With the purchase of Tamedia's TV business and investments in Basel, AZ Medien is "ensuring journalistic competition in one of Switzerland's most important economic areas," according to the industry magazine's statement on Monday.

Christoph Bauer's work has made a decisive contribution to the further development of the family-owned company AZ Medien. According to Swiss Journalist Editor-in-Chief Markus Wiegand, it therefore "gives journalism and diversity of opinion in Switzerland a piece of the future. The editorial teams have been largely spared from the austerity measures, he said. The 42-year-old Bauer has been CEO of AZ Medien since 2009. (SDA)

As part of a long-term information campaign for IG Pro Kamin, TBS Identity has produced a heating guide to support the slogan "Every house with a chimney!" with clear arguments and precise imagery, according to a press release from the agency. In this way, the interest group is giving its members a strong trump card to win over building owners and architects to their cause at trade fairs, information events or requests for quotations.

As a supplement to the guide, TBS Identity has created the website Pro-kamin.ch expanded.

Responsible at Interessengemeinschaft IG Pro Kamin: Markus Gabriel, President of the Swiss Chimney and Flue Gas Systems Association (SKAV). Responsible at TBS Identity: Michael Schädelin (concept/consulting, text), Daniel Leber (CD), Marlen Gassler (project management), Nadia Ermert (polygraphy).

The SRG station chains and platforms will continue to offer customized live programming on every matchday of the Champions League thanks to language-regional selection of the matches. All Uefa Europa League matches with Swiss participation and the final will be broadcast live.

In addition, SRG stations will broadcast live the Super Cup between the winner of the Champions League and the winner of the Europa League, according to a statement. As usual, SRG stations will supplement the service with pre-match programs, highlights, analysis, discussions with studio guests, interviews and summaries of all other Champions League matches as well as the most important Europa League decisions. The platform-neutral rights will enable the matches to be broadcast via the Internet and cell phones. The contracting parties have agreed not to disclose the financial details of the agreement.

The Champions League group matches will start on September 18 and 19, 2012, while the Europa League, featuring the two Swiss representatives FC Basel and Young Boys Bern, will kick off on September 20, 2012. Commenting on the award of these rights, European football's governing body Uefa states: "Uefa is delighted to extend its partnership with SRG for both the Uefa Champions League and the Uefa Europa League. SRG has made a strong commitment to both competitions and Uefa looks forward to continuing this successful partnership."
 

According to Media Focus, advertising print lost 8.7 percent in August compared with the previous year. In figures, the advertising industry generated sales of CHF 307 million, missing the 2011 result by CHF 29 million. Nevertheless, from a full-year perspective, 2012 can still hold its own at the previous year's level (+0.2 percent, +4.9 Swiss francs).

The report highlights the online mail-order portal Zalando, which has been running an enormous advertising effort in Switzerland for almost a year and is among the ten most advertised products of the month for the eighth time in a row. According to Media Focus, Zalando's advertising pressure in the last eleven months has been measured in the double-digit millions through TV advertising, classic online advertising and isolated print placements.

Media Focus also singles out the providers of digital TV, which advertised their offerings intensively in August 2012. Sunrise, Swisscom and UPC Cablecom mainly used billboards (CHF 5.0 million) and print (CHF 1.2 million) for this purpose. Only UPC Cablecom also advertised its digital offering on television.

The "electronic media" weathered the summer's dive best. They lost only 1.9 percent compared with August 2011. By contrast, "outdoor advertising" (-8.7 percent) and "print media" (-13.2 percent) suffered more.

You can find the entire report here in the PDF format.

 

Rain, leaves and fog - when summer is over and fall is just around the corner, the high season begins for the Touring Club Switzerland (TCS). According to a press release, most breakdowns occur on the road at this time of year: batteries go flat due to the cold, damp leaves can turn the road into a slippery slope and wild animals are often noticed too late due to the fog. This is why around 430,000 drivers should be informed about the dangers on the road in good time - and become members of the TCS out of conviction.

To reach drivers who are not yet TCS members, Maxomedia is sending out letters throughout Switzerland at the end of the summer. The various icons in the booklet make the six greatest dangers recognizable at a glance. The special highlight of the mailing, however, is the personalized display showing the recipient's location.

 

The spectrum of answers ranges from security, responsibility, satisfaction and self-worth to time pressure and other personal statements, as the agency writes in a press release. The statements should be genuine and spontaneous, the agency adds. The campaign will kick off with bold advertisements, posters, commercials and later social media activities. The commercials will be shown regionally on TV and can be viewed online at any time on the Association website retrievable.

The aim of the campaign is to emphasize the importance of the economy and thus of employers for the prosperity of society, writes the agency. Dominik Marbet from the employers' association AGV Basel explains: "There is a growing hostility towards the economy among the population, which is based on a few negative examples." The contribution made by employers in economic, social and societal terms is often forgotten.

Responsible at the Basel Employers' Association: Marc Jaquet, Barbara Gutzwiller, Dominik Marbet (overall responsibility). Responsible at BSSM: Urs Schneider (CD); Hans Peter Brugger (text/concept); Luca Stancheris (graphics); Roger Berthoud, Philipp Buser (consulting); Matthias Willi, Demian Bichsel (photo/film).

 

In addition to exclusively importing Cuban cigars into Switzerland and Germany, the Villiger dynasty has been developing its own brands in the fourth generation since 1888, the agency writes in a statement. In order to secure further shares in the highly competitive market, the Swiss company has entrusted the Metzgerlehner agency with the development of brand-building campaigns. Just in time for the Inter-Tabac trade fair in Dortmund, the Villiger brands Premium Cigarillos and Villiger Tubes will present themselves with the new appearances. Other brands will follow shortly. The first works will be seen in Germany and Switzerland from the end of 2012 and the beginning of 2013.

Responsible at Villiger Sons: Heinrich Villiger (Owner), Peter Witzke (Managing Director), Tanja Häfeli, Thi Nga Nguyen, Desirée Burger (Product Manager). Veresponsible at Metzgerlehner: Michael Rottmann (Creative Director), Patrick Meyer (Concept, Text), Janine Aebischer (Art Direction), Annette Vetsch (Graphics), Andreas Meier, Mirjam Eberle, Anna-Lea Michael (Consulting).
 

The Board of Directors wrote this in a statement on Monday. A funeral service in memory of Peter Grob will be held on Friday, September 21, 2012 at 2 p.m. in the Schwamendingen Reformed Church. Further information: Asw.ch

The editorial team of Werbewoche sends its sincere condolences and wishes Ursula Grob and her family much strength.

If you have a Jacuzzi, a gym and a recording studio - all in your own apartment - you've come a long way. Or so you would think. The online show "Swiss Cribs" takes a closer look and features a home story about Stress, one of Switzerland's most successful musicians. During a tour of his private chambers, he reveals intimate details of his private life and doesn't hesitate to show the camera crew every corner of his apartment.

The film was made in collaboration between the agency Contexta and the production company Mediafisch, on behalf of Euro Millions. "Swiss Cribs" will be shown exclusively online and distributed via Facebook and blogs, according to a release. The format is based on MTV Cribs, a reality TV show in which 50 Cent and other superstars proudly present their luxurious lives.

But what the camera team gets to see puts Stress' success in a somewhat different light. Obviously, a Swiss musician does not come close to the U.S. role models in financial matters, however well-known he may be. The message of the online show is as logical as it is simple: You can only get really rich in Switzerland with Euro Millions.

Responsible at Swisslos: Markus Fischer (Head of Product Management Lottos), Christian Frei (Product Manager Lottos), Mathias Strähl (Online Specialist). Responsible at Contexta: Nadine Borter (overall responsibility), Moritz Staehelin (creative direction), Claudio Parente (art direction), Annette Häcki, Raphael Gammenthaler (text), Vale Florea (screen design), Merlin Wälti (interactive concept), Philipp Pongracz, Andreas Marks (consulting). Film production: Mediafisch, Zurich, Mats Frey (director & editor), Dave Amrein (producer), Martin Rütsche (camera). Media agency: Mediafactor, Bern.
 

Aargau is once again littered with election posters, as the polls will soon be calling. Radio Argovia has been inspired by the almost inflationary use of these advertising media and has mixed its own election propaganda in with the existing ones in a night and fog campaign throughout the canton. Instead of political candidates, drivers are confronted by the presenters of a morning show. With smarmy gestures, overdrawn laughter and election slogans that are guaranteed not to be broken ("Promises: nothing at all!").

The posters generate a lot of attention, but are illegal. "Of course, Radio Argovia cannot benefit from the upcoming elections to put up its advertising for the radio without a permit," Felicitas Siebert, Head of the Building Permit Department of the Canton of Aargau, told the Aargauer newspaper. Marco Kugel, Head of Marketing at Radio Argovia, is aware of this. No permission was obtained. "We wanted to counteract the poster forest with this guerrilla action and draw attention to our morning show". They would take the risk of a fine and hope not to have to remove the posters straight away - because Radio Argovia had invested several thousand francs in the campaign.

Several days have now passed and the posters are in perfect health. You could almost think that the canton had been taken by surprise by the brazen action and Radio Argovia's willingness to accept a fine. And if one day the combined building authorities arrive to dispose of the printed troublemakers, Radio Argovia will have achieved the aim of the campaign several times over anyway - almost for free. (hae)

Pictures: Thomas Häusermann

 

The last page of the newspaper is to form a kind of second front for sport, writes editor-in-chief Markus Somm in Monday's edition. The culture section as well as the radio and television programs, previously always in the last bundle, can now be found in the third bundle. The new structure has also resulted in a few minor adjustments. The first bundle has not undergone any changes. (SDA)

Jaguar had planned a broad communication of its entire model range for the coming fall and decided to use a special bundle in various Swiss Sunday newspapers for this purpose, as well as a microsite that allows readers to obtain in-depth information about the individual models.

Ogilvy & Mather was responsible for the implementation of the 12-page special issue. Under the motto "Passion," the Zurich-based agency created a comprehensive overview of the wide range of products that Jaguar has in store for its customers. Novelties are presented and classics introduced, technical subtleties are highlighted and the feeling of sitting behind the wheel of a Jaguar is captured in words and images. As the agency writes in a press release, the result is a mix of journalistic reporting and sales-promoting communication that not only enthusiasts of the British premium brand would love to browse through.

In addition, Ogilvy Interactive has developed a Microsite which provides detailed information in connection with the special supplement. Here, readers will find technical data, current prices, image galleries and videos on the Jaguar model range, as well as the opportunity to enter an attractive competition.

Responsible at Jaguar Land Rover Switzerland: Stephan Vögeli (Managing Director), Karin Held (Deputy Director Marketing, PR & Sponsoring,) Christoph Brechtbühl (Communications Manager). Responsible at Ogilvy & Mather: Marcel Elsener, Markus Siedler (text), Thomas Bolliger, Tino Heuter (art direction), Gaby Zimmerli, Nina Beriger (consulting), Sascha Isenschmid, Filippo Salmina (desktop). Responsible at Ogilvy Interactive: Björn Schneider, Mathias Sulger (consulting), Benjamin Franken, Nicolai Spicher (graphics), Johannes Roettger (programming).