On September 18, the first two branches of the new Outdoor by SportXX store chain opened in a fresh trekking look at Limmatplatz in Zurich and Bielerhof in Biel. And the next store will follow on October 30 on Zurich's Löwenstrasse.
The aim of Migros' new specialist store is to have 15 to 20 "Outdoor by SportXX" stores by 2012. The aim is of course to "significantly increase market share in this highly competitive sports segment", as Felix Kubat, Head of SportXX, explains. Inhalt & Form is responsible for the entire communication of the new diversification at Migros. Naming, logo, opening campaign, opening event, promotional measures, product flyers, product advertisements, an outdoor guide and the website are all part of the exciting assignment. Serge Riedener acts as CD together with AD Claudia Fuchs. (pan)

Theater is a magical place. A place of mysterious encounters between stage and audience. Here, encounters are possible that are "characterized by subjective interpretation, sketchy reflection, fantasy and emotion", as CD Daniel Leber at TBS Identity puts it. To get to the heart of this aspect, the Zurich agency for communication and design and the Lucerne theater invited the comic artist and illustrator Massimo Milano to accompany the season with graphic imagination. TBS Identity gave Milano an illustrative page for each play in the program booklet. Quotes from this illustrative approach characterize the visual communication of the new season and thus also the play posters.
A subscription campaign detached from these illustrations aims to ignite the fire for theater among the population and a newly introduced theater day is also intended to encourage people to try out individual performances. A flaming heart was staged on posters, bus posters with postcards and flyers, and a label specially developed for the Theater Day announces performances at a standard price of CHF 39.
For the first time, a calendar will also guide you through the season. The theater calendar, which is distributed to households in the region, contains all the information about the season and the various Lucerne Theater subscriptions. (pan)

The last mile of in-house telephone connections will once again be significantly cheaper for Swisscom's competitors. The Communications Commission (Comcom) has lowered the price of the last mile to CHF 18.18 per month and line 18 months after it was opened up by the legislator. This is now significantly lower than the prices of CHF 31 in 2007 and CHF 23.50 in 2008 last demanded by the owner Swisscom.
Competitors on the telecoms market such as Sunrise and Orange, which have filed several complaints against Swisscom in the past, see themselves vindicated by Comcom. "The decision shows once again that Swisscom is trying to achieve excessive prices through miscalculations," reads a statement from Sunrise. The company pays tribute to Comcom for having "taken a groundbreaking decision on the price of the local loop in the direction of fair competition against all resistance from the former monopolist."

Nevertheless, the company is insisting on further liberalization steps. From Sunrise's point of view, it is regrettable that Comcom did not follow the recommendation of the price supervisor regarding the calculation method for pricing. Due to the overvaluation of the largely depreciated infrastructure, Swisscom can still claim costs which it does not actually incur and pass these on to its competitors. The company writes that there is still a need for political action on this point.
Swisscom wants to study the decision in detail before commenting on it. Apparently, the company does not have the ordinances that normally accompany the notifications, which contain the reasons. As a result, Swisscom is unable to provide a detailed statement, according to a press release issued on Wednesday. Nevertheless, it writes: "Provided the rulings and their justification remain within the framework of the law, Swisscom will accept the decisions and refrain from appealing to the next instance."
The telecoms giant also argues that the price calculations are based on the benchmark values approved by Comcom and the Federal Court in previous proceedings. Despite high production costs, Switzerland is already one of the countries with the lowest regulated telecommunications prices in Europe in important areas. In addition, the company believes that the price comparisons and requirements of the authorities do not adequately take into account the demands made in terms of quality, basic service and job opportunities.
The extent to which the price reduction will affect end customers is still unclear. "The market is now becoming more flexible and dynamic," said Michael Burkhardt, Director of Public Relations at Sunrise, when asked by SDA. Sunrise has already anticipated ComCom's decision to some extent and has therefore designed its products favorably (see: Sunrise campaign for the conversion of the last mile). However, it is still too early to announce further price reductions.
According to Comcom, the price reductions are intended to stimulate the market. Setting the unbundling price improves legal certainty. Companies can now plan their investments. Customers, in turn, will benefit from a wider range of offers at lower prices. Comcom has also decided to reduce the prices for co-location and interconnection by 25 to 30 percent. This refers to the shared use of Swisscom systems and the Swisscom fixed network by competitors. This means that they are now among the cheapest in Europe, as the authority writes.
Comcom issued its price ruling on the basis of extensive cost analyses and price calculations carried out by the Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM). The analysis revealed that Swisscom was charging too high capital costs, in some cases too short depreciation periods and also excessive construction and operating costs.

It was announced in November last year, now it has been launched: Google is releasing the Android cell phone software and wants to revolutionize the use of the Internet on cell phones. Everything that runs on a website should also work on devices equipped with the software. The open source software will also run on cell phones from all possible manufacturers. This enables Google to keep its alliance, which already consists of 33 partner companies, attractive for other companies.
>> Google developer Sergey Brin explains Android on YouTube
Deutsche Telekom's US mobile subsidiary will sell the first phone based on Android software, as announced by its partner Amazon in New York on Tuesday. The Android phone is being built by the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer High Tech Computer (HTC). It will be available in the USA from October 22 and in Europe from 2009.
Website of the "Google phone" from HTC and T-Mobile USA Inc.
Google is entering the promising mobile Internet market with its own cell phone operating system. As one of the largest providers of online advertising, the Internet giant is naturally also interested in additional advertising revenue from growth in this area. According to a press release from SDA, the revenue may be shared between the partners.
To date, the world's largest cell phone manufacturer Nokia has dominated the market for smartphones, i.e. devices that combine a cell phone and an organizer. With its operating system, however, Google is also competing with providers such as Research in Motion with its Blackberry devices, Palm or Microsoft with its Windows Mobile. The US computer company Apple, which wants to establish its new iPhone on the market, could also feel the effects of the competition.

The "Google phone"

Vera Baltensperger has been Tamedia's new cross-media planner since September 1. After many years of media agency experience, she spent more than three years at the Sonntagszeitung as project manager for cooperation and online. She succeeds Sarah Hammami, who left the company at the end of July.

The advertising agency In Flagranti from Lys is implementing a long-term fundraising campaign on behalf of the Swiss Foundation for Children with Cerebral Palsy.
The posters show children who want to make their parents happy with a gift. The gifts, which are not quite perfect due to the children's disabilities, are intended to make the viewer put themselves in their parents' shoes - a possibly beautiful, but not always easy relationship.
The appeal for donations is aimed at private individuals and companies. The campaign uses posters, advertisements and a TV commercial, which the agency realized together with the Biel-based film production platform Element P.

The admission committee of the Art Directors Club will decide on October 23 who will be admitted to the club. The club is looking for designers, photographers, filmmakers and web designers, as well as copywriters and ADs. According to Markus Gut, who is responsible for new members, the criteria for admission are the same as in previous years: Once again in 2008, only those who have made a substantial creative contribution to several award-winning works or who have otherwise achieved excellence in the field of advertising or design will be accepted.
The admissions committee, headed by board member Markus Gut, is composed as follows: Alexander Jaggy, Daniel Krieg, Andreas Prokesch, Urs Schrepfer and Hanspeter Schweizer (ADC Board members) as well as Alfi Burkard, Michael Kathe, Walter Rüegg, Markus Ruf and Alberto Venzago (ADC members).
Applications for ADC membership must be submitted by October 17. They should include a portfolio in A4 format of award-winning or award-worthy work as well as a DVD with the best TV or radio spots. Address: Art Directors Club, Oberdorfstrasse 15, 8001 Zurich.

Würth Financial Services has entrusted Wirz Corporate with the mandate for the company's overall communications. The aim of the collaboration is to focus the market presence and all communication measures more strongly on the awareness and profiling of the Würth Financial Services brand. The spectrum covers advertising, corporate publishing as well as internal and external corporate communications. The basis for the realignment of communication was a series of workshops involving Würth Financial Services consultants and employees.
Würth is the independent financial services provider of the Würth Group in Switzerland and advises corporate and private clients on financial and insurance matters. Since entering the Swiss market in 2003 and taking over the insurance broker Oberhänsli & Partner in 2005, Würth Financial Services has continuously expanded its market position in Switzerland.

Following the audio spot series, the Zurich agency Spilmann/Felser/Leo Burnett drew attention to the Cabaret Voltaire with another campaign. Under the motto "Stop the cultural sell-out", around 400 items were offered for sale on the Internet in the city of Zurich. Among other things, the Kanzleihalle changed hands for 110 francs, the Grossmünster for 20 francs and a Robidog on Kasernenstrasse for 9.90 francs. The purchased objects were provided with red price tags, as known from galleries or art fairs.
With this campaign, the Dada House has made a strong case for the vote on September 28. This is when the people of Zurich will decide at the ballot box whether Cabaret Voltaire should continue to exist. The proposal will be put to the vote in a referendum by the SVP. The party was reacting to the city council's decision at the end of January to continue renting the venue for a further three years.
Responsible at Cabaret Voltaire: Support association Cabaret Voltaire. Responsible at Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett: Martin Spillmann (CD), Reto Clement (AD), Patrick Dubach (text), Pam Hügli, Ivana Giannakis (consulting). Website: Nemos.

For the new "Bell Tradition" product line, a range of traditional charcuterie products from meat manufacturer Bell, Maxomedia has designed a microsite in the form of an old book that visitors can browse through and learn about the six new products. The site also offers users information about the history of Bell, a collection of old advertising posters and menu tips to download. The aim is to bring the traditional products closer to a younger audience. The microsite is accessed via the Tradition theme on www.bell.ch achieved.

With immediate effect, Coop is offering a lowest price guarantee on all Prix Garantie products in over 800 supermarkets. Coop therefore guarantees that the Prix Garantie products are as cheap as the cheapest comparable items at Migros, Aldi or Denner. With the lowest price guarantee and the renewed price reduction on 50 products, Coop is helping to maintain purchasing power, according to a press release. The independent market research company Nielsen determines the comparison articles and surveys the prices of the competition on a monthly basis on behalf of Coop. In addition, Coop checks all prices itself on a weekly basis to ensure the lowest price guarantee.
The campaign was created by the Zurich agency KSB/SJ. The opening advertisement was seen throughout the Sunday press. According to the agency, the campaign also communicated that Prix Garantie prices can be relied on without being seen. The deliberately "inexpensive" campaign look in print also underlines this statement. In the new Prix Garantie film, the message "For prices you can rely on." is also implemented. >> to the movie
The campaign appears nationally in all major daily and Sunday newspapers, in various magazines, at selected poster sites, at every POS and on television.

Responsible at Coop: Jürg Peritz (Head of Marketing/Procurement), Roland Frefel (Head of Category Management), Lydie Goltdammer (Head of Advertising Realization), Stefan Schwär (Project Manager). Responsible at KSB/SJ: Andreas Mädler (CD), Robin Strebel, Tino Heuter (AD), Beat Egger, Andy Lusti (text), Dany Kielholz (consulting management), Rahel Isler, Sabrina Arthur (consulting), Michèle Seligmann (agency producing). Production: Combo Entertainment. Director, Producer: Siro Micheroli, Roman Peritz. Music: Nova International. DTP, photo, image editing, litho: Detail AG. Media: Coop Media, Karin Heliopoulos and Initiative Media Western AG.

Launch advertisement in the Sunday press

Like last year, the organizing committee of the Eurobest Advertising Festival has nominated three Swiss communications professionals for the Eurobest jury. Markus Gut (Y&R Group Switzerland), Thomas Engeli (Jung von Matt/Limmat) and Urs Rueb (Mediaplus) are the new members of the international jury team in London. Gut will be a juror for TV/Cinema, Print, Outdoor and Radio as well as Integrated Advertising, Engeli a juror for Direct & Sales Promotion and Rueb a juror for Media.
This year, the renowned creative competition will be held in Stockholm from December 1 to 3. Since the end of August and until September 26, creative works can be submitted for the coveted Eurobest Award. Works from the areas of radio, TV/cinema, print, outdoor, interactive, direct, sales promotion, integrated, media and the newest category design will be judged. The European Advertising Festival is organized by the organizers of the International Advertising Festival Cannes.