Cross-media management: acting in a multimedia way
They are pioneers in the world of multimedia: the 15 participants in the first certified continuing education program (CAS) for Cross-Media Managers, which was organized for the first time by Sawi in collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences of Vaud/Comem+ (which trains media engineers).
They are proud of what they have learned, they have brilliantly prepared a special cross-media case in their thesis, they now feel fit to act in multimedia, they can now do so in a professional manner.
Half 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 tell us here about their motives for taking such a CAS, state what they learned in the five-month training program to become cross-media managers, and outline their future career paths. Fredy Bühler works for 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 driver
Anyone working in the graphic arts industry is constantly aware of the technological advances. Thomas Obrist therefore 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 change that influences our society, and since he likes to hold the reins in his hands, it was clear to him to choose a further education that would give him the necessary overview. Jörg Klemm was also looking for something fundamental so that he could grasp the cross-media reality in all areas of corporate communications. Greg Notter wanted to look behind the term "crossmedia": "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 the comprehensive insight into digital media production so that he can later orchestrate cross-media projects.
To what extent did the first Crossmedia Manager training course fulfill such expectations, and in what ways were the graduates able to improve and expand their previous 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 pick out the appropriate production methods better and to delineate responsibilities more precisely.
Assessing the new media correctly
Fredy Bühler's good view across the various digital media stands out. This helps him to designate the necessary content and to measure its success, which enables him to now also lead larger projects in which several stakeholders are involved. Jörg Klemm is now better able to assess the advantages, but also the limits and complexity of cross-media projects and to communicate this more precisely to third parties, which helps him to make the right clarifications. Bernhard von Allmen considers himself up to date with the 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 networked and cross-media thinking. With this, he can and will now initiate and handle multimedia projects.
Because often his customers, who are mainly from the SME sector, 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 winning such an order. Bernhard von Allmen describes the strengths he has acquired as a broader knowledge of publishing, marketing, digital techniques, market research and communications. 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 projects
Greg Notter, too, sees his strength today in networked thinking, which is necessary to develop new products and open up further business areas. For Fredy Bühler, the ability to talk to different media producers on an equal footing is an important strength that 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 enables successful interaction. Jörg Klemm sees the cooperation between different professionals, who are rather creatively active, and those, who are mainly oriented towards numbers and/or proceed in a very structured way, 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 future
Greg Notter wants to use the skills he has acquired to fill the arc of tension from sender to receiver and vice versa with new life. 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 put what he has learned into practice. 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. Cross-media production will also be a professional focus for Jörg Klemm in the future, although 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 his acquired knowledge directly to customers, in order to strengthen their confidence in multimedia projects as a competent contact partner in communication issues. Here, he sees a lot of potential to profit from, especially among smaller and medium-sized companies.
Hannes Zaugg
Cross-media management for decision-makers
Sawi is running a special course for decision-makers in March 2014. They will be introduced to the most important aspects of crossmedia on four Wednesday evenings (12.3, 19.3, 26.3 and 2.4 2014, 18-21h each). 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) shows how clients can be inspired to use new media. Andreas Stuber (Head of Integrated Communication at SBB) will conclude 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. Registration directly on Sawi.com.
