The Raja Group has appointed 52-year-old Franck Chenet to the newly created position of Group Marketing Director. He has also been appointed as a member of the Group Management Committee. He reports to Nathalie Chapusot, member of the Raja Group Executive Committee and Managing Director of Marketing and Technology.

Chenet is now responsible for developing the Group's multichannel strategies and optimizing the customer experience. Under his leadership, the Group's brand profile is to be sharpened as well as the collaboration of the cross-functional marketing teams intensified on an international level.

Born in France, he began his professional career in Canada and the USA. He worked at Brodart for 13 years. Most recently, he was responsible for international development at Brodart as a member of the Executive Committee.

In 2008, Franck Chenet returned to France and took on various sales and marketing management positions at Fiducial Group, a B2B services group. In 2014, he became Managing Director of Skinjay, a cosmetics start-up in Lyon, France. From 2016 to 2022, Franck Chenet was Group Director at Antalis, responsible for digital transformation, service, communication and corporate social responsibility.

Franck Chenet studied at the Ecole Nationale de Commerce de Paris in France and at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, USA. An expert in digital transformation, Chenet also speaks at numerous conferences. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Adetem, the French professional association for marketing professionals.

The Raja Group has appointed 52-year-old Franck Chenet to the newly created position of Group Marketing Director. He has also been appointed as a member of the Group Management Committee. He reports to Nathalie Chapusot, member of the Raja Group Executive Committee and Managing Director of Marketing and Technology.

Chenet is now responsible for developing the Group's multichannel strategies and optimizing the customer experience. Under his leadership, the Group's brand profile is to be sharpened as well as the collaboration of the cross-functional marketing teams intensified on an international level.

Born in France, he began his professional career in Canada and the USA. He worked at Brodart for 13 years. Most recently, he was responsible for international development at Brodart as a member of the Executive Committee.

In 2008, Franck Chenet returned to France and took on various sales and marketing management positions at Fiducial Group, a B2B services group. In 2014, he became Managing Director of Skinjay, a cosmetics start-up in Lyon, France. From 2016 to 2022, Franck Chenet was Group Director at Antalis, responsible for digital transformation, service, communication and corporate social responsibility.

Franck Chenet studied at the Ecole Nationale de Commerce de Paris in France and at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, USA. An expert in digital transformation, Chenet also speaks at numerous conferences. He is a member of the Board of Directors of Adetem, the French professional association for marketing professionals.

BBT Software is active in the market for operating software for insurers - first and foremost health insurers. Rocket's task was to reflect BBT's innovative strength appropriately in its external appearance as well.

In a co-creation process, the website was Bbtsoftware.ch underwent a complete redesign. In addition, the logo was rejuvenated with fresh, interlocking colors and a new claim was integrated. To match the new look, Rocket also created a completely new visual world for BBT.

As a basis for simplifying future communications work, the Lucerne-based agency also developed its own website with Frontify from the classic CI/CD manual in PDF format. As an online design manual, it is always kept up to date and can be consulted by all those involved as needed.

Feinmess Suhl GmbH's portfolio not only includes test equipment for product measurements such as fiducials or micrometers, but also systems for monitoring test equipment - these include, for example, fully automatic dial gauge and precision pointer testers, devices for gauge block, strip gauge or bore plug gauge testing, as well as horizontal and vertical length measuring systems. For more than ten years, the company has offered a calibration service. This came about through the calibration and certification of its own products. "We develop and design our own test equipment monitoring devices, such as probe test stations," says Norbert Heym, laboratory manager at Feinmess Suhl. "And we are the only laboratory in Germany that is DAkkS-accredited for incremental probes up to 100 mm."

Incremental Fine Probe IKF100D

The manually adjustable, incremental 100 mm fine probe is equipped with a PU26 display unit mounted directly on the fine probe with a resolution of 0.1 µm. The display unit visualizes the measurement results of the high-precision length measurement of workpieces, test specimens, measuring pins or gauge blocks. It can also be used as an interface for further processing of the collected data on the PC. The corresponding interface and visualization software FMS-View is included in the scope of delivery.

Abbe's comparator principle for highest measuring accuracy

The incremental fine feeler works on the basis of an optoelectronic measuring system. A prism roller guide with scale is mounted on the base body of the fine feeler. The fine feeler is adjusted using a handwheel. The system accuracy is less than 0.3 µm. The measuring pin is located on the same axis as the measuring system and corresponds to Abbe's comparator principle. According to the manufacturer, compliance with this principle guarantees the exceptionally high measuring accuracy of all incremental fine probes in the IKF series.

For more information www.feinmess-suhl.de

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/kalibrieren-von-inkrementalen-feintastern/

The year 2023 marks the halfway point in the achievement of the 17 globally formulated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which were adopted by all 193 member states of the United Nations in 2015. It is hardly surprising that the mid-term results are sobering. Now we can look in the direction of politicians or business leaders. But if we are honest with ourselves, we also know that each of us could do more - every day. Ride more bikes and public transport instead of cars, take a recyclable vegetable net when shopping, use environmentally friendly cleaning products, take shorter and colder showers and reduce fish and meat on our plates. To name just a few examples of a more resource-conserving everyday life. Anyone who feels slightly stressed by this list or who hears a quiet groan inside has a good excuse: We humans are not made for change. Especially not when it comes to our everyday routines. 

Man is a creature of habit

Why do we find it so difficult to change behavior? Why is it not enough to be determined or to be aware of the consequences? 

Put simply, in order to break habits, we have to penetrate the deepest layers of our brain, the limbic system. This is where all our long-practiced and learned processes are stored. This is where we find, so to speak, the morning grip on the car key or the recipe that has meat or fish as its main ingredient. These habits are so deeply anchored that we can switch into autopilot every now and then. This saves us energy and protects us from decision overload or stimulus overload. So the autopilot has a good function for now, but it is a hindrance when we want to change our daily routines. 

So where can we find incentives, inspiration, triggers or even temptations that reach us on an emotional and implicit level? Where can we find starting points to make it less stressful to actually translate our sustainable will into sustainable behavior?

Now brands come into play

We make decisions every day with the help of brands. When we reach for the supermarket shelf or fill our digital shopping basket, when we choose our mobility and in our daily grooming routine. What do I identify with? How would I like to be? What feeling do I want to associate myself with? These everyday decisions are not usually moments of great deliberation or fact-checking. They are made quickly, but can have a big impact. Brands have the power to motivate people to make more sustainable decisions - every day. And this gives them a special responsibility on the road to a more sustainable world. 

We could arrive much faster at a sustainable everyday life

A wonderful example of a brand taking responsibility is Unicorn. On the taboo period products shelf, Unicorn's branding style puts an entire product category in the shade and extends an invitation to a fun, more sustainable world that cannot be overlooked.

Tampons made from 100 percent organic cotton, on which "I'm going in there now! Over." or "Spotless through the night" definitely make you curious about other unicorn products and are perhaps the first step towards an even more sustainable menstrual cup (unicorn product name worth mentioning: Papperlacup).

Unfortunately, there are also brands that pretend or better said "claim", sustainable, natural, climate-optional CO2-neutral or good for the environment. For example, some advertise with the statement "No solid microplastic" on their skin care products. But even if these products are not solid, they may still contain liquid microplastics that are just as harmful to the environment. This is absurd, smells suspiciously of deliberate deception, and weakens trust in brands overall.

It will be exciting when the draft directive is "Green Claim Directive" of the EU Commission comes into force. This directive lays down precise requirements for environmental product claims, as well as a system of verification and sanctions. Will this finally put an end to obfuscation, lack of scientific evidence, and unclear or ill-defined terms such as "environmentally friendly"?

Now is the chance for a new role

Now is the time for brands, brand managers and brand builders to demonstrate their raison d'être, their relevance and their impact. Now is the time for brands to ensure that sustainable branding is no longer seen as just painting green, communicating intentions, or resource-saving brand management - but as a sound and impact-oriented sustainability strategy that defines in concrete terms how brands contribute to more sustainable choices. Now brands can step into the pioneer:in role and lead us into a more sustainable everyday life.

A role that would suit brands well, but for which not only the brands and the companies and people behind them are solely responsible. We brand consultants, strategists and designers are equally responsible. It is our task to accompany brands and companies with all our abilities when they step into this role. By using our creativity as a visionary ability. By finding the decisive insight in people's everyday lives. By staging brands and products irresistibly. By making change tangible and accessible for companies and people. Together we can do that.

*About the author: Marle-Maria Janßen is Executive Strategy Director and Associated Partner at MUTABOR and responsible for the agency's strategy expertise. After completing her dual studies in media and communications at DHBW Ravensburg with ZDF as a partner company, she started her career at Ogilvy and MetaDesign before joining MUTABOR in 2016. She strongly believes that brands and corporate identities are the key levers for transformation - both within an organization and in society.

There's the thing. Or something like that. In any case, FIFA has now unveiled the official logo for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, USA and Canada.

A big branding occasion. But is it also a great design?

First of all, my heart laughs as this is the first time a truly modern corporate design system has entered the world of FIFA. The extra bold typography creates an ideal social media ready canvas for a variety of content, videos, content that will be used around the tournament. This is especially very evident in the 16 host city logos. The claim "WE ARE 26" also fits in seamlessly. Seen in this light, the concept really is a milestone, compared, for example, with the colorful pill men for the German World Cup in 2006. 

Nevertheless, the logo has come in for massive criticism - the soccer blogs are overflowing with shitstorm-like comments. The fans in particular are not happy with it. The tenor: It has nothing to do with the cultural characteristics of the host nations. In fact, the logo design is radically simple. It leaves out everything except the font and the trophy. Since 2002, the trophy has always had to be an integral part of the logo and in recent years has regularly been represented by graphic insignia of the host countries. Now the break: The trophy is no longer staged - it is simply depicted. 

All the staging happens in the background. Is this even a logo? The expert says yes, because he knows that "logo" comes from "logon", "word" in ancient Greek. The point is: with this design, FIFA is actually making all future World Cup logo developments superfluous. From now on, all you need to do is change the year (we are 30, we are 34...), load the corresponding country-specific content into the font - and you're done. Once again, a piece of football culture has disappeared - which is hardly surprising when it comes to FIFA. And so, unfortunately, my heart can't really laugh heartily. In the end, football is emotion and not a design system, however sophisticated it may be.

The summer travel season is in full swing and many are looking forward to their well-deserved vacation. But while millions are happily planning and embarking on their trip, cybercriminals are forging their tactics for attacking or exploiting unsuspecting travelers. The prospects for loot are tempting, as potential victims are far less likely to be on secured networks while on vacation, for example, making them easier to attack. This makes it all the more important to observe a few basic security aspects in order to protect sensitive data and information as best as possible. Even simple actions such as using a public Wi-Fi in airports, hotels or tourist resorts can lead to devices being hacked. To protect travelers' identities, financial data, sensitive documents and passwords, specialists at IT security services provider Keeper Security advise the following:

#1 Do not show your location on social media.

Posting on social media is the favorite activity of many travelers when they visit a special place. However, posting the exact location (including geotags) during a stay can be very dangerous, because once the location is public, you can be targeted by cybercriminals. Even if it seems unlikely to you as a tourist, criminals who are well acquainted with the area can find you more easily. If you still want to post from your vacation, wait until you've moved to a new location. Better yet, save posting until you are back home.

#2 Avoid public Wi-Fi.

Even though it's difficult to find a reliably secure WLAN when traveling, security should always come first. If possible, you should avoid making a risky connection to a public WLAN network. The reason: once a device is connected to a public WLAN, attackers can perform a so-called MITM (man-in-the-middle) attack, which allows them to access your browser or apps and retrieve stored data. As a general rule of thumb, public WLAN networks should always be avoided.

#3 Consider using a VPN.

With a Virtual Private Network (VPN) you'll be protected while traveling, no matter from where you log on to the Internet. With a VPN you'll not only be able to protect your online identity and access a secure connection wherever you are, but you'll also be able to avoid bandwidth throttling this way.

#4 Upload important documents for backup.

Traveling to new and unfamiliar destinations can be quite chaotic. This increases the risk of important documents - such as passports, visas, medical documents, etc. - being stolen or misplaced. By uploading copies of these important documents to a secure password manager, you will always have access to this digital backup in case documents are lost or stolen.

#5 Never take credentials in plain text with you when traveling.

When traveling, you always need access data for digital services, for example for online banking, travel agencies, health insurance or communication services. It is rare to know all the access data and passwords by heart, which is why they are written down somewhere on digital or manual notes. Under no circumstances should access data be carried on cell phones, tablets or even handwritten, which can be read and used by anyone who gets hold of the device or note. Store all access data in a secure password manager - ideally one that allows selected access data to be shared, for example within the family.

#6 Share emergency information with a trusted source.

Take security a step further and share important information with trusted people, such as family members or friends, to ensure they have access in case of an emergency. Use an encrypted service like One Time Share to securely share insurance information or identification documents with a trusted person for a limited time. This way, in the event of a medical or other emergency, your trusted person can provide assistance without having to reveal sensitive information via email, text message, or messaging.

IT security also important during the vacation season

Don't let hackers spoil your vacation. If you follow these six tips on your trip, you can be highly confident that you won't have to worry about cybercriminal activity.

Source: Keeper Security

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/sechs-sicherheitstipps-fuer-die-urlaubszeit/

"Currently, 250,000 jobs are advertised in Switzerland. We need new ways to get applicants!" the founders announce. The app turns the tables on the application process: Companies apply to job seekers in a completely modern way with short videos à la Tiktok. If you are interested, you can send a video, audio or text message to the company with just one click. The idea is to make initial contact in an uncomplicated way.
In its first week, the app broke the 20,000 download mark, has 10,000 registered job seekers, and has over 600 registered companies that have launched ads or are planning to do so. In addition, individual job ads already have over 10,000 views and every second ad has received an application.
One of those who benefited from this is Prof. Dr. med. Marco Bueter, Chief Physician at Männedorf Hospital: "As a hospital, we are in an industry that is under enormous pressure.
suffers from the shortage of skilled workers. That's why we want to use the opportunity to stand out, which we have also succeeded in doing via video. There's an interview coming up soon that was created via Jobshot." The numbers not only show the state of the current job market, but are also the result of a sophisticated marketing strategy.

For months, Yaël Meier and Zeki had a fight on LinkedIn (20 Minuten reported), which culminated in the announcement of their joint startup. "Just like with the app itself, we also want to break new ground in marketing" announces Zeki. "Instagram King," as he was recently dubbed by Handelszeitung, operates a following of 4 million people across various channels and monthly his posts reach over 30 million impressions. This makes him comparable to the largest media houses in Switzerland - but reaches a young target group in particular. He now wants to use this reach not to launch another iced tea or a fashion brand, but to attract young people.
applicants to the Job Marketplace. Comedian Manuel Burkart from Divertimento is also on board. He justifies his decision to become a career changer after 20 years in comedy by saying that the job market lacks humanity. He wants to bring this component out of his experience as a stage person, who scans people with an observing eye for a living and can recognize facial expressions, postures and ways of speaking.
soak up the atmosphere. Yesterday, the launch event took place at Klinger's restaurant on Zurich's Paradeplatz and a colorful mix of companies and influencers gathered. What was celebrated was not only a startup that was able to cause a lot of furor in its first week - but an exciting time that is yet to come.

Vegan food is becoming increasingly popular. The trend has also arrived in ice cream: The Zurich start-up Gelavena creates oat ice cream, which is produced in a small factory in the city of Zurich. The three founders behind Gelavena are Claudia Schildknecht, Sandra Steffen - and Simon Zangger, who is also Film & Photo Director at Allink.

So it's only natural that Zurich-based branding agency Allink is responsible for branding the vegan brand. The design was deliberately detached from traditional gelato culture, says Allink, and instead draws attention with eye-catching hippie-style color patterns and simple, bold typography.

Branding and packaging design: Allink; responsible at Gelavena: founding team with Simon Zangger, Claudia Schildknecht, Sandra Steffen.

Many people around the world are turning to a lifestyle of more conscious consumption. There is a movement toward less consumption, a focus on minimalism and acceptance of the sharing economy. For example, 78 percent of prosumers believe they could be happy in a more frugal world. Happiness, for three-quarters of prosumers, can be found in being content with the simple things. But what does frugality mean? Primarily, it's wasting less on food and appliances (82%), saving energy (78%), giving up non-essentials (76%), and making better purchasing choices that favor local products and second hand (53%). These are the findings of the new Havas Prosumer Trend Report "Joyful Frugality", for which consumers in Germany were surveyed.

Gen Z finds it hard to do without

But the contemplation of appreciating the essentials presupposes certain levels of development. For example, almost three-quarters of the prosumers surveyed admire those who have already made the transition to a frugal lifestyle and thus elevate the new frugality to a desirable, social status symbol. Similarly, half are upset that they are limiting themselves, while others continue to live wasteful lifestyles, contributing to global problems. Yet temptation is particularly strong among younger people: 65 percent of Gen Zs say they find it difficult to resist the temptations of consumer society and that frugality would restrict their freedom too much (39%) - which is true of only a quarter of the Boomer generation respectively. Overall, three-quarters of prosumers also say they want to enjoy their lives to the fullest after the pandemic, making the desire for frugality an individual balancing act of trade-offs.

The widespread opinion is that everyone:r is responsible for climate change, as 82 percent state. At the same time, the belief that everyone must do their part to create a more frugal world is just as prevalent: 92 percent of prosumers emphasize that it is necessary for everyone:r to participate and show solidarity in solving the common climate problem. Although two-thirds of Germans say that radical action and strict rules are needed to combat climate change, Generation Z respondents in particular are less willing to pay higher taxes to finance the ecological transition, at only 26 percent.

But who should be financially responsible? Three-quarters of respondents believe that the companies that make the most profit should be the first to pay for the environmental transition. That's because just under a third of prosumers assume brands and companies are to blame for climate change, while only 6 percent believe those are doing their best to combat it.

Havas has been conducting prosumer studies since 2004. Prosumers are trend-conscious consumers who, as opinion leaders, exert a major influence on their environment. What prosumers do today will soon become mainstream. The "Joyful Frugality" study was created by Havas and conducted as an online survey by Market Probe International. Some 12,929 people in 30 countries took part in the study.

Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB) is merging its marketing and corporate communications departments. This was announced by the financial institution in a press release. Jan-Hendrik Völker-Albert, ZKB's Chief Marketing and Branding Officer since January, will head up the new department - this will enable a "Optimal use of existing synergies" and create an integrated and effective marketing and communications unit, the cantonal bank said.

Völker-Albert had moved to ZKB from the management consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where he was responsible for marketing and communications at the European level. Previously, he held leading positions at SBB and BBDO Consulting.

Dagmar Laub goes to the Bankers Association

Meanwhile, the former Head of Communications at ZKB, Dagmar Laub, is moving to the Swiss Bankers Association (SBA). There, she will take on the position of Head of Communications and Public Affairs. The Zurich Cantonal Bank regrets her departure, as she had "has realigned the bank's communications since taking office and at the same time built up the Public Affairs department."

Anyone who wonders why everything that is a little different from what has gone before is now immediately referred to as the "next level" is right to do so. Because not everything that is different is also better. Mostly it is just different. Nevertheless, in meetings, presentations and comment columns on LinkedIn and the like, everything seems "next level" at the moment. Next level, that is. And means: one higher, better, more creative than the previous one. Why is that?

Perhaps those who search for the origin of the term and ask themselves why it has established itself so rapidly will gain some insight. If you do, you'll quickly find yourself in the world of gamers and their favorite incentive: gamification. Because that's exactly where the word found its way into our industry. Cohorts of gamers flooding the working world have brought it with them. At first, they were ridiculed for their lingo, but it has since become standard.

While the SpaceInvader, PacMan and SuperMario generations are slowly retiring, their children are the new workforce and also prompters of buzzwords. They not only have a different language, they also adapt new things as if they were a computer game. They have learned since childhood how to gain superpowers, solve special weapons and reach next levels. And they want to be rewarded for it. Now they've arrived in real life and are just rocking the working world at the same speed they're moving in the digital world. The older members of the industry are left to marvel - or to parrot.

Gaming industry as enabler of AI

Without realizing it, these same gamers have accelerated the processing of data with their desire for ever larger computers and even more realistic 3D representations, paving the way for the next level: the breakthrough of AI. The large amounts of data that used to make the hard disks and later the fiber optic cables glow in earlier computer games demand enormous computing power. One company in particular has been producing these since 1995: NVIDIA.

It is one of the largest developers of graphics processors game consoles, PCs and servers. In 2010, it developed the world's fastest supercomputer, and a year later it sold its one billionth graphics processor. Co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang's company was one of the drivers in AI's breakthrough. After all, what AI needs to answer all our questions within fractions of a second is computing power and data processors. So what Amazon's AWS is to servers, Nvidia is to processors. No wonder the two giants have been working together as of late. What they presented and discussed at the Snowflake Summit last month in Las Vegas on the topic of generative AI's and their power to revolutionize the topic of data processing in and for companies makes you sit up and take notice.

Generative AI is the kind of artificial intelligence that can create a variety of data such as images, videos, audio, text and 3D models and will roll over us at a pace that no industry, no business model will be spared. It brings back memories of the late nineties, when the Internet was similarly disruptive, but somewhat more leisurely, changing every industry.
So the game suddenly becomes serious. Professions will die off like the enemies in the baller games, but new ones will be added. Those with even more flexibility, power and energy. And maybe in the end we'll even have more time for gaming or living more consciously. It will definitely be different. We'll see if it gets better.

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