Professionals in cross-media management: operating in multimedia

Five participants in the continuing education program (CAS) for cross-media managers report on their experiences and goals.FROM HANNES ZAUGGHalf of the CAS graduates work in a service company in the media industry, while the others are employed in advertising and media agencies or on the client side. Five of them report on their motives for such a CAS, state what they learned in the five-month training to become a cross-media manager, and outline their future career paths.Fredy Bühler works in a media group as the person responsible for IT services, Jörg Klemm earns his living in a consulting firm, Greg Notter works as a content business developer and manager, Thomas Obrist manages a medium-sized printing company, and Bernhard von Allmen holds a management position in the communications department of a bank.Media change as a driverAnyone working in the graphic arts industry has the technology thrust constantly breathing down their neck, which is why Thomas Obrist speaks of the "éducation permanente" that is necessary to ensure the economic success and further development of his business.Bernhard von Allmen also refers to the constant media changes that are influencing our society, and since he likes to hold the reins in his hands, it was clear to him to choose a continuing education course that would give him the necessary overview.Something fundamental was also sought by Jörg Klemm, so that he could grasp the cross-media reality in all areas of corporate communications. Greg Notter wanted to look behind the term "cross-media": "Theory, market comparison and best practice in discourse" was his goal.Fredy Bühler had very specific ideas about what this training as a cross-media manager should bring him. He wants to gain a comprehensive insight into digital media production so that he can later orchestrate cross-media projects.To what extent did the first-ever training course to become a cross-media manager fulfill such expectations, and in what ways were the graduates able to improve and expand their existing skills? Greg Notter is convinced that he will be able to recognize core issues in the planning and realization process more clearly, as well as to better pick out the appropriate production methods and delineate responsibilities more precisely.Assessing the new media correctlyFredy Bühler emphasizes the good view across the various digital media. This helps him to designate the necessary content and to measure its success, which enables him to now also manage larger projects in which several interest groups are involved.Jörg Klemm can now better assess the advantages but also the limits and complexity of cross-media projects and communicate this more precisely to third parties, which helps him to make the right clarifications.Fit for cross-media challengesBernhard von Allmen sees himself at the cutting edge of various techniques and tools, which makes him fit for cross-media challenges. Thomas Obrist has a similar view of the skills he has acquired, which have led to better networking and cross-media thinking. He can and will now use these skills to initiate and handle multimedia projects, because his customers, most of whom are SMEs, often don't know exactly which media they should link together and how. Thomas Obrist can now advise them more comprehensively and precisely, which also increases his chances of being awarded such a contract.Bernhard von Allmen describes the strengths he has acquired as broader knowledge in the areas of publishing, marketing, digital techniques, market research and communication. This enables him to assess more accurately when to use which player in cross-media projects. Networked thinking is a "must" for him when it comes to launching multimedia campaigns.Fit for cross-media projectsGreg Notter also sees his strength today in networked thinking, which is necessary in order to develop new products and open up further business areas.The possibility of talking to different media producers on an equal footing is an important strength for Fredy Bühler, which allows him to act as a mediator between different media worlds. This is important because the technology requires in-depth, specialist knowledge, so you need a counterpart who has an overview and thus makes successful interaction possible.Jörg Klemm sees the collaboration between different professionals who are more creatively active with those who are primarily oriented towards numbers and/or proceed in a very structured manner as a significant strength. This can prevent a cross-media project from becoming disoriented or threatening to fail due to inefficiency.Communicate more precisely in the futureGreg Notter wants to use the skills he has acquired to breathe new life into the arc of tension from sender to receiver and vice versa. In provocative terms, he wants to explore the boundaries of online and offline media to the point of subversive communication.Bernhard von Allmen, who wants to optimize communication campaigns at his bank, takes a more sober view. But he also hopes that, thanks to better knowledge, he will be able to tread new communication paths. In any case, he is sure that he will be able to communicate and sell more precisely in the future, which will pay off in the end.Fredy Bühler also has a very practical idea of how to implement what he has learned. He will link the three parallel workflows in his company for print, web and video in such a way that cross-media projects can be carried out from a single source. In addition, he is looking around for suitable tools that allow largely standardized and thus automated media production.Pass on knowledge directly to customersCross-media production will also be a professional focus for Jörg Klemm in the future, whereby he would like to concentrate on applications for in-house instruction and for training, as well as on consulting services.And Thomas Obrist wants to pass on the knowledge he has acquired directly to customers, in order to strengthen their confidence in multimedia projects as a competent contact partner in communication matters. Here he sees a lot of potential to profit from, especially among smaller and medium-sized companies.***Cross-media management for decision-makersSAWI is holding a special course for decision-makers in March 2014. On four Wednesday evenings (12.3, 19.3, 26.3 and 2.4 2014, 18-21h each), the most important aspects of crossmedia will be presented to them. First, Roman Hirsbrunner (CEO JungvonMatt/Limmat) will present the path from classic advertising to cross-media campaigns, then Olaf Gijseman (CEO gateB) will look at the modulation of processes so that standardization enables automation. On the third evening, Frank Bodin (CEO Havas Worldwide Switzerland) will show how clients can be inspired to use new media. Andreas Stuber (Head of Integrated Communications at SBB) will close the evening with a presentation of his case: SBB is adapting its organization to the multimedia world. Those who attend three of the four evenings will receive a SAWI certificate at the end. Anyone who wants to keep track of the increasingly complex media world should not miss this Brushup Crossmedia. Register directly at www.sawi.com.