In order to gauge the mood of the people and get a feel for the esprit de corps, it can be well worth mingling with the masses of people queuing outside the gates before an event. A plan that proved particularly successful at the end of June. The queue outside the Casino Kursaal in Interlaken was long, the atmosphere was good and the banter was relaxed. One well-dressed marketing expert said to another: "I'm currently 110% busy in business. You, this feels like a vacation to me." As this didn't immediately make sense to everyone in her group, she added: "Now that school is over, even 110% working hours can't stress me out!" Two things follow from this: Those who follow the dual path are resilient. And: anyone who has worked long hours on various fronts is ready for a party. The 683 successful graduates deserved a big party: together with their spouses and relatives, they brought the number of guests to over 1100.

Stars with USP

They could look forward to a party with a high glamor factor. And to stars who all have a USP in their own way. For example, it's not every day that you hear a singer with a whole choir behind him. Anyone who was at the graduation ceremony heard him: Martin O. A vocal virtuoso who blends emotion and technique perfectly and manages to create something completely new at every gig. Or Claudio Zuccolini, the funniest man from Graubünden in the lowlands. Someone who has similar worries to all of us: a belly that spreads out somewhat unflatteringly, especially in summer. The vegans we know who don't bite into their food, but live their lifestyle a little too doggedly. Or those lovely people who celebrate their newborn babies almost like casting show winners. Zuccolini certainly had the laughs on his side.

The graduation ceremony was arranged in such a way that dignified statements alternated with show acts. And in a way that appealed to a broad age spectrum. After all, the successful graduates were between 21 and 57 years old. Andreas Balazs, President of the Examination Board, saw this as "impressive proof that further training is a constant companion in every professional career". The number of successful graduates alone shows how accepted this training path is. This year there were 683 talents, a strong increase on the 604 in 2010. For Uwe Tännler, President of Swiss Marketing, this is further proof of the "triumph of the dual education system". The high number of marketing professionals who were able to receive their federal diplomas in Interlaken shows two things, said Tännler: "Firstly, the high acceptance of this educational pathway. And secondly, how great the need is in the economy for such highly trained junior staff." Andreas Balazs said that the newly graduated marketing specialists should not let up on their wit: "Don't let your creativity and imagination get in the way of your daily working life!" Apt words for a crowd of guests for whom group work instead of partying, cramming instead of playing poker and brain jogging instead of the Finnish track had been the focus for so long.

Premiere for Strelanie

If anyone at the graduation ceremony was not lacking in imagination, it was certainly the presenter, who was accompanying the party of marketing specialists for the third time: Melanie Winiger, who this time appeared in bright yellow. And in a way that was more than just a job for her, in addition to her professional and usual refreshing manner: "This is the third time I've done this," La Winiger called out to the audience, "and you're just a great bunch!"

A long time ago, in the fall of 1995, Swiss Post launched its first network of advertising screens. This info channel was called Canal Jaune, later renamed Canal Poste, and continues to help (apparently) shorten waiting times at counters at 234 locations with a mix of postal information and advertising. In the years that followed, new screen advertisements kept popping up in public spaces, but digital outdoor advertising has hardly gained strategic importance for advertisers. Even when new displays - larger, flatter, more luminous - appeared and this genre increasingly went under the title "Digital out of Home" ( DooH), there was no talk of a breakthrough.

This could now change: At the end of June, Affichage subsidiary e-Advertising launched 43 new ePanels, initially in six major train stations. These full HD screens are well suited for animated spots, which are striking not least because they come in portrait format. Ulrich Ritschard, Managing Director of e-Advertising, reports an "enormously good response" in an interview with Werbewoche. The first few weeks were sold out, and some of the fall ads are already fully booked. He wants to gather feedback and experience by the fall and then expand the offering accordingly. A framework agreement with SBB allows e-Advertising to set up ePanels in other stations. Based on the passenger frequencies, this could ultimately be of interest at 30 to 40 locations throughout the country.

Read more in the current print edition of Werbewoche
 

WW: What role does the Internet play today when planning a vacation trip?
Philipp Ries: Figures from neutral studies such as Mondial Assistance show: People are increasingly doing their research online. Forty-one percent of Swiss people decide on their vacation destination online. Only 28 percent decide with the help of a catalog. In 2010, 48 percent also booked their vacations online. Only 52 percent still visit a travel agency. And the trend is clearly in favor of the Internet. A TNS study from 2011 shows that 45% of Swiss people who use Google Street View do so for travel planning. A second trend is that people are increasingly listening to personal recommendations. This is possible, for example, with Google Places, where users can find photos and recommendations of hotels.

Google Insights for Search shows trends in search queries. What did you notice here?
In 2011, external circumstances played a major role. Tunisia, Egypt and now the uncertainty in Greece are reflected in the search behavior statistics and are also influencing booking behavior. Japan, which is far away, is also reflected in search behavior. It is clear that people are doing even more online research than usual at times like these. People want to find out which destinations could cause problems. However, the booking behavior of the Swiss is still such that people book very early. It is striking that online bookings are on the rise in all age groups compared to bookings in travel agencies. According to the study, 36 percent of 65-75 year olds still go to travel agencies, compared to just 27 percent of 40-64 year olds. Half of 26-39-year-olds already book their vacations online.

How can providers in the travel sector benefit from this growing trend?
Here you have to ask: How could a provider address the 40 percent who do their research online? We offer relevant advertising for these potential customers with Google AdWords. Advertising that is displayed in context. The exciting thing is that AdWords has also democratized the providers. In the past, a small provider had little chance of advertising efficiently. TV and posters were too expensive. Today, anyone can offer their niche products very specifically via AdWords. A specialist for trips to Corsica can target his customers with a small budget where they are looking for information about Corsica online. It is also exciting that you can measure the impact of your online advertising on Google extremely well. You can launch an advertising campaign and then use Google Analytics to see exactly how many users came to the site and made a booking.

Are there any specific case studies?
There are several examples. The large providers such as Kuoni or Tui, who advertise with AdWords. We also know of many start-ups that are growing successfully with us. Travel.ch, for example, or Citytrip.ch. The success story of this provider is based on the fact that it discovered online advertising early on and advertises in the niche market of credit card-free bookings. Or Housetrip.com in Lausanne has grown from a start-up to Europe's largest online platform for vacation apartments within 12 months. According to founder Arnaud Betrand, many new customers and 67 percent of booking revenue come from AdWords.

Which Google tools are available for on the go?
We have recently launched Google Translate for smartphones. The app is available for free on the Android Market. It allows me to have a foreign language spoken via my cell phone. I type in my question in German and, thanks to the app, it is then spoken by my smartphone in a foreign language of my choice. Conversely, I can have something spoken into my cell phone in a foreign language and the app then writes the translation on my display. Google Translate is available in around 50 languages. This is constantly being perfected. The search function on Google Maps is also practical. In New York, I can say "Sushi in New York" into my phone and Google Maps will immediately show me all the sushi restaurants in the desired area - including the option to view them with Street View. With Google Places, I can also view photos of the restaurant and read personal recommendations from previous guests.

Interview: Andreas Panzeri

> To the book tips (PDF)

A long time ago, in the fall of 1995, Swiss Post launched its first network of advertising screens. This info channel was called Canal Jaune, later renamed Canal Poste, and continues to help (apparently) shorten waiting times at counters at 234 locations with a mix of postal information and advertising. In the years that followed, new screen advertisements kept popping up in public spaces, but digital outdoor advertising has hardly gained strategic importance for advertisers. Even when new displays - larger, flatter, more luminous - appeared and this genre increasingly went under the title "Digital out of Home" ( DooH), there was no talk of a breakthrough.

This could now change: At the end of June, Affichage subsidiary e-Advertising launched 43 new ePanels, initially in six major train stations. These full HD screens are well suited for animated spots, which are striking not least because they come in portrait format. Ulrich Ritschard, Managing Director of e-Advertising, reports an "enormously good response" in an interview with Werbewoche. The first few weeks were sold out, and some of the fall ads are already fully booked. He wants to gather feedback and experience by the fall and then expand the offering accordingly. A framework agreement with SBB allows e-Advertising to set up ePanels in other stations. Based on the passenger frequencies, this could ultimately be of interest at 30 to 40 locations throughout the country.

A look at Germany shows that optimism for digital outdoor advertising is justified. There, at the end of last year, one of the major outdoor advertisers, the Ströer Group, began rolling out a network of digital billboards comparable to e-Advertising's ePanels. By the end of the year, 1000 sites are planned at more than 200 stations. Florian Rotberg, managing director of Invidis Consulting, a consultancy specializing in digital outdoor advertising, reports that this initiative has triggered "insane demand" for digital outdoor advertising. Based on such new launches, the DooH business model has started to work on a large scale in the last six to 12 months, he said, and it is now a matter of rolling out large-scale networks. These ePanels are "an important signal to the market," says Fredy Grau, who heads ad screen marketing at Goldbach Media, adding, "I think it's exciting and I welcome it because it helps the whole genre." But then Grau also finds critical comments on the offer of the big competitor: Although there are many people in the stations, it is unclear how many look at the advertising screens for more than two seconds and how many watch the entire passage (loop) of the spots. If you put the attention factor into play, the whole thing becomes relative. It's not just about reach, but also about the quality of the target groups. This is better with the umbrellas at gas stations, for example, with a duration of stay of more than one minute and a well-defined target group.

It is long overdue that the DooH market in Switzerland is now also starting to move. Ever since Media Trend Journal published a survey of the ad screen market in Switzerland four years ago (see issue 9/2007),

time seems to have stood still. Helvetic reality is still characterized by a religious war, which Ulrich Ritschard and Fredy Grau quite actually embody. Grau presides over the industry organization IG AdScreen, which Ritschard's e-Advertising turned its back on years ago and left. The APG offshoot sees advertising screens as a product extension to the poster and not as a new product or a basic medium. Accordingly, e-Advertising consistently reports no revenue figures to Mediafocus because a new category "digital advertising media " has been created for it. It believes its sales of advertising screens should be included in the billboard category. Ritschard wants nothing to do with the small screens, for which the term AdScreen has become established in Switzerland, and in an interview with Werbewoche he reveals: "Because we don't see the economic potential," they have already turned down requests to take over smaller networks. In addition, he points out that e-Advertising is active in the outdoor advertising industry association and therefore does not indicate any willingness to rejoin IG AdScreen. But for Fredy Grau it is clear: "e-Advertising definitely belongs in our market", and he lets it be known that there are always talks to get e-Advertising to rejoin IG AdScreen. The ePanel initiative could be a further hook for this. If digital outdoor advertising is to take off in the near future, it would certainly be advantageous for the industry to pull together. Because not only in Switzerland, but also abroad, the market for digital outdoor advertising is hyper-fragmented, there is a lack of accepted standards for performance measurement, and there are no integrated planning and booking tools. Thus, many questions remain open around DooH, the solution of which could promote acceptance among advertisers and agencies. As with online advertising - also launched a good 15 years ago - the advertising industry will not be able to avoid understanding and learning to handle digital displays in public spaces as a new genre. And it can be assumed that - as with online advertising - a better understanding of the specific characteristics of this new media group will result in a differentiated range of different forms of application.

Ursula Stalder heads a research focus on digital outdoor advertising at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and explains that digital outdoor advertising, as a new media genre, combines the characteristics of various conventional media genres: In terms of their location in publicly accessible space and reception "in passing," they are comparable to posters. In terms of their ability to display moving images in high resolution even in daylight, however, they are more similar to traditional audio-visual media such as TV or cinema. However, if we take digital networked online technology as a starting point, they are most comparable to online communications such as WWW, e-mail and SMS, and the ability for interactivity comes to the fore. For brand and product communication, Stalder continues, these digital media in public spaces not only offer an additional mass-media advertising medium, but also the opportunity to underpin spatial scenographies and installations in urban spaces with specially conceived service designs. From the poster, DooH has inherited the shortcoming of difficult measurability. Grau reports that the IG AdScreen agreed last year that the frequency of passers-by was not the only decisive factor for calculating gross contacts. To calculate TKP prices for 10-second spots, the passer-by frequency would have to be combined with the measured attention level and the opportunity-to-see (OTS) factor (average duration of a passer-by's stay divided by the length of the broadcast loop) (frequency x attention level x OTS=gross contacts). In this way, comparable prices could be created for customers. On the other hand, it is more difficult to standardize the formats (in terms of sizes and technical methods) because every player uses different formats.

It is quite possible that these issues will not be resolved in Switzerland, but at the international level. Just as the Internet Advertising Bureau, IAB, and its various offshoots have been able to establish standards for online advertising, supraregional organizations are now also becoming active in the field of digital outdoor advertising. In the USA, it is the Digital Place-based Advertising Association (DPAA) and in Europe the Out-of-Home Video Advertising Bureau Europe (OVAB). Closely associated with this is Florian Rotberg's Munich-based consultancy Invidis Consulting, which aims to drive the European DooH market forward. This includes a regular market survey, which will be published for the first time soon. (In Switzerland, 17 networks with 4,711 screens at 2,018 locations were surveyed). The aim is to make the market transparent so that developments can be better evaluated.

Rotberg sees the biggest task for the OVAB in standards. When it comes to gross advertising revenues, the industry has completely agreed on CPM. Other billing models have not been accepted. There are "many possibilities and great discussions" when it comes to reach measurement. Thanks to the successful emergence of the major networks, professional reach measurement based on uniform standards is now possible. IG President Grau is open to such solutions from abroad. "If there are standards that we can incorporate into the market mechanics of Switzerland, we will definitely join in," he states, adding: "It makes no sense to adopt a standard that cannot be enforced in the home market."

The success of the big players with their new DooH offerings could also spur the solution of another problem that is holding back the digital outdoor advertising market. Today, anyone wanting to book a campaign has to collect and book the ideal locations or networks individually from the respective providers or marketers. This opens up a business opportunity for companies that aggregate DooH networks on an online booking platform, simplifying the booking process. Geneva-based Neo Advertising, for example, operates such an offering with Booking- DooH.com. Invidis-Rotberg knows that many players, especially from the USA, want to push into this market. He says this has not yet been noticeable, but will be in the coming months. Unlike previous such offerings, future providers will also provide access to live vacancies. Just as Google in particular advanced the online advertising market with the real-time marketing of individual ad impressions in an auction process, such aggregators could dynamize the DooH business. The fact that a joint approach is needed for future success has apparently also been noticed by us. Fredy Grau hints that talks are underway to set up a booking pool.

Once the teething problems have been overcome, the only thing left to do to achieve the final breakthrough is to get advertising clients, media planners and creative professionals on board. According to Fredy Grau, there is "still a lot of catching up to do" here, and IG AdScreen is organizing workshops to impart know-how on how to use the screens. Although there are already creative agencies that have made campaigns just for AdScreens, he says, digital outdoor advertising has had too little relevance so far. "It's like a word you know when you hear it, but you don't have it in your active vocabulary," he says, summing up the situation. Often, he says, clients don't have an advertising medium for the promotional umbrellas and have to produce one specifically for them, which is often too costly and not worth it for small budgets. Now that the volumes are getting bigger, this is improving. Urs Brugger, Head of Development at Neo Advertising in Zurich, comes to a similar assessment: "DooH is well known, but has not yet caught on." And he is confident: "Those who have booked spots keep coming back, but many have never booked before."

Thus, there is a mood of optimism and optimism: industry experts assume that DooH today accounts for around 1 to 2 percent of the outdoor advertising market. Based on the surveys for the industry report, Florian Rotberg assumes gross sales for DooH in Switzerland of 10 million euros (Austria is estimated in the same order of magnitude and 48 million euros apply to Germany). He predicts growth of 38 percent from 2009 to 2010 and expects the German-speaking region to now overtake the European leader, the United Kingdom (110 million euros). All DooH practitioners interviewed for this article expect the DooH share of the Swiss outdoor advertising market to be in the 5 percent range over the next five years. Christoph J. Walther

Almost three quarters of the population, or 51.7 million Germans, are now online at least occasionally. However, the advance of the internet has hardly changed the strong use of radio. On the contrary, broadcasters continue to serve their audience via the new channels. Even young users still listen to the radio a lot.

"Radio has not lived up to the expectation that the use of traditional media will decline as a result of the internet - on the contrary," says Dieter Müller, Head of Radio at the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Media-Analyse, in an interview with Pressetext. In recent years, radio usage has not shrunk, but rather increased slightly. Web radios have also contributed to a stabilization. According to Müller, radio has the advantage that it can also be used in situations where other media cannot be used. The audience figures are increasing, especially at work or when driving. In addition, Germans like to use radio alongside other media.

Radio usage in Germany has recently remained stable across all target groups. The daily reach is 79.3%. Listening time and time spent at the stations also remained constant. Older sections of the population listen to radio for over 200 minutes between Monday and Friday. However, the younger audience aged between ten and 29 also listens to the radio for a relatively long time, at around 140 minutes. Listening time is lower at weekends.
 

This was followed by an internal move to Financial Analyst, according to the statement. In 2004, he went to Mazda Motors Europe in Leverkusen. There, as Pricing Analyst and later as Team Leader New Model Pricing, he was responsible for both controlling and pricing policy for all new models in Europe. In 2006, he took on a new challenge as Manager Corporate Plans at Mazda Motor Europe. In this role he was responsible for the coordination and alignment of the corporate strategy in Europe. In 2008, Matthias Walker moved to Mazda Motors Germany and took over sales and aftersales responsibility for Southern Germany as Regional Manager. In this role, he and his team looked after around 200 Mazda dealerships.

(Image: OBS/Mazda)

According to a press release issued on Wednesday, this will enable the strategic and operational implementation of existing and upcoming investments to be optimized. Birkhäuser+GBC will increasingly focus on printing specialties. The focus will be on the pharmaceutical and retail sectors. It will also develop new digital media solutions in various other specialist areas.

The quintet affected will remain in the company with the same functions and the same salary, but will no longer sit on the Executive Board, as its Chairman Daniel Merkel told the SDA news agency when asked. This is therefore not a cost-cutting exercise, but rather a streamlining of the management structure that was created when two subsidiaries were merged two years ago. Merkel, Head of Marketing Marcel Häsler, Head of Production Thomas Rhein and Head of Human Resources Claudia Wahlen will remain from the previous management team. Marcus Herren, Head of Finance, who also oversees the BZM Group's finances, is a new addition.

The company is wholly owned by Basler Zeitung Medien. The Chairman of the Board of Directors is Moritz Suter. With 330 employees, the company generates an annual turnover of 72 million Swiss francs. According to Merkel, business is currently going well; the company is also recruiting additional staff - provided it can find the specialists it is looking for.

In 2009, the editorial director of the Agricultural Information Service (LID) asked the Federal Chancellery for a twelve-month access pass for the Federal Palace media center and the parliament building, which he had always received. The Federal Chancellery did not comply with his request and referred to its new Accreditation Ordinance, which has been in force since January 2008. According to this, access passes would no longer be issued to people involved in association, PR or advertising activities. They would of course still be able to obtain a day badge if required.

The Federal Administrative Court has now upheld the appeal of the person concerned. The decision can still be appealed to the Federal Supreme Court. According to the judges in Bern, the existence of association, PR or advertising work may not constitute a fundamental obstacle to the granting of permanent access authorization.

Among other things, the court referred to the importance of the media center and the parliament building. This would mean that media representatives from associations or interest groups should not be excluded from access in principle, especially as they could have been accredited under the old law. In addition, the distinction between association, PR and advertising activities and "pure" journalistic activities can be difficult in individual cases. According to the ruling, the Federal Chancellery's new accreditation ordinance already lacks a sufficient legal basis.

Either the new regulation should have been issued by the Federal Council itself, or the Federal Council should have authorized the Federal Chancellery to do so. In this specific case, the Federal Chancellery must now also clarify the period for which the access pass can reasonably be issued to the person concerned. (SDA)
 

Switzerland Tourism has thus also been awarded the QIII quality seal for Swiss tourism, according to a press release issued on Wednesday. Switzerland Tourism expects the ISO 14001 environmental certification to provide important impetus for a systematic approach to sustainable business activities, both internally and externally in cooperation with all service providers in the Swiss tourism industry. It also expresses the intention and will of Switzerland Tourism to support more and more tourism offers and services that are committed to sustainability in its marketing campaigns.
 

The Swiss Prize for Local Journalism is awarded in the categories print, TV, radio and online. Prizes are awarded to publications that were published in 2011. The best publications in each category will be awarded prizes of CHF 20,000 each. Entries can now be submitted on the foundation's website at Dermedienpreis.ch works can be submitted. The closing date for entries is 5 . January 2012.

The Swiss Press Photo Award honors freelance and staff photographers who have published individual photos or photo series in a Swiss press publication. The submission of entries starts on October 1, 2011.

The jury

The jury is made up of one president per category and four members each from German-speaking and French/Italian-speaking Switzerland. The Fondation Reinhardt von Graffenried was able to engage the following personalities from the Swiss media industry as jury presidents.

- The Swiss Prize for Local Journalism Print: Sylvia Egli von Matt (Director of the Swiss School of Journalism MAZ).
- The Swiss Prize for Local Journalism TV: Marc Friedli (Managing Director Tele M1)
- The Swiss Prize for Local Journalism Radio: Rolf Hieringer (Head of Regional Editorial Department SR DRS)
- The Swiss Prize for Local Journalism Online: Peter Hogenkamp (Head of Digital Media NZZ Group )
- The Swiss prize for press photography Swiss Press Photo: Markus Schnetzer (Head of Photography at Schweizer Illustrierte)
 

In the future, Energie Schweiz will communicate with the Swiss population via an independent website. After a multi-stage pitch process, the Swiss Federal Office of Energy commissioned Futurecom to design and implement the new Energieschweiz.ch website. According to the agency's statement, the aim is to create a visually contemporary website that serves as a central point of contact for all questions relating to energy saving and energy production from non-fossil sources. The result of this work will go online in October 2011.