The Bern-based communications agency Nothing From Outer Space has won an account from the energy company BKW and produced an online information application for them. The combination of a three-dimensional landscape map with information in the form of a mind map is intended to illustrate the complex interrelationships in energy supply.
The user moves across the landscape by scrolling or grabbing, similar to navigation in Google Maps. The landscape includes many mountains, forests and rivers, as the topography in Switzerland is very important for electricity production, the agency wrote in a press release on Monday. Information is grouped together at various locations, such as the pumped storage power plant or the biomass power plant. Individual mouse clicks trigger an automatic flight that leads to linked information elements across the map.
According to the agency, the technical solution has a flex backend with an HTML editor and allows BKW to independently add and edit content and links at any time.

Switzerland is to become increasingly known as a reference country for modern environmental and transport policy and as a location for cutting-edge technology. This is the aim of the Federal Council's strategy for communication abroad. The Federal Council adopted this strategy for 2010-2011 on Friday.
Furthermore, the aim is to promote understanding of the Swiss political system and political solutions among foreign politicians and journalists. This applies, for example, to the financial center, tax legislation and, in particular, the bilateral approach with the EU.
On January 1, 2009, the Federal Council also brought the completely revised Ordinance on the Maintenance of Switzerland's Image Abroad into force. This implements the decision to dissolve the Presence Switzerland Commission and integrate the organization's office into the General Secretariat of the FDFA.
The ordinance was expanded to include the FDFA's new tasks for image management in extraordinary situations, which were defined by the Federal Council at the beginning of September. If Switzerland is threatened by an image crisis, Presence Switzerland is to monitor the perception of the country abroad more closely so that a rapid and comprehensive response can be made.

According to the new "Television 2012" study by Mediareports and Prognos, television has reached its developmental peak in German-speaking countries. Viewing times have declined, especially among young age groups, and advertising revenues are set to collapse. The study also assumes that even if the television market recovers after the crisis, it will no longer hold the same dominant position.
A central problem is that urgently needed investments in innovative projects are being made only hesitantly or not at all due to the loss of revenue. According to the report, television must remain innovative despite the crisis, otherwise online competition will become overwhelming. However, television broadcasters are too hesitant when it comes to HDTV, IPTV and pay TV. Despite the rapid digitization of transmission channels, television has not yet been able to establish its own multimedia platform.
For 2009, the report forecasts falling net advertising sales in Germany (minus 3.5 percent) and Switzerland (minus 3 percent). The even greater weakness of newspaper advertising could also lead to television becoming the leading advertising medium in Germany in 2011. For Austria, the overall trend is less dramatic. The report assumes that television advertising will not return to the level of 2007 in absolute figures until 2012.
Prognos: The design of plausible future scenarios
The studies by Mediareports Prognos are published annually and cover the television, radio, online media and newspaper segments, among others. Each report evaluates sector-specific developments in the three countries Germany, Austria and Switzerland over a five-year period and attempts to create a plausible future scenario. The studies are intended to help decision-makers and analysts identify opportunities and risks in the media and communications markets at an early stage.
The studies are based on extensive research and market observations in the media and communications markets. The publisher of the Mediareports Prognos studies is Dr. Josef Trappel; editorial responsibility lies with Daniel Hürst Verlag in Freiburg im Breisgau. The reports are in their seventh year and are produced in cooperation with the Basel-based research institute Prognos,

The number of advertisements in Switzerland fell significantly in November. The Publicitas index fell from 92.5 to 91.4 points, losing a further 1.1 points. Practically all advertising categories were affected by the decline. However, the slump is particularly marked for job advertisements. Here, the drop in November was greater than in previous months. Publigroupe announced on Monday that political advertisements were the only category to increase due to the votes and elections in November.
The market for occasional advertisements (obituaries, stock exchange reports, etc.) is generally declining. Due to the poor economic situation, commercial advertising and inserts also lost ground. Both the local and national markets recorded a considerable decline. Numerous sectors of the economy are cutting their advertising budgets.

The communications and design agency TBS Identity has developed a new corporate design for Verkehrsbetriebe Glattal (VBG). On the occasion of the expansion of the route network between the main station and Zurich Airport on December 14, 2008, VBG invited tenders for a competitive presentation.
As the winner of the mandate, TBS Identity was commissioned with the development of a new logo and the conception of important institutional and communicative media. This also included the design of the entire vehicle fleet. The new railroad line and the existing bus network were designed as visual twins so that they would be perceived as a compact and coordinated service, the agency wrote in a press release on Monday.

The Max Planck Institute, the world's epitome of seriousness and scientific precision, made a mess of the last issue of its quarterly in-house journal MaxPlanckForschung. It printed Chinese characters on the cover of the China issue, obviously without knowing what they meant. "We went to great expense and found young girls from northern China," it said, according to the German-Chinese website German.china.org.cn. The women would soon be "performing with us" and had a "seductive figure", while the program also included "young, hot housewives" and "girls for the afternoon", as Die Zeit reported.
What at first glance looked like an old Chinese poem could just as easily be an advertisement for a brothel, "or at least for an erotic show", explains Zhang Zhenhuan, a linguist at the University of Mainz. In a circular email to all Chinese employees, the editors of Max Planck Research were rather contrite. According to a report in Die Zeit, the press office had had the content checked. However, the sinologist employed did not understand the subtle linguistic level of the ancient Chinese text. The front page of the China issue has now been changed and the old issues have been thrown away.

Roger Blum, Professor of Media Studies at the University of Bern, comments on the current debate surrounding the Bernese daily newspaper Der Bund. For the media scientist, it would be a disaster if there was only one newspaper left in the capital.
Blum advocates embedding the Bund in a larger newspaper product - the Tages-Anzeiger. Although he was a member of the Tages-Anzeiger editorial team for ten years, he would also have been in favor of the Bund working closely with the St. Galler Tagblatt or the Neue Luzerner Zeitung if the opportunity had presented itself. The Bund and the Tagesanzeiger practiced similar journalism and were based on similar quality standards, Blum wrote in the Bund on Monday. As political newspapers, they both play a major role in public political discourse.
He does not share the view of former Bund editor-in-chief Peter Ziegler, who is in favor of one newspaper - but a strong one. An enlightened public requires the public to be able to choose between different newspapers and compare them with each other. In addition, the editorial offices need competition in order to achieve "journalistic excellence".
The capital city of Bern is dependent on a media discourse, as this is where the political elite meet and decide on the future of the country. It is typical of capital cities that the political discourse is also reflected in a media discourse. The aim is to maintain alternative opinions in the city, as public discourse is not sufficiently stimulated by a monopoly newspaper. Especially political minorities or political actors who are not in the favor of the editors are completely at the mercy of the dominant newspaper, as it is not controlled by a corresponding countervailing power.
According to the 62-year-old, only subscription-based daily newspapers in the media landscape ensure political discourse at all levels. Free newspapers do without commentary, in-depth research and thorough analysis. The Sunday newspapers do not focus enough on local and regional events and the SRG lacks regional information density and commentary. Despite its possibilities, the Internet leaves opinion leadership to the print media. Daily newspapers have a special position, because for many readers they are "beacons, trust agencies in the sea of news" thanks to their competent editorial staff and their credibility.

Bank Schroders is to become an official sponsor and financial partner of Swiss Tennis. From 1 January 2009, the financial company specializing in asset management will join the family of sponsors of Switzerland's third-largest sports association, which also includes Generali Insurance, Sanitas, Athleticum, Kia Motors, Orange and Wilson.
The long tradition of Swiss tennis and its broad acceptance in society were the reasons why Schroders opted for a long-term commitment to this sport, according to a press release issued on Monday. Reliable sponsoring partners are particularly important for the Swiss Tennis Association in economically uncertain times, according to René Stammbach, President of Swiss Tennis. The contract was signed for three years.

The fashion company Pardon advertises with the famous nude photo of French President Carla Bruni's wife. Bruni has now filed a lawsuit in court. The fashion company, which according to W&V is known for producing T-shirts with funny advertising slogans, printed part of the original image on canvas bags, alongside the self-promotional slogan: "My husband should have bought me something from Pardon!
The photo dates back to 1993 and was auctioned off at Christie's in April for 60,000 euros. The Pardon bag is distributed free of charge to all customers who spend more than five euros. Otherwise, the bag, which is likely to achieve cult status, is available for three euros. Carla Bruni wants an immediate injunction to stop the distribution and is also demanding compensation of 125,000 euros.
(Image: Photographed by Michel Comte)

Monika Jänicke will take over the management of the Novartis subsidiary Novartis Pharma Switzerland on January 1, 2009. She is currently still working as Head of General Medicine Marketing. She has been with the company since 2003 and succeeds Dirk Kosche, who is moving to the German subsidiary of Novartis Pharma in Nuremberg as CEO. Novartis Pharma Switzerland is responsible for the parent company's prescription medicines. It employs around 220 people.

To mark its 10th anniversary, Le Temps has made all issues of the Journal de Genève available online. All articles, pictures and advertisements can now be accessed online at any time. The digitization of the complete collection allows users to search for content without specifying the issue number or time period.
The digitization was carried out in collaboration with the Swiss National Library and the Bibliothèque de Genève.