Magazines For the past two years, Basel-based publisher Francesco J. Ciringione (C.F. Verlag) has been publishing Prestige, a quarterly magazine for "exclusive lifestyle" with a circulation of 15,000 copies. It was so successful that he also launched an edition for Germany on March 1, 2008 - with 50,000 copies, which he sent to clubs, hotels and wealthy families. Sold. A real estate entrepreneur from Lörrach, who deals in villas, has bought the magazine license from him, he says. C.F. Verlag is therefore continuing to produce the German edition, which is 70 percent identical to the Swiss edition, but advertising acquisition and distribution are the responsibility of the licensee. The licensee wants to reduce the circulation somewhat for the time being.
Ciringione now wants to sell further country licenses. He is already negotiating with interested parties from Slovakia, Russia and Romania. However, he wants to keep the Swiss edition. He has registered the magazine for circulation certification and wants the June issue to go on newsstands. (mk)

 Telecoms regulator Marc Furrer is proposing a means of weakening Swisscom's strong position in the mobile telephony market: Sunrise, Orange and Tele2 should reduce their infrastructure costs with a joint network. In an interview with the Handelszeitung newspaper on Wednesday, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (ComCom) said that he could only see one way in which Swisscom's competitors could strengthen their position. The network could, for example, be outsourced to a separate company and thus achieve considerable cost savings. However, the cooperation should only relate to the network, Furrer qualified, and not to the offers and services.
Mixed reactions The idea of a joint mobile network is exciting, said Sunrise spokesperson Dominique Reber at the request of the SDA news agency. So far, however, no concrete talks have been held in this regard.
From Orange's point of view, the discussion about a possible merger of the networks would only have to take place if all network types - copper, mobile and fiber optic - were included by all providers, said spokeswoman Therese Wenger.

 
Congress Among the 50 top creatives at the "Summit of Creativity" congress, Frank Bodin from Euro RSCG also gave a presentation. Topic: "Why the most beautiful communication comes from Switzerland."  
WW: "Häsch es gseh?" was the title of your presentation in Berlin. What did you have to see?Frank Bodin:
The title is not mine, but was given. I made fun of myself a bit because of that. Obviously, the Germans think that we in Switzerland talk like that. I pointed out that this phrase "Häsch es gseh?", which is perceived as Swiss, is a prejudice. That's why I changed the title to "Creativity Swiss made. "What image of Switzerland did you want to convey with it?I wanted to advertise Switzerland as an advertising location and clear up a bit of prejudice in this respect, too.
Which works did you choose?I showed two things. On the one hand, the latest creative works from Switzerland. These are the ideas that were awarded gold, silver and bronze at the Swiss ADC a few weeks ago. These works have not yet been published in book form and are available for viewing by German colleagues. I have not looked further back in the advertising history, because the German professional audience knows of course the best Swiss advertising of the past years. The second side - and I think this is just as important - is the fact that creativity is not limited to our oh-so-important advertising heritage. I also wanted to weave in other aspects - real inventions from Switzerland. This starts with the zipper and goes on to the Birchermüesli and the WWW - because without the Cern in Geneva, there would be no World Wide Web. With such things I wanted to present creativity as one of the important resources and thus the real capital of our country Switzerland.
Did the message get through? No German is waiting for a Swiss to steal his customers. But the response was great, and I received an exceptionally warm welcome.
There are voices calling for the ADC of Germany, Switzerland and Austria to join forces. What do you think of this idea? The German ADC has shown such aspirations and has been inviting its neighboring countries to its competition for some time. In this regard, I have two souls in my chest. On the one hand: every country needs its national championship. Especially in Switzerland with its different language regions, we already have enough of our own. A national competition is also important for our own identity. On the other hand - and seen from a global perspective - it is already the case: We have a large language region. I think it is absolutely important that Germany, Austria and Switzerland should therefore put their heads together more. That's why I'm making an official proposal today: Each ADC holds its national competition every year - and in addition, one of the three ADCs takes turns hosting the international competition and organizing a festival.
The opening is mutual?Exactly. Next year, Switzerland will host such a competition and congress. The year after next, the event will take place in Vienna. I see such a rotation as an enriching concept for German-language advertising.
The three days in Berlin were accompanied by a gigantic march. Aren't we in Switzerland too small for such a project? In a country where so many global corporations such as Nestlé, Novartis, UBS, Swatch and others have their headquarters, something like this must be possible. An innovative example of cross-border cooperation for major events is just around the corner - the European Championship. I would like to thank my German colleagues for this event in Berlin. They said to themselves: "Think big". But we Swiss can do that too. The last event for the Effie was a bit smaller, but there was glamour here too in Studio 1 of the TV, and the Swiss ADC Festival is always a big event too. I think the Germans and Austrians would love to come to us as well ...
They already come to work ...Exactly. Why shouldn't they also come for a congress and competition? The world has become more global. We Swiss have to open up a bit. There must at least be a discussion about how far Swiss ADC should also open up to foreign entries.
You have now won gold in Berlin for the campaign with Greenpeace. Have you submitted cross-border before?It wasn't just me who won, but primarily Greenpeace and then the team from Euro RSCG Zurich, which was involved together with me. The fact that my very first international award, which I was practically allowed to claim for myself alone, also came from ADC Germany is a nice coincidence. That was the Kreuzchen campaign for Tibet at the time, and we picked up several nails at once. So many, in fact, that we ended up sixth in the agency rankings with a single campaign. That was the beginning of a worldwide flood of awards from New York to Cannes.
Interview: Andreas Panzeri

 
Trade fair Five months before the opening of Suisseemex'08, the trade fair for marketing, communication, events and promotion, which opens on August 26, 2008 at the Zurich Exhibition Center, over 200 domestic and foreign exhibitors have registered. According to trade fair organizer Emex Management GmbH, over 80 industry associations, media partners and support partners will also be taking part in the trade fair, which is being held for the second time since 2007. The trade fair is divided into three main areas: Marketing/Communication, Event and Promotion.

 At the International Advertising Association (IAA) World Congress, which recently took place in Washington D.C., Pascal Staub, a Swiss national, was elected to the board as Vice President. He is responsible for the "Young Professionals" department and thus for around 750 young managers in the industry worldwide. Staub is CEO of M.A.D. Brand Care, an advertising agency in Basel specializing in brand management for SMEs. The IAA is the world's largest and most important association in the marketing and communications industry with around 4,000 members in 76 countries. Indra Abidin from Indonesia was elected as the new global president. In Switzerland, the IAA has around 230 members from business, media and advertising under section president Urs Beer. The 41st World Congress of the IAA took place in the US capital from April 7 to 9, 2008 under the title "What's coming next?".

 
Column The Swiss self-destruction ritual is hardly an adequate response to the banking crisis and is damaging the marketplace and the Swiss brand. 
When talking about all the communication disciplines that shape, form and influence a brand, lobbying is practically never mentioned. Lobbyists are viewed with suspicion as the sorcerer's apprentices of a system that tends to be corrupt, or at least clientelistic, and it's better to stay away from them. Our European neighbors, especially our friends from the British Isles, who like us like to emphasize their idiosyncrasies and their utterly unique national soul, are not familiar with this fear of contact. A particularly good example of this was the reporting on the billions written off at UBS.
While published opinion in Switzerland was fervently and with unbridled moral impetus pointing its finger at those responsible and united in targeting the Swiss banking center, the publishing guild in the UK immediately recognized the opportunity and lobbied the City of London with pinpoint accuracy.
"What's wrong with the Swiss banks, once hailed as the Fort Knox of the financial world?" sneered BBC World in its main news bulletin. The journalistic professionals gleefully feasted on the bankruptcy and mishap news from the parade ground. And they lobbied unrestrainedly for the domestic financial institutions, naturally neglecting the fact that some British banks can only keep their counters open at all with friendly financial support from the state.
We Swiss are quite different. In a memorable arena, after all the unpleasant news about collapsing bank share prices, we let ourselves be shown up by a former German finance minister (who, incidentally, dumped billions more on the already high German debt mountain) as greedy, semi-criminal gnomes who help the rich German locusts to smuggle their savings past the German tax authorities.
The former top German treasurer was ably assisted by the guardian of the social democratic grail, Hildegard Fässler, who, in a spectacular act of self-flagellation, lashed out at Switzerland and ultimately at herself in a way that would warm the heart of any Catholic.
Unfortunately, with all the self-criticism and ash-scattering on one's own head, it has been forgotten that we all benefit excessively from the Swiss financial center and its reputation. It is always an admirable spectacle to see how the outraged media and the naturally profile-seeking politicians deal one low blow after another to the otherwise oh-so-praised Swiss brand.
The globalized financial industry and the competitors of the local banks are rubbing their eyes in amazement and delight and making tempting offers to frightened customers. Instead of the usual expert questioning about the effects of the banking crisis on the reputation of the Swiss brand in the wider world, perhaps a brief pause would be appropriate and a somewhat deeper and more honest analysis from all sides of what this sporadic Swiss ritual of self-destruction means for the marketplace and the Swiss brand in the long term.
It could be that the realization prevails that a critical view of the performance of individual exponents of the economy does not always have to lead to a highly moralistic general attack on a branch of industry that makes a decisive and measurable contribution to the brand value of the Confederation.
Neither in the USA, nor in the UK, nor in the emerging BRIC countries is the question constantly being asked as to whether such a dynamic financial center - with all its risks - can and should be afforded. The question is pointless: Not only do we have to afford the financial center, we are dependent on it in such a way that questioning it strikes at the very heart of the Swiss brand.
Lobbying instead of dismantling is the only possible conclusion if you take a sober look at the realities of a globalized financial world. At the end of the day, it will be a hundred times more important for the Swiss brand that we cultivate and promote this unique advantage than any helpless, harmless hospitality spot for Euro 08, which comes and goes. The Swiss financial center will remain. Hopefully.
Kaspar Loeb is CEO of the Swiss advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi Simko

 
Competition Toblerone is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. The well-known Swiss chocolate company is hosting a special event to mark the occasion. Toblerone is holding a tower-building competition in the cities of Zurich, Bern, Basel and Geneva. The search is on for the "fastest city in Switzerland to build a Toblerone tower". The city that builds a five-metre-high tower the fastest will win the Toblerone birthday party in September. The city duel ends in Zurich on May 3.

 The Goldbach Media subsidiary Adlink introduced a behavioral targeting offering six months ago. The marketer is now adding two new target groups and forms of advertising to this. The target groups of young people (14 to 19-year-olds) and silver surfers (over 50) have been added. In addition to the existing advertising media, the high-profile advertising media Leaderboard and Floating Ad can now also be used. Behavioral targeting should enable advertisers to reach users online regardless of their environment. The planning and control technology makes use of the measurability of the Internet and divides consumers into specific target groups based on their registered details and surfing behavior.

 
Commuter press 20 Minuten is particularly popular in Zurich. A third of its readership is there. According to Mach Basic 2008-1, the newspaper has again increased significantly compared to the previous year and now has 1.243 million readers in German-speaking Switzerland - 206,000 readers more than in 2006-1. But where has the free newspaper gained the most reach in the last two years? 104,000 new readers come from Eastern Switzerland alone (Thurgau, St. Gallen and Rhine Valley), the region where the commuter paper recently expanded. In WG 26 (St. Gallen) it now has 100,000 readers. By comparison, 20 Minuten reaches 91,000 people in Lucerne, where it has been present for some time. What is more surprising, however, is that the Greater Zurich area is the second largest "supplier" of new readers after Eastern Switzerland: Within two years, 39,000 people were added there. Almost 400,000 Zurich residents now pick up the commuter paper every day. In third place is WG 22 (Bernese Oberland) with 14,000 new readers. The rest is spread out. In some places, however, reach is stagnating (Schaffhausen, Aargau) or even declining, as in Basel. (mk)

The Annabelle supplement "Mann", aimed at the men of the world, will be published from April 23 with a refreshed look and a new content concept. The monothematic special is dedicated to European football and Euro 08. The authors of the football issue include sports journalist Ronald Reng, Times head of sport Samuel Martin and writer and columnist Philipp Tingler. And a professional palm reader has interpreted Köbi Kuhn's palm lines without knowing who it is. Kuhn says: "I'm amazed at how closely the description fits me."
The Mann supplement was designed and edited by Annabelle editor Peter Ackermann. The new layout was developed by art director Dieter Röösli together with graphic designer Manuel Schibli. Mann will be published on Wednesday, April 23, as a supplement to Annabelle and on Sunday, April 27, as a supplement to Sonntagszeitung subscriptions.

 
Software Leading packaging workflow company Esko Artwork shows the way forward. 
The Belgian group Esko Artwork, formed from the merger of the two companies Esko Graphics and Esko and Artwork Systems, offers packaging manufacturers and commercial printers even more pre-production products and services from a single source. Carsten Knudsen, President and CEO, noted in a brief review at a press conference held in the run-up to the Drupa Discovery Tour that packaging printers and their customers were under great pressure last year. "Production cycles must be further shortened, profitability increased through automation and production islands integrated," said Knudsen, explaining the necessary thrust of the industry. The hardware and software group, which is now represented in all major markets, is even better able to cope with these changes as a result of the merger and has emerged as a leading system integrator in packaging and commercial printing and - in particular - as a preferred supplier in the flexo market and in the traditional packaging industry.
Acquisition of Gradual As if the merger was not enough, Knudsen also announced the acquisition of Gradual Software, which is also Belgian and significantly smaller. Gradual will be integrated into the Enfocus division, which users know from its expertise and products in the field of PDF checking and editing. Esko Artwork now has a total of three different packaging workflows. These are designed for different requirements, said Knudsen, justifying the "three-pronged approach" to the systems. But Esko Artwork is not only growing through acquisitions.
Knudsen also announced the opening of a factory in Brno, Czech Republic, at the beginning of March. The successful Kongsberg sample tables are manufactured there, which can be used to produce packaging samples and small runs of packaging.

Esko Artwork at DrupaUnder the slogan "Connect more", Esko Artwork aims to meet the challenges faced by packaging printers with new products and solutions. These include global production and cooperation in packaging development, packaging design and the optimization of packaging materials.
One example of how Esko Artwork aims to meet these challenges with products is an Adobe Illustrator plug-in that allows packaging production to be realized with dynamic text content for the first time. The module, called Dynamic Content, separates the packaging text from the packaging design. All product descriptions can be created and transmitted by the brand owner on the basis of a PDF form and can then be linked to the Illustrator file in the layout phase on the basis of XML. This procedure also makes it easier for the customer to update them; manual transfer of changes is therefore a thing of the past and sources of error are effectively eliminated.
Studio and Studio ToolkitsFurthermore, Esko Artwork presents the new graphic design solution Studio. Together with the new Studio Toolkits, which will also be available gradually, Studio enables, among other things, the interactive, three-dimensional design of initially flexible packaging and later folding cartons within Adobe Illustrator. The advantage of Studio is that designs created with Illustrator can be displayed immediately thanks to the 3D viewing environment. 3D PDF documents can be created from the application and sent to customers for checking and approval. The first two versions of Studio Toolkit will be presented here at Drupa: Studio Toolkit for Flexibles is a flexible design application to quickly create true-to-life design models for common flexible packaging types. The first toolkit supports the development of flat and gusseted pouches as well as rectangular stand-up pouches. While Studio and the Studio Toolkit for Flexibles will already be available for sale at Drupa, those interested in the Studio Toolkit for Boxes folding carton solution shown in Düsseldorf will have to wait; the toolkit will be available shortly after the trade fair.
JDF-based packaging prepressEsko Artwork intends to present the first end-to-end JDF workflow for packaging production at Drupa, as was reported at the press conference. An innovative solution for process automation and process control has been developed in cooperation with the manufacturers Dr. Lauterbach & Partner (MIS), MAN Roland (printing), Bobst SA (finishing) on the one hand and Limmatdruck Zeiler AG from Spreitenbach and the major distributor Migros on the other. Esko Artwork in Düsseldorf will use this to showcase all the steps from the idea to the delivery of the finished packaging product.
New flexo platesetters and sample tablesEsko Artwork is also announcing new products in the hardware sector at Drupa. These include the Cyrel Digital Imager (CDI) Advance Cantilever, which has been specially developed for imaging large-format sleeves and the optional imaging of large-format flexographic printing plates. The system is aimed at manufacturers of flexible packaging, repro companies and converters with large print runs. Compared to the predecessor model 5080, the new flexo platesetter offers a higher throughput. While the smaller CDI CompactCantilever currently available is aimed at the medium-format web printing market, the new CDI Advance Cantilever has been specially developed for the production of flexible packaging on large-format rolls. According to Esko Artwork, the CDI Advance Cantilever is therefore suitable for manufacturers of flexible packaging who require the highest possible throughput in the production of large-format flexographic printing plates. The platesetter is equipped with a cantilevered air cylinder that enables very fast sleeve changes without the need for additional equipment. Users of the CDI Advance platesetter can change drums for plates measuring 127 x 203.2 cm or 106.7 x 152.4 cm and for sleeves up to 211 cm in length. The CDI Advance Cantilever also ensures fast imaging (up to 8 m2/h). Esko Artwork also announced the launch of the Esko Cyrel Digital Imager (CDI) Spark 4260 Auto at Drupa. The new digital flexo platesetter is equipped with a fully automatic plate loading, imaging and removal function. Additional automation tools also reduce the processing steps previously required. The CDI Spark 4260 Auto can process three full-size printing plates simultaneously and is designed to meet the highest quality requirements for flexible packaging and folding cartons. At Drupa 2008, Esko Artwork intends to show the platesetter in a configuration with automated loading, imaging and removal functions in combination with the integrated inline UV main exposure and back exposure unit. With the introduction of the Kongsberg XP product range, Esko Artwork is addressing the needs of manufacturers of corrugated packaging and point of sale or POP displays. Esko Artwork is positioning the three new digital cutting tables as genuine production machines - and therefore not primarily as sample tables. For the first time, the tables have been specially developed for continuous operation and for environments in which production takes place around the clock. The new Kongsberg XP models ensure effective processing of a wide range of packaging and display materials, including all types of corrugated board, display board, corrugated plastic, foam board and rigid display materials such as MDF, plywood, acrylic, ACM and Forex. The cutting tables in the XP series are designed for three format ranges: The Kongsberg XP24 for the maximum working area of 168 x 320 cm, the Kongsberg XP44 is suitable for 220 x 320 cm applications and the Kongsberg XP46 for large format applications up to 220 x 480 cm. With a maximum cutting speed of 100 m/min, the new series also sets new standards in speed in digital finishing.
 
Jürgen Franck
PrePressEsko-Artwork-PreDrupa-Facts.
Esko Artwork presents the new "Studio" software suite at Drupa
- Studio Toolkit for Flexibles and Studio Toolkit for Boxes allow three-dimensional packaging design in Adobe Illustrator
- new Kongsberg XP cutting table as a production machine
- With the Esko Cyrel Digital Imager Spark 4260 Auto, Esko Artwork is launching a fully automatic flexo platesetter onto the market
- Esko Artwork will be presenting a complete JDF workflow for the packaging segment for the first time at Drupa.

 
Food I KSB/SJ shows for Coop how animals can feel (almost) perfectly happy thanks to Naturafarm. 
Free-range farming for pigs and calves, suckler cow husbandry for Natura-Beef young animals, chickens in a free country: Coop launched the Naturafarm line just over a year ago. The products are ideal for anyone who enjoys fine meat or good eggs and wants to think about animal welfare at the same time. In order to give consumers an enlightening insight into an animal farm that, unlike Orwell, actually works, the creative team at Krieg Schlupp Bürge/ Springer & Jacoby immersed themselves in the world of animals when coming up with their ideas and asked themselves: what wishes can an animal that is allowed to spend the whole day outside really have?
The answer is impressively simple: the animals would perhaps like to return to their stable. In the dry, in the warmth, on the soft straw. Because the animal stables at Naturafarm are also "furnished" in a particularly animal-friendly way.
That's why we see the cow, the pig and the chicken standing outside in the subjects, looking in a little longingly at the barn window. Waiting until it is finally time to go back inside. After all, even animals that are at home outside don't always want to be outside.
The three humorous advertisements appear in the national Sunday and general press.   
Andreas Panzeri