Coop has decided not to extend the franchise agreement with The Body Shop Switzerland. The decision follows a comprehensive analysis, which revealed that the brand's originally unique market positioning, as once defined by the franchisor, no longer exists. "The franchisor's revitalization programme was unable to achieve the desired effect despite intensive efforts and the great commitment of the employees," explains Coop.

The 33 sales areas of The Body Shop Switzerland will become vacant from May 2025. Coop is currently examining how these spaces can be optimally used by other specialist formats within the cooperative. Offers of continued employment within the Coop Group have already been prepared for the 108 employees of The Body Shop Switzerland.

By ending the franchise agreement, Coop is showing flexibility and a willingness to respond to changing market conditions. At the same time, the company is ensuring that its employees have future prospects within the Group.

After five years at the HWZ, the previous Head of Marketing & Communication Daniela Dunne has decided to take on new challenges. The HWZ has found an internal successor in Sandra Bornand and Laura Oderbolz. The two took over the department as co-heads at the beginning of January. At the same time, the marketing and communications team was reorganized.

The new Head of Marketing, Sandra Bornand, has many years of experience in marketing, digital communication, social media and web project management. Since joining the HWZ team in 2013, she has played a key role in developing the university's website and social media strategy, among other things. Her degree in Chief Digital Officer NDS HF complements her expertise in digital transformation and strategy.

"It is very important to me to further develop the brand and marketing in such a way that we continue to convince students and partners in the digital future," Bornand is quoted as saying in a press release from the HWZ.

Laura Oderbolz, the new Head of Communications, has successfully established and expanded the areas of internal and external communications as well as content marketing at the HWZ in her previous role as Corporate Communications Manager since 2019. With a Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a specialization in Organizational Communication from the ZHAW and a Master of Advanced Studies in Business Communications from the HWZ, she has in-depth expertise in strategic communication, with a particular focus on internal and change communication.

"Over the past five years, I have come to know and appreciate the HWZ as an inspiring place. It is important to me to further strengthen the HWZ's presence and to build and maintain an authentic, trusting relationship with our stakeholders. My focus is on communicating our vision and values clearly and convincingly - both internally and externally," says Oderbolz.

As part of the study, 1,000 social media users were surveyed for seven product groups - laptops, televisions, cars, refrigerators, credit cards, make-up and movie tickets. 47% are dissatisfied with Google and co. because they cannot find relevant, helpful answers when researching products.

Better recommendations

"As a result, many users are turning to Reddit for better, context-specific recommendations," writes the provider, who is pleased that 71 percent of respondents say Reddit is the best social media platform to find quick and specific answers to their questions.

The study shows how important Reddit is in the purchasing process, from discovering products to making decisions. Ads on Reddit contribute to more conversations about brands. For every 1,000 ad views on Reddit, advertisers received around two organic posts with an average of 3,500 views.

The study also showed that 23 percent of recommendations on Reddit led to a "redirect". This means that users start to consider brands they hadn't considered before. These redirects usually occur when users ask for help, for example when they want advice on products that better suit their needs.

Expert:inside cut out

It almost goes without saying that Reddit considers the recommendations given on its homepage to be more trustworthy than many other forms of advice. Reportedly, 42 percent of social media users value Reddit recommendations more than other sources, including influencer-sponsored posts, brand advertisements and even some expert reviews.

However, Reddit admits that its recommendations rank behind expert review sites (17 percent) and consumer review sites (15 percent) in terms of influence. As a platform that promotes itself as a solution to consumer frustrations, Reddit is naturally interested in portraying its influence in a positive light. However, experts are of the opinion that Reddit's statements at least tend to be true. (pte/swi)

As part of an exclusive collaboration with Forbes, Neoviso AG has conducted a cross-national study on the consumer behavior of Generation Z for the second time. The aim of the study was to better understand the needs and preferences of this young and relevant target group.

The study focused on the consumer world of Generation Z in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, which was surveyed online over several weeks at the end of 2024. Clear trends emerged that offer brands and companies valuable starting points for shaping their strategies and offerings in a targeted manner.

What counts for Generation Z? The study clearly shows that value for money is the top priority for Generation Z. Despite their digital affinity, personal interaction with friends and family remains an important factor in purchasing decisions.

Tiktok information channel

Across the entire DACH region, a third of respondents check Tiktok at least once a month before making a purchase, but the use of this platform varies between countries. Brands need to adapt their communication to the younger target group and thus also the regional differences in order to remain relevant.

Generation Z is characterized by its digital competence and in-depth research. Before making a purchase, they compare information extensively, especially on price. This happens both on site and online. Companies must adapt to the fact that this target group is demanding and well informed.

Just under 40% of respondents stated that their consumer behavior is too high and that they should buy less. The information on personal consumption is also reflected in the level of debt, as more than 25% of respondents stated that they were in debt in at least one form.

The PR agency Primus Communications GmbH (Primcom for short) has added another Swiss vacation region to its portfolio: as of January 2025, Primcom will be supporting the Made in Bern team with Switzerland-wide communications. Made in Bern AG is the umbrella marketing organization of the Canton of Bern, which includes the destinations of Adelboden-Lenk-Kandersteg, Bern, the vacation regions of Gstaad and Interlaken, the Jungfrau Region, Biel-Seeland and Grand Chasseral.

Communication highlights in 2025 include the opening of the new festival hall on the Bernexpo site and the UEFA Women's EURO, which will be held in Thun and Bern.

The latest edition of the "Internet Usage and E-Commerce Switzerland 2024" study by the University of St.Gallen sheds light on significant changes in consumer behavior and this year places a special focus on Chinese e-commerce providers, who are making a significant contribution to growing shopping tourism in online retail.

According to the study, Swiss online retail reached a record volume of CHF 18 billion in 2024, which corresponds to a market share of 17.3% of the retail trade. Online sales have grown by 20.8% since 2021, despite a slight increase in preference for brick-and-mortar stores after the pandemic. Particularly noteworthy: 52.4 percent of all online purchases are made via smartphone.

Chinese suppliers on the rise

Chinese online platforms such as Temu are rapidly gaining in importance and pushing back Swiss providers. Amazon remains at the top of the ranking of the most popular online retailers, followed by Galaxus, Zalando, Temu and Digitec. Temu, founded in 2022, already achieved a market share of 4.6%, while Zalando suffered the biggest loss with a decline of -4.7%. Three of the top 10 online retailers in Switzerland are now Chinese providers.

Expansion of shopping tourism

Online shopping tourism has increased as more and more Swiss consumers shop online abroad. The proportion of online spending abroad increased in all product categories, with airline tickets and vacation trips in particular frequently being booked abroad.

The entire study is available here download.

Carmen Breuss can look back on 27 dedicated years at Österreich Werbung. As market manager for Switzerland, she played a key role in positioning Austria as a tourist destination in the third-largest foreign source market and introducing Swiss guests to Austria's special lifestyle. "Networking, developing strategies, implementing marketing activities - the channels may have changed over the years, but the central task of generating enthusiasm for Austria has always remained the focus," Breuss sums up.

On July 1, 2024, she took over the role of Head of Market Development in the management of Austrian National Tourist Office in order to dedicate herself to the further development of foreign markets.

New era with Egger

The new Head of Market Switzerland, Eva Egger, is taking over the management of the Zurich team with great enthusiasm and clear goals. She is convinced of the continued great potential of the Swiss market: "Switzerland is a key source market for Austria, but faces strong competition from other destinations. Together with our team and partners in the industry, we want to find innovative approaches and make Austria's lifestyle even more present," says Egger.

Matthias Gross has gained extensive experience in the research industry over the course of his 30-year career. He joined YouGov in January 2024 as part of the acquisition of Consumer Panel Services GfK (CPS GfK) in the role of Executive Vice President of Sales. In his ten years at CPS GfK, Gross identified entrepreneurial opportunities, leveraged partnerships and led high performing and sales teams with continued success.
A proven leader in the insights industry, Matthias Gross worked at Nielsen, Tchibo and Melitta before joining CPS GfK in 2014.

His appointment follows an extensive search that included both internal and external candidates in Germany and Switzerland. Matthias Gross joins Will Ullstein (UK CEO) and Julien Chevignon (Europe CEO) to complete the Senior Commercial Leadership team in Europe, reporting to YouGov CCO Tom Fisher.

In November 2024, ten months after the takeover, CPS GfK was renamed worldwide and now operates under the name YouGov in line with the parent company. According to YouGov, the acquisition of the Consumer Panel Services business has significantly expanded its presence in the DACH region. Almost 70 percent of the Group's current sales in the region come from the former CPS GfK. The majority of employees in the region are based in Germany.

Fachwerk Advertising from Sursee will be the official communications partner of PharmaDavos from 2025. This underlines the agency's expertise in developing innovative and compliant communication solutions for the healthcare industry.

In recent years, Fachwerk Advertising has impressed with smart campaigns for pharmaceutical manufacturers and social recruiting for pharmacies. "Where rules set limits, we unleash our creativity. With passion and a spirit of innovation, we develop solutions that not only meet the strict requirements, but also arouse emotions and leave a lasting impression," says CEO Nektarios Thanasis. "The collaboration with PharmaDavos is a great opportunity to further expand our expertise and strengthen communication in the healthcare sector."

The partnership with PharmaDavos will enable Fachwerk Advertising to provide pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers with even more targeted support and increase their visibility in the industry. "We are looking forward to the agency's collaboration and creative impulses and are convinced that their expertise and experience will make a valuable contribution to our communication strategy," says Natascha Rohrer from the PharmaDavos organizing committee.

Over the coming months, Fachwerk Advertising will support PharmaDavos in its planned activities to optimize communication and better address the needs of pharmacies and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

At the beginning of the year, Spotify announced that OSK would be taking over PR work for the DACH region. Annalena Schmitz, Jasmin Faller, Lilla Kara and Charlotte Gravert from OSK will act as contact persons with immediate effect. At Spotify, Alexa Doerr is Head of Communications DACH and the central contact person.

The agency will provide the media and interested parties with the latest information on Spotify, including news on music and podcast trends, streaming data and insights into the company's working world.

With its Trend Report 2025, the global marketing agency Biggie presents a comprehensive analysis of key developments in marketing. The report shows how technological and social change is radically transforming marketing and which strategies companies need to pursue in order to remain competitive.

The "messy funnel": a challenge for data-driven strategies

The traditional purchasing decision has changed considerably due to fragmented target groups and the abolition of cookies. In the "messy funnel", the decision-making process becomes confusing and traditional methods of performance measurement no longer work. Biggie recommends data-based approaches such as marketing mix modeling, brand impact tests and panels to optimize performance and precisely address target groups despite increasing intransparency.

Artificial intelligence: driving a cultural revolution

Biggie identifies AI as the most significant driver of marketing in 2025, fundamentally changing work processes as platforms such as Meta, Google and TikTok develop specialized AI campaign formats. Tools such as Meta's "Advantage", Google's "PMax" and TikTok's "Smart+" are opening up new opportunities for companies to run automated, targeted campaigns. The report advises brands to test these new formats at an early stage and compare them with ongoing standard campaigns in order to assess the added value.

Multi-screen advertising: boundaries are blurring

In the multi-screen era, the traditional boundaries between television, streaming and mobile content are disappearing. Viewers stream series on smartphones and watch YouTube videos on smart TVs. Connected TV (CTV) and networked devices open up enormous potential for advertisers, but require a clear strategy for integrating different platforms. AI will help to tailor advertising to viewer preferences and improve the viewing experience.

The new influencer marketing: long-term and immersive

Biggie sees influencer marketing reaching a new level of maturity. Instead of simple product placements, brands are increasingly focusing on culturally relevant collaborations and immersive content that creates deep engagement. Micro- and nano-influencers offer particular advantages: With their authenticity and local community ties, they appeal to specific target groups and provide brands with relevant reach at a regional level.

Biggie's conclusion: act innovatively, be future-proof

Companies will face unprecedented challenges in 2025, but can turn them into opportunities through the intelligent use of AI, data-driven strategies and creative influencer marketing. Biggie's trend report provides a clear outlook on upcoming developments and offers concrete recommendations for action to successfully shape the future of marketing.

Circus Knie, one of Switzerland's most traditional cultural assets, is launching a new communications strategy in 2025. Following a successful pitch, the Swiss national circus is relying on the expertise of Ferris Bühler Communications. The Baden-based agency will support Circus Knie with a focus on PR and creative stories in order to further strengthen its visibility and inspire audiences outside the circus tent.

Doris Knie, Administrative Director of Circus Knie, explains: "Our Circus Knie lives from its stories - from the magic of the circus ring to the people who work behind the scenes. In Ferris Bühler Communications, we have found an agency that tells these stories in a creative and authentic way, thus spreading the enthusiasm for the circus."

Ferris Bühler, founder and communications professional at the agency, is also looking forward to the collaboration: "It is a special honor to be able to provide communications support for such a traditional and emotional Swiss cultural asset. We are looking forward to enhancing the magic of Circus Knie with creative storytelling and putting the spotlight on the people both in front of and behind the scenes."

The partnership begins with communications for the upcoming 2025 tour, which once again promises unforgettable moments for young and old alike. With a creative approach, the agency wants to focus on Circus Knie's unique combination of tradition and innovation.