GfM Marketing Award for the Weisse Arena

Jury President Stefan Michel and Reto Gurtner of the Weisse Arena Group. Photo: BellefotoThe General Meeting of the Society for Marketing (GfM), held on October 25 at the Hotel Dolder Grand, was marked by a change in leadership. Dominique von Matt was unanimously elected as the new president by the more than 200 members in attendance. He succeeds Ulrich H. Moser, who has expanded the GfM over the past nine years and was elected honorary president as a result.Exchange Between Academia and Professional PracticeDr. oec. publ. Dominique von Matt founded the communications agency Jung von Matt/Limmat in 1993 and currently serves as its chairman of the board. In 2011, he founded Jung von Matt/brand identity, which specializes in branding. Von Matt also serves on the board of directors of the NZZ Media Group and is a lecturer at the University of St. Gallen. Throughout his career, he has been committed to fostering dialogue between academia and the professional world, for which he was honored with the Swiss Academy of Marketing Science Award in 2014.

Presidents Together (from left to right): The new GfM President Dominique von Matt with Uwe Tännler, President of Swiss Marketing, and Ueli Moser, GfM Honorary President. Photo: BellefotoForward-Looking MarketingThe GfM Marketing Award, which is presented once a year to a company selected through a multi-stage process by a distinguished 13-member jury, stands as a symbol of excellence. This year, the Weisse Arena Group took home the prize. Its Chairman of the Board, Reto Gurtner, accepted the award at the Dolder Grand from jury president Prof. Dr. Stefan Michel. The cover story of the MK issue 10/2016 states: „The Weisse Arena Group is being honored for its past achievements. Yet its marketing is forward-looking. Innovative offerings, high quality, and simple solutions to customer needs are essential. Digital marketing is already a given. But without visionary thinking and bold decisions, this success story would never have happened in the first place.“ „MK Marketing & Kommunikation“ explores how this came about in an interview with Reto Gurtner.Marketing ExcellenceThis year, GfM is celebrating its 75th anniversary. To mark the occasion, „MK Marketing & Kommunikation“ asked representatives of past GfM Marketing Award winners for the 10/2016 issue what they consider to be marketing excellence.