20 Minuten is expanding its team of experts for the upcoming World Cup: Daniel Gygax, a renowned expert on Swiss football, is joining the team. The former national player will accompany the tournament as a columnist and with expert opinions, providing his assessments of matches, teams and current developments.
Together with Ana Maria Markovic and the editors on site, 20 Minuten provides broad-based and varied coverage of the tournament. The experts' contributions will appear continuously throughout the World Cup.
First-hand insights
Daniel Gygax is delighted with his new role: «It's great to be able to provide insights into the World Cup and the national team. I'm particularly looking forward to putting the games in context and contributing my experience from major tournaments - from the preparations to the action on the pitch and the surrounding events.»
The former international knows what lies ahead for the players and what goals are set internally. «From my point of view, these can be high with the current team,» he explains. In his columns, Gygax wants to give his impressions honestly, directly and unadulterated - just as he always did as a player.
Valuable perspectives
Sven Forster, Head of Sports at 20 Minuten, is delighted with the addition: «We are delighted to have Daniel Gygax on board for 20 Minuten. He has experienced three major tournaments himself and brings valuable first-hand perspectives with him.» At the same time, Gygax has impressively demonstrated in recent years as an expert that he can classify complex game situations in an understandable, clear and pointed manner. This combination makes him an ideal addition to the coverage of the World Cup.
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Aarau-based communications agency Blueheart, which has been the official communications partner of FC Aarau since the beginning of 2025, is providing communications support for AEW's new sponsorship presence. From the launch measures for the media conference to a public relations campaign with posters, advertisements, video statements and a radio spot to perimeter advertising in the Brügglifeld stadium, the agency has implemented various measures. AEW's commitment to football in Aargau will also be a recurring theme on social media and in AEW's customer magazine, offering plenty of scope for emotional storytelling.
"This commitment is more than just a logo on the jersey. It stands for responsibility, sustainability and proximity to the people of Aargau," emphasizes Marc Ritter, CEO of AEW Energie AG.
In this context, AEW Energie AG has also created a sports apprenticeship in the commercial sector. Liam Isler, a young talent from FC Aarau, is currently benefiting from this unique apprenticeship and is enthusiastic after the first few months: "This special apprenticeship is a huge opportunity for me and makes it much easier to combine work and football."
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Why are these screens so small, of all things? That’s what you find yourself wondering when controversial calls come up during soccer games, where the VAR (Video Assistant Referee) steps in and the referee then makes the final decision based on a rather small screen. must. A decision that brings joy or sorrow—and in professional sports, can often be worth millions. Samsung asked itself: Why not watch these important moments on a bigger screen with the best possible resolution? That’s exactly what they were able to pull off as a PR stunt at the «Jogo Dos Famosos.».
In the 35th minute, an incident occurred. Johan Vonlanthen shoved André Santos, who then dramatically fell to the ground—much to the amusement, of course, of the spectators in theSwissporarena in Lu, sold outzern.
The VAR immediately contacted the referee. The referee ran over to the small VAR screenn, on which, however, the situation did not seem clear. Then That's when Samsung came into the picture: Samsung installed a new VAR screen—an 85-inch Samsung Neo QLED TV with 8K resolution—in the Referee Review Area (RRA), allowing the referee to review the play up close.
This not only created an entertaining moment during the game featuring legends such as Ronaldinho, Rivaldo, Santos, Yakin, and Djourou and Džemaili, Instead, Samsung's Big TVs were perfectly showcased and immediately demonstrated their picture quality.
Toni Koller, Marketing Director at Samsung Switzerland: «The »Jogo Dos Famosos’ game provided the ideal stage for an extraordinary presentation. The soccer match featuring legends in a sold-out stadium was the perfect opportunity to showcase Samsung Big TVs in an entertaining and emotional way. With the ‘Big TV. Big Wow.’ campaign, we were able to showcase the benefits of our technology live, offer fans a unique brand experience, and generate excitement across all channels.”
Client: Samsung Switzerland. Idea and implementation: Brinkertlück, Switzerland
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Following the successful launch in September, "Forza! XXL" is the next step for the podcast: The integration of the football talk show "Blick Kick" gives the Forza! world a digital talk format. The show will be hosted by Tobias Wedermann, Head of Football at Viewand Florian Raz, Sports Journalist of the Year 2024, together with the previous "Blick Kick" moderation team Fabian Fuhrer and Rebecca Spring.
To kick off "Forza! XXL" on Monday, they discuss the current form of the Swiss national team with former internationals Alex Frei and Blerim Dzemaili. The format will be available on Blick.ch, YouTube and as an audio podcast on all popular platforms.
"With its mix of analysis, entertainment and in-depth interviews, the Forza! crew strikes a chord with Swiss fans," says Emanuel Gisi, Head of Sports at View. "That's why it's only logical that we offer Tobias Wedermann and Florian Raz an additional stage." While "Blick Kick" was broadcast weekly, "Forza! XXL" will appear whenever major topics need to be discussed on and off the pitch.
New live results directly on your cell phone
In addition to the expansion of content View also introduced a new digital feature: With "Live Activities", app users receive the results of the Super League in real time as a widget directly on their cell phone screen. Anyone following a match in the live ticker can activate the desired match at the touch of a button.
As part of this cooperation, Blue News supplies the content for Livesystems' DOOH screens. With over 1.1 million page views every day, the news platform is particularly popular among football fans, according to the company.
The new DOOH live tickers show the most important match scenes including video sequences in the respective region and language. "In Lugano, for example, the content is broadcast in Italian, while in Zurich it is in German," explains Christian Imhof, COO of Livesystems. The table is also shown after the end of the game.
More reach for Blue News
The cooperation offers Blue News an additional platform to reach football fans on the move. Claudia Lässer, Chief Product Officer Blue Sport & News at Blue Entertainment, emphasizes: "With Livesystems, we can achieve a remarkable reach in addition to our existing Blue News readers in a very short time. So everyone can follow the action, even if they are on the move."
After a successful test run in 2024, the project was launched at the beginning of 2025. The content will be shown on screens for 24 hours from the start of the game.
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"For us, this partnership is more than just our name in the league's logo," emphasizes Roman Reichelt, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Brack. "We will offer fans real added value and are already working on various projects as part of this sponsorship." This cooperation will also be reflected in the Brack product range, adds CEO Stefan Fraude: "More information on this will follow at the end of the current season."
The Swiss Football League is also delighted. "With Brack, we are gaining a partner that has been committed to promoting young talent in Swiss football for years," says Claudius Schäfer, CEO of the Swiss Football League.
The contract between Brack and the Swiss Football League runs for at least five years.
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At last Saturday's friendly match against FC Schalke 04, the FC Aarau players took to the pitch in their new anniversary jerseys. The fans seemed to like it: FC Aarau reportedly sold around 450 of them in just five days. The team will continue to use it as a third jersey alongside the home and away jerseys.
The Aarau agency Blueheart is responsible for the design of the jersey. As the official communication partner of FC Aarau, it is supporting the football club with its anniversary communication. In addition to the "100 years Brügglifeld" anniversary logo, the Blueheart team also designed the jersey. With its white collar and buttons, the new piece has a deliberately retro feel. The colors black and anthracite, together with a little gold, give the shirt the necessary elegance for such an anniversary.
The Brügglifeld is commemorated with the main stand - according to Blueheart, the motif required extremely precise final artwork. The anniversary logo is emblazoned on the left chest, just above the club logo.
Responsible at FC Aarau: Pascal Bünter (Head of Marketing); Miguel Peralta, (Marketing/Sponsoring). Responsible at Blueheart: Olivier Kilchherr (concept); Marina Botic (graphics); Izabela Carona (realization); Vanessa Mentha (consulting); Sarah Rölli (photos).
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From now on, Frei will be joining the existing Blick team of experts and will present his views on football in podcasts, video formats and columns. "I've always been on the other side so far," Frei is quoted as saying in a press release. "Now I'm curious to see what it feels like to assess events in the stadiums in Switzerland and on the world football stage from the media's perspective."
During his career, the former national team player scored 42 goals in 84 international matches. He was also a professional in the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and the Super League. He then gained insight at all levels as a coach and sports director in both Swiss football leagues and at youth level.
Frei's experience makes him an excellent fit for the team, according to the View. "Alex Frei has his own opinion and stands by it, even when there is a headwind. That makes him an absolute stroke of luck for us," says View-Head of Sport Emanuel Gisi.
Frei has his first assignment this week at "Forza!", the football podcast from Blickwhere he discusses the state of affairs surrounding the Swiss national team with head of football Tobias Wedermann.
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FORZA! provides analysis and opinions on the Swiss national team, the Super League and events in the international leagues - always to the point and with an open mind. The premiere episode is now available available on Blick.ch, all popular podcast and social media platforms and as a video on YouTube. Guest at the start: FCZ legend and former national team star Blerim Dzemaili.
Blick head of football Tobias Wedermann: "Football and Blick - that's a decades-long success story that we are now expanding with a new format and audiovisual chapter. With this podcast, we want to offer Swiss football fans on all platforms a place for exciting background information, discussion material and entertainment."
Emanuel Gisi, Head of Sports Blick: "More analysis, more background and even more debates: With FORZA! blick.ch is getting a podcast that deals exclusively with football. Tobias Wedermann brings his expertise as a networked reporter to the table, hosts interviews and puts the spotlight on the big and small stories that make football so fascinating. The 360° format scores points as a pure audio product as well as video content that can be consumed in short clips on our social media channels or as a pure print article. Modern storytelling that reaches users where they want to consume our formats."
Blick is a Swiss media brand that gets to the heart of what moves Switzerland. Blick reports on a wide range of topics, covering the best in news, sport, people, politics, business and society. In Switzerland's largest newsroom, journalists work around the clock to thoroughly process complex issues and present them in an easily understandable way. Using an app, website, digital TV, newspaper, social media, podcast and newsletter, their research is consumed by more than 1.4 million people in German- and French-speaking Switzerland every day.
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The qualifying round for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico marks the start of a new cycle for the Swiss national football team next year. After more than ten years, Rainer Maria Salzgeber will no longer be accompanying the team on location for SRF. As SRF writes in a communiqué, the 55-year-old from Valais has decided to hand over the moderation of the broadcasts surrounding the national team's matches after the Nations League campaign after more than ten years. In view of the World Cup, Paddy Kälin will take over this task from 2025.
Rainer Maria Salzgeber first covered a major football tournament for SRF in 1996 at the European Championships in England. He has been presenting live broadcasts at the European Championships since 2000. For the past ten years, the 55-year-old has hosted the formats surrounding the Swiss national team's matches - usually on location at the stadium or training camp, from 2018 together with national team expert Benjamin Huggel.
During this time, he became the face of the national team matches in many Swiss-German households, as SRF writes further. Salzgeber will remain with SRF as anchor of the Champions League broadcasts. He will also continue to present the "Sportpanorama" and the "Sports Awards".
Salzgeber's successor Paddy Kälin has been with SRF since 2000 and has gained a lot of experience as a sports editor and presenter over the past 24 years. At UEFA Euro 2024, the 48-year-old hosted a national team match for the first time when he temporarily took over for Rainer Maria Salzgeber in Stuttgart and Düsseldorf.
"Rainer Maria Salzgeber covered the Swiss national team's matches with charm and humor, but also with a precise and critical eye and a great deal of expertise in a highly professional manner. He deserves great praise and thanks for this. With Paddy Kälin, a worthy successor is following in his footsteps who can turn live moments - such as the recent European Athletics Championships in Rome or the Olympic Games in Paris - into something special," says Susan Schwaller, Editor-in-Chief of SRF Sport. (pd/swi)
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Numerous companies and brands supported the European Championship in Germany. For example, Engelbert Strauss, BYD, Adidas, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Lidl and AliExpress were among the official sponsors of UEFA Euro 2024, including brands that are measured in YouGov Switzerland's continuous brand tracking, the Swiss Brand Observer.
Every week, YouGov surveys a sample of around 250 people who are representative of the Swiss population aged 15-79. Since April 2024, interviewees have also been asked whether they have noticed sponsorship activities by various brands in the past seven days. This continuous measurement covers the time before (zero measurement), after (post measurement) and during the European Championship (interim measurement) perfectly.
National team main sponsor UBS most strongly perceived
The analysis from the Swiss Brand Observer includes official UEFA sponsors such as AliExpress, Lidl, Coca Cola Zero and Swissquote, as well as other national team and TV sponsors such as UBS and Ochsner Sport. Even though UBS was not visible on the banners on the sidelines, the sponsorship awareness of UBS was greater than that of other brands. Lidl, Swissquote, AliExpress and Coca Cola Zero were among the official advertising partners - but were all less visible. UBS was less present on the match days themselves - but the big bank was depicted twice on the training jerseys - clearly legible above the chest, not to mention as the only sponsor. Of course, the European Football Championship was not the only event at which the corresponding brands were visible during the same period. UBS also sponsored the Kids Cup in Lucerne at the end of June during the European Championships.
AliExpress with strong increase in sponsorship awareness
Even though UBS recorded the strongest absolute sponsorship perception in Switzerland, there were other brands that had an even stronger effect in terms of the relative difference in brand perception during this period. The average sponsorship awareness of Chinese online retailer AliExpress between April and mid-June 2024 averaged 0.2% - practically zero. During the European Championships, sponsorship awareness of the brand then averaged 6%, which corresponds to a 30-fold increase. AliExpress reached its peak in calendar weeks 26 and 27 - in the middle of the European Championships. During the European Championships, supported awareness amounted to around 60% and was therefore not significantly different from before the tournament. This means that people who were already familiar with the brand suddenly became aware of the sponsorship. Although awareness of AliExpress at the end of July reached its highest level since measurements began in September 2021, it remains to be seen whether an actual change in awareness has occurred. According to YouGov, the proportion of current customers has not yet changed significantly.
Four times greater brand awareness for Lidl
However, brands that are still better known in this country also showed a significant and clear increase in brand awareness. This applies in particular to Lidl. In the run-up to the tournament, just under 3% registered the discounter's sponsorship. In the last two weeks of the tournament, this figure rose to 10%. The peak value was thus four times higher than the average sponsorship perception between April and mid-June.
However, Lidl's telecommunications brand did not benefit from a spill-over effect. The sponsorship perception of Lidl Connect remained at a maximum noise level of 2% during the European Championships.
No effect on image facets
According to YouGov, the increased perception of sponsorship among the brands observed did not lead to any significant changes in image. This also applies to image facets such as corporate social responsibility, in which the efforts of sponsorship or brand appearances at events and other occasions are likely to manifest themselves the most. According to YouGov, sponsorship was simply too short-lived for this. Because the image of brands is constant, it takes patience and a lot of time to change it - especially for positive changes in terms of image shaping.
However, even negative influences in the form of negative reporting, for example, do not necessarily lead directly to a change in image. Repeated scandals that stick and jeopardize trust in the brand's performance are particularly dangerous. YouGov cites Volkswagen's emissions scandal in 2015 as an example: this was not quite as problematic for the brand itself, as ecology is not a core brand value of VW or is not something that people associate with VW per se.
Sponsoring as a drop in the ocean?
The data from the Swiss Brand Observer shows that one-off or stand-alone sponsorships only have a short-term impact on brand perception. It is important that brands know what they stand for and what their core brand values are - and then communicate these confidently and actively to the outside world. Feedback from the target group is also important in order to control perception. The success and strength of a campaign's impact on brand perception depends on this and the appropriate fit of the sponsorship.
In order to bring about long-term changes, sponsorships of major events such as the European Championship should be embedded in campaigns lasting several months and their success should be continuously tracked in order to consolidate and strengthen effects and enable targeted follow-up. This helps to ensure that the success of the sponsorship and the momentum generated for the European Championship sponsors does not simply fizzle out afterwards and that the commitment pays off for the brand in the medium and long term.
Information on the Swiss Brand Observer
- Type of study: continuous brand tracking (365 days per year)
- Survey excerpt/time for this article: April 1 to July 28, 2024
- Population: Swiss resident population aged 15 to 79 years
- Sample size: approx. n = 4,000
- Research method: online interviews
- Quotation/weighting: interlocked by age, gender and language region
As the new Main Partner of REDFC the discounter Denner is bringing a breath of fresh air to Swiss football. From now on, fans of the Promotion League, 1st League Classic and 2nd League Interregional can experience their favorite teams even more intensively live - thanks to the various stream integrations on REDFC.
With this partnership, Denner is underlining its commitment to local sport and demonstrating once again that you can not only shop at Denner at a good price, but also share a passion for football.
Stephan Wullschleger, Chief Commercial Officer of Ringier Sports, is delighted with the new partner: "Denner is the perfect addition to REDFC. Together, we want to share the enthusiasm for football throughout Switzerland."
Adrian Bodmer, Denner CEO a.i., adds: "This partnership is a perfect fit for us. REDFC is simple, close and inexpensive - just like shopping at Denner."
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