The Effie Awards Switzerland stand for excellent and effective communication, organized by the association of Switzerland's leading communication agencies, Leading Swiss Agencies. The highlight of this year's awards is the Grand Effie, which goes to the most convincing campaign of the last two years. The selection is made by a renowned jury made up of industry leaders such as jury president Peter Felser and other high-caliber representatives:

• Martin Baumüller, CMO, Geberit
• Roger Harlacher, President SWA-ASA
• Andreas Hugi, President of Leading Swiss Agencies
• Angelika Leemann, Co-CMO, Rivella Group
• Jeannine Micheli, Head of Digital Marketing & Media, AMAG Import AG
• Joy Müller, Head of Market Department, SWICA Healthcare Organization
• Torsten Tomczak, Director IMO-HSG
• Saskia von Moos, Head of Marketing, Intelligentfood

The Award Night, at which the winners will be celebrated, will take place on November 13 in Zurich. Tickets are available at www.effie.ch available.

 

 

TikTok is committed to positive social change and is now bringing the "TikTok For Good Launchpad" to the DACH region. The initiative, which has already proven its worth in Australia, as TikTok writes, gives brands and creative agencies the opportunity to develop charitable campaigns that are designed to make socially important issues visible. From representing people with disabilities to raising awareness of the gender pay gap, TikTok combines creative energy with social engagement.

From November 4, creative and media agencies, production companies and marketing teams in the non-profit sector can apply for the program. A jury of industry experts will select the most compelling ideas, which TikTok will support with $1 million in ad credits to increase their reach and maximize their desired impact.

"With the TikTok For Good Launchpad, we are offering a platform for creative projects with added social value in the DACH region," explains Thomas Wlazik, General Manager at TikTok. "Non-profit organizations and agencies can implement innovative campaigns here that initiate sustainable change and inspire a rethink."

The magazine was to deal with the topic of reflection in terms of design and content - that was Christ's brief. In a collaborative process, the abstract topic was turned into a tangible concept within a short space of time. On this basis, a comprehensive shoot with models was planned and carried out within one day. The Christ and Valencia team was responsible for the organization and creative direction on set. In addition to the people images, product images were also realized for the first time.

The agency then merged the images from the shoot with the layout, atmospheric and informative texts and a modern typography concept. The end result is a magazine that represents the freshness and high quality of the Christ brand and its products. The magazine was sent to over 400,000 households, is available in the 61 Christ stores and can be read as an e-paper. Valencia created POS advertising material, online banners and a mailing with flyers to match the magazine's new look.

"Our Christ Magazine 15 is the first issue that we were able to realize with Valencia. Together, we were not only able to take the look and feel of our magazine to a new level, but also make the processes behind it more efficient. We are already looking forward to No. 16!" - Nadia Mouzo, Head of Advertising Christ Watches & Jewelry.

Transparent collaboration and well thought-out processes

To successfully implement the relaunch of the Christ magazine, the agency relied on a structured and collaborative approach. Various members of the creative team were involved in the layout phase and in preparing the model shoot in order to develop a wide range of ideas and approaches. The collected concepts and design drafts were organized in a shared miro board. This way of working enabled CHRIST to view the progress of the project at any time and provide direct feedback. Regular meetings ensured efficiency and transparency in the process. The client and agency are now using the same method to renew the corporate design.

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Responsibilities at Christ Patrik Steiger (Company Manager), Nadia Mouzo (Head of Advertising), Laura Zimmermann (Project Manager CHRIST Magazine), Karin Willi (Head of CM Jewelry), Ruth Poleschuk (Senior Product Manager), Myriam Maier (Head of Visual Merchandising), Luis Valentin (Head of CM Watches), Petra Kompasova (Product Manager Watches), Bryan Bolliger (Product Manager Watches), Nicole Bamberger (Content Manager Online Shop) Responsibilities at Valencia Communications Tommy Schilling (Chief Creative Officer), Rahel Schneuwly (Creative Director), Fabienne Weiss (Consultant), Jasmin Marty (Consultant), Madeleine Knorzer (Senior Art Director), Paula Estepa Garcia (Junior Art Director), Nionela Katselko (Polygraphy), Joëlle Puglisi (Polygraphy), Sebastian Refardt (Text) Responsibilities Photography Franco Tettamanti, Ralph Lehner.

Starting signal for the Goldbach Crossmedia Award 2025: Outstanding Swiss campaigns that are characterized by the intelligent and innovative use of different media are once again being sought.

Cross-media campaigns that were carried out in Switzerland in 2024 can qualify. In addition to cross-media networking and the choice of media, the creative central idea and its degree of innovation will also be assessed. There is also a focus on the success of the overall campaign.

"I am very excited to see how this year's cases effectively combine creation and media and am particularly looking forward to experiencing the Crossmedia Award for the first time as Goldbach CEO," says Christoph Marty, Managing Director of the Goldbach Group since July 2024.

Submission phase now open

Campaigns can be submitted for the Goldbach Crossmedia Award until January 23, 2025. The evaluation will be carried out by an independent jury of experts from creative and media agencies as well as corporate advertisers. The submission tool and all important information for participants can be found on the dedicated Landing page.

The Goldbach Crossmedia Award has been promoting cross-media communication in the Swiss media and advertising industry for over two decades and will be presented for the 21st time next year. The winning teams will be honored at the Best Swiss of Web Award Night on April 3, 2025 at THE HALL in Zurich.

The Experience Ad, an attention-grabbing mobile advertising format, is seamlessly integrated within the content, creating a pleasant user experience. The integrated scrolling effect invites users to actively engage with the advertising message.

Desktop Video Wall Slider

For desktop placement, the already familiar and large-scale "Video Wall" advertising format was further developed using an integrated slider effect. Users can immerse themselves in the different images by moving the slider. This creates an interactive and immersive advertising experience.

" We are delighted to be working with an innovative partner that focuses on creative and original advertising concepts to strengthen the Mercedes-Benz brand presence. With the introduction of these new advertising formats, we are specifically increasing the brand awareness of Mercedes-Benz and positioning it sustainably and successfully in the market. " says Myriam Dünnenberger, Head of Marketing Communication at Mercedes-Benz Schweiz AG.

"We are setting new standards in advertising with the Experience Ad and the innovative Video Wall. We are concentrating on high-impact ads that generate above-average attention. We are extremely grateful to have Mercedes-Benz and PHD as two innovative partners at our side who share this vision," says Luca Maier, Chief Sales Officer at Publica4.

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Responsible at Mercedes-Benz Schweiz AG: Myriam Dünnenberger Head of Marketing Communication;  Responsible at Team X: Mario Lüthy (Senior Communication Consultant); responsible at Publica4: Luca Maier (Chief Sales Officer)

Family Acency from Uster prevailed against well-known competitors and won the FVS pitch on the topic of "Control illusion on the bicycle & e-bike".

Manuela Carluccio, project manager at the FVS, explains: "With a knowledge-based, bold concept and a convincing presentation, the agency was able to win the tender. From spring 2025, it will be tasked with noticeably increasing road safety on Swiss roads in the coming years through informative and educational measures. We are very much looking forward to this collaboration.

No room for illusions

"The so-called "illusion of control" in road traffic describes the deceptive feeling of safety and control that can affect all road users. However, cyclists and e-bike riders are particularly affected by this, as they are at greater risk due to their higher vulnerability. Underestimating dangers and overestimating one's own abilities often leads to risky or even life-threatening situations," explains Andreas Schumacher, Managing Director of the FVS on the project.

"Our task is to break this illusion and show people that caution and mindfulness on the road are vital for survival. It's not just an advertising campaign, but a social responsibility. We look forward to contributing to safety on Swiss roads through our work and, in the best-case scenario, even saving lives," adds Claudio Catrambone, founder, CEO & CCO of Family Acency.

A significant step towards greater safety

According to the 2023 road accident statistics from the Federal Roads Office FEDRO, 42 people were killed in bicycle and e-bike accidents, while 4,332 road users were involved in serious accidents (including 1,344 bicycle and e-bike accidents with serious consequences).

The popularity of these means of transportation makes it all the more urgent to raise awareness of the risks involved in road traffic. "Road safety is not a luxury, but a necessity. Our initiative aims to help make cyclists and e-bike riders more aware of their responsibility and thus significantly reduce the risk of accidents," emphasizes Florian Weitzel, Creative Director of Family Acency.

"It is a particular challenge to design educational advertising in such a way that it reaches and sensitizes people without being instructive or overwhelming. It takes sensitivity and creativity to convey important messages in such a way that they change behavior in the long term. This challenge is what makes the project so exciting for us, and I'm personally looking forward to breaking new ground to make a real difference," he adds.

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Family Acency was founded in 2020 and serves clients such as: Rivella, KPT, Sauber Motorsports, Amorana, CH Media, Watson and now also the "Road Safety Fund".

The Danish social impact company operates the world's largest marketplace for surplus food. In order to raise awareness of the issue of food waste in Switzerland and motivate people to take action, the Zurich-based communications agency June will provide the company with strategic and operational support for its PR and media work.

Strategic consulting and operational implementation 

This includes strategic advice and the creation of PR plans, sparring for media work, the development of story and campaign ideas and regular industry and media updates. June also acts as a press office, writes media releases and ensures their targeted distribution.

To increase media presence, June also coordinates targeted speaker appearances and interviews. June's tasks also include advising on and adapting global and regional campaigns.

Long-term collaboration for greater sustainability

"We are delighted to be working with Too Good To Go. The food savior perfectly embodies the zeitgeist: innovative, modern, sustainable and with values that we fully share," says Nathalie Eggen, Managing Director of June Corporate Communications. "We are convinced that good communication can bring about sustainable change. With our understanding of the Swiss media landscape, we can provide Too Good To Go with targeted support," adds Cédric Baumgartner, also Managing Director of JUNE.

Nora Walraph, Senior PR Manager DACH at Too Good To Go, adds: "With June, we have a creative partner at our side who brings a breath of fresh air to our communication in Switzerland. JUNE's dedicated team will enable us to address the Swiss even more specifically and get our message across to the market effectively."

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June Corporate Communications supports and accompanies clients who want to strengthen their innovative power or are facing a change process. JUNE not only provides strategic advice on corporate communications, but also supports implementation. And uses the full power of the Jung von Matt ecosystem to do so.

Nikin's innovative circular economy buyback program enables customers to receive a refund for the material value when they return their circular garments. Particularly interesting: the longer a garment is worn, the higher the refund amount - up to 25 % of the original purchase value is paid out in cash. The "Circular Cashback" program is made possible by the textile material naNea - an innovative, biodegradable polyester that has been specially developed for the circular economy. It can be recycled again and again without any loss of quality and is also very soft, comfortable and breathable. It was developed by the company OceanSafe from Bern.

"We already had circular products on offer, but realized that an additional incentive was needed for voluntary returns. With the buyback program, we now want to offer a suitable incentive and realign our business model," says co-founder and CEO Nicholas Hänny.

Consistent focus on the circular economy by 2030

The aim of the "Circular Cashback" program is to extend the wearing time of clothing, thereby avoiding waste and reusing raw materials. With this step, Nikin is setting an example in the fashion industry. After all, international phenomena such as Black Friday and ultra-fast fashion brands are continuing to boost clothing consumption in Switzerland too. Nikin is setting a counterpoint with the launch of the "Circular Cashback" program.

Campaign and media work

As part of a campaign, the fashion company is putting up a mega poster at Zurich main station. NIKIN is also raising awareness of the new "Circular Cashback" program via ambassadors, social media and a landing page. "The primary aim of our campaign is to promote the circular economy in the fashion industry. We want to build a community that wants to extend the wearing time of our products and thus make a positive contribution to a sustainable fashion industry," says Nicholas Hänny. The agency is also supporting CRK with PR and media work.

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Responsible at NikinNicholas Hänny (Co-Founder and CEO), Robin Gnehm (Co-Founder and CPO), Yvonne Lichtsteiner (Head of Marketing) Responsible at CRK:  Marie-Joëlle Eschmann (consulting and media relations)

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Nikin AG, a Swiss clothing brand based in Lenzburg, stands for sustainability and environmental awareness. Founded in October 2016 by childhood friends Nicholas Hänny and Robin Gnehm, Nikin offers durable, timeless products made from sustainable materials, most of which are produced in Europe. For every product sold, NIKIN plants a tree in collaboration with partner organization One Tree Planted - over 2.2 million trees worldwide to date. The two founders started with capital of 5,000 Swiss francs, and after an extremely successful crowd-investing campaign in December 2022, which raised 5 million Swiss francs within three weeks, NIKIN now has around 4,000 co-owners. The team of around 35 employees is pursuing the vision of creating a community that plants trees and protects nature, as well as making all Nikin products 100% circular by 2030.

According to the current study, every franc generated by the MCH Group in Basel generates an additional CHF 4.50 for other sectors in the region. In total, the MCH Group's activities generated gross value added of CHF 330 million in Switzerland in 2023, CHF 201 million of which was generated in the Canton of Basel-Stadt alone. Florian Faber, Group CEO, emphasizes: "As the leading exhibition, congress and event organizer in Switzerland, we are an important catalyst for the regional economy. The new value creation study underlines the long-term added value that our national and international events generate for Basel."

The results of the study highlight the MCH Group's ongoing commitment to sustainable economic development and show that the company's impact extends beyond Basel and strengthens the entire region - including neighboring areas in Switzerland, Germany and France. "Major events such as Art Basel have a particularly strong public impact and attract hundreds of thousands of guests and tourists every year, who spend locally and thus boost the local economy," says Faber. However, the MCH Group's other events also attract a wide audience to Basel every year. "Our events attracted a total of around 700,000 visitors in 2023. There are signs of a further increase in visitor numbers for 2024. Despite changing market conditions, the demand for exhibitions and platforms for exchanging knowledge and networking remains high," says Roman Imgrüth, CEO Events & Exhibitions of the MCH Group.

Creating jobs and income

What is remarkable is that the MCH Group secures jobs in the region - not only directly, but also indirectly. Every job at the MCH Group in Basel creates five additional jobs along the value chains. This results in a total of 1,668 full-time equivalents (FTE) with a gross payroll of CHF 141 million, which illustrates the considerable employment effect of the MCH Group.

Catalytic effects for the region

The study also shows how the MCH Group acts as a central catalyst for the regional economy. Spillover effects result from the consumer spending of visitors and exhibitors, which generates direct sales for regional companies and creates additional added value, jobs and income. The tourism sector benefits particularly strongly from the activities of the MCH Group. Around CHF 105 million in added value is generated by the hotel and catering industry, the culture and entertainment sector and the retail and transport sectors. Letizia Elia, Director of Basel Tourism, emphasizes: "As an internationally established congress, exhibition and event city, Basel benefits from the high added value generated by these events and the associated occupancy rates in the hotel and catering sector. The thematically diverse events shape the image of the city and carry it out into the world through the international guests."

In addition, local companies such as cleaning services, security firms and consulting agencies benefit from orders that are linked to the activities of the MCH Group. Group CEO Florian Faber emphasizes: "We are proud to be a key driving force for Basel as a business location and see it as our responsibility and core task to continue to generate added value in the future and provide impetus that will further advance and strengthen the region. At the same time, we want to remain innovative, adapt to the changing needs of the industries and be a reliable partner for the regional economy." With over 100 years of tradition, the MCH Group remains closely linked to Basel and, with additional initiatives such as the Exhibition Quarter, is making an important contribution to the revitalization and further development of the city.

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The MCH Group, headquartered in Basel (Switzerland), is a globally active experience marketing company with a comprehensive network of services for global clients. Its core business includes unique community platforms such as the Art Basel shows in Basel, Hong Kong, Paris and Miami Beach, as well as major national exhibitions such as Swissbau and Giardina. The Live Marketing Solutions division, with the MCH Global, MC2 and Expomobilia brands, offers customized experience marketing solutions from strategy to creation and implementation. The MCH Group also operates the exhibition halls and the Congress Center Basel as well as Messe Zürich. The company employs over 800 people, around half of them in Switzerland and the USA. In the 2023 financial year, the group generated consolidated sales of around CHF 394 million.

The GfK Market Monitor Switzerland, published by GfK Switzerland AG in collaboration with over 40 leading retailers, documents an overall subdued picture in the Swiss retail sector for the first three quarters of 2024. With a slight decline of 0.2%, the market as a whole fell just short of the previous year's figure. A differentiated view shows that the food/nearfood sector is performing robustly with growth of 1.3%, while the non-food sector is down 2.8%.

The consumer mood remains subdued and consumers increasingly prefer to make purchasing decisions on promotional days such as Black Friday. Despite the popularity of premium products, restraint and recourse to discounted offers still seem to dominate. The home electronics sector in particular is saturated, which explains the decline in this segment. Only niche products such as hair styling appliances and electric toothbrushes are showing positive trends.

Only the leisure segment recorded a slight increase. Sports products such as e-bikes, treadmills and sports nutrition are in particular demand and are supporting the segment. The fashion sector also benefited from an early fall and rising demand for warmer clothing, although this was unable to compensate for the summer's losses.

The online business, on the other hand, recorded solid growth of 4% and continues to demonstrate stability in the market. Despite the subdued economic forecasts, the growth potential of the online segment remains unbroken.

The expert group's forecasts for Swiss GDP adjusted for sporting events in 2024 are for expected growth of 1.2%, followed by 1.6% in 2025.

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GfK Market Monitor Switzerland is a service provided by GfK Switzerland AG in cooperation with over 40 major Swiss retailers. These generate around 40-50 percent of total retail sales. Specialty retailers are not included. The GfK Market Monitor does not claim to be representative of the market as a whole. GfK makes various overall market estimates for this purpose.

 

The GfK study on European purchasing power in 2024 illustrates the sometimes considerable differences in income within Europe: while Liechtenstein's per capita purchasing power of 70,180 euros is more than 3.7 times the average, Switzerland and Luxembourg take second and third place in the ranking with 52,566 and 41,785 euros per capita respectively. Switzerland in particular shows an impressively constant purchasing power and is positioned well above the European average. Austria also ranks sixth among the top 10 countries with an increase.

A country comparison reveals a regional disparity that appears to be less pronounced in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria, but shows considerable differences between wealthier and lower-income regions, particularly in France, Italy and Spain. In France, purchasing power in the capital region Île-de-France is well above the national average and remains the economic center of the country. Italy, on the other hand, shows a clear north-south divide: while the province of Bolzano, the new leader, represents the wealthier northern Italian regions, southern Italy lags well behind the national average.

The UK and the Netherlands both move up in the overall European rankings this year: The UK rises three places to reach seventh place with a purchasing power of EUR 28,086 per capita, while the Netherlands moves up to tenth place with an average value of EUR 27,558, showing a relatively balanced distribution of purchasing power across the provinces.

Overall, 16 of the 42 countries surveyed are above the European average. Despite nominal growth in purchasing power of 3.9%, the regional and cross-national income gap remains striking, particularly in Eastern and Southern European countries such as Poland, Hungary and Romania, where net disposable income remains comparatively low. However, there is a noticeable trend towards a convergence of incomes in less affluent regions. The "Purchasing Power Europe 2024" study is available now and contains detailed data at local authority and zip code level.

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About the study:

The "GfK Purchasing Power Europe 2024" study is available for 42 European countries at detailed levels such as municipalities and zip codes, as well as corresponding data on inhabitants and households and digital maps.

Purchasing power refers to disposable income excluding taxes and social security contributions including transfer payments and is shown per capita and year in euros as an index. GfK Purchasing Power refers to nominal disposable income. This means that the values are not adjusted for inflation. The calculation is based on data from income tax statistics, relevant statistics for calculating transfer payments and forecasts from economic institutes.

Consumers use their general purchasing power to cover all expenses for food, housing, services, energy costs, private pensions and insurance, as well as other expenses such as vacations, mobility and consumer wishes.

The Effie Awards Switzerland are organized by Leading Swiss Agencies, the association of Switzerland's leading communications agencies, and recognize the most effective marketing campaigns of the past two years. For this year's edition, 59 jury members selected 34 outstanding campaigns as finalists in the first round of judging. m&k was there and gained various insights from the jury (Markt-kom.com reported).

From these 34 campaigns, 20 jurors have now awarded a total of 24 campaigns with metal in the second round of judging. The judging took place under the direction of jury president Peter Felser and the Effie management.

Which 24 campaigns have won is revealed m&k currently in various stages. The 2024 winners will be celebrated at the award show on November 13.

Now that all the bronze and silver winners and two gold winners have been announced, three more gold winners are being announced today. They are Team Farner with Islam Alijaj, Thjnk Zurich for Denner and TBWA Switzerland for McDonald's.

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History Writing (Activation category)

Islam started from a hopeless position on the list. Thanks to his campaign, he was accumulated by around 10,000 more voters than his direct competitors and was elected. 

Political inclusion communication often relies on pity and is therefore not successful. The aim of our campaign was therefore not to show Islam as a person with disabilities and at the same time to empower people with and without disabilities to support him in the election campaign. In the end, Islam was sensationally elected to the National Council with 95,000 votes, giving the issue of inclusion unprecedented attention in Switzerland.

Client: 

Lead agency:  Farner / Team Farner

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Denner - Image campaign on value for money (Brand Image category)

The campaign is remembered (45 percent), strengthens brand sympathy (65 percent) and preference (46 percent) and increases customer frequency (+5.2 percent vs. previous year) and net sales (+5.4 percent vs. previous year).

The year 2023 brings with it a challenging economic situation. Money will be tighter and purchases will be more considered. Denner is seizing this moment and showing people how they can afford to live well despite difficult times. The moving image tells the humorous story of an elderly lady who has her best days financially behind her but is still living her best life thanks to Denner. The poster and print subjects show the favorite products of the Swiss literally reduced and discounted. In this way, Denner's value for money is staged in a channel-appropriate way. The campaign remains in people's minds, strengthens the brand in terms of appeal and preference, attracts more people to the stores and boosts sales disproportionately.

Client: Denner AG

Lead agency: thjnk Zurich AG

Other agencies / companies: JBW Media AG

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Chicken McNuggets of Love (Activation category)

Chicken McNuggets of Love", which were available separately for a short time, were the strongest sales month (+10.5%) in the snack category in the history of McDonald's Switzerland.

On their 40th anniversary, Chicken McNuggets were in the spotlight. Although no product is as synonymous with sharing as Chicken McNuggets, the number of nuggets was often not enough for the number of people sharing them. In the anniversary campaign, individually available "Chicken McNuggets of Love" were presented as a solution and the perfect sharing with friends or family was made possible for a short time. The enthusiasm for the nuggets was not limited to national borders (+25% Chicken McNuggets sold, McDonald's Switzerland's strongest snack sales month ever), the Nugget of Love even made it into the US news (CHF 960,000 earned media, dozens of media reports worldwide).

Client: McDonald's

LEAD AGENCY: TBWA\ Switzerland AG

Other agencies / companies: OMD Switzerland AG