Streetwalkers and moral guardians in Helvetistan

The current love services and lashings of the whip for and against Azerbaijan's state-owned company Socar illustrate the contradictions between venality and criticism. When, as happened recently, the Turkmen dictator effectively muzzles the assembled Swiss parliamentary press, an outcry of "censorship" runs through the Swiss press. And if one of his Federal Councillor hosts - in this case our Minister of Economic Affairs - was still unhesitatingly doing business with this regime before taking office, he is now being harshly criticized for it. For a functioning and resilient democracy, both of these are not only legitimate, but absolutely necessary journalistic reflexes.

When the state-owned company Socar from no less autocratic Azerbaijan takes over 170 Esso petrol stations in Switzerland, even the local business press cannot avoid devoting at least a subordinate clause to the precarious human rights situation there. Despite this abuse, which was documented in detail by Amnesty International in its last annual report, the agency Jung von Matt (JvM), in an unholy alliance with the PR agency Farner, which does not shy away from spying on NGOs, is now using all the "tricks of the trade" to correct the image of the oil and gas giant from the Caspian Sea, which is worth millions.

In contrast to the invisible Swiss Socar lobbyist Farner, the advertiser responsible for the national brand launch has spoken publicly about his "A-Class" mandate. Perhaps he had to talk (under pressure from journalists), but he probably wanted to (like most of his guild). After all, Thomas Deigendesch, Managing Director of JvM/ brand identity, should also be proud of his communication skills and enjoy the limelight in which his boss or his clients are usually allowed to bask. However, what he revealed in the Persönlich interview is evidence of a political indifference and frightening cluelessness that is symptomatic of "the art of aiming for the head and hitting the wallet". (Vance Packard)

In response to a simple question about the identity of his client, for example, the identity (re)formation specialist claimed in all seriousness that Socar was "not Azerbaijan, (...) it is an independent international company". The truth is that Socar was founded in 1992 by decree of the then President Hejdar Aliyev and two years later was already headed by his son Ilham, who has ruled the republic of 10 million inhabitants with a firm hand since 2003. The Aliyev clan runs the new Montreux main sponsor and Migros business partner with straw men and nesting structures like a transnational family business.

Addressing consumers, Deigendesch also said, "I wouldn't boycott McDonald's if I didn't like the US government's attitude". As a reminder: in terms of press freedom, Azerbaijan ranks 152nd out of 180 in the 2011 Reporters Without Borders ranking, behind Afghanistan, and the Transparency International corruption index looks very similar. The Swiss media have investigated and reported on all this and more in recent weeks, but brand managers don't seem to read newspapers. So whatever you know or think about the global chip shop and the Obama administration: This outrageous comparison would actually be a case for the Fairness Commission or, better still, the Press Council.

It will be interesting to see what happens when the three flames are no longer only emblazoned on mega posters and petrol pumps, but soon also on double-sided advertisements. How will the pre-programmed "clash of cultures" between communicative venality and journalistic criticism turn out? We'll stay tuned.