Finishing Laser punching is still little known. It can be used to create intricate motifs that cannot be realized with conventional tools. 
The eye also buys. This applies to product packaging as well as printed matter. Finishing can be used to achieve a wide variety of effects that increase the attractiveness of the product and give it a high-quality appearance. Die-cutting plays a particularly important role in printed matter when, for example, special shapes are to be implemented in cardboard or paper. Windows or cut-outs can also be used to enhance the visual and tactile effect. If the finest punched parts or intricate patterns are required, conventional punching tools quickly reach their limits. These tasks can be optimally solved with laser punching, also known as filigree laser punching. The process is suitable for reproducing company or brand logos, intricate graphics, the finest ornaments and even raster images in a tactile manner. Such fine die-cut parts can be used, for example, as design elements for the cover of advertising brochures and annual reports, for decorative packaging or even for exclusive labels.
For the finest punching "There has long been a market for filigree laser technology. The process is by no means new," says Hubert Gantschnigg, Managing Director of Bern-based Indivisuell GmbH. However, unlike in Germany, Scandinavia and France, the possibilities of filigree laser technology are not sufficiently exploited here in Switzerland. This may also be due to the fact that the technology is not well known and the investments are high. Indivisuell is the Swiss sales partner of the Neuss-based printing company Schroeder GmbH, which carries out orders in the field of filigree laser technology. "We work with two fundamentally different laser punching processes and can therefore offer our customers the broadest range of services in this area," says Gantschnigg.
The digital laser makes it possible to virtually cut out a laser motif along the contour according to the transmitted vector data. Due to its digital flexibility, this process is particularly suitable for individual samples, short runs or personalization. "Especially for short runs of 100 to 200 pieces, the costs for the cutting dies that are incurred with the conventional cutting process are not worthwhile," explains Gantschnigg. The P4 permanent high-power laser (4000 W) is the world's fastest laser punching system, which "burns away" the desired subject areas over the entire surface. A 0.3 mm thick copper template is created using the data supplied or an offset film. This stencil is passed under the permanent laser beam together with the paper. Wherever the laser beam can penetrate the stencil, the material underneath is completely burned away. Finenesses of approx. 0.3 to 0.5 mm are thus possible. This depends on the material and subject. "We use this process to achieve the finest and most accurate die-cuts in both small and large print runs," says Gantschnigg. The maximum motif size for the digital laser is 400 x 400 mm, or 140 x 700 mm for the permanent high-power laser in one pass.
Paper selection and motifsAny paper and cardboard up to a weight of approx. 500 g/m2 can be used for laser die-cutting. Uncoated and uncoated papers are more suitable than those coated with chalk, kaolin or other materials. When creating a laser subject, it should be noted that all closed shapes that should not fall out must be held in place by small bars. This must of course also be taken into account for letters such as A, D, O. Lasering also produces a brown edge of varying fineness on the back (burning side) of the laser edges, which can be very easily reduced or made almost invisible by using printed color areas or colored paper.
For further processing such as folding, creasing, gluing or binding, Gantschnigg recommends selecting the appropriate paper thickness. It is particularly important to bear in mind that the stability of the paper is affected by the size or fineness of the motif. The position of the laser subject in relation to a folded edge or crease must also be taken into account. If it is too close to a folded edge, this can lead to problems when folding or the laser motif can be damaged. The runnability of letterheads, e.g. in laser printers or fax machines, must also be taken into account.
Comprehensive adviceThe cost of finishing printed matter with the filigree laser depends on various factors. "Paper type and grammage, sheet format, print size, laser sujet size, number of copies, print run and further processing all have an influence," says Gantschnigg. "We offer comprehensive advice that includes not only the process itself, the motifs to be realized and the costs, but also the choice of paper, for example." Information at www.filigranlaser.ch and alsowww.filigran-laser.de
Sabine Flaxman

 
Insurers McCann Erickson enters sixth year of XL Capital campaign with new motifs. 
Since 2003, McCann Erickson has successfully served XL Capital, one of the world's largest industrial insurers, from Zurich. For the sixth year of the campaign, the agency has created six new motifs. These again demonstrate the fundamental strength - thanks to financial security and coverage - of XL Capital. The subjects increasingly address industry-specific topics such as aviation or telecommunications, as well as their specific products. In addition to the international brand campaign, the motifs are also used by XL Insurance for product advertising in specific countries. The campaign was again realized by star photographer Tom Nagy in Osaka, Singapore, Chicago, Barcelona, Belgium and Austria. The collaboration between the globally active company and a Zurich agency came about because McCann Erickson was already working for Winterthur International at the end of the 1990s. When this industrial insurer of Winterthur was sold to XL Capital, there was first a dual branding and then a pitch. The Zurich-based company won this pitch against renowned agencies, including those from New York. In addition to the current campaign, McCann Erickson also implemented the entire integrated program for XL Capital, as Urs Jaermann, who is responsible for the entire project, explains.
The campaign is continuously accompanied by impact research and shows "great success" for the insurer.
Andreas Panzeri

 In Germany, hackers have cracked the technology used by the Vaud-based Kudelski Group to encrypt television programs. Pay-TV broadcaster Premiere is now seeking compensation. Kudelski shares dived on the stock exchange. Kudelski's Chief Financial Officer, Mauro Saladini, tried to defuse the situation: The replacement of the so-called smart cards at Premiere will cost the Group less than ten million francs, he told the Reuters news agency. This is in line with normal business planning and will not lead to extraordinary costs.
Saladini rejected fears that Kudelski could now lose one of its most important customers. The contract with Premiere runs until 2012 and can be extended for a further three years.
However, Premiere wants to negotiate with Kudelski about claims for damages, according to a spokesperson for the broadcaster in Munich. However, no legal action is planned: "We are in talks, nothing more is planned," the spokesperson explained.
In 2007, Premiere suffered a decline in sales to 0.985 billion euros. In the previous year, the company had generated sales of 1.055 billion euros. However, the operating result increased significantly despite the decline in sales.

 
Architecture The Zurich-based portal world-architects.com is launching a creative competition. 
The www.world-architects.com portal defines itself as a platform for good architects and the "first port of call" for industry professionals who "want to build more than just houses". Associations all over the world with 1,500 individual offices, designers and other specialists are affiliated to the interest group. According to Hans Demarmels in Zurich, who has overall responsibility for the website, it receives 370,000 visitors a month. In order to make the information tool even more widely known, he has had a competition developed by freelance CD designer Valentina Herrmann. The quiz was launched around the international furnishing fair imm in Cologne. The global trend show presented 1,300 exhibitors from 60 countries at the end of January. The competition is being promoted in the DACH countries with advertisements and banners. Thanks to partners, there are 5 weekends in a design hotel, subscriptions to Frame Magazine and gadgets from Computerworks for trend-setting 3D games to be won.Andreas Panzer

 
Distribution The publishers' front against Swiss Post is crumbling. The distributor Zuvo probably has itself to blame for this. 
"Now Swiss Post can attack us with addressed early delivery across the board." This realization quickly spread among publishers with their own early delivery service after it became known that Ringier had transferred the Blick early delivery service to the Yellow Giant (see WW 3/08). From the beginning of March, two contractors will therefore be running behind each other in most of the larger conurbations to distribute subscribed daily newspapers: Zurich-based Zuvo and its partners in Basel, Aarau, Lucerne and Chur, and now also the new wholly-owned Swiss Post subsidiary Postmail AG. In the meantime, however, the publishers have come to a second realization: the Zuvo offer was apparently more attractive in terms of price than that of Swiss Post (see interview with Jürg Brauchli on page 14). "So Ringier made a political decision by choosing Swiss Post," says a publisher who does not wish to be named. He continues: "For me, this is inexplicable. Particularly in view of the liberalization of the postal service, this makes it difficult, perhaps even impossible, for us to present a united front to Swiss Post. "Elsewhere, however, the new competition is being played down. At AZ Medien, for example. "The competitor was already there before, just not in early delivery. It has a customer, but not yet an organization," says Eva Keller, spokeswoman for AZ Medien. "Our Pressevertriebs GmbH could certainly have tolerated the view, but it's always the client who decides," says Erwin Bachmann, board delegate of LZ Medien, calmly. But there is still something that bothers him. "First, Swiss Post increased the rates for newspaper transportation, and now it can apparently use them to co-finance a second early delivery in the same area."
Beat Meyer, CEO of Basler Zeitung Medien (BZM), is also pensive. Although BZM has not lost any previous contracts, he says, it must now expect that Swiss Post will sooner or later try to wrest the early delivery contract for the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (bz) from it. The bz, which as part of the Mittelland Zeitung is in fierce competition with the BZM, would perhaps even welcome such an offer. For Meyer, it is also "quite conceivable" that Swiss Post wants to soften up the publishers until they merge their early delivery companies with that of Swiss Post. "Swiss Post has repeatedly made such advances to publishers in the past. It is therefore possible that it is now increasing the pressure," says Meyer.
The Zuvo partners in Chur and Schaffhausen, who recently had differences with the Zurich distribution organization, are relaxed, even pragmatic. Norbert Neininger, publisher of Schaffhauser Nachrichten and Chairman of the Board of Directors of delivery company Schazo, has no reservations about Swiss Post. "We have a very good relationship. When Zuvo came up against us in Schaffhausen last year, we started to work very well with Swiss Post," he recalls. "As just a small Zuvo partner", he therefore suggests that publishers and Swiss Post sit down together soon. "The goal is a low-cost, distance-independent early delivery rate for everyone. Competition alone is of no use to us here," he says.
Südostschweiz publisher Hanspeter Lebrument, who also clashed with Zuvo over Sunday delivery a year and a half ago, echoes this sentiment: "Why a power struggle with Swiss Post? I would cooperate if a joint early delivery was cheaper," he says. In any case, he has already tied up his parcel with Swiss Post. "Swiss Post has assured us that it will have Blick delivered by our Südostschweiz Pressevertriebs AG as soon as Blick early delivery also starts in our area," he says. He also shows understanding for the fact that Swiss Post is now also starting early delivery. "In view of a fully liberalized market, it must be able to offer this service," he says. The President of the Publishers Association does not see Ringier's withdrawal as a problem either. "Competition among publishers is very tough anyway," he says, recalling the free newspapers and the Sunday market.    
Markus Knöpfli

 
Ranking The ADC has acted quickly. After a few members were struck by malaise at the judging at the end of January because two Mercedes commercials by Jung von Matt/Limmat came from an apparently predominantly German kitchen, the ADC now wants to make the ranking at the ADC dinner enjoyable again for all participants with a new recipe. The "Concours Eurovision de la Chanson" will thus become the new model for the ADC's previous dice game. Just as Ukrainians are allowed to sing for Switzerland there, or the jury from Bosnia-Herzegovina can cast all their votes for Macedonia or Montenegro regardless of quality, or in extreme cases even Italians can sing for Ireland, the ADC points distribution will also officially open up the borders for creative guest workers and favors. With this in mind, the dice game will be renamed "Concours Eurovision de la Création". As a sensory logic, the previous cube is transformed into a global sphere. Unlike a cube with corners and edges, a ball can roll wherever it wants. It is therefore also a symbol of the new "creative freedom of movement". Thanks to this law, which is linked to the Schengen Agreement, a Mercedes commercial that has run as a Swiss entry in Switzerland can still be submitted as a German creation in Cannes in future, as ADC lawyers explain. (pan)

 
Column You, one of the most bizarre and touching Swiss media legends, is coming back to life. 
The great treasure is buried at the end of the rainbow, says the legend, and many are on their way to unearth it. Money is currently being made with ever faster media aimed at time gaps. But the very brave, the great optimists are on their way to the other end of the rainbow and are throwing themselves at very slow quality media. With the successful Cicero, Ringier has shown in Germany that it can work. Now an agile small publisher is also trying it: Oliver Prange, who has already shown with Persönlich (and thus as a respected competitor of Werbewoche) how to revitalize outdated titles. Recently there was a relaunch party for Du. The fact that over three hundred people came - and what a crowd! -signaled the importance of the event. One of the most bizarre and touching Swiss media legends was revived here, and the Du has even made it into the Swiss lexicon. It says: "Kulturelle Monatsschrift, founded in 1941 by A. Kübler, originally published by Conzett & Huber, today published by Tages-Anzeiger AG in Zurich; merged with the Ztschr. "Atlantis", circulation 1990: 24,000." In the meantime, time has passed over the Du. When Tages-Anzeiger AG became the listed company Tamedia, there was no longer any room for the noble cultural project. In 2003, the title went to book publisher Niggli, who focused on architecture, art and typography, but he couldn't cope with the magazine and passed it on to Prange.
The ancestry of the title gives rise to high hopes in terms of curiosity and non-conformism. Conzett & Huber is now just a memory - but a fascinating one. The printer and publisher Conrad Conzett (1848-1907) was both an entrepreneur and a socialist, printed the Grütlianer and the Arbeiterstimme, and was president of the trade union federation. His son Hans (1886-1918) was a printer and publishing partner, SP National Councillor and supported the strikers. Hans Conzett junior, born in 1915, was a publisher who promoted the Manesse Library of World Literature, which still exists today, and the newspaper Du. He continued the political family tradition by being a BGB National Councillor from 1951 to 1971 - indeed, he was one of those who led the left-wing bourgeois democrats into the new SVP.
The Du was founded by Conzett & Huber in order to regularly demonstrate its gravure printing skills to an international specialist audience - it was a monthly reference for the printing company, which at the time had to compete against Ringier, Walter Olten, Bucher Lucerne, etc. The A. Kübler was called Arnold (1890-1983) and was one of Zurich's most unusual cultural figures of the 20th century: sculptor, illustrator, actor, cabaret artist, writer (with his "Öppi" novels, which he wrote in Zurich's Bahnhofbuffet). From 1929 to 1941, he managed the Zürcher Illustrierte for Conzett & Huber, which became a competitor to Ringier's Schweizer Illustrierte, particularly in the fields of sport and culture; Paul Ringier then founded Sie & Er as an "antidote" to the initially successful ZI. Kurt Guggenheim memorialized Kübler in his magnificent Zurich novel "Alles in allem".
When the Zürcher Illustrierte was no longer economically viable, the Du came along - first with Arnold Kübler, then with Weltwoche founder Manuel Gasser: a themed magazine with a pioneering profile. Du introduced the Swiss educated middle classes to Klee, Picasso, Braque and Miró for the first time. Du made photographers such as Werner Bischof, Emil Schulthess, Hans Staub and Paul Senn famous. Walter Robert Corti, Emil Schulthess, Hugo Loetscher and Willy Rotzler were encountered as authors. For many years, the Du magazines, which were built around major themes, were part of the basic cultural equipment of the upscale Swiss middle-class household and a fixture in hundreds of waiting rooms. The Du was highly regarded, was collected and bound in annual volumes, and some outstanding issues still fetch high prices in second-hand bookshops today.
But over time, the most insidious of all media phenomena occurred: "Everybody likes it - nobody buys it". You can't live off a good reputation and an honorable past alone. But it can help, especially if the new you is able to revive the free spirit and the tendency to think outside the box of its publishing and journalistic ancestors. God grant that it may "heal" ...
 
Karl Lüönd is a freelance journalist and author

 This year, the Lucerne Rose d'Or television entertainment festival is awarding Ben Silverman the Rose of Honor. Silverman has been Chairman of NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios since 2007. Five years earlier, he founded Reveille, a production and distribution company that focuses on the exploitation of worldwide intellectual property rights and adapts international series such as "The Office". The award will be presented at the 48th Rose d'Or Festival from May 2 to 6, 2008 in Lucerne, as Rose d'Or announced on Wednesday. The honorary rose had previously been awarded to entertainers such as Benny Hill, Monty Python, Ben Elton and "Big Brother" creator John de Mol.
The Rose d'Or Festival was founded in 1961. Over 2000 producers and television stations are invited every year. From all the television programs submitted - over 40 countries are represented - the best of the year are honored at the festival. Eight winners from the following categories receive the Golden Rose: Comedy, Sitcom, Drama, Entertainment, Reality, Game Show, Performing Arts and Arts Documentary.

 
Airport advertising EuroAirport wants to make outdoor advertising spaces more attractive. 
With a passenger volume of 4.2 million (2007), it is "only" number three among Swiss airports, but EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse still seems to be in high demand among outdoor advertisers: In recent years, up to six outdoor advertisers have offered their poster sites at the same time, says Werner Parini, Head of the Passenger Department at EuroAirport. In addition to the French poster company JCDecaux, the Swiss company Affichage, the American company Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO) and several smaller companies are also present. The great interest undoubtedly has to do with the location in the border triangle of France, Germany and Switzerland, but it is clear that so many companies are a few too many. "If you want to advertise at EuroAirport during Euro 08, for example, you have to obtain up to four offers," says Parini, describing the situation from the perspective of advertising customers. The aim now is to improve the attractiveness of outdoor advertising. As the existing poster concessions are due to expire at the end of the year, EuroAirport is launching a tender for its approximately 200 poster sites in February - published throughout Europe. "In terms of the number of future outdoor advertising partners, we want to concentrate somewhat," says Parini. Two billposters would be ideal, he says. Not in terms of languages, as has been the case in some cases to date, but rather in terms of outdoor advertising (towards the streets) and indoor advertising (inside the buildings). EuroAirport will then announce who has been awarded the contract in September at the latest.
Outdoor advertising at EuroAirport recorded a record number of contact opportunities last year with 4.2 million passengers. The increase compared to 2005 was 6 percent. A further increase of around 5 percent is expected this year. It was not possible to find out how much revenue EuroAirport has received in recent years from the concession fees paid by outdoor advertisers. The annual report is also silent on the subject.
 
Markus Knöpfli

 
Prevention Life Science Communication and By Heart advertising agency have designed and implemented an HIV prevention campaign for Aids-Hilfe Schweiz. Mission: Possible was launched on February 1 and will run until May 1, 2008. The campaign is aimed at men who have sex with men. The number of HIV diagnoses among them has risen in recent years. The campaign provides information on primo infection, the first phase of HIV infection. During this time, you are highly contagious and may not yet know that you are HIV-positive. The aim of Mission: Possible is to prevent new primo infections. This can be achieved if all gay men adhere to the safer sex rules for three months. This interrupts the chain of transmission of the HI virus.

 
Computer Hewlett-Packard relies on a viral online promotion by Angelink.  
Computer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard is using viral marketing to publicize its hpstore.ch portal. Instead of causing a stir with a funny little movie that is distributed by users via e-mail, the computer heavyweight wants to challenge the intellect of its future customers. The campaign is called "The HP Friends Quiz". "The HP Friends Quiz" is a question-and-answer game. It is not enough to answer the questions correctly. The participant becomes a runner. And this is where the viral effect comes into play: the participant answers the first question on hpfriendsquiz.ch. The e-mail address of a known person must then be entered, who will receive the next quiz question by e-mail. The quiz chain continues until four people have answered four quiz questions. Once all players have answered the questions correctly, they are in the running for lucrative prizes: HP digital camera, tickets to the 2008 Champions League final in Moscow, a shopping weekend in Paris or tickets to the Bon Jovi concert in Amsterdam in June.
Anyone who thinks that the quiz is child's play is mistaken. Even the most loyal HP fan is likely to find some of the questions tricky. Markus Gabriel from the Angelink agency, which developed the quiz, says: "Some of the questions are so difficult that you have to search for the answers on the HP website." The otherwise dry information thus becomes learning content. The concept reportedly works quite well and is not the first time it has been used: as Markus Gabriel says, various customers have already used the viral brain game. Henkel Germany, for example.
Gabriel sees the quiz as the ideal way to acquire e-mail addresses cleanly. Instead of acquiring addresses at great expense, such a game can be used to refresh the e-mail base. According to a study, the acceptance of the participating quiz players is very high. Four out of five participants could be contacted by email in future without the messages being perceived as annoying.
The quiz is advertised with special banners programmed by Angelink. The banners are distributed via HP's affiliate network.
Christian Lüscher

 
Prize winner In a competition organized by the Caribana Festival at the Eracom (École romande d'art et de communication in Nyon), the project by Gaël Clot, apprentice at Agence Trio, was chosen as the winner from the 12 entries presented. Visualized in a retro rock'n'roll universe, with pin-ups, tattoos and an underground atmosphere, Gaël has incorporated the origins of Caribana into the poster. With this old-school poster, the apprentice was able to convince the organizers of the festival in Nyon, which returns to the roots of rock music, to change the style of their communication.