Lesch+Frei aid organization shows Swissaid that hunger is not simply fate. 
 In its current 2008 campaign, Swissaid, which has been operating for 60 years, is focusing its information and fund-raising activities on the potato under the motto "Hunger is not destiny". The potato is indeed a great tuber for development aid, as there is an ideal potato for every soil and every climate among the more than 5000 known varieties.
Lesch+Frei in Zurich, with its CD Thomas Lüber, is bringing this natural treasure to the attention of potential donors for Swissaid in two different ways: a direct mail and a leaflet provide graphically appealing information about the many ways in which potatoes can be harvested. A poster presents over 200 potato varieties with names and pictures.
In a parallel TV commercial, the agency shows in an equally striking way that people in the developing world can help themselves in the fight against hunger thanks to potato cultivation: Children chase away the Grim Reaper, who is already waiting for them, thanks to targeted potato throwing. The commercial, directed by Rico Crivelli, is now on-air on SRG stations, on TNC and TRC as well as in a silent film version on the eBoards. The mailing and flyer have been in mailboxes since mid-February.
 
Andreas Panzeri
 
 
 
 

 
Column We like to preach change, but we take it easy when it comes to change in our own company. Introspection is still one of the most prominent features of our industry. 
Recently at London Heathrow Airport. A glance out of the window once again makes you realize what an incredibly complex and highly sensitive system guarantees that thousands of processes are controlled here in such a way that not permanent chaos, but reasonably predictable conditions prevail. Quiet or clearly perceptible moaning and swearing about long queues at check-in and security checks can be heard everywhere, and every traveler enjoys the latest Heathrow horror stories from those waiting in line, but when you look at it soberly, it is actually quite astonishing that this infinite variety of disciplines interacts in such a way that a comprehensible and functioning whole is created.
On the surface, a highly complex work of art such as that of an international hub has little to do with the everyday attempt to translate abstract briefings into tangible and perceptible communication that, at best, does not annoy, but rather creates a desirable "lovemark" from a product, service or company, whose followers reward it with "loyalty beyond reason".
In our industry, too, many disciplines have to work together and be managed in such a way that communicative harmony is achieved. However, we are not masters of simplification, as we like to claim, but rather discipline fetishists who complain at every opportunity about how "complex" our work has become.
That's right. Compared to the management and organization of an international aviation hub, the mutually beneficial and complementary combination of individual communication disciplines is almost disturbingly simple.
But somehow this actually very pleasant circumstance seems to shake our professional self-image. How else is it that we use increasingly inflationary terminology to claim complexity where there is none? We all talk without hesitation about cross-media, multimedia, through the line, above the line, below the line, we present ourselves as specialists in dialog, "classic" advertising (what, please, would non-classic advertising be), PR, branding, interactive and other media and whatever other terms are or will be invented.
In any case, the astonished public (which is, after all, the recipient of our messages) doesn't give a damn about the fragmented communication landscape; it can't and doesn't want to know from which quiver of communication the arrows are being shot. It is only interested in whether they hit the target.
The same naturally applies to our customers, who are increasingly disconcerted to see how individual communication disciplines are still vying with each other, and in the worst case against each other, for the most important influence on the brand, as if in a beauty contest.
New disciplines and specializations with imaginative names are invented almost daily, disproving the idea that we approach a multi-layered communication task in a "holistically" integrated or whatever way. No one doubts that there are creative talents and proven experts for every single communication challenge.
What is missing are generalists or "navigators" who, like air traffic controllers, have an overview and do not become self-absorbed in the details of their own importance. Introspection is still one of the most prominent features of our industry. A critical view from the outside always helps us more, and lateral entrants with a fresh perspective fit perfectly into an interdisciplinary communications team.
We like to preach change when we are in front of our customers. When it comes to change within our own company, we like to take things a little more slowly. In this respect, we have to be careful that we don't end up with the permanent delays that we like to complain about when we're sitting at the gate and the plane just won't take off.
Kaspar Loeb is CEO of the Geneva-based advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi Simko

 Swiss Television's online presence is going mobile: the news on the SF portal can be accessed on a cell phone via an optimized website. With the appropriate devices, users can also watch video news, as Swiss Television announced. The offer includes the "SF Tagesschau" and "SF Sport" pages, the weather forecast from "SF Meteo" and the TV program. Blogs, such as those by editor-in-chief Ueli Haldimann and Kurt Aeschbacher's diary, can also be found on the mobile-optimized site. There are also SMS services for sports highlights, ringtones from programs such as "Einstein" or "Samschtig-Jass" and background images for the cell phone display. An Internet-enabled cell phone is required to access the optimized SF website for cell phones. Anyone accessing Sf.tv will automatically be redirected to the cell phone page. Swiss Television offers the service free of charge. Connection costs vary depending on the provider and cell phone contract.

Homework The Handelszeitung is writing a series on the subject of "PR consultants". In issue number eight, the business journal focuses on the agency Trimedia. Its boss Martin Zahner talked to the journalist about the internet fitness of Swiss companies. We suspect that the conversation was very philosophical. Alongside powerful quotes such as "The authority of communication is dead", the Trimedia boss notes that the form of the moving image is becoming more important. And the agency has already implemented this in exemplary fashion on its homepage. The professionals explain what communication means to them in self-made films, which are in no way meant to be disparaging. We noticed various curious things. Let's limit ourselves to the most important: the public relations staff do not respond to feedback from outside, the film files can be commented on YouTube. Are their own web contents not "monitored"? Otherwise, we agree with Mr. Zahner when he says that restraint on the Internet can also be the right thing to do, depending on the industry. And here's a tip that we don't want to take into account: Don't pretend to be more modern than you really are. (cl)

 
Thomas Krebs has been the new Managing Director of the Communications division at the Marti & Partner agency in Zurich since January 1, 2008. The 41-year-old will assume operational responsibility for all advertising clients. Peter Marti, the founder and owner of Marti & Partner, will in future concentrate on business consulting, public relations, special projects and the expansion of the company.Marti & Partner was founded in 1997 after Peter Marti retired from his role as Partner, Chairman and CEO of the Marti, Ogilvy & Mather Group in Zurich. Since then, the agency in Zurich's Seefeld district has worked for clients such as Sunrise, Oetker, Lindt&Sprüngli, ABB, Swiss Deluxe Hotels, Bank Kahn, Weindorf Salgesch, Emirates-Swiss and others. The company has positioned itself as an agency for integrated communications and business consulting.
Thomas Krebs joins Marti &Partner from Suter Global Communications. There he managed the agency's operations from 2004 to 2007. Thomas Krebs can look back on many years of experience as a consultant in national and international agencies. In addition to smaller local agencies, his career to date has also included large agencies such as McCann-Erickson, Publicis and TBWA. Thomas Krebs started out in the advertising industry at Marti, Ogilvy & Mather, where he also met Peter Marti.

 
French-speaking Swiss television TSR director Gilles Marchand has high hopes for his "third channel": www.tsr.ch. 
The two channels of French-speaking Swiss television TSR1 and TSR2 lost market share in 2007. On the other hand, the "third channel", the website www.tsr.ch, increased by 27%. "People have been talking about this development for a long time, but now it has caught up with us," said television director Gilles Marchand at a recent media conference. He is talking about the change in consumer habits, which is also affecting other channels with a full program: Viewers are migrating to thematic and ethnic channels and to the Internet. Like other francophone television channels with a full program, the two TSR channels have lost market share. In 2007, they still achieved a share of 30.6 percent per day, and 36.2 percent during prime time. This corresponds to a loss of around 2 percent compared to the previous year. Gilles Marchand put the loss into perspective: In 2006, the Football World Cup had contributed to the excellent result. The figures for 2007 were at the same level as in the comparable year 2003, when federal elections also took place. Despite a decline in viewing time - the French-speaking population spent 163 minutes a day in front of the television last year, compared to 170 minutes the previous year - the two TSR channels remained the most popular channels in all age groups.
A perfect additionIn contrast, use of the website www.tsr.ch has increased rapidly: the daily number of visitors has risen to 78,000, an increase of no less than 27% in a single year. Five years ago, the website had just 16,000 daily visitors. TSR under Gilles Marchand sees the website as an integral "third channel", as "TSR3", which complements and extends the other two channels. Not only young viewers are to be addressed, but also an audience abroad. The website could even fill the gap if French Prime Minister Sarkozy restructures the international francophone channel TV5 Monde in such a way that the SRG would no longer be interested in participating.
The former head of Ringier-Romandie and current TSR director Gilles Marchand is a staunch advocate of the future of multimedia in the Geneva television tower. As early as 2005, he emphasized to the media magazine Klartext: "The medium of television as a whole will have to switch to multimedia distribution." The essential thing about the public service is that it can be received whenever and wherever. "For me, the public service mandate means that we have to offer our content at all times and on all possible media." TSR has therefore thrown itself into the adventure. The well-developed website www.tsr.ch not only features broadcasts, but also additional videos and other added value, articles and links, as well as live news broadcasts that can be consulted via "tsrinfo.ch". In recent years, the magazine "Nouvo" has served as a testing ground for new technologies. Initially, "Nouvo" was an online-only format, but today the program can also be seen on television. This means that TSR not only puts television content on the web, but also distributes web content on the TV screen. "Nouvo" is simultaneously a program, a website and an information platform for cell phones. While the program, which is broadcast twice a month, attracts 30,000 viewers each time, the website nouvo.ch is visited 50,000 times a month.
However, Gilles Marchand's enthusiasm for the Internet is not entirely uncontroversial within TSR. Willy Knöpfel, secretary of the SSM (Swiss Syndicate of Media Professionals) union at TSR, for example, is skeptical. Marchand originally came from print and therefore has a keen interest in the internet medium: "Maybe he's right, maybe not, but it's definitely a gamble." According to Knöpfel, the development of the "third channel" is not taking place in parallel with the development of the two TSR channels, but partly at their expense, because advertising on the Internet is prohibited for SRG channels. Above all, Knöpfel regrets that the production of documentaries and television films, which has long been TSR's fame and strength, is being increasingly restricted or outsourced to private production companies for cost reasons. Instead of producing information, TSR is concentrating on broadcasting it on as many channels as possible: "I'm not sure whether this is the right way for a public service broadcaster." With the expansion of its internet presence, TSR is also tending to step into the publishers' garden, which could sooner or later lead to conflicts of interest as in German-speaking Switzerland.
"A different way of viewing "Bernard Rappaz, editor-in-chief of www.tsr.ch, sees no problem with the fact that TSR has been expanding its multimedia division since 2001. Not even in terms of numbers: "Around two percent of the budget goes to our department." Rappaz is convinced that we have to learn to deal with the new technologies: "It's not just about a different way of producing and broadcasting, but also about a different way of watching." One day, the world of television and the internet world will converge, and those who do not prepare for this will lose their audience. "For this reason, I would consider it a serious mistake to take a back seat in the multimedia sector."
Helen Brügger
 
 
 
 
Sarkozy's planThe French President
Nicolas Sarkozy wants to revamp the TV5 Monde channel. Until now, all francophone countries have broadcast information programs for an international audience via this channel. France now wants to place TV5 Monde together with another French television and radio station under the umbrella of a holding company and call it France Monde. France Monde's declared aim is to promote France's image in the world. This has caused outrage among its francophone partners in French-speaking Switzerland, as well as in Belgium, Canada and Quebec. If TV5 Monde were to lose its editorial independence and its own multilateral management structure during this restructuring, TSR could pull out. In this case, Geneva is considering expanding the website www.tsr.ch as a replacement. The partners concerned are currently negotiating with France on the basis of a joint list of demands. According to TSR, the project should be finalized in the spring. (hb)

 The percentage of singles among poor, hardworking advertising professionals is certainly high—after all, how are you supposed to meet someone when you’re working overtime all the time? The Zurich Advertising Club now wants to remedy this: In collaboration with Tele Züri, it has launched a matchmaking campaign called the «Swissdate Advertising Special.» In the April 26 episode, one female and one male advertising professional will each be allowed to choose their romantic match from a pool of three candidates. Lonely hearts can sign up online for the show—and receive a 6-month membership in the Zurich Advertising Club. With this campaign, the Advertising Club aims to raise its profile and attract new members from advertising agencies. TBWA and Tequila are handling the communications efforts surrounding the show. You can read more about this in the March 6, 2008, issue of Werbewoche.

 
Boulevard The new issue is here—and it’s a hit with those who’ve already seen it and flipped through it.  
March 5 is the big day. The new Blick is here. What is arguably the most controversial German-Swiss newspaper project is set for its long-awaited relaunch. The industry has always known what Blick should be like, because it has rarely lived up to expectations. To some, it was too tame and unremarkable; to others, too left-leaning and hostile to Blocher; still others felt it lacked aggressive campaigns that would have made it (once again) the talk of the bar, and yet others believed that Blick had passed its prime, should be discontinued, and had a right to exist only as a brand on the internet or on Swiss public television. Nevertheless, Blick is still around—and continues to be a paid newspaper.The first rumors began to circulate among observers last fall when Daniel Pillard—who had temporarily taken the reins at Ringier Switzerland in place of Thomas Landolt, who had been relieved of his duties and returned to Romania—spoke of the need for Blick to become more magazine-like. How—and above all, why—should a tabloid be like a magazine? The answer is simple. There are two pilot issues of the new Blick, which show that it’s simply a matter of treating a double-page spread as such—laying it out more generously, with high-quality imagery, infographics, and in harmony with the text. «You really have to have the courage to design a double-page spread,» Pillard insists. The layout bears the signature of Stéphane Carpentier, who has worked on numerous projects for Ringier and will be setting the visual tone at *Blick* as art director until the end of the year.
The most striking feature of the new Blick, which now consists of just one section, is its two front pages. Whether you hold it front-to-back or back-to-front, the Blick always begins—sometimes with news and sometimes with sports. Somewhere in the middle, the pages meet. Unlike before, the editorial team no longer needs to fill space in the sections with unimportant stories. Gone are the days of «sports and junk» (Pillard).
However, the idea wasn't quite that simple. Publisher Michael Ringier, in particular, was skeptical at first. But after receiving positive feedback from focus groups, a recommendation from the Link Institute, and enthusiastic responses from media agencies, the publisher apparently began to warm up to the idea.
Blick plans to publish at least three feature stories per week. Star writer Erwin Koch is training the Blick journalists for this special challenge, which can easily span three or four pages. Renowned photographer Koni Nordmann has also already led ten workshops for the Blick photographers and the photo editorial team. Large images—many of them exclusive and produced in-house, rather than sourced from agencies—are a striking feature of the new visual style. Sometimes a single image spans an entire spread. With elaborate infographics—which are currently still being produced by an agency—the aim is also to tell complex stories visually, as illustrated by the example on security risks at Zurich Kloten Airport.
In terms of content, the concept is based on four pillars: News, People, Lifestyle/Service (with daily rotating topics such as Cars, Fashion, Leisure, and Digital), and Sports. The culture section is also part of the service section. The erotica section will be expanded to include additional contributions alongside Eliane, and the TV guide—as with the free newspaper .ch—is organized by topic rather than by program. The magazine has 56 pages. Finally, illustrator Igor Kravarik will occasionally contribute to the illustrations or draw a comic on topics for which no images are available.
 
René Worni

 The new editor-in-chief of the Beobachter is Andres Büchi. The 51-year-old, who is incidentally not related to Axel Springer Switzerland CEO Ralph Büchi, will take over as editor-in-chief of the popular magazine on July 1, 2008 at the latest, according to a statement issued on Wednesday. He already worked as head of copy and pagemaker at the Beobachter from 1998 to 1999, before moving to the editorial management of the Sonntagszeitung and later to the Tages-Anzeiger. Andres Büchi succeeds Balz Hosang, who has been editor-in-chief of the Beobachter since May 2002. Hosang will assume overall responsibility for all journalistic areas of the Beobachter (see
). Under the overall management of Balz Hosang, the Beobachter now has a strong management team with the new editor-in-chief and Remo Leupin (editorial management of supplements and projects) and Monica Muijsers (management of Beobachter Online), who also joined the team in April 2008, as well as the head of the consultancy center Toni Wirz, the statement continues.

 This year's summer in Switzerland is dominated by Euro 08, but there are also many highlights to experience outside the stadiums. Switzerland Tourism is using two new television commercials to draw attention to these side events at home and abroad. They were created by the Zurich advertising agency Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett. The story: two foreign football reporters comment on events in the Swiss countryside - for example on a cow pasture in the Alps. Although there is nothing to see apart from a cow and mountains, the two speak in typical reporter style of a "spectacular first 20 minutes" and of "great entertainment here on the pitch - despite relatively little movement." In short: the two commentate frenetically on Switzerland's nature - just as they usually comment on exciting minutes inside a stadium. In the second spot, in which a ship sails very slowly across a Swiss lake, the two commentators are also completely taken with the scene. So much so that they even wish for an extension.
The commercials were developed by Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett and directed by the English-Norwegian duo Nic & Sune. The spots will be shown on television from April 3. In Germany on SF1 and TSR, among others, as well as in Italy, the Netherlands and France. The campaign will be complemented by print advertising in those European markets whose teams have qualified for Euro 08.
Responsible at Switzerland Tourism:
Jürg Schmid (Director), Markus Rege (Head of Marketing), Nicole Diermeier (Head of Main Campaigns). Responsible at Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett: Peter Brönnimann (Text), Dana Wirz (Art Direction), Martin Spillmann (CD), Rolf Zimmermann, Silvia Peter (Consulting), Sebahat Derdiyok (TV Production). 
 
 

 
Nike Women aims to increase acceptance of women in sports through a Europe-wide campaign. 
«Here I am» is the headline of a new campaign for Nike Women. It will be featured throughout Europe in the spring of 2008. With this campaign, Nike aims to convey the message that women who participate in sports are physically and mentally stronger than others. The new marketing campaign is designed to increase acceptance of women in sports while inspiring a new generation of female athletes. To support this message, Nike has collaborated with a number of young female athletes from the participating countries. Switzerland will also be featured in this Europe-wide campaign, though not until the second phase, which will showcase Zurich-based triathlete Nicola Spirig, who placed third at the 2007 European Championships in Copenhagen.The campaign was developed by the Amsterdam-based advertising agency Wieden + Kennedy in close collaboration with Nike EMEA’s marketing team. In Switzerland, media planning is handled by Mindshare. «All of these female athletes demonstrate incredible passion, tremendous strength, and willpower. The many images we’ve taken of these women are a magnificent reflection of the fascination of sports. The photographers have succeeded in a unique way in capturing the beauty of these athletes. The beauty of women full of self-confidence, strength, and the will to fight until the very end,» says John Norman, Executive Creative Director at Wieden+Kennedy.
«Girls who play sports are physically and mentally stronger,» emphasizes Adriana Pereira, European Brand Manager for Nike Women. And she adds: «Many people aren’t aware that sports promote not only physical strength but also mental strength. That’s what we want to convey with our campaign. We want to encourage women to let go of their »I have to’ mindset and say ‘I want’ instead.”
Nike is convinced that athletes are more successful in other areas of life as well. «Through sports, we prove to ourselves that we can achieve ambitious goals and that anything is possible,» says Adriana Pereira. For the campaign, Nike plans to run print ads, display window and in-store graphics, a brochure for retailers, and online promotions on
. Andreas Panzeri

 
Out-of-home advertising Following the replacement of JCDecaux in Eastern Europe, Affichage reports its best result ever. 
Affichage CEO Christian Kauter was visibly proud when he presented his company's balance sheet on February 26: "This is the best result in the history of Affichage Holding and APG." Sales revenue increased by 20.4 percent to 386.4 million Swiss francs, the operating result before acquisition-related amortization even exceeded sales growth, and the net result almost doubled and now amounts to 62 million Swiss francs.Affichage CFO Ulrich von Bassewitz summarized the result as "continuity in Switzerland and new beginnings abroad". In fact, Affichage succeeded last year in renewing the Winterthur and Chur city contracts and retaining the outdoor advertising at SBB stations and railroad lines. However, sales revenue in Switzerland only increased by 1.3 percent; in 2006, Affichage reported a plus of 10 percent in Switzerland.
In contrast, sales in South East Europe rose by 224.1%. According to von Bassewitz, however, these figures give an inaccurate picture, as various sales losses were foreseeable or even calculated in the domestic market: Firstly, it was clear that the advertising bans would cause further revenue losses in tobacco advertising. Ten years ago, tobacco advertising contributed 15 percent to APG's turnover, but today it only accounts for 2 percent. Secondly, Affichage had decided to forego various marketing mandates in the sports sector (Spengler Cup, national football team) for reasons of profitability. Von Bassewitz therefore interpreted the seemingly low growth in the domestic market as a strong increase in sales revenue, as the expected loss of income could be more than compensated for.
The growth rate abroad, on the other hand, was primarily due to the acquisitions made, von Bassewitz noted. Last year, Affichage acquired companies primarily in Greece and Romania (see also
p. 1) and also dissolved the ten-year joint venture Europlakat International (EPI) with JCDecaux in the middle of the year. As a result, the outdoor advertiser was able to fully consolidate its activities in Bulgaria, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Hungary, which Affichage had previously only partially consolidated, as of July 1, 2007. Conversely, Serbia and Slovenia, which still contributed to Affichage's sales in the first half of 2007, were fully transferred to JCDecaux from July. Purely organic growth abroad, i.e. excluding these acquisitions and disposals, nevertheless amounted to a respectable 11.8 percent. The international share of total sales thus increased from 8.6% to 23.1%. "This means we are very close to the target we set ourselves two years ago," said Kauter happily. Affichage had set itself the target of increasing the proportion of sales generated abroad to 25 percent by the end of 2008 - in order to reduce its heavy dependence on the increasingly regulated domestic market.
There is still one reservation to be made here: Although the unbundling of EPI has been completed financially, it still requires the legal approval of the competition authorities in the individual countries. Affichage hopes that this will be the case by the end of 2008.
Madeleine Linter, Head of the new Affichage International division since last October, emphasized that the primary task now is to integrate the activities in the countries of South-Eastern Europe. "We have eight markets there, now we have to master them," she said. Affichage wants to achieve this not only by gaining market share, but also through quality in the product range and transparency in dealing with customers.
Markus Knöpfli
 

 
 
Pike in the carp pondOut-of-home advertiser Affichage already earns almost one in four francs in south-eastern Europe. Over the past two years, the out-of-home advertiser has been buying companies by the meter. In Romania, for example, it made a small investment. But it didn't stop there. Madeleine Linter, the new Head of Affichage International, explains the approach.
Affichage entered eastern Romania in January 2006 with the purchase of the small company Churchill View - 30 employees, a turnover of 4.5 million euros and a market share (MA) of 15 percent. Seven months later, Affichage acquired the company RBN and increased its market share to 17 percent. In September 2007, the company Amco was added, increasing Affichage's MA to 19 percent, expanding westwards and rising to number 2.
Affichage will soon announce the acquisition of the Multireklam Group, which will enable it to cover the entire country - with a 33 percent MA, a turnover of 13.4 million euros and 60 employees. "We will then be so strong that we can chase the number one in the market," said Linter proudly. (mk)