The Bern-based agency Balsi has won the Swiss Cancer League's pitch and will produce a TV and cinema commercial for the "Skin Cancer" prevention program. According to a press release issued on Thursday, the aim is to raise awareness of sunburn, draw attention to the risk of irreparable consequential damage and appeal to people to take personal responsibility. The spot will be used between 2009 and 2011.
Responsible at Krebsliga Schweiz: Ruth Barbezat, Nathalie Gerber. Responsible at Balsi, Agency for Networked Communication Bern: Christoph Balsiger (CD), Fabia Dellsperger (AD), Martina Tschan (consultant), Sarah Pietrasanta (book/concept), Tob Traber, Traberfilm, Bern (director, concept).

Nowadays nobody reads the newspaper anymore, nowadays nobody reads a book. The reason is quite banal: This hectic life no longer leaves us time for such things. Modern life moves at a faster pace. Information has to be fast. Quickly flick through a commuter newspaper, consult a few blogs, squeeze in a sandwich and get back to work. Vacation? What's the point! Dinner? From the microwave! Sleep? When we're dead! - However, you can see that this is only superficially the spirit of the new age when you surf the Internet with your lunch on your knees. For example, through the world of moving images on YouTube: No sooner has some artist released a new music video, made an embarrassing speech or swallowed a peach pit on camera than hundreds of thousands of users have posted their own version of the event online or recorded a new audio track with a disguised voice. Some of these jokes are quite funny. For example, the new versions of classic music clips by A-HA and Tears For Fears, in which the action is commented on by vocals (see link below). So they do still exist, the people who have too much time on their hands.

Although Basler Zeitung Medien generated higher sales in 2007/08, it earned less. The Group's turnover increased by 0.6 percent to 281.6 million francs. At the same time, however, profits fell by 13.6 percent to 7 million francs, as the Balser Zeitung writes in its Thursday edition.
The parent company Basler Zeitung suffered a drop in sales of 7.7 percent to 127 million francs, while its own free newspaper Baslerstab saw a decline of 12.3 percent to 20.6 million francs. The printing plants belonging to BZM recorded growth: Birkhäuser+GBC by 2.8 percent to CHF 72.7 million, and Special Products by Birkhäuser+3.7 percent to CHF 39.7 million.
The reason for the drop in earnings is the poorer economic conditions. In the previous year, BZM reported a jump in profits from CHF 4.3 million to CHF 8.1 million, the best result for over ten years. Investments in joint projects with Tamedia and Berner Zeitung were also cited as factors that reduced profits. In particular, the free commuter newspaper News and the new online network. Contract changes also cost the BaZ printing center revenue.
According to BZM, the most outstanding event in the past financial year was the takeover of the entire advertising business. Publicitas had previously been responsible for this. "It is already clear that the reorganization of this core business has proved its worth straight away." The two subsidiaries founded for this purpose, BZM Werbe AG and the placement and consulting company KM Key Media AG, have already successfully established themselves in the advertising market with their services, writes BZM, without giving any figures.
At the end of June 2008, the parent company Basler Zeitung and its fourteen subsidiaries employed a total of 1283 full-time equivalents (previous year: 1748.4). The marked decline is due to the takeover of the Prevag distribution organization by Swiss Post, which took over the entire distribution staff.
Despite the uncertain economic situation, Basler Zeitung Medien is still expecting a positive result for the current financial year. However, in an interview with BaZ, BZM CEO Beat Meyer expects declining sales and higher production costs. Measures are still being evaluated and he also leaves the possibility of job cuts open.

The Zurich-based web agency Mitlinks has given the Haldengut brewery a new online presence. The current design is clear and user-friendly, according to a press release from the agency. The website now also features portraits of the farmers who cultivate malting barley for Haldengut. The implementation was carried out in dynamic HTML.
Responsible at Haldengut: Philipp Häseli (project management). Responsible for co-links: Lorenzo Mutti (CD, project management and concept), Watezz Bleuler (design).

Documentary filmmaker Pino Aschwanden has been awarded the 2008 Zurich Television Prize by the Radio and Television Foundation. He has been working for Swiss television since 1977.
Aschwanden has worked as an editor, producer and author in various editorial offices. Among other things, he produced numerous films for the documentary and reporter editorial teams.

"I am an extreme networker. An optimistic person with strong self-confidence and a high degree of initiative," Ingrid Notter is convinced. "I don't avoid decisions and risks. I can define and achieve goals for myself, accomplish a lot, experience stress positively, plan and organize well, and commit myself fully," is also still in the profile of the new head of the PR unit at TBWA.
With all her successes and qualifications, a few friends would therefore have been "quite astonished" that after five years of self-employment with IN Communication, she is moving back to an agency as an employee. However, by bringing her talents and relationships under the umbrella of a "leading agency with ambitions," Ingrid Notter sees her independent nature and work as far from tamed. "When Andy Hostettler offered me the job as Unit Director, he knew exactly what he was getting into. I'll be working just as I did before. But now with the power of an optimally organized agency behind me," explains Notter.
As part of TBWA's strategy with Disruption and Media Arts, staging brands in non-classical ways is becoming increasingly important. And in this context in particular, it is becoming increasingly important that PR and events also come from a single source. TBWA thus completes its communications offering. Ingrid Notter, with her multi-layered experience, sees the opportunity to act as an ideal partner in a large team for all these implementations. "I want to take on tasks that challenge my knowledge, that offer room for maneuver and opportunities for development."
Ingrid Notter entered the media industry via her profession as a druggist. "Consulting in the store means countless contacts and communication with customers every day," she says. But the decisive impulse toward PR came about through the locations of her various jobs. During a seasonal position in Arosa, the druggist got to know a few Canadians better. During a later assignment in the pharmacy at Zurich Airport, she had to "serve the departing passengers every day. In 1985, Notter was also bitten by the travel bug. Why not surprise her friends in Canada with a visit? And as luck would have it, she heard in Vancouver that the World's Fair was taking place there the next year. Notter sensed her opportunity and applied for a job as a hostess. She got the job immediately, after she was able to organize an apartment for the head of the Swiss pavilion on the spot and within two days in close proximity to the exhibition. At the world exhibition, she also discovered her other talent for a career in events and communications. However, things did not continue as quickly as they had started after her return to Switzerland.
Notter worked on various temporary projects, traveled to Sweden for a longer period of time in between, and obtained her innkeeper's license "on the side" after gaining the necessary experience in this industry in Wohlen. "I was a good hostess and could have imagined a path in that direction as well." But an even more ideal combination then opened up for her at Unisys. There, they were looking for a supervisor for the customer center. "I didn't know much about computers yet. But my combination of gastronomy and exhibition was in demand," recalls Notter. The customer center had a lot to do with image cultivation and building up contacts. For three years, Notter "acted as hostess" and organized various events, seminars and external trade shows. The Customer Center was attached to the Marketing Department. In order to be able to have a real say there, Notter also trained as a marketing planner on the side. Later, she also earned a diploma as a PR assistant.
"I realized more and more that the various facets of public relations fascinated me even more than pure marketing," explains Notter. She moved to Public Image as a PR assistant, where she looked after client mandates such as Rhäzünser, for example. In her other positions as a PR assistant, Notter always approached her tasks much more broadly than just classic PR. This versatility finally opened the door to Interact Consulting for her in 1998. In this computer company, Notter worked as a PR, advertising and marketing manager in the extended management team. An important project was the supervision of the 2000 census, for which Interact Consulting not only supplied the technology. Notter was also allowed to design a traveling exhibition on the subject. "It was realized that you can no longer communicate a census only politically. You also have to motivate, and for that you need emotions and stories."
Since the managing director of Interact Consulting also became her life partner, Notter wanted to reorient herself when it came to the separation later. That was
not an ideal time for a change, however. "In the crisis of 2001, 300 or more people applied for a job opening in PR." But that, too, turns out to be a stroke of luck in retrospect. "Why not go into business for herself?" said Andy Hostettler, offering her "office asylum" in the offices of JWT+H+F. She founded IN Communication - and that was the beginning of a collaboration that continues to this day. "Andy became a mentor to me. He beat me to success," reveals Notter.
The first long-term customer at IN Communication became Giusep Fry with his Uto Kulm. Because Notter had successfully co-organized an "Autumn Ball" on the Üetliberg earlier, Fry wanted to make the event a regular offering. Then the "Kino am Berg" was added. IN Communication smoothed the political waters for this project in the first year. In the second season, the sponsorship search, advertising and programming also followed. "The mandate for Uto Kulm was always more than just classic PR. I was able to contribute ideas and pull strings," says Ingrid Notter, describing the broad scope of her corporate communications.
Finally, Ingrid Notter can still bring the experience she gained from her self-employment into her work for the Fachstelle für Selbstständigkeit. Here she offers one-on-one consulting for young entrepreneurs. Notter also contributed to the "marriage" with TBWA the secretariat for the Foundation for Education for Tolerance, the organization and media work for the sculpture art, the 0815-Bars as well as the media office for the Zurich Tango Week. Finally, the passion for Argentine tango is also the most important hobby, where Ingrid Notter finds her favorite relaxation "actively and regularly".
Andreas Panzeri

The Y&R Group won the pitch for the newly launched Cash primarily with its strategy. Cash is the first media provider in Switzerland to consistently focus on "One Brand all Media". This forward-looking approach offers readers a range of business and financial information tailored to the respective channel. With a completely revised presence in print, online, mobile and TV, this benefit is to be communicated to the target group in a sustainable manner in future. To this end, Advico first developed a new logo in a workshop. The modern font had to make it possible for the agency to strike a balance between digital media and the daily newspaper. The red has become a little darker, the logo is fundamentally smaller and the up and down strokes have been deliberately removed from the angle. "This has a more emotional effect," says Markus Gut, referring with a smile to the antroposophical Weleda lettering. In order to bring the necessary elegance to the advertisements, for example, the former yellow has given way to a classy silver.
The print campaign that is now being launched uses striking arguments to show the benefits for people who obtain information from Cash. Interesting news is standard and is provided by many media. However, Cash is committed to ensuring that its readers, viewers and users are even more successful thanks to information. The promise is that those who read Cash will achieve their goals much faster. The examples were calculated using real hourly rates for management staff.
The Y&R Group has also designed a completely new page for Cash.ch. This will go live in mid-November. A new look, a new structure and a new network have been developed in six workshops with marketing, technical and editorial staff. You can look forward to banners with animated stock market prices or banners with video.
Andreas Panzeri

SRG and the Swiss Syndicate of Media Professionals (SSM) have agreed on a new collective labor agreement. In future, SRG employees will be subject to annual working hours.
Negotiations on the new CLA lasted around a year and a half. At the end of last year, talks stalled as the parties were unable to reach an agreement on annual working hours. By mutual agreement, the old contract was extended by one year and negotiations continued.
As the SRG announced on Wednesday, the social partners have now worked out joint solutions. According to SSM Central Secretary Stephan Ruppen, for example, it has been stipulated that minus hours will not be carried over. This means that if the SRG deploys an employee for fewer than the planned working hours, the SRG will be charged for the hours not worked at the end of the year, explained Ruppen at the request of SDA. The new CLA comes into force on January 1, 2009 and is valid for four years. Around 5,000 employees are subject to it.

A new website aims to bring sustainable clarity to the cardboard and paper forest: At Greenpaper.ch, Swiss paper merchant Antalis presents an overview of the environmental compatibility of various paper and board productions. The centerpiece of the site is "The Green Assortment," where FSC and recycled papers from the Antalis range can be viewed.
Why the papers listed in detail are environmentally friendly can be found out with a simple click of the mouse via the "Green Fact Sheet". This contains numerous details on the producer, country of origin, the various certifications and the paper composition. The technical data sheets for the individual papers - they contain information on opacity, for example - round off the ecological product range library.
Another service on the site is a search function that can be used to look for production companies that meet ecological requirements and for FSC-certified and climate-neutral print shops. Also provided is an overview of the various eco-labels in the paper industry, such as PEFC or Nordic Swan.
In Greenpaper.ch, Antalis intends to continue its existing sustainability policy. In its own operations, for example, the position of an environmental officer has been created. In the field of "green" papers, Antalis describes itself as the market leader in Switzerland. (Red.)

In the third quarter, Yahoo's surplus fell by 64 percent to 54 million dollars. Following the slump in profits, the Internet company is cutting at least 10 percent of its jobs. More than 1,400 employees are affected.
A few months ago, Yahoo turned down a takeover offer from Microsoft. Since then, the group has been under severe pressure, high-ranking managers have left the company and the share price has fallen by over 50 percent.

Things are changing at Switzerland's first national private broadcaster. After establishing a cooperation with Schweizer Sportfernsehen (SSF) this year and continuously supplementing and expanding its range of programmes, Star TV is now adopting a new organizational structure. As of February 1, 2009, the position of Chief Operating Officer will be created to complement owner and CEO Paul Grau in the areas of sales and communication. Jean-Claude Bruhin, who has been with Cinecom for the past ten years, has been appointed to the new position. CEO and owner Paul Grau justifies this step with the desire for a stronger market presence. "We have continuously improved our offering and now produce a wide range of programs under the multimedia, lifestyle, cinema and entertainment labels. We want to communicate and market this content even better. We also have interesting ideas in the pipeline with which we will surprise viewers and advertising clients in 2009." Says Bruhin: "Star TV stands for innovative Swiss private television with an impressive proportion of in-house production, a high level of expertise and unique, target-group-specific content. I am convinced that Star TV has not yet fully exploited its potential in the market. I can put my knowledge from TV and cinema to optimal use here, which makes the new challenge doubly attractive."

Basler Zeitung Medien (BZM), which closes its financial year in mid-year, sold its early delivery company Prevag to Swiss Post in June. As a result, the Prevag revenue generated (previously a good 11 million Swiss francs per year) is no longer included in BZM's annual financial statements, but the proceeds from the sale are. It is therefore mainly thanks to this sale that BZM Group sales increased slightly by 0.6 percent to 281.6 million Swiss francs in the 2007/08 financial year. Net profit, on the other hand, fell by 13.6 percent to 7 million Swiss francs due to increased investment requirements: BZM invested a total of 7.8 million Swiss francs in printing, hardware and software, 30 percent more than in the previous year. This figure does not yet include further investments of an undisclosed amount for the free newspaper News, launched in December 2007, and for the online portal Newsnetz, launched in August 2008. BZM launched both projects together with Tamedia.
Of the business units for which BZM reports figures, only the two Birkhäuser printing operations (commercial and special printing) reported higher sales. In contrast, the parent company with Basler Zeitung and newspaper printing as well as the free newspaper Baslerstab each recorded a significant decline in sales. The situation is particularly serious at Baslerstab, which has lost around a quarter of its revenues since 2004/05. Was the self-management that BZM introduced in 2008 underestimated? BZM CEO Beat Meyer waves it off. The Baslerstab is indeed under budget, but that has nothing to do with self-management. "The Baslerstab, which appears five times a week, is in particularly strong competition with 20 Minuten, News and .ch, and the new online portal also has a cannibalizing effect," says Meyer. Furthermore, the two-year P regime "has not been particularly efficient." Numerous contacts to local customers were lost, which now have to be rebuilt, says Meyer. In order to get the sales problems under control, various measures are currently being examined at Baslerstab. The paper, which has a strong tendency toward the boulevard, was only given a new concept in the spring.
The situation is somewhat different at the parent company: According to Meyer, BaZ's advertising revenues in the first half of 2008, i.e., since the start of in-house management, were higher than in the same period of the previous year and under P-management. However, in order to be able to start under its own management in 2008, the company had already spent months building up its own crew in parallel to the P-management, which is why double costs were incurred during this time. "At that time, our people had already started working the market, but we still had to commission the P in accordance with the contract for advertisements that they brought in before the turn of the year," explains Meyer. This led to a drop in sales. Another reason: In newspaper printing, a customer reduced an important print job.
No data on the advertising companies
BZM does not publish any figures on Radio Basel 1 or on its four advertising companies. In addition to the existing subsidiaries Key Media and BZM Werbe AG, the Group founded two new companies at once last fiscal year, BZM Online AG and All Media AG, whose purposes seem to overlap to some extent. BZM Online, which was originally intended for advertising acquisition in the online sector, has ceded the task to BZM Werbe AG, says Meyer. It is now only responsible for the further development of BZM Online activities, and is particularly concerned with the local anchoring of Bazonline.ch in villages and neighborhoods. Meyer remains vague about All Media AG, the largest of the four companies in terms of share capital. This company is not active and may not be active in the future, he says; it was founded as a precautionary measure, also to protect the name All Media. But why? According to the commercial register, there are already about a dozen other companies in Switzerland with "Allmedia" or "All Media" in their names.
Markus Knöpfli
Tense relationship
The financial differences that had led to disagreements between BZM and PubliGroupe at the beginning of the year have largely been resolved, according to Meyer. BZM had accused the advertising giant, which holds 37.5 percent of BZM shares, of withholding CHF 2.5 million. "This amount has almost been paid, and it no longer plays a role in the current BZM balance sheet," Meyer says. Nevertheless, the relationship has come to a head. Recently, he says, people only talk to each other through their lawyers, even on the BZM board of directors, where P has a seat. Meyer does not want to say anything about the reasons. (mk)