Four.'s slogan campaign for the tourist destination of Laax, which has already been launched in German-speaking Switzerland, is now also being used on the London Underground. According to a press release issued on Monday, the agency developed several customized motifs for this purpose. Cross Track 16 posters are being used at busy stations such as Bank, Bond Street and Piccadilly Circus to evoke a longing for a vacation in Laax. The posters are complemented by 40,000 Tube Car Panels, which are installed directly in subway trains.
Responsible at Weisse Arena Group: Britta Kaula (Marketing and Communication). Responsible at Four. Advertising agency: Björn Brinkmann, Philipp Sträuli (CD), Raphael Schoen (graphics), Sandra Genge, Daniel Gerber (consulting), Marianne Crittin (DTP). Photography: Gaudenz Danuser. Image processing: Sota AG.

The color blue stimulates our creativity and promotes new solution strategies. Red, on the other hand, increases caution and the ability to absorb details. This is shown by studies conducted by Canadian researchers.
The subjects had to take part in six different brain performance tests, mostly on a computer with either a red, blue or white screen background. The researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver observed how the background color influenced the test result. Increased attention with a red screen background, for example, led to better performance of the test subjects in a memory test, according to SDA in the journal Science on Friday. A blue background, on the other hand, led to more creative problem solving.
Color of advertisements influences product choice
Furthermore, the background color of an advertisement influenced the subjects' choice of product. For example, they preferred tooth whitener (blue background) compared to a toothpaste that was supposed to prevent cavities (red background). In general, the color red is associated with danger and warning, while blue is associated with calm and peace. In these associations, the researchers also see the reason for the different performance of the test subjects.
According to the study, red activates an attentive avoidance attitude, while blue promotes courageous innovations by conveying a sense of security. The researchers draw far-reaching consequences from their study results: The advertising industry could use the results for itself, and employers could be guided by the findings when designing workspaces.

Image advertising that many consider inappropriate: The Zurich government council has commissioned a new logo for 350,000 francs. Zurich's politicians have little understanding for this.
The Government Council of the Canton of Zurich recently commissioned Richard Feurer's agency to design a new logo. As 20 Minuten Online writes on Friday, the agency is charging 350,000 francs for this. The canton is also expecting further expenses for the implementation of the new logo. It is not yet certain how high the final costs will be. Zurich politicians are already shaking their heads at the government council's decision. The action is a lazy joke, complained SVP National Councillor Alfred Heer, for example. Apparently the canton still has enough money. The Liberals and the SP are also outraged by the strange timing and the level of expenditure. "Don't we have any other worries?" asks FDP National Councillor Doris Fiala. Council colleague Jacqueline Fehr from the SP also finds the canton's action incomprehensible. After all, the canton of Zurich is making savings where it hurts, for example in education.
However, the cantonal government is convinced of the effectiveness of the new image. The aim of the new branding is not only to polish the image, but also to clearly identify the canton's services. The new logo should stand for "sovereignty, reliability and respect".

According to the Sonntag newspaper, Sat. 1 Switzerland's planned celebrity magazine has been postponed indefinitely. Allegedly, an important sponsor dropped out of the show, which was once to be hosted by Claudia Lässer, shortly before it was due to start.
Sat. 1 Switzerland employee Susan Maetzen told the newspaper that the new format had actually been planned to start on January 20. The 30-minute promotional talk show with presenter Claudia Lässer should have been broadcast weekly from January. Trendscout GmbH, a company run by Lässer and her husband Matthias Walter, has been commissioned to produce the program. For the time being, however, there is nothing to produce: Just a few weeks before the start of the program, one of the main sponsors - a car manufacturer - dropped out. The newly initiated financing phase is still ongoing. If enough sponsors can be found, the plan is to go on air at the end of March.

Contexta is getting reinforcements: Creative Directors John Leuppi and Sascha Fanetti are joining the Krea team around Bene Abegglen and Moritz Stähelin. They work separately at the Bern agency as CD Text and CD Art. Most recently, the two were under contract with the Zurich branch of the Saatchi & Saatchi agency. However, they have already vacated their workplace there. A temporary successor is already sitting in the office in Zurich's Kreis 4. It was only in the middle of last year that they enthusiastically took up their work there (read the interview with Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Kaspar Loeb).
Leuppi and Fanetti have been working as a team for several years. Previously, Wirz Werbung and the Daniel Matter agency were other joint stations.
It has been learned that Contexta's creative department is to be further restructured and expanded in the near future. Bene Abegglen, Creative Partner of the Contexta agency, confirmed Werbewoche's research on Friday: "Leuppi and Fanetti have been with us since the beginning of the year. We are currently investing heavily in creation. We believe in creative advertising and creative minds," Abegglen explained, shortly before traveling to Cape Town for a shoot. He also confirmed that this upgrade is not just happening out of the blue: "Yes, we have been able to win new mandates as well as increase current mandates." However, he did not want to say anything more specific about this yet. He added that the agency would provide information about the new developments within the next two weeks.
At the moment, the agency, which has almost 50 employees, is also looking for an art director and a copywriter.

(Image: The two creatives John Leuppi and Sascha Fanetti)

The City of Zurich's integration support service is aware of all the German courses on offer in the city and helps the public to choose the right course. The Unikat agency was commissioned to develop a campaign to publicize this comprehensive service. Tram hangers with information cards were used throughout the VBZ network and a flyer was developed to provide information in eleven languages about the German course advice offered by the integration support service. An advertising campaign was also used.
Responsible at Unikat: Daniel Meier (CD), Martina Maurer (AD), Jan Maurer (Managing Direction), Simone Jung (Consulting). Responsible for promoting integration in the city of Zurich: Christof Meier (Head of Integration Promotion), Cristina Büttikofer-Beltram and Barbara Thurnher (Project Management Integration Promotion).

Tele Züri is expanding its broadcasting area. From mid-March, the private broadcaster will also be available in the cantons of Appenzell Ausserrhoden and Innerrhoden, Zug and St. Gallen. According to a press release issued on Friday, this represents an increase of 75 percent compared to the previous broadcasting area. Around 2 million people will be able to receive Tele Züri in analog form in future, while the additional potential in the digital network is 354,200 viewers.
Cablecom has been broadcasting the station on its digital network throughout German-speaking Switzerland since February 3, 2009. On March 17, 2009, it will go digital in the canton of Ticino. Since mid-January, Tele Züri has also been available digitally throughout Switzerland on Bluewin TV.

The Basel agency Favo has created a new image for the furniture manufacturer De Sede. Starting with the website as the central communication element, the Favo team revised the entire corporate design. For example, the logo and name have been rearranged horizontally to make the brand appear more compact, according to the press release. The agency also designed the company's trade fair stand at the Orgatec and IMM Cologne furniture trade fairs.
Responsible at De Sede: Traudel Kaiser (Director Marketing), Stéphanie Schmid (Assistance Marketing). Responsible at Favo: Hinrik Wachsmuth (CD), Noel Morganho (CD Art), Frank Engelhaupt, Armin Küste (Text), Max Faller, Kerstin Löbbert (AD), Daniel Weidmann, Marcel Wenk (DTP); Stefano Bucher, Gianna Meisel, Tom Schaich (Consulting).

Rowohlt Verlag has filed a lawsuit against the news magazine Der Spiegel for publishing a review of Daniel Kehlmann's new novel "Ruhm" two weeks before the first day of sale. Rowohlt accuses Der Spiegel of not adhering to the embargo period. Two weeks before the first day of sales, a portrait of Kehlmann was published which, according to Rowohlt, has the characteristics of a review.
Rowohlt Verlag had tied the sending of the galley proofs to the written or at least verbal agreement of the editors to a confidentiality agreement, which threatened a fine of 250,000 euros in the event of a review publication without consultation with the publisher before the first day of sale. This type of agreement is not uncommon for promising titles, writes the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Friday. However, the amount of the fine shows that this was not a formality.

Last autumn, Infrapost decided at a competitive presentation that the Cosmic Bern agency should conceptualize the entire corporate identity. In accordance with Swiss Post's guidelines, a new visual world has now been created and the overall image implemented, according to a press release from the agency.
Infrapost is a subsidiary of the Swiss Post Group founded on January 1, 2009 and provides comprehensive facility management services.

In the past few days, the website Come-to-switzerland.com made headlines throughout Switzerland. Now the mystery has apparently been solved: according to operator Markus Gäthke, it is pure satire. "I was not commissioned to create the website by either supporters or opponents of the referendum," Gäthke said and wrote in a video and a long text on Friday. There was never an offer of advice.
The website claimed to offer advice for German unemployed people wishing to immigrate. This was aimed particularly at Hartz IV recipients. According to Gäthke, the offer was so "dubious" and "overpriced" that every visitor "should have been aware that it was not a serious offer". In Switzerland, the website had triggered an "insane media circus". It is probably easier to attract media attention in Switzerland than in Germany, said Gäthke.
However, the launch of Come-to-switzerland.com continues to raise questions. Just a week ago, Gäthke told the free newspaper 20 Minuten that the content had been supplied by a third party.
However, he did not want to reveal the source.
The website had made headlines in recent days. Various newspapers suspected the St. Gallen SVP National Councillor Lukas Reimann as the author. He has always denied having anything to do with the site. Despite the denials, the business umbrella organization Economiesuisse accused Reimann of "dubious dissemination of information". "Mr. Reimann, that's not Swiss style," Economiesuisse accused the 26-year-old National Councillor in an advertisement.
Reimann then announced a lawsuit against Economiesuisse for defamation. When asked by the SDA news agency on Friday, he stood by the complaint. Reimann did not wish to comment on Gäthke's statement.

The US music group Warner Music was only in the black last quarter thanks to a share sale. On balance, the company earned 23 million dollars in the first quarter ended December, following a loss of 16 million a year ago, as reported by SDA. Like the rest of the industry, Warner Music is also suffering from the rapid decline in CD sales: quarterly sales fell by 11 percent to 878 million dollars.
The increase in revenue from the sale of digital music via Apple's iTunes Store, among others, of a good 20 percent to 171 million dollars was unable to compensate for the shortfall. The stronger dollar exchange rate also depressed sales.
Without the proceeds from the sale of the stake in the artist agency Front Line Management, there would have been a loss of 0.09 dollars in the quarter instead of earnings per share of 0.15 dollars.