A Transformational Relaunch of Swiss Media’s Most Iconic Company
Services
Product and experience strategy
Look and feel / brand consulting
Responsive web and app design
Ad and monetization strategy
Content strategy
Measurement and data strategy
Web, iOS, and Android development
Blick, a 65-year-old traditional Swiss media brand, covers current affairs, entertainment, sports and lifestyle. Blick is the flagship brand of Ringier Media Switzerland (RMS) and part of Ringier, one of Europe's leading media and technology companies. With more than 4.6 million readers, RMS unites the most widely circulated magazine and newspaper titles in Switzerland. Like countless media and publishing companies, Blick was feeling the pressure to evolve as AI impacts the landscape, programmatic ads generate less revenue, subscription services inundate consumers and publishers struggle to attract younger audiences.
Blick partnered with Code and Theory to create a bold, modern vision for the future of news with AI-powered features and modern video experiences for Blick.ch and its native Blick apps (iOS + Android). The newly developed website and app experiences help Blick reach the next generation of viewership with social media-inspired content, exclusive sports and entertainment experiences and AI-powered listening and summary features.
An Elevated Aesthetic for A New Generation
Blick's new digital look not only includes new publishing options, an optimized back end and a range of innovative AI features that offer users a variety of ways to engage with content, but also new Blick branding and a modern design system. The updated features contribute to an improved UX experience.
AI Provides Answers
AI-powered features include 'article listening', where the article is read aloud by an AI-trained voice. In the case of Blick, this is the synthesized voice of Steffi Buchli, Chief Content Officer of Ringier Media Switzerland and a well-known media personality in Switzerland.
Blick's most-read stories will now be accompanied by AI-generated article summaries and an "Answers" section that asks readers relevant follow-up questions about the article they are reading.
A special thanks to Code and Theory for their exceptional design work and for being such an invaluable partner throughout this journey.
Shifting Newsroom Strategy and Perspective
This redesigned, mobile-friendly experience aims to engage a new generation of readers with snackable content called "Blick Bites," a series of vertical videos that link to a more in-depth article on blick.ch. The goal is to encourage users to explore and learn more about a topic.
This is a major shift that required changes and a new way of thinking in the Blick newsroom. The new content format, which builds on BlickTV, is more viral and takes advantage of modern browsing behavior common on social platforms.
Refreshing the Revenue Model
The advertising model behind blick.ch is robust and supports a variety of levels that are manifested throughout the offering. Personalization extends to a rich sports experience for passionate fans, including live scores, play-by-play and exclusive streaming rights for live games and highlights.
All of this is designed to attract users to the premium Blick+ offering and make Blick the go-to source for breaking news and all entertainment needs.
Reinventing Blick’s Content and Storytelling Experiences
Blick has been a pioneer in publishing by being close to people and their stories from an analytical, explanatory and emotional level. With AI shifting every aspect of businesses, we partnered to reinvent their content and storytelling experiences, enabling their teams to publish with speed and impact. We made the content more snackable, entertaining and accessible, with experiences that fit the format.
In parallel with the recent launch of Blick's subscription offering Blick+, we created an experience that engages, retains and converts existing and new audiences into a deeper level of engagement. This allows for greater ad revenue, while increasing the quality of the user experience, reaching the expectations of both the business and the audience.