High emotions, real diamonds, and a touch of Cannes: The 27th SDV Award at the Plaza in Zurich
A packed movie theater, 47 awards handed out, and a Melanie Winiger who was as quick-witted as ever: At the 27th Swiss Dialog Marketing Awards ceremony, the industry demonstrated just how vibrant, precise, and effective modern dialogue can be. Amid measurable performance metrics, dazzling case studies on the big screen, and spontaneous karaoke moments, the Swiss creative scene celebrated its best—and proved that true relevance makes chance unnecessary.
The bass booms, the dance floor vibrates, and the hall is packed to the brim: Zurich’s Plaza—once a historic movie theater, now a legendary club—proved to be the perfect setting for an awards night that set a fast pace from the very first minute. Where classic films once flickered across the screen, the Gold winners’ submission videos flickered that evening. A setting with a palpable cinematic flair that—not by chance—conjured up a touch of Cannes on Zurich’s Badenerstrasse.
Right from the entrance area, the exhibition of the nominated works set the tone for the packed audience, giving them a glimpse of what modern dialogue marketing will look like in 2026: a highly precise synthesis of creative storytelling, data-driven personalization, and technical perfection.
A breath of fresh air, windmills, and no room for chance
The opening remarks made it clear that, despite economic headwinds and technological upheavals driven by artificial intelligence, the industry is brimming with energy. SDV President Dr. Christian Huldi assessed the current state of the communications industry with his usual incisiveness:
«These are challenging times—we all feel it. But it’s the same as always: Some build walls against the wind, while others build windmills. We in the association and in the industry are clearly committed to the windmills—and the projects showcased today demonstrate just how much innovative power and positive energy are unleashed when we actively shape change.»
— Dr. Christian Huldi, President of the Swiss Direct Marketing Association (SDV)
As the new jury president, Max Eugster (managing director of the agency at the airport) led the panel of about 20 experts. On stage, he emphasized the democratic and well-founded process behind this year’s decisions:
«The SDV Award has always been distinguished by an exceptionally high-caliber and diverse jury—comprising both clients and agency representatives. As jury president, your primary role is to facilitate the discussion. We debated passionately, yet always objectively and in a fully democratic manner. Ultimately, in dialogue marketing, it’s not just gut instinct that counts, but the interplay of strong creativity, strategic finesse, and measurable impact.»
— Max Eugster, Jury Chair of the SDV Award & Managing Director of Agentur am Flughafen
Daniel Schönmann from the title sponsor, Swiss Post Advertising, bridged the gap between creativity and technological relevance. In the age of first- and zero-party data, he explained, modern communication is all about minimizing wasted reach and focusing the spotlight specifically on the consumer:
«We want to eliminate chance in marketing. When data, touchpoints, and channels are intelligently interconnected, it creates a real impact at the right moment. But data is only one side of the story: Above all, it takes courage on the part of agencies and clients to submit extraordinary ideas and face the jury’s judgment. Tonight, the spotlight belongs entirely to these creative minds.»
— Daniel Schönmann, Swiss Post Advertising
Melanie Winiger in Her Element: Timing and Witty Puns
Host Melanie Winiger guided the audience through the evening with her usual stage presence, charm, and plenty of spontaneity. The youngest Miss Switzerland in history and accomplished actress stylishly guided the audience through the 20 categories, urging the winners to cheer with all their might («Show more joy—this isn’t a Swiss wrestling festival!») and didn’t shy away from sharing personal anecdotes—such as her extreme experiences during a stay at a Zen monastery, which she playfully compared to the pains of childbirth.
Although the fact that the hall was packed to capacity posed logistical challenges for the film and interview crew on site, it helped create an even more lively atmosphere.
The Foundation: The Bronze Medalists Rely on Tenacity and Attitude
Before the grand gold trophies were awarded, the bronze rankings were announced one after another in the hall. This demonstrated that the tough, uncompromising disciplines in dialogue marketing in particular require a lot of hard work, but also an enormous amount of creativity. Agencies such as the Wirz Group, with its tailor-made work for the TCS corporate customer card, Ingo Zürich for EWZ, Saatchi & Saatchi with the ImmoPack for Baloise, and Republica AG for Pro Juventute proved that even in supposedly dry categories, sparks can fly.
A particularly humorous observation: While in soccer the taller players usually stand in the back, at the awards ceremony it was exactly the opposite—those who were a bit more compact were allowed to fight their way to the front at top speed, while the larger teams were placed in the back so as not to overwhelm the stage’s logistical capacity.
Silver Rain: When Customization Meets Strategic Focus
As the evening wore on, the silver medalists took a huge slice of the pie. With a total of 47 medals, the race for the podium spots was fiercely contested this year. Whether it was Inhalt und Form with their forward-thinking work, Saatchi & Saatchi with the charming «Gingelbeer» for Sessano, Focus Dialog for Wander («Share a Smile»), or Ingo Zürich with the spot-on campaign for Volkswagen Switzerland—the bar was set high.
TBWA\ Switzerland also took home several silver awards (including one for McDonald’s with charming invitations such as How to Share Politely or the Gift Certificate Deal). The jury’s deliberations in these categories were marked by extremely fierce competition, as Max Eugster and the participants revealed with a smile: Success had to be earned through tough debates before the trophies could be accepted amid thunderous applause.
The Highlights of Gold: Diamonds, Credit Card Embossing, and Chocolate Magic
The awards presented highlighted the enormous range of this year’s submissions—from tactile 3D mailings to complex omnichannel ecosystems. A few campaigns stood out in particular:
"Real Diamond Fever" (Agency at the airport for Studer & Hänni):
How do you bring customers back to the city center in times of declining foot traffic? By sending a tactile 3D mailing in the form of an elegant box to 250 selected customers. The twist: Five of the stones sent were real diamonds that had to be verified in-store. The result was an overwhelming response of 78 % store visits and a gold award in the category 3D Mailing.
The Matterhorn on a credit card (UBS):
UBS showcased its new credit card design—featuring embossed patterns derived from actual Swiss rock impressions—in the heart of Zurich with an impressive climbing wall and interactive touchpoints. The combination of an analog brand experience and digital enhancement earned the campaign a Gold award in the category of Ambient & Events.
Chocolate Stars Above the Clouds (thjnk Zurich for Swiss & Migros):
The collaboration between Swiss and Migros proved that dialogue marketing can generate excitement even at lofty heights. Through limited-edition chocolate bars, passengers were invited to submit personal wishes that came true high above the clouds. The emotional story, combined with a sophisticated logistical execution between two major Swiss brand icons, won over the jury across the board and earned the project two gold awards in the categories POS & Direct Mail as well as Multichannel & Cross-Media one.
Everyday Furniture Magic (Ingo Zürich for Micasa):
Ingo Zürich proved for Micasa that dialogue marketing works best when you speak to people directly in the context of their everyday lives. With the incisive campaign «Micasa bleibt Micasa,» the agency engaged the audience with plenty of humor, drawing on real-life moments related to living and home furnishings. The bold, down-to-earth campaign impressed the jury and secured the team a gold award in the category Spatial Branding.
All About Fiber Optics & Fragrant Self-Promotion (Bühler & Bühler):
The Zurich-based agency took home multiple awards: It won Gold and the industry award (IT/Telco) for its complex Swisscom awareness campaign on fiber-optic expansion. In addition, the team secured a gold award and the industry prize for a sophisticated, multi-layered fragrance creation developed in its in-house creative lab for Self-promotion.
A wonderful evening that ended on an intimate note
After the official awards marathon—which ended almost abruptly thanks to the tight schedule—the action shifted to the bars at the Plaza. Amid excellent catering and cool drinks, guests chatted about the industry, laughed, and networked. A few die-hard industry heavyweights even ventured up to the karaoke microphones in the foyer late into the night—an intimate, almost private epilogue to an awards night during which the organizers of the SDV and the Swiss dialogue industry once again proved that they strike just the right note.
m&k-Service: Excerpt from the list of winners (SDV Award Night 2026)
| Award / Category | Campaign | Agency | Client |
| Gold (Mailing 3D) | Diamond Fever | Airport agency | Studer & Hänni |
| Gold (Ambient & Events) | Matterhorn – Credit Card Relief | UBS In-House / Partner | UBS |
| 2 Gold Medals (POS & Cross-Media) | Sugar Stars / Swiss Chocolate | Thjnk | Switzerland / Migros |
| Gold & Industry Award (IT/Telecom) | All Fiber Optics | Bühler & Bühler | Swisscom |
| Gold & Industry Award (Self-promotion) | Fragrance Essences / Lab Dialogue | Bühler & Bühler | Bühler & Bühler |
| Silver & Industry Award (Finance) | Superheroes / Heroic Work | Wunderman Thompson / W&P | UBS |
| Silver (3x) | Look into the future | Content and form | Content and form |
| 2 silver medals | Gingelbeer | Saatchi & Saatchi | Sessano |
| 2 silver medals | Share a Smile | Focus Dialog | Hike |
| 2 silver medals | Anniversary Campaign | Ingo Zurich | Volkswagen Switzerland |
| Silver | Best Invest | Bühler & Bühler | UBS |
| Silver | Swiss Showdown / Fondue | TBWA\ Switzerland | McDonald's |
| Silver | How to Share Politely | TBWA\ Switzerland | McDonald's |
| Silver | Gift Certificate Deal | TBWA\ Switzerland | McDonald's |
| Bronze (2x) | TCS Corporate Customer Card | Wirz Group | TCS |
| Bronze (2x) | EWZ Energy Campaign | Ingo Zurich | EWZ |
| Bronze | Fashion to Go | Airport agency | PVE Cases |
| Bronze | Teens Need to Speak Up | Republica AG | Pro Juventute |
| Bronze | ImmoPack | Saatchi & Saatchi | Baloise Switzerland |
| Bronze | Emergency Drops | Bühler & Bühler | CSS |
| Bronze | Hyundai Winter Challenge | Content and form | Astara Switzerland |
All information is provided without guarantee. The winning entries will be available soon at sdv-award.ch
