After a long time, a representative of the German automotive industry is once again at the top of the rankings. The 47-year-old has already been in the top ranks of the survey in previous years.

When asked about the difficult situation in the German automotive industry, Rudolph responds pragmatically: "Fair weather or rainy days - the work remains the same." The automotive industry is in a phase of transformation, but he thinks in terms of opportunities. And repeatedly emphasizes the role of his "fantastic team", which makes awards like this possible in the first place.

And how does Rudolph manage the dual role as Head of Communications for two DAX companies? Organizing, delegating and prioritizing are the cornerstones. And: "Part of the truth is that you have to be able to switch off," Rudolph continues. Family and sport are his areas of strength.

As part of the survey, 112 journalists assessed 140 spokespeople from companies and associations. Thomas Voigt from the Otto Group was voted in second place, with Monika Schaller from SAP, Silke Walter from EnBW and last year's winner Philipp Schindera from Deutsche Telekom tied for third place.

The top 10 this year

1. Sebastian Rudolph, VW, Porsche
2. Thomas Voigt, Otto Group
3. Monika Schaller, SAP
4. Silke Walter, EnBW
5. Philipp Schindera, Deutsche Telekom
6. Herbert Arthen, DM
7. Jörg Howe, Daimler Truck
8. Ingrid M. Haas, Deutsche Börse
9. Jan Runau, Adidas
10. Margarita Thiel, Aareal Bank

Places 11 to 140 are available in the current issue of Wirtschaftsjournalist:in.

Gunther Brodhecker, long-time creative director of Schmittgall Health and head of Schaller Health, has developed numerous award-winning campaigns for leading companies in the Rx, OTC, dental, medical technology and e-health sectors.

Sabine Raab, another award-winning healthcare creative, has created successful campaigns for well-known Swiss pharmaceutical companies such as Roche, Gilead and Novartis. She brings her deep understanding of the requirements of Swiss healthcare and pharmaceutical communication to the partnership.

Gunther Brodhecker outlines the idea behind the cooperation: "We combine international creativity with local market knowledge. This makes us a real option for all Swiss pharmaceutical and healthcare brands that want to survive and grow in an increasingly competitive market."

Schaller Health is part of the Mannheim-based Schaller & Partner Group, which is one of the top 25 owner-managed agencies in Germany with 116 employees. SchallerHealth pursues the challenger brand approach, which is new to the healthcare sector.

In fact, 87% of employees in Switzerland who use their own devices such as smartphones, tablets and laptops for work do so. This is shown by a new Cisco study. According to the study, over half of these children even have full access to their parents' work devices. They know the passwords and are allowed to use the device unsupervised.

87 % of Swiss parents who use their own devices for work also allow their children to use them. 63 % of these children even know the passwords and have unsupervised access. This poses a clear security risk, especially in times when hybrid working models and working from home are widespread. Despite this, few parents use proven security measures such as multi-factor authentication (33 %) or VPNs (25 %). This is shown by a Cisco study, for which around 500 working parents in Switzerland were surveyed.

According to the survey, work devices are used to give children access to the internet or digital learning content, particularly during school vacations (27 %), for schoolwork (25 %) or when children are ill (24 %).

"Any access to confidential data by an unauthorized person is a potential data breach. With access by children, there is also the risk of data being unintentionally deleted or shared - for example via an open browser tab or email," says Roman Stefanov, Head of Cyber Security Sales at Cisco Switzerland. "It may come as a surprise how widespread device sharing is. But it's not going to stop. IT teams should therefore adapt their security measures to the real challenges of working parents. This includes the introduction of zero trust processes and time limits on inactive sessions."

With family members increasingly sharing networked devices (75 % vs. 65 % two years ago), improved security practices are becoming more urgent - across activity on all devices, whether corporate-managed or not, fixed or mobile.

This enables companies to increase security:

1) Implementation of multi-factor authentication (MFA). Only 33 percent of BYOD parents use MFA when working remotely. Companies should therefore verify every access to a new application or system using MFA or biometric recognition.

2) Protection of sensitive data by VPN. Of the parents in Switzerland who need their own devices for work, only 26% use VPN when working outside the company. Access to sensitive data should therefore only be possible via a VPN, where a separate user name and password must be entered and verification via MFA is mandatory.

3) Regulate the handling of passwords. 36% use strong passwords for BYOD and over 26% change their passwords regularly. Companies should require strong passwords and change them regularly when accessing their systems or use passwordless authentication.

4) Allow guest accounts. Employees should be able to set up guest accounts on their company devices to allow family members limited secure use without access to business systems.

5) Carry out regular backups. Spilled lemonade or paint on the keyboard, the device falls onto the tiled floor: Even if there are children in the household, important data must not be lost and replacement devices must be easy to restore using the backed-up data. This requires constant backups.

6) Cybersecurity training. Employees should be informed about the importance of cyber security, the consequences of misconduct and common threats and attacks. Simple guidelines help to understand what is acceptable and what is not.

About the study

The Cisco survey was conducted via Censuswide with 6,116 working parents aged 18 and over in Germany, Switzerland, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia between July 30, 2024 and August 8, 2024. In Switzerland, 501 people took part in the survey. Censuswide is a member of the Market Research Society, which is based on the ESOMAR principles, and a member of the British Polling Council.

The award underscores Pepsi Co's relentless pursuit to create emotional experiences that perfectly embody the company's mission: "Create more joy with every sip and every bite!"

Pepsi Co Design and Innovation is the in-house creative department of Pepsi Co. It contributes significantly to the branding of these brands with its claim to always create innovative, human-centered design. In addition to numerous Red Dot Design Awards over the years, the company was the first US company in the food industry to receive the title "Red Dot: Client of the Year" in 2014.

A decade of innovation and human-centered design

Since Mauro Porcini, Pepsi Co's first Chief Design Officer, joined the company in 2012, he has played a key role in shaping its design strategy. He focuses primarily on empathy and creativity: "By integrating design thinking and a human-centered perspective into the innovation process of all global functions, we create real added value."

Central to Pepsi Co's design philosophy is understanding human needs and developing solutions that are both functional and emotionally appealing. For Pepsi Co Design and Innovation, focusing on people is more than a trend - it is central to their overall innovation strategy. "Pepsi Co Design and Innovation offers the opportunity to unleash the infinite potential of design and humanity not only at Pepsi Co, but worldwide," explains Porcini. As such, the company's design initiatives go beyond mere aesthetics: they are closely aligned with its overarching vision of sustainability and social responsibility.

Congratulations from Professor Dr. Peter Zec, initiator and CEO of Red Dot

"With the title 'Red Dot: Agency of the Year 2024', we recognize the consistently outstanding design quality of Pepsi Co Design and Innovation. The team's strategic design approach combines empathy, sustainability and innovation in a remarkable way and is based on an in-depth understanding of consumer needs. In particular, the title recognizes Pepsi Co's coherent brand communication, which impressively strengthens the awareness of all Group brands as well as customer loyalty. We congratulate the entire team on this exceptional achievement."

Look into the future

PepsiCo Design and Innovation remains committed to pushing boundaries and fostering a culture of creativity and empathy. As Red Dot: Agency of the Year 2024, PepsiCo Design and Innovation sets the standard for the role of design in shaping the future of brands, products and experiences. In doing so, the team reaffirms PepsiCo's ongoing commitment to making a positive impact on people and the planet.

The Red Dot Design Award is one of the most prestigious design competitions in the world. Participants can enter products, brands and communication projects as well as prototypes and design concepts in three disciplines. For each award, a jury meets annually to assess the submissions individually and then decide on the awards.

Wednesday was the day: Stöckli CEO Marc Gläser ceremoniously cut the ribbon on the newly renovated factory store at the company headquarters. "The expansion of our Manufakturladen is not only a clear commitment to our company's location in Malters, but also the result of a successful collaboration with regional construction companies," emphasizes the CEO. "From the very beginning, it was important to us to support the local economy in addition to investing in our headquarters and creating a unique shopping experience for our customers." It was precisely these regional construction partners and other invited guests who were invited to the official opening of the store and were able to toast the conversion together over an aperitif.

Conversion went according to plan

Following the planning phase, the existing factory store was transformed into a larger, modern store in the Stöckli style in the summer. The Stöckli ski wall as the centerpiece of each store stands prominently in the room and presents the large selection of various ski models. But there is also plenty to discover all around - a racing area adorned with trophies from Marco Odermatt, a well-stocked textile department and a high-quality boot fitting department with the latest boot fitting technologies and a large selection of ski boots.

Everything a skier's heart desires

The Manufakturladen Malters offers a product range that leaves nothing to be desired. From beginners to advanced skiers, from young to old - the Stöckli ski collection 24/25 has the right skis for all skiers. The appropriate ski clothing can be found in the Stöckli textile collection or in the wide range of partner brands. Individual advice and extensive expertise in ski servicing, boot fitting, etc. round off the range of services on offer at the Stöckli manufacture store.

The Best of Swiss Apps jury has nominated the best projects of the year. 10 apps have stood out from a total of 241 project submissions and are in the running for the crown:

Barryvox App

The Barryvox app prepares users for using the avalanche transceiver. They can train for emergencies from any location, flexibly and using various scenarios, with live feedback via Bluetooth. Devices are "nudged" with the probe and marked as "found". The app offers a comprehensive solution for improving response time in an emergency - a crucial factor when every second counts. Firmware updates can now be carried out conveniently via the app without having to visit a store. Functions such as device configuration, live feedback and training logs provide additional security.

Bitumen VR

The Bitumen VR app offers the world's first VR training for flat roof welding. Trainees can practice realistically in VR, which conserves resources and is both sustainable and cost-efficient. The jury praised the app for its innovative use of VR in the construction industry and its potential to transform the trade internationally. The app provides a good basic understanding and solid handling of the tools. The training can be carried out anywhere, is safer than live training and saves 25 tons of bitumen per year.

Carmarket

Carmarket expands the Swiss car trade as a B2B2C platform for vehicles inspected by specialist dealers. With free text search, personalization and omnichannel integration, it combines digital efficiency with personal service. The Progressive web app impresses as the "Digitec of car buying" with a precise search, match finder function, comparison function and watch list. It enables appointments to be made for test drives, direct inquiries to dealers and guides you smoothly through the purchase or leasing process.

FAIRTIQ

The app makes traveling on public transport easier in a unique way. With a simple swipe check-in and check-out, users can travel through Switzerland and other European countries without fare stress. The app also allows users to take other people, dogs or bicycles with them and supports common means of payment. Fairtiq also accommodates users with disabilities. It also works in landscape format, the contrasts are mostly good and even the registration process is completely barrier-free. The large slider also supports user navigation for people with motor disabilities.

FOOBY

Fooby impresses with a wide variety of recipes that can be filtered by occasion, preference or time. Whether for quick meals or special occasions - Fooby offers inspiration for every day. Particularly practical is the integration of the shopping list, which simplifies cooking. The app is simple, intuitive, visually appealing and offers high-quality multimedia content. Extensive functions such as Swipe & Cook and the menu configurator enrich the recipe search. The export of shopping lists ensures a seamless transition to shopping for ingredients. A beautiful app that motivates you to cook and delights young and old alike.

Helion ONE App

The Helion-One app offers an intuitive visualization of the energy flows of solar systems and enables efficient energy management. With a clear design and intuitive presentation, users can monitor and control electricity consumption and energy production in real time. The app makes sustainable energy tangible and motivates users without artificial incentives. The jury praised the innovative implementation and the successful appeal to both end users and professionals.

Level Sports

The Level Sports app is a hit! It encourages its users to meet up outside and play duels. Thanks to the practical map, you can also quickly find places where opponents are waiting. With all activities, the user collects badges and three different types of points, unlocks new profile pictures and may become the leader in his or her region. The hip avatars make street floorball a safe and cool sport for the target group.

myCSS

The MyCSS app is not only graphically impressive in certain areas, but also thanks to the underlying design concept. Beautiful patterns, meaningful animations and an overall modularity are the cornerstones of the successful app design. The MyCSS app has a refreshing layout and offers a number of personalization options. MyCSS guides the user convincingly through the app, supported by micro-animations and subtle use of colors and pictograms. This results in an appealing and clear overall product with many useful functions.

SWICA BENEVITA

The Swica Benevita app motivates customers with supplementary insurance to lead a healthier lifestyle. It offers a wide range of high-quality content that is tailored to individual needs through targeted personalization. The appealing and clearly structured design ensures a positive user experience and promotes long-term use. The app provides valuable knowledge and supports users in making healthier decisions.

Uepaa

The Uepaa Safety app impresses with an advanced solution for the protection of lone workers that ensures the highest safety standards even in the most demanding working environments. The jury praised the intuitive user interface and the successful transfer of expertise from mountaineering protection systems to occupational safety. The app offers life-saving functions such as a digital dead man's function, 24/7 emergency call, first responder search and precise localization.

Here for an overview of all this year's Master's candidates, including links to the projects and further details:

Register and vote

Every vote from the Best of Swiss Apps community counts. The final score is determined in equal parts by the votes of the jury, the readers of Netzticker and the audience at the Award Night at the Zurich Kongresshaus on November 19. Subscribers to Netzticker, the newsletter of Netzwoche, can vote for the "Master of Swiss Apps" from October 28 to November 4. Anyone who subscribes to the Netzticker by October 27 is eligible to vote. You can do this here. Tickets for the Award Night Tickets for the award ceremony on November 19 are available at here refer to

Every year, the "Best of Swiss Apps" awards recognize outstanding apps - mobile applications and web apps - that have been commissioned by or developed for Swiss companies. Best of Swiss Apps thus sets quality standards and shines the spotlight on the Swiss app, software and mobile industry. Around 50 jurors in eleven competition categories competently assess the submitted projects. Each jury evaluates the submitted projects according to various category-specific criteria developed together with experts. Gold, silver and bronze medals and the Master of Swiss Apps are up for grabs. Best of Swiss Web GmbH Best of Swiss Web GmbH is a subsidiary of Netzmedien AG, the leading specialist media company for ICT, web, telecommunications and consumer electronics in Switzerland and publisher of "Netzwoche".

The deceptively real-looking figures will initially only be used in the Zoom Clips function, in which you can record short video notes. With the new avatars, you would no longer have to record these videos yourself. Instead, it should be enough to write a text - and the software would then animate the digital copy including matching mouth movements and the imitated voice.

The function is to be introduced next year. The program initially creates a digital copy of a person based on a video that has to be recorded. Zoom assured that there will be security measures in place to prevent misuse of the function. One concern with such software is always that it can be used to create deceptively real-looking fake videos.

Digital twin

While the video avatars have so far been limited to clips, Zoom boss Eric Yuan also spoke in an interview with the website "The Verge" in the summer about the possibility of being able to send a digital twin to video conferences in the future, in which you would not have to take part yourself. Instead, you could then go to the beach. Zoom's business received a major boost during the coronavirus pandemic, when hundreds of millions of people suddenly had to work and learn via video conferencing. Zoom is now trying to tap into new sources of revenue with functions based on artificial intelligence, among other things.

Switzerland emerged from this year's awards with two BCM gold cubes and six silver places: "Two out of eight gold medals - that's a really good result," says Guido Von Deschwanden, Switzerland board member of the BCM organizer Content Marketing Forum e.V. (CMF). Co-CEO Peter Kruppa adds: "The quality and strength of Switzerland was once again particularly evident in this award year where the content went into depth - with excellent products in print and audio."

These are the Swiss gold winners: Bindella terra vite vita and Mattenberger Group with the magazine "La vita è bella" and Takeda Pharma and Linkgroup with their podcast "Buuchgfühl - Eine Stimme für eine stille chronische Krankheit".

"It was an exceptional BCM year," says Olaf Wolff, Chairman of the CMF: "For the first time, we awarded four gold awards in a single category. Not only because the number of submissions was exceptionally high, but also because the quality of the projects submitted was consistently excellent."

"Business to Consumer (B2C) - Society, Environment, Social and Non-Profit" is the name of the category that broke records this year. "This is no coincidence: in these times of social challenges, companies and non-profit organizations are increasingly using the power of content marketing to live up to their social responsibility and take a stand on the important issues of our time," says Peter Matz, BCM representative at the CMF.

Consequently, the topic of social responsibility was not only an important item in the daily program of the BCM event. It is also this area that produced the most successful submission of the year: "Climate Realism" by WWF Germany and the agencies MSL, Leo Burnett, Digitas and Starcom Germany. A project that impressively visualizes the consequences of climate change with the help of generative AI and thus impressed the BCM jury. The environmental protection organization and its agencies were awarded five Golds and one Grand Prix.

The second Grand Prix also goes to a non-profit organization that addresses a social issue: The "Laut gegen Nazis" initiative. With its project "Recht gegen Rechts - Markenrechte eintragen, damit Nazis ihre Codes nicht weitertragen" (Law against the right - register trademark rights so that Nazis do not spread their codes), implemented by Jung von Matt, Sehnsucht Berlin and Redgert Comms, it received top marks from three juries and therefore three gold medals and a Grand Prix.

You can find all the silver and gold winners of this year's BCM Awards here here

Growth for the BCM Award

As part of the awards show, the CMF also announced news of its own: from next year, the BCM Award will be expanded into an award family, with the BCM as the centerpiece and a series of additional, complementary awards. "Content marketing has now become an integral part of most marketing activities," says Regina Karnapp, Managing Director of the CMF: "For the BCM, this means that the range of submissions is so wide that some specialist disciplines do not receive the attention they actually deserve. This realization gave rise to the idea of expanding the BCM into an award family in order to address and strengthen important sub-areas in content marketing."

As the first new member of the award family, the "BCM-Best of Corporate Print" will start the submission phase in December and recognize those content marketing products that are produced in printed form. This will be followed by the classic BCM as usual from February 2025. The second new competition, the "BCM Best of Influencer & Content Creators", will be launched in April.

The Best of Content Marketing Award (BCM) is the award that highlights the best of the best from all relevant works of content-driven communication in German-speaking countries. It is the only award that consistently focuses on content in the judging process. The jury process and the evaluation criteria are transparent. Expert juries with a total of around 200 jurors decide on the awards in the 39 advertised categories. The entrants receive high-quality feedback on their work.

In this role, he will develop and drive forward innovative projects at the interface between gaming and sport.

Hakan Pazarcikli has made a name for himself as the founder of the largest console gaming community in Switzerland and brings extensive industry knowledge to MYI. In recent years, he has developed and implemented various projects in the gaming and sports sector. "Gaming and sport offer huge potential for innovative synergies. I am looking forward to breaking new ground with our team and combining these exciting worlds," says Hakan Pazarcikli.

Cédric Schlosser, Managing Partner & CEO at MYIadds: "I have known Hakan for almost a decade now. Similar to the founders of MYI, Hakan has spent years tackling projects in the field of esports & gaming out of pure passion. With him, we are not only gaining an experienced expert who understands the dynamics of gaming and sports, but also a colleague who shares our values and fits perfectly into the team." And with a view to the Esports Olympics or projects such as the Icon League, Schlosser continues: "Together with Hakan, we want to combine sports and gaming even more and expand our skills in the area of entertainment."

MYI Entertainment is one of the leading 360° agencies for gaming, nerd and pop culture in the DACH region. It manages gaming engagements for well-known brands such as Swisscom, Fisherman's Friend, Logitech, Interdiscount and Red Bull. On the basis of services, consulting, events and communication, MYI Entertainment supports clients in all aspects of gaming: from conception to implementation and production. MYI Entertainment is also active in the market with its own products such as HeroFest, SwitzerLAN and Switzerland's most successful e-sports team "mYinsanity".

With Day Off Studios, Ferris Bühler presents a revolutionary media company that is breaking new ground in publishing. "Day Off Studios is not just another player in the media landscape, but a manufactory for immersive stories," explains Bühler. The focus is on interactive formats in which the audience is actively involved in the creative process - storytelling that removes the boundaries between consumers and creators.

"The name 'Day Off' stands for the moment of breaking out of everyday life to immerse yourself in new creative worlds," Bühler continues. Whether film, TV, audio formats or interactive events - Day Off Studios develops content that takes storytelling to a new level. Co-creation is used to create formats that are not only told, but also developed further together with the audience.

With over 30 years of experience in the media industry, Bühler sees Day Off Studios as a platform that bridges the gap between traditional media and emerging storytelling technologies. "The future of storytelling lies in interaction," Bühler is convinced. Day Off Studios wants to create experiences that entertain and take the audience on an immersive journey.

The Locher brewery is expanding its craft beer series with a seasonal specialty: the "Pump King Ale". With this limited-edition creation, the brewery combines pumpkin, carrots and a hint of marjoram in an autumnal taste experience. The fourth "Single Batch" in the Locher Craft line surprises with its velvety texture and a subtle fruity note, which is given a spicy crowning touch by marjoram in the finish.

"Our aim is to constantly reinterpret craft beer and offer our fans something special," explains Aurèle Meyer, Managing Director of Locher Brewery. "The 'Pump King Ale' fits perfectly into the autumn season and offers beer lovers a surprising yet harmonious taste experience." With 5.6% alcohol by volume and a balanced bitterness of 14 IBU, this beer ideally complements autumnal dishes such as game, hot chestnuts or red cabbage.

Craft beers such as "Pump King Ale" stand for passion, craftsmanship and creativity. The combination of high-quality, natural ingredients and innovative brewing processes clearly sets it apart from conventional beers. Visually, the ale impresses with its bright, warm orange color and is reminiscent of an autumn sunrise gently breaking through the morning mist - a real eye-catcher.