The Valora Group has 13 different sales formats in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Alexandra Tschan will be responsible for the media office for the entire Valora Group with immediate effect. The 37-year-old will also act as deputy to Sascha Heiniger, Head Corporate Communications & Strategic Branding at the Valora Group.

Tschan most recently held various positions at the Federation of Migros Cooperatives. She started out as a media spokesperson and then took over the development and management of sustainability communication for the Migros Group. Before that, she worked as a journalist for radio, TV and print media. "In Alexandra Tschan, we have gained an experienced expert in the fields of media relations, storytelling and sustainability," says Heiniger. "I am very much looking forward to working with her and the entire team to further develop Valora's communication and brand strategy."

Sesamy is represented internationally with offices in Berlin, Munich, Vienna and Paris. The agency was founded in 2019 by Samantha Bergmann in Berlin and sees itself as a "matchmaker" between talents and brands. The focus is on brand communication that integrates talents creatively and authentically and achieves maximum impact through individual storytelling.

With Sesamy, Myty is strengthening its expertise in social media and influencer marketing. Sesamy will also be developed into a leading player in the talent and influencer industry. As part of Myty, the agency will gain access to a broad network and additional resources to better serve clients, tap into new markets and establish additional locations.

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m&kSamantha Bermann, you founded Sesamy in 2019. What motivated you to do so?

Samantha Bergmann: My passion lies in creating something new. Before Sesamy, I founded several companies, including an agency with girlfriends and a skincare brand for men. I also set up and ran the office of a successful influencer agency in New York. I originally wanted to pursue a career in fashion and assisted Sara Moonves, now editor-in-chief of the W Magazine, with the US Vogue. There I learned not only about perseverance, but also about dealing with talent. These experiences showed me how much energy I get from working with creative people. At the same time, I realized that my future didn't lie in publishing - the digital world seemed more exciting to me in the long term.

 

This is how you got into influencer marketing.

With Sesamy, I wanted to fill a gap in the German market by combining talent management and social media marketing. Initially, we focused on talent management, which was a real gap in the German market. Demand from brands grew steadily as we became real experts through our work with talent and thousands of campaigns. Two years ago, we then took the plunge and launched the social media agency within Sesamy. Shortly afterwards, we were able to win well-known clients such as Adidas, Pandora and Fielmann.

 

Sesamy is already represented in four major European cities. How have you managed this rapid international growth in just five years?

The secret of our success lies in starting with the talent agency first and then expanding our offering to the brands. Talent management allows us to learn quickly in local markets and understand what works there, which talents are relevant and why. We have run thousands of campaigns with talent in our management and work with almost every brand that is active in influencer marketing. As a result, we understand the respective markets very quickly.

 

What differences do you see in the various markets?

Our headquarters are located in Berlin, where strategists, social media specialists and creatives work. In the individual hubs, we have local experts who know the market inside out, build relationships with local talents and know what makes consumers, talents and followers tick locally. In Switzerland, for example, language distribution is very fragmented. If a talent mainly speaks French on their social media channels, the country distribution in the Insights often shows France, even though the talent lives in Switzerland. However, this does not mean that it does not make sense to book the talent for the Swiss market. We analyze such insights carefully to develop the best strategies for each market.

 

Your agency sees itself as a "matchmaker between talents and brands". What does this process look like in concrete terms?

We have decided to combine talent management and brand management under one brand instead of splitting them up. This allows us to promote regular exchanges between our two teams of experts. For us, the talents are an extension of the team - we actively involve them in ideas and campaign concepts. We often ask them for their opinion on our ideas. They usually know better - after all, they have millions of followers and a huge community.

 

What makes Sesamy different from other agencies in this field?

Good matchmakers are good listeners. We listen to our clients, interpret their experiences and define the goals of the campaign. At the same time, we listen to the talents, discuss their positioning and content ideas to find the perfect match. Our approach combines experience, data analysis and active listening. We scour our extensive network on a daily basis and evaluate talent not only based on numbers, but also on our extensive experience. This methodical approach ensures that we enter into targeted and effective collaborations rather than relying on gut instinct or simple search tools.

 

The influencer marketing industry is developing rapidly. What trends do you see for the coming years?

The focus is increasingly shifting towards talent-oriented collaborations in which talents offer real added value for their community. It's no longer enough to just be pretty or film hauls - talents have to offer the community something valuable, inspire and have a personal touch.

 

How is Sesamy positioning itself to play an active role in shaping these developments?

The focus is on building and maintaining sustainable communities. Be it via Instagram broadcast channels, Substack, podcasts or Snapchat. The sheer number of followers is less important than the quality of the interactions. Transparency, especially when dealing with AI, is becoming increasingly relevant. Sesamy relies on authentic stories and innovative approaches to meet these trends. It is important to us that our talents build and expand their community by offering real added value and maintaining sustainable relationships with their followers.

 

The merger with the Myty Group is an important strategic step. What were the key factors behind this decision?

Myty is an accelerator that shares our vision and invests in us as founders and visionaries. I have David Rost [CEO of the Myty Group, editor's note] and quickly realized that we had the same goals and big visions. The decisive factor for me was that Myty appreciates the expertise of the respective agency sector and understands that this expertise is its greatest asset. There is a lot of trust and listening. And synergies are found in the right places - in our case immediately with the social content agency Monami or the e-commerce agency Norisk.

 

What exactly do these synergies look like?

Together, we have already implemented campaigns and acquired new customers in recent weeks. I am convinced that we will achieve our goals ten times faster with Myty than with other potential partners in Europe. The power and expertise that Myty brings to the table are enormous and open up new opportunities for growth and innovation.

 

What does this merger mean for you personally as a founder?

The integration into the Myty Group is an important milestone for me, both personally and professionally. As the founder and CEO of a women-led agency, this step gives me the wonderful opportunity to further strengthen our influencer and social media marketing and to realize innovative projects that may have previously seemed unattainable.

 

How do you see your own role in the expanded corporate structure?

I want to make an active contribution to ensuring that more women are visible in our industry and can successfully implement their ideas and visions. With Myty at our side, we can now expand Sesamy internationally and open up new markets.

 

How would you like to achieve this?

The collaboration with the inspiring entrepreneurs of the Myty Group and the comprehensive support system offer us the ideal conditions to grow together and set new standards in influencer marketing.

Yoeri Callebaut is no longer Managing Director of Kingfluencers. According to information from m&k the previous CEO and the Board of Directors of Kingfluencers had different views on how the Zurich agency should be successfully led into the future, both strategically and operationally. This is confirmed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kingfluencers, Roman Gertsch: "As the attempts of both sides to convince the other party of the respective approach were not successful, we have jointly come to the conclusion that further cooperation is no longer sensible under these conditions."

Although Gertsch speaks of "differing opinions", there was no dispute between Callebaut and the Board of Directors. "After several years of good cooperation, we were able to find an amicable and professional separation solution together," says the 43-year-old co-founder of Kingfluencers.
Yoeri is therefore still available to the management team and the Board with advice and support during the transition phase. "Yoeri wishes Kingfluencers continued success, even if the planned path now deviates in part from his ideas," Gertsch continues.

CEO wanted to diversify the agency more

Yoeri Callebaut confirms that he has already left his position as Managing Director. He will continue to support Kingfluencers as an advisor until mid-February to ensure a smooth transition. When asked about the exact reasons for his departure, the 41-year-old mentions a broader vision that he would have liked to tackle as CEO. His ambition was to open up new and innovative business areas in order to be less dependent on traditional influencer marketing. He also wanted to focus more on the DACH region.

"I realized that my visions were perhaps too big and too far-reaching at that moment," the Belgian told m&k. He therefore came to the conclusion that the company and he were at different points. "I therefore decided to look for a new environment. In which I can fully exploit my need to be innovative and turn big, crazy visions into reality."

Yoeri Callebaut worked in various countries before becoming CEO in Zurich. He spent a year and a half in Montreal, Canada, where he built up the Canadian business for the Belgian business & IT consulting agency Onetowin. In Sao Paulo, he was responsible for the joint venture between the Belgian market research institute iVOX and its large Brazilian counterpart Ibope Inteligência. The new company Ibope Conecta, which Callebaut managed, was sold a few years later to the globally active Kantar Group.

290 percent increase in sales

The three co-founders of Kingfluencers, Fabian Plüss, Roman Gertsch and Christian Reiter, have worked with Yoeri Callebaut's now departed CEO in a variety of roles over the past few years, both as members of the Board of Directors and as members of Yoeri Callebaut's management team. "Yoeri's commitment to the company impressed the entire Board of Directors and us founders and was always greatly appreciated," says Gertsch. The collaboration with Callebaut was also always professional and in the best interests of the company.

According to the Zurich native, Kingfluencers has developed into a strategically and creatively oriented agency under Yoeri Callebaut. "Yoeri has strongly driven various innovations and the growth of Kingfluencers," Roman Gertsch continues. Overall, the agency's turnover has increased by 290 percent over the past four years.

We still want to know from the Chairman of the Board of Directors in which direction Kingfluencers will develop in the future and who will replace Callebaut in the CEO chair. "On the one hand, Kingfluencers is focusing on further successful organic growth in its core competence as the leading influencer marketing agency in Switzerland." Based on its current market position, the Board would like to selectively expand complementary services and offerings. Strategic partnerships are also possible in the future. "We are convinced that our current and future clients will continue to value the high level of expertise and quality of Kingfluencers' services," continues Roman Gertsch.

Chris Bitzer takes over on an interim basis

Chris Bitzer, board member and long-time co-investor, will take over the leadership of Kingfluencers on an interim basis in close collaboration with the existing management team. Part of this mandate is also to look for a new CEO, who will then take over the business again. Bitzer is not available for a longer-term management role. "We will take the necessary time to ensure a competent and sustainable appointment and then inform you again," says the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kingfluencers.

He cannot yet say where Yoeri Callebaut will be moving to. The current CEO will now take some time for himself. "I'm going to tackle a few personal projects." He has already started talking to representatives from marketing agencies and other industries.

He already misses working with his very loyal and committed team over the years. All the employees reacted sadly and in some cases with dismay to his departure. "I would like to thank everyone for the extremely valuable lessons and wonderful moments that I was able to experience with them," says Callebaut, bidding farewell to his team.

Founded in 1972, the AFBS represents the interests of almost 100 foreign banks in Switzerland, including institutions such as BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank Switzerland, HSBC Private Bank and J.P. Morgan. "The aim is to make the AFBS and its members more visible as a present and attractive alternative for Swiss companies and private individuals and to communicate this even more widely," says Raoul Würgler, Managing Director of the AFBS.

Brand Affairs will implement a national and integrated communication strategy that combines traditional media work with digital channels. The aim is to build visibility and make the association better known. "Our aim is to make the AFBS and its member banks more visible as indispensable players in the Swiss financial sector and to emphasize their essential contribution to Switzerland as a business location," adds Markus Kramer, Managing Partner of Brand Affairs.

Liechtenstein native Isabel Fehr has been Vice President of the Board of Directors of Liechtenstein Marketing since 2021, succeeding Christian Wolf. Fehr currently works as a project manager at the Liechtenstein Red Cross. Previously, the communications expert worked for various organizations and companies. She was President of the Liechtenstein Olympic Committee until 2020.

The Board of Directors of Liechtenstein Marketing will be composed as follows from January: President Isabel Fehr, Kerstin Appel, Walter Hagen, Reto Näscher, Jana Riedmüller and Martin Sturzenegger.

"I had a clear vision and high goals right from the start, but I am still impressed by what we have achieved together as a team to date," says Sam Lutz, founder and owner of Drop8. The appointment of Meier, Lalive and Brändle as partners is a logical consequence for him as well as a "gesture of appreciation that comes from the heart", Lutz continues.
By strengthening its management team, Drop8 is underlining its commitment to continuous development and driving innovation on a solid basis. It also aims to further strengthen its own market position and offer its customers even higher quality and innovative strength.

Monty Meier was the first Drop8 employee to join the company in April 2018, just a few months after it was founded. He has been Managing Director of Drop8 since January 2022.

Fabrice Lalive, currently Director Innovation & Technology, joined Drop8 as a trainee in October 2018 after completing his Bachelor's degree in Communication and Media at the University of Zurich.

Patrik Brändle, who joined Drop8 in April 2019, began his career at the company as a trainee and developed into a central figure as Director Campaign Management. He holds a Master's degree in Strategic Communication & Management from the University of Zurich.

"Dealing competently with diversity and living an appreciative culture are challenging topics. In addition to diversity competence, this also requires dialog and storytelling," explains Barbara Fry Henchoz, founder of Re-Thinking Diversity. Hence the commitment to the professional association: "Perikom combines HR and communication, the two key areas for D&I, under one roof and is therefore the perfect partner for shaping a future-oriented work culture".

From diversity & inclusion to sustainability 

With Re-Thinking Diversity, the Perikom association now has 15 partner members who, among other things, regularly organize evening events for HR and communication managers to share their experiences.

The first event of the new partner member will be presented in a webinar using the Swiss Armed Forces as a case study. HR managers Martina Morard-Egli, Michael Zürcher and Vanessa Kleinschnittger will show how the undesirable influence of unconscious bias on personnel decisions can be sustainably reduced through targeted HR process design. The Webinar "The Power of Process Design" takes place at the end of February.

Nötzli is leaving the TX Group at her own request to pursue a new professional challenge, according to a press release issued on Tuesday. As Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer, she has been responsible for corporate communications, investor relations, public affairs and sustainability since the beginning of 2021 (Markt-kom.com reported).

With the departure of Nötzli, the TX Group's communications will now be reorganized. From January 2025, responsibility will be decentralized to the CEOs of the individual Group companies. This will allow for more flexible and efficient communication, according to the statement.

Nötzli will remain in charge of investor relations, financial communications and communications for the publisher and Chairman of the Board of Directors until the end of April 2025. (SDA)

In the last three months, Jung von Matt Limmat has acquired new clients and projects and further expanded its collaboration on international projects. This is why the Zurich agency is now strengthening its creative team for 2025 with Arnt Christmann and Simon Cazzanelli.

"The fact that Arnt and Simon are joining us pleases me in three ways: not only are they excellent creatives with experience, but they also share a common vision of an empathetic performance culture that always focuses on people as well as the creative top product. What's more, they already have dark green blood flowing through them," says Christian Kies, Chief Creative Officer of Jung von Matt Switzerland.

For more than ten years, Arnt Christmann and Simon Cazzanelli have formed a creative duo that has worked in various German agencies. In recent years, the focus has increasingly been on the automotive sector with the client Mercedes-Benz. However, they have also worked on other national and international accounts, including EDEKA at Jung von Matt in Hamburg.

"Originally, we were only visiting Zurich to eat the best cheese fondue in town with Christian. But then we were persuaded to stay by the view of the Swiss Alps and the prospect of being able to share our idea of a full focus on contemporary creation with national impact and international appeal in harmony with sustainable creative management with even more people. Just like you do with a good fondue," say Arnt and Simon about their new commitment.

QoQa, the app for trend shoppers, is wowing with its new advertising campaign: under the motto "Because you love it", the platform relies on bright colors, puns and a whole load of pink. The latest campaign celebrates the reasons why users love the app's limited offers - and does so with a good dose of tongue-in-cheek humor.

A multi-award-winning champion

QoQa, winner of the Champion 2024 title and winner of two other Digital Commerce Awards, has long been a permanent fixture in the Swiss shopping world. The new campaign conveys this success and the enthusiasm of the community in fresh subjects that attract attention with surprising elements.

Versatile and present

The campaign, developed and implemented by BOLD, is being launched with a combination of TV commercials, posters, DOOH and a wide range of online measures. QoQa proves once again that it not only surprises with limited offers, but also with creative advertising that impresses on all channels.

A pink highlight

With its unmistakable style, QoQa brings color to the Swiss advertising landscape. "Shop until you turn pink" is not just a promise, but an invitation to discover the world of QoQa - full of inspiration, humor and, of course, the best offers.

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Responsible QoQa Services: Nina Bühlmann, Christoph Karcher, Mathieu Pereira, Thierry Rey. Responsible agency: BOLD Production TV Spot: Boom Creative Studio Direction: Mitch Bekk Cast: Elie Feller Music: Pablo Nouvelle DoP: Daryl Hefti Photo: Nicolas Burri

Trend 1: AI is becoming a marketing driver

In 2025, artificial intelligence will evolve from a field of experimentation to a mainstay of marketing strategies. Applications in campaign optimization, personalization and content generation will increase added business value. "A variety of tools can contribute to the fact that we will see interesting development potential, especially in content marketing and customer care," says David Gabriel, founder and CEO of Smarketer. Matthias Rohde, Product Lead CRO, adds: "In the context of personalization, AI offers enormous potential to make progress."

Trend 2: Marketing mix modeling defies the end of third-party cookies

Marketing mix modelling (MMM) remains a key tool for optimizing cross-channel advertising strategies despite data protection regulations and limited tracking options. "MMM helps to understand users and target marketing budgets," explains Sarah Vögeli, Senior SEA Growth Consultant at Smarketer. Automated solutions, supplemented by human expertise, maximize the effectiveness of the method.

Trend 3: Voice search and visual search on the rise

Traditional text search is increasingly being replaced by voice and image-driven approaches. Users expect brands to provide optimized content for platforms such as TikTok and Instagram and to adapt more closely to changing search habits. "Search is becoming more visual and audio-driven, which creates completely new opportunities for advertising media and content," explains David Gabriel.

Trend 4: Shopping assistants and chatbots are revolutionizing commerce media

AI-supported shopping assistants such as Amazon Rufus are transforming the way customers discover and buy products. They provide personalized advice and enable deeper insights into user behavior. "With Rufus, Amazon is becoming even more of a one-stop shop for product information and reviews," says Robert Schulze, Managing Director of Amzell, a Smarketer Group company.

Trend 5: Sustainability becomes the core of marketing

The integration of ESG (Environmental Social Governance) criteria into the brand strategy will be essential in 2025. Consumers, especially younger target groups, are increasingly paying attention to the ethical and sustainable actions of companies. "Brands that act transparently and credibly gain the trust of consumers and benefit in the long term," says Sarah Vögeli.

Education and training as a success factor

The Smarketer Group emphasizes that technological developments also require competent specialists. Companies should therefore invest more in training their marketing teams in order to not only keep up with the latest trends, but also actively shape them.

About Smarketer

Since 2011, the Smarketer Group has been supporting over 1,500 customers from various industries with performance marketing solutions. With over 350 employees, it offers comprehensive services in the areas of Google Ads, social media advertising and Amazon advertising. Its clients include brands such as Brillen.de, Walbusch and Garmin.

The Bünting Group, an established player in the food retail sector, has chosen Havas Social as its new agency partner. The agency won the pitch against two competitors and will take over digital brand management from January 2025. From social media activations to community management and content creation, Havas Social will be responsible for all relevant areas.

Birgit Schröder, Head of Corporate Development, Marketing and Sustainability at the Bünting Group, praised the tailor-made strategy: "Havas Social impressed us with a customized concept that precisely captures our challenges in food retail and translates them into innovative solutions." She particularly emphasized the understanding of the Combi and Famila Nordwest brands, which provides a basis for fresh impetus and an improved customer approach.

A connection with tradition

The collaboration between Havas Social and Bünting has a long history. Even before the new unit was founded, HRZN, which has been merged into Havas Social, had been looking after the Bünting Group for eight years. The return is therefore not only a business success, but also an emotional decision. "Bünting was one of our first customers, and the return is a real affair of the heart for me," explains Stephan Lachmann, Managing Director of Havas Social.

Havas Social: social-first with substance

As a one-stop store for holistic social media solutions, Havas Social offers comprehensive expertise - from consulting and strategy to content creation and community management. The agency places particular emphasis on "social first" and uses its own content studios to create eye-catching campaigns that connect brands with their audience in the long term. With many years of experience in the FMCG, food & beverage and other key industries, Havas Social is the ideal partner for companies like Bünting.

A statement for shared visions

The renewed collaboration marks a significant milestone. "Together, we have set standards in the past," Lachmann continues. The partnership is a strong statement of trust and shared visions that will redefine food retail digitally.