Insurance Contexta has produced a new TV commercial for Basler Versicherungen in Uruguay. Since 2001, the "invisible companion" has been a creative element in the films for Basler Versicherungen and Baloise Bank SoBa. The advertising agency Contexta is now going one step further with the concept it has developed. "Whatever you have in mind: We're with you," is the unmistakable message. This has been successfully communicated in the print campaign since last year. Even if he is never seen, the customer advisor embodies Baloise's spirit of partnership and unobtrusive helpfulness in a very striking way. Following this simple idea, an emotional TV commercial now complements the print subjects and thus completes the comprehensive image campaign. In the new 30-second spot, the Basler consultant literally takes on the leading role after the accompanying one: the film follows a young Vespa rider on her way through the city. On her carefree ride, she observes how the invisible companion supports Baloise customers in their daily lives in numerous scenes that are as surprising as they are likeable.
The challenge of showing the wide range of products and services offered by Baloise Insurance and Baloise Bank SoBa in just 30 seconds without any explanatory text was mastered by a quick sequence of several scenes. Insurance, pensions and assets - everything is presented in a figurative sense and only in a hint.
Off to new destinationsBecause the spot required warm temperatures and a summery setting, the agency moved the shoot abroad. For once, however, they did not opt for one of the well-known and popular destinations of Cape Town or Miami, but for Montevideo, Uruguay. "We have already traveled all over the world and shot in many places. Montevideo is new and a great discovery," enthuses Bene Abegglen, CD of Contexta. He and the client particularly liked the similarities with Switzerland: "The city of Montevideo has a very European feel, with lots of modern but also old buildings, and the people are Mediterranean in character. At first glance, the film could be set in Lausanne or Basel."
The tip for Montevideo came from Christian Aeby, the director of the spot. In addition to the architecture and the climate, he appreciates the quality of the local production companies. The people are very motivated. "In fact, the whole shoot went very smoothly," says Marc Hallauer, the Basel-based company's Head of Marketing Communications, who was also on the trip.
In order to communicate the desired relaxed atmosphere in the film not only visually, the soundtrack also had to be at least as effortless. The music of "The Willowz" seemed ideal to the creative team: a relaxed singsong and an unusually restrained voice reinforce the realistic, unaffected and deliberately not always flawless camera shots with their simple carefreeness.
The commercial as a whole thus manages to use simple images to place the invisible companion at the center of the action and thus demonstrate the proximity of Baloise Insurance to the customer, true to the claim: "In good company".
Andreas Panzeri

Christian Wick is fired up to be the new president of the Zurich Public Relations Society. "C'est le choc!" - That was Christian Wick's reaction at the last Christmas dinner of the Zurich Public Relations Society. There he now had the gift. It was only in the fall of 2006 that the founder of Wickpr was asked if he would be interested in "joining in a bit" with the association of Zurich PR specialists. Why not? The association is a good platform. Especially for a small agency, it makes sense to get in touch with other professionals. "My sparring partners are otherwise often just customers or suppliers," Wick reflected on the situation. As chance would have it, during his first "guest visit" to an association meeting, the previous president announced his resignation. Wick sensed that other board members were also "eager to meet new people with new impulses". He offered to organize the Christmas dinner for the time being ... Now he became president at the AGM on April 2. The 44-year-old was not only shocked, but also flattered. "You don't usually become president until you retire," he said.
One of the young president's tasks is to organize as exciting an event as possible for the industry ten times a year. The bar is set high. One example was the Communication Summit last February, which the PR Society launched together with the Zurich Press Association. Alexander Niemetz, the former head of the "heute Journal," spoke on the topic of "All image or what?" and how he coached Angela Merkel for the last speech battle on TV against Gerhard Schröder. 150 PR professionals and journalists were attracted by the topic.
In order to be able to organize such highlights for the industry in the future, Wick plans to integrate the office of the Zurich Public Relations Society into his agency Wickpr on Zurich's Weinbergstrasse in the near future, "in the sense of an expansion".
Communication scholar Peter Watzlawick said, "You can't not communicate." Wick says, "You have to communicate." With this in mind, the new president is convinced that "it is important for his association to also do PR on its own behalf." The industry still has "a bad image" in many places, he says.
When a somewhat offbeat news story makes it into the media, the popular term is "PR gag." According to Wick, the correct term should be "media gag. Conversely, many people don't know that such media work is "only a small aspect of PR. The consultant is particularly amused when new clients ask him, "Do you have media contacts?" - That's when he always asks back, "Do you have a story?" Because for hot stories, it has never been a problem to be able to mobilize a Sunday press or even the daily news for a client. So the work of public relations has become more complex. The association can demonstrate that with its work.
At the same time, Wick appreciates the fact that his work on this board "keeps him more alert to new trends. The board has to consider which speakers are in demand at the next specialist meeting and which topics are on the agenda. The association is not suitable for people who want to get a job quickly through new relationships.
Christian Wick learned his trade for five years with Karl F. Schneider. Before that, he studied Phil I at the University of Zurich. At first without a goal, "because language simply fascinated him". That was already the case in high school in Schwyz, where Wick had fun cramming Latin as a free subject, to the horror of his colleagues.
When the Matura student moved from Goldau to a lodge in Zurich's Kreis 4 and was suddenly confronted with much freer structures at university as well, it was not always easy to see a clear career path. Wick worked as a student trainee at the Sihlpost and later became "editor" for a ragion book published by Orell Füssli. However, the possibility of continuing to indulge in science as an assistant after graduating from university did not arouse his interest. So after three months of adventuring in Argentina, Wick went to see a resume consultant. "And that was a real epiphany." The woman sent him to public relations.
Wick bought non-fiction books, registered with Sawi and immediately made his "first mailing on his own behalf. He wrote to all PR agencies in Zurich that he was looking for a job as an assistant. The then Farnerei and Karl F. Schneider responded to the application. With Schneider, it finally worked out.
Already after his first job, he started his own business. Before that, at the age of 29, he was the youngest graduate in Switzerland to obtain a diploma as a PR consultant. During the course, he met Marco Lehner and then joined Metzger, Lehner, Briccola in 1994 as "Head of the PR Unit". He puts the title in quotation marks because at that time he was simply allowed to use an office for free. The agency could also offer PR in return. Wick worked independently, without pay, but also without fixed costs.
After one year, he already had eight clients in his portfolio. Wick subsequently wanted to look after these independently with a sole proprietorship under the name Inhalt & Form. This later became a larger agency before co-owner Wick moved to Weber, Hodel, Schmid in 2001. He was head of the PR unit here until the end of WHS. Then, in 2004, he "finally went into business for himself and no longer wanted to work under other labels.
Shrewd by the last experience Wickpr is to grow only carefully. Depending on the task and the client, the sole owner puts together the right crew. Installed is the agency in the same building as Lesch + Frei. This is very practical for print work such as annual reports or employee magazines, because Wick can also use direct access to the graphic infrastructure here. Such proximity is less important for work for the Internet. Here, Wick can also find its specialists in Germany.
For Christian Wick, it is part of the concept that, in addition to commercial clients from a wide range of industries, he can also regularly handle mandates in the nonprofit sector. The PR consultant does important work here for Professor Ruedi Lüthy and his Swiss Aids Care International. The founder of the Zurich Lighthouse was also named "European of the Year" this year. So it was naturally a proud event for Wickpr that the new President of the Swiss Confederation, Micheline Calmy-Rey, came to ETH Zurich for the laudation just two weeks after taking office. Together with Werd-Verlag, Wickpr has now also "pushed" a book "Geschenktes Leben" about Lüthy's work in Zimbabwe.
Wickpr has a second NPO client, the cancer foundation Swissbridge. "Such mandates make sense because they have a public relevance," the new president of the Zurich PR Society is convinced.

Andreas Panzeri

Photography The Association of Photographic Designers presents the 1st Swiss Portfolio Day. On May 5, this event aims to offer the Swiss photography scene a new platform for networking. Swiss Portfolio Day, consisting of Winner Portfolio, MyPortfolio and Open Space, is a new tool for professional photographers. MyPortfolio offers leading professionals in photography personal discussions with around twenty experts from the advertising scene, art buyers, picture editors and cultural managers such as Frank Bodin, Koni Nordmann, Martin Jäggi and Axel Martels. The talks last 20 minutes. You can book via the Internet at www.the-selection.ch.  
The Swiss Portfolio Day takes place in the exhibition hall of The Selection vfg at Unterwerk Selnau in Zurich.
Andreas Panzeri

Radio II Klaus Kappeler, CEO of Goldbach Media, comments on the sale of Energy and on other potential collaborations with Ringier. WW: Mr. Kappeler, don’t you feel a twinge of guilt about selling one of the last non-publisher-owned radio stations to a publisher of all people? Klaus Kappeler: No, but after 21 years, the sale was very difficult for me. However, precisely because of the regional publishing monopolies, we asked ourselves in what kind of environment the radio station could connect with other editorial teams and benefit from media infrastructures. We’ve now found that with Ringier, which will also be a great opportunity for the Energy employees. But we’re not cutting all ties—we’ll remain the exclusive marketer. WW: PubliGroupe CEO Hanspeter Rohner recently praised Goldbach as a cross-media pioneer, though he criticized the idea that cross-media without print is like a restaurant menu without a main course. Did you take that to heart?Klaus Kappeler: I’m naturally proud when Goliath praises David even before the battle. But Mr. Rohner overlooked the fact that while Goldbach is committed to the digital media in its own portfolio, we also implement print, billboards, and direct mail in almost every cross-media campaign in collaboration with partners.WW: Ringier is Switzerland’s largest publishing house; you have a strong presence in digital media. These strengths complement each other and seem like a natural fit for a partnership. Klaus Kappeler: It’s absolutely true that we complement each other. And I understand why it looks like a partnership. It’s obvious that Goldbach will discuss cross-media strategies with Ringier, as well as the question of whether Ringier can be integrated. But for now, only the radio business has just been finalized. WW: Another parallel: Ringier already has a presence in Eastern Europe, and Goldbach plans to do the same. Klaus Kappeler: You’ve given me a good idea: We’ll also discuss the Eastern markets with Ringier. WW: Will you also form financial ties with Ringier—for example, by having former publisher Beat Curti or the investment firm 3i sell their Goldbach shares to the publishing house? Klaus Kappeler: We haven’t given these matters any thought so far. Our primary goal was to handle the Energy sale properly. And from what I gathered from Ringier, this was also a priority for Martin Werfeli and Thomas Trüb. Nothing else is in the pipeline at the moment. WW: Nevertheless, the whole thing—at least in Switzerland—seems to be shaping up into competition with PubliGroupe. Klaus Kappeler: I don’t see it that way; instead, I’m sticking to the Goldbach strategy: We’re positioning ourselves as a center of excellence for electronic media, not a jack-of-all-trades offering everything under the sun. That’s exactly what clients and agencies appreciate.WW: The media company Tamedia and Publisuisse, the marketer of TV, radio, and AdScreen, also recently joined forces. Did that play a role for you?Klaus Kappeler: Here, too, I see things differently. I do take our other competitors seriously—they all have their own strategies. But Goldbach’s response to the Tamedia-Publisuisse merger was typical: We increased radio revenue by a high double-digit percentage in the first quarter of 2007. That’s because we’re happy to take on any challenge and don’t fear competition—we just keep a cool head. Interview: Markus Knöpfli
 
 
 
 
Goldbach Media's Shareholder Structure Following the stock swap with Adlink, the shares in Goldbach Media are now distributed as follows: Adlink holds 19.4 percent, the Board of Directors holds 29.7 percent, employees and management hold 12.4 percent, various shareholders hold 21.1 percent, and the participating investors (3i and Beisheim Holding) hold 13.9 percent. Treasury stock amounts to 3.5 percent. 

HDTV High-definition television is now also coming to Switzerland: SRG SSR is launching an HD channel on December 1.
Many people have already read "HD ready" on the label of their new flat-screen TV. But until now, high-definition television (HDTV) has been a technical gimmick for most viewers in Switzerland. This is because the reception of such broadcasts was reserved for those specialists who could afford the necessary satellite reception equipment. This is now set to change. On December 1, 2007, SRG SSR will begin broadcasting in HD. It is launching a new national channel on which broadcasts from all three language regions can be seen. SRG headquarters in Berne is still keeping quiet about the name of the channel and program details. The new SRG HD channel will be freely receivable via satellite Hotbird 8 with the existing SRG SSR decoding card. It is obvious that the cable networks will then also have no choice but to distribute this channel in their digital offerings. Cablecom has announced an HDTV offer for the fall and will certainly switch on the SRG HD channel, as confirmed by media spokesman Hugo Wyler.
Pacesetter Euro 08The European Football Championships in June 2008 should give HDTV a development boost. After all, sport has always been the pacemaker for technical innovations: This was already the case with the introduction of color television in 1968, the year of the Olympics. In mid-March, SRG SSR signed the contract with UEFA allowing Swiss television to broadcast all Euro 2008 matches. According to Head of Sport Urs Leutert, the matches will all be produced in HD format, as was the case for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. However, unlike the World Cup, they will also be broadcast in high definition on the new SRG HD channel.
Technically, the new HD channel will broadcast in the "720p" transmission standard. This means a picture of 1280 x 720 pixels, whereas the conventional TV picture is only 768 x 576 pixels. However, the letter "p" makes the big difference. It stands for a full 50 pictures per second. In conventional television, 50 half pictures are broadcast, which are combined into 25 full pictures per second - including flickering. The picture quality of the 720p standard, on the other hand, is around four times better. Even an even higher picture resolution - the 1080i standard - has outperformed it in audience tests, because the transmission of full pictures instead of half pictures is subjectively perceived as sharper, especially on large screens. Accordingly, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has recommended that all public broadcasters launch HDTV in 720p format.
Aha experience for viewersThe SRG channel will only show genuine HD productions. There will be no retransmission of electronically upscaled standard broadcasts. "You should see the difference in quality. Viewers must have an aha experience," says Beny Kiser, manager of the new SRG HD channel. In addition to live sports broadcasts, viewers will mainly be able to see productions from SF, TSR and TSI that are already being produced in HD due to international agreements or in view of the planned migration of all SRG programs to HDTV, but cannot yet be broadcast in this quality on the traditional channels.
So far, live broadcasts from Euro 08 and probably also from the Olympic Games in Beijing have been included in the program concept. In addition, there are purchased HD productions in the respective original language, including mainly documentaries, music programs and feature films. However, the SRG's trilingual joint channel will largely have to do without top series from the USA and free TV premieres of feature films, as their rights are sold per language area and not per country.
HDTV with advertising In terms of advertising and sponsorship, the same regulations apply to the SRG HD channel as to all other SRG channels. According to the channel manager, the channel with its premium products offers an ideal environment for targeted advertising to audience segments with high purchasing power. The income from advertising and sponsorship will in turn be used to make the program offering on the HD channel more attractive.
It will be some time before SF 1 and SF 2 also broadcast in HD quality on their traditional channels: The switchover is currently planned for 2012. Nevertheless, SRG SSR is ahead of the game internationally with its new HD channel. Together with Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne, which also plans to launch trials towards the end of the year, it is one of the first public broadcasters in the German-speaking world. All others have postponed their launch dates until the next decade. Meanwhile, private HDTV trials have been broadcasting via the Astra satellite since 2005: Sat 1, Pro 7 and a little-known channel called Anixe maintain corresponding channels on the back burner. To date, more extensive HDTV broadcasts can only be seen on pay TV.
Adrian Scherrer

Prevention The association Netzwerk Schulische Bubenarbeit is an association of specialists who want to strengthen gender-specific work with boys and male adolescents at school. The organization has currently turned its attention to turf. "Is turf male?" is what the Speed project wants to investigate. The campaign has been designed by Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett.

Awards After a year's break, there will be a new edition of the Klappe in 2007: under the patronage of the Communications Association, the best commercials, trade fair, PR, music, Internet and corporate films from Germany, Austria and Switzerland will be honored. The submission deadline has now been extended to May 14, 2007. More information at www.dieklappe.de.

Design More than 50 stores and studios from Zurich's districts 4 and 5 invite you to a fashion and design weekend on May 12 and 13, when the "Kreislauf 4 + 5" campaign showcases fashion and design around Zurich's Langstrasse. Half a hundred stores and studios are organizing a joint "open day". Clothes, shoes, accessories, jewelry and furniture will showcase the diversity of Zurich's colorful design scene and prove that "Züri West" has definitely made the transition to a trendy and booming city. The "Kreislauf 4 + 5 Guide" portrays the entire dazzling range of participating stores and studios on 170 pages. In addition to a large number of illustrations, the guide also contains information on design and designers. The booklet is available in many stores and restaurants throughout the city. Design experts who know the district, such as Christa de Carouge and Andi Stutz, as well as TV culture editors Monika Schärer and Hannes Hug, will guide you through the Langstrasse quarter to their favorite places during the campaign weekend. In the old railroad viaduct in district 5, nine designers who do not have a public studio will be showing their products together. The Kreislauf-Bar will also be located there throughout the weekend.
Andreas Panzeri

 Launched at the beginning of 2005, the Berner Kulturagenda has published 60 issues to date. In the fall of 2006, it joined forces with Espace Media Groupe to further develop the event database. According to a press release, the new joint database and Internet portal will help cultural event organizers to attract greater attention and offer better services at more favourable conditions from autumn 2007.  
With a view to the upcoming joint internet portal, the Berner Kulturagenda is examining a new solution for the printed edition, it continues. The sponsoring association has entered into talks with the federal government. The aim is to produce a joint product that will be published weekly. A joint solution is to be worked out over the next two months.

 The partner associations of the Pacte de l'audiovisuel and SRG are launching an attempt to make co-productions that have been realized over the last ten years within the framework of the Pacte de l'audiovisuel more accessible to the public. SRG has announced that these films will be available "on demand" on the SF, TSR and TSI websites from August 2007. The SRG broadcasters' own productions are already available online on the corresponding websites.  
The agreement allows downloading for a fee for a period of 48 hours. The proceeds will be used to support creative Swiss filmmaking in the feature film, documentary and animated film categories, which have been very popular with audiences in recent years.

The IT trade journal Info Week, a publication of the specialist publisher Compress Media, which belongs to Vogel Business Medien, is getting a new editor-in-chief: according to a press release from Compress Media, Urs Bertschy is handing over the editorship to Marc von Ah, who has been deputy editor-in-chief since April 2002, with effect from May 1. Bertschy will now work as a consultant in the area of media development for the conceptual development of print and online products and for the support of change processes in the publishing house.

 The Goldbach Electronic Media Index (GEMI) shows strong growth in advertising investment in electronic media. In March, electronic media were able to continue their growth momentum with an increase of 4 index points (from 361 to 365). This means that advertising pressure grew by 10 index points in the first quarter of this year. In the third month of the year, the overall market also increased by 2 index points (from 183 to 185).  
In March, radio for once achieved record growth of 7 index points from 255 to 262. TV was also characterized by a marked increase of 5 index points (from 364 to 369), while Teletext maintained its level at 144 index points. Internet cannot be shown due to a lack of data.
 
The GEMI is based on the data published by Media Focus for published advertising and advertising pressure. As the AIS advertising expenditure statistics are not being continued, no current adscreen data can be integrated.