Public relations The BPRA is going on the offensive. The qualities of its members should become better known. 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
"In no other sector of the Swiss economy has competition become as fierce in the past year as among public relations agencies," explained Peter P. Knobel, President of the BPRA, at his association's annual media conference. The 17 members of the Association of Public Relations Agencies in Switzerland were still able to increase their turnover by 7.5 percent in 2007.
In 2006, however, the figure was 8.2 percent. The BPRA identifies "start-up fever in the PR sector and the associated sharp rise in the number of small PR offices" as the cause of this somewhat slower growth.
There is a growing need for PR in the business world. In addition, budgets for traditional advertising are also shifting noticeably towards information. This is tempting various journalists - for example from restructured newspaper projects - to set up a so-called kitchen table agency.
The BPRA estimates 2,200 such new agencies in 2007 alone. This trend towards fragmentation is also supported by a new emphasis on PR work. "Established agencies are increasingly only being used for highly qualified services, for example in the areas of strategy consulting and coaching," says Christian König from industry leader Farner Consulting. Clients are "increasingly doing the routine work themselves". And the many newcomers are vying for editorial jobs.
In order to continue to operate successfully in this changed environment, the BPRA is not only declaring the CMS II (Consultancy Management Standard) quality standard as a new mandatory criterion for members of the association. The quality certificate is also to be communicated publicly with a proper advertising campaign in an industry that is otherwise considered to be discreet. In the first phase, five different advertisements will be placed in the NZZ from May.
A total of 254 people were employed by association agencies last year. They generated a net fee volume of CHF 59.8 million.
The industry as a whole generated CHF 74 million. This means that BPRA members account for around 81 percent.
The ranking shows that the four largest agencies are responsible for 68 percent of total BPRA turnover. Farner Consulting generated CHF 13.8 million, Trimedia Communications CHF 11.3 million, followed by Burson-Marsteller and Freicom.
 
Andreas Panzeri

 
Guest commentary The advertising ban in São Paulo could prove to be a stroke of luck for the industry, says Dominik Imseng. 
One of the largest cities in the world is also one of the emptiest: since last year, advertising has been banned in public spaces in São Paulo. No more posters, tickers or mega screens. Advertising on cabs and buses is also banned. Yes, the fight against "visual pollution", as the mayor of São Paulo, Gilberto Kassab, calls advertising, is merciless. And it is generally welcomed. "A victory of beauty over ugliness, of cleanliness over garbage", cheered the Brazilian magazine Veja.Even if no politician in this country has yet campaigned for this very special form of advertising ban, signatures could easily be collected here to restrict advertising. Millions of stop-advertising stickers are proof of this. Or surveys that show that people even trust used car dealers more than advertisers. Or e-mail programs in which the folder for unwanted spam mails is simply called "Advertising". But above all, since Vance Packard's influential bestseller "The Hidden Persuaders", advertising has been seen by many as an immoral "secret seductress" that forces people to make purchasing decisions that have nothing to do with their actual needs.
The only thing that helps against all this resentment is the only thing that helps in advertising: better ideas. Because they not only ensure that a campaign stands out in the face of thousands of advertising messages every day. They also ensure that people want to discover the point of an advertising message for themselves. And therefore perceive this type of advertising much more consciously - as a witty attempt to charmingly seduce them.
In this respect, creative advertising is not unconscious "secret seduction", but obvious, declared seduction: a company makes an offer that you examine - and then accept or not.
Uncreative advertising, on the other hand, does not work horizontally between equal communication partners, but vertically: a company communicates from the top down, people are supposed to be the mere recipients of the message and remain passive in terms of communication. Yes, basically this is not about communication at all, but about one-sided propaganda. And it is precisely this type of advertising that more and more people see as an attempt at manipulation - and therefore increasingly reject with good reason.
Who knows? Maybe São Paulo's mayor won't end up being the gravedigger of advertising. But rather its savior.
Dominik Imseng is a copywriter/concept developer at Matter & Gretener.

 
Geld Metzger Treuhand has specialized in supporting butcher's businesses in Switzerland for almost a hundred years. The company has expanded its services and is now opening up to SMEs in other sectors. Metzger Treuhand has commissioned the Zurich advertising agency Noise to advertise the new offer. The agency dramatized the benefits for the target group with an analogy to a product that has always been regarded as an energy booster for strenuous times: the Ovo sports bar. With the Metzger-Treuhand logo, the bar is used in advertisements, mailings, on posters, on the Internet, at trade fair stands and as an appealing giveaway.

 
Technology The QR code links the newspaper to the Internet. Newspaper publishers and Google see this code as a key technology. 
At first glance, the thing looks like a labyrinth of ants. However, there is more to the black and white pixel image than meets the eye. It is a clever technology that is sometimes described by forward-looking newspaper makers as the "life insurance of the print press".
We are talking about the QR code. The letters QR stand for Quick Response. It is a two-dimensional barcode whose aesthetics are reminiscent of the constructive designs from the 1980s. Consumers are already familiar with the one-dimensional barcode on packaging. The arrangement of the bars and their thickness tell the reader, for example, the weight or origin of a product. The new generation of 2D codes can store far more information. If a user snaps a QR code with the camera integrated in their cell phone, software converts the grid into a hyperlink to the internet or a piece of music that can be played immediately, for example.
Innovation in the newspaper worldNewspaper publishers around the world have now discovered the advantages of pixelated squares. They want to use the QR code to link their print products to the Internet. The technology makes it possible to enrich the newspaper with additional information in a simple way. It is the simplicity of the technology that is convincing the industry. Within seconds, cell phones decode the stamp-sized squares and can enhance a newspaper article with an Internet video, for example.
The German daily newspaper Welt Kompakt has been using the technology on a large scale since November last year. It prints at least four such codes every day. Deputy editor-in-chief Frank Schmiechen explains what is so special about the magic squares: "For the first time, there is a direct link from the newspaper to the Internet. The code therefore provides a completely new reading experience."
Satisfied with usageWelt Kompakt is not the only newspaper experimenting with the black and white code. The British tabloid Sun has also been printing QR codes for some time to provide readers with further information. As the paper announced in January, 11,000 users took advantage of this service within a month. With a circulation of around three million, less than one percent of readers use the new linking technology. However, the Sun newspaper makers still consider the access figures to be a success and have since expanded the networking. The daily newspaper Welt Kompakt is also satisfied with the response. As the specialist blog Mobile Zeitgeist reports, the number of scans of individual codes is in the high three-digit range.
Google uses QR codesSearch engine giant Google is also enthusiastic about the networking possibilities. According to a report in the trade journal Advertising Age, the Internet company intends to use the QR code for its advertising business this year. Google has been marketing advertising space in US newspapers for some time. Using the auction principle, advertisers can place print ads via an online platform. A recently published study shows that the QR code on print ads does have its uses and should therefore make every advertiser sit up and take notice. In the experiment, Google equipped print ads with QR codes and tested ads without codes during the same period. The result: the coded ads generated six times more revenue than those without.
Because cameras are getting smarter and smarter and the technology will be pre-installed in phones as standard in the future, Google sees great potential for the future. Prominent multimedia designer Tomas Roop sees a trend towards further increases in networking: "We will see an explosion of interactive signs in public spaces." Roop refers to the music video by the band Pet Shop Boys, which shows QR codes and thus links to the web.
A look at Japan shows what an important role QR codes already play in everyday life. In Tokyo, the pixelated codes are already shaping public space. They have become a matter of course in interactive communication - whether in newspapers, on posters or on food packaging.
Although the phenomenon has only been encountered sporadically in Europe so far, the signs are also becoming increasingly popular here in Switzerland. Pixel squares can be found in the Swiss Internet magazine Anthrazit, for example. The NZZ publishing house is also trying to link offline media with the Internet. However, local media companies are still cautious, says Roger Fischer, head of the Zurich-based QR start-up Kaywa. The reason: in addition to the QR code, the so-called Bee-Tagg, a 2D barcode in honeycomb form, is also vying for its right to exist. "There is still uncertainty on the market because different formats are trying to establish themselves at the same time," says Fischer. However, the demand for QR links is very high. "We are confronted with five project inquiries a day," says Fischer.
The QR expert is convinced that 2D grids will celebrate their breakthrough this year. A press release from the International Air Transport Association (Iata) also indicates that they will become more common in the foreseeable future and change the way we use media. The airlines organized in the association are pushing for paperless tickets and have recently agreed on the QR code, which allows check-in by cell phone. Anyone ordering a flight ticket in 2010 will have to provide their cell phone number in future. Passengers will receive a pixel image by text message, which staff can scan directly from the screen. The boarding pass will then no longer be required.
Christian Lüscher
 
> Please also read the
Interview
with Frank Schmiechen, deputy editor-in-chief of Welt Kompakt.

 
Press The newspaper crisis in the USA does not stop at the New York Times, perhaps the best newspaper in the world.  
The New York Times' share price, which is omnipotent in the USA, has fallen from a record high of 53 dollars in 2002 to its current level of 19 dollars. The latest quarterly figures revealed a sad record, namely a ten percent drop in advertising revenue compared to the previous year. "We face further challenges for print advertising because of the poor economy," said Times CEO Janet Robinson. The main problem is that most newspapers cannot make up for the loss of print revenue through their online editions because marketers are not prepared to pay as much for an online ad as for a print ad. "Online ads are worth less than print ads because you don't know how long a reader will engage with an article online, and because marketers don't think much of the banner ads that still dominate," says Samuel Craig, a marketing professor at New York University.
The Times under publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr. has so far refused to introduce the same brutal cost-cutting measures as many other newspapers. Only 100 of the 1300 editorial jobs will be cut, many of them in the form of redundancies and retirements. However, in recent months the paper has come under strong pressure from hedge funds Harbiger Capital and Firebrand Partners, which together own around 15 percent of the shares. Their managers are demanding that the company divest itself of the loss-making Boston Globe and invest more in digital opportunities. Although the Times' board of directors is dominated by the Sulzberger publishing family, which owns the majority of votes, Arthur Sulzberger Jr. felt compelled to give the two financial investors two seats on the board to prevent further public attacks.
Another problem is Rupert Murdoch, who is upgrading the Wall Street Journal, which he has just acquired, on several levels in order to compete with the Times: He's pouring more money into coverage from abroad and the capital city of Washington, targeting the Times' traditional strengths. "He's going to shell out the money necessary to attack the Times' position as the leading daily," predicts former Times editor-in-chief Howell Raines. "There is no more important issue in American journalism than the future of the New York Times, and I don't think the paper is taking the Murdoch and takeover issue seriously enough."
Gerti Schön, New York
 
>More on the situation at the New York Times in the
Interview
with Vanity Fair media columnist Michael Wolf. 

 
Newspapers The Bern agency Wapico shows: La Liberté is not free, but shaves and massages for free. 
The advertising agency Wapico in Berne has come up with a funny campaign "against" free newspapers for its client La Liberté. For some time now, the Fribourg daily newspaper's single-number kiosk sales have been struggling a little. The reason is obvious and manifests itself quite clearly in train stations, where commuters are given free newspapers by the crate. "La Liberté vous rase gratuit!" or "La Liberté shaves you for free" is the idea behind the guerrilla campaign. In six train stations in the Fribourg region, people will alternate between a shave in the morning and a seated massage in the evening - also free of charge, of course. A small information brochure (free of charge!) is handed out to explain "why one of the last Swiss daily newspapers cannot be free", as CD Olaf Pilleri at Wapico knows. The campaign was launched at the busiest train station in Fribourg. On the first day, 50 people had a shave, and in the evening the same number had a massage from La Liberté.   
Andreas Panzeri

 
Michael Wolff, a media columnist for *Vanity Fair* and author of the book *Autumn of the Moguls*, hopes that the Sulzberger family, publishers of *The New York Times*, will sell their newspaper to an investor who has more than just financial interests.  
WW: What does it mean that, effective immediately, two financial investors will be serving on the New York Times' board of directors? Michael Wolff:
That means there will be two people opposing Arthur Sulzberger’s management. They can make his life a living hell because they’ll have a lot of say. They can paralyze the entire company, force PR people to consult with them, and leak internal information to the press. It means the company is in a state of war. Will this also harm journalism at the Times?Not directly, but if the stock price continues to fall, so will confidence in the Sulzberger family. If you don’t protect the business side of The New York Times, how can you protect its journalistic side? The Times is, after all, a business; you can’t escape that reality.
What is Arthur Sulzberger's reputation as a leader? He is the publisher of The Times simply because he was born into the family; he has no other experience. His tenure has been ineffective, and the outlook is bleak. He is immature, finds it hard to hold back, and that makes him vulnerable.
Does that mean that, following the decline of publishing families like the Bancrofts—who sold the Wall Street Journal—the Sulzbergers are next in line? Families often have too many members, and relying on people who aren’t trained for the job is rather peculiar these days. We’ve been watching the decline of the newspaper business for quite some time now; this is likely the end, and there will be other, better ways to disseminate information. We all have to leave the farm eventually.
What will become of the Times then? The most likely scenario is that it will be bought by someone who is interested not only in the business side of things but also in its prestige—for better or worse—and who is wealthy enough to get rid of the Sulzbergers. The newspaper has lost 60 percent of its value over the past six years. Murdoch paid 60 percent more than the Wall Street Journal was worth, and if someone offers the Sulzbergers that much, they’ll have to seriously consider accepting it.
What is your prediction? Will Rupert Murdoch buy The New York Times? Rupert Murdoch is certainly one possibility. But one of the most interested parties is probably Michael Bloomberg, the current mayor of New York. He built the financial news service Bloomberg and has the necessary funds to acquire the New York Times.
Interview: Gerti Schön
 
>
More on this topic: «Even the Best Feel the Pressure»

45-year-old Felix Kündig is swapping the communications sector for the beauty industry: he is leaving the Young & Rubicam Group to join perfumery company Marionnaud, where he will be Chief Financial Officer from May 1. He takes over the position from Laszlo Kelemen. Kündig has been COO/CFO at the Young & Rubicam Group for the past six years and was involved in its turnaround in 2002/2003. Prior to that, he was CFO/Head of Technology at the first national private television station TV3. The business economist FH began his professional career in the finance department of the media company Tamedia, where he held various positions up to Head of Group Controlling.

Peter Röthlisberger, the designated editor-in-chief of Abendzeitung Heute, is taking up his post earlier than announced: he will head the editorial team with immediate effect. His deputy with immediate effect is Markus Helbling, who most recently worked at Ringier as Project Manager Euro 08. Daniel Steil, the previous interim editor-in-chief, had his last day on Wednesday. He will start at the German tabloid Bild on July 15, where he will take over as head of the entertainment editorial department.
Ringier announced at the end of March that Peter Röthlisberger would head Blick am Abend, which will take over from Heute on June 2. Originally it was said that Röthlisberger would also start at the free newspaper on June 2 (see
). As Steil is now already leaving the company, the start of his new role has probably had to be brought forward. Röthlisberger was deputy editor-in-chief at Sonntagsblick until mid-April. Hannes Britschgi has taken over this job. There has also been another change at Heute: Art Director Anka Wessely is stepping down. Patrick Brun, who is also to fill this position at the new Blick am Abend, will continue as AD.

Mediafocus The advertising month of March was intense in comparison to the previous year and increased by a further 1.1% to CHF 367.244 million. The cumulative increase since the beginning of the year is 7.7%. The consumer electronics/photo/movies segment once again recorded a significant change with an increase of 44.3% (CHF 15.9 million). The key market of watches and jewelry also showed positive growth of 31.6% (CHF 5.04 million). Beverages experienced growth of 29.6%. Cosmetics/personal care, food and telecommunications also saw an increase in advertising pressure in March. 
 

 
Insurance The surplus campaign of Mobiliar by Wirz shows that all customers can actually be happy in the end. 
At a time when we hear the word "rip-off" almost every day, it seems particularly likeable when an insurance company lets its customers share in its success not only with fine words, but also with hard francs. 
This is possible because Mobiliar is a cooperative. Thanks to a surplus fund participation, money is therefore paid out not only in the event of a claim, but also without a claim. Last year, 1.2 million private customers were able to benefit from this scheme with their household contents insurance. This year, it is all SMEs with MobiPro insurance. Accordingly, the amounts will also be a little higher: CHF 40 million in total.
 
It's not easy to explain such a complex issue to customers in advertising. Wirz is now in its third year of communicating the good news. The team led by CD Matthias Freuler has continuously developed the interactive game between "unlucky and lucky". Using various visual implementations - sometimes quiet, sometimes very loud - two different stories are told based on one person. A claim provides the happy ending: "You have money to spare - even without damage."
The broad-based campaign is intended to confirm to current customers that they have the right insurance and at the same time provide potential customers with an argument as to why it is worth switching to Mobiliar.
The pictures were actually taken twice and then merged on the computer. A special finesse was to find a real-looking but easily washable substitute for the liquid manure, reveals AD Sascha Fanetti.
Andreas Panzeri

 
Communication The Biel-based agency Erdmannpeisker is promoting the take-away office for Swisscom.
 
With the "Mobile Office", Swisscom has developed the "most modern workplace in Switzerland". With the Mobile Assistant XPA v1615 or the BlackBerry 8310, users can sit in their office even though they are hundreds of kilometers away. E-mails, Internet, appointments, contacts - anytime and anywhere, synchronized with their own PC. This miracle device is advertised by Erdmannpeisker. The Biel-based agency has been entrusted by Swisscom with communications for the SME and key account sector. Since then, Sybille Erdmann and Gabriel Peisker have realized classic campaigns for the two B2B areas with brochures, mailings and integration of the topic on the website. For the mobile office, they wanted to "showcase the added value" that such a cell phone offers. The result was "advertising with subjects from everyday life".   
Andreas Panzeri