Moments of happiness when the sun shines on the freshly snow-covered slopes or the mountain panorama enchants you while hiking. Smile moments when families and friends round off a day together in a mountain hut. Action moments when you're chasing down spectacular trails on your mountain bike: the current Topcard-campaign by the Chur agency Yes Creative Digital Marketing focuses on emotions that show what is possible with the Topcard and are intended to arouse anticipation.

The campaign was widely distributed and played out in various formats - from large-scale OOH posters and digital screens to print ads, flyers and banners. The campaign was extended online with animated and static social media ads and banners.

Responsible at Yes: Corina Calonder (project management), Corina Calonder, Richi Brändli, Sara Gartmann (conception), Sara Gartmann (art direction).

The new CLA was negotiated as part of the relicensing process for the period 2025-2034. Licensed radio stations had to commit to the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) to industry-standard working conditions. The industry agreement 25 sets out the standards for this. The newly licensed radios Vostok (Unikom) and Gwendalyn (Corall) are now also covered by the CLA.

The minimum wage for employees in the sector will rise from CHF 4,700 to CHF 5,050 per month for 13 monthly salaries. Employees working a 42-hour week will now receive six weeks' vacation, compared to five weeks for those working 40 hours. In addition, binding measures have been introduced to protect personal privacy, which must be set out in personnel regulations. Interns will also be included in the CLA in future, although wages are still being negotiated between the social partners.

Not all local radio stations are part of the agreement. Radio Toxic.fm will no longer be represented in the industry agreement, and Radio X did not take part in the negotiations. They will continue to be subject to the working conditions for private radio stations, which include a 13th month's salary and pension fund contributions from the first franc earned.

The social partners see the new CLA as an important step towards fair working conditions in the media sector. It should contribute to quality assurance in the sector and create a sustainable basis for media professionals in the local radio stations concerned.

More and more inorganic waste such as aluminum, PET, glass and plastic is ending up in Switzerland's green waste containers. During fermentation or composting, this leads to contamination of the natural fertilizer that is recovered and ultimately ends up back on our fields, but also to cost-intensive additional work. This is a problem that the six Zurich municipalities of Bachenbülach, Bülach, Höri, Kloten, Oberglatt and Opfikon, together with Axpo Biomasse, now want to sensitize their residents to with posters, flyers, banners and social ads and encourage them to change their behaviour.

In order to get the desired attention of the target group for their message, the Bern-based agency Komet plays with the initially deliberately irritating, then smile-inducing ambiguity of the word "green": because "green" in this campaign is not only the color of the bottles and cans depicted, but also an ecological behavior and part of the term "green container".

What should stick in the viewer's mind despite all the advertising measures is a concrete instruction for action: green aluminum cans, PET and glass bottles do not belong in the green container either. Otherwise they will end up in the food cycle - and therefore on our plates.

Responsible at Axpo Biomass: Sales department. Responsible at Komet: Christa Zesiger (consulting), Alina Morger (graphics), Lisa Oppliger (DTP), Claudio Parente (AD/concept), Daniel Müller (text/concept), Jeff Gerber (CD). Photo and image editing: Terence du Fresne. Animations: Terence du Fresne. Website design: Fabl. Website programming: Ps-media.

The new award is intended to make best practices visible and promote the exchange of successful strategies in the areas of SEA, SEO and comprehensive search engine marketing. "With the Search Award, we are creating a platform that makes the innovative power and dynamism of search engine marketing visible," says Jens Fauldrath, Chairman of the BVDW Search Focus Group.

The prize is awarded in three main categories: SEA, SEO and Comprehensive Search. These are further divided into eight sub-categories. Both specialized campaigns and comprehensive strategies are awarded. The jury consists of 24 experts, including Jens Fauldrath from Get:traction for "Comprehensive Search", Katharina Knolle from Webnetz for "SEA" and Christoph Baur from Bits & Passion for "SEO".

Projects can be submitted from Monday. The deadline is May 5, 2025 and the winners will be announced at DMEXCO in September in front of around 250 selected participants.

For eleven years now, the YES Media Award has offered selected mini-companies the opportunity to present their business ideas to a jury of experts from the media industry. This year, the ten most promising start-ups from the YES Company Program had the opportunity to present themselves in the Toni cinema at Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK. The participants not only had to demonstrate their creativity, but also develop and market their products or services independently and present them to an audience.

Stefan Bircher, Producer and Founding Partner at Shining Film, was impressed: "I thought it was impressive how the young people presented themselves. I couldn't have been so convincing when I was 18 or 19." After three hours of judging, the choice fell on Planet Pasta, whose concept aims to help reduce food waste. The team from Biel was surprised by the award: "We are very happy about the win and the experience we were able to gain today."

Now the next phase begins for the young entrepreneurs: together with Stefan Bircher and Maël Bürki, a student on the Cast / Audiovisual Media course at ZHdK, the cinema spot is being realized. It will premiere on May 24, 2025 at the national finale of the Company Program at Zurich Main Station. It will then be broadcast in Swiss cinemas by Weischer.Cinema. "The teams' impressive performances did not make the decision easy for us. That's why we're all the more excited about the finished spot," says Eveline Kneubühl, Director of Operations at Weischer.Cinema Switzerland.

The YES Media Award recognizes the mini-company that shows the greatest potential for successful marketing in cinemas. In addition to the professional spot production, the winners receive nationwide placement in cinemas - a valuable platform for young entrepreneurs who want to present their ideas to a broad public.

Martens will head up client consulting at Dept and be responsible for the account management team. In collaboration with the agency's creative and media teams, she will look after clients such as Lieferando, Salamander and eBay. The appointment follows the appointment of Wolfgang Lünenbürger-Reidenbach as SVP and Head of DACH and underlines Dept's expansion course in the region.

Prior to her move, Martens was responsible for brand strategy and business growth at Grey Germany. Prior to that, she held senior positions at Jung von Matt. Her strength lies in the combination of creativity, data and technology - an approach that fits well with Dept's strategic direction, according to a press release.

"Creativity alone is no longer enough - brands need ideas that work at the intersection of creativity, data and technology," says Martens. "Dept is made for this new era where innovation and execution go hand in hand."

The text-based fantasy role-playing game "Artificial Legends" combines gaming with innovative AI technology. Instead of a predetermined story, players create their own epic saga - in a dynamic exchange with the AI, which acts as a game master and shapes the story based on individual decisions. This means that no two games are the same.

The game principle works like a classic adventure game: at the beginning, you only start with a makeshift equipment before a completely individual narrative develops through interactions with the AI and your own creativity. In this way, "Artificial Legends" adapts flexibly to the player's preferences. The platform supports several languages, including German, English, French and Italian, thus enabling a broad user experience. The functional prototype is already online.

Jeff is already using AI in various projects and wants to use this interactive experience to demonstrate the wide range of creative applications. The game is also intended to be an inspiration for companies that want to explore the potential of AI in their own projects. It was developed in co-creation with Staay.

Responsible at Jeff: Michael Meyer (Partner), Philip Eggenberger (Partner), Peter Day (Partner), Stefan Huggenberger (Partner), David Bär (Project Manager). Responsible at Staay: Dimo Notarfrancesco (CTO).

The Swiss Out of Home Award recognizes outstanding campaigns in Swiss out-of-home advertising. Entries can be submitted if they were implemented in Switzerland or Liechtenstein between July 2024 and June 2025 - regardless of whether they were developed by agencies, graphic design offices, individuals or in-house. Participation is free of charge.

A jury of 14 experts from the fields of advertising, culture and design will select the shortlist. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony during the "Woohw!" industry event at the StageOne Event & Convention Hall in Zurich. In addition to gold, silver and bronze awards, the best campaign will be named "Campaign of the Year". All nominated works will receive a diploma in recognition of their creative originality and craftsmanship.

The event on September 4 will bring together around 500 invited guests from the industry. In addition to the awards ceremony, the program includes a conference, a stage show and a dinner party. The winning campaigns will then be disseminated via various digital and social media.

Registration and further information are available at Woohw.ch available.

Stronger networking with Jung von Matt's international locations should make the Swiss agency even more competitive. "International expertise is becoming increasingly relevant for brands," says CEO Roman Hirsbrunner. "Our aim is to provide clients with boundless creativity and global expertise virtually 'on the doorstep'."

Global creative expertise

Closer collaboration with the international group gives customers access to experts from a wide range of creative fields, such as AI or marketing automation, from locations in Europe as well as Los Angeles, London, Seoul, Ho Chi Minh City, Beijing and Shanghai. "For us, creativity without borders means that we work with global creative teams for national and international brands, but also that companies from Switzerland can use the specific expertise of our international colleagues," explains CCO Christian Kies. This includes, for example, access to international sports platforms through Jung von Matt Sports, expertise in fandom marketing through Jung von Matt Nerd or innovation opportunities through new technologies through the Jung von Matt agency Alfr3d. The pitch win as Global Lead Agency for Mini with teams from London and Zurich demonstrates the potential of this collaboration, explains Jung von Matt CEO Peter Figge.

As a sign of its closer ties to the Group, Jung von Matt acquires further shares in the Swiss agency group and Hirsbrunner becomes a partner on the global partner board.

New chapter for Dominique von Matt

At the same time, agency founder Dominique von Matt is starting a new chapter. He hands over the chairmanship of the Board of Directors to Hirsbrunner and founds "von Matt/Second Opinion"a consultancy firm for strategic marketing decisions. "A second opinion is worthwhile for important decisions with long-term implications," explains von Matt in a letter. "In such situations, I can contribute my experience in strategy, marketing, branding and communication, which I have gained as an entrepreneur, consultant and board member."

With the handover of the chairmanship to Roman Hirsbrunner, von Matt believes the future of the agency is in the best of hands: "Roman Hirsbrunner has successfully led the agency for over 10 years, the shareholder structure is sustainable with him, the executives and Jung von Matt Hamburg, and CCO Christian Kies ensures creative excellence. I will continue to be available to Jung von Matt clients as a strategic consultant."

"Dominique was and is an inspiration to me in the most diverse constellations - always 'on point', always 'on fire'," says Hirsbrunner about his long-time companion.

Tobias Hunziker has many years of experience in the media industry. He also has "in-depth knowledge of the advertising market", according to a press release. At his last employer Ringier, he acquired expertise that is central to Post Advertising.

Tobias has headed the international business at Ringier Advertising since 2021 and played a key role in the establishment and successful development of international business activities. He will now bring his broad network of strategically relevant contacts and his professional expertise to his new role. In this way, he will contribute to strengthening Post Advertising as "the leading advertising partner in Switzerland".

For Sabrina Wettstein, Head of Sales at Post Advertising, Tobias Hunziker is an ideal appointment: "With his extensive experience, his network and his expertise in the advertising market, he will make a valuable contribution to the further development of Post Advertising."

Global issues such as the war in Ukraine, the climate crisis and geopolitical shifts are currently dominating daily media coverage. Events in Switzerland often seem unimportant in comparison, but are of central importance for the country. Residents want to know about the state of the social welfare system, the army and the national school system. They are interested in the effects of mass tourism or the latest crime statistics.

The new "Good Morning Switzerland" newsletter focuses on this - and all other topics that move the country. Every morning, a member of the NZZ domestic editorial team writes a personal daily bulletin with an outlook on the topic of the day. Readers also receive facts, classification, a platform for their thoughts and input as well as article recommendations.

The newsletter is written alternately by Christina Neuhaus, Head of the Domestic Editorial Department, Fabian Schäfer, Head of the Federal Parliament Editorial Department, Andrea Fopp, Editor in Bern, and Sebastian Briellmann, Editor in Zurich.

"We write about what moves Switzerland," says Christina Neuhaus. "Fact-based and unagitated, without commentary, but with attitude - and hopefully always without being boring."

You can subscribe to the newsletter at this Link can be subscribed to free of charge. Today's first issue can be downloaded on this Page be read.

Research shows that AI language models such as ChatGPT also react to emotional content. Especially when this content is negative, such as stories of traumatized people or statements about depression. If people are afraid, this influences their cognitive and social prejudices: they tend to be more resentful and social stereotypes are reinforced. ChatGPT reacts similarly to negative emotions: Existing biases such as human prejudice are exacerbated by negative content, causing ChatGPT to behave in a more racist or sexist way.

This in turn poses a problem for the use of large language models. This is exemplified in the field of psychotherapy, where chatbots are inevitably exposed to negative, stressful content as a "support or counseling tool". However, the usual approaches such as costly retraining or retraining to improve AI systems in such situations are resource-intensive and often impractical.

Traumatic content increases "fear" in the chatbot

Researchers at the University of Zurich and the Psychiatric University Hospital Zurich PUK have now systematically investigated for the first time how the GPT-4 version of ChatGPT reacts to emotionally stressful stories - car accidents, natural disasters, interpersonal violence, military experiences and combat situations. They found that the system showed more anxiety reactions afterwards. An instruction manual for vacuum cleaners served as a control for comparison with the traumatic texts.

"The results were clear: traumatic stories more than doubled the measurable anxiety levels of the AI, while the neutral control text did not lead to any increase in anxiety levels," says Tobias Spiller, senior physician ad interim and research group leader at the Center for Psychiatric Research at UZH, who was responsible for the study. Of the content tested, descriptions of military experiences and combat situations triggered the strongest reactions.

Therapeutic texts "calm" the AI

In a second step, the researchers used therapeutic texts to "calm" GPT-4. The technique known as "prompt injection" is used to insert additional instructions or texts into communication with AI systems in order to influence their behavior. This is often misused for malicious purposes, for example to circumvent security mechanisms.

In the third step, the team used the technology therapeutically for the first time - as a "benevolent prompting injection". "We injected calming, therapeutic texts into the chat with GPT-4, similar to the way a therapist performs relaxation exercises with their patients," says Spiller. The intervention proved successful: "Through the mindfulness exercises, we were able to significantly reduce the increased anxiety levels, although not completely return them to their initial level," says Spiller. Breathing techniques, exercises that focus on bodily sensations and an exercise developed by ChatGPT itself were examined.

Improving the emotional stability of AI systems

According to the researchers, the findings are particularly relevant for the use of AI chatbots in the healthcare sector, where they are often confronted with emotionally stressful content. "This cost-effective approach could improve the stability and reliability of AI in sensitive contexts such as supporting mentally ill patients without the need for extensive retraining of the models," summarizes Tobias Spiller.

It remains to be seen how these findings can be transferred to other AI models and other languages, how the dynamics develop in longer conversations and complex argumentation, and how the emotional stability of the systems affects their performance in different areas of application. According to Spiller, the development of automated "therapeutic interventions" for AI systems is likely to become a promising area of research.

The underlying technical literature can be can be viewed here.