Parties and committees should be allowed to advertise their cause with free radio and television spots before federal votes. The National Council's Political Institutions Committee (SPK) passed a bill to this effect by 14 votes to 8. The SPK would like to strengthen the participation of political parties in shaping the opinion and will of the people, as the parliamentary services announced on Monday. In addition to the Political Rights Act, the Radio and Television Act, which currently expressly prohibits political advertising, must also be amended.
Licensed radio and television broadcasters who benefit from fee shares are obliged to broadcast the 15- to 30-second spots. The total duration is limited to three minutes per day and medium. Parties represented by a parliamentary group in the Federal Parliament and initiative or voting committees that have brought about a referendum are eligible. The production costs are borne by the parties and committees themselves. Their advertisements must comply with minimum content principles and must not contain any demonstrably incorrect factual claims. Commercial advertising and the naming of any sponsors are prohibited.
The National Council is expected to discuss the amendments to the law and the associated parliamentary ordinance in the fall session. The bill is based on an initiative by Andreas Gross (SP/ZH), which the National Council approved at the beginning of March 2005.

The online marketer Serranetga has launched a new advertising service for Zuri.net. With circle targeting, advertising can now be matched according to urban circle. This allows SMEs to reach target groups in Zurich on a district-specific basis. Zuri-Package, which in addition to Zuri.net also includes platforms such as Ron Orp's Trendnewsletter and Flughafen-zuerich.ch, will also bundle various websites with a presence in Zurich, according to a press release issued on Monday.

The investor portal Stocks.ch, which was launched on March 27 of this year, reached 494,701 page impressions in April according to Wemf NET-Metrix audit figures. In the same period, 120,998 visits from 64,410 unique clients were counted. The online offering of the fortnightly investor magazine Stocks is to be continuously expanded. Since the beginning of April, the price movements of SMI stocks have been analyzed on the basis of charts in collaboration with Godmode-Trader.ch. Since Monday, investors have also been able to find options recommendations for each share, which are provided by the Zurich-based company Fabware.

The Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg has announced this year's Porsche International Student Advertising Film Award. Students from all over the world are called upon to submit a maximum 90-second commercial by July 10, 20 09. The ten nominated directors will be announced at the award ceremony in Ludwigsburg on November 12, 2009. In addition to the David trophy, the first three will receive prize money of 3,911, 2,911 and 1,911 euros, in reference to the Porsche 911 sports car.

Last year, Wirz Advertising produced two commercials for the interest group Battery Disposal in Switzerland (Inobat), which aimed to encourage people to return their batteries in a humorous way. The message: no more lame excuses will be tolerated if someone doesn't return their batteries. Wirz has now followed up with two print subjects in which the well-known German photographer Holger Pooten has staged the excuses of two would-be disposers in elaborate pictures. The numerous invented problems that the protagonists face are still very abstruse - returning batteries remains a difficult case

The eastern Swiss advertising agency Hollenstein und Partner has created an image brochure for L. Kellenberger & Co. The aim was to position the Swiss subsidiary of the Hardinger Group, based in the USA, on the international market as a company for high-precision cylindrical and jig grinding machines. The brochure "Grinding technology to perfection" was written in German and English and aims to combine Swiss quality with the elements of tradition and future.

Responsible at Kellenberger: Urs Baumgartner (Director of Marketing and Sales), John Schär (Marketing). Responsible at Hollenstein and Partner: Paul Seliner (consultant), Ruedi Hollenstein (CD), Patrizia Wetten and Cora Hollenstein (graphics), Daniel Blatti (text).

The agency Futurecom, part of the Y&R Group, has created an official brand page on Facebook for the Axpo Super League (ASL). The aim of the fan page is to show fans Axpo's commitment to Swiss football by giving them the opportunity to discuss Swiss football in an online social network. Former Swiss national team coach Köbi Kuhn regularly reports on current events in the top football league, while journalists from football magazines do the same in the Mixed Zone. The latest posts are automatically displayed on Facebook.

The advertisers at Jung von Matt/Limmat have created a radio spot for Tic Tac. With its extreme brevity, it is intended to convey the message that the refreshing sweets freshen the breath within two seconds.
Responsible at Ferrero Switzerland: Claudio Capello (Marketing Director). Vresponsible at Jung von Matt / Limmat: Alexander Jaggy, Michael Rottmann (CD), Alexander Holtz, Inken Rohweder (lyrics), Carolin Schröder (consulting), Erasmo Palomba (art buying), Jingle Jungle (recording studio).

> To the spot

The Weissgrund communications agency has created a campaign that advertises on its own behalf. Four full-page archetypal advertisements are intended to show what the advertisers are interested in, what they understand, what they like to communicate, for whom and for what they like to work - and also what they don't, according to a press release issued on Monday. The aim is to demonstrate that the 13-strong team is used to asking the right questions that lead to clear positioning in order to strategically reach the target group.
The advertisements will appear in the next issue of NZZ am Sonntag on May 17, 2009.

Religion and brands have nothing in common? Not at all! In today's consumerist society, everything becomes a brand. We are used to choosing the branded products that best meet our needs, Mara Epstein, author of Brands of Faith, told Ad Age magazine. It's exactly the same with faith. We choose the religion that promises us the most gratification. If we are disappointed by one brand - or religion - we switch to another.
Now a US study has revealed the lack of loyalty to the religion brand. According to the study, around 46 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds do not feel they belong to any religion. Last week, the United Methodist Church launched a 20 million dollar advertising campaign in the USA to boost its tarnished brand value. Among other things, Twitter and Facebook as well as the homepage are being used 10thousanddoors.orgto unite passive unbelievers in a community of active believers. With this advertising strategy, the Methodists want to stand up to the megachurches in the USA, which attract churchgoers in droves by offering them entertainment comparable to Disney World - music, light shows, extra offers for the children, etc. Because shrewd marketing experts know: give the audience what they want. There is no need to have any qualms of conscience, marketing is simply "a necessary evil".

Sven Oeschger is the new Client Unit Director and member of the Executive Board at TBWA\Zurich. Since May 1, 2009, the trained strategic planner and lawyer has been heading a team of 14 and is responsible for clients such as McDonald's and Beiersdorf. Previously, Oeschger was Planning Director at the Sulzer Sutter agency, where he looked after clients such as Parisienne, Fiat and American Express.
Oeschger trained as a Strategic Planner at the Miami Ad School in the USA in 2000. After his return from the USA, he joined Wirz Werbung, where he was responsible for Sunrise, Masterfoods, Toyota, ZKB and Allianz Suisse, among others, and eventually became Planning Director and a member of the extended management board. In 2005, he founded Planningshop, a Swiss agency for strategic planning.
Oeschger completed his law degree in Basel. He started his career in advertising at the Bonaparte agency (formerly Lintas). In 2009, as co-founder and partner, he launched Copyright Control, a worldwide legal protection insurance for creative professionals in the event of misuse of copyright.

Darko Pani?, Managing Director of Publicitas Publimag, is leaving the Publicitas specialist for the marketing of consumer, trade and specialty press after a 12-year career. The date of his departure and the associated succession plan have not yet been determined.
Darko Pani? began his career at Publicitas Publimag as Product Manager for agricultural magazines. The media specialist was later promoted to Head of Sales and Member of the Management Board. Since August 2008, Pani? Publicitas Publimag as Managing Director.