Based on a qualitative analysis with in-depth customer interviews, Albin Kistler's normative framework was sharpened in a two-day workshop. With the updating of the profile, the visual brand presence was then revised.

"Albin Kistler did not have to reinvent itself, but it did have to set new priorities," says CEO Rico Willi. The common thread remains the claim "We keep our word" and the customer promise to offer the best performance. In terms of content, the brand profile is accentuated by attributes that additionally describe how the core value of excellence is lived: the entrepreneurial team, the performance culture based on partnership, and continuity in personal customer care.

With the update of the profile, the visual brand presence was also gently revised. The logo is to simplify the effective digital appearance in the short form as an icon. The goose, the brand's emotional identifier for over 20 years, remains. "The interviews had clearly revealed how fitting the goose is for Albin Kistler's profile and how great the awareness has become in the meantime," explains Daniel Zehntner, Managing Partner of Martin et Karczinski. For new subjects, stills and moving images, a cheerful goose photo shoot was carried out with Noe Flum. The result was, among other things, a flight shot of the branded animal.

In terms of content, a campaign communicates the seven ingredients of Albin Kistler's recipe for success: from its own research and proximity to the companies to the basic optimism in its investment philosophy. In terms of the combination of text and images, it follows on from the previous campaigns, but brings new momentum to the presentation.

The rock-solid asset manager Albin Kistler is also continuing on its path in digital channels, idiosyncratically and unusually for the industry, with regular display campaigns and a podcast series. The podcast is intended to show that conveying knowledge from the world of finance can also be done in an understandable language.

Since his retirement from active wrestling, Matthias Sempach, who was born in Emmental, has lived with his family on their farm in Entlebuch. Since 2019, the family has been producing raw milk for the production of Emmentaler AOP. "I am convinced with heart and soul of the natural product Emmentaler AOP. As a dairy farmer and raw milk supplier, I live the partnership and the product more intensively than ever before. Our 13-year collaboration to date has therefore once again moved to a new level. Simply a round thing," Matthias Sempach is quoted as saying in a press release.

"Matthias is a perfect ambassador for Emmentaler Switzerland. He embodies our values and actively tackles the challenges of tradition and progress," adds Urs Schluechter, Director Emmentaler Switzerland.

Ancient though, nevertheless the cuddly term should also get its stroke once. Kudos, you are a super word! It is a Greek word (κῦδος) - really old - and means "praise" and "glory". The term made the leap into English usage, it is believed, through the poet Robert Southey in a formal speech describing King George III. A tribute or homage of sorts, it both extolled and criticized the ruler's virtues, achievements and positive qualities. It was not until the 19th century that students and British politicians picked up the term again. And today it is part of everyday language. Even if not used by everyone.

Kudos is a kind of virtual pat on the back and is thrown at each other like stuffed bears, especially in gaming, forums and online projects.

Kudos means praise, honor, or recognition for achievements or successes. Now, praise is just an informal expression used to express approval or appreciation for a person's efforts, accomplishments, or actions, and to acknowledge them. Kudos is the same thing, just more empathetic. It's something we all need. Especially anyone involved in complex projects with sprints, milestones, and deep dives seems addicted to it right now. A hearty-sounding "Kudos" like that helps keep your spirits up, and the recipient is happy that someone is giving them praise or recognition for their work. And it sounds warmer than a "Chapeau!", a "Well done!" or a "High five".

Praise is a question of age

Too little praise is bad. Baby boomers can tell you a thing or two about that. For them, the rule "nothing said is praised enough" still applied. In the past, feedback was always negative, and positive feedback was superfluous. Fortunately, this generation is heading straight for retirement.

Generation X grew up with a 1:1 ratio between praise and criticism. It was easier to live with that. And those who are now in charge in many places in our rather young industry, namely the Millennials, are, in terms of kudos, Generation "W," which means praise-criticism-praise-criticism-praise ratio. And they are used to a 3:2 ratio.

And those who would like to be in control and who are sometimes allowed to take the controls briefly as advisors, prophets, explainers or for amusement, namely the GenZers, need a ratio of praise to criticism of about 5:1. And that's a good thing.

Why? Each of us needs praise. In today's world, with all the uncertainties, this is even more pronounced than it used to be. And, praise is good for you. Try it out instead of snotting over the cuddly Kudos. Let yourself be infected by the cute things. If that is too soft for them, then it can also be a banal "Häsch guet gmacht!" or a strong "Stark von dir! Simply focus more on the positive. That will probably not be easy for many people. But it is necessary. It costs nothing. And it works wonders. But be careful: Please do not use praise to compensate for neglect by spoiling. Everyone who has children and/or doesn't like spoiled children knows this.

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* 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.

The kick-off event of the Swiss Hospitality & Marketing Association SHMA at the Ameron Zurich Bellerive Au Lac was characterized by fresh ideas, great motivation and lively exchange. Under the new board of directors, the association is realigning itself and is focusing primarily on networking between experienced professionals and young professionals in the sales and marketing sector of the Swiss hospitality and tourism industry.

"It is a matter close to our hearts to strengthen the sales and marketing community of our industry and to revive the SHMA," said Stefan Hannig and Karin Breitenstein in their welcoming speech at the kick-off event in Zurich. Together with their board colleagues Gina Domagala and Sven Häberlin they had invited to the Ameron Zurich and informed about the new orientation of the association, which was already founded in 1972. Around 40 people accepted the invitation.

SHMA President Karin Breitenstein described the main goals of the network as follows: "We want to show young people the diversity of the industry, offer interested players a platform for exchange and thus ultimately retain skilled workers in tourism." To this end, individual and corporate members are to be recruited to support the idea - initially in the greater Zurich area, and in the medium term throughout Switzerland.

SHMAward for young talent

The SHMAward, which has been awarded since 2019 in collaboration with the IST, Higher College for Tourism & Outdoor in Zurich, for the best diploma thesis on the subject of sales & marketing, is to be continued. The prize is endowed with 1000 Swiss francs.

Many advantages for members

Membership in the non-profit association SHMA costs CHF 79 for individuals, CHF 349 for companies and CHF 49 for students. Among other things, members receive access to the SHMA Sales & Marketing Hubs, which will be held four times a year in the future. There, participants can expect interactive opportunities for the exchange of experiences and knowledge transfer between potential young professionals, university graduates and industry professionals.

Next networking events

The next dates for the SHMA Sales & Marketing Hubs in Zurich are Dec. 18, 2023; March 25, 2024; June 24, 2024; Sept. 30, 2024; and Dec. 16, 2024, each at 6 p.m. A Talent Event - including presentations on the topic of talent development and promotion - is also planned for 2024.

Being an attractive employer has always been important for attracting and retaining the best employees. But with the shortage of skilled workers in many industries, this issue has become even more important. If you work in an industry that is struggling with staffing problems or is generally struggling to recruit sought-after specialists, employer branding is particularly important.

Meanwhile, there are some providers that shed light on the issue with ratings or awards / labels by (former) employees. Providers such as Kununu or Great Place to Work give (former) employees a voice. But what does the general public actually think about various employers?

Employers are always brands as well. Sometimes they appear under the same name both as an employer and on the sales market as a corporate brand, such as Swiss Life or Freitag. Other suppliers have a more complex brand organization and are active on the market with family brands, for example Beiersdorf with Nivea or Eucerin, or subbrands - the Rivella Group with Rivella, Focuswater or Enertea by Rivella can be mentioned here.

Google No. 1 out of 120 brands

No matter what the brand strategy: One of the best awards is the most positive possible perception of a brand among the population. If a poor employer brand is added to any shortage of skilled workers, it becomes even more difficult to find qualified employees in the marketplace. A brand may be perceived as good or even excellent by its current or previous employees, but this does not necessarily mean that this image also (strongly) exists in the population.

For more than three years, YouGov's continuous brand tracking, the BrandIndex, has been measuring - among many other key figures - the (employer) reputation of 120 brands among the Swiss population. YouGov has been the parent company of the market research company Link since the end of 2021 and monitors thousands of brands worldwide with its BrandIndex. In Switzerland, more than 10,000 online interviews are collected per year and brand as a result, which include answers to the question of whether respondents would be proud to work for a particular brand or whether it would make them uncomfortable.

Around 30 brands from the 4 sectors of automobiles, banks/financial service providers, insurance/health insurance companies and online brands are currently being monitored. In both the full calendar year 2022 and the first two-thirds of 2023 (up to the end of August), Google is ranked first, followed by Mercedes-Benz, Raiffeisen, Audi and Mobiliar. Four automotive brands are represented in the top 7, with Porsche (rank 6) and BMW (rank 7).

In the case of Google, the younger the respondents, the higher the initial net score. To obtain this net score, those people who would be proud to work for this brand (positive) are offset against those who would be uncomfortable (negative) (positive - negative = net score). Recently, however, the ratings by the different age groups have converged. The very young (18- to 24-year-olds) give Google a significantly lower reputation in 2023, which is still ongoing, than they did at the beginning of 2022 and would accordingly no longer be quite so proud to work for the online giant. In this case, the poorer rating results from a decreasing proportion of positive ratings, with the negative proportion remaining consistently low at around 6 %.

Overall, other tech brands such as Instagram or Facebook also showed a decline among the young as of the end of 2022. However, the starting level of the latter two brands was already lower, which is why they were able to lose correspondingly less. Facebook remains the least popular social media brand for the under-25s (rank 120).

A look at other industries shows: While Mercedes Benz managed to hold on to second place out of 120 in both the calendar year 2022 and the first eight months of 2023, Raiffeisen Bank moved up three places in the same period and is now in third place. 18- to 24-year-olds express the most pride when it comes to working for the bank. The financial services provider that scores second best is Twint. In May reported m&k advertisingweek.ch already benefited from its excellent reputation. in the Swiss population. This is also reflected in its reputation as an employer. In the two-thirds annual ranking, the mobile payment provider is in eighth place, a position it already held in 2022. Among 18- to 24-year-olds, Twint is now in first place (rank 4 in 2022).

No surprises at the lower end of the scale

At the other end of the scale is Credit Suisse, which was recently completely taken over by UBS. The score of -28 for January to August 2023 is massively lower than in 2022 (-11). In the previous year, the outgoing big bank was still ranked 27th. UBS has also lost ground and is 24 places lower in the 2023 temporary ranking (January to August) than in 2022 (new ranking 101 with -0.4).

To classify these numbers: A score of 0 means that there are the same number of people who say they are proud as there are people who would be uncomfortable working at this brand. A score of -100 would mean that all respondents would be uncomfortable working at the former big bank, a score of +100 that all would be proud.

The situation at Uber is not rosy either: With its two brands Uber and Uber Eats, the service provider is represented twice in the Bottom 5, i.e. among the five brands that score worst in terms of employer reputation. With Twitter (new "X"), Facebook and Snapchat, three social media brands are also in the bottom ranks. And while Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche and BMW are very well received, Dacia and Fiat are the two automotive brands respondents would be most uncomfortable working for.

Elon Musk and his brands: not crowd pleasers

A lot has happened at X, the former Twitter, in recent months: the takeover by Elon Musk, the dismissal of a large part of the workforce and thus thousands of people, various changes to the platform itself, including the introduction of the Twitter Blue subscription, and more. Twitter was accordingly hardly mentioned positively in the media. Besides Credit Suisse and Uber Eats, the social media platform is the only one of 120 brands to have a double-digit negative net score in (employer) reputation in the first eight months of 2023.

Musk's oldest "child" Tesla, on the other hand, experienced the biggest crash. In 2022, Tesla was increasingly in the headlines in a negative light, with thousands of electric cars having to be recalled several times due to hardware or software errors. While Tesla was still in 32nd place in the entire calendar year 2022 and clearly in positive reputation territory with just under 9 points, the brand has since fallen by more than 60 ranks and is now in 95th place with a net score of practically zero after the first two-thirds of 2023. At least the downward slide reached its temporary low point in February, and the reputation has since stabilized (so far) around +/-0.

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Method profile

• Population: Swiss resident population aged 18 to 79 years
• Time series analysis: per month approx. n=850
• Rankings: per year approx. n=10'400 interviews per brand, per 8 months (2023) pro rata
• Confidence interval for total sample: max. +/- 1% (at 1 year).
• Research method: online interviews
• Quotation / weighting: interlocked by age, gender and region
• Panel: YouGov Online Panel
• Survey period: 01.01.2022 to 31.08.2023
• Contact: Link Zurich, Matthias Biedermann (Research Consultant)

 

 

Accompanied by Pinktank, the established brand "Heliomalt" gets a rebranding and now wants more than just to return to the Swiss breakfast table. The focus is clearly on everyday life, because people need energy throughout the day.

The chocolate powder has been around for almost 100 years - until now it has been known mainly to older generations. To ensure that a traditional Swiss product did not disappear into oblivion, investors bought the Heliomalt brand and recipe. Heliomalt needed to be revamped to appeal to younger generations. Against this background, a rebranding was needed that would inspire both existing and new target groups alike to drink Heliomalt.

Pinktank supported Heliomalt in this endeavor. The joint creative work resulted in the overarching corporate DNA "Attention... Ready... Energy". The brand is now to stand for energy, joy, power, freedom and modernity. Heliomalt's Power Powder is intended to provide energy that is quickly needed in everyday life.

The new story further resulted in a fresh Design for the websiteThe new packaging design includes a new logo and contemporary packaging designs for the 400-gram bag and the 15-gram sachets. A transparent cutout shows customers what they are buying. In addition, the HelioFant is brought back to life. He acts as a mouthpiece for social media activities.

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Responsible at Heliomalt: Management. Responsible at Pinktank: Cordelia Hagi (overall responsibility), Rolf Kleeb (project management).

This week, the Bühler&Bühler agency is fishing with bait in its podcast. After all, it's the selection that decides where the clientele will bite. But in the third episode of "In a Nudgeshell", Hannes Hug, Becca Knobel, and Clemens Fachinger discuss what to keep in mind when fishing for attention and deals.

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Bühler & Bühler launched the ten-part podcast at the end of August. Here it goes to the Interview with Werbewoche.ch.

Advertising Week: How is your travel business going?

Nicole Pfammatter, CEO of Hotelplan Switzerland: Business is very good. The Swiss people are having fun and are looking forward to going on vacation again.

How do the new market players like Booking.com influence Hotelplan?

They are our competitors. They challenge us and motivate us to constantly improve. We work on this every day, whether on our website, in our call centers or in our 82 stores.

Hotelplan also enables trips to the Metaverse. Could you tell us more about this?

Yes, we have a Metaverse world in Spatial where we hold customer events. But mainly we also use it for training our employees. Currently we offer Greece, southern Africa and London as city trips in these virtual worlds.

What is your advertising focus and what media do you use?

Our focus at the moment is actually on online advertising. Search Engine Advertising is an important topic, as is SEO. At the same time, it's extremely important for us to combine this with offline media. A large proportion of our ads appear in the Sunday newspaper, as this is the day when people are most concerned with vacation planning.

What role does creativity play in your marketing strategy?

Creativity is gaining in importance again. In recent years, we have focused strongly on sales. But we are thinking about how we can also reach younger target groups in order to build long-term customer relationships.

As a CEO and former CMO, what do you consider to be the most important characteristic of a CMO?

The most important characteristic of a CMO is an understanding of our customers' needs and the ability to connect this to our brand in a creative and appealing way. But especially in the travel sector, it is also crucial to offer attractive prices and products.

Today's panel is called "Inspire". Where do you get your inspiration and ideas?

I have a large network from which I draw a lot of inspiration. I travel a lot, also abroad, to meet partners, talk to hoteliers and airlines and find out what's happening in the world and get inspired.

Thank you for your insights, and we look forward to seeing where your journey with Hotelplan takes you.

Mr. Gläser, you were appointed CEO of Stöckli in 2014. Why did they choose you?

Marc Gläser, CEO of Stöckli Ski: I am a brand management expert with international sales, production and product development experience. These qualities were probably the deciding factor.

You also shared your vision with Stöckli Ski today?

Yes, our vision is to become the best ski brand in the world.

What attributes distinguish the Stöckli brand?

I think they are very powerful, versatile and precise skis.

What do people communicate when they wear Stöckli skis?

That is a good question. I think they are expressing that they are experts and lovers of skiing and that skiing is of great importance to them.

Stöckli is a premium brand. What is the biggest danger that a premium brand should avoid?

The biggest danger is to devalue the brand through discounts and rebates.

Demand for Stöckli products exceeds supply. How does that influence your marketing?

This means that we have to be very strategic, as it is not necessary in the short term when we are sold out. Our efforts are focused on high-quality marketing. Of course, we continue to carry out promotional activities, especially at retail and in our own stores. But we also want to prepare ourselves to be better equipped for the future when demand declines or when we can expand our capacities.

Which brand do you consider a role model for Stöckli?

Rolex, Apple and Porsche are definitely role model brands. They do almost everything right. Thank you very much for the interview, and I hope you have a great ski season with lots of snow.

Thanks for the insights and have a good season, with hopefully lots of snow soon.

That would be great, thank you.

 

 

Fear of inflation is leading the worry barometer this year. Accordingly, the worries of the Swiss are also growing.
Swiss about rising healthcare costs and having enough money to pay their bills. These concerns are ranked second and third, pushing concerns about climate change down to fourth place.

Compared with neighboring Germany, the Swiss are more optimistic about the future. Despite concerns about inflation and rising prices, just under 60 percent of Swiss people are optimistic about the future and expect their own economic future to improve in the coming year.

Younger people and men in particular are very confident in this respect. In Germany, only 46 percent expect their own economic situation to develop positively. Regardless of the economic situation, climate change remains an important issue for the Swiss, even if it falls from first to fourth place. For those who are very worried about inflation and price increases or are afraid they will no longer be able to pay their bills, climate change is currently a lower priority. For the young generation of 15- to 29-year-olds, however, climate change is the second most important concern.

Trend toward conscious and sophisticated consumption

Current concerns are having an impact on current consumer trends. Conscious and discerning consumption is a trend that is currently gaining in importance. Around one-third of the Swiss prefer to buy fewer, high-quality products.
to own. But it's not just quality that's decisive; harmony with one's own values also plays a role: around a quarter of Swiss consumers only buy products and services that match their beliefs, values or ideals.

At the same time, the need for experiences is growing again at the moment. Already during the Corona pandemic, many consumers became aware of how valuable experiences are for well-being. Back then, it was partly simple things like spending time in nature or meeting up with friends. Today, it is the experiences that were not possible for a long time: Trips abroad or even major events. 36 percent of the Swiss currently think that experiences are more important than possessions.

 

The focus of the relaunch of Egovpartner.ch is quick access to relevant information to support the municipalities, cities and the canton in their commitment to digital public service. Thus, the new website is entirely at the service of its network partners and the professional audience, who are informed about ongoing and completed projects, the range of consulting services and the next events of Egovpartner.

A wide range of functions is intended to enable targeted use: Forms for project entries and event registrations, filter options, a newsletter connection and a protected member area are intended to make work easier for users. Great importance is attached to accessibility, which corresponds to the current standards in terms of structural and technical structure as well as screen design.

A brand presence tailored to the digital offering

As part of the website redesign, Evoq is also modernizing Egovpartner's visual identity. The impact and responsiveness of the logo and colors are optimized for digital channels, are intended to give the overall appearance a new vibrancy and freshness, and express the organization's unconventional way of working. The mission "Together for digital service public" is brought to life via independent illustrations and the recognizability is strengthened by a visual language with iconographic elements.

The clear design principles enable consistent and efficient implementation of communication across all channels. In doing so, Egovpartner continues to rely on Evoq's advice and support.

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Customer: Egovpartner, State Chancellery of the Canton of Zurich. Responsible at Evoq: Dominique Haussener (Client Management and Consulting), Dominique Haussener, Giannina Binder (Website Concept), Markus Wohlhüter (Head of Design), Corinne Brunner (Senior Design), Marcel Marty, Giannina Binder (Programming).

In a test phase, it was checked whether the mixed collection of the various packaging materials could be integrated into the operating room operation without hindering it. Here, too, the feedback has been almost exclusively positive. For example, the waste generated was always a thorn in the side of the operating teams. The fact that this problem is being addressed is pleasing to all involved. The largest proportion of materials collected was cardboard, followed by plastic composites, pure plastic film, mixed plastics and aluminum.

The discarded materials should not lose quality

In the future, the Schulthess Clinic, which is committed to sustainability and certified to ISO 14001:2015, will return all clean waste generated to the cycle with the help of Mr. Green. A final test phase will be conducted by the end of the year to ensure that the quality of the discarded materials remains high and that the recycling process runs as efficiently as possible. This example shows that such a partnership between different players is a win-win for everyone. All in the spirit of "Healthy People need a Healthy Planet". 

Source: Schulthess Clinic

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/partnerschaft-zur-co%E2%82%82-reduzierung-an-der-schulthess-klinik/

The special show will present a cross-section of innovative technologies, applications and system components from the field of non-contact measurement and testing technology on an area of around 300 square meters and will offer users initial guidance in selecting the technology suitable for tackling their own testing tasks. (Companies, research institutes and universities interested in participating are requested to submit an exhibit proposal to the Fraunhofer Vision Business Unit by October 13, 2023, including a title and brief description: vision@fraunhofer.de).   

Special show as an integral part of the trade show

In recent years, the special show "Contactless measurement technology" has successfully established itself as a place for exhibitors and trade fair visitors to communicate and exchange innovations. It is now firmly integrated into the Control trade fair program. The performance and flexibility of modern systems are constantly increasing, making it difficult for users to find their way around the market.

As every year, the latest developments and innovative measuring and testing systems are to be presented, which operate on a non-contact basis. On the one hand, the focus will be on the inspection or measurement of external or visible features of components or materials. Relevant technologies for this are, for example, light sectioning, fringe projection, photogrammetry, white light interferometry, holography, time of flight or confocal measuring methods. In addition, a platform is also provided for measurement and inspection techniques for the interior of materials that operate in the non-visible part of the wavelength spectrum, such as thermography, X-ray, ultrasound or terahertz, or spectroscopic methods such as hyperspectral imaging.

The special show also offers an excellent opportunity to present exhibits in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning in image processing. This is particularly relevant as there is considerable interest among potential users for information on this topic.

Control 2024 aims to build on the success of 2023

Quality inspection and quality assurance have gained unprecedented importance. Production-integrated testing of properties and the condition of workpieces and products is essential for manufacturing quality. Efficiency, resource conservation and sustainability can only be implemented through modern methods of measurement and testing. Control brings suppliers and users together at eye level. Control 2024 aims to build on the success of Control 2023 - according to organizers, participants and exhibitors, it was pure enthusiasm. "What a great week at this year's Control show!" This was the résumé heard from exhibitors and trade visitors everywhere at Control 2023 in May. Thus, impressive and groundbreaking solutions for quality assurance should once again be on display in the exhibition halls at Control 2024. 

Sources: www.control-messe.de; www.vision.fraunhofer.de

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/control-2024-zum-18-mal-mit-sonderschau-beruehrungslose-messtechnik/