Every year, the Swiss Packaging Institute presents the Swiss Packaging Award in recognition of outstanding achievements in the packaging industry. The aim of the competition is to showcase the creativity and innovative strength of the Swiss packaging industry. Companies can submit their packaging solutions in the categories of sustainability, convenience, design, marketing, technology / construction / machine solutions and reusable packaging / systems.

The 55th Swiss Packaging Award was hosted by Philippe Dubois, President of the SVI, together with jury president Stefan Jüde. This year, a total of 37 packaging solutions were submitted by 25 different participants. The sustainability category was again particularly well represented with 20 submissions. This reflects the demands of the times: packaging companies must develop recyclable, reusable and recyclable packaging - the submissions show that they are tackling this with pioneering solutions.

The Audience Award, sponsored by the Empack packaging trade fair, went to Andreas Kopp with the "King Penguin with pull-out mechanism" packaging solution for the customer Jakobs Basler Leckerly / Basel Zoo. The audience award is voted for by consumers, not the jury.

The 2024 winners at a glance

• Sustainability category: Pharma Guard from Südpack Medica
• Category Marketing: Cartony - Pizza Karton Wave from Delicous Network, Manufacturer: Bourquin
• Design category: "Gottlieber Hüppen" from Pawi Packaging Switzerland
• Convenience category: Implant packaging from GPI Swiss
• Category Technology / Construction / Machine systems: Sushi Pack - dry molded fiber from Bachmann Forming, developer: Scafa Thermoforming / OMG Thermoforming SRL
• Reusable packaging / reusable systems: ReCircle reusable network by Stefan Kälin, design: AdRem Design

SVI Managing Director Andreas Zopfi referred to the high innovative strength of the Swiss packaging industry and congratulated the sector on its progressive and goal-oriented approach to sustainable packaging solutions. The winners of the Swiss Packaging Award automatically qualify to take part in the World Star Award of the World Packaging Organization.

The reputation study was based on all Swiss online and print media, in which articles from 70 industrial companies were examined using an AI analysis methodology. Almost 70,000 reputation-relevant statements were identified and evaluated over a period of twelve months. To calculate the strength of reputation in the individual areas, the number of articles, the tonality and the reach and importance of the media sources were taken into account.

Six dimensions form the good reputation

The reputation model on which the study is based distinguishes between six different factors - known as reputation dimensions - that shape a company's reputation: Products & Services, Innovation, Economic Performance, Management & Leadership, Workplace, ESG & Sustainability. The study determined how industrial companies perform in these areas in the media.

Sensible benchmarking through categorization

The media presence of the companies surveyed varies greatly. For this reason, four groups of companies were formed, each covering a specific presence spectrum:

• Presence leaders - omnipresent companies with high visibility
• Pacesetters - regularly in the media, often leaders in their industries
• Pioneers - reliably present, setting the tone
• Hidden champions - small presence, striving for the top

Each of these groups comprises 17 or 18 companies. This segmentation allows the companies in the individual groups to compare themselves with companies with a similar media presence. This makes benchmarking possible - overall or at the level of a reputation dimension - in order to meaningfully classify the results achieved and take targeted measures.

Media reputation is highly relevant for industrial companies

"Most industrial companies are business-to-business enterprises with which the general public has little contact," says Katrin Frei, Managing Director of Pressrelations Switzerland. "The media are often the only source of information that the public uses to find out about the activities, successes and challenges of companies. What the online and print media report therefore has a decisive influence on the reputation of companies among the Swiss population."

For Lukas Zihlmann, Managing Director of Swissreputation.group, visibility is essential in order to stay ahead of the competition: "It's not just about working conditions and career opportunities. Employees prefer well-managed, successful, innovative and sustainable companies. Industrial companies in particular must therefore communicate convincingly in all these areas, especially via the media."

Agency C distributes Bible verses on posters in Switzerland. It commissioned its contractual partner APG|SGA 2022 to place advertising in and on buses at STI Bus AG. The transport company rejected this at the end of August 2023 and referred the agency to its contract with APG.

They also stated that they did not consider it necessary to issue a contestable ruling, as the agency had requested.

The agency's lawyer subsequently approached the Office for Public Transport and Transport Coordination of the Canton of Bern, which did not wish to comment on the matter. This is the result of a ruling by the Federal Administrative Court published on Thursday.

Not responsible

The denial of justice appeal to the Federal Office of Transport (FOT) did not help the agency, as the office is not responsible for handling the case and forwarded it to the Federal Administrative Court.

This did not occur, as the 30-day deadline for submitting such an appeal has expired. The court writes that the appellant, who was already represented by a lawyer in August 2023, should have submitted her appeal after the letter from STI Bus. The appeal to the Federal Supreme Court is now still open. (SDA/swi)

Have you come across the suffix recently? It is pronounced: "isch". And unfortunately it doesn't mean what it means in Swiss German, but exactly the opposite. The Swiss German form of the verb "sein" in the third person present, i.e. he/she/it "ist" - or "isch", means that something is. Definitive. Unchangeable. The equally pronounced English suffix "-ish", on the other hand, is an informal form for "approximately", "something like" or "perhaps". The ending is now used so frequently that "ish" can be considered a word in its own right. You can answer the question "Let's meet at 8" with "Ish" to leave yourself some flexibility.

Why has it become so hip in Switzerland to suddenly forget everything? The Swiss are so conscientious and punctual when it comes to keeping appointments that there is no room for vagueness.

Exactly how wide this temporal spectrum is depends heavily on the cultural origin of the person in question. For people from the USA or the UK, "-ish" is the same as "plus minus 10 minutes", which is common in German-speaking cultures. It should be noted, however, that the Swiss tend to arrive too early in order to avoid being unpunctual, which, if I may say so, is also unpunctual.

Speaking of tardiness, there is also the academic quarter of an hour, which academics like to use as an excuse for lateness. It's actually just an indication that lectures at universities start a quarter of an hour later than stated - but it can be a bit embarrassing in a private setting. In Latin countries, people are more relaxed. Here, the "hora latina" applies, which means that everything up to 30 minutes after the agreed time is completely fine. And English-speaking people from India even see "-ish" as the time between the hours. "Let's say 8ish" therefore means that the meeting will take place sometime between 8.00 and 8.59.

The height of non-commitment

However, "-ish" does not only mean unpunctuality, but also non-commitment. While the Swiss "isch" in the sense of "to be" represents a commitment, the English "-ish" is exactly the opposite. Are you stressed? "-ish". Do you have a lot to do? "-ish". How are things going? "-ish". And so on. But adjectives are also given the trendy ending. And this is where it becomes problematic in German-language usage. While the ending has become something of a metaphor for non-commitment, in uncertain times it is precisely commitment that would be important. What good is it if everything that wants to be presented and daring is neutralized with an "-ish"? Nothing at all. It would be appropriate for clients and client managers in agencies to strengthen their decision-making authority and take a clear stance instead of making imprecise decisions that sound cool. Instead of attaching a fashionable appendage to every assessment, it would be better to be consistent and clearly state how things are. Or just "ish".

* Benno Maggi is co-founder and CEO of Partner & Partner. He has been eavesdropping on the industry for over 30 years, discovering words and terms for us that can either be used for small talk, pomposity, excitement, playing Scrabble, or just because.

The 21-member jury, made up of members of the German "CMO of the Year" Council and selected marketing and media experts from publishing houses, TV, universities and agencies, voted Daniel Grieder "CMO of the Year" 2024 in Germany. Grieder has been CEO at Hugo Boss since 2021 and is responsible for the Metzingen-based fashion company bucking the market trend and getting back on the road to success.

"I am delighted to receive this award, which is a great recognition of what we have achieved as a team at Hugo Boss over the last three years," says Grieder. "With our comprehensive brand renewal and our digital-first marketing approach, we have made 'Boss' and 'Hugo' relevant again, won over new target groups and positioned the brands well for the future."

As CEO at Hugo Boss, Daniel Grieder is not only responsible for corporate strategy and product development, but also for global marketing. Under his leadership, the core brand Boss and the younger brand Hugo 2022 were given a new brand identity, implemented by Brandpulse (Markt-kom.com reported). This has been very well received in designer circles and is primarily aimed at a younger target group. Intensified digital activities and testimonials such as sports and fashion icon David Beckham and social media stars like Bella Poarch have turned Boss and Hugo into 24/7 lifestyle brands - so successful that the company doubled its turnover between 2020 and 2023, two years earlier than originally planned.

Prof. Dr. Sven Reinecke, Executive Director of the Institute for Marketing & Customer Insight at the University of St. Gallen and spokesperson for the jury, explains the choice of CMO of the Year: "The Swiss Daniel Grieder has succeeded in repositioning Hugo Boss as a desirable brand - from a traditional premium brand to a growing lifestyle brand with its finger on the pulse of the times."

From ten nominated top CMOs the jury selected the winner. The jury used dossiers compiled by the Institute for Marketing & Customer Insight University of St. Gallen on the top 10 CMOs as the basis for its assessment. The laudatory speech for the new "CMO of the Year" was given by Sabine Zantis, CMO of Deichmann. Presenter Bella Lesnik hosted the festive CMO Award Night, which opened with the keynote speech "Beauty of Nature - Beauty of Brands" by Daan Roosegaarde.

Lifetime Achievement Award for Hoechter

The "CMO Lifetime Achievement Award" was also presented for the second time. This year, the award for special marketing achievements for a brand over a longer period of time went to Stefan Hoechter, Managing Director of Adelholzener Alpenquellen until the end of 2024. "Under Stefan Hoechter's leadership, the company has undergone an impressive development: from a local mineral spring brand to the national best brand in the non-alcoholic beverage market," says Florian Haller, CEO of the Serviceplan Group, explaining the jury's decision, "With iconic campaigns over the years and pioneering innovations such as Active O2, he has had a lasting influence on the industry and at the same time shown that it pays to anchor brand work at the highest management level."

The market research institute Media Focus is launching the new "Advertising Compass" platform. This is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the Swiss advertising market, according to the institute. The free and interactive advertising compass helps advertisers, agencies, media providers and those interested in advertising to better navigate the dynamic advertising environment.

The Advertising Compass was inspired by the "Advertising Primer", which was once considered the standard work in the advertising industry. As a platform that flexibly adapts to new developments and thus always remains up-to-date, the Advertising Compass marks a future-oriented further development.

"Not only can users access relevant content quickly, they can also get in touch with our media and association partners directly," says Media Focus CEO Ueli Weber. "The platform provides an overview of the most important forms of advertising, which account for 80 percent of the advertising volume in Switzerland. In addition, there is information on current advertising prices, technical terms and showcases, which are constantly updated by the partners and associations." (Dylan Windhaber/cka)

The Dentsu Ad Spend Report published in June revealed a presumed improvement in the Swiss advertising market. Read more can be read here.

This article first appeared in Netzwoche.

The city of Zurich was the first Swiss city to sign the "Circular Cities Declaration", adopt a circular economy strategy and approve a corresponding package of measures. With the aim of promoting the circular economy, ERZ is planning a temporary circular economy facility to prevent and reduce waste on the Josefareal site, near the former waste-to-energy plant between Hardbrücke and Viadukt. The facility is scheduled to be in operation from 2025 until the end of 2028.

In order to give the area and the new offer the necessary communicative power, create awareness and generate identification and involvement, ERZ looked for a creative agency for future collaboration as part of a pitch. Stuiq won the selection process and is currently in the middle of development and implementation.

In addition to the naming, purpose and visual appearance, the tasks primarily include communication relating to the circular economy offering. In future, the entire site will also become a place for people to meet and exchange ideas - with gastronomic and recreational offerings. To this end, ERZ is planning an opening in 2025 together with Stuiq, as well as awareness-raising measures with information dissemination.

The idea is to pass on items in good condition and lend out rarely used items at the car-free Josefareal. There are also repair offers for defective goods. The focus is on avoiding waste so that indirect greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced.

The temporary service acts as a testing ground to test and further develop new services in the circular economy. A modular offering is planned, which can change continuously during the four-year operation. ERZ will collaborate with third parties for the various services. Interested parties who would like to place their circular economy services on the site and rent space temporarily can contact Entsorgung + Recycling Zürich.

Kleinwalsertal is located in the Allgäu Alps and combines a special blend of Austrian hospitality and Bavarian flair. With its wide range of leisure activities, the valley is interesting for both sports enthusiasts and those seeking peace and quiet.

As part of the cooperation, Dreifive developed new, channel-specific social media assets that are continuously optimized using A/B testing in order to achieve maximum performance. The campaign is played out on the social media channels Meta, TikTok and Pinterest.

From the beginning of 2025, the service portfolio will be expanded to include SEA, media strategy and comprehensive support. The aim of the measures is to increase awareness of Kleinwalsertal - particularly among a younger target group - and to further strengthen the positioning of the destination with a strong focus on performance.

The focus of the campaign is based on Kleinwalsertal's long-term tourism strategy 2034, which aims to provide new impetus for the region and lay the foundations for future development.

Responsible persons at Kleinwalsertal Tourismus eGen: Justina Rokita (Management Board), Sascha Guggenheimer (Social Media Manager / Online Marketing), Clemens Paul (Fux & Hase agency). Responsible at Dreifive: Jana Kempe (Teamlead Social Media), Christian Milutinovic (Junior Social Media Consultant), Irene Klammer (Digital Arts Designer), Isabel Steiner (Director Creation & Production | Partner), Moritz Egger (Digital Advertising Consultant), Rolf Ort (Managing Director Munich), Jolanda Kessler (Head of Digital Advertising | Partner).

At last Saturday's friendly match against FC Schalke 04, the FC Aarau players took to the pitch in their new anniversary jerseys. The fans seemed to like it: FC Aarau reportedly sold around 450 of them in just five days. The team will continue to use it as a third jersey alongside the home and away jerseys.

The Aarau agency Blueheart is responsible for the design of the jersey. As the official communication partner of FC Aarau, it is supporting the football club with its anniversary communication. In addition to the "100 years Brügglifeld" anniversary logo, the Blueheart team also designed the jersey. With its white collar and buttons, the new piece has a deliberately retro feel. The colors black and anthracite, together with a little gold, give the shirt the necessary elegance for such an anniversary.

The Brügglifeld is commemorated with the main stand - according to Blueheart, the motif required extremely precise final artwork. The anniversary logo is emblazoned on the left chest, just above the club logo.

Responsible at FC Aarau: Pascal Bünter (Head of Marketing); Miguel Peralta, (Marketing/Sponsoring). Responsible at Blueheart: Olivier Kilchherr (concept); Marina Botic (graphics); Izabela Carona (realization); Vanessa Mentha (consulting); Sarah Rölli (photos).

The Rocket Agency was founded 20 years ago in the heart of Lucerne. The 16-strong team's customers include SBB, Concordia, Emmi, Livit and Mobility.

Rocket's service offering includes everything from branding, campaigning, social media, strategy consulting, web development and UX design. Its network of partners and versatile in-house capabilities make it a competent partner for digital transformation projects. The agency is now joining LSA, the association of leading communications agencies in Switzerland.

At GITEX 2024, various Swiss companies will be presenting topics ranging from AI, metaverse, blockchain, cyber security and telecommunications to climate tech and future mobility at the Swiss Pavilion. Exeon Analytics, a young cybersecurity company dedicated to protecting corporate IT/OT landscapes through AI-driven security analytics, will also be presenting its Network Detection & Response (NDR) platform to a global audience for the first time at the technology fair in Dubai. The Zurich-based cybersecurity specialist's platform is characterized not only by the fact that it does not require additional agents and sensors, but also by its high level of deployment flexibility (either in the cloud or in the company's own data center). The on-premise version in particular significantly increases the security of sensitive data in critical sectors such as finance, healthcare and public administration, as data sovereignty remains entirely within the company, Exeon continues. Gregor Erismann, Co-CEO Exeon Analytics: "GITEX offers us the ideal setting to take a further step in our internationalization strategy with our AI-driven cyber security innovations and to get in touch with many potential customers and partners."

Exeon Analytics' NDR platform provides comprehensive protection against cyber threats by monitoring network communications. ExeonTrace uses lightweight traffic metadata for analysis, does not require complex traffic mirroring or packet decryption and leverages existing IT, cloud and OT infrastructure to collect analytics data. The self-learning algorithms (AI) were developed at ETH Zurich. The AI detects anomalies in real time and uncovers as yet unknown attacks, which primarily strengthens the cyber resilience of companies that are part of the critical infrastructure - energy, finance, health and utilities. Swiss customers include companies such as Swiss International Air Lines, PostFinance and the Swiss Federal Administration. Nils Planzer, CEO of Planzer Transport AG, is also quoted: "With ExeonTrace, we at Planzer have found a Swiss solution to monitor our network and detect cyber threats at an early stage."

Source: Exeon 

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/schweizer-cybersecurity-startup-an-weltgroesster-technologie-show-in-dubai/

The LIA has been honoring outstanding creative achievements in advertising, design, digital and technology since 1986. It is one of the most important awards in the creative industry and attracts entries from over 75 countries every year. This year's winning entries were announced last week, followed by the announcement of the Special Awards on November 4.

With the campaign for Islam Alijaj, Farner won gold in the "Transformative Business Impact" category, silver in the "Creativity in PR" and "Evolution" categories and bronze in "Evolution" and "Integration". "Giving A Voice To The Unheard" supported the disability rights activist's entry into the National Council in 2023. The political campaign relied on authentic storytelling and the meaningful use of artificial intelligence. It has already won several awards, including a Lion at the World Advertising Championships in Cannes (Markt-kom.com reported).

In addition to the five trophies for Farner, there was also a Finalist Certificate for the #putinyourvote" campaign by Jung von Matt for Myclimate in the "Poster" category.