"Media Now" - Webrepublic shows what media must achieve

From digital specialist to integrated media agency

"When we made the bold decision five years ago to take the step from the purely digital world into the holistic, fully integrated media world, no one was seriously waiting for a new media agency," said Tobias Zehnder, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Webrepublic, right at the start of his presentation. Despite a saturated market, the agency has successfully established itself today. With over 200 employees, it has the power of a large network - and at the same time the heart, courage and ambition of an independent, owner-managed agency.

Zehnder emphasized that Webrepublic has found a clear place in a market that is becoming increasingly integrated, while at the same time the media landscape is becoming more and more fragmented. Budgets have to achieve more, and that with increasingly complex requirements. In an industry where there is often a lot of noise, there is a lack of focus on actual impact. This is precisely where Webrepublic comes in - with differentiation, new ideas and, above all, measurable success. The central question is no longer just where to place advertising, but what it really does.

"Reach is good. Impact is better."

Sabrina Pantic, Director Media at Webrepublic, explained the agency's impact-oriented consulting approach. Her media team of around 50 employees manages all channels in an integrated manner - digital, social and classic media - and thus creates a cross-channel perspective. The aim is to take the media strategy to a new level, where it is not just reach that counts, but impact.

Pantic emphasized: classic KPIs such as CPM or clicks are still important, but are no longer sufficient. Today, every campaign pursues an overarching goal - whether brand building, awareness, consideration or concrete action. Strategies must be anchored in the minds of the target groups and generate emotional and rational competitive advantages. The channel-agnostic approach makes it possible to align strategy, planning and purchasing precisely with these goals.

Integration is a key component: online and offline, performance and branding, always-on and push - everything has to be considered together. A strong technical foundation is crucial for this. Webrepublic works with its own in-house engineering team, which develops AI-based analysis tools, automated performance monitors and multichannel dashboards, among other things. This also includes the "Attention Builder", which evaluates each impression in terms of visibility, size, audibility and screen and thus automatically optimizes it for attention.

At the heart of this is a five-stage model, starting with a consumer analysis, a media playbook and value-based budget planning through to impact measurement. The latter is based, among other things, on Adrecall surveys by GfK - a systematic building block for evaluating campaigns beyond pure click figures. Pantic emphasized: "If an advertisement is not remembered, then no change in behavior will follow."

AMAG: Campaign impact as the central currency

Jeannine Micheli, Head of Digital Marketing & Media at AMAG Import, showed what implementation looks like for a major customer - and what role impact plays in this. Today, the AMAG Group is much more than just a garage, she emphasized, and explained the various business areas: From vehicle import, leasing and photovoltaics to mobility services and spare parts logistics. More than 7,500 employees work for AMAG - including over 800 apprentices.

With a market that has shrunk by 20% since 2020, the challenge is clear: achieve more impact with the same infrastructure. Micheli highlighted the collaboration with Webrepublic as a decisive match. For almost two years, Webrepublic has been responsible for all media measures for all AMAG brands. The goal is a complete 360° media strategy.

The central KPI at AMAG is "advertising impact". This is defined and systematically recorded using ad recall, brand awareness and other indicators. Findings from each campaign are evaluated and implemented across the Group. TV has proven to be particularly effective as the lead medium, while digital moving image channels are used as a supplement where there are gaps - for example with younger target groups.

Micheli referred to a Volkswagen commercial that was well received - but with an unexpected effect: many viewers thought it was a new movie. Nevertheless, the brand was able to score with clearly higher recall values and lower gross costs per 1,000 recall points. All KPIs increased in the double-digit range.

Impact in transition - five perspectives in the panel

Finally, five industry representatives discussed the influence of environments, technology and creation on advertising impact. The panel was moderated by Johannes Hapig. On the podium: Alex Duphorn (Goldbach Media), Remo Baumeler (audienzz), Adriano Beti (Lifesystems), Stefan Wagner (Goldbach Audience) and Alex Streufert (Meta).

Duphorn emphasized the importance of context: "Emotions, visual stimuli, sounds - all this continues to make TV an extremely powerful medium. Studies show how strongly the DNA of an advertising spot contributes to its impact. The demand for quality in the environment also remains high. For Swiss publishers, it is important to create trust through editorial quality and transparent measurement.

Baumeler emphasized that KPIs are increasingly being determined individually. Not every brand measures in the same way - but the central questions are always: What should be achieved? What works in which environment? His experience: click-to-play, audio and full screen are decisive factors for video.

Streufert explained how Meta is investing billions in AI, data science and content moderation to increase advertising effectiveness - also through better creation. Up to 70% of campaign performance depends on creation, Streufert said. At the same time, it is crucial to test and continuously optimize advertising media based on data. Studies have shown that advertisers with many tests achieve up to 30% more impact.

Beti addressed the limits of measurability. Despite being fully measurable in theory, a proper evaluation is difficult in practice. This is why panel-based values such as recall, likeability and recognition remain key indicators for him. He also conducts 150,000 interviews a year in order to better understand environmental effects - and to digitize these in the future.

Wagner presented two paths to impact: machine-controlled optimization via AI and data-based budget allocation - and the classic path via contextual advertising with the targeted use of high-quality formats. The challenge: the right content at the right time in the right environment.

There was a consensus on the importance of total video measurement, individualization through AI and new content formats - for example in digital out-of-home. The tenor: creation remains king. Technology provides support. And impact is the new reach.

Networking

Although it was over 30 degrees outside, the smart Soho was pleasantly cool - and above all well filled. The thematic nerve was obviously struck. The guests took the opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions at the concluding flying dinner. An evening with a lot of substance, practical insights - and a clear signal: media must do more today. And that means: impact - now.