The discounter Lidl wants to take offensive action against its poor image and focus more on social responsibility. In an interview with Spiegel Online, CEO Robin Goudsblom also admitted his own mistakes, as Werben & Verkaufen writes on Monday.
The Group not only wants to be cheap and fast, but also sustainable. That is why it is committed to greater environmental protection and better treatment of its employees. According to Goudsblom, the company has recognized in recent years that the issue of social responsibility is playing an increasingly important role.
Goudsblom also attributes Lidl's poor image to the company's own mistakes, such as the spying affair. Major mistakes were made that have now been rectified and will not happen again.

In the US, consumption of traditional television, online videos and mobile TV continued to increase in the fourth quarter of the previous year. This is according to a recent report by media research company Nielsen. Both the number of users and the time spent consuming video content increased compared to the third quarter of 2008. Mobile TV achieved the fastest growth. However, time-shifted television, i.e. programs recorded with a digital video recorder, also grew rapidly and significantly.
According to the Nielsen report, online video consumption is constantly catching up with traditional television. In terms of both user numbers and usage time in the USA, the sector recently grew twice as fast as the TV sector. In addition, the 18 to 24 age group spent almost as much time watching online videos as watching recorded TV content for the first time.

The pharmacies in both Basel are promoting themselves with a new publicity campaign. The aim is to position the pharmacies as competent contact and advice centers for health issues with the claim "Directly to the pharmacy". With the new advertising campaign, the two professional associations from Basel-Stadt and Baselland are using their strengths for the region, according to a press release from Life Science Communication.
The campaign includes advertising, PR, Internet, sponsorship and trade fair measures. The advertising subjects make reference to the cultural characteristics of the Basel region, for example a carnival mask. The motifs can now be seen as streetcar hangers on BVB and BLT lines. In addition, a sticker with a green plaster and the slogan "Get healthy. Stay healthy." will be placed.

Responsible at Apotheken beider Basel: Nadine Bloch (Managing Director), Pasqualine Balmelli (President of the Public Relations Committee). Responsible for the realization: Strategy, consulting and implementation: Salome Fünfschilling (independent communications consultant, Basel), Sibylle Hänni (Senior Consultant, Life Science Communication, Küsnacht). Creation and graphics: Pascal Kottmann (Atelier Durchschuss Graphic Design, Basel).

Zurich-based design and communications agency Heusser Communicates has created the visual concept for SRG's Idée Suisse magazine and produced the first issue. It will report on current and important SRG topics and projects on a quarterly basis. Media makers from SRG as well as media experts from Switzerland and abroad will have their say. According to a statement issued on Monday, SRG intends to use the magazine to provide information about radical changes in the media industry and developments in its program offerings. A special feature of the magazine is that all four national languages are included.
The magazine is distributed to employees, interested parties and friends of SRG, as well as to those responsible for culture and politics. Srgssrideesuisse.ch can be read and downloaded.
Heusser Communicates is also responsible for SRG's 2007 and 2008 annual reports.
Responsible at SRG, Bern: Max Gurtner. Contact at Heusser Communicates, Zurich: Thomas Heusser (consulting), Thomas Heusser, Anita Elsenhans (AD), Julien Ginn (graphics/layout/illustration), Roman von Arx (realization).

Wander has been working with ski racer Didier Cuche for over ten years. Startbahnwest has already created advertisements for the 08/09 ski season under the motto "Together for success". Now, following the gold medal at the World Championships in Val d'Isère, the Zurich agency has designed additional subjects with which Wander congratulates Didier Cuche on his great achievement.
Responsible at Wander: Bettina Marthaler (Product Manager Ovomaltine), Sarah Winiger (Marketing Assistant Ovomaltine). Responsible at Runway West: Hartmut Vetter (Strategic Planning), Yves Burgener (Consulting), Rüdiger Flothmann (CD, Text), Gesine Dittrich (AD), Natasa Maricic (Text), Joely Tafanalo (DTP).

Ulrike Ulrich has been the new Head of Literary Writing at the Swiss Writing Scene Institute since the beginning of February 2009. The author is responsible for the study courses and seminars on literary writing. Ulrich studied German language and literature, art history and journalism and has won several literary prizes.
The area of writing for companies and organizations as well as the courses for corporate publishers and copywriters will continue to be managed by Cathrin Moser, who runs the institute together with Fatima Vidal.

Marked slump: At the start of the year, companies and organizations once again cut back on advertising and placed fewer advertisements in Swiss print media. Advertising revenues in the press fell by 17.7 percent compared to January 2008 and amounted to CHF 123.1 million, according to statistics published by Wemf für Werbemedienforschung on Monday, according to SDA. Revenues had already fallen by over 11 percent in December compared to the previous year.
The decline in January affected all advertising categories - especially job advertisements. Income here fell by 31.2 percent to CHF 21.3 million. Income in the strongest category, commercial/other advertisements, also slumped to 89.2 million francs (-13.8 percent). Property advertisements still brought in CHF 4.6 million (-23.9 percent) for the press and brochure inserts around CHF 800,000 (-13.4 percent).
In terms of media type, business and financial publications suffered the most: Advertising revenues plummeted by 54.4 percent to CHF 2.8 million. According to Wemf, the slightly lower number of issues (58 instead of 62) would only account for a drop of a few percent. The rest is probably due to the financial crisis.
The daily press recorded revenues of CHF 79 million, down 16.8 percent, and the Sunday press saw net advertising revenues fall by 28.8 percent to CHF 10.7 million. Specialist media generated revenues of CHF 14.5 million (-8.2 percent) and the general press CHF 9.1 million (-5.5 percent).

Nike has launched a new campaign: In it, 25 world-famous football players and athletes advertise for the sports brand, including Valon Behrami, Didier Drogba, Rafael Nadal and Cesc Fabregas. The advertising subjects are intended to represent the rebellious attitude of the young athletes towards the challenge - symbolized by the Victory sign, writes the agency in a press release from 2h2m.
The campaign motifs were shot by British photographer Rankin in Madrid, Milan and London and are expected to be on display in Switzerland from the beginning of March 2009. In addition to the advertising motifs, a new edition of the "Eugene Track" jacket will also be released. This was named after the city of Eugene, the athletics capital of the USA. The garment will be available to buy in Switzerland from February.

The Chicago Police Department wanted to polish up its image and hired an advertising agency for a "brand makeover". For the magazine Ad Age, this was a hit. What causes a stir in America has long since become a habit with the Swiss police - for example the Zurich Cantonal Police. In this country, attempts are being made to secure the next generation of police officers with advertisements and image films.
On Kasernenstrasse in Zurich, the cheerful effect is also being used to increase the popularity of the police: In the glass display case in front of the main entrance to the police building, the ice-age squirrel Scrat dances around on cotton balls. The decorative elements in the lovingly decorated glass case change seasonally: next summer, fish will transform the showcase into an aquarium. Details are still secret. But if the Kapo joins forces with the clownfish Nemo, nothing should stand in the way of success.

Minneapolis Police Department advertisement.

(Source: Tagesanzeiger, picture: Sophie Stieger)

The SVP local councillors Mauro Tuena and Roger Bartholdi have asked the Zurich City Council why the Department of Social Affairs regularly places job advertisements in the P.S. newspaper. The editor-in-chief of the left-wing newspaper, which according to 20 Minuten on Monday is constantly struggling to survive, is Koni Loepfe, the president of the city's SP. The two SVP politicians write that such courtesy advertisements are an indirect subsidization of the newspaper by the department headed by Martin Waser, a Social Democrat.

Lampert Druckzentrum, based in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, has a new Managing Director, according to a press release issued on Monday. Rino Frei took over the position of manager on January 1, 2009. He previously worked for two large printing companies in Eastern Switzerland. Frei held various management positions at both companies before moving to Liechtenstein.
Lampert Druckzentrum offers its customers a range of services in accordance with the European TQM quality model.

Changes have been on the horizon at Tamedia for some time. In November last year, it was announced that Editor-in-Chief Peter Hartmeier would be handing over the reins in 2009. As the owner of the Espace Media Group (Bund and Berner Zeitung), Tamedia must find a solution for the loss-making Bund. In addition, Tamedia spokesman Christoph Zimmer does not rule out cost reductions and job cuts, as he confirmed to Sonntag.
The Tamedia management has not yet made its decisions. The successor to Peter Hartmeier is still uncertain. Hartmeier's deputy Res Strehle is considered a candidate. Markus Eisenhut, the current co-editor-in-chief of the Berner Zeitung, is also being discussed, according to Sonntag. Tamedia's management is also not yet making any concrete statements about job cuts. Their decisions will be announced by next summer.