Answering e-mails, editing documents, taking photos: For many users, mobile devices are also in constant use at work. It is not uncommon for companies to allow their employees to use their private smartphones for business purposes (Bring Your Own Device - BYOD) or to use company-owned cell phones for private purposes (Corporate Owned, Personally Enabled - COPE). But whether BYOD or COPE, both models are vulnerable to hacker attacks. To ensure the security of mobile devices and the integrity of data transfer when working from the home office and on the road, companies must be aware of the impending risks and protect themselves against them in a targeted manner.

Insecure and unauthorized apps

Many cybercriminals are on the popular app stores, circulating applications that look confusingly similar to the original, but actually contain malware. When the apps are downloaded, malware infiltrates the devices and can collect personal and professional information for hackers, lock the phone and cause further damage. Furthermore, employees should make sure that privately used messengers such as WhatsApp are not used as business messengers. WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption of data in transit, but does not encrypt it on the device itself (data at rest). It is also possible for the messenger provider to read the users' meta data. 

Mixed use without security

If private and business data are mixed on a cell phone, this fact alone is a violation of the GDPR, which provides for the integrity and confidentiality of data. Either companies consistently decide to use business phones with an exclusively business use or they equip the BYOD and COPE devices with a container technology. This guarantees that private and business data are strictly separated from each other and that all essential office functions such as mail, calendar, contacts or documents run within a protected area. Communication between mobile devices and corporate IT is also seamlessly encrypted end-to-end in a container environment. Hackers who gain access to the device have no chance of penetrating the container and tapping data.

Lack of awareness among employees

With all the technological precautions, employees must also be sensitized as an important link in the safety chain. They are often not aware of the risks they are exposed to when working on the move. In addition, cybercriminals are becoming more and more adept, so attacks are usually not recognizable at first glance. For phishing attacks, for example, fraudsters send serious-looking e-mails or short messages that are intended to trick users into revealing personal data or opening contaminated e-mail attachments. Companies should therefore hold regular IT security training sessions and sensitize their employees to the issue.

"Cyber attacks and the associated data loss are a constantly lurking danger that does not stop at mobile devices," explains Christian Pohlenz, security expert at Materna Virtual Solution. "The task for companies is to do everything they can technologically to make mobile communication secure, for example with a container solution. But employees as a gateway for cyberattacks should also be constantly sensitized."

Source and more information under www.materna-virtual-solution.com​

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/drei-sicherheitsfallen-die-anwender-beim-mobilen-arbeiten-unbedingt-beachten-sollten/

Daniel Lee recently became Burberry's new creative director - and what do you do as the new head of a brand? Exactly, you first clear away the visible signs of the predecessor and create something new - in this case the logo.

Interestingly, this one is not new at all. The so-called "Equestrian Knight" won a design competition in 1901. In 2018, Ricardo Tisci had disposed of the logo. Now the "Equestrian Knight" has been unceremoniously elevated back to its brand pedestal, and the "without" era has been made out to be a five-year fashion faux pas. So much for politics.

Two things in particular are very exciting about this: Firstly, the decision to abolish the recently introduced grotesque lettering again and replace it with an elegant historical antiqua pours oil on the fire of a debate that is ongoing in specialist circles. At issue is the fact that many fashion brands have replaced their unique logos with simple block letters in recent years under the guise of internationality and digital visibility - including Balmain, Balenciaga, and most recently Boss (Werbewoche.ch reported). Some, like Saint Laurent, have already rowed back. Now also Burberry.

Is the Antiqua era dawning? It's probably too early to say. But it brings me to the second interesting point: it is striking that the new Burberry appearance, including the new campaign by Tyron LeBon, breaks with a globalized brand look and deliberately stages historicizing Britishness in an almost romantic way. It's as if the brand wants to reflect on itself again and defy egalitarianism. Downright chivalrous!

Tisci and Lee's predecessor Christopher Bailey had already proven in the 2000s that a traditional brand can indeed be extremely innovative and internationally successful, precisely because it is consciously located. And indeed, this principle works very well again in today's crisis-ridden times. The illusion of the global community seems to be dissolving and national (in)virtues are booming again. Positively speaking: Identity is back in fashion - that's a good sign.

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* Heinrich Paravicini is founder and creative director of Mutabor.

For 75 years, Comet has been developing high-tech components and systems in the fields of X-ray and high-frequency technology. Today, suitable employees are sought at twelve locations worldwide. Not least as a result of the pandemic, the shortage of skilled workers has also become drastically more acute for Comet. In terms of recruitment, the Comet Group has to hold its own against the strongest employer brands in the highly competitive technology market.

Curiosity differentiated

Heads already supported Comet Group in 2018 with the strategic brand positioning and reorganization of the brand architecture and was now commissioned to define an authentic and differentiating "Employee Value Proposition" EVP. The strategic starting point was a comprehensive global analysis process. This revealed that "Curiosity" is the key differentiator in the employer market. Comet employees on all continents are united by their pronounced curiosity and joy of discovery. This is already part of the brand DNA and is also reflected in the existing claim: "Led by experience. Driven by curiosity".

And as economic science proves, curiosity is also important within a company, as it strengthens innovation and growth processes and thus the company's future viability. The developed EVP combines these aspects: "Your curiosity helps you and us to grow".

"Glocal" recruitment campaign

From the EVP, Heads developed a recruiting campaign that challenged talent rather than chummed it up: "We are curious. Are you?"

In keeping with the 75th anniversary, a mood film tells the story of curiosity at Comet. The message is supported by a new image tonality that shows curious people making observations. The campaign design takes into account regional differences in the perception of curiosity. If curiosity is seen primarily as a key to better performance in one cultural region, elsewhere it is seen as a path to deeper understanding or represents people with a pronounced zest for discovery.

With its different subjects, the campaign will be used at a wide variety of contact points - including the careers website, social media profiles, and trade show booths. And with questions such as "How can you make the best solution even better?" the LinkedIn campaign planned for May will arouse the curiosity of young professionals as well as experts.

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Responsible at Comet Group: Catherine MacGillivray-Prantl (Global Head Talent Management & Culture). Responsible at Heads: Ralph Hermann, Simone Raubach, Sina Frank (Consulting/Strategy), Marco Simonetti, Roman von Arx (Design/Graphics). Text/Concept: Markus Rottmann (Freelancer). Film production: Prodigious Zurich (Publicis Communications Switzerland).

Prof. Dr. Stefan Michel, IMD EMBA, opened the event with his keynote address. With his provocative question: "Do you have a marketing strategy? Are you sure?" he bridged the gap from Darwin to Netflix to the daily challenges for local marketing professionals. Digital transformation and new technologies offer unimagined opportunities and fuel FOMO - the fear of missing out. But those who want to do it all ultimately ruin themselves, because the eierlegende Wollmilchsau remains an illusion, according to Michel. If you want to be successful in the long term, you have to know what's going on, make tough decisions and implement them. After all, it's not the strongest who survive, but the one who can adapt best.

Be open to new things

In his keynote presentation, Dr. Urs Ch. Hofmeier of Schweizer Salinen showed how a traditional business can implement bold new ideas that can develop the business in a new direction while solving existing challenges. For example, in 2018, Schweizer Salinen pioneered the sustainable farming of shrimp in Switzerland with the start-up "SwissShrimp." A classic case of the right idea at the right time with the right partner for sustainable solutions.

Focus Talks: Transformation at all levels

In the first part of the focus talk on "Change The Business", Julia Gamma from BLS, Katja Schönenberger from Pro Juventute, Sibylle Marti from Tilsiter, and Pascal Jenny from KMU Checkup discussed how SMEs can adapt to today's challenges without losing their focus.

Sustainability is still too little present in many SMEs. But a strategy that ignores the topic of sustainability has no future. Entertainment should also have its place, and you should show some courage and show some edge.

Transformation is also an organizational issue. Hierarchies are becoming flatter, and employees are being given more freedom and responsibility. This promotes agility, because the days of annual planning are over. Organizations cannot avoid moving toward their target group. However, not every trend makes sense for every company. The important thing is to always keep your finger on the pulse and try out new things according to the motto "trial and error".

Thinking outside the box

In the second part of the focus talk, Joséphine Chamoulaud from Smile Versicherung, Nadine Gloor from Jucker Farm, Verena Mönig from Skinmed, and Peter Waltenspühl from Kuhn Rikon picked up the thread again. Marketing always remains the same at its core: What are the customer needs and where are the touchpoints? What is new is that companies today have to constantly reinvent themselves.

A look outside the industry can be helpful. However, the focus must not be lost. This is especially true for small teams that cannot afford or do not want many tools. Intuition and customer proximity are important drivers here.

MGB wins Marketing Excellence Award

The Marketing Excellence Awards were presented again this year (Werbewoche.ch reported). Moderator Vanessa Meier presented the awards to the lucky winning teams to great applause. The big winner this year was the Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund, which won the award in the category large companies as well as the audience award. In the SME category, Graubünden Ferien won over the jury. And Bühler won the special prize for its B2B approach.

Audio advertising conquers Switzerland

In his keynote speech, Ralf Brachat of Swiss Radioworld presented how the medium of radio is reinventing itself through digitization and how radio advertising is conquering new distribution channels. Thanks to new targeting possibilities, advertisers can profit maximally even in a small multilingual market like Switzerland. Brachat also gave the audience a glimpse into the future of audio advertising in podcasts and games.

Breakout Sessions: Insights into practice

The various breakout sessions then went into depth. Marketing professionals from a wide range of industries offered instructive insights into their everyday lives. They presented practical solutions on topics such as new paths in content marketing or the use of artificial intelligence. The audience learned how personality and preferences for advertising content are connected and how they can enchant their customers with a little magic.

Purpose: More than just a buzzword

In her keynote address, Annette Häcki, Managing Creative Director at Jung von Matt Limmat, urged companies to ask themselves the question of meaning. Corporate purpose can be like a North Star for a brand. But to do so, you have to take it seriously and prove it again and again through your actions - both externally and internally. A brand with attitude generates loyalty and arouses emotions. This is not always positive, as the example of Nike shows. Nevertheless, it's worth it, because "whoever doesn't have an attitude will have it attributed to them."

Hero stories are transformation stories

Personality trainer and coach Cristián Gálvez dedicated his keynote to the hero's journey and how to keep focus in times of great change. Every person is permanently searching for three things: Security, self-worth and commitment. A brand must be able to deliver on these promises. The wheel in marketing turns faster and faster and thus brings us again and again to the point where we have to jump into the deep end and leave something behind. Our attitude - our Purpose - sets the direction and helps us tackle the right kite in a world full of them.

Media Talk: An industry in upheaval

Moderator Urs Gredig welcomed media professionals to talk about an industry that is experiencing the greatest upheaval since Gutenberg's time. Matthias Ackeret from Personal, Markus Diem Meier from the Handelszeitung, Bernhard Brechbühl from 20 minutes, Tom Hanan from Webrepublic, Anna Kohler from m&k advertisingweek.chMichael Wanner of CH Media, and Susanne Wille of SRF discussed the important questions: How can the media be led into the future? How can the balance between print and online be found? How can money still be earned with the journalistic offering?

There's life in the old dog yet

The question of how long print will exist was asked 20 years ago. Despite the massive decline in print media, however, the panel is optimistic. It is important to find a balance between the physical and digital product, because both have their right to exist. However, they are critical of the development of bubbles via Google and social media. Young people in particular are consuming less and less news. There is a lack of classification, "the broad information."

Young target groups in particular need different formats, and information must be presented differently. For them, the only thing that counts is relatability, or in other words: What's it to me? The difficulty for the media lies in planning for the future and not forgetting the core audience.

Not to mention that journalism also has to earn money. There are no cross-subsidies from other lucrative business models. Those who are not profitable disappear. It therefore needs new recipes and the courage to try things out. Nevertheless, the panel firmly believes that journalism has a future.

"You are your calendar"

Dr. Peter Krenz from Rebels at Work showed in his keynote how we play by the wrong rules in our everyday work and sabotage ourselves in the process. Nowadays there is no longer an agreed common goal, the rules are constantly changing. To survive here, you need Z.F.D.B. - Time for the Pear.

The everyday life of managers is characterized by hectic and pressure, mostly they can only react. But as Bill Gates said: "Busy is the new stupid". Therefore, clear your calendar to be able to think and keep a not-to-do list. Say no, because that's the only way to keep control over yourself. By the way, this also applies to brands. Because the core of a strategy is also to determine what you don't do. This allows you to focus on the essentials.

Marketoonist: Marketing in adolescence

The finale was provided by marketoonist Tom Fishburne, who always takes the marketing industry for a ride with his cartoons. For him, the digital transformation is a kind of puberty, in that we have many new technologies and tools at our disposal, but our brains can't really keep up with them. Humor helps us focus. The new sparkly thing is not yet a strategy; avoid the funnel view; be led by data, not blinded; and last but not least: Marketing is too important to leave to the marketing department.

What remains - focus

The conclusion of a long and intensive day of marketing: It takes focus to choose the right one from the huge range of options, tools and channels. This includes the willingness to think outside the box and the courage to try out new things, to show attitude and not to shy away from tough decisions.

Surprise guest Kurt Aeschbacher is an example of all this. He has dared to do something new and, with Kurts, supports a platform that puts its heart and soul into promoting good Swiss quality.

In Germany and Austria, the consideration of mental stress in the risk assessment or evaluation has been explicitly required since the end of 2013 in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (§ 5.6 ArbSchG) and the Employee Protection Act (§ 2 para. 7 ASchG). In Switzerland, too, employers are becoming increasingly aware of mental stress in the work environment, even without explicit legal requirements.

However, many companies are not limited to Germany, Austria or Switzerland, but work internationally. A new guide from the International SOS Foundation therefore provides a detailed basis for assessing mental stress in an international environment, to which employees are exposed at the company location, on business trips and during postings. It was developed in collaboration with various partners from the DACH countries.

Practical examples for illustration

The guide "Assessing mental stress in an international environment - A guide to safety, health and well-being for companies with a global workforce" shows how mental stress can be measured and how companies can address the issue worldwide as well as promote preventive measures. The latest publications from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) are also addressed: For the first time, ISO 45003 and 45001 provide companies with two internationally uniform standards that can be used to assess and evaluate mental stress and the risks associated with foreign travel and stays. Checklists provide companies with concrete assistance in identifying hazards and introducing suitable countermeasures, but also help them to address the issue in principle.

Three practical examples from the companies OMV AG (Austria), SAP SE (Germany) and Sulzer AG (Switzerland) illustrate common practice in internationally operating organizations. The companies describe how the programs for the protection and promotion of mental health can look in concrete terms. International SOS offers a web meeting and an information page for interested companies to introduce the guide. The guide can be downloaded free of charge here.

Mental stress on the rise

According to WHO, prevalent conditions such as depression and anxiety increased by more than 25 % in the first year of the pandemic, in addition to the nearly one billion people already living with a mental health disorder. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a shift in employee expectations over the past three years. Employees place a higher priority on mental health and expect their employers to be more supportive of their well-being. The World Health Organization (WHO) has also produced two major reports on mental health in general and in the workplace in 2022 due to the high relevance of the topic.

Source: International SOS

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/psychische-belastungen-neuer-leitfaden-fuer-unternehmen/

The fourth survey wave of the study "Artificial Intelligence - the Future of Marketing" shows that AI is finally being used in marketing. In the past five years, the number of skeptics has fallen by over 67 percent, according to the study. At the same time, the use of artificial intelligence has increased significantly by 53.2 percent over the same period.

Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement - not in AI, but in the human factor. The study shows that for more than 60 percent of marketing managers, AI training will be a challenge.

For the study, the team led by Prof. Dr. Claudia Bünte again surveyed marketing managers in the DACH region in 2023. Bünte, a marketing expert at SRH Berlin University of Applied Sciences, has been investigating how the use of AI in marketing is developing since 2018.

170 experts took part in the fourth wave of the survey, 77 percent of them managers. The study shows that after initial hesitation, the use of AI in marketing is finally increasing significantly: Marketing managers now use AI in all five core areas of marketing - consumer insights, strategy, product/price, advertising/sales and performance management.

AI supports both external tasks around customer interaction and internal tasks such as simplifying work and working more effectively and efficiently.

Around 86 percent of respondents also believe that the importance of AI in marketing will increase even further in the future. They plan to make even greater use of AI and see the technology as a decisive factor for the success of the company. "The fact that it would take so long for AI to be used across the board in marketing surprised us," Claudia Bünte comments on the results of the study.

The reasons for the increasing use are the increased experience of marketing managers and their better knowledge of AI. 81.1 percent, for example, use software-as-a-service (SaaS), many of them significantly more than in the past three years, and have thus been able to gain more experience with AI-based tools. "Apparently, the performance of off-the-shelf software that can be bought in is now so good that it can be used," Bünte continues.

For the human factor, new challenges are derived from the current development: Over 60 percent of respondents state that AI training of employees will be a challenge. Companies should therefore invest in the AI training of their employees in order to fully exploit the potential of AI.

The intensive use of AI is currently comparatively low among the respondents at 18.8 percent. The AI software solutions used are not yet part of fixed processes, and the possibilities of SaaS tools are not yet fully exploited. Around a third of managers rate their knowledge of AI as below average. This also applies to managers. "Systematic training is particularly important for AI tools, as new applications are constantly coming onto the market, such as ChatGPT," explains Bünte.

Education and training of human team members will therefore become all the more important within the next few years in order to familiarize them with the efficient, professional handling of artificially intelligent technologies. It is likely that new professions will emerge from this - such as the prompt designer:in.

But the right use of AI pays off: Those who use AI in their company are significantly more likely to say they are more successful than the competition. And 77 percent of respondents who work with AI in marketing say AI is at least one factor in their success. The managers also expect AI to be a decisive factor for success in the future.

Accordingly, the study concludes that AI in marketing - after initial hesitation - is now finally being deployed, but not yet fully utilized. Moreover, it is becoming critical to success. However, to leverage the full potential of AI, people are important: more knowledge, more training, and more experience can help leverage AI for business success. Companies should therefore invest specifically in internal AI training and be open to new structures and experts in order to fully exploit the opportunities AI already offers and will offer in the future for corporate success.

A shortage of skilled workers is also an issue in the travel industry. For this reason, the travel provider Globetrotter Travel Service has adapted its HR marketing strategy. In the future, each advertised position will be underpinned by an individual video. Fabio Zahnd, social media content creator, takes viewers along to the Globetrotter branches and introduces the company's unique people.

Interested parties should thus get to know the team and the work location in an authentic way. Furthermore, applicants can view the travel profiles of their future team in the job advertisements on the Globetrotter website - expertise, profile and travel pictures, video podcasts - as well as view the branch.

"Our goal is to give applicants:inside the best possible insight into what awaits them: an interesting job in a unique corporate culture and modern, bright working environment," explains Sven Ziörjen, Head of Marketing and member of the Globetrotter Executive Board. "By using videos, we can convey the culture and working environment of our company in an authentic and appealing way."

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Concept: Sven Ziörjen (Head of Marketing and member of the Globetrotter Executive Board), Fabio Zahnd (Social Media Content Creator), Franziska Domann (Globetrotter Communications employee).

In contrast to other non-food markets, the Swiss sports market was able to maintain its very high post-pandemic level. The hard goods ( e.g. skis, backpacks, helmets, fitness equipment) and footwear segments each increased by 2 percent. Textiles declined by 2 percent. Outdoor remained the most important segment with sales of just under 500 million Swiss francs. This corresponds to around 20 percent of the total sports market. Here, the camping segment grew strongly, particularly in hardware.

There was also a positive development in the Leisure segment, i.e. a trend that was particularly evident in sporty and comfortable footwear. Sales in the Snow segment declined by 22 percent in 2022. The sales trend for Fitness and Running was also down, at minus 3 percent. For the first time in years, the importance of online shopping in the sports market declined, from 28 to 27 percent. GfK is also observing this negative trend in other sectors, such as fashion. In-store shopping is valued by customers with all the benefits around advice, service and experience. In general, online sales are likely to rise again in the next few years, and not just for the sports market, the market research company expects.

Velomarket also with high sales

The bicycle market has stabilized at a high level: According to Velosuisse, just under 500 thousand bikes were sold in 2022, which is slightly below the previous year. The number of e-bikes increased again sharply by almost 20 percent: 45 percent of all bikes sold had an electric drive. This has also increased the average price per bike and contributed to the fact that the market turnover remains high. According to industry information, the warehouses are now very full and too many ordered two-wheelers will probably flood the market in 2023 or can only be sold at a discount.

The sports market proved to be very robust after the pandemic and, contrary to expectations, did not lose any sales. However, there is still uncertainty regarding consumer sentiment, inflation and the consequences of the Ukraine war. It is also possible that sales from the sports market will flow into the traditional areas such as travel or leisure, etc. If it can be assumed from the following scenarios that online will develop positively again, the winter conditions will play along, the availability of goods will be better again, the leisure and outdoor sectors will continue to boom and prices will tend to be slightly higher, it is not unrealistic that the market can reach the high level of 2022 again.

The earthquake in February, which claimed 30,000 lives and destroyed 10,000 buildings in Turkey alone, highlighted the need for and benefits of monitoring structures. Based on years of research at ETH Zurich, irmos technologies has developed what it claims is a unique platform that revolutionizes the maintenance and preservation of buildings and bridges by maximizing their safety and durability. It combines low-cost sensors with intelligent algorithms that convert vibrations from sources such as traffic, wind, construction and seismic events into structural health data, enabling real-time tracking of global structural integrity regardless of building materials.

Data-based building maintenance

The startup has acquired and processed valuable datasets of healthy and damaged structures to develop its algorithms, and has validated the algorithmic backend in more than a dozen buildings and two highway bridges. The platform provides not only structural damage assessments, but also degradation analysis to support predictive maintenance. It also serves as an early warning system and rapid condition assessment in the event of disasters and accidents. By extending the life of a structure, the platform can dramatically increase the efficiency of building assessment and extend the payback of real estate.

Great market potential

In Switzerland alone, where 50% of 1.1 million buildings have exceeded their planned lifespan, the market for its use is estimated at CHF 100 million annually. Globally, the market for structural monitoring is estimated at around USD 4 billion by 2027, with an annual growth rate of 14.6%.

The startup's platform has already been used in several pilot projects, including at the Bellevue Palace in Bern and the Glarus Cantonal Hospital, and is involved in a long-term monitoring project with ASTRA, the Federal Roads Office. It has also initiated a special collaboration project for the monitoring of the Acropolis in Athens.

The startup plans to invest the CHF 150,000 from Venture Kick in expanding its market presence in Switzerland and developing the business plan for its international growth in 2024.

Experienced team

The team consists of Panagiotis Martakis, who holds a PhD in AI for structural monitoring from ETH and has three years of experience as a professional engineer in companies; Yves Reuland, a monitoring infrastructure expert who holds a PhD in structural performance monitoring from EPFL and has led over 30 monitoring campaigns; and Christos Lataniotis, a senior software engineer who holds a PhD in data science from ETH and has fifteen years of experience in companies and startups. Their team of advisors includes Prof. Eleni Chatzi, an expert in structural monitoring at ETH; Bruno Spicher, an expert in infrastructure insurance on the executive board of SBB; and Dr. Clotaire Michel, an expert in infrastructure risk at Risk & Safety AG.

"If our startup is a sailboat, then Venture Kick was literally the wind and the compass for our entrepreneurial journey. In addition to the massive financial support, the coaching kicks and the network of investors and industry experts have turned our research idea into a valuable commercial proposition," says Panagiotis Martakis.

Source and further information: https://www.venturekick.ch/irmos-technologies

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/startup-will-gebaeudewartung-mit-ki-revolutionieren/

The new figurative mark is inspired by the established graphic language of pictograms. For the logo, a familiar impression was deliberately chosen. The color was also based on the tried-and-tested fire department red. The intention was to avoid graphic experiments.

The reduced logo created by Schläfle Trittibach illustrates a fire hose formed from the initials F for fire department and S for Stäfa.

The new look will be used in various applications - including clothing, vehicles, communications and social media - and is intended to further optimize the quality of the Stäfa militia fire department.

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Responsible at fire department Stäfa: Roger Bregy (Head of Fire Department and Civil Defense). Responsible at Schläfle Trittibach: Marcel Schläfle, Christoph Trittibach (Creative Direction), Thomas Buchwalder (Photography).

"The results of the study clearly show the uninterrupted triumph of content marketing," study author Adis Merdzanovic of the Institute of Marketing Management at the ZHAW School of Management and Law was quoted as saying in a statement.

Two years ago, just over half of all companies stated that they were using content marketing as part of their marketing activities; in the current study, this figure has risen to 66 percent of all companies surveyed. Even those companies that do not currently use content marketing want to introduce it in the near future.

A look at the budget shows how important content marketing is for companies. Already today, an average of 42 percent of the total marketing budget goes to content marketing.

Use of content marketing in Switzerland 

63 percent of the companies surveyed rate content marketing as effective. It is interesting to note that companies that have been using content marketing for more than three years consider it to be particularly effective. Other companies, on the other hand, which have only recently entered content marketing, rate its effectiveness more cautiously. "This shows that content marketing is a strategic rather than a purely operational approach," says Merdzanovic. "The successes only materialize in the medium term."

In general, the study shows a clear increase in the professionalism of companies in content marketing. According to the study authors, this is not surprising, especially since the increased distribution increases the competitive pressure and the content produced must be distributed not only qualitatively better, but also more efficiently. Most companies today have clear content marketing strategies with defined target groups and clearly identified key topics. Responsibilities are defined in writing, processes are sensibly defined, and content management tools are used for planning and distributing content.

Often there is a lack of competencies

Challenges arise in particular in the area of content creation, because the relevant competencies have not yet been built up in the companies. Almost all of the companies surveyed have a clear need to catch up in this respect, which some of them are remedying by buying in external services.

"Certain companies struggle to reach their target group with relevant and high-quality content," says Adis Merdzanovic. In this respect, data can help, as it allows conclusions to be drawn about the actions, interests and preferences of customers. In fact, most companies use their data with the aim of gaining a better understanding of their customers. In addition, data is used to critically assess created content and thus find out which content formats or topics resonate with the target group and how. "However, companies are only at the beginning here, because the potential that lies in the various data has not yet been fully exploited," concludes Adis Merdzanovic.

Content marketing formats

In terms of content formats, it is clear that companies are using the full range of options: From simple articles on the company's own website to social media posts to printed or digitally delivered magazines. It is interesting to note that while many companies use generic or easy-to-produce formats, those formats that require more effort or have a clearly definable target group are rated as much more efficient.

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The Content Marketing Study 2023 by the Institute of Marketing Management at the ZHAW School of Management and Law examines the spread and use of content marketing in Switzerland for the third time. To obtain the data, around 680 Swiss companies of various sizes were surveyed in December 2022. The study was financed by Watson and AZ Konzept.