The Weber Harbeke Partners agency has created a poster ad for Lancia. It advertises the Lancia Delta 1.4 T-Jet with 120 hp, which is available until the end of October 2009 from CHF 26,950 or on a leasing basis from CHF 276 per month. According to a Weber Harbeke press release, the agency's simple black posters prove that elegance and price need not be a contradiction in terms.
The posters can be seen throughout Switzerland from September 7.
Responsible at Fiat Automobiles Switzerland SA, Zurich: Rudolf Schoch (Marketing Manager), Maurizio Melzi (Marketing Communication Director), Giusi Brullo (Communication Manager). Responsible at Weber Harbeke Partners, Zurich: Thomas Harbeke (CD), Giovanni Pucci, Christina Zvecevac (consulting), Christian Sidow (text), Priska Meyer (AD), Pablo Scheidegger Graphics.

Art & Work has created a poster campaign to promote the new look of the car air freshener Ambi Pur Car. The main target group is men and women between the ages of 25 and 55 who value their car and a fresh scent in the interior, according to a statement from the Zurich-based agency.
The subjects appear on standard and illuminated posters in F 12 formats in German, French and Italian.
Responsible for Ambi Pur Car at Sara Lee Household & Body Care Schweiz AG, Birr-Lupfig: Verena Hachenberg (Group Product Manager). Responsible at Art & Work AG, Zurich: Carmen M. Schiltknecht (concept, text and consulting), Tina Lechner and Marianne Kieser (graphic design & production). Printed by Reproscan, Zurich.

The 1818 twins from Lowe, part of the Draftfcb/Lowe Group, have been entertaining audiences for three years now. In the middle of the summer, the two moustachioed men get back into their ski suits and plunge into three new missions as action heroes. In their typically unconventional style, they dramatize how helpful and close at hand competent information is in every situation thanks to 1818.
The latest adventures of the 1818 twins are now on air in all parts of Switzerland.
Responsible at the information service 1818: Peter Josika (Managing Director). Responsible at Lowe: Daniel Comte (ECD), Sebastian Hugelshofer, Frédéric Nogier (AD), Markus Rottmann, Boris Beuckmann (text), Rolf Jeger, René Kaiser (consulting), Melanie Auerbach (agency producer), Achim Bornhak (director), Rosas'n'Co/Kerstin Reulen (film production), Spacetrain (music), Ultraimages (post-production), JingleJungle (sound studio), OMD (media).
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Matter & Gretener is strengthening its team. Graduate communication designer Julia Batzlen joined the agency at the beginning of August. She supports the team in the area of graphic design.

www.mattergretener.ch

On October 22, the software giant is launching the new Windows 7 operating system worldwide. The first commercials are already circulating online before the official start of the launch campaign.
The much-criticized predecessor operating system Windows Vista was intended to arouse emotions with the claim "The Wow starts now". The Windows 7 commercials, reportedly produced by director Marty Martin on behalf of Microsoft, now focus specifically on the product features. According to Horizont.net, the commercials present desktop personalization, the "Aero Shake" gaming service and various live services.
It is not clear whether the commercials are part of the classic campaign or just intended to attract attention online in advance. Microsoft was unable to provide any further information when asked by Horizont.net.

Horizon.net

Sponsorship of a curling club, generous expense allowances to the Board of Trustees or excessive expenditure on advertising were violations by a pension fund against which legal action was taken. Since April 1, 2004, this has no longer been so easy. This is because a package of provisions came into force at that time that obliges pension funds to provide insured persons with transparent information.
The contribution system, financing, investments and accounting of a fund must be transparent for all insured persons. The fund must also provide open information about the return on capital, the risk experience, the administrative costs, the contribution margin and the formation of reserves. It must also provide insured persons with the annual financial statements and annual report on request.
What can you do as an employer to ensure that your employees are well informed? Make sure that everyone has their insurance certificate and the current regulations. The names of the members of the joint body of the fund must also be known. It is a legal requirement that every pension fund must appoint a so-called parity body - usually referred to as the Board of Trustees. Equal representation means that an equal number of employer and employee representatives sit on the highest governing body of the pension fund. If the names of the representatives are known, it is possible for your employees to obtain information about the fund from the representatives. Employees can also suggest changes to the regulations, particularly via the employee representatives. For example, if they want a lower minimum salary than the statutory CHF 20 520, so that part-time employees are also better insured, this is best done via the employee representatives. Also make sure that both employer and employee representatives have the necessary knowledge. The law stipulates that further training must be financed by the pension fund. In particular, the cantonal BVG supervisory authorities offer courses that enable representatives of joint bodies to acquire or deepen their knowledge.
The latest figures show that a large number of pension funds are underfunded, i.e. can no longer meet their current and future obligations in full. This fuels fears among insured persons that their future retirement pension is at risk. It is therefore advisable to inform the insured about the current coverage ratio of the pension fund. By consulting experts, you can also help to ensure that no questions remain unanswered. So do your bit for greater transparency, even if it is primarily the task of the pension funds to provide insured persons with comprehensive information.

Book tip:
Pension fund of Ueli Kieser, Jürg Senn
What is the pension fund all about? Around 625 billion Swiss francs. So it's worth taking a closer look. "Pensionskasse. Pensions, financing, security, benefits", the new guidebook from the Beobachter publishing house, takes a close look at occupational pensions.
240 pages, paperback
2nd, updated and expanded edition 2009
Beobachter-Buchverlag,
ISBN 978-3-85569-425-9,
Fr. 38.-. To be published in mid-October 2009. We reserve your order!

New for SMEs: legal advice on issues affecting your company
The Beobachter's new service: competent legal advice for SMEs and their employees. 6 months for only Fr. 99.- (introductory price).
You can reach the legal experts Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on 043 444 54 09. You also have full access to the advice platform Helponline.ch and an Beobachter magazine every 14 days. The price also includes a gift: the standard work for SMEs from Beobachter-Buchverlag,
"How to get your money", worth CHF 48.
Order the consulting subscription for SMEs at: www.werbewoche.ch or by phone: 0800 83 0800.

When everything is as good as it needs to be, from animal husbandry to cheese storage, only then does a cheese become an Emmentaler AOC, i.e. a piece of Switzerland.
This is the basic idea behind the new advertising for Emmentaler from the Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett hut. In spring, the agency won the competition's presentation and then "had to react very quickly". In the phase virtually from the alpine elevator to the alpine elevator, new brochures, a website, standardized packaging with adaptation options for all retailers, a newsletter, various advertisements, promotional flyers and much more had to be designed based on the basic idea. "An Emmentaler AOC has to mature for 120 days before it receives this seal of quality. Our work on the campaign took almost exactly the same amount of time," says CD Martin Spillmann, proud of what has been achieved. Despite the fact that it only took four months instead of twelve, the rustic, modern appearance should actually be described as "cave-aged".
Oscar-worthy
A commercial by Xavier Koller embodies a splendid loaf within the entire performance. Only a few Swiss filmmakers make it to Hollywood. With his film "Journey of Hope", the now 65-year-old director won the Oscar for Best Non-English Language Film in 1991. For Martin Spillmann, however, Xavier Koller was predestined to work on this campaign even more because of his artistic sense for this mix of tradition and modernity. "The Frozen Heart" and "The Black Tanner" were and still are contemporary homeland films with a visual language full of tradition - but without homeland kitsch, as the advertisers for Emmentaler had in mind. An amusing side note: Martin Spillmann shot his first TV commercials with Xavier Koller, who was also gaining his first experience with advertising at the time. The world of websites, which also extends across the Atlantic, has now brought the two together once again.
Rapper Bligg was the third person to contribute music to this truly Swiss commercial. As on his current album, he created the tension between tradition and modernity for the Emmental-based company's new advertising world with specially composed music. This deliberate gap is visually enhanced with animated graphics.
These modern graphics are intended to show that in addition to the ideal conditions for the cows in nature, genuine Emmentaler also requires sophisticated technology in the cheese-making hut. Around 600 cheesemakers in Switzerland are allowed to sell their Emmentaler as AOC. These certified companies are all registered with a number that can also be found on the rind of the Emmentaler. This means that consumers can follow the path of their cheese without holes all the way back to the cow's pasture via the website. "A rustic idea to advertise the possibilities of a modern community in a further phase," says Martin Spillmann. Cheese lovers visit their personal alpine hut, just as wine connoisseurs go to their supplier's cellar for tastings.
The concept of the campaign, which has now been launched, is designed to run for at least three to five years. The claim "A piece of Switzerland", newly developed by SFLB, will also be used in all measures. The campaign will also be used abroad. In Germany and Italy in particular - the largest international customers for Emmentaler - the commercials will also be placed. To emphasize the Swissness, the films have been adapted there with a waving Swiss flag as an opener.
Association enthusiastic
Emmentaler Switzerland celebrated the premiere of the commercial and its versions together with enthusiastic cheesemakers and farmers in a movie theater in Bern. Many of them took part in the film as extras. Suppliers and retailers of the real Emmentaler can also identify with the campaign via a newsletter, where a making-of report establishes the link between advertising and product: "Only when everything is perfect does a cheese become an Emmentaler AOC. A piece of Switzerland."
Filming also took place at the show dairy in Affoltern im Emmental. The modern "hut", which is visited by over 300,000 people every year, provided the ideal location for the film. And inspired the advertisers to come up with a few more ideas. After all, in addition to Emmentaler, SFLB's portfolio also includes the budget of Switzerland Tourism.
Andreas Panzeri
To the spot
To the spot
To the spot

The current ordinance on protection against passive smoking stipulates that the labeling of smoking establishments must not be of an advertising nature. Swiss Advertising (SW) has now submitted a statement to the FOPH, as the ordinance violates the legal standard in numerous points, is ideologically tinged and has a patronizing effect. Instead of protecting non-smokers, the aim is an actual and far-reaching ban on consumption, according to the SW. The communication industry is specifically affected in its role by Article 4 paragraph 2, which stipulates that the labeling of smoking establishments must not have an advertising character. The SW clearly rejects this passage: "Either these premises comply with the legal provisions and are therefore legal or they are not. It is not understandable why legally operating rooms should not be advertised." It is incomprehensible to what extent an effective advertising label and declaration could cause harm to a non-smoker. After all, no non-smoker would be tempted to enter a smoking establishment by an advertisement, no matter how attractive it was.

“Cross-media” is becoming a buzzword in many fields. The corporate publishers of the future are expected to use all channels. What remains sounds like a truism: If you want to survive today, you have to be everywhere. But what lies behind the magic word “cross-media,” and how cross-media-oriented are European corporate publishers? We asked experts from eight European countries. The result is five propositions for journalistic corporate communications in a cross-media future.
Corporate publishing is inherently closely linked to print products. Its roots lie in printed—and even handwritten—customer magazines that were distributed to existing and potential customers and investors. Today, companies are gradually turning to a variety of channels to spread their message to customers, shareholders, and employees. As a result, print is facing an emerging array of media channels—ones that are often cheaper, more timely, and more flexible. The savvy publisher orchestrates these channels according to their strengths, thereby challenging linear structures. This sounds obvious, but finding the right mix is difficult. After all, if you sow seeds everywhere, you’ll reap nothing anywhere.
New Media—A Threat or an Opportunity?
The growing importance of new media has given rise to a wealth of ideas and new opportunities. This is particularly interesting for corporate publishers, as it opens up new ways to communicate content. Sak van den Boom, co-organizer of the «National Custom Media Conference» in Amsterdam, is a firm believer in partnerships: «Corporate publishers need a shift in mindset and the right partners to evolve from traditional to digital publishers.» Partnering with a company that specializes in new media enables a significant transfer of knowledge in a short period of time. Creative collaboration ideas are in demand, and this is how corporate publishers can avoid being pushed into a niche.
The reader—not the medium
Media channels are not interchangeable at will. Cross-media is often mistaken for an «all-you-can-eat buffet,» in which case readers end up getting left behind. But cross-media should be one thing above all else: reader-focused. «It’s a waste of time to focus primarily on the media platforms themselves,» agrees Viviane Egli, managing director of the corporate publishing agency Primafila AG. Rather, the essential focus should be on the needs of the readers. Cross-media is not the goal, but a means to an end, and that end is clear: to reach readers where they are. In some cases, the internet or moving images are a suitable complement. But the opposite approach is also becoming more prominent.
Technology and Creativity—What Is the Driving Force?
In an age when technological innovations are outpacing one another, there are fewer and fewer limits to creativity. To put it bluntly: Technology is driving creativity today, and new forms of expression are constantly emerging. Julia Hutchison, COO of the British Association of Publishing Agencies (APA), sees a major advantage here for corporate publishers: «The ability to offer customers a truly personalized experience—through magazines and, even more so, through customizable digital formats in real time—is fantastic.» But how do corporate publishers set themselves apart from their competitors? Through the way they tailor their content—their core competency—to the new digital landscape. While technology sets the framework, it is the content that fills it appropriately.
The Crisis That Is Accelerating
The financial crisis affects everyone. Advertising revenue is plummeting, and communications budgets are being cut. Nevertheless, it has become clear that a journalistic approach to corporate communications is proving to be a very stable model during the financial crisis. The crisis also has an accelerating effect. Digitalization, for example, has been a hot topic from the very beginning—something everyone talked about but no one wanted to tackle. It’s quite conceivable that this development will proceed in larger strides. «The interesting thing about the crisis is certainly,» says Marina Specht, CEO of MRM Spain, a leading provider of digital marketing and integrated CRM solutions, «that the crisis is accelerating trends that were already underway.» These trends are by no means limited to digitalization alone. Agreements with the postal service are also coming back into focus as a way to reduce distribution costs.
Print Is Alive
Has the Internet helped or hurt print magazines? The answer is: both. While some statistics point to smaller print runs and a shrinking readership, other data show that the Internet has also brought many magazines new readers. It’s also becoming clear that the internet and print are more intertwined than one might think. Both formats compensate for each other’s weaknesses and, conversely, benefit from each other’s strengths. For example, a recent study by Ohio and Illinois State Universities showed that customers are willing to pay more for a product they’ve been able to touch beforehand. A sense of connection develops, and the strength of this connection increases the longer and more frequently physical contact occurs. For the publishing industry, this means that print not only fosters greater engagement but can also generate a greater sense of value. Print still conveys a sense of value that online publications lack.
The bottom line for corporate publishers: combine media channels correctly and skillfully. «Publishers should position themselves in such a way that they are truly capable of handling communication tasks in both internal and external communications—regardless of the media channels,» says Michael Höflich, managing director of the industry association Forum Corporate Publishing. Only in this way can “cross-media” evolve from a hollow buzzword into a promising corporate strategy.
Tobias Häusermann
Tobias Häusermann is a project manager at the Zurich-based corporate publishing agency Primafila and will complete his bachelor’s degree in Business Communications at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (HWZ) this fall. In his bachelor’s thesis, written in English and titled «Cross-Media in B2C Corporate Publishing across Europe—between Theory and Cultural Practice,» he interviewed nine corporate publishing experts from eight European countries on the topic of cross-media and subtle cultural differences.

Do you notice anything? We are not only hanging our heads, but also our elbows - and moving closer together again. Despite the swine flu. In the lull, the crisis, the trough, the exchange with the person at the next desk finally counts for something again, shoulder-to-shoulder and collegiality are gaining in value. Although the pressure on all of us is constantly increasing, canceled orders, short-time work and reduced working hours are making it possible for us to give a few minutes of our day to our fellow human beings again. It is very much in vogue to recognize former work colleagues in the pub, catch up with old contacts on Xing, finally visit good friends again or pay a visit to siblings or parents.
In view of the crumbling economic situation, couples are also turning to the good and getting married and giving birth for all they're worth. Break-ups are a thing of the past; today, pregnant bellies are all the rage. Even the neighbor says hello every day again - after all, you're in the same boat. Seen in this light, the crisis has something really good: the essentials are no longer completely invisible. Only the ruthless scramble on the streetcar is still the same, morning, noon and night. But maybe swine flu can still do something about that.