The jury for the ADC of Europe Awards 2008 has been determined. Bene Abegglen, ADC member and Creative Partner of the Contexta agency, will be a member of the jury in the Film category. Bene Abegglen has already designed over 100 advertising films, including the "Beck & Bondi" campaign, which has won several ADC gold awards. As a juror, he can look back on many years of experience with many national and international awards. The ADC of Europe competition will take place on June 7, 2008 in Barcelona. All award-winning European ADC works will be judged.

 
High-noon on television: On Friday evening, Federal Councillor Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf and former Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher will face each other in the Arena on Swiss television. It's about the naturalization initiative. Blick was already looking forward to the TV encounter and ran the headline "Hate duel in the Arena". However, the confrontation has been defused somewhat because Widmer-Schlumpf is not standing with the opponents of the initiative in the debate, but in a third position. This was created on Wednesday, more or less by Federal Council decision, for the members of the national government in Arena broadcasts. As the "muzzle initiative" is also currently pending, the national government probably does not want to expose itself too much. Widmer-Schlumpf's switch from the "opponent" position to a "neutral" position was naturally a talking point. However, the SVP's shuffle within the "supporter" position also caused a stir, as they suddenly put Christoph Blocher up for the originally intended SVP National Councillor Adrian Amstutz. In his blog, SF editor-in-chief Ueli Haldimann has now explained in detail why he accepted both reshuffles. You can read it at
http://cr.blog.sf.tv/p97.html
. In any case, his conclusion is that because SP National Councillor Jositsch has now slipped into the "opponent" position for Widmer-Schlumpf, the situation is a "win-win-win" so to speak: the SVP has Blocher in, Widmer-Schlumpf has been somewhat removed from the SVP barrage and with Jositsch, the left now also has a voice. Haldimann did not say that television would also benefit from this duel. But you can guess: this is a win-win-win-win situation.

 
IPTV provider Zattoo is expanding and grappling with teething problems that aren't of its own making. 
Just under two years ago, in August 2006, Zattoo launched a groundbreaking application in Switzerland that made it easy to stream traditional TV programs to a computer—and it’s still free today. It operates using the peer-to-peer method, similar to what is used on music-sharing platforms, where the data stream is composed of content from various individual computers. Initially, only the four SRG channels were available. Just half a year later, Zattoo was offering 41 channels. Today, there are already 60 channels, including the BBC, Al Jazeera, Arte, as well as the most prominent French, German, Italian, and Swiss private and public broadcasters. But niche channels such as TV gusto, Automoto TV, and Game TV are also on the list. The technology places no limits on channel variety, but simply adding channels at random makes no sense, says Dominik A. Schmid, head of the German-speaking region at Zattoo. You can see this with satellite reception: «People usually limit themselves to the same eight to twelve channels,» he says.
Zattoo has seen tremendous growth in recent months. In Switzerland, approximately 675 ,000 people have downloaded the free player. The trend is strongly upward, especially with Euro 08 on the horizon. RingierTV, for example, will launch its own Euro 08 sports channel and broadcast it via Zattoo. Meanwhile, advertisers are showing interest but are hesitant to invest.
The European Championship is also likely to serve as a top-notch test of technology. That’s because the video feed isn’t always clear. During primetime, for example, on SRG channels, it’s not uncommon for the video to become pixelated or for viewers to be unable to access it at all. The problem usually stems from insufficient bandwidth or a lack of computing power. «This has to do with the capacity of our networks,» says Schmid. What isn’t such a big issue for other web applications can be devastating for Zattoo. For Schmid, the problem stems mainly from inadequate infrastructure with overbooked access points. This can also happen, for example, when multiple users access Zattoo simultaneously over a wireless network. While the service can handle a significantly larger number of concurrent users on the same channel—far more than any other provider today— «But if too many people log in, it’ll eventually crash.»
Zattoo is therefore adapting to the network providers’ and individual users’ ever-improving infrastructure. It’s just a matter of time, and it won’t be too much longer.
Zattoo is still free today. Even people who don’t own a TV can still watch TV online without paying any fees. Schmid expects that to change. But he doesn’t see it as a death knell for Zattoo. «That won’t limit our growth.» After all, 80 percent of Zattoo users have a TV at home and pay fees anyway.
In addition to Switzerland, Zattoo is currently expanding into seven other markets across Europe, including Spain, France, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, England, and Germany. Expansion into the U.S. and Asia is planned for this year, along with further growth in Europe, with the long-term goal of global distribution. Zattoo recently upgraded its technology with an electronic program guide. New features are being introduced on an ongoing basis, such as improvements in quality; users will also gain access to a channel manager for organizing channels, as well as teletext. Later this year, Zattoo also plans to launch a «Social Space» and offer channels that require a subscription fee.
It remains to be seen how long Zattoo will remain in beta. «We’re still in pioneering territory, because everything we’re introducing is new,» says Schmid.

René Worni

 
Food call Lanz and Lovely the cow know what the heroes of tomorrow drink best. 
1 glass of milk, 1 yoghurt and 1 piece of cheese: this is the daily requirement that nutritionists consider ideal for adolescents. For the Swiss Milk Producers SMP, the menu is also the recipe for their new campaign. Every year, the association feeds the Swiss media with refreshing posters and stimulating advertisements. The message for 2008 is crystal clear: grow big, stay strong, and the Ruf Lanz agency was unable to miss the 2008 European Football Championships for this slogan. The Swiss soccer stars of tomorrow are therefore queuing up in front of Lovely. This time, the Swiss milk producers want to use their campaign to appeal to parents and children alike in order to make the nutritional benefits of milk palatable to them. Not only according to the SMP has it been proven: Milk makes the heroes of tomorrow fit and gives them strong bones. Ruf Lanz's topping of the froth: milk is a natural Swiss product.
Once again, the popular dairy cow Lovely is at the center of the latest performance. In her latest prank, eleven bright soccer tots queue up in front of her to milk her. Creative Director Markus Ruf says: "It's quite possible that this is where the football team of 2025 is gathering strength for future great deeds." And because the enthusiasm for football in the year of the Euro does not stop at the female gender, "the girls don't have to be left on the sidelines either", as Danielle Lanz adds. In addition to the motif with the eleven boys, there is also one with eleven girls in football shirts.
Both subjects will be featured in a national F12 poster display and in advertisements in popular magazines from the end of May.
 
Andreas Panzeri 

 For its new client Blaues Kreuz, the Y&R Group has created a campaign to help alcoholics and their families find counseling. Banners on various websites show a woman falling into a bottomless pit. According to the agency group, the aim is to illustrate the effects of alcohol and how helpless those affected are. Clicking on the banner takes you directly to the Blue Cross Zurich website, and while the online measures focus on the tragedy of alcohol addiction, the ambient stickers are intended to encourage open discussion. With deliberate irony, the fluorescent stickers are placed under table tops in trendy and nightlife areas as "first aid stations", the press release continues. Anyone who falls off their chair. See that the Blue Cross can help.
Responsible at Blue Cross Zurich:

Stephan Kunz (Executive Board), Henrik Viertel (Communications and Fundraising). Responsible at the Y&R Group: Markus Gut (CCO), Christian Erni (CD), Marietta Albinus (AD), Spiros Margaris, Urs Breton (Animation), Martin Stulz, Andi Portmann (Text).

 
The Zurich agency Jung von Matt/Limmat has realized a cross-media campaign for the magazine Saisonküche under the motto "Was gibt's". At the heart of the campaign, according to the agency, is the online quiz: the aim is to find out what you could cook with the ingredients shown in the advertisements. A print campaign and a guerrilla action are also part of the campaign: hundreds of tablecloths were draped on tables throughout Switzerland to make the general public aware "that good taste is always in season".
The press release goes on to say that the public has clearly enjoyed the campaign so far: by the halfway point of the campaign, 26,000 people had already taken part in the online quiz and 7,000 had ordered a sample issue of the magazine.
The next round of the campaign is scheduled to start in the fall.
 
 
 
 
 
Responsible at JvM/Limmat: Alexander Jaggy (Creative Direction), Thomas Ammann (Text), Patrick Beeli (Art Direction), Ariel Zumstein (Graphics), Petra Gayko, Dennis Busch (Consulting), Erasmo Palomba (Art Buying), Armin Zogbaum (Photography).

 
This is the second time that Valencia Kommunikation, based in Zurich and Basel, has put tennis star Roger Federer in the spotlight. According to a statement from the agency, the new campaign follows on from last year's and once again presents a perfect Federer - and if something does go wrong, at least he is perfectly insured. The campaign was realized on 14 February at the Dolder Grand Hotel, which has not yet opened. The scenes for the TV commercial were shot alternately in two identical suites and the ad subjects were photographed.
The campaign was launched on May 11, 2008 and includes TV commercials as well as advertisements and online advertising throughout Switzerland.

 

Responsible at Nationale Suisse:
Willi Erdin (Head of Marketing), Adrian Lichtin (Marketing). Responsible at Valencia: Michael Gerber (CD), Patricia Heyne (Text/Concept), Tommy Schilling (Senior AD), Nadine Weber (AD), Marianne Weibel, Nicole Metz and Tanja Rhein (Consulting). Photography: Marc Gysin. Film: Wirz & Fraefel Productions AG. Styling Roger Federer: Ruth Bugmann. Set and styling location: Anita Bruehlmann.

 To mark its 175th anniversary, the Ringier publishing house is launching new projects: The Ringier Academy education network, the Media Lab digital competence center and a foundation in Romania. The Ringier Academy is a network platform that promotes education and training opportunities in all countries in which the publishing house is active. Existing programs such as the journalism school in Switzerland will not be replaced, but rather bundled. The Academy is not only aimed at editorial staff, but also at employees in the publishing house, as CEO Martin Werfeli announced to the media on Thursday at the KKL Lucerne. "We want to meet the need for training, which is very high in many countries," said Werfeli in response to Werbewoche's question about the reasons for creating the program. The aim was to give something back from the profits Ringier generates.  
Rolf Probala, who is currently in charge of the publishing house's anniversary project, will set up Acamdey from September. He has a wealth of experience in the media industry; his stations include Radio DRS and the management of the SF "Tagesschau". From 2000 to 2006, he was Head of Communications at ETH Zurich.
Ringier is focusing on digitalization with the Media Lab: this competence center for digital media identifies new trends and analyses the benefits of new technologies for the company. The Media Lab deals with the question of how content can be effectively communicated digitally and aims to sensitize employees to the new media. The competence center is headed by Thomas Trüb, Head of New Media at Ringier.
The third project announced by the Group's management was the establishment of the Ringier Foundation in Romania. It primarily supports older people and young people. "This foundation is very close to my heart," explained publisher Michael Ringier. "We have a social obligation and want to do something about the rampant poverty in Romania." The foundation was established last December and has been supporting a medical center in Bucharest since March of this year. The president of the foundation is Marius Hagger, Managing Director of Ringier Romania. As Michael Ringier went on to say, similar foundations are to be set up in the medium term in other countries in which Ringier is active.

 The program and advertising combination Tele News Combi (TNC) has appointed a new managing director. Andrea Haemmerli will succeed Martin Bürki (ConRadio TV/Tele Bärn), who is leaving the company, as Managing Director as of June 1, 2008, according to a press release issued on Thursday. Haemmerli has been the commercial director of Belcom (Tele Züri and Radio 24) since February 2008. The TNC broadcasters have appointed Urs Gerber from Publicitas Radiotele to the newly created position of Head of Marketing. He will support Andrea Haemmerli in the commercial marketing of the advertising combination. Gerber has been with Radiotele since 2004 and heads the Regional TV unit.
Willy Surbeck (Editor-in-Chief Tele Basel) will continue to be responsible for programming. In this function, he coordinates joint program content within the Tele News Combi. Surbeck has been with Tele Basel since 1996.

 The Ringier publishing house is preparing for the highlight of its anniversary year: It is celebrating its 175th birthday with two major ceremonies and an exhibition at the KKL Lucerne. CEO Martin Werfeli told the media on Thursday that the anniversary celebrations were intended to give pause to the hectic everyday life of the media and reflect on "yesterday, today and tomorrow". On Friday evening, 1,500 guests from the worlds of politics, business, media and culture will flock to the Culture and Convention Center. Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger will be the speaker. On Saturday, as many as 3,500 active and former employees are expected to make the pilgrimage to the KKL for the internal celebration. The winners of the "Ringier Destination" online quiz will also be present. Ringier companies from all over the world will be presenting themselves on a "Boulevard of Time". This boulevard was still under construction on Thursday: the KKL was hard at work to get the anniversary backdrop up and running in time for Friday.
This weekend will mark the provisional conclusion of the activities for the anniversary year, which Michael Ringier is "not unhappy" about, as he let slip: the festivities so far in all the countries in which Ringier is active have probably kept him pretty busy.
Exhibition provides first insight into Ringier collection Thursday's media orientation also gave the publisher the opportunity to present the "Blasted Allegories" exhibition at the art museum. It provides an insight into the extensive Ringier art collection for the first time. With around 2000 paintings, it would be impossible to show the entire collection. Nevertheless, the 165 works on display are representative, said Beatrix Ruf, curator of the Kunsthalle Zürich. The title of the exhibition, taken from a painting by John Baldessari from 1978, also alludes to the overkill of information - not inappropriate for the exhibition of a publishing house. Even if the exhibition is a premiere as an insight into the collection, Ringier employees are already familiar with some of the works because they can be seen in the media group's buildings - not to mention their appearance in the annual reports. Michael Ringier takes a rather emotional approach when buying works for the collection, he told the journalists. "And you also need emotion as an entrepreneur, you just sometimes don't dare to rely on it completely." It was clear that the exhibition of works from his collection is a project from the publisher's heart.

 
Finance Ruf Lanz shows Bank Coop how to make money without harming people and the environment. 
Long-term thinking instead of trendy brand promises characterizes the business policy of Bank Coop. While the financial crisis in particular has a "sustainable" effect at the big banks, sustainability at Coop is evident in investment products that invest in the solar industry with a promising future, for example, or in advisory services for women and senior citizens. "Fair banking - at Bank Coop, this is not a pious wish," says Mathias von Wartburg, Head of the Bank Coop Marketing Competence Center. The claim is a brand promise for sustainable investment products "that are rigorously checked".
For Ruf Lanz and Bank Coop, it was therefore obvious to underpin the new image campaign with this customer benefit. In its first campaign, the agency created pure image advertising - dictators who do not have an account with Bank Coop, or investigator Ed Fagan, who fortunately does not know the bank at all.
Ruf Lanz has made the core business the subject for the presentation of the products. Clean money is visualized with appropriately cultivated origami art. The imaginative paper objects even breathe life into banknotes. For example, two two-hundred notes - artfully folded - compete against each other as a bull and a bear and make it clear that Bank Coop always clearly explains the risks in the investment business. And for one motif, the entire Swiss banknote set was even bent into shape: a pair of animals striding towards Noah's Ark - as a reminder that investments in sustainable banking products also benefit the ecosystem.
The origami artists were researched by Art Director Lorenz Clormann together with Art Buying. Five specialists from France, Germany and Switzerland were shortlisted. The decisive factor was their virtuoso mastery of the art of folding. "We had to make sure that half of the advertising budget didn't go on folding," explains Markus Ruf. But it was also crucial that the deadline could be met. Not every origami artist is used to working to deadlines.
Ruf Lanz found happiness with Armin Täubner, who lives in southern Germany. A professional who has already published several books on the subject. In four weeks of painstaking work, Täubner folded the animals or objects for a total of 13 subjects. These were photographed by Felix Streuli. The photo editor was Felix Schregenberger.
The subjects are used on advertisements, posters and as POS material in the Bank Coop branches.
Andreas Panzeri

 
Review Interpack is one of the mammoth events in the packaging industry. It challenges not only exhibitors, but also visitors. 
From April 24 to 30, 2008, it was that time again. In Düsseldorf, the international packaging industry presented all the products without which packaging would not be what it should be. From raw materials to packaging materials, packaging and filling systems and process technology, almost everything the industry currently offers was on display. Times are good for the packaging industry. The food and consumer goods industries have full order books, and the pharmaceutical industry is also doing well. Packaging is increasingly becoming a brand symbol that is being used specifically in the competition for consumer favor. Positive mood According to the organizer, this was the largest Interpack to date, which also ensured extremely good business for the 2744 exhibitors. Around 179,000 visitors crowded through the exhibition halls. Erhard Rustler, President of Interpack Process and Packaging 2008, confirmed the exceptionally good mood among exhibitors. "We have only heard positive things from the companies. The business deals in particular are more than pleasing. This will continue to contribute to the positive development of the industry and applies to the machinery and process technology side as well as to the packaging materials sector." The increasing interest in complete lines and process technology is also striking. The first-time approval of stand-alone solutions for packaging production was also very well received by trade visitors.
Anyone who wanted to go on a targeted search for innovations quickly came up against the limits of what was feasible and visible. Very often, new products were not recognizable as such at first glance. Those who were not helped by chance simply walked past such trade fair stands. An overview, as previously offered by the trade fair as a service, would have been helpful here. Even an exhibit described as innovative did not always deliver what it promised - old hat in a new box. There were no big surprises, particularly in the area of packaging materials.
Hall 7a, where the two special themes "Bioplastics in Packaging" and the "Packaging Innovation Park" were located, was also well attended. The concept of the competence centers with the thematic bundling of different stages of the value chain was particularly well received by exhibitors and visitors.
Double-digit growth ratesThe organizers hit the bull's eye with the special show "Bioplastics". The topic is highly topical. On an exhibition area of 100 m2, exhibitors presented raw materials, semi-finished products, products, processes, machines and services for bioplastics technology. The aisles were packed with visitors. Some exhibitors were not prepared for this level of interest. They had already run out of brochures after the first few days of the fair. The global market for biodegradable and bio-based plastics is growing by more than 20 percent per year.
In terms of sustainability, bioplastics are a valid alternative to their conventional relatives made from crude oil. However, there are two different concepts behind the terms "bioplastic" and "bioplastics". One refers to biodegradable polymers and compostable plastic products made from them. The focus here is on functionality. The other concept, which focuses on the raw material base, is based on bio-based polymers, i.e. plastic products that are manufactured on the basis of renewable raw materials. Today, bioplastics are used for the production of carrier bags, organic waste bags, food packaging, bioplastic bottles and films for covering plants in agriculture, among other things.
New findingsWhere there is light, there is also shadow. A new study could put a serious damper on the bioplastics euphoria. An international team of scientists led by Dutch Nobel Prize winner in chemistry Paul Crutzen claims to have provided evidence that the energy crops used for bioplastics are highly damaging to the climate. The heavy fertilization releases dangerous nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere. Part of the greenhouse gas is converted into nitrous oxide through chemical reactions and is therefore 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide. The raw material polylactic acid (PLA) has also come under fire. According to the British newspaper The Guardian, it can only be broken down in landfill sites and can only be composted in a few anaerobic digestion processes that exist in the UK. However, these processes cannot be used for packaging.
New Swiss industry platformWhile the next Interpack will not take place for another three years, the Swiss trade fair for packaging technology and integrated logistics solutions Pack & Move will premiere in Basel in November. From November 18 to 21, 2008, it will be much smaller and therefore more clearly structured, and will cover the entire logistics and packaging process chain. A special industry focus will make it easier for exhibitors to present their products and services to their target groups. The event will focus on solutions for the pharmaceutical/chemical, food/beverage, manufacturing technology and mail order/e-commerce user industries. An additional attraction is the three-day "logistics talks" forum with renowned speakers and contributions from the industry.
Sabine Flaxman
Pack & MoveSwiss trade fair for integrated logistics solutions and packaging technology
Tuesday, 18 to Friday,
November 21, 2008
Daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Basel Exhibition Center, Hall 3