At the annual Nestlé ambassadors' party, I'll be in charge of the soup and George Clooney will serve the coffee," joked Claudio Zuccolini at the presentation of the new Maggi products. It's no joke, however, that Claudio will be present for the next three years in the service of Nestlé in various channels as the kitchen fairy Margrit for Maggi. Like Clooney for Nespresso, Zuccolini has been hired as a kind of "Mrs. Doubtfire" for a brand campaign and for the launch of ten new products. The popular comedian slips into women's clothes and acts like a good old aunt. Not a fag, however, as great care was taken during the production of the commercials. Maggi came up with the fantasy character Margrit because the female identification figure, which has been emblazoned on the legendary Maggi bottle since the beginning of advertising, was to be brought into a modern age. However, they didn't want a staid housewife with the know-it-all charm of many TV chefs, but a likeable character with a twinkle in her eye. Claudio as a woman is not the evil mother-in-law who worries about her son's physical well-being. But Margrit is immediately at the stove if there are any problems in the kitchen. And with the new Maggi products, that should no longer be the case for anyone.
The cross-media advertising campaign, including the Margrit concept, was developed by Ringier Media Sales. The advertising agency Publicis and Manifesto were responsible for the spot realization. Reto Salimbeni shot six films with Zuccolini over the course of a week. In future, Ringier's WebCenter will produce a further two episodes per month in slightly longer versions for the web. Our Margrit is set to become a cult figure on www.maggi.ch. The newly designed site also contains countless recipes and suggestions for creative cooking with Maggi. In keeping with the culinary theme, Ringier Digital Media has developed an online competition in which users can cook virtually on Maggi.ch. A promotional package with publicity reports, online advertorials and display advertising for the Blick Group, Schweizer Illustrierte and Illustré channels has been put together for this purpose, as Roland Will from Multichanneling at Ringier proudly explains from the kitchen. Myrta Hefner from Optimedia also played a key role in the Margrit campaign in terms of media technology, as Miguel Serrano, Marketing Manager Maggi at Nestlé Switzerland, explains.
In addition to Maggi, Zucco is now also cooking up his third solo program.
Andreas Panzeri
> Spot

As the new editor-in-chief of Saisonküche, Christine Kunovits wants to bring more culinary culture to 698,000 tables.the topic is currently right on target: cooking is socially acceptable, trendy and "part of it". Men, from single art directors to married poster designers, are coming out as passionate amateur chefs. Cooking duels are booming on every TV station and women are being tempted by ever more exotic vegetables in the fresh produce market. More lifestyle is the explanation for these developments. Christine Kunovits has been involved in cooking up this trend from the very beginning. "Lifestyle and fashion are a way for women to get into journalism," says the woman who has just been appointed editor-in-chief of Switzerland's fifth-largest magazine. Migros Media's Saisonküche reaches 698,000 readers every month. With twelve issues per year in German, French and Italian, it has a circulation of 187,000 copies.
The maîtresse de cuisine doesn't want to reveal anything about the menu surprise that she will be responsible for at Zurich's Limmatplatz from January. What is her recipe for successfully baking concepts? All she will reveal is: "I'm not a lifestyle chick, but a modern woman in her 40s who is just as interested in cooking and fashion as she is in culture and politics."
Christine Kunovits began her career in journalism with a traineeship at the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich. She later learned the trade in the rewrite department at Blick. When a lifestyle section was introduced at Blick at the end of the 1980s, Kunovits worked with a colleague on the topics of living, food, health and fashion. This is how she found her way into magazine journalism.
The full-time job left no more time for studying journalism: "My dream materialized, because I always wanted to be a journalist." After six years at Blick, Kunovits accepted an offer from Schweizer Woche because she wanted to learn how to write longer texts. She also gained her first experience as head of department when Schweizer Woche was repositioned as a lifestyle magazine. One year after the relaunch, however, the title was discontinued in 1996. "It was a good life lesson when you suddenly have to reassert yourself because the ground is breaking away from under your feet," says Kunovits today, seeing the positive side of this time.
Annabelle then enabled her to develop further in magazine journalism, "away from fashion, health and cosmetics and towards reports on women's issues". Kunovits ran the features department for three years in a job-sharing arrangement with a colleague.
During this "beautiful professional career", the desire to start her own business kept coming up. "Shortly before the magic number 40, regardless of whether the economic situation was good or bad," she opened her own office as a copywriter and concept developer. As with all freelancers, there were also phases of existential angst: "Low tide in the bank account - and then suddenly, miraculously, an exciting job comes along."
To balance out such challenges in a "hectic and very fast-paced job", Christine Kunovits has been relaxing with stone sculpting for four years. She likes the slow pace of this archaic activity. "You have to take your time when making decisions, because once you've chipped away at something, it's gone." Her second hobby is pottery. "Almost all my friends now have a vase of mine." And her third passion, according to the future editor-in-chief of Saisonküche, is cooking. In addition to her cat and boyfriend, she also enjoys feeding guests at home. She is considered a "good cook, from simple to elaborate - depending on your mood".
Christine Kunovits will be in charge of the seasonal kitchen from January.
Andreas Panzeri