At its General Assembly in Mumbai, India, on March 6, the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) elected Jürg Siegrist, Director of the Swiss Advertisers Association (SWA), as a new member of the WFA Executive Committee. 55 national associations on all 5 continents belong to the World Federation.

 
To publicize its pension solutions, Axa Winterthur has once again come up with a TV commercial. Various scenes show people in retirement enjoying their lives with a light-heartedness that was perhaps the last time they did so in their childhood.For this clip, the agency Krieg Schlupp Bürge/Springer und Jacoby took the core message "You love it. We insure it." to the slogan "Enjoy retirement. You love it. We make it possible.". The key scene is the end of the commercial, where you see a desirable retirement situation framed by heart-shaped hands.
The film is accompanied musically by Arthur Beul's "Übere Gotthard flüged Bräme", a classic of Swiss folk music from the 1950s. Written in 1945 and performed by the Schmid siblings, the song evokes nostalgic feelings and, according to the advertisers, its catchy melody and cheerful lyrics are intended to convey a sense of light-heartedness.
The commercial has recently been broadcast on all national channels. The commercial is accompanied by three print ads in magazines and newspapers.
Responsible at Axa Winterthur:
Thomas Buberl (Head of Marketing and Distribution), Markus Keller (Head of Marketing), Mélanie Diserens (Head of Advertising and Branding), Ray Immoos (Advertising and Branding) Responsible at KSB/SJ:
Uwe Schlupp (Creative Direction), Robin Strebel (Art Direction), Adrian Hoenicke (Text and Concept), Christoph Bürge, Marco Serratore (Consulting Management), Monika Gut (Consulting), Michèle Seligmann (Agency Producing), Initiative Media Western (Media) Responsible at PingPong Film:
Yves Bollag (producer), Christian Aeby (director), Peter Meyer (camera), Alex Jurkart (editor), Ultra Images (post-production), (music: Arthur Beul, "Übere Gotthard flüged Bräme"). 

 Zehnder Verlag, based in Wil, St. Gallen, is launching three new free weekly newspapers in Aargau. The sister titles Lenzburger Nachrichten, Wynentaler Nachrichten and Freiämter Welle will be published for the first time on Wednesday. The three papers will replace the previous Zehnder title Aargauer Rundschau. The three newspapers with a total circulation of 36,623 copies will be delivered by post every Wednesday, according to a press release issued by the publishing house on Tuesday. The aim is to inform the population in the Lenzburg, Wynental and Freiamt regions "even more comprehensively about local news".
Zehnder Verlag distributes 22 weekly newspaper titles in various regions of Switzerland with a total circulation of 816,526 copies. In Aargau, it is also represented by Zofinger Nachrichten, Aarauer Nachrichten and Nachrichten fürs Limmattal.

Blick readers can currently give their opinion online about which Swiss player should go to Euro 08 and who should stay at home. The online voting, realized by the Maxomedia agency, has been online since Monday and will be active until the Swiss national team's last European Championship match. Users can put together their preferred starting eleven and substitutes for the squad. The Euro squad of Blick.ch users will be determined week by week from all the team line-ups. It is compared every Monday in Blick with the Blick football experts' preferred team. Maxomedia is responsible for the technical implementation of the voting. The reader poll is advertised extensively in Blick and Sonntagsblick.

 The Swiss cross-media publication Anthrazit has a new editorial director. Since the current issue, journalist Bruno Habegger has officially taken over the position previously held by Matthias Zehnder, the current Coop editor-in-chief. Bruno Habegger already has many years of media experience as an IT journalist. He has worked for Schweizer Familie, NZZ and Facts, among others. He acquired his online skills at the specialist magazine PCtipp and in the founding team of the news portal of the former The Blue Window (now Bluewin).
The March issue of Anthrazit, which was published on March 8, bears his signature for the first time. "My aim is to further develop the strengths of the magazine - namely to be easy to understand and to give less experienced readers access to the digital world," Habegger said in a press release on Tuesday. In future, Anthrazit will be consistently expanded into a cross-media publication, he continued.
 
In addition, the magazine, which aims to make the Internet, digital life and the mobile world more understandable, will have a new layout from the current issue. It was developed by Lucerne-based art director Regula Fritz. Publisher Christian Schwengeler and Editor-in-Chief Christian Habegger wanted it to look fresher, airier, more modern and more reader-friendly.
 

 
The story of the mysterious disappearance of Somali women's rights activist Waris Dirie in Brussels has dominated the media for days. The whole thing is getting more and more convoluted. The former model, who is now an author and UN Special Envoy in the fight against female genital mutilation, has now reappeared, but nobody really knows what happened during the three days she was missing. The 43-year-old herself, who was supposed to accept an award and take part in a conference to mark International Women's Day during those days, speaks of attempted rape and deprivation of liberty by a Brussels cab driver. The Belgian police don't believe a word she says and accuse her of just wanting to provide an excuse for missing important appointments. She was simply out and about in the nightlife. If that's not a big dog. The website Aol.com made another fat dog of itself: as Peter Turi wrote in his blog (
), AOL's ad server had placed an unsavory porn ad above an article about the Dirie case. Although this happens automatically in most cases, it simply should not happen in such cases. Even if you want to make a living from online advertising, you still have to pay attention to a coherent overall concept, blog visitor Sebastian noted. We agree with this opinion.

 In recent weeks, various comments on applications for a radio or TV license have received a great deal of media attention. The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) has now published a total of 129 comments on its website. Applicants have until April 16 to comment on the results of the hearing. The evaluation of the applications and licensing will then take place as part of a criteria competition. The results of the consultation will be taken into account in the licensing decisions, as reported by OFCOM on Tuesday. The license will ultimately be awarded by the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC). This can be expected from early summer 2008, according to the press release.

 The Wirz Werbung agency was able to beat two competitors in a competitive presentation for the budget of the Swiss shoe retailer Ochsner Shoes. As a result, the agency's premises on Zurich's Uetlibergstrasse will be even more fashionable from now on, as Wirz announced. The traditional Swiss brand Ochsner Shoes, which belongs to the German Deichmann Group, wants to strengthen its position with a new campaign. According to a press release, Wirz has been working at full speed for weeks on the new image so that the new campaign can be launched in time for the start of spring. Wirz was already able to win the budget from Ochsner Sport a year ago. Managing Director Geri Aebi is doubly pleased about the mandate from the sister brand: "Additional orders from an existing customer are the best proof of a good and successful collaboration."

Valser Mineralquellen is launching a new campaign for which the Lowe agency, part of the Draftfcb/Lowe Group, is responsible. In it, Valser reflects on the original power of nature. Striking rocks and deep blue watercourses are shown. The focus is on the actual factory of mineral water, the two-million-year-old mountains of Vals. This is where the mineral water is created over a period of 25 years, untouched by human hands.
"With the new campaign, we are bringing out the Valser archetype," explained Lowe CEO Kurt Schmid to Werbewoche. The previous campaign was more lifestyle-oriented. "Now we are going back to the roots and showing that the mountain is Valser's real factory." Valser water is created inside the mountain, untouched by human hands: according to Schmid, this core idea convinced those responsible at Valser. Lowe won the budget last year after an extensive competitive presentation.
The campaign will be accompanied musically by a special Valser composition by Swiss artist Mich Gerber. The piece "Zervreila", composed for the campaign, accompanies the TV advertising and can also be heard on his new CD.
In addition to TV advertising, posters, advertisements and "probably the deepest website in the world" are being used: On Valser.ch you can now travel through the 1000 meter deep "mountain factory". There, visitors can find out how water becomes Valser, discover the Valser brand world and learn interesting facts about water and minerals.

On Tuesday evening, the "Best of Swiss Web 2008" award ceremony took place in Zurich's Kongresshaus. In addition to the announcement of the lucky winners in seven categories, the event also featured an honorary award and a show block with Mörgeli impersonator Fabian Unteregger.
The winners in the individual categories are: Iconomix.ch (Swiss National Bank client; Liip execution), Tvprogramm.sf.tv (Swiss Television; Namics), Oskope.com (SCT Communications; Oskope Media), Freitag.ch (Freitag lab.; Unic), Laax.com (Weisse Arena Group; Assai Interactive) and Remix.graubuenden.ch/remix.php (Graubünden Ferien; Jung von Matt/Limmat). The site Iconomix.ch won in two categories. The jury did not award any prize in the "Usability" category.
This year's honorary award went to David Nüscheler from the Basel-based company Day. He joined Day's predecessor company in 1994 and, as "chief technology officer," has made a significant contribution to the growth of the Web developer, according to the award organizers. The award is intended to honor Nüscheler's role in the development of standards for content management systems.
The "Master of Swiss Web 2008" was also chosen in a public vote: The votes of the guests at the Award Night, together with the results of a vote among Netzwoche readers, decided on the winner. His name is
. Cmsbox is a content management system designed to enable inexperienced users to create and manage the content of a website themselves. Cmsbox.com won with 22.4 percent of all votes. Right behind them were Freitag.ch and Tvprogramm.sf.tv. In Euro 2008, there was also a football prize up for grabs at the "Best of Swiss Web". The winner was determined by voting on Punkt.ch and the votes of the jury. They have
voted the best football marketing site. Dominique Herr, Switzerland's 1994 World Cup player in the USA, announced the winner. The best website of the countries participating in the European Championship was that of Italy.

 
Category website client execution
Quote from the jury's appreciation of Technology Quality

Swiss National Bank (SNB)
Liip AG,
Berne/Fribourg/Zurich

"Iconomix is a playful easy to understand ELearning site. It has been implemented in a very solid technological way."
 
Technology Innovation

Swiss television
Namics AG, St. Gallen
"It is an innovative solution with sensible, appropriate, yet consistent use of new technologies."
 
Creation
 
 
SCT Communications, Zurich
oSkope Media GmbH,
Zurich
 
"Successful application with zeitgeist charm for visual search in the flood of images from Amazon, Flickr, Ebay & Co". Business Efficiency
Friday lab., Zurich
Unic AG, Zurich/Bern
"The site impresses with its design reduced to the essentials, a very innovative and intuitive visual presentation, as well as a high level of interactivity and a clean implementation."
 
Online marketing
White Arena Group
Assai Interactive Inc,
Zurich
 
"The site manages to stand out from the usual tourism offerings." Online & Mobile
Campaigns
Grisons vacations
Jung von Matt/Limmat,
Zurich
"The campaign manages to create a real viral effect with innovative use of the online medium."
 
Usability No Winner "Despite an above-average usability year, the judges found no entries worthy of gold this year."
 
Public Affairs Swiss National Bank (SNB)
Liip AG,
Berne/Fribourg/Zurich
 
The Swiss National Bank's e-learning site is "playfully easy to understand".                
The silver and bronze winners: "Technology Quality" category

Silver seal:
Cmsbox - The content management with system:
Cmsbox GmbH / Cmsbox GmbH 105TV - Interactive WebTV: Radio 105, Music First Network AG / Divio GmbH
Bronze seal:
Le Menu: Swiss Milk Producers SMP, Bern / Netvertising AG
Friday: Freitag lab. AG / Unic AG
Oskope visual search: Oskope Media Gmbh / SCT Communications
International HolidayCalendar: Swiss Post International Management AG / Werbal GmbH
Business Efficiency" category
 
Silver seal:
Eventbooster: Cinergy AG / Cinergy AG
PostFinance, Redesign: PostFinance / Crealogix AG / Zeix AG
Einsiedeln Monastery Square: Pro Kloster Einsiedeln Foundation / Crealogix AG
Bronze seal:
Advertisement Editor: Autobörse Medien AG / Local.ch AG / Zeix AG
Fleurope.ch: Fleurop-Interflora Schweiz AG / Fleurop-Interflora Switzerland AG
Category "Online Marketing

Silver seal:
Swisscom Broadband: Swisscom Fixnet AG / Contexta AG / Planetactive GmbH, Zurich Office
Bronze seal:
Nivea Deodorant Pearl & Beauty: Beiersdorf AG / 316tn interactive and classical media GmbH
Actilife.ch: Migros Cooperative Alliance / Assai Interactive AG
Ringier online kiosk Online-kiosk.ch: Ringier AG / Orange8 interactive AG
Online & Mobile Campaigns" category

Silver seal:
KPT einzeltraining.ch: KPT/CPT Insurance / Netvertising AG
Sunrise: Sunrise Communications AG / Spielplatz.cc Mobile Marketing GmbH
Autoscout24 Hot Cars quartet: Autoscout24 / Maxomedia
Bronze seal:
Namics Christmas Website: Namics AG / Namicsrotweiss
Bock Buster: Breso AG / Orange8 interactive AG
Bruno Bondi Show: Swisscom Fixnet AG / Contexta AG
Hilti "40 Years More than a Tool" Microsite: Hilti Befestigungstechnik AG / Crealogix AG
 
 
Usability" category
Silver seal:
Cmsbox - The Content Management with System: Cmsbox GmbH / Cmsbox GmbH
Le Menu: Swiss Milk Producers SMP, Bern / Netvertising AG
Oskope visual search: Oskope media Gmbh / SCT Communications
Blick Online, Redesign: Ringier AG / Orange8 interactive AG
Bronze seal:
Hausinfo - Guide to home ownership: Gebäudeversicherung Bern / Born Informatik AG
Keystone image portal: Keystone / Nose AG Design Intelligence
Public Affairs" category

Silver seal:
University of Zurich: University of Zurich, Unicom / Eyekon AG
Sf.tv Tubii: Swiss Television / Gosub Communications Gmbh
Bronze seal:
Swissinfo New English Portal: Swissinfo / Swissinfo
Swissmem: Swissmem / Swissmem
Creation" category

Silver seal:
Laax.com: Weisse Arena Group / Assai Interactive AG
Friday: Friday lab. ag / Unic AG
Bronze seal:
KPT einzeltraining.ch: KPT/CPT Insurance / Netvertising AG
Peugeot.ch, Virtual Showroom Homepage: Peugeot (Suisse) SA / Orange8 interactive AG
Sauerland Archive: Aargauer Kantonsbibliothek / Futurecom
Category "Technology Innovation

Silver seal:
Oskope visual search: Oskope Media Gmbh / SCT Communications
Cmsbox - The Content Management with System: Cmsbox GmbH / Cmsbox GmbH
Bronze seal:
Capricorn Remix: Graubünden Ferien / Jung von Matt / Limmat
Friday: Freitag lab. AG / Unic AG
Homeservice portal: Swisscom (Schweiz) AG / Crealogix AG
International HolidayCalendar: Swiss Post International Management AG / Werbal GmbH
Tel.search.ch, Instant feedback: Räber Information Manag. GmbH / Räber Information Manag. GmbH

 
Axel Springer Switzerland is launching a new award entitled "The Swiss Television Award - presented by Tele and TV Star" on September 5, 2008 in Zurich, which will honor people, TV formats and TV films from the Swiss television industry. The award ceremony will be accompanied by the program magazines Tele and TV Star, which belong to the Axel Springer publishing house, according to a press release issued on Monday. The new television prize brings together the two previous awards "Tele-Preis" and "TV-Star" and thus also "the competencies of the two magazines", according to Jörg Tobuschat, Publishing Director Program Magazines and member of the Group Management of Axel Springer Switzerland. Tele continues to present the award for high-quality and innovative format concepts as well as first-class television films. TV Star focuses on the stars and personalities of the Swiss television industry.

 The communications agency Karl F. Schneider in Schlieren is now looking after Cosentino Swiss. In addition to the opening of a showroom in Schmerikon, PR and communications consulting as well as media relations are on the agenda, as the agency announced. Cosentino Swiss is the Swiss branch of a manufacturer of quartz and natural stone worktops. The Cosentino Group is headquartered in Almería, Spain.