The completion of the new Festhalle Bern is progressing and is already making its mark: The shimmering façade, the 500-metre-long arcade and state-of-the-art technical features such as a 150 m² LED wall make the multifunctional building a real eye-catcher. "Both completion and marketing are proceeding according to plan," explains Tom Winter, CEO of Bernexpo AG.

With the Stage concert hall and the Cube congress center, the Festhalle combines two flexible event spaces and offers stars such as Gotthard, Felix Lobrecht and international congress organizers an impressive stage. Sustainability was also taken into account: the architecture not only creates space for major events, but also for local meeting places such as markets or a record-length tavolata.

In addition to the multifunctional facilities, highlights include events such as the World Cheese Awards and the Muv Festival. "With the new festival hall, we are revitalizing the Bernexpo site in the long term and strengthening Bern's international appeal," says Winter.

Christmas spending on toys in Switzerland continues to fall: on average, consumers are planning to spend 373 Swiss francs this year - significantly less than the 500 Swiss francs in the record year of 2022. The decline shows the noticeable impact of the rising cost of living and economic uncertainties on purchasing behavior.

Online shopping remains popular: 71% of respondents shop both online and in bricks-and-mortar stores, with the proportion of online-only purchases growing slightly. Market expert Kurt Meister emphasizes: "The positive trend in online Christmas shopping is likely to continue."

Promotional days such as Black Friday are also playing an increasingly important role. 21% of respondents take advantage of special offers - an increase of 5% compared to 2022. "People are making more targeted purchases and paying more attention to promotions," says Meister.

The study is based on a representative survey in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland, which was conducted from December 5 to 10, 2024.

The ban on symbols associated with the Third Reich is particularly urgent, Justice Minister Beat Jans told the media in Bern on Friday. This is because anti-Semitic incidents have increased significantly, both worldwide and in Switzerland. The symbols representing hatred, violence and suffering must disappear from the public sphere.

Context decides

The mere display of Nazi symbols in public is not a punishable offense today, said Jans. However, the symbols are prohibited in connection with advertising for the ideology they stand for or if they are used against people or groups in a derogatory manner.

The Federal Council wants to ban not only swastikas, Hitler salutes and SS runes, but also numerical codes such as "18" and "88", which could be read as "Adolf Hitler" or "Heil Hitler". The context should decide when such symbols are punishable.

The figures printed on a football or basketball shirt could still be displayed, said Jans in response to a question from journalists. A legal practice must be established for the use of these numbers, among other things. Incidentally, fines issued could be appealed against.

The Federal Council is planning exceptions to the ban for educational, artistic and journalistic purposes. For example, media reports on anti-Semitic incidents would be permitted. They would also be permitted in history lessons, satirical and historical presentations.

Consideration for other cultures

The Federal Council is also planning exceptions for symbols of existing religions. The swastika is a very old symbol, he writes. In Asia, and particularly in India, it is often associated with Hinduism, Buddhism or Jainism, he writes in the draft message.

Called the swastika in Sanskrit, the swastika has the meaning of a sun sign in these cultures and is seen as a "lucky charm". The Federal Council therefore wants to exclude existing religious symbols that look similar or identical to Nazi symbols from the ban from the outset.

The Federal Council expressly wants to ban the use, wearing, display and dissemination of National Socialist symbols. It also wants to prohibit swastika graffiti on posters or house walls, for example.

Preserving freedom of expression

The new criminal provisions must respect the fundamental right to freedom of expression, said Jans. However, it is about setting clear limits to an ideology that does not want to allow freedom of expression, that spreads hatred and injustice and that virtually fights against respect for minorities.

According to the Federal Council, the ban would also apply in virtual space. The problem is that in such cases the perpetrators are often anonymous and it is difficult to find them.

With this law, the Federal Council wants to fulfill a mandate from Parliament, at least a first part of it. The councillors also called for a ban on extremist, racially discriminatory and violence-glorifying symbols of other ideologies. The Federal Council intends to implement this in a later step.

Independent law planned

The Federal Council is proposing a separate law to enforce the ban. It writes that this is the quickest way to close the gap in the legislation. And it would be possible to punish violations by means of administrative fines.

If the standard were written into the Criminal Code instead, public prosecutors and courts would have to deal with bearers of Nazi symbols. In the eyes of the Federal Council, this would make the existing overload of the justice system worse.

The consultation on the law banning the public use of National Socialist symbols will last until March 31, 2025. (SDA/swi)

True to the motto "Showing how it's done", the work honored by the ADC serves as a role model and compass for the communications industry itself as well as its talents and clients. The ADC jury is made up of the leading creatives in the communications industry as well as the most competent specialists from the creative industry. Together, they discuss and evaluate the submissions and define the benchmarks with their assessments. The jury will judge work that was conceived in Switzerland between January 1, 2024 and February 28, 2025 and published in Switzerland and/or abroad. The Submission deadline ends on April 1, 2025.

Various innovations

By merging the Film & Audio Craft categories and splitting them off from the idea-driven categories "Audio" and "Film", it should now be possible to evaluate the submitted works even more competently. From the jury's point of view, the respective specialists from these genres will be able to use their expertise in a targeted manner.

And whether there are creative content creators who meet the ADC's standards? ADC President Thomas Wildberger has only come across "a few really brilliant influencers" so far: "It's still a relatively young discipline that could simply be left to its fate. But I believe that as ADC, we have an obligation to include this category and improve it by judging it." A new category, the Creative Influencer Award, was created for this purpose.

There are now multiple gold awards

From 2025, it will also be possible to receive multiple gold awards in different categories for the same work. For example, a commercial that is worthy of gold in "Film", "Film Craft" and "Art Direction" could win the triple. The same applies in green to an ad that earns - and receives - the highest award once in both "Text" and "Ad".

With the "Gender Compensation" initiative, which was launched last year, it is still possible to highlight the underrepresentation of women in creative leadership positions by using the tool to list the percentage of credits among men and women in the work submitted. An imbalance can be compensated for in monetary terms. In this way, the club is aiming for an excellent 50:50 reality, which will still not be achieved in 2025, according to the report.

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An overview of the ADC Switzerland submission guidelines are to be found here. And Click here for the participation platform.

The agency ranking of Leading Swiss Agencies LSA is based on an evaluation of the gross operating income (GOP) generated by LSA agencies for 2023 and provides an overview of the communication and media agencies in Switzerland organized in the association. The association compiles the ranking annually as a guide to the Swiss communications market. Within the respective category, the agencies are listed according to the actual ARR achieved.

Publicis leads two rankings

The most profitable LSA agency this year is Publicis Communications, consisting of Publicis Communications Zurich/Lausanne, Saatchi & Saatchi and Publicis, with gross operating income of between CHF 75 and 100 million. Farner Consulting follows in second place with Rod Kommunikation and Webrepublic is now in third place.

In addition, Publicis Groupe continues to lead the ranking of agency groups. As last year, the Jung von Matt Group is in second place, ahead of Omnicom Media Group Switzerland, which has now moved up to third place.

EssenceMediacom tops media agency ranking

EssenceMediacom, with gross operating income of between CHF 17.5 and 20 million, is now the most profitable media agency among the LSA media agencies. Second place goes to Publicis Media Zurich/Lausanne, and Biggie Zurich/Geneva is now in the top 3.

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The BBE is made up of the agency's own services invoiced to clients, including freelancers: fees from consulting of all kinds, compensation for copywriting, graphic and other work according to the income statement, excluding VAT and excluding transitory items or income of a different nature.

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.