Agriculture Exxtra Kommunikation launches a campaign for Migros' new TerraSuisse label. 
The trend towards naturally produced food is unmistakable. At Coop, this development is called "Naturafarm". At Migros, under the "TerraSuisse" label, we can enjoy the blessings of animal-friendly and natural Swiss agriculture. The new label stands for Swiss quality, for enjoyment and for a rich plant and animal world in our country. 
Guaranteed naturalTerraSuisse replaces the previous IP-Suisse and M7 labels at Migros. This makes the product range clearer and sales easier. However, the new label not only has advantages for the sales staff, but also for the farmers. TerraSuisse guarantees natural Swiss agriculture. And it is against this background that the recently launched campaign by Exxtra Kommunikation comes into play.
The motifs for the new Migros label show native animals and plants relaxing. "The simplicity and clarity of the campaign message should also relax consumers," says CD Dieter Hofmann. Getting clear about the benefits of a label "can be quite stressful", as the creatives at Exxtra know. The reason: consumer demand for socially and ecologically responsible products has risen steadily in recent years. The range of products marked with various labels promising one or other service to the environment, people or animals is correspondingly large. "The labels should actually provide guidance - but their diversity and the sometimes unclear distinction between them sometimes causes more confusion." TerraSuisse therefore wants to do away with other labels within Migros and combine all natural products with TerraSuisse under the umbrella program "Engagement".
Habitat protectionTo ensure that the benefits of the new label are known, Exxtra Kommunikation has launched a wide-ranging, strong campaign that has been on display on posters, in print, at POP and in promotional activities since mid-April. The subjects show weasels, skylarks and yellow anemones demonstrating relaxation in almost human-like poses. The purchase of TerraSuisse-labeled products therefore helps to protect the natural habitats of native animals and plants.
What exactly lies behind this is, of course, far more complex for those interested: there is talk of agricultural and biological diversity, for example, and of a whole catalog of measures that nature-oriented farms must take. But it should be clear to everyone: What Migros is pursuing with TerraSuisse is nature conservation. And not in distant foreign countries, but on its own doorstep. The new concept should appeal to many Swiss people with an ecological awareness. This target group is to be familiarized with the new label through clear image profiling. Naturally, the relaxed animals also want to promote sales of the newly labeled products, from potatoes to meat and grain to rapeseed oil.
Andreas Panzeri

 
Magazine L'Hebdo is throwing the traditional sections overboard: on April 30, the news magazine will launch with a new layout and new content. 
However, the only remaining news magazine in Switzerland after the death of Facts wants to remain true to the "Hebdo DNA", the "legacy" from the 1980s. L'Hebdo is a monument. Founded in 1981 by the current Ringier consultant and columnist Jacques Pilet, the first news magazine in French-speaking Switzerland sailed on the fresh winds of Western Switzerland's European euphoria. "Does your head good" was the cheeky advertising slogan at a time when newspapers were still well-behaved and politics were still institutional. L'Hebdo was critical, cosmopolitan, a believer in progress and the economy - and above all European. Editor-in-chief Alain Jeannet assures us that this will remain the case. But apart from that, it is a real relaunch that Jeannet and former Blick editor-in-chief Werner de Schepper, who has been sent to French-speaking Switzerland by Ringier as an external consultant, are currently preparing in the editorial office at the Pont Bessières in Lausanne.against the flood of information "People are overwhelmed by the flood of information and have too little time," analyzes Jeannet. This is the starting point for the editorial and graphic innovations in the magazine. L'Hebdo not only helps readers to get the essential information, but also to find their way through the flood of information, to position themselves and to make sense of world events. For this reason, the magazine is based on three completely new sections: "Actuels", "Mieux comprendre" and "Passions". These three sections combine the traditional sections. The latest news from Switzerland, the world, business and culture can be found in "Actuels", in-depth, didactically prepared background information as well as opinions, debates and polemics in "Mieux comprendre", and finally committed cultural criticism and passionate lifestyle in "Passions".
Alain Jeannet has high hopes for the "Affaires à suivre" section, inspired by the English weekly newspaper "The Week", in which the facts are accompanied by commentaries from other newspapers and a prospective analysis by the editorial team. The graphics are based on clear lines and an elegant appearance - two young typographers from Lausanne, Maxime Buechi and Ian Party, have designed a new typeface, "L'Hebdo", especially for this purpose. With so many new features, however, the magazine's "positive core values", the "Hebdo DNA", according to Alain Jeannet, should continue to be maintained. Werner de Schepper has also looked into this "legacy": "The aim is to go back to the sources, to the origins," he says.
Success factor "legacy "But what is this "Hebdo DNA"? To answer this question, we need to take a brief look back at the magazine's founding years. In 1981, publisher Ringier launched Die Woche and L'Hebdo at the same time. While Die Woche was discontinued after just one year, the magazine for French-speaking Switzerland was able to establish itself (see box). With varying success, but at least with the success that it is now the only remaining news magazine in Switzerland, after both Facts and Cash were discontinued last year. The relaxed competitive situation has certainly contributed to this: there is no Sunday press in French-speaking Switzerland as there is in German-speaking Switzerland. The only Sunday title, Le Matin Dimanche, is aimed at a broad audience. Edipresse positions it in such a way that it does not compete with L'Hebdo - after all, the two publishers are in the same boat with Le Temps.
However, the "legacy" has also contributed to its success. Werner de Scheppers defines it as follows: "L'Hebdo has a profile, opinions and a political identity; you read the magazine because you know where it stands." The magazine's tirades against the "arrogance of Zurich" with its "Unique Airport" are unforgettable, as is its commitment to the mouse-poor Parisian suburb of Bondy and the experiment in citizen journalism with the Bondy blog. Also unforgettable is the anti-Blocher editorial by former editor-in-chief Ariane Dayer, in which she compared the SVP to an epidemic and was sued by the SVP.
The magazine's anti-Blocher stance earned it a good scolding from Weltwoche last fall: L'Hebdo was virtually the only title in French-speaking Switzerland that had not yet understood the genius of Christoph Blocher and had not yet thrown its dogged, stubborn and outdated anti-Blocher stance overboard. The advice from his dear colleagues across the Saane for L'Hebdo: it is time to throw the "Pilet legacy" overboard. "I still haven't understood Blocher's genius," assures Alain Jeannet. The legacy will be retained: "Blocher is not good for the economy, Blocher is not good for Switzerland, Blocher is not good for the head."
Helen Brügger
Monument L'HebdoFounded in 1981, L'Hebdo was already able to
sell over 10,000 copies. By the mid-nineties, it was selling around 60,000 copies. This success was due to the first editor-in-chief, Jacques Pilet, who turned the magazine into a fighting paper for the French-speaking Swiss elite, the mouthpiece of an economic and cultural minority. He constantly sharpened his pen for French-speaking Switzerland, for Europe and, if necessary, against German-speaking Switzerland. On the other hand, L'Hebdo owed its initial success to the absence of competition: with few exceptions, the daily newspapers were still rooted in the cantonalism that L'Hebdo always mocked. Competition from the left, such as the weekly newspapers in German-speaking Switzerland, was non-existent. The tabloid sector was covered by Ringier's L'Illustré, without getting in the way of L'Hebdo.
experienced a turning point in the second half of the nineties. Le Temps was launched, the first national quality newspaper in French-speaking Switzerland and also practically the first newspaper to combine topicality with background. The news magazine struggled to cope with the new competition. It flirted with arbitrariness and commerce, and its circulation eroded year after year to below 44,000. It was not until 2007 that L'Hebdo was back in the black after several years of drought, with circulation rising to 48,450 copies and Editor-in-Chief Alain Jeannet claiming a "new credibility among opinion-makers and decision-makers". He describes environmental technologies and sustainable development as one of today's editorial priorities. (hb)

 
Financial market The investment company BB Medtech invests in concise advertising by Ruf Lanz. 
Advertising for banks, technology and finance companies does not always have to be technocratic. More and more often, it can also be creative. Last winter, Werbewoche wrote about a print campaign by Ruf Lanz for its new client BB Biotech. The asset management company behind BB Biotech is Bellevue Asset Management AG in Küsnacht, which together with Bank am Bellevue is part of Bellevue Group AG, and Ruf Lanz has now also been commissioned with the campaign for the investment company BB Medtech. BB Medtech invests in the most successful and promising companies in the growth market of medical technology. A team of doctors, scientists and financial specialists prepares investment decisions based on fundamental analysis.
The medical technology sector is growing at a good 10 percent per year. The number of people over the age of 65 is increasing by around 1 million per month. As life expectancy increases, so does the demand for medical care. New innovative products and technologies are driving developments in medicine: diseases should be detected more quickly and their treatment should be more effective. These facts mean that medical technology offers interesting long-term investment prospects. Since January 1, 2000, BB Medtech has achieved a share price performance of +157 percent.
As in the campaign for BB Biotech, Ruf Lanz managed to get to the heart of the complex topic in a surprising and intelligent way. For the time being, potential investors are being addressed with two large-format advertisements: The "Children's drawing" subject shows the even greater future demand for products in the medical technology sector because people are getting older and older. The subject "Hearing aids" dramatizes the performance without showing the usual price trends. The advertisements can be seen in business publications in Switzerland and Germany.
Andreas Panzeri

 
Internet Audiweb, a company supported by the Italian media associations that surveys national internet usage, cooperates with Nielsen online. Nielsen has been commissioned to create a panel for online reach measurement. Site-based measurement services will also be used and a planning tool for analyzing and applying the data will also be provided. "In an industry that needs reliable measurement for sales growth, Nielsen and Audiweb can now offer a solution that provides the market with the data and tools it needs," says Enrico Gasperini, President of Audiweb. (mk)

 
Ten Years of IGEM: Stephan Küng, President of the Electronic Media Interest Group, takes stock on the group’s tenth anniversary. 
WW: Mr. Küng, the Electronic Media Interest Group (IGEM) is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Could you please give us a brief overview of IGEM’s first ten years? What have you done well, and what do you want to improve or revamp? IGEM was originally founded ten years ago on the initiative of the marketers of Swiss advertising slots. The goal was to ensure transparency and a say in matters related to research data—especially since, at the time, the SRG’s research department held a monopoly on research. The SRG then founded Publica Data, which marketed the research data to private companies. Publisuisse, on the other hand, as the SRG’s in-house marketing arm, had direct access to the data—meaning it did not have to purchase it like other market participants—and thus enjoyed a competitive advantage. IGEM’s idea, however, was to involve Publisuisse. From the very beginning, in February 1998, a seat on the board was reserved for Publisuisse.
So how was Publisuisse actually involved? From the market’s perspective, it was clear that the situation needed to be improved. Under Ingrid Deltenre, Publisuisse then recognized what the market wanted and joined IGEM.
Did you come together for the sake of the genre? Yes. And you could say that, if you want to sum it up. IGEM has accomplished a great deal, but we still have work to do in the future.
Specifically, what has IGEM accomplished over the past ten years? For example, with regard to TV tools, IGEM succeeded in bringing a cross-provider TV planning tool to the market. That didn’t exist before IGEM. Hanna Kaminski from the Drei Media team had designed a tool herself and presented it in an IGEM working group. It was only this initiative that led Publisuisse to recognize the need and develop its Media Optimizer. A second success that certainly deserves mention is the Komm-Tech study, which we have co-funded for years and which is published annually in the Media Trend Journal. This study is produced in collaboration with Publica Data and can be described as the only study in Switzerland that researches the use of new technologies. Training must also be included in our track record of successes. This is another key area that IGEM pursues intensively. On the one hand, we regularly hold informational events and in-depth seminars on various topics related to electronic media.
You’re referring to the IGEM Academy, which has been in existence for about two years. What does it offer, and how is it being used? Over the past two years, we’ve held the «Hands-On Digitalization» seminars, which were very well attended because participants weren’t just presented with dry theory—they were able to truly experience the new digital media. This was against the backdrop of so many buzzwords floating around that no one really knew exactly what they all meant anymore. Keywords: HDTV, DAB radio, etc. In addition, IGEM offered the «E-Planning Tools» seminar series last year, which gave participants an in-depth look at the tools—not as a user course focused on «how to operate the tool,» but rather from the perspective of what lies behind the technology. And just recently, the “Interactive Communication” course was held. This is a basic course designed to provide an overview of the possibilities and technologies of new media.
There are media agencies that have fallen behind in terms of expertise regarding new media. Since new agencies—whether from the tech sector or on the provider side—are putting pressure on traditional agencies, do you see it that way too? That was certainly the case in the past, but there’s an explanation for it: The volumes were small. So small, in fact, that existing agencies simply couldn’t finance their resources with them. Naturally, this led to the emergence of an intermediary structure within these new media. And we have to thank these intermediaries for doing that.
What’s next for the Academy? We have more seminars planned, and we always tailor our programs to the needs of the market. In addition, we’ve been in closer contact with other associations, such as BSW and SWA, with a view to potentially collaborating on training initiatives or continuing them together.
And clients are indeed increasingly asking for new media. That's just the way it is—I can say that from my experience as an agency director. There are hardly any strategies or projects left that don't involve new media.
Does this ever lead to a conflict with print media—since, as an IGEM member, you’re increasingly promoting electronic media? Not at all. For example, I’m also very active in the field of poster research and maintain contact with WEMF. So it doesn’t mean at all that I now favor electronic media. The trend shows that print is generally under pressure, but that’s obviously not due to IGEM’s activities; rather, it has to do with changes in media consumption and the resulting shift in the price-performance ratio.
Let’s get a little political. According to its bylaws, IGEM opposes restrictions on the content and timing of advertisements for freely traded products and services on TV, radio, in movie theaters, and on the Internet. Do you simply oppose such restrictions, or do you also take action against them? We advocate for liberal advertising opportunities. That is one of our core concerns. IGEM was a member of the Alliance Against Advertising Bans, which, unfortunately, has since been dissolved. But we are actively involved in reorganizing efforts across various associations on this issue. For example, we were very actively involved in the debate on the new Radio and Television Act (RTVG)…
What exactly does «strongly engaged» mean? In addition to our regular comments on public consultations, we reached out to politicians, which was, at times, quite sobering.
Why? It was sobering to learn how politicians approach legislation without having any experience in the market.
How satisfied are you with the result? Let's put it this way: Everyone can live with the result in one way or another, but no one is really happy with it.
Interview: Urs Schnider
The full interview will appear in the May issue of Media Trend Journal.
Stephan KüngStephan Küng (41) is CEO
of Initiative Media Schweiz and, for the past year, president of IGEM, the Association for Electronic Media. Küng is married and the father of three daughters. IGEM at a Glance: Strong Members
All relevant business partners in the field of electronic media are represented in IGEM. These include:
– Media agencies
– Marketer of SRG/SSR programs
– Marketers of advertising slots in foreign TV programs
– private Swiss TV broadcasters
– private Swiss radio broadcasters or advertising pools
– Broker of radio and television advertising time
– Movie theater marketer
– Internet brokers and marketers
– Market research firms
The current membership directory can be found at http://www.igem.ch.
Strong Commitment
– IGEM advocates for diverse and liberal opportunities for commercial communication in electronic and interactive media. It supports all projects and advertising platforms that contribute to the diversity of the electronic media landscape within the framework of legal regulations.
– IGEM is committed to ensuring the quality and transparency of data on user behavior in electronic and interactive media and promotes the collection, acquisition, and use of such data. It has formulated goals for the future development of usage research.
– IGEM gathers information on developments in communication technology and their impact on commercial communication, and makes this information available to its members.
– IGEM supports the separation of advertising and editorial content, but opposes restrictions on content and timing, as well as formal restrictions regarding the design and placement of advertisements for freely traded products and services.
Strong Track Record
– Membership has doubled since the organization was founded in 1998.
– The goal of establishing a neutral governing body to conduct usage research was achieved in 2007 with the new RTVG.
– The goal of liberalizing advertising regulations for radio and TV was achieved (albeit only partially).
– The Kommtech study, which has been conducted annually since 2005, has become an important tool for tracking the digitization of communications and entertainment technology.
– Members can access a collection of advertising effectiveness studies on the website.

 
Fairness in advertising leads to a silence between the products. The competition is punished with the most complete disregard, one hardly finds any references to rivals, no comparison. Actually a pity, as the small exchange of blows under the following link shows. Small vulgarities among friends obviously have an invigorating effect.

Sport Wirz makes it clear: Ochsner-Sport will also be on the ball at Euro 08. 
There is hardly a company that is not currently jumping on the Euro 08 bandwagon - some with ambush marketing, others officially. Although Ochsner-Sport is not a sponsor of Euro 08, it has been an official partner of the Swiss Football Association and "supplier to Nati fans" since 2003. This means that Ochsner also runs the official Nati fan store in the middle of Zurich's fan mile. Wirz communicates the commitment and offer. CD Hanspeter Schweizer continues to work according to the idea: "The most bitter opponent is yourself." The result is a campaign that is not about taking part, but above all about winning, "about the will to win and the positive, exemplary attitude of each individual", as copywriter John Leuppi says. The focus is on "our" five-man wall with Köbi Kuhn, Johan Djourou, Tranquillo Barnetta, Philipp Degen and Marco Steller, who attract attention with their statements. The campaign is used in almost all media: posters, advertisements, megaposters, building cladding, brochures and communication at the point of sale.Andreas Panzeri

 
Bookstore Fnac comes to German-speaking Switzerland. Numéro 10 accompanied the opening of the first store in Basel. 
Basel is the city of culture. It is home to the oldest university in Europe. There is the world-famous Art, historic carnival and leading theater. And over 300 young bands rehearse in the underground. "Happy Basel" is how Gilles Aeby from Numéro 10 describes this fortunate situation for the people of Basel. And because he knew that the city of culture would soon be even happier because Fnac, the French chain of stores for books, film, music and consumer electronics, is planning to open its first branch in German-speaking Switzerland on the Rhine, the guerrilla marketing specialist plastered the entire city with colorful "Happy Basel" stickers on April 7. The confusion was perfect, as FC Basel had won the cup final the previous evening. "It was a lucky coincidence," says Aeby happily. Amidst the frenzy of victory, his action was received with great sympathy by the population everywhere. But there could hardly have been any other trouble. As befits a professional guerrilla campaign, there was also a note printed on the stickers stating that disposal and cleaning had already been "officially organized".
Lots of actionAfter the teasing, the resolution. Once the stickers had been removed, posters in the same colorful style followed. These explained why Basel will be "happy" once again on April 17 thanks to Fnac.
The Fnac poster campaign was complemented by a movie, advertisements, lots of action on the web and an event on the eve of the opening.
More than 2,500 people wanted to marvel at the eight floors of the new store at Steinenvorstadt 5. Numéro 10 and its guerrilla unit Buzzilla also mixed twelve actors from Zurich in with the guests from Basel. They knew how to amaze visitors to the store, for example when they suddenly found themselves in the book section in the middle of the crowd reciting theatrically from a novel. Or unsettled the visitors to the vernissage when an actress in the DVD section spontaneously performed a remake of the legendary orgasm scene from the film "Harry and Sally".
Other bonus material relating to the opening includes a CD produced by Numéro 10 featuring the best of the 300 young Basel bands. It will be sold for Fr. 6.90 at Fnac. All the proceeds will go to support the local music scene. The event of the first Fnac in German-speaking Switzerland was rounded off with 4,000 "Kulturbuttons", which were imaginatively distributed among the people, and a "Happy Basel" streetcar.
The French media wholesaler Fnac (Fédération nationale d'achat des cadres) has been present in the university cities of Geneva, Lausanne and Fribourg since 2000. Around 70 people are employed at the Basel branch. Five more branches are to follow in Zurich, Bern, St. Gallen and Lucerne by 2010.
Fnac is the market leader in France and other countries. The company was founded in 1954 by two Trotskyists as a cooperative. Since 1994, the book and media chain has been part of the empire of the French luxury goods and department store group Pinault-Printemps-Redoute.
Andreas Panzeri

Sporting goods The Biel-based agency Erdmannpeisker presents its first work for Mammut. 
"Mammut 2.0" is the name of the concept with which Erdmannpeisker wants to break new ground with Mammut. The last route taken by the label for alpine clothing, outdoor fashion and accessories led to Mount Everest. Mary Woodbridge wrote advertising history from Switzerland and made Mammut famous worldwide. But not all sporty and earth-loving mountaineers were able to identify with the old and somewhat aloof lady. Back to base camp is therefore the concept behind the new campaign. The budget was put out to international tender and awarded to Erdmannpeisker after several stages. Sybille Erdmann and Gabriel Peisker scored points thanks to "product advertising with a high image component". The Internet is leading the way with Web 2.0, says Peisker. Companies are becoming more and more permeable. Instead of conventional one-way communication, they are seeking dialog with customers and involving them more and more. Comments and voting are just some of the new tools that allow customers to exert a direct influence. Erdmannpeisker is now going "one step further and wants to involve the customer directly in the communication".
The agency organized a "sleeping bag test at 20 degrees below zero". The employees of Mammut were invited. The event on the Corvatsch glacier was documented for various media with a making-of film and spectacular photos by Robert Bösch, the mountain guide and winner of the international mountain book prize. The action photos were used to create posters, advertisements, product flyers and a magalog. This is available in sports stores and is enclosed with various special interest magazines.
A second happening in May 2008 has already been announced in the Magalog and on the website. Customers are now to be invited to this test in the vicinity of the Eiger. After just a few days, more than 500 interested parties have already registered on the Mammut website. The advertising thus becomes the end product of a long chain of contacts with existing and future customers. The eye-catcher is an irritating intervention in the fantastic mountain world.
Michael Gisler, Head of Marketing at Mammut, comments on this unusual advertisement: "We deliberately took a different approach to our competitors. We wanted to get closer to the end consumer. We reach this target group with authentic imagery from the mountains."
At Mammut, however, it's not just in the mountains that things are going steeply upwards. The company also wants to grow in breadth. New subsidiaries have already been founded in Japan and England. A total of 40 to 50 stores are planned worldwide.
Andreas Panzeri

 
Beverages I Feldschlösschen surprises the domestic beer market with an innovation. Feldschlösschen Fresca with yuzu-lemon or grapefruit-cranberry fruit juice aims to refresh young and young-at-heart people who are less fond of the taste of hops and malt. With its tangy, fruity but not sweet taste, Feldschlösschen Fresca is positioned as an outdoor thirst quencher that can be enjoyed straight from the can on balmy summer days with friends. The mandate for online communication was won by the Zurich crossover agency Angelink. As a first communication measure, Angelink has already set up a trendy Flash microsite at Feldschloesschen.ch. It will serve as a hub for further promotional activities. Feldschlösschen and Angelink do not yet want to reveal what these will be.

 
The ongoing relicensing process for radio and TV is putting Tamedia in a bad mood, as was clearly evident at Wednesday's media conference. The company is confronted with "surprising statements" and finds it difficult to understand why the awarding of licenses to Radio 24 and Tele Züri is being called into question by executive authorities, said Chairman of the Board of Directors Pietro Supino. However, he is confident that in the end the award will be made "on the basis of the legally enshrined performance criteria" in Tamedia's favor. But what happens if the Swiss government decides otherwise? If Radio 24 does not receive a license, it will have to practically cease operations. If it only receives the so-called small license for the city of Zurich, then the operation would have to be greatly downsized, Supino explained at the media conference. However, Tamedia did not even apply for the small concession, but only for the large coverage area 23, and the Federal Office of Communications always emphasizes that applicants can no longer change their mind for another area. Is Tamedia trying to find a way to get the small license after all, should Radio 24 be denied the large area? "No," denied Tamedia spokesperson Christoph Zimmer after the conference. "Mr. Supino merely mentioned a theoretical possibility. We assume that the granting of the small license is not possible." When asked by Werbewoche, Bakom for its part confirmed that it is no longer possible to switch to another concession area.
Tele Züri is the second Tamedia broadcaster that is in danger of losing its license. However, it could continue broadcasting without a license, even if the guarantee of technical transmission and the fee money were to be lost. According to Supino, alternatives are being considered and all cable network operators are being asked whether they would broadcast Tele Züri on their networks without a license. The media company is therefore preparing for all eventualities - but the displeasure with the licensing process is still clearly palpable: "If no clarity can be established about the relevant criteria, I doubt that sensible entrepreneurs will be prepared to invest in this environment in the future," explained Pietro Supino.

 
Mobile TV Swisscom brings 20 TV channels to cell phones 50 days before the Euro. 
Just 50 days before the official start of Euro 08, Swisscom, the nation's largest telecommunications company, is bringing 20 TV channels to cell phones via the new DVB-H network. In front of an appropriate backdrop at Zurich's Letzigrund Stadium, those responsible recently emphasized to the media that the service, called "Bluewin-TV mobile", brings television to consumers' cell phones in unprecedented quality. The service is in HDTV quality, they said.
However, this is a fraudulent label, because on the one hand there are still no broadcasters (with a few exceptions) that broadcast programs in full high definition and on the other hand full resolution on the screen of even the latest generation of cell phones makes little sense. To be honest, the creators should have found a new name for their resolution standard. However, the aim was to use the term HDTV to convey to customers that television on a cell phone "looks and feels" similar to what they are already used to from real television on a flat screen.
The DVB-H-compatible test device, a Nokia N77, which the cell phone manufacturer developed in collaboration with Swisscom, shows in the practical test that the moving images are slightly jerky. In addition, live broadcasts can only be played back with an average delay of eight seconds and the service cannot be used abroad.
However, television is still possible and even subtitles are legible, albeit with some difficulty. Compared to Bluewin TV, which has been available for months via the UMTS standard, the difference in picture and sound is clearly recognizable. In addition, the new service zaps much faster and offers a program guide for a quick overview of the channels.
The launch of Bluewin-TV mobile is part of Swisscom's multimedia strategy, as Christian Petit, member of the Executive Board and Head of Private Customers, emphasized to the media. The vision of this strategy is aimed at the three screens in customers' everyday lives: Computer, cell phone and TV screen. The aim is to make music, Internet and moving images available wirelessly at any time. Practical tests have shown that people particularly appreciate the aspect of the personal TV set and, for example, like to take their DVB-H cell phone to bed with them, even if there is a large flat screen for the whole family in the living room.
However, Petit emphasized that the launch of mobile TV is not the last step in the development process. For example, there is still a lack of interactivity, meaning that users can react to TV offers at the touch of a button and vote, for example. Furthermore, Bluewin TV and its version for cell phones should merge more and more and, if possible, hardly differ from each other. According to Petit, the test device presented to the media will be available in stores in mid-May. Further models will follow.
As required by OFCOM, Swisscom will reach 44% of the population outside the home and 31% indoors with the new DVB-H network by the end of May. The network will initially focus on the centers of Basel, Berne, Zurich and the Arc Lémanique with Geneva and Lausanne. Where the network is not available, mobile TV users will have to switch to the UMTS standard and will have 30 instead of just 20 channels to choose from, including ARD and ZDF, for example. The offer will cost CHF 16 per month, regardless of whether television is watched via DVB-H or UMTS.
Those responsible remained silent about how many viewers Swisscom needs for its new mobile TV to pay off, as well as how much the construction and expansion of the DVB-H network, which was launched with 25 antenna sites on April 18, has cost the Group. "It is less expensive than building a UMTS network," was all Christian Petit said.
René Worni
DVB-H not yet up to speedWith the mobile TV offer
The technological possibilities of the new DVB-H network, which Swisscom subsidiary Swisscom Brodcast has set up in preparation for Euro 08, have not yet been exhausted. Mobile TV could be more than just broadcasting television programs. The decisive factor here is interactivity. However, Swisscom is not yet able to offer this and those responsible cannot say when it will be ready.
This is also open to other providers, including those that rely on these interactive features of the technology. Mobile TV Switzerland is currently the only third-party provider with MoTV, a program specially adapted for cell phones. It was invented by Bruno Bucher, a former Swisscom employee from Biel. According to an agreement with Swisscom, he will be able to use one of the 20 channels. One of the channels on offer will then be replaced by MoTV. But it is a gauntlet for Bucher. He had to put his interactive MoTV on hold because the main player could not say when interactivity would be technically possible. Bucher is therefore planning to switch to a linear program in May, "as soon as possible", and hopes to be able to implement his innovative concept at a later date. (rw)