Man with prospects
Urs Binggeli, the new Managing Director of Wirz Corporate, sees great potential in reputation management.
Urs Binggeli, the new Managing Director of Wirz Corporate, sees great potential in reputation management.
Even as a young preschooler, Urs Binggeli could identify the brand of a motorcycle or car by the sound of its engine. At the time, he didn't know that the instant recognition of a brand had anything to do with branding, but branding has since become a lot more complicated. After studying in St. Gallen, Berkeley and Oxford and gaining professional experience at Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux, for example, the Managing Director of Wirz Corporate now knows exactly what it means to design a top address in the Swiss communications industry.
Wirz Corporate emerged from the former Wirz Identity, Wirz
Public Relations and Frontpage. The company has a competent manager for each area. Elmar Mühleder is responsible for Brand Identity, Judith Giger for Public Relations. Hans Klaus, former advisor to Federal Councillor Ruth Metzler, is now responsible for the Reputation Management unit. "The units are basically the same as before
but now integrated. Everything in one company makes things much easier," explains Urs Binggeli.
A total of 26 people are permanently employed at Wirz Corporate, most of them in branding and classic PR. The fact that the company has been housed in the same building as Wirz Advertising since the move has also helped. "Traditional advertising and PR will increasingly work hand in hand," Binggeli is convinced. An important client for Wirz Corporate is Migros. "Classic branding, combined with a lot of internal and external communication and process support." Other multifaceted clients include the Association of the Importing Pharmaceutical Industry VIPS and the Swiss Insurance Association SIA. Urs Binggeli sees a lot of fun and creative scope in the Sihlcity project. Here, a district is to be developed as a brand, which Binggeli has already successfully realized for Limmat West.
All magazine publishers are currently feeling the effects of the cost-cutting measures. However, Wirz continues to produce "Welt der Katze", "mittendrin" for the SWX Group and "sunrise contact" despite losing its overall budget.
Binggeli sees a lot of potential in the new Reputation unit
Management. "After the end of the bubble, many companies have suffered reputational problems. Trust in management has fallen massively in the last five years." In order to expand this unit, Binggeli wants to find a location in Bern and from there
from Hans Klaus to engage in political communication.
Binggeli gained valuable experience after graduating from St. Gallen, where he first worked as a marketing specialist at Switzerland Tourism. He advised Deutsche Telekom in Zurich and Cologne and was later able to use this experience at Wirz for the privatization of Swisscom. Regular "changes of perspective" were also important to Binggeli. Among other things, these brought him to Addison in San Francisco for six months.
He mentions "organizational development" as a rather rare hobby. He is a member of an Intervision group. To compensate, he is an enthusiastic touring skier. And with his flair for engine noise, he has started to race motorcycles and completed road races for a one-make cup. However, the new Managing Director does not come to work on a motorcycle. "That's too dangerous for me, I'd rather ride on racetracks." Like Laguna Seca two years ago, for example.
Urs Binggeli sees corporate communications as a holistic discipline with a future.
Andreas Panzeri
Even as a young preschooler, Urs Binggeli could identify the brand of a motorcycle or car by the sound of its engine. At the time, he didn't know that the instant recognition of a brand had anything to do with branding, but branding has since become a lot more complicated. After studying in St. Gallen, Berkeley and Oxford and gaining professional experience at Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux, for example, the Managing Director of Wirz Corporate now knows exactly what it means to design a top address in the Swiss communications industry.
Wirz Corporate emerged from the former Wirz Identity, Wirz
Public Relations and Frontpage. The company has a competent manager for each area. Elmar Mühleder is responsible for Brand Identity, Judith Giger for Public Relations. Hans Klaus, former advisor to Federal Councillor Ruth Metzler, is now responsible for the Reputation Management unit. "The units are basically the same as before
but now integrated. Everything in one company makes things much easier," explains Urs Binggeli.
A total of 26 people are permanently employed at Wirz Corporate, most of them in branding and classic PR. The fact that the company has been housed in the same building as Wirz Advertising since the move has also helped. "Traditional advertising and PR will increasingly work hand in hand," Binggeli is convinced. An important client for Wirz Corporate is Migros. "Classic branding, combined with a lot of internal and external communication and process support." Other multifaceted clients include the Association of the Importing Pharmaceutical Industry VIPS and the Swiss Insurance Association SIA. Urs Binggeli sees a lot of fun and creative scope in the Sihlcity project. Here, a district is to be developed as a brand, which Binggeli has already successfully realized for Limmat West.
All magazine publishers are currently feeling the effects of the cost-cutting measures. However, Wirz continues to produce "Welt der Katze", "mittendrin" for the SWX Group and "sunrise contact" despite losing its overall budget.
Binggeli sees a lot of potential in the new Reputation unit
Management. "After the end of the bubble, many companies have suffered reputational problems. Trust in management has fallen massively in the last five years." In order to expand this unit, Binggeli wants to find a location in Bern and from there
from Hans Klaus to engage in political communication.
Binggeli gained valuable experience after graduating from St. Gallen, where he first worked as a marketing specialist at Switzerland Tourism. He advised Deutsche Telekom in Zurich and Cologne and was later able to use this experience at Wirz for the privatization of Swisscom. Regular "changes of perspective" were also important to Binggeli. Among other things, these brought him to Addison in San Francisco for six months.
He mentions "organizational development" as a rather rare hobby. He is a member of an Intervision group. To compensate, he is an enthusiastic touring skier. And with his flair for engine noise, he has started to race motorcycles and completed road races for a one-make cup. However, the new Managing Director does not come to work on a motorcycle. "That's too dangerous for me, I'd rather ride on racetracks." Like Laguna Seca two years ago, for example.
Urs Binggeli sees corporate communications as a holistic discipline with a future.
Andreas Panzeri
