At least that's my hope for the readers. So why is the topic of premium interesting here? It's not because we are greeted with a real premium price for the espresso at Zurich airport, but because Switzerland has a very special relationship with sophisticated film. This is what distinguishes Switzerland from most of its European neighbors, where the number of moviegoers who go to the cinema is much lower than here. This Brunner - a legendary figure in the scene of Swiss cinematography and the corresponding arthouse cinemas - once explained and justified this to me by referring to Switzerland's cultural diversity. He sees in Switzerland, which is characterized by four linguistic and cultural regions, the necessary sensitization for film topics outside the mainstream. This might also be a good explanation for why so many films in Switzerland are seen in the original version - i.e. not dubbed. Both are a cultural value that the Swiss - from their neighbor's point of view - can only envy. At the same time, the success of arthouse film is also its threat. In today's digital age, many more films are being shown in cinemas than in previous years, because the technical (and cost) barrier of 35mm film has fallen. Production costs and especially duplication costs are dramatically lower today. This does not always mean that the quality of all film stock is truly premium. On the other hand, cinema operators are increasingly investing in studio cinemas to attract more discerning customers. I am convinced that this important segment will develop positively with a broader and larger offering.

People with aspiration

These films and cinemas reach people who today can only be reached with great difficulty via other media channels, and certainly not with moving images. People who have special demands on their leisure activities, on their cultural environment, on their media consumption. A few selected print titles will get in there, TV only on special topics and occasions, online is more for information than entertainment. That's a tough nut to crack for brand communications. The list of premium brands that would like to land here is long. Our goal here is to build a functioning communication chain via premium cinemas and films. We are focusing in particular on the strong emotional bond that these discerning people have with the cinema and the film. This is an extremely conscious media consumption that takes place here, which is carefully planned and in which the content - today we would perhaps call it content - plays a special, central role. There is virtually no "by the way," no distractions, and no second screen. It is not very likely that the arthouse audience will reassure itself of its affiliation to digital social systems via Twitter or Facebook during the film; after all, it is experiencing this social context live.

From all the impact studies available to us, we know that the degree of content-related and, above all, emotional involvement in media consumption is decisive for the enforcement and impact of content - including advertising. That is Premium!

We must also admit that the demand of this audience is also directed to the content before the film. Banality, clumsiness, gimmicks are on lost ground there. But that doesn't mean that we have to compete with Hollywood-style production budgets. It does mean that a brand has to deal intensively with the view of this very large and important target group in Switzerland. But creativity, wit and ideas are not a question of budget. No one should come with that, counter-examples are easy to cite, better still to show. Even at the Festival of Creativity in Cannes, the Olympus of advertising, ideas and not budgets win.

That would be a great hope, that in this special segment of cinema we not only bring together special people and special films, but also touch and reach them with campaigns that are also premium in creative terms. And that without any question marks at all.

Florian Weischer, Managing Director WerbeWeischer
 

At least that's my hope for the readers. So why is the topic of premium interesting here? It's not because we are greeted with a real premium price for the espresso at Zurich airport, but because Switzerland has a very special relationship with sophisticated film. This is what distinguishes Switzerland from most of its European neighbors, where the number of moviegoers who go to the cinema is much lower than here. This Brunner - a legendary figure in the scene of Swiss cinematography and the corresponding arthouse cinemas - once explained and justified this to me by referring to Switzerland's cultural diversity. He sees in Switzerland, which is characterized by four linguistic and cultural regions, the necessary sensitization for film topics outside the mainstream. This might also be a good explanation for why so many films in Switzerland are seen in the original version - i.e. not dubbed. Both are a cultural value that the Swiss - from their neighbor's point of view - can only envy. At the same time, the success of arthouse film is also its threat. In today's digital age, many more films are being shown in cinemas than in previous years, because the technical (and cost) barrier of 35mm film has fallen. Production costs and especially duplication costs are dramatically lower today. This does not always mean that the quality of all film stock is truly premium. On the other hand, cinema operators are increasingly investing in studio cinemas to attract more discerning customers. I am convinced that this important segment will develop positively with a broader and larger offering.

People with aspiration

These films and cinemas reach people who today can only be reached with great difficulty via other media channels, and certainly not with moving images. People who have special demands on their leisure activities, on their cultural environment, on their media consumption. A few selected print titles will get in there, TV only on special topics and occasions, online is more for information than entertainment. That's a tough nut to crack for brand communications. The list of premium brands that would like to land here is long. Our goal here is to build a functioning communication chain via premium cinemas and films. We are focusing in particular on the strong emotional bond that these discerning people have with the cinema and the film. This is an extremely conscious media consumption that takes place here, which is carefully planned and in which the content - today we would perhaps call it content - plays a special, central role. There is virtually no "by the way," no distractions, and no second screen. It is not very likely that the arthouse audience will reassure itself of its affiliation to digital social systems via Twitter or Facebook during the film; after all, it is experiencing this social context live.

From all the impact studies available to us, we know that the degree of content-related and, above all, emotional involvement in media consumption is decisive for the enforcement and impact of content - including advertising. That is Premium!

We must also admit that the demand of this audience is also directed to the content before the film. Banality, clumsiness, gimmicks are on lost ground there. But that doesn't mean that we have to compete with Hollywood-style production budgets. It does mean that a brand has to deal intensively with the view of this very large and important target group in Switzerland. But creativity, wit and ideas are not a question of budget. No one should come with that, counter-examples are easy to cite, better still to show. Even at the Festival of Creativity in Cannes, the Olympus of advertising, ideas and not budgets win.

That would be a great hope, that in this special segment of cinema we not only bring together special people and special films, but also touch and reach them with campaigns that are also premium in creative terms. And that without any question marks at all.

Florian Weischer, Managing Director WerbeWeischer