'Cutting the cord felt liberating'

Was it a culture shock when he joined Goldbach? What were the consequences of the withdrawal of marketing from Tamedia and 20 Minuten? And how difficult was it for him when employees had to leave the company due to the reorganization?

In an interview with the editors of persönlich, Christoph Marty, CEO of Goldbach, talks openly about the challenges - and opportunities: the rising advertising revenue with Replay Ads, the strengths of the Swiss advertising market in the CTV sector and the encouraging development of Swiss Ad Impact.

The interview was conducted by Christian Beck, editor in person. Click here for the original article on persönlich.com.

Christoph Marty, you have an impressive height. Does that help you to keep an overview in everyday life?

I think so. It's not a bad prerequisite for keeping an overview. On the other hand, you can't hide so well - that's also part of it. And as I get older, it reminds me to keep my back straight. You should keep a certain height and backbone.

Do you mean that figuratively as well?

Of course (smiles).

I've heard that the processes within the Goldbach Group are sometimes a bit complicated ...

As long as it's only noticeable internally, it's okay. If it becomes noticeable for customers, then I don't find it acceptable. We're working on clearing up these too many interfaces.

You've been CEO of the Goldbach Group since July 2024. Before that, you were CEO of Goldbach Neo, which was created from the merger of Neo Advertising and Clear Channel Switzerland. How big was the culture shock?

Culture shock is the wrong word. I had a different image of Goldbach from the outside - previously as a competitor - than I do now from the inside. It wasn't a shock, just a different culture.

Goldbach is currently undergoing a major transformation: decentralization, new business units, SME setup. Can you briefly summarize "the new Goldbach"?

The new Goldbach is part of the old one, but more independent - in terms of processes, systems and also the TX Group. With Out of Home in our portfolio, we are once again positioned differently and fit for the future.

The marketing of Tamedia and 20 Minuten went back into the companies. What impact did this separation have?

For the market, the situation in 2025 is very similar to what it was until 2019. For Goldbach employees, it means fewer interfaces. I think the separation was intentional and sensible for both sides. For us, it felt liberating - even if that is a big word.

So the initiative didn't just come from Tamedia and 20 Minuten?

No, it also came from us. It was already a topic in the initial discussions about my succession to Michi Frank. It was clear to me that the marketing of 20 Minuten and Tamedia didn't suit Goldbach. If anything, it slowed us down in our development.

Why?

Because Goldbach is traditionally not close to content. The marketing of Tamedia and 20 Minuten, on the other hand, is very close to content. That led to hurdles. Then there is the independence for our partners - be it RTL, ProSieben or in radio marketing. Today we are clearly in a better position and with a clearer profile than two years ago.

A spin-off usually also means job cuts ...

In the course of the reorganization, a good 100 employees were transferred from Goldbach to Tamedia. Around 15 left us because 20 Minuten completely restructured its marketing and technology. In total, we had to cut around 35 jobs in Switzerland - including in overhead. Fortunately, we were able to make some of the cuts by not filling vacancies.

How difficult was this decision for you?

Such decisions are never easy. The areas most affected were Technology and Marketing. I was sometimes involved in discussions with managers. Anyone who says they don't care is lying. But it was explainable: Goldbach's results were not satisfactory and we had to reduce our cost base. Today, we have around 500 employees in Switzerland.

Connected TV - a television with an Internet connection - is seen as a growth area. Why is it becoming so important for the Swiss advertising landscape?

Switzerland is in a special and advantageous position. In contrast to many other countries, TV is distributed here almost exclusively via network operators such as Swisscom and Sunrise - not terrestrially or via satellite. This allows us to build our own local ecosystem and offer digital advertising in moving images from Switzerland. This makes us less dependent on global technology companies such as Samsung or LG, which have their own advertising platforms. The widespread use of set-top boxes and the popularity of time-shifted television ensure stable and relevant reach. This basis enables us to offer new, innovative digital formats such as digital ad insertion and replay ads in addition to traditional advertising spots.

SRG has also recently started supporting replay ads. Does this have an impact on Goldbach? SRG is marketed by Admeira.

There are different views on how much this affects us. I believe it will lead to a more dynamic market development. Replay ads are developing very well for us even without SRG: business doubled in the first half of the year and we expect it to double again next year. With SRG, we have gained additional reach - and we are in a position to measure and prove this additional reach. This will help the entire TV market, which together with SRG will once again double advertising revenue from replay ads.

A doubling at a low level, I have the feeling.

If you compare it with the few hundred million francs in TV, it's a low level. But we're talking about tens of millions. So it's definitely relevant - and certainly not homeopathic (laughs).

Swiss Ad Impact is a Goldbach invention. How has the product established itself?

Very well. It has become a permanent fixture. The product has been booked around 100 times, some customers have booked it several times. Swiss Ad Impact ensures transparency - and also leads to exciting discussions, for example in comparison to international platforms, where nobody knows exactly how the measurement works. For us, it's a cool product and a cool invention that has been well received by the market.

One of your competitors, APG, recently celebrated its 150th anniversary and supported an exhibition on Lake Zurich. Were you there?

No, unfortunately I missed it. But basically I see APG less as a competitor and more as a partner. We have more common interests for Out of Home than taking market share away from each other.

Are you also referring to the impending billboard bans in various cities?

Yes, we are very concerned about that. Even if it takes years before anything is implemented, the political work and lobbying take up a lot of time. We have collected signatures and supported campaigns such as zuerichsollleuchten.com to create visibility for the poster medium. The entire industry finds the bans nonsensical. But it's difficult to get large customers to say so publicly. That annoys me.

How has the Swiss advertising market developed over the last twelve months?

Volatility has increased significantly. Predictability is decreasing, short-term decisions are increasing. What we used to know for sure about the annual cycle of advertising expenditure is now a waste of time.

In other words, the Goldbach Group is actually a good indicator for the Swiss economy ...

Yes, we are a good indicator of how the economy is doing. Advertising expenditure is usually the first thing to be cut when things get worse.

Many good company results have been communicated, but so far it hasn't been an exhilarating advertising year. How does that fit together?

This shows that advertising is being used in a more targeted and tactical way. There are hardly any large, comprehensive image campaigns any more - the Migros anniversary campaign was an exception.

Social media makes branding campaigns more difficult. Do you agree with this assessment?

Yes, the flood of information is enormous and attention spans are short. Social media is not enough to really build a brand. You need other channels with more reach.

Where is the Goldbach Group heading?

We want to complete the transformation, bring Goldbach Neo closer to the Goldbach Group and further develop the digital channels. In the medium term, we want to create a consistent digital offering with effective communication solutions that offer advertisers reach across different genres. And this on a strong linear or analog foundation.

Goldbach has been around since 1983. What remains, what changes?

The principle of marketing remains the same. Out of Home was a logical addition. Today, we are concentrating more on our core competencies instead of trying to force synergies across all media genres. We also have a best-of-breed approach to technology and develop less ourselves.

When you look back on this interview in three years' time - what would you like to have achieved by then?

I would like to have a strong digital offering with standardized key figures and measurements that can be purchased in CPM mode. At the same time, radio, TV and Out of Home analog should continue to play an important role. Radio is experiencing a revival. And linear TV reaches more people in Switzerland today than it did ten years ago - even if its market share is declining. This combination of strong linear and digital media inventories is our strength, which we use to support our customers in the long term.