The WOOHW! conference with the keynotes and the panel discussion starts at 4.30 pm. Further discussions can be held at the subsequent networking aperitif with invited guests. The WOOHW! Award Night will then begin at 7 p.m. with the presentation of the Swiss Out of Home Awards - followed by a dinner party until late in the evening. Presenter and journalist Bigna Silberschmidt will host the conference and the Award Night.

All details, program and archive of the WOOHW! industry event here.

Three new double-sided City ePanels have recently been installed in the old town of Schaffhausen. These were installed as part of a ten-year concession agreement between the city of Schaffhausen and APG|SGA. The digital advertising media provide space for both commercial advertising and urban content - half for each.

The six high-resolution 75-inch screens are located at highly frequented locations in the old town. Programmatic booking options allow advertising content to be displayed flexibly and in a targeted manner. At the same time, the city uses the screens to inform the public about current events and cultural offerings.

The content is managed by the city itself via the APG|SGA content management system. This allows references to cultural events to be adapted quickly and easily - a function that is particularly useful for changing programs or announcements at short notice.

APG|SGA sees the project as a contribution to networked, sustainable outdoor advertising. The digital City ePanels are powered by 100% green electricity and require no investment from the city. At the same time, the solution enables local, national and international advertisers to have a presence in the old town of Schaffhausen.

The discussion about outdoor advertising in the city of Zurich is entering the next round: the motion originally submitted by the Alternative List (AL) called for a comprehensive ban on commercial billboard advertising - not only in public spaces, but also on private property if it is publicly visible. This would affect not only traditional advertising spaces at train stations, in streetcars and buses or on public vehicles, but also digital advertising media on buildings. The Zurich City Council rejected the motion last year on the grounds that it would represent a significant intervention in the local economy and could jeopardize advertising revenue of around CHF 28 million annually.

The municipal council has now adopted a watered-down version of the SP parliamentary group by a narrow majority: 58 votes were in favor of the amendment, 57 against and there were no abstentions. Although the new model is less restrictive than the AL's original advertising ban, the advertising industry remains concerned.

KS/CS warns of negative consequences

In a press release, KS/CS Communication Switzerland reacted critically to the decision. The association emphasizes the importance of outdoor advertising as a communication channel for the local economy, creative artists, political actors and non-profit organizations. It also warns that restricting poster advertising could further accelerate the already strong migration of advertising money to digital channels and international tech platforms.

Jürg Bachmann, President of KS/CS, is clear: "The far-reaching restriction of outdoor advertising in the city of Zurich would weaken the economy, society, culture and politics. In particular, it would impair consumers' freedom of choice, because advertising is information." KS/CS also points out that outdoor advertising is one of the most CO2-efficient advertising media compared to digital channels.

LSA is disappointed

In addition to KS/CS Communication Switzerland, Leading Swiss Agencies LSA has also criticized the decision of the Zurich municipal council. The association of leading Swiss communication agencies warns of the negative economic and cultural impact of the planned restrictions. "Outdoor advertising is an essential part of urban life in Zurich. A ban has far-reaching negative consequences: It deprives the city of considerable revenue, weakens the economy and restricts SMEs in particular in their communication," says LSA President Andreas Hugi. The measure would also make it more difficult to advertise cultural events, as posters are an important information channel. LSA is therefore calling for a fact-based discussion of the issue and a solution that takes equal account of economic, cultural and social interests.

What's next?

The Zurich City Council is now obliged to draw up a draft bill within the next two years. KS/CS has already announced that it will critically monitor the further process and advocate a business-friendly implementation. The debate about the future of outdoor advertising in Zurich is therefore likely to continue for some time to come.

In November, KS/CS invited guests to the Razzia to discuss the planned restrictions on outdoor advertising. Click here for the Insights.

Advertising ban as protection for public spaces?

A ban on outdoor advertising on public land in the city of Zurich? For Michael Schmid, municipal councillor of the Alternative List and initiator of the Motionthis is a necessary step. He argued that the increasing presence of advertising, in particular dynamic digital ads, impairs the quality of public space and puts a strain on people's attention and mental health. According to Schmid, advertising promotes consumption patterns that need to be critically questioned in light of ecological challenges. He also warned against the increasing dominance of large international players and called for more space to be given to smaller, local players.

The importance of posters for the city and the economy

Christoph Marty, CEO of the Goldbach Group, strongly disagreed with this position. For him, poster advertising is a proven and exemplary regulated medium that has been implemented in Zurich in an ecologically sustainable manner for years. Marty pointed out that the city has severely restricted the expansion of digital advertising installations and that existing installations are powered by green electricity. At the same time, he emphasized the economic burden caused by rising tax costs: "Taxes paid to the city have risen from CHF 7 million to over CHF 28 million in the last 15 years. At the same time, the number of advertising spaces on public land has been reduced from 3,700 to 3,000." This growing cost pressure is making it increasingly difficult for providers to work economically, he explained.

Urs Spinner from the Zurich Building Department also emphasized the financial consequences of a ban. The revenue of over 30 million francs generated annually is essential for financing the city's infrastructure, including the maintenance of bus stops and public services. At the same time, he emphasized that the city already has strict guidelines in place to ensure the compatibility and quality of outdoor advertising.

Rolf Hiltl, restaurateur and advertiser in Zurich, added the cultural dimension of outdoor advertising. Posters are part of the city's history, he explained, referring to his company's historical campaigns, which are now on display in museums. Hiltl spoke out against a general ban, but emphasized that local companies were coming under increasing pressure due to high cost structures. Special regulations in favor of regional players could create a balance here, he suggested.

Advertising as an indispensable part of society

Roland Ehrler, Director of the Swiss Advertisers' Association, also expressed his position clearly. Advertising is an integral part of a functioning market economy and makes it possible to make products and services visible. A ban would increasingly divert advertising expenditure to digital channels, which are less transparently regulated, explained Ehrler. Poster advertising, he argued, has always had a cultural component and is part of the public space. The social and economic value of this medium should not be underestimated.

A tense outlook

The panel discussion chaired by Matthias Ackeret clearly showed how irreconcilable the positions remain. While one side advocates slowing down and reducing consumption, the other sees billboards as an important economic and cultural pillar of urban life. It is clear that this issue will continue to occupy the population in the context of a possible referendum - with far-reaching consequences for the cityscape and the advertising industry.

The busy city center is located directly above Bern railroad station, where numerous companies are based. PostParc is a central component of urban development thanks to its excellent connections to various means of transportation.

Livesystems is installing digital screens in the PostParc as part of the digitization process. The outdoor advertising provider is relying on a combination of landscape format screens (F12D) and portrait format screens (Cityscreen) to achieve maximum visibility.

Connection between busy zones

"It's brilliant that our DOOH screens are located directly in the new city center. The pedestrian zone forms the perfect link between various busy areas, from the train station to the Postbus station, from Grosse Schanze to Hirschengraben and from Schanzenstrasse to Laupenstrasse. Thanks to the attractive mix of offices, stores and restaurants, we expect a high footfall and look forward to offering our customers a platform where their advertising message will be seen," says Christian Imhof, COO of Livesystems.

A total of 10 F12D screens and 4 Cityscreens will be installed around the short-stay parking lot, on the parking terrace and in front of the Schanzenpost. Livesystems is thus significantly expanding its digital network in the capital. Recently, Livesystems has already installed several digital advertising spaces at the Käfigturm. The Käfigturm is located directly in Bern's old town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular meeting place for locals and visitors alike. The numerous public transport services that pass by every day ensure optimal connections to the rest of the city and guarantee maximum visibility for advertising campaigns.

The Livesystems inventory comprises 65 city screens in the canton of Bern, 24 of which are in urban areas, 15 in the agglomerations and 26 in the extended area of the canton. For the F12D large format, there are a total of 28 screens in the canton, 7 of which are in urban areas (including the 4 new screens in the Postparc), 3 in the agglomerations and 18 in the extended cantonal area. Together, these locations generate over 3.5 million gross contacts and 672,000 net contacts in absolute terms with 5.2 average contacts (OTS) within 2 weeks.

As a partner of Aletsch Bahnen AG, Feratel Schweiz AG markets a diverse and interesting range of high-quality advertising spaces (Big Poster, F12P, Entry Poster at the turnstiles, Big Flags branding and floor branding). In addition, individual special implementations at highly frequented locations round off the offer.

Valentin König, CEO of Aletsch Bahnen AG, says: "We have a friendly, loyal, professional and successful partnership with Feratel Schweiz AG. We look forward to continuing to realize interesting and innovative advertising projects together with Feratel Schweiz AG."

"Your bank for more"

Rod uses ZKB's diverse engagements to tell the stories behind the engagements and to capture them with great emotion - from euphoric laughter to silent amazement and rapturous applause. ZKB is a bank for more than just banking transactions.

Making commitment visible

The latest campaign from Rod is visually in line with ZKB's jointly developed image and highlights the many benefits for customers. They not only benefit from great experiences, but also from discounted admission, free seat upgrades and many other exclusive offers.

The campaign can be seen online, on social media and advertisements as well as OOH/DOOH. The campaign kicks off at the Schauspielhaus Zurich, followed by the Casinotheater Winterthur, Zurich Zoo and many other engagements.

Responsible at ZKB: Jan-Hendrik Völker-Albert (Chief Marketing & Communication Officer), Dominique Friedli (Head of Corporate Citizenship), Cornelia Grüninger (Senior Project Manager Advertising & Campaigns), Tania Cambeiro Antelo (Project Manager Corporate Citizenship), Daniel Locher (Senior Brand Manager). Overall responsibility for conception, creation and realization: Rod Communication. ProductionNavada GmbH, Mariska van Lavieren, Alexander Wyssling, Laura Šerić; Photography: Francesca Allen (Laird and Good Company); DOP: Carmen Pellon Brussosa; Editor: Noa Röthlisberger; Music: Pablo Nouvelle; Soundmix/Design: DubDub Studios; VFX: Das alte Lager; Media realization, image editing and color grading: blish, Media: Webrepublic.

It has rejected an appeal by the licensee, according to a decision published on Tuesday. It remains to be seen whether this is the last word. The appellant can appeal the ruling to the Federal Supreme Court.

Neo Advertising SA holds the concession for billposting on public land for 2020 to 2027. Following a merger, the outdoor advertising marketer is now called Goldbach Neo. For 2020 and 2021, it had requested a reduction in the concession fees by 25 percent in each year. It claimed that the achievable turnover was around 40 percent below budget due to the coronavirus measures.

The coronavirus measures had led to a slump in the number of passers-by and commuters. This has reduced the "value" of the advertising space. In addition, demand has fallen because advertising has been cut back. Across Switzerland, the company suffered a loss in the millions, which would have been even higher without a hardship allowance from the Canton of Geneva.

"Part of the entrepreneurial risk"

The company argued that paying the full concession fees in 2020 and 2021 would be a disproportionate case of hardship. The Bernese administrative court took a different view. The company's economic situation had been significantly affected by the pandemic and its consequences.

However, certain economic losses are part of the entrepreneurial risk that the concessionaire must bear. In return, it does not have to pay higher concession fees to the city of Berne if it achieves higher profits than forecast.

In order to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic, specific instruments such as short-time work, Covid-19 loans and hardship grants were available from the state. The complainant had also made use of these.

Moreover, the years 2020 and 2021 should not be viewed in isolation. The concession is valid for eight years. This provides the opportunity to better exploit the rights from the concessions during the remaining term.

The Alternative List (AL) had called for such a blanket ban on outdoor advertising that is visible on public property in a motion in the Zurich municipal council.

This would mean "a massive and one-sided regulatory intervention in the local economy", the city council states in its press release. In addition, the advertising money would flow into other advertising channels that are dominated by international corporations.

According to the city council, there are 3377 advertising spaces on public land in the city of Zurich, 651 of which are for cultural advertising. The city council writes that municipal "regulations on the installation of advertising spaces" ensure that they are operated in an acceptable manner, which is why their acceptance is high. And the installations generate income. The city receives 28 million francs annually.

For these reasons, the City Council is against the advertising ban demanded by the AL. However, it has announced that it will suspend the construction of new digital outdoor advertising systems until 2030.

There are currently 377 such installations in central locations and at VBZ stops. Although these are many times more attractive for the city, their ecological footprint is worse than that of posters, the city council notes. It now wants to wait and see how the technology develops and then "examine in detail whether further digitalization makes sense". (SDA/swi)

Gold, silver and bronze are up for grabs in the categories "Best of DOOH Classic", "Best of Crossmedia", "Best Use of Data" and "Best of Innovative DOOH". The "DCC YoungSTARS" competition, which was created especially for young creative talent, rewards the best work with 1 billion contacts by broadcasting the campaign on participating DOOH networks throughout Germany. The second and third place winners receive a cash prize of 1000 euros and 500 euros, respectively, provided by TV-Wartezimmer.

The award ceremony will take place on September 11, 2024 in Düsseldorf. Further information is available here.

"APG|SGA with Zurich Airport is an extremely attractive cooperation partner for us, as Switzerland is considered a strong business location in Europe and Zurich is a highly relevant hub in international business," says Media Frankfurt Managing Director Martin Korosec.

"Strongly Reduced." by Denner and thjnk Zurich received the top prize "Campaign of the Year" and at the same time won gold in the Commercial National category.

The Swiss Out of Home Award is the largest creative competition for analog, digital and innovative outdoor advertising in Switzerland. A total of 241 works were submitted, 34 of which were nominated by the jury. The first award ceremony took place at the premiere of the Woohw! event, which was organized by the Association of Outdoor Advertising Switzerland (AWS) and supported by APG|SGA, Goldbach Neo, Neo Advertising and Horizon.

The winning campaigns were selected by an independent jury of 14 experts from the worlds of advertising, culture and design. The outstanding winning Gold works showed very different clients and areas of application for Out of Home Media. The variety ranged from vegetarian versions of the well-known "Google Maps Marker" (by Ruf Lanz for Hiltl AG), to the awareness campaign "Always stop when distracted" with unusual parking spaces (by Ruf Lanz for the Accident Prevention Advisory Board BFU), to the cultural poster "Collectomania" (by Erich Brechbühl for the Museum of Design Zurich), to the digital "Assortment Campaign Semantic" (by Digitec Galaxus InHouse for Galaxus).

In no category was the bar as high or as low as in the Out of Home Innovations category. Here, the jury wanted to see unexpected, entertaining and, above all, new ways to advertise outdoors. That's challenging, both for the creatives and their clientele. "Rarely, but fortunately regularly, such a project is found in the submissions. In the current year, however, this was unfortunately not the case and no project was judged worthy of an award by the jury," said Christian Brändle,
Jury President and Director Museum of Design Zurich.

All winners at a glance

Industry event with conference

The industry event started with the conference and the keynote speech by TV business coach Felix Thönnessen. The subsequent round of talks featured Andrea Bison (Co-CEO, Chief Operating Officer & Partner, thjnk Zurich), Nathalie Diethelm (Co-CEO,
Mediaplus Suisse), Markus Ehrle (CEO APG|SGA AG and President AWS), Jeannine Micheli (Head of Digital Marketing & Media, AMAG Import) and Christoph Marty (CEO, Goldbach Neo and Vice President AWS). Under the leadership of moderator Tanya König, the
Challenges and developments in the Swiss communications industry discussed.

Sponsors such as Setaprint, Richnerstutz, Burri Public Elements and Media Focus offered highlights with staging and bars. Sound at dinner and party was provided by "Stereo Kulisse", a danceable house collaboration with digital and analog instruments. The more than 350 invited guests celebrated atmospherically and in good spirits until deep into the night.