Online advertising Hypervideo is challenging skyscrapers and pop-ups. In future, users will be able to click directly on details from web videos.  
It's Saturday evening and the average Swiss family is watching TV. Suddenly the mother leans forward. She presses a button because she likes a dress by Julia Roberts. The screen tells her the size of the dress, what material it's made of and how much it costs. She also beams into the dress, looks at herself from all sides and orders it. The next day, the courier delivers her order. At the weekend, she wears the cocktail dress to a party. Viewers are not yet able to order dresses on television. But what is not yet possible on television has been possible on the Internet for some time. Internet videos today offer more content than you might expect at first glance. Similar to hypertext, where links are embedded in texts, advertisers now link objects in videos with websites or additional information. Entire film strips are linked and allow the viewer to call up information. Be it the handbag that a "Sex and the City" actress is carrying, her shoes or the champagne she is drinking at a bar.
Everything is a linkThere are no limits to creativity. Individual regions of the video are marked and provided with a description and links. If the mouse pointer moves over the corresponding region while watching the movie, the video stops and the information stored for the respective object is displayed. To prevent the whole thing from degenerating into a search game, markers light up in the video as soon as information is available. Even filmed objects such as passing cars can be clicked on. Viewers can access information according to their interests.
Video technology is already widely used in the USA. A visit to the websites Asterpix.com or Videoclix.tv shows the extent to which overseas advertisers have recognized the click potential. The film databases offer an insight into where and for what such hypervideos have already been used.
The commercial leader in this business is the software company Eline Technologies, which has developed the Videoclix software to store links in videos. Customers such as Apple, Disney and Sony have already used it to link their film projects. As Eline boss Babak Maghfourian says, interactive advertising spots on the web are far more successful than traditional television advertising in terms of web traffic.
Switzerland is also experimenting with the hypervideo format. The company Clixmedia from Wädenswil has purchased the technology licenses from overseas and is currently working on convincing Swiss customers of the benefits of interactive videos. Clixmedia CEO Tom Lanbacher sees great potential because, according to his observations, Internet users have a "discovery gene" and click on anything that interests them. This type of advertising model is accepted because the viewer is served unsolicited advertising. The user decides whether to click on them and find out more. To convince customers of the benefits of the technology, Lanbacher recently wrote a multi-page plea for the new technology. His message: the new generation of advertising is unobtrusive and yet effective.
Ringier examines technologyThe media company Ringier is very enthusiastic about the strategic possibilities of hypervideos. The technology has been undergoing a suitability test for months. However, no concrete projects have yet been implemented. According to one employee, the company is still in an "internal prototype phase". The advertising film company Pumpkin, which wanted to upgrade a filmed commercial into a hypervideo, is a famous step ahead. Still without success. New Media Producer Götz Hudelmaier says: "We couldn't catalog the film as planned because it was cut too quickly."
Christian Lüscher
Product placement - sharing made easyIn addition to the new linking options for videos
a new form of product placement is also a major topic. The Israeli start-up Seambi has developed a technology that allows advertising space and three-dimensional objects to be integrated into finished web videos. This means that in a TV series, the living room can be supplemented with a clearly visible floor lamp from Ikea. Or the Coke can can be replaced with one from Pepsi. There are virtually no limits for the advertising industry, neither in terms of video format nor in terms of advertising insertion. The advantages over conventional online advertising are obvious: the advertising space once inserted into the video can be quickly provided with different advertisements. As can be read in the trade journal W&V, the technology is considered "campaign-ready" and is already being used by the media company Hubert Burda Media. The industry is likely to have high hopes for such technologies because spending on product placement is increasing every year. And web videos are a popular offer. Half of all Internet users watch such videos at least once a month. Around a quarter of users click on video websites occasionally, according to a study by Universal McCann. (cl)

As SPRI director, Markus Berger wants to strengthen the school's profile, achieve a turnaround and also offer e-learning for all courses.
Sometimes life runs in an almost perfect circle. After graduating from high school, Markus Berger was supposed to study at his parents' request. But the son rather succumbed to the attraction of a longer trip to America. After a bit of fun and sun after graduation, he was tempted by a "summer course in public relations" at the University of Arizona. The flyer promised that students would also visit radio and TV stations. "It not only sounded good, but was a very competent and compact introduction to all aspects of PR," Berger recalls today. In any case, his new career goal was set.
Still from overseas, he sent applications to all sorts of agencies in Switzerland. At BPR Communications AG in St. Gallen, they wanted to give him a chance. After a detour to the competition, he was later able to buy the agency in a management buyout. Since then, he has worked in his own business for 15 years and will continue to lead the company strategically even after his election as the new director of the SPRI. And why has the entrepreneur now become principal?
Here again, the circle closes perfectly. Berger himself graduated from SPRI as a federally certified PR consultant, then lectured for years on "PR at all kinds of schools" and acted as the person responsible for educational issues on the central board of the Swiss PR Society. In this function he was delegated to the foundation board of the SPRI two years ago and was thus involved in the search for a new director. And in the process, he asked himself the question, "Why don't you apply for the job yourself?"
SPRI is an SME with twelve permanent employees and many freelance lecturers. The educational institute generates annual sales of around four million. Managing this multifaceted company is ostensibly Berger's most important task. "I have to ensure the operation of the training." As the SPRI's professional figurehead, the new director also acts as the director of studies for various courses. He must "ensure that the quality of the lecturers is guaranteed and that the curriculum of the courses is right." All these operational obligations leave little time, at least in the current phase, to also "develop new ideas for the future of an education at SPRI beyond the daily routine." Berger is already thinking, however. Where is the institute going? Where is communications as a whole headed? What role will PR play in the future?
Currently, Berger is already very busy with the topic of networking and web communication. At first, the director and his instructors thought they would have to present a special "Writing on the Internet" course, for example. But in the meantime, they've come to the realization at SPRI that "Web communication needs to be integrated into each of our disciplines, because it plays a role everywhere." And just as with this adaptation to the latest practice, Berger wants to "not only act reactively, but proactively make a difference himself" with other programs in the future.
The increasingly rapid changes in the media landscape have not visibly led to different students. Instead, there are two other defining factors. One is shared by SPRI with almost all educational institutions. "That is the increasing attitude of entitlement among participants." People want to have a big title by the time they're 25, to do it in the shortest possible way - and to contribute as little as possible to it, either financially or in terms of time. More and more lecturers are complaining that "you just sit in the classroom and consume," he says. Where students used to learn with curiosity and interest, many today lack that "feu sacré" that Berger himself used to experience as a student at SPRI. "Today, everything in class has to be more and more colorful and even more interactive. The attention span is constantly getting shorter. As a result, seriousness and reflection on topics are lost." Schools are having a hard time with this. However, they can only influence the social trend to a limited extent. Moreover, the SPRI can hardly turn away students for the above reasons. "We are not subsidized by the state, so like everyone we have to give in to the trend to some extent. However, we try to make the best of it by correcting appropriate deficits when putting together learning groups. The students who are interested can pick up the others."
A second trend led to an increase in the number of participants. "There is much more awareness of communications. Many dream of a job in this supposedly glamorous industry." Whereas in the past it was mainly people with longer work experience who still wanted to document their expertise with a diploma, today the desire for such a diploma is usually already at the beginning of a career. But those who follow the classic dual path and also gain practical experience before earning a federal degree have greater opportunities. The SPRI increases these even more, because on the basis of its training plans and also its 40-year track record, it is "in the privileged situation that the approximately 600 graduates per year usually find a good job quickly".
The fact that competitors are springing up almost like mushrooms around the SPRI does not worry the new director. "The many course providers are stimulating the market. Berger wants to pay more attention to developments at the (technical) universities. These, too, are now offering training courses in PR and "produce new people for the job market every semester." Berger knows the situation from "numerous blind applications" that constantly land on the desk of his own agency. But he believes he agrees with other agency heads that these university graduates usually lack the necessary practice. Nevertheless, of course, the SPRI now also has to offer course modules where you can earn points toward a master's degree at a university. For these certificate courses, they work in partnership with the HWZ of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences.
E-learning will also play an important role at SPRI in the future. Students learn at home, where they sit in front of their computers at fixed times and "chat" with the lecturer. In addition, students regularly travel to Zurich to deepen what they have learned together in a class. The new system is particularly popular with part-time students. Berger is also convinced of its success. "When teaching on the computer, no one can be passive. You have to answer every question when the lecturer clicks on you." The SPRI therefore plans to communicate soon that the option of e-learning will now be offered for all courses from basic training to diploma courses. This means that SPRI is once again a trendsetter.
Within this "dynamic development" in the education market, Markus Berger sees it as one of his most important tasks to "further sharpen the profile of the SPRI". To this end, he wants to strengthen the "vocational training track" and show that a federal degree has its value. Even if it no longer seems so sexy to be "federally certified" and "master" sounds more worldly to many, Markus Berger is convinced that graduates of the PR consultant course still "enjoy the best PR training" and are correspondingly highly welcome in the Swiss economy.
Andreas Panzeri

 
TV commercial The London advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy realized the first live commercial in Great Britain on behalf of Honda. 
What the Honda team from Wieden + Kennedy (WK), London, put together for June 1, 2008 was probably a premiere in many respects, or rather, it was a first: "Jump" was the first TV commercial to be broadcast live on the British station Channel 4. And what was shown was no less spectacular: during the free fall from lofty heights, female skydivers and their colleagues linked up to form the sequence of letters H, O, N, D and A. Apart from that, there was no indication of the client. Every conceivable scenario was put down on paper. Every eventuality was considered, nothing was left to chance. Just like in a gigantic ballet, every movement had to be choreographed and calculated so that it would work when the time came to get down to business.
"We have put together a team of the best skydivers in the world," reveals BJ Worth, coordinator for stunts in the air, on the blog www.difficultisworthdoing.typepad.com. Most of them have well over 10,000 jumps behind them and appreciate the challenge of shooting for the new Honda Accord. "It wasn't easy for Honda to decide what should and shouldn't be in the new model," explains Tony Davidson, Creative Director at Wieden + Kennedy. "In a way, this tension is part of Honda's DNA." And this was to be reflected in the complex shoot.
Meticulous preparations "If you had to summarize the Honda engineers' daily bread in one sentence, it would be 'difficult is worth doing'," says Kim Papworth, CD at WK. For the protagonists of the spot, this meant practicing so-called "dirt dives" based on BJ Worth's sketches. The formations were first rehearsed dancing on the floor and then lying on skateboards so that the various twists and turns could be performed blind.
"We had one chance, two planes and fifty people jumping," recalls Worth. The various formations were followed by seven cameras, one of which was in a helicopter, while Tom Sanders wore another on his helmet: "It's very heavy. It's particularly tricky when getting out of the plane and later when landing. There are only a few people who do this, and there's a reason for that."
In addition to the live broadcast spot from Spain, there is also a polished version of the TV commercial, in which not the name of Honda, but a steering wheel, a spring spiral and a rear camera were constructed by 50 jumpers. This extraordinary performance is followed by a gentleman who roars up in a sleek Honda Accord and says laconically at the end: "What's next?" Yes, what's next?
The Honda "Jump" commercial and more information on the Internet at www.difficultisworthdoing.typepad.com.
Marc Bodmer

 
Paper UPM is launching a new brochure at Drupa 2008 with background information on its sheetfed offset papers.  
UPM papers undergo strict quality controls throughout the entire production process. Knowing the test methods and being able to classify the technical measured values is also a great advantage for paper buyers and printers when comparing different paper qualities. Terms explained clearlyIn the new brochure "Paper testing and paper selection", UPM explains the most important basic properties of sheet-fed offset papers and relevant test methods. Terms such as color location or standard illuminants are also explained, as are methods for checking mottling, run-off behavior and fold breakage. In the brochure, UPB also provides practical tips on paper selection and ordering and provides technical printing information on the wood-free coated and uncoated grades UPM Finesse and UPM Fine. The brochure is the first edition of the new series "Printing and Paper Fact Books" with technical background information on sheetfed offset papers.
 
The brochure is available in German and English at [email protected]. (sf)

 The Tangram agency, based in Zurich and Vaduz, is pleased to announce an increase in its client portfolio. It has won three new mandates from different sectors, as detailed in a press release issued on Wednesday. The agency will be responsible for brand development for the internationally active software company Procos, which specializes in balanced scorecards. The mandate from client Econorm is also in the area of branding. The specialist for the anti-reflective coating of luxury watch glasses relies on the agency's services. Finally, Tangram will develop and implement all communication media for the Liechtenstein Musical Company to promote its stage productions.

 
Insurance Contexta shows: Basler Versicherungen saves money for the customer, but not on advertising. 
Basler car insurance is cheaper than you might think, even cheaper than the competition - up to 30 percent according to statistics. In order to communicate this fact and at the same time correct its image, Basler Versicherungen commissioned Bern-based Contexta to develop a sales promotion campaign. At the heart of the campaign is a statement that is as clear as it is appealing and demonstrates Baloise's great understanding of the true needs of policyholders: "Don't save on your car. Save on your car insurance." The subjects always work with a direct and free response option, as the aim is to persuade as many people as possible to get a personal quote from their Baloise insurance advisor.
To ensure that the campaign caused the desired stir, Contexta and CD Moritz Staehelin spiced up the core message with an additional pinch of humor. In print, by showing cheap cars instead of dream cars. In the radio spot, by parodying the traffic reports. And finally, in ambient marketing, by adapting the core message to the respective advertising environment and using it without any images at all, for example on petrol taps at major filling stations throughout Switzerland.
Andreas Panzeri

 The Masciadri agency is handing over its Communication & Design division to the Bern-based communications agency Republica. From July 1, 2008, Managing Director Peter Masciadri will concentrate on strategic consulting and his teaching activities at the University of St. Gallen and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts.Republica intends to offer permanent positions to various Masciadri employees, according to a press release issued on Wednesday. Peter Masciadri will support Republica in the areas of strategy consulting and branding. He will also become a member of the Board of Directors of the Bern-based agency.
Republica currently employs 22 people and supports companies and brands in the areas of corporate identity, advertising, public relations, internet and events. The agency is owned by Barbara Trachsel (CEO), Chris Morgan (CD) and Re Wilk (CD).

 
At the beginning of the year, there was intense turmoil between Basler Zeitung Medien (BZM) and its minority shareholder, PubliGroupe. BaZ publisher Matthias Hagemann spoke with *Werbewoche*. 
WW: The BaZ is running a public viewing area right in the middle of Basel’s Euro fan zone. Did you watch the opening match there? Matthias Hagemann: No, since our company is the local media partner, I was lucky enough to watch the Switzerland-Czech Republic game at St. Jakob Park with my son.
Just in time for the euro, you reduced the BaZ from five sections to three. Why did you thin out the paper right now, of all times, when there’s such a large international audience here? This isn’t a reduction in content, but a restructuring: The first section is dedicated to the euro. Our goal is to reach all those for whom the euro is the most important issue. Anyone who isn’t interested can set aside the first section and then have a Euro-free BaZ. But that doesn’t mean the paper has gotten thinner.
However, BZM will see a reduction in its presence on PresseTV: Due to the new partnership between SF and Verlegerfernsehen, your soccer talk show will be canceled without replacement starting in 2009. What does this mean for the BZM? After a long back-and-forth, SF and PTV have reached an agreement, so it makes sense for us to continue the program “BaZ-Standpunkt.” However, the scaled-back TV activities aren’t a big deal for us, as we’ll be producing more video content online in the future.
Are you thinking of the online platform you run with Tamedia? That’s just one part of the activities we want to develop. We’re already posting videos on baz.ch covering FCB press conferences and the Fasnacht carnival. These are viewed immediately. We want to massively expand our local content in the future.
So no plans to exit the TV business? No. People used to talk a lot about convergence without knowing what it might actually look like. Now it’s becoming clear that online isn’t just causing us trouble by eating into our margins, but that it’s also opening up new opportunities—precisely in the direction of convergence, the contours of which are now becoming visible.
Third Reduction: BZM is set to release its annual financial statements at the end of June. I suspect the results this time will be lower than in 2006/07—due to the transition to independent operation and because PubliGroupe is apparently withholding funds.(laughs) The annual financial statements do indeed contain various uncertainties. We knew that going independent would be a massive undertaking with significant business risks. On the other hand, we’re succeeding in the market as a result. Compared to the same period last year, we’re seeing significant increases in revenue month after month. Market share is also clearly shifting from Publicitas to us. Nevertheless, I expect 2007/08 to be a transitional year, not least because of PubliGroupe’s very puzzling behavior in the second half of 2007 and the first half of 2008.
In March, you accused P of withholding the January payment of 2.5 million francs. What is the status of that? After more than 100 days, the January payment was finally made, so that issue has been resolved. We held talks with PubliGroupe’s top management. However, we have the impression that they still do not really accept our transition to independent management, even though the relevant agreement was signed over a year ago.
Is the money coming in regularly now? For the most part, it is coming in according to the agreed-upon schedule. There are still some outstanding payments.
So what exactly is the problem? P has been spreading a lot of rumors in the market. The question is, what’s really true? For example, they claim that we’re offering “dumping” prices. That’s not true. The examples they provided when we asked for them weren’t valid. The fact is that we’ve had a new advertising rate schedule since the beginning of the year and that we’ve lowered certain prices that were previously too high. The so-called “dumping offers” thus turn out to be standard rate offers.
…which P can also offer on the market? Yes. We are acting in accordance with the contract.
They were considering filing a civil lawsuit against P. We obtained authorization from the board of directors to file a lawsuit immediately if P withholds funds again. According to P, the outstanding amounts are intended to settle certain differences. It is debatable whether this is justified. P must now be careful not to go too far.
A complaint to the Competition Commission (Weko) was also discussed. Weko was involved when P introduced the account bonus without informing us. But P did publicly promise to improve its practices and has apparently stopped doing so now.
Do you doubt that? My trust in this once-reliable partner has been severely shaken by the events I mentioned.
Did Thomas Bargetzi’s appointment as CEO of Media Sales Switzerland fail to bring about a thaw? I have no direct dealings with Mr. Bargetzi. For me, the core issue is whether the top leadership at P accepts our autonomy and, by extension, the existence of the free market economy—or whether they are somehow trying to bring us down.
Was PubliGroupe's 37 percent stake in BZM ever discussed by the board of directors over the past six months? No, never.
Back to the annual financial statements: How do you assess the company’s overall performance? Since the figures for May and June are still missing, it’s difficult to take stock. However, at the printing facilities of Birkhäuser+GBC AG, we’ll have an outstanding year-end with approximately 120 million in revenue and a healthy profit. In this regard, we’re likely at the top in Switzerland. In the publishing division, on the other hand, we’ll see rather modest results despite our already successful in-house operations—for the reasons mentioned and due to various investment projects, such as News.
What conclusions do you draw from the first semester of News? News is very well done. However, it remains to be seen whether it will catch on and whether it will stay within budget. We have, however, achieved a secondary goal: incorporating .ch into the sandwich.
How do you assess the future development of the BZM? I think that developments in the financial markets and inflation will lead to an economic slowdown. That’s the issue I’m focusing on most right now—alongside the problems with P. But we’re not alone in this. We do have a few major projects: News is one, the online platform is another, and in-house production is the biggest. But in the event of an economic slowdown, job listings will decline, which will then pose a challenge for all publishers. We’ll overcome our challenges, and I’m curious to see how those who publish or plan to publish Sunday editions will fare.
So you’re not considering starting your own “Sonntag” project? Even though AZ Medien’s “Sonntag” is coming to Basel? “Sonntag” has been around in Basel for centuries; Peter Wanner’s “Sonntag” won’t change much. Seriously, though: His paper is well done. But we’re convinced it will be difficult to make it profitable. Peter Wanner did say in his own newspaper that *Der Sonntag* would be in the black if you counted half of the job ads toward its revenue. This means *Der Sonntag* may not actually be in the black. After all, Peter Wanner already had those job ads when he was publishing only six issues. Now he’s publishing seven, with the corresponding additional costs, and to cover those, he needs money he already had before. So, at the end of the day, he’s likely left with less. As long as that’s the case, a Sunday edition isn’t on the table for us. Not to mention that, as a survey showed, our readers haven’t requested one so far either. However, if it becomes apparent that the Sunday edition is becoming a viable business not only for the three major publishers but also for the others, it will become interesting for us as well.
Mr. Wanner recently made yet another offer of cooperation to you, which you once again turned down. Why do these positions remain so entrenched? It’s quite simple: Before he joined the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (bz), we told him, “Peter, you can choose who you want to work with in northwestern Switzerland.” He made his choice and has since taken over the bz, which he has the P market for him. This has created a conflict of interest that precludes any collaboration. Personally, though, we get along well.
They’re now working even more closely with Tamedia, even though Tamedia’s behavior has so far been similar to Wanner’s: Anyone who cooperates with them gets swallowed up. (laughs) I see it differently. It’s true that Peter Wanner has, unfortunately, actually operated that way so far, and I think that’s how he practiced at the bz as well. With Tamedia, however, we don’t have the same impression. For two reasons: First, they’re offering us projects that make operational sense. And second, we’ve come to trust that they’re interested in genuine collaboration, without any intention of a takeover. But we’re naturally aware that Tamedia is the most powerful company in the Swiss newspaper market and has enormous financial clout.
Interview: Markus Knöpfli
 
 
 
>> Here's what PubliGroupe has to say about the dispute with the Basler Zeitung: «Significant differences»
 
 
 
Possible Additional Keymedia Offices: Keymedia, BZM's in-house advertising agency, and BZM Werbe AG, a subsidiary of BaZ
have recently opened offices in Aarau and Bern. It’s likely that one will follow soon in Zurich. And perhaps elsewhere as well. Roland Steffen, Head of Publishing at BZM, isn’t giving anything away. «We’re open to possibilities and monitoring the markets,» he says. But with sales offices in Basel, Liestal, Bern, and Aarau, the company is currently well positioned. «Market conditions and economic trends will determine whether more will be added.» In Bern, the Keymedia office
led by Michael Seiler, the former advertising director of the Berner Zeitung. Is BZM now starting to provoke Tamedia? «Of course not,» says Steffen. The goal is simply to «make the best possible use of our employees» skills and connections to implement our own strategy.” Provocations would not be in line with the BZM’s philosophy. (mk)

 Klaus J. Stöhlker AG reacts to the increasing demand for public relations from Russia. The PR agency has founded a subsidiary in St. Petersburg, as the company announced on Wednesday.
 
The newly established company Stöhlker LLC in St. Petersburg will support Russian companies to protect their interests in Western Europe, the agency writes. So far, it performed this task in the branches in Zollikon and Berlin.
 
Managing Director of the subsidiary in Russia is 38-year-old Fidel Stöhlker, while his 34-year-old brother Raoul Stöhlker is responsible for the branch in Berlin. As managing partners, the two brothers jointly head Klaus J. Stöhlker AG in Zollikon.

 
Football
Since the start of the European Football Championship, eleven 17-metre-high football stars from nine nations have been on display at Zurich's main station. The campaign was developed by TBWA\Berlin in collaboration with Adidas. The installation at Zurich main station is part of the current campaign for Adidas.

 
Her show «Leben live» will be canceled on July 4—but for host Fabienne Pfammatter, the final TV hour hasn’t yet struck: As the TV magazines Tele and TV-Star report in their latest issues, Pfammatter will soon be hosting the show «Horizonte» on Sunday afternoons. The current host, Michèle Sauvain, will in the future work primarily behind the scenes and be responsible for acquiring documentaries that will be broadcast as part of «Horizonte,» among other programs.

 
Photography In New York, the 1st International Photo Festival NYPH08 showed trends. Our photographer was there. 
Photography is one of the most present media of our time. In the USA, little attention has been paid to this fact to date. In New York, the home of many passionate and influential photographers, this shortcoming has finally been corrected.
The 1st New York International Photo Festival NYPH08 took place in Dumbo, a pretty Brooklyn neighborhood of disused factory buildings on the banks of the East River between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. It was curated by Magnum photographer Martin Parr and photo editor Kathy Ryan from the New York Times Magazine, among others. They created independent compilations of works by international photographers. The focus was on the future of photography and the discovery of new, bold and emotional visual languages.
There were many well-known names, Alexandra Boulat for example. The reportage photographer, who died last year, was represented with her impressive works from the Far East. Horacio Salinas, the crazy still-life photographer from New York, was there with his burst car tires. Wassink Lundgren with "Empty bottles". The Dutch duo placed plastic bottles on the streets of China and photographed people picking them up again.
The festival was a lot of fun with such ideas and attracted well over a hundred thousand visitors. The NYPH will take place for the second time next year: same town, same place.
Iris Stutz