CokeSTUDIO Soundcheck 2024 is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and has once again proven itself as a springboard for young musical talent. After an exciting selection process, the four finalists have been chosen: Jamila, Mo'Mot, Julie Meletta and Eileen Alister. It is remarkable that only women have made it to the final. The title will be awarded on November 9 at the Plaza in Zurich, and the winner will not only receive CHF 20,000 in cash, but also a comprehensive coaching and management package worth a further CHF 30,000. Support will be provided by the successful management agency "Capitano Music GmbH", which manages artists such as Joya Marleen.

The final promises to be a musical highlight, with the four finalists as well as the winner of 2022, Nicky B Fly, and coaches Kings Elliot, Loco Escrito and Stress performing. With their many years of experience, they will inspire the audience with a joint showcase. Admission is free for all guests.

Around 230 acts took part in this year's competition. The jury, consisting of Julie Born (Sony Music), Reto Lazzarotto (music manager) and Schimun Krausz (journalist), selected the twelve semi-finalists, who underwent an intensive coaching program over the summer. Now the decision lies with the finalists - who will take home the victory?

The public broadcasters ARD, ORF and SRF have further expanded their successful cooperation and initiated numerous new projects at the recent co-production meeting in Zurich. The annual volume of jointly agreed co-productions will amount to around 150 million euros in future. A central component of this partnership are productions that are specially developed for the broadcasters' media libraries and are therefore aimed at younger target groups in particular. Highlights include the second season of the hit series "School of Champions" and the mini-series "Tage, die es nicht gab".

Strengthening the documentary offering

Serial formats are also at the forefront in the area of documentaries. One of the most prestigious projects is the six-part docu-drama series "The Division of the World 1939-1953", which will be available in the ARD Mediathek from the end of October. In addition, the broadcasters are working on an elaborate documentary series about the natural and animal world of Europe, which offers an impressive range with over 1000 days of filming at more than 50 locations. These productions underline the ambition of the public broadcasters to provide relevant and in-depth content in addition to entertainment.

Continuation of proven formats and new highlights

In recent years, ARD, ORF and SRF have already produced a number of successful formats together. Shows such as "Verstehen Sie Spass?", "Tatorte" and "Steirerkrimi" have established themselves as firm favorites and will be continued in the future. The program will be supplemented by special events such as the historical film "Bach - A Christmas Miracle" and the show "The Great Udo Jürgens Show", which will be broadcast on ARD in December. This cooperation will ensure that the broadcasters retain a strong position in the German-language media landscape.

Stämpfli Kommunikation and the Association Management Institute (VMI) at the University of Fribourg have once again gained insights into the current communication practices and challenges of Swiss associations as part of their second comprehensive survey. A total of 379 organizations took part in the online survey - a record number, according to Stämpfli, which underlines the growing importance of digital and strategic communication.

The study highlights clear trends in the digital transformation, sheds light on resource bottlenecks and provides practical ideas on how associations can make their communication and marketing fit for the future.

Where do the associations stand today?

Compared to the previous study from 2017, there are clear trends: the use of social media is still on the rise. LinkedIn and Instagram in particular have gained massively in importance in association communication. While traditional advertising media are losing relevance, events and face-to-face meetings remain key communication platforms. "The results are a reflection of increasing digitalization, but also of the durability of proven communication channels," says Nathalie Maring, co-author of the study.

Resources and target groups as challenges

In addition to the trends, the study also sheds light on the current challenges facing associations. Many are struggling with limited resources and the growing pressure to appeal to younger target groups. Almost three out of five associations are therefore planning targeted measures to rejuvenate their members - a key issue that could determine the relevance of many organizations in the future.

Targeted support for modern communication strategies

Stämpfli Kommunikation plans to use the results of the study in a targeted manner to support clients in the further development of their communication strategies. "We will use the new findings of the study to guide our clients through the challenges of digital communication and offer them targeted added value," emphasizes Monica Masciadri, Co-Head of Association Communications.

Although the detailed scientific publication of the study will not be published until the end of October 2024, associations can already access findings that they can use to optimize their communication strategies. "The study not only takes stock of the current situation, but also provides practical ideas on how associations can future-proof their communication," explains Prof. Dr. Markus Gmür from VMI.

Before the big annual meeting with advertising clients, agency and media representatives, the 61st General Assembly of the IAA took place on Friday. Matthias Kiess, who has been President of the IAA Swiss Chapter for a year, gave a review of the association's varied club year and an outlook on new IAA initiatives. "Based on the strategic IAA topics, we have identified projects with the Executive Board that we will tackle in the coming club year," said the TBWA CEO. "As an association, we want to play an active role in shaping the future of our industry and both set and shape the topics."

Young Professionals integrated into the IAA Swiss Chapter

The association of young industry talents founded in 1996 and associated with the IAA Swiss Chapter will be organizationally integrated into the association. The "IAA Young Professionals" label and the attractive membership price will remain, while new programs such as IAA Speed Mentoring will be added to the offerings.

The board of the IAA Young Professionals will also be integrated into the IAA Swiss Chapter with three young industry representatives.

"Promoting young talent in the marketing and communications industry is a high priority for us. Through the organizational integration of the IAA Young Professionals into the IAA Swiss Chapter, we are optimizing cooperation," explains Chantal Landis, Managing Director of the IAA Swiss Chapter. "This enables us to coordinate the various initiatives and programs more quickly and improve coordination. This allows us to provide even more targeted support to the next generation of talent in our industry." Landis is now also responsible for the business of the IAA Young Professionals.

Smile CEO new to the Board of Directors

Long-time IAA member Joséphine Chamoulaud was elected to the Board. "The advertising world is facing exciting challenges, and I am very pleased to be able to tackle these in a sustainable and future-oriented way on the IAA Board," says Chamoulaud.

Philipp Wild, Co-Head of Performance Marketing at Webrepublic, and Ismail Wicki, Senior Marketing National Sales at Weischer.Cinema, who have already served on the board of the IAA Young Professionals in recent years, were also elected to the board. Together with Joséphine Chamoulaud as Program Leader, they will represent the needs and issues of the younger generation.

Due to the age limit of 35 years, three of the five board members of the IAA Young Professionals, who actively shaped the association of young professionals for many years, took their leave: Tina Fixle from Media Focus, Maria-Sabrina Anastasiu from Roche Diagnostics and Zbynek Zapletal from Biggie. However, they remain loyal to the association as members.

Gen Alpha shapes the brand landscape of tomorrow

At a time when 79 percent of people worldwide believe that the role of a brand has changed, it is crucial to understand future consumers. Keynote speaker Emma Chiu, Global Director at VML Intelligence, spoke about this at the IAA Trendtalk. The Londoner presented various topics from "The Future 100" trend study, which is published annually by VML Intelligence and deals with trends, forecasts and emerging developments in various areas such as culture, technology, design and consumer behavior, to over one hundred participants.

In her presentation, Chiu placed particular emphasis on the needs and potential of the different generations. She emphasized that Generation Alpha has increasingly high expectations of brand promises. "Gen Alpha, which follows Gen Z, is the first generation to fully grow into the digital age and wants authenticity, transparency and sustainable practices from companies. To be successful, brands need to embed these values in their strategies and convey a strong sense of social responsibility," said the keynote speaker.

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 will be m&k will be unveiled in various stages over the coming weeks. The 2024 winners will be celebrated at the award show on November 7.

This week we start with the first bronze winners: Jung von Matt Limmat and Yoveo/Team Farner.

"Yourz" (Category: Brand Image)

The targets were exceeded in all areas: 14% of the target group know the campaign product Yourz. 73% like the campaign. The FriendZ loyalty program wins 80,000 young advocates.

One year after the successful campaign for "Sixth Sense", Zweifel takes the next step to win over FriendZ for its advocate program: Zweifel is handing over the entire program to Gen Z and, with the YOURZ campaign, is letting them design an entire product including packaging for the first time - by Gen Z, for Gen Z, for more advocates in the younger generation.

Client: Doubts Pomy chips

Lead agency: Jung von Matt Limmat

Other agencies / companies: Jung von Matt Impact, Studio Thom Pfister, Cobolt NetServices

UBS Kids Cup - "7,000 children celebrated like stars" (Category: CRM / Loyalty Program)

The campaign "Turning 7,000 children into stars" strengthened brand loyalty through a data-based, digital and emotional souvenir, increased organic reach and forms the basis for building long-term customer loyalty.

The "Turning 7,000 children into stars" campaign successfully created a digital product that establishes a strong positive connection to the brand in the context of Switzerland's most important youth sports competition. A positive relationship was established with the target groups through the inclusion of all language regions and an innovative, appealing implementation. The high relevance of the digital souvenir creates a sustainable basis for further strengthening the relationship and gaining loyal customers with similar souvenirs in the coming years. At the same time, the relevance ensures that organic reach is generated and no traditional media expenditure is required to increase reach.

• Client: UBS Business Solutions
• Lead agency: Yoveo / Team Farmer

UBS Kids Cup - "7,000 children celebrated like stars" (Category: Brand Experience & Partnerships)

Our campaign turned 7,000 children into stars with highly personalized finisher clips, generated impressive organic reach and strengthened brand awareness through high emotional relevance and a creative, sustainable sponsorship partnership.

The campaign turned 7,000 children into stars with highly personalized finisher clips that were delivered by email immediately after the 60-metre run. This emotionally relevant souvenir resulted in a reach of over half a million, without any media spend. By involving all Swiss language regions and working closely with all stakeholders, a digital product was created that sustainably strengthened brand awareness among the target groups. This innovative, sustainable model shows how campaigns can be developed within the framework of partnerships that are also used as a core element of the partnership in subsequent years - and that the stars of tomorrow are just waiting to finally share their moment with friends and family.

• Client: UBS Business Solutions
• Lead agency: Yoveo / Team Farmer

Every year, the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards honor the world's best business films, online media, documentaries and reports. The international jury of almost 100 members praised the "exceptional quality" of this year's entries. From a total of almost 800 submissions from 46 countries, 212 productions made it onto the shortlist of the 15th Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards. 154 received one of the coveted dolphin trophiesten of which go to Switzerland.

Two Gold Dolphins go to Switzerland Tourism. The marketing organization was awarded for "The Perfect Shot" and "Autumn for our senses". The other two Gold Dolphins went to Stuiq for "iWay - No Decoy needed" and Uefa for "Get Trained, Save Lives - Interactive CPR Training Video".

Company Production and the film production company Seed each won two silver awards. The other two Silver Dolphins for Switzerland went to Optrel and Stuiq.

A total of 62 dolphin trophies were awarded across the German-speaking region this year, including one blue dolphin trophy each for Vodafone Germany and Cyrano Kommunikation. This means that the DACH region once again positioned itself as one of the strongest regions at this edition of the festival.

After ten years in business, the company is shaping its future with a new structure and a strengthened team. This is in order to "meet the requirements of customers even better", as stated in a press release.

Stammkraft also has a new website. The user-friendly platform provides even more direct access to services.

Stammkraft is deeply rooted in craftsmanship and stands for the artful combination of natural materials and state-of-the-art technology in the field of event and contract construction. Their services include detailed structural design, project planning, prototype development and production as well as implementation through to the achievement of objectives.

"We are grateful that Ruth and Philippe are carrying our values internally and externally and are shaping the future of Stammkraft together with us. With the new website and the expanded management team, we are ideally positioned to continue creating inspiring brand experiences. I wish them both every success and thank them for their trust," says Marco Thöni, Managing Director of Stammkraft.

Tobias Zehnder has been responsible for Webrepublic's day-to-day operations since September. "I am looking forward to investing all my energy in working with our customers and teams to realize successful projects together," says the new Managing Director. This will allow CEO Tom Hanan to focus more on the strategic direction and representation of the company. "This allows me to share my more than 25 years of experience with employees, customers and the market - exactly what I enjoy most," adds Hanan.

Successful further development

In 2009, Tom Hanan and Tobias Zehnder founded Webrepublic as a start-up agency for search engine marketing. They hired their 100th employee in 2016. Today, it has developed into a nationwide agency for integrated marketing with over 200 experts covering all relevant disciplines - from digital media and marketing technology to traditional channels.

The Partnership with Wirz and the expansion into traditional media planning in 2020 were important milestones. "We have noticed that customer needs have changed over the years. While the focus was initially on implementation, strategic consulting services and an integrated offering have become more important today," says Zehnder, describing the development. In order to offer customers the best possible service, account management has been expanded and organizational structures optimized in addition to the ongoing expansion of the offering. "This means we are ready for the next 15 years," says Hanan with conviction.

"Give every child equal access to music education and watch the world become a better place." This guiding principle has accompanied Hannes Schmid since the founding of Smiling Gecko For the star photographer, "The Power of Sound and Music" is an important element of sustainable development aid.

Since 2017, the Zurich-based sound agency Department of Noise has been supporting the NGO Smiling Gecko as a partner for all its sound needs. "Hannes is a natural storyteller," says Ph!L!pp Schweidler, partner at DoN: "It took us less than 5 minutes to get excited about his endeavor."

In the meantime, countless projects have been implemented: from fundraising songs to sound identity with various sound elements that are used in Smiling Gecko's communication. With the cultural and music center "The Gong", a visionary project was launched in 2023: it is intended to lay an important building block for the recovery of a cultural identity for Cambodia, which is still shaped by the rule of the Red Ghmer. At the same time, a platform will be created on which fresh local and international creativity in a wide range of disciplines can unfold far beyond the country's borders.

DoN has packed the needs of the stakeholders into an interwoven creative hub consisting of an auditorium, video and sound studios and an event zone. Since the official opening celebrations at the end of June 2024, the building has been filled with life and the empowerment of local creatives to operate the facility independently is in full swing.

Department of Noise has now been honored by the global jury of the International Sound Awards in Hamburg with a main prize for the creative and strategically considered conception and implementation of Smiling Gecko. "Of course we are delighted with every award. Being able to receive one for this heartfelt commitment is of course doubly valuable. Because it helps to carry the project out into the world, to inspire people for the cause itself and to encourage them to get involved," says Schweidler about winning the award.

Responsible at Smiling Gecko: Hannes Schmid (Founder and creative head), Sokleap Ngon (Executive Director SGC), Jörg Bewersdorff (CCO), Thomas Hemschemeier (CMO), Jürg Wey (Art Direction). Responsible at Department of Noise: Florian Goetze and Ph!L!pp Schweidler (Strategy and Creative Direction), Yves Gerber (Creative Producer).

The challenges of the modern world of communication and growing competition make it necessary to further develop and strengthen the image of the VSSM. The member companies of the VSSM act as innovative movers and shakers, which should increase the attractiveness of the profession in the long term.

Stämpfli Kommunikation will be responsible for the VSSM's new umbrella campaign. With a clear focus on innovation, authenticity and craftsmanship, the agency has developed a strategy to strengthen the association's image and at the same time inspire young talent and career changers. The central aim is to sustainably increase the visibility of the carpentry profession in the public eye and to specifically combat the shortage of skilled workers and apprentices. The focus is not only on the carpentry profession, but also on the wide range of services and products that the 2,000 member companies provide for the public.

Visual highlights and emotional messages are used to highlight the diversity of the carpentry profession - from precise craftsmanship and passionate commitment to the innovative power of modern technologies. Stämpfli Kommunikation's creative approach presents the carpentry industry as a future-proof and exciting profession that combines tradition with modern technology.
The campaign will be based on various communication channels, including out-of-home, print, social media and digital platforms. Particular attention will be paid to targeting young people who are interested in training or a career change into the carpentry industry. The carpentry profession is positioned as a creative and future-proof option.

Responsible at the Association of Swiss Master Carpenters and Furniture Manufacturers VSSM: Daniel Furrer (Director), Michael Poysden (Head of Marketing & Communication), Claudio Valenti (Head of Marketing) and Rolf Kümin (Head of Education). Responsible at Stämpfli Kommunikation: Benjamin Scheurer (Creative Director, Team Leader Creation), Monica Masciadri (Senior Consultant Communications Agency), Andi Huggel (Head of Association Communications) and Adriana Siragusano (Junior Consultant / Project Manager).

After studying law at the University of Bern, Matthias Hürlimann trained as a Bernese advocate. From 2002, he worked as an assistant at the Institute of Public Law at the University of Bern and also served as legal secretary to the university appeals commission and a cantonal expropriation appraisal commission. In 2008, he joined OFCOM as a lawyer in charge of proceedings before being appointed head of the Telecoms Law Section in 2013.

Hürlimann, who lives in Bern, will take up his new position on November 1, 2024. He succeeds René Dönni Kuoni, who will take on a different role within the Office as Deputy Director and Head of the Licensing and Frequency Management Division. (pd)

The 20th edition of the ZFF starts in just a few days. For eleven days, film enthusiasts, filmmakers and Hollywood stars such as Alicia Vikander, Richard Gere and Kate Winslet will gather in the heart of Zurich. To mark its anniversary, the Zurich Film Festival is presenting itself with numerous innovations, an increased focus on quality and a newly designed festival center that is set to set new standards as a meeting place for all film fans.

At the same time, the ZFF is also continuing to develop behind the scenes. Kick-off with Bagels of Berkeley as social media agency for the ZFF in 2023 the festival is taking the opportunity to define its self-image even more consistently and is intensifying its collaboration with the entire Publicis Groupe Switzerland in Zurich. The focus is on positioning and profiling the ZFF brand in relation to the various target groups, including the implementation of communication measures for the ZFF in its anniversary year by production partner Prodigious.