The Zurich agency Advico Y&R has won a shortlist award at the One Show Festival in New York with its campaign for the recording studio NJP. This puts it in the running for one of the coveted One Show Pencils. The prizes in gold, silver or bronze will be awarded on May 7 in New York. The One Show Festival describes itself as the advertising industry's equivalent of the Oscars and has the same weighting as Cannes, D&AD or The Cup in the creative ranking of Werbewoche.

 
The hedge fund Laxey Partners is proposing to Publigroupe's Annual General Meeting that the five percent restriction on registration and voting rights be lifted. The Isle of Man-based fund represents twelve other funds that have held a 4.98% stake in Publigroupe AG since February 2008. The Publigroupe Board of Directors unanimously rejects this proposal and recommends that shareholders reject the proposal at the Annual General Meeting on April 30, 2008. In the invitation to the AGM, it states that a stable and diversified shareholder base maintains the independence of the company and is therefore a key element for the company's success.
In view of the good result for 2007 and the positive outlook for the current year, it also proposes an increase in the dividend from twelve to thirteen francs per share. In addition to the re-election of the existing members of the Board of Directors Christian Budry, Gerhart Isler and Felix Weber, it also recommends the election of Etienne Jornod as a new member of the Board of Directors, who has been Chairman and Delegate of the Board of Directors of Galenica since 1996.

 
Photo taken on April 7, 2008, at Horenrank, Schwyz. The people in the photo are alive.

 The Cash business platform launched its multimedia reporting 18 months ago with its own daily WebTV reports. Now the video service is also available on cell phones, but currently only for Sunrise customers. They can access the video stock market commentaries in the morning at 9 a.m. and at noon at 12.30 p.m. via Cash mobile. The daily video interviews with leading figures in the Swiss economy are also available. Initially, the service will only be available to Sunrise customers. The new service can be tested free of charge for one month. After that, a usage fee of CHF 7.50 per month will be charged via the telephone bill. All Cash videos can still be accessed free of charge at Cash.ch/video.

 
The political and social climate has become tougher for tobacco companies in recent years. Against this backdrop, Lesch+Frei is launching an image campaign for British American Tobacco to demonstrate that the international tobacco company has developed a sense of responsibility over the years. The Zurich agency has met the challenge with the central motto of credibility. According to the press release issued on Tuesday, BAT can only achieve its goals in the current headwind if it provides open, honest and sympathetic information in all respects and takes its critics' reservations seriously. The open, bright and friendly layout is intended to demonstrate a willingness to engage in discussion, while the image-text combinations surprise and invite debate. The individual messages are formulated clearly and directly, and are the responsibility of Lesch+Frei Zurich:
Thomas Lüber (CD and text), Matthias Kadlubsky (AD), Susanne Fürst (consulting), Barbara Meier and Désirée Guzzo (polygraphy), Felix Streuli and Hans-Joerg F. Walter (photography). Responsible at British American Tobacco Germany: Ulf Bauer (Head of Corporate Communications, Industrial Policy & Public Relations). Responsible at British American Tobacco UK: Fatima Cengiz (Corporate Communications Manager UK & Ireland).>

 The Swiss Press Council has largely upheld the complaints made by Cécilia Sarkozy and her new husband against Le Matin. The French-speaking Swiss newspaper Tageszeitung had published unconfirmed rumors about the couple's liaison in December 2007. In January 2008, Le Matin also speculated on the question of which of the two Sarkozys would remarry first. The newspaper based its January report on a rumor published in Le Parisien. Both Nicolas Sarkozy's ex-wife and the new man at her side, a Geneva businessman, subsequently filed a complaint with the Press Council for violation of privacy.
For Le Matin, the public interest outweighed the protection of the privacy of those affected. The Press Council does not share this assessment: publishing unconfirmed rumors without checking them violates journalists' duty to establish the truth. If a rumor is disputed even after research, at least the source must be named and a possible denial passed on, the body announced on Tuesday.
As far as the violation of privacy is concerned, the Press Council differentiates between Cécilia Sarkozy and her current husband. Celebrities who bring their private lives into the public eye cannot demand total respect for privacy from one day to the next, writes the Press Council in relation to Cécilia Sarkozy.
In September 2006, Le Matin had already been condemned by a civil court in Thonon-les-Bains F for its reporting on the marriage crisis in the Sarkozy household. The court considered the privacy of the then Minister of the Interior to have been violated.

 
It should sound green and trendy: Ecolife, a new Swiss magazine that aims to combine sustainability and modern lifestyle, will be published on July 6, 2008. The magazine, published quarterly by Profile Publishing with a circulation of 160,000 copies, will be enclosed with the NZZ am Sonntag (circulation 122,000). It is also available by subscription. The magazine aims to provide its readers with "information on developments and trends in the areas of the environment, economy and society", according to a press release. According to Karin Stich, Managing Director of Profile Publishing in Wetzikon, the target group comprises modern, middle-aged people with a good education and appropriate financial means. Paul Stierli, former editor-in-chief of the Sonntagszeitung and the Lake Zurich magazine Seesicht, will become editor-in-chief on a contract basis.
Each issue of the magazine is divided into three topics: environment, economy and society. Karin Engler at Profile Publishing is responsible for the design of Ecolife. The publishing house publishes the trade journals ICT in Finance, Contact Management Magazine and Business Intelligence Magazine.

 In a report on assisted suicide, *Le Matin* had published details about the «lethal cocktail» that the organization Dignitas uses as a method of assisted suicide. This also brought the French-Swiss newspaper under scrutiny by the Press Council, which viewed the report as a violation of the code of media ethics. The Press Council ruled in favor of the two organizations that filed complaints. The Initiative for the Prevention of Suicide in Switzerland (Ipsilon) and the Stop Suicide Association feared a copycat effect, especially among young people. They are concerned about the so-called «Werther effect.» The fictional suicide of Goethe’s character Werther had, at the time, led to suicides among young people who identified with the desperate hero of the novel.
On October 3, 2007, *Le Matin* published a series of articles on the activities of Dignitas. The details of the cocktail of medications used were revealed in a sidebar. The newspaper argued that the medication in question had already been mentioned in other media outlets and that this information was very easy to obtain. The Press Council has now rejected these arguments. The Press Council writes that the media are obligated to refrain from providing detailed information about suicides in order to prevent the risk of imitation, especially among young people.

With the business-to-business campaign for Search.ch, the advertising agency Hochspannung shows how banners work on the search and information platform: If someone searches for Bösch O., they unexpectedly become interested in a new Peugeot car thanks to the banner. If they search for the Gornergrat, a banner will take them to Cornercard. And when he searches for the keyword Euro, he is confronted with a banner from Swiss. The campaign with the slogan "Start bannering" has been running in specialist magazines and newspapers since March and is constantly being supplemented with new subjects.
Responsible at Räber Information Management GmbH (Search.ch):
Rafael Azzati, Sandra Wüest. Responsible at Hochspannung: Matthew Katumba, Alex Taiganidis, Tom Fäh, Oliver Burger, Marco Huber.

The Swiss furniture retailer Pfister is launching a new furniture line called Basic. It is designed to combine clean lines and high quality with competitive entry-level prices. The line is aimed at young, budget-conscious customers.
For the market launch and positioning, Publicis has put together a standalone and integrated communications package. The agency stated that simplicity characterizes the eye-catching campaign, which features prominent price and product placement against a pictogram background. This philosophy of understatement is carried through in the straightforward product presentation at Pfister stores and on the packaging.
Selective billboard locations are set to attract attention; they will be completely covered with 24-page A6-sized brochures for people to take home. A mega-poster is also planned for Zurich—featuring a mega-sofa a full 18 meters wide. A launch contest will also be held at the point of sale and online.
The campaign will launch in mid-April with ad placements in commuter newspapers and a nationwide poster campaign featuring F12, F4, and F200 formats. In addition, posters will be displayed at universities and colleges, along with megaposters, e-boards, and online banners.

Responsible at Möbel Pfister:
Christine Roth (Head of Communications), Jasna Smojvir (Head of Advertising), Roland Flückiger (Head of Production). Publicis team: Martin Denecke (Creative Director), Ercole Troisi (Art Director), Bruno Biondi (Consultant).

University poster:

This year's Swiss Effie awards were presented in a festive setting on Tuesday evening in Studio 1 of Swiss television. The jury awarded three gold, three silver and seven bronze medals, recognizing effective marketing communication. Gold went to the campaigns "World Cup alternative program for women" by Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett for Switzerland Tourism, "For me and you." by Krieg, Schlupp, Bürge / Springer & Jacoby for Coop and "Love Life Stop Aids - Here you protect yourself too." by Euro RSCG Zurich for the Federal Office of Public Health FOPH. Silver went to "Discover Switzerland" by Jung von Matt/Limmat for the Swiss Federal Railways SBB, "It's not happening here, but now" by Walker Werbeagentur for Amnesty International and "The gourmet world of Sélection" by Young & Rubicam Group / Exxtra Kommunikation for Migros. JvM/Limmat took three bronze medals with "Jeder fängt mal klein an an" for Bluewin ADSL, "Campari Soda" for Swiss and "Ideas for Spring" for Panasonic. Also winning bronze were Draftfcb/Lowe for 1818 directory assistance, SFLB with "Mary Woodbridge" for Mammut, KSB/SJ with "They love it. We insure it." for Axa-Winterthur and Ogilvy & Mather with "Because beauty knows no age" for Dove Pro Age.
Proof of effectiveness and efficiency The Swiss Effie, which is the only prize that recognizes the effectiveness of communication, recorded a new record number of participants this year with 107 entries. The jury, headed by Axel Springer Switzerland CEO Ralph Büchi, awarded prizes to the campaigns in a three-stage process. Proof of effectiveness and efficiency had to be provided for each entry. Ralph Büchi assumes that the effectiveness and efficiency of advertising investments will probably be scrutinized more closely again in the coming months than in the past years of carefree growth.
Many of the campaigns that were not nominated failed due to a lack of proof of effectiveness, according to a press release. Frank Bodin, President of BSW Leading Swiss Agencies and member of the Swiss Effie management team, comments: "Effie is about more than judging original artistry. More than judging the skillful combination of different media. More than judging an innovative mix of measures. Effie is the holistic proof of the role of communication in achieving marketing goals".
All nominated cases are summarized in the book "Swiss Effie 08", which can be obtained from the BSW office. The next Swiss Effie will be held in 2010. BSW recommends that agencies and their clients obtain the relevant data at an early stage and ensure that proof of success can be provided on the basis of neutral information.
Gold:

Campaign: "World Cup alternative program for women"

Client: Switzerland Tourism, Zurich
Advertising agency: Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett AG, Zurich

 
Campaign: Coop "For me and you."

Client: Coop, Basel
Advertising agency: Krieg, Schlupp, Bürge / Springer & Jacoby, Zurich
Media agency: Initiative Media Western, Wallisellen

 
 
Campaign: Love Life Stop Aids ? Here you also protect yourself.
Client: Federal Office of Public Health FOPH, Bern
Advertising agency: Euro RSCG Zurich, Zurich
Media agency: Mediaxis-MPG AG, Zurich
Silver:  

Campaign: Swiss Federal Railways SBB "Discover Switzerland"
Client: Swiss Federal Railways SBB
Advertising agency: Jung von Matt/Limmat AG, Zurich

Campaign: "It's not happening here, but it's happening now"

Client: Amnesty International
Advertising agency: Walker Werbeagentur, Zurich
Media agency: APG / walker advertising agency, Zurich

Campaign: Migros Sélection "The gourmet world of Sélection"

Client: Federation of Migros Cooperatives
Advertising agency: Young & Rubicam Group / Exxtra Kommunikation
Media agency: Konnex, Winterthur
Bronze: Campaign: 1818 Directory assistance

Client: 1818 Auskunft AG, Biel
Advertising agency: Darftfcb / Lowe Group AG, Wallisellen
Media agency: OMD Schweiz AG, Zollikon

Campaign: Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. "Campari Soda"

Client: Swiss International Airlines Ltd.
Advertising agency: Jung von Matt/Limmat AG, Zurich
Media agency: Mediaschneider AG, Zurich

Campaign: Bluewin ADSL "Everyone starts small"

Client: Swisscom Schweiz AG, Bern-Worblaufen
Advertising agency: Jung von Matt/Limmat AG, Zurich
Media agency: Mediaschneider AG, Zurich

Campaign: "Mary Woodbridge"

Client: Mammut Sports Group AG, Seon
Advertising agency: Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett AG, Zurich

Campaign: AXA-Winterthur "You love it. We insure it."

Client: AXA-Winterthur, Winterthur
Advertising agency: Krieg, Schlupp, Bürge / Springer & Jacoby, Zurich
Media agency: Initiative Media Western, Wallisellen

Campaign: Panasonic Consumer Electronic "Ideas for Spring"

Client: John Lay Electronics AG, Littau
Advertising agency: Jung von Matt/Limmat AG, Zurich
Media agency: Konnex, Winterthur

Campaign: Dove pro.age "Because beauty knows no age"

Client: Unilever Schweiz GmbH, Thayngen
Advertising agency: Ogilvy & Mather AG, Zurich
Media agency: MindShare, Zurich
Diploma: Campaign: Switzerland elects a new capital
Client: Affichage, Winterthur
Advertising agency: Publicis Werbeagentur AG, Zurich
Campaign: Growth offensive "We carry along"
Client: Basler Versicherungen, Basel
Advertising agency: Contexta AG, Bern
Media agency: MediaPlus AG, Bern
Campaign: Nivea Deo - Pearl & Beauty Top Design
Client: Beiersdorf, Münchenstein
Advertising agency: WOMM, Basel - Streuplan, Zurich - 316tn, Basel
Media agency: OMD Schweiz AG, Zollikon
Campaign: Spring promotion 2007
Client: Charles Vögele Switzerland, Pfäffikon
Advertising agency: Publicis Werbeagentur AG, Zurich
Media agency: Prodress AG, Pfäffikon
Campaign: Eve from Cardinal
Client: Feldschlösschen Getränke AG, Rheinfelden
Advertising agency: Ruf Lanz, Zurich
Media agency: OMD Schweiz AG, Zollikon
Campaign: Feldschlösschen umbrella brand campaign
Client: Feldschlösschen Getränke AG, Rheinfelden
Advertising agency: Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett AG, Zurich
Campaign: Naked facts on the glacier
Client: Greenpeace Switzerland, Zurich
Advertising agency: Euro RSCG Zurich, Zurich
Campaign: Calanda beer "Naturally different"
Client: Heineken Switzerland AG, Winterthur
Advertising agency: Contexta AG, Bern
Media agency: MediaPlus AG, Bern
Campaign: Ikea Stockholm
Client: Ikea national organization Switzerland, Spreitenbach
Advertising agency: ViznerBorel Agentur für Kommunikation GmbH, Zurich
Media agency: Mediaxis/Mediacom, Zurich
Campaign: Battery disposal Recycling campaign 2006/2007
Client: INOBAT, interest group for battery disposal, Bern
Advertising agency: Wirz Werbung AG, Zurich
Campaign: "Brainpower" pharmaceutical research
Client: Interpharma/vips, Basel
Advertising agency: Jung von Matt/Limmat AG, Zurich
Media agency: Mediaschneider AG, Zurich
Campaign: Mary Woodbridge
Client: Mammut Sports Group AG, Seon
Advertising agency: Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett AG, Zurich
Campaign: Ebly "This is how the cornfield tastes"
Client: Mars Schweiz AG, Zug
Advertising agency: Scholz & Friends Zurich, Zurich
Media agency: MediaCom, Zurich
Campaign: Pedigree DentaStix
Client: Mars Schweiz AG, Zug
Agencies: TBWA\Switzerland AG, Zurich / M&K Wien Werbeagentur GmbH / HBH Communications & Events GmbH
Campaign: "No one prints faster"
Client: Maxiprint.ch AG,
Advertising agency: Walker Werbeagentur, Zurich
Media agency: APG / Walker advertising agency, Zurich
Campaign: Crème d'Or "Sinfully good"
Client: Federation of Migros Cooperatives
Advertising agency: Young & Rubicam Group / Exxtra Kommunikation, Zurich
Media agency: Konnex, Winterthur
Campaign: Migros Models - Models like you and me - "Singles"
Client: Federation of Migros Cooperatives, Zurich
Advertising agency: Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett AG, Zurich
Media agency: Konnex AG, Winterthur / B, G, Media, Zurich
Campaign: Molfina "Dressing Room"
Client: Federation of Migros Cooperatives
Advertising agency: Young & Rubicam Group / Exxtra Kommunikation, Zurich
Media agency: Konnex, Winterthur
Campaign: Mountain summer campaign 2006
Client: Switzerland Tourism, Zurich
Advertising agency: Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett AG, Zurich
Campaign: SBB "E-Shift" campaign
Client: Swiss Federal Railways SBB, Berne
Advertising agency: Euro RSCG Zurich, Zurich
Dialog agency: Maxomedia, Bern
Campaign: Interruptions
Client: Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Society, Zurich
Advertising agency: Young & Rubicam Group / Advico, Zurich-Gockhausen
Campaign: Suzuki - the compact No. 1
Client: Suzuki Automobile AG, Safenwil
Advertising agency: Metzgerlehner worldwide partners AG, Erlenbach
Media agency: mm+b mediaagentur AG, Glattbrugg
Campaign: Travel Cash card "Carefree travel"
Client: Swiss Bankers Travelers Cheque Center, Grosshöchstetten
Advertising agency: Contexta AG, Bern
Media agency: MediaPlus AG, Bern
Campaign: Bluewin TV "There's always something good here."
Client: Swisscom Schweiz AG, Bern-Worblaufen
Advertising agency: Jung von Matt/Limmat AG, Zurich
Media agency: Mediaschneider AG, Zurich
Campaign: Sunrise "Best Experience"
Client: TDC Switzerland AG, Sunrise, Zurich
Advertising agency: Young & Rubicam Group / Advico, Zurich-Gockhausen
Media agency: OMD Schweiz AG, Zurich
Campaign: Dove Summer Glow
Client: Unilever Schweiz GmbH, Thayngen
Advertising agency: Ogilvy & Mather AG, Zurich
Media agency: MindShare, Zurich
Campaign: Chips experts
Client: Zweifel Pomy-Chips AG, Zurich
Advertising agency: Young & Rubicam Group / Advico, Zurich-Gockhausen
Media agency: Initiative Media Western AG, Zollikon

 
Nielsen Online plans to significantly expand the application possibilities of the Netview Internet panel in Switzerland by the end of 2008. According to a press release issued on Tuesday, the aim is to increase the number of panel members to around 15,000 users. In addition, online measurements in the Swiss market are to be made more precise with various enhancements. For example, better market coverage is to be achieved by recording smaller websites and measuring internet behavior at the workplace. The company is also launching a streaming service in Switzerland, which enables the measurement of video streams that are integrated into websites.