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Ahead of the collective bargaining round, Guye Benker surprised everyone with an advertising campaign for the Tages-Anzeiger
Before the collective bargaining round, Guye Benker surprised everyone with an advertising campaign for the Tages-AnzeigerBy Simone Keller Getting your own portrait (for free) on a whole page in the Tagi - a dream or a nightmare? For eight senior employees of major advertising clients, this has become a reality over the last two weeks: At their expense, Guye Benker demonstrated how advertising in the Tages-Anzeiger works.
"No way!" Michael Brodbeck was annoyed on the morning of September 18 when an unknown caller pointed out his face on an entire Tagi page. But that was not all: his direct business telephone number was emblazoned in bold letters in the bottom left-hand corner of the picture. The Head of Product Management at Rivella AG became the first "victim" of an unusual advertising campaign by the Tages-Anzeiger. In this way, the daily newspaper portrayed people from the management levels of existing and potential Tages-Anzeiger advertisers in eight issues.
Participate yes, but not with your real phone number
The agency responsible for the unusual campaign is Guye Benker, which was asked to create a sales folder for the publication of the new advertising rates. The proposal to let the advertisers experience for themselves how advertising in the Tages-Anzeiger works fell on receptive ears with the client.
"We were all immediately enthusiastic about the spontaneous idea," enthuses Gabriela Wettstein, Head of Marketing Communications at Tamedia. "It's rare for a publisher to place advertisements in its own title. You get one-to-one feedback," she adds. Both sides were aware that without the necessary caution, such a campaign could achieve exactly the opposite. So what at first glance appears to be a daring spontaneous action is almost completely defused when Gabriela Wettstein and Christophe Guye assure us that appropriate preliminary clarifications had taken place.
Wettstein admits that not everyone who was approached wanted to make their face available for the Tagi. As most of those portrayed were informed in advance by the agency, they did not give their real direct contacts, but used a special number for this purpose. So anyone who wanted to reach Swisscom mobile man Mike Weber via the cell phone number published in the Tagi was forwarded directly to the Combox, which meant that "many did not dare" to say anything. The number printed next to Gabriela Hollenstein's portrait is also not really her direct dial number and only remains active for a few days, as the VZ marketing and media manager announces. Nevertheless, she answers calls on this line.
Arjen Pen was completely different: he left for a business trip to Moscow on day X and left the incoming calls and emails to his assistant. Michael Brodbeck really knew nothing about the whole story. He was very surprised, he says, expressing his initial feelings mildly, but over time he "took the whole thing with a good dose of humor". It was only later that he learned that the publication had been agreed with the Rivella management. He also redirected the telephone number immediately after the discovery.
To be continued: On the Tagi sales folder
However, all those involved consider the reactions to the advertisements to be very positive. The most frequent inquiry concerned the meaning and purpose of the advertisements. An astonishing number of advertising agencies enquired about the sender, and some acquaintances and relatives contacted them again because of the portraits. There were also compliments, for example about Mike Weber's "pleasant smile". Someone even wanted to meet Gabriela Hollenstein in person and turned up on the VZ.
Guye Benker and the Tages-Anzeiger are also satisfied with the initial feedback from the campaign. The plan now is to integrate the people portrayed and their experiences into the sales folder. One person, however, will still be amazed today, as he is dissolving the teaser campaign of the past few weeks without knowing it: Tagi sales manager Fridolin Holdener (see page 25).
Played (un)voluntarily guinea pigs: Michael Brodbeck, Head of Product Management, Rivella AG, Arjen Pen, Head of Sales and Marketing Swiss, Arno Gunsch, Marketing Manager Saab Automobile Schweiz AG, Mike Weber, Head of Marketing Communications Swisscom Mobile AG, Urs Schubiger, Management Schubiger Möbel, Gabriela Hollenstein, Marketing and Media VZ Vermögenszentrum, Marc Gläser, Marketing Director International Maurice Lacroix SA, and Stefan Planzer, Marketing Manager Heineken Switzerland.
"No way!" Michael Brodbeck was annoyed on the morning of September 18 when an unknown caller pointed out his face on an entire Tagi page. But that was not all: his direct business telephone number was emblazoned in bold letters in the bottom left-hand corner of the picture. The Head of Product Management at Rivella AG became the first "victim" of an unusual advertising campaign by the Tages-Anzeiger. In this way, the daily newspaper portrayed people from the management levels of existing and potential Tages-Anzeiger advertisers in eight issues.
Participate yes, but not with your real phone number
The agency responsible for the unusual campaign is Guye Benker, which was asked to create a sales folder for the publication of the new advertising rates. The proposal to let the advertisers experience for themselves how advertising in the Tages-Anzeiger works fell on receptive ears with the client.
"We were all immediately enthusiastic about the spontaneous idea," enthuses Gabriela Wettstein, Head of Marketing Communications at Tamedia. "It's rare for a publisher to place advertisements in its own title. You get one-to-one feedback," she adds. Both sides were aware that without the necessary caution, such a campaign could achieve exactly the opposite. So what at first glance appears to be a daring spontaneous action is almost completely defused when Gabriela Wettstein and Christophe Guye assure us that appropriate preliminary clarifications had taken place.
Wettstein admits that not everyone who was approached wanted to make their face available for the Tagi. As most of those portrayed were informed in advance by the agency, they did not give their real direct contacts, but used a special number for this purpose. So anyone who wanted to reach Swisscom mobile man Mike Weber via the cell phone number published in the Tagi was forwarded directly to the Combox, which meant that "many did not dare" to say anything. The number printed next to Gabriela Hollenstein's portrait is also not really her direct dial number and only remains active for a few days, as the VZ marketing and media manager announces. Nevertheless, she answers calls on this line.
Arjen Pen was completely different: he left for a business trip to Moscow on day X and left the incoming calls and emails to his assistant. Michael Brodbeck really knew nothing about the whole story. He was very surprised, he says, expressing his initial feelings mildly, but over time he "took the whole thing with a good dose of humor". It was only later that he learned that the publication had been agreed with the Rivella management. He also redirected the telephone number immediately after the discovery.
To be continued: On the Tagi sales folder
However, all those involved consider the reactions to the advertisements to be very positive. The most frequent inquiry concerned the meaning and purpose of the advertisements. An astonishing number of advertising agencies enquired about the sender, and some acquaintances and relatives contacted them again because of the portraits. There were also compliments, for example about Mike Weber's "pleasant smile". Someone even wanted to meet Gabriela Hollenstein in person and turned up on the VZ.
Guye Benker and the Tages-Anzeiger are also satisfied with the initial feedback from the campaign. The plan now is to integrate the people portrayed and their experiences into the sales folder. One person, however, will still be amazed today, as he is dissolving the teaser campaign of the past few weeks without knowing it: Tagi sales manager Fridolin Holdener (see page 25).
Played (un)voluntarily guinea pigs: Michael Brodbeck, Head of Product Management, Rivella AG, Arjen Pen, Head of Sales and Marketing Swiss, Arno Gunsch, Marketing Manager Saab Automobile Schweiz AG, Mike Weber, Head of Marketing Communications Swisscom Mobile AG, Urs Schubiger, Management Schubiger Möbel, Gabriela Hollenstein, Marketing and Media VZ Vermögenszentrum, Marc Gläser, Marketing Director International Maurice Lacroix SA, and Stefan Planzer, Marketing Manager Heineken Switzerland.
Ad Rating
Tages-Anzeiger campaign
Ad raters don't like a nailed-up Swiss cross: good marks for the Publicis campaign. Next, please: the Tages-Anzeiger photo gallery? If you have already made up your mind, click on www. werbewoche.ch/adrating
Refugee aid campaign
Top: 53,79%
Flop: 46,21%
Praise and criticism of ad-raters summarized at www.werbewoche .ch/adrating/comments
