The editorial office of the daily newspaper Liechtensteiner Volksblatt in Schaan has a new manager. The Board of Directors has entrusted Heinz Zöchbauer with the management of the paper. The 42-year-old Zöchbauer replaces Tino Quaderer, who changed sectors at the end of January after two and a half years as editor-in-chief and accepted a new challenge. This was announced by Liechtensteiner Volksblatt AG on Thursday.
Zöchbauer has been working at the Volksblatt for ten years, first as editor, then as head of sport. He has also been responsible for internal training at the Principality's oldest newspaper for three years.

The Lowe agency, part of the Draftfcb/Lowe Group, has realized an activation campaign for the Swiss chocolate manufacturer Cailler, which is based on the TV commercial also developed by Lowe two years ago. "Emotion Factory" builds up.
The "Emotionen verschenken" (Give the gift of emotions) campaign starts virtually online and arrives in reality as a tangible and sweet gift, according to a press release from the agency. On the new interactive and video-animated website Cailler.ch the user enters the chocolate factory and turns the wheels of the emotion machine with the help of the young lady from the TV commercial. You can put together your own individual chocolate and send it to your loved one free of charge for Valentine's Day.
Lowe Zurich was responsible for the strategy, concept and overall responsibility. Lowe Stratéus Paris was responsible for the creation of the offline communication media and Lowe Brindfors Stockholm was responsible for the implementation of the online presence.
Responsible at Cailler: Cornelia Brechbühl (Communication Manager), Marie-Pierre Ambroggi (Group Brand Manager Business Unit Chocolate Nestlé). Responsible at Lowe Zurich: Frédéric Nogier (concept/AD), Ivan Madeo (concept/text), Stefan Näf (strategy), Gabrielle Lommel (consulting).

The public prosecutor's office in Geneva has dropped a case of racial discrimination against French-speaking Swiss television. A radio presenter had called the French comedian Dieudonné a "nigger" as a guest on the cultural talk show "Tard pour bar". The statements made by presenter Pascal Bernheim were inappropriate and clumsy, concluded Attorney General Daniel Zappelli. However, as the presenter made them in a program that tested the limits of humour, these words were intended as a joke and are not relevant under criminal law. According to SDA, French-speaking Swiss television wrote this in a statement on Thursday.
The complaint against the presenter of the program, Michel Zendali, the program director Gilles Pache and the presenter Pascal Bernheim was filed by the African cultural association Kasaï.
The term "Negro" was also at issue in a case that the Independent Complaints Authority for Radio and Television (UBI) had to deal with in December. At the time, the UBI rejected a complaint against a radio program about Barack Obama. Obama - before his election as US President - had been referred to as a "nigger" in a fictitious conversation between two Swiss tourists on a campsite in Italy in the "Zweierleier" program on Radio DRS 1. A listener objected to this.

The most valuable Swiss brand in the 2009 ranking of the business magazine Bilanz is once again Nescafé, with an increase of 5.8 percent to 16.303 billion Swiss francs. It is well ahead of the number two, UBS, whose brand value has shrunk by 39.3 percent to CHF 7.6 billion compared to 2007. The big bank has managed to hold on to second place, as the preliminary print of the Interbrand ranking published on Friday reveals. However, the damage to investment banking is affecting the credibility of the bank as a whole. In the long term, the UBS brand will have to reinvent itself. CS, on the other hand, has grown strongly in a two-year comparison, namely by 68.8 percent to 6.816 billion francs. It has paid off for CS to focus on a single brand. It occupies fourth position in the ranking.
In third place is the food group Nestlé with a value of CHF 6.973 billion. As two years ago, the top ten also includes Zurich (ZFS), Rolex, Swisscom and Omega. Davidoff and the chocolate manufacturer Lindt are new to the top ranks. In addition to UBS, Adecco (-18.3 percent), Logitech (-6.5 percent) and Swiss Life (-4.9 percent) also lost value. ABB, Swiss Re and Ciba were no longer valued because they hardly do any end-customer business. Novartis and Roche are also no longer included. The reason is that they advertise more with product names than with the company brand.
As in 2007, the most valuable brand worldwide is Coca Cola. Its value amounted to 66.7 billion dollars (+2 percent). It is followed by IBM and Microsoft, which also increased in value. None of the Swiss brands made it into the world's top 20.

To coincide with the publication of the new Anthrazit special issue "The 200 best websites in Switzerland", the Zurich agency GGK has created an advertising motif focusing on the issue's theme. According to a press release issued by the agency, GGK has literally transformed the topic and put it into the picture - in line with Anthrazit publisher Christian Schwengeler, who hopes that this will increase the magazine's presence and sales via mobile devices. The magazine can of course also be ordered via QR code or SMS.
Responsible at Anthrazit: Christian Schwengeler (editor), Gabriela Benz (publishing director). Responsible at GGK: Jean-Marc Demeulemeester (creation), Nicole Berger (graphics), Oliver Kindhauser (consulting).

The Swiss media associations Impressum and SSM are launching a new magazine. Starting in April, it will be published six times a year in separate, independently edited language editions in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. A circulation of over 10,000 copies is planned, with the magazine appearing for the first time in April 2009.
Philipp Cueni from German-speaking Switzerland and Christian Campiche from French-speaking Switzerland have been appointed as editors-in-chief. Both have many years of professional experience. Cueni has already built up and edited the specialist magazine Gazette. Campiche was head of the business section of La Liberté, worked as editor-in-chief of Bilan and l'Agefi and is co-founder of the Info en Danger association.
Gazette and Journalisten.ch to be replaced
According to the press release, the magazine is aimed at anyone who works in the Swiss media industry or is interested in media topics. It replaces the previous publications Gazette and Journalisten.ch.
Publishing and production are handled by Bachmann Medien in Basel. The layout concept was developed by the Schwerzmann Rothenfluh agency in Zurich. Advertising marketing is handled by Cemedia in Wettingen. There is a content cooperation with the German trade magazine Message and the Institute for Journalism Studies at the University of Leipzig.
No collaboration with Klartext for the time being
Cueni first announced the new media magazine in his column in the December issue of the Gazette. According to this report, SSM had also initially negotiated with the media magazine Klartext. However, the talks have not yet resulted in anything.
The reason for this was differences over the direction of the title: Klartext had offered SSM a collaboration within the framework of the existing magazine. However, SSM only considered a completely new project. However, the door is still open for Klartext. The contract between SSM and impressum stipulates that Klartext can enter into negotiations about a collaboration at any time, said Cueni.

1,100 graduates successfully completed the Markom admission test, which was held for the fourth time at the end of February. According to the press release, a total of 1,234 people took part.
The industry associations Swiss Marketing SMC, Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Marketing GfM, Verkauf Schweiz VS, Schweizer Direktmarketing Verband SDV, Schweizer Werbung SW, Schweizerische Public Relations Gesellschaft SPRG and KV Schweiz belong to the Makom association, which was founded in 2002. The association has set itself the task of conducting a joint admission examination to be taken in advance for the new examination regulations at professional examination level that have been in force since January 1, 2009.
The next exam will take place from August 3 to 7, registrations will be accepted from May 4. The registration deadline is July 3, 2009.

One jury. One goal. One ratings hit. Starting this week, Heidi Klum will be back with the casting show for "Germany's next Topmodel". Millions of girls' dreams will be reflected on the screen. Until May 28, the fourth season of the modern Cinderella fairy tale on ProSieben will be a weekly thrill ride. Experience has shown that the show can count on a large fan base in Switzerland. An attractive environment for Swiss advertisers too.
"We are delighted to be able to place Diwisa and its lifestyle drink Bodystyle in the context of the show. Originally, only classic commercials were planned. In a meeting, however, we were able to convince Diwisa that a cross-media campaign would be more beneficial for the brand," explain Andrea Jordi and Raffael Huber, both Account Managers at IP Multimedia.
Instead of just running commercials, Bodystyle can now appear in ProSieben's Swiss advertising window as the presenting sponsor of "Germany's next Topmodel". "A story with great added value. Thanks to the link with the show, an image transfer can be achieved that a normal commercial alone cannot achieve," explains Jacqueline Sasse, Head of Radio & Sponsoring at IP Multimedia.
For the implementation, Diwisa worked with the advertising agency Frontal in Willisau and the production company Centauri in Ebikon to create a trailer that showcases the two brands Bodystyle and BodyStyle Ice-Tea. The advertising message about the content and benefits of the lifestyle drinks is only communicated in a second phase with similarly designed commercials. The films show backstage impressions from a photo shoot for a Bodystyle campaign in keeping with the world of modeling.
From Facebook to the tennis club
In order to publicize the sponsorship of "Germany's next Topmodel" not only on television, a corresponding cross-media concept was created. This includes print advertisements, internet measures on Facebook and sampling in retail outlets. In addition, tennis clubs are provided with fridges containing free drinks and Diwisa's delivery vans are branded with appropriate stickers for the show.
All measures and results relating to this cross-media concept are documented by IP Multimedia in an accompanying study and evaluated for future projects.
The cross-media concept also includes a planned "IP Ladies Night". Together with Diwisa and other partners, the marketer is inviting 150 women from the communications industry to watch the final of the casting show together on May 28. In addition to the pleasure of talking shop about the finalists, the participants will be able to get fashion and cosmetics tips from specialists.
Andreas Panzeri

About Diwisa/Bodystyle
BodyStyle is "Switzerland's first official lifestyle drink", as Diwisa explains. This category has been redefined by the health authorities to distinguish it from energy drinks: They contain no fat, no sugar and therefore almost no calories. Instead, thanks to L-carnitine, the energy metabolism is stimulated and fat burning is supported. Launched in 2007, Bodystyle has already sold 2 million cans at Coop and in petrol station stores.
With over 100 employees, Diwisa is the largest distillery company in Switzerland. In addition to the "Original Willisau Fruit Distillates", the company also sells Xellent Swiss Vodka and Jägermeister. In addition to alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic drinks already account for 20 percent of sales. This also includes the energy drink Trojka energy, of which 16 million cans are sold each year.

Heidi Klum and her fellow jury members Rolf Schneider (l.) and Peyman Amin.

SF editor Hansjürg Zumstein was honored on Wednesday at the 4th International Video Journalism Awards for a news report. This was announced by Swiss Television on Wednesday.
In the film "Stolen Bank Data", which was broadcast on April 2, 2008, Zumstein portrayed the case of a former Swiss banker who undergoes a transformation from whistleblower to threatening person. According to the SF press release, the international jury had 250 entries to evaluate. The eight VJ Award winners received prize money totaling 12,000 euros.

There are around 30 opticians in Bern. One of the best-known specialist eyewear stores is the family business Boday Bulloni. Camilla, Stefan and Béla Boday Bulloni consistently focus on the three components of advice, fashion and technology. With this focus on the urban, fashion-oriented population, the children's eyewear range is also comprehensively covered. The family business has developed its own collection for this purpose. This caters to the often requested narrow, large and tall shapes.
The Zurich-based Boxx advertising agency has been developing and maintaining the Boday Bulloni brand for eleven years. The main medium used is outdoor advertising with street posters and hanging boxes in streetcars and buses. Every two years, a constantly surprising campaign is developed for this purpose, which is supplemented with direct advertising. The current subjects play with the visual effect of admiring oneself in reflective everyday objects. Potential customers are thus invited to take a closer look at their appearance.
Andreas Panzeri

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Jürg Koller (60) loves dialog. This applies to teamwork with his five employees just as much as it does to collaboration with his clients. But Koller is especially happy when his customers start talking to their customers - because then his work has achieved its goal.
Koller founded his first direct marketing agency in 1985, which is why he is considered a pioneer of Swiss direct marketing. Whether mailings, TV or radio spots, coupon ads or posters, Koller has mastered the entire repertoire of response instruments. "What fascinates me about direct marketing is that the success of my ideas can be measured immediately," says Koller, explaining his passion for his work. "I get immediate feedback after each campaign as to whether my feel for target groups and my assessment of consumer needs is working well. That's because my client can immediately relate the costs of a marketing measure to its benefits, for example, to the value of the subscriptions gained. And so he and I can see immediately whether the action is worthwhile or not." This is an effect that does not exist in this form with classic advertising.
"Traditional advertising and direct marketing are two worlds," Koller says. "Traditional and direct advertisers think, speak and act very differently." But his extensive experience makes it easy for Koller to switch glasses from time to time and adopt the perspective demanded by the customer in each case. Although Koller's heart is set on dialog marketing and direct consumer feedback, he also enjoys classic advertising. That's why Koller Direct offers general advertising consulting in addition to direct marketing. "The ratio is about 80 to 20," Koller says. "My national clients know me as a direct marketer and come to me because they are looking for dialogue with their consumers. But for companies and institutions here in Baden and the surrounding area, I also develop traditional advertising campaigns." Koller Direct serves an illustrious client base: the Baden agency's direct expertise is currently relied on, for example, by Valiant-Bank Bern, Aargauer Zeitung, Tele magazine, Nivea, Allianz, Blick-Verlag and Ringier magazines. Koller has also implemented direct marketing measures for ZKB, Canon, Galactina, Grand Casino Baden, Hotelplan, TCS and Betti Bossi.
Customers are Koller's kings
"Whether it's traditional advertising or direct marketing, I have a very personal, trusting and almost friendly relationship with my customers," says Koller. "They are my capital. I can talk to them openly and honestly about anything, and that's very important to me." Within Grey Group, he says, his direct marketing consulting has been a specialized part of an integrated service, supported by many shoulders. But most clients don't want a colorful bouquet of options at all. "They'd rather always have the same contact person who's there for all the conversations and works with them to plan their advertising efforts. That's what I can now offer my customers again with Koller Direct."
When Jürg Koller plans a dialog marketing measure, he moves within clearly defined boundaries. This is because his clients usually have a sophisticated CI/CD, a limited budget, and usually already know what kind of dialog they want. Valiant Bank, for example, approached Koller with an order for a mailing. The mailing was intended to generate initial awareness among potential customers so that they would remember the offers when a Valiant advisor subsequently called them. The marketing measure is therefore two-stage. Betti Bossi's approach is different: the "offers at super prices" should generate as much response as possible. "In the briefing, I'm usually given a response rate, i.e. a target for the amount of desired feedback," Koller explains. "'3× free SonntagsBlick,' for example, is simply a door opener so that as many people as possible get in first. And then follow up via telemarketing." Of course, a free offer brings more response right away. However, a final evaluation of success is only possible once it has been established how many subscriptions have actually been taken out.
The fact that Koller is familiar with both classic advertising and dialog marketing is of great importance for the success of his work: because when Koller is commissioned with a direct marketing campaign, there is usually already a classic campaign running that needs to be followed up. His knowledge of both professions then helps Koller to embed the dialog measure optimally in the ongoing advertising. "In the future, online-offline interlinking will have an even greater impact, especially in the B2B sector," Koller is certain. That's why Koller Direct now works closely with the web design specialists at Blue Mouse, who have taken up residence in the Baden agency offices.
Advertising with soul
Born in Berikon, Koller started his career with an apprenticeship as a lithographer. "I realized very quickly that the graphic arts industry was not my world," Koller recalls. "That's why I still went to business school." Koller completed his diploma and degrees as an advertising assistant and marketing planner at a traditional advertising agency in Kilchberg on Lake Zurich. After a stay in London, he joined Sauter & Vogel in Oerlikon as an advertising consultant. Four years later, Koller was asked by Readers Digest if he would like to take over direct marketing for the illustrated books. "It was a challenge for me," Koller recalls, "because this path led away from traditional advertising toward direct marketing." Koller jumped at the chance to learn how direct marketing works from the ground up at Readers Digest, the inventor of direct marketing. That time shaped the rest of his career. "You have to be animated by direct marketing, otherwise you might as well not do it," Koller says. "Direct marketing is a written sales pitch, a clear request to the recipient: 'Please respond.' So as a direct mailer, you need a salesman's mentality and a very keen sense of target groups. Often my customers are surprised which consumers actually buy their products instead of the expected target group. And that, of course, influences the design and wording of a mailing."
In 1980, Koller applied for a job as advertising manager at Ringier and took over responsibility for the publisher's subscription marketing until 1984. "My metier was written subscription advertising for all the magazines that appeared in Switzerland and to some extent in Germany," Koller recalls. "That was a great job; Ringier opened all doors for me." Koller's work at Ringier also brought Otto Birkenmeier to his attention. In the mid-1980s, the advertiser with a small agency on the Zürichberg was looking for a partner who knew direct marketing. The idea: classical advertising and dialog marketing from a single source. The result: Direct Concept. Founded in 1985, the agency is the first in Zurich to offer both classic advertising and direct marketing. Birkenmeier looks after the clients with advertising and marketing orders, Koller the direct clients. "The agency was manageable with ten people, and we all worked very closely together," Koller says. "I acquired exclusively for direct marketing and was able to benefit from my Ringier contacts. It was a very nice time."
From Zurich to Baden
After eight years at Direct Concept and 30 years in Zurich, Koller returned to Baden in 1994, where he lived and felt at home. He rents 500 square meters of office space from Buchdruckerei AG Baden, renovates and redesigns the premises. Koller moved into the agency together with six other creative people: copywriters, graphic designers and Internet specialists. He christened his studio community Creativecenter Baden - and remained true to his hobby of direct marketing. In 2000, the Grey Group Switzerland came on the scene: The agency is well versed in PR and classic advertising, but direct marketing was still missing from its portfolio. Grey selects the experienced direct marketer Koller from among several agencies as a suitable cooperation partner. Koller merges with Grey Switzerland. "The idea was that classical advertising, PR and Internet would be done in Zurich Rüschlikon, exclusively classical advertising in Geneva and direct marketing in Baden," Koller recounts. "Together we were Grey Group Switzerland with about 60 employees."
Two years ago, the Zurich location of the Grey Group was closed, and the Zurich advertisers relocated to Baden. "Even then, it was clear to me that the advertising market was going to change," says Jürg Koller. "It was just as clear to me that I would continue. Because I believe that direct marketing works, and I enjoy this work." Then, at the end of 2008, Grey announced its final withdrawal from German-speaking Switzerland. Since then, Koller has been working independently again at the Baden location as a direct marketer and general advertising consultant. His agency operates under the name Koller Direct - which means that Jürg Koller is once again exactly what he always wanted to be: simply Koller and simply direct.
Anne-Friederike Wilhelm