The radio advertising marketer Mediasense has published the first Swiss Radio Guide. The guide contains the most important facts and figures on the Swiss radio landscape, as Mediasense writes in a press release on Thursday. The Zurich-based company aims to provide professionals from the advertising and media industry with a new tool to help simplify the handling of radio advertising. Graphics are intended to emphasize the possibilities of radio as an advertising medium, while basic data and checklists support the planning and booking of radio advertising campaigns. The Radio Guide 2008 can be
here
can be ordered or downloaded. In future, it will be published once a year with updated data.Mediasense markets the Swiss Radio Pool offering and arranges radio advertising for private radio stations that are not members of the SRP. The individual radio advertising campaigns (planning, booking, broadcasting and invoicing) are managed via the Publiplan online booking system.

 The Training Center for Marketing, Advertising and Communication (Sawi) and the Feusi Bildungszentrum Bern are cooperating and will in future jointly offer the MarKom, Marketing Specialist and Sales Specialist courses with a federal certificate as well as the federal diploma in Sales Management. According to a statement issued on Thursday, both training providers will retain their legal independence and will continue to offer the other courses independently.
The Feusi Bildungszentrum will move into its new school building at Max-Dätwyler-Platz in Bern in mid-July. Sawi will also offer its other training courses at this location. The other Sawi training centers in Lausanne, Dübendorf/Zurich and Biel will remain in place.

 The communications agency Furrer.Hugi & Partner in Berne, Zurich and Brussels will be supported by Peter Stücheli-Herlach in the function of an associated partner from July 2008. The move follows the expansion of the agency and the focusing of its activities on strategic public affairs and communications management, the agency writes in a press release. Peter Stücheli-Herlach is Head of Consulting and Lecturer in Political Communication at the Institute for Applied Media Studies (IAM). Since 2004, he has developed training and further education programs in the field of political communication as well as scientific communication consulting. With his sole proprietorship Stücheli Kommunikation, he also advises clients from the fields of business, politics, health, real estate and culture on strategic communication issues. From 1994 to 2003, he was an editor at the NZZ, most recently as deputy head of the Zurich and Region department.
Stücheli-Herlach will continue his activities at the IAM and with Stücheli Kommunikation.

 As of July 1, IDG Switzerland has a new head of sales: At the beginning of the month, 35-year-old André Reichenbach assumed overall responsibility for the national and international marketing of IDG Switzerland's online and print offerings (Pctipp.ch, Computerworld.ch, Digitalliving.ch, PCtipp and Computerworld) as a member of the Executive Board.André Reichenbach is a federally certified sales coordinator, certified host center specialist and web publisher. His last position was as sales manager at eAd/APG (eBoards). Before that, he was engaged as Key Account Manager at Jean Frey, among others.
The sales team around André Reichenbach now consists of Kurt Strebel (Key Account Manager), Werner Ortler (Key Account Manager), Monika Rupp (Telephone Sales), Daniel Frey (Head of Sales Support) and Jasmin Ernst (Sales Support).

 Dissatisfied customers of telephone and value-added services can now turn to the Ombudscom Foundation. The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) appointed the foundation as the official arbitration body on Thursday. It is intended to help find amicable solutions to civil law disputes, as detailed in a press release issued on Thursday. The aim is to avoid consumers having to go to court. The arbitration board is usually called upon to help with disputes over invoices, the conclusion or termination of contracts, surcharges for calls to 0900 numbers or the use of subscribed SMS services.
According to the SDA, the management of an arbitration board for the telecommunications industry is prescribed in the Telecommunications Act. Ombudscom is chaired by Christian Schwarzenegger, professor of criminal law at the University of Zurich.

 
The engineering company Prose has been given a new look. The rail technology specialist's new logo was unveiled in Winterthur on July 3 as part of the company's 25th anniversary celebrations. Prominently placed on the Prose measuring trolley, it will be used on the rails of Europe in future, and the Zurich agency Evoq, which has been working for Prose for some time, is responsible for the new image. As part of the anniversary celebrations, not only was the logo renewed, but the entire brand image was refreshed.
Responsible at Prose:
Stephan Bühler. Responsible at Evoq: Christian Sutter (CD), Jenny Heinicke and Su Elsner (Design).

 A new era is dawning for the Vatican: Pope Benedict XVI will bring the Bible closer to millions of Italians this fall. From October 5, the state broadcaster RAI is planning a series of readings in which various personalities from the Vatican will read the entire Bible. The series will begin with Benedict, who will read the first chapter of Genesis, the story of creation, the Italian television station announced on Thursday. To conclude the series, Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone will read the 22nd chapter of the Apocalypse on October 11, following in the footsteps of Moses actor and gun nut Charlton Heston. After his role in the film "The Ten Commandments", the former president of the National Rifle Association repeatedly produced films with religious content and hosted Bible programs on American children's television.
The papal discovery of the Internet and the first visit to a chat room are expected in around ten years' time.

 In Trend Radar 2.08, researchers from the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI) describe various social developments. For example, it can be observed that the physical and digital worlds are increasingly merging: the once clearly separated spheres of the real world and cyberspace are becoming "hyperlocality". In this world, all devices and objects are networked and can be localized. Furthermore, a shift from price to value can be observed. Conscious consumers are no longer satisfied with a green dot, they want to be able to compare the entire social, ecological and moral added value of products. Thanks to price search engines such as Comparis.ch, getting a constant overview of what is on offer is now almost part of the shopping routine. However, if originally it was only about comparing prices, today more and more criteria are being added. This is why comparison services also need to become more complex. Their next generation will therefore also show what is healthier or better for the environment.
Another trend is that of exclusivity. A growing number of member-only clubs and stores can be observed; concerts and football matches are increasingly becoming VIP events. Even H&M is issuing limited collections. The basis for this "exclusivity for all" is the increasingly flat consumer world, in which beautiful things are affordable for everyone. It fuels the longing for privileges in order to stand out from the rest.
Read
the complete Trend Radar 2.08.

 
Book Dave Balter from Bzzagent.com publishes "The Word of Mouth Manual". The book is available free of charge.  
Dave Balter, Managing Director of the marketing agency Bzzagent.com, is currently publishing his new book "The Word of Mouth Manual". The book is not available in bookstores, but can be downloaded free of charge from over 20 marketing websites. Dave Balter is therefore conducting his own word-of-mouth experiment with his work. Two weeks ago, the author informed around 400,000 so-called Bzzagents, propagandists in the service of the agency Bzzagent.com, about the book and explained to them all the peculiarities with which he wants to distribute the book. A printed version is still available on Amazon. And it also has a special feature: anyone who orders the hardback book will receive a unique work of art by artist Seth B. Minkin.
"The Word of Mouth Manual" is an extensively researched work on the subject of viral marketing, which is divided into three subject areas. In the first part, entitled "Part I: What You Should Know (in Theory)", the reader learns about the latest developments in word of mouth marketing. In "Part II: What You Probably Know Already (Unless You Don't)", the reader is given an answer to all the criticisms that have been made about organized word of mouth since its inception. In the final part, "Part III: What You Must Know (in Practice)", Balter provides the knowledge to successfully utilize viral marketing as a promising communication phenomenon.
Dave's book is packed with facts and insights about word of mouth and the industry that has developed from it. From his insider's perspective, he makes it clear that online word of mouth is a medium that cannot be forced, but can at least be understood.
Christian Lüscher
A keen book sellerDave Balter is considered a master
in his field. The head of the Bzzagent agency has experience in promoting books online. Within three months, the clever viral marketer managed to sell 50,000 copies of the book "Frog King". His campaigns regularly achieve success rates of 1:15, as the New York Times reports. This means that each dedicated employee, a so-called Bzzagent, usually convinces 15 other consumers to spread the word about the new product. Word of the agency's buzz concept spread to the US boardrooms of established companies such as Anheuser-Bush, Ralph Lauren, Du Pont and Procter & Gamble. Today, Bzzagent charges around 100,000 dollars to set up a twelve-week word-of-mouth campaign with around 1,000 agents. (cl)

 
Advertising combination A new combination of posters and radio spots is aimed specifically at car commuters in the Golden Triangle. 
The offer is effective immediately: Radios 24, Basilisk and Capital FM can be combined with posters from Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft (APG) in their respective agglos. The new product, known as PendlerPower, is designed to appeal primarily to car commuters in the Golden Triangle, whether in Zurich, Basel or Berne, the combination works in the same way everywhere: the radio stations offer 30 spot broadcasts during a week (Monday to Friday), spread evenly over all five days and during the morning and evening rush hours. For its part, APG is providing 59 F12 format (three times world format) billboards for seven days in Zurich, 36 in Basel and 35 in Bern, which are located on highway access roads and other busy traffic routes - facing the direction of travel. "With these billboards, our customers can reach around 70 percent of car commuters in the respective target area," says Beat Holenstein, Head of APG Zurich.
With the radio-poster combo, Holenstein is taking up an idea that he launched with Radio 24 back in 2004, but limited to the Zurich area at the time: "The product met with brisk demand, but there were always customers asking for similar combos in other cities." That is why the offer has now been expanded and refined.
Holenstein turned to RadioEmotion for contact with the three radios. The company, which was founded last fall by Richi Gasser, Claudia Sieber and Peter Gmür (all ex-employees of PublicitasRadiotele), is also the exclusive marketer of PendlerPower together with APG. But why is APG cooperating with RadioEmotion and not with PublicitasRadiotele or another intermediary? Holenstein: "Because it was easy to implement the idea with a pure radio intermediary."
It is clear that the choice in Zurich and Basel fell on Radios 24 and Basilisk, both of which are the top dogs in their region. In Bern, however, BE1 would have a wider reach than Capital FM. Richi Gasser comments: "BE1 tends to be younger; with Radios 24, Basilisk and Capital FM, we reach a more homogeneous audience." However, he does not hide the fact that other considerations also played a role: Capital FM, like Radio 24, belongs to Tamedia. BE1, on the other hand, is owned by Publicitas and NZZ. BE1 would therefore not have been accepted as a combination partner for political reasons.
Markus Knöpfli
Three times CommuterPowerCommuterPower Zurich
consists of 59 F12 spaces and 30 broadcasts on Radio 24. With a spot duration of 20 minutes, the package costs CHF 26,613. In Basel, 36 F12 spaces and 30 broadcasts on Radio Basilisk cost CHF 16,543. And in Berne, 35 F12 spots and 30 broadcasts on Capital FM cost CHF 15,867. The price advantage is 20 to 30 percent in each case, with two products specially designed for the combi. The CommuterPower modules can be booked individually, in pairs or in threes, but without any additional discount. All three modules together cost 59,023 francs. (mk)

 
Free Newspaper: Is the Winterthur Stadtanzeiger on the Verge of Closing? Ziegler Druck Denies It. Rumors are swirling around the Winterthur Stadtanzeiger: According to Klein-Report, the appointment of Lucia Eppmann as editor-in-chief meant that the previous editorial director, Roli Spalinger, had been let go. There are also reports that not only advertising director Bettina Oberhänsli but the entire advertising department has resigned. And finally, word is circulating that the «Stadi» will close in two months, with its circulation having dropped from 90,000 to 70,000 copies. The latter is hardly credible for a local newspaper. Moreover, WEMF has reported stable readership and slightly rising circulation figures for the ’Stadi’ in recent years. Lothar Dostal, managing director of «Stadi» publisher Ziegler Druck, sees no signs of a slump, not even in the advertising sector, which the Stadtanzeiger has been handling on its own since the beginning of the year. «Our ad volume is slightly below last year’s level, so in that respect we haven’t quite met our budget target yet,» Dostal admits. Does this mean the Stadtanzeiger—which is 35 percent owned by Publicitas and 65 percent by Ziegler Druck—is facing closure? «Not at all,» laughs Dostal.
Dostal also addresses the rumors regarding personnel changes. It is true that Bettina Oberhänsli resigned at the end of September. However, it is not true that the entire sales team has left the company. Dostal does not deny that «Stadi» has undergone personnel changes recently. «Anyone who takes the reins must expect such changes,» says Dostal.
The situation is different in the editorial department. Lucia Eppmann will likely become editor-in-chief and thus be responsible for both online and print, says Dostal. «With her appointment, we aim to strengthen Stadi’s editorial team.» Roli Spalinger, however, will remain print editor-in-chief; he has neither been dismissed nor has he resigned. «He is a highly valued member of the editorial team and will hopefully remain so,» says Dostal. Spalinger himself declined to comment on the matter.    
 
Markus Knöpfli

 
Transport Ogilvy & Mather, Zurich, has launched a new image for Cisalpino. 
As part of a new strategic orientation, Cisalpino, a subsidiary of SBB and Trenitalia, has set a new course for cooperation with Ogilvy & Mather Zurich. The first smaller campaigns are now being launched in Switzerland and Italy. These also surprise with a new corporate design for Cisalpino. With the 2008/09 timetable change, the first Cisalpino trains will also be speeding through the Alps in the new CI developed by the creative minds at Bergstrasse, as CD Thomas Bolliger can reveal. In the context of the new corporate strategy, Ogilvy & Mather developed a completely new image for Cisalpino, from the logo redesign (old logo below, new one above) to the train lettering for the new high-speed trains and special campaigns for the Italian Tifosi as part of Euro 08. The design of the annual report, a company brochure and the website were further projects within the communication concept, which is intended to reposition and raise the profile of Cisalpino.
From Zurich to VeniceA particular challenge for the agency was the heterogeneity of the target group. On the one hand, it was important to appeal to business people as well as vacation travelers, and on the other hand, the new website should not only address Swiss customers, but also potential customers in northern Italy, explains Caroline Zuffrey, Head of Marketing and Communication at Cisalpino.
 
Switching to the stress- and congestion-free alternative to the nerve-wracking car journey through the Alps is the subject of a TV commercial that is currently being broadcast in Italy. It was produced by Plan B and director Chris Niemeyer.
The travel experience with Cisalpino is at the center of the further communication appearance. Time savings, comfort, services and the unique Alpine panorama are staged around the train window. With Cisalpino, the prospects of a relaxed train journey are given in many respects, the advertising visualizes. Freshly prepared pasta, served with a view of the Alpine scenery. On the train ride directly to the center of the Swiss venues for Euro 08, or with a view of the future, even faster and more frequent connections between Switzerland and Italy. The typical Pendolini train window provides the communicative framework for all this content. From posters to timetable brochures, from advertisements to menus.
Further projects will follow, including for the ClubCisalpino, which will also have a new look.
Andreas Panzeri