Jackpot Ottiger & Partner wants to show what else Lucerne has to offer besides mountains and a lake. The casino in Lucerne was voted "Casino of the Year" in 2006. Back in 2005, the Lucerne agency Ottiger & Partner introduced the new image of the Grand Casino Luzern to dialog groups with its "My Game" campaign. With a follow-up campaign, gambling at the Grand Casino Luzern is now to be further popularized as a fun alternative to the usual nightlife and the offer is to be positioned as "qualitatively sophisticated and highly independent" in view of the competition, as Peter W. Ottiger explains the brief. A direct approach in words and images is used to dynamically stage the new desire to gamble while involving the viewer. The casino's identity is to be further strengthened by using the same model again as a popular figure. The way the Audi TT - or one of seven - is almost shoved in front of the viewer's nose creates a very emotional effect. "Where dreams come true" is the claim. Coupling this image campaign with such a concrete and attractive promotion is intended to attract additional attention. Posters, advertisements and accompanying measures such as flyers, traffic boards and a website will be on display. In Lucerne, luck can be challenged on 219 slot machines and with four types of table game.
Andreas Panzeri

Insurance agency mrg brings tennis ace Roger Federer to serve in a campaign for Nationale Suisse The name change and repositioning of the former National Versicherung to Nationale Suisse called for a campaign that would quickly generate a lot of attention. However, the idea of Roger Federer as an advertising ambassador for this Swiss insurer went far beyond the client's brief. mrg decided to present the idea anyway, "because it simply fits in perfectly with Nationale Suisse's positioning and promises real added value", as CD Michael Gerber from mrg says. This courage to go further was ultimately rewarded with the mandate win. mrg was also more involved than usual in the implementation of the idea and conducted most of the negotiations with Roger Federer's management on behalf of the client.
Unlike in most campaigns that advertise with stars, Federer is not portrayed as a satisfied Nationale Suisse customer, but with a touch of irony as "Mr. Perfect", who probably doesn't need insurance. The campaign starts with advertisements and a TV commercial produced by Wirz & Fraefel.
Since the beginning of 2007, mrg Communications in Basel has been part of BSW, leading swiss agencies. Founded in 1999, mrg now has 40 permanent employees and is the largest advertising agency in north-western Switzerland
   
Andreas Panzeri

Distribution I Not only in Switzerland, but also in Germany, Deutsche Post is opening up new channels for press distribution: Deutsche Post is launching a three-month pilot project - initially exclusively with the magazine Der Spiegel: from June 3 in Düsseldorf and from August 19 in Hamburg, the magazines will be delivered to subscribers on Sundays; the magazine will also be available at Post outlets that are open on Sundays. Der Spiegel, which is printed on Saturday mornings, generally goes on sale on Mondays. Sunday, and therefore more up-to-date, delivery has only been available for a few years, but only in Berlin, Frankfurt and Lübeck - in each case via private delivery organizations. Until now, the expansion of Sunday sales has always failed due to the high costs involved, and it is no coincidence that Swiss Post is now getting involved. Due to the impending abolition of the letter monopoly, the company is looking for new sources of revenue and is considering using its infrastructure on Sundays as well. Talks are underway with other customers, said a Post spokesperson.
Swiss Post also wants to increase press distribution in Switzerland, not on Sundays so far, but by expanding existing channels or opening additional ones. Last week, it announced that it intends to sell selected press titles in 450 of the approximately 2,400 post offices in the future. It is also in the process of setting up an early delivery service for newspapers in Zurich, Basel and Berne via its subsidiary Direct Mail Company - without publishers and not exactly to their delight (see also adjacent article). The background to this expansion in Switzerland is likely to be the imminent abolition of the letter monopoly, the uncertain future of press subsidies and the liberalization of the postal market.   
 
Markus Knöpfli

Print The Wiesloch-Walldorf plant of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG is celebrating its 50th anniversary and its entry into the new large format. Although the roots of today's Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) go back to the casting of bells, the company has always looked to the future and has been globally oriented from an early stage. As early as the 1920s, for example, the "Original Heidelberger Tiegel" letterpress printing presses were installed on buses and driven through Shanghai for demonstration purposes. 50 years ago, Heidelberg took what was probably the most significant step in the company's history, as was revealed at a press conference to mark the 50th anniversary of the Wiesloch-Walldorf plant. At that time, under the leadership of the then Director Hubert H. A. Sternberg, the company relocated production from the town of the same name to Wiesloch, 15 kilometers to the south. Over the 50 years, the largest and most modern printing press factory in the world was built on the 860,000 square meter site. Today, around 65 printing units, as well as CtP imagesetters, pass through the factory gates every day and are shipped all over the world.
Hall 11 for the large formatAt the previous site, now called Wiesloch-Walldorf, Heidelberg can hardly grow any further in terms of space. Hall 11, which is currently under construction, covers the last major gap in the factory premises. The first Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 142 and XL 162 presses will be produced in the gigantic 35,000 square meter assembly hall from September. By the time the Drupa trade show opens its doors in Düsseldorf in just over a year's time, Heidelberg aims to be ready for series production of these large-format sheetfed offset presses in Wiesloch-Walldorf. Site manager Stephan Plenz reported that the plant, which he described as the "most efficient printing press factory in the world", is working at full capacity. Around 240 additional employees would have to be recruited for the production of the large-format presses.
Heidelberg is investing 45 million euros in the new hall. Jürgen Rautert, Chief Technology Officer at Heidelberg, explained to business and trade press representatives that there is currently no alternative to "made in Germany" for the production of the XL 142 and XL 162; today's modern press technology is too complex. Heidelberg benefits from the well-trained specialists and infrastructure in Germany. Nevertheless, the German site is a major challenge: "We have to produce and process more iron and castings every year at ever lower costs in order to improve our competitiveness." To ensure that the latter remains the case and to enable further growth in countries such as China, Heidelberg has recently started assembling folding machines and small-format printing presses for the Chinese market in Qingpu.
The 49-year-old manager explains why Heidelberg is only now entering the large-format market after its competitors MAN Roland and KBA, stating that Heidelberg generally only serves markets once they have established themselves and are showing growth. After all, Heidelberg has grown up with this strategy.
History - and a few figuresIn 1965, mainly single-color presses were produced in Wiesloch. The maximum printing speed of the machines was 3500 sheets per hour. If you lay out these sheets, the result is an area of 20,000 m2 that could have been printed in one day. In comparison, today's Speedmaster XL 105 presses produced in the now renamed Wiesloch-Walldorf plant can print 120,000 m2 - in eight colors.
More than 400,000 printing units have left the printing press factory in five decades.
Heidelberg is currently completing the new 35,000 m2 Hall 11. Production of the new Speedmaster XL 142 and XL 162 large-format presses will begin here in the fall.
The investment volume in the new hall amounts to 45 million euros.
 
Jürgen Franck

Column Meyer vs. Mörgeli: Going to court hardly encourages a desire for debate. How should civilized people with opposing opinions actually deal with each other in public?
Frank A. Meyer has withdrawn his complaint against Christoph Mörgeli, and he is to be congratulated on this decision. The accusation of using Nazi vocabulary would have bothered me too, especially if it had come from the sly, disgraceful Mörgeli, who was of course taking pleasure in provocation. Still: run to the judge? I really must ask! We are in a fundamentally different business to the judiciary. It's a competition, a battle of opinions if you like, and it should be fought with all ruthlessness - but please where it belongs by virtue of our profession and our mission, namely in public. The public has a right to hear and evaluate the arguments. No order of a mufti will ever tell us what really happened in this dispute. Did Meyer, by calling Blocher a "leader", use inadmissible Nazi vocabulary? Did Mörgeli, by deliberately and maliciously placing the irreproachable left-wing bourgeois Meyer in the worst of all conceivable ideological corners, inadmissibly belittle him?
In the past, such differences were settled at dawn by way of a duel, provided that the parties considered each other capable of satisfying the other. The justice system as it is today is not suitable for resolving such substantive differences for a number of reasons. Firstly, everything takes far too long. Including all appeal periods, it could have taken two or three years before we had a legally binding ruling. Then, with the hectic pace of the real media business, hardly anyone apart from those directly involved would have been interested; in any case, the matter would have had to be re-explained (i.e. the insult repeated) at every stage of the proceedings, thus taking care of the provocateur's business. Secondly, the really important questions are never legally clarified anyway: How do bitter journalistic opponents deal with each other? Or rather: How should civilized people with opposing opinions actually deal with each other in public? With deliberately hurtful denigration? With insulting backlash? Or with silent contempt in the end? Thirdly, what does the dispute over provocative words do for the political (debate) culture: does going to court promote the desire for debate? Or is this costly and annoying route to be used as a subtle means of violence to silence the hated opponent?
Journalists, columnists and participants in the public dialogue should not fall into the trap of legalization. Others are already doing this ad nauseam. Legal cases are currently piling up in every media company. Civil and criminal infringement of personality rights, unfair competition, licensing and copyright issues, confidentiality clauses - the range of instruments of torture is becoming ever more diverse. Those who can afford it are using their financial power. Martin Ebner is taking "Bilanz" editor-in-chief René Lüchinger to court for his criticism of Ebner's role in the Converium deal. The motivation is transparent. A deal like this - no matter how it comes out - has a five- to six-figure price tag for both parties involved. Peanuts for Ebner, but a burden on an editorial budget. The fact that the courts like to use such disputes to express their resentment against the media discreetly but cost-effectively is demonstrated time and again by the cost decisions. For example, the Bernese judiciary acquitted Urs Paul Engeler, editor of Weltwoche, of the charge of having published an allegedly secret document from the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland. But the court awarded him compensation of a paltry 700 francs, which at best is enough for two and a half hours of work by Engeler's lawyer. This has also been confirmed time and again in other cases: Even if the media emerge unscathed from such disputes, they are always left with five-figure sums because of the ridiculous cost decisions - a deliberate and insidious harassment effect intended to achieve hasty compliance and bite inhibition.
Sorry, it's a generalization, but I'll make it anyway: the judiciary doesn't like the media very much. It bullies them wherever it can. Since it has more power at the end of the day, it will always have the upper hand. It is therefore all the more important that we media people keep our distance and don't go to court when we have something to deal with. Our courtroom is the public. Their verdicts are quicker and generally easier to understand.
Karl Lüönd is a freelance journalist and author

Imaging Canon Europe recently celebrated its 50th anniversary - and presented new products at the same time Those who came to Monaco as customers or press representatives at Canon's invitation were not disappointed. The backdrop of the Côte d'Azur behind the Monegasque venue Grimaldi Forum was worth the trip alone. There, Canon celebrated its 50th anniversary in Europe over two days and presented its technologies for office and home applications in a lavish exhibition. Hajime Tsuruoka, President and CEO of Canon Europe, explained that the successful and now independent European business was launched in 1957 with a branch in Geneva. By then, Canon had gained 20 years of experience in the development and manufacture of cameras and had made a name for itself in Asia. In 1967, the company gradually began to offer products and solutions for all aspects of the image in order to establish itself as a specialist in printing images and later office documents.
In order to broaden the company's base, Canon has recently entered the fields of "Medical Imaging" and "Intelligent Robotic". In Monaco, Canon therefore also presented solutions from these new business areas.
However, the company's most important pillar remains its image-related activities. Canon expresses this in its new slogan "We speak image" and underpins this fact with new products. In addition to small updates to its photo and video cameras, the Group has also updated its photo printers.
The visual cultureIn a lecture on the occasion of the 50th anniversary, futurologist James Bellini, invited by Canon, stated that mankind is in the midst of a major upheaval, particularly in the field of "imaging". Bellini put forward the thesis that the changes currently taking place can be compared to a second revolution comparable to the achievements of Gutenberg. The guest speaker went on to say that we are moving from a "word culture" to a "visual culture". According to Bellini, the language of the future is a language of images. The reference to Canon was quickly established, which has been dedicated to the topic of "imaging", the realization and recording of visible events, since its foundation. Today, however, the company has a much broader definition. At Canon, imaging means image, video and increasingly also output ("to image").
During his keynote speech, Canon CEO Tsuneji Uchida, who had traveled from Japan, explained that Canon's strategy is to enter markets late. The company then usually manages to enter these markets very successfully. Given this strategy, it is hardly surprising that Uchida failed to provide a truly visionary outlook. Instead, Canon showed its environmentally conscious side in Monaco. Canon has long recognized the change from a disposable to a recycling society and wants to further develop its responsibility for the environment. Canon has announced a collaboration with the WWF, probably also as a sign of these efforts. Canon wants to support the WWF in learning more about the migration of polar bears, as they are seen as a key indicator of global warming. This also has to do with image ...   
 
 
 
New products 
Canon presented the Canon HR10, currently the smallest AVCHD DVD camcorder (AVCHD is an improved codec for a higher-quality high-definition video format) from its Consumer Imaging division, alongside the PowerShot S5 IS compact camera (with a new image stabilizer, among other features) and the handy Digital IXUS 950 IS pocket camera (with automatic face detection, among other features). The Selphy CP740 and 750 photo printers, which can now perform red-eye correction, were also presented.
The Business Solutions division presented solutions for the office and professional print environment. These include the fast ScanFront 220 or 220P scanner solution, which enables direct scanning into a network. Canon's PosterArtist 2007 software simplifies and improves the output of large-format digital print jobs. The now JDF-supported iW Prepress Manager is designed to improve productivity when working with Office documents. In terms of printing, Canon presented the iR C5185i, its new top device for the office environment. With the imagePrograf iPF6100 twelve-color large format printer, the company intends to expand its successful entry into this growth segment. Canon also emphasized that its imagePress C7000VP digital printing system will now be delivered from July following successful tests with customers.
Jürgen Franck

 "Hand on heart - do you know your heart attack risk?" With this question, over 600 specialist pharmacies that are members of the Swiss Pharmacists Association pharmaSuisse will go public from May 1, 2007 and offer their customers a low-cost screening test to determine their individual risk of heart attack. TBWA\Health has implemented this matter of the heart in a campaign. In doing so, the Zurich-based advertising agency took its cue from the investigative system as we know it from criminology. The creative implementation was deliberately sober, according to a press release. After all, the aim was to communicate clear facts and not to dramatize images of fear.  
The various subjects feature weapons of crime such as chips, cigarette butts and remote controls placed in plastic bags as evidence that they are partly responsible for unhealthy lifestyles and are therefore one of the causes. For the "Hand on heart - do you know your risk of heart attack?" campaign, TBWA\Health put together a comprehensive package of communication measures for pharmaSuisse. In addition to the classic print campaign, the communication strategy includes training events and various advertising materials for the POS presence such as flyers, health passports, counter displays, shop window displays, floor stickers and A1 posters.

Relaunch: The magazine *Ansichten*, published by Springer Science+Business Media Schweiz AG, strikes a balance between expertly researched specialized information, technological issues, and the latest trends in the lifestyle scene within the fields of architecture, interior design, design, and home living. The writing is well-researched, and the design is vibrant. For now, the magazine is still delivered free of charge to its target audience.

Food The fire ban has been lifted, temperatures are rising again. It's time for a barbecue. Migros is promoting its frozen meat products "Steaks & more" with the colorful "Grillburger Hero" competition. In the game, players have to grill and fill virtual hamburgers. It's all about skill, but above all a good memory, because the vigilant Mr. G.Rill keeps a close eye on whether the recipe is being followed. The game was conceived, designed and technically realized in Flash by the Bern-based communications agency nothing from outer space. The game will be advertised by Exxta in many online media over the next few weeks.

Hanspeter Rohner, CEO of PubliGroupe, comments on the trend toward newspapers operating independently. WW: According to VSW statistics, the BaZ and Baslerstab are down sharply this year—unlike comparable publications. It seems that P has already lost interest in the Basel media market. Hanspeter Rohner: Due to certain coordination difficulties, the statistics do not accurately reflect the actual market situation. I hope this improves soon. The actual situation for the publications in Basel is better than the statistics indicate. WW: The VSW—that is, the P—compiles the statistics. Hanspeter Rohner: Yes. But the volumes that don’t go through us aren’t included, and we have no way of capturing them in full. WW: Recently, the Südostschweiz (SO) also went independent… Hanspeter Rohner: That’s not correct; we’ve restructured our partnership with the SO, and we continue to cooperate through SO-Publicitas.WW: They say there: «We’re effectively operating independently.»Hanspeter Rohner: Really? That’s not true. The collaboration has been restructured and will continue this way in the long term.WW: Since the deal between the NZZ and P, there’s been a veritable “breakaway from Lausanne” movement. Hanspeter Rohner: The Thurgauer Zeitung and the Landbote going independent are direct consequences of the new competitive situation in the Zurich market—that much is clear. But you can’t say the same about the others. WW: The direct-booking compensation and the awarding of TV and radio pool leases to SRG’s marketing arm, Publisuisse, can probably also be interpreted as part of this shift away from publishers. Hanspeter Rohner: I don’t see it that way. In the radio and TV sectors in particular, the dynamics are entirely different. WW: According to its new strategy, P wants to enter the media consulting business. However, any in-house management or media ownership stands in the way of credible, neutral consulting. Is the trend toward in-house management therefore entirely in line with P’s interests—or is it even being promoted by P? Hanspeter Rohner: It’s true that we’ve reduced our holdings in recent years. Today, we hold small minority stakes in fewer but successfully positioned publishing groups. And in place of traditional in-house management, marketing partnerships are increasingly taking over—partnerships that encompass not just one medium but several. However, it would be completely wrong to link this directly to our consulting activities. Consulting—as our company Namics successfully practices it—takes place in the new Marketing and Digital Services division, while marketing operations are handled in the Media Sales division—the two are completely separate. Namics has nothing to do with Publicitas; those are two completely different worlds.WW: Has it already been decided what will happen to the BZM stake in the future?Hanspeter Rohner: No. We are and will remain a minority shareholder in BZM. There’s nothing more to say on that. WW: Will P Basel remain under the BZM umbrella? Hanspeter Rohner: We’ll decide that over the course of the next year. WW: Assa, now part of PubliGroupe, was once a marketing organization for publishers. Under Tamedia’s leadership, a similar organization for regional newspapers could now emerge—positioned across multiple media channels alongside Publisuisse—and in competition with P. Hanspeter Rohner: All I’ll say is: Competition is good for business. It’s more fun to come in first when there are several people competing in a race. Interview: Markus Knöpfli

Trend You will soon be able to get your coffee or cola for free or at a bargain price from vending machines in Japan: companies will pay for the refreshment by advertising themselves on the machines. The company Apex is equipping its 35,000 or so vending machines in the country with screens on which short advertising spots will run from June, as it announced in Tokyo on Wednesday. The 30-second video will be played while the customer waits for their drink. The paper cups will also be printed with advertising. According to Apex, the price of a drink will fall towards zero. Advertisers can expect their ads to run at the appropriate location: Apex vending machines are located in supermarkets, amusement parks, office buildings and schools, the company advertised.

 Claudia Köhler, formerly Freelanceconnaction, is now re-entering the business and the industry under the name Personalconnections. As of May 2007, she will be placing freelancers, temporary assignments and permanent positions in all areas of the communications industry. Köhler is drawing on her long-standing, close-knit network of contacts and is in the process of expanding her database. According to Köhler, it is important to her under the new name not to simply place any potential candidates, but to find the most suitable candidate for the job in question in a personal interview with both the applicant and the client.  
Personalconnections offers personnel consulting for the communications industry, from assistant to creative director, for consulting and media as well as for administration or creation. Clients are both agencies and companies looking for employees for their internal marketing or advertising departments.