Philip Bucher, Carl Elsener and Dominik Kaiser nominated as Marketeer of the Year

In a multi-stage review and decision-making process, the following three Swiss personalities were nominated: Philip Bucher, Managing Director and Partner at Doppelleu Boxer, Winterthur. Carl Elsener, CEO, Victorinox, Ibach-Schwyz. And Dominik Kaiser, founder and major shareholder, 3 Plus Group, Hergiswil.

The jury justifies the nominations in detail as follows: Philip Bucher founded Doppelleu Brauwerkstatt at the right time together with Jörg Schönberg. In 2012, new, smaller and regional breweries emerged as a response to the dominance of the large industrial breweries. The entrepreneur saw a great opportunity in the Swiss beer market in good time. Together with his team, he took advantage of consumer interest in new offerings and created interesting alternatives to the lager monotony of the established large breweries. The good timing brought impressive growth to the young brewery in Winterthur's Grüze district. Doppelleu thus occupies a market niche and has significantly increased its production capacity several times since its launch. Philip Bucher and the Doppelleu team are now market leaders in top-fermented beers. In a short time, Philip Bucher has positioned the brewery excellently on the market with broad-based distribution and, with a cheeky appearance, has turned the "Chopfab" brand into a success story.

Carl Elsener is CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Victorinox. He is the fourth generation to lead the manufacturer of world-famous pocket knives, which was founded in 1884. In 1978, he joined the company and gradually took over the leadership from his father, who had initiated the industrialization. With a great deal of passion and courage, Carl Elsener has built up the original production company into a global brand in recent years. Through skilful diversification, he was able to give the company a forward-looking orientation after the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, and to build up a further mainstay alongside knife production with new business areas. He recognized the values of the "Victorinox" brand, such as high quality, functionality, innovation and the iconic design, from which all business areas - pocket knives, household and professional knives, watches, luggage and perfume - benefit today. In addition, he skillfully invested in new markets such as Asia and South America in a rapidly changing environment. In all decisions, however, the responsibility towards the employees and the sustainability of the company are always in the foreground.

Dominik Kaiser is the initiator, main shareholder and head of 3+, Switzerland's largest private TV station group. The thoroughbred entrepreneur founded the company in 2006 and has continuously built and expanded it ever since. With great commitment, he has created a market that did not exist 10 years ago. Dominik Kaiser recognized the importance and impact of entertainment television in Switzerland early on and has persistently invested in Swiss programs over the years. In this way, he succeeded in building it up into a relevant mass medium, which today holds a market share of almost 10 percent among the advertising-relevant target group. The in-house productions developed by Dominik Kaiser, such as "Bauer, ledig, sucht..." or "Bachelor(ette)," achieve very good ratings. Dominik Kaiser has thus repeatedly developed and gradually built up novel formats that are very well received by the targeted younger audience and reach and entertain a broad public.

All three personalities will be honored at a festive event on March 1, 2018, at Restaurant Razzia, Zurich, and one of the three nominees will be named "Marketeer of the Year" that evening. The award is dedicated to people who write brilliant success stories with their companies, seize opportunities with creativity, break new ground with courage and implement groundbreaking ideas in the digital age. The award is sponsored by Swiss Marketing, Admeira and the Serviceplan Group Switzerland.

The jury includes representatives from the agency, media, trade association, corporate and academic sectors: Matthias Ackeret, publisher and editor-in-chief of Persönlich ; Christian Baertschi, CEO/partner of Serviceplan Gruppe Schweiz ; Nadine Borter, owner of Contexta, Bern ; Martina Dalla Vecchia of FHNW; Peter Felser, owner of Felser Brand Leadership ; Roger Harlacher, president of SWA and CEO Zweifel Pomy-Chips; Beatrice Kniel, director of the Broadcast business unit at Admeira; Harley Krohmer, director of marketing at the University of Bern; Sven Reinecke, director of the Institute of Marketing, University of St. Gallen (HSG); Uwe Tännler, President of Swiss Marketing ; Barbara Wieser, Owner/Managing Director of Digital Heads; Stefan Barmettler, Editor-in-Chief of Handelszeitung.