"Refluenced" connects nano- and micro-influencers with brands and products using advanced technology and artificial intelligence (AI). According to the company, the platform has been able to grow rapidly throughout the DACH region. Following its successful market entry in Germany and Austria and a successfully completed financing round, the company is now appointing two new members to its Board of Directors.

Serial entrepreneur and founder of Run Accounts, Thomas Brändle, is joining Refluenced's Board of Directors and will also become its Chairman. His "understanding of the technology industry coupled with his financial expertise" will be a "valuable asset for the further development of Refluenced", the platform writes in a press release.

Sacha Moser is also a new member of the Board of Directors. The founder and CEO of Foundry will contribute his many years of experience in brand building and digital transformation to the platform.

With the recent financing round, Refluenced can now further expand its platform and extend its offering for companies, agencies and brands. According to the company, it recently launched the world's first platform for TikTok campaigns with nano- and micro-influencers.

By 2028, the market for (entertainment) media, which includes internet offerings, music and radio, newspapers and magazines, online media, television, video games and virtual reality, will only see average annual growth of 1.1%. This is the conclusion reached by PwC in its latest Swiss Entertainment & Media Outlook" survey.

On the one hand, the experts blame inflation and the higher cost of living for this slowdown. On the other hand, the so-called "post-Covid effect" is easing.

However, the pessimistic forecast does not apply equally to all sub-segments of the industry. Cinema, for example, has recovered from the coronavirus pandemic and grew by a good quarter in 2023. In addition, the high level of streaming has boosted sales of video, music and radio.

On the other hand, newspapers, books and consumer magazines were among the biggest losers. Linear television is also likely to experience a decline.

According to the report, virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AR) will achieve the strongest growth in 2023 with an increase of 36.4% to CHF 161 million. The authors also forecast a significant increase for the coming years. Bogdan Sutter, Director Strategy and Digital Change Expert at PwC Switzerland, is quoted in the press release as saying that sales will almost double by 2028. (SDA/swi)

The newly designed specialist conference took place in a contemporary afternoon format and in a fresh location, the Kaufleuten Zurich. The program of "Direct! by Post Advertising" included a journey through current trends and forward-looking topics in the advertising industry.

In his presentation, computer graphics pioneer Prof. Dr. Markus Gross showed how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing storytelling and advertising. And emotion researcher Cornelia Krebs addressed the question of how companies can reach the hearts of their target groups through passionate advertising. Together with Andrea Bison, Co-CEO of Thjnk Zurich and "Advertiser of the Year" 2024, and Raphael Bratschi, Head of Product Management and Business Development at Post Advertising, she discussed in the panel discussion how brands can be developed into authentic "soul brands".

The children and youth researcher Ingo Barlovic then opened up a fascinating perspective: he explained how Generation Alpha, the future target group, actually ticks. He emphasized their sensitivity to authenticity and made a powerful plea for credible advertising.

Other personalities on stage included Nicolas Hugentobler, Head of Live Marketing at Rivella, Christoph Keiser, Co-Head of Fundraising and Marketing at Caritas, Esther Cahn, VP Strategy & Customer Growth at Exactag and Adriano Beti, CEO of Livesystems.

Speakers and panelists presented inspiring theses and illuminating insights. Statements such as: "In the coming years, the digital overlay of the real world will take hold - with a dual economy and numerous personalized services.", "Present your brands with rough edges. Have the courage: Show who you really are.", "Your target group asks itself: Who are you really? And who will I become with you?", "Generation Alpha - born between 2010 and 2024 - finds itself caught between the old world and the digitalized world, with the old world still very much present.", provided plenty to talk about.

This was announced by the European police authority in The Hague. According to Europol, a total of 51 suspects were arrested, including 38 in Australia. Further arrests have not been ruled out. Drugs, weapons and around one million euros in cash were confiscated.

Even the most secret communications would stand little chance against the international efforts, said Europol chief Catherine De Bolle. Investigators from nine countries were involved in the operation.

Ghost's servers were found in France and Iceland, the company's owners were discovered in Australia and funds were found in the USA. There had been several searches and technical interventions since the investigation began in spring 2022.

According to Europol, "Ghost" was attractive to crime gangs because of its sophisticated security measures. These included triple encryption of messages and the automatic deletion of messages on cell phones. Several thousand people around the world had used the network. Every day, around 1,000 messages were distributed via it.

Organized crime is making extensive use of new encryption techniques to ensure their safety from prosecution and their anonymity, the European police authority said. (SDA/swi)

241 project submissions had been received by Monday for Best of Swiss Apps. This means that this year's edition has set a new record. The judging process begins on Friday. The experts will take a first look at all projects before they meet on September 30 for the jury day.

On October 3, it will be announced which projects have made it onto the Best of Swiss Apps 2024 shortlist and will therefore enter the race for the title of "Master of Swiss Apps".

Ticket sales for the Award Night will also start at the same time. All entrants will receive details of their tickets on October 3. Additional seats can be purchased directly from the organizers. The award ceremony will take place on November 19 at the Zurich Kongresshaus, in combination with the "Best of Swiss Software" award.

Winner Talk in January

The Best of Swiss Apps Winner Talk will take place on January 22, 2025. Winners of Best of Swiss Apps 2024 will talk about what makes an app project successful and answer questions from the audience. The event will be rounded off with a breakout session. Click here to register free of charge.

Today, most Unikom members still make "classic" radio. And linear radio is holding its own compared to other traditional media genres. amazingly good. But the internet and streaming are changing everything here too. The radio landscape is undergoing a similar upheaval to that already experienced by record companies and publishers. Organizers of exclusively linear radio stations are becoming rarer, while on-demand offerings and podcasts are becoming increasingly important.

As an association, Unikom therefore also wants to make itself fit for the future: All audio media that operate independently of the large national and international media companies and platforms can now join. Training, marketing and technology service providers for radio and audio media can also join the association as "affiliates". The association "Unikom - Association of Independent Radios and Audio Media" now brings together all these independent players for mutual benefit.

This means that the core element of the association is and remains "audio". However, it now represents the common interests of broadcasters of independent radio and audio media, as well as audio and podcast producers. In addition, Unikom continues to advocate media diversity, participative, locally anchored forms of media, freedom of expression, secure funding for its members and the training of media professionals.

In the final vote, the small chamber clearly approved the bill by 28 votes to 12 with four abstentions. However, some of the previous decisions were relatively close with a difference of just a few votes.

With the revision of the law, the Federal Council wants to ensure that advertising for tobacco products and e-cigarettes no longer reaches children and young people as required by constitutional law.

As in autumn 2023, the small chamber voted in favor of enshrining exceptions for mobile sales staff in publicly accessible places in the law. In addition, tobacco advertising in publicly accessible places and the sponsorship of events should remain permitted, provided that the advertising on site is neither accessible nor visible to minors.

No special rules for cigars

During the second discussion of the matter, the Council of States merely tightened up the wording of an exemption clause. However, it rejected minority motions to follow the state government and waive the exceptions, with one exception.

The small chamber originally wanted to continue to allow the direct, personal promotion of cigars and cigarillos. During the second consultation, it returned to the decision with a majority of one vote.

Matthias Michel wanted another exception: advertising in the inside section of magazines and newspapers should remain permitted, provided they are mainly sold via subscriptions and at least 95% of the readership consists of adults. His individual motion failed by 23 votes to 21 with one abstention.

"Tobacco advertising omnipresent"

The debate was also about fundamental issues. "We have to show which side we are on here today," said Flavia Wasserfallen (SP/BE), unsuccessfully campaigning for restrictive regulation. Today, tobacco advertising is omnipresent. And Switzerland is bringing up the rear in terms of regulation.

When the initiative was being discussed, it was not disputed that it was also aimed at the sponsoring of events and/or the use of mobile sales staff, said Wasserfallen. She criticized the proposed exceptions with regard to events as impractical.

Hannes Germann (SVP/SH) rejected the accusation that the Council of States wanted to undermine the initiative. He argued that young people also consumed cannabis, even though advertising it is prohibited in Switzerland.

Back in the National Council

Health Minister Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, on the other hand, said that the trend in the proportion of smokers in the UK, for example, showed that restrictions on advertising were having an effect.

Now the ball is back in the National Council's court. When the matter was first discussed in February, it rejected the bill in the overall vote. This was tantamount to a decision not to enter the debate. For the SVP, the proposed advertising bans went too far. The left, on the other hand, considered the proposed exceptions to be unconstitutional and called for stricter rules. In the Council of States, Germann spoke of an "unholy alliance" in the large chamber.

If the National Council rejects the bill a second time or does not act on it, the matter is closed. Parliament would then have to start implementing the new constitutional article on field one. (SDA/swi)

The Sponsoring Excellence Award will enter its sixth round in 2025, consolidating its role as an important platform for recognizing outstanding sponsoring initiatives in Switzerland. With the possibility of submitting sponsorship projects until 29 November 2024, the award will once again be open to innovative entries that were realized in 2024. The awards ceremony, including the Audience Award, will take place on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 at the prestigious Kunsthaus Zurich.

The past edition has shown that both members and non-members of the industry submit exciting and professional projects. Over 20 submissions in the last two years underline the growing relevance of the competition. "I am looking forward to evaluating the most exciting projects together with the jury," says Oliver Niedermann, the new jury president. The submissions will be judged according to the tried and tested criteria: Innovation, concept, implementation, profitability and impact.

All information on project submission can be found on the Website of Sponsoring Switzerland. 

Gehrig brings with him almost two decades of communications experience in various industries, as detailed in a press release. He previously worked as a manager and press spokesperson for companies such as Broncolor, Parashift and Invacare. He also gained experience in the media world - including at Faces and Trend magazine. From 2010 to 2019, he ran his own lifestyle magazine together with Rahel Martens.

His international experience will be Paprec This will be of great benefit to Paprec because the company is pursuing dynamic growth, the report continues. Paprec is also pursuing the goal of making a significant contribution to a greener planet. With his extensive network, Gehring will "make a significant contribution to firmly anchoring the topic of sustainability and recycling in the everyday lives of the Swiss population".

Vaugne joined the agency in March 2019 as Client Service Director and steadily took on more responsibility over the course of her career. She led the entire consulting team for campaigning and technology, was appointed COO in November 2019 and has led the agency together with Swen Morath as Co-CEO since 2021.

"It was a well-considered decision to leave Ingo Zurich, even though it was a very difficult one for me," said Giselle Vaugne in a statement. "The past five and a half years have been an extremely rewarding time. Together, after the rebranding to Wunderman Thompson, we led the agency into the top 5 creative agencies, won great new clients and were awarded Gold Effies for our work with Geberit and HEKS."

The name change to Ingo Zurich in spring 2024 was also a success, Vaugne continues, looking back with pride on what she has achieved. But now it's time for a new adventure: "After these six intense years, I would like to focus on my private life first and then reorient myself professionally from 2025."

Co-CEO and CCO Swen Morath regrets Vaugne's departure: "I will probably just continue to call her every morning on the way to the agency, as we have done every day over the past few years (laughs). I am very grateful for the trusting, constructive and, above all, successful collaboration. I wish Giselle all the best for the future. At the same time, I am looking forward to the coming months. Ingo Zurich has some exciting projects with exciting clients coming up. The team is highly motivated and I personally am also looking forward to working closely with our new Global Chief Creative Officer Dan Fisher."

Giselle Vaugne will continue to actively support the agency until the end of September 2024 and will hand over her responsibilities in the meantime.

Sandro Tschuor is currently taking on her client-related tasks as Chief Client Officer. Tschuor joined the agency in 2015 after finishing his professional ice hockey career. During this time, he has managed national and international clients such as PostFinance and Microsoft and was responsible for Migros Fachmärkte as WPP Lead.

Meschenmoser was most recently editorial director of the consumer magazines K-Tip and Balance. Before that, he worked at Swiss television SRF for 14 years. He succeeds Gerda Königstorfer, who held the position for just under three years.

Jürg Grob, who will also join Stadler on October 1, has been appointed as his deputy. Grob was most recently Head of Newsroom and Editor-in-Chief at SBB. (SDA/swi)

The three new additions complement the existing commercial team of Jan Bachmann, Nicole Ruckstuhl, Guillaume de Grave and Ana Knezevic.

Reinaldo Colaço took over the position of Commercial Director at Capture Media in August 2024. Most recently, he was Head of Sales at CH Media. "Reny is a natural leader with broad expertise and a keen sense for people," says Michel Mariani, CCO of Capture Media.

Marga Cupin joined the team as Senior Commercial Manager in August 2024. She most recently worked as Key Account Manager at Zattoo and previously built up extensive knowledge in the IT sector. Sandro Albin, Managing Partner, comments: "We are delighted with her energy and the market savvy she has demonstrated over the years."

Yves Troxler joined the team as Senior Commercial Manager in June 2024. He brings a wealth of expertise and a strong network of contacts from his time at Tamedia, Publisuisse, 20 Minuten, Ringier, Mediacom and other companies. Michel Mariani adds: "We already know Yves from our time together at Tamedia and value his qualities."

Alexandra Münch left the company after six years to spend more time traveling.