Sports marketing America's marketing companies are discovering high school sports - with dubious consequences for young sports enthusiasts. 
Lebron James, who was already hailed as the new NBA superstar in high school, was and still is the figurehead of American high school sport. Even before he had graduated from high school in 2003, the 18-year-old young talent was filling the halls with his high school basketball team in Akron, Ohio, and signed a 90 million dollar sponsorship contract with Nike just a short time later. His school, meanwhile, collected 400,000 dollars for broadcasting the finals on ESPN, arousing the ire of critical parents, teachers and youth protection groups. "The schools are offering themselves up for sale," believes Gary Ruskin from the consumer protection organization Commercial Alert. "It shows how much our values are decaying." Tricky youth marketingSince the beginning of the James era at the latest, the topic of high school sport and its commercial potential has been an ongoing issue in the USA. It's all about early brand loyalty, sports rights, millions in sponsorship money and the thorny issue of youth marketing. It's no longer just traditional sporting goods marketers who are interested in high school sports, but also consumer goods giants like Procter & Gamble or insurance companies like Allstar. "If a student decides between Coke and Pepsi or between Verizon and AT&T, this decision will generate incredible amounts of money in the long term," says David Carter, Director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California (USC).
Schools benefit directlyHigh school sports in the USA start at the local level. This is where the professional recruiters look for the next superstar, where the most fanatical spectators - ambitious kids and their parents - are, and where there is the greatest interest from schools interested in sponsorship deals. "The schools are only after one thing: dollars," says Robert Tuchman, President of the marketing company TSE Sports in New York. Drinks and computer manufacturers in particular have become increasingly popular in recent years, as drinks vending machines and computer labs are being set up directly in schools. According to Tuchman, such sponsorship deals often involve seven-figure sums.
After the storms of criticism in the early years, the marketing companies have become more cautious with their offers: A company like Pepsi now offers vitamin-rich juices and low-calorie iced tea in schools rather than cola and lemonade, says Tuchman. Microsoft also emphasizes in its initiatives that it wants to make the Internet and its wealth of knowledge accessible to poorer pupils. "It makes sense for these companies to commit to an entire team or school rather than an individual athlete, so that the money is available for a broader purpose," says David Carter. "Failure to do this conjures up so much negative publicity that the benefits of a sponsorship deal with a school are virtually wiped out."
Big national interestBig media companies also want a slice of the pie. TV broadcaster CSTV, which is part of the CBS network, has now announced a series of on-demand channels with high school sports content, which will be supplied with sponsors by Lebron James' marketing company LRMR Innovative Marketing and Branding. The majority of the games will air at the local level, but promising athletes will also get a national platform.
The local distribution concept also applied to the so-called lifestlye magazine Rise, which has achieved a circulation of over 900,000 copies since its launch ten years ago and is mainly distributed in schools. There is currently strong national interest, says Editor-in-Chief Jon Segal. Almost the entire advertising volume now comes from national advertising companies. "Everyone is looking for the next superstar." The market is there: According to estimates from the National Federation of State High School Associations, 7.2 million students were active in sports last school year - an 80 percent growth since 1972.
The trend has now spread to digital platforms. Websites such as Takkle.com want to act as intermediaries between talented athletes and talent scouts and give teenagers a platform to present themselves - a kind of MySpace for athletes. The aim is to ensure that sponsors don't miss out on the next Lebron James.
Gerti Schön, New York

 
Web2com, the online, cell phone and search engine marketing company belonging to Publigroupe, has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of Ivano Celia as Senior Account Manager as of August 1, 2007. Celia has been working in the Internet environment since 2000 and has many years of experience in media marketing in the print, cinema, TV and online sectors. He previously worked for Cinecom and Adlink Switzerland.

Awards Gold for Schlämmer in the VW and Fleurop flower angel This week in Hamburg, the flaps of the resumed creative competition for films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland were awarded. The Communications Association awarded a total of 40 flaps from 438 entries, including 2 gold, 14 silver and 24 bronze. Pius Walker won gold in the TV & Cinema category for the Fleurop spot "Wedding Day". Walker also won silver for the Fleurop film "Mother's Day". Silver also went to Publicis for the Condor film "Agnus Dei" for the Zurich Schauspielhaus. The fourth award for Switzerland went to Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett for "Mary Woodbridge" by Mammut in the Internet Film category. In this new category, the second gold medal was also awarded for the quirky "Horst Schlämmer". Under DDB Germany, Hape Kerkeling plays a fictional character who gets his driver's license for VW. This category of viral films led to many discussions among the jury under Amir Kassaei, which are still ongoing. The often deliberately "badly" made films are not cinematic art, but achieve a great impact. What should be judged here in the future? The shaky but cult films by "Mary Woodbridge" have also led to fundamental discussions in the jury. Other film competitions also need to clarify the definition of the form of submission.
All winners of Klappe 27 can be seen on www.dieklappe.de and on Saturday, September 15 at 8:12 p.m. on RTL II.
Andreas Panzeri

 
Living Rod has Ikea fans in eastern Switzerland raving about the fact that Ikea is now also available in St. Gallen. 
 On September 26, the seventh branch of the Ikea furniture store in Switzerland will open in St. Gallen Winkeln. It is one of 263 branches worldwide. But does everyone in eastern Switzerland know who Ikea is and what it can offer potential customers?
Strategic planner Regula Fecker carried out research into all these questions for Ikea in order to test the unconventional furniture store's chances on the Eastern Swiss market. "The people of Eastern Switzerland know Ikea. But they mainly know the name, not the concept, the philosophy of the brand," she found out.
These findings have now also become the briefing for a campaign to mark the opening of the first store in Eastern Switzerland. It is being conceived and realized by the newly founded advertising agency Rod by Regula Fecker (R), Oliver Fennel (O) and David Schärer (D). The creative minds from Zurich's Enge district based their ideas on the fact that around 20,000 Ikea customers from eastern Switzerland have so far made their dream homes come true at the Ikea store closest to them in Dietlikon. Many of them - as the previous research showed - are convinced fans of the Swedish furniture retailer. "The ideal group for convincing testimonials" was therefore Rod's brainwave.
Instead of introducing the essence of Ikea with the arguments of the marketing department, they wanted to let these loyal fans speak for themselves. How would these people explain the special character and concept of their furniture store to a new customer?
Rod used the Ikea database to filter out the 2000 most interesting customers. A mailing was sent to these customers asking whether they wanted to take part in the campaign. An important detail: "We didn't promise any rewards," explains Marketing Manager Carlos Friedrich, because he only wanted to win over real fans for the idea.
Nevertheless, the agency was inundated with several hundred applications. "Many presented themselves with professionally styled photos and elaborately designed application letters," says a delighted Helén Eneroth, project manager at Ikea. 60 customers who were able to convince the recruiters the most with their motivation were then visited by Rod in their homes.
When selecting the final 16 testimonials, various criteria were taken into account to ensure a mix of all age groups, regions and living arrangements, from singles to large families. Jonathan Heyer then photographed the Ikea ambassadors in their original surroundings with Ikea furniture they had actually bought in the past. Apart from a few decorative elements, everything in these "reportage-style testimonials" is "unadorned and authentic".
It was a risk for the art direction - but also for the client, as the agency was unable to present a prefabricated layout. Everyone was pleased with the results at a private view. The campaign is being talked about because the people portrayed naturally have their families, colleagues and neighbors. Many posters were put up near the people portrayed. The site www.kampagne-ostschweiz.ch is also an important element. "See what others are looking forward to", are the motifs that entice people to comment.
 
Andreas Panzeri

 Publigroupe is doubling its business volume in Canada: it is acquiring 70 percent of the share capital of the Canadian company APR Media, which is mainly active in the marketing of print and online advertising. A purchase price was not disclosed. APR Media has an annual turnover of the equivalent of CHF 24 million and, according to Publigroupe, represents numerous leading American publishers of newspapers, magazines and websites. The company employs 12 people. Publigroupe has been active in Canada since 2000 with the company McGown / Intermac. The new acquisition significantly strengthens the company's position in the Canadian market, particularly in the online sector, according to a press release. This step is in line with the objectives of the future Media Sales business segment.

 The tug-of-war over folk music on the radio continues: the National Council's Telecommunications Commission (KVF) wants the folk music broadcasts on Radio DRS to be moved to digital radio (DAB) only once digital broadcasting has been secured nationwide. The KVF had invited SRG Director General Armin Walpen and Director Walter Rüegg from Schweizer Radio DRS to a discussion, as the decision to relocate folk music had led to criticism on various occasions. According to KVF, those responsible justified their decision on Tuesday by saying that they wanted to adapt programming to individualized listener behaviour and focus more on special-interest stations.
With this in mind, the Commission agreed to a concentration of folk music on the Musikwelle station if this would lead to an effective expansion of the folk music offering. It noted that alternative transmission options would have to be considered following the closure of the Beromünster medium wave station at the end of 2008.
Radio DRS did not wish to comment on Tuesday. As no details are yet available from the KVF, it is not yet possible to comment, said spokesman Andreas Notter at the request of SDA. Once more is known, the next steps will be discussed.

Guest commentary The fifth Sunday newspaper comes from Aargau. That's its plus point, says Christoph Grenacher, and the praise came from the east: "Thank you, dear people of Aargau." It wasn't for the moated castle, the energy canton, Feldschlösschen, Rüebli or the highway maintenance service. The thanks were for the Badenfahrt 2007, a ten-day festival with a little parade, special festival beer, a million visitors and the motto "World instead of Baden". "All the Züri-Fäscht, Street Parade, Dörflifäscht, Langstrassenfäscht and all the Hundsverlochete organizers in the city of Zurich can take a leaf out of their book," grumbled the laudator in the Zurich online service Ronorp. The test follows. AZ-Medien publisher Peter Wanner launches his Sunday newspaper - from Zurich's perspective in the front garden of the Swiss Desperate Housewives: in the Mittelland, a horrible hinterland for media specialists anyway. For them, the sun sets in the west; the rest is dark. But the future lives in Zurich.
That's why, as the chronicler hears these days from specialists in the media metropolis of Zurich, the matter is clear: no chance for the new child, no room for a new competitor, no money for campaigns in a provincial paper for the Limmat Valley, Aargau, Solothurn, the Basel region and perhaps soon also Central Switzerland. And anyway: what can they do there, in the West? A role model? I where!
But whoops: the new Sunday newspaper from Baden already has a total circulation of over 21,000 copies at its launch - that's already a good 10,000 copies more than the SonntagsZeitung. Come on, say the experts from the media city of Zurich, people in the Mittelland are only mediocre - if that: frustrated wives, overburdened fathers, small animal breeders, FC Aarau or EHC Olten fans and gas station shoppers. The best thing in the west, they moan, is the highway to Zurich.
But hello: the highway also has an opposite direction. It leads to the world instead of Zurich. The agglomeration settler has long since realized this. He settles along this main traffic axis, saves taxes and has space, and he doesn't have to buy a book to explain to his children what a cow is. Here, the air still smells good, Sundays are fun and life is full and largely free of dumpfis and stumpfis.

The new product is therefore no particular challenge for its midwife - even if it has the simple grace of not being produced in Zurich. Sonntag editor-in-chief Patrik Müller is almost flirtatious, pointing to the special journalistic perspective on the course of events when the view of the world is not directed from Zurich. And the fact that the youngster has filled almost half of the editorial positions with women can only serve to add to the Sunday variety.
So in future there will be a little less Zurich localism on Sundays. But a little more world instead of Baden. Hopefully.
> Christoph Grenacher was most recently editor-in-chief of the SonntagsBlick.
He is currently building up his own company in the field of communication.

 ICLP Loyalty, the Swiss branch of customer loyalty agency ICLP, has created five new positions this summer. With Romano Somazzi (formerly with Unisys) as the new IT Director, Alexander Daniele (formerly with Riu Hotels) as Business Development Manager and Denness D'Mello as Business Analyst, three experienced employees have joined the team, as detailed in a press release. Rätia Laeri and Cintia Navaerez will also contribute to the conception, design and implementation of customer loyalty measures as new Account Executives. New positions will also be created in the Data Analytics team over the coming months.

 The German Spiegel publishing house is currently negotiating an investment in the business newspaper Financial Times Deutschland. The British publishing group Pearson wants to sell its 50 percent stake to the Hamburg-based company, as Horizont.net reports. The contracts are said to be ready to be signed. However, there has been no official statement to date. Pearson has been publishing the Financial Times Deutschland since 2000 in a joint venture with the publishing house Gruner + Jahr. The paper has a paid circulation of 103,000 copies. According to Horizont.net, however, the title has so far proved to be a loss-maker.

 As part of the Millennium Villages project, the United Nations is equipping 79 villages in ten African countries with state-of-the-art mobile phone technology. According to the UN, a total of half a million "the poorest of the poor" will soon be able to use cell phones, reports Pressetext.ch. The primary aim is not to distribute cell phones, but to provide technical infrastructure that is primarily intended to promote local economic, social and cultural development. "As a side effect, this also benefits the economy of the donor countries," explains Michael Obrovsky from the Austrian Research Institute for International Development. The fact that the donor countries benefit is the most likely effect of the project. However, it is still uncertain whether this gesture will be of direct benefit to "the poorest of the poor". They will soon be able to order a pizza without any problems, but how they will pay for the meal remains an open question. It's a shame that cell phones and antennas taste so bad.

 Migros is taking a playful approach to promoting the products in its "Twist" range. In the "Twist Game", players can win shopping vouchers and a party followed by a cleaning service worth 4,000 francs. The players have to clean the dirty floor without being caught by the nasty dirt balls. The game was realized by the communications agency Nothing From Outer Space, which had already implemented the "Grillburger Hero" game for Migros.

 According to a survey of managers, a company's reputation is an important factor in its success. New survey data from the Austrian Society for Market Research (OGM) and the PR agency Trimedia show that company reputation has the greatest influence on customer loyalty for 34 percent of top managers. However, the factors that influence reputation have changed. Two years ago, 86% of the 300 managers from Switzerland, Austria and Germany were of the opinion that the behavior of the CEO played a major role in this regard, but now only 76% are of this opinion. In addition to economic performance (71%), employee behavior (66%) is now often cited as a key influencing factor. "This not only confirms once again the thesis of the employee as an important ambassador for the company, it also verifies our experience that professional internal communication is becoming an increasingly important task for companies," comments Martin Zahner, CEO of Trimedia Switzerland, on this result. The social and ecological responsibility of companies, keyword Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), is considered to be of great or very great importance for a company's reputation by as many as 43 percent of those surveyed. As the communications agency Trimedia writes in its report published on Tuesday, reputation is more than just a company's image. It is basically about the goodwill that a company receives from its stakeholders.