The image campaign for Obi is entering its second round: Following the launch in Germany in 2008, the campaign is now also being launched in Switzerland. In addition to the German original, the commercial will be broadcast in French and Italian in Switzerland.
In the new commercial for the DIY chain, the employees once again have their say. However, they are not allowed to speak, as this time too the entire commercial is sung. The agency Jung von Matt/Elbe drew on the Queen classic "We will rock you". The corus was translated into "How, where, what does Obi know" - a slogan that serves as the company's new claim. The commercial has now been adapted for Switzerland and translated into Italian and French as "Qui, que, quoi donc Obi" and "Dai, vai, fai con Obi".
Parallel to the launch of its TV presence, Obi Switzerland is switching its entire communication to the new motto "How, where, what does Obi know". The advertising campaign in Switzerland has been running since March 16, 2009. In addition to the 24-second image spots, three 26-second product spots focus on specific offers. The TV campaign is flanked by advertisements, radio spots, inserts, brochures, posters and various POS measures.
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Responsible at Obi Switzerland: Margrit Østergaard (Head of Marketing), Fabienne Auer (Marketing Assistant). Responsible at Jung von Matt/Elbe: Dirk Häusermann (GF), Wolf Heumann (GF), Peter Kirchhoff (CD), Frank Seiler, Adrian Staehelin (text), Lars Borker, Kay Potthoff, Matthias Schölzig (AD), Julia Stoffer (graphics), Rolf Kutzera (customer service), Guido Kirschner (project management), Katrin Stöcklmayer (project management), Sabine Schmalenbach (FFF producer), Henning Waitz (planning). Responsible at Big Fish: Otto Alexander Jahrreiss (director), Hannes Hubach (cinematographer), Robert Gold (producer).

The annual report on the state of the media in the USA could hardly be worse for newspaper publishers: for the first time in 2008, Americans obtained more information on the Internet than from printed newspapers. Although news continues to be important to US citizens and remains in demand, fewer and fewer people are willing to pay for it. According to SDA, these are the key findings of the 2009 US media annual report by the respected Pew Research Institute in Washington.
The annual report on the state of the US media, presented on Tuesday for the sixth time in a row, is the "gloomiest yet", the researchers wrote. In view of the dramatic economic crisis, 2009 will probably be the "worst year ever" for the US newspaper industry, according to the forecast. Magazines, radio and local television stations in the USA also suffered losses in 2008. Alongside Internet providers, news broadcasters in particular can feel like winners.
"Desperate efforts" by the publishers
According to the study, publishers' attempts to use the web to make up for the losses that newspapers have been suffering for years due to falling circulation and the decline in advertising business have become "a desperate endeavor". Publishers have not yet found a concept to overcome the newspaper crisis. In order to earn money with news, traditional advertising will only be able to partially cover the costs of quality journalism in the future. However, it would be an exaggeration to speak of the death of traditional journalism, which commentators and media experts had warned of in view of the US newspaper crisis.
The circulation of US newspapers fell by around 4.6 percent in 2008 to a total daily circulation of around 48 million. According to the study, the newspaper industry had a turnover of around 38 billion dollars in 2008, with publishers still generating good profits in most cases.

Til Schweiger is the new face of razor manufacturer Braun. In the upcoming campaign, the Teutonic heartthrob will look into the camera with a cool gaze and an elegant beard mower in his hand and give free rein to his "effect on the 'weaker' sex in particular" (press release).
However, it is not entirely clear why the ladies, on whom Schweiger seems to have a devastating effect, need a Braun razor (which is only intended for the face). Unless, of course, you're aiming at older ladies, in which case Til Schweiger would no longer be such an attractive subject and it would have been better to choose Sean Connery.
À Propos James Bond: Schweiger, who 57 percent of Germans can apparently imagine as a James Bond actor, is already practising in the role of the secret agent on the poster subject. Perhaps this will enable him to make the leap from the former "moving man" to the role of Daniel Craig, who has too little charm for a James Bond anyway. Schweiger's career from the moving man to the well-groomed man, so to speak.

In the continuation of the "My number one" campaign realized for PKZ and Feldpausch, By Heart once again had top models David Gandy and Rianne Ten Haken photographed by British cult photographer Rankin - with the appropriate mood for spring fashion. The national campaign will support around 50 points of sale.
Responsible at PKZ Burger Kehl & Co. AG: Olivier Burger (owner) and Simone Schäfer (Head of Communications). Responsible at By Heart: Hans Siegwart (CD), Markus Bircher (Strategy/Text), Nina Hofstetter / Simone Platz (AD), Peter Krebs (Client Service Direction), Maya Baumgartner (Consulting), Dominik Mory (Production Management), Natascha Breu (Realization). Photo: Rankin. Litho: RTK. Poster printing: JCM. Media: ZipMedia.

Zurich agency Weber Harbeke has created a campaign for its new client Graubünden Festival in which star violinist Nigel Kennedy plays the leading role. The aim is to publicize the "Snow and Symphony" music festival, which takes place from 15 to 28 March. According to the press release, the highlight will be the only two Swiss concerts by the Nigel Kennedy Jazz Quintet.
In addition to posters, flyers, advertisements and transport advertising were used. The program booklet was also designed by Weber Harbeke.
Responsible at Graubünden Festival, St. Moritz: Peter Aronsky (Intendant). Responsible at Weber Harbeke, Zurich: Max Weber (CD), Giovanni Pucci (consulting), Michael Kaelin, Sibill Zellweger (graphics).

In a letter dated Thursday evening, the journalists' organization Impressum strongly criticized the SRG's planned merger of radio and television. Impressum was dismayed to learn of the merger project between radio and television. "The planned convergence jeopardizes the quality of information, and Impressum notes that journalists are once again paying the price." The project jeopardizes freedom of expression, which is an essential pillar of Swiss democracy.
" SRG: deficit of 79 million francs
" SRG media convergence: news and contradictions from Bern
Impressum is surprised that such rationalization measures are being announced by a company financed by concession money. "The primary objective of such a company is not profitability, but the quality of the public service." On the basis of the information communicated by SRG on Thursday, Impressum doubts the sense of the project, which will have a negative impact on the quality of the media and information, restrict plurality of opinion and be carried out on the backs of media professionals.
The organization will follow the dossier closely, the letter concludes. "The association expects additional information about the project. Impressum would also like a discussion with the management of SRG SSR Idée Suisse."

The Foundation for Consumer Protection SKS is blowing the whistle on the discounter Lidl. The SKS is convinced that Lidl is making false claims about the production methods of fruit and vegetables and is threatening legal action. Specifically, it is concerned with statements in the "Emotion" advertising brochure, in which Lidl advertises "Suisse Garantie" foodstuffs that have been produced "without the use of chemicals and genetic engineering".
"Suisse Garantie" only provides information about the origin, said SKS Managing Director Sara Stalder when asked by SDA. In addition, "Suisse Garantie" products may well be produced with the help of chemical pesticides. The statement that the fruit and vegetables are GMO-free is also misleading. According to Stalder, the entire agricultural sector in Switzerland is obliged to produce GMO-free by 2013. It is therefore misleading to advertise with this label and violates fair competition. There are guaranteed to be customers who would be impressed by this.
The SKS will soon be sitting down with Lidl at a round table to discuss the statements. If Lidl does not want to remove the posts, the matter will go to court, says Stalder. She does not believe it was an oversight. The discounter had taken five years to prepare its market entry. "That should actually be enough time to find out about the conditions in Switzerland."

Leaders are cleaners
They are role models and encouragers at the same time. They show others the way and know how to inspire their fellow human beings in any endeavor. We are talking about the leaders and top leaders of our society. What makes them so special, however, is the fact that leaders are modest, possess decency and are distinguished by their virtue.
A description that has long since ceased to apply to some recently disgraced leaders.
Leaders earn a lot
What constitutes such a leader in detail was defined by the WEMF on Tuesday at the presentation of the MA Leaders 2009 at Technopark. According to WEMF's managing director, the studies conducted formed Marco Bernasconi a valuable basis for marketing and communication strategies.
In terms of figures, those who have an annual gross income of 100,000 francs, among other things, can call themselves leaders. To be a top leader, you have to earn at least 140,000 Swiss francs a year. This means that 233,000 of the respondents are leaders and 80,000 are top leaders.
Leaders indulge in an upscale lifestyle
To find this out, WEMF conducted surveys in the personal as well as the professional environment. For example, it asked the groups about their position and examined the areas of business travel and continuing education. Outside the professional environment, the respondents had to provide information on financial investments made or on their private household.
In a third section, WEMF asked the leaders how and to what extent they used the various media, which also include Internet pages. For example, how long the reading time of a particular medium was or how strong their reader loyalty was.
Leaders read mainly print titles
The research showed that while online sites were important for reinforcing print titles, leaders still consumed more content from print titles. In addition, the simultaneous use of print and online would not be detrimental to print titles.
A leader preaches vitamin C
True to the motto: first the work, then the pleasure, the information bombardment was followed by a literal sporting surprise. A short time later, the Ralph Krueger the stage. He is actually a coach for the Swiss national ice hockey team, but he could just as easily earn his living as a professional speaker. The acclaimed coach and die-hard field hockey fan explained to the audience what a leader has to be like in his eyes. Basically, it was much less a speech than a sermon of motivation and joie de vivre, which infused the auditorium with more energy than a load of fruit and vegetables.
The man with the handsome build and the powerful voice said nonchalantly: "Being there is not everything at all, if you don't win once in a while! Success is by no means measured by material things such as medals, money or popularity, which are merely secondary matters. True success is particularly evident during difficult times in life, when solutions have to be sought. "Only then are leaders born," echoed loudly through the room. If you want to be a leader, you have to wake up in the morning with the idea of giving your all every day - regardless of the situation - and pushing yourself to the limits.

(Text: Adriana Zilic, Photos: Elisabeth Real)

Matthias Glunk, CS, Ralph Krueger, guest speaker, Marco Bernasconi, WEMF Managing Director, and Verena Bosshard, VB Werbung (from left).

Dani Sigel, Natalie Schädler, both Liechtensteiner Volksblatt, and Christian Gartmann, VR WEMF (from left).

Roberto Blank, Punkt.ch, Jörg Kuhn, Publicitas, Cumi Karagülle, Automobil Revue, Giselle Vaugne, Ford Motor, and Reto Mürner, TCS (from left).

Carmela Wittmer, WEMF, with Walter Merz, BSW Leading Swiss Agencies.

Ute Grossenbacher-Radicke, Medianovis, and Robert Letsch, m&m Media Agentur.

Monica Zihis, Axel Springer Schweiz Marketing Services, and Ueli Custer, IGEM.
MORE PICTURES OF THE WEMF-PRESENTATION CAN BE FOUND IN THE UPCOMING ADVERTISING WEEK OF MARCH 26, 2009!

Sony has entered into a partnership with Google for its e-book reader, which recently became available in Germany. The purpose of the newly concluded alliance is primarily to expand the range of products for the Sony reader, which will be extended by an additional 500,000 digitized book titles as a result of the currently agreed collaboration.
The corresponding works from the search engine operator's collection are now available to download free of charge from the Sony e-book store, as Sony announced on Thursday. A large proportion of the newly added Google titles consist of works for which the copyright claims have already expired, such as Goethe's Faust.

The internet search specialist Workdigital has developed a Job search service for the microblogging service Twitter. The service sifts through the messages posted on Twitter and filters out posts with relevant information on job vacancies. Henry Mackintosh, Head of Marketing at Workdigitak, is quoted on Pressetext.ch as saying that there are around 25,000 jobs mentioned in some form on Twitter and thousands more are added every hour.
According to Workdigital, the tool could represent a possible revenue model for the currently booming blogging service. Despite Twitter's continued growth, there has been much speculation in recent months about how the free site could actually make money in the future. Workdigital believes that the Twitter job search could create a simple ad-financed service, where - similar to Google - certain news and information would be pulled from the site.

The agency Euro RSCG Zurich has prevailed in a competitive presentation and won the budget for the Bauarena construction exhibition. According to a press release issued on Thursday, the mandate includes the planning and realization of the opening event on October 1, 2009 as well as advertising support for the permanent exhibition. The advertising will mainly be seen in specialist publications and in special construction-related supplements in Swiss-German newspapers.

With the announced merger of radio and television within SRG, all nine existing main locations in the four language regions will remain. Radio and television will therefore continue to broadcast from Zurich, Bern, Basel, Geneva, Lausanne, Lugano Besso, Comano and Chur. However, SRG has not ruled out changes within and between the locations.
" SRG: deficit of 79 million francs
" Imprint sharply criticizes the SRG merger project
In terms of further organization, the SRG Board of Directors has decided that in future radio and television will form a single business unit for each language region. This is already the case in Ticino and the Romansh-speaking regions. The structural and organizational conditions for editorial cooperation within the regions are to be created this year.
Eckmann: "Cross-subsidization ruled out"
According to SRG Director General Armin Walpen, it is still unclear exactly what the editorial cooperation will look like. The procedure will be worked out together over the next few months, said Daniel Eckmann, Deputy Director General of SRG. As soon as the Board of Directors has approved the concepts of the regions, the directorates of the new business units will be filled.
None of the media involved should have a dominant position in the collaboration. According to Eckmann, radio and television must keep separate accounts by law. Cross-subsidization is ruled out. At the annual media conference in Bern, Jean-Bernard Münch, Chairman of the SRG Board of Directors, said succinctly that radio and television would remain two different media despite media convergence.
Münch also said that the project was about organizational matters, i.e. the question of how resources and competencies could best be used. SRG sees potential annual savings of around twelve million francs in infrastructure and services, such as IT, finance, human resources and real estate management. Daniel Eckmann said: "These areas should be brought together and, if it makes sense, merged."
Walpen: Contradictions regarding the objectives of convergence
Walpen contradicted the purely organizational character of the merger to a certain extent when he said that media convergence means closer editorial cooperation between radio, television and online in order to meet the needs of the audience. The fact that Walpen also said that convergence is the way to maintain diversity is also rather illogical in view of the fact that the sports, education, children's and possibly culture departments are to be merged.
Timetable: Swiss-German unit operational at the beginning of 2011
The Board of Directors of SRG Deutschschweiz (SRG.D) has set a timetable for the merger of Radio DRS and Schweizer Fernsehen SF. The new SRG business unit is expected to be operational from the beginning of 2011, it wrote. First of all, he wants to formulate the project mandate by the end of May. On this basis, the project organization, the human and financial resources and the timetable will be determined by the end of June.
The actual work on the projects should take around a year. The staff and the Swiss Syndicate of Media Professionals (SSM) will be involved in the work. By mid-2010, SRG.D intends to submit concrete proposals to the national Board of Directors of SRG SSR idée suisse for the realization of the merger of Radio DRS and Schweizer Fernsehen SF.
On this basis, the SRG Board of Directors will decide how the Swiss-German unit for radio, TV and multimedia will be organized. SRG.D will then propose a director for the new Swiss German unit, probably by the end of next year.