Mach Basic 2007-1 The Wemf shows the lowest cinema attendance figures in the last seven years. The proportion of young people has fallen significantly since 2004.   
With around 16.85 million admissions compared to 15.2 million in the previous year, the cinema business in Switzerland recorded an increase of 9.2 percent in 2006. This was announced by the industry a few days ago. However, the latest Mach Basic study does not (yet) support this statement. Although its survey period only covers the first nine months of 2006 (plus the last three months of the previous year), there is not the slightest sign of a cinema upturn after the crisis year of 2005.
 
On the contrary, according to the Wemf survey, the number of moviegoers fell again by 2.5 percent, similar to previous years, but at 424,000 admissions per week, it is the lowest it has been since 2000. The declining interest is manifest in all parts of the country and all regions - with one exception: in Berne, the number of visitors remained stable.
 
It is true that the declines compared to Mach Basic 2006-2 or 2006-1 are within the confidence range - as has always been the case in recent years. But in a longer-term comparison, for example since Mach Basic 2003, which had a record weekly reach of 486,000 moviegoers, the industry has lost 62,000 viewers per week, which corresponds to a significant decline of 12.8 percent.
 
However, it makes more sense to use Mach Basic 2004 as a benchmark. The reason: Wemf reports cinemas by marketer - and because there were still two cinema marketers (Cinecom and Mediavision) with different sales regions until 2003, a direct comparison of today's figures with those prior to 2004 is sometimes difficult.
 
However, even since Mach Basic 2004, which is quite close to the average of recent years with a weekly cinema audience of 464,000, the number of cinema visits has fallen significantly (-8.6%). In terms of the regions, the figures remain within the confidence range, but in German-speaking Switzerland and especially in Lucerne they are close to being significant.
 
There is also no doubt about the sharp decline in interest in cinema among young people. Since 2004 alone, the cinema has lost a good quarter (28.7 percent) of its 14 to 24-year-old visitors. This means that 47,000 fewer people from this target group go to the movies every week throughout Switzerland. However, the decline is also significant in German-speaking Switzerland (minus 25.2 percent) and even more so in French-speaking Switzerland, where more than a third of this age group has turned its back on the so-called young medium.
 
Since 2004, the number of cinema visits by 14 to 34-year-olds has also fallen significantly. Across Switzerland as a whole, contact with this target group fell by 57,000 per week or 20.7%. In German-speaking Switzerland, the decline amounted to 19.9 percent, in French-speaking Switzerland 24.3 percent.
 
A further comparison is interesting: in 2004, a clear majority of cinema-goers were still aged between 14 and 34, and this applied to all parts of the country and regions identified at the time. Today, this is only the case in the Lucerne and St. Gallen/ Schaffhausen regions (61% each).
 
 
 
Huge difference between Procinema and Wemf The figures from Wemf and the industry association Procinema differ massively - and have done so for years. According to Procinema, Swiss cinemas recorded almost 17 million admissions in the 2006 calendar year, whereas according to Mach Basic 2007-1, the figure was almost 26 million between September 2005 and September 2006.
 
The big difference is not only due to the different survey periods, but above all to the survey methods. Wemf wants to know from the people surveyed whether they have "been to the cinema in the last seven days", while the Procinema figures are based on information from cinema owners about ticket sales - excluding free admissions and admissions with a cinema pass. However, according to Procinema Managing Director René Gerber, the latter account for a maximum of 1.5 percent.
 
The theory that cinema owners have a conflict of interest when declaring their figures is also hardly valid. It is true that higher attendance figures in cinemas increase the taxes paid to film distributors - but they also increase advertising revenue. In addition, the film distributors check the information provided by the cinema operators with their own spot checks. For Cinecom Managing Director Matthias Luchsinger, "the truth therefore lies somewhere in the middle". In principle, this is also how Cinecom handles the CAM (Cinema Admission Monitor) forecasting tool: Based on the weekly reported Procinema data for the last three years, the system calculates an empirical value per calendar week, which is weighted upwards or downwards using the Wemf data and enriched with socio-demographic information.
 
Markus Knöpfli

Bank St. Galler Kantonalbank is using a tactical campaign to draw attention to itself in a charming yet offensive way. Following the not entirely silent takeover by Liechtensteinische Landesbank, unsettled customers and shareholders of Bank Linth should know who has really been closely linked to the region for over 100 years - St. Galler Kantonalbank. The communication does not wander into the distance - the good is so close. The subject: a local signpost. With this, St. Galler Kantonalbank points the way to success both in Sarganserland and throughout the Linth region. At the same time, the signpost also points away from Bank Linth and towards the nearest branch of St.Galler Kantonalbank. The presentation was realized by the agency Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett.  

 Bettina Singeisen is leaving Viva TV Switzerland on April 1. The Head of Marketing is thus leaving the music channel after just one year. She will be succeeded by her former assistant Eliza Garbacik, as she confirmed at the request of Werbewoche. The change has to do with structural changes at the Swiss offshoot of the German music channel (see ). In future, Singeisen will work as a marketing consultant at Swiss television.

Generics For Sandoz, the advertising agency brings a huge free fitness centerThe market for generics is on the move. Since these inexpensive remedies became a major topic in the media last year, this has also had an impact on the market. Sales of generics have grown by 35 percent. Sandoz, now number 2 in a fiercely competitive market with a tendency to become number 1, has even been able to increase its sales by 60 percent.the advertising agency in Zurich has managed Sandoz's budget since it entered the market. In its first campaign last year, the agency carried out "educational work" to explain what generics actually are. The advertising attracted attention with a fresh and unconventional style for a pharmaceutical company.
Just in time for spring and the start of summer, the advertising agency is now launching "Switzerland's largest free fitness center" for Sandoz in what is already the third wave of communication, as CD Sarah Hiltebrand explains the idea. With this latest advertising campaign from the advertising agency, "Sandoz wants to do something good for the Swiss population and encourage them to do more sport and take care of their health," explains Robin Koenig, Head of Marketing & Branding at Sandoz. With this prevention campaign, Sandoz is increasingly positioning itself as a holistic healthcare provider in the sense of "more than generics".
The fitness tips are communicated to the public via posters with texts such as "Jog home from here", "Go out instead of watching TV" or "Get in and leave the seats to others". 
Three-dimensional postersSandoz is going one step further with this "launch of the largest fitness center": the generics company is giving away sports equipment such as mountain bikes, running shoes, badminton rackets, frisbees, skipping ropes and soccer jerseys on around 200 billboards throughout Switzerland.
Passers-by are encouraged to take the sports equipment from the poster site, do sport with it immediately and do something for their health in this way. And with the sports equipment as a gift, it is even cheaper than generic products already are: namely free of charge. The resolution of the advertising campaign is fitting: "If you need more for your health: Generics from Sandoz."
"For us, this campaign with three-dimensional posters is more than just a trigger for PR stories. Although that is of course also the intention," explains strategist Reto Dürrenberger from the advertising agency. And he promises that the bikes, skipping ropes and latest Nike shoes branded with the Sandoz logo will be "replenished several times" over the next few days once they have disappeared from the poster sites. Sandoz is "paying a lot" for this advertising stunt. 
The campaign, which will be seen throughout Switzerland, also includes two TV commercials, F200 and F12 posters, 3D posters and POS presence in pharmacies.
Andreas Panzeri

 The International Advertising Festival in Cannes published the members of the Radio Jury on Wednesday. David Guerrero, Managing Director and CCO at BBDO Guerrero Ortega, will head the jury. He and his fellow jury members will begin their evaluations on June 15 and the winners will be announced on June 18.

Magazines By Heart brings hard facts to the table just in time for Facts. The magazine remains number 1. "First the facts. Then the opinion." This was the claim used by Facts magazine in its last advertising campaign. Now the agency By Heart has been commissioned to take this successful campaign one step further, "to keep the brand image alive and to consolidate it", as CD Hans Siegwart describes the brief By Heart has been given.The agency started from the fact that opinions are often made prematurely. Only facts bring light into the darkness and show things as they really are. The viewer experiences for himself what separates facts from opinions: by first coming across a picture that leaves the facts in the dark. When they turn the page, they have to revise their opinion: The illuminated picture shows the facts. The supposed cartridge becomes lipstick, an attractive woman becomes a long-haired dog and two wedding rings become handcuffs.
The concept is complemented by an entertaining text campaign that works on the same principle: If part of a word remains in the dark, it is suddenly interpreted differently. The first three print and eight text subjects can be seen from April 1 in magazines and newspapers as well as on online banners and e-boards.
The new campaign is ideally accompanied by the new Mach figures. These showed this week: Facts remains number 1 with the same figures as last year and can also increase its lead over the competition, as Weltwoche (-4.8 percent), Bilanz (-4.1 percent) and Cash (-1.1 percent) are all losing readership.
Andreas Panzeri

Ambush marketing Bakers and butchers will be selling football biscuits and grilling European Championship sausages at Euro 08. There are many unpleasant synonyms for the term ambush marketing: free rider, parasite or parasite advertising, ambush marketing. Officially, it means the misleading of consumers through the unauthorized association of a product or service with an advertising event in order to profit from it without making a contribution of one's own. This is naturally a thorn in the side of event organizers, who pay dearly for sponsorship contracts. Because for them, without sponsors, there are no events. But what are the limits of sponsorship protection? Does it make sense to suppress ambush marketing at all costs? Shouldn't the entire economy, which plays a decisive role in financing such events, be able to benefit from it? The 2006 World Cup in Germany showed this: The bigger the event, the more money can be made. The logical consequence of this was that everyone wanted a slice of the cake, with or without the organizer's permission. The official sponsors reacted sensitively to the countless encroachments on their advertising territories, and the world football association Fifa was forced to rigorously enforce brand protection. This earned the world football association a bad reputation. Alexander Koch from Fifa's Marketing & TV division said at the Sport Forum Switzerland last November: "We are accused of being an eight-armed octopus that wants to take over the (advertising) world with the help of an army of lawyers."
The European Football Association (Uefa) wanted to solve these problems in the run-up to Euro 08 and called on the Federal Council to amend the Unfair Competition Act (UCA). Anyone who "refers to third parties, their goods, works or services in a parasitic manner without sufficient reason and thereby exploits their reputation" should now act unfairly. However, the new article was only supported by organizers of major events, sports associations and six cantons. The other cantons were against it, as were business associations and consumer organizations.
In November, the Federal Council decided against amending the law. The main argument was that events such as Euro 08 should be open to everyone and should bring economic incentives and growth to the whole country. In addition, the wording was also criticized, as "goods, works and services" include not only major events, but also services and products of all kinds and from every provider, i.e. "every product on the market". However, the Federal Council agreed to monitor ambush activities at Euro 08 and to incorporate the findings into a federal strategy for major sporting events.
Uefa has taken note of the decision. In any case, it retains the rights to the protected trademarks and logos, such as EM 2008 or Euro 2008, and can regulate advertising within the stadiums and in their immediate vicinity (so-called "banned areas") itself and reserve these rights for its sponsors. Event organizers can also continue to take action against unlawful and misleading advertising, but they must refrain from taking legal preventive measures for the time being.
 

 
 
Interview with lawyer Matthias Ebneter The specialist in advertising and communications law, on ambush marketing and sponsor protection.
WW: Although there is no doubt that sponsors of major events need to be protected, the proposal to revise the UCA was rejected. Did Uefa want too much? Matthias Ebneter: The UCA contains a general clause stating that any deceptive or otherwise unfair behavior or business conduct that influences the relationship between competitors or between suppliers and customers is unfair (Art. 2 UCA). Ambush marketing, which is unfair in this sense, was already prohibited. However, in view of Euro 2008, Uefa wanted to introduce a special offense against ambush marketing into the UCA, which was rejected by the majority of those consulted for economic and legal policy reasons or was deemed unnecessary and disproportionate. The fact that the bill was introduced hastily and unilaterally in the interests of Uefa probably also played a role in this.
In addition to competition law, however, there are other ways of protecting sponsors, in particular through trademark protection, protective measures in contracts with media partners and event venues and corresponding controls.
WW: FIFA's rigorous sponsorship protection measures at the World Cup 06 in Germany were met with incomprehension by the public. Is Uefa now facing the same trouble?Matthias Ebneter: Anyone who engages in legally questionable or inadmissible advertising or sells unlicensed items or items that are not permitted at the venue must expect to be prosecuted by Uefa. However, Uefa's sanctions often also affect bystanders, namely football fans, who make such a major event possible in the first place. At the 2006 World Cup, for example, the fact that spectators were denied entry to the stadium because they were carrying promotional items from direct competitors of the official sponsors was met with incomprehension.at first glance, such sponsor protection measures may seem excessive. However, when you consider the enormous sums paid by the official sponsors, you understand that Uefa takes sponsor protection relatively seriously. It remains to be seen whether Uefa can gain the public's understanding in connection with sponsor protection measures at Euro 2008 and, above all, avoid upsetting football fans.
WW: How should small companies and stores that want to sell their products in connection with Euro 08 proceed in order not to make themselves liable to prosecution? Small companies and stores should above all be wary of using Uefa's registered trademarks in connection with Euro 2008 without a license to market their own products. This includes in particular all logos and word marks (Euro 2008, Uefa EM 2008 etc.). It is questionable whether all registered trademarks are actually eligible for protection. In terms of competition law, it must be ensured that advertising does not contain any incorrect information, does not create a false impression (e.g. suggesting non-existent relationships between companies and Uefa) and does not mislead consumers. However, allusions to Euro 2008 and football in general in particular are generally permissible (e.g. football-themed events, Euro 2008 discount campaigns, the launch of special products in connection with Euro 2008, etc.).
If personalities are to be included in the advertising, for example with photos, testimonials or advertising appearances, their consent must always be obtained. As strict controls by Uefa at the official venues (stadiums, fan miles, public viewings, etc.) are to be expected, giveaways from direct competitors of official sponsors are unlikely to stand much of a chance and may cause more trouble than good.
For projects (advertising measures, events, product launches, etc.) with major financial risks, it is advisable to contact an expert lawyer at an early stage and have the project legally examined.
WW: Ambush marketing is one man's joy and another man's sorrow. But in the end, which outweighs the other, the damage or the gain?
Matthias Ebneter: Ambush marketing leads to damage when the scope of what is legally permissible is clearly exceeded and a competitor's water is cut off or consumers are deceived. However, if ambush marketing is legally permissible, the associated competition must be accepted and is even desirable. Ultimately, Uefa can also benefit if as many people as possible make Euro 2008 and football a topic of discussion and thus promote public interest in the event. Original, creative advertising within a legal framework is an enrichment for Euro 2008, the advertising industry, the competition and the general public.
Maila Bermejo

 
Economic growth in Switzerland is also having an impact on the local advertising industry. After advertising and media agencies have always spoken of budget increases in recent years, advertising budgets are also rising for advertising clients this year. This is the conclusion of the Advertising Trends study, which surveyed the most advertising-intensive companies, advertising and media agencies on behalf of the Handelszeitung. The clothing and cosmetics sector in particular is doing very well with an increase of 64.7%, followed by banks and insurance companies (+52.2%), closely followed by the home furnishings and household appliances sector with an increase of 50% compared to the previous year. In terms of volume, the banking and insurance sector continues to be the most important sector. This year, more than half of the institutions surveyed intend to invest more money in financial communication than in the previous year. Almost all banks use daily newspapers (92.6 percent), the business press (88.9 percent) and investor magazines (70.4 percent).
A few years ago, people believed that traditional advertising would die, but this year the trend for newspapers remains stable. 51.3 percent of clients still see them as the central medium for networked advertising campaigns, followed by television with 44 percent and magazines (34 percent).

 In a pitch for budgets in the areas of promotions and direct marketing, Euro RSCG Zurich successfully prevailed against three other agencies. The agency also won an additional communications budget for the Pieces & Service area. According to Peugeot, it was not only the quality of the creation that was decisive, but also the convincing strategy, Euro RSCG wrote in a press release on Wednesday. This allows the agency to build on the ideas from its last campaigns for Peugot.

 In 2006, LZ Medien Holding increased its operating income by CHF 4.2 million to a total of CHF 138.5 million, which corresponds to an increase of 3.2 percent compared to the previous year. A consolidated profit of 14.1 million was generated in the year under review. Compared to the previous year's profit of 11.8 million, this represents an increase of 19.5%. The growth in sales is mainly due to higher advertising revenue and sales from the new Internet Printing segment, as the company announced on Wednesday. The strong economic environment also boosted advertising revenues. An increase of 5.5 percent to CHF 48.3 million was recorded. A slight decrease of 0.8 percent was recorded in subscription and newsstand income. Sales amounted to CHF 38.8 million compared to CHF 39.1 million in the previous year. Income from the printing and calendar business segments remained stable. Sales amounted to CHF 44.2 million, an increase of 0.5% compared to the previous year. Other income and income from electronic media increased significantly with the Internet print shop, by CHF 1.7 million or 31.8% to a total of CHF 7.2 million.
Operating expenses increased primarily due to the growth in sales. In the reporting year, expenses amounted to CHF 123.9 million compared to CHF 120.3 million in the previous year (+3.0%). The operating result (EBITA) thus amounted to CHF 14.6 million compared to CHF 13.9 million in the previous year (+4.9%). The amortization of goodwill item increased by CHF 1.3 million to CHF 4.8 million due to acquisition activity and impairments, resulting in a result at EBIT level of CHF 9.8 million compared to CHF 10.4 million in the previous year (-5.9%).
At CHF 3.2 million, the financial result once again made a positive contribution to the Group result. Compared to the previous year, however, there was a slight decline of CHF 0.6 million due to the fact that the capital markets were no longer quite as strong. Thanks to the sale of properties no longer required for operations (Baselstrasse, Lucerne), other income was CHF 1.9 million higher than in the previous year. Benefiting from the acquisition activity, tax expenses were reduced by CHF 1.6 million. The cash flow return in the year under review was 17.4 percent (compared to 16.9% in the previous year). Total assets amounted to CHF 144.2 million at the end of 2006. Shareholders' equity increased from CHF 85.2 million to CHF 97.0 million (CHF 67.3% of the balance sheet total). The number of shares issued remains unchanged at 78,000. At the end of 2006, the LZ Group employed 517 people, 427 of whom worked for the company.

Sport Sportplausch Wider in Wallisellen has expanded. Wider's in-house agency Publicis launched a search campaign to mark the opening of the new "megastore". The new store is so big that owner Peter Wider got lost in it. Anyone who found him on the opening weekend from March 23 to 25 could win a superbike if they were lucky. The campaign was communicated with wildlife posters in the style of "Büsi vermisst": An amateur föteli by Peter Wider and above it the helpless title: "Lost." In a radio spot, an official-sounding spokesperson from the Wallisellen municipal police also read out an "official" message: "Missing since last Monday ...

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Pierre C. Meier
Editor-in-Chief