Peter Krebs, the previous editor-in-chief of the SBB travel magazine Via, is leaving the company. In future, the magazine will be produced by the Infel communications agency. Krebs did not like the agency's ideas for redesigning the magazine. "I have renounced my post," Krebs confirmed to SDA an article in the Tages-Anzeiger on Wednesday. Krebs is moving to the VCS publication Leonardo. His two part-time employees are also quitting Via.
The outgoing editor-in-chief has developed and shaped the magazine over the past ten years. According to him, the SBB customer magazine is to be changed "in the direction of a superficial advertising postilla. The spirit of the magazine and the proven line, which has focused on quality and substance, would be lost in the process.
Paul Widmer, Deputy Managing Director of Infel and Via Project Manager, on the other hand, told SDA that there would be no new concept, but merely a refresh. Graphically, not much will be changed, but the images in particular will be fresher.
The designated new editor-in-chief is Simon Bühler, who previously headed the gastronomy magazine Salz und Pfeffer, Widmer said.
The contracts for the production of Via are limited in time and, according to SBB spokesman Roland Binz, are usually put out to public tender by SBB every three years. The last time this happened was in June 2006, when the Infel communications agency was awarded the contract in December. Vogt-Schild Verlag retains printing and logistics.

International Advertising CUP (ICAC) competition is an event in which advertising à la "hairdresser around the corner" is honored. The concept aims to make it possible for local creativity, which does not require media budgets in the millions, to compete internationally. Like the America's Cup, the Champions League for local advertisers takes place in Valencia. A total of 39 trophies will be handed out in November. The event is promoted with a T-shirt.

Madeleine Linter is Chief Corporate Development at Affichage and therefore the point of contact for all forward-looking ideas relating to posters. APG has been successfully gluing paper for over 100 years. If you look at the developments that have turned the communications industry upside down over all these years, Madeleine Linter can only marvel at how "the same USPs are still effective" with posters. You have to ask yourself: in what period of time is an innovation relevant? 
At Affichage, the aim is to take a pragmatic approach to innovation in line with customer requirements. The simple question is: What will happen in the next three years? For the somewhat more complicated answer, Affichage set up Project Pi in 2006. This think tank is not institutionalized as a department, but is "open to anyone who would like to make their mark with an idea". Madeleine Linter is responsible for collecting, evaluating and finally passing on the ideas correctly.
 
As Chief Corporate Development, Linter is responsible for the entire Group and works on two different tracks. In addition to Project Pi, she also advises the holding company on its expansion abroad. Affichage has already acquired various companies in Italy, Romania and Greece. Where the development will go next must of course remain a secret during the evaluation phase.
 
Linter's second track is more open. Anyone can take part in Project Pi. Advertising agencies can come with new requests. Technical providers want to install new hardware for APG. Salespeople can also implement unusual ideas for their customers. Ultimately, everyone has to make a contribution to Pi in the search for meaning: What is a relevant technological development?
 
"So it's not about us carrying out invention and research ourselves," says Linter, explaining the principle. APG also does not want to decide which technology will survive in the future. "I'm not a clairvoyant and I don't know whether it will be the LED screen, plasma or LCD." However, Linter is clear about her mission: all APG employees must be trained "so that none of these new technologies can scare us". The company also wants to keep pace with developments for its customers. "If someone comes to APG and wants something, we'll do it."
 
A poster with a built-in screen on which a trailer for the Bond film "Casino Royal" could be played has already been realized. Another Pi project was a cross-media campaign in which Switzerland was asked to choose a new capital city. The project caused quite a stir and has since been evaluated as part of a thesis at the University of Zurich. An e-board auction in Zurich's main railway station, scented posters in Aarau and a public game contest on the e-board are further experiments with which Pi has gained valuable experience for the future. So far, the ideas have been contributed by a product manager, employees from procurement, IT specialists and the e-advertising subsidiary.
 
If an employee wants to carry out such an innovation for a customer, the project is allocated a budget. Hardware and software must be organized by the experimenters themselves. Pi then requires documentation and, if possible, research in the market for feedback to the customer. Finally, a recommendation is drawn up internally: Should the innovation be offered further or not? How much will it cost? What is the lead time? The well-traveled Madeleine Linter knows that Switzerland has "a handicap in terms of outdoor advertising and innovation due to the extremely strict restrictions". In Asia, three-dimensional cars can be hung on the wall. In Germany, in the World Cup year, goalkeeper Olli Kahn was seen running across the width of the highway in the form of a gigantic doll. In many countries, entire bridges can be covered with electronic posters. For Linter in Switzerland, however, it is a proud challenge that APG simply has to come up with even more ingenious innovations with Project Pi. "We have to operate within a discreet framework. The technology we use is more sophisticated. We are less conspicuous. But we do it more perfectly - because it's more discreet."
 
Madeleine Linter first joined Affichage in 2000 as an external consultant. When the subsidiary E-Advertising was founded, she was hired as interim manager. From there, she finally moved into Corporate Development in 2006.
 
At the very beginning of her career, today's manager of the future wanted to become an archaeologist. When she realized that she would hardly be able to excavate pharaohs in Egypt, but could at best write on bones in a museum, she switched to forestry. However, even during her studies, she was made aware that she could "at best become a cantonal civil servant". So she ended up studying economics in St. Gallen and later qualified as a lawyer. Linter worked at the Zurich High Court and also completed a Master of Comparative Law at the University of San Diego. As the lawyer realized that she would much rather approach problems in a constructive way like an economist, when she received an offer from McKinsey she immediately felt: "This is the leap!"
 
At the "nation's cadre factory", she learned that management also means making unpopular decisions. That was the time of major staff cuts. Linter later joined the strategy team for the sales of international companies. This brought her to McKinsey in Milan. From there, a love affair finally led her to Bolzano. There she spent six months playing golf. But that bored her. Linter founded her own consulting firm and wanted to give more importance to dealing with people. Her Lexington Company specialized in training employees to stay on even after an inevitable restructuring. This also worked in her own company when Linter, with her commitment to Affichage, was able to sell her start-up, which now has 30 employees, in such a way that Lexington is still successful.
 
Andreas Panzeri

Gummibärchen Zogg Kettiger Gasser has realized a cinema spot for Haribo at Circus Roncalli. Clowns touch us the most when they are really sad. This dramaturgical wisdom is also the concept behind the first Swiss cinema spot for Haribo. David Larible is the most famous clown in Germany and has already made an appearance in the Hollywood film "Ocean's Eleven". He now plays the leading role in the new Haribo cinema spot by Zogg Kettiger Gasser.  
The subtle story takes place in the circus. The clown is preparing for his performance in the saddle tent. But somehow he is not in the mood. He tries to cheer himself up by making jokes. But he doesn't succeed. A girl from the circus troupe sees the sad clown and slips him a bag of Haribo Gold Bears. The clown smiles and the spell is broken. The clown is ready for his performance. The curtain to the ring is held open for him by none other than the original Haribo Gold Bears.
 
CD Max Winiger is proud that Zogg Kettiger Gasser has now been able to shoot its first film following the print campaigns for Haribo and double-page ads in the Sunday press over the last three years. When it came to the story, Winiger was primarily thinking about its impact in the cinema. "The story itself is simple. But we wanted to tell it in big pictures." Of course, with a market leader like Haribo, the agency also had to take into account some specifications from the head office in Bonn. In Germany, the commercials are characterized by Thomas Gottschalk. His films are mainly aimed at kids. With the new commercial from Switzerland, Haribo also wants to appeal more to adults. "Gummy bears are cult and are becoming increasingly popular - for example as an alternative to salty snacks at an aperitif," says Winiger.
 
For this trendy scene, the film also features a hip director. Micheel Nwaisser belongs to a new, young generation and has just received a creative award for a Panasonic cinema spot in New York.
 
The Haribo commercial was shot at Circus Roncalli in Düsseldorf on 35 mm in high definition. Producer Martin Bayerl: "We had perfect conditions. With a single radio appeal and a free ticket as a thank you, we were able to mobilize 300 extras."
 
The music and soundtrack were recorded in Zurich at the Selmi recording studio.
 
The commercial has been showing in all Swiss cinemas since June and will also be shown in the large open-air summer cinemas in Zurich, Basel, Bern and Geneva.
 
Andreas Panzeri

With its special supplement on Switzerland, *Der Spiegel* magazine is perpetuating many—far too many—clichés. It’s probably mainly Germans who want to read it. You couldn’t write more out of touch with the target audience—that’s the quick and unanimous verdict on the first and, for now, only issue of a Swiss supplement to the «magazine of all magazines» from Hamburg. The Matterhorn on the cover, Christoph Blocher under the axe of his Hodler-style lumberjack, Zurich’s Paradeplatz (illustrating the bastion of banking secrecy), the Swiss Guard in Rome (featuring the madman—already printed a thousand times—who tries in vain to leap onto the popemobile), DJ Bobo as a UN ambassador in Ethiopia, a belching (methane-emitting) cow on Uri soil: the accumulation of clichés is downright oppressive when you first flip through the pages. The title “Switzerland: World Power” may give those locals a sense of (belated) satisfaction who, until now, have tended to see themselves portrayed by the German magazine as reactionary, stiff, and overly proper. It’s possible that the editorial team itself realized that the distant little country of Switzerland, on the periphery of the EU, has never before made it to the front page of *Der Spiegel* with a feature story.Professional as AlwaysDespite all the clichés, the supplement is presented with the Spiegel’s customary professional understatement; the texts are carefully researched and authentic. In the editorial, the authors—much like expedition leaders in a dangerous jungle—also comment on the circumstances surrounding their investigations. (Editor Mathieu von Rohr, for example, had to show up at seven in the morning for an interview with early riser Blocher), yet the issue lacks the hallmark of *Der Spiegel*—a surprising revelation. With its Swiss debut, the editorial team is cautiously—and, so to speak, on unfamiliar ground—working toward international understanding. It picks up where the *Blick*’s series—launched at the beginning of the year—left off, with an exclusive survey on the “invasion” of Germans in Switzerland, concluding that the cliché about the poor relationship between the Swiss and the Germans isn’t all that bad. After all, 88 percent of Swiss people consider Germans to be hospitable. A two-page infographic illustrates what has made this small Alpine country an international economic power. Spiegel correspondents have tracked down and profiled Swiss citizens living abroad in Rwanda, North Korea, China, Israel, the U.S., Russia, and northern India—and, of course, the experiences of Swiss expatriates in Germany are also featured.
 
Nor is there any shortage of opinion leaders, primarily from the business world. Top executives speak quite candidly about the pros and cons of Switzerland as a business location in an international context (Vasella, Brabeck, Hayek, Jacobs, Ospel)—in a way they might not necessarily do so with the Swiss print media. The supplement, which can also be read as a sort of handbook for Germans in Switzerland, naturally also addresses the topic of banking secrecy. Why, however, the Swiss Guard is being brought up again remains incomprehensible, given the seemingly endless series of local media articles already published to mark its anniversary. The role of Russian billionaire and investor Viktor Vekselberg—along with his nimble advisor and former ambassador Thomas Borer—here in Switzerland, on the other hand, is a classic *Spiegel* story, the kind one is more accustomed to seeing in the main magazine. Whether the «Culture» section—featuring a self-portrait by actress Yangzom Brauen (practically copied word for word from the “A Day in the Life of” column in the Tages-Anzeiger magazine)—is sufficient remains to be seen.
A One-Time Trial? The publishers have remained largely tight-lipped about their intentions in the Swiss print media landscape and describe the “Swiss Split”—a 50-page removable insert in the middle of the magazine—as a one-time trial for now. The content is primarily provided by the Swiss contingent of the Hamburg editorial team (Samiha Shafy, Beat Balzli, Sebastian Ramspeck, and Mathieu von Rohr) as well as various foreign correspondents.
 
Of the 50 pages, seven are devoted to advertisements (Mobiliar, Coop, Ernst & Young, TV 3plus, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Clariant, and Orange), and it can be assumed that—provided the test was successful—the Swiss edition of *Der Spiegel* will primarily serve to better tap into the local advertising market. Now that talks about possible cooperation models between Facts and *Der Spiegel* have fallen through and the Tamedia news magazine has just been quietly laid to rest—and given that the business newspaper *Cash* had already been forced to fold earlier—the outlook for the Hamburg-based publication on the Swiss market will never be more favorable than it is right now.
 
After all, 45,148 disappointed subscribers to Cash and 54,164 equally disappointed subscribers to Facts are waiting for some meaningful explanation.
 
René Worni
Spiegel Disappoints Swiss Media: The Swiss media reacted cautiously to the Swiss edition of *Spiegel*. For the *NZZ* and the *Tages-Anzeiger*, the issue was a disappointment. It was aimed more at German readers than at Swiss ones. While the selection of articles might be interesting for Germans, «they have already been covered multiple times by local newspapers,» according to the Tages-Anzeiger. For the Bund, it is clear that the supplement is no substitute for Facts. The cover image, it said, resorted to the most clichéd of all clichés.
Overall, the special edition for Swiss readers is amusing but offers little of substance, the federal government added. In general, the various publications agree that *Der Spiegel* still lacks its own Swiss editorial team to produce a serious Swiss edition.

 The Facts employees and the trade unions are disappointed by the meeting with Tamedia management on Tuesday, as they announced in a communiqué. The course of the extraordinary general meeting on Wednesday apparently did not meet their expectations either. The blog Medienlese.com now reports that Tamedia had wanted to grant speaking time to a member of the editorial team "if the trade unions would not speak". However, this did not happen. The speech that Facts employee Christof Moser apparently wanted to give can now be viewed on Medienlese.com. No one at Tamedia could be reached for comment for the time being.

 Three magazines of the health insurance company Helsana have had a new look since June 2007. Two Zurich partner agencies supported Helsana's corporate communications department in implementing the relaunch. Inform was responsible for the design and visual appearance. Open up was responsible for the textual support. According to Open up's press release, the task was to further develop the content and design of the three magazines Senso, Well and San. Together, the three magazines have a total circulation of around 850,000 copies in three languages. In terms of content, some of the same content was prepared in different ways for the different target groups. Optimizing the ordering service was another task that the relaunch had to accomplish.
The refreshed magazines now come in three different designs for each target group. They were modeled on contemporary consumer magazines. The focus is on an independent visual world and on optimizing reader-friendliness. The magazine dramaturgy is divided into a main topic and sub-topics for all three magazines. Brief materials supplement the topics. The separate ordering service is solved with perforated order cards in the middle of the magazine. Feedback on the first issues of the three magazines in the new look has been exceptionally good, the press release continues. The concept has been well received by Helsana customers.

 The Strasbourg-based Council of Europe feels compelled to criticize the industry due to persistent sexist advertising. Many states have tried to enact framework regulations for advertising, as the members of the Parliamentary Assembly explain in their resolution. Nevertheless, there is still an image of women that completely contradicts the current role of women in society. This is either due to the lack of appropriate laws and national advertising regulations or the lack of their enforcement, the parliamentarians write.  
A 1979 UN convention called for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. However, not even all Council of Europe states ratified the agreement at the time. The Council of Europe called on these governments to do so. In addition, all member states should implement the 1995 Beijing Action Program for Gender Equality on Women and the Media and submit an annual review of progress, as reported by the Neue Zürcher Zeitung NZZ. Specifically, the member states should make incitement to discrimination in all advertising media a criminal offense within the framework of their national legislation, the assembly demands. The self-regulation established by the national advertising councils is to be strengthened by a stricter code of ethics.
 
The Council of Europe also relies on awareness-raising measures. These include the provision of programs and adequate resources to carry out campaigns in schools as well as the establishment of toll-free telephone numbers and e-mail addresses that citizens can use to complain if they come across sexist and discriminatory advertising. Advertisements that most effectively break with sexist stereotypes should also be awarded prizes, reports the NZZ.

Local transport The life of the bat goes on. Since 2002, more and more passengers have been traveling on the ZVV night network. The service is constantly being expanded and the network now comprises 6 suburban trains and 39 bus routes around Zurich from Friday night to Sunday morning. Publicis is not entirely blameless for this success. The "bat campaign" has now entered the next round with a few funny subjects.

 The SVP initiative for a ban on minarets, which was co-launched by Zurich SVP politician Ulrich Schlüer, is now also being brought to the attention of the Arab world. Pro and contra arguments have recently been presented on various portals of the Arab television channel El Jazeera. Its president Christoph Darbellay explains why the Christian People's Party (CVP) is against the initiative to ban minarets in an interview on the channel's website, as reported by SDA. However, the interview is in Arabic.  
He had conducted an interview in German with the Swiss correspondent of the Arabic television station last Thursday, Darbellay confirmed a report by Blick on Wednesday. In it, he explained the position of the CVP. According to Darbellay, the CVP is against a constitutional ban on minarets, but in favor of reasonable conditions for the operation of mosques. This argument seems to have gone down well in the Arab world. He has received many emails praising Switzerland's values and democracy.
 
Ulrich Schlüer is likely to receive less positive e-mails, as the supporter of the popular initiative also had his say on El Jasira. According to SDA, Schlüer gave a 30-minute interview in English to the Arabic television channel last week. However, when asked, Schlüer was unable to say when it would be broadcast. In March of this year, Schlüer had complained to the Federal Council that Cablecom would also broadcast El Jazeera in Switzerland via its cable network. "This broadcaster, which is financed by the governments of Arab states, is known to have repeatedly committed serious violations of the Geneva Conventions through live broadcasts of executions (or slaughter) of innocent hostages," said Schlüer. Now he will be able to watch his TV appearance in English from the comfort of his Swiss living room.

 Facts employees and the trade unions were disappointed by the meeting with Tamedia management on Tuesday, as they announced in a communiqué. The course of the extraordinary general meeting on Wednesday apparently did not meet their expectations either: A planned speech by Facts editor Christof Moser could not be delivered.

"The AGM was not convened because of Facts, but because of the capital increase for the takeover of Espace Media," Tamedia media spokesperson Christoph Zimmer explained to Werbewoche. Before the meeting, Tamedia had agreed with the Facts editors and the trade unions that a delegate from the editorial team would be given speaking time. In return, a Comedia member, who is a shareholder of Tamedia, waived the speaking time to which he was entitled. "It was a misunderstanding, which we regret. During the AGM, Tamedia President Pietro Supino asked whether anyone else had a request to speak. Despite repeated requests, no one responded". Moser had assumed that he would be called upon personally.
Christof Moser confirmed to Werbewoche that there had been a misunderstanding. What are the editorial team's concerns? "We want our great commitment to be recognized by Tamedia. We have worked very hard, sometimes in difficult and uncertain times. Now we expect a flourishing media company to accommodate us, for example with a fair severance package," says Moser.
The demands also include a notice period that exceeds the statutory three months and the payment of vacation and overtime. "Vacation and overtime credits are regarded as compensated. There have been people who didn't take any vacation out of consideration for the magazine when a change in production was imminent." Moser also criticizes the fact that Tamedia promised to keep all employees on at the time of the closure decision, but now a week has passed without any talks having taken place. The way in which Tamedia's top management is communicating in view of the closure is offending many employees. "One member of the publishing house, for example, said that it was obvious that not everyone would be accommodated," explained Moser.
The benefits that Tamedia is offering correspond to a standard redundancy plan, says Tamedia spokesperson Zimmer. "We will provide 3 million francs or 60,000 francs per full-time position". For employees who are unemployed after being made redundant, there will be a maximum of six months' continued payment of salary. "What we are offering is largely within the framework of a social plan that we negotiated with Comedia in 2005. We are therefore surprised that the unions are now protesting," says Zimmer. Although individual aspects will be handled differently, the amount that will be made available to employees will not change.
In any case, an attempt will be made to offer as many employees as possible a position at Tamedia. "However, we have communicated from the outset that we can only hold talks once the employee participation period has expired." Legally, no dismissals have yet been announced for the same reason. A further meeting with delegates from the editorial team will now take place on Thursday.
"This meeting is only taking place on Thursday thanks to our protest," says Moser. It was originally scheduled for Tuesday. The editorial team will continue to campaign. It sees itself in a pioneering role in its fight and wants to communicate that media companies must also create good framework conditions for good journalism.
Moser's speech, which was not delivered, can be viewed on Medienlese.com.

 Marketer Cinecom is offering its customers two additional advertising platforms this fall: The festival program and the program guide for the third Zurich Film Festival. 150,000 copies of the festival program will be exclusively enclosed with the NZZ am Sonntag on September 23. 20,000 copies will be available at the relevant sales outlets during the event. It will be supplemented by the Program Guide with a circulation of 30,000 copies. Classic advertisements can be booked in both magazines until the advertising deadline on September 2, as Cinecom explains in a letter.