Evoq was founded 18 years ago on a mountain tour and has since reached countless peaks with its clients. The full-service agency has a broad portfolio that includes names such as SBB, Swissmem, Swiss Post and Sozialwerk Pfarrer Sieber.

With an interdisciplinary approach and a 20-strong team, Evoq realizes sustainable communication solutions. The comprehensive range of services extends from branding, advertising and digital media to orientation design.

"We are delighted to be included in the LSA," says Christian Sutter, Managing Partner and co-founder. "Evoq has not only grown in size in recent years, but has also become more diverse and creative. Joining the LSA is an important strategic step for us to further develop our agency and expand our network."

In a recent study, UZH computational linguist Eleanor Chodroff and Chloe Patman from Cambridge University investigated how well modern ASR systems cope with challenging listening conditions. The systems tested were "wav2vec 2.0" from Meta and "Whisper large-v3" from OpenAI. The benchmark: the performance of British native speakers.

The tests took place under extreme conditions - from speech-like noise to realistic pub noise, both with and without a cotton face mask. The result: humans performed best overall, but the OpenAI system "Whisper large-v3" outperformed them in almost all scenarios. Only in pub noise was it on a par with human hearing.

Particularly striking was the ability of "Whisper large-v3" to process speech correctly even without contextual support.

The decisive difference

The enormous performance of "Whisper" is based on gigantic amounts of training data. While Meta's "wav2vec 2.0" was trained with 960 hours of speech data, OpenAI drew on over 75 years of speech data for its standard system. The most powerful model even used more than 500 years of speech data. In comparison, humans develop similar skills in just a few years - a remarkable aspect, as study leader Eleanor Chodroff emphasizes. "In addition, automatic speech recognition in almost all other languages remains a major challenge."

Different sources of error

The study also showed that humans and machines fail in different ways. Humans almost always create grammatically correct sentences, but often write sentence fragments. In contrast, "wav2vec 2.0" often generated incomprehensible gibberish under difficult conditions. "Whisper" was able to produce grammatically correct sentences, but filled gaps in the content with completely incorrect information. (pd/swi)

The Study "Speech recognition in adverse conditions by humans and machines" by Chloe Patman and Eleanor Chodroff can be read in detail here.

The neutral portal can be used free of charge by both agencies and clients and combines the completeness of search engines with the efficiency of conventional industry portals. This is because traditional search engines such as Google are only of limited help in finding the right agency. Flinxio addresses this with a neutral overview of all relevant agencies and services, a filter-based search without hurdles and verified customer reviews. The foundation for this has been laid with the beta phase.

The start-up now relies on the active involvement of agencies and broad acceptance in the industry. By adding their own data to their pre-collected profiles, the search results will be continuously improved. They can also obtain customer reviews. It takes just a few minutes to check and complete the free profile, and review invitations can be sent to customers directly via the portal. Well-rated agencies benefit from optimal visibility. This means that every agency has a fair chance of being found by clients - regardless of how well known they are or their size.

Acceptance and participation are crucial

"We have put a lot of effort and passion into the new portal. Now we are inviting agencies to maintain their profile," says René Amstutz, Founder and CEO of Flinxio. In order for Flinxio to establish itself as a portal for agency searches, the cooperation of the agencies is now required. Clients would welcome such a solution. "The Swiss Advertising Client Association (SWA) supports the idea of a comprehensive and neutral search portal," says SWA Director Roland Ehrler. The agencies therefore have it in their own hands to create a new standard for agency searches together with the clients.

Larissa Mörgeli joined Nova Impact as its first employee in January 2020, shortly after it was founded. With a great deal of "expertise and her tireless commitment", she has made a significant contribution to the development and success of the agency over the past five years, according to a Nova Impact press release. Mörgeli has extensive professional experience and in-depth specialist knowledge with a focus on digital marketing.

The appointment of Mörgeli as a partner is a logical step in the agency's development, the statement continues. "Larissa has played a central role in our company from the very beginning and has contributed significantly to the growth and success of the agency with her strategic foresight and entrepreneurial thinking," explains founder Sandra Fehr.

Coop has decided not to extend the franchise agreement with The Body Shop Switzerland. The decision follows a comprehensive analysis, which revealed that the brand's originally unique market positioning, as once defined by the franchisor, no longer exists. "The franchisor's revitalization programme was unable to achieve the desired effect despite intensive efforts and the great commitment of the employees," explains Coop.

The 33 sales areas of The Body Shop Switzerland will become vacant from May 2025. Coop is currently examining how these spaces can be optimally used by other specialist formats within the cooperative. Offers of continued employment within the Coop Group have already been prepared for the 108 employees of The Body Shop Switzerland.

By ending the franchise agreement, Coop is showing flexibility and a willingness to respond to changing market conditions. At the same time, the company is ensuring that its employees have future prospects within the Group.

After five years at the HWZ, the previous Head of Marketing & Communication Daniela Dunne has decided to take on new challenges. The HWZ has found an internal successor in Sandra Bornand and Laura Oderbolz. The two took over the department as co-heads at the beginning of January. At the same time, the marketing and communications team was reorganized.

The new Head of Marketing, Sandra Bornand, has many years of experience in marketing, digital communication, social media and web project management. Since joining the HWZ team in 2013, she has played a key role in developing the university's website and social media strategy, among other things. Her degree in Chief Digital Officer NDS HF complements her expertise in digital transformation and strategy.

"It is very important to me to further develop the brand and marketing in such a way that we continue to convince students and partners in the digital future," Bornand is quoted as saying in a press release from the HWZ.

Laura Oderbolz, the new Head of Communications, has successfully established and expanded the areas of internal and external communications as well as content marketing at the HWZ in her previous role as Corporate Communications Manager since 2019. With a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a specialization in Organizational Communication from the ZHAW and a Master of Advanced Studies in Business Communications from the HWZ, she has in-depth expertise in strategic communication, with a particular focus on internal and change communication.

"Over the past five years, I have come to know and appreciate the HWZ as an inspiring place. It is important to me to further strengthen the HWZ's presence and to build and maintain an authentic, trusting relationship with our stakeholders. My focus is on communicating our vision and values clearly and convincingly - both internally and externally," says Oderbolz.

As part of the study, 1,000 social media users were surveyed for seven product groups - laptops, televisions, cars, refrigerators, credit cards, make-up and movie tickets. 47% are dissatisfied with Google and co. because they cannot find relevant, helpful answers when researching products.

Better recommendations

"As a result, many users are turning to Reddit for better, context-specific recommendations," writes the provider, who is pleased that 71 percent of respondents say Reddit is the best social media platform to find quick and specific answers to their questions.

The study shows how important Reddit is in the purchasing process, from discovering products to making decisions. Ads on Reddit contribute to more conversations about brands. For every 1,000 ad views on Reddit, advertisers received around two organic posts with an average of 3,500 views.

The study also showed that 23 percent of recommendations on Reddit led to a "redirect". This means that users start to consider brands they hadn't considered before. These redirects usually occur when users ask for help, for example when they want advice on products that better suit their needs.

Expert:inside cut out

It almost goes without saying that Reddit considers the recommendations given on its homepage to be more trustworthy than many other forms of advice. Reportedly, 42 percent of social media users value Reddit recommendations more than other sources, including influencer-sponsored posts, brand advertisements and even some expert reviews.

However, Reddit admits that its recommendations rank behind expert review sites (17 percent) and consumer review sites (15 percent) in terms of influence. As a platform that promotes itself as a solution to consumer frustrations, Reddit is naturally interested in portraying its influence in a positive light. However, experts are of the opinion that Reddit's statements at least tend to be true. (pte/swi)

As part of an exclusive collaboration with Forbes, Neoviso AG has conducted a cross-national study on the consumer behavior of Generation Z for the second time. The aim of the study was to better understand the needs and preferences of this young and relevant target group.

The study focused on the consumer world of Generation Z in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which was surveyed online over several weeks at the end of 2024. Clear trends emerged that offer brands and companies valuable starting points for shaping their strategies and offerings in a targeted manner.

What counts for Generation Z? The study clearly shows that value for money is the top priority for Generation Z. Despite their digital affinity, personal interaction with friends and family remains an important factor in purchasing decisions.

Tiktok information channel

Across the entire DACH region, a third of respondents check Tiktok at least once a month before making a purchase, but the use of this platform varies between countries. Brands need to adapt their communication to the younger target group and thus also the regional differences in order to remain relevant.

Generation Z is characterized by its digital competence and in-depth research. Before making a purchase, they compare information extensively, especially on price. This happens both on site and online. Companies must adapt to the fact that this target group is demanding and well informed.

Just under 40% of respondents stated that their consumer behavior is too high and that they should buy less. The information on personal consumption is also reflected in the level of debt, as more than 25% of respondents stated that they were in debt in at least one form.

The PR agency Primus Communications GmbH (Primcom for short) has added another Swiss vacation region to its portfolio: as of January 2025, Primcom will be supporting the Made in Bern team with Switzerland-wide communications. Made in Bern AG is the umbrella marketing organization of the Canton of Bern, which includes the destinations of Adelboden-Lenk-Kandersteg, Bern, the vacation regions of Gstaad and Interlaken, the Jungfrau Region, Biel-Seeland and Grand Chasseral.

Communication highlights in 2025 include the opening of the new festival hall on the Bernexpo site and the UEFA Women's EURO, which will be held in Thun and Bern.

The latest edition of the "Internet Usage and E-Commerce Switzerland 2024" study by the University of St.Gallen sheds light on significant changes in consumer behavior and this year places a special focus on Chinese e-commerce providers, who are making a significant contribution to growing shopping tourism in online retail.

According to the study, Swiss online retail reached a record volume of CHF 18 billion in 2024, which corresponds to a market share of 17.3% of the retail trade. Online sales have grown by 20.8% since 2021, despite a slight increase in preference for brick-and-mortar stores after the pandemic. Particularly noteworthy: 52.4 percent of all online purchases are made via smartphone.

Chinese suppliers on the rise

Chinese online platforms such as Temu are rapidly gaining in importance and pushing back Swiss providers. Amazon remains at the top of the ranking of the most popular online retailers, followed by Galaxus, Zalando, Temu and Digitec. Temu, founded in 2022, already achieved a market share of 4.6%, while Zalando suffered the biggest loss with a decline of -4.7%. Three of the top 10 online retailers in Switzerland are now Chinese providers.

Expansion of shopping tourism

Online shopping tourism has increased as more and more Swiss consumers shop online abroad. The proportion of online spending abroad increased in all product categories, with airline tickets and vacation trips in particular frequently being booked abroad.

The entire study is available here download.

Carmen Breuss can look back on 27 dedicated years at Österreich Werbung. As market manager for Switzerland, she played a key role in positioning Austria as a tourist destination in the third-largest foreign source market and introducing Swiss guests to Austria's special lifestyle. "Networking, developing strategies, implementing marketing activities - the channels may have changed over the years, but the central task of generating enthusiasm for Austria has always remained the focus," Breuss sums up.

On July 1, 2024, she took over the role of Head of Market Development in the management of Austrian National Tourist Office in order to dedicate herself to the further development of foreign markets.

New era with Egger

The new Head of Market Switzerland, Eva Egger, is taking over the management of the Zurich team with great enthusiasm and clear goals. She is convinced of the continued great potential of the Swiss market: "Switzerland is a key source market for Austria, but faces strong competition from other destinations. Together with our team and partners in the industry, we want to find innovative approaches and make Austria's lifestyle even more present," says Egger.

Matthias Gross has gained extensive experience in the research industry over the course of his 30-year career. He joined YouGov in January 2024 as part of the acquisition of Consumer Panel Services GfK (CPS GfK) in the role of Executive Vice President of Sales. In his ten years at CPS GfK, Gross identified entrepreneurial opportunities, leveraged partnerships and led high performing and sales teams with continued success.
A proven leader in the insights industry, Matthias Gross worked at Nielsen, Tchibo and Melitta before joining CPS GfK in 2014.

His appointment follows an extensive search that included both internal and external candidates in Germany and Switzerland. Matthias Gross joins Will Ullstein (UK CEO) and Julien Chevignon (Europe CEO) to complete the Senior Commercial Leadership team in Europe, reporting to YouGov CCO Tom Fisher.

In November 2024, ten months after the takeover, CPS GfK was renamed worldwide and now operates under the name YouGov in line with the parent company. According to YouGov, the acquisition of the Consumer Panel Services business has significantly expanded its presence in the DACH region. Almost 70 percent of the Group's current sales in the region come from the former CPS GfK. The majority of employees in the region are based in Germany.