Trimedia Communications Switzerland is on course for growth with numerous new clients and is strengthening its strategic client consulting with Tobias Steger. Trimedia is now working for Danone, the Entrepreneurship School of the University of St.Gallen, IKEA, Swisspower and the Migros Pension Fund Real Estate. Trimedia is also assisting the city of St. Gallen with communications relating to the new city hall.
Tobias Steger, an experienced communications consultant, was recruited at the beginning of June to strengthen the strategic consulting team. As Managing Director at Trimedia, the 40-year-old will contribute his experience to client projects in the areas of corporate communications and corporate publishing. He will also advise companies on positioning issues and support them in change management processes. In addition, he will expand the Information & Communication Technology competence area at Trimedia Communications Switzerland and further develop the company's technology expertise. Tobias Steger has already held leading positions at AT&T, ABB and the Wirz Group. Since 2003, he has worked as managing partner of Process Corporate Communications, a consultancy specializing in corporate communications.

Internal crises are constantly occurring at the Valais media group Rhône Media; only recently the Chairman of the Board of Directors was voted out of office. In order to improve the management of the media company, minority shareholder Edipresse is proposing a new method of problem-solving. In a letter to all Rhône Media board members, the publisher Edipresse proposes a solution to promote the proper management of the media company. Specifically, a new version of the shareholders' agreement is envisaged. According to the press release, the publisher is aware that this is no walk in the park, as such a measure "presupposes that all shareholders are united in their commitment to a complete change and the search for a compromise."
According to Edipresse, the problem stems from the constraints that the Valais shareholders have imposed on themselves in their agreement. This would lead to a dead end, as the shareholders would split up and thus prevent any development. Considering recent developments, however, more far-reaching measures than just a new agreement may be necessary. After Chairman of the Board of Directors Jean-Marie Fournier was not re-elected at the last Annual General Meeting, he announced his intention to fight back. Fournier, who owns 20 percent of the shares in Rhône Media, senses bad intentions at Edipresse. He suspects that behind his dismissal lies a plan to take control of Rhône Media's most important product, Le Nouvelliste.
In its public letter to the Rhône Media Board of Directors, Edipresse undertakes to participate in the process "actively, without prejudice and with the will to find a pragmatic and efficient solution for the company". The Group calls on all shareholders to solve the real structural problems of the media company under the leadership of the Board of Directors and affirms that it continues to have great confidence in the four Board members. Edipresse also recommends considering mediation by a neutral person. The publishing house owns 37.5 percent of Rhône Media shares and is not represented on the Board of Directors. However, it should be noted that Board member Antonin Gross was CFO of Edipresse a few years ago.

Champagne, Congnac, handbags and the matching business newspaper. The fact that the world's largest luxury goods group, Moët-Hennessy - Louis Vuitton (LVMH), is continuing to diversify in a commercially correct manner is of no concern to anyone. The fact that it now wants to take over the British publishing house's "Les Echos" newspaper, on the other hand, is of great concern to many. According to an SDA report on Thursday, the luxury group is in negotiations with the British publishing group Pearson,
which also publishes the "Financial Times", about the purchase of the French business newspaper "Les Echos". This outraged the works council of the financial newspaper "La Tribune", which already belongs to Moët-Hennessy - Louis Vuitton, as it is likely to be sold off again if LVMH takes over "Les Echos". If it were up to the journalists at "Les Echos", this would never happen. As soon as the purchase plans were announced, the journalists immediately went on strike. For good reason: they feared editorial interference by LVMH boss Bernard Arnault, who in turn is an old buddy of the new French President Nicolas Sarkozy. LVMH promptly reassured them with the statement that it wanted to invest in the Les Echos group "in order to develop its titles". Editorial independence will of course be guaranteed. Wonderful - blinded by its own planned publishing development aid, LVMH probably simply forgot to mention that "Les Echos" is also ringing the cash registers: in 2006, the business paper with 500 employees had a turnover of around 126 million euros and earned 10 million euros from operations - and that is worth 250 million euros to LVMH. Cheers.

Bob Greenberg, Chairman, CEO, and CCO of R/GA, is a textbook advertiser. At a seminar in Cannes, he spoke about mobile advertising—which can represent the third dimension in marketing—about «digital immigrants,» and about the discrepancies between agencies« expectations and those of users. Werbewoche correspondent Beat Fritsch reports on Greenberg’s presentation. Bob Greenberg, Chairman, CEO, and CCO of R/GA, is a textbook advertiser. Always dressed in black, just three years ago he was fully connected with the typical advertising accessories on his belt: a PDA, cell phone, digital camera, and MP3 player were part of his standard gear—today, however, he carries only one device. And that was also the topic of Greenberg’s presentation, »The Third Screen Becomes the First Screen,” which he delivered together with Anssi Vanjoki, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Multimedia at Nokia. The close relationship between advertisers and consumers has been disrupted by technology. The third screen (i.e., the cell phone display) will become the first screen, according to Greenberg and Vanjoki’s core thesis. In the process, the usage time of mobile devices will surpass that of PCs.
To do this, however, creatives need to figure out how to bring their content to mobile phones. After all, as we know, television doesn’t fit on a PC, and a PC doesn’t fit in a cell phone. TV is a narrative medium—in other words, storytelling for a mass audience. The PC is mostly a work tool or a toy. The cell phone, on the other hand, could become the most content-oriented advertising medium as early as the beginning of the next decade.
The key term is 3D marketing; 2D marketing would mean delivering the right message at the right time—the additional dimension is location. After all, the right mobile ad at the right time and in the right location can have an immediate advertising impact.
Here are a few figures Greenberg used to illustrate the potential of mobile marketing: There are three billion cell phone users worldwide. It took 20 years to reach one billion; the next billion came three years later; and the third billion was reached in just two years. Fifty percent of 18- to 24-year-olds say they couldn’t live without their cell phones. Only 20 percent said the same about their TV sets.
Advertisers now need to ask themselves what it means that everyone always has their cell phone with them. It means, for example, that half the world's population can be reached via cell phone.
One challenge facing marketers in promoting digital literacy is that they are not «digital natives» but «digital immigrants.» However, the first generation of «digital natives» is now reaching the age where they can make purchasing decisions. This fact is often completely underestimated—there will be no smooth transition here.
Even today, cell phones are used for more than just making calls. For 76 percent of users, they also serve as a camera; for 64 percent, a music player; for 54 percent, a portable game console; and for 48 percent, an Internet interface. In short: The cell phone will eventually become the primary platform for digital use, shifting from the ear to the eyes. Already today, 350 billion text messages are sent each month, but spending on video applications on cell phones is expected to have surpassed that on text messaging as early as 2011.
According to Vanjoki, the cell phone is becoming a convergence tool whose new applications will fundamentally change advertising. This is also illustrated by the advertising slogan for Nokia’s latest product, the N75: «It’s what the PC has become.».
But what should be done when the best creative ideas are killed by technical shortcomings? Americans, for example, will return a device to the store if they haven’t figured out how to use it within 20 minutes. The result is that a balance must be struck between user-friendliness and technical feasibility, between content and interface. As Greenberg puts it: «The big narrative ideas on which our industry is based are virtually irrelevant to mobile users. There’s a disconnect between the content agencies develop and the content users actually want.» And he quickly snaps a photo of the audience with his cell phone.
Direct marketing specialist Alex Schmid, from the dialogue marketing agency of the same name and a former jury member at Cannes, commented on Greenberg’s presentation: «Bob always gets right to the point. Above all, incorporating the location dimension into mobile marketing is extremely important; after all, cell phones with GPS applications will be available in the very near future.» He himself has already developed a location-based advertising concept for a client, which is set to be implemented during next year’s European Soccer Championship. According to Schmid, given the extremely rapid pace of technological development, mobile marketers must proactively develop concepts because the relevant technology could be available as early as tomorrow. The future of advertising lies not in quick adaptation, but in planning for technology with foresight.

The Swiss movie portal Cineman is launching a German counterpart. Cineman.ch is thus responding to the frequently expressed wishes of German users and, through Cineman.de, is now also publishing movie theater and film information for audiences in Germany. According to a press release, the German edition of Cineman is similar to the Swiss version in many ways: Linked to theater schedules, Cineman.de presents all films coming to German theaters, complete with cast and credits, film stills, trailers, and reviews. The video reviews featuring film clips are recorded in Standard German for the German market. “Making-of” features and video interviews with the stars offer a look behind the scenes. The website also devotes ample space to user comments, film reviews, and ratings. Daily movie news, contests, and TV movie recommendations round out the offerings. Cineman.de officially launches on Thursday, June 21. The service is operated by Zurich-based Cinergy, with Robin Spaetling in Berlin heading the German editorial team.

 The battle for Dow Jones continues: Following the Financial Times publisher Pearson and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., another media giant has expressed interest in the publisher of The Wall Street Journal: Mr. MySpace, Brad Greenspan, wants to acquire a 25 percent stake in Dow Jones together with a group of investors. According to the SDA, the investor group led by the MySpace founder is offering Dow Jones shareholders $60 per share—the same price as Murdoch’s News Corp. However, the latter intends to acquire the entire company for a total of $5 billion (see
). With his $1.25 billion investment, Greenspan aims to expand the group’s electronic media division and ensure that Dow Jones remains independent. An interesting detail: In 2005, Greenspan unsuccessfully fought against News Corp.’s takeover of Intermix Media, the parent company of MySpace. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Board of Directors announced on Wednesday that it would henceforth conduct the takeover talks with News Corp. itself. Until now, members of the Bancroft family—who control the company through shares with multiple voting rights—had been negotiating directly with Murdoch. Some of the most prominent family members are fighting tooth and nail against a News Corp. takeover because they fear for the journalistic and editorial independence of the Dow Jones publications.

Condoms Ruf Lanz shows for Crest what we can learn so much from birds.Crest condoms are high-quality products with "OK" seal of quality. They stand for variety, fun, spontaneity and a "super feeling". That is the clear message according to the briefing. How do I tell this to the child without entering ambiguous spheres? Ruf Lanz has found an animal-friendly solution for her new customer Crest. Parrots are known to parrot everything they hear from their masters and mistresses. The jokes with the colorful bird that addresses the wife by the name of the mistress, for example, are folklore. These chatty birds, as is well known, see and hear everything. And so, of course, "that".
Ruf Lanz has rolled the message into two hilarious commercials for Crest and Doetsch Grether. In the first TV spot, the eloquent birds imitate what their owners do all day long with unabashed dirty talk. In the second spot, the parrots even imitate their housemates as they moan their way to climax. Because Crest condoms stand - according to the resolution of the cheeky commercials - "for an exciting love life".
Crest's target group is men and women between the ages of 14 and 39. The core target group is between 16 and 24. For once, Ruf Lanz has been able to easily find a language that spans all the required target groups with Lovebirds.
The spots will be flanked by short reminders in which the parrots imitate typical moments after the act has been performed, such as "Honey, don't sleep, I want to talk. In addition, the two birds will also leave their soundtracks on www.crest.info in the form of fervently cawed cell phone and SMS ringtones for download.
The two hilarious birds in the commercials were hatched in Prague in an animation computer.
   
Andreas Panzeri

 The CIA fax affair is finally closed. The military judiciary has dropped the two remaining proceedings and awarded the two defendants satisfaction, as reported by SDA. The proceedings were intended to bring to light how a classified document from the Strategic Intelligence Service SND could have reached SonntagsBlick. The auditor of Military Court 4 justified the suspension of proceedings with the ruling of Military Court 6 in St. Gallen on April 17 (see ). The court did not consider it proven that the fax constituted a secret within the meaning of the Military Criminal Code.  
The two defendants were awarded satisfaction. In addition, the Chief Auditor and the defendants can appeal against the decision to discontinue proceedings within twenty days. The civil investigation by the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland had already been discontinued in February.
 
One of the accused was Roman Weissen, spokesman for SND. He was released from his duties. He was also remanded in custody for a week. Whether Weissen will return to his post was open on Wednesday, as Dominique Bugnon, head of information at the Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS) told SDA. First, administrative questions would have to be clarified. The other accused was a former DDPS spokesman.

The Zurich branch of the Scholz & Friends agency is positioning *Der Blick* as a critical opinion newspaper with a new poster and print campaign. According to a press release, the campaign combines the tagline «Im Blick kommt’s raus.» with striking and emotional imagery. The documentary-style images, together with their respective headlines, are designed to tell a story of their own. Since the beginning of the year, *Blick* has been using the new tagline, which aims to reposition the publication more strongly as a critical, opinion-driven newspaper. Blick aims to take a stand on issues that matter to people—even in a polarizing way. The image campaign by Scholz & Friends reflects the change in direction of the best-selling daily newspaper.

 Today a "To the last" in the truest sense of the word: the Federal Association of German Funeral Directors (BDB) is planning its own mourning channel. The morbid TV program is intended to address topics that are relevant to older people and provide a sensitive approach to the subject of dying. Reports on mourning rituals and documentaries about cemeteries are also planned, as Spiegel Online reports.  
In cooperation with the broadcaster EosTV, the BDB plans to broadcast a separate special-interest program via satellite and on the Internet this year. However, the Association of Funeral Directors wants to prevent the creation of a kind of "Big Brother" format with potential candidates for death at all costs. An advisory board will therefore monitor the ethical design of the programs. The program will only accept serious and respectful formats, said Kerstin Gernig, Managing Director of the Kuratorium Deutsche Bestattungskultur.
 
The German funeral channel wants to finance itself with film obituaries of the deceased, among other things. Television acts as a contemporary book of condolences. Gernig explained to Spiegel Online that the growing number of older people is the target group. Furthermore, a strategic partnership between the broadcaster and online mourning portals is being sought. Death on television is intended to provide information and contribute to removing the taboo surrounding dying.
 
After the bluff of the Dutch kidney donor show, this news is initially met with skepticism. But this is no bad joke. In Germany, the morticians actually want to go on air with the mourning program, Spiegel Online assures.

Sony Camera is currently launching its new line of Sony Cyber-shot digital compact cameras in Switzerland. The Grey agency developed a campaign based on a strategy designed for the European market. Unlike typical camera advertisements, which focus on the subject, the Sony Cyber-shot campaign flips the perspective 180 degrees. Instead of showing the photographed object, it shows the subject’s perspective of the photographer. The campaign slogan is: «For the pictures of your life.» The posters are currently on display.

Demokratie Publicis aims to attract more young voters to the polls for Forum Alpinum. In this year’s parliamentary elections, young people should also have a say in the direction the country takes. That is the goal the Forum Alpinum Foundation has set for itself. With the «Young Commitment» campaign, the committee aims to mobilize young voters. The driving force behind the initiative is a group of former students from the Lyceum Alpinum in Zuoz, Graubünden. They founded Forum Alpinum in 2002. According to its own promotional materials, it is «Switzerland’s youngest think tank.» Under the patronage of Federal Chancellor Annemarie Huber-Hotz, Forum Alpinum aims to raise young people’s awareness of political issues. As stated on its website, the goal is to encourage young people to make their voices heard in society, even amid a «flood of populist information.».
The committee is also making its voice heard for the first time these days through an ad campaign. The initiative’s organizers are launching a cross-media campaign in the country’s major print publications. The advertising agency Publicis is providing creative support—though not for free. The newspapers, however, are running the ads at no cost.
How do you reach today’s youth, who tend to be politically disinterested, don’t like to read, and prefer short, snappy conversations? Starting from these seemingly unappealing conditions, the creative team at Publicis has developed a teaser campaign. Instead of relying on civics lessons, the Zurich-based advertisers are trying to make an impact with provocative slogans. Full-page ads feature unusual URLs in black-and-white—such as www.voll-auf-die-fresse.ch.
The easy-to-remember URLs lead to a website where the relevant video on the topic is played. The style of the animated videos produced by Eventuell is simple yet powerful, combined with cheeky wordplay that encourages reflection. Each short sequence ends with the prompt «And what’s your opinion?» Visitors are automatically redirected to the Young Commitment campaign homepage. There, interested young people have the opportunity to participate in discussions via a blog. This is entirely in line with democratic principles. “Get involved” is the motto. On topics such as nuclear energy, debt, or youth violence, interested individuals can engage in dialogue with the campaign’s organizers, though so far only the latter topic seems to have resonated. Visitors still need to be encouraged to join the discussion. Young people are still hesitant about the new campaign. That may change soon with the launch of the ad campaign.
To date, the young rebels of Forum Alpinum have given their campaign a positive interim assessment. The media response has been remarkable for a project of this kind.
www.voll-pleite, etc. With these cheeky URLs, Forum Alpinum hopes to win over young voters:
www.oma-anpumpen.ch
www.mein-strom-kommt-aus-der-steckdose.ch
www.es-trifft-immer-die-falschen.ch
www.kerne-spalten.ch
www.voll-pleite.ch
www.kaputtschlagen.ch
www.voll-auf-die-fresse.ch
Christian Lüscher