Holistic communication solutions that combine voice, email, chat, video and collaboration are seen as the model of the future in strategy and marketing. In reality, however, most companies work with separate systems. IP telephony, whether in the cloud or locally, usually runs separately from email and collaboration tools, while chat platforms are rarely integrated. For many companies, the aspiration of a standardized platform remains a goal, not a reality.

Market analyses show a high level of interest: The European market for Unified Communication & Collaboration (UCC) is estimated at 49 billion US dollars, with 18% annual growth until 2030. Over 65% of companies in Western Europe use cloud-based tools to some extent, but only just under half are pursuing a mobile-first strategy. In the majority of cases, systems that can only be used on mobile devices remain in place - without any real integration of voice, video, chat and email.

Underestimated stumbling blocks

One reason is the high complexity of implementation. A central platform requires far-reaching interventions in existing structures, consolidation of systems, training, process adjustments and clarification of compliance and data protection issues. In Europe in particular, the GDPR makes it difficult to integrate sensitive voice and video data. The effort involved is enormous, and the efficiency gains often only become apparent in the long term.

The costs are also a deterrent. Licenses, ongoing fees, training programs and adjustments to the IT landscape make UC platforms expensive. Many companies therefore prefer to rely on specialized systems. Studies also show that modern IP telephony platforms enable savings of up to 30-40 percent compared to traditional telephone systems. A strong voice solution can therefore be cost-efficient and future-proof without the complexity of complete UCC environments.

In addition, specialized tools such as Microsoft Exchange, Google Workspace, Slack, Teams or Zoom have long been established. Switching to a monolithic platform would often create duplicate structures and additional costs without noticeably improving the quality of communication. Especially in the area of voice, companies value the stability and reliability of specialized IP solutions over complex integration attempts.

IP voice solutions for modern communication

Language remains at the heart of business communication anyway. It enables precision, a personal approach and fast responses. Modern IP telephones offer HD audio, integration into existing IT systems, remote support and compatibility with common platforms - in other words, precisely the functions that are crucial for efficient processes. For many companies, a strong IP telephony infrastructure provides more practical benefits than a fully integrated UCC solution. In practice, this is demonstrated by telephones with integrated Wi-Fi or as robust DECT end devices. The German manufacturer Snom refers here to its Snom D865 model, for example. Such devices not only offer reliable telephony, but can also be integrated into systems for alerting, localization or AI transcription. Especially in environments such as production, logistics or healthcare, their stability and high voice quality ensure clear communication - even for AI-supported applications.

Although many IT managers see UCC as a long-term vision, they are currently relying on proven modular architectures. The combination of IP telephony, collaboration tools and email systems is the more pragmatic solution for most companies. This means that UCC will remain more of a pipe dream in 2025, while modern IP voice solutions are already making a decisive contribution to clear, reliable and efficient communication today.

Source: Snom Technology GmbH

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/unified-communication-collaboration-bleibt-zukunftsmusik/

The Swiss Out of Home Awards 2025 recognize the most creative Out of Home campaigns in Switzerland. Solidar Suisse with the image campaign "Inequality" (category "Public Service"), Denner with "Save the rest." ("Commercial National" category), Hiltl with the "Mother's Day Campaign" ("Commercial Local & Regional" category) and EWZ with the "Energy Campaign 2025" ("Digital Out of Home" category) won gold, while the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich won both gold in the "Culture" category and the main "Campaign of the Year" prize with "Japanese Graphics Today". The award-winning campaigns show the different areas of application of Out of Home Media: From public service to local and national advertising to digital and cultural implementations.

154 works submitted

On September 4, 2025, a top-class jury of 14 experts from the fields of advertising, culture and design selected the winner of the WOOHW! award night At the StageOne Event & Convention Hall in Zurich, the 15 winning campaigns of the "Swiss Out of Home Award", the largest creative competition for analog, digital and innovative outdoor advertising, were announced and awarded in gold, silver and bronze. A total of 154 entries were submitted in advance, 27 of which were nominated by the jury. The award ceremony took place as part of the industry event WOOHW!, which is organized by the Swiss Outdoor Advertising Association (AWS) and supported by APG|SGA, Goldbach Neo and Horizon. 

Supporting program with keynotes, panel and award party

The industry event WOOHW! was preceded by the conference. The specialist part began in the late afternoon with striking keynotes by Prof. Dr. Errichiello (brand sociologist and consultant) and Regula Bührer Fecker (two-time "Advertiser of the Year" and owner of La Stratégiste). The subsequent panel discussion focused on credibility, attitude, trust and attention in successful brand management. In addition to the two keynote speakers, the panel featured Nathalie Forrer (Head of Marketing at Lidl Switzerland) and Christian-Kumar Meier (Head of Transformation and member of the management team at mediatonic). The lively discussion was moderated by Anna Kohler (Editor-in-Chief and Journalistic Director of m&k Das Magazin für Markt und Kommunikation).

The entire WOOHW! event was hosted by Bigna Silberschmidt (presenter and journalist). Sponsors such as Setaprint AG, Richnerstutz AG, Burri Public Elements AG and Media Focus provided highlights with their presentations. The sound for the dinner and party was provided by "sax o' conga" with singer Tanja Dankner. The more than 300 invited guests partied in high spirits until late into the evening.

The winners

Campaign of the Year & Gold Culture: Museum für Gestaltung

Gold Commercial National: Denner

Gold Local & Regional: Hiltl AG

Gold Public Service: Solidar Suisse

Gold DOOH: EWZ

 

 

The agency from Liestal and Zurich is thus further expanding its position in the energy sector and contributing its own expertise to the Europe-wide network of experts.

The EPN has been an established platform for exchange and networking in the energy sector for over two decades. Monthly conferences with top-class speakers ensure practical knowledge transfer among experts. The focus is increasingly on forward-looking topics such as renewable energies, flexibility management through battery storage and digitalization in the Swiss and European electricity market.

Even after the takeover, Klaus E. Schewe, the founder of EPN, will remain in the network as an advisor. The managing partners of the IEU, Fabian Cortesi and Hans Jörg Luchsinger, will manage the platform and emphasize the importance of joint solutions for the energy sector. "We see it as our role to build bridges between research, business and society," says Cortesi. The IEU sees itself as a service provider in strategic communication management and promotes the personal exchange of important future topics with new formats.

With nine employees, the owner-managed agency specializes in the areas of energy, construction, real estate, sustainability and innovation. The acquisition of the energy platform EPN is intended to drive the agency's growth and provide further impetus for the transformation of the energy industry.

Around 110 representatives from media, marketing and advertising gathered at Arena Cinemas Sihlcity on September 3, 2025 to gain new impetus, exclusive data and exciting perspectives on the topic of attention in moving image communication. Thanks to the support of the Interessengemeinschaft elektronische Medien (IGEM), the event gained additional visibility in the Swiss media community.

Seven Schögel theses

In his keynote speech, Prof. Dr. Marcus Schögel from the Institute for Marketing and Customer Insight at the University of St. Gallen focused on the importance of attention as a scarce commodity. Under the title "Attention between algorithm and distraction - seven theses for effective communication", he showed how brands can free themselves from short-term performance optimization and achieve sustainable impact through the right mix of brand and activation. Using scientific principles, he explained that communication is ineffective without attention. He introduced the "attention economy", in which information overload and distraction dominate, and emphasized that cinema has a unique attention monopoly here: shielded from second screens, highly emotional, socially amplified and with creative freedom for longer formats. His conclusion: Cinema is a premium touchpoint in the customer journey that anchors brand messages for the long term.

LUMEN Attention Study

The second part of the morning was followed by a presentation by Christian Tingler, Director Research Weischer.GeoConsult, together with Frank Senger, Head of Marketing & Communications / Managing Director Weischer.Cinema Germany. They presented the key findings of the new LUMEN Attention study. The study commissioned by Weischer enables an objective performance comparison of all moving image channels - including cinema - for the first time. The results provide groundbreaking insights into the effectiveness of media investments in the context of real attention.

Together with research partner Lumen Research (UK), eye tracking studies were carried out in real movie theaters. 215 test subjects watched 20 advertising motifs over eight screenings - the eye movements were recorded and analyzed using the latest technology. The results:

• Cinema achieves up to 4 x higher attention scores than other moving image channels.
• The attention CPM is up to 3 x lower.
• In combination with TV, Kino increases the number of "Attentive Contacts" by up to 26 % - without any additional budget.

Conclusion of the study

The research thus impressively proves that cinema is the most attention-grabbing and at the same time most efficient medium in the media mix. In an inspiring overview, they also outlined the relevance of attention in the modern media world according to the concept of the attention economy. Their message: Attention is not a buzzword, but the indispensable basis of effective brand communication.

Christof Kaufmann, CEO of Weischer.Cinema Switzerland, emphasized the relevance of the results: "Attention is the new currency in the advertising market. The LUMEN study impressively shows that cinema is the place where brands can have a real impact - far beyond the moment. Cinema is your best seat in media."

Significance for the advertising market

Whether as a stage for strong brand presentations or as an efficiency booster in the moving image mix - cinema remains the medium with the greatest impact. Attention has come to stay. And cinema delivers it in its purest form.

Data volumes in companies are growing, and with them the challenges of data protection. This is because it is no longer primarily stored on well-secured internal servers, but is constantly flowing back and forth between end devices inside and outside the company network, local infrastructures and clouds, as well as new AI tools. Traditional security concepts cannot keep up with this diversity and dynamism - companies need to focus on the data itself and regulate in detail what can and cannot be done with it. Solutions for data loss prevention (DLP) help with this. In the experience of the IT security service provider Forcepoint, the following approach has proven to be successful when introducing them:

• Step 1: Define goals and use cases
  First of all, companies need to clarify what goals they want to achieve with the introduction of a DLP solution: Is it about protecting valuable intellectual property or regulatory requirements, for example in relation to data protection? Should a secure basis for hybrid working models be created or is the focus on the introduction of new cloud services and AI tools that should not lead to data leaks? Based on this, companies can create a risk profile that includes the different types of data to be protected, the channels through which it can flow and the consequences of data outflows.
• Step 2: Set up implementation plan
  Once it has been determined which data and channels are to be protected, a roadmap for the DLP introduction can be defined. To do this, companies need to get all stakeholders on board and clarify responsibilities, such as who will take care of installation and integration into the existing infrastructure, who will optimize policies and who will handle incidents. A timetable can then be worked out together, taking into account the available personnel resources and also allowing time for testing.
• Step 3: Define guidelines and workflows
  Once the project management preparations have been completed, the guidelines that the DLP solution will later enforce can be drawn up. To do this, experts from the specialist departments should be consulted to help assess what impact the loss or theft of data would have. Based on this, actions can be defined for activities such as sending data by email or uploading it to the cloud. For non-critical data, logging is usually sufficient; for other data, a warning, an approval process or blocking of the action is possible, depending on the channel and criticality. Encryption can also be enforced, for example when saving documents on USB sticks. It is important that actions are initiated as automatically as possible in order to reduce the workload of the security team and avoid delays for users. Only events with unknown effects should require manual intervention: The relevant workflows - Who looks at the incident? Who decides on the measures? - are also defined in this project phase.
• Step 4: Introduce DLP and use it for monitoring
  Now comes the actual installation and configuration of the DLP solution. Before it is fully activated and the policies are enforced, it should initially be used largely passively - only for monitoring. This gives companies an insight into all data movements and the potential impact of their policies. If they turn out to be too restrictive, they can still make adjustments. Only policies that concern highly critical activities such as the mass upload of data to suspicious destinations on the Internet should actually be enforced at this stage. Furthermore, it often makes sense not to start the DLP deployment company-wide, but with one channel such as email or cloud, with one department or with one region.
• Step 5: Start enforcing policies
  Once the fine-tuning of the policies has been completed, they can finally be enforced - here too, it is advisable to take a step-by-step approach and start with the most critical data and channels, for example. However, a close look at monitoring is still recommended to ensure that employees are not hindered in legitimate activities and that policies are adjusted quickly if necessary. It is also ideal if the DLP solution does not rely on rigid guidelines, but takes into account the context of activities and changes guidelines according to the risk. After all, it is often only the context that shows whether an action is harmless or security-critical, for example because the user accesses data at unusual times or from unusual locations or suddenly downloads significantly larger amounts of data than in their previous working day.
• Step 6: Make optimizations
  Once the actual DLP implementation has been completed, it is time for analysis and optimization. If, for example, certain risky behavioral patterns emerge in the workforce, companies can provide targeted training. The effectiveness of the guidelines should also be continuously monitored. Ultimately, just like the introduction of DLP, data security is not a one-off action that is completed at some point, but should be continually optimized to take account of new technologies, tools, data types and threats.
• Step 7: Deploy DLP company-wide
  The DLP implementation is completed with the extension of protection to the remaining data types and channels that were not yet considered in steps 4 and 5. If a modern DLP solution is used, the existing policies can easily be applied to other channels, which is why the effort involved is manageable. If necessary, existing policies can also be replicated and adapted if a channel has special requirements. 
• Step 8: Extend DLP to DPSM
  Expanding a DLP solution to a complete Data Security Posture Management (DSPM) can significantly improve the effectiveness of policies. DSPM offers functions for automatic data discovery and data classification so that companies do not overlook any data assets and have less manual effort. DSPM also helps to detect and eliminate excessive permissions for files, thus further reducing the risk of security breaches. This makes it easier to implement least privilege principles. Last but not least, DSPM also identifies data that is redundant, outdated or superfluous and can be deleted to reduce storage costs. 

"A DLP implementation is not a mammoth project, as many companies fear," emphasizes Fabian Glöser, Team Lead Sales Engineering Nordics, Central & Eastern Europe at Forcepoint. "A structured approach ensures that human resources are used optimally and that the project goals are not lost sight of. Modern DLP and DSPM solutions also use AI for data classification and come with a ready-made policy set, which significantly reduces manual effort. In many projects, we have completed data discovery and data classification after just two to four weeks, know what is happening with sensitive data and can enforce the first company-specific guidelines."

Source and further information: Forcepoint

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/wie-sich-datenabfluesse-verhindern-lassen/

A study by Omnicom Media Group Switzerland shows that sponsorship in the Eurowurd environment was well received by fans. Acceptance increased during the tournament - as did the willingness to buy the sponsors' products. Young target groups were particularly enthusiastic: 75% shared content or talked to others about the European Championships.

"Sponsorship is not a sure-fire success," says Michael Selz, Omnicom Media Group. "The effect only really unfolds when accompanying campaigns reinforce the commitment." It is striking that popular sport associations work better than pure performance narratives in certain target groups.

Conclusion according to Omnicom Media Group: Women's Euro 2025 has confirmed sponsorship as a powerful instrument - provided that brands combine reach with clever activation.

SMG Swiss Marketplace Group is preparing its IPO. The so-called "Intention to Float" (ITF) has now been published. TX Group, which holds a 30.7 percent stake in SMG, believes in the Group's sustainable prospects. "There are long-term convictions in terms of both cash flow and value development," the ad hoc announcement states. There is no question of an exit from the shareholder base: TX Group will not sell any shares as part of the planned IPO.

The exact timing of the IPO depends on current market conditions. Further information will follow as soon as there is more clarity.

The TX Group founded the SMG Swiss Marketplace Group in 2021 together with Mobiliar, Ringier and General Atlantic. The platforms Homegate and Ricardo as well as Tutti and car4you were brought into the group at the time. Today, SMG bundles central marketplace offerings. The TX Group sees itself as a long-term anchor shareholder.

The TX Group can look back on a long tradition in the Swiss media landscape. The Group operates a network of platforms and holdings. Its portfolio includes Tamedia newspapers and "20 Minuten" media. With Goldbach, the TX Group is also active in advertising marketing, while investments in companies such as JobCloud, Doodle and Zattoo as well as investments in the fintech sector round off its activities. TX Group itself has been listed on the stock exchange since 2000.

Switzerland is cautious about the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI). According to the latest "AI Monitor" from Ipsos, a small majority of the population is more nervous than enthusiastic about new AI products and services. This puts Switzerland in line with English-speaking countries such as the USA and the UK, while euphoria prevails in Southeast Asia.

Demand for transparency

The issue of trust is particularly sensitive for many. Only 41% of Swiss people believe that companies protect their data effectively when using AI. Half of those surveyed are skeptical. By contrast, trust in government regulation is significantly higher: 55% trust the authorities to handle the technology responsibly.

One point that unites the population is the demand for transparency. A whopping 77 percent expect companies to clearly declare the use of AI. Switzerland is thus joining the global call for openness - from France to Canada, there is a remarkable consensus in this regard.

AI is changing everyday life

The effects of AI are already being felt by many. 43% say that their everyday lives are already being changed by AI, and the trend is rising. In the next three to five years, 61% expect more far-reaching changes - a figure below the global average, but significantly above that of the previous year.

The population also has different views on specific fields of application. While 76% assume that AI will shape online search results in the future, many see advantages in increasing efficiency or in entertainment. However, when it comes to the labor market, concerns prevail: 41% fear negative consequences for jobs in the country, even though a third personally expect better working conditions.

Pragmatism required

"The results reflect Switzerland's pragmatic attitude," says Jean-Pierre Berst, Chief Client Officer at Ipsos. Trust and transparency will be crucial if companies want to successfully introduce AI, continues Berst.

The message is clear: in a country where quality and trust are core values, artificial intelligence is not celebrated as a promise of salvation - but as a challenge that must be met with caution and openness.

Source: Ipsos

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/zwischen-faszination-und-skepsis-wie-die-schweiz-auf-ki-blickt/

When you walk into Lobeco, you immediately sense a breath of cabin air before the Champions League final. Founder Lorenz Beringer, once Head of Social Media at FC Bayern, and Managing Director Sebastian Iffert, also an FC veteran, have built up an agency that combines strategy, creation and technology like a coach combines tactics, team spirit and talent. Today, the 130-strong team works at four locations - Munich, Zurich, Berlin and Shanghai - to turn clients into digital champions.

The sporting DNA characterizes the working style: clear roles, high tempo, well-rehearsed processes. In-house production of all content is the standard here, not the exception. Tailor-made solutions such as the AI tool "CorporateGPT by LOBECO" are created in the AI Lab, while formats ranging from live streams to AI-supported video series are produced in the in-house studio. Workshops, training programs and the AI driving license enable customers to play confidently themselves - using state-of-the-art digital gaming systems.

Game system for sustainable success

Sebastian Iffert, Managing Director, is primarily responsible for the further development of the Swiss location. "At the same time, I look after the Automotive, Financial Services and Healthcare divisions." He describes the collaboration with customers as sparring at eye level: defining goals together, shaping paths, learning continuously. Lobeco's USP: in-depth social media expertise combined with the ability to combine organic, paid and data into a powerful unit. For Iffert, "lifelong learning" is not just a motto, but a must in order to achieve long-term success in a dynamic market.

Creative playmaker qualities

Carsten Jamrow, Creative Director, moved from Jung von Matt to the Lobeco team in 2024 - a completely new start for him. "Above all, we want to become much stronger conceptually," he says. Jamrow focuses on brand-specific trend integration and speed: seizing trends while they are hot and implementing them in a way that fits the brand personality. With content produced in-house, Lobeco can react on a daily basis - an advantage that often makes the difference between a hit and a miss in social media.

"Above all, we want to become much stronger conceptually" - Carsten Jamrow

Lobeco's customer portfolio was one of the reasons for Jamrow to make the switch: Lidl in Switzerland as an extremely large customer, Paulaner as a traditional brand with an international character, BMW and BMW Motorrad as well as sports customers such as FC Bayern and Bayer Leverkusen. The challenge with these customers is to develop something unique for each channel that gives it an additional push. "It's not enough to simply have a creative idea that fits every channel. These days, it's so important to develop your own ideas on TikTok, to see what works for the target group on Instagram and not just to bring the classic idea to the channels."

Local class, international tactics

Claudine Caviezel has managed Lobeco's Swiss office since 2025. In Zurich, she combines local expertise with international digital strategy - close to the customer and attentive to the linguistic and cultural peculiarities of Switzerland. Creative storytelling is not a buzzword, but a lived practice: creativity and data flow into each other from the idea and strategy to implementation and playout. The close collaboration with the headquarters in Munich is characterized by plenty of scope for local solutions. Claudine Caviezel brings a holistic view from her international corporate experience - and a sense of rhythm that stems from another source: her passion for electronic music, which remains to this day. As a teenager, she experienced the beginnings of the Zurich techno scene, hosted television programs about DJs and techno and still thinks in beats when structuring campaigns. This "sense of rhythm" also characterizes her dealings with clients, who are increasingly expected to perceive social media as a C-level topic - as a business driver, not just a communication channel, as she says in the m&k video talk.

"We build up expertise in the companies" - Claudine Caviezel

For Claudine Caviezel, anchoring social media as a holistic strategy tool for clients is a major concern. Lobeco Switzerland meets this with a clear profile: eleven years of experience as a pure digital agency, sound industry knowledge and a team enablement approach that builds up know-how sustainably in companies. Whether workshops, data monitoring, product launches or campaigns - the Zurich team complements the internal resources precisely. And it is growing - healthy, customer-oriented and with the aim of being the partner for Swiss brands that recognizes trends without losing sight of the brand essence.

Double pass between Zurich and Munich

Working closely with Claudine Caviezel, Frederik Paschko is driving interdisciplinary collaboration between the headquarters and the Zurich site - with a hybrid management approach that closely interlinks the two teams. Paschko heads the Consumer Goods & Sports division at Lobeco. The sports science graduate has held various positions at Lobeco since 2018 and today wears the captain's armband for clients such as Lidl Switzerland and Swiss-Ski. For Paschko, lessons learned from the consumer goods and sports sectors complement each other perfectly; both fields are based on very similar tactical orientations: Sport is about arousing emotions, building up coverage and retaining fans in the long term - precisely these mechanisms can be transferred to consumer goods. Sponsorship acts as a hinge between the two worlds by embedding brands in emotional worlds of experience.

Paschko's understanding of consulting follows a clear principle: building close customer relationships, creating trust, identifying problems together and not putting together standard packages, but developing tailor-made and successful tactical plans. He makes decisions based on sound data and always at a strategic level - with the aim of not only supporting customers, but also empowering them in the long term. "We use stories and relevant content to create awareness, emotionalize and activate target groups - and thus achieve real business impact for our customers," he says.

Head coach with Champions League aspirations

"Turning our customers into digital champions is our aspiration," is Lorenz Beringer's game plan. Beringer founded Lobeco in 2014 after moving from FC Bayern with the motivation to take brands to "Champions League level". The second location in Shanghai followed early on - to recognize trends that often only arrive in Europe years later. "This is super relevant for all our customers in Switzerland and Germany." His changemaker philosophy can be seen in projects such as BMW Motorrad, where Lobeco rejuvenated an older target group, or Swiss Ski, whose digital transformation the team has been supporting for years. For him, analysis, a tailor-made strategy and rapid implementation are the game plan for winning titles. He took a toolbox for change management and leadership with him from his Executive MBA in St. Gallen, which is still the basis of his work today.

"Turning our customers into digital champions is our aspiration" - Lorenz Beringer

The values that also characterize Lobeco form another important foundation: Team spirit, motivation and performance orientation - principles that he not only promotes within his own team, but also lives by when working with customers. "We never see ourselves as individuals, but always as a team that requires different talents." He sees social media as the engine of modern brand management - and his aim is to build the perfect social media engine for every brand: powerful, precisely coordinated and ready to accelerate growth at all levels. For him, the Zurich location is a strategic key to combining customer proximity in Switzerland with international clout.

Brand identity with gaming intelligence

Andreas Torwesten, Director Brand Building, ensures that the social media presence is closely aligned with the brand strategy. Fewer channels, but excellently used - as with BMW Motorrad on TikTok - is his motto. Data provides the foundation, creativity decides the game. "It's not enough to simply bring a classic idea to the channels - each channel needs its own creative," says Torwesten. His recipe for success: test new platforms early on, as he did with TikTok for BMW Motorrad in 2019, and learn from successes and failures alike in order to build the largest channel in the automotive industry.

The view of the pitch from the outside

As the new Managing Director, Dirk Huefnagels brings decades of marketing experience to the table, including his time at HypoVereinsbank and Otto and his work with top creative agencies such as Wieden+Kennedy. He expects agencies to have in-depth industry knowledge and the ability to get clients in front of the wave.

"I had always planned to simply switch sides" - Dirk Huefnagels

In sports sponsorship, he does not think in terms of image transfers, but in terms of concrete business impact - and uses the example of FC Bayern to show how emotional fan loyalty leads to measurable business results. For Huefnagels, it is crucial that agencies understand the client's business model, remain curious and anticipate trends - only then can they offer real added value.

AI as the new playmaker

Niklas Ben El Mekki, Head of AI & Video, manages the combination of moving image content and AI in the in-house studio. CorporateGPT, chatbots, personalized videos - this is where formats are created that combine speed, quality and cost optimization. The AI driver's license prepares customers for the European AI Act. "For the first time, high-quality AI video creation is possible in hours instead of weeks," he says, which sounds like a double whammy in injury time. Lobeco's innovative CorporateGPT platform is hosted entirely in Germany and offers companies data security with full AI functionality. In workshops, his team provides targeted training in "AI thinking" - the ability to use AI creatively and strategically and to work more effectively in the process.

Conclusion:

Lobeco acts like a well-coordinated top team: clear roles, a common goal, constant analysis and the courage to try new moves. The mixture of sporting DNA, digital expertise and technological innovation turns customers into contenders for the title in the digital premier league rather than followers. And with an AI lab, TV studio, workshops and experience from projects ranging from Swiss Ski to BMW Motorrad, the team not only has the game plan for today - but also for the coming seasons.

Weber brings together well-known personalities. Rolf auf der Maur from Vischer brings legal expertise. Remo Baumeler from Audienzz strengthens the data sector. Tom Hanan from Webrepublic represents the agency scene.

Andra Iltgen from xeit adds the technology perspective. Beat Krebs from OMG contributes media expertise. Yves Mäder represents Google Switzerland. Jeannine Micheli from AMAG represents the client side.

René Plug from GoTom contributes e-commerce expertise. Sven Ruoss from Postfuturum brings publishing experience. Guido Trevisan from the Goldbach Group completes the board.

Focus on strategic development

The aim is to create tangible added value for members - through relevant content, orientation in the digital transformation and concrete support for current challenges in the industry - for a strong, networked and future-oriented digital advertising world.

The Advisory Circle is intended to open up new partnerships. The experts promote the international transfer of know-how. Each personality brings their own special industry experience to the table.

Weber and his team accompany the digital transformation. They provide support for current challenges in the advertising industry.

The committee directly supports President Martin Radelfinger. Vice-President Roger Baur also benefits from the expertise. Board members Evelin Wachter, Eva Maria-Mörtenhuber, Stefan Wagner and Alexander Horrolt receive additional advice. Managing Director Urs Flückiger coordinates the collaboration.

IAB Switzerland represents agencies, media companies and technology firms. The association is committed to standards and transparency. The Advisory Circle strategically strengthens industry representation.

Budgets are moving to Meta, Google and TikTok, while consumers consider traditional media to be more credible. This is precisely where the VSM campaign "Credibility works better" comes in. It aims to show why quality in the media environment is also crucial for the advertising industry.

The initial situation: advertising money is flowing out - a wake-up call for the industry

Andrea Masüger, President of the VSM, describes the drastic development in the Swiss advertising market: advertising revenue in the print sector, which was still at CHF 3 billion in 2000, has fallen to around CHF 650 million - less than a quarter of the value at that time. Although some of these amounts have shifted to the online segment, another problem is emerging here: up to 75% of online advertising budgets from Switzerland now flow abroad, particularly to tech giants in Silicon Valley or China.

This development is of great concern to the VSM. The motivation behind the campaign is clear: the association wants to counteract the trend and bring a certain amount of advertising money back to Switzerland. Masüger emphasizes that a strong, domestically based media system with trained, professional journalists can offer a better environment for the advertising industry than obscure platforms or social media channels. He is convinced that advertising is more effective and resounding in a credible environment, which benefits advertisers as well as the media landscape and democratic structures in Switzerland.

Masüger explains that the campaign deliberately chooses an economic focus, even though the role of the media is undeniably important for democracy. In the current situation, in which marketing managers are under great pressure to perform, the message of the economic added value of credible advertising environments is particularly effective.

The advertising client's dilemma: performance vs. brand strength

Gustav Baldinger from PwC Switzerland sheds light on the core problem from the perspective of advertising clients (CMOs): They find themselves in a Dilemma between short-term performance goals and the long-term development of their brand. Short-term performance goals such as conversion rates and click-through rates are currently steering budgets heavily towards social media, as these platforms seem to offer measurable key figures and reporting.

At the same time, however, the importance of "Brand Safety". 82% of the companies surveyed stated that the topic is becoming increasingly important as they want to place their advertising exclusively in secure environments. Baldinger notes that many marketers criticize the lack of transparency in advertising reporting on social media platforms and question the accuracy of the measurement data. According to forecasts, over 170 billion dollars in advertising expenditure could be wasted by 2028 due to ad fraud, such as click fraud, which calls into question the actual advertising impact on digital platforms.

Baldinger emphasizes that a credible advertising environment is becoming increasingly important for 81% advertisers, especially when it comes to image and brand awareness. The PwC study therefore recommends Swiss media companies to move and Simpler booking platforms (like a One-stop solution or "One ID") that create a better user experience for CMOs. They should also sensitize advertisers to the short, medium and long-term nature of marketing budgets and "realign the compass for advertising decisions". Reaching younger, digitally savvy target groups through attractive offers in journalistic media is also seen as an opportunity.

The voice of the consumer: Trust in facts

Dr. Andrea Umbricht from gfs-zürich presented the consumer perspective that underpins the results of the PwC study. The population of German-speaking Switzerland pays significantly more attention to traditional media, which includes print media and online news portals. Trust and credibility than social media. On a scale of 1 to 5, consumers rate print media with an average trust score of 3.6 and online news portals with 3.3, while social media only scores 2.1. The situation is similar for credibility (print: 3.8; online news portals: 3.4; social media: 2.1).

The Fake News-The problem of fake news is omnipresent for consumers: 96% of respondents state that they have been confronted with fake news more frequently in the last two years, and 95% expect a further increase in the future. An overwhelming majority of 85% see social media as the main source of fake news, while only 2% share this assessment for traditional media. The respondents expect the consequences of the increase in fake news on social media to include a growing social divide, the influencing of political decisions and uncertainty among the population. Two thirds of the population are also aware that independent fact checks on platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and X were largely discontinued at the start of 2025.

What the Advertising impact two thirds of the population (65%) consider advertising in traditional media to be more credible than on social media (3%). The willingness to buy is also positively influenced: 70% state that they are more likely to buy a product if the advertising appears in a fact-checked environment. Advertising in traditional media is also perceived as less annoying (22%) compared to social media (69%).

An experimental test in which advertising videos for fictitious products were shown either in social media formats (Instagram, TikTok) or in journalistic online media (NZZ, Tages-Anzeiger) confirmed these findings: advertising in traditional media was perceived significantly more (82% vs. 68%), remembered better and the advertised brands were named correctly more often. The evaluation of advertising was also more positive in traditional media, particularly with regard to Professionalism (3.4 vs. 3.0) and Credibility (3.2 vs. 2.8).

"Brands must avoid fake news environments like the devil avoids holy water: the current gfs study and several international studies clearly show that they have a direct negative impact on the brand." - Prof. Dr. Dominique von Matt, von Matt/second opinion

The "Credibility works better" campaign: a clear message

Ladina Heimgartner, CEO of Ringier Media Switzerland and initiator of the campaign, emphasizes that the figures underpin the media industry's previous "gut feeling": media have so far undersold their advertising environments. The campaign with the claim "Credibility works better" is aimed simultaneously at decision-makers in the advertising industry and the general public from August 28. The advertising measures include a multi-channel strategy with print and online advertisements, posters, radio and TV spots.

A deliberate statement of the campaign is the decision not to invest in social media. Heimgartner explains that the media are convinced that brands benefit from the environment and that a serious, professional, credible and fake-news-free environment has a positive effect on the brand itself. The campaign is intended to show that investments in media are not only worthwhile for the media, but also for the economy itself, as this represents added value for advertising customers and at the same time demonstrates responsibility for Switzerland as a media center.

The campaign's radio spots, as presented in the sources, introduce scrolling behavior on cell phones and the absurdity of Fake News at Social media ad absurdum. Examples of this are posts about creative charging methods that lead people to believe they can charge cell phones in the microwave. Or posts about hollow earths and reptiloids that control the world as heads of government. Another example is the misconception that craft glue is the perfect face mask. Each of these commercials ends with a clear message: "The algorithm doesn't distinguish between fake news and facts. We do. Swiss media.".

Heimgartner also sees this campaign as a possible Blueprint for other countries facing similar challenges in the global advertising market.

The creative handwriting behind the campaign

Marco Meroni, Managing Director of June Corporate Communications (Jung von Matt Group), which is responsible for the implementation, emphasizes that the campaign with the Unique selling point: credibility works. "That is the central argument, supported by the gfs-zürich and PwC studies. That's why we designed a multichannel campaign on all relevant channels," he explains.

The objective is clear: Part of the online advertising volume should flow back into journalistic media. "You need strong arguments for this, and credibility is precisely this argument."

Meroni describes the playout as staggered rolloutThe campaign will start with advertisements in the print media, followed by out-of-home measures and radio and TV commercials that will continue into October. Personally, he likes the "Smartness" of the headline campaignwhich remains stylistically close to journalistic reality and at the same time focuses on scientific findings support.

Conclusion and outlook: How suitable is the campaign for achieving the objectives?

The campaign "Credibility works better" is built on a solid foundation of scientific knowledge. It directly addresses CMOs' dilemma between short-term performance and long-term brand building, as well as consumers' growing need for trustworthy information and advertising environments. The explicit focus on the economic benefits for advertisers, rather than solely on the role of media for democracy, is a strategic decision that is considered expedient in the current market situation.

The campaign is based on convincing figures: the higher Willingness to buy in fact-checked environments, the better perception and recall of advertising in journalistic media and their significantly higher Credibility compared to Social media. The spots that show the absurdity of Fake News on social media are designed to provoke thought and draw attention to the role of serious media.

Can current events contribute to the emotional charge?
The VSM campaign is broadly designed to address the fundamental issues of fake news and credibility. Although it cannot be modified for current events, the general framework of the "Algorithms don't distinguish between fake news and facts. We do." highly relevant to current discussions, such as the "Trump debate" or the decisions of large tech companies regarding fact-checking. The fact that 65% of the population know that independent fact-checking on social media platforms has been largely discontinued adds urgency and relevance to the campaign message.

These findings, coupled with the emphasis on the Brand Safety and the demand for more Transparency in advertising reporting, provide a strong basis for argumentation. It remains to be seen how quickly the advertising industry will "realign its compass" and whether the media industry will manage to implement the desired technical simplifications for advertising bookings (e.g. through a one-stop store) in order to recoup the lost budgets in the long term. The campaign is a bold step towards repositioning the value of quality and credibility in an increasingly fragmented and often disinformed media landscape.

The key finding of the DUO study: AI-based phishing is one of the biggest threats to identities in 2025, according to 34 % of the executives surveyed. At the same time, however, AI is also modernizing identity protection. 87 % of companies in Europe are introducing appropriate security solutions in their corporate networks to ward off AI-based attacks. 

Significant risks for identity security

Although executives understand the importance of identity security, there are major gaps in terms of trust and implementation. According to the study, only a third (34 %) of European executives believe that their current identity provider (IdP) can prevent attacks on identities. This is partly due to complex systems and a lack of transparency regarding potential vulnerabilities.

A full 96 % of executives say that a complex identity infrastructure compromises their overall security. In addition, 88 % admit that they do not have a complete overview of the identity risks in their company. No wonder: on average, IT and security teams use five tools to solve an identity problem.

The consequences can be costly. Almost half (48 %) of decision-makers report financial losses due to identity theft. In response to this risk, 76 % have already increased their investment in identity security for 2025.

Constant phishing and MFA gaps

This is particularly important given the constant threat of phishing, which requires the comprehensive implementation of multi-factor authentication (MFA). However, while 88 % of executives believe that phishing-resistant MFA is critical to their security, only 32 % are confident in their phishing controls.

Nevertheless, 42 % of European companies have already introduced FIDO2 tokens for phishing-resistant MFA. The hardware tokens in accordance with the standards of the FIDO Alliance (Fast IDentity Online) are connected to a computer as a USB stick, for example, and offer a high level of security as the private key remains on the device. However, these tokens are often reserved for privileged users due to the cost of management (59 %), hardware costs (47 %) and additional training (44 %). At least 52 % of managers want to introduce passwordless access, but expect implementation to be challenging.

70% want to consolidate providers - also to improve real-time transparency

In general, there are a number of hurdles when it comes to securing identities. For example, a significant 80 % of IT leaders admit that identity security solutions are added as an afterthought to infrastructure planning rather than integrated from the outset. This can lead to additional costs, complexity and impaired transparency. To improve this, 70 % of teams are actively looking at consolidating vendors.

In addition, real-time visibility into the behavior of identities and devices is necessary for security and IT teams to make informed decisions. After all, 53 % of companies currently have fully integrated identity and device telemetry.

"Companies need modern identity solutions that prioritize security without compromising user-friendliness," summarizes Christopher Tighe, General Manager at Cisco Switzerland. "Only a security-oriented IAM - identity and access management - in the corporate network guarantees strong identity protection against AI attacks."

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/ki-gefaehrdet-und-schuetzt-identitaeten-gleichzeitig/