Viva Switzerland is jumping on the crowded bandwagon of casting shows. Starting on May 7, the channel will show "America's Next Top Model," the mother of all modeling shows: Under the thumb of supermodel Tyra Banks, young women struggle with their body measurements, hair color and other styling problems. 
Inexplicably, millions of young women still dream of spending their lives half-starved in the hairdresser's chair, regularly being given new hair colors that they don't like at all. To zigzag across the international catwalks and "enchant the world with their beauty," as Viva Switzerland writes, they will put up with almost anything. Most of them make it at most to a third-rate fashion shoot for unknown labels; those who are lucky marry rich. Everything clear? The career of a model is not glamorous, but bleak, rocky and tough, and only the most resistant and best of these creatures will ever make it. So in "America's Next Top Model," too, there is "merciless sorting," as Viva announces, because only one of the ten contenders gets a modeling contract, cover stories and a bright future opportunity. In addition to physical fitness, intelligence (huh?) and humor (oh yes, otherwise the eternal styling orgies and bad-tempered photographers are really unbearable) also count.

Sportartikel Ruf Lanz has invested in copywriters instead of graphic designers for Sport Factory Outlet. "You can stand out even without a big budget. If you make up for the lack of money with the courage to find unconventional solutions. Peter Wider has been demonstrating this courage for years," says Markus Ruf, complimenting his client Sport Factory Outlet (SFO). Ruf Lanz therefore advertises the bike sales of this unconventional sports store with unusual job advertisements instead of expensive pictures. A new bike store has opened in the Sport Factory Outlet on the Bally site in Schönenwerd. Here you can find the latest city, racing and mountain bikes as well as the corresponding accessories.
Ruf Lanz designed a total of ten wild posters and small advertisements for the launch campaign. These are looking for skinny salespeople or saleswomen with a tiny bust and flat bottom. And with good reason: there is hardly any room for sales staff in the new bike store. Because the entire store is packed to the brim with the latest city, racing and mountain bikes. "Only when the bikes have been sold can normal-built sales staff be employed again," suggests the strategy of this advertisement.
The concept is flanked by a radio advertisement in which slender sales staff with narrow shoulders are also sought.
According to SFO Managing Director Peter Wider, he is already being asked about the campaign in Aargau almost as much as he was three years ago, when Ruf Lanz used Uriella - fallen on his head - to advertise his bicycle helmet sales.   
Andreas Panzeri

 The Crossmedia Award jury has nominated a shortlist of nine works from 33 entries, from which the gold, silver and bronze winners will be chosen. The three winners will be announced and the awards presented at the Goldbach Mediarena 07 on May 10. As the Goldbach Media Group announced on Wednesday, the special prize for foreign entries will be awarded for the first time at the Mediarena as further recognition.  
The cross-media works were measured against the criteria of intelligent linking, degree of innovation, creative implementation, track record and overall impression.
 
The shortlist in alphabetical order is as follows:
 
Affichage "Switzerland chooses a capital", Publicis
 
Bank-now, Contexta
 
Flying, Swiss made, Jung von Matt/Limmat
 
Migros favorite products, Publicis
 
Mobiliar umbrella brand campaign, Wirz Advertising
 
SBB: Discover Switzerland, Jung von Matt/Limmat
 
Swisscom Fixnet Beck & Bondi, Contexta
 
Tamedia jobwinner.ch, Wirz Advertising
 
Unilever V-Team, Jung von Matt
 
ÖBB, PKB Proximity was nominated for the special prize for entries from Austria/Germany.

 On August 11, 2007, the Street Parade will once again attract hundreds of thousands of visitors. The Zurich Street Parade Association has announced that the Street Parade is launching a comprehensive package of media offers. An individual cross-media package can be put together from over 15 different tools: From advertisements in the official booklet (circulation 500,000) to advertisements in partner media and special national editions, from trailers on the large LED screens to appearances on the Street Parade website and on-site sampling. Various TV media can also be integrated particularly well into a cross-media package. The organizers also offer agencies a consultancy commission when booking media packages, even with special conditions in the first two weeks of May. Street Parade Marketing is managed by Schorno Marketing Zurich.

 For a few days now, a very unconventional advertisement has been displayed next to the A1 highway near Gossau: Ipsuisse.ch has been mown into a meadow. Since then, the meadow advertisement has been the subject of heated debate. The mayor of the town of Gossau had nothing against it in principle, but the Federal Roads Office did: advertising next to the highway is generally prohibited. In addition, drivers' attention is distracted for a certain period of time, which could be dangerous. This was reported by 20 Minuten last week.  
However, according to SDA, the police have now decided not to mow the lettering for the time being. According to a police statement on Wednesday, the meadow advertisement was once again examined in detail. The proportionality of a substitute measure (leaving the meadow mowed) was also assessed. The police have therefore filed a complaint against the landowner. The case is now before the examining magistrate.
 
The debate about the meadow advertisement is almost similar to the excitement surrounding crop circles. However, there is no doubt as to the authorship: IP-Suisse can continue to enjoy its publicity.

 Two days before World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, the US organization Freedom House has published its annual report on the international media situation. According to the report, press freedom continued to deteriorate in many countries last year. The treatment of the media is particularly alarming in some Asian and South American countries as well as in Russia.  
According to the SDA, of the 195 countries assessed, a total of 74 were rated as free, 58 as partly free and 63 as not free. This means that only 18 percent of the world's population had access to free reporting. North Korea scored worst in terms of respect for press freedom, with Finland and Iceland scoring best. Belgium, Denmark, Norway and Sweden ranked second. Switzerland shares third place with Luxembourg. The country rating for Switzerland also mentions the CIA fax affair, which ended in mid-April with an acquittal for the Sonntags Blick journalists on trial before the military court.

The media agency Mediaxis is responding to its growth in recent years by expanding its top management and moving to a larger domicile.  
According to a Mediaxis press release, consumer goods specialist Ulrich H. Moser has been appointed to the Board of Directors. He was most recently CEO of Lever Fabergé/Unilever and is represented on the management committees of various business associations, for example as Vice President of the Swiss Association for Marketing (GfM). He also sits on various other boards of directors (e.g. Rivella Holding).
 
With its new headquarters at Schlieren railroad station, the media agency wants to set a milestone in the communications landscape and demonstrate what it means to describe unusual yet efficient ways of communicating. In a prominent location along the Zurich-Berne railroad line, it is transforming the new office wing into its own communication platform. The building is to become the agency's new calling card. With various design measures, Mediaxis will ensure that the concept of channel planning takes on a new meaning.

 The advertising presence of the US cult shoe brand Heelys will be managed by Universal McCann and McCann Erickson with immediate effect. This was announced by McCann Erickson on Wednesday. With over 15 million pairs sold worldwide, the shoes with interchangeable wheels in the heels, which allow you to roll instead of just walk, have set a new trend.

 As part of the International Interactive & Alternative Media Competition of the New York Festivals, Jung von Matt/Limmat won two silver medals with the "Size" campaign for Mini: Both in the category "Guerilla Marketing: Outdoor" and in the category "Best Use of Alternative Media". The work for Mini was also awarded a Finalist Certificate in the category "Alternative & Innovative Media: Ambient" category with a Finalist Certificate.  
As the agency announced on Wednesday, it secured further finalists with the "Paparazzi campaign" for SI Style in the category "Alternative & Innovative Media: Word of Mouth/Buzz" and with "Sushi-hay rolls" for the restaurant Yoojis in the two categories "Alternative & Innovative Media: Ambient" and "Best Use of Alternative Media".

 The Handelszeitung publishing group has commissioned Swisscontent to produce daily financial and business news for its online portal. According to a press release from Swisscontent, the cooperation will start with the relaunch of the Handelszeitung website planned for summer 2007. From then on, Swisscontent's editorial team will be jointly responsible for the daily news section of the new financial portal.

 The Migros Actilife brand is being repositioned. As part of the expansion of its product range, the brand is being given its own online presence. Assai wins the online communication mandate in a multi-stage selection process, as the company announced on Wednesday.  
Initial work will be visible from fall 2007. The new website is intended to promote awareness of the Actilife brand and reinforce the product promise.

 
The battle for the advertising market on the Internet is becoming ever tighter. Yahoo is buying the entire share package of Right Media for 680 million dollars and is thus once again becoming a serious competitor to Google. The company already acquired 20 percent of Right Media in October 2006, writes the news agency SDA in a press release. Right Media offers targeted advertising for narrowly defined groups such as so-called social networks.