Trade fairs On June 20, business development will not only take place on paper. But in the Hürlimann-Areal in Zurich. At the StartMesse 2007 - the largest Swiss event on the topics of company formation, franchising and succession - young entrepreneurs will benefit from concentrated know-how. The key visual in the form of an eye-catching on-switch, which Matter & Gretener developed alongside the CI to promote the event, is just as to the point.

 Young Commitment is an initiative of the Forum Alpinum Foundation. The executive committee consists of students and aims to arouse young people's interest in politics. According to a press release, Publicis was faced with the challenge of addressing a target group that tends to be disinterested in politics, does not like reading and prefers to be entertained in a short and concise manner. From this, the agency developed an idea that plays on the Internet affinity of young people. Ads and posters communicate unusual URL addresses such as www.kaputtschlagen.ch or www.voll-pleite.ch in the form of a teaser campaign. They take the surfer to the Young Commitment homepage, where political content can be accessed.
The question "And what is your opinion?" appears at the end of each post. On the Young Commitment blog, young people can enter into a dialog on the topics addressed. This is intended to be the first step towards actively engaging with politics. The campaign consists of six subjects, which can be seen as advertisements in various print titles from this week.

 Sarganserländer Druck AG, based in Mels, achieved a net profit of CHF 220,000 last year on total revenues of CHF 8.7 million. Compared to the previous year, revenue fell by 3 percent and profit by 25 percent, as reported by SDA.  
In the annual report, the declining figures are explained by fewer orders and lower margins for printed matter. Here, income fell by CHF 400,000 to CHF 2.6 million. On the other hand, the daily newspaper Sarganserländer and the book publisher were able to increase their revenues by CHF 220,000 to CHF 5.7 million thanks to significantly more advertisements.
 
The printing company is debt-free. The balance sheet shows equity of CHF 6.82 million, an increase of CHF 10,000. The circulation of the Sarganserländer stagnated at 10,545 copies. The number of employees remained unchanged at 43, who on average have been working for Sarganserländer Druck for over 13 years.

Location marketing company Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett aims to attract more foreign entrepreneurs to Switzerland with an unusual image campaign. "Switzerland. Discover the plus." This is the claim for Switzerland's location marketing campaign. And this claim of the Plus must now be filled with content. The aim of a campaign just launched by Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett is to promote Switzerland abroad: as an interesting location for international companies. As a diverse vacation destination. As a platform for research and education. And as a safe and beautiful place to live. These are all values that the modern and traditional Switzerland of four cultures stands for. For the spiritual fathers of the campaign, these are also values and characteristics that "make our country unique". The project manager on the client side is Jörg Krebs, Location Marketing Public Sector Euro 2008.
Switzerland at its bestThe agency Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett, which has already attracted attention and won several awards for its advertising for Switzerland Tourism, has now created advertisements for Switzerland's location marketing - "i.e. for Switzerland", as strategist Rolf Zimmermann puts it - to communicate precisely these values and characteristics abroad. More precisely: in Germany, England, France, Italy, Holland, Russia and Spain. The advertisements present Switzerland at its best - which, for once, is not supposed to be its best side in this campaign. From now on, Switzerland will be advertising neutrality with cheering Swiss football fans, greatness with a microscope image, celebrity with Heidi and stability with the Matterhorn. From June 2007, the images will appear in the foreign press and on the Internet at switzerland.com.
The international print campaign is complemented by a roadshow with an artistically striking installation. SFLB is having an eight-meter-high Swiss cross travel all over Europe. The first stop is in Valencia, right next to the Alinghi racing yacht, which is also set to cause a sensation for Switzerland this summer.
Three-dimensional national flagThe Swiss cross is "one of the most striking flags in the world", say the creative minds at SFLB. For their campaign, they designed the well-known symbol three-dimensionally from five shipping containers. The icon was built by the company Scheifele Container.
This immediately striking Swiss cross is not only artistically attractive, but can also be walked on. It not only marks a silent presence for Switzerland abroad. Side events for business, science, education and tourism can also find an attractive stage in and around the Swiss cross.
The campaign of the modern cross was launched last week in Interlaken. In Valencia, visitors can now discover Switzerland and its advantages as both a vacation destination and an economic center as they enter the Swiss cross - with films, photographs and exhibitions on the landscape, people, politics and education.    
Andreas Panzeri

 The Commission on Fair Trading has revised Principle No. 3.11 on gender-discriminatory advertising, which dates back to 1993. Among other things, it has created the new offense of "inappropriate depiction of sexuality". According to a press release, social changes and increased awareness of certain issues require an adjustment - not least in view of the increasing importance of the Fairness Commission's case law.  
A working group, which also included a representative of the Zurich Office for Gender Equality, restructured and reworded the article and made additions. Three points are at the heart of the realignment:
 
Firstly, in order to be able to assess discrimination where advertising does not explicitly disparage one gender over the other, but disparages in general, the word "disparages" has been replaced by the term "violates" in paragraph 1. Secondly, a separate offence has been created for the issue of gender typing so that the equality of the sexes cannot be called into question. Thirdly, the catch-all offense "inappropriate portrayal of sexuality" has been created, as the wording "sexist impairment is given if there is no connection between the person embodying the sex and the advertised product" has repeatedly caused discussion. The offense is to be applied if there is a connection in principle, but the depiction as such is unworthy.
 
The principle concerning the quantity of advertising, which had been demanded by certain political circles, has not been supplemented in any way. The Commission's principles can only relate to the content of individual advertising measures.

The cross-media agency Maxomedia is currently causing a stir with guerrilla campaigns on behalf of the online management portal Topjobs. The campaign includes shoe shiners, toilet glue and freshly ironed shirts: shoe shiners polished shoes in prominent locations in Zurich, Bern, Basel and Geneva. True to the claim "Start a brilliant career", shoe polish tins were given as give-aways. The communicative hook is the prize draw for a one-week trip to Dubai for two people. To take part in the competition, register for the job mail service on the Topjobs website. The guerrilla campaign is also present in the toilets of more than 40 restaurants in German- and French-speaking Switzerland. Mirror stickers have been placed above the washbasins, showing an upper body without a head in a business suit or costume. Anyone standing in front of the mirror will see their reflection in a business outfit. The third part of the campaign also focuses on the clothing of managers: Freshly ironed and folded shirts from the dry cleaners contain a flyer that fulfills the same function instead of the supporting cardboard. Here too, anyone who registers for the free job mail service has the chance to win a luxury trip to Dubai.

 With Euro 08 in mind, the Publicis agency has developed a strategy tool for ambushing and sponsorship commitments at sporting events. Ambushing is usually equated with misleading consumers through the unauthorized association of a product or service with an event with advertising impact in order to profit from it without making a contribution of one's own. Achill J. Prakash, strategic planner at Publicis, disagrees: "The definitions of ambushing in the scientific literature are still too judgmental and too narrow. In addition, the discussion is conducted on a moral and ethical level. In his eyes, ambushing and sponsorship must stand side by side on an equal footing.
"Ambusher and official sponsors were particularly successful during the World Cup 06. Major brands such as Nike and Lufthansa confidently acted as ambushers," Prakash told Werbewoche.
So far, marketing and advertising strategists have simply been asking themselves the wrong question. "It's not about what's good or bad, what's better or worse. The question must be which strategic and communicative message achieves the desired goal most efficiently and which path leads there. Whether with official sponsorship or ambushing."
But doesn't ambushing harm the sponsors? No, says Prakash: "The brands are in a daily communicative battle for attention and relevance anyway. Ambushing at best harms the organizers and the event, that is undisputed. But that is ultimately not the problem of the brands."
Today, organizers must learn to accept Ambushing as a communication tool. Instead of clinging desperately to their rights, they should look for innovative financing options and not simply ignore real developments. "The helplessness of event organizers reminds me of the music industry's reaction to illegal downloads," says Prakash.
He expects Uefa to take tough action against ambushers around Euro 08 in order to protect the official sponsors. "Fighting through the courts may do a brand more harm than good, however. After all, people and consumers are interested in the experience, not in the brand's bullying," said the strategic planner.
The new tool identifies common affinities for brands, people and events and merges them together. From this, communicative strategy fields and main messages can be systematically derived. Prakash presented the tool at a Euro-08 seminar for marketing experts on Monday. "It is conceivable that we will also use the strategy tool with non-customers in workshops and develop the strategy and message with them." The tool is tailored to sporting events and can also be used for sports other than football.
The new tool from Publicis is part of an entire ambushing toolbox that the agency is developing together with the Lucerne School of Business, the Swiss Institute of Business Administration and the Swiss Marketing Club. The federal government also supports the toolbox. It supports companies throughout the entire management process, from the decision-making process for a communicative ambush commitment to the development of measures.

Distribution Whether publishers revive AZO depends on politics. Since the end of 2005, the project for an alternative daily delivery organization (AZO) has been sitting in the drawers of the major publishers. Perhaps not for much longer, because publishers of large-circulation magazines in particular are closely following the decision made by the Council of States on June 11 regarding press subsidies: it wants to continue to reduce newspaper delivery charges, but only up to a circulation of 40,000 copies. For member newspapers, the maximum number of copies is 300,000. This would mean that Ringier and Tamedia magazines in particular, as well as Coop, Migros and TCS titles, would be cut off from the subsidy drip. They could therefore bring out AZO. According to a feasibility study from 2005, AZO would be able to serve all German-speaking Swiss households twice a week - and at a price 10 percent lower than Swiss Post today. But we are not there yet. On June 12, the National Council upheld the press subsidy model. And this also supports large-circulation titles.

Publishing Electronic media have advantages that need to be exploited, and there is hardly any other medium of internal communication that is better suited to keeping employees up to date quickly, directly and simultaneously on important changes and news than the electronic internal newsletter. Abraxas Informatik AG, a leading IT service provider for public administrations, has recognized this and is making targeted use of this tool. A qualitative survey provided clarity about the needs and expectations of employees and managers in the area of internal communication. On this basis, a package of measures was developed, ranging from internal communication principles and management communication to the development of a coordinated internal media infrastructure.the electronic internal newsletter was the first medium to be realized, as it could be implemented quickly and cost-effectively and could be excellently linked with other internal communication measures. From the outset, abraxas.update pursued the ambitious goal of achieving a quality standard on a par with external newsletters. This was achieved through thematically concise and relevant texts as well as a reader-friendly design with dialog boxes. The reader-friendliness of the newsletter is ensured by short texts and personal, simple language. The personalized approach and the introduction at the beginning, including a personal signature and portrait of the author, support this. Short surveys, competitions and feedback buttons also initiate a dialog between company management and employees. Finally, links and shortcuts lead to additional information and thus allow the interlinking with other internal and external means of communication.
The design of abraxas.update decisively supports reader guidance. The newsletter header, together with the feedback and contact information at the end, forms a visual bracket. Thematic images in the margin create additional entry points into the text for the reader and convey a modern, future-oriented IT service company through their visual language. Dialog boxes, which are set apart from the main text in terms of design, round off the innovative design concept of the medium.
The fact that the newsletter makes a significant contribution to internal corporate communication was impressively demonstrated when the cooperation between Abraxas AG and Bedag AG was announced. Here, abraxas.update was used as a key instrument of internal communication and guaranteed that employees were quickly and comprehensively informed. They were personally informed about the collaboration in the employee information shortly afterwards. Finally, an information package handed out at the employee information meeting ensured that the employees' increased need for information was met on the day of the announcement.
The first step now is to maintain and improve the quality standard achieved by fine-tuning the content and continuously coordinating the electronic newsletter with other internal media. Abraxas AG has understood that external partners - whether in conceptual work, editorial, design or technical implementation - can make a significant contribution to the success of such a project.
Pro Infirmis networks its offices on the intranetThe intranet is also central to the information needs of employees. Be it messages, rules, memos, important documents or forms: This is where employees can find comprehensive information on topics relevant to them. Pro Infirmis was faced with the particular challenge of facilitating the flow of information from the head office to the 20 or so cantonal offices and the exchange of information between them. Another challenge was the multilingualism of Switzerland's largest disability organization. Thanks to an interdisciplinary team of internal and external specialists, the task was mastered.
At the heart of the Pro Infirmis intranet are the cantonal offices, which are characterized by a high degree of independence.
The resulting "intranets on the intranet" make it possible to compare the various offices' services. In a first step, a pilot project was implemented for the office of the Canton of Berne, as this office was a good example for the other cantons due to its size and bilingualism. They were able to adopt the menu structure as well as the content of the introductory texts for their own canton or adapt them individually and even set their own priorities.
The primary aim of the design was to ensure good clarity through a simple, straightforward structure. In terms of imagery, the design is based on the current advertising campaign and thus guarantees a strong recognition effect. The homepage with its clearly structured text provides information about news from the organization. The menu overview provides immediate clarity and makes subsequent navigation easier for the user, while the practical search function and the future option of a personalized menu bar further enhance user-friendliness. The sections of the individual cantons are structured in such a way that the content you are looking for can be found quickly and easily. In the content section, short, concise introductory texts precede the documents to be called up. The Pro Infirmis intranet is not designed as a mere storage area for documents - users can access further, thematically related content directly via links. In this way, users can find specific tools in the shortest possible time.
Two successful waysThe Abraxas newsletter and the Pro Infirmis intranet are successful examples of how electronic media can be used with the support of external partners.
can fundamentally optimize corporate communication. The focus is on a professional orientation towards the needs of users, both in terms of content and design. Especially in companies with complex organizations, appealing newsletters and intelligently designed intranet platforms can sustainably improve the flow of information.
Facts & Figures abraxas.updateThe electronic newsletter abraxas.update is published irregularly, approximately once or twice a month.
Sent electronically via Outlook to 300 employees of Abraxas Informatik AG.
Language: German
Concept, editing and design: m/& AG, Zurich, www.m-und.ch
Technical implementation: vertical vision AG, Kloten, www.vertical.ch
Facts & Figures Pro InfirmisThe Pro Infirmis intranet is the central information platform for around 20 cantonal offices
Languages: German, French, Italian
Concept, editing and design: m/& AG, Zurich, www.m-und.ch
Technical implementation: Juleg GmbH, Zurich
www.juleg.ch
Philipp Bircher/Philip Meier, m/& AG

Newspapers You simply need them, the finance and economy. The agency Hochspannung provides new evidence of this. 
What the traditional readers of Finanz und Wirtschaft have known for a long time is now officially confirmed with the claim that has been in use since spring 2005: "Finanz und Wirtschaft - Ohne geht's nicht." With this message, the business and stock market newspaper, which has been published since 1928, positions itself as an indispensable source of information for private and institutional investors, and the self-confident statement is also visually implemented on the current print and poster subjects of Hochspannung. Typical readers of the trade journal show with clear gestures why the newspaper is indispensable for investors. The hand signs in the extreme perspective thus continue the FuW campaign of the last two years, but with the difference that gestures are now in the foreground, whereas previously it was the newspaper.
Andreas Panzeri

Cable television war Schlupp Bürge/Springer & Jacoby shows how television with Cablecom is becoming simpler, more individual and more enjoyable.Cablecom is the largest cable network company and has been the pioneer of digital television in Switzerland since 1999 with Cablecom Digital TV. Over 90 TV channels and over 40 radio stations make up the basic offering. In addition, there are many special interest programs from the film, documentary, kids, music and sports sectors as well as countless foreign language programs. All you need is a simple additional device, the so-called Mediabox recorder. This miracle box is not only quick and easy to install, but also offers all sorts of other features. In a new campaign for Cablecom, KSB/SJ presents just four of the many highlights: Live pause function, series recording, electronic program guide, recording at the touch of a button.
With these four technical aids, you can, for example, watch your favorite show whenever you want, pause ongoing programs at any time, record programs or even entire series at will or simply rewind a special scene and enjoy it again in slow motion.
KSB/SJ is communicating these key benefits of Cablecom Digital TV in a media-friendly way, i.e. with a film campaign. The first four spots have recently gone on air, with more to follow in the fall. They were directed by Michael "Eugen" Steiner in his proven popular, witty and charming style. And formally in a way that is rarely seen in TV commercials: Every movie is uncut. Pure "slice of life", as CD Flo Wacker and Daniel Krieg explain at the agency. This should immediately give the viewer the feeling of "sitting inside the TV and watching other people in their living rooms from inside the TV". And these are people who are talking about Cablecom Digital TV. Among other things ...
The commercials can be seen on all major Swiss TV channels.
Andreas Panzeri

Private radio and TV From 2008, most broadcasters will have to fulfill a performance mandate. The industry is hoping for regulations that are as liberal as possible, and the views of the federal government and the private sector are diametrically opposed. Representatives of the private electronic media view the prospective fee money as a kind of compensation for the regional public service provided to date. "An advance service that we have provided in recent years is now finally being rewarded," says Marc Friedli, Managing Director of Telebärn. However, the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom), which is drawing up the new licenses for private radio and television, takes a different view. "With the new Radio and Television Act, we are, so to speak, at a zero point, and now the cards are being reshuffled," says Bettina Nyffeler, responsible for drawing up the new licenses at Bakom. "Some broadcasters will probably have to adapt their programming in future."
This much is currently clear: in future, private radio and TV broadcasters will receive around CHF 44 million per year, or four percent of reception fees. Who will receive how much money and under what conditions will only be determined when the licenses are put out to tender in early autumn. Part of the new broadcasting license is a performance mandate. It regulates which programming and labour law conditions, as well as organizational conditions, a broadcaster must fulfil. Bakom does not hold official hearings on this, nor does it have to by law. However, industry representatives are invited to present their positions. In the near future, OFCOM will submit a model license to the associations concerned.
Against CLAs "through the back door "Jürg Bachmann, President of the Swiss Private Radio Association, is relaxed about the whole thing. "We always knew that there would be these performance contracts." However, Bachmann and television personality Friedli both hope for a regime that is as liberal as possible. According to Friedli, it should not be the case "that politicians put the media under a tight rein".
Friedli, who is also Head of Audiovisual Media at Espace Media in Bern, sees signs of this in the wage issue, for example. Bakom can certainly imagine setting a concrete minimum wage. For the two industry representatives, this would clearly go too far. They are opposed to "introducing a collective labor agreement through the back door" via a performance mandate. In principle, Friedli advocates personal responsibility. He has "absolutely no objection" to certain guard rails. He is open to the question of a minimum wage "when it comes to preventing shenanigans in the personnel sector". But the rest should be regulated by the labor market.
OFCOM also formulates rules for the programming sector. At the heart of these regulations is the "regional public service". In the performance mandate for private radio and television broadcasters, this central programming mandate is formulated as follows: "To reflect the diversity of local events." In future, OFCOM will monitor whether broadcasters comply with this mandate and can impose sanctions in the event of violations. In extreme cases, the license could be revoked, which would of course mean that no more licence fee money would be paid out.
Bakom is also met with great skepticism on this point. It should not be the case that politicians "act as program directors", says Marc Friedli. "We must defend ourselves against this."
Then no money will flowFriedli can put up as much of a fight as he likes, but ultimately his hands are tied. There are no legal remedies against the provisions of Bakom. Anyone who cannot or does not want to meet the conditions does not need to be a licensed broadcaster, but can operate as a notifiable broadcaster. "These do not receive any fee money and do not have to fulfill a performance mandate," explains Bettina Nyffeler from Bakom.
The first licenses are expected to be issued in the first half of 2008. Radio and television broadcasters can then expect to receive fee payments from the second half of next year.   
Different speedsIn principle, the new Radio and Television Act stipulates that anyone who receives fee money must fulfill a performance mandate. However, there is no rule without exception: private radio stations with large coverage areas do not receive any money. However, they must still comply with the official regulations if they apply for a new license. According to Bakom, stations in larger cities, such as BE1 in Bern or Energy in Zurich, fall into this category. The fact that they also have to fulfill a performance mandate has to do with the FM frequencies. "They have privileged access to a scarce resource," says Bettina Nyffeler from Bakom.
In principle, all private radio stations are pulling in the same direction, says Jürg Bachmann, Managing Director of Radio Energy. But those with the prospect of fee money "have different requirements in terms of speed". In other words, they would like to receive a new license as soon as possible so that the licence fee money can start flowing in. Bachmann, on the other hand, prefers to talk to Bakom a little longer and hopes to be able to get one or two things in his favor. There is no money for his station anyway. However, according to Bachmann, he does not want to delay the process.
 
Nick Lüthi