Content marketing and storytelling have been on everyone's lips for some time now. But how does a company create "good" content? What is "good" content anyway - and how can stories be told that stay in people's minds, strengthen the company's brand and ultimately sell?

The next HWZ Academy Brown Bag Talk will show how content marketing and storytelling can strengthen a company's branding and what it takes to turn buzzwords into successful concepts. This time, Anna Kohler, co-editor-in-chief of m&k advertisingweek.chHeiko Stegmaier from Swissmilk and Stefan Vogler, Head of Studies at the HWZ, moderated by Esther-Mirjam de Boer, CEO of GetDiversity.

The live talk will take place online on February 28, 2023, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Panel information

Free registration

The restructuring is intended to reflect the increasing relevance of digital content, according to a statement from Seven.One.

Managing Director Andrea Haemmerli sees the move as a logical consequence: "Given the dynamic environment, now is the ideal moment to also adapt our organization to the changed market conditions and place even greater emphasis on digital content."

The former Head of Business Development Raphael Holzer will now be responsible as Head of Marketing & Digital Products for strategic marketing planning as well as communication of the Swiss shows and streaming apps.

Sabine Körner, Deputy Head of Marketing, will continue to work in Marketing B2B and will also take over PR. Both have been with the Seven.One Entertainment Group for several years.

Yasmine Sihite joins the team as Senior Social Media Content Producer & Community Manager and is responsible for developing and implementing platform-specific content strategies and social media guidelines that are aligned with the company's overall objectives. Most recently, she worked for several years at SRF as Digital Content Producer.

Over the course of 2022, the market research institute Link conducted more than 25,000 interviews to observe 50 of the most important banks, banking apps, (health) insurance companies and payment providers from a consumer perspective. The overall sample is evenly distributed across the calendar weeks and is representative per week by age, gender and region.

Twint occupies the top position in many cases

The first thing that stands out in the results is how positively the Twint brand has developed in the perception of the population. In 2022 as a whole, the mobile payment provider is the leader in terms of brand awareness score, brand consideration and customer satisfaction, among other things. Twint also outperforms big brands such as Raiffeisen, the cantonal banks, Die Mobiliar, and CSS.

In addition, Twint made further significant gains over the past year, further increasing its already high awareness (+3.1 percentage points) and consideration (+4.3 percentage points). These are indicators that the Amount of commercial transactions via Twint after doubling will continue to develop very positively in 2022.

KPT posts strong gains

In December 2022, the NZZ reported on the enormous customer growth at KPT. So it comes as no surprise that it is the main winner among the health insurers in the past year. According to the link analysis, KPT also recorded the greatest growth in brand awareness and consideration of all 50 brands surveyed (+9.2 and 5.0 percentage points respectively).

It still ranks well behind the largest health insurers such as CSS and Helsana, among others. However, the gap has been significantly reduced, and providers such as Assura and Concordia have already been overtaken in terms of desirability.

Banking apps benchmarked

With its intensive communication around Key4, UBS did manage to increase its market awareness and interest over the year, but at a comparatively low level. The "digital neighbors" Frankly, Yuh, CSX, and Zak are already much better received by the population in terms of brand awareness and appeal.

In terms of brand consideration, however, they are all surpassed by Revolut. Despite a lack of Swissness and only low advertising awareness, around 8 percent of the Swiss population can imagine becoming a customer of the British neobank.

CS and Raiffeisen under media pressure

Raiffeisen and Credit Suisse have attracted the most attention from the Swiss population in 2022 through media reports. Their perception peaks are around the Start of the Vincenz process respectively around the CS "Suisse Secrets as well as the new shares announced by the CS Quarterly losses and restructuring in the fourth quarter.

The events, which were heavily publicized in the media, left their mark on both brands: At the end of the year, fewer Swiss people were interested in becoming customers of theirs (CS: -4.0 percentage points; Raiffeisen: -2.2 percentage points). Brand trust in both banks also declined significantly over the year (CS: -7.2 percentage points; Raiffeisen: -5.2 percentage points).

Advertising pyrrhic winner PostFinance and Mobiliar

When asked about brands that Mr. and Mrs. Swiss remembered through advertising in the respective last calendar week, the activities of PostFinance and Mobiliar stand out in particular when aggregated over the year 2022. The former can be remembered particularly around the start of the season and
-In the final of the highest Swiss ice hockey league, the company successfully drew attention to its own brand, so a connection with the corresponding sponsorship commitment is obvious.

However, neither PostFinance nor Mobiliar succeed in improving their most important image values in the long term: Both lose ground in brand consideration, brand trust, and quality perception over the course of the year.

About the methodology of the link study

• Population: Swiss resident population aged 15 to 79 years
• Sample size: n=25'908
• Around 250 interviews per brand per calendar week and brand segment; for this annual review, rolling moving averages were formed over the last four calendar weeks in each case, i.e. approx. n=1,000 per data point and brand
• Confidence interval for total sample: max. +/- 3.1%
• Research method: online interviews
• Quotation/weighting: interlocked by age, gender and region
• Random samples from the Link online panel, 100 percent of which is actively recruited through representative telephone surveys, reaching more than 97 percent of the relevant population; survey participants are excluded from follow-up surveys for at least three months at a time
• Survey period: 1.1.2022 to 31.12.2022
• Project management: Stefan Reiser, Managing Director Marketing Research at Link

Graphax AG, headquartered in Dietikon near Zurich and with eight branches in German- and French-speaking Switzerland, employs around 190 people. Thanks to its broad range of services, the company is one of Switzerland's leading providers of innovative technologies in the areas of information management, printer park management and complete solutions for digital and paper-based document workflow in the B2B environment. In addition to the continuous further development of state-of-the-art office solutions and the implementation of numerous complex process automations for various customers, Graphax AG has always been aware of the responsibility that companies in general have for the sustainable treatment of nature, according to the statement. For this reason, the company has calculated its own carbon footprint. The so-called Corporate Carbon Footprint (CCF) was determined together with ClimatePartner, a leading solution provider in climate protection for companies.

What exactly is the CCF?

The CCF is the sum of the CO2 emissions caused by the company within the defined system boundaries in a specified period. The calculation was based on the guidelines of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (GHG Protocol). The CO2 footprint calculated in this way includes direct emissions caused within the company (electricity and heat generation, vehicle fleet, fugitive gases) and indirect emissions caused by purchased energy, business travel, and employee commuting. The calculation does not include other indirect emissions that occur outside the company during the production of raw materials and intermediate products, external logistics, and the use and disposal of products or other processes.

Constant control is important

In subsequent years, the report can be used to check whether the targets set have been achieved, in which areas progress has been made, and where emissions should be reduced even more. After all, only those who know the exact figures can make an effective contribution. For example, in 2021, business activities caused emissions of 1,820.1 t CO2. To put this in perspective: The emissions correspond to the CO2 footprint of 300 Swiss people. One person in Switzerland causes an average of 6.06 t CO2 per year. In addition to the head office in Dietikon, the branches in Lausanne, Satigny, Martigny, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Lucerne, Gossau, Muttenz, Ostermundigen and the warehouse in Pratteln were also included in the calculation.

Graphax has been climate-neutral since 2023

Being a climate-neutral company means that you have recorded your own greenhouse gas emissions, are continuously reducing them, and have offset the remaining emissions through climate protection projects. This is confirmed by the "climate neutral" label from ClimatePartner. It is
independently and the IT system for CO2 offsetting is audited by TÜV Austria. As mentioned above, other indirect emissions are not covered by climate neutrality. CO2 offsetting is carried out entirely via a climate protection project that is certified according to international standards. For every tonne of CO2 offset there, a subsidy goes to a mountain forest project to co-finance the weeks of use in Switzerland. Within this framework, Graphax is committed to the protection of international and Swiss forests. As the Swiss general distributor of Konica Minolta and the distributor of office equipment such as copiers and printers, but also high-performance printing systems in the commercial printing sector, the company is aware of the resulting paper consumption and would like to contribute to climate protection in a correspondingly industry-oriented manner. Even more detailed measures can be viewed under ClimatePartner ID tracking at climatepartner.com/19239-2212-1001.

What are the next steps?

In collaboration with ClimatePartner, Graphax is continuously working on CO2 reduction targets. The largest share of CO2 is actually caused by the company's own vehicle fleet, a well-known phenomenon among companies with a similar decentralized service structure throughout Switzerland. The management is currently thinking about restructuring the vehicle fleet. An internal survey to the workforce has already been conducted to elicit the employees' eventual readiness for electric mobility. The extensive supply chain management will be analyzed in the coming months with regard to possible CO2 optimization. In addition, the procurement of international green power certificates is currently being intensively discussed.

The concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is responsible for global warming. It is therefore necessary to reduce emissions as much as possible. For this to succeed, it makes sense to define clear and measurable reduction targets - as well as corresponding measures and responsibilities. ClimatePartner recommends distinguishing between short-, medium- and long-term reduction targets. Some measures can be implemented quickly, while others take time, for example because processes and products need to be rethought or the supply chain needs to be included. Reduction must therefore be a continuous process and as such part of the corporate strategy.

Source and further information: Graphax AG

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/office-dienstleister-graphax-nun-offiziell-als-klimaneutral-zertifiziert/

Wyss & Partner, the asset manager based at the foot of the Pizol, has a new brand identity and sharpened positioning. For this, the company has commissioned Martin et Karczinski, who have made the new appearance shine, it said in a statement.

A central role in the new brand identity is played by the website with assessments of economic developments, financial markets and conclusions for investors. The focus is on key images such as gold quartz, Apollo butterfly and Turk's crescent flower on a background of slate rock, accompanied by eye-catching headlines.

A print and digital campaign underscores the new image, with a focus on private SME clients and foundations in the home region between Zurich, Chur and Lake Constance. The testimonials: a store owner who has handed over her business and now has her pension managed by Wyss & Partner or a busy SME entrepreneur who is happy that his private assets are managed by asset managers who are also entrepreneurs.

Today, decisions about dialect or written language in written advertising are largely based on gut feeling. There is no empirical information on how customers perceive companies that communicate in Züritüütsch, Bärndütsch, Baseldytsch or an "average Swiss German". Nor does anyone know whether only Swiss companies are allowed to do this or also companies with headquarters abroad. These and other questions are answered by the study "Ädverteising - Dialect in advertising". The results will be presented in Zurich on February 28. Here you can register.

Communication and advertising in spoken dialect have been an important topic for companies for many years. For some years now, Swiss German and specific regional dialects have also been increasingly used in written advertising. However, there is no well-founded information among advertisers or agencies on the effect of written dialect on the perception of customers and their own brand. In particular, it is unclear what effect advertising in dialect has on comprehension, attention, and liking, and to what extent this differs by age, language area, and other characteristics.

The HWZ has investigated this together with Htp St.Gallen, Link, Publicis Zurich, the Swiss Idiotikon, the University of Zurich and advertising partners from the retail, financial services and consumer goods industries as well as the SWA. The results will be presented at a symposium on February 28. Afterwards, companies will present their experiences based on case studies and discuss them with the participants.

Migros, Coop and Die Post are among the top 10 brands among the Swiss population. The ranking is increasingly dominated by the big digital brands such as WhatsApp, Google and YouTube. This is shown by the "Brand Indicator Switzerland" 2023 published by Frank Bodin, deeptrue, PRfact and furrerhugi.

These are the results

WhatsApp, Migros, Google, Coop and YouTube - these are the top five brands of the Swiss population. In general, Swiss retail brands and US tech giants are well received, as the latest "Brand Indicator Switzerland" 2023 survey of Swiss people shows. The biggest climbers are coop.ch, Twint and Denner. A direct comparison of the top 100 brands with last year's ranking is difficult, however, as some new brands were included in the survey.

A look at selected sectors shows that Post Finance is the most popular brand among banks. When it comes to payment systems, Mastercard and Twint are virtually tied at the top. And among car brands, BMW comes out on top ahead of VW and Audi. Among the media, it is noticeable that the hype surrounding YouTube and Netflix has diminished somewhat. In German-speaking Switzerland, SRF and Netflix are almost on a par with each other.

The biggest losers are popular traditional Swiss brands such as SRF (from 12 to 42), Ovaltine (from 18 to 37), Rivella (from 22 to 56), Chocolat Frey (from 26 to 62), Kägi (from 29 to 60), Swiss (from 33 to 65) or Swisscom (from 34 to 68). 70% of the top 100 brands are Swiss. Swatch, Nestlé or Hero, but also Nike, Coca-Cola or McDonalds did not make it into the top 100 brands.

A comparison of the young (under 30s) with the population as a whole is revealing: 6 of the top 10 brands are digital, and with iPhone, Netflix, Spotify, Apple, Microsoft, Instagram, further digital brands are added to the top 25 brands, which in the population as a whole are all at the bottom of the list or even not in the top 100 at all. While 70 percent of the ranking for the overall population features Swiss brands, this percentage drops to 50 percent among young people. It is striking that Coop has overtaken Migros among the young and is the most attractive Swiss brand. Twint and Die Post also made it into the top 10.

Brands of the future

The brands of the future are Google, WhatsApp, Coop incl. Supercard, Youtube and Twint. This is the result of the "Brand Indicator Switzerland" survey of Influencial Opinion Leaders (IOPs), the opinion leaders of Switzerland. These are always a little ahead of the times, influence their followers and set trends. Migros loses even more among the IOPs than among the young - and lands in 24th place, still behind Lidl, Denner, Prix Garantie, Coop City and coop.ch.

More information is available here.

With the return to the office after the COVID pandemic, most Swiss companies are realizing that there is no easy way back to previous working models. They are therefore increasingly turning to hybrid working. These ways of working allow people to work both from the office and from home. In addition, the new comparative study "ISG Provider Lens Future of Work - Services & Solutions Switzerland" reports that the focus is no longer just on technological issues of workplace equipment, but on embedding "New Work" in the overall corporate strategy. The study was conducted by the market research and consulting company Information Services Group (ISG) published. The provider comparison examines the competitive strength and portfolio attractiveness of 27 service providers active in the Swiss market for future-of-work services and solutions. 

Hybrid working: Swiss providers with competitive advantages

"The transition to working from home was primarily a technological challenge. Now it's about the overarching transformation of work and business processes," says Jochen Steudle, Senior Consultant, EMEA, at Information Services Group (ISG). Accordingly, the current need for consulting on hybrid working is very high. "There are no standard solutions here yet. So at present, it is primarily the service providers who are driving the necessary organizational change through innovations and thus also contributing to the necessary cultural change in mentality," Steudle continues. 

Especially when it comes to cultural issues, Swiss providers have a competitive advantage thanks to their "Swissness. "They simply know the sensitivities of Swiss customers better," says ISG analyst Steudle. "In addition, local service providers cultivate a particularly high quality standard, which also leads to plus points in the Swiss market compared to international competitors." 

The role of IT

According to the ISG study, the transition to hybrid working is also a must because younger skilled workers in particular would be hard to attract otherwise. According to the study, a demographic change is currently taking place in the world of work, as skilled workers born in the late 1990s and early 2000s are now entering the workforce. This "Generation Z" has, in some cases, completely new requirements for the workplace. Young professionals are already familiar with social media and digital collaboration before they even enter the workforce, he said. At the same time, the needs of older team members had to be taken into account. Therefore, companies can no longer rely on a standardized workplace according to the motto "one for all," but must offer flexible working models. 

According to the ISG study, a central role in this transformation is played by corporate IT and supporting IT service providers. In the case of new-work solutions, they are expected not only to provide IT systems and the associated processes, but also to play a key role in redefining companies' business and operating models. 

Market for pure technology solutions shrinks

Accordingly, ISG research has found that the market for solutions focused exclusively on technologies or end-user computing is shrinking. Instead, initiatives for hybrid workplaces are increasingly in demand as part of a larger digital and organizational transformation. This does not mean that traditional, technology-oriented services are no longer in demand. But they are now generally part of larger transformation projects in which the focus is more on the concrete effects on employee satisfaction and retention. In the hybrid work scenario, for example, it is essential to actively address digital burnout and inadequate work-life balance, he says.  

Among the market leaders in the Swiss segment for strategic services for workplace transformation, the ISG study found that two original Swiss providers were able to establish themselves. Compared to the large, globally active service providers, they score points with above-average quality standards. In addition, they know the market and the local companies better than average. In this way, they can keep up with the competition, although the international providers have price advantages, for example, because of their larger low-cost resources, according to the ISG study.  

The greater cultural proximity also plays into the hands of Swiss providers, especially with those generally smaller companies whose customers are concentrated in Switzerland and nearby foreign countries. ISG therefore assumes that Swiss providers will continue to be among the leading service providers in the market in the future. The prerequisite for this, however, is that they invest sufficiently in new and innovative solutions, as the "future of work" market will remain very dynamic for the foreseeable future. 

This article originally appeared on m-q.ch - https://www.m-q.ch/de/hybrides-arbeiten-schweizer-new-work-anbieter-setzen-auf-qualitaet/

What does the future of the trade fair look like? What goals do exhibitors pursue with trade show participation? And how can the trade fair teams best support their exhibitors in optimally designing their trade fair experience? Koelnmesse addressed these and other questions about the future of the trade fair in a science project in cooperation with the University of Münster. The results show: The physical trade fair format is still desired by exhibitors.

Opportunity for 365-day platforms

"The current crises have presented the trade show business model with enormous challenges. We are called upon to permanently prove the effectiveness of the trade show format in practice with creative solutions," says Cologne's head of trade shows, Gerald Böse. As part of the dissertation by Victoria Kramer, a doctoral student at the Institute of Marketing under the supervision of Professor Dr. Manfred Krafft, the
Acceptance of digital trade show formats developed in pandemic times investigated.

At the same time, the possibilities for the joint development of new formats in the exchange between trade fair companies and exhibitors were explored. The evaluation of extensive surveys shows that companies consider parallel physical and digital events to be very complex. Instead, the digital formats tested in recent years are seen as an opportunity for 365-day platforms. The following applies: Both the physical events and the digital offerings, which are independent of time, require a clear industry focus.

Many women and men work in gender-typical professions. A new study by the University of Zurich explains why: according to the study, one important reason is that men selectively leave professions that are increasingly taken up by women.

There is still a strong gender divide in the labor market, although the occupational status of the sexes has become more equal over the last 50 years. For example, many nursing professions are female-dominated, while many skilled trades are mainly carried out by men. Why? The University of Zurich has attempted to explain this in a new study. According to the study, there is a theory in gender research that men selectively leave professions and specializations that are taken up by more women.

Theory empirically tested

Per Block, Professor of Sociology at the University of Zurich, has empirically tested the theory using new methods from network research. The labor market is understood as a network in which employees connect different professions with their career changes. This makes it possible to analyse whether men are selectively leaving professions that are feminizing. This is done by taking into account the various occupational characteristics that channel men and women into different occupations. The empirical data for the study comes from Great Britain; the labor market there has similarities with many European countries, but also with North American countries.

The results clearly show that men are less likely to stay in occupations to which more women switch. For example, the study compares two hypothetical professions that are identical in all occupational characteristics and only differ in that 25 percent of women work in one and 75 percent in the other. "The analysis shows that men are twice as likely to leave the feminizing occupation," says Prof. Block. The effect of this behavior is being researched in a simulation study in which women and men are not influenced by the gender of other employees in professions. If only job-specific attributes (such as salary, flexibility, or characteristics of the job) actually influenced job changes, the simulation study predicts a 19-28 percent decrease in gender segregation in occupations.

The research concludes that gender segregation is not only caused by gender-typical job attributes, but also by men (and women) who consciously or unconsciously resist mixing.

It is mainly at the beginning of the year that people like to think about the "profitability" of agencies. This year, it will be measured by the ubiquitous ability to work as a team. So like this: The more team-capable agencies and clients prove to be, the more economical (and thus less expensive) they are.

But how do you get people to be "team players"? The quickest way to develop team spirit is to use the genie in the bottle, that is, to drink together after work.

Who should be on it is recorded on the "Drinking List". If someone says to you that you are on his/her "Drinking List", then of course it is a compliment. The person wants to get drunk with you! Or at least doesn't feel disturbed by you doing so. "You're on my drinking list", however, is not to be confused with "drinking nicely", which was a bit too often on Twitter at the moment for other reasons... the latter, unlike the "drinking list", is definitely not a compliment, but at best a form of therapy.

Touchstone for the "Dry January

Being on the "Drinking List" is almost as coveted as being on Clubhouse back in the day. If you're on it, you think you're on it. Unfortunately, if you're not on it, you're part of the common folk. The first lists popped up in Switzerland last summer - but in "Dry January" of all times they spread rapidly (attention, inflation!). This raises the question of which will win the race: "Dry January" or "Drinking List"?

That's a rhetorical question, of course, because people who care these days drink little or are completely abstinent anyway. And when movements like "Dry January" are sponsored by the Federal Office of Public Health, they are definitely no longer considered cool. So a "Dry January" is just a relic for those poor souls who can't quite make up their minds and probably never will. Because here's the thing: There used to be a lot more alcohol consumed (and smoked) in agencies and nearby restaurants and bars, quite "Mad Men"-like - and the current workforce is almost on par with top athletes by comparison. But today, "drinking lists" are still in because they promote team spirit.

It needs namely not to run over fire right away be to conjure up this spirit. It's enough to work with people you also like to meet for a drink after work, because that's simply more fun. And if that even includes customers, it's even more economical.

The city parliament approved all sponsorship contributions for the next three years with a large majority in each case. Ewz spends a total of CHF 1.8 million per year on this form of advertising.

For the Greens and the AL, this is money badly spent. A municipal company does not have to distribute money to randomly selected companies, said Dominik Waser (Greens). The two left-wing parties were particularly annoyed by the support for the ZSC Lions - "an ice hockey club that belongs to rich people" and receives almost half of the CHF 1.8 million, specifically CHF 740,000 per season. The ZSC Lions would also not fit in with Ewz's mission in terms of content. "Ice field hockey is not ecological", Waser continued.

Sponsorship in Graubünden

The second largest recipient of sponsorship money is the zoo, which receives 624,000 francs. The Limmat Swim receives 162,000 francs and the New Year's Eve Run 135,000 francs.

Ewz also co-finances events outside the city of Zurich: The Lenzerheide Magic Forest, a festival of lights with a Christmas market, receives CHF 108,000 per year. Ewz owns six power plants and four reservoirs in Graubünden, where it produces electricity for Zurich residents as well as Graubünden households. (SDA)