Forward is delighted to take over responsibility for the communication of Aethos Hotels in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Aethos Hotels represent a new generation of boutique hotels that combine luxury with authenticity and local character. Founded in 2018 by Benjamin Habbel and Jeff Coe, the hotels offer unforgettable experiences in destinations such as Corsica, Milan, Monterosa and Sardinia. In 2025, new hotels will also open in Mallorca and Madrid, further driving the brand's growth.

Forward's support is intended to strengthen Aethos Hotels' presence in the DACH market and establish the philosophy of "barefoot luxury" - a luxury that impresses through lived authenticity and cultural integration. "Today's travelers are looking for experiences that are enriching and go beyond pure entertainment," says Benjamin Habbel, CEO and Co-Founder of Aethos. At Aethos Hotels, guests will find an environment that promotes individuality and personal development and impresses with its modern design and local flair.

Forward CEO Linn Offer comments on the collaboration: "We are delighted to support Aethos Hotels in the DACH market and bring the brand's special stories to life. With the upcoming brand campaign and the new openings in Mallorca and Madrid, there are numerous exciting communication opportunities to anchor the Aethos vision in a sustainable way."

Forward is a full-service agency that has been developing creative communication strategies for premium and luxury brands in the DACH region since 2022. With a focus on cultural depth and innovation, Forward supports its partners in telling authentic and sustainable stories.

The mandate required comprehensive skills in strategic media planning, technological expertise, innovative ability and a high level of process reliability from the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland. The Forward agency impressed the OST assessment committee with its well-founded approach and structured, innovative implementation proposals.

"With Forward, we have chosen a partner that not only meets our high standards of media expertise, but also impresses us with its data-driven and innovative approach," says OST Head of Marketing Carlos Friedrich.

Forward will take over the planning and implementation of all OST's media activities from September 2024. The focus will be on increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of media investments.

With Cryptonow, cryptocurrencies can be purchased instantly and locally in retail outlets throughout Switzerland. The purchased cryptocurrencies are exchanged for voucher credits via the website and can be stored securely on the Cryptonow wallet.

While the Bitcoin price has been rising again for months and the upcoming halving marks a significant event in the Bitcoin blockchain, access to cryptocurrencies remains a challenge for many people. Cryptonow has launched a campaign to show how easy it is to buy crypto.

To this end, the Nord DDB agency developed the "Easier than" concept, which focuses on small everyday challenges that we overcome on a daily basis. With this clear message, Cryptonow wants to emphasize the user-friendliness of the product.

The Forward media agency ensures that the advertising reaches the target group in the right context: screens at busy train stations greet commuters at rush hour with the message "Easier than finding a seat on the train". In cinemas, the poster proclaims: "Easier than choosing a snack during the break". Other advertising measures include window stickers in streetcars with the slogan "Easier than not missing your stop" and context-related banners in digital media. The aim is to position Cryptonow as an uncomplicated solution for buying cryptocurrencies.

Responsible at Cryptonow: Marina Arnold, Andrea Lämmler. Responsible at Nord ID (Nord DBB): Alex Gjers, Livia Cives, Eddie Wernholm. Responsible at Forward Advertising: Sonam Wieland, Naomi Habisreutinger.

The campaign aims to raise awareness of common manifestations of psychological violence in relationships. In addition, those affected should get to know and use the digital support services offered by the cantons. To this end, the film production company Schau has transformed typical communication scenes on the topics of jealousy, the exercise of power and surveillance into static and moving advertising media.

Focus on media usage habits

The campaign focuses on young adults. The Forward team analyzed the media usage habits of this target group, derived a tailor-made media strategy and coordinated it with the six cantons. The starting point for the strategy is the content of the advertising material. Their common theme is the location of the people concerned. For this reason, the location and time of playout are also concentrated on the evening hours and thus the time of highest relevance. Digital formats in social media are aimed at people who are afraid to leave the house. Stories, reels and video prerolls on Instagram and YouTube are primarily used. Out-of-home placements, on the other hand, reach those who deliberately avoid the home. This task is fulfilled by ePanels and posters at busy transport hubs such as train stations and hanging boxes on public transport. Ads that link directly to offers of help remain active in Google searches throughout the year.

Responsible for Schau: Manuel Sieber, Jeremy Marugan, Jen Ries and Elia Mannhart. Responsible at Forward: Naomi Habisreutinger, Kevin Frey, Andrea Kloter and Sonam Wieland.

Fabio Marchesin (FinanzFabio) runs the largest Swiss financial podcast and is one of the widest-reaching Swiss influencers in financial matters on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok. Corinne Brecher runs a very successful investment blog with Instagram and Linkedin presence and is dedicated to financial education for women.

Together with Vivien Sparenberg from Vontobel, the financial influencers talk about how structured products work and what they can be used for in YouTube videos and podcasts. In this way, younger people in particular should become better acquainted with these financial instruments and be motivated to use them when making investment decisions. The first episode of the format can be seen here.

Content and campaign concept

Forward developed and implemented the content and campaign concept on behalf of Bank Vontobel. Sonam Wieland's team established contact with financial influencers, produced numerous video ads, and distributed them via YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn as part of a digital campaign. The targeting focused on so-called self-deciders, i.e. people with a high affinity for investments and independent information behavior.

"Social media is playing an increasingly important role in knowledge transfer," says Vivien Sparenberg. "As a leading player in the industry, we see it as our duty to be innovative and willing to experiment. With Forward, we have the right partner for these new directions. The team understands the intricacies of the financial industry and has a flair for trends."

Responsible at Vontobel are Vivien Sparenberg and Bianca Fumasoli. The Forward Team consists of Juri Singer, Sarah Blattner and Sonam Wieland.

With the Next initiative, Julius Baer wants to promote the discussion of mega-trends in science and technology through art. For the first project, the bank was able to win digital artist Refik Anadol. The artist has created "Glacier Dreams" from over 80 million glacier images using artificial intelligence. This work about the beauty and vulnerability of glaciers is at the heart of the campaign. The first chapter was shown in the Julius Baer Lounge at Art Dubai 2023. Further presentations are planned at the ArtScience Museum in Singapore, at Art Basel and at the Serpentine Gallery in London.

The Forward team has designed and implemented the advertising strategy around "Glacier Dreams". The aim is to attract the interest of culture lovers in the environment of major art fairs. To this end, Forward has worked with the NZZ, The Straits Times, The Times and The New York Times large-scale homepage takeovers have been agreed. During Art Basel, the campaign will be supplemented by digital outdoor advertising spaces in Switzerland. The regional measures will be flanked by contextual targeting via social media and programmatic advertising.

Responsible at Julius Baer: Larissa Alghisi Rubner, Olivier Berger, Alexander Tysl. Responsible at Forward: Naomi Habisreutinger, Andrea Kloter, Sonam Wieland.

Forward is an agency for digital media, programmatic & data-driven advertising, social media and search engine advertising. In addition to Sonam Wieland, the management team includes digital marketing experts Sarah Blattner and Kevin Frey. Together they bring many years of experience in digital campaign management, especially for the real estate, retail banking, investment banking, asset management and wealth management industries.

Sonam Wieland has been a member of the management team of Adisfaction, which will merge with Annex at the beginning of 2022 and operate as Adisfaction-Annex. (Werbewoche.ch reported).

Wieland explains Forward's philosophy as follows: "The agency stands for progress and innovation with its name. That is precisely our promise: We pick up our client where they are and take them to the next level in digital marketing. With creative, customized media solutions."