Food Futurecom has opened the door to the new JaMaDu world for Coop on the Internet.
Thousands of lines of code, a huge illustration and animation gallery and 15 storybooks form the foundations on which Futurecom has built the newly launched JaMaDu world for Coop. The trilingual Internet platform introduces children to the topic of "Growing up healthy" in a playful way, supplemented with applications on other topics. It thus supports and deepens the philosophy of the Coop label JaMaDu, a program for children between the ages of four and nine, at the online level. Around three and a half months after a crowd of children named the red Vari JaMaDu as their mascot, the little half-ape is making the big leap onto the Internet.The game platform represents the home of the red Vari, the island of Madagascar. It comprises ten online games and three download sites - a mixture of educational appeal and good entertainment. Coop's clear mission and the central idea behind the concept is that the JaMaDu platform should encourage children to engage in activities that have nothing to do with computers. Almost all games offer the option of printing out instructions or an idea that enriches children's everyday lives independently of online experiences.
The games on the JaMaDu platform range from SchlarAffenland to the jungle quiz or calculating with JaMaDu to the JaMaDu story, the continuation of which children can vote on online. The elaborate centerpiece of the platform is "My Island," where children can design their own patch of earth by exchanging points they have already won with plants, animals and other objects, and have to maintain their island in line with the Tamagotchi principle. In addition, you can download craft tips and coloring templates or print out a new small part of a life-size JaMaDu poster every week.
All applications except "My Island" can be used with or without login. Those who log in have the advantage of being able to collect points and have a personal user profile.
Futurecom designed and implemented the JaMaDu World in intensive collaboration with Coop. The agency is responsible for the development of the platform concept, the design and the programming of the JaMaDu world. This is being continuously expanded. "With a lot of heart and soul, strong nerves and a good dialog, we have managed to move real mountains or islands together," says Michael Bietenhader, Head of Projects Customer Programs at Coop about this collaboration with Futurecom.
The JaMaDu platform is also impressive from a technical perspective: Futurecom ensured with a selected team of programmers that the complex project would be functional and viable. With thousands of lines of code, the platform was implemented in a modular and object-oriented way based on Microsoft.NET 2.0 and Adobe Flash 8.
Andreas Panzeri

Column Upheavals in the media market are jeopardizing major brands. But the opposite is also true: the performance of brands is more important than ever, especially under tougher conditions. Consumer habits appear to be changing dramatically. Production processes are changing radically. New channels threaten to sideline traditional media. The search field for future-oriented business models is frighteningly broad and nebulous. International challenges are frightening. And historically evolved industry structures are being destroyed on a global scale.the tip of this threatening iceberg now has a name: Murdoch. And the most recently threatened Titanic is called the Wall Street Journal. The NZZ is torn: "In principle, the media industry is not exempt from innovations that go hand in hand with changes in ownership structures," it reassures itself. Nevertheless, it sees above all the dangers of such takeovers: "The danger posed by Murdoch is quite simply that in future years he will sacrifice the standard and unruly tradition of the Wall Street Journal to global market success."
Profit maximization therefore threatens to destroy product quality - this is the astonishing fear of the liberal conscience from Zurich. Actually, the opposite logic is one of the fundamental tenets of those who firmly believe in the virtues of capitalism.
The question of interest here: Do the current upheavals in the media market, including the above-mentioned and globally observable changes of ownership, jeopardize the brands that exist in the media market? What will remain of the iconic Wall Street Journal brand if Murdoch destroys journalistic independence and the quality of the product with his infamous "hands-on editorial approach" (Financial Times)?
In view of the mood of crisis, it must first be remembered that the major brands in the media industry have long been among the real power brands in their respective environments. Locally, regionally or globally. Which other brands do we habitually follow on a daily basis when it comes to finding our way in the world? Which other brands do we trust so unquestioningly when it comes to assessing developments around us - be it developments in world affairs or local entertainment at the weekend? And which other brands do we identify with as expressively as we do with the daily newspaper under our arm? All of this defines strong brands and accounts for their value, which is likely to be in excess of 1 billion US dollars for the major players in the industry.
However, the dangers for media brands seem depressing. What will become of the orientation if the idea behind the brand becomes blurred and is sacrificed on the altar of profit maximization that is devoid of content and substance? How can we trust the different expressions of these brands when we hear more and more that content is being created in overarching editorial pools in order to cut costs and is now only available on different user interfaces? And what are we still supposed to identify with when every anchor, every face is lost in the jungle of shuffled ownership structures, when the content-driven publisher is replaced by the cool media manager?
The conclusion seems ambivalent. The upheavals in the media sector are obviously jeopardizing the major media brands. At the same time, the opposite is also true: especially under the conditions of the current upheavals, the benefits of brands for media users and the value of brands for their owners in the media industry are - would be? - the performance of brands for media users and the value of brands for their owners in the media industry are more important than ever. Perhaps this is why Murdoch has realized that the strength of the Wall Street Journal brand "...is no esoteric nicety but is instead core to the future value of Dow Jones" (Financial Times).
Jürgen Häusler is CEO of the Interbrand, Zintzmeier and Lux Group in Zurich and honorary professor at the University of Leipzig

 The marketer Goldbach Media is expanding its management with an additional position for logistics, processes and compliance. As of September 1, the post will be taken over by Markus Rusterholz, who previously served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of subsidiary Adlink Internet Media and was responsible for product management. Rusterholz will support Goldbach Media in the development of cross-media and cross-company systems and processes, according to a statement. With the ongoing convergence and digitalization of advertising media, the development and provision of cross-media systems has become an increasingly critical factor for success in the advertising industry, it adds. As part of the further development of network-based planning and booking systems, the company will benefit from Rusterholz's many years of experience in the field of media-specific system development.

Screen advertising The European Football Championship offers new opportunities for advertisers: Local companies are now also getting their chance at public broadcasting venues.
Marketer Publisuisse has announced that it will market the screen advertising in the so-called UBS arenas during the 2008 European Football Championship. The major bank, sponsor of Euro 08, will be showing the football matches on the big screen at 17 locations. The Biel-based company Perron8 is organizing the fan events. SRG signals must be used to broadcast the football matches, as SRG is the official broadcaster for Switzerland, designated by Uefa as the host broadcaster, in accordance with the requirements of the European Football Association. According to the agreement between the partners involved, namely Uefa, SRG and the event agency Perron8, this regulation applies exclusively to the actual broadcast, i.e. to the football matches themselves - but not to the supporting program. In the arenas, a separate program with atmospheric images from the venue, background reports, summaries and interviews can therefore flicker across the screen. Publisuisse markets the advertising on the screens in the context of these programs. One restriction is that the ten minutes before and five minutes after the match, as well as the half-time break, are reserved for Uefa sponsors.
Additional advertising opportunityBut won't the advertising customers of the SRG programs pay twice if they have to book separate advertising for the screenings on big screens? "No," answers Manuela Gerber, Project Manager Uefa Euro 2008 at Publisuisse. "This is an additional offer that we can make to the Swiss advertising industry." The advertising on the screens in the arenas has nothing to do with the TV advertising in the SRG programs: on the one hand, advertisers can reach their target group at home, and on the other hand, other target groups at public viewing, i.e. watching the games together outside the home. As these are totally different offers, there are also no advertising combinations for the SRG programs and the UBS Arena.
Publisuisse assumes that home use and public viewing are different audiences. Gerber does not expect football fans to watch all matches outside the home, but estimates that they will use the offerings in the arenas as an additional option. Based on experience from the 2006 FIFA World Cup, a younger audience with a high proportion of women can be expected to visit the UBS arenas, who are unlikely to watch the individual matches only at home.
Publisuisse markets the arenas nationally, regionally and locally. Manuela Gerber assumes that advertising in the UBS Arena could also be of particular interest to customers who do not usually advertise on TV, as well as to local companies that would not advertise on regional TV. "The arenas offer both the baker in Thun and the garage owner in Lugano the opportunity to advertise around the Uefa Euro 2008," explains Gerber.
Large crowds expectedThe UBS arenas hold a total of 114,000 people per game. The arenas vary in size and can accommodate between 4,000 and 10,000 spectators. Gerber cannot make any precise predictions as to how many people will watch the games at home and how many at public events. Publisuisse will carry out a performance review and provide the clients with exact attendance figures after the matches.
The Mediapulse research service estimates that up to 20 percent of viewers also watched matches outside the home during last year's World Cup (see box). The composition of the audience is likely to change for the upcoming Euro 08: The championship at home and the large number of fans traveling from abroad could lead to even greater popularity for big screen screenings. Last year, the World Cup already provided Swiss television with dream ratings. It achieved a market share of 67.9 percent for the final match. However, the most popular matches were those involving Switzerland, which attracted up to 1.7 million viewers. However, these figures only apply to those football fans who watched the matches at home. Until now, the use of public viewing has not been measured precisely. However, the advertising industry will probably have to come to terms with the fact that at least part of the public viewing offer is no longer free.
According to a survey conducted on behalf of Mediapulse, four out of five Swiss people watched the Football World Cup on television in 2006. 17% of these viewers also watched matches outside their own homes, i.e. at friends' houses, in restaurants or in front of large screens. For matches involving the Swiss national team and various matches in the final round in particular, up to around 20% of additional viewing took place outside of private households. The Telecontrol measurement system used in television research in Switzerland only records TV usage in private households. In order to obtain more precise data on the viewing of World Cup broadcasts in public areas, the results from Radiocontrol research were therefore used. According to Markus Jedele, Head of Television Research at Mediapulse AG, the research company is currently examining whether it will measure the use of public viewing next year during Euro 08. A decision should be made by the end of the year. 
Marketing in the host cities Basel, Bern, Geneva and Zurich will also act as so-called host cities during Euro 08, independently of the UBS arenas. Werbewoche has asked who will be responsible for marketing the advertising blocks during the public screenings of the football matches in these cities.
Western Switzerland is ahead of the game: a contract was signed with the Geneva-based company Nepsa back in 2005. This company takes care of the fan zone and the marketing of advertising time. Offers are currently available from
the Uefa sponsors, who have the right of first refusal. Negotiations with other advertising partners will then begin.
In Basel, the Euro 08 project management will market the advertising blocks of the Uefa sponsors itself in a first phase. From October at the earliest, the remaining screen time will be sold to other partners in a second phase, including four Host City sponsors yet to be defined. According to project manager Christoph Bosshardt, it is not yet clear who will take over this marketing on behalf of Host City.
The project management in Zurich also does not yet know who will be responsible for marketing the advertising blocks in the official fan zone. The EM 08 Zurich association will be founded on August 23, 2007 and the operator of the fan zone will be determined in September or October.
In Bern, it has also not yet been decided who will be responsible for marketing the advertising blocks, according to Marcel Brülhart from the Euro 2008 Bern project.
Carole Scheidegger

Video on demand Pay for what you have already paid for: A new Internet video library rents out films for a fee that have already been co-financed by SRG with license fee money. Audience interest is limited.
For ten days now, Swiss television SF has also been an online video library. Like its sister channels TSR and TSI in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, SF offers a dozen feature films, documentaries and short films for download on its website. As in a real video store, a rental fee is charged and the film does not have to be returned, but it can only be viewed for 48 hours. This usage period is programmed into the digital film file that is downloaded from the Internet. "No additional income "The films are works whose production was co-financed by the SRG as part of the so-called Pacte de l'audiovisuel. It is therefore all the more astonishing that viewers are being asked to pay to watch them. After all, they are the ones who made it possible to finance the films in the first place with part of their reception fees. Every year, almost CHF 20 million from the SRG budget is currently spent on film production via pacte. This amount has more than doubled in the last ten years.
However, SRG does not accept the view that users of the new online video library will have to pay twice for the same service. "According to the provisions of the law, we are permitted to charge money for such an additional service. This income does not even come close to covering our costs. We therefore do not generate any additional income with video-on-demand films," says SRG spokesperson Daniel Steiner.
The rental fee for a feature film, such as the army movie "Achtung, fertig, Charlie!", is six francs. Around half of this goes towards the technical implementation of the new service. The other half is shared by the rights holders of the film and the Pacte de l'audiovisuel, where the money is used for the production of new works. Nevertheless, an amount of six francs for what is on offer seems to be at the upper limit. All the more so when you consider that the aforementioned film "Achtung, fertig, Charlie!" is available on DVD in stores for sixteen francs. For the extra charge compared to SF's online offer, the DVD offers unlimited use as well as additional and background information on the film.
A trial for the time beingSRG has declared the new online video library to be a "trial". In January 2008, those responsible want to go over the books and decide whether and in what form the service should be continued. "The SRG's desired goal," says Daniel Steiner, "is to make all films that are financed and produced as part of the Pacte de l'audiovisuel available to the public via video on demand."
Whether this goal will ever be achieved depends not least on viewer acceptance of the service. One week after the launch, those responsible are still unable to provide any precise figures. Beat Schneider, director of the SRG subsidiary Swisstxt and responsible for the technical implementation of the online video library, only knows of 110 films downloaded within the first 36 hours of the launch.
The number of users who have looked at the SF, TSR and TSI websites - without renting a movie - is far higher: More than 8300 people have clicked on a site a total of 155,000 times since August 6, probably including numerous people with an Apple computer. All they can do is click around on the website. Films can only be downloaded and viewed if you have a computer with a Windows operating system and playback program. Whether this restriction remains in place will also be the subject of an evaluation after the trial phase in six months' time, according to SRG.
It can also be freeWhile SRG defends the pricing policy of its new online video library, its public service colleagues from Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) in Hamburg show that it can also be free.
Since the end of May, the multi-award-winning feature film "Gegen die Wand" by German-Turkish director Fatih Akin, which was co-financed by NDR, has been available to watch on the broadcaster's website. Free of charge and with no restrictions on the technical infrastructure. All you need is a computer with Internet access.
The only restriction: to protect young people, the movie can only be watched online after 8pm. The majority of the audience is enthusiastic, as can be read in numerous discussion forums on the Internet. But there are also critical voices. They suspect that the offer is merely a ploy by public television to retroactively legitimize the broadcasting reception fee for Internet computers introduced last year.
 
Nick Lüthi

Mobile Saatchi & Saatchi Simko advertises Orange with other brands. Top creatives don't think very highly of testimonial campaigns. They are labeled as "not creative". Saatchi & Saatchi Simko, however, sees things differently. For the Lake Geneva-based advertisers, the testimonial is not dead. On the contrary, for the mobile phone giant Orange, they are even reinventing the frowned-upon form of advertising. Instead of advertising with celebrities and pointed statements, the creatives are turning the tables. They let brands have their say. Not just any brands, but global brands like Puma, McDonald's, Campari and Coop. All of these companies have business relationships with the mobile pioneer. For Beat Baumgartner, Head of Marketing at Orange Switzerland, the selected brands are a good fit for Orange because they convey a progressive image. "The values of our partners fit and complement those of Orange perfectly," says Baumgartner.
The key product of the respective partner is shown as the campaign visual. This is accompanied by a headline that shows a new perspective that stands for the business segment. Strategy head Martin Fritsche of Saatchi & Saatchi Simko: "Brands have a much more complex story than people. Many more aspects can be conveyed with them than with personalities." For Fritsche, who recently moved from TBWA to Saatchi & Saatchi Simko, the campaign is also a good example of modern brand management. That's because you convey a new message to recipients with the help of other brands, he says. Vertical and horizontal brand management thus come into play.
Fritsche is convinced that the campaign is also still interesting because it does not simply convey "phone emotions" but shows at a high level that Orange and its partners stand for strong business.
With the campaign, Orange not only wants to build up a positive image with wit and charm, but also position itself attractively among business customers in the country. "We have noticed that Orange is not perceived enough in the business sector," says Beat Baumgartner. Yet Orange has decisively expanded its business segment with the integration of the two companies Equant and Etrali and wants to catch up with market leader Swisscom. The campaign ended this August after a runtime of six weeks. It was advertised exclusively in the business-oriented press.
Christian Lüscher

 Swiss radio station DRS 1 is banning popular music from its program. Instead, the station will be strengthening its information and background programs in the coming year and will be broadcasting more radio plays. From February 2008, popular music will be heard exclusively on the DRS Musigwälle channel, as announced by Swiss Radio DRS officials on Wednesday, according to SDA. This affects programs such as "Gratulations" and "Fiirabigmusig". They will be moved from DRS 1 to Musigwälle, which can only be received via DAB and cable. In return, the makers of DRS 1 are extending the "Espresso" program, and the news program "Heute Morgen" will no longer only be broadcast on weekdays, but now also on Saturday mornings.
Because various programs are being moved to the DRS Musigwälle, there are also other changes in the program grid of the first station: The new program
"Treffpunkt Leben" will focus on social issues in the morning, an audio book magazine will be introduced on Monday evenings and the children's program will be extended by half an hour. With the new program elements, Radio DRS wants to emphasize the strengths of DRS 1 and the medium of radio in general, as Christoph Gebel, program director of the station, told SDA.
"Today, radio must differentiate itself from customizable offerings on the Internet through content and its live character." Radio Director Walter Rüegg placed the relocation of the vocal programs to DRS Musigwälle in a larger context: it is important to clearly position the future six programs of Radio DRS in the market. At the request of SDA, Hanspeter Gautschin, Managing Director of IG Volkskultur, criticized the new broadcasting slot for folk music. He is of the opinion that folk music is losing weight with the shift to DRS Musigwälle. Gautschin criticized in particular the current music profile of DRS Musigwälle. Today, it focuses on popular hits, which have little to do with folk music.

With his company Snap Film and Fern Media Solutions, Michael Kindermann has launched the first platform in Second Life for professional film and advertising companies. The action in Michael Kindermann's first life would actually be exciting enough. Especially as the first feature film project will soon be celebrating its premiere. "This feature film is just an exclusive hobby. A passion. Almost every commercial filmmaker dreams of it at some point." And so he was inspired by the idea by director Luzius Rüedi, who is also in the directing pool of Kindermann's Snap Film. It remains to be seen whether the fiction will continue later. The only thing that is certain is that this passion for art should inspire the advertising company creatively, but not affect it in business terms. "For further feature films, we would have to spin off a new company from my Snap Film," explains Kindermann. 
Advertising therefore remains his first life, even if there is also a premiere to report here in the Second Life area. "The complete showreel and the corporate films can be seen on Snap Film, and a wonderful short film is showing in the island cinema," Kindermann enthuses about his presence in Second Life. Lara (http://slurl.com/ secondlife/lara/82/178/58) is the name of the island. It is to become the first platform in Second Life for professional companies from the Swiss film, media and advertising industry. Kindermann developed the idea together with Stefan Keller and his Fern Media Solutions. Both virtual islanders are convinced that Second Life is an important medium of the future through which companies will soon be able to present their projects. Various companies are already showing interest in Kindermann's Lara Island. "A joint presence makes sense, you are lost alone in Second Life," Kindermann is convinced.
Alone or in a group? That was also the question when Michael Kindermann founded his Snap Film AG in November 2003. Here, however, it remained best for him to manage his advertising film production on his own. "My customers appreciate the fact that I always take care of their orders personally." Another advantage is that Snap Film can react "very quickly and flexibly". As a producer, Kindermann works with a director pool of almost 30 internationally active directors. A few well-known directors are also German, who are represented exclusively by Kindermann in Switzerland. Old companions with whom he has gained good experience in the course of his 15-year career as a commercial filmmaker.
Michael Kindermann already knew in secondary school that he wanted to work in film one day. He grew up in Belgium and then did his A-levels in Bonn. As family tradition would have it, he then started studying mining. He also completed a three-month internship "underground". After two semesters in Aachen, however, he decided "that the family tradition must now come to an end". A cousin who worked as an actress in Hamburg was not innocent in this decision. She opened the door to the industry for him with the address of an advertising film production company.
"Film and advertising together, that sounds good," Kindermann said to himself, signed up for an internship and worked his way up to assistant on major films over the next three years. During a summer course at a film school in New York, he later met an important person from Final Touch. This was followed by four more years at this renowned production company in Hamburg. Kindermann was allowed to do his compulsory military service with the army film unit, where he learned even more about how to do things with a big ladle.
Kindermann is a passionate producer. Only once did he succumb to the temptation to take on the role of director himself. That was at a time when many producers wanted to please themselves in this role. The results were one reason why Kindermann very quickly abandoned the desire to be part of this "crowd". He much preferred to let himself be challenged for two years by the development work of the newly founded company Sterntag Film. From there, he switched to a production in Switzerland. Kindermann worked as production manager at Pumpkin Film in Zurich for three years until he fulfilled his long-standing dream, "took a bit of money in his hand" and wanted to "jump in at the deep end" with his own company.
Snap Film got off to a good start with its first order, a cinema spot for Credit Suisse, followed by films for Klubschule Migros and Carlsberg. Since then, the young company has worked for almost all the major agencies in Switzerland. Snap Film has recently made a name for itself with the "Bravo" commercials for the Federal Office of Public Health. Together with the agency By Heart, funny little films were used to publicize the fact that ETH Zurich, the Yverdon Gymnastics Club and the Hotel Europe in Lucerne have created smoke-free rooms in the service of public health. Kindermann is also proud of the current Carlsberg commercial. This is being used in sixteen countries. Incarom, commissioned by Publicis, is also a major story with eight films.
Last year, Michael Kindermann launched his own competition to make himself even better known in the industry. In his Snap Film Contest, young creatives can submit a script for a commercial, which is then realized by various professionals from the Snap Film portfolio and posted online as a viral film. The contest is to be held again this late fall.
In addition to his two children, Michael Kindermann still loves the movies. A bag of golf clubs usually stands around unused. Instead, as a "true European" with Belgian roots, a German education and Swiss residency, he enjoys having interesting conversations across as many borders as possible.
Andreas Panzeri

Nostalgia Collectors' hearts beat faster. Exclusively and only at McDonald's, until September 23, every Menu Plus or Caesar Salad menu comes with a trendy Coca-Cola glass as a gift. Each week in a new color and in the design of the legendary glass from 1904, the idea already caused a sensation last year. Now TBWA Switzerland has ensured a sequel with an appealing TV commercial adaptation.

Underwear The Zurich-based creative agency p formance has designed a highly symbolic image campaign for the underwear manufacturer ISA bodywear.
Swissness that (almost) gets under your skin. ISA bodywear is a traditional family-run Swiss company that has developed into one of the leading underwear manufacturers on the Swiss market since it was founded in 1849. The Zurich-based creative agency P formance developed a value model for ISA bodywear that is based on the core values of Switzerland, tradition and family. The advertisers believe that ISA bodywear can set itself apart from the competition with the values of Switzerland and tradition, as the Swissline is produced entirely in Switzerland, and the agency worked with photographer Julien Vonier to develop the Tell and Helvetia campaign subjects, which are now being used nationally by BG Media as poster subjects.
 
Andreas Panzeri 

 Sacha Wigdorovits, initiator of the free newspaper .ch, is not worried about the new commuter newspaper competition from Tamedia, Basler Zeitung Medien and Espace Media: "This doesn't affect us at all. We've known for some time that something was being planned. We discussed it in the Board of Directors and came to the conclusion that it is not relevant for us, because we have a completely different business model. Firstly, we produce a quality newspaper and secondly, we distribute 70 percent of our circulation via home delivery." The advantage of home distribution is that you get to the customers first: "We reach people first with a free quality product. That's an unbeatable advantage," says Wigdorovits. He also doesn't see it as a disadvantage that the other free newspapers, unlike .ch, have large publishing houses behind them: "On the contrary. This makes us faster, more innovative and more service-oriented."

Public transport Ruf Lanz argues the case for VBZ with Greenpeace and a politically incorrect commercial. First things first: Ruf Lanz uses an amazing campaign to show how environmentally friendly VBZ vehicles are. Using the example of original images "generously provided by Greenpeace", as Danielle Lanz expresses her gratitude, the audience is given a demonstration: As an environmentalist, you can either sit in front of large vehicles. Or inside them every day. Because if you travel with VBZ, you have less of an impact on the environment. This applies not only to the streetcars, but also to the buses. In addition to the electronically powered trolleybuses, VBZ has been using particle filters and practically sulphur-free diesel since 1989. The environment is not neglected in the maintenance of the vehicles either: thanks to gentle care products and washing lanes with reconditioning facilities. The politically committed subjects appear as advertisements and posters, and Ruf Lanz and VBZ also presented a commercial this summer that was less politically committed than incorrect. This caused much amusement among the audience at the Orange Cinema on the lake. And "caused quite a stir in Zurich during the sour-pickle period", as Markus Ruf is naturally pleased to report. The background: On average, there is a bus stop every 300 meters in the city of Zurich. Ruf Lanz dramatized this advantage for her long-standing client VBZ with a funny joke about three South American street musicians. Dressed in their typical poncho outfits and sombreros, they board a VBZ streetcar and play the well-known "La cucaracha" at a ludicrously fast tempo. After all, the passengers could get off the tram in Zurich in 300 meters...
Shortly after the premiere, the commercial even made it onto the front page of 20 Minuten under the headline "VBZ make fun of sombrero musicians". Consul Manuel Diaz Lerma from the Mexican embassy in Bern wondered what the Mexican population thought of the film. As a regular moviegoer, CD Markus Ruf said: "The most important thing is what the audience at the Kino am See thinks, because that's the target group for the commercial. And they reacted very positively." He also believes that South American musicians in Zurich have been part of everyday life in the streetcars for years, wearing a folklore look and thus deliberately playing on the cliché of colorful, cheerful people. "Why shouldn't advertising be allowed to take up this reality with a wink?"
The commercial produced by Rosas 'n' Co is now well on its way to becoming a cult hit. Bloggers have placed the nimble sombrero troupe on several video portals such as YouTube. And the 20-minute survey "Have VBZ gone too far?" produced a clear result: 76% answered no.
Andreas Panzeri