According to a press release from Espace Media, this would allow subscribers to *Der Bund* to benefit from the *Sonntagszeitung*'s up-to-date and in-depth coverage on the seventh day of the week. Within the Sonntagszeitung’s early-delivery area, the newspaper will be delivered to Bund subscribers’ mailboxes before 8:30 a.m. In addition, the Sonntagszeitung will continue to be available at more than 400 newsstands, bakeries, and other retail outlets in the canton of Bern. Following a free introductory period, the subscription fee for the Sonntagszeitung will be clearly itemized on the subscription bill. Those among the 44,000 Bund subscribers who do not wish to take advantage of this offer may opt out. Subscribers will be personally informed about the details of the offer during the introductory phase.

The publishers of *Der Bund* and *Sonntagszeitung* aim to use this new offering to enhance *Der Bund*’s appeal as a daily newspaper and expand *Sonntagszeitung*’s reach in Switzerland’s second-largest economic region, as the press release goes on to state.

In addition to subscribers, the SonntagsZeitung’s advertising clients also benefit from an interesting expansion of its reach. This also applies to Alpha, the leading executive job board, which appears weekly as a supplement in the SonntagsZeitung. Customers and advertisers will be informed about changes to the pricing and service structure in the coming months.

 

The trade journal regularly showcases outstanding creative work from around the world. Advico Young & Rubicam is featured twice in the current issue, with the following projects for the Goldau Zoo and the Sonntagszeitung:

The Swiss Fairness Commission has been in existence since 1966, according to a statement on Friday. As a private self-regulatory body for commercial communications, its task is to identify unfair practices in advertising and to put a stop to them with the help of the media. In 1981, it became an independent foundation. Both the foundation and the commission are headed by a president. At their annual meeting, the members of the Foundation Board made new appointments to these positions. Former Council of States member Carlo Schmid handed over the chairmanship of the foundation to Ticino Council of States member Filippo Lombardi, and National Council member Christine Bulliard-Marbach (CVP Fribourg) was elected as president of the commission. She replaces Pascal Bruderer, a member of the Council of States from Aargau, who took over the post in 2007.

"Dad, will you print me a car? Mom, will you make me a duck?" Not a vision, but everyday life for Philipp Binkert and Christiane Fimpel from 3D-Model. When four-year-old Gabriel visits his parents in the workshop, they print out a new rocket, a Star Wars spaceship or a toy car for him.

The trained architect and the communications manager have set up shop in a basement they affectionately call "Underground. Shielded from space and time, objects are created here using digital fabricating, also known as fabbing. In a combination of laser cutting and 3D printing, 3D Model brings ideas to real form for customers. While the laser cutter cuts and engraves shapes from wood, glass, plastic, metal or rubber - from company signs and trophies to laptops and iPhones - the 3D printer uses CAD data to create the three-dimensional models. The desired material is filled into the printer and printed out layer by layer with the aid of powder and a binder at the touch of a button, just like a conventional 2D printer. The result is architectural models, prototypes or design objects made of plastic, in a wide variety of sizes and shapes.

Before the breakthrough

It all began as a pilot project after Binkert's architecture studies. The urge to do it himself drove him to build models. Around four years ago, he finally rented space in the workshop near Helvetiaplatz and, alongside his job as an architect, produced his first objects with a laser cutter. Other machines were quickly added, and the first powder 3D printer was soon in the basement. Binkert's enthusiasm for fabbing grew and grew, and so he decided to go all in.

While architects have been relying on 3D printing technology for their construction models or large companies for prototype production for quite some time, the general public had little idea of 3D printing until recently. At the beginning, this was a major hurdle for the young printerbude. To get the word out about his project, the space and object expert brought on board his girlfriend, whom he met and fell in love with seven years ago when he was working in New York for architect Daniel Libeskind. Christiane Fimpel, who studied journalism, communications and PR and worked in corporate communications at Lufthansa, among other companies, is helping Binkert set up the young company. She demonstrates what is possible with 3D printing and is attracting interest from many companies. Since last summer, Fimpel and Binkert have been pleased with the increased demand, and for a few months now, the communications manager has also been 100 percent involved in the young company. "It's gotten serious," Fimpel says. "It's kicking," confirms likewise Binkert, who grew up in New York as the son of two Swiss and came to Switzerland five years ago.

In addition to architects, companies such as Geberit, Elektrolux, agencies such as Wirz Werbung and Notch Interactive rely on 3D models to give shape to their virtual ideas. A company logo was created for Electrolux, and the online agency Notch Interactive worked with the object experts to develop the Number One History Award, a plastic trophy around 35 centimeters high that was awarded to Roger Federer last November at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. A project is currently underway for Wirz Werbung, and Geberit engaged Binkert and Fimpel for a new WC actuator plate with the production of a light guide, which the two helped to implement.

In general, 3D-Model does not only act as executor in projects, but is involved in the entire development process. "We are development accelerators," say Binkert and Fimpel. "The customers have ideas, we have the machine and the know-how on how best to put the individual processes together. We take care of them from start to finish."

In addition, 3D-Model offers workshops and seminars on all aspects of digital production - both in the workshop and outside, for example at the St. Gallen Vocational and Continuing Education Center (GBS). Not only professionals, but also private individuals who are fascinated by do-it-yourself printing are curious to learn more. Those who have drawn a Buddha with pen and paper or on an iPad and want to take it home as a mold. Binkert and Fimpel also accompanied two young customers who were making a wooden cover for their iPhone. A product that can now be purchased.

Each a printer

"We get the craziest requests," Fimpel continues. She sees many opportunities for the advertising and communications industry in particular. With brochures, lettering, pictures and dusty giveaways, it's almost no longer possible to stand out, says Fimpel. Digital production, on the other hand, offers endless possibilities for shapes, "individualized communication in the long run," she says. How about a company logo as a Christmas cookie, for example? It would be very easy to print out the corresponding cookie shape with the printer.

In addition to speed - at the touch of a button, 3D models can hold even the most complicated shape for a concept model - the benefit is cost. Federer's trophy, for example, was produced with a printer intended for home use and available for as little as 2500 francs. Although the resolution is not as high as with a professional printer, which costs around 20,000 Swiss francs, the end result - even without subsequent processing - is impressive. 3D-Model is not only a service provider for digital productions, but also an importer and seller of 3D printers of the 3D Systems brand. With the vision that in the foreseeable future everyone will have their own 3D printer on their desk. Fimpel speaks of an industrial revolution. 3D printing has been around for a long time, but now it is becoming a mass product.

In fact, a 3D printer opens up many possibilities at home. If the hobby DIYer needs a new plastic cup, he gets the corresponding file from the Internet and simply prints out the object. Construction plans can already be found on platforms such as Thingiverse.com or Shapeways. com. But many service providers, such as car repair shops, would also no longer need to keep a large stock, but simply print out the spare parts as needed.

This is a technique that has a lot of potential. After all, the principle works not only with plastic or ceramics, but with all kinds of materials. Even clothes can be printed out, as designer Iris van Herpen showed at Fashion Week Paris. Binkert is constantly testing new alternative materials for their suitability and finding out which materials are suitable for which products.

There are virtually no limits to the imagination. Fimpel envisages filling the printer with food. For example, for individualized giveaways. For Easter, companies could print out the company mascot or their own logo in chocolate instead of an ordinary chocolate bunny. "There's so much potential there," Fimpel enthuses. To this end, 3D-Model.ch occasionally exchanges ideas with ETH's Raplab, where students tinker with 3D printing for model and prototype construction, and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts' Fablab, a workspace open to young people, students, researchers, and also companies to produce models and experiment with 3D printers. If Fablab is organized as an open workshop based on an open source community, 3D-Model is about commercial ideas, where confidentiality is an important consideration. "The moment it comes to confidentiality, people are underground with us, " says Fimpel.

While Binkert tinkers with new printing materials, the communications manager looks around for larger premises. Admittedly, the basement exudes its own charm. "There's something mysterious about customers coming down to us. We're like Bill Gates in the basement," the two say. However, they've now reached a point where they want it to be something bigger, they say. For the start, the basement was optimal, they say. "A good foundation," says the architect. However, 3D-Model ch wants to grow as a company and is in contact with investors for this purpose. Binkert and Fimpel would like more light and, above all, more space to set up a showroom next to the workshop. So that customers can experience the 3D printers in production.

Image: Philipp Binkert and Christiane Fimpel.

The National Council wants the Federal Council to quickly present new models for state support of the press. The commission views the media’s role in democracy as «increasingly being called into question.» Therefore, the Federal Council is to present a funding concept and draft legal frameworks for indirect and direct media support within two years. Supporters pointed to the decline of newspapers. In 2000, there were 45 independent newspapers. Today, there are only 32 left, said Andreas Gross (SP, ZH) on behalf of the committee. This represents a 25 percent decline over ten years. Action must be taken now. The SVP and FDP parliamentary groups opposed the motion. In the end, however, the Council adopted the motion by a vote of 88 to 77, with 8 abstentions. Now the Council of States must decide. The Swiss Press Association had called for a “no” vote. The Federal Council also opposed the motion. “A major structural transformation is currently underway,” said Media Minister Doris Leuthard, referring to the internet. The industry is searching for new business models. The Federal Council does not consider it sensible to intervene in this process of reorientation. 

The Giacomettistrasse site in Bern will therefore remain the Group's headquarters, as SRG writes in a press release issued on Thursday. The parties have agreed not to disclose the details of the contract.

SRG will use the liquidity freed up to invest in new production resources and reduce debt, the statement continues. The decision to sell the building is in line with the SRG real estate policy approved by the Board of Directors. This policy provides for the sale of administrative buildings that are not essential for the direct production of radio and television broadcasts. SRG's aim is to manage the real estate more cost-effectively in the long term.
 

You can find the article here as PDF. 

Just one more time: according to one estimate, there are around 120,000 people in Switzerland who are addicted to gambling. Their hope that the next and "last" time they will finally win the big one has driven many of them into debt, led to social decline or even resulted in mental illness. 16 German-speaking cantons in Switzerland have now joined forces to draw attention to the dangers of addiction to gambling and to offer initial help. In addition to educational information, the program includes a helpline and anonymous online advice. A pitch has been invited for a prevention campaign and the communication of these support services. Three agencies took part. The cR Basel team won the creative poker game and is now laying its cards on the table.

From mid-March, the message "Gambling without addiction" will be conveyed with a total of eight posters, primarily via illuminated poster sites and on the SOS Gambling Addiction website. The aim is to raise public awareness of the existence of gambling addiction and what those affected and their families can do to combat it. The campaign is financed by proceeds from the state lottery. Thomas Fux, who together with Daniel Bürgi is responsible for the strategy and advice for the campaign, is pleased with the consensus that 16 different cantons were able to come up with a common idea.

Poster as a basic medium

Together with cR Basel, they didn't want a "shock campaign" that would give those affected a warning finger. "We wanted to reduce the fear of counseling," explains Fux. Because the target audience is very heterogeneous and, with casino visitors, internet gamblers, lottery junkies and suave poker players, is spread across a wide range of social classes, it was not only necessary to find an approach that could be understood everywhere. It was also important not to spread the limited budget across too many media channels - and still be able to reach everyone. Of course, in-game advertising, for example, would have been attractive. But only for one of the target groups.

The solution now lies in the poster as a basic medium. The messages can be specifically placed in the vicinity of relevant locations. For the design, the team led by CD Gabriel Heuberger chose the glowing illusionary world of neon signs, as seen in the gambling paradise of Las Vegas. With such typography and the slogans "Game over" or "Rien ne va plus", it is hoped that the necessary subliminal attention can be achieved immediately among gambling enthusiasts. The consistent design is also intended to give the campaign a "brand character". In this case, the product is an "offer of freedom from constraints". This is communicated with the claim "Playing without addiction".

Andreas Panzeri

 

One of these topics is press promotion. Last week, it was that time again. The National Council's state policy committee sees the democratic political functions of the media "increasingly called into question". So the Federal Council should please present a funding concept and the draft legal basis for indirect and direct media funding by two years from now.

The Federal Council already opposed the request last year. Media Minister Doris Leuthard said it did not make sense to intervene in the middle of the process of reorienting the media toward the Internet. Pragmatically, she said that state intervention should only be considered if the industry could not solve problems itself. Possibilities would be, for example, state support for the training and continuing education of journalists or relief from value-added tax.

Those actually affected - the media - are also opposed. They fear that direct payments will be accompanied by interference in entrepreneurial or journalistic freedom. That's understandable. No one can be so naive as to believe that the state will simply give money. Those receiving funding would automatically have to meet certain criteria. There would be regulations and controls. Not exactly what one imagines freedom of the media to be.

Aktion Medienfreiheit is also opposed to this. The free market can only take place, it says, if media companies have entrepreneurial freedom and are in lively competition with each other. "The media must control the state and politics, not the other way around," says Filippo Leutenegger, president of Aktion Medienfreiheit. He is right. What's with the squeezing? 

Proponents pointed to the death of newspapers. In 2000, there were 45 independent newspapers. Today there are 32, said Andreas Gross (SP, ZH) on behalf of the commission. This corresponds to a decline of 25 percent in ten years. Action must now be taken, he said. This is garbage. The decline in the number of newspapers will not be stopped by direct financial support and, at the same time, increased control of any regulations.

The state should simply ensure that certain framework conditions are improved. It's about postal taxes, VAT rates and a level playing field between the SRG and private media companies, i.e. a ban on online advertising for the SRG.

Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]

Social media is not only becoming increasingly important for companies in terms of communication, it is now also playing a central role in recruitment. One in five companies already rejects applicants based on their social media profile and 40 percent of those surveyed stated that they check the social media profiles of applicants.

According to the survey, spending on social is set to increase again this year - almost half of respondents (49%) stated this. It is interesting to note that despite the growing budget, 57% of managers state that they are unable to precisely measure the impact of their investments in social media. Just 23 percent of all survey participants are able to measure their social media activities at all.

There was a major change in the use of social networks compared to 2011. Linkedin, rather than Facebook (64%), is now the most frequently used platform with 74%, followed by Twitter with 67% and YouTube with 56%. The content comes predominantly (78%) from internal sources and second most frequently from agencies (12%).

Although social media is becoming increasingly popular, only half of those surveyed stated that their company has social media guidelines for dealing with social networks. The study also found that 74 percent of respondents consider online PR to be very or fairly important for their company's search engine optimization (SEO) - 37 percent even consider it to be very important.

57% of respondents whose company publishes a blog say that it is intended to raise the company's profile or contribute to opinion leadership. Almost as many (55%) say that blogging is to improve interaction with customers, while 37% say it is to improve SEO and 36% say it is to participate in industry debates. As in previous surveys, the main reason for not having a blog this year is the time involved - 42% of respondents stated this. One in five see no added value and 14% fear negative comments.

The Eurocom Worldwide Technology Survey was conducted in January and February 2012 by the member agencies of the global PR network Eurocom Worldwide. A total of 318 executives from technology companies in Europe took part in the online survey.

Night shift at a major agency somewhere in Switzerland. The creative director, still in his hat and coat, has quickly shot down all the ideas; the strategists are discussing things at the creative workshop; the consulting team is asking when they can start working on the PowerPoint presentation; and, generally speaking, the goal is to save the agency’s creative image, satisfy the client, and pin their hopes on the creatives. Two years ago, Markus Cavegn started drawing comics «just for fun.» Then a kind soul gave him a «track» for building a «flipbook.» The drawing project took off, and with the help of Solid & Hallerfilm, S+K Werbefotografie, and Selmi Tonstudio, 480 drawings have now been turned into a short film. This humorous «self-promotion» can be found on the Cavegnwerbung website. The film will have its official premiere on March 29 at 6 p.m. at the Kronengalerie on Zurich’s Froschaugasse. An exhibition featuring film stills as well as new works by Lucrezia Brendel will be on display there. pan