The Swiss Advertising Industry in Motion

In a conversation with Persönlich magazine, Thomas Passen, Managing Director at Ringier Advertising, answers the questions currently moving the Swiss advertising world: How is the tense global economic situation affecting the advertising industry? Why are brand safety and transparency more than just buzzwords? And why does reach no longer equal impact?

Read here the full interviedw published in the June issue of Persönlich:

Mr. Passen, what role do Swiss media companies and quality journalism play in an increasingly crisis-ridden, tech-platform-dominated information world – also in the context of the advertising industry?
Especially in challenging times like these, Swiss media companies play a central role – both socially and economically. Things are quite turbulent right now. In some Western countries, including the USA – the world’s largest democracy – democratic values are currently under threat. Media companies, with their journalistic products and well-researched, curated content, play an increasingly important role in transparently informing the public. This is particularly critical in a world where information is increasingly dominated by algorithms of major tech platforms and fact-checking can no longer be taken for granted. But quality journalism comes at a price. While Swiss media companies generate around 180 million Swiss francs annually from the digital advertising market, an estimated 2 to 3 billion francs flow out of Switzerland to the major tech platforms.

What developments are you currently observing in the advertising market?
What’s particularly interesting is that topics we’ve been dealing with for a while are being brought even more into focus due to the current geopolitical situation. We are noticing a growing need for safety and transparency. Brand safety is gaining importance, as is the quality of contacts and ensuring that messages truly resonate. Advertising budgets are being scrutinized more closely, and there’s a strong desire to ensure that the invested money yields the intended effect. That’s why we’re part of the Digital Ad Trust initiative in Switzerland, through which our websites are audited and certified.

How does this manifest specifically when it comes to brand safety?
Brand safety has definitely become a key issue. It’s about protecting brand image, but also about the relevance of the advertising environment. The brands marketed by Ringier Advertising take responsibility through high-quality journalism – and we support them through personal consultation and targeted, tailored campaign delivery. Our advertisers highly appreciate placing their brands in trustworthy, transparent, and curated environments. My hope is that these standards – which are taken for granted and held in the highest regard by traditional media – will increasingly be established for other advertising channels as well.

What exactly do you mean by that?
Often, ads in our news environments are blocked because they’re associated with sensitive topics like war or crises and thus not deemed brand-safe. At the same time, we see advertising on social media often being played out without sufficient context or control. Despite our own presence on these platforms, we clearly see risks for brands here. There’s a need for greater awareness and standards – even beyond traditional media.

And what are the trends around transparency?
It’s about transparency in data usage and targeting, but also transparency in campaign delivery. Here too, we’re well positioned with our in-house data management platform, Alloy, and are continuously developing in tech and data. Last year, for example, we had our targeting methods PAC certified by WEMF.

Earlier, you mentioned the quality of contacts. What do advertisers care about in this context?
Reach is not just about numbers – it’s about quality. It’s about using the budget efficiently. In today’s world, advertisers need to engage seriously with the quality of the contacts they achieve. The goal is to truly capture the audience’s attention – not just briefly, but with substance. Our content offerings, among other things, help us achieve this for our customers. It also pays off to invest in IOs (insertion orders), especially for fixed placements and special formats, which generally deliver higher contact quality and KPIs.