseverance, they fought for an elementary right. In 1971, they finally did it. Or was that just when it began? What has happened since then? And what do women still want?

The exhibition explores these questions. It is about demands and desires: for self-determination, for own spaces and good work, for rights and for other forms of politics. It is about decisions and dares, about cooperation among women, about wage complaints, about children, about possibilities to raise one's voice with and without voting rights, and about freedom.

The exhibition was opened on June 4 by City President Corine Mauch with a video message and will run until December 18, 2021. Due to Corona, no vernissage took place.

---

Overall responsibility: City of Zurich Culture. Board of Trustees: Lou Salomé Heer, Bettina Stehli. Responsible at Stilgraf: Philipp Graf & Martin Stillhart (scenography). Photo: Mali Lazell.