Christoph Wieland, communicaziun.ch: Change in Operational Leadership
communicaziun.ch has finalized the succession plan for its operational leadership. Effective January 1, 2027, Christoph Wieland will assume the role of managing director. He succeeds Roman Benker, who has been leading the agency as interim managing director since early July. communicaziun.ch was founded and built up over 18 years by Armin Spescha, who will continue to support the company as a member of the board of directors.
Christoph Wieland brings more than thirteen years of experience in brand management, marketing, and sales. His career path has taken him from online marketing to premium brand management on the client side, and ultimately to his current consulting and leadership role at an agency in Graubünden. There, over the past seven years, he has been responsible for strategy and marketing projects for SMEs, municipalities, and businesses in the hospitality, tourism, and industrial sectors. He combines strategic work with data-driven, operational implementation and, by his own account, drives the integration of artificial intelligence into organizational, marketing, and sales processes.
Impressive both professionally and personally
For André Renggli, Chairman of the Board of Directors, the selection was also a matter of values: «We are convinced that Christoph Wieland is the right person for communicaziun.ch—not only professionally, but also personally.» According to the press release, the company’s distinctive culture played a central role in the selection process.
Christoph Wieland himself sees the role as a special opportunity: «For me, this is a unique chance to take on entrepreneurial responsibility in Graubünden.» What appeals to him about communicaziun.ch is that the company, as a full-service provider, combines strategy, creation, and implementation across a particularly broad spectrum. For him, the focus is on working in partnership with clients and on combining creative work with business acumen.
Christoph Wieland is 35 years old and lives in Malans. He is married and has two children.
Proven structure, wide range of offerings
Christoph Wieland will assume the position of Managing Director effective January 1, 2027. The existing management structure will remain in place despite the change in leadership. It comprises the Strategic Committee, the Executive Board, and the Extended Management Board. The company brings together the departments of Strategy, Public Affairs, Marketing, Creative, Film & Photography, Website & Apps, Events, and Printing & Advertising Technology under one roof. communicaziun.ch currently employs more than 70 people at three locations in Ilanz, Chur, and Glarus.
For more information about the company, visit communicaziun.ch.
Person in charge at communicaziun.ch: Christoph Wieland, Managing Director effective January 1, 2027; Roman Benker, Interim Managing Director; André Renggli, Chairman of the Board of Directors; Armin Spescha, Founder and Member of the Board of Directors
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Curdin Mark has organized and implemented over 100 referendum campaigns. Political communication and campaigning have been his preferred field of activity for many years. In the respective alliances, he always worked as a non-partisan and non-partisan campaign coordinator for a common goal. "Building and maintaining a nationwide network in politics, business and society was key for me," emphasizes the experienced consultant and campaign manager. Curdin Mark now wants to cut back professionally and hand over his business activities to younger hands.
In Communicaziun.ch, Curdin Mark has found the right partner for him. As Head of Public Affairs, Severin Geisseler will increasingly drive the area forward in future. Communicaziun.ch has already supported various voting and election campaigns in the past. "The handover of Curdin Mark opens up a unique opportunity for us to strengthen the Public Affairs division," Armin Spescha, Managing Director of Communicaziun.ch, is convinced.
Curdin Mark will provide Severin Geisseler with strategic support during the first campaign implementations. Over the past ten years, Severin Geisseler has already implemented numerous election and referendum campaigns at federal, cantonal and communal level. The politically-minded project manager is supported by a team of experienced copywriting and communications professionals. "I am very motivated to use my commitment and expertise to contribute to the success of political projects in Graubünden and the whole of Eastern Switzerland," emphasizes Severin Geisseler.
Communicaziun.ch's portfolio includes political and issue monitoring, political strategy consulting, election and referendum campaigns, stakeholder management, lobbying and contact programs.
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The media company Somedia is taking over Communicaziun.ch and merging it with Viaduct as of March 1, 2024. This will create a new full-service provider in the marketing and communications sector.
The new agency, headed by Armin Spescha, brings together 80 employees, including 12 apprentices, and combines a range of creative services relating to brand management, communication and production under the name Communicaziun.ch. The new Communicaziun.ch offers corporate design, online and offline campaigns, moving images, websites, annual reports, signage, event management and other communication services from a single source. Offset and digital printing as well as all advertising technology services are carried out using the company's own machinery.
All jobs and the locations in Ilanz and Chur will be retained. From March 1, 2024, the two agencies will operate together under the Communicaziun.ch brand.
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Last Monday, the IG Kommunikationsagenturen Graubünden was founded. The communications industry in Graubünden has grown many times over in the last 15 years. The twenty founding members have joined forces to demonstrate their economic importance and to make the comprehensive range of competencies visible.
The IG wants to establish itself, take a stand on important issues and launch new topics. It is also important to the entrepreneurs that they can offer apprenticeships in the fields of graphics and mediamatics. In total, the IG members offer 24 apprenticeships and employ around 160 people. The IG states that all members together generate a turnover of about twelve million Swiss francs in the canton of Graubünden.
The participating communications agencies show what they can do and which faces are behind the competencies. Together, they are going on the offensive. "It is important to us that we are perceived correctly: as an employer with concentrated know-how," says Co-President Muriel Stillhard. Co-president Thomas Häusermann adds: "We also want to show what added value we offer our customers through our activities."
The cantonal government addressed Martin Jäger with a message of greeting and best wishes to the newly founded IG Kommunikationsagenturen Graubünden. As a guest speaker, Urs Schädler, President of the Graubünden Trade Association, addressed the IG Communications Agencies.
The new platform Agencies-gr.ch shows the agency landscape in Graubünden. Users can easily and quickly find out which company is suitable for which needs. The individual companies are divided into areas such as full service, marketing/communication, PR, graphics, digital or event. The website provides an overview and makes it easier for clients to take the first step in choosing an agency.
Founding members: Atlantiq, Clus Werbeagentur, Communicaziun.ch, Consulting People, Driftwood Crossmedia, Hü7 Markenagentur, Kompetenzzentrum Marketing KM, Küng Pluscom, Markenkern, Mediakompetenz, Miux, Pluswert, Pure Communications, Rob Nicolas, Skipp Communications, Soul.media, Stiffler Kommunikation, Stilecht Andreas Panzer, Süsskind Graphic Design und Kommunikation, Viaduct.
Shortly before the first game of the 2017/18 ice hockey season, it was announced that the players will in future serve their penalties in the Vaillant Arena on bathtubs and toilets, sponsored by the Kunz company, a specialist store for sanitary and wellness facilities in Klosters and Davos. The response was great. In particular, the "toilet" penalty bench caused heated discussions on social media. On the commentary pages of various news platforms, there was no consensus as to whether it was right to let the HC Davos opponents sit on toilets or whether the action was far from good taste. On the same day, the umbrella organization of Swiss ice hockey intervened and prevented the use of penalty benches at the start of the season. It should be clarified in advance whether the penalty benches are in compliance with the rules and meet the requirements of the league.
Specifications not met
According to article 8 in the technical regulations, the implementation of two different player benches is not allowed. This states that each penalty bench must have the same dimensions and composition without giving an advantage to one of the teams. Ice hockey fans who do not support HC Davos can therefore breathe a sigh of relief: in the future, they will not see their players sitting on toilets, but on identical bathtubs in the form of benches, which are also clearly recognizable as such. Does this mean that the marketing campaign of the specialty store in cooperation with HC Davos has failed?
HC Davos stands behind the action
"Not at all," says Marc Gianola, Head of Marketing and Sponsorship at HC Davos. "When we were presented with the implementation of the two penalty benches, we were immediately on board. Together with the sponsor and its marketing agency, we worked out the idea, fully aware that it would not be received by all fans in the same way and that there is a possibility that the federation will not approve of the penalty benches. However, we are of the opinion that the hockey scene can tolerate such actions, as the players on the field are not exactly squeamish with each other; swear words are part of the daily routine. There should be room for such marketing ideas with an ironic message.
In the future players sit on bathtubs
On the sponsor and agency side, too, the consensus is that the campaign was a complete success and exceeded expectations. "Successful marketing means sometimes taking unconventional paths. The aim of the campaign was to achieve the greatest possible impact with minimal resources, and we certainly succeeded. We were aware that the new interpretations of the penalty benches would be provocative and would not be approved of by everyone. The saying Shit happens, however, should not be taken literally, but rather in the sense of the proverb - stupidly done," explains Armin Spescha, owner of the marketing and communications agency Communicaziun.ch. However, the toilet penalty bench will now be replaced with a second, rule-compliant bathtub penalty bench, identical to the one used by the HCD. In the 2017/18 season, future penalties will be served in bathtubs. The discarded penalty bench will be used elsewhere in the future. Details are currently still being clarified.
Facebook, Twitter and Xing channels are also integrated into the site. The new website should not only enable intuitive navigation through the content, but also open the door to the world of WKK with atmospheric images. The graphic design agency Communicaziun is responsible for the appearance of the website. The web agency Südostschweiz Newmedia implemented the new website using the Typo3 content management system.