For the fifth year in a row, NZZ Connect presented the Swiss Economic Forum Woman Award at The Circle Zurich. One of the three women honored was Paulina Grnarova, according to NZZ Connect. Grnarova, co-founder and CEO of the AI start-up Deepjudge, received the award in the "Young Female Entrepreneur of the Year" category.

Born in North Macedonia, she founded the ETH spin-off Deepjudge in 2021 to transform the legal search process with artificial intelligence. According to the press release, Grnarova holds a doctorate in computer science and has already been included in the Forbes 30 under 30 list.

The Swiss Economic Forum presented another award to Bea Knecht. As the founder of the TV streaming service Zattoo, she has developed new business models in the technology sector and is an expert in digital transformation, according to the press release. For this, the organizers named her Honorary Award Winner of the Year 2025. Alpiq CEO Antje Kanngiesser also received the award in the "Entrepreneur/CEO of the Year" category. (Dylan Windhaber/rja)

This article first appeared in Netzwoche.

The SEF.WomanAward honors women with an outstanding entrepreneurial track record and at the same time creates a powerful and future-oriented platform for female entrepreneurs.

Before moving to the HWZ, Stallone worked as a course director and lecturer at the ZHAW School of Management and Law, where he led teaching and research programs at the interface between marketing and technology. His focus was always on the transfer of science into practice. With his expertise and innovative strength, he will now drive forward the further development of the Department of Marketing & Digital at the HWZ.

"It will be an honor for me to create an environment at the HWZ in which we combine market expertise with a real feel for the future," says Stallone about his new role. "I value an outside-in approach and the consistent integration of digital innovations without losing sight of the human factor."

HWZ Rector Brian Rüeger emphasizes the importance of this new appointment: "My aim is to break down silos and establish a networked way of thinking in order to find innovative and sustainable answers to technological and economic challenges as a university. In Valerio Stallone, we are gaining a committed manager who successfully combines theory and practice and will provide valuable impetus for the HWZ."

Stallone holds a Master of Science in Management & Economics from the University of Zurich, a Ph.D. in Marketing from the University of Maastricht and a CAS in University Didactics from the ZHAW.

He started his career as an Account Manager at Webrepublic. He then became Head of Marketing & Communication at Selfnation (RealLook), where he was responsible for the marketing strategy for the DACH region. He then moved to Ava, where he rose from Digital Marketer to Marketing Director Europe and led an international team.

Those with a small budget are often faced with the challenge of making their own brand known. This is where the idea behind "brand slogans" comes in. As the name suggests, the service offers tailor-made slogans for start-ups and small businesses with limited financial resources. The service focuses on timeless, memorable copywriting concepts that can be used across various channels.

The independent offering has a own website with all the trimmings - an eye-catching blue, red and white design and a playful logo with lions and bears. The offer is clear, the pricing transparent: a standard package is available for CHF 4900, the premium version costs CHF 7900. Both packages include an "international full buy-out".

What motivates an agency that is known for its provocative communication and advertises with the words "We're probably not the right agency for you" to launch such an additional offer?

m&k: What was the idea behind "brand slogan"?

Parvez Sheik Fareed: We mainly receive inquiries from companies that describe our out-of-home campaigns and publicity stunts as either "humorous advertising" or "good advertising slogans". For many start-ups and small companies, however, such campaigns cannot be realized with the available budgets. We noticed that many start-ups either have no slogan or only a trivial slogan that is neither catchy nor to the point.

That's how you came up with "brand slogan". But why an independent offer?

Miro Pfister: We wanted to create an offering that focused solely on slogans. If we were to offer this via Pam Advertising, there would be a risk of dilution and it would be lost in the agency's overall scope of services. In contrast to traditional agency services in the branding sector, we focus exclusively on slogans. As far as we know, no such service exists in Switzerland.

As far as we know, no such slogan service exists in Switzerland.

You make it clear on your website that the offer is only for start-ups and small businesses. Why this target group restriction?

PSF: We offer this service at Pam's usual quality level only to those who have limited financial resources and want to make a sales-boosting investment in their brand.

How do you reach this target group?

MP: We place ads on social media and on selected online portals whose target groups are start-ups and small businesses. We are also currently in talks with start-up incubators for strategic partnerships.

The special branding of "Markenslogan" stands out on the website. How did the look with bears and lions come about?

The name brand slogan says it all. The name says it all. The bear and the lion are suitable as accessible and recognizable visual elements. I'm from Bern, Parvez is from Zurich - so we chose these animals because they appear in the city coats of arms of Bern and Zurich. The same with the colors red and blue.

The name 'brand slogan' says it all.

What is the difference between slogans and claims? And how important is a slogan compared to other branding elements?

PSF: The distinction between slogans and claims is very theoretical and has little meaning in practice. We have deliberately used the term slogan because it is more commonly used outside the marketing industry than claim. In addition to the logo, a slogan is an important branding element that contributes to brand growth in order to keep the brand in mind in purchasing situations.

For you, a good brand slogan should be memorable, unmistakable, catchy and not a tongue twister. Are there any other criteria for success or current developments and trends that need to be taken into account?

Another success criterion is rather the opposite of this, namely none to follow developments or trends. One of the things that makes a slogan effective is that it is timeless and can be used again and again. It would be wrong to focus on current events. Good slogans are like music hits that you can listen to again and again, no matter what era they come from.

The slogans you create come with a full buy-out - in other words, the right to use the finally selected slogan remains with the customer afterwards. How can you ensure that slogans remain relevant in the long term?

MP: In addition to the aspect of timelessness, we make sure that the slogans have a certain linguistic virtuosity. In other words, saying something in such a way that it sticks and doesn't sound trivial or hackneyed.

How can we imagine your service and the associated creative process?

We have developed our own briefing form. This ensures that we understand the product or service of the company in question and hit the right tone for the slogan. Then it's time to get down to business: sit down, think, write. The process is the same as for any creative job.

Which of your slogans are you particularly proud of?

PSF: "Boring, but good" for the BDP was a solid hit that caught the eye of the media and got people talking. For the Too Good To Go campaign, we created the headline "The world's leftover app", among others. This would also have been suitable as a future slogan for TGTG. Potential slogans often lie dormant in good headline campaigns. Brands that don't yet have a slogan but have good headline campaigns should therefore look through their old campaigns.

Are you planning to develop your slogan service further?

MP: For the moment, we will leave it at that. Should it become apparent over time that an expansion would be sensible, we would examine this.

Parvez Sheik Fareed (left) and Miro Pfister are co-founders and owners of the Zurich agency Pam Advertising.

m&k Andrea Bison joins the HWZ team as a communications expert. Congratulations on this? How did this come about?

I was specifically looking for a high-profile personality from the agency scene to jointly develop and manage my proven course. Andrea Bison was my preferred candidate, who was also recommended to me by several people. And to clarify: like me and most program directors at the HWZ, she will take on the role of co-head of the program on a part-time basis. This fits in with the HWZ's profile as the most practice-oriented and entrepreneurial business school in Switzerland. The majority of lecturers are also experts from the field. After each module of our CAS Best Practices, there is now input on current topics and campaigns from the responsible CMOs, agencies and researchers. The choice of Andrea Bison also shows that our CAS is suitable for marketing and communication professionals in companies and agencies. This exchange takes place intensively in the CAS and the mutual understanding is an important additional benefit for the participants from both sides.

What are the challenges for future CAS graduates in the field of communication? What do they need to learn?

What remains are the basics for marketing communication professionals such as Campaign Management, Touchpoint Management, Strategic Brand & Communication Management, Partnership Management & Cultural Marketing or Marcom Controlling. Newly integrated or more in-depth topics include Behavioral Sciences & Communication, Concept Development, a Deep Dive Shared & Paid Social Media, an Audio & Video Media Production Workshop in two studios, Marcom in the Age of GenAI, Marcom Data Sciences & Management and Marcom Automation. In general, technology and the use of the latest relevant tools play an important role - a file rouge as required. And on the second last day of the course, we go on another study tour. With the last course, we visited Ochsner Sport, AXA, SRF and Wirz. The students were thrilled with the in-depth insight that the hosts gave us.

Where will Andrea Bison offer added value?

Her immense experience in the strategic-conceptual development of effective marketing communication and campaign management. The co-founder of the award-winning agency Thjnk, advertiser of the year 2024 and board member of the ADC is also responsible for internal training in the Thjnk Group in the DACH region and the implementation of the GenAI. Both are central for and in our CAS.

Who is the CAS recommended for?

For marketing and communication experts from companies, SMEs, start-ups, NGOs, NPOs, consultants from agencies and the self-employed who want to ambitiously reach the professional level in marcoms.

"Many companies see the possibilities of AI, but don't know how they can use it for themselves. This is exactly where we come in - with a mixture of consulting, workshops and production to efficiently integrate AI into creative processes," says Lymbus co-founder Sven Würgler, explaining the idea behind Beyond Dreams.

Advice and production from a single source

Companies can use the service to acquire the necessary knowledge in workshops, obtain advice or have AI-supported content produced directly. Interdisciplinary teams of tech experts, creatives and strategists work together to achieve this. The aim is to make AI "not just a trend, but a real business advantage".

"Design and technology have always been closely linked. We are currently experiencing a real revolution with AI - and with Beyond Dreams, we are helping our customers to be at the forefront of this," adds Michael Ryser, Managing Director of Designnow GmbH.

Beyond Dreams is now on the market.

Andrea Bison, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of the agency Thjnk, "Advertiser of the Year" 2024 and ADC Board Member, is the new head of the enhanced CAS Marketing Communications at the HWZ Zurich University of Applied Sciences together with long-time course director Stefan Vogler. "Our tasks and requirements in the field of marketing communications today are so demanding and varied that we need highly trained people who are familiar with all subject areas in order to achieve excellent results," says Andrea Bison about her commitment.

Promarca becomes new patronage partner

In addition to established patronage partners such as Igem, Leading Swiss Agencies, Marcom Suisse, SWA, Swiss Marketing and the Swiss Media Publishers Association VSM, Promarca is now also supporting the course. Barbara Castegnaro, Managing Director of the Swiss Branded Goods Association, emphasizes the importance of further education: "Effective brand communication is constantly presenting the MarCom community with new challenges and is constantly setting higher standards. To really stand out here, continuous training is essential."

The CAS is aimed at marketing and communication professionals from companies, SMEs, start-ups, NGOs and NPOs as well as consultants from agencies and the self-employed. In the MarKom field of tension of the 4M - people, brands, markets, media - as well as technology (GenAI), the practice-oriented further education imparts the relevant skills for the future. The Next implementation starts in September.

The "Tudor Pro Cycling Team" was founded in 2022 by two-time Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara. Since making the leap into the professional category of world cycling in 2023, the team has already celebrated a number of successes. In 2025, the Swiss racing team is continuing its attack and now has two potential winning riders on the team, Marc Hirschi and Julian Alaphilippe, who have already won major races. This is primarily possible thanks to the sponsorship of the Geneva watch brand Tudor, for which the team represents a flagship project in its comprehensive marketing initiatives in cycling.

"Tudor Pro Cycling Team" has set itself the goal of becoming one of the world's best cycling teams and awakening enthusiasm for cycling in Switzerland. The path to the top of the world will be pursued with a clear value structure. "Swiss. Human. Performance." is the framework with which the Swiss team puts people at the center of its actions and drives innovation in all areas.

Jury President Oliver Niedermann honored the winner with the words: "The 'Tudor Pro Cycling Team' absolutely convinced the jury. Thanks to the shared vision and the comprehensive commitment of the sponsor Tudor from the start of the project to the top of the world, a sustainably successful company has been established in Switzerland."

Three special prizes awarded

The seven-member independent jury scrutinized all the projects submitted, paying particular attention to the criteria of innovation, relevance, creativity and impact. The high ratings led to three special prizes being awarded to "Pink Cube Test Your Breast", the "EVZ Women & Girls Program" and "The Flipcode Mystery".

Special Responsibility Award for "Pink Cube Test your Breast"

The Pink Cube brings education about breast cancer to women and men of all ages. Gynecologists show them how they can examine their breasts themselves and which early detection measures are important for them. With its eye-catching pink design and the words "Test Your Breast", the container attracts attention and makes an important topic more accessible.

Special Pioneer Award for "EVZ Women & Girls Program"

EVZ launched a program in 2023 to get girls and women interested in ice hockey and offer them equal opportunities. The Women & Girls program is not a stand-alone project or brand, but an integral part of the club. With the clear vision "Do it right or not at all", EVZ is pursuing ambitious goals for fair and sustainable promotion in women's sport.

Special Activation Award for "The Flipcode Mystery"

As a main partner of the SRF series "Tschugger", Samsung launched the immersive sponsorship multichannel campaign "The Flipcode Mystery" with lead agency Sir Mary in November 2023. Fans became "chuggers" themselves and were able to solve a criminal case involving the then newly launched Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 mobile phone live on TV. The innovation of this 360-degree case lies in the fact that both the TV sponsorship billboards and the off-air multichannel measures of the Samsung campaign could be realized with the original cast of the series.

Pink Cube also wins the audience award

Of all the projects submitted, the nine nominated for the main prize and the special prizes were presented live to the large audience at the Zurich Kunsthaus. As in 2024, over 275 people from the Swiss sponsorship scene voted online for the Audience Award, which this year went to Pink Cube Test Your Breast.

Changes to the Board of Sponsoring Switzerland

The General Assembly of Sponsoring Switzerland took place in the run-up to the Night of Sponsoring. Fabienne Merlet, Head of Partnerships & CSR at the Locarno Film Festival, was elected to succeed Melanie Schmid and Markus Simmen as Head of Communications. The President also announced that Prisca and Beat Ritschard, who had been on the Board for over 25 years, 15 of which they had spent in charge of the secretariat, would be stepping down from the Board in the middle of the year.

Sabrina Vögeli and Luana Bergamin from Bergamin Conceptions will take over the management of the office.

Further information on the award-winning cases can be found at SponsoringSwitzerland.ch. The next Award Night is expected to take place on March 11, 2026.

Since its foundation in Zug in 2013, Tincan has developed steadily. In 2023, the agency expanded to Zurich in order to broaden its base (Markt-kom.com reported). A new strategic opportunity has now arisen: the establishment of a presence in French-speaking Switzerland.

A coincidence led to this: Yannic Bucher, who used to live next door to Tincan partner Peter Niederberger, was planning an agency in French-speaking Switzerland together with Lara Twerenbold. Their focus: sustainability, climate and democracy.

Instead of potential competition, a collaboration emerged. Tincan recognized the potential and brought Yannic onto the team as Creative Consultant and Lara as Marketing Consultant. At the same time, they continue to drive their specialist agency Another Narrative forward.

Multilingualism as a strategic advantage

With this expansion, Tincan aims to strengthen its multilingual consulting and implementation expertise. For companies and institutions with a presence in both language regions, there is now a uniform strategy with locally anchored content. Local expertise is particularly crucial for national campaigns: whether an association with regional locations or a brand with target groups in both language regions - proximity to the market enables a tailored approach and authentic implementation.

Long-term development with a sustainable focus

The two new Tincan consultants are currently working in small premises in Geneva and are establishing the brand step by step. "The development has time and can grow organically. But we have high hopes for this experiment. Multilingual and locally anchored campaigns have often been a challenge in the past - now we can implement them in a targeted and authentic way," says Tincan partner Peter Niederberger.

The two agencies have already worked together successfully on projects in the past - including the websites of the Hotel Bellevue Terminus in Engelberg and the "Renovating Buildings Yes!" project for ETH Zurich. The now deepened partnership is intended to bring creative and technical expertise even closer together to create customized digital experiences.

"The strategic partnership with Pixmill allows us to seamlessly combine our creative concepts with innovative web solutions. This allows us to respond even more specifically to the needs of our clients and offer them real added value," explains founder Kevin Casado, Managing Director and CEO of Wecatch Creative Agency.

Delia Guerriero, founder, design director and member of the management board of Wecatch, adds: "Creativity and digital technology are inextricably linked today. Our partnership with Pixmill allows us to combine visionary design with cutting-edge web development to create unique digital experiences."

PixMill also sees the cooperation as a significant development: "The close collaboration with Wecatch opens up new opportunities for us to implement innovative and aesthetically sophisticated web projects. Together, we create digital solutions that are both visually and functionally impressive," says Reto Eller, Managing Director & UX and Frontend Specialist at Pixmill.

The St. Gallen-based company serves clients from all over German-speaking Switzerland and the Lake Constance region. The two founders focus on effective communication that goes beyond visibility. "Communication must reach the right people, have an impact and create trust," explains Isabel Schorer. "We support our clients in getting their messages across clearly and sustainably - whether in day-to-day business, in crisis situations, in location marketing or as part of political communication."

Maya Grollimund adds: "The increasing flood of information makes it ever more difficult for companies and institutions to get their message across. Our job is to create clarity and reach relevant target groups with precise, strategic communication."

The company focuses on the areas of expertise "Strategic Communication & Crisis Management", "Public Affairs & Political Communication", "Location Marketing & Site and Real Estate Communication" and "Corporate Communication & Stakeholder Management".

Experienced team with a strong network

The two Pace founders have many years of experience in strategic communication. Isabel Schorer has extensive expertise in public affairs, stakeholder management and location promotion, while Maya Grollimund specializes in corporate and crisis communications. Together with her team and in collaboration with specialized partner companies, individual communication strategies will be developed and implemented in a targeted manner.

On April 3, 2025, the best web projects will be crowned with a Best of Swiss Web award for the 25th time. The jury members reviewed a total of 328 project submissions and deemed 85 of them worthy of a shortlist (Markt-kom.com reported). But only ten projects will be given the opportunity to claim the title "Master of Swiss Web 2025".

The Master title is awarded to the web project that receives the most points. This includes the votes from the expert jury, the Netzticker readers' poll and the audience at the Award Night. Netzticker readers can vote for their favorite project from March 18. Anyone who registers for the competition by March 17 is eligible to take part. Net ticker registered have

The ten nominated projects

Democratizing the accessibility of live events

• Contractor: Yoveo | Team Farner

The "Democratizing the accessibility of live events" project sets new standards for inclusion. The innovative, AI-supported web app enables people with visual and hearing impairments to participate in live events without barriers using audio description and noise-free audio tracks in real time. People without disabilities also benefit at events with many parallel activities. An inspiring project with great potential for the future.

Images of Switzerland Online

• Contractor: Nextension

The "Images of Switzerland Online" website offers an inspiring and innovative way to experience historical postcard views of Switzerland. With playful navigation and embedded maps, large amounts of historical image data and artist biographies are made accessible. A new kind of access to art history that is exciting for both enthusiasts and academics.

Bucher Connect service platform

• Contractor: Eyekon, Intelliact

The "Bucher Connect" project is setting new standards in digital fleet management. The IoT-supported platform enables real-time monitoring and optimization of municipal fleets worldwide, reduces service costs and maximizes vehicle utilization. With a user-friendly, modular structure and intuitive design, it offers significant added value for cities and municipalities, strengthens brand loyalty and promotes an optimal customer journey.

Chopard - The Future of Ethical Luxury Commerce

• Contractor: Merkle

With its digital platform, Chopard has created a high-quality symbiosis of brand experience, e-commerce and user experience. The website conveys the luxurious and artisanal character of the brand, combined with a clear and functional e-commerce architecture. The new platform combines a sophisticated and seductive shopping experience with the highest level of process consistency and global reach. A clear gold benchmark.

The apprenticeship campaign for Gen Z

• Contractor: Webrepublic

The jury recognizes the excellent work for Login's apprenticeship campaign for Gen Z. The campaign impresses with its in-depth understanding of the target group, creative implementation and proven success. A sophisticated performance campaign generated 44 percent more applications. A role model for modern apprenticeship marketing and a deserving Master candidate.

Investment Library

• Contractor: Mutoco

Swiss Life AM's Investment Library makes complex financial products understandable and accessible for investors and financial experts. The platform transforms financial communication in asset management through a centralized, interactive presentation of financial data. This innovative, data-driven solution increases efficiency and simplifies client communication, resulting in an optimized user experience and significant revenue growth.

Marketplace Zermatt - Matterhorn

• Contractor: Astound Commerce, Persistent Systems Switzerland

The Zermatt digital marketplace integrates accommodation, ski passes and additional services on a single platform and offers a seamless omnichannel experience. Centralized booking optimizes conversion rates and local value creation. Split payment technology automates billing, while guests receive real-time information on weather and slope status. Innovative and forward-looking.

Nemo broke the trophy

• Contractor: Jung von Matt Limmat

Innovative, bold and fast: With "Nemo broke the trophy", Mobiliar shows how to react creatively to current events and achieve an enormous reach. The brand identity is conveyed humorously and consistently. Quick-wittedness, quality and speed are convincing. A clear idea that was implemented quickly and effectively - a prime example of excellent brand experience.

Swiss Life "myLife Light"

• Contractor: Cando

MyLife Light from Swiss Life simplifies complex problems brilliantly. By digitizing 80 percent of cases, it offers SMEs a fully digital, user-centric solution for pension fund matters. It measurably increases efficiency at Swiss Life and for customers. A project that combines efficiency and pragmatism - a role model for many companies.

Woz - The News In The News

• Contractor: Kind regards

The Woz has impressively demonstrated with its "News in the News" campaign that print and digital can work together perfectly. An interactive banner of the current Woz-issue on Zeit.de and Spiegel.de achieved an impressive 92% visibility. Instead of traditional advertising, the campaign offered real journalistic added value for a discerning target group. This bold and intelligent solution shows how high-quality journalism can attract new readers in the digital age.

The award ceremony for the 25th edition of Best of Swiss Web will be held on April 3 at "The Hall" in Dübendorf.

According to the study, the use of generative AI in marketing was rated as the most important marketing trend by respondents. More than half (57.6%) of the participants were aware of this, making it the most well-known of the marketing trends surveyed. Nevertheless, many see potential for greater integration in companies. For example, respondents would like to see more intensive use of generative AI in the future, as the benefits of this technology, such as the optimization of processes or support for creative tasks, are increasingly being recognized.

ChatGPT in particular stands out with a high awareness (74.1%) and usage rate (71.2%). Specialized applications, such as the AI-supported image generator Adobe Firefly and the tool for creating virtual characters Character.ai, are also gaining increasing attention in the industry. This shows that in addition to all-round solutions, specialized applications also help to increase efficiency and creativity in marketing.

Focus on customer and value-oriented marketing

In addition to generative AI, the survey highlighted the high relevance of customer- and value-oriented approaches - marketing approaches that focus on individual customer needs as well as sustainable and ethical corporate values. Two thirds of respondents rate these trends as particularly important for their company's marketing strategy. These approaches aim to build long-term trust and strengthen customer loyalty through a personalized customer approach and sustainable business models.

Analytics & data science as pioneers

The survey also shows that the area of analytics & data science in marketing - data analysis methods in marketing that work with statistical and AI-supported models to predict patterns and trends - appears to be at the forefront of the use of generative AI. Experts from this field agree with statements on the integration of AI into company processes significantly more often than others. This is particularly the case when it comes to the promotion of the use of AI by management, the use of AI tools for a fee and the existence of people responsible for the use of generative AI. Automated analyses, data-based decisions and efficiency gains make this area a best-practice example that could inspire other marketing areas.

A look into the future

The results show that generative AI as well as customer and value-oriented approaches could represent a long-term change in marketing. The authors recommend that companies invest in the development of clear strategies and further training at an early stage in order to benefit from these trends and position themselves successfully against the competition.

The Flybridge-The survey was conducted among 139 marketing professionals from Switzerland and shows which topics are currently of concern to the industry.