Metapeople is strengthening the team at its Swiss branch. Denis Langfeld will support the account management team with immediate effect. The computer scientist already has several years of experience in the field of search engine marketing, according to a press release from the performance marketing agency.
Metapeople has been offering solutions for the performance-oriented promotion of online projects for over ten years. Search engine marketing, search engine optimization, affiliate marketing, social media and banner advertising are among the product areas of the internationally positioned company. In addition to offices in Duisburg, Hamburg, Munich, London and Hong Kong, Metapeople opened a branch in Zurich in October 2008.

Impressum is disappointed about the demise of the Solothurner Tagblatt newspaper. Tamedia is still posting a positive half-year result at the bottom of the crisis and still has generous reserves, the professional association wrote in a press release on Thursday. It is disappointed by the one-sided business strategy aimed at optimizing profits, which shows no consideration for the employees affected. Impressum is calling on Tamedia to continue to employ the affected employees in their companies in appropriate positions. Furthermore, the social hardship should be alleviated by applying the Tages-Anzeiger social plan.
In 2001, the Solothurner Tagblatt was founded by Espace Medien as a regional edition or headline of the Berner Zeitung, writes Impressum - and since then "it has aggressively competed with the Solothurner Zeitung in the small media market - e.g. with cheap subscriptions." The strategy would have been successful: "Recently, under economic pressure, the publisher Müller had to sell the Vogt-Schild Medien Group, publisher of the Solothurner Zeitung, to AZ Medien - thus increasing media concentration. Espace Medien and Tamedia are partly responsible for this."
Same social plan as at Berner Zeitung
Nevertheless, her Solothurner Tagblatt will now be discontinued. In the end, all that will remain is an increasingly limited diversity of opinion and media. And the bill for the publisher's skirmishes will be paid by the 17 employees who will now lose their jobs, as well as the undisclosed number of freelancers affected.
According to Tamedia, there is a social plan for the employees affected. The same plan will be applied as at the Berner Zeitung and the newspaper Der Bund, Tamedia told SDA in response to an inquiry. The social plan is valid until the end of 2010.
Comedia reacts with concern
In a press release, Comedia reacts with concern to today's decision by Tamedia. Once again, qualified jobs for media professionals are being cut and 17 people are facing the end of their careers. The media union is supporting those affected in asserting their interests. "Even if the predatory struggle between Tamedia/Espace and AZ Medien/Vogt-Schild was conducted at the publishing level with sometimes problematic means, the closure of the Solothurner Tagblatt is a loss and contributes to a further alarming impoverishment of the press landscape. The journalistic competition spurred on better journalistic performance and gave readers the choice between two different voices", Comedia points out. Together with the editorial team, the union now wants to examine whether adjustments need to be made to the social plan that was negotiated in June for the job cuts at the Bund and Berner Zeitung. "The employees can make proposals on how to avoid the redundancies, how to reduce the redundancies and how to mitigate the consequences of the redundancies." Comedia is calling on Tamedia to carry out this procedure seriously and not simply as a formality.

Sporttip is giving its brand presence at sporting events a new look: with mobile and functional betting offices, clearly laid out communication points and a fresh look for the promotional clothing. The Aroma agency is responsible for the overall creative and technical development of the mobile betting shops and the integrated brand presence. A betting office offers space for a betting terminal, a cash register, writing surface and storage space for everyday work - on a total of 2.2 square meters. To make mobility and transportation possible in the first place, lifting column technology was used between the lower and upper parts of the building. Another highlight, according to the press release, is the LED-illuminated side walls. Aroma is responsible for the deployment logistics of the event furniture.
Sporttip is operated and marketed by Swisslos. The proceeds flow entirely into Swiss sport. The three institutions Swisslos, Loterie Romande and Sport-Toto-Gesellschaft thus distribute over CHF 100 million annually for the benefit of sport.

On September 1, 2009, Ueli Eckstein, previously Head of Print Media at AZ Medien Gruppe, took up his post as CEO of Espace Media, and today, two days later, Tamedia announced the end of the Solothurner Tagblatt (ST). Is there a connection? Eckstein himself does not want to comment, but Chrisopher Wehrli, spokesman for Espace Media, takes his place: "No," he says, "the coincidence of the dates is a coincidence." In fact, Tamedia had already ordered the discontinuation of ST's large circulation (almost 50,000 copies) in May. But did Eckstein perhaps agree to the ST stop when applying for the new position in order to avoid coming into conflict with his previous employer AZ Medien? Wehrli also denies this.
One thing is clear: BZ/Bund publishing director Uli Rubner, who has been putting the two Espace Media flagships through their paces on behalf of Tamedia since the beginning of the year, played a major role in the latest hiring decision. She must have been tearing her hair out at the costs she calculated for the Solothurner Tagblatt alone. "In the last eight years or so, Espace Media has invested around 38 million francs in the Solothurner Tagblatt - and this amount also roughly corresponds to our loss from this project, because neither the reader nor the advertising market brought in much," summarizes Wehrli. However, his publishing house had known from the outset that the commitment in Solothurn would be "tough", and former CEO Polo Stäheli (now CEO of NZZ) had always communicated this. With the free newspapers and the Sunday edition of the MittellandZeitung, however, the market has changed considerably. The performance of the editorial team, which has done "an excellent job" and appealed to a high-profile audience, should be seen as positive. Wehrli: "We are parting from the ST with tears in our eyes."
The ST's balance sheet looks lean - and not just financially. When Espace Media launched the Solothurner Tagblatt (ST) in October 2001, the Berner Zeitung already had 24,000 readers in the Solothurn area (WG 32). Seven years later, Wemf (Mach Basic 2009-1) reported 40,000 readers, i.e. not even a doubling. It is not clear how many of these are accounted for by the ST, as the ST does not report separate readership figures. One thing is certain: of the 10,000 ST copies that were constantly distributed in WG 32, there were never more than 4,600 fully paid subscriptions; Wehrli describes the rest as "marketing copies". In concrete terms, new subscribers were lured in by sending them the magazine free of charge for six months (by early subscription). Or by offering the ST in combination with the SonntagsZeitung for just CHF 100 per year. The latter resulted in Espace Media being sued by Vogt-Schild for unfair competition, but the case was dismissed.
Nevertheless, the BZ split did almost nothing to harm the top dog Solothurner Zeitung (SZ) from the Vogt-Schild publishing house (now part of AZ Medien), as the SZ readership only fell from 83,000 to 76,000 between 2001 and 2008 (-8.5 percent). The ST never got off the ground in the advertising market either. Separate figures are not available here either. But one indication: local obituaries always remained free at the ST, a unique feature in the Swiss press landscape. This was in the knowledge that the number of local obituaries is considered an indicator of how well established a title is. The BZ split was also unsuccessful in the commercial sector. "The ST was never able to gain a foothold in the advertising market," admits Wehrli openly today.
Markus Knöpfli

The business magazine Punkt has recently undergone a relaunch process. Despite the economic and advertising crisis, the publisher Financialmedia has expanded the magazine, according to a press release. The latest issue has not only increased its size by around 40 percent, but also improved the reader guidance.
Organizational changes have also been made. Cyril Schicker has been editor-in-chief since July 2009. Rino Borini, CEO of Financialmedia, will increasingly take care of the publishing management and further development of the other media products. He will continue to be responsible for the overall journalistic management of all Financialmedia products.
Advertising sales were also strengthened. Since mid-2009, Kretz AG has taken over advertising management on a partially exclusive basis.

Agence Trio, entrusted with the global communication of the Verbier St-Bernard region, has brought out its wide-angle lens to develop the brand. The aim of the project: to increase awareness of the vacation destination and make the new identity shine. By characterizing Verbier St-Bernard as a prestigious vacation region that offers relaxation away from everyday life, Trio has created a corporate identity that expresses both exclusive elegance and sportiness, according to a press release from the agency. The logo, which is based on a Valais star with a new dynamic, is used on a variety of advertising media: welcome signs, vehicles, tourist information offices and give-aways.
Responsible at Agnece Trio: Nina Hugentobler (project manager), Mélanie Mudry (consultant), Guido Masson (CD), Jesus Gonzalez (AD), Yvo Hählen (graphics), David von Ritter (text). Multimedia: Gregory Franco. Photography: Yves Garneau (G1 Photographic Productions).

The video platform Youtube Youtube.com wants to introduce an online video rental service. According to insiders, the Google portal is currently in negotiations with the major Hollywood studios to be able to offer full-length films on the site for a fee in future. There has been no official confirmation from Google so far. "At the moment, these are rumors in the market and we are not commenting on them. But of course we always hope to be able to expand our good relationships with the film studios and extend the offer for our users," said Google spokesperson Stefan Keuchel when asked by pressetext. YouTube already offers individual full-length films. However, there is currently no paid content, according to Keuchel.
If the film studios and YouTube actually reach an agreement, things could change for the platform. The site's huge audience is built around free videos and revenue is generated through online advertising. Paid services would be a completely new direction for YouTube and would also put the portal in direct competition with services from Netflix, Amazon and Apple.
According to insider information, Google is currently negotiating with Lionsgate, Sony and Warner Brothers, reports the Wall Street Journal. However, the film studios have so far refused to comment on the matter. However, it has been reported by informed sources that the film studios have been pushing for YouTube to integrate paid content on the platform for some time. It now appears that the video platform is quite prepared to do so if the film studios provide a wide range of films for YouTube in return, including more recent productions.
At the moment, the negotiations are apparently mainly about the exact prices and the timing of the releases on YouTube. In any case, the video platform is said to be aiming for a release close to the DVD launch. Analysts are currently unwilling to comment on the financial impact of the potential deal on YouTube, but are generally of the opinion that major collaborations with Hollywood can only benefit the site in the long term.

Under the motto "The Look of Wishes," Scholz & Friends Zurich launched a cross-media campaign to celebrate Blick's 50th birthday. At the center of the campaign are the readers, who send their wishes directly to the tabloid. The suggestions collected in this way are incorporated into the design of Blick.
The first part of the campaign starts with the call "Blick is turning 50. And you can make a wish": The Blick Wunschmobil fleet has been visiting more than 50 locations throughout German-speaking Switzerland since Sunday to personally receive readers' wishes. The campaign microsite www.blick.ch/wunschblick serves as a multimedia platform for readers' wishes, where users can now express their wishes via webcam, video, text or image upload. Other response channels that readers can use to enter into dialog with the tabloid include free SMS, telephone hotline, e-mail, or mail.
Ads, online banners and ambient media as well as editorial coverage in Blick draw attention to the campaign. The best reader requests will be published in the second campaign phase from the end of September in TV commercials, outdoor advertising, print and online.
Responsible at Blick Group, Ringier AG: Corina E. Schneider (Head of Reader Market), Marie-Eve Aegerter (Head of Advertising Market). Responsible at Scholz & Friends Zurich: Joerg Jahn, Markus Hammer, Teresa von Einem, Conrad Malcher (creation), Uli Geiger, Mathias Rösch (consulting), Martin Pross (board member and partner Scholz & Friends Group), Katrin Seegers (strategic planning). Responsible at Atfront AG (programming microsite): Overall responsibility: Daniel Landolt (Interaction Director), Peter Eisenegger (Consulting), Fabian Keller (Project Management).

The Goldbach Media subsidiary Adlink Media is expanding its product range with a further website pool: the advertising offerings of six music websites have been combined into a one-stop shop.
Music plays an important role in the lives of Swiss Internet users across all age groups, according to a press release: 65% say they have a strong interest in music, and in the 14-19 age group the figure is as high as 88% (Net-Metrix profiles). This is reflected in the use of specific music content, with 41% of Swiss Internet users listening to music via CD or MP3 player on a daily or almost daily basis (Mach Consumer).
Based on these findings, Adlink Media has bundled the five music websites Aightgenossen.ch, Lastfm.ch, Music.ch, Songtexte.ch and Vivatv.ch into a single offer. The music pool can be booked in a staggered, three-tier pricing model - depending on the needs of the advertiser.

From Head of TV National to Head of Key Account Management, from Managing Director to Chief Executive Officer, from Sales Director to Country Manager - yawn, how boring, anyone can do that. The real heroes of this world choose completely different career paths. For example, the path from successful banker to sausage stand owner: after T.B. from F. lost his job at the bank from one day to the next, he decided to open his own snack stand. No sooner said than done - today he sells currywurst, bratwurst and chips very close to his former workplace. And he likes his new job: the job at the grill is "much more real" than the financial sector, he is quoted as saying on Spiegel.de. No comparison with hours of work on the PC and phone, where so much is done virtually. No, at the sausage stand, "you put something out and something comes in". With so much newfound zest for life, he is happy to accept that one or two ex-colleagues in suits and ties no longer greet him as he walks past. However, most of the bankers he still knows from the past are happy to stop by - to fill their bellies with hearty food.

The Grand Hotel Bellevue in Gstaad is offering a 3-day special in time for the golden days of fall and is having it announced by the BSSM advertising agency. The Basel-based advertisers have developed a print campaign that will appear in the NZZ and Le Temps. Short, to-the-point advertisements draw attention to the Relax Special and invite the target audience to visit the landing page. It provides detailed information about the offer and offers a direct link to the booking. In addition, the five-star superior hotel uses e-mail newsletters and customer letters. A multi-stage recipe that has already helped the luxury hotel to achieve good booking success this spring.
Responsible at Grand Hotel Bellevue, Gstaad: Caroline Holzgreve (overall responsibility). Responsible at BSSM Werbeagentur, Basel: Urs Schneider (CD), Hannes Müller (text), Daniel Bard (AD), Markus Binggeli (consulting). Photos: Felder Images and Christoph Duepper. Media: The Whole Media, Basel.

Nobody expects Roger Federer to be a world-class chef. The focus on his own expertise is credible - and is also behind the new positioning of the Grafimedia printing company. The new overall image was developed by Ammarkt.
Today, print shops are struggling with similar problems to yogurt, computer or detergent producers: Their product range is interchangeable to a similar extent. This makes clear positioning in the market all the more important. Ammarkt quickly uncovered Grafimedia's shortcomings, according to a press release from the St. Gallen agency: although the Eastern Swiss print shop has a real USP, hardly anyone knows what makes Grafimedia special. Not least because of the brand name Grafimedia, which does not allow any valid conclusion to be drawn about the activity - printing.
Ammarkt developed a strategy that solved both problems at once. The three owners of the family business openly admit that they are not good at many things in life. Golfing, cooking and fishing are not the Breu brothers' thing. "Never mind," they say confidently. Because they are all the more competent in their core business, printing. The PSO certificate, which only a handful of print shops in Switzerland have and which guarantees 100% color fastness for every order, is proof of this. The repositioning includes a more precise company name, Grafimedia Druck AG, and is supported by a new corporate identity, which is used in the website, brochure, posters, advertisements and various acquisition and customer mailings. The new image will be on display from September 2009.
Confessions of the Breu brothers, owners of Grafimedia: