"We demand a uniform tariff"
Jürg Siegrist, director of the Association of Swiss Advertisers (SWA), warns against price markups on job advertisements.
Jürg Siegrist, Director of the Swiss Advertisers' Association (SWA), warns of price increases for job advertisements.WW: How does the Swiss Advertisers' Association assess this year's print pay round? Based on the readership figures, this is what we expected.
So you share Publimedia's opinion that advertising rates will be adjusted moderately and that many titles will go to zero?
Yes, but there are still two or three problem cases. And I would have liked to have seen a zero increase for more titles. Instead of raising the rates only slightly, I would have preferred an increase in subscription prices. Many subscriptions in Switzerland are too cheap compared to the retail price.
Problem cases? What exactly do you mean by that?
The Bern region is a problem case. Although it is understandable that the Berner Zeitung now costs 30 percent more than before, this deprives smaller clients of an alternative in Bern, because not every small business wants to cover the entire region. Bern will therefore be far too expensive for small clients. This will also harm the Swisspool. This is because it is set to become around seven percent more expensive.
Is there any further criticism?
We clearly demand that the prices for job advertisements are not increased. Nowhere. Because they are already excessive - in most cases, job advertisements cost more than other advertisements. But there is no explanation for this difference. Other classified ads such as car or real estate ads are not more expensive either.
What happens if some titles nevertheless have higher prices for 2004?
job advertisements should demand?
In this area, our patience is slowly being stretched. We will therefore inform SWA members in detail about which titles are raising the prices for job advertisements.
A kind of call for a boycott?
No, but the more sensitivity there is, the quicker the matter can be resolved.
What other catches are there in the current round of collective bargaining?
Hidden price increases, for example through increased placement and color surcharges - or if no price adjustments are made despite a loss of readership.
Conversely, many publishers currently do not even dare to pass on the price increase to customers.
There is also a tough battle going on in this market at the moment.
Will the current round of wage negotiations make print more attractive than TV, for example?
Whether a single zero round will be enough is questionable. After all, attractiveness depends on more than just prices.
What do you suggest print publishers do to improve their position vis-à-vis the
advertising clients?
For example, job advertisements in the German-speaking part of Switzerland should be compatible with the closing, BK or JUP - as in the French-speaking part of Switzerland (editor's note: BK = advisory commission, JUP = annual sales bonus). There you can also accumulate ad and job advertisement sales, which is not the case in German-speaking Switzerland. Print research also needs to create more transparency. For example, important benchmarks of advertising impact should be shown and the compatibility of media studies should be guaranteed. There is also hardly any evidence on young people's newspaper consumption.
Has the print tariff structure become clearer in recent years?
become?
No, Switzerland is lagging behind developments in Europe here. Different prices for text ads, for advertisements or page-dominating ads. There are simply too many special cases. The division of rates into black and white and one to four colors is also practically non-existent abroad. With the new printing presses, it will soon make no difference anyway whether you print in two or four colors. That's why we are calling for a standard rate. The Swiss Press Association has already picked up the ball and is working on this.
Interview: Markus Knöpfli
Two lower their pricesThe stock market magazine Stocks and the WochenZeitung (WoZ) are among the few to reduce their advertising rates. Stocks, which has lost three percent of its readers and is now published fortnightly instead of
which is published weekly, is reducing its rates by 12.6 percent. The WoZ is cutting its color rate by 9.4 percent. According to the WoZ, the switch from the Zurich-based cooperative printing company Ropress to the technically better-equipped Solprint AG in Solothurn (Vogt-Schild/Habegger) announced at the beginning of September has made it possible to reduce the color rate. The change was made because of the print quality, but it is assumed that the paper will now have more color ads.
black and white four-colorMagazines 2004 Changed in% 2004 Changed in%
Annabelle 18 750.- - 18 750.- -
Observer 17 814.- +9.3 22 549.- +1
Bilan 10 050.- +0,5 10 050.- +0,5
Balance sheet 18 300.- - 18 300.- -
Bon à savoir 10 500.- +9,4 10 500.- +9,4
The best 7 990.- - 11 520.- -
Edelweiss 9 200.- - 9 200.- -
Facts** 18 700.- -- 18 700.- -
Femina 22 340.- +1 22 340.- +1
K-money 8 000.- - 8 000.- -
K-Tip 22 400.- +2,8 22 400.- +2,8
L'Hebdo 12 900.- +70 12 900.- +0.6
L'Illustré 18 700.- +79,8 18 700.- -
NZZ Folio 15 300.- +2 21 800.- +1.9
Pulse tip 12 900.- +4 12 900.- + 4
Radio magazine 5 000.- - 5 000.- -
Swiss family 17 265.- +6 17 265.- + 6
Sélection 4 550.- - 7 470.- -
Stocks 7 830.- -12.6 9 570.- -12.6
Tout Compte fait 4 800.- - 4 800.- -
TR 7 10 875.- - 10 875.- -
TV 8 6 800.- +76,9 6 800.- -
Weltwoche 14 900.- +8,5 14 900.- +8,5
* subject to approval by the Competition Commission
** only applies to 2nd to 9th bundle. The 1st bundle is more expensive. Source: Werbewoche survey
(mk)
So you share Publimedia's opinion that advertising rates will be adjusted moderately and that many titles will go to zero?
Yes, but there are still two or three problem cases. And I would have liked to have seen a zero increase for more titles. Instead of raising the rates only slightly, I would have preferred an increase in subscription prices. Many subscriptions in Switzerland are too cheap compared to the retail price.
Problem cases? What exactly do you mean by that?
The Bern region is a problem case. Although it is understandable that the Berner Zeitung now costs 30 percent more than before, this deprives smaller clients of an alternative in Bern, because not every small business wants to cover the entire region. Bern will therefore be far too expensive for small clients. This will also harm the Swisspool. This is because it is set to become around seven percent more expensive.
Is there any further criticism?
We clearly demand that the prices for job advertisements are not increased. Nowhere. Because they are already excessive - in most cases, job advertisements cost more than other advertisements. But there is no explanation for this difference. Other classified ads such as car or real estate ads are not more expensive either.
What happens if some titles nevertheless have higher prices for 2004?
job advertisements should demand?
In this area, our patience is slowly being stretched. We will therefore inform SWA members in detail about which titles are raising the prices for job advertisements.
A kind of call for a boycott?
No, but the more sensitivity there is, the quicker the matter can be resolved.
What other catches are there in the current round of collective bargaining?
Hidden price increases, for example through increased placement and color surcharges - or if no price adjustments are made despite a loss of readership.
Conversely, many publishers currently do not even dare to pass on the price increase to customers.
There is also a tough battle going on in this market at the moment.
Will the current round of wage negotiations make print more attractive than TV, for example?
Whether a single zero round will be enough is questionable. After all, attractiveness depends on more than just prices.
What do you suggest print publishers do to improve their position vis-à-vis the
advertising clients?
For example, job advertisements in the German-speaking part of Switzerland should be compatible with the closing, BK or JUP - as in the French-speaking part of Switzerland (editor's note: BK = advisory commission, JUP = annual sales bonus). There you can also accumulate ad and job advertisement sales, which is not the case in German-speaking Switzerland. Print research also needs to create more transparency. For example, important benchmarks of advertising impact should be shown and the compatibility of media studies should be guaranteed. There is also hardly any evidence on young people's newspaper consumption.
Has the print tariff structure become clearer in recent years?
become?
No, Switzerland is lagging behind developments in Europe here. Different prices for text ads, for advertisements or page-dominating ads. There are simply too many special cases. The division of rates into black and white and one to four colors is also practically non-existent abroad. With the new printing presses, it will soon make no difference anyway whether you print in two or four colors. That's why we are calling for a standard rate. The Swiss Press Association has already picked up the ball and is working on this.
Interview: Markus Knöpfli
Two lower their pricesThe stock market magazine Stocks and the WochenZeitung (WoZ) are among the few to reduce their advertising rates. Stocks, which has lost three percent of its readers and is now published fortnightly instead of
which is published weekly, is reducing its rates by 12.6 percent. The WoZ is cutting its color rate by 9.4 percent. According to the WoZ, the switch from the Zurich-based cooperative printing company Ropress to the technically better-equipped Solprint AG in Solothurn (Vogt-Schild/Habegger) announced at the beginning of September has made it possible to reduce the color rate. The change was made because of the print quality, but it is assumed that the paper will now have more color ads.
black and white four-colorMagazines 2004 Changed in% 2004 Changed in%
Annabelle 18 750.- - 18 750.- -
Observer 17 814.- +9.3 22 549.- +1
Bilan 10 050.- +0,5 10 050.- +0,5
Balance sheet 18 300.- - 18 300.- -
Bon à savoir 10 500.- +9,4 10 500.- +9,4
The best 7 990.- - 11 520.- -
Edelweiss 9 200.- - 9 200.- -
Facts** 18 700.- -- 18 700.- -
Femina 22 340.- +1 22 340.- +1
K-money 8 000.- - 8 000.- -
K-Tip 22 400.- +2,8 22 400.- +2,8
L'Hebdo 12 900.- +70 12 900.- +0.6
L'Illustré 18 700.- +79,8 18 700.- -
NZZ Folio 15 300.- +2 21 800.- +1.9
Pulse tip 12 900.- +4 12 900.- + 4
Radio magazine 5 000.- - 5 000.- -
Swiss family 17 265.- +6 17 265.- + 6
Sélection 4 550.- - 7 470.- -
Stocks 7 830.- -12.6 9 570.- -12.6
Tout Compte fait 4 800.- - 4 800.- -
TR 7 10 875.- - 10 875.- -
TV 8 6 800.- +76,9 6 800.- -
Weltwoche 14 900.- +8,5 14 900.- +8,5
* subject to approval by the Competition Commission
** only applies to 2nd to 9th bundle. The 1st bundle is more expensive. Source: Werbewoche survey
(mk)
