Stücki Shopping in Basel-Kleinhüningen has awarded the marketing of F12 and F200 poster sites to APG. This enables the Swiss outdoor poster company to gain a foothold in one of the largest shopping centers in Switzerland. APG now counts the nine largest shopping centers among its partners: Glattzentrum, Centre Balexert, Shoppi Tivoli, Sihlcity, Westside, Seedamm-Center Pfäffikon, Emmen-Center, Shoppyland Schönbühl and Stücki Shopping.
Stücki Shopping opens its doors on September 24, 2009. Located in the border triangle between Switzerland, France and Germany, it offers 32,000 m2 of retail space with around 120 specialist stores and over 20,000 visitors a day.

www.apg.ch

On September 4, 197 sales specialists were presented with their federal certificates at the Casino Lucerne. The written and oral examinations, which were organized by Swiss Marketing (SMC), were completed by 297 candidates in two languages, German and Italian. The youngest participant was just under 21, the oldest 49 years old.
There were two premieres this year, according to a press release from Swiss Marketing: The title "Sales Specialist" replaces the title "Sales Coordinator". This is due to the examination reform of the Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET). And, more importantly, the 2009 graduates are among the first to receive a European-compatible certificate. Swiss Marketing (SMC) and its training system have been accepted as a new member of the European Marketing Confederation (EMC). This agreement will come into force in the fall. This opens the door to the European labor market for graduates, as Swiss qualifications can now be classified for all employers on the continent for the first time.

How unusual can or should advertising be in order to attract attention and be memorable at the same time? International companies such as the perfume group Douglas make use of the globally understood language of English. In this case, Douglas uses the claim: "Come in and find out". Only in Germany, according to Usg.ch, this slogan is translated as "Come in and find out". Mitsubishi's advertising slogan in Germany is no better. Most respondents understood their claim "Drive alive" to mean: "Drive alive". But to get back to the topic: how unusual can or should advertising be? The answer could be found in the campaign by advertising agency BBDO Moscow for the Russian newspaper Moscow News. The subject, as a symbol for the impacting news, is a reference to 9/11, but the Dutch drugstore chain Kruidvat is also not stingy with the unusual in order to attract attention. In a guerrilla campaign, promoters advertised the drugstore chain's photo service at a Belgian airport by attracting the attention of travelers with a living suitcase at the baggage carousel: A couple carefully carried a suitcase off the conveyor belt and placed it on the floor. When the suitcase was opened, a woman in a yellow Kruidvat shirt jumped out. The shirt bore the inscription "Don't save on your holiday, save on your pictures!".

Campaign by advertising agency BBDO Moscow for the Russian newspaper Moscow News

www.usg.ch
www.huffingtonpost.com

Green Light, a global media licensing, artist negotiation and rights representation company, has been appointed to represent Bruce Lee. Lee was the most influential martial artist of the 20th century and popularized the art form around the world.
Green Light will act as the exclusive third-party licensor for Lee's personality rights. These personality rights include his name, likeness, signature, and representation in promotional and merchandising forms. According to David Reeder, Vice President of GreenLight, they hope to be able to further disseminate everything that Bruce Lee was known for.
Green Light represents the legacies of legendary entertainers, scientists, inventors and other famous personalities such as. Steve McQueen, Johnny Cash, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison and the Wright brothers. The company licenses personality rights to companies in diverse industries such as financial services, automotive, technology, apparel, greeting cards, health and beauty care, furniture and toys for use in advertising, promotion and merchandising.

www.greenlightrights.com

Companies and advertising agencies would like to know whether their subjects resonate with consumers and achieve the desired effect: After all, helmets should be worn, condoms used, mineral water drunk and cars bought. To achieve this, advertising has to work. However, the performance of advertising media cannot yet be measured. Providers of internet quick tests, pre- and post-tests claim that they can find out how effective advertising is. But what do the percentages behind awareness, uniqueness, brand fit and likeability tell us? Exactly: nothing at all. The values determined are usually in the low one to two-digit range, a campaign never reaches 90 or 100 percent, even if it is good. Nobody can explain why. Nor can the providers of the posttests tell companies and agencies what they need to do to increase the values for the measured parameters.
Pretests also fail. This is shown by cases in which an advertising motif that was actually shot down accidentally comes into circulation - and unexpectedly increases sales. This was the case, for example, with an advertising campaign by Reynolds for its Winston cigarette brand: in the pre-test, a subject performed well for French-speaking Switzerland and poorly for German-speaking Switzerland. The company decided to use it only in French-speaking Switzerland. However, due to an oversight, the posters were also put up in German-speaking Switzerland - and achieved a sensational recall. In short: the existing tests cannot explain the effect of advertising and they also do not allow any predictions to be made about how subjects will be received by consumers. Advertisers and companies have to hope that their campaign works. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. But that was yesterday.
Practical data
"For the first time, I can determine valid data on the effectiveness of advertising measures in good time," promises Dr. Patrik Zwahlen (44), founder and Managing Director of the Zurich-based research institute for visual communication Bildkom. Zwahlen is a trained photographer and studied the psychology of perception, marketing and artificial intelligence. He financed his studies with his own DTP agency. During his studies, Zwahlen worked on measuring the impact of advertising. In his dissertation, he developed the theoretical basis for his new survey software, which is tailored to the needs of communication specialists in everyday advertising.
Today, eight years and 450 test subjects later, Zwahlen offers his measurement method for sale. The scientist assumes that advertising material works if the subject conveys the message intended by the company. He can check whether this is the case with his test. Here's how: around 50 test subjects are shown the subject under investigation. Bildkom accompanies the perception process, monitors the flow of information from image, film, text and sound and uses scientific methods to record how the test subjects actually perceive the subject. All components of the advertising material - image, design, structure, copyline and the interaction of all elements - are systematically examined for all aspects that influence the impact of a subject. In the case of a poster, for example, there are certain focal points that the recipient must look at in order to understand and remember the image. This has been scientifically proven. If Zwahlen's test subjects look elsewhere, it is clear that the subject cannot work - to put the complicated scientific truth simply. Zwahlen can also find out whether the amount of information conveyed fits the advertising medium. For example, an advertisement in a trade journal can take more text than a poster. Zwahlen knows exactly how much. "My survey software examines the perception process," he summarizes. "When evaluating the data, we combine proven knowledge from the psychology of perception with findings from business quality assurance."
Subjects under the magnifying glass
The existing pre- and post-tests all assume that the recipient has seen an advertisement and that they have understood what it is supposed to convey. But according to Zwahlen, this is often not the case: "Only 50 percent of the subjects and 20 percent of the commercials are perceived by the target group in the intended sense. All previous tests ignore this fact. That's why they don't work." Zwahlen replaces pre- and post-tests with analysis and quality control. His first question is whether the subject is seen at all, and if not, why not. "If consumers don't perceive the message that a company wants to send out, I can explain to the art director why this is the case," says the scientist. "This makes it possible to minimize the usual gap between target formulation and target achievement." It sounds as if every creative just needs to apply a few simple recipes to guarantee their campaign resounding success. Unfortunately, it's not that simple: "It may be that image elements are normally perceived particularly well when they are positioned at the top right," Zwahlen gives an example. "But if they show a naked man at the bottom left, everyone looks there. So the designers' work is absolutely essential. But advertisers and companies should carry out a thorough analysis to find out whether their subject really works the way they want it to."
Everything is nothing without perception
Zwahlen sees both advertising agencies and advertising companies as potential customers for his services. Agencies should actually offer their clients not only their creative work, but also the monitoring of it. This would allow them to prove that they work better than their competitors. However, creatives cannot carry out this quality assurance themselves, because anyone involved in a project is blind to the business. An independent auditor would therefore be called for. In addition, the audit would give agencies security: if an advertising agency can prove that it has conveyed the message specified by a company as desired, it is in a safe position, even if the campaign falls flat. Take Rivella Yellow, for example: pretty much everything that can go wrong has gone wrong with this product. Despite many years of research, Rivella has developed a drink that is clearly not to the taste of the masses. What's more, most consumers didn't want to hear the "soy" message, even though the positioning as a stylish drink with a touch of the Far East fits in with the zeitgeist. The Reinhold agency, which implemented the campaign, was therefore dealt a very bad hand. The agency conveyed Rivella's objective - the fact that it was the wrong one is not its responsibility. Now Rivella has "refreshingly changed" the wrong product with the wrong positioning, adapted the taste and bottle layout and thus actually launched a new drink. Rivella could possibly have prevented this disaster with an early, accompanying test.
Like the creatives, corporate market researchers are also unable to provide useful data on the impact of their advertising media. "Market researchers aim for representative measurement results," explains Zwahlen. "They would have to interview 750 people just to test one subject, but usually several people are tested. That's unrealistic and takes far too long." But instead of involving an independent auditor, advertisers often do without a check. The result: "The probability of a film or poster not working is quickly 80 percent. A company that invests a million francs in a campaign and has a target achievement quotient of 20 percent has wasted 800,000 francs," Zwahlen calculates impressively. "It should be in the company's interest to maximize the target achievement rate. I can guarantee this with my test."
Zwahlen knows what he is talking about: shortly before the launch of the Federal Office of Public Health's (FOPH) Smoking Harm Campaign 2005, Bildkom checked the film spot that had been developed. It was intended to draw attention to the passive
smokers who cannot escape cigarette smoke, for example the waiters in a restaurant. The result of the check: "The message of the film was not optimally tailored to the target group," says Zwahlen. The agency responsible, Byheart, revised the film within a day. The next day, a commercial was available that clearly conveyed the FOPH's message (before and after: webcode a 3009bagbefore, 3009bagafter). "In most cases, something can be done at short notice, for example by adding or sharpening information," says Zwahlen. "Of course, it's better to carry out accompanying interim tests. Then you're never so far away from the desired end result that you have to start all over again."
Prevent stove firing
But how does the scientist manage to close the gap between the desired goal and the achieved goal with just one test? One example: If Henniez wants to convey the naturalness of its mineral water with images of the forest, but the consumer has mountains in mind when they hear the keyword "naturalness", then the positioning of the mineral water will not work. It follows from this: If you want to sell your product, you have to position it correctly. And if you want to position it correctly, you need to know how it is perceived or could be perceived. Finding all this out is the task of the company's market researchers. With this knowledge, they can develop an optimal positioning for their product, define the target group and determine the message of the campaign. Finally, the advertisers only have to implement this message one-to-one - which sounds simple, but rarely happens, according to Zwahlen. "Market researchers want to present positive and constructive results to their management, provide new impetus and point out all possible lines of thought. They are researchers, not controllers. The advertising agency can then pick one out of a sea of possibilities and visualize it, more or less at random." If the agency is lucky, it picks the right message and the subject works. Most of the time, however, it is unlucky - see the target achievement rate of 20 percent. "In order for what was planned to come out, certain work steps would have to be followed," says Zwahlen. "It has to be defined: This is our competition, this is our target audience, this is our product, this is our desired positioning: mountains or forest? If all of this is clear and the process steps run smoothly, all you have to do at the end is check whether the campaign clearly conveys the set objectives. Then you know whether the subject works or is doomed to failure." Zwahlen can use his test to check whether the technical process, from the positioning of a product to the definition of the target group and message to the visualization, is running or has run smoothly. "You can also use our methods to check a communication strategy or a positioning concept," emphasizes the scientist. "However, Bildkom is usually only called in as soon as the advertising agency starts working. We then accompany the process until the campaign is launched. It's not a bad thing if mistakes happen during the work. But you have to correct them."
The makings of a revolution
Zwahlen's test is available in three versions: first vision, deep vision and multi-vision. The First Vision test is a quick test for almost all questions. Due to its simplicity, it is well suited to accompany the design process. The deep vision test is an extension of the first vision test. It provides reasons as to why something works or not. The multi-vision test is a special test that Zwahlen recommends using for the assessment of many subjects. All tests offer genuine cross-media testing. They provide a comprehensive analysis of perception, understanding and reaction to one or more subjects as a basis for a long-term positioning and image strategy as well as key figures for controlling. As an additional service, you can also book the target vision, which offers evaluations, key figures and additional analyses for communication controlling or communication evaluation. Bildkom prepares the test results in detailed, easy-to-understand documentation in French, German, English, Spanish or Italian as required. Bildkom requires between one and three weeks for all three test procedures. The costs are significantly lower than for the usual pre- and post-tests: the first vision test of a print subject, for example, costs 3,000 francs, the check of a film 3,500 francs.
Old theme, new idea
The advertising world seems to have been waiting for Zwahlen's test: The desire to be able to make clear statements about the impact of advertising measures is almost as old as advertising itself. Nevertheless, Zwahlen's approach is completely new. This surprises the scientist himself: "I asked myself what has worked in the last 50 years and what has not. To my amazement, advertising impact cannot be measured yet. Yet we have seven million advertising experts in Switzerland, all of whom offer advertising effectiveness research."
Zwahlen's test software has already proven itself in many small, medium-sized and large companies. Nevertheless, the scientist is only now launching his service to the general public. "I just wanted to be sure that everything was mature and elaborate," he explains. "Presenting initial ideas for a new test with a PowerPoint presentation in hand is not my style." Zwahlen has a tongue-in-cheek explanation as to why no one else has yet come up with the idea of finally developing a valid instrument for measuring advertising impact: "Because no one else is crazy enough to invest ten years of their life developing something in their closet without knowing exactly what the result will be - driven only by the question: why is this subject good, why is that one not good, why does this one achieve its goal and that one doesn't?" If the research method delivers what Zwahlen promises, it will be a real hit - with the potential to revolutionize the advertising world.
Anne-Friederike Wilhelm
In a nutshell
Bildkom was founded in 2001 by Patrick Zwahlen. In addition to the managing director, the Bildkom team consists of three consultants and 40 employees who use the new test procedure to survey and evaluate the impact of advertising subjects. Bildkom's existing customer base includes national and international companies, and for online surveys Bildkom cooperates with large institutes such as Research Now. Bildkom makes its method book and the documentation of its test method publicly available:
> Method book
> Test system

The hotel booking portal of the Expedia Inc. group, Hotels.com, is celebrating its world premiere in Switzerland. For the first time in the German-speaking world, the hotel expert is venturing into offline advertising and presenting two animated commercials on Swiss television. Today, Wednesday, the ten-second spots will go on air on SF1, SF2 and 3Plus as well as on the Swiss channels of Kabel 1, Pro Sieben, RTL, RTL II, Sat.1 and Vox.
With the TV campaign, Hotels.com wants to expand its brand awareness in the German-speaking market. The TV commercials are therefore closely based on the visual realization of the website of
Hotels.com and combine real backdrops with animated elements. Lambie-Nairn from London and Jingle Jungle from Zurich are responsible for the creative development of the commercials, the media agency in charge is Mediacom, Zurich. Simon Dupuy, Marketing Manager, is responsible at Hotels.com.

www.hotels.com
www.mediacom.ch
www.jinglejungle.ch
www.lambie-nairn.com

Young Swiss people who opt for the practical rather than the academic route in their professional careers know the problem: unlike their university colleagues, who can be internationally ranked with their Masters and Bachelors, those who increase their knowledge on the part-time route have a more difficult time internationally. HR specialists in the euro zone cannot classify them. And that makes finding a job on the international stage considerably more difficult. If foreign people are in Swiss HR positions, this can also be a disadvantage in Switzerland. But this has now come to an end. Swiss Marketing has been campaigning for over 18 months for the international recognition of the specialist qualifications of sales specialist, marketing specialist and the federal diplomas of sales specialist manager and marketing manager. These efforts have now been crowned with success. As part of the "European Certification and Qualifications Framework" (EMCQ), federal qualifications are now internationally accredited and assessed. A great success in terms of international permeability. And a skillful application of the bilateral approach: not abandoning Swiss virtues, but ensuring that the country is internationally accessible. Or: Preserving Swiss independence without being blind to the requirements and opportunities of the globalized world. For a knowledge and export nation like Switzerland, this is a matter of paramount importance. Access to the European labor market - not least for jobs in multinational corporations - will thus become much easier for young Swiss talent.
From this fall, Swiss Marketing will be able to offer certificates from the European Marketing Confederation (EMC). This is tantamount to a turbo boost for personal mobility in professional life. How exactly the federal educational qualification is assessed, under which title the next generation of Swiss marketers can imagine themselves in offices in Düsseldorf, Bilbao or London, and how to obtain a European certificate: In the Werbewoche issue 34/35 from the beginning of October, the SMC double-page spread provides clear information on international permeability.

The Rorschach agency E,T&H is bringing a breath of fresh air to the Axpo Super League in terms of communication for FC St. Gallen. In a unique campaign, this time it is not football stars who are advertising attendance at matches in the AFG Arena, but models bored with their dull everyday lives.
The campaign was developed by E,T&H in Rorschach, which is also responsible for the match program booklet Inside, the football magazine Tackling, the current season subscription campaign, the website, the electronic newsletters and other advertising measures.
Responsible at BAG AFG Arena: Marco Baumann (Head of Marketing & Sales). Responsible at E,T&H Werbeagentur AG BSW: Enno Wassmer (CD Text/Conception), Thomas Rasser (AD), Ruedi Mohler (Consulting).

www.ethcom.ch

Editorial logic: Good articles don't write themselves. Someone has to do it. You have to invest time, knowledge and nerves. Articles cost money. And yet suddenly everything is available for free on the Internet. What a mess! If someone works, i.e. invests time, knowledge and nerves, then you have to pay them, right? The answer is: journalists are allowed to demand money for their work, just not from the reader.
If someone builds snowmen in the Arctic, he should not expect the Eskimo to put a tuna at his feet in return. While the production of information always costs money, the result of journalistic work is not always a product for which the reader can be charged money, especially not on the Internet, where journalistic work is distributed without the illusion of a physical product.
Information categories
Some texts naturally contain information that can be measured in money (price comparisons, financial information, advertisements). Such texts are relatively easy to sell because their monetary value is obvious. If I buy and read a hundred-franc text that will make me 10,000 francs richer, I will buy it without batting an eyelid.
Artistic texts (novels, poems, short stories), on the other hand, have their purpose in themselves. Art doesn't have to do anything, it can do anything. At best, it serves educational purposes, i.e. it contains a value that cannot be bought or sold for a commodity value.
Practical texts (instructions, programming manuals, educational texts, the news of the day) have utility value; they save us time, make us more skillful, inform us. But in the case of Advertising Week, you can see how high the market value of practical information is. Not gigantically high. Advertising is needed as a catalyst.
In contrast to practical texts, it seems downright infamous - depending on your point of view - to demand money for scientific texts. Knowledge is a general right, not a personal good. Knowing whether the sun orbits the earth or vice versa should not carry a price tag. In an age of free access to information, horrendously expensive elite universities and private schools based on the American model are nothing more than a grotesque idea.
And who pays?
Of course, the question now arises: who pays for all this - the teachers, the artists, the journalists, the libraries, the radio, the television - if most of it is supposed to be free?
Well, the same people who used to pay for teachers, artists, journalists, libraries, radio and television. It works exactly the same on the Internet as everywhere else: education is financed by the state, art by people who mean well, practical information can be sold at a low price, provided it is really good, coupled with advertising.
The only information for which you can charge money directly is information with monetary value; information that saves money or makes money. And that is why the Wall Street Journal, but not the Tages-Anzeiger, can charge money for digital data.
But, but, but ...
What about records, movies, crime novels, funny tabloid news? What about entertainment? The new, the funny, the scandalous, the bad, the casual, the ingenious, the unbelievable has a high value, doesn't it? Not so fast, Mr. Meyer!
Entertainment is the quality of information to generate attention. Entertainment has no monetary value, but an attention value that can be monetized with advertising. This is also a well-known model.
That should be obvious to an old hand like Frank A. Meyer, who prints free newspapers. Of course, it's easier to demonize progress than to keep up with it.
The reason why we are no longer prepared to spend money on information is not because we are stupid or evil. We know that information no longer needs paper, music no longer needs a CD, novels no longer need a book cover, a movie no longer needs a theater. We want information at the best price, without having to pay unnecessarily for printing and distribution, CD covers, video cassettes. We also don't want to buy a whole newspaper if FC Basel is all we're interested in in the BaZ. This is neither stupid nor evil, nor anti-capitalist, nor uncivil - but simply economic.
The reason is that we were brought up that way. It's not the Internet that has taught us the indecency of asking for free wit, but school, the library, radio and television. It can't be cheaper to make television than to maintain a website. Or is it, Mr. Meyer?

Finding the way to the trade fair in Zurich-Oerlikon, through the turnstile, up the first escalator on the left: the route to the Emex Forum by Swiss Marketing at the end of August was as simple as that. A journey that was worthwhile in many respects. First of all, the high-tech landscape that opened up to visitors was striking: white leather seating, standing desks, a crystal-clear acoustic system and a screen that reached up to the ceiling behind the stage. When the time countdown started on this mammoth screen, when spherical sounds began to play and a globe sank two-dimensionally into the room, it was clear: this was something special. High tech combined with high touch; speakers who touch with their messages and make a difference in the forum.
For the second time since 2008, people met at the Forum by Swiss Marketing, and for the second time it was moderated by SF brand article Stephan Klapproth. It is true that the TV personality was a good six hours early on the first day of Emex - measured against his usual TV appearance time of ten to ten. But that didn't detract from his effervescence: it's unbelievable how the SF anchorman can tackle topics, link strands of thought and market himself in the process. Before a presentation, he was able to give an entertaining tour d'horizon, ranging from Libya, Swiss domestic politics and the USA - always including a few sideswipes at the Bush dynasty - to the gaps in the knowledge of the Swiss Miss candidates: no problem for someone like Klapproth. At the latest when he added the early English to the Miss thing, it dawned on the last people in the packed forum: The "Training Day" had been launched.
Against "schooling"
This first day was opened with a presentation by Peter Petrin, Director of the Swiss Institute of Business Administration SIB, who gave a vivid account of the topic "Internationally recognized degrees in marketing" (see also article on the right). He made no secret of his admiration for the Swiss education system and the diversity offered by higher education on the one hand and higher vocational education on the other - Petrin would probably prefer the reverse order. His message in this regard in a nutshell: "An education system that has made a country as poor in raw materials as Switzerland one of the richest countries must inevitably be one of the best education systems." And, derived from this: "Our education system, in which higher vocational education plays a decisive role, is a central value driver of our economy." Petrin advised against "schooling" and forced academization. However, because the value of diamonds is only recognized by those who know diamonds, the value of Swiss qualifications outside of university must also be clearly demonstrated abroad. The solution is not to harmonize the Swiss education system with other countries, but rather what Swiss Marketing has now created: a standardized European grid in which the skills of young Swiss professionals can be mapped. Keeping the franc, but creating a conversion to the euro, that's what it's all about.
Content for professionals
Of course, the cheeky Klapproth couldn't resist asking a question on the following round panel: How does Dr. Petrin, himself an academic, come to talk down the academic path so much? He countered the typical polarization question in a calm manner: It was not a question of playing off one path against the other. And in his case, that other path besides university was far too little known at the time. On stage, education professionals then crossed swords in a way that provided a lot of content for the professionals present. Michèle Rosenheck, Head of Vocational Training at the Swiss Commercial Association, Bianka Lichtenberger, Executive Master of Business Engineering from the University of St. Gallen and Charles Mariauzouls, Human Capital Corporate Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers Switzerland. There was a good balance of arguments between the university camp and the part-time path. And supporters of the latter camp were able to note with satisfaction that their Bologna-styled and -steeled colleagues by no means hold a carte blanche for a European career in their hands with their Bachelor's degrees. Mariauzouls: "What counts is experience, education and readiness for the future career path." When he asks his HR colleagues in Europe about their knowledge of Swiss educational institutions, he usually hears that they only know the HSG - and nothing else. Michèle Rosenheck said that from the part-time side, Switzerland has a "premium product that is poorly packaged". However, at least in the marketing professions, things will soon change for the better.
Party potential
The second event on "Training Day" was also exciting, very target group-oriented and close to the audience. "Successful marketing specialist training - from practice, for practice" was the theme of a discussion between Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief of Werbewoche, and Werner Herde, Chairman of the Board of Directors of imBA AG, International Marketing Brain Academy. In his opening speech, the latter was able to clearly explain the USP of his institute - every lecturer is also a federal examination expert, and the school is geared to the needs of the students. Two real-life examples of in-service training then took to the stage to provide information. Michel Waldmeyer, newly qualified sales coordinator, and Evelyn Weber, newly qualified marketing specialist - known from the series on these pages - commented on the benefits and strains of the training. "Learn more" was what Waldmeyer would do differently, "be more relaxed" was Weber's verdict on a training period that, on the whole, was perceived as good, instructive and satisfying. The excellent idea of having graduates talk about their experiences could probably have reached the ears and eyes of the intended target group even better with a different "broadcasting slot". This is because the graduates of the MarKom admission examination, many of whom are probably interested in taking a professional examination, only came to the forum some time later. But they did so in large numbers.
Towards evening, the Emex Forum by Swiss Marketing was filled to the last square centimeter. Over 300 of the 2350 graduates attended the MarKom certificate ceremony - even though it was a tropical night outside, which would certainly have offered the young people other entertainment options. To stay with the happy hour image: Here, too, it would probably have been possible to add an extra crown to a perfect event. "Those who attended actually deserved a proper party," says Uwe Tännler. Otherwise, however, the President of Swiss Marketing was completely satisfied with the Emex Forum by Swiss Marketing: "We proved that we deliver exciting and up-to-date content, and the knowledge transfer at a high level attracted a large audience." And Tännler was "extremely positively surprised" by the large number of young people at the end of the "Training Day". What started so well on the first day continued over all three days on which the Emex Forum by Swiss Marketing was buzzing.
And because one of the best ideas in marketing is always to anticipate relevant events in good time: Here are three days to add to your hopefully already acquired 2010 agenda today. August 24 to 26, 2010, when the next Emex will take place in Zurich-Oerlikon.

"Journalism as we know it is over," writes Geneva Overholser, director of the Journalism School at the University of Southern California and former ombudswoman of the Washington Post, in her "Manifesto for Change". In a cover story for the news magazine Time, its former editor-in-chief Walter Isaacson recently stated that the crisis in journalism had reached "meltdown proportions". And David Carr, media columnist for the New York Times, already speculated two years ago about how historians would assess the current era in retrospect: "There is a certain probability that they will examine this period of American history and be astonished that journalism has disappeared."
Long before the banking and financial crisis came to a head in the fall of 2008, 19 of the 50 largest American newspapers were already in the red - as Dean Singleton, CEO of the MediaNews Group and ruler of an empire of 57 US daily newspapers, announced last summer. Many media experts believe it is possible that some major American cities will soon have to manage without their daily newspapers. As things stand, the wealthy and educated cities of Boston and San Francisco are among the first to suffer this fate.
After the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Philadelphia Inquirer had to file for bankruptcy protection, Michael Hirschorn, managing editor at Atlantis and himself an icon of US newspaper journalism, speculated how the New York Times could go bankrupt before the end of the year. He has titled his piece "End Times", which is as simple as it is ambiguous: "End Times" can mean that, but it can also mean "the end of the Times". In it, he also reflects on the consequences such a bankruptcy would have for American society. The conclusion he comes to is not exactly flattering: "Ultimately, the death of the New York Times - or at least its print edition - would be a sentimental moment and a severe blow to American journalism. But a catastrophe? In the long run, maybe not even that."
In America, however, it is not only newspapers whose existence is under threat; along with them, serious journalism is also in danger of disappearing into the Bermuda Triangle, which can only develop to its full potential in large editorial offices with a division of labor. The picture is apt, because newspapers and journalism have come under massive pressure from three sides simultaneously.
Audiences migrate to the Internet
Firstly, readers are migrating to the internet in droves. Of course, publishers had to expect this, especially as they offer everything they print on expensive paper and deliver at high distribution costs for free on the web - usually even earlier and in a more user-friendly format.
Publishers put "everything free" online because they hoped that advertising revenue would migrate from print to the Internet along with users. If this were to happen, the newspaper publishers would be off the hook. After all, they could simply save on their biggest costs - paper, printing and distribution - if the public read their newspaper online instead of rustling paper at the breakfast table.
However, according to a report on the state of the US media by the Project for Excellence in Journalism, despite strong growth rates in online offerings, the outlook is bleak here too: "Increasingly, the biggest problem facing traditional media is no longer where people get their information, but how they pay for it. It is becoming apparent that the advertising industry is not moving into the online news sector together with consumers. News offerings and advertising seem to be fundamentally decoupling."
Competition for "lousy pennies" on the Internet
There is competition on the Internet. The competitor hoping for the same advertisers is just a mouse click away. As a result, the margins on advertising revenue that used to generously finance editorial offices are shrinking. "You get lousy pennies on the web" - the lament of online pioneer Hubert Burda could just as easily come from an American publishing powerhouse.
And there is another trend that is affecting publishers: If you are looking for a new girlfriend or want to sell your car, you can now advertise online for free if you are not a trader yourself. The classifieds business, which accounted for 40 percent of newspaper publishers' advertising revenue in the USA just a few years ago, is collapsing at a dizzying pace.
The influence of PR is getting out of hand
The third cornerstone of the Bermuda Triangle receives the least attention in the professional discussion about the future of newspapers. Hardly any other sector of the economy has been as highly upgraded in recent years as the public relations industry. An armada of over 243,000 people are now employed in this sector, compared to only around 100,000 journalists. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, an agency comparable to the Federal Statistical Office, predicts that the number of PR people will grow by a further 18% over the next ten years, while editorial offices will continue to shrink at a no less breathtaking pace.
This further opens the floodgates for public relations work, with editorial offices increasingly turning press releases from companies, ministries and other interest groups into unchecked "journalism" at the click of a mouse. Because this is the case, at least the smarter readers increasingly doubt the credibility of their media - and see less and less why they should pay for it.
Conversely, those responsible for communication in companies, in politics and administration and in non-profit organizations are asking themselves whether they should spend as much money as before on expensive advertising. Many messages can be placed more cheaply and credibly as PR releases in the editorial section. This also takes resources away from the editorial offices. And where these are lacking, it is not possible to do sufficient research; journalism degenerates into sorting work and is in danger of disappearing into the Bermuda Triangle.
However, if journalism no longer works, PR also lacks the most important prerequisite for successful media work: the counterpart in the editorial offices who alone can help their messages gain credibility.
Stephan Russ-Mohl
> Graphic Bermuda Triangle: Trends
This article is an excerpt from Stephan Russ-Mohl's new book "Kreative Zerstörung. The Decline and Reinvention of Newspaper Journalism in the USA" (UVK Konstanz, to be published in mid-September). Stephan Russ-Mohl is Professor of Journalism and Media Management and Director of the European Journalism Observatory (www.ejo.ch) at the Università della Svizzera italiana in Lugano.

This fall, Der Bund is undergoing a relaunch with a new editorial concept and a revised layout. Contexta won the pitch and is responsible for the launch campaign and the future communication presence of the traditional newspaper. The first works will be on display shortly.

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