Urs Flückiger will hold the newly created management position of Director PM & Site Relations at Goldbach Media subsidiary Adlink Media from May 2008. As Deputy Managing Director, he will represent Stephan Sutter in all of the company's business activities. Following the change in management at Adlink Media at the beginning of the year, the reorganization of the management structure is now complete thanks to the appointment of a second director, according to a press release. The marketer is focusing more strongly on the central online business areas of product management and site relations and is bringing in Flückiger, an online expert from the very beginning. The federally certified publishing manager previously worked at IDG Communications for over 12 years, most recently as head of the newly created online unit and as deputy publishing director. At Adlink Media, Flückiger will focus on the development, expansion and quality maintenance of the website network. The continuation and development of the various products will also be a focus of his work.

 The joint online news network of the Tages-Anzeiger, the Berner Zeitung and the Basler Zeitung has filled the post of advertising market manager. The 26-year-old Dominik Lämmler will take up his post on March 1 of this year. Lämmler completed a commercial publishing apprenticeship in the Tamedia Online sales team until 2000. The trained marketing planner then worked for Adlink and the company Pro&motion, among others. In 2003, he joined 20 Minuten, where he was Head of Online and Crossmedia Sales from 2006 to 2007. Lämmler is now moving from Zug-based Uphighmedia to the news network.

Lucerne-based design and advertising agency Ideart is celebrating its 30th anniversary with the Ladengasse shopping center in Ebikon, Lucerne. To mark the occasion, the public is offered a special program every month and the anniversary is also celebrated in November. The "Guggenmusig Rüssgusler" kicked things off in January. The other events are also organized by clubs from Ebikon, in keeping with the motto "by Ebikers for Ebikers". Ideart is in charge of the event organization and coordination as well as the associated advertising materials. Responsible at Centervereinigung EKZ Ladengasse, Ebikon:
Fritz Mettler. Responsible at Ideart Design- und Werbeagentur, Lucerne: Ludek Martschini (creation / consulting), Jeannette Fürthaler (marketing / consulting), Peter Martschini (production / organization).

The former creative director of Advico Young & Rubicam Urs Schrepfer becomes Executive Creative Director at TBWA. Frederick Rossmann, currently Art Director at Contexta, joins the agency as CD.
Urs Schrepfer has many years of experience in the industry: he was Executive Creative Director at Advico Young & Rubicam and Jung von Matt/Limmat. Following the formation of the new Young & Rubicam Group last year, he left the company. The award-winning creative will now join TBWA, where he will start on April 1. The agency wants to "invest massively in creation", it announced on Monday. This move comes after Andy Hostettler took over as CEO of the agency group in the fall of 2007, defined the strategy and adapted the structures.
Schrepfer will be supported by Frederick Rossmann, who will join as CD on June 1. He completed his apprenticeship at JWT+H+F and is still Art Director at Contexta until the end of May. He will now become CD at TBWA\ and is regarded as a young wild man on the scene.
Andy Hostettler said in the press release that the two new appointments indicate the direction in which the agency will continue to develop in the near future. The investment in creation supports the strategy of a modern business partner for unconventional solutions.

 The Swiss generics provider Sandoz and the agency responsible for its communication, Werbeanstalt Schweiz, are delighted with the successful relaunch of the brand. Sandoz is the No. 2 in the Swiss generics business and grew by 8.9 percent last year. The company, which is based in Cham near Zug, has been working with the Zurich-based advertising agency on all communication matters since 2006. Sandoz has not only succeeded in positioning itself as a generics provider and increasing its profile accordingly, but has also managed to build up trust among healthcare professionals and consumers, the advertising agency announced in a press release on Monday, proudly pointing out that Sandoz has just been nominated for the 2008 Marketing Trophy. This most important marketing prize in Switzerland is awarded every year by Swiss Marketing (SMC). The winners of the four categories will be announced at the Swiss Marketing Day on March 4, 2008 at the KKL Lucerne.

 At the weekend, the Sonntag newspaper announced that Blick had rejected an advertisement from the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions (SGB) on corporate tax reform. Now the trade union Comedia is following suit and writes in a communiqué that "censorship" has taken place at Blick and Sonntagsblick. The Blick editorial team, which has reported on the corporate tax reform in a balanced and objective manner in recent weeks, has been the "target of open attempts at repression by powerful proponents of tax giveaways", writes the union. In addition to the rejected SGB advertisement, an article in the Sonntagsblick was also quickly overturned. This would have focused on a number of companies with billions in turnover whose major shareholders would have had to pay massively less tax if the corporate tax reform had been approved. Comedia describes the published interview with Economiesuisse Director Pascal Gentinetta as a "courtesy interview". The union also writes that car importer Walter Frey, owner of the Emil Frey Group and future SVP Vice President, threatened to boycott the Ringier publishing house after he appeared in Blick as a major beneficiary of the tax reform. Only a few days earlier, Walter Frey had been assured "at a reconciliation summit with publisher Michael Ringier" that the previous differences would be settled, Comedia continued.
The union sees the alleged incidents as censorship and a violation of the Press Council's declaration on the duties and rights of journalists. It sees the non-publication of advertisements for purely political reasons as an "untenable attempt" to suppress relevant facts and the free formation of opinion. Comedia is asking the Press Council to investigate the events.
Ringier has responded to the allegations as follows, according to Group spokesman Marco Castellaneta: "In accordance with its journalistic principles, Blick reports free of any economic, political, social or personal vested interests. This is also demonstrated by Blick's reporting, in which all sides have their say in detail. We are therefore unable to confirm the events described by Comedia regarding attempts at repression." When asked whether Walter Frey and Michael Ringier had actually met, Castellaneta replied: "We do not comment on questions relating to the privacy of Ringier employees (or the owners)."
However, Ringier confirmed that Blick had rejected the SGB advertisement. The advertising department submits advertisements with content on political topics, content that violates personal rights or other sensitive topics to the legal department for review. This had also happened with the advertisement in question. After reviewing the ad, the legal advisor advised against publishing it, as it could be offensive.

 Abderhalden Jörg's achievements are impressive. He is regarded as the best wrestler of all time. Which is why - logically enough - the big marketing machine has been set in motion for the 28-year-old from eastern Switzerland: the Swiss wrestling king of 1998, 2004 and 2007 and Swiss wrestler of the year 2007 is now being marketed by the world's leading sports marketing agency IMG. From now on, Abderhalden will be intensively supported alongside athletes such as Roger Federer, Fabian Cancellara, Tiger Woods and ski jumper Andreas Küttel. Abderhalden will therefore not only go down in history as a "Pfundskerl", but also as the first professionally marketed wrestler. According to Managing Director Armin Meier, IMG has a lot planned for the exceptional wrestler: "Our goal is the successful acquisition of sponsors and the expansion of PR work up to the next Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival in 2010. Furthermore, we guarantee Jörg a long and intensive collaboration, which includes competent post-career planning."  
In Abderhalden's home town of Nesslau in Toggenburg, marketing has long since begun: Years ago, you could order a "Pizza Abderhalden" in the pizzeria opposite the Sternen inn. But don't worry: the pizza in question wasn't topped with sawdust or the remains of Muni Adrian, Abderhalden's main prize at the 1998 Swiss National Championships, but with pineapple and ham.

 As reported by the Sonntag newspaper, Blick has allegedly rejected an advertisement from the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions that had already been booked and confirmed. In the advertisement, originally intended for publication on February 1, the SGB shows how Media-Markt, whose slogan ("I'm not stupid") is used, benefits twice from the Corporate Tax Reform II in view of the vote on the corporate tax reform: Firstly via the managing directors, who all hold at least a ten percent stake in their stores, and secondly via multi-billionaire Otto Beisheim, who lives in Baar. He owns significant shares in the Düsseldorf-based company Metro, which also owns Media-Markt. Now SBG campaign manager Pietro Cavadini is talking about a "media scandal". It has come to light that Blick has "noticeably changed its political course" in recent weeks with regard to Corporate Tax Reform II. "That is part of press freedom", Cavadini told Sonntag. "But if the purchased space for opponents is also restricted, this is a delicate process in terms of democracy and media policy." According to Cavadini, Blick is afraid of losing Media Markt as an advertising customer. However, Blick editor-in-chief Bernhard Weissberg described this as "completely absurd". "There is no right to publish advertisements that get the publisher into legal difficulties." The newspaper's legal advisor had advised against publication, "as it could violate personal rights", Weissberg also told Sonntag. Media Markt had no knowledge of the incident.

 According to the Wall Street Journal, search engine giant Yahoo wants to reject the purchase offer from software giant Microsoft as too low. In the opinion of Yahoo's board of directors, the company is "massively undervalued" with the offer of 45 billion dollars, the newspaper reported in its online edition on Saturday. This could lead to a long takeover battle for the ailing Internet company in the coming weeks and months.  
Microsoft offered 31 dollars per share just over a week ago. Yahoo is not willing to accept offers below 40 dollars per share, reports the Wall Street Journal, citing informed persons.
 
The Board of Directors will write to Microsoft on Monday to explain its position. If Yahoo rejects the offer, it can either seek to improve its position or cooperate with market leader and competitor Google.
 
See also:
 
 
 
 
 
 

 The Couchepin versus Mörgeli affair has taken on a new component. After Christoph Mörgeli commented on the case to Swiss television on the grounds of the Buchenwald concentration camp memorial, of all places, he caused great annoyance among those responsible there, according to reports by NZZ am Sonntag. In a statement, the memorial objected to the instrumentalization of the concentration camp and called on Mörgeli and Swiss television to "apologize to the victims for this political functionalization of their history." To this, Mörgeli and SF spokesman said in unison, according to NZZ am Sonntag, that they had not wanted to offend the concentration camp victims. Both reject an apology to the memorial, because - according to Affentranger - "no violation of the rules" had been committed. The television had only filmed in the visitors' parking lot in front of the concentration camp. Rikola Lüttgenau, the deputy director of the memorial, rejected this explanation as "absurd". One had "violated an explicitly pronounced ban on filming." The pictures showed that not only the parking lot had been filmed. Moreover, the parking lot is also part of the site. The whole thing was a "cynical orchestration of the victims of Buchenwald, inspired by Mr. Mörgeli". This will not be simply accepted, said Lüttgenau. The memorial reserves the right to take legal action. According to his own statements, Mörgeli incidentally happened to be in the vicinity of the Buchenwald concentration camp.

 The Frauenfeld-based company Helvepharm has been recognized for its special packaging. The Swiss generics supplier has received a silver award at the official design prize of the Federal Republic of Germany for products in the fields of product and communication design. 25 gold and silver awards were presented out of 1023 entries, Helvepharm announced on Friday. Companies cannot apply for the design prize awarded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. They must be nominated by the economic ministries of the federal states or directly by the Federal Ministry. The prerequisite for this is that a product has already been awarded a national or international prize.

 Football fans in Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich will have something to read during the European Football Championship: The newspapers in the host cities are planning special editions and supplements. According to Marcel Brühlhart, project manager for Euro 2008 in Berne, the city of Berne is cooperating with Espace Media Groupe. According to Beni Hofer, Head of Technical Customer Service at Espace Media Groupe, four supplements in the Bund, Berner Zeitung and other Espace titles will get people in the mood for the event.
According to Euro 2008 project manager Daniel Rupf, Zurich is currently negotiating with various publishers. It is still too early to provide any information. According to the editorial team, the Tages-Anzeiger will be publishing a special supplement at the beginning of June. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung will also be publishing a Euro 2008 magazine at the beginning of June. Blick and Sonntagsblick are each planning three special supplements.
In Geneva, cooperation with the local press is particularly close. There will be an actual Euro newspaper produced by the Tribune de Genève on behalf of the Canton of Geneva. The "Tribune de l'Uefa Euro 2008" will be distributed free of charge in the fan zones every day from June 7 to 29, including Sundays. It will contain some of the Euro coverage from the main newspaper, as Fabrice Schoch, Head of Marketing at the Geneva daily, told SDA on Friday.
The Basler Zeitung will be devoting the first bundle to the tournament during the tournament. According to the project manager for Euro 2008, Jürg Lehmann, it will also exchange articles with the Austrian daily Standard.
The commuter papers will not be left out either. According to the editorial team, 20 Minuten will also be published on three Saturdays in Basel, Bern and Zurich during the European Football Championships. And according to Ringier's Head of Marketing Oliver Bernheim, the free newspaper Heute will provide information about the evening's matches on match days with special pages.