The SRG Board of Directors expressed its confidence in Marchand and Crittin. The then RTS Director Marchand had "not sufficiently exercised" his "secondary supervisory responsibility", said SRG Board of Directors Chairman Jean-Michel Cina on Friday at a virtual media conference. However, in the assessment of the experts, this does not represent a "serious error".

The Board of Directors was therefore of the opinion that Marchand was the right person for SRG to implement the required changes in the corporate culture. The current RTS Director Crittin could not be accused of any misconduct. There was therefore no need for action.

Marchand himself, who was RTS director at the time of the majority of the incidents described, said in response to the question of whether he was the right man to implement the cultural change that it was not his decision. The Board of Directors obviously trusted him to do so. Marchand did, however, apologize for the fact that in 2014, following allegations of bullying, he had not conducted the investigation that had been initiated for long enough.

Cina regrets and apologizes

Cina also began his remarks by expressing deep regret for each and every case of harassment and asked the victims to apologize. Zero tolerance would be a high strategic priority for the Group in the future. The fact that fewer allegations were substantiated than originally described should not change the seriousness of the investigations and the future handling of the harassment problem, he said. "Every case is one too many.

Therefore, in the wake of the harassment affair, the management team of the French-speaking Swiss radio and television station RTS will in future have to complete a mandatory training program by name. Failure to comply with the new regulations will result in sanctions.

The SRG Board of Directors will decide on definitive measures once the final report on the first investigation into the effectiveness of the internal instruments is available, said SRG Board Member Ursula Gut-Wintersberger. In the future, there will be confidants in each department who can approach those affected if necessary.

No misconduct with moderator Rochebin

On October 31, the French-speaking Swiss newspaper Le Temps citing anonymous sources, revealed that bullying and sexual harassment had occurred within RTS for years. In the research, the interviewees reported open harassment, unwanted kisses, lewd comments and systematic abuse of power.

Three employees were accused, including Darius Rochebin, longtime star presenter of the RTS daytime news. The management and the personnel managers of RTS had consistently looked the other way. Rochebin, who moved to the French news channel LCI in the fall, meanwhile filed libel charges against Le Temps one.

The independent experts appointed by SRG have now concluded that Rochebin was not guilty of sexual harassment or bullying. Rochebin welcomes the seriousness of the investigations conducted in Switzerland, his lawyer said Friday in Paris. The conclusions confirmed what his client had said from day one: he was innocent. (SDA)

Non-fungible token - to take the cryptographic aspect of this acronym right away - means a unique, non-exchangeable key. But why is everyone talking about this? An NFT is the antipode of bitcoin, because bitcoin is just that fungiblein other words, interchangeable. The fact that they cannot be replicated makes these tokens very popular because they give people a feeling of security, provided they have a digital affinity.

They turn what can be copied into something unique and allow interested parties to participate in things that have remained unattained until now. While bitcoins are hailed as the digital answer to currencies, NFTs are now those for trading and collecting goods. If the person owning a token changes, this information is stored forever and tamper-proof in the blockchain.

Like mushrooms from the ground

Fungibility denotes the property of goods to be interchangeable within the same genus with other pieces of the same kind or - in the case of non-fungible - not to be interchangeable. At first glance, however, the word conjures up completely different associations: the fungus or the mushroom. But don't worry: their finely meshed growth resembles current developments in the network or your neuronal thought processes. The skeptics who should be worried are those who believe that this is all a bubble, like the Internet back then, which, as we all know, burst in March 2000 with a loud crash and huge losses. Of course, it doesn't help that a purely digital work of art by the artist Beeple (real name: Mike Winkelmann) was recently auctioned off at Christie's for a breathtaking 69 million dollars, and that he only commented on the price on Twitter with a "Holy Fuck. Something like that can't be serious. But neither were the turtlenecks or hoodies worn by the CEOs of so-called Internet companies, and yet their reputation has risen to unimagined heights over the past 20 years.

This auction may therefore be the temporary culmination of a hype, which, however, gives the acronym NFT an aura like the WWW radiated back then. Thanks to NFT and other elements of the blockchain - for example, smart contracts - The democratization of investments soon took place, similar to the democratization of knowledge through the WWW. And what happened with it has long been history.

* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He has been eavesdropping on the industry for over 30 years, discovering words and terms for us that can either be used for small talk, pomposity, excitement, playing Scrabble, or just because.

Why do we get addicted to bell pepper chips? What happens in the body during lovesickness? How does Bitcoin work - and how long will we still have cash? Starting Thursday, Blick.ch users will once again receive answers to questions about science every week in the knowledge podcast "Durchblick". In addition to new topics, the audio format also gets two fresh voices: 38-year-old Blick podcast producer Jennifer Rieger and 36-year-old Sereina Tanner, daily manager and presenter at Blick TV, are the new "Durchblick" hosts. Starting Thursday, the two trained radio journalists will lead the 30-minute talks together - in the first episode on the topic of "Why do certain foods make us happy?

"With our podcasts, we make complex topics tangible for an audio-savvy audience. We are very pleased to be able to realize two more seasons of 'Durchblick' together with the Gebert Rüf Foundation," says Katia Murmann, Editor-in-Chief of Blick.ch and Head of Digital at the Blick Group. "With Sereina Tanner and Jennifer Rieger, listeners can look forward to two competent hosts who will explain important knowledge to them in a simple way." Starting this season, the podcast will be produced entirely in-house.

In the wake of the Corona pandemic, many companies are once again paying closer attention to their spending - including in marketing: advertising expenditure is being cut back or more attention is being paid to the effectiveness of individual channels. In order to provide companies with the best possible support in allocating their advertising expenditure, the market research institute Intervista conducted a study on behalf of Swiss Post in February 2021. In a representative online survey, over 1,000 German-speaking Swiss were asked how their needs and consumer behavior have changed as a result of Corona - and in particular how they perceive advertising.

Fundamental change in consumer behavior

Unsurprisingly, there have been fundamental changes since March 2020. Fifty-two percent of respondents say they have significantly changed their consumer behavior. 18 percent are looking for bargains more often, 20 percent are paying more attention to quality and 30 percent are buying more Swiss products. 44 percent of respondents also expect their consumer behavior to change (further) - so this could be a lasting change.

Mailbox instead of screen

Working in a home office, which affects 53 percent of those surveyed, can be a trigger for other interesting effects. For example, more than half of 18- to 29-year-olds say they often feel screen fatigue, and among 60- to 79-year-olds it's one in five. In response, 42 percent of younger people actively make sure they can enjoy screen-free time. One in three in the older age groups does the same.

One consequence of this screen fatigue: 19 percent value reading on paper more today than before the pandemic. In general, the physical is gaining in importance - and so is the mailbox. For 54 percent of younger people, mail has become more important during the pandemic, with parcels being the main focus, of course. But the greater importance of the mailbox also has consequences for the effectiveness of advertising channels.

Most noticed: addressed direct mail items

Advertising on websites or search engines is heeded by only 18 and 19 percent of respondents respectively. At 26 percent, social networks are also only in the midfield. At 40 percent, advertising on TV is far ahead - also a classic medium that is predominantly consumed at home. However, the most attention is paid to another channel that is also well known: addressed commercials. 48 percent of respondents say they pay attention to these. And when asked which form of advertising was most likely to inspire them to make a purchase, addressed commercials were also named most frequently, at 57 percent.

"The current situation, in which the home plays a much greater role in the lives of the population, opens up new opportunities to reach customers directly," explains Oliver Egger, Managing Director Media and Advertising Market at Swiss Post. "However, the changes in consumer behavior and media use require a rethink in media planning," says Egger.

Dominik Banny joins BCW Switzerland as director of public affairs, communication & strategy, while Marion Hug joins as healthcare manager. The new additions work from the agency's Zurich office and are expected to strengthen BCW's presence in the Swiss market as a further step in its expansion strategy, following the full integration of BCW's global sports unit based in Lausanne earlier this year.

Dominik Banny has worked for companies in highly regulated industries for over 15 years. His career to date includes roles in finance, consumer goods, agrochemicals and management consulting. As a sparring partner, he provides strategic advice to business and political decision makers on maximizing opportunities from political and media attention.

Marion Hug will strengthen the agency's rapidly growing healthcare expertise in the German-speaking region. She has more than 20 years of experience in the life science industry and has held various positions in marketing and sales in this sector. She has in-depth knowledge of all aspects of healthcare communications, both in the area of over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs.

A QR code at the entrance to the store took users to a landing page where, after brief instructions, they could start AR mode and go in search of virtual eggs in the store. Those who found three of a total of five hidden eggs could take part in the raffle. The prizes included Spar shopping vouchers and admission to Europapark.

"Today, augmented reality applications no longer require an app download," says Lukas Haltmeier, Online Marketing Manager at Spar Handels AG. "This means that the technology is now also very attractive for use in the retail sector."

The current Head of Communications at Google Switzerland Matthias Meyer will leave the company at the end of April. Meyer headed corporate communications at Google Switzerland for 13 years and looks back on a "wonderful and instructive time," as he is quoted in a statement. In the future, he will offer solution-oriented coaching for companies in a digital world with his own company.

During Meyer's time at Google Switzerland, the company has grown from 120 to over 4,200 employees at its Zurich location and is now the largest engineering center outside the USA.

In his function he managed the overall communication and positioned the Google company in Switzerland. In addition to this strategic role, Matthias Meyer was active in corporate communications on professional assignments at Google's headquarters in Mountain View California and at Google in Paris. 

"Matthias Meyer has done outstanding work for Google for well over a decade. With his professionalism, empathy and creativity, he has played a major role in the successful development of Google in Switzerland. We wish him only the best for his professional future," Kay Oberbeck, Senior Director Communications Google Central Europe, is quoted as saying in the statement.

The head of corporate communications at Google Switzerland will be Samuel Leiser, who has been responsible for Google's B2B communications in Switzerland and Austria for more than ten years.  

Contrary to the expected upward trend at the beginning of the year, the number of job advertisements stagnated compared to the previous quarter (+1%) due to Covid, writes Adecco in a press release. There were regional differences. At +8 percent, the trend in French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland was more positive than in German-speaking Switzerland (-1%).

According to the information, this regionally varying recovery can be seen against the background that Latin Switzerland was initially hit harder by the pandemic and the job market there suffered greater losses during the first lockdown.

Communication talents wanted

Anyone looking for a new job now "must not only be well equipped professionally, but must also have the appropriate social skills," Monica Dell'Anna, CEO of Adecco Switzerland, is quoted as saying in the press release.

Communicative employees are particularly in demand at the moment. This is because communication is crucial for driving forward transformation and digitalization processes. These processes are being accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic, the report continues. (SDA)

In a small campaign that has just been implemented, Swisscom is booking window spaces in addition to regular advertising and billboard spaces - at the usual rate. The initiative is called "Window spaces as advertising spaces" and is intended to create a charming win-win situation during the time when businesses are (indoors) closed. The window areas will be equipped with A1 posters that can be easily stuck to the windows.

The theme of the campaign: We're looking forward to the time after, with titles such as "This will be the best reception ever," "Here's to the time after," and "Together ready for the comeback. The small campaign is designed for 100 businesses that rent out their windows as advertising space in larger cities in Switzerland.

According to Swisscom, the campaign has been well received by the catering establishments so far, and "perhaps the campaign will find imitators," according to a statement from the telcom provider. The campaign is running in Zurich, Berne, Lausanne, Geneva and Lugano.

Responsible at Swisscom: Davide Pincin, Olivier Stäheli, Jeffrey Gabriel, Jürg Brauchli, Christoph Timm. Conception: Brinkertlück Switzerland. Implementation: Form, Freshcom and sound studios Z.

For the 17th time in a row, the Goldbach Crossmedia Award will again be presented by the Goldbach Group in 2021. The winners will be announced at the "Best of Swiss Web" Award Night on September 6, 2021 in the Samsung Hall.

A total of 18 cases were submitted, which were evaluated by the 13-member independent jury of experts headed by jury president Marco Taborelli.

Goldbach Crossmedia Award

Shortlist 2021 

Where words fail and feelings are difficult to express - as with "I love you," "I'm always here for you," or "Nothing can separate us" - something as simple as a plate of pasta becomes an emotive and important message of love. This narrative is at the heart of the new brand film that represents Barilla's new manifesto. The film answers the question "How can we show our love without words?" through different stories. They give a whole new meaning to a plate of pasta prepared for a loved one. The same stories are also taken up by the integrated global campaign, which will be launched in 40 countries from mid-April - including Switzerland.

New interpretation of "La vita è bella" as a soundtrack

To underline the emotional power of the new message, the song "Beautiful that way" by Noa was chosen as the soundtrack, a reinterpretation of the soundtrack of "La vita è bella", the 1997 Italian film directed by Roberto Benigni. The song is intended to bring back the warm, old-fashioned feeling that has been characteristic of Barilla for a long time and is to be the focus again.

"A historic moment for Barilla"

"This new global narrative is a historic moment for Barilla. The brand has rediscovered the message of its classics, of its previous campaigns that are true icons, while perfectly applying it to the challenges of our time," Gianluca Di Tondo, global chief marketing officer at Barilla, was quoted as saying in a Barilla statement. "Because today we all want to feel humanity and closeness, and a sign of love can do just that."

In Switzerland, the 60-second spot by Saverio Costanzo will be shown on TV from mid-April to the end of May, and online and on various social media platforms until mid-June.

Known primarily for its roadside assistance, TCS aims to raise awareness of its multifaceted commitment to mobility. The script, which focuses on its members as a tribute to standing aside, also highlights the TCS's numerous interventions in the service of Switzerland's mobility.

Filming therefore took place in various Swiss locations such as Geneva, Lavaux, the Bern region and Ticino. The Himalayan sequence was recreated on the Great St. Bernard. Prevention, advice, help, road safety, technological developments as well as camping are emotionally interwoven in the anniversary film.

The film is part of the TCS anniversary campaign as a 30- and 15-second TV spot as well as an online campaign.

Responsible at the Touring Club Switzerland: Moreno Volpi (Director Corporate Communication), Vanessa Flack (Senior Project Manager TCS Anniversary). Responsible at Freestudios: Anne-Cécile Vallenet (Executive Producer), Olivier Pictet (Director), Joseph Areddy (Photography), Jean Loup Bernet (Music), Anne-Cécile Vallenet and Benjamin Dubuc (Production Management & Post Production).