The winners of the Google AI Impact Challenge were announced on Tuesday at Google I/O, the annual developer conference.

The challenge was launched in October last year as part of the "AI for Social Good" initiative. The basic idea is that new technologies can help solve major social, humanitarian and environmental problems. With the grants, Google wanted to offer various organizations that can present well thought-out proposals the opportunity to contribute to this vision.

Around 2602 applications from 119 countries were submitted, and 40 percent of the applications came from companies with no previous experience in the field of artificial intelligence. Google reviewed the best projects for feasibility, impact potential, scalability and responsible use of AI and selected 20 organizations. The selected projects address problems in areas such as health, economic opportunity and empowerment, environmental protection and preservation, education, disinformation prevention, and crisis and emergency response.

In addition to a total of 25 million dollars in scholarships, the 20 winners will also receive loans and advice from Google Cloud, mentoring from Google AI experts and the opportunity to take part in a program from the Google Developers Launchpad.

One of the winners is a Swiss organization: the NGO Huridocs uses natural language processing and machine learning methods to extract, research and combine relevant information in laws, case law, statements and decisions. Human rights lawyers in particular can benefit from this and use the globally accessible documents to research their cases more quickly and efficiently and represent them in court.

"With the new corporate identity, we can specifically advertise our competencies on the market. At the same time, the new appearance ensures sustainable brand management," says Daniel Ettlinger, CEO of the Galledia AG. The name "Galledia" remains the same, but the color and form have changed. The print, digital and publishing divisions are equally weighted in the communication and the brand promise of "simple", "personal" and "effective" has been consistently implemented in both corporate communication and marketing and communication materials. The rebranding includes a new logo, a new Website, an image brochure, various stationery as well as fact sheets, reference cases and advertisements.Responsible at Galledia: Stefan Zimmermann (Head of Digital, Executive Board member), Daniel Schneider (Head of Print, Executive Board member), Mirjam Belz (Communications), Walo Rüthemann (Client Consultant), Dominik Schmid (Client Consultant), Matteo Baschera (Head of Prepress), Yvonne Gadoni (Head of Client Service), Fabienne Zeller (Lead Designer)Responsible at Process: Martin Fawer(Consulting Director & Member of the Executive Board), Elmar Müller (Lead Brand Consultant), Noé Robert (Consultant), Sandra Scheffknecht (Lead Designer), Bruno Manser (Digital Creative Director), Sarah Trendle (Digital Designer).

Our approach to data is ambivalent: we entrust Google with our most intimate questions, willingly distribute likes on social networks, annoyedly tick the box under new terms of use and expect companies to provide us with the most useful information possible. At the same time, reports of data misuse make us feel uneasy. After all, sharing personal data such as location, fitness or driving data in particular harbors risks and makes us vulnerable because it could be misused or used against our interests. However, the benefits of relevant offers and smart apps outweigh this, and so we consciously or unconsciously accept risks. After all, in-depth legal, technical or analytical knowledge is required to understand the complex relationships between how companies use data.Economic benefits for companiesUsing customer data brings companies from almost all industries a high economic benefit. For example, offers can be tailored to customers, retailers can dynamically adjust prices in online stores to the type of shopper and insurance companies can calculate their premiums based on the customer's risk behavior. Provided the legal framework is in place. The basis for the success of data-based business models is to take into account the views and wishes of consumers so as not to jeopardize their trust.Research project on data sharingAZ Direct and the Institute of Marketing Management (IMM) at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) researched the situations in which people are willing to disclose personal data. The aim was to uncover the driving forces and barriers when dealing with personal data. To this end, analysts from the ZHAW and AZ Direct developed a Willingness-to-sharepersonal-data-Index (WTS-Index), which can predict which situational characteristics lead a person to share their data.

Extensive data collectionTo develop the WTS Index, IMM researchers conducted an online experiment with over 20,000 people in Switzerland. The target group was contacted by e-mail. The e-mail addresses were taken from the AZ Data World Consumer with communication data on 6.3 million people and more than 100 associated characteristics. The participants were presented with scenarios in which they had to decide whether or not they would share their data. They knew how the data would be used, whether it would be collected anonymously and what benefits would result for them. Based on the five variables of industry, data type, field of application, benefit and anonymity and including 13 personal variables, there were 1600 possible scenarios.Anonymous evaluation of the interviewsThe online interviews were analyzed anonymously and enriched with characteristics from AZ Data World Consumer. In this way, data protection standards were met. Neither the IMM nor AZ Direct ever had simultaneous access to the names of the participants and their answers in the online experiment.personal preferences decideThe results of the analysis showed that each variable in the scenario had a significant impact on whether individuals would share their data. In other words, it is important for consumers to know:- who is asking for their data,- what kind of data is being asked for,- how this data is being used,- what the benefits are for them.Socio-demographic factors, household composition and language region also had an impact on whether a particular scenario led to consent. These results are hardly surprising: each person trusts different brands or sectors and can be persuaded by different incentives.

Modeling the WTS indexIn a final step, the analysts developed a forecasting model for the probability of any group of people being willing to share data. The collected data with the personal and situation-specific factors formed the basis for this. This makes it possible to predict how likely it is that someone will provide personal data to a specific company for a defined purpose. The index can also be used to predict the effect of changing each variable in the scenario, socio-demographic or household composition of a group of people.Practical test as part of pilot projectsThe index is currently being tested in practice. This involves comparing the willingness-to-share (WTS) of an index-selected group with a randomly selected group. If the first group is significantly more willing to share their data than the randomly selected group, then AZ Direct's WTS Customer Scoring proves to be a useful tool for identifying and selecting target persons for data-based campaigns. The pilot campaigns have recently started and the first results are expected at the end of the third quarter of 2018.Benefits for companiesIf the test results are positive, companies can use the WTS index to select people who are more willing to share personal data for future campaigns. It does not matter whether the target group consists of existing or potential customers. AZ Direct can also predict what incentives are needed in a situation or industry to increase the willingness to share data. People who are not willing to do so are therefore not contacted in the first place. With WTS Customer Scoring in combination with WTS Consulting, AZ Direct will be offering companies advice on developing a data-based campaign and identifying the most promising parameter constellation from the ground up from the fall.

Author:Roger Dobler,Chief Analytics Officer at AZ Direct

True to the motto "3...2...1...yours!", print24.com produces and delivers many products - including top sellers such as Flyer, Postcards and Posters - within three days for standard shipping, within two days for express shipping and even within just one day for priority shipping! The program was already expanded last November due to the high demand. Now the number of products included in the 3-2-1 program has been doubled again. Even top sellers such as 1,000 flyers or 1,000 posters will be dispatched extremely quickly in standard shipping in future. Unlike many competitors, this fast 3-day service will not cost customers any extra at print24.com!"Our motto is very clear: 'Even more even faster! Last year, we drastically reduced our delivery times and introduced the popular 3-2-1 delivery model across Europe - now these extremely fast delivery times are available for even more products! The same delivery performance for which customers have to pay expensive express surcharges at our competitors is available from us at no extra charge, even with standard delivery!" explains Fabian Frenzel, Director Innovation/Marketing at print24.com.print24.com is a brand of UNITEDPRINT SE, a global and innovation-oriented e-commerce company in the print and media sector. As one of Europe's leading online print shops, UNITEDPRINT SE employs around 700 people and operates the well-known brands print24, Easyprint, Unitedprint, getprint, printwhat, FIRSTPRINT, DDK PRINT BIG, infowerk and Unitedprint Shop Services (USS) at 26 locations worldwide - in Germany and 21 other European countries as well as in Brazil, China, Canada and the USA. In addition to traditional print products, Unitedprint also offers its customers high-quality products and services in the fields of textile printing, photo printing, large format, advertising materials, advertising technology and hotel/catering supplies.

Shortly after sending out your media release, the first journalists will get in touch and want more detailed information about your product. But questions about the general development of your industry, the competition and market trends are also of interest. You and your communications department provide information skillfully and professionally. Shortly afterwards, the first reports appear on the online portals of the various media houses and specialist publishers. The first critical comments on the internet are not long in coming and quickly escalate in volume and tone, with the shitstorm now appearing to spread to social media channels. Unsettled customers are asking questions and need to be put in a positive mood. Online comments and social media posts have priority at the same time and need to be read and responded to. The flood of information is almost unmanageable - you obviously underestimated the situation and were mainly concerned with presenting the product in the right light. However, you were not sufficiently prepared for a potential crisis. Your CEO must now take a stand, provide convincing arguments and try to prevent the looming loss of image.crises like this and others can be prevented with the right communication tools and evaluated quickly and promptly with customized media analyses. Be prepared and analyze your communication seamlessly - Send out media releases via Press release service on ARGUSavenue- Brand tracking - How do the media report on your brand? Author management - Which members of the media do you like? Comment monitoring - is the discussion about your product factual or polemical? Discourse analysis - Which influencers control the shitstorm? Media conference monitoring - Which of your messages were adopted and in what form? CEO analysis - What is the public perception of your CEO? Social media alert - information in real time

How to master shitstorms successfully:- Communicate transparently and authentically about your products and services- Speak out regularly and consistently in the media- Encourage dialog with your customers- Monitor current discourse on online and social media channels about your and similar products- Determine a clear chain of reaction in the event of a crisis- Respond promptly and thoughtfully- Remain calm and do not act spontaneously- Do not allow yourself to be provoked and remain open to criticism- Address influencers directlyINTERESTED?You can reach us at ARGUS DATA INSIGHTS Switzerland by phone at +41 44 388 82 94 or via e-mail to [email protected].

With Swiss Moving Media, advertising campaigns can be booked via one site. Since June, advertising campaigns for the transport companies in Zurich, Basel, Geneva and Lausanne can be booked via the website www.swissmovingmedia.ch. This enables advertisers in the four cities to reach up to 2,260,000 passengers a day. Through the cooperation of the municipal transport companies Moving Media Basel, TP Publicité and Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich in the "Swiss Moving Media Pool", the four transport companies aim to achieve a long-term and successful positioning of transport advertising in their cities and to increase the cost-effectiveness of public transport advertising.

Tradition. Hospitality. Culinary delights. Nine seminar hotels in the Bernese countryside, not far from the Swiss capital, offer an excellent venue for meetings. The hosts are very fond of their homeland and tradition. Regional delicacies are conjured up on the plate with a lot of love and the family-like sociability is still lived. The beautiful landscapes and places of power contribute to the absolute team and recreational success.Experience the individually lived hospitality in nine of our selected seminar hotels in the Bern region - for example, the Hotel Appenberg unique, the Romantik Hotel Bären Dürrenroth or the Hotel Moosegg. Hotel Appenberg unique

Only 20 minutes away from Bern, the Hotel Appenberg unique offers you the ideal seminar and conference location in a quiet and intact environment. The warmth and charisma of the twelve historic buildings convey a lot of charm and inspiration. In addition to ten seminar rooms equipped with the latest technology, the Hotel Appenberg unique offers excellent regional cuisine. Appenberg - a place where hospitality is lived, for active experience and enjoyment.Unique: The Appenberg Village ExperienceYou will meet in the former schoolhouse, taste fine wines in the wine cellar, dine in the Saustall restaurant, end the day with a nightcap in the Bärengraben and sleep in the Hubelhaus, which was originally built in 1777.

Romantik Hotel Bären Dürrenroth - Seminar hotel

In the beautiful Emmental lies the idyllic village of Dürrenroth with the over 200-year-old Romantik Hotel Bären, its Kreuz guesthouse and the modern seminar center. The triad of hospitality, enjoyment and history fits perfectly to the Bären Dürrenroth. Tradition and modernity are probably nowhere more evident in the premises than in the seminar house. Three modern seminar rooms have been set up for seminar guests in a completely new small farmhouse built in 1744.

Unique: social programsWhether it's making your own cheese in the village cheese dairy, an e-bike flyer tour with a factory visit in Huttwil, a wine tasting in the impressive vaulted cellar or sausage-making in the village butcher's shop - the range of social programs and excursions is extremely diverse. Hotel Moosegg

Hotel Moosegg in the picturesque Emmental region is the ideal place for your seminar and is only a 40-minute drive from Bern and Thun. The mountains are within reach and the view is simply breathtaking. Innovative ideas create themselves here almost by themselves. Feel-good factors such as feasting, enjoying and relaxing are given special attention. Host Daniel Lehmann, awarded 16 Gault Millau points, celebrates traditional and innovative cuisine at Moosegg.

Unique: social programsYou will be introduced to the art of brewing beer in the brewhouse of the Aemme brewery. In the bell foundry you will learn more about the mysterious sound of bells while casting bells and during a mule trekking you will be initiated into the secret of gold panning.

Sender:Bern Welcome Bern Meetings & EventsAmthausgasse 43011 BernTel +41 (0)31 328 12 60 / [email protected] / Bern.com

adwebster is the largest and technologically most advanced digital advertising network in Switzerland. It reaches around 93% of the Swiss population. Since the end of last year, adwebster and AZ Direct have been working together to offer marketers a unique set of characteristics for defining target groups in Switzerland.To make this possible, AZ Direct has linked anonymized profile information from adwebster with sociodemographic data from AZ Data World Consumer. The reference database comprises 3.5 million households and 6.3 million private individuals in Switzerland, all provided with more than 100 selectable characteristics.When defining the target group, one can choose between sharp and very sharp: sharp via the AZ Live Data App, very sharp via a prior customer base analysis, the results of which are stored in the adwebster booking line. Either way, the more precise targeting minimizes wastage. It leads to a better ratio between displayed ads and views, clicks and conversion. And ultimately results in the optimization of the ROI and thus in the more efficient and effective achievement of the campaign goals.

The main ingredient of "very hot": AZ AnalyticsWhether acquiring new customers or developing existing ones - and no matter on which channels the communication is to take place: AZ Direct's customer base analysis via advanced analytics provides the insights needed to form promising customer segments and target groups for acquiring new customers.As the basis for the analysis, AZ Direct combines data from the AZ Data World Consumer with the transaction data of its clients. In AZ Data World Consumer, over 100 sociodemographic and psychographic characteristics describe each existing person. These include age, education, life stage, income, living environment, and propensity to donate, as well as information about people's attitudes, what drives their passions, and what is important to them. In this way, the analysis produces a clear picture of the "typical" customer and what makes him tick - in short, a single customer view.It often becomes apparent that the previous assumption about the structure of customers and parts of the results of the analysis diverge. This makes for aha experiences and improved market cultivation. The latter also thanks to optimized segmentation and addressing of existing customers."It often turns out that the previous assumption about the structure of customers and parts of the results of the customer base analysis diverge."Roger Dobler, Chief Analytics Officer, AZ DirectFor targeted and effective new customer acquisition, AZ Analytics brings to light those potentials whose targeting promises the highest success: Statistical Twins of the best customers (1:1 match) or Lookalike Audiences of the best customers (same or similar affinity). The latter - the modeled target group - can be perfectly used to noticeably sharpen display advertising via adwebster.Using analysis for display advertisingThe results of the customer base analysis can be used in two different ways at adwebster. Both are based on geographic target group data and these in turn are based on the approximately 4000 Internet dial-up nodes in Switzerland. AZ Direct has analyzed each dial-up node to determine which socio-demographic and psychographic characteristics are over- and under-represented in its environment. This information is linked to user behavior, which adwebster contributes. In combination, target groups can be defined much more precisely than if only behavior is taken into account. But back to the two possible applications at adwebster:1. as modeled target group - very sharpThe integration of one's own, individually modeled target group into adwebster's booking line is particularly accurate. Let's assume that the customer base analysis of vehicle producer "Leviathan" shows the following picture for the typical buyer of its robust van: male, older than 30 years, family with children, medium income, lives in the countryside in a one- to two-family house, belongs to the down-to-earth group according to the GfK Roper Consumer Styles.vehicle producer "Leviathan" stores exactly this characteristic structure in the adwebster booking line. In this way, vehicle manufacturer "Leviathan" ensures that display advertising that revolves around its van is always played to the best possible target group.Anyone who wants to know more about customer base analysis using advanced analytics and/or the integration of the modeled target group into the adwebster booking line should contact Roger Dobler, Chief Analytics Officer at AZ Direct: [email protected] or 071 313 27 54.2. in the AZ Direct Live Data app - sharpThe AZ Direct Live Data App can be booked directly in adwebster's Programmatic Media System. If the set of characteristics of the modeled target group comprises over 100 characteristics, the Live Data App still has 34 characteristics available to sharpen the target group. These include gender, life stage (e.g. family with child), building size and construction period, residential location, vehicle type and class, age group, income class, and mobility.

Thanks to the findings from the customer base analysis, these characteristics can be combined to match the best existing customers. For example, the family with children who live in a single-family home, have a household income of more than CHF 100,000, and drive a van.The AZ Direct Live Data app can therefore be used to put together a target group in just a few clicks and address it immediately. Every advertiser can use the tool - directly themselves, via their media agency or another company they trust.Andi Nigg, VRP adwebster, about the Live Data App "For just under two years, adwebster has operated a 'Data Store' where advertisers can purchase accurate and transparent profiles to increase the efficiency of their digital advertising campaigns. These profile clusters are called 'Live Data Apps'. There are currently over 10 such data providers available. With the AZ Direct Live Data App, it was possible for the first time to use 'offline data' on a large scale for digital advertising measures - a milestone in technological terms. This new 'real-time use' of AZ Direct data in digital campaigns has already achieved incredibly good results in the test phase. The 'fusion' of offline and online proved to be purposeful and productive for the advertiser."Learn more at www.adwebster.ch > Products > Live Data Apps > AZ Direct

Contact infoAZ Direct AGLorzenparkstrasse 106330 ChamT +41 41 248 44 44[email protected]www.az-direct.ch

The L and X banners are ideal for trade fairs and allow you to provide customers and visitors with background information or draw attention to your own products. The 510 g/m² PVC tarpaulin is tear, tensile and scratch-resistant and can be ordered directly with the system as an option. Both the L and X banners are particularly lightweight and easy to set up! Pop-up towers customers have the opportunity to advertise effectively in advertising pillar format - both indoors and outdoors. The print motif is attached using magnets and, thanks to the cross struts, the pop-up towers also stand on uneven surfaces. Assortment of rollups revised, priced more attractively and expanded! In addition to the classic versions in various formats and different systems, the extra-large XXL rollups with formats up to 2 x 3 meters! All versions are extremely inexpensive and available from 1 piece for eye-catching outdoor advertising. print24.com a huge portfolio of high-quality products from the large format category. With XXL banners or Tarpaulins up to 10 meters can be used to transform large surfaces such as facades or scaffolding into effective advertising spaces.City Light Poster are efficient eye-catchers in road traffic. Whether at bus stops, train stations or in pedestrian zones - the illuminated messages are a cost-effective solution for advertisers both day and night. The posters are easy to handle, making it simple to change the motif, and the new products and designs are now available at print24.com at permanently low prices and attractive delivery times! The majority of products in the advertising technology and large format categories are available from just 1 piece!

Besides classic Print products such as flyers, business cards and the popular top sellers like books and brochures, the Online printing company with products from the advertising technology and large format categories, suitable solutions for extensive campaigns. Large-format tarpaulins, for example, are ideal for eye-catching outdoor advertising on building facades. Flags, signs and city light posters round off the category Large format.the wide Advertising technology portfolio offers everything needed for a professional appearance at trade shows and other events: beach flags, counters, and L and X banners make up only a small part of the extensive range. Customers benefit from a wide range of formats and designs for the top sellers - such as rollups.The individually printable Packaging products from online printing company print24.com are optimally tailored to the needs of resellers. The inexpensive folding boxes, wine bottle cartons and many other designs can be used to present products in a high-quality manner. The packaging in the matching corporate design ensures recognition value and is also suitable for self-employed persons thanks to possible small print runs from 1 piece. Textile products from print24.com of the online print shop. There are not only classic T-shirts in different colors and sizes to choose from, but also hoodies and hooded jackets for sporting events or clubs. The practical and environmentally friendly fabric bags are bestsellers and round off the diverse range of textiles.And that's not all: the online print shop print24.com also offers a range of Photo products, Gastro products and Office supplies at favorable online prices. In addition, the portfolio and services are continually being expanded, for example through comprehensive product updates with new designs and formats. The majority of the popular top sellers from the diverse product world from the online print shop print24.com is already available from a print run of 1 piece. And that with first-class top quality.

TCS has long since offered much more than just roadside assistance for car and motorcycle drivers. Today, the offer includes memberships for motorcyclists and car drivers, for bicycle enthusiasts, for young people and for "non-motorized" people. All offers have one thing in common: the members benefit from numerous advantages, among which the breakdown service is only the basis.In addition to the memberships, TCS has various products in its portfolio. These range from travel protection to the company's own credit card and legal protection. In addition, there are courses, vacations in own TCS hotels and a rich TCS online store. And that is by no means all, as a browse through the TCS website at www.tcs.ch quickly reveals.Naturally, memberships, offers and products want to be publicized and new members won. The TCS receives active support from AZ Direct, which is based on data-driven Multichannel marketing is specialized. Over the years, a strong partnership has developed that continues to grow."Over the years, we've developed a strong partnership that continues to grow."Dierk Schehrer, Head of Marketing, TCSAccess to data on 6.3 million private individualsA significant part of TCS's customer acquisition, maintenance and development is based on AZ Data World Consumer. TCS uses the data under license and has incorporated it into its CRM solution Salesforce. Thanks to the license, TCS has access to continuously updated addresses of 6.3 million private individuals in 3.5 million households.Each address in AZ Data World Consumer is tagged with around a hundred characteristics. These include socio-demographic characteristics such as age group, education, income bracket, but also whether someone lives in a single-family or multi-family house, children in the household, the living environment and many more. The psychographic dimension is brought into play by GfK Roper Consumer Styles. The typology describes eight different customer types. They show what attitudes and values a person has, what passion drives them and moves them.Segment customers and win new ones thanks to analysesTCS links AZ Direct's consumer data with its own information. This includes, for example, the type and length of membership and which other offers and products a member uses or has used.The linking of internal and external information gives the TCS an all-round view of its members and thus enables deep Consumer Insights. The TCS analysts use the findings for efficient and effective marketing communication: on the one hand, they create segments of existing members for targeted cross-selling and upselling or for churn prevention - i.e. preventing membership cancellations. On the other hand, you can draw conclusions about the socio-demographic and psychographic ideal structure of new potential members from the analysis of the members. Thanks to the connection to AZ Data World Consumer, TCS also knows the exact remaining potential of "ideal members".And what do companies do without their own analysts? They use the comprehensive analysis services of AZ Direct. These include customer base analyses as a basis for segmenting the company's own customers or for determining the residual potential, as well as geo-targeting, response analyses and more.

Acquiring new customers by e-mailIn addition to direct mailings, TCS also uses the following methods to acquire new customers Email marketing. However, since TCS has few of its own e-mail addresses of potential members, this part of the membership acquisition is handled by AZ Direct. The latter has an e-mail pool with more than two million e-mail addresses of private individuals. Based on the above-mentioned analyses, TCS forms various target groups and transmits the corresponding information to AZ Direct. AZ Direct draws the potential per target group from its e-mail address pool and compares the data with the TCS member list. Since the e-mails are based on a standard template, content can be replaced and inserted quickly and easily. Another advantage of the simple handling is the possibility to run A/B tests quickly and easily. For example, testing different subject lines, images, buttons or dispatch times. It goes without saying that only one element is tested at a time. After each mailing, AZ Direct produces a report on the most important KPIs and makes recommendations on how subsequent mailings can be optimized. Thanks to the control loop "concept - implementation - evaluation - recommendation", the e-mail campaigns work better each time.Structured lead management with AZ CampaignManaging leads professionally is time-consuming, resource-intensive and without the use of a Campaign Management Tools almost impossible. Take TCS, for example: Here, leads come from various sources, they arrive in Excel lists or in the form of physical talons, and they have different structures. These leads need to be captured centrally and then processed to create memberships.AZ Direct has recently started supporting TCS in terms of lead management. The central platform for managing the processes is AZ Campaign, a standardized software solution based on Microsoft Dynamics. Campaign Management Tool as "Software as a Service" (SaaS), it does not affect the IT infrastructure of TCS. Everything runs via the cloud, with the system and data hosted by an SQS GoodPriv@cy-certified partner in Switzerland.In the Campaign Management Tool AZ Campaign, AZ Direct collects the leads from the various sources. Lead processing is standardized and clearly structured. Together with TCS and its agency, AZ Direct's campaign professionals plan the consistent and topic-oriented communication and play it out to the leads. The resulting dialog is based on behavior, interests and sociodemographic as well as psychographic data. Direct mail and e-mail can be used as communication channels, as can social media platforms, display or telemarketing.AZ Direct records all reactions to the communication in AZ Campaign. They form the basis for further measures per lead: With whom is it worthwhile to continue the lead process? Who is not? Who receives which further stage with which content, and when? This is how leads become members, step by step.

What does Dierk Schehrer, Marketing Manager of the Touring Club Switzerland, particularly appreciate about the cooperation with AZ Direct? "I experience AZ Direct as a professional and innovative partner. Their committed, solution-oriented and friendly employees and their proven tools have become an extremely important success factor for our marketing activities over the years. Time and again, we receive valuable impulses and ideas from their cooperation. In addition, AZ Direct is a reliable sparring partner with whom we can discuss approaches. And this is always combined with constructive and implementable suggestions. In short: Despite often complex issues in data management, the collaboration with AZ Direct is refreshingly uncomplicated and contributes to the sustainable market success of TCS."

MK Since mid-August, the renewed dialog marketing platform "DirectPoint" of the post online. A month later than planned. Why?CLAUDIA STALDER Good things take time. We have discovered that the changeover to a completely new Internet platform is more complex than originally assumed. In addition, numerous new formats were created. Existing contributions had to be reviewed and updated. The effort involved was huge. The quality of the content was more important to us than the timing of the launch.MK What's new?STALDER Swiss Post's dialog marketing market development and processing is based on a concept that has been in place for over ten years. This has now been completely revised and reorganized. Based on our latest content marketing strategy, we have bundled and structured all content differently and reorganized it under the names Direct-Pointplaced. In this way, we want to achieve a stronger communication effect and offer our customers and interested parties an even better service.MK Why did you decide to relaunch now?STALDER As in all industries, the communications sector is also experiencing increasing digitalization. The entire information behavior has changed, including the dialogue with customers. Swiss Post's content marketing strategy, which was defined in 2016, provides for content that is in demand by customers on the one hand, but also has to fit in with Swiss Post on the other. The key words are "relevant" and "credible".MK What does the new platform consist of?STALDER From three elements. The website www.post.ch/directpoint is our centerpiece and content hub. The new Direct-Point magazinewhich is sent out four times a year, replaces the previous DirectNews product. It not only has a more modern layout and greater scope, but also gives more space to the respective focus topic. The newsletter has also been redesigned and is now better aligned with the Content Hub and the magazine in terms of appearance and content. Social media campaigns are also to be launched every one to two weeks to highlight or tease exciting current topics.MK Why this mix of channels?STALDER The mix is not new; we have been used to dealing with the individual channels, which have now been restructured, for some time. We have also had a stable subscriber base for years, 44,000 at the Magazine and over 20,000 at the Newsletter. We do not want to lose them. We want to maintain the continuity of recent years and optimize the networking of channels.MK Which topics will be the focus of DirectPoint stand?STALDER We used to see ourselves primarily as a knowledge platform for dialog marketing. Today, we want to open up the topic and broaden its scope. Basically, we want to enable our customers to be more successful with their business models. We offer them Content from the areas of management, analysis, marketing, digital and dialog marketing. There are also sub-categories such as self-management or topics from science and research. Our aim is to accompany users in their daily business and support them with inspiration, knowledge and suitable tools. Entertainment is not neglected either. There is a new Column by Anitra Egglera German digital therapist and bestselling author.MK How important is dialog marketing for Swiss Post?STALDER This is a strategic business area that is of great importance. While the transaction mail sector is increasingly struggling with declining volumes, the proportion of advertising mail in letter mail has remained stable. In 2016, Swiss Post sent around 2.2 billion addressed and unaddressed items for advertising purposes. The proportion of addressed advertising mail accounted for around half of all addressed letter mail, confirming the popularity and impact of dialog marketing.MK Are further projects planned in this area?STALDER We actually have a lot of ideas, but first we want to wait and see how the new concept is received. Once we have gained enough experience, the time will be ripe to tackle new projects. In the meantime DirectPoint continuously optimized.