The current Managing Director of Mediapolis Zurich is setting up his own communications consultancy. After four years at Mediapolis, Andreas Jäggi is now setting up his own business, offering specific services in strategic communications consulting, professional networking, internal communications and the handling of complex communications projects. In future, Jäggi intends to increasingly support management and communication managers in an advisory capacity. Before joining Mediapolis in 2003, Jäggi was Head of Corporate Communications at Credit Suisse Financial Services and worked as Head of Public Relations at Swiss Re. He is also Head of Studies for Internal Communications at SPRI.

 
Wemf The circulation figures for the titles of the Handels Zeitung and Jean Frey publishing groups were missing from the Wemf electronic list up to the editorial deadline and are therefore not yet included in this issue. According to a statement by the publishing group, which is part of the Axel Springer Group, the circulation figures of the business papers in particular are showing a slight to significant upward trend. Both Bilanz (plus 560 copies; new 38,660), HandelsZeitung (plus 85 copies; new 30,861 - not counting the former Cash subscribers), Stocks (plus 2,488 copies; new 20736) and PME-Magazine (plus 1,259 copies; new 12,053) are reporting higher circulations. The Jean Frey flagship Beobachter, on the other hand, lost 3,171 copies and now has a circulation of 311,910. Those responsible wanted to be sure with the certification. "That's why we submitted relatively close, so that we no longer made the list," explains Monica Zihs of the publishing group. Various media had therefore reported that HandelsZeitung/ Jean Frey had not certified their titles. Wemf will publish the definitive list with all certified titles in the course of this month.René Worni
 
 
See also:
Free press on the upswing unabated

 
Football fans M-Budget Mobile is celebrating its two-year anniversary with a fun competition: anyone who calls 0800 05 05 05 on their cell phone and shouts "Goal!" can win great prizes. To generate broad participation, Publicis has produced three films with Condor. All three stories are based on the basic idea of secretly filming competition participants with a "voyeuristic" camera, who spur each other on in a creative way for a particularly successful Goal shout. The successful realization comes from the young Zurich filmmakers Eric Andreae and Jan Gassmann, who are currently causing an international stir with the documentary "Chrigu".

Felix E. Müller, editor-in-chief of the NZZ am Sonntag, shares his thoughts on the Sunday market and the latest publication from Wanner. WW: How has your assessment of the Sunday newspaper market changed since the new Sunday paper from AZ publisher Peter Wanner hit the market? Felix E. Müller:
Basically, not much has changed. The danger is «more of the same.» Even more Federal Councilors will now be giving interviews on Sunday. In its second issue, the *Sonntag* already featured two Federal Councilors, and in its third, the Federal President. There’s already a possibility that all seven Federal Councilors could give interviews on Sunday. Six months ago, you said that, with growing competition on Sundays, the NZZ am Sonntag was considering regional editions. Have you already taken any steps in that direction? No, we haven’t made any plans. But the possibility that national newspapers might expand into the regions is certainly an option we need to keep an eye on. Experience also shows, however, that it doesn’t necessarily make economic sense.
So far, southeastern Switzerland has joined the Sunday edition of the Mittelland Zeitung. Others could follow suit and form a larger advertising consortium. Does that worry you? If even more join, then yes, that is worrisome.
Does this mean the NZZ needs to take action? To put it bluntly: From a journalistic standpoint, there is hardly any major threat to the NZZ am Sonntag. The risk lies in the publishing sector. The moment advertising consortia form at the regional level, the Sonntagsblatt—may it rest in peace—will quietly rise again. That would then create a fourth national Sunday advertising platform. This would certainly have significant economic consequences for the established publications.
Sonntag comes across as a fourth national Sunday newspaper. What was your impression when you first held Sonntag.ch in your hands? They took elements from the Sonntagszeitung and the NZZ am Sonntag and tried to turn them into something that would appeal to you. The project’s stated ambition is to compete in the national league and challenge the established players. What’s interesting, though, is that the publication is only being distributed to the public through a forced bundle. Ultimately, it’s the same coercive mechanism that Mr. Lebrument has already demonstrated.
Please explain that. If you don’t want Sonntag.ch, then you also have to cancel your subscription to the daily newspaper. That’s putting the readers in a tight spot. With the NZZ am Sonntag, we did have a long free introductory offer. In the end, however, the moment of truth arrived: consumers had a genuine opt-out option and could subscribe to the NZZ even without the NZZ am Sonntag. So we really had to prove ourselves as a news outlet in the free market. With Sonntag.ch, therefore, publishing success is already a foregone conclusion.
What other indicators do you want to wait for before the NZZ am Sonntag takes action? The moment more regional publishers switch to Sunday publication, that’s when we’ve reached the tipping point. Every additional title is a reason to consider how we want to respond.
That sounds pretty defensive. So does that mean the regionalization of the NZZ am Sonntag remains a purely theoretical option for now? Yes. But what we’re constantly doing is optimizing our offering—for example, this coming Sunday with certain layout changes, expanded content, and the launch of the «Bücher am Sonntag» supplement.
Interview: René Worni

 In a statement on Wednesday, Weltwoche denied a statement by Neue Zürcher Zeitung, which wrote that the weekly magazine's circulation had not been certified. In the article, the NZZ refers to self-declared circulation figures, which some publishers have given provisionally. However, these circulation figures had not yet been certified in all cases. Weltwoche had been able to increase its paid circulation from 82,849 to 85,772 (Wemf-2007). This figure was confirmed by the auditors. At the end of October, the certified Wemf circulation figures will be available on the online bulletin.

 
Finishing Attractiveness is a competitive advantage. Druckerei Flawil transforms a normal print product into a real eye-catcher. 
Premium products are in vogue. This applies not only to fine foods and beverages, but also to printed matter. Varnish finishes are one way of creating highlights and appealing to different senses. Effects for sight, touch and smell can now be easily realized by Druckerei Flawil AG. This is ensured by the new flagship, the Hibis-104 from Steinemann Technology AG, with which medium and large print runs can be coated offline using the rotary UV screen printing process. Depending on the desired result, the coating machine applies a maximum of 150 g/m2 UV coating to a substrate up to 0.8 mm thick. This opens up limitless possibilities with every conceivable coating effect. The company has invested 800,000 Swiss francs in the finishing technology, which was presented to a wide audience at the "uv-lack-07" trade event.
Communicating benefitsAround 200 participants from the advertising and printing industry recently took the opportunity to find out about the many possibilities of coating finishing at Druckerei Flawil. Pascal Schwarz, Managing Director of Druckerei Flawil AG, welcomed the participants with the words: "We want to convey the benefits of coating finishing and not show machine technology". As the company had made headlines in recent days in connection with the partial sale of Huber & Co, Schwarz was keen to clarify a few facts once again. "It was not us who sold off parts of Huber & Co. but Tamedia. Druckerei Flawil has taken over the commercial printing division and thus also felt obliged to secure the jobs of the existing employees," emphasized Schwarz. From November 1, 46 employees will be taken over, 14 will remain at the previous Frauenfeld site.
Luxury is the trend "The art of refinement and thus the possibility of turning something beautiful into something even more beautiful is becoming increasingly important," said Oliver A. Jentschke, Head of Direct Sales Germany and Austria at Steinemann Technology AG, in his subsequent presentation. He visits around 300 customers a year to show them how a product can be finished even more beautifully and elaborately. "Competition is getting tougher and tougher, and products are being sold less and less through their content and more through labeling," said Jentschke. It is now common practice to scout trends and then present the consumer with a corresponding end product. Zero-eight-fifteen products are now being turned into trendsetters.
For Jentschke, luxury has now become a lifestyle that people want to own and show off. People are also prepared to pay more for high-quality products. More and more companies are therefore investing in the most elegant design possible for their brochures and leaflets. However, the problem with the previous screen printing finishing process was its speed. Thanks to the new UV screen printing system, which is much faster, larger print runs can now be finished in less time.
Packaging with effectsMany end customers, such as cosmetics or confectionery manufacturers, have no technical expertise in the printing sector and are therefore reliant on information from agencies and printers. "I try to inform these end customers about the possibilities of finishing," says Jentschke. He cited the cigarette industry as an example. Due to the ban on cigarette advertising, packaging is taking on a whole new meaning. Special collector's editions with special effects are an issue here. These are produced and refined in runs of one or five million copies. "Customers want luxury. However, it is much cheaper to produce new packaging than to develop a new product," said Jentschke, summarizing the advantages of refinement. Eric Voser, owner of Eric Voser Werbeagentur AG, reviewed the trends and anti-trends in brochure design. With a short machine demonstration, the technology finally took center stage and fascinated with a brilliant result.
Sabine Flaxman
Druckerei Flawil AGOst Swiss printing and publishing company, founded in 1897 as a book printer.
Publisher of Wiler Zeitung, Gossauer Wochenzeitung, Allgemeine Anzeiger and Bezirksanzeiger. 110 employees, turnover 20 million francs, 50 percent of which is generated by printing and 50 percent by publishing.

 
Printing At its Open House 2007, Heidelberg Switzerland presented how the offset printing process can also economically master short runs in high-quality design. 
Heidelberg Switzerland describes cost-effectiveness, productivity and quality as the cornerstones for the success of graphic arts companies. With the three pillars of workflow integration, production technology and service, Heidelberg offers holistic solutions aimed at minimizing costs and achieving the best possible cost-effectiveness. The concept begins with the customer inquiry and extends to post-calculation for a reliable target/actual comparison. Previously decoupled processes thus mutate into an integrated, cohesive system which, in addition to its purpose of producing printed matter, takes on the role of an orientation and management tool for the strategic orientation of the company and for securing its future. Despite the good economic situation at the moment, cost pressure in the printing industry remains. Print shops must therefore work towards reducing the large cost blocks in the production chain. At the same time, it is important to tap into niche markets, create additional added value within the company and offer customers added value.
Approaches to minimizing makeready timesThe degree of efficiency, productivity and quality that the offset process is capable of achieving, even in the lower print run range, was demonstrated by Heidelberg Switzerland at Open House 2007 with a specific job. A brochure with works by British artist Heather Bishop went through all stages from plate exposure to the perfect bound product. The work was produced in several sheets using 90, 150, 250 and 300 g/m2 papers.
In the offset printing process, register and ink feed are the two setting variables with the greatest impact on productivity. Heidelberg is pursuing two different approaches to minimizing the time from press start-up to production and the associated paper savings: The Inpress Controll inline measuring and control system was developed for presses with conventional ink control via ink zones. The second approach is called Anicolor with the zoneless short inking unit. Both solutions celebrated their Swiss premiere in Bern.
Efficient short runsInpress Controll was in operation in Berne on a Speedmaster CD 74-5+LX of the 18,000-unit generation. The measuring system, which is located in the last inking unit, really comes into its own during the critical phase of register and color setup. While the manual measuring process outside the press requires repeated stopping and starting, Inpress Controll adjusts the ink feed and circumferential, lateral and diagonal register fully automatically in a continuous and rapidly rising curve.
In practice, makeready times are reduced by half. Massively shorter makeready times and a significantly reduced number of start-up sheets allow the production of short runs of 100 copies or more with Anicolor short inking unit technology. The Speedmastser SM 52-5+L Anicolor, which has been in production at Fotorotar AG for several months, proves that the good economic and quality results do not require "clean room conditions". "Printing costs are reduced by 30 percent for runs of less than 1000 copies," confirms Commercial Director Jürg Konrad, adding: "Thanks to shorter makeready times and low waste, even very short runs of 50 to 60 copies now pay off."
Solutions for postpress operationsThe KAMA ProCut 74 from Heidelberg is an automatic embossing and die-cutting machine whose applications make it ideal for use in commercial print shops. In addition to punching, creasing, perforating, hot and cold stamping foil printing and blind embossing, the system is also suitable for hot-cutting processes (punching plastic and foils with heated tools). The option for hologram applications is also interesting. Just how quickly the KAMA ProCut 74 can be converted was demonstrated in Bern with a changeover from hot stamping foil printing to a die with contour stamping and blind embossing.
Heidelberg Switzerland also offers a comprehensive range of finishing solutions. The automatically convertible Stahlfolder TH 66/6-66/4 folding machine was used to demonstrate how the system can be converted from a simple cross-fold to a gatefold in the shortest possible time. The Polar 92 XT high-speed cutter operated via touch screen and three modular collating machines completed the impressive presentation in Berne.
 
Sabine Flaxman

An awareness campaign by the medical technology company Medela aims to sensitize the Swiss population to the issue of breast cancer. According to the communiqué, the aim is not to deter women, but to motivate them to take early measures such as self-examination, regular visits to the doctor or mammography. After all, the diagnosis of breast cancer does not have to be a death sentence if the tumor is detected early enough, the press release continues. Accordingly, this year's new appearance is bright, friendly and hopeful. In the photos, the celebrities supporting the appeal are all dressed in white and carrying a rose. The celebrities supporting this year's breast cancer campaign are: Beatrice Tschanz Kramel, ambassador for the Swiss Cancer League; Jennifer Ann Gerber, model & presenter; Tanja Gutmann, presenter & actress; Anna Maier, TV presenter; Nubya, singer; Elizabeth Teissier, journalist and author; Stefanie and Michael Sarp, business owner/chief executive Zimmerli/Wernli.
Photos:
Claude Stahel Graphic:
Content & Form

 
Casting Following the successful launch of the Swiss program window, ProSieben launches a second format on October 25. "Face of Faces 07" is a by-product of "Faces TV" and a classic casting format. More than 400 girls and ladies have applied for the 2007 Faces ambassador. Six of them can now be seen in the final and in the accompanying docu-soap on Thursdays at 6 pm.

 
Trade fairs According to the organizer, over 33,000 people visited the Nuremberg trade fair trio of FachPack+PrintPack+LogIntern 2007, which ended on 27 September. The Nuremberg trade fair trio shone far beyond Germany and once again proved to be one of the most important packaging trade fairs in Europe. A total of 16 percent of international visitors traveled to Nuremberg, mainly from Austria, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy, Slovenia, Poland, France and Hungary. The offer was just right for 96 percent of FachPack visitors and 92 percent of LogIntern visitors. They mainly came from the printing/paper processing, food and luxury foodstuffs, electrical appliance manufacturing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, automotive supply, plastics processing and packaging/logistics-related services sectors. The next FachPack+PrintPack+Log-Intern will take place from September 29 to October 1, 2009 at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg.

 At Weltwoche, distribution is apparently a matter for the editors-in-chief: Roger Köppel himself and some of his editors distribute the current issue of Weltwoche as part of a student distribution campaign at the start of the semester at the University of Zurich. In addition to Köppel, domestic editor Philipp Gut, culture editor and traveling columnist Thomas Widmer and editor and foreign correspondent Beatrice Schlag will be on site in the hallowed halls of the university. The campaign already took place once before in the spring, and due to the positive editorial response, Köppel is once again getting in touch with students at the University of Zurich and answering urgent questions, according to a press release from Weltwoche. The entire distribution campaign will take place on Thursday, October 4, 2007 at all universities and selected universities of applied sciences in German-speaking Switzerland. The team of editors will be out and about on the university campus in Zurich from 12 noon to 1 p.m. to answer students' questions.
Responsible at Weltwoche:
Esther Würsten, Marketing Project Manager. Responsible at the Whole in One agency: Angela Joerg, Managing Director.

 
Computer With the new iMac, Apple is once again setting standards in terms of design, features and software. 
At a recent press conference in Zurich, Shalini Bath, Marketing Manager for Desktop Systems at Apple Europe, showed where Apple differs from its PC competitors: instead of a separate monitor and computer housing and the associated tangle of cables, the company has long been successfully focusing on "all-in-one" devices in the consumer segment. The path taken with the iMac from the colorful "original iMac" to the high-quality and stylish desktop device is probably the right one. The strong focus on design and the use of high-quality components has certainly paid off, as Apple has been able to significantly increase its market share again. The next iMac generation is now set to ensure further growth. In doing so, Apple has taken fewer risks than with previous updates. Although the new cases come in elegant aluminum and the monitor is now behind a glass panel, the basic design has been retained with the exception of the slimming down. The iMac is no longer Apple's entry-level computer as it once was, but now represents their upper mid-range - between the Mac Mini and Mac Pro.
A cross-sectional upgradeEven for those who are less interested in design and recycling aspects and more in balanced equipment, the latest generation iMac does not disappoint. Both the processor, a Core 2 Duo from Intel with the latest graphics cards from ATI, and the RAM and hard disk equipment give the user a lot of performance for the money. Another plus, albeit a matter of taste, is the brilliance of the display, which, like the Mac Book or Mac Book Pro, offers brighter colors, richer blacks and higher contrast. Reflections and glare are therefore possible disadvantages, although these depend on the installation location.
As a further surprise, Apple has adapted the keyboard to the new chic look with the update. It is exceptionally flat and has also been upgraded. The standard keyboard has additional keys for operating iTunes, for example, but also for navigating in documents - the optional keyboard, which communicates with the iMac via Bluetooth 2.0, does not have a numeric keypad but is equipped with energy-saving functions.
The decision for the "right" iMac is probably easier, as it is also influenced by the price. At 1749 francs, the new 20-inch iMac costs the same as its 17-inch predecessor - or 400 francs less than the previous 20-inch model. The 24-inch iMac towers above it, which at 2499 francs is also 400 francs cheaper than the previous model. And so that the choice is not too easy, there are two basic versions of both the 20-inch and the 24-inch iMac to choose from. The differences lie in the clock frequency, the RAM, the size of the hard disk etc. and are reflected accordingly in the price. Both computers can be ordered with 2.8 GHz processors, up to 4 GB RAM and up to 1 terabyte hard disks or retrofitted at a later date - but then cost considerably more. If you want to install more RAM or larger hard disks at a later date, all you have to do is remove a screw to open the housing. One visual "style break" remains: the remote control is incomprehensibly still supplied in white - although, apart from the MacBook, white is really off the table at Apple.
iLife 08 and Web 2.0With the iMac, Apple has also updated its two software packages iLife and iWork. The significantly enhanced new software suite iLife 08 was presented by Oren Ziv, Director Software Product Marketing. EMEA is supplied with new computers as before and is also available separately for 109 francs. iPhoto and above all iMovie are the most striking features. With iMovie, it is now finally possible to connect video cameras via USB 2 (previously a FireWire interface was required on the camera), which means that owners of such cameras can now save themselves time-consuming intermediate steps. According to Ziv, Apple also already supports the latest cameras and video formats. Above all, Apple's promise that it will be even easier and quicker to achieve an initial result, i.e. a video, is justified in its own estimation: Even the original clip can be scrolled through visually (skimmed) and pre-cut with just a few clicks before it is pushed into the corresponding window for further editing; assigning music and transitions afterwards using drag & drop is child's play.
What is missing after the first experiences is a simple separation of the original soundtrack from the added background music - Apple users who want more here are still recommended to use Final Cut or Final Cut Express. But iLife 08 is likely to be a big hit simply because it's really easy to upload images and, above all, videos to the Internet in various selectable resolutions. Thanks to iMovie, the birthday party or excursion can be uploaded to a .Mac account in just a few simple steps after editing (.Mac is an Apple service and requires an annually renewable paid membership with 10 GB storage space, e-mail, backup function, iDisk, web gallery, etc.). If you want to send a video message to the whole world, you can use YouTube export - or, of course, iTunes to prepare the clip for transmission to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV.
iPhoto once again redefines the standard for simple image data management. The big highlight of iPhoto is the ability to group images together according to events. The software supports the user by assuming that an event is related to the time of day; photos taken during a day or during a specified period are automatically grouped together as an event. There are also tools for merging or splitting events.
Blogs, photos and moviesThe new iPhoto export options are appealing because photos made available on the Internet or on .Mac can be supplemented with images from the recipient via upload. If the creator of the Web Gallery allows this when uploading, pictures from friends, acquaintances or project partners can be added directly to the Web Gallery. Images uploaded to the Web Gallery by friends, acquaintances, project partners or from your own iPhone are automatically synchronized to the iPhoto library. This makes it easy to exchange images with the combination of iPhoto and .Mac. Once the iPhone is available from us, it will also be possible to access the photos in the Web Gallery and upload images directly to the Web Gallery.
One point of criticism remains: The new version of iPhoto still relies on a very proprietary management and folder structure when it comes to the physical storage of image data. Although the proprietary approach to image management is compensated for by the fact that images can be exported from iPhoto in the simplest possible way, the overall solution is nowhere near as elegant as that of Apple's professional program Aperture, where users are free to work either with a closed library or with their own folder directory.
iWeb has also been relaunched. The updated web publishing tool within iLife 08 offers simple options for publishing content, blogs, photos and movies on primarily .Mac. Floating elements (web widgets) can now be created. These can be used, for example, to make Google Maps accessible on your own website for interactive directions or your own or third-party YouTube video clips.
Apple's spreadsheet softwareApple has updated its popular iWork package at the same time as iMac and iLife 08. The least significant changes in the iWork 08 package, presented by Erik Stannow, Senior Director Product Management, are to the presentation software, which was already very good in the previous version. The biggest innovation in iWork 08, however, is the addition of Numbers - a spreadsheet application with a visual character compared to the Microsoft product Excel. In addition to classic tables and evaluations, images and symbols can also be placed in the document to create more sophisticated documents. Another highlight is that the print output can be controlled interactively - so that everything you want appears on paper. Without having tried it out, it must be assumed that Numbers does not go into the depth that Excel offers; however, those who are satisfied with normal and simpler spreadsheets will find Numbers to be a very good addition or alternative.
For 119 francs, iWork 08, i.e. Keynote, Pages and Numbers, is particularly attractive for smaller companies and therefore an offer that many Apple users will find hard to resist.
 
Jürgen Franck