There is a simple rule, all parents know it: children get sick at inopportune moments. Late at night. At the weekend. During the vacations. Then the carousel of thoughts starts: harmless or bad? Act or wait and see? Everyone knows that googling symptoms is tricky. Everyone does it anyway and is often even more worried afterwards. And online forums contain a mix of helpful and horror scenarios.

So what to do? That's exactly why Mal ehrlich and the Hirslanden Group jointly created over 50 articles and published them on Thursday. For this purpose Mal-ehrlich.ch owns the category Health created.

The published texts focus on the topics of babies, toddlers and pregnancy - they deal with typical childhood illnesses as well as other medical challenges such as digestive problems, wounds, teething, insect bites, nutrition and much more.

The content on health-related topics has been written by journalists and checked by experts from the Hirslanden Group. All information is of course for guidance only and does not replace the medical assessment of a specialist in individual cases.

"Hirslanden was the partner of choice for this healthcare category," says Andrea Jansen, strategist and founder of Mal ehrlich. The connection between Mal ehrlich and Hirslanden also has emotional elements: Andrea Jansen and Rebecca Krausse's children were born in Hirslanden clinics. "We have experienced the quality and expertise of Hirslanden ourselves, and it fits perfectly with our values and standards at Mal ehrlich," says Managing Director Rebecca Krausse.

The partnership is also a win-win situation for Hirslanden: "High quality, a sense of responsibility and self-determination - these are values that characterize the Hirslanden Group and Mal ehrlich. That's why we were delighted to receive the request and agreed to this commitment," says Olivia Werth from Hirslanden Baby.

With the freely accessible texts, Mal ehrlich aims to relieve parents, allay their fears and provide help. The platform also hopes that the medical texts will reach a group of parents who were previously unaware of the parents' platform and its commitment. "It would be great if parents could find something about head lice on our website and also learn that the hullabaloo in their heads has a name: Mental Load," says Head of Content Anja Knabenhans.

Talking helps, especially when you are confronted with a serious illness. The Swiss Heart Foundation has therefore Peer platform was launched. A "peer" is a person who has experienced a similar heart condition themselves and can speak from their own experience. The platform offers those affected the opportunity to talk to people who have experienced something similar and to receive support.

With its peer platform, the Swiss Heart Foundation is one of the pioneers in Switzerland. At the same time, it demonstrates what can be achieved if measures are consistently developed in line with the "patient's voice".

In keeping with the spirit of the platform, Madonna.studio developed the communication presence together with a patient and the Swiss Heart Foundation. The result is a sensitive and straightforward appearance, which is supported by the two peers Margrit and Nina. The publicity reports were created in collaboration with Marah Rikli.

Advertisements and publicity reports in national media are used to publicize the platform, supported by digital and social formats.

Responsible at the Swiss Heart Foundation: Philipp Tinguely (Head of Education, Prevention & Patients), Olivia Gut (Project Manager Education, Prevention and Patients). Responsible at Madonna.studio: Massimiliano Madonna (direction & concept), Julian Huber (art direction), Marah Rikli (public relations), Hans Schürmann (photography). Media agency: JBW Media.

The "Employer Branding Navigator" from Oona⁺ examines various aspects of employer branding in companies that have been practicing the topic at the highest level for several years. The study sheds light on what has moved companies in this area in the last two years, where they stand today, how they organize themselves and what they are planning for the next two years. The agency would like to make a contribution to all professionals and those who want to become professionals.

Employer branding is becoming more relevant

According to the study, employer branding has received more attention and increased in importance in most of the companies surveyed over the last two years. This is also reflected in the resources allocated to this area - both in terms of personnel and finances. A good two thirds of companies have increased the number of staff in their employer branding teams. Half of them have also increased their financial resources at the same time. Consequently, many of the experts surveyed are of the opinion that they are now well positioned.

Currently relevant in employer branding are the topics of addressing and attracting specific target groups (rising), (further) developing EVP and employer brand (rising), strengthening brand awareness and image (stable), increasing social media reach and digital contact points (falling) and performance-oriented campaigns (falling).

The respondents see the biggest challenges over the next two years primarily in the areas of market, resources & legal, talent engagement & experience as well as authentic positioning.

For the Employer Branding Navigator the agency Oona+ 15 decision-makers and specialists in employer branding, recruitment marketing and talent acquisition were interviewed. The companies surveyed include the Amag Group, Baloise, CSS, Swiss Post, Ergon Informatik, Helvetia Insurance, KPMG, Migros Group, Post Finance, SBB, Siemens, Sunrise, Swisscom, Zurich University Hospital and Zürcher Kantonalbank.

The study with all its findings and further analyses can be can be obtained free of charge from the Oona+ website.

According to co-founder Tristan Mathys, Redeisn is the biggest marketing experiment for Simmentaler Bier since it was founded ten years ago: "After seven years and many new products, as well as the upcoming major projects 'Simmentaler Brewhouse' and the new building in Simmental, it's time to bring some order back into the branding."

With a total of 35 submissions, slightly more agencies responded to Simmental Bier's call than expected, Mathys continued. Studio Thom Pfister was chosen because they were the "most creative agency". The first implementations should be on display towards the end of the first quarter of 2025.

The rapid growth in recent years with numerous acquisitions has made the organization more complex, according to a press release issued on Wednesday. The Group's organization has not been able to keep pace with market developments. Management has therefore come to the conclusion that "certain deficits" in the organization need to be rectified.

Brands made more prominent

One measure is the renaming: the previous holding name Competec was less well-known to the public than the Brack and Alltron brands. The company will therefore also operate under these two names in future. Alltron as a brand for supplying retail customers and Brack.ch as a retailer for private and business customers will continue to be the company's primary front office.

In the background, however, the Group is making some changes. For example, the entire product range expertise of the various subsidiaries will now be bundled under the new Commercial division, while sales will be brought together in the Sales division.

Marketing reports to the management

Furthermore, the Group now reports directly to the Executive Board.

According to the press release, the current Competec CEO Stefan Fraude will remain head of the new organization. The current head of Competec Logistik, Thomas Gasser, will be appointed Chief Operations Officer for Brack Alltron. The current head of Alltron, Andrej Golob, will be in charge of sales for the entire company. Tobias Gründer, who was previously in charge of business process development, will become Chief Commercial Officer for the Group.

As previously announced, Roman Reichelt will also be joining the company in mid-September (Markt-kom.com reported). He will take over as Head of Marketing and Communications. The position of Head of IT has not yet been filled. Meanwhile, the previous CEO of Brack.ch, Marc Isler, is leaving the company at his own request, according to the press release.

In addition to the online retailer Brack.ch and the wholesaler Alltron, the Group also includes the home and living distributor Jamei, the private label manufacturer Furber, the logistics service provider Competec Logistik and the central services combined under Competec Service. More than 1,300 employees worked for the company at the end of 2023. Annual sales amounted to around 1.14 billion Swiss francs in 2023. (SDA/swi)

The measures that will apply from October include a uniform nationwide ban on sales to young people under the age of 18 and stricter advertising restrictions, for example on posters, on public transport, in cinemas, in publicly accessible buildings such as train stations and airports and on sports grounds. Tobacco products of all kinds may no longer be advertised there. Wherever there is already a smoking ban, this will now also apply to heated products and electronic cigarettes. There will also be new pictorial warnings on tobacco packaging, for example.

In addition, the sponsorship of events with an international character or for an underage audience is no longer permitted, as the Federal Council announced on Wednesday. This includes music festivals, for example. The distribution of free samples is prohibited, as are competitions with corresponding gifts.

These nationwide rules are considered the minimum standard. The cantons can still issue stricter rules in the areas of advertising, sales promotion and sponsorship, as stated further.

The goal: better protection for minors

According to the Federal Council, the Tobacco Products Act is intended to protect the population, especially minors, from the harmful effects of tobacco and nicotine consumption. The sales ban in the Tobacco Products Act is intended to prevent minors from buying a product that is harmful to their health and becoming addicted to it.

Whether there will soon be further tightening is still uncertain. Parliament is currently debating the revision of the Tobacco Products Act. The reason for this is the "Yes to protecting children and young people from tobacco advertising" initiative, which was approved by the people and cantons in February 2022. It calls for tobacco advertising to be banned where it reaches children and young people.

According to the Federal Council's draft, advertising is to be banned in print media, at kiosks and, under certain conditions, on the internet and at festivals. The National Council and Council of States are struggling with implementation. A solution with majority support that conforms to the constitution is not yet in sight. (SDA/swi)

Konnex has been working with Salt, Switzerland's third-largest telecommunications provider, since fall 2023. As part of the collaboration, the Winterthur-based agency focuses on the planning, implementation and analysis of multichannel campaigns - both on a national and regional level.

Salt is an important addition to the Konnex team's portfolio, the agency writes in a press release. The agency will work with great enthusiasm and vigor to achieve the campaign goals and position Salt even more successfully in the Swiss market.

To demonstrate the taste of the new Ricola sweets on various levels, the campaign is based on a multi-sensory experience: in addition to sampling, the distribution areas are sprayed with a raspberry scent. This additional component is intended to immerse passers-by in a fruity atmosphere.

The spool promoters can be found at the largest Swiss train stations until the beginning of September, where they will be presenting the new Ricola creation.

Responsible at Ricola: Andrea Bonetti (Partnership & Events Manager). Responsible at Spool: Malin Lutz (project management), Marcel Brauchli (productions), Patrick Egg (logistics).

Aargau is not a tourist canton, said an FDP spokesperson. The municipalities are free to introduce such a tax. However, this would contradict liberal ideas. The SVP spoke out against new taxes and fees. It was unnecessary to take francs out of visitors' pockets.

The SP, Center Greens and GLP spoke out in favour of the guest tax. The revenue could strengthen regional offers. Switzerland Tourism recognizes the tourism potential of the Aargau, said the SP. The canton still suffers from labels such as "highway canton" and "transit canton". Yet Aargau is a canton of spas and castles.

All praise for the beautiful Aargau

With a cantonal solution, the guest card could be valid for the whole of Aargau, a Mitte spokesperson stated. Guests should be able to benefit directly from the tax.

The Greens also praised the "beautiful canton of Aargau" and called for more self-confidence. Regional solutions are also needed. It should therefore be examined whether a legal basis for a canton-wide guest tax should be created.

Cantonal Councillor Dieter Egli (SP) said that Aargau has an incredible number of treasures, but that these are too little known. The offers would have to be coordinated in order to be able to offer more. Open questions should still be clarified.

Thermal resorts know tax

According to the cantonal government, the canton of Aargau counts around 800,000 overnight hotel stays per year - mainly business travelers. There are also many day visitors. The thermal spa towns of Rheinfelden, Bad Zurzach and Baden have municipal taxes for tourists.

Various cantons have introduced a guest tax in recent years. These include the cantons of Thurgau, Nidwalden and, a few years ago, the canton of Basel-Landschaft. (SDA/swi)

The IAA Swiss Young Professionals are associated with the IAA Swiss Chapter - they describe themselves as the "young guns of the International Advertising Association in Switzerland" and are an exclusive network for ambitious and knowledge-hungry young professionals under 35 from advertising clients, media companies and communication and advertising agencies. There are regular events for members with selected speakers on exciting topics. Members are also invited to attend the events of the IAA Swiss Chapter - the "Seniors".

Around 50 guests accepted the invitation of the IAA Swiss Young Professionals on Tuesday evening. The "seniors" enjoyed themselves together with the "juniors" at Seebadi Enge until late into the night. The focus of the event was on the extremely valuable exchange of ideas for the transformation of the industry.

Chantal Landis, Managing Director of the IAA Swiss Chapter, is more than satisfied with the evening: "The Young Professionals have held a very popular summer party for years - in the Rimini Bar. We have finally decided to organize a party again where the focus is on the young professionals." Landis is convinced that the need is there. "It can once again become a major event where everyone can come together and exchange ideas, network and benefit from each other." In general, the IAA does a lot to promote young talent - for example with "Speed Mentoring" in October.

Matthias Kiess takes the same line. The IAA President has had enough of "generational talk", because ultimately everyone is pursuing the same goals and facing the same challenges: "The only difference is how we deal with them. Senior citizens are shaped by experience - and it is precisely events like this that serve to foster mutual understanding," explains Kiess. "It's about giving young people access and showing them perspectives. Everyone can talk to each other openly, it's about encouraging and sometimes also demanding."

Numerous companies and brands supported the European Championship in Germany. For example, Engelbert Strauss, BYD, Adidas, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Lidl and AliExpress were among the official sponsors of UEFA Euro 2024, including brands that are measured in YouGov Switzerland's continuous brand tracking, the Swiss Brand Observer.

Every week, YouGov surveys a sample of around 250 people who are representative of the Swiss population aged 15-79. Since April 2024, interviewees have also been asked whether they have noticed sponsorship activities by various brands in the past seven days. This continuous measurement covers the time before (zero measurement), after (post measurement) and during the European Championship (interim measurement) perfectly.

National team main sponsor UBS most strongly perceived

The analysis from the Swiss Brand Observer includes official UEFA sponsors such as AliExpress, Lidl, Coca Cola Zero and Swissquote, as well as other national team and TV sponsors such as UBS and Ochsner Sport. Even though UBS was not visible on the banners on the sidelines, the sponsorship awareness of UBS was greater than that of other brands. Lidl, Swissquote, AliExpress and Coca Cola Zero were among the official advertising partners - but were all less visible. UBS was less present on the match days themselves - but the big bank was depicted twice on the training jerseys - clearly legible above the chest, not to mention as the only sponsor. Of course, the European Football Championship was not the only event at which the corresponding brands were visible during the same period. UBS also sponsored the Kids Cup in Lucerne at the end of June during the European Championships.

AliExpress with strong increase in sponsorship awareness

Even though UBS recorded the strongest absolute sponsorship perception in Switzerland, there were other brands that had an even stronger effect in terms of the relative difference in brand perception during this period. The average sponsorship awareness of Chinese online retailer AliExpress between April and mid-June 2024 averaged 0.2% - practically zero. During the European Championships, sponsorship awareness of the brand then averaged 6%, which corresponds to a 30-fold increase. AliExpress reached its peak in calendar weeks 26 and 27 - in the middle of the European Championships. During the European Championships, supported awareness amounted to around 60% and was therefore not significantly different from before the tournament. This means that people who were already familiar with the brand suddenly became aware of the sponsorship. Although awareness of AliExpress at the end of July reached its highest level since measurements began in September 2021, it remains to be seen whether an actual change in awareness has occurred. According to YouGov, the proportion of current customers has not yet changed significantly.

Four times greater brand awareness for Lidl

However, brands that are still better known in this country also showed a significant and clear increase in brand awareness. This applies in particular to Lidl. In the run-up to the tournament, just under 3% registered the discounter's sponsorship. In the last two weeks of the tournament, this figure rose to 10%. The peak value was thus four times higher than the average sponsorship perception between April and mid-June.

However, Lidl's telecommunications brand did not benefit from a spill-over effect. The sponsorship perception of Lidl Connect remained at a maximum noise level of 2% during the European Championships.

No effect on image facets

According to YouGov, the increased perception of sponsorship among the brands observed did not lead to any significant changes in image. This also applies to image facets such as corporate social responsibility, in which the efforts of sponsorship or brand appearances at events and other occasions are likely to manifest themselves the most. According to YouGov, sponsorship was simply too short-lived for this. Because the image of brands is constant, it takes patience and a lot of time to change it - especially for positive changes in terms of image shaping.

However, even negative influences in the form of negative reporting, for example, do not necessarily lead directly to a change in image. Repeated scandals that stick and jeopardize trust in the brand's performance are particularly dangerous. YouGov cites Volkswagen's emissions scandal in 2015 as an example: this was not quite as problematic for the brand itself, as ecology is not a core brand value of VW or is not something that people associate with VW per se.

Sponsoring as a drop in the ocean?

The data from the Swiss Brand Observer shows that one-off or stand-alone sponsorships only have a short-term effect on brand perception. It is important that brands know what they stand for and what their core brand values are - and then communicate these confidently and actively to the outside world. Feedback from the target group is also important in order to control perception. The success and strength of a campaign's impact on brand perception depends on this and the appropriate fit of the sponsorship.

In order to bring about long-term changes, sponsorships of major events such as the European Championships should be embedded in campaigns lasting several months and their success should be continuously tracked in order to consolidate and strengthen effects and enable targeted follow-up. This helps to ensure that the success of the sponsorship and the momentum generated for the European Championship sponsors does not simply fizzle out afterwards and that the commitment pays off for the brand in the medium and long term.

Information on the Swiss Brand Observer

• Type of study: continuous brand tracking (365 days per year)
• Survey excerpt/time for this article: April 1 to July 28, 2024
• Population: Swiss resident population aged 15 to 79 years
• Sample size: approx. n = 4,000
• Research method: online interviews
• Quotation/weighting: interlocked by age, gender and language region

The mandate required comprehensive skills in strategic media planning, technological expertise, innovative ability and a high level of process reliability from the University of Applied Sciences of Eastern Switzerland. The Forward agency impressed the OST assessment committee with its well-founded approach and structured, innovative implementation proposals.

"With Forward, we have chosen a partner that not only meets our high standards of media expertise, but also impresses us with its data-driven and innovative approach," says OST Head of Marketing Carlos Friedrich.

Forward will take over the planning and implementation of all OST's media activities from September 2024. The focus will be on increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of media investments.