Websites The Swiss Milk Producers (SMP) previously operated their websites swissmilk.ch, lemenu.ch and butter.ch completely free of advertising. From now on, all standard display advertising formats can be booked on the SMP websites. Thanks to the marketing of the SMP websites by the Goldbach media company AdLink Media and participation in the official Internet research study NET-Metrix-Profile 2008-1, SMP is positioning itself as a new attractive advertising medium in the online advertising market with the nation's favorite cow Lovely.

Packaging I
In mid-September, K+D AG acquired a division of Huber PrintPack. CEO Stefan W. Kuhn discusses the strategic reasons behind the move. WW: K+D operates in the packaging printing sector, as did Huber PrintPack. Apart from acquiring the customer base, what is the rationale behind such an acquisition? Stefan W. Kuhn: The acquisition of the packaging printing division of Huber PrintPack AG is a purely strategic move within our traditional market segment—what is known as an asset purchase. We are not expanding our existing product portfolio with new products or new technologies. Huber PrintPack’s customers come mainly from the non-food and pharmaceutical sectors. The products are a good fit for us. As of November 1, 2007, we took over the entire operational division. That means machinery, materials, finished goods, order volume, the customer base, and the staff. By the end of November, all employees who chose to work at K+D in St. Gallen had been integrated into the company.
What will happen to the machinery in Frauenfeld, and what does the acquisition mean for K+D in terms of production technology? It is true that, along with the packaging printing division, we have also acquired Huber PrintPack’s machinery; however, we will not be moving it to St. Gallen. Compared to Huber PrintPack, K+D is equipped with much more modern machinery and has been continuously upgrading its machinery in recent years. Installing the outdated machines in St. Gallen therefore makes no sense. Even now, in parallel with the acquisition, we have invested seven million Swiss francs in new machinery at the St. Gallen site. These investments consist partly of replacement purchases and partly of expansion investments made as a result of the acquisition. The purchases include a new 4-color offset press with a coating unit, two die-cutting machines, and a gluing machine.
Production in Frauenfeld has been completely shut down. How are customers—who, after all, aren’t consulted during a takeover—reacting to this situation? Since we’ve retained nearly all employees, little has changed for customers. They still have the same points of contact, and they benefit from our improved, more modern infrastructure. This applies, for example, to prepress, but also to postpress. During the current transition phase, customer contact is very intensive. K+D is introducing itself to new customers and, of course, appealing to their solidarity. The response has been positive so far, and the discussions have been good without exception.
According to a press release, K+D has taken on 22 employees and 2 apprentices. How does an existing company accommodate so many staff members in such a short time? The staffing situation was factored into the acquisition plan. Furthermore, not all 22 employees will continue working in St. Gallen. A few have moved on to other opportunities. The others, however, are highly motivated. We have taken on a volume of work from Huber PrintPack that we could not handle on our own with the existing K+D team. Fortunately, our new building—which we moved into a few years ago—was designed to allow for production growth. The order book is currently so full that the machines even have to run on weekends.
What conclusions do you draw today, and where were the problem areas? From our perspective, the takeover went smoothly. This was due in no small part to the fact that K+D already possessed the necessary expertise as a result of the integration of E. Suter in Liebefeld three years ago. We were able to benefit from that now. The entire project is being managed at the executive level at K+D and is therefore not a solo effort by the Kuhn family. The mood among the former Huber PrintPack employees is also positive. They know that at K+D, you have to perform, and they support us. We were also impressed by the modern infrastructure, the flat hierarchy, and the positive work environment. The feedback so far has been very positive. Only time will tell how things turn out in practice.
K+D has acquired two companies in a relatively short period of time. Have you reached your limit, or will you soon be going on a shopping spree in neighboring countries? Growth for growth’s sake is not our goal. We want to focus on a balanced combination of organic growth and acquisitions. Our strategy is geared toward stronger qualitative growth, which we aim to achieve through reasonable pricing rather than ruinous price wars. Exports also play an important role in this. We already have customers in Germany with whom we’ve been working on a long-term basis. We do not rule out an overseas acquisition in the long term. However, it only makes sense if it fits our strategy. In general, consolidation in the packaging printing industry continues to advance. This means that companies are frequently offered to us for purchase. We regularly monitor this market.
Interview: Sabine Flachsmann
K+D AG K+D AG, headquartered in St. Gallen with a branch in Liebefeld, Bern, was founded in 1883 and has been owned and managed by the Kuhn family since 1934. K+D specializes in the manufacture of multicolor-printed, finished, and counterfeit-proof cardboard sales packaging (folding cartons) for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries, as well as for select non-food markets. The company operates throughout Switzerland and in neighboring countries and is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO/DIS 15378 (GMP—Good Manufacturing Practice). With 90 employees, K+D AG generates sales of approximately 24 million Swiss francs. Stefan W. Kuhn, lic. oec. HSG, studied business administration at the University of St. Gallen and has led the company since 1996. He is also president of Swisscarton. He is 43 years old, married, and has two children. www.kud.ch

Coffee machines
Jung von Matt/Limmat has realized a TV commercial for Jura with Roger Federer.
For years, the Swiss sports genius Roger Federer has dominated the tennis world. He has won one tournament after another and has defended his unchallenged lead as world number 1 since February 2, 2004. What is it that gives him that decisive kick? Jung von Matt/Limmat now reveals the secret of his success with a funny film. It shows authentic TV footage from a match. Federer should serve, but he suddenly disappears from the court. The referee is amazed. The audience waits helplessly. The opponent becomes even more uncertain.
Then we hear the typical sound of a coffee machine off-camera. But you can't see anything. When Federer finally returns and wins the match with a single serve, everyone realizes that our tennis champion has treated himself to a freshly ground coffee in the middle of the match. The message: Thanks to his fully automatic Jura machine, this is possible without any problems, even during a short break.
"It was not easy to find an appointment with Roger Federer. We had to travel to Dubai for a training session for that. But the shooting with him was very pleasant. A star completely without airs and graces," says Alexander Jaggy, CD at Jung von Matt/Limmat.
The traditional company Jura in Niederbuchsiten, Solothurn, entered into a cooperation with Roger Federer as brand ambassador in 2006. This contract runs for years. In this context, Jura initially joined Jung von Matt only as a client in the PR department. The Zurich-based company manages the press office for Roger Federer as Jura ambassador and generated over 400 different media clippings in this area last year alone. Jung von Matt also organizes an annual photo shoot with Federer for advertising purposes. Otherwise, classic advertising has remained in the background until now.
The first film, which just celebrated its premiere in front of enthusiastic spectators at the Shanghai Open, by no means only works in classic communication channels, but has since attracted attention as a viral film far beyond the Federer fan community. The "coffee break" quickly became a crowd favorite on various video platforms.
The Jura company was founded in 1931. Even then, its guiding principle was: "What does man need to make his work easier?" As early as 1937, Jura produced the first coffee machine. Since then, there have been a wide variety of developments, including irons. Since 1994, however, the focus has been on fully automatic coffee machines. In 2003, the one millionth machine from the Impressa line was produced. In this ecologically sound system, the beans are filled in at the top, ground fresh automatically and just-in-time at the touch of a button, and then the individually desired coffee comes out at the bottom.
Winner of the Solothurn Entrepreneur Award in 2007, Jura is now successful worldwide with its coffee machines. There are subsidiaries in the rest of Europe as well as in the USA and Shanghai. The most important market so far is Germany. But in Hollywood, too, Jura is a staple among the stars, when they're not sitting with George Clooney over a Nespresso. In Russia, Jura is growing strongly. Huge potential is expected in the Asian market. Jura's machines are in the premium segment.
Jura focuses internationally on Swiss quality and has had Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux develop a CI in which the Swiss cross has also been newly integrated into the design of the machines. Of course, the Swiss feather once again fits in perfectly with this. In October, Jura was also awarded the GfM Marketing Prize 2007.
Andreas Panzeri

Packaging III
Elopak celebrates its fiftieth anniversary. From a small beverage carton factory in Spikkestadt, Norway, Elopak has developed into a global company. The hundred-year history of the beverage carton reveals just how complicated this seemingly simple product is. Elopak has played a key role in the success of the beverage carton. It all began when the Norwegian paper engineer Christian August Johansen returned from a trip to the USA with a vision: a European license agreement for the American Pure-Pak beverage carton and representation for Pure-Pak filling machines. In the USA, "paper bottles" for milk had been used commercially for the first time in the early 1930s. Especially after the Second World War, the carton with the gable top was able to quickly secure market share. The market was dominated by the Pure-Pak carton from the Detroit-based Ex-Cell-O Corporation. Norwegian dairies had also tried to introduce disposable packaging in the 1950s. However, this innovation was received very skeptically. However, factory owner J. H. Andresen was not deterred. On February 11, 1957, the company A/S Elopak Ltd. was formally founded. The name is an abbreviation for European Licensee of Pure-Pak.
Gable top carton conquers the worldThe transition from glass bottles to cartons proved to be extremely difficult, however. In the end, the company was saved by the American troops stationed in Germany after the Second World War. The soldiers received their daily milk ration in practical cartons, as they were used to at home. They were supplied by the Dutch dairy Sterovita. Elopak took a big risk to put the American supplier of the milk cartons out of the running and was successful. Today, the cartons with the characteristic gabled roof occupy a leading position among packaging for fresh milk, dairy products and juices in Norway.
However, the Norwegian market represents only a small part of Elopak's overall business activities. 94 percent of business is conducted outside Norway in around one hundred different countries. The second half of the 1960s in particular saw expansion on the European continent. Over time, Elopak was able to secure a strong position in the most important markets for fresh milk and juices. In 1987, Elopak became the owner of all rights to the Pure-Pak system worldwide. These rights also included production facilities for filling machines in Detroit, USA.
Since then, many of Elopak's expansion movements have taken place outside Europe. Today, the most important growth markets are in Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, Russia and the Americas. The company has also secured a strong position in both the Middle East and various African countries.
Premium products targetedElopak is starting the next fifty years with a clear strategy that will focus on the packaging of premium products. These are fresh and aseptically packaged products that have extremely high quality requirements and a clear profile. These are specialty products where packaging plays a key role in terms of the general perception of the product and its ability to attract consumer attention. In line with this strategy, Elopak has launched a whole range of cartons on the market in recent years, the design of which is protected.
Sabine Flaxman
 
 
 
ElopakElopak
is one of the world's leading suppliers of packaging systems for liquid foods and is known as a supplier of gable-top carton packaging thanks to its Pure-Pak system. In 2006, the company achieved a turnover of 626 million euros with 2500 employees. Elopak is part of the FERD Group. This is privately owned by Johan A. Andresen Jr. and is one of Norway's largest industrial and financial groups. www.elopak.comDrei major playersGlobal
The market for beverage cartons is dominated by three major suppliers: Tetra Pak:
Originally from Sweden and now based in Switzerland, Tetra Pak is the largest supplier with a market share of 70 percent. The Rank Group:
New Zealand. Owns SIG in Europe, Blue Ridge and International Papers in the USA.Elopak:
Norway. Markets the Pure-Pak system worldwide and is the licensor for it. Third largest provider.

Andreas Widmer from Wunderman and Futurecom has been CEO of the Y&R Group since 2008. In taking on this role, he unites the former sister agencies under one roof to form the first agency group in Switzerland that can offer all disciplines in a fully integrated manner. Shortly after joining Wunderman in 1993, Widmer began building up the company's first interactive unit. This led to the founding of Futurecom interactive in 1996, which quickly developed into the leading Swiss provider of online marketing solutions under his leadership. Today, Futurecom is one of the top ten specialist agencies in the BSW and can point to long-standing customer relationships and a large number of international awards. At the same time, Andreas Widmer took over the operational management of Wunderman Zurich in 2003. This constellation made it possible very early on to respond to the need for integrated communication solutions with a real offer. Thanks to this successful alliance, substantial BTL accounts of the Wunderman network for the EMEA region are now managed holistically from Zurich and the successful model of a cross-media agency is put into practice on a daily basis. Andreas Widmer is also a board member of BSW and Simsa.

Peter Brönnimann is a partner and creative director at Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett. He worked at Advico Young & Rubicam for ten years, first as a copywriter and later as CD. In Gockhausen, he shaped multiple award-winning campaigns for Helvetic Tours, Milch, Pneu Egger and Flims Laax Falera and helped to make the agency the number 1 at the time. In 2002, he founded the SFLB agency together with Martin Spillmann, Peter Felser, Rolf Zimmermann and Michael Weber. Today, the agency looks after clients such as Feldschlösschen, Swiss Life, cantonal banks, Lindt and Migros. Last year, Brönnimann's mammoth campaign with Mary Woodbridge caused a worldwide sensation. Among other things, the campaign won the Crossmedia Award, gold at the ADC and received numerous international awards. This year Brönnimann was responsible as copywriter and CD for the new Tages-Anzeiger campaign "What if", the campaigns for Migros fashion with the singles and National Council candidates in their underwear. For the Sympany films, he was able to win over feature film director Dani Levy. Brönnimann's spot for Switzerland Tourism with the ski instructors also caused a sensation in the international media, as did last year's "World Cup Alternative". Brönnimann has won countless awards. This year he also won a Bronze Lion in Cannes for Switzerland Tourism and an Epica Bronze for the Tages-Anzeiger.

Packaging II
Premium products are in vogue in the food industry - and so is high-quality packaging. In October, Anuga, the industry's global trend event, presented where the culinary journey is heading.
Anuga is the world's most important trade fair event for the food industry. Every two years, large and small food specialists gather in Cologne with their innovative products. This year's event took place in Cologne from October 13 to 17, 2007 under excellent conditions. Not only did the move to the new exhibition center provide the 6607 exhibitors from 95 nations with a better infrastructure, but the economic conditions for the international suppliers could hardly have been better. With the economic upturn, disposable incomes are rising and so is spending on better food. In addition, many consumers are currently undergoing a rethink. The willingness to dig deeper into their pockets for quality products is growing. This is even the case among Germans who are spoiled by low prices. Men and women are eating more consciously, taking a closer look at their food and treating themselves to something special more often. Taste, health and convenienceInnovations and new marketing concepts were a central theme at the world's most important food trade fair. The food and beverage industry recorded global growth of four percent between mid-2005 and mid-2006. Although this growth rate varies considerably depending on the region and product group, in its study "What's hot around the globe", the international market research institute AC Nielsen was also able to identify globally valid consumer trends that have driven growth in individual categories. "Consumers around the world tend to focus on two main areas when it comes to food: One is about taste, health and nutritional value, and the other is about convenience and practical benefits," says Walter Berthold, Head of AC Nielsen Global Services, Germany.
A total of nine product categories, which are marketed with the arguments of freshness, "healthy" added value and convenience, are achieving double-digit growth rates worldwide. Six of these categories recorded a sales volume of more than one billion US dollars. According to the Nielsen study, drinking yogurt remains the international leader with an increase of 18 percent. Dairy processors are continuing to boost business with healthy new-generation products. For example, a so-called cosmetic yoghurt was recently launched in France. Enriched with ingredients such as borage oil, green tea extract and vitamin E, it is designed to improve skin health. The Fraunhofer Institute currently estimates global sales of functional food at around 20 billion euros. By 2010, the experts expect this figure to grow to up to 100 billion euros annually.
Convince with packagingThe top innovations of Anuga 2007 were presented at the special show Taste_07. A total of over 500 companies with almost 1100 products competed for inclusion in this highly acclaimed special show. In the end, 61 products convinced the jury, be it through originality, quality, packaging, recipe, consumer friendliness or appearance. These are products that make life easier, meet the desire for more health or are a temptation to indulge.
According to the Federal Association of the German Food Industry (BVE), luxury products brought in around 13 percent more money in 2005 compared to 2002. Wellness products increased their sales by 18 percent and the convenience segment even grew by over 30 percent. The next few months will show whether the Taste_07 winners will all find their way onto the shelves of retailers and thus to consumers. Some of the selected new products come from smaller family businesses and prove that being innovative is not a question of company size.
Coffee in a cardboard boxOne of these family businesses is Düsseldorf-based Mariasole GmbH, which specializes in high-quality espresso coffee. Maria Krebs, owner and managing director, and her husband Benedikt Krebs have dedicated themselves to coffee and want to offer real coffee enjoyment with their products. Mariasole espresso coffee is combined in a special way and roasted by hand in Italy in the family's own roastery using olive wood. A process that is over 100 years old.
The resulting low roasting temperature enables a particularly long roasting time of around 30 minutes, which makes Mariasole mild, gentle and very digestible. This is complemented by the use of top-quality beans from the best coffee-growing regions in the world. "Coffee quality is our top priority," says Maria Krebs. "Our target group are discerning coffee drinkers who value a good espresso, which can also have its price." High quality does not end with the contents. Unlike what is usual in the industry, here it is a round cardboard box in which the coffee is packaged in airtight packaging.
The spices and herbs from Italian company Il Boschetto srl are also eye-catching. The packaging is innovative and elegant: round metal tins, embedded in a cardboard box, which allow a view of the product and also present it well on the table as a display. Each of the spices can be assigned to a specific dish, from savory to sweet, from fish or shellfish to meat, antipasti, dessert or even coffee.
Innovative beverage industryInnovations are an important part of successful brand management in the beverage industry. According to the British Mintels Global New Products Database, almost 88,000 innovations were introduced worldwide in the food and beverage sector in 2005 alone. The beverage industry launched 18 percent of the new products on the market and thus holds the top position. The number one thirst quencher in Europe is still mineral water.
However, the days when people were content with just a few varieties are over. Today, variety is key and there is a gradual shift in image towards lifestyle and wellness drinks. Manufacturers are driving this development not only with a variety of new product ideas, but above all with new packaging concepts. One example of this is Ogo, the trend water enriched with oxygen from the Dutch company The O-Company. The spherical, display-strong 0.33 and 1-liter glass bottles stand out from the usual range and therefore inevitably attract attention. The strong wellness and health trend is particularly evident in the beverage sector. The container must also match the advertising message. For example, the manufacturer of Caps, a natural sports drink designed to improve the endurance performance of athletes, promises "Naturally more endurance". The isotonic drink in orange-lemon and grapefruit flavors with wheat dextrin and fruit sweetener is filled in a practical resealable bag with a screw cap, making it ideal for on the go and, above all, it can be disposed of in a space-saving manner.
Packaged convenienceIn addition to new taste experiences, the desire for more convenience is also at the heart of new product developments. Packaging makes a decisive contribution here. Suppliers of new products are increasingly taking ideas from other categories. This was also evident at Anuga. Spreewaldkonserven, for example, offers applesauce and other fruit puree combinations in trendy, dosable pouches that can be resealed and are designed to attract children in particular to the taste of fruit. The Käsehof Käseglocke Bergkäse Premium scores with top product quality and sophisticated packaging that offers additional added value. It serves as a cutting board, is resealable and provides the best aroma protection. www.anuga.de
Sabine Flaxman
 

 
 
ISMThe highlight
ISM International Sweets and Biscuits Trade Fair, the leading trade fair for the confectionery industry, will take place in Cologne from January 27 to 30, 2008. Due to Interpack, ProSweets Cologne will not be taking place next year, but will be held in parallel with ISM from 2009. www.ism-cologne.de

Valentina Herrmann is a self-employed Art & Creative Director. She is an ADC member, school council member of the ADC/BSW Creative School and works on the committee of the ADC Young Creatives Awards. In addition to over 70 national awards, Herrmann has also won several international awards, this year a Cannes Lion for the Greenpeace poster "Ocean Defenders", two final places at the London International Awards and a finalist at the New York Festivals. She entered the world of advertising after graduating from the Basel School of Applied Arts with an apprenticeship as a graphic designer at Cash RSCG, then worked at Sottsass Associati in Milan. After returning to Switzerland, she started as a freelancer at the Zurich branch of Weber, Hodel, Schmid. After four years at WHS and further training in New York, she moved to Wirz, Advico Young & Rubicam and Lowe. There she was Creative Director and a member of the management team. Valentina Herrmann has been a freelancer since 2007. Her favorite works include the multi-award-winning international Greenpeace campaign and the VW "Flat Switzerland" campaign at Lowe, the Graubünden launch campaign at AY&R, the macho series "Solange es noch Männer gibt" for IWC at Wirz and the first Tagi campaign "Wir bleiben dran" at WHS. 

 SRG Director General Armin Walpen's decision to cancel the broadcast of Formula 1 races in order to save money caused some criticism. SRG has now changed its mind: Thanks to additional income from sponsorship and advertising, it is backtracking on its decision and will continue to broadcast the races after all, according to a statement issued on Wednesday. SRG is extending the corresponding contract with Formula One Management Ltd (FOM) until the end of 2010. The agreement includes all live and post-production rights as well as permission to shoot additional broadcast material with its own cameras. The contract applies to all SRG television and radio stations.
This will be possible because SRG will be able to expand its commercial opportunities thanks to a concession from FOM and because the cooperation with long-standing sponsors BMW and Credit Suisse will be continued, Walpen announced. This will "significantly increase" the refinancing of rights and production costs.
SRG announced at the beginning of the year that it wanted to remove Formula 1 from its program in order to save money (see
). In September, Walpen hinted that the decision might be reversed thanks to sponsors.

In Germany, a blogger and freelance journalist has received the honor of being named "Journalist of the Year": The jury of the magazine Medium Magazin has awarded this title to Bildblog co-founder Stefan Niggemeier. In its statement, it said that Niggemeier had succeeded in setting an example for quality journalism on the Internet with his personal blog Stefan-niggemeier.de. With serious background research, courage and an excellent style, he has found a growing readership. The jury particularly appreciated the fact that, as a freelance and independent journalist without financial backing, he is not afraid to tackle hot topics.
Niggemeier used to work as a media editor for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, for which he still writes. Before that, he wrote for the industry magazine Werben & Verlaufen and the Süddeutsche Zeitung, among others. He was co-founder of the weblog "Bildblog", which scrutinizes the work of the Bild newspaper.

Print
Despite all the initial problems, the distribution of the free newspaper .ch is now largely running smoothly. This is according to .ch publisher Sacha Wigdorovits. WW: Because *Werbewoche* wrote about a «botched .ch distribution» in its Issue 44/07, you threatened to sue. What is wrong with that statement? Sacha Wigdorovits: It violates the Unfair Competition Act (UWG) because, stated in such absolute terms, it is completely false and damaging to our reputation.
They promised that, starting in mid-September, 430,000 copies of .ch would be distributed in the metropolitan areas of Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lucerne, St. Gallen, and Winterthur, and would be available by 7 a.m. at the latest in buildings with at least five residential units. That is indeed the case. We said that we would distribute about 70 percent of the print run via door-to-door delivery and about 30 percent via boxes at tram, bus, and S-Bahn stops. Today, the ratio is roughly 60 percent door-to-door delivery and 40 percent distribution via boxes at public transit stops, including distribution by street vendors in large public squares as well as deliveries to large businesses and restaurants.
What’s going well today? With the display boxes on public transit and the distributors, pretty much everything. We’re still having some issues with home delivery, especially in Bern and Basel. This is mainly because our displays were removed from some of the properties where they had been placed. We’re also still short on delivery staff to cover all the planned routes.
And what are you doing now to address these weaknesses? Since the public transit boxes generally work very well, we’ve expanded this distribution channel faster than planned. We currently distribute around 150,000 copies through this channel, plus another 30,000 copies via door-to-door distributors, boxes on private property, and at large businesses and restaurants. We’re also investing heavily in early home delivery. We’re even temporarily offering mailbox delivery in some cases where there’s no other option, and we’re continuously hiring additional distribution staff. We’re already delivering around 250,000 copies to homes, making us the largest door-to-door newspaper in Switzerland. Our goal is to reach 300,000 copies delivered to homes by summer 2008, with a total circulation of 500,000 copies at that time.
When it came to distribution, they simply increased the share of public transportation. It’s actually a bit concerning to change the approach so quickly. What’s more important: the way the newspaper is distributed, or that it reaches people?
Media planners criticize .ch for failing to keep its promise to be the first free newspaper to reach readers early in the morning. That’s not true. Of course, there may be occasional delays in delivery. But as a rule, we’re at people’s doors by 7 a.m. at the latest.
In a non-representative street survey conducted by *Werbewoche* in Zurich, Basel, and Bern (WW 43/07), 10 out of 171 people surveyed reported having read *.ch* on two specific days, while 33 others did so on only one of those two days. A meager result for a daily newspaper with home delivery. Quite the contrary: This corresponds to a reach of 15.5 percent—and that’s less than three months after launch. I’m very satisfied with that. I just hope the results of your street survey are accurate.   
Interview: WW

 
Publicontext, the newly founded publishing house for industry and corporate publications, has launched First Class, a magazine for business travel management. According to a press release issued on Wednesday, the aim of the publication is to explain and promote the potential for improving performance and saving money through professional travel management.  
First Class was first published on December 7, 2007 with a circulation of 57,000 copies. The magazine is enclosed with Bilanz and is available at Zurich and Basel-Mulhouse airports. In 2008, issues are planned for May and October.
The Vipr communications agency, which will operate under the Communicators umbrella brand from 2008, is responsible for the concept, editing and realization.