Mediabox Print has been responsible for the advertising business of the Partysan title since March. The collaboration with Channelmedia ends immediately. In future, the marketer of magazines and ambient media will concentrate more on the communication platforms of the lifestyle magazine Faces and the youth magazine Party News. It was already announced last week that the two magazines Bewegungsmelder and What's up are moving to Mediabox (see ).

Column The daily information menu should not be dominated by the specialists' tube view, but by people's open and curious view. Last year it was blogs, this year Second Life is the fashion item of the season. We wear imagination and park our brand in the virtual world. Once again, we are self-tormenting with depressing future scenarios concerning the print media and daily newspapers in particular. These are also available cheaply in the countless blogs of (often underemployed) media journalists. One vision by Sven Wagenhöfer (on the much-noticed site www.netzausfall.de) caught the eye: "All news is now only edited thematically by a large editorial team at their discretion, the rest is done by the computer. The news of the future will be written from text modules, linked information such as personal experiences and blogs from all over the world as well as websites. Web services continue to link up and create synergy effects. Algorithms create individualized news for each user based on their personality and user profiles. The end result is the information overdose, the news completely out of the retort."
A brief and heretical thought: And if that were the case - what would actually be so bad about it? Are we fixated on one distribution method (printing) and therefore, strictly speaking, part of the woodworking industry? Or is our core business not rather the collecting, organizing, refining and formatting of content to meet specific customer requirements, regardless of the media used?
A new trend is indeed emerging here, which of course requires not only a further fundamental change in the market - such as an additional boost in mobility - but also a radical rethink on the part of the leading information providers (publishers). If one day they no longer see themselves as exclusive providers of a closed information menu called a newspaper, but rather as a la carte chefs at an information buffet, the visions presented by visionaries such as the Swiss media consultant Heinz Ruesch at the Dreikönigstagung 2006 could come true.
It could go something like this: The mobile information consumer puts together his daily menu according to his individual needs and preferences: world politics from the New York Times, local news from the Zürichsee-Zeitung, the business section from the NZZ, sports news from Blick. He also subscribes to hunting or diving news from around the world from specialist providers because he is a hunter or scuba diver, and temporarily connects to a Berlin university portal because his daughter is studying there. For this individual media menu, the user pays an individual price based on the usefulness of the information to a platform that functions like a transport association or Telekurs and distributes the revenue to the various information providers according to their performance contributions.
The selective search mode replaces indiscriminate scanning. Purposeful behavior takes the place of free roaming. People are no longer driven by the elementary desire for novelty, but by what is dictated to them by their daily program: the flight schedule, the train to the airport, the telephone number from www.telsearch.ch. What is lost in this scenario is the "Gesamtkunstwerk" of the newspaper and its cultural-historical appeal of the unexpected and supposedly unnecessary. By introducing readers to topics that they were neither looking for nor expecting, the newspaper in its current form opens up new horizons and unexpected but exciting cultural or social contexts.
The selection of the daily information menu is not determined by the specialist's tube view, but by the old, perhaps romantic model of the curious, freewheeling spirit of discovery. This does not simply address the specialist and the consumer - e.g. as an investor, weather-dependent sportsman or researching clerk - who is eager for immediately useful factual information, but the culturally open mind, the citizen with a wide range of interests, the educated and curious person. Perhaps it really is an outdated utopia, but perhaps it is the great opportunity for the future of the newspaper as a cultural model in the 21st century and beyond.
 
Karl Lüönd is a freelance journalist and author. "Verleger sein - Öffentliches Nachdenken über Menschen und Märkte" (Huber, Frauenfeld) will be published at the end of April.

 Zehnder Verlagshaus presents a new advertising combination. The offer comprises 21 newspapers with a circulation of 750,000 copies. The new brand is called Swiss Regio Kombi and can be booked with immediate effect, as the publishing house writes in a press release. The offer is being launched at an attractive price, with sales manager André Hardmeier providing advice. He receives support from the sales managers of the individual newspaper titles so that the wishes and ideas of the clients can also be realized regionally.   

René Worni on the new broad impact of the bloggosphereEs isch e Ploog. In Swiss German, blog and plague go hand in hand. And blogging, i.e. the writing of Internet diaries, has become epidemic in view of the millions of weblogs worldwide. A plague? Theoretically, anyone can now lean out of their garret window with a few regularly typed lines and hope for an echo in the diffuse public sphere of the Internet. However, if you believe Berlin's best-known blogger Johnny Haeusler (Spreeblick), very few people actually know what a blog is. Blogs haven't really caught on with passive readers yet. Blogs are mainly read by other bloggers and journalists. And without the traditional media, there would probably only be a fifth of all weblogs, estimates Katharina Borchert (Lyssas Lounge). But the blogosphere is changing, even if not in the way imagined by enterprising spin doctors who hardly make any money with unpopular corporate blogs. Even if not in the way that sworn and above all young blog anarchists would like. Because now politicians have discovered blogging. The media are already offering support as traditional gatekeepers and inventing hybrid forms. The NZZ, for example, has opened the floodgates for the Zurich cantonal parties (nzzvotum.ch). Anyone who wants to join the Zurich cantonal government is exposed to a bean-counting, analyzing crowd of commentators. The Neue Luzerner Zeitung is also focusing on a reader-supported election campaign with a citizens' forum, and if you look to France, Royale contre Sarkozy is mainly taking place on the web. Dream ratings, such as those the media minister is currently achieving with his Leuenberger blog (Hillary Clinton is leading the way), are the exception. But that's not really sexy, because blogs have anarchic roots, thrive on the need to communicate and multi-layered authenticity, and are sometimes motivated by crises and catastrophes. Young people in particular want to have their say in an unfiltered way, whose views have not previously been widely publicized. After all, trendy Moritz is the best advertisement for this virtual Hyde Park Corner.
René Worni, Editor

 The Geneva cable network Naxoo has switched on the French TV channel's advertising window earlier than announced. Originally scheduled for the end of March, the second signal specifically for French-speaking Switzerland has now been available in 170,000 households in Geneva for several days. This was confirmed by Naxoo CEO Antoni Mayer on request. Naxoo is broadcasting the signal despite the decision of the French-speaking Swiss television station TSR to take its complaint against M6 to the Federal Court precisely because of this second signal. The action had previously been rejected by the Fribourg judiciary. From TSR's point of view, however, M6 is engaging in unfair competition with the advertising blocks aimed at the French-speaking Swiss market (see
). Naxoo has also secured itself contractually with M6: Should TSR be proven right in the Federal Court, it would not be Naxoo but M6 that would be liable for damages, says Mayer. IP Multimedia, marketer of the M6 advertising window, appears to have been surprised by Naxoo's swift action; in any case, no information was available on how the improved reach will affect the offer. Thanks to Naxoo, the M6 advertising window can now be received in around 60 percent of all households in French-speaking Switzerland (previously 37 percent). There is still a larger gap in the Lausanne area.
TSR Director Gilles Marchand has resigned from the Board of Directors of Naxoo with immediate effect following the activation of the second M6 signal in Geneva. He had always fought against M6 advertising windows there. Of course, because Marchand is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of TSR marketer Publisuisse.
 
 
Markus Knöpfli
 

Intermediaries In the case of AdX vs. PubliGroupe, the Competition Commission imposes a fine on the advertising giant. "Competition Commission puts an end to PubliGroupe's obstruction of SMEs" - these were the unusually harsh words used by the Competition Commission on 20 March in a press release concluding its investigation into P. The result: according to the Competition Commission, P abused its dominant market position in the placement of advertising in print media and is therefore being fined CHF 2.5 million. Specifically, P had used self-formulated criteria to determine which other small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) it would and would not compensate for the placement of advertisements. However, several of these criteria were "inadmissible under antitrust law", which is why P "unduly obstructed independent intermediaries and foreclosed the market in its favor", writes the ComCo. It does, however, grant P the mitigating factor that it has since amended the criticized selection criteria in line with the Competition Commission's wishes. But it is sticking to the fine.
PubliGroupe CEO Hanspeter Rohner is "surprised" that the Competition Commission agrees to an amicable settlement and the amended P guidelines, but nevertheless imposes a fine. He does not want to accept the fine, nor the accusation that P has abused its dominant market position. Rohner therefore speaks of an "alleged abuse" and will probably appeal the ruling to the Federal Administrative Court and the Federal Supreme Court. "We have a solid dossier," he says.
SME brokers are pleased about the victory of the AdX agency, although nothing will change as the ruling is not yet legally binding. In addition, the P wants to continue to adhere to its new guidelines. Based on this, it recognized three other agencies last year - including AdX. AdX could at least take civil action for compensation for lost sales before 2006. Owner Werner Baumann has not yet decided whether this will happen.     
Markus Knöpfli

 The Swiss Press Council is concerned about the increasing mixing of editorial content with advertising in the media. The rules of professional ethics also apply to the preparation and publication of reports presenting consumer goods. The Press Council recalled these principles in a statement published at its annual press conference on Wednesday in response to a complaint from the Info en danger association. In April last year, the association came to the Council with a complaint against the ever-increasing mixing of editorial content and advertising. Info en danger complained about reading more and more mail-order catalogs instead of newspapers. The Press Council took the complaint as an opportunity to address the fundamental problem raised by the complaint and held hearings with various experts in the fall of 2006. These hearings confirmed the impression that relations between editorial offices and advertisers have changed significantly in recent times. On the one hand, the volume of advertising is declining, which is increasing the pressure on newspapers. Secondly, according to the Press Council, the economic framework conditions have shifted with the emergence of free newspapers and the development of the Internet. For the Press Council, however, these shifts in emphasis do not alter the central importance of the principle of separation for the credibility of journalistically edited media. It warns that the increasingly uncritical presentation of consumer goods, the naming of product brands and the reproduction of advertising slogans in editorial reporting pose considerable risks to journalistic independence and the credibility of the media.

The daily newspapers Tribune de Genève and 24 Heures have been appearing in a new layout since Wednesday. The two titles are strengthening their collaboration and have changed their layout and graphics. They have also revamped their online editions, according to the SDA news agency. With their online presence, the two French-speaking Swiss newspapers want to respond to modern communication and information habits (see "Edi goes online").
).
One new feature is that readers can print out an up-to-date mini version of both newspapers from half past four in the afternoon to take home.

Advertising Nothing works without competitive pitches. John Steel, who has generated over a billion dollars in fees with new clients, shows in "Perfect Pitch" how advertisers can pitch successfully(er)For a few years now, an evil has been rampant in Switzerland: potential clients invite as many agencies as possible to a competitive presentation. Preferably free of charge, but not for nothing, because the agencies are supposed to present ideas and concepts. One wins the race, the others have invested time, money and ideas without any return on investment. No wonder agencies are increasingly considering whether they want to take part in a pitch.90 percent success rateFor all those who decide to do so, Jon Steel has a tip or two up his sleeve. His latest book "Perfect Pitch" is not about what someone presents, but how. And for Steel, this is an art, which is why the subtitle of his book is "The Art of Selling Ideas and Winning New Business". The man obviously knows what he is writing about: since 1984, he has won 90 percent of all competitive presentations and generated over a billion dollars in fees with new customers. Not bad for someone who received rejection after rejection at the start of his career.
Steel's most important tip: Stay away from PowerPoint! Nevertheless, "Perfect Pitch" is not a call to immediately uninstall the presentation program from your computer - Steel shows how to do it better, i.e. more efficiently and above all more effectively. Back to the basics is his motto, Steve Jobs is one of his role models. Among other things, Steel tells how ten years ago, when Jobs had just returned to Apple, he was supposed to present the work of his agency in Cupertino. Jobs kept him waiting and two marketing people introduced Apple to shorten the waiting time.
Five minutes for the strategyAnd then, almost two hours later, the door opened and Steven Jobs entered the room. "Hi, I'm Steve," he greeted his guest. He then outlined in brief sentences where Apple stands and where he wants to take Apple. His strategy had space on a flip chart page. Of the 13 or 14 products on his original sketch, he crossed out all but the G4 and iMac. And then he summarized in two or three sentences how he wanted to sell these products to women and men. In five minutes, he had explained his strategy and developed the appropriate communication.
Of course, not everyone is a Steve Jobs. The man has charisma, as his appearances prove. But above all, he knows how to sell an idea like the iPhone: passionately, enthusiastically, full of verve. You either have charisma or you don't, everything else can be learned - that was Jon Steel's conclusion after his audience. He learned more from this encounter with Steve Jobs than he did at business school - even though he lost this competitive presentation. Shortly afterwards, the new Apple campaign by TBWA Chiat Day was launched with the unmistakable claim "Think Different". Those were Jobs' original words ...
The perfect presentationThis is just one of the many episodes Steel recounts in his entertaining yet instructive book. From time to time he digresses a little, but he always finds his way back. The book does not convince with concrete tips and checklists, but with many practical examples. What is strong is how Steel analyzes weak, semi-strong and very strong competitive presentations instead of just listing examples and presenting individual measures. 
Roger Hausmann

Agriculture Burson-Marsteller in Bern has put celebrities in the shirts of farmers for an image campaign. "Good, there are Swiss farmers." Various campaigns have already been launched for the Swiss Farmers' Union (SBC) with this claim. Following a pitch by the Lang Gysi Knoll agency, Burson-Marsteller in Bern has now been awarded the contract for the second time. Last year, their idea of depicting celebrities such as Köbi Kuhn and Michelle Hunziker in the characteristic Edelweiss shirt caused quite a stir. Now the campaign is entering its second round. Naturally, Michelle was "gladly taken along again" as a "farm girl" and testimonial, as consultant Olaf Pilleri at Burson-Marsteller reveals. Köbi Kuhn remains on the reserve bench. He may be activated during the European Championships, "depending on how things go then." This time, there are noticeably more personalities from the world of culture involved in the "commitment to the local plaice". Stefanie Glaser, for example, whose film "Herbstzeitlose" has become a new audience favorite. Or Stephan Eicher and the opera singer Noëmi Nadelmann. From the world of sport, the agency is "particularly proud" of world champions Stéphane Lambiel and Michael Schumacher. The latter was "very happy to put himself at the service of this cause, like the others, even without a fee".
The image campaign aims to gain sympathy for farming families, encourage people to buy local products and emphasize the importance of agriculture for our country. Swiss agriculture wants to use the celebrities to "strengthen the dialog with society".
For consultant Pilleri, this work is the first campaign with testimonials from celebrities. "But I think it's appropriate here." What is particularly interesting is that the agency has chosen people who, at first glance, do not give the impression that they would stand up for our farmers. Personalities as far removed as possible from SVP-affiliated circles in the Bernese Oberland should also convey a modern image of today's farmers to city dwellers. 
"Swiss farmers? Yes, absolutely", says Stephan Eicher, for example. For Pilleri, this is "almost a political statement". Other topics addressed include environmental protection and, of course, agricultural products are also highlighted in the testimonials.
All the celebrities are pictured wearing the typical blue peasant shirt. Some are also rolling up their sleeves. The pattern of the fabric will also be used as a key visual for many other activities and media in this campaign. For example, there will be give-aways ranging from bath towels to small packs of sweet cider. These will also be used to promote the farmers' association's website www.landwirtschaft.ch for further information.
On Monday of this week, delegations of real farming families across Switzerland visited various editorial offices in order to present more stories about the importance of farmers in Switzerland to the media.
Three quarters of the Swiss population already live in cities and conurbations. The gap between urban and rural areas is widening. The many services provided by farming families for the benefit of society and the rest of the economy are "easily overlooked and underestimated". The SBC is therefore convinced that "prominent city dwellers" are needed to champion the concerns of farmers.
Andreas Panzeri

The editor-in-chief of the Tagesanzeiger weekend supplement is leaving the magazine to join the editorial team of the Tages-Anzeiger. This now consists of Res Strehle and Daniela Decurtins as deputy editors-in-chief and Peter Hartmeier as editor-in-chief. Strehle will, however, remain managing director of the financially successful magazine, where he has been editor-in-chief since 2001. He will take up the new position on April 1, succeeding Roland Schlumpf, who will assume the newly created role of Head of the Federal Parliament Editorial Department. The current Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, Finn Canonica, will succeed Strehle at the magazine. He has played a key role in shaping the editorial line of the magazine in recent years, as Tamedia announced on Wednesday. Canonica has been writing for Das Magazin since 1997 and has been Deputy Editor-in-Chief since 2003. Guido Mingels will be the magazine's new Deputy Editor-in-Chief.

Placements Chance in the placement of advertisements and posters always leads to amusing combinations that can inspire all kinds of associations in the viewer. Is Easy Jet already part of Swiss Post? Or has PostMail installed its new logistics center at Basel Airport? In any case, it is striking how this carrier pigeon sails unerringly towards Euro-Airport.