Unternehmen messen unter dem Stichwort Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), wie oft sie in Antworten von ChatGPT, Gemini und Co. auftauchen. Weniger Beachtung findet die Frage, was dort über sie steht. Das Bild einer Marke verschiebt sich in KI-Antworten oft unbemerkt. Dieses Phänomen lässt sich als semantischer Drift beschreiben. Miriam Schwellnus, Geschäftsführerin der Berliner Agentur Mashup Communications, ordnet es in diesem Gastbeitrag ein.

Wie bei «Stille Post»: Informationen verrutschen

Beim Kinderspiel «Stille Post» kommt am Ende selten an, was am Anfang gesagt wurde. Kein Mitspieler lügt, jeder gibt nur ein wenig anders weiter, was er verstanden hat. Ähnlich ergeht es Informationen, die KI-Assistenten zusammenfassen und einordnen. Eine Untersuchung der European Broadcasting Union (EBU) und der BBC zeigt, wie oft dabei etwas verrutscht. Fachjournalist:innen prüften mehr als 3000 Antworten von ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini und Perplexity in 18 Ländern und 14 Sprachen. 45 Prozent enthielten mindestens ein signifikantes Verständnisproblem (EBU/BBC, Oktober 2025).

Die Untersuchung bezog sich auf Nachrichteninhalte. Der Mechanismus sei aber derselbe, wenn ein Assistent ein Unternehmen beschreibt: Er verdichtet, gewichtet und lässt weg. Monitoring-Werkzeuge zeigen, wie häufig eine Marke genannt wird, welche Quellen erscheinen und ob der Ton eher positiv oder negativ ausfällt. Ob das Gesagte stimmt, zeigen sie nicht.

Semantischer Drift: Bedeutung verschiebt sich unbemerkt

In der Linguistik beschreibt semantischer Drift, wie sich die Bedeutung von Wörtern über die Zeit verschiebt. Auf Marken übertragen meint der Begriff eine Reputationsverschiebung, die aus der Tendenz einer KI entsteht, Kontext nur ungefähr zu deuten. Ein Aspekt wird überbetont, ein anderer fehlt, eine überholte Information bleibt hängen. Einzelne Antworten wirken dann nicht falsch, das Gesamtbild stimmt trotzdem nicht mehr.

Weitere Zahlen derselben Studie: 31 Prozent der Antworten zeigten ernsthafte Quellenprobleme, weil Belege fehlten, irreführend oder falsch zugeordnet waren. 20 Prozent wiesen grössere Genauigkeitsfehler auf, etwa veraltete Informationen oder erfundene Details (EBU/BBC, Oktober 2025).

Warum GEO-Kennzahlen den Drift nicht erfassen

Laut Schwellnus hängt die Sichtbarkeitsquote davon ab, welche Fragen ein Tool testet. Das seien in der Regel vorab festgelegte Beispielfragen eines Marketingteams, nicht das, was Menschen tatsächlich eingeben. Da Assistenten Nutzer:innen zunehmend aus früheren Gesprächen kennen, laute eine reale Frage eher «Welche Agentur passt zu mir?» als «Welche Agenturen gibt es in Berlin?».

Zitierte Quellen zeigen nur, worauf sich eine Antwort ausdrücklich beruft. Was ein Sprachmodell aus seinem Trainingsmaterial «weiss», tauche nie als Beleg auf. Tonalität lasse sich zwar messen, sage aber nichts darüber aus, ob eine Aussage stimmt. Entscheidend sei die Zuordnung: Gehört diese Aussage tatsächlich zu diesem Unternehmen, in diesem Zusammenhang? Vertrauen von Bewerber:innen, Kund:innen und Geschäftspartner:innen entstehe genau dort.

Was Unternehmen jetzt tun sollten

Erstens: lesen statt nur zählen. Wer regelmässig nachliest, was KI-Systeme über das eigene Unternehmen antworten, erkennt Verschiebungen, lange bevor sie sich verfestigen. Dazu gehören Fragen, die Bewerber:innen, Kund:innen oder Partner:innen tatsächlich stellen würden, nicht nur jene, die sich gut messen lassen.

Zweitens: Positionierung schärfen und jedes Wort hinterfragen. Ist ein Begriff belegt oder nur behauptet? Eine Aussage wie «Wir bieten flexible Arbeitszeiten» bleibe austauschbar, solange sie nicht durch echte Zahlen, Stimmen aus dem Unternehmen und eine Bestätigung von aussen untermauert werde. Je mehr Themen ein Unternehmen besetzt, die nicht zu seiner Kernpositionierung gehören, desto leichter lasse es sich falsch einordnen.

Drittens: Geduld. Reputation, die sich über Jahre aufgebaut hat, lässt sich nicht in wenigen Wochen korrigieren. Wer nur auf kurzfristige Sichtbarkeitsspitzen ziele, verpasse den kontinuierlichen Aufbau eigener und fremder Quellen. Sichtbarkeit in KI-Antworten sei dann ein Nebenprodukt einer Reputation, die ohnehin stimmt. Reputation sei Infrastruktur, keine Einmalkampagne.

About the author

Miriam Schwellnus ist Gründerin und Geschäftsführerin der Berliner Agentur Mashup Communications. Sie ist Autorin des Bestsellers «Storytelling für Unternehmen» und verbindet nach eigenen Angaben seit knapp 20 Jahren Public Relations mit Content Marketing und narrativen Strategien.

m&k Vom Gaming-Clan zur Agentur: MYI ist aus dem Esports-Clan mYinsanity und einer LAN-Party mit 20 Leuten im Berner Bärensaal entstanden. Was von diesem Ursprungsgeist steckt heute noch in der Agentur, die Marken wie Swisscom, Roche oder Coop betreut?

Cedric Schlosser Ziemlich viel. Zwei der Gründer, die 2009 den Clan mYinsanity gestartet haben, sitzen bis heute in der Geschäftsleitung. Ich als CEO gehöre dazu. Das ist keine Nostalgie, das prägt MYI bis in den Alltag. Was wir bewahrt haben, ist eine Kultur, die spielerisch und freundschaftlich geblieben ist, über die Jahre aber einen deutlich stärkeren Professionalisierungs-Touch bekommen hat. Für Kunden dieser Grössenordnung müssen wir Leistung auf höchstem Niveau erbringen, das ist selbstverständlich. Aber jede Person bei uns spürt noch den Erfindergeist und die Unerschrockenheit aus den frühen Jahren, als wir als Verein und als Clan ins Gaming gestartet sind.

Das Rebranding 2025: Sie haben das Wort «Entertainment» aus dem Namen gestrichen. Was hat sich damit für Sie inhaltlich verändert, und was war der Auslöser, gerade jetzt diesen Schnitt zu machen?

Das Wort Entertainment wurde zu oft falsch interpretiert. Wir liefern ja nicht per se Unterhaltung. Oder nicht mehr. Früher haben wir primär Events und viele Esports-Übertragungen realisiert und da war das noch okay. Doch seitdem haben wir uns weiterentwickelt: Services wie Werbung sind dazu gekommen und mittlerweile decken wir die ganze Kommunikationspalette ab. Das Rebranding von MYI Entertainment zu MYI sollte dem gerecht werden. Wir wollen mit MYI eine Brand schaffen, die in Deutschland und der Schweiz als Full-Service-Agentur ein One-Stop-Shop für alles rund um Gaming & Nerd-Culture ist. In diesem Bereich sind wir exzellent und bieten von der Konzeption bis zur Umsetzung von klassischen Werbekampagnen und Events bis zu Ingame-Welten und Social Content die ganze Bandbreite an.

Vom Nischen- zum Massenpublikum: Sie sagen, das Durchschnittsalter der Gaming-Zielgruppe liege heute bei 42 Jahren. Wie verändert das Ihre Arbeit, wenn Gaming nicht mehr Nische, sondern Mainstream ist?

Gaming ist seit vielen Jahren Mainstream, es wird nur nicht so wahrgenommen. Wer in den Siebzigern geboren ist, ist in aller Regel damit aufgewachsen. Das Durchschnittsalter von 42 Jahren ist für uns vor allem der statistische Beweis dafür: Gaming ist im Mainstream angekommen.

Für unsere Arbeit heisst das vor allem eines: Wer Gamerinnen und Gamer erreichen will, muss in Subzielgruppen denken. Diese segmentieren wir je nach Anwendungsfall nach Games, Alter, Plattformen oder auch «Motivation to Play». Je nach Zielgruppe verändern sich die Möglichkeiten und in der Umsetzung die Methode und Sprache. Eine Kampagne für einen 18-jährigen Fortnite-Spieler sieht völlig anders aus als eine für eine 66-jährige Online-Jass-Spielerin. Beide richten sich an Gamerinnen und Gamer, verlangen aber eine eigene Ansprache. Dafür haben wir auch eigene Studien aufgesetzt, unter anderem den MYI Gaming Index.

Die eigene Härteprobe: Sie beschreiben Ihr Team als «die härtesten Kritiker» der eigenen Arbeit, weil alle selbst Gamer sind. Wo hat Sie diese interne Kritik in zehn Jahren tatsächlich schon vor einem Fehltritt bei einer Kampagne bewahrt?

Es ist ein grosser Vorteil, intern Leute zu haben, die leidenschaftlich hinter dem Thema stehen. Sie wissen aus eigener Erfahrung, welche Inhalte und welche Sprache gut ankommen.

Am deutlichsten zeigt sich das bei einem Muster, das immer wiederkommt: Ein Event läuft gut, und im nächsten Schritt sollen Ticketpreise, Parkplatzpreise oder irgendeine andere Form des Pricings kräftig steigen. Oder es soll Effizienz gewonnen werden, indem man der Community weniger Platz gibt. Genau dort hat uns die Nähe zu den Communitys und zu den Konsumentinnen und Konsumenten geholfen. Wir konnten den Corporate Drive nach mehr Effizienz und mehr Profitabilität immer wieder bremsen und nachhaltiges Wachstum ermöglichen, statt kurzfristig Gewinn zu erzielen.

In den Kampagnen selbst hilft es vor allem in der Kreation. Wir tappen selten in die Falle, uns bei der Masse anzubiedern, und dürfen authentisch kommunizieren.

Zwischen Beratung und Bauchgefühl: Von der ersten Agenturgründung 2016 bis zu klassischen Werbeagentur-Aufträgen mit Gen-Z-Consulting und Media-Planung: Wie hat sich Ihre eigene Rolle als Gründer in dieser Entwicklung verändert?

Für mich war das eine grosse Veränderung. Ursprünglich bin ich Betriebsökonom und nicht der reine Marketer, auch wenn ich mich über meine Projekte seit meiner Jugend mit Marketing beschäftigt habe. Über die letzten Jahre kam auch dort eine Professionalisierung dazu.

Meine Rolle ist heute, salopp gesagt, immer noch ein bisschen die des Maskottchens: Ich bin der Erstkontakt zu vielen unserer Kunden und Brands, und immer wieder auch zu den Communitys. Aber gerade in diesem Erstkontakt musste ich mein Wissen stark weiterentwickeln, besonders bei Media-Planung und bei klassischen Werbeagentur-Aufträgen, und diese Kompetenz gemeinsam mit meinem Team auch tatsächlich ausstrahlen.

Kurz: Ich habe mich vom fast fanatischen Gaming-Fan zu einem hoffentlich breit aufgestellten Marketing-Experten entwickelt. Die grösste Veränderung liegt im Verständnis, dass hinter allem der Business-Case steht und nicht nur die Frage, was gut fürs Gaming wäre.

Die eigenen Marken: Neben dem Agenturgeschäft betreiben Sie mit SwitzerLAN, HeroFest oder mYinsanity eine ganze Reihe eigener Projekte. Wie schützen Sie diese Herzensprojekte davor, im Tagesgeschäft mit Kundenkampagnen unterzugehen?

Das war über die Jahre oft ein Problem. Eigene Projekte, die nicht besonders profitabel sind, und das ist leider noch häufig der Fall, werden schnell unterpriorisiert und laufen dann nicht so, wie wir es uns wünschen.

Wir haben deshalb zwei Dinge geändert. Erstens haben wir das Portfolio unserer Eigenprojekte geschärft und geprüft, welche davon eine halbwegs realistische wirtschaftliche Grundlage haben. Sie müssen nicht direkt in den Gewinn münden, aber auf eigenen Beinen stehen können. Zweitens haben diese Projekte heute dedizierte Projektleiterinnen und Projektleiter, die dafür brennen und sie mit Unternehmergeist weiterentwickeln.

Entscheidend ist die Haltung dahinter: Wir behandeln und gewichten interne Projekte gleich wie Kundenprojekte. So entsteht für niemanden das Gefühl, auf einem weniger wertvollen Projekt zu arbeiten. Das hat sich gelohnt. Unsere grössten eigenen Plattformen, HeroFest, SwitzerLAN und die gamescom lan, konnten wir dorthin bringen, wo wir sie langfristig sinnvoll durchführen können.

Zehn Jahre bilanziert: Sie haben Ihr Jubiläum selbst als Wechselbad zwischen Euphorie und Melancholie beschrieben. Was war der Moment in diesen zehn Jahren, an dem Sie am nächsten dran waren aufzugeben?

Ehrlich gesagt war ich nie wirklich nah dran aufzugeben. Wenn ich von Melancholie gesprochen habe, ging es um etwas anderes: um die Kleinagentur-Romantik, die verloren geht. Zu viert oder zu fünft die absoluten Lieblingsprojekte umzusetzen ist etwas völlig anderes, als eine Agentur mit 30 bis 40 Personen wirtschaftlich zu führen und weiterzuentwickeln.

Damit hat sich mein Jobverständnis verändert. Ich spüre die Verantwortung heute stärker als früher, und meine Rolle ist eher eine Managementrolle geworden und weniger eine ausführende.

Die persönlich schwierigsten Momente sind bis heute die, in denen ein grosser Kunde abspringt. Man versteht die Kundenbeziehung als sehr eng, fast intim. Meistens liegt es gar nicht an der eigenen Leistung, sondern an einer Strategie- oder CEO-Änderung. Trotzdem war das für mich am Anfang sehr gewöhnungsbedürftig, ich bin eine loyale und fast verbissene Person. Ich musste lernen, dass solche Beziehungen kommen, hoffentlich viele Jahre halten und sich irgendwann auch wieder trennen können. Es gab aber auch Fälle, in denen Kunden später zurückgekommen sind. Umso schöner.

Der Blick nach vorn: MYI ist heute in der Schweiz und in Deutschland aktiv, mit Projekten europaweit. Wo steht die Agentur in weiteren zehn Jahren, und was müsste bis dahin im Gaming-Markt passieren, damit dieses Ziel realistisch bleibt?

Unser Ziel ist klar: In zehn Jahren sind wir die Nummer eins für Gaming, Esports, Nerd- und Internetkultur und die damit verbundene Jugendkultur. Wir sind bereits heute in der Schweiz und in Deutschland mit eigener Firma und eigenem Team präsent. Wer in diesen Bereichen etwas umsetzen will, soll bei uns anklopfen. Dafür steht unser Claim «We Empower Passion».

Ich sehe den Markt in zwei Teilen. Erstens die endemischen Brands, also die PC- und Hardware-Marken wie Logitech, Asus oder Acer: Dort wollen wir Stammpartner werden und uns einen Ruf für höchste Qualität erarbeiten. Zweitens die nicht-endemischen Marken, also Consumer Brands wie Swisscom, Coop oder Fisherman’s Friend: Sie sollen bei uns eine kompetente Anlaufstelle finden, um authentische Projekte umzusetzen und langfristige Strategien im Gaming-Umfeld aufzubauen. Daraus kann sich ergeben, dass wir europaweite Kampagnen führen, vor allem für Marken, die aus Deutschland heraus ihr Headquarter betreiben.

Der Gaming-Markt selbst ist bereits weit. Wichtig ist für uns, dass er gross bleibt. Helfen wird uns, wenn die Kultur rund ums Gaming weiter in den Mainstream rückt und mit dem klassischen Entertainment verschmilzt. Das sehen wir beispielsweise bei Kinofilmen wie dem «Minecraft Movie» oder Serien wie «The Witcher» oder «The Last of Us». Diese Entwicklung hilft uns vor allem bei den nicht-endemischen Marken.

Bei den endemischen Marken hängt viel an den Hardwarepreisen. Es wäre schön, wenn sie wegen des AI-Booms nicht weiter steigen und Gaming ein bezahlbares Hobby für die ganze Gesellschaft bleibt. Das sind für mich die zwei entscheidenden Hebel der nächsten Jahre.

The Wirz agency has redesigned and redeveloped the Oertli Instrumente website. The platform was implemented by development partner extra virgin. According to a press release, the result is a scalable digital operating model designed to translate the Swiss medical technology company’s surgical precision into a well-thought-out digital experience and to support decision-making processes for healthcare professionals.

Oertli Instrumente develops high-precision technologies for eye surgery. The project’s central focus was on the digital architecture: highly specialized product lines needed to be intuitively accessible to various medical audiences—from specialized surgeons to operating room staff—while also complying with strict regulatory requirements.

Instead of reinventing the wheel, Wirz, extra virgin, and Oertli focused on digital substance. «A good website for medical B2B products creates clarity through hierarchy. The goal was to create a platform that structures information precisely and guides professionals through the product universe in a targeted manner,» explains the project team.

Structured Guidance for Healthcare Professionals

Since decisions in medical technology require a thorough evaluation, the focus is on guiding users through the product portfolio. An interactive quiz to help evaluate the right surgical device, dynamic comparison tables, a platform finder, and a digital wish list with PDF export are designed to help surgical teams and decision-makers compare product solutions and compile information for the internal decision-making process.

Efficient Processes for the Oertli Instrumente Website

The new website is also expected to deliver added value at the operational level. By directly integrating the Frontify digital asset management system with the CMS, the editorial team no longer has to go through the extra steps of exporting and uploading content. An MDR-Gate controls access to specialized information in a way tailored to specific target audiences, including market-specific requirements for the U.S. market. The technical architecture is also designed on a multi-tenant foundation: In the future, additional brands and websites within the corporate group will be able to be operated centrally via the same system without duplicate data storage.

A system that grows with your business

The technical foundation consists of a modular design system with token logic and a headless architecture featuring Payload CMS and Next.js. This is intended to ensure that the platform can scale flexibly to accommodate new products, markets, and future personalization requirements.

The new website is designed to make precision products easily accessible, reduce the organization's workload, and lay the groundwork for the brand's further digital development.

Responsible at Oertli Instrumente: Melanie Weder, Project Management; Corinne Seitz, Overall Responsibility; Project Team: Silvano Pellin, Alain Mundwyler, Sean Benz, Morena Botta. Responsible at Wirz Group: Louise Chanton, Interaction Design; Chiara Killer, Interaction Design; Valentina Meier, Consulting; Sébastien Donzel, Overall Responsibility. Person in charge at extra virgin: Nina Braschler, Project Management; Philipp Sutter, Project Management; Kevin Müller, Technology; Joachim Hummel, Consulting and Concept Development.

m&k The Social Media Summit will take place for the ninth time in November. What has changed since its inception, and what topics will be on everyone’s mind in 2026?

Tanja Hermann Nine years ago, we were still getting several inquiries asking if people could just drop by, because they thought it was more of a «selfie with a ball pit» kind of leisure event. People weren’t yet aware that social media was a marketing discipline in its own right. But there was also a lot going on behind the scenes. At first, I organized the event mostly on the side while working my main job at the agency. Now, an interdisciplinary team works on the event, which has grown to two days. We also changed locations—from the X-Tra in Zurich to the Dolder and finally to Engelberg, with four stages and various side events spread throughout the village. And last but not least: At the beginning, nobody knew who we were. It was almost impossible to get access to the platforms. After nine years, a professional Swiss social media community has developed where everyone knows each other.

Coop, Rivella, SBB, and PostFinance are sharing their case studies. What criteria do you use to select these examples, and what do you want the participants to take away from them?

For all speaking slots, we first have a one-on-one conversation with me. During that conversation, we explore which topics the speakers could cover and what kinds of case studies or research they have to support them. This ensures that we can cover a wide variety of industries, platforms, and topics. With nearly 70 preliminary discussions, a clear picture quickly emerges of what’s driving the industry. While one year the focus is on storytelling, the next year it’s all about AI. This year, we’re seeing a strong emphasis on data and intelligent performance campaigns that can hold their own in a sea of AI-generated content.

Meta, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube, and Reddit are providing firsthand accounts of their platform updates. What does this mix reveal about the evolution of the social media landscape?

This, too, shows how the social media landscape has changed in recent years. When we started out, TikTok wasn’t even on the radar. Pinterest surprises its audience year after year, as the platform remains massively underestimated even all these years later, and Reddit is our newest addition. Just a few years ago, it was dismissed as an irrelevant niche channel, but now everyone is trying to figure out how Reddit works for them.

 The Industry Round Tables are a new initiative that bring together industries ranging from B2B to tourism and finance. What works better within the confines of one’s own industry than in a large plenary session?

Everyone knows the feeling: you’re sitting at a conference, someone on stage is presenting a really great case study, explaining that anyone can implement it this way, and you think to yourself: but not in my industry, not with our customer journey, and certainly not with our regulatory requirements. That’s why we want to make it even easier for our participants to exchange ideas within their own industries and talk specifically about the things that work a little differently for them. To do this, we looked at which industries were most represented during ticket sales and created the Industry Round Tables specifically for them.

With the ZHAW, the Bern University of Applied Sciences, and Media Focus Switzerland, there are also new studies in the program. What question do you hope they will answer?

The academic articles are certainly critical—and that is by design. They are intended to stimulate thought, to put the media usage statistics into proper perspective, and at the same time to show how our activity on social media influences the consumption behavior of younger people.

Yoga in the mountains, country-style meals, pub quizzes, fondue with strangers, and Gin Night are all part of the Social Media Summit. What role does the supporting program play in what’s taking shape in Engelberg?

Every year, we’ve continued to expand the supporting program. Since most people stay overnight in the village, this gives us the opportunity to develop entirely new concepts. Yoga before the second day gets underway, or a group fondue at the Alpenclub—because no one has to rush home, but just has to waddle across the street to bed with a belly full of cheese. This creates space for interaction, and that’s just as much a part of the event as the traditional educational sessions on stage.

Social media has come of age, and advertisers are planning differently today than they did during the hype years. How do you perceive brands’ approach, and where do you see the greatest potential for them right now?

We see that social media (and influencer marketing) functions countercyclically to a certain extent. When large advertising budgets are cut, the remaining funds suddenly shift to social media, because there’s still a lot that can be done with them there. And for almost all companies, social media is now part of their media mix. But I see the greatest potential in companies realizing that the days of «social media is free» are long gone. It’s an advertising channel that requires a paid budget. That’s why the greatest potential lies in performance marketing and clearer strategies. There’s more than enough content out there. So anyone who isn’t absolutely clear about who they’re creating content for, what they’re creating it for, and with what goal—and who doesn’t know how to measure it—is wasting their resources.

Anyone visiting Engelberg for the first time will find 16 master classes, 22 lectures, and four stages. What's your tip for getting the most out of these two days?

Personally, I would sort the posts based on two criteria: which topics are most relevant to my work right now, and which topics are completely new to me. I would focus most on the topics where I absolutely want to stay up to date. And then I would pick out a few «wild cards.» Platforms, approaches, and studies that inspire me with new ideas.

Tickets are available here

Kingfluencers is continuing its partnership with the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) and is once again organizing a comprehensive creator engagement campaign around the event this year. Approximately 20 creators were involved through various formats and touchpoints. Their goal is to help their communities experience film and culture in new ways.

Kingfluencers Zurich Film Festival: Creators Complement the Audience

The renewed collaboration demonstrates how communication surrounding established cultural and major events is changing, according to the press release. Traditional media and prominent figures continue to play an important role. However, creators complement this public presence by providing direct access to diverse communities and target audiences. Their followers gain personal insights and can participate more closely in the events. For events like the ZFF, this creates an opportunity to make film and culture accessible through new channels and to appeal in particular to younger and digitally savvy audiences.

Before, during, and right at the festival

The campaign was deliberately designed to span multiple areas of the festival. According to Kingfluencers, nearly 400,000 views underscore its impact and reach: The festival was brought directly into the creators’ communities and extended digitally beyond the event itself. Kingfluencers designed and coordinated the activations, connecting creators, the festival, and brands through various touchpoints. According to the agency, the approach went beyond individual posts: Creators were engaged before, during, and directly at the festival, combining digital reach and content with the on-site experience.

Hospitality Event as a Personal Touch

Another highlight was the agency’s own Kingfluencers Hospitality Event at the ZFF. Together with selected creators and clients, the agency brought together various stakeholders for an evening centered on film, discussion, and networking. This complemented the digital engagement with in-person interactions. At the same time, it created a platform where brands and creators could engage with one another outside the context of traditional campaign formats.

«Major events like the Zurich Film Festival thrive on stories, emotions, and shared experiences. That’s exactly where creator marketing can really shine,» says Luca Obrist, Head of Marketing at Kingfluencers. It’s particularly effective when creator marketing isn’t viewed as a standalone communication channel, but rather as part of the overall experience across various touchpoints.

According to the statement, influencers do not replace established media or prominent figures, but rather expand communication to include new perspectives, communities, and forms of participation.

On October 28, 2026, the Digital Marketing Summit will take place for the second time at the Merker-Areal in Baden. The event is organized by Maybaum Film. Following the sold-out premiere in October 2025, a press release states that nine teams of speakers are scheduled to appear on four stages.

Digital Marketing Summit: Frameworks Instead of Hype

According to the organizers, topics include algorithms in flux, new search logics, and video as a dominant driver of performance. The organizers aim to present not just hype, but proven frameworks, clear case studies, and tactics at the intersection of video content, performance marketing, and AI. In four consecutive time slots, participants will choose their own program from parallel sessions.

Program and Speakers

At 1:45 p.m., Michel Alraun, CEO of Maybaum Film, will open the event. Afterward, the program will be split across the four stages. Joeline Fruchi from Digital Leverage will speak on AI search myths, and Dennis Lück from brinkertlück creatives will discuss creativity. Alex Beerli and Chiara Pucci from the Audience Group will discuss big-screen advertising and targeting via Advanced TV, while Tobias Egartner and Matthias Zander from DayZero will cover in-game advertising for Gen Z and Gen Alpha.

Albert Gubler of WPP Media provides insights into the Digimonitor 2026. Sinisa Vidovic of Fora Film in Vienna presents an award-winning showcase on AI in video production, and Stephan Frey of Attackera explores which part of the media budget actually generates value. From our own company, Flavio Alraun will speak on workflow automation throughout the video production chain, and Remo Wyss will discuss Swiss video marketing trends.

«We’re thrilled that we’ve once again been able to bring together such a strong lineup of speakers for the second edition of the Digital Marketing Summit. The topics highlight just how dynamically marketing is changing right now. We’re looking forward to the insights, discussions, and exchanges among the participants,» says Florian Venedey, Head of Marketing at Maybaum Film and organizer of the event.

Panel Discussions, Experience Stations, and Networking

At 5:00 p.m., all speakers will come together for a panel discussion on current trends, opportunities, and challenges in digital marketing. The event will conclude with a networking reception. The program will also feature interactive experience stations where attendees can try out the latest technologies, as well as networking opportunities with CMOs, marketing leads, CHROs, and agency owners.

Key Information and Tickets

The event will take place on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Maybaum Film, Merker-Areal, Bruggerstrasse 37, in Baden. Tickets are available through Eventfrog: Early-bird tickets cost 55 francs, and regular tickets cost 65 francs. Seating is limited. Tickets: https://eventfrog.ch/de/p/messen/kongress-tagung/digital-marketing-summit-2026-video-ki-media-trends-7502708401295599462.html

The program is available online: https://www.maybaum.ch/event/digital-marketing-summit-2026

Together with its technology partner Heartbeat, the communications agency blueheart has built a content ecosystem for Reha Rheinfelden. It no longer ties content to individual channels but treats it as structured data modules. According to those involved, the website, newsletter, social media, digital signage, and patient terminals are now all powered by a single, centrally managed content framework.

The Current State of the Reha Rheinfelden Content Ecosystem

Reha Rheinfelden wanted to make its digital communications more efficient and effective. A small marketing team was faced with the challenge of managing an ever-increasing number of channels. Under the previous approach, each new channel meant additional work: content had to be created, copied, adapted, and reformatted for each platform. The key question, therefore, was not what to communicate, but how to maximize the impact of each individual piece of content. blueheart and Heartbeat worked with the clinic team to structurally redesign their communication strategy.

Content as structured data rather than as pages

At the heart of the project is a conceptual model that views content not as text on web pages, but as structured units of information. People, therapies, courses, events, departments, locations, job postings, and menus are no longer individual web pages, but data records with meaning, relationships, and attributes. This channel-independent architecture allows content to be combined and delivered according to the target audience and channel. blueheart was responsible for this content logic: from analyzing the evolving communications landscape to defining content types and translating them into a modular design system.

Headless, but pragmatic

Heartbeat provided the technological foundation with Flyo Content Hub, a headless platform developed in Switzerland. According to the press release, traditional headless architectures prioritize maximum technical flexibility, thereby creating a high degree of dependence on development teams. Flyo, on the other hand, is designed as an end-user-friendly application. Content is managed via an editorial interface, with structure, relationships, and multichannel logic built in. External systems, such as ERP or HR tools, are integrated via defined interfaces. Structured data also enables AI-powered features in content management.

One piece of content, many channels

In the new architecture, the website is just one of many channels. Newsletters, social media, screens, print materials, and patient terminals all access the same database. As a result, a new newsletter is no longer a time-consuming project, but rather another way to distribute existing content. The ecosystem was implemented in stages: from the data architecture through a pilot in live operation to the rollout from a central platform.

Less friction, more consistency

For Reha Rheinfelden, the ecosystem is intended to mean less effort with greater impact. Content is managed centrally rather than entered multiple times, and, according to the press release, new channels can be integrated more quickly. Building on this foundation, additional components such as digital signage and a digital annual report have already been developed. The project demonstrates that a well-designed content ecosystem is not a matter of corporate size or a large budget. What matters most is a clear vision for the content and the willingness to rethink structures.

More information: www.blueheart.ch/cases/reha-rheinfelden, www.reha-rheinfelden.ch/ and www.flyo.ch/blog/reha-rheinfelden-eine-neue-art-digitale-kommunikation-zu-denken

Responsible at Reha Rheinfelden: Patrik Forster, Deputy Head of Marketing & Communications and Executive Secretary. Contact at blueheart: Daniel Bachmann, CDO; Kristin Enzler, Digital Project Manager; Paula di Battista, UX Designer; Marianne Kieser, UX Designer. Contact at Heartbeat: Stefan Märke, Project Lead; Basil Suter, Software Development.

Swiss E-Commerce Confidence Study Provides New Data Set

YouGov’s Swiss E-Commerce Confidence Study 2026 provides a solid data foundation on the digital shopping behavior of the Swiss population. The survey focuses on digital access points and navigation tools, consumers’ confidence in decision-making, relevant barriers, and the factors that build trust throughout the digital shopping journey.

Why Online Shopping Isn't Won in the Shopping Cart

About 88 percent of respondents in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland have searched for products online, compared prices, or purchased products in the past three months. This seems to largely answer the question of adoption. However, according to the study, it remains unclear what it takes for digital engagement to actually lead to a purchase.

The YouGov study shows that consumers primarily use the Internet as a source of guidance. At the same time, the data indicates that uncertainties often do not arise in the areas where many e-commerce initiatives focus their efforts. Only 8 percent cite the checkout process as an area where they feel particularly insecure when shopping online. Far more often, concerns center on trust in the provider and the store, returns, warranties, customer service, and product reliability.

Trust as a Key Factor for Success

According to the study, this means that for retailers, platforms, and brands, online success isn’t just a matter of reach, price, and seamless technology. What matters most is whether sufficient trust is built throughout the digital shopper journey—before the purchase, at the moment of purchase, and with regard to what happens after the purchase. The data points presented here already show which factors particularly shape trust in Swiss e-commerce.

For more information on the study, visit https://yougov.com/de-de/reports/55611-swiss-e-commerce-confidence-study-2026.

Artificial Intelligence Is Becoming a Collector's Item

Artificial intelligence is ubiquitous at conferences, events, and in the media. According to the Museum of Communication, the digital world has undergone a fundamental transformation since ChatGPT emerged in late 2022. Large language models are said to be revolutionizing entire industries and changing the way we work and live our daily lives. The Museum of Communication has therefore decided to include artificial intelligence in its collection. According to the museum, it is the first museum in Switzerland—and possibly one of the first in the world—to collect a large language model.

A complete copy of the Apertus large language model from July 2026 will be archived. This artificial intelligence is a Swiss product and was developed by ETH Zurich, EPFL, and the Swiss National Supercomputing Center (CSCS). Unlike most well-known large language models, Apertus is being developed as an open-source model. This allows a complete copy of the model to be archived and preserved for the long term.

A Window into the World of Knowledge in 2026

In the future, the archived copy will make it possible to immerse oneself in the world of knowledge from 2026 and generate answers based on the state of knowledge at that time. This will not only document a piece of contemporary history but also allow for a comparison between the past and the present. As a result, the intellectual and knowledge foundations of 2026 will be just as comprehensible as the assumptions and weightings underlying the model. Only then will developments become comprehensible. The museum in Bern thus underscores its mission not only to document the past but also, as a living museum, to reflect the present and the future.

New AI Lab in the Main Exhibition

The Museum of Communication is also incorporating questions about AI into its exhibition. To this end, the AI Lab was opened in the «Datacenter» section of the core exhibition. Here, the museum explores the opportunities and challenges of digital communication. With the AI Lab, communication specialists now have the opportunity to focus on AI in their activities with visitors. Together with the audience, they discuss how prompting works and what role artificial intelligence already plays in everyday life today. In this way, the museum team shares knowledge and experiences related to this new cultural phenomenon that is currently transforming everyday life.

The Museum of Communication offers an experience of the world of communication that is unique in Switzerland. In 2019, it became only the third museum in Switzerland to be awarded the Council of Europe Museum Prize for its interactive exhibitions. The museum was founded in 1907 and welcomed 130,000 visitors last year. The Museum of Communication is part of Bern’s Museum Quarter, where culture, history, science, art, and innovation come together.

For more information about the Museum of Communication and its exhibitions, visit https://www.mfk.ch.

When, on a late summer day, the global film and entertainment elite gathers high above Zurich at the Grand Hotel Dolder, two worlds that actually belong together collide: the classic craft of big-screen storytelling and the fast-paced dynamics of social media platforms. As part of the Zurich Summit at the Zurich Film Festival, a fundamental shift was discussed: How is the media consumption behavior of young target audiences changing—and how can we inspire a new generation to embrace the cinema experience?

Hasmik Matinyan, Publisher Manager for Entertainment DACH at TikTok, kicked things off, with an overview of platform culture. In the discussion that followed—moderated by Don Macanlalay (Senior Social Media Director, The Film Zone) and featuring a star-studded cast, including Oliver Berben (CEO of Constantin Film), Linda Fiolka (Head of Marketing at Constantin Film), Julie La’Bassiere (Chief Strategy Officer, DDA) and Matinyan himself – It was about much more than traditional marketing campaigns: It was about the democratization of film culture.

The New Word of Mouth: 12 Million Posts a Day

The figures Matinyan presented underscore the extent of this shift: More than 12 million posts related to film and TV are published on TikTok every day worldwide – a figure that has doubled compared to last year.

In 2025, 15 of the top 20 movie releases in Europe were viral hits on TikTok, averaging 14 million views. TikTok no longer functions merely as a passive media platform but as a global discovery engine. 40 percent of users say they discover movies on the platform that they would never have heard of otherwise. One in five users begins a specific search within 30 seconds of opening the app. The hashtag #WhatToWatch now has over seven million posts.

The key trend: Over 90 percent of content related to movies and TV shows does not come from official publisher accounts, but directly from the community and creators. 83 percent of users find this user-generated content authentic, and 57 percent find it more entertaining than traditional formats.  Creators are thus the film industry's modern, most powerful form of word-of-mouth advertising.. Hasmik Matinyan summed it up this way in her keynote address:

«These are not passive spectators or viewers, but active co-creators who truly shape film culture on TikTok—and it goes beyond that..."."

Box Office Proof: «Backrooms» and the Power of Teasers

Matinyan illustrated how viral enthusiasm translates directly into box office ticket sales using the example of the mystery-horror hit Backrooms. Constantin Film was the first German production company to fully adopt the solution TikTok Spotlight, with the movies embedded directly in the app—including ticket purchases and background information.

At Backrooms Search interest skyrocketed well before the movie's actual theatrical release:

• Searches for the hashtag #BackroomsMovie rose by 700 percent ahead of the global launch in the U.S. in May.

• Before the movie's theatrical release in Germany in June, they increased by another 100 percent; between May and July alone, nearly one million movie-related search queries were recorded in Germany.

• The campaign generated over 23,000 posts—99 percent of which came directly from the fan community.

According to internal analyses by Constantin Film, TikTok proved to be the strongest single driver of movie theater attendance—far ahead of billboards, traditional movie theater advertising, or recommendations from friends. One in three moviegoers said they went to the movies because of TikTok; among younger audiences, that influence was actually twice as high. Even weeks after its theatrical release, the conversation continued on the TikTok movie charts.

The Panel Discussion: Relinquish Control, Gain Relevance

During the panel discussion moderated by Don Macanlalay, Don illustrated his point using Resident Evil and the phenomenon Backrooms, just how much fans themselves continue to expand on narrative universes today. Constantin CEO Oliver Berben summed up the challenge facing traditional film studios: In the past, the guiding principle had been to strictly maintain control over one's own material. Today, we have to let go:

«To spark that viral effect, you have to relinquish control over parts of the content. That's a huge shift for the studios."."

For Berben, social media is two things: on the one hand, a marketing platform and, on the other, a modern water cooler where people exchange ideas; on the other hand, a creative hub for new material and talent. At the same time, he warned against a naive "one-size-fits-all" approach: having millions of followers on YouTube or TikTok by no means guarantees a successful feature film. What matters is not just reach, but the true depth of engagement.

Linda Fiolka emphasized how crucial a shift in perspective is for distributors: Film marketing must no longer treat the audience as passive recipients, but must instead view fans and creators as creative partners.. Communities uncover nuances in stories that marketing departments often wouldn't even think of—and in doing so, create tailored relevance within their respective niches.

Julie La’Bassiere (DDA) pointed out the broader implications of this trend: social media storytelling should not be limited to horror titles or classic genre films. Phenomena like #BookTok prove that even sophisticated dramas and literary adaptations can be sustained by passionate online communities. The involvement of talent and content creators must begin as early as the script development stage and on set, not just two weeks before the movie's theatrical release.

Democratized Cinema

How can we rekindle the younger generation's enthusiasm for the magic of the movie theater? The unanimous answer at the Dolder panel was: through authenticity and radical listening.. Gen Z doesn't want to be told by committees made up of people over 60 what they should watch. She wants stories that reflect her own reality, told by voices she trusts.

TikTok doesn't take audiences away from the movie theater; rather, it widens the funnel: By involving fans in the creative journey from the very beginning, a sense of connection is created that makes the transition from the smartphone screen to the movie theater seat feel completely natural..

About the Zurich Summit: Where the Future of Entertainment Is Discussed

The Zurich Summit at the Grand Hotel Dolder is the economic and strategic centerpiece of the Zurich Film Festival. Every year in late September, this high-profile boutique conference brings together leading producers, studio executives, financiers, tech pioneers, and creative professionals from around the world high above the rooftops of Zurich. In a confidential, exclusive setting, participants discuss the tectonic shifts in the global entertainment industry —from new financing and distribution models to artificial intelligence and social media ecosystems, all the way to the question of how the cinematic experience maintains its social and cultural relevance in the age of digital fragmentation.

A Partnership with a Future: TikTok as the Festival's Official Partner

Through the partnership between TikTok and the Zurich Film Festival (ZFF), this long-standing film event is reaching out even further to the mobile generation:

• Exclusive Access: TikTok is partnering with the ZFF to provide official content, creator activations, and livestreams directly from the Green Carpet at Sechseläutenplatz.

• Creative Collaboration: Film-loving creators (#FilmTok) gain access to premieres and industry talks, bringing the festival atmosphere and excitement for cinema directly to the feeds of millions of young film enthusiasts.

• Relevance to the screen: This partnership serves as a prime example of how modern cultural institutions and global entertainment platforms are working together to generate new momentum and sustainably strengthen the public’s fascination with cinema..

These days, when people are looking for an optician or a hotel, they no longer just turn to Google—they’re increasingly turning to ChatGPT, Gemini, or Perplexity. A study by Frascati GmbH in Allschwil on visibility in AI models now shows just how unevenly opportunities are distributed between chain stores and independent businesses. The study is based on 1,116 responses regarding 50 Swiss hotels as well as 50 Swiss and 50 German opticians, respectively.

Chain stores dominate; independent local businesses are less common

If you ask Perplexity, Gemini, or ChatGPT to search the web for an optician in a city in German-speaking Switzerland, at least one chain store is mentioned in 87.7 percent of the responses—the figure is exactly the same in Germany. Independent businesses do appear as well: In 83 percent of the 300 Swiss responses, at least one of the five independent opticians examined in the respective city is mentioned; in Germany, the figure is 63.7 percent. On average in Switzerland, however, a single business appears in only 42.9 percent of the responses for its city, compared to 19.7 percent in Germany.

Significant differences are also evident among the models. Perplexity mentions at least one of the opticians tested in 96 percent of its responses, Gemini in 94 percent, while ChatGPT does so in only 59 percent. In Germany, the figures are 76, 86, and 29 percent.

Hotels: One in ten responses refers only to booking sites

When asked where to book a specific hotel online, the models cited the hotel’s own website in 89 percent of 300 responses. However, in 10.3 percent of cases, they referred exclusively to booking portals; with ChatGPT, this figure rose to 20 percent. Booking.com was mentioned in 276 of the 300 responses.

It becomes more difficult for hotels when guests search without specifying a name, for example, with a query like «good hotel in Thun for a weekend.» In 62.2 percent of the 180 responses, one of the five hotels reviewed in the respective location was mentioned. The differences between the cities are striking: In Thun and Winterthur, the reviewed hotels appear in all 18 responses; in Basel, in seven; and in Zurich, in only two. Twelve of the 50 hotels examined do not appear in a single response.

Where the models get their information from

According to Frascati, the models draw their data from directories, portals, and the businesses’ own websites. local.ch is cited as a source in 160 of 318 responses regarding Swiss opticians. Businesses could therefore improve their visibility in AI models by keeping their listings complete and consistent, linking to their own websites, creating a separate page for each location, answering frequently asked questions in plain language, and regularly asking those same questions themselves. However, this does not guarantee that they will be listed.

«An AI’s response isn’t a list of results, but a paragraph with about five names,» says Fabiano Frascati, managing director of Frascati GmbH. «You can determine whether your own business is included by using the same questions that customers ask. No one can promise that, but the foundation lies with the business itself: complete listings, one page per location, and answers in plain language.»

Measurement Method

The data was collected on September 11, 2026, for Switzerland and on September 12, 2026, for Germany, using Perplexity Sonar, ChatGPT (GPT-5.4), and Gemini 2.5 Flash, each using web searches via the OpenRouter API rather than through the apps. The study examined 50 independent businesses with their own websites in each location—five per location—excluding chains: opticians in ten German-speaking Swiss cities and ten German cities, as well as hotels in ten Swiss locations from Basel to Zermatt. For the opticians, five different phrasings of the same question were used per city, along with three questions without a location specified—each asked twice—resulting in 318 responses per country. For the hotels, the booking question was asked for each property (300 responses), and three anonymous guest questions were asked for each location (180 responses). The confidence intervals were calculated using the Wilson method at the 95 percent level. This is not a random sample; the study measures visibility, not revenue.

Further studies and raw data can be found at https://frascati.ch/blog/50-schweizer-hotels-im-ki-test-2026 and https://frascati.ch/blog/50-schweizer-optiker-im-ki-test-2026. Methodology, country comparisons, and licensing are available at https://frascati.ch/messungen documented; the raw data is available under a CC BY 4.0 license at https://frascati.ch/studien/index.json available.

For more information on the measurements conducted by Frascati GmbH, visit https://frascati.ch/messungen retrievable.

Brands in the AI-Driven Information Ecosystem

For over thirty years, each technological advancement has changed the way brands attract attention and convey informationtteDigital displays made digital reach scalable. Search engines structured access to information. Social media distributed attention through recommendation algorithms. Programmatic advertising automated large parts of media buying, while marketing automation streamlined communication throughout the customer journey.

The New Interpretive Authority

Large Language Models (LLMs) are not just changing yet another channel. They are transforming the very architecture of information...ttlGenerative systems don't just search for documents; they synthesize content into answers, comparisons, and classifications. This creates a new interpretive entity between the brand and the user. It shapes the characteristicsfte...is linked to an organization whose voices are considered credible and on whose evidence a brand image is based.

The Fragmented Brand Image

As a result, the focus of brand management is shifting. It is no longer enough to simply communicate...fteto position the brand and maximize its reach. Brands must be presented as clear, verifiable, and consistent sources of information—readable by both people and machines. The website, media reports, expert articles, öffePublic statements, guidelines, and entries in trusted data repositories collectively form a distributed brand image. LLMs can reconstruct a narrative from this that does not necessarily align with the desired self-image.

In Switzerland, this is already widespread behavior

Change is not a distant futureftsScenario. According to the IGEM Digimonitor 2026, four out of five people in the Swiss population aged 15 to 75 who use the Internet use AI at least occasionally. 57 percent use AI-based...ttf77 percent use AI mode specifically for searching; 77 percent use AI mode within traditional search engines. ChatGPT is used at least occasionally by 67 percent, or about 4.3 million people. The representative online survey included just under 2,000 people.[1]

The Linguistic Framing of the Brand

It is particularly relevant for brands that this shifts the focus of information searches to top-levelfläshifted to, which Queselect relevant information, synthesize content, and frame a response linguistically. The brand frequently engages with its audiencefighe said in a presentation drafted by AI. Brand management must therefore not only monitor the reach of its own communications, but also the Quathe quality of this algorithmically generated representation.

Synthesis Instead of Search

The classic search organizes links: Users select a result, visit a Que... and form their own judgment. Generative response systems shorten this process. They synthesize multiple Que... formulate a response and, in doing so, can visit a brand's website directly viaflümake it easier. This reduces friction for users, but increases the importance of the upstream selection and interpretation logic.

From Ranking to Representation

This shifts the WettbFrom rankings to representations. AI Visibility—that is, whether a brand appears in generative responses—remains important, but it is only the first metric. What matters most is the context in which the brand appears: Is it described as innovative, expensive, sustainable, reliable, or risky? Which WettbAre buyers mentioned in the same breath? What sources support this account? And is the brand merely mentioned, or is it actually recommended?

The Connected Information Ecosystem

Brand management thus becomes the process of building an information ecosystem. It continues to encompass positioning, design, and emotional meaning. Added to this are information architecture, structured organizational data, knowledge management, corporate publishing, PR, and the Pflehigh-load-capacity DrittqSources. Google, for example, explicitly points out that structured organizational data can help to understand and unambiguously identify an organization. While this is not proof of general LLM optimization, it does illustrate the basic principle of machine-readable unambiguity.[2]

Consumer Trust and Machine Trust

Brands reduce uncertainty. This function remains, but now has a second target audience. Consumer trust describes people’s trust: brand awareness, reputation, experience, identityfikation and the expectation that a performance promise will be kept. In this context, “machine trust” does not refer to an emotion or a...ffeThe officially disclosed internal confidence value of a model. The termff is a strategic framework: It describes how well a brand of information systems is perceived as unique, consistent, and Quecan be processed based on all of the above.

Both forms of trust influenceflucontradict each other. Contradictory statements, unclear responsibilities, or unsubstantiated sustainability promises not only weaken automated classification but also undermine credibility with people. Conversely, a technically perfect data structure alone does not create a strong brand. Without relevance, DiffeWithout context and concrete application, it remains semantically sound but meaningless.

The leadership task, therefore, consists of linking these two levels. Communication and the knowledge structure must be aligned. Claims require evidence. Corporate information requires clear lines of responsibility. Important facts must be up-to-date, accessible, and available through both internal and independent Quebe consistent across the board. This marks a shift from the traditional brand book,ttwWe are introducing a proprietary operating system that integrates language, data, evidence, and governance.

Narrative Intelligence as a New Field of Measurement

Traditional brand measurement tracks awareness, image, preference, reach, and impact. In the generative information space, these tools are not sufficient. Brands must also monitor how response systems reconstruct their meaning in specific usage situations. Narrative Intelligence is well-suited as a new discipline for measurement and management.

Methodology Instead of Ranking Drama

It combines repeatable prompt scenarios with a qqualitative and qQuantitative analysis of the responses. Metrics that can be measured include presence, share of voice, and descriptive Attribute, Quellen, Wettbbusiness environment, propensity to recommend, factual errors, and changes over time. A rigorous methodology is crucial: models, versions, locations, languages, and wording all influencefluThese are results; individual responses are snapshots. Narrative Intelligence must therefore not become a ranking spectacle, but rather requires samples, benchmarks, documented test sets, and human interpretation.

The Control Loop for Brand Managers

A closed-loop system is ideal for control: First, the desired brand narrative is testedfbatranslated into statements. Second, relevant decision-making situations are tested. ThirdtteGaps between the target and actual narratives will be identifiedfizFourth, content, data, supporting documents, and external authority are improved. After that, the measurement process begins again. In this way, Narrative Intelligence becomes more than just reporting; it serves as an integrated management model for brand management, communications, GEO, data, and knowledge management.

Agentic AI is accelerating development

Agent-based systems can process informationftinot only summarize, but also complete tasks involving several stepsttework around. For this article, it is not so much technical autonomy that is crucial as its impact on brand management: The more systems presort information and establish contexts, the more important a clear brand narrative and robust QueClear and consistent public messaging. Agentic AI thus reinforces the shift already driven by LLMs—though it is not the primary focus of strategic brand work.

The Strategic Opportunity for Publishers

Publishers find themselves in an ambivalent but significant role. Generative systems can reduce direct traffic to news sites. At the same time, the value of up-to-date, verifiedfbawell-organized and professionally categorized information. Journalistic QuaData becomes the infrastructure for credible answers—provided that the sourceft,Use and compensation are regulated.

Initial Market Trials for Monetization

This requires more than just technical accessibility. Publishers need control over which systems are allowed to use content for search, inference, or training. In addition to copyright law, direct licensing partnerships are emergingften, ZugriffsControls and usage-based compensation models. OpenAI, for example, has partnered with...ften announced to media companies that the current reporterttung with QueIntegrate help information and links into ChatGPT.[3] Cloudflare initially introduced «Pay per Crawl» in 2025 and further developed the approach toward «Pay per Use» in 2026.[4][5] Such models are early market trials, not an already established industry solution.

CoMP: Technical Interface for Licensed Access

Another component is being developed at the IAB Tech Lab. It is being...ffeIn June 2025, it launched the «LLM Content Ingest API Initiative» to provide publishers and brands with standardized, machine-readable access for LLMs and AI agents. This approach gave rise to the broader «Content Monetization Protocols» initiative, or CoMP for short. CoMP Version 1 was released on April 28, 2026 finrealized.[14]

The standard describes how an AI system requests permission from the rights holder to use the content for the intended purposetteilen and, under an existing agreement, access toffscan receive tokens as well as appropriately packaged content. CoMP definThis establishes an interoperable technical interfacettsOffice for Licensed Accessffe. However, it is neither a licensing marketplace nor a pricing model, nor does it replace accessffscontrol. Its potential value lies in the technical foundation that allows rights, contracts, and various compensation models to be implemented in a scalable manner.

SPUR: Traceability Through Telemetry

One particularly significant development is SPUR, the «Standards for Publisher Usage Rights» coalition. According to an industry update from the Independent Media Association dated August 6, 2026, its membership grew from 36 at the beginning of June to nearly 60. At the same time, the initiative held more than 150 discussions with interested publishers and was on the verge of finalizing the legal framework for its industry-specific nonprofit structure.[6] SPUR is thus moving from coalition-building toward the establishment of operational standards.

The focus is on the Content Telemetry Standard. Its purpose is to make it possible to track whether content has been accessed, used to support an answer, cited, displayed, or reused by users. The

SpezifikThe standard can also link usage events to a license reference. This would make it possible, for the first time, to measure the use of journalistic content across different systems, thereby making it easier to license. The standardfinHowever, it is still in the preview and consultation stage; broad acceptance by publishers, search engines,ttlhe and AI-PlattfThis standard has not yet been achieved.[7]

Swiss Media Companies in the New Ecosystem

Strategically, this could give rise to a market infrastructure for licensing between publishers and AI providers—provided that further markettteParticipants adopt the standard and link it to viable contracts and compensation models. Ringier is already involved as a standard member and is contributing all of its international media brands to the initiative.[8] Swiss publishers thus have direct access to the development of a potential common framework for retrieval, grounding, citation, presentation, and compensation. Such an infrastructure could foster a more symbiotic relationship: AI systems would gain legally compliant access to high-quality journalism, while publishers would gain control, transparency, and a fair balance of value. Whether this will actually lead to a businessftsHowever, whether this model becomes a reality depends on governance, technical implementation, and acceptance on the part of AI providers.

CoMP and SPUR address different levels of the same ecosystem. CoMP standardizes the request, authorization, and delivery of content for licensed AI systems. SPUR’s Content Telemetry Standard is designed to track how content is actually accessed, used to support a response, cited, or displayed. Taken together, both approaches could map the path from rights clearance through controlled access to measurable usage. However, a functioning market will only emerge once publishers, search engines, and other stakeholders adopt these standards.ttlHe and AI providers should implement these standards on a broad scale and tie them to viable contracts.

The Swiss Copyright Reform: AI Becomes the Litmus Test

Technological developments trifft in Switzerland to an offeA legal question. Current copyright law does not contain any provisions specifically tailored to generative AI.tteA regulation. According to the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property, it is argued that the right of reproduction may cover the use of protected works for AI training. However, it is not clear in all scenarios how existing rules apply to training, fine-tuning, retrieval, summarization, and output.[9]

Petra Gössi's Motion

This is where Petra Gössi's political initiative comes in. Formally speaking, it is not a postulate, but rather Motion 24.4596«Better protection of intellectual property against misuse by AI.» The Council of States adopted it in March 2025. The National Council voted in September 2025 to approve an offein the version drafted by the National Council; the Council of States followed suit in December. The Federal Council is thus...ftrsays that the conditions for comprehensive protection of journalistic content and other copyrighted works when used by AI providers must be createdffen, without research, innovation, and the economyftsSwitzerland's Position in the International...ttbdiscriminate against businesses.[10]

The Time Risk in the Legislative Process

The IGE is drafting a preliminary bill to amend the Copyright Act. According to the currently announced timeline, the bill is scheduled to enter the consultation phase by the end of 2026.[11] At the same time, a separate bill establishing a neighboring right for media companies was rejected by Parliament and returned to the Federal Council in June 2026. It had originally focused on the use of journalistic excerptsttehosted by major online services. Now, an additional check is to be conductedft explore how generative AI influences the functioning of Plattfhow standards and search engines have changed, and what consequences this has for the value of journalistic work.[12]

The logical connection between these topics is clear: snippets, AI training, and AI-powered responses involve different technical processes but all address the same fundamental question of value assignment. However, this poses a significant time risk. During the parliamentary deliberations, there was talk of a delay of approximately

two years ago.[12] For an information market whose products, forms of use, and businessftsIf models change every few months, that's too long.

Care, yes; standstill, no

Legislation should be guided not by a tectonic timescale but by a technological one. This does not mean shortening due process or hastily enacting rigid special laws to...ffen. It means starting consultations earlyffn... to continuously incorporate technical expertise and keep pace with international developmentsqto reflect and verifyfbato design the rules in such a way that they can be adapted to new forms of use.

Clear Distinctions Instead of Blanket Rules

The regulatory framework mustffedistinguish: between training and actual queries, between mere indexing and the substantiation of an answer, between quotation, summary, and substitute reproduction, as well as between research and commercial exploitation. Equally important are practical tools for access, transparency, and remuneration. The formula «Access, Remuneration, Transparency» used by the IGE succinctly describes this balance.[13] Technical standards such as CoMP and SPUR can facilitate controlled accessffeenable and make usage events measurable; however, they do not replace statutory rights or enforceable contracts.

Why Media Quality Is Becoming a Matter of Survival for Brands

For brands, this debatetteby no means a problem limited to the media or publishing industry. The QuaThe quality of generative responses depends on reliable, verifiablefbaand current Que... all of them. Is the economy eroding...ftlWithout the fundamental principles of professional information services, the digital brand ecosystem also loses its solid foundation of evidence. Brands then frequentlyfigIt is reconstructed within a context where original research, independent analysis, and responsible publishing are less prevalent.

The Dilemma of the Open Web

This is where the opportunity for a sustainable symbiosis lies: AI systems gain legally compliant access to high-quality journalism; publishers gain control, transparency, and fair compensation; brands and Öffepublicity perfitto ensure a better information base. To prevent this regulatory framework from being established only after market structures have already solidified, the Federal Council should submit the announced preliminary draft on time and consult with Parliament, the administration, and the affectedffein various industries, accelerate the subsequent legislative process as a high priority.

This also presents an opportunity for the Open Web. When high-quality content is...ffinprintable, citable, and economicftlIf it remains sustainable, its journalistic authority can also be effective in the generative information space. Without sustainable incentives, however, there is a risk of erosion of the very knowledge base on which effective response systems depend.

Conclusion: From Visibility to Decision-Making Capacity

LLMs aren't primarily changing advertising. They're changing the architecture through which information is selected, condensed, and translated into recommendations. This presents brands with a twofold challenge: They must continue to build meaning and trust with people...fba— while at the same time ensuring that intelligent systems can correctly process their identity, performance, and evidence.

Successful brand management therefore combines consumer trust with machine trust and traditional brand measurement with narrative intelligence. Its goal is not to manipulate a model, but to create a consistent, verifiablefbato maintain a comprehensive and relevant information ecosystem. The key question going forward isftiIt's not just a matter of whether a brand is visible. The question is whether the brand is correctly understood and credibly taken into account in the decision-making processes of both people and machines.

Sources and Further Reading

[1] IGEM/WEMF: Digimonitor 2026; usage figures based on the publication dated August 25, 2026, and a representative online survey of the Internet-using population aged 15 to 75.

[2] Google Search Central: Organization structured data – for machine-readable descriptions and disambiguation of organizations.

[3] OpenAI: Strategic Content Partnershipsft with Grupo Folha and Grupo UOL, May 25, 2026.

[4] CloudflaRe: Introducing Pay Per Crawl, July 1, 2025.

[5] CloudflaRe: Pay-Per-Use and Agent-Based Access to Information, July 1, 2026.

[6] Independent Media Association: SPUR Expands Global Publisher Coalition as Work on AI Standards Accelerates, August 6, 2026.

[7] SPUR Coalition: Content Telemetry – offeA Preview SpecialfikAppointment of the rapporteurttung on the use of journalistic content by AI systems.

[8] Ringier: Ringier tritt the international SPUR Coalition, June 3, 2026.

[9] Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property: FAQ – AI and Copyright, as of 2026.

[10] Swiss Parliament: Motion 24.4596Gössi – Better Protection of Intellectual Property Against AI Misuse; Resolutions by the Council of States and the National Council in 2025.

[11] Federal Chancellery/IGE: FAQ – AI and Copyright; Preliminary draft amendment to the Copyright Act, with a planned public comment period through the end of 2026.

[12] Swiss Parliament: Parliament Sends Media Ancillary Copyright Protection Back for Further Review, June 17, 2026.

[13] Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property: AI Regulation in Copyright Law—Access, Remuneration, Transparency, August 13, 2025.

[14] IAB Tech Lab: LLM Content Ingest API Initiative and Content Monetization Protocols (CoMP), updated on April 28, 2026.

Editor's note: «Machine Trust» and «Narrative Intelligence» are used in this article as strategic frameworks. They do not refer to standardized or cross-model uniform definmeasured variables.

About the author

Martin Radelfinger is the founder of Net Gain, a strategic consultant, and an author. His work straddles the linettsthe role of digital publishing, media economics, and ad tech, as well as the growing importance of artificial intelligence for digital brand and corporate communications.

His international career took him to New York, among other places, where he served as Vice President of New Media at Editor & Publisher Company and as Vice President of Market Development at Real Media. He then served as Managing DirectorftsHead of Wirz Homepage AG, an agency for digital corporate communications, and a partner at Wirz Partner Holding. As Managing Director and Chief Strategy OfficAfter leaving Goldbach Audience, he went on to head the agency's digital and advertising marketing businessft the Goldbach Group.

RadelfinHe taught at Temple University in Philadelphia and at the HWZ University of Applied Sciences for BusinessftZurich. He was the founder of IAB Europe and was named honorary president of IAB Switzerland in recognition of his many years of service.