Daniel Hofer, CEO of Affichage since October 2010, was, in his own words, "much more relaxed" at today's annual press conference than he was a year ago. For one reason in particular: he and his management team have been able to keep most of the promises they made to shareholders at last year's Annual General Meeting: "We have achieved the turnaround, strengthened the balance sheet and can now pay out a dividend of CHF 7 per share again," he said. Last year, Affichage waived dividend payments due to the huge losses in 2010 (-52.3 million francs) and 2009 (-59.1 million francs).

Withdrawal to the domestic market

Hofer's task was not an easy one: practically the entire management team had to be replaced and the new corporate strategy had to be implemented quickly. After the loss-making foreign strategy in south-eastern Europe, Affichage was to withdraw from almost all foreign markets. A focus on the Swiss domestic market was the order of the day. According to Hofer, both have been successful: "A year ago, we were still active in eight countries, but today we have three: Serbia, Montenegro and Romania. Affichage will remain in the first two countries, but we want to leave Romania as soon as possible." Affichage has parted company with its commitments in Greece, Bosnia, Bulgaria and South Tyrol, and already in 2010 with the one in Hungary. Almost everything was completed by the end of 2011, with the exception of Greece, where some final work (including debt collection) still needs to be done.

Increased sales thanks to Swiss business

Despite this withdrawal, Affichage was able to increase its consolidated sales by 3.7 percent in operational terms, although currency losses meant that sales were "only" up by 2.5 percent to CHF 311.8 million. The growth is due to the positive business development in Switzerland, where Affichage was able to increase its sales by a total of 8.3 percent - not least because of the parliamentary elections last fall, which alone brought in around CHF 12 million. The share of foreign business fell accordingly from 30 percent to only around 10 percent. And if the out-of-home advertising group succeeds in withdrawing from Romania as hoped, the foreign share of total sales would fall even further. Nevertheless, Affichage is the market leader in Serbia and Romania, and its subsidiary Almaquattro also has a long-term concession in the Serbian capital Belgrade. Sales in Serbia stagnated last year, and around CHF 3.8 million had to be invested in new advertising media there. But Hofer remains confident, not least because Serbia is aiming for EU membership. The situation is different in Romania, where the economic situation is very uncertain. Hofer assumes, however, that Affichage Romania can soon be made self-supporting, so that it no longer incurs financial losses and becomes more attractive to potential buyers. "We are therefore under no pressure with the sale," says Hofer.

Digitization as a growth driver

In Switzerland, where Affichage was able to increase its results in all business areas and companies, Hofer's team is aiming for further growth despite its strong market position - by means of a more efficient sales strategy, restructured offers and the digitalization of poster panels. In 2011, the Group introduced a good 40 e-panels in the train stations of Basel, Bern, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne and Zurich, investing around CHF 2.6 million in the process; together with the existing bigboards, they now account for almost 5 percent of Swiss sales. Affichage also won the poster concessions in the cities of Geneva and Schaffhausen.

Will foreign shareholders have the say in future?

Two proposals put forward by the Affichage Board of Directors to the Annual General Meeting have raised eyebrows: Firstly, the Group should abandon the name Affichage, which it had adopted at the time due to its expansion abroad. In future, the APG | SGA brand, which has been in use in Switzerland since January 1, 2012 (see article Werbewoche.ch/the-new-apg-sga) will also apply to the holding company, with the companies in Serbia and Romania retaining their previous names.

The second proposal concerns the abolition of the transfer restriction clause, which stipulates that shareholders can acquire a maximum of five percent of voting rights, even if their stake in the share capital is larger. The abolition of this clause would mean that the major shareholders, the French outdoor advertising company JCDecaux and the Belgian investment company Albert Frère, which currently only hold 10 percent of the voting rights, would in future receive 30 and 25 percent in line with their shareholdings and would therefore have the say. However, it remains to be seen whether the numerous smaller shareholders, including many Swiss, who currently have a disproportionate say in the company, will agree to this proposal. After all, 80 percent of the votes present at the AGM are required to abolish the restriction on transferability.

Markus Knöpfli

Daniel Hofer. since October 2010 CEO of
Affichage.

The outgoing CFO Ulrich von Bassewitz and
Daniel Hofer, CEO.

The advertising agency secured the budget in the course of a realignment of the entire operations, the agency writes in a statement. The central idea was the connection between modernity and tradition. Not only the visual concept was convincing, but also the strategic approaches to the future, international appearance of all businesses on the market.

The work for the performance for the Collana is in full swing, as it continues. In addition, the Zurich original "Pepito" is being brought back to life and will find its place as a take-out in a prime location. The other businesses of the Commercio companies are being continuously revised, but will receive a new website at the same time as the opening of the Collana and Pepito, which will bring together all the branches of the business under one roof.
 

"The recipe for success in communication is networked thinking and action," emphasized course director Prof. Norbert Winistörfer at the graduation ceremony for the 11th course at the Kaufleuten restaurant in Zurich. This integrated approach to communication is at the heart of the 21-month Master's program. The careers of former students show that this specialist knowledge is in demand among today's communication managers. "Our graduates are in high demand on the job market," says Norbert Winistörfer, "because not all communication specialists have this crucial core competence." Professional communication is particularly effective in the current difficult economic situation. "This enables companies to successfully implement their internal change processes and better position and distinguish themselves in the market."

The Competence Center for Integrated Communication Management at the FHNW School of Business is responsible for the course.

> Further information on the degree program

The graduates of the 11th year of the program.
11th degree program "Master of Advanced Studies in
Corporate Communication Management".
 

Communication measures in the following categories can be submitted from March 12 to April 27, 2012: Annual reports, sustainability and CSR reports, image publications, digital media (websites, interactive applications/apps), film and video, PR activities, magazines (both print and iPad apps) as well as contributions from the field of social media and integrated corporate communications.

The online reporting category is new. Online versions of annual and sustainability/CSR reports are summarized here. This can be a publication that can be accessed via a web browser. This category also includes
However, applications that have been developed for mobile devices (smartphones, tablet PCs, etc.) are also presented in this category.

According to the press release, the Econ Awards jury is looking for submissions that break new and creative ground in corporate communications. "We want to encourage companies to innovate. That's why we award the prizes carefully. We maintain high standards and want to use this unique project to
The jury's decision was made by Klaus Rainer Kirchhoff, chairman of the jury and publisher.

Facts
The competition starts on March 12. The closing date for entries is April 27, 2012. Early bird promotion (10 percent discount) until March 30, 2012. Registration and further information can be found at Econ-awards.com. The award ceremony will take place in Berlin in November 2012. The winners and shortlisted entries will be published in the Yearbook of Corporate Communications, Volume 06, which will be published by Econ Verlag in mid-November 2012.

 

Julien Vonier initially managed the photo studios of various well-known advertising agencies before opening his own studio in 1988. Vonier prefers to develop creative realizations in close collaboration with art directors, according to a press release. Vonier's contributions to "200 best AD Photographers worldwide" were listed in the categories Animals, Beauty & Nudes, Still Life, Landscape, Work and People, among others.

> Lürzer's Archive chooses the best photographers

With Der Kleine Salamander, the French-speaking Swiss publisher La Salamandre is launching the counterpart to the successful French-language nature magazine La Petite Salamandre. The magazine will appear six times a year from the end of February 2012. The first issue, dated February 23, 2012, will be published in A5 format; from the second issue, the magazine will be available in A4 format. La Petite Salamandre is made of 100 percent recycled paper, contains only plant-based inks and is completely free of advertising.

According to the press release, it all began in 1983, when Julien Perrot, founder of the publishing house La Salamandre, wrote the first issues of the nature magazine La Salamandre with his typewriter at the age of eleven. The media interest in little Julien Perrot, who loved nature above all else, was enormous even then. At the age of eleven, the nature enthusiast appeared on television for the first time. After completing his studies as a biologist, Perrot decided to turn his passion into a profession and professionally distribute the nature magazine La Salamandre, which is aimed primarily at adults. In 1997, he thus became the youngest editor-in-chief in western Switzerland, and a year later the children's magazine La Petite Salamandre appeared for the first time. The decisive factor in his decision to produce La Petite Salamandre was that he wanted to offer children a magazine that he himself would have liked to read as a child, but which did not exist at the time.

 

This begs the question: why advertise in space? Extraordinary people make extraordinary wines, according to a press release. The new communication concept for Tenuta Villa Trasqua was developed with this core statement in mind. The employees of the winery, who call themselves "Paranormalos", are at the heart of the concept. Their love, passion and enthusiasm for wine and the terroir are consistently showcased in the new communication strategy. "We haven't found anything more extreme than space travel," says Sven Hulsbergen, Managing Director of Nüesch Weine.

Okay. But still, we ask ourselves: wine and space, how do they go together? According to the press release, there is an exciting connection between these seemingly very different topics: during the Cold War, American and Russian space travelers competed fiercely, but used different strategies. The crews differed in their preparation for a flight, particularly on the eve of a launch. While the Americans devoted themselves doggedly to the final mental and technical preparations, their Russian colleagues allowed themselves a leisurely farewell to the world with a glass of vodka. "We also want to celebrate this ritual with our wine," explains Sven Hulsbergen. "A glass of wine on the eve of a big event is the best mental preparation." Aha, exciting explanation. But it makes sense - in a way.

 

He does not understand the measure, said the Muotathal weather prophet on Wednesday at the request of the SDA news agency. The animal rights activists were going too far. "Then you wouldn't be allowed to drive ants out of the house either", said Horat. He has been making forecasts on anthills for a few years now. Back in 2004, Horat sat on an anthill for the filming of "Wetterschmöcker". "The animals are happy when I come." They are very affectionate and climb up on him.

The Clip was no longer available in the meantime. As reported by the Aargauer Zeitung and Südostschweiz newspapers on Wednesday, Switzerland Tourism took the advertisement showing Horat sitting on an anthill off the internet at the request of the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). The reason for this was a complaint from a concerned animal rights activist. She had complained that the "weatherman" was sitting on the red ants, which are a protected species. Martin Horat denies this: These are black ants, he told the SDA.

Nicole Diermeier, Head of Marketing at Switzerland Tourism, also sees no violation of animal welfare regulations. "If it had been red ants, we would have stopped the commercial immediately," she said on Wednesday. A permit had been obtained for the filming and use of the anthill. The "Wetterschmöcker" had been working with the anthill in question for some time. "We filmed the commercial last spring in Horat's forest near Rothenthurm."

Diermeier said that the temporary stop of the advertisement on the internet platform was a "goodwill action". They had not been forced by the Bafu to take the ad off the net. "No legal action was taken." They had only complied with a request from the federal government.

Online again

Nicole Diermeier from Switzerland Tourism said that the ad would be shown again on Wednesday afternoon. The company had sought talks with the Federal Office for the Environment on Wednesday and expressed its intention to continue using the commercial in the future.

Adrian Aeschlimann from the Federal Office for the Environment confirmed that the parties were able to reach an agreement. "The situation has been reassessed," he said. Certain anthills are worth protecting. "But we don't believe that people will imitate this spot and sit on anthills more often." (SDA)

 

Experts Gilbert Gress and Rainer Salzgeber provide critical commentary on the participants' playing skills. Who will be European champion, which player will be the top scorer or which player said "Madrid or Milan, the main thing is Italy"? After the final match on July 1, 2012, we will know the answers and who will be among the eleven winners. Participation in the online game is free of charge. You can play now. The prizes are eleven iPhones.

> To the game
 

The three winners of the Competition win a private snowboard training session with the Olympic halfpipe champion and Ford brand ambassador.

Since the beginning of the year, the agency has been in charge of Ford Motor Company Switzerland's Facebook presence and ensures that the car manufacturer maintains a regular dialog with its fans through contests and posts.

Responsible at Ford Motor Company Switzerland: Danijel Dzihic (Director Marketing), Melanie Felder (Head of Communication and Events). Responsible at Wunderman: Thomas Engeli (CD), Dieter Boller (Text), Daniel Schranz (AD), Matteo Baschera (Screen Design), Roberto Eichin (Programming), Dogan Oezgen (HTML), Stéphanie Bertschi and Gabriel Szalai (Consulting).

Around 17 live acts and DJs played throughout the night in the three Maag halls. According to the agency, the festival had been sold out for weeks.