Art The Cosmic agency in Bern has created a campaign for the Zentrum Paul Klee with a lot of art. 
Art, design, advertising. At Cosmic, these three elements are always ideally combined. Art flows into design. And advertising inspires art. This interactive creativity can currently be discovered in a new campaign by Cosmic for the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern. Using new imagery, the team led by CD Thom Pfister has created a series of strong, independent subjects for each of the museum's areas of activity, which was commissioned after Cosmic sent out a "cultural mailing" last summer in which the agency wanted to promote itself specifically for museum-related advertising. The communications people at the new Bernese temple of culture liked the self-promotion and immediately awarded Cosmic its first commission.
Since its opening three years ago, the Zentrum Paul Klee has pursued a true center concept, offering a range of activities from exhibitions, education and workshops to dance, theater and literature.
The task now was to create a new, striking visual world to communicate the many and varied disciplines. To this end, graphic designers Roland Zenger and Tamara Janes from Cosmic took an in-depth look at Klee's work and combined typical Klee motifs with sector-specific protagonists to create multi-layered subjects. In the advertisements and posters, CD Thom Pfister has also cleverly combined elements from the painter's artworks with contemporary photos.
The ten new visual worlds are now being used on cultural posters, monthly and semi-annual programs, flags and other means of communication.
 
Andreas Panzeri

 
Vacations After the talking ibexes of Graubünden have already advertised the beauty of their homeland and its snow safety, they are now praising the biking region of Graubünden. As climbing professionals, however, they cannot understand how bikers still make such a bad trap despite having the latest equipment. Graubünden Ferien is now using the commercial to advertise the biking and hiking region of Graubünden on television. The spot was realized by the agency Jung von Matt/Limmat.

 
Design Zurich's Langstrasse district is a colorful neighborhood. Now more than 60 stores and studios in Zurich's districts 4 and 5 are drawing attention to themselves in a joint campaign on May 17 and 18. The "Kreislauf 4+5 Guide", which portrays the entire range of participating stores, is now available. In addition to a large number of illustrations, it contains information about the players and designs as well as a map of the district. The booklet is available in many stores and restaurants throughout the city. The work was realized by René Grüninger PR.

The "M08" campaign for Migros was voted first place in the Crossmedia Award out of 37 cross-media works submitted. The advertising agency Publicis received the "golden compass" on Wednesday at the Goldbach Mediarena. Silver went to Advico Young & Rubicam with the hotly debated "Free Internet" campaign for Sunrise, bronze to Jung von Matt/Limmat with "Discover Switzerland" for SBB. Intelligent linkage, degree of innovation, creative implementation, track record and overall impression were the criteria the jury used to evaluate the works. The "M08" campaign by Publicis convinced the jury the most. Geri Aebi, chairman of the jury: "This sensational new and cross-media ambush marketing benchmark has clearly made it." The Crossmedia Award is endowed with 10`000 Swiss francs. The check was ceremoniously presented to Marion Marxer and Jean Etienne Aebi of Publicis by Viola Tami.
The marketer Goldbach Media launched the Crossmedia Award in 2005. The aim is to promote networked thinking and action in communications. The Crossmedia Award now counts for the creative ranking of Werbewoche.
Winners:
Gold: "M08" by Publicis for Migros
Silver: "Free Internet" by Advico Young & Rubicam for Sunrise
Bronze: "Discover Switzerland" by Jung von Matt/Limmat for SBB
The 2008 shortlist in alphabetical order:
FreeInternet Sunrise, Advico Young & Rubicam
Migros - M08, Publicis
Mobiliar - MobiJeunes, Wirz Werbung AG
Persil Dream Wedding, OMD Switzerland AG
SBB Passenger Traffic, Jung von Matt/Limmat AG
Swiss Illustrated Style, Jung von Matt/Limmat AG
Swisscom Online Karaoke, Contexta AG
The jury of the Crossmedia Award 2008:
Geri Aebi, Wirz Werbung AG (Presidium)
Claudio Dionisio, Neuronics AG
Regula Fecker, Rod Kommunikation AG
Markus Gut and Philipp Skrabal respectively, Y&R Group Switzerland
Dr. Beat Lauber, NZZ Group
Georg Redlhammer, Volvo Automobile (Switzerland) AG
Urs Renner, Optimedia AG
Jürg Siegrist, SWA-ASA
Walter Tagliaferri, Euro RSCG Zurich
Dr. Dominique von Matt, Jung von Matt/Limmat AG
Franziska von Weissenfluh, Berner Zeitung AG

 
Business press L' agefi is printed on pink paper. Whether the future of the paper is just as rosy is currently in the hands of a major bank.  
Crédit Suisse is examining "various development options" for the newspaper. These include the sale of the group. The western Swiss business title L'agefi undoubtedly catches the eye. With its salmon pink color, the daily newspaper, which is independent of large press groups, signals that it belongs to the financial trade press. It maintains a decidedly liberal economic line and thus emphasizes the difference to its competitors, the national Edipresse paper Le Temps and its well-developed business section. However, it really made a name for itself last year with the purchase of the private hospital group Genolier Swiss Medical Network (GSMN) in western Switzerland. The small press company (see box) bought the huge GSMN private hospital group. In reality, the Agefi Group, which is listed on the stock exchange, simply allowed the hospital group to go public on favorable terms by forming a holding company. The deal caused financial specialists to shake their heads, as there are no obvious synergies between the media and healthcare sectors.
Nevertheless, the odd couple under the umbrella of a holding company called Agen (a merger of Agefi and Genolier) attracted the interest of Anglo-American investment funds. At the end of 2007, the Lincoln Vale fund increased its shareholding to 5.49 percent of the capital, while Schroders London announced an increase in its stake to 4.27 percent. The funds are likely to be primarily interested in the Group's healthcare sector, as private hospitals and not press products are currently seen as a growth market. However, Agen Holding has managed to bring prestigious and influential personalities into the management team. For example, CVP politician Raymond Loretan, former Consul General of Switzerland in New York, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors.
This year, the newspaper broke even for the first time since 2002, but compared to the healthcare sector, it appears to be a "parent pauvre", a poor relative: The holding company achieved a turnover of 130 million in 2007, i.e. ten times more than the press division on its own. No wonder the holding company's Board of Directors decided at the end of April to "concentrate the company's efforts on the healthcare sector in future". In other words: L'agefi is up for sale to the highest bidder.
However, they do not want to be so open about it. The fate of the press division will be placed in the hands of Crédit Suisse, according to the holding company. The bank is to examine various options, ranging from maintaining the status quo to opening up the capital to new strategic shareholders and selling the press division. The option of a complete or partial sale to the management is also being examined.
As L'agefi is the only daily newspaper in French-speaking Switzerland that specializes in economic issues, a merger with a Swiss-German press publication such as Finanz und Wirtschaft and its parent company Tamedia, which is striving for expansion, would be a logical step. A merger with a French investor does not seem out of the question either, nor does a straight sale to any group willing to put enough money on the table. The worst-case scenario is a sale to Edipresse. In this case, the days of the small but annoying competitor of the noble paper Le Temps would probably be numbered. However, Edipresse is under constant scrutiny by the Competition Commission due to its dominant market position in French-speaking Switzerland.
"It's logical to look for new shareholders who understand media," says an insider who wants to believe in the survival and development of the newspaper. At least for the time it takes to "decorate the bride". However, those responsible are keeping mum: "The Board of Directors will find an optimal solution that secures the future of the newspaper," says publishing director Eric Valette, practising diplomacy. The Chairman of the Board of Directors, Raymond Loretan, is equally reluctant to reveal his cards. "L'agefi is in a good position, we don't need to hurry with our decision on its future," he says, adding: "All options are open."
Helen Brügger
The Agefi GroupTo the Agefi Group
includes the financial and economic daily newspaper L'agefi (abbreviation of agence économique et financière) with a circulation of 9,695 copies. There is also the periodical supplement Agefi Magazine with a circulation of 17,000 copies, which focuses on small and medium-sized companies, as well as the periodical supplement Evasion with lifestyle topics and a circulation of 39,000 copies. The women's magazine Profil, which was founded ten years ago by the current Agefi publishing director Eric Valette under the name Profil Femme, joined the Agefi Group through an acquisition with a circulation of 24,500 copies. Evasion is to be further developed in future as a male counterpart to Profil and will be available at newsstands. (All circulation figures according to Mediaprint, not Wemf-verified). (hb)

 The AZ Medien Group suffered a slump in profits in 2007, but was able to increase its operating income: Group profit fell by 24.4 percent to CHF 10.6 million. Operating income rose by 1.6 percent to CHF 203 million. Strategic investments such as the launch of the Sonntag title as the seventh edition of the Mittelland Zeitung (MZ) association and the purchase of the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (bz) led to the decline in profits, the AZ Medien Group announced on Wednesday. The increase in the stake to 35 percent in Vogt-Schild Holding, publisher of the MZ partner Solothurner Zeitung (SZ), was also paid out of the operating cash flow. As a result, the operating result fell by 58.7 percent to CHF 8.1 million.
Income from the newspaper business rose to CHF 117.8 million and contributed 58% to the operating result. Radio Argovia and the TV stations Tele M1 and Tele Tell generated CHF 20.1 million, or 10 percent of operating income.
The AZ Medien Group attributes the slight increase in operating income to the good business performance of the specialist publishers, regional advertisers and the booming job market. The Board of Directors is proposing a dividend of CHF 30 per share to the Annual General Meeting.
Sunday as a success storyThe result was "mixed", said AZ publisher Peter Wanner in an interview published in his own newspaper. He was "not satisfied". He announced that AZ Medien would once again become active in the local advertising market itself. He was "not at all satisfied" with Publicitas.
Wanner described the newly launched Sonntag title as a success story. Around 95 percent of subscribers to the MZ network had opted for a subscription. Advertising sales were better than budgeted. The MZ-Verbund is "open to further cooperation".
It has still not been decided whether AZ Medien will launch its project for a new free newspaper. The general conditions have changed, said Wanner. The economy seems to be cooling down. Only the commuter paper 20 Minuten has been successful. One alternative would be to invest in MZ.

 The new private radio station in Eastern Switzerland, Radio FM1, has been on air since Wednesday morning. FM1, with a bull in its logo, is the result of the merger of Radio aktuell (St. Gallen) and Radio Ri (Buchs SG). Radio FM1 employs almost 30 people in its two studios in St. Gallen and Buchs. In addition to local and regional information, the program focuses on a new music mix that is precisely tailored to the tastes of the audience in Eastern Switzerland, as explained by those responsible. Managing Director André Moesch and Program Director Martin Oesch presented the new studios in St. Gallen to the media. FM1 works there together with Tele Ostschweiz (TVO) - among other things with a joint news desk for the two editorial teams. Two million Swiss francs were invested in the technology for FM1.
New license Radio FM1 and Tele Ostschweiz are owned by St. Galler Tagblatt AG. The merger of Radio aktuell and Radio Ri to form FM1 was prompted by the relicensing of Swiss private radio stations. Like its two predecessors, FM1 is 100 percent financed by advertising and receives no license fee money.
FM1 broadcasts local window programs produced in St. Gallen and Buchs daily from 12 noon to 2 pm and from 4 pm to 7 pm. The station reaches around 150,000 listeners every day in the cantons of St. Gallen, both Appenzells, Oberthurgau, the Rhine Valley and the Principality of Liechtenstein.

 
Advico Young & Rubicam staged the opening campaign for the new Work Wear Center in Wallisellen. Targeted measures were used to raise awareness of the new work wear store among the target group. For example, with stickers and POS posters that talk about the latest "dirty fashion" or the "120-150-120" measurements. Or building slats marked with "Work Wear Center". A construction worker mannequin with the sign "Opening" is also waving at the roadside near the new store. A radio commercial is also playing. In it, a woman can be heard whistling at a construction worker because he is wearing a new fiber coat from the Work Wear Center. The campaign has been on the air since the end of April. In the new Work Wear Center, workers can find the entire range of robust workwear from Helly Hansen and Rukka.

Responsible at the Work Wear Center:
Peter Wider (owner). Responsible at AYR: Markus Gut (CCO), Isabelle Hauser (AD) and Andi Portmann (Text).

 Ringier is focusing on moving pictures for Euro 08: The Blick sports editorial team and Ringier's web center will produce their own daily football expert talk and magazine show during the European Championships. The web channel will be launched on June 7, 2008 and will be broadcast on the TV distribution service Zattoo and also be available on Blick.ch. Web viewers will receive analysis and background information about the games in the sports talk program. The magazine is all about the fans, public viewing, people and the football lifestyle. There will also be reports on the "Euro-WG" launched by Ringier. Its residents from five different Euro nations will be followed on camera as they watch the games in public viewing areas, trendy bars or stadiums. Ringier wants to further expand its own online formats with the "Blick EM-Spezial" and test them for the first time on a branded channel. The television software from Zattoo can be downloaded free of charge at Zattoo.com.

 It has been known for some time that clothing suitable for sponsors is desired when visiting the Zurich European Championship fan zone at Bellvue: anyone whose clothing threatens to compete with the official sponsors has no business in this zone. But cheer up, a small ray of hope is in sight: there are no such regulations on the so-called fan mile, as reported by SDA on Wednesday. "The Fan Mile is not an exclusion zone," said Daniel Rupf, Zurich's Euro delegate. However, this is the result of long negotiations with the European Football Association. Generous! So please don't forget to pack your Carlsberg shirt in your rucksack if you want to visit the fan mile wearing a Quöllfrisch shirt. Provided, of course, that you intend to pay a visit to the fan zone afterwards.

 
Internet There is camouflage and deception on YouTube. This is revealed by an entertaining web series called Viralcom. 
Every day, thousands of users on YouTube want to tell us something. If you want to stand out on the internet, you put a video online. The flashier it is, the more likely it is that the message will reach an audience of millions. The advertising industry has also discovered the video platform. Because users reject product praise, clever advertisers are relying on the power of word of mouth. The magic word is viral marketing, and this is how viral advertising works: the advertisers spread a clip on the web and hope that their idea will be so popular that users will spread it themselves. The clip about Ron Hammer is a very successful example. In October 2006, a clip circulated on Internet video portals that showed a spectacular motorcycle stunt accident in the style of an amateur film. The rider survived the jump and waved cheerfully into the camera afterwards. As soon as it went online, the fictional character Ron Hammer was known to an audience of millions in German-speaking countries.
The gag was invented by the Proximity Germany agency for the Hornbach DIY chain. Since Stuntman Hammer, such disguised advertising films have become increasingly popular. Marketers want to push the viral phenomenon, are increasingly planning such campaigns and are commissioning campaigns accordingly.
 
A look behind the scenesThere is now a lucrative business behind the shaky-cam videos that are supposed to make us laugh every day. In the battle for attention on YouTube, the industry leader of all video platforms, it is no longer enough to film a colleague's failed acrobatics with a cell phone camera. Nowadays, professional filmmakers are busy generating YouTube hits. Warner Bros. is demonstrating this on the Internet these days. The media giant has posted an entertaining but sad documentary episode on the Internet that shows relentlessly what is really behind the supposedly successful videos that bear the "user-generated content" stamp. The web series is called Viralcom and reveals what critical users have always suspected: Every howler on YoutTube is ultimately professionally realized. There is no trace of nerds or sex-crazed teenagers who were bored and then produced a home video. On YouTube, success is not left to chance.
 
Film project without taboosThe series Viralcom bluntly tells the story of a film studio whose sole mission is to produce hits for the video platform YouTube. The first episode shows that this is a tough and now money-driven business. The film project knows no taboos. Many a YouTube hit is demystified, for example the success of the clip "Chocolate Rain" or "Baby Laughing". Both productions were able to mobilize an audience of millions on YouTube. Viralcom stages the productions as fakes. The "real" user-generated content falls by the wayside.
The story behind the hit song "Chocolate Rain" also turned out to be an advertising coup after its success on YouTube. The singer in the video was hired by drinks manufacturer DrPepper for the launch campaign of a new drink. The popular troubadour was allowed to promote a remake of his chocolate hit, which again spread like wildfire on YouTube. According to DrPepper's managers in the New York Times recently, the viral promotion tactic can once again be declared a success.
The Viralcom series, which for the first time provides an insight into what happens on the set of major YouTube productions, was launched at the beginning of April. And it is by no means lacking in suspense. The focus is occasionally on the gruff nature of the director, who likes to freak out and beat up actors. But the money-hungry producer on the set and the overworked casting assistant also make for some laughs.
Experimentierlabor fürs WebViralcom is a weekly series. A new episode can be viewed every Wednesday on the said video platform or on
can be downloaded. Responsible for the content are the two screenwriters Joey Manderino and David Young, who have written comedy series such as "14 Days in a Civic" and "eHarmony's Minor Matchmaker" for Studio 2.0. Studio 2.0 was founded by Warner Bros. as an experimental laboratory for Internet productions. The film giant aims to produce short films, series and game shows specifically for the Internet.Studio 2.0, which was founded in 2006, also aims to cooperate closely with the advertising industry in the development of new formats. To date, however, only one result has been achieved in this way, namely the quiz show "Hardly News", which has been presented on the Bud.tv website financed by the Anheuser-Busch brewery since April last year.
 
Christian Lüscher
Viral marketing very popularTogether with the market research company GfK
the agencies Robert & Horst Marketing and Webguerillas asked companies about "alternative forms of advertising". As the authors of the study write, the majority of marketing people in large companies show a keen interest in viral marketing. There is a clear trend towards forms of advertising that rely on the communicative power of the Internet. The companies surveyed see video clips in particular as a suitable tool for this. 34.3 percent of B-to-C advertisers already use them, 20.6 percent plan to do so. Word-of-mouth marketing is also used by 24.7 percent, with 11.3 percent planning to do so in the near future. Online games are also of great interest. Advertisers with a budget of over five million euros (28.9 percent of those surveyed) rely on this playful form of advertising. The study was conducted for the third time in 2007 after 2003 and 2005 and is intended to provide an insight into the development of "alternative forms of advertising". A total of 326 marketing managers from all sectors were surveyedA bitter reality for advertisersThe original content
of a YouTube clip has long since ceased to be enough to get millions of people excited online. Professionals help out with tricks to make their clips prominent in the web community. The commercial that an agency employee sends to his five best friends and finds thousands of viewers the following week belongs to the realm of fantasy, if you believe the detailed explanations of Dan Ackermann, author of the prominent US blog "Techcrunch". In his report "The secret strategies behind many viral videos", Ackermann bluntly points out that a viral process only gets rolling when, among other things, users are deceived with falsified discussions and work closely with blog authors. (cl)

 Ebay, the online marketplace marketed by Web2com, is now offering new placements and completely new pricing in Switzerland. In addition to Rectangle and Leaderboard, the IAB standard range is now supplemented with a Skyscraper, as Web2com announced. In addition, the advertising customer now has the option of booking a fixed weekly placement with the rectangle on the homepage. This generates around 500,000 impressions per week and is available for CHF 6,000, which corresponds to a CPM of around CHF 12, the press release explains further. All previous CPM prices have been greatly reduced and, at 30 francs, will cost less than half the previous price.