Mediabrands: NZZ most credible

Since 2013, Publicom has been investigating the qualitative assessment of media brands in Switzerland as part of the Mediabrands study. For the current study, over 4'800 people were asked how they qualitatively assess the media they consume. This results in a differentiated brand profile for each of the media brands studied.

In view of the digital flood of information and increasing media blunders, the credibility of a media brand is of great importance in both the audience and advertising markets. In German-speaking Switzerland, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung received the best marks in terms of credibility. It has even improved somewhat compared to the previous year. It is closely followed by Radio SRF 1, with respondents also giving high credibility ratings to NZZ am Sonntag and SRF 1 (TV). Some regional media brands are also held in high esteem by their audiences. The Berner Bund and Zentralschweiz am Sonntag, for example, but also the small local radio station Radio BeO, are considered particularly credible.

Amazing development of Watson

Even when overall qualitative performance (brand strength) is considered, the SRF and NZZ brands share the top spots ahead of the Tage-Anzeiger, as in the previous year. An astonishing development is being experienced by the online portal watson, which has continuously increased its brand image in recent years and this year has made the leap into the top ten strongest media brands in German-speaking Switzerland. With its infotainment mix, Watson manages the balancing act between serious information and palatable entertainment, especially with a young mobile audience.

The rising star of the year among regional media brands is Bernese Oberland's Radio BeO, which immediately took first place among the ten strongest regional media brands. Its local roots are reflected in the high esteem in which it is held by the audience. Zentralschweiz am Sonntag also made strong gains, significantly sharpening its brand profile. In the Zurich area, Planet 105 is experiencing a marked upswing. The youth radio station is winning over audiences much more strongly than in the previous year.

Digital use of media brands increases strongly

In addition to the qualitative impact of media brands, Mediabrands also examines their use. This shows that digital use via the Internet and smartphones is becoming increasingly important. Almost three quarters of German-speaking Swiss now use mobile Internet. However, this does not mean that traditional use is being displaced by digital use. Rather, the various channels are being combined. For daily newspaper brands, complementary use, i.e. print and digital, is already standard. More than half of the German-speaking Swiss now also use newspaper brands on their smartphones. A generational change is nevertheless emerging: For the under-30s, traditional (analog) media are of little importance; much more important to them than newspapers, radio, and TV are social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.

Mediabrands is conducted annually by the media consultancy Publicom. The study provides media companies with the basis for successful brand management and creates transparency for advertisers and media agencies about the qualitative communications performance of the most important Swiss media brands.