Organic The Swiss organic market has grown strongly in recent years. And the forecasts for a further increase in sales are rosy. A growth spurt in the consumption of organic products could be triggered by Bio Suisse's new advertising campaign developed by Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett - because it addresses an advantage of organic products that has not been considered in organic communication until now: taste. Bud products are not only healthy and produced in balance with nature, they also have more flavor than other foods. A characteristic that is a plus especially in today's world, because more and more foods look perfect but don't taste that way. That's why the claim of the new campaign is "Organic Bud. Bring back the taste." The campaign kicks off with advertisements that rub our noses in the problem of taste disappointment.

Alexander Haldemann and Bruno Schmidt want to make their mark on the Swiss brand landscape with MetaDesign. 
Swiss Life, Raiffeisen, Ascom, Bucher Industries, Rieter: The agency has caused quite a stir in recent years with the design of brand appearances. MetaDesign is responsible for the rebranding from A to Z - from the definition of the brand strategy to the visual implementation. The agency works on such large-scale projects over a period of up to three years. MetaHaus also implements individual communication materials: This year, it has already designed six annual reports, the website for ZKB and, most recently, bossi magazine, the new culinary world of Betty Bossi. Who is behind this successful agency? The Zurich office of the international network for branding and corporate identity was founded in 2000. The managing directors and owners are Bruno Schmidt from Germany and Alexander Haldemann from Switzerland.
Haldemann studied international management in St. Gallen. Even back then, he was fascinated by media and brands. For his dissertation, he deliberately looked for a topic that revolved "around a disruption". At the time, the Internet was one such development, where something completely new was happening. What are the traditional daily newspapers doing in this situation? What strategic changes is this triggering in the publishing houses?
As Haldemann grew up in Ticino with the future Internet pioneer Bruno Giussani, this friendly relationship gave the young researcher the opportunity to carry out his investigations in the USA at leading newspapers such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. He compared his findings with publishers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The dissertation, which is still interesting today, opened another door for him to Asia. At the lifestyle and specialist publisher First Asia Publishing in Singapore, Haldemann became project manager for the planned entry into the Internet business.
When the publishing house was sold to China.com in 1999, the expatriate returned to Switzerland via Australia. In Zurich, Haldemann switched to the agency side at Digivision, which was making quite a splash at the time of the Internet hype and also had offices in Milan and Lugano. Haldemann then saw more concrete opportunities in 2001 at the MetaDesign agency in Zurich, which had recently been opened by Bruno Schmidt.
Schmidt, who describes his biography with a smile as an "eventful life", trained as an advertising salesman at the then leading Swiss advertising agency Gisler & Gisler in Düsseldorf after graduating from high school. He worked as a junior consultant for three years and then wanted to leave "to do something socially useful". He studied German, Romance languages and literature and geography in Berlin and worked as a teacher for five years. Another exciting move brought him to Cornelsen, Germany's largest textbook publisher, where he came full circle to advertising: Bruno Schmidt was advertising manager for the last three years and in this role also realized a major project with MetaDesign. Because he was impressed by the company, the client switched to the agency in 1992.
In Berlin, Bruno Schmidt became project manager at MetaDesign for clients such as Audi and Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, later becoming a member of the management team before accepting the challenge of opening a branch in Zurich.
MetaDesign was founded in Berlin in 1990. This was followed in 1992 by a branch in San Francisco, where clients such as Hewlett Packard were served in Silicon Valley. Audi became another important client in 1994. Today, MetaDesign is still the lead agency for this car manufacturer's brand identity. MetaDesign employs around 250 people, 30 of whom are based in Zurich Seefeld. A fourth branch has just been opened in Dubai.
MetaDesign came to Zurich because it wanted to support the newly acquired clients Bluewin and Novartis directly on site. At the time, the Swisscom subsidiary was to be floated on the stock exchange. "There was steam in the pot," Schmidt remembers those wild times of the dotcom bubble. The difficult market environment was not always easy for MetaDesign. However, a much-praised piece of work for the Lucerne International Music Festival, which the brand specialists succinctly turned into the Lucerne Festival, also aroused the interest of Rentenanstalt.
At the time, "pension" was associated with "pension theft". And "nobody wants to work in an institution anymore," says Haldemann, summarizing the strategy that transformed the traditional insurer into Swiss Life. The completely new and positive positioning of a brand was the decisive breakthrough for MetaDesign Zurich. Raiffeisen's redesign a year ago was similarly revolutionary. Whereby "revolutionary" is only true in terms of success, but not in terms of the work.
Schmidt and Haldemann see their approach to redesigning a brand as "evolutionary". As Switzerland's third-largest bank, Raiffeisen moved more and more from the countryside to the city and to modern private and business customers. This new strategy made the honeycomb and ears of corn in the logo look old. The unique name was transformed into a red lettering and the entire brand identity took a big step forward. As with all its work, MetaDesign didn't want to "just pretty it up". For Schmidt and Haldemann, it is part of the concept that they are involved in the entire strategy process at the highest management level. "We are a kind of heart surgeon operating on a brand," says Haldemann, describing the idea. Schmidt says that you could perhaps also call us "obstetricians". MetaDesign does not impose a new image on a brand, but rather brings out "what holds the company together at its core and makes it special".
This explains what sets MetaDesign apart from an advertising agency. "We don't do individual campaigns, but define the holistic appearance." MetaDesign provides everything so that the advertising agency can take action. "We give them a toolbox that they can use," says Schmidt.
Both Alexander Haldemann - who also works as a lecturer in St. Gallen and Salzburg - and Bruno Schmidt particularly enjoy the fact that their agency often comes into play when a brand is "due for a huge change". In such situations, management needs to be convinced that the time has come to invest in the brand. Trust in the employees must be restored. Ultimately, it is about finding the right role for a brand in the market. When this "leaves its mark", it is "a really great feeling", says Haldemann. And Schmidt appreciates the fact that his work allows him to "look very deeply into a wide variety of companies".
Andreas Panzeri

Magazine Studio 54, the last Elvis exclusive interview, Jean Paul Belmondo or the Formula 1 kings of 1977: Rockstar Magazine spared no effort and published a 52-page rock mag from the perspective of the time. Issue no. 352 brings 1977 back to life, not only in terms of content but also in terms of layout. The magazine is published by Zurich-based publisher RockStar Magazine and is available from newsagents.

 After 20 years as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Zurich-based media company Tamedia, Hans Heinrich Coninx stepped down at the Annual General Meeting on Thursday. He makes way for his nephew Pietro Supino, who takes over as Chairman of the Board of Directors. The newly elected member has been a member of the Tamedia Board of Directors since 1991 and Vice Chairman since 2002. His election means that the top position will remain in the hands of the Coninx family, who have managed the company for 114 years. Three branches of the family hold 76 percent of the shares. The 41-year-old Supino is a dual Swiss-Italian citizen and studied law and economics.
 
The retiring 62-year-old Coninx has led Tamedia through two decades of eventful Swiss media history. Under his aegis, the publishing house became a multi-media company. This includes a radio and a television station. Titles such as SonntagsZeitung and Facts were launched, as SDA summarized in a press release. Tamedia also entered the commuter newspaper market under the fly carrier with the publication of 20 Minuten. The direct competitor NZZ praised Coninx as a reserved business leader and master of understatement, whose "loud demeanor and self-promotion, as can often be observed in the media industry, contradict each other."

Media On May 8, it will be decided whether Clear Channel will be sold and thus probably split up completely. May 8, 2007 could accelerate upheavals in the out-of-home advertising market - worldwide and in Switzerland. The shareholders of the Texan media group Clear Channel Communications (CCC) are expected to decide whether they want to sell their shares to the two investment firms Bain Capital Partners, LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P.. The outcome is uncertain. The meeting has already had to be postponed twice at short notice, partly because the shareholders are demanding one billion US dollars more instead of the 26.7 billion US dollars negotiated by the Board of Directors.Regardless of the outcome of the shareholders' meeting, industry experts assume that CCC, which has radio, TV and outdoor advertising in its portfolio, will be completely split up sooner or later. This process is already in full swing, as the Group recently announced that it would divest its holdings in 448 radio stations and 56 TV stations. This also appears to be in the interests of the two holding companies.
So far, only outdoor advertising subsidiary Clear Channel Outdoor (CCO) has been spared the dismemberment. CCO is the world's largest player in the poster sector, with a presence in 30 other countries in addition to the USA - including Switzerland with CCO Plakanda (market share Switzerland: around 25 percent). The industry is also expecting a split, with CCO national companies with small market shares being sold. A sale of CCC to the associated companies would tend to accelerate this process. Players such as the French poster provider JCDecaux, the German Ströer and the Swiss market leader Affichage are already on the lookout for acquisition opportunities here and there. PubliGroupe, with its cross-media strategy, also appears to be interested in re-integrating the poster medium into its portfolio.   
Markus Knöpfli

Column Regional media companies are increasingly discovering the Sunday market. This has consequences. The seven lean years of the media industry are apparently over. Publishers are therefore no longer focusing on saving money. The economic upturn is tempting them to invest in projects. Media managers are focusing in particular on the publication of Sunday newspapers or seventh editions of daily newspapers. This will shake up a market previously dominated by the regional language offerings SonntagsBlick, SonntagsZeitung and NZZ am Sonntag. The Sunday market is to be regionalized. Reading requires peace and quiet and attention. In a hectic working day, it is not easy to concentrate on an article. Headlines in commuter newspapers and news services on the Internet are often the only media that can be digested during the working day. Working at a screen also tires the eyes. In the evening, watching TV or listening to a podcast saves the effort of reading.
However, Sunday is still free time for most people. The newspaper on the breakfast table can be read without constantly squinting at the clock. The time is ideal for sport, the good life and culture. The hard-earned money during the week is waiting to be spent. The Financial Times has long called its weekend lifestyle section "How to spend it" with Anglo-Saxon openness. Relaxation and indulgence at the weekend make people open to new and fine things. For advertisers, the timing is therefore ideal to whet the appetite for smaller and larger purchases.
The PR industry has long since discovered Sunday for itself. Whether a new project needs to be publicized or a competitor needs to be weakened - a call to an editorial office of your choice is all it takes. A primeur is always welcome. There is little time to critically analyze the tip. The headline is usually guaranteed. Agencies and electronic media like to take up the topic to bridge the weekend news lull.
However, journalistic pens can be sure of an attentive readership on Sundays, even without a whisperer. At the weekend, there is a great willingness to read analyses and background reports. After the excitement of the week, the editorial achievements of weighting and in-depth coverage provide an ideal framework for deciding for oneself what one wants to remember for longer. The Sunday papers also offer journalists an ideal platform in the news section: many things that receive little attention during the week and are hardly worth reporting make it onto the front page on Sunday.
Despite the many arguments in favor of Sunday papers, the regional media companies have to make tough calculations. It is true that new offerings generally also create new demand. Nevertheless, revenues in the advertising and readership markets cannot be increased indefinitely. In terms of advertising, there is a risk that the weekly editions will be thinned out, while readers' willingness to spend more on top of their existing subscriptions is limited.
On the cost side, editing, printing and distribution require additional investment. The regional editions must provide substantial additional services in terms of content so that they can differentiate themselves from their regional-language competitors and the weekday press. In terms of publishing, certain synergies can be exploited, but here too it is not possible without additional efforts and innovations: In the highly competitive media markets, everyone wants to be intensively courted.
No success without risk: poker is part of the media business. That's why there will be a few surprises to disturb our Sunday rest in the future. Thanks to increased journalistic competition, readers can look forward to a few reading pleasures.
Josefa Haas is head of the Media Institute.

Exhibitions An exhibition entitled "Durchschuss Leiche und Zeile" is being held in the exhibition rooms of the Basel School of Design at Spalenvorstadt 2 until May 25. It is about moving typography in film and posters. This typography is omnipresent in everyday media such as television and the Internet. The exhibition shows how the individual television channels outdo each other in the battle for ratings and an independent identity in the use of moving graphics and typography. Open Tuesday to Friday from 12pm to 7pm and Saturday and Sunday from 12pm to 5pm.

Photography After Aperture from Apple, Adobe now also has a solution for demanding photo amateurs and professionals with Lightroom. Developing software is no easy task. Apple chose the traditional and difficult path and released the image management software Aperture 1.0 a good 18 months ago. However, just as Adobe did with InDesign 1, Apple would have been better off waiting and releasing mature software later instead of a dubious 1.0 version. The RAW import, which was praised as a highlight, was not enough for discerning photographers, and Apple packed all the data into a database as the sole approach. At Photokina last fall, Apple reacted and launched the necessary update with Aperture 1.5, which now meets the otherwise very high Apple standard and also enables other forms of image data management. Version 1.5 also significantly reduced the price of the software. At the same time, Adobe launched a new beta version of its rival product Lightroom, which can be downloaded by anyone. The striking difference: while Apple tried to win back the favor of its customers with a revised version, Adobe let users test the software in advance. With the acquisition of Macromedia, Adobe adopted this approach of letting users evaluate programs and incorporate feedback. By integrating the platform formerly known as Macromedia Labs, Adobe will probably be able to avoid false starts like InDesign or Aperture in the future. In any case, Lightroom was spared a false start.
Two convincing solutionsThe current versions of both Aperture and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, as they have been known since their market launch, are convincing professional image management programs. Both programs allow non-destructive image processing, which means that the original image remains unchanged and the processing steps are recorded separately from the original image. This means that earlier versions or the original material can be accessed at any time. Both Aperture and Lightroom also offer practical functions for easily presenting selected images on websites. Thanks to ready-made and easy-to-edit templates, attractive web photo galleries can be generated and uploaded in just a few simple steps. Lightroom has an integrated FTP function, while Aperture exports to folder structures that have to be uploaded manually. Both multifunctional programs also make it easier to print photo prints with the help of color management.
Advantages on both sidesVariable zooming, simultaneous zooming of adjacent images, the "smart" albums and smart web galleries, automatic stacking during import, one-click backup, integration with Apple programs such as iLife to create DVDs, films, podcasts or presentations are outstanding features of the current version of Aperture 1.5.3. The smart albums and directories in particular are a feature that should not be underestimated, as they significantly simplify image management. Images can also be sorted by metadata, which can be customized in a variety of ways. Aperture can also be controlled via AppleScript or Automator. Furthermore, all settings, metadata, albums and web galleries can be transferred as projects via the export function to a second station equipped with Aperture. The working environment can be set up in a variety of ways, split across several monitors and various list displays can be selected. Unique to Aperture is a layout environment and connection for designing and producing photo books.
With the challenger Lightroom, the precise control of the black and white conversion is pleasing. Thanks to the logged color and/or image corrections, it is possible to easily access alternative versions or create older versions. As a further plus, images can be provided with metadata during import or very easily excluded from import. While the less important image presentation on the monitor (slide show) is comparable to Aperture, Lightroom scores points when it comes to printing images, which is somewhat better adapted to the needs of photographers. It is very easy to create both individual images and image compilations for printing contact sheets. As a unique selling point, web galleries can be created within the "darkroom" in both HTML and Flash format, exported and uploaded to a web server via FTP as mentioned above. Lightroom offers significantly more options here; a larger selection of ready-made patterns is available, which can also be easily adjusted in terms of color.
More similarities than differencesThe organization of the Lightroom workflow into the steps "Library", "Develop", "Slideshow", "Print" and "Web" makes sense, even if it takes some getting used to; the somewhat loveless arrangement of the five words and thus the lack of symbols is incomprehensible. But that already covers its weak points. As far as the software design is concerned, the two programs have nothing in common. The customizable interfaces in black and grey tones are elegantly designed and signal that the products are aimed at Pro users.
However, there are significant differences in the hardware requirements, which will often be decisive. Apple has set the requirements for its customers incomprehensibly high. A G5 (from 1.6 GHz) is a must. It is therefore all the more surprising that Lightroom on the Apple platform (!) is satisfied with significantly less. A G4 computer and 768 MB RAM are sufficient here. A computer equipped with a Pentium 4 chip is also sufficient under Windows XP. For Windows users or Apple users with older hardware, the matter is clear. Apple users with the latest hardware should download demo versions of both programs and test them extensively. The decision between Aperture and Lightroom is ultimately a matter of taste. The bottom line is that the differences between Apple Aperture 1.5.3 and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom are marginal - with minor advantages and disadvantages on both sides.
Photo management on the Mac or PCIf you want to manage photos on your Mac or PC, you already have good tools for doing so at operating system level. Slideshows are available in Mac OS X as well as in Windows Vista, and simple management is possible via folder structures.
The next level are tools such as the new Adobe Bridge, which is supplied with every Creative Suite package. The new Bridge (CS 3) in particular enables very simple image management, allows keywording, allows images to be compared and even enables images to be imported directly in RAW format. 
A high-quality and inexpensive program, but only for Mac users, is the iPhoto application integrated in the iLife package. However, this very unique image management solution hardly meets the requirements of professionals when it comes to data management in separate folder structures.
In addition to the programs Aperture and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, Microsoft's Expression Media (formerly iView Media Pro), Fotostation (Mac/Win) from Fotoware or more comprehensive asset management solutions are enthroned above these applications.
Jürgen Franck

Economic areas What was just an idea and vision a year ago has now taken on concrete form: the Lake Zurich Trade Fair in Wädenswil. In spring 2008, the Lake Zurich economic region will have its own public regional trade fair. It will open its doors from April 2 to 6, 2008. 250 exhibitors are expected.

 From the 24th to the 26th, the Digital Culture Association DCA will be transforming the Transferhalle at Technopark Zurich into a futuristic world as part of Tweakfest. Switzerland's hottest media artists will be guests with their current projects.  
The inspiring highlights include the media art pioneers from Etoy with their "Mission Eternity" project, the interactive media installation "Breaking the News" by Marc Lee, the "Light Sculpture" by Anti VJ, the "Flickering Subjects" video by SIS TM, the "Nova 3D-Screen" and the "Tangent" multi-touch interface. In other words: immersive screens with 17,000 light-emitting diodes, the mortal remains of multiusers, twisted news programs and the world's first three-dimensional colour screen lure visitors from the present into the future.
 
On Thursday, May 24 and Friday, May 25, 2007, the exhibition will be open from 3:00 to 10:00 pm, and on Saturday, May 26, 2007 from 12:00 to 10:00 pm. Visiting the exhibition is free of charge.

Football Migros and Publicis turn football fans into stars in the M'08 fan championship for Euro 08. Euro 08 and its relationship with football fans have already been the subject of much discussion. Tickets are expensive and hard to get. Whether and where public viewing will be possible still seems to be an open question for certain lawyers. However, a promise by Zurich's city president that the area around Bellevue could become a gigantic fan mile and that Zurich could thus become the "fan capital of the European Football Championship 2008" gives hope to fans. A spectacular concept by Migros fits in perfectly with this sporting rather than petty spirit. It runs under the title M'08 instead of Euro 08 and "probably represents the most cross-media and cross-channel linked appearance of a company that there has ever been in this country," according to Beat Mühlemann, Head of Marketing Communication at Migros. The whole story was conceived by the advertising agency Publicis. CD with overall responsibility for creation is Jean Etienne Aebi. Publicis is not only in charge of the conception and communication of the unique fan spectacle. The agency is also responsible for the implementation of the entire M'08 event series, with Marion Marxer in charge of the organization. Publicis is also supported in this action by tpc, the TV production center of Swiss Television, as well as by Migros Online.
From fan to starThe concept of this championship, which has never been seen before, is called: "Migros turns football fans into stars." As of now, TV commercials and advertisements are calling on all fans to apply for M'08, "the first fan championship in football history." No matter whether you are for Italy, Switzerland, Germany or Cyprus: Migros is looking for the biggest fans of European national teams and will let them compete against each other on TV. Not in football, but in real fan disciplines such as goal shouting, bottle opening, honking and fan styling. In addition to lots of fun and the chance to become famous, there are prizes worth a total of over 400,000 Swiss francs.
Following the team draw, 15 matches will be played at M'08 from the round of 16 to the final and will be shown in prime time on SF 1, TSR 1 and TSI 1. The venue will be Studio 1 of Swiss Television. This will be converted into a newly designed M'08 stadium, where the fan teams will compete in three fan disciplines per broadcast, cheered on by a live audience of hundreds of other fans. Presenters for German-speaking Switzerland are Heinz Margot and Lolita Morena, for French-speaking Switzerland Laurent Nicolet and for Ticino Barbara Ortelli. The M'08 coach, Jörg Stiel, is also part of the team. And like every major event, the M'08 has its own theme song, a real fan anthem, composed and sung by Adrian Stern. "Unhaltbar!" is the name of the new catchy tune, which will soon be presented to the public.
The Internet serves as the central communication platform. At www.M08.ch, you can find out everything about M'08 and the associated activities. Here, you can apply as a player for the fan championship, play games, and access information about constantly new M'08 special offers. All TV shows are available for free download, including exciting backstage reports. Those who can't make it in front of the cameras have the opportunity to take part in the fan championship online at www.M08.ch and also win great prizes.
M'08 is thus more than the first fan championship in football history. "M'08 is the all-inclusive commitment of Migros and its retail channels to the fans," explains Patrick Chevin, main project manager at Migros. As the official organizer of M'08, Migros is supported by numerous sponsors from its environment. For example, SportXX, the official supplier of the fans. Or M-Electronics, the official entertainer of the fans. Micasa is the fans' official interior decorator, Do it + Garden Migros is the official home and garden partner, and Le Shop is the fans' official online store. The Club School, fitness parks and Migros restaurants also play an important role. Migrosbank, Migrol and Hotelplan donate attractive prizes, as do Aamg and Sony.                   
 
Andreas Panzeri

Mode Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett continues to advertise for Migros with ordinary people What works for casting shows can also be used for advertising: 700 singles came forward when Migros was looking for amateur models willing to show off for a new season of its fashion advertising. While other fashion companies advertise with top models, Migros has been "deliberately showing normal people" for two years now, as CD Peter Brönnimann explains at SFLB. Last fall, for example, ski instructors in their underwear caused quite a stir. Andy Wahrhol was right after allNow the so-called Migros models advertisement has gone one better. For the current underwear campaign, singles were sought who no longer wanted to be single. And who wanted to present themselves and their underwear on television, in a brochure and on the Internet. At least for 26 of the 700 interested singles, Andy Warhol's prophecy that one day everyone will be famous for about fifteen minutes has been confirmed once again. The part-time celebrities can now be seen not only in refreshing TV commercials, but also in a brochure that will be enclosed with newspapers and magazines. The commercials were produced by Chocolate Films and directed by Serge Höltschi, who also photographed the print subjects.
The underwear models include a wide variety of types with a wide variety of professions: In addition to students, for example, there is also a mortician, a policeman, a confectioner and a designer.
If you would like to have a date with a mortician while you are still alive, singles and underwear are also presented cross-medially on the website www.migrosmodels.ch. There you can get in touch with the singles personally and write them an e-mail. The personal e-mail address of each model is also shown in all TV commercials and printed in the brochure.
Andreas Panzeri