Ingrid Deltenre wants to strengthen Swiss television's main evening program this year. This was announced by the Director of Television on Tuesday at the 2007 annual media conference. Looking back on 2006, the Director of Television draws a positive balance. The quality of the programs was rated better by the audience. A study cited by Deltenre gave the program a rating of 4.9. Increased viewer numbers also prove the high acceptance of the program. The average all-day market share rose by 1.2 percentage points to 34.5 percent. Deltenre describes the new approach in a six-point program. With quality, more entertainment and new formats, Deltenre wants to strengthen viewer loyalty in the future. The Friday evening program focuses on proximity to the audience. The "SF bi de Lüt" season focuses on weight loss and fitness. For three months, the program will be broadcast from Eglisau, where the residents are getting fit. The "Quer" slot is now given to "Leben live". A presenter visits people's homes to find out how they live. The new Saturday evening show "Happy day" focuses on interaction. Presenter Röbi Koller is to fulfill viewers' wishes.
"Baschi National" is the name of a new docu-soap. The young singer provides insights into his life and the production of his album. In summer, it's off to the Stone Age. Ten people will live and work in an authentic pile-dwelling village in the "Pfyn Pile Dwellers" project. This is not a reality show, but a science program. SF brings action to the program with "Die Bergretter": SF on the road with Air Zermatt. And viewers will be able to watch even more action in the new casting show "Stunthero". The science magazine "MTW" will be replaced by the new format "Einstein" and in the new documentary series "Start-up - Der Weg zur eigenen Firma", the audience can follow how innovative people found young companies. We have also created a new business magazine. Deltenre announced that the successor to the expiring soap "Lüthi und Blanc" will be launched in August 2008.

In the AdX v P case, the Competition Commission fines the advertising giant. "ComCo puts an end to Publigroupe's obstruction of SMEs" - with these unusually harsh words, the Competition Commission issued a statement on 20 March at the end of its investigation into P. The result: according to the ComCo, 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 companies (SMEs) it wanted to compensate for the placement of advertisements and which it did not. 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. However, it conceded in mitigation that P had amended the criticized selection criteria during the proceedings in line with the Competition Commission's wishes and had also applied them since January 2006. Nevertheless, it upholds the fine. PubliGroupe CEO Hanspeter Rohner was "surprised" that the Competition Commission agreed to an amicable settlement and the amended P guidelines and then imposed a fine after all. He does not want to accept the fine, nor the accusation that P has abused its dominant market position. Rohner therefore only speaks of an "alleged abuse" and intends to appeal the ruling to the Federal Administrative Court - and, if necessary, to the Federal Supreme Court. "We have a solid dossier," he says.
Although SME brokers are pleased about the victory of the AdX agency, nothing has actually changed. This is because the ruling is not legally binding. In addition, the P wants to continue to adhere to its new guidelines. Based on this, it recognized three other intermediaries last year - including AdX. However, AdX could now take civil action to claim compensation for lost sales prior to 2006. Owner Werner Baumann has not yet decided whether he will do this.
Markus Knöpfli

The Zurich agency ZürichTokio has developed the overall identity for the new Valzer bar on Kreuzstrasse in Zurich. The corporate design is a mix of clear Art Deco lines and the playful bohemian lifestyle of the 1920s. The black, beige and gold design is also intended to reflect the luxurious style of this era, according to a press release. The invitations and flyers also feature illustrations and the color purple. The bar, which becomes a club at the weekend, is a meeting place for people who want to escape the norms and conventions of everyday life and indulge in the wild life à la bohemia for a short time.

The Ringier media group is now adding the FDH magazine to its Gesundheit Sprechstunde magazine. FDH stands for "Friss die Hälfte" (eat half) and highlights the topics of obesity and lack of exercise and shows natural ways to achieve a healthy weight - and how this can be maintained in the long term. Prevention also plays a major role: the monthly supplement aims to bring about a change in lifestyle. This involves better nutrition, more exercise, greater satisfaction through social contacts and experiences in the community as well as mental stimulation. Under the editorship of Ingrid Schindler, FDH offers reports on individual and group activities, attractive sports, stories from life, leisure activities for children, delicious recipes, simple exercise units and also discussions with experts. The first issue of FDH will be available on April 20. The magazine will be published separately at newsstands around the middle of each month and as a supplement to Gesundheit Sprechstunde. The stand-alone price is CHF 2.50, in combination with Gesundheit Sprechstunde the price is CHF 3.50. Subscribers to Gesundheit Sprechstunde receive FDH free of charge for the first year.

The MA Leader 2007 study presented on Tuesday by advertising media research company WEMF focuses on the use of newspapers, magazines and selected publisher websites by the "Leader" and "Top Leader" target groups. This media data is supplemented by a wide range of information on the professional activities and consumer habits of this premium target group of 225,000 people. In addition to information on the sector, company size and employment status of the managers, the data on professional activity also contains information on the responsibilities and decision-making powers of the "Leaders" and "Top Leaders". The consumer section of the study provides information on their personal interests, private possessions and purchasing intentions. Le Matin Dimanche clearly shows the best performance of all Swiss titles, and not only in terms of its language region: the Sunday paper is the only title that reaches more than half of all managers in French-speaking Switzerland (a total of 51,000 leaders and 24,000 top leaders) every week. Compared to the MA Leader 2003, in which the paper participated for the last time, it was even able to increase its figures.
Only the monthly magazine NZZ-Folio achieves a similar performance in German-speaking Switzerland. It achieves a reach of 54.4 percent - albeit only among the top leaders - and a mere 46.2 percent among the leaders. However, the NZZ-Folio is still the best in Switzerland in one respect: it reaches the most Swiss managers in absolute terms, namely a total of 80,000 leaders and 47,000 top leaders. Although it is on a par with the SonntagsZeitung (SoZ) in terms of leaders, the monthly magazine was able to slightly increase its lead over the SoZ in terms of top leaders.
Another comparison of titles from the NZZ and Tamedia publishing houses: Tagi now has 2000 more readers than NZZ among the leaders; two years ago, both titles attracted the same level of interest in this target group. Among the top leaders, however, the NZZ is still ahead.
The magazine recorded the largest increase among German-speaking Swiss executives, with a 34% increase among Leaders and 28% among Top Leaders. The reason for this is that the magazine is no longer only included in the Tages-Anzeiger, but also in the Basler Zeitung and the Berner Zeitung. The second largest significant increase in performance was recorded by NZZ am Sonntag, which rose by 10 percent among the Leaders and 8.6 percent among the Top Leaders. Geo also increased significantly in both target groups, by 4,000 readers each (+6.6 / +14.8 percent).
The biggest losses among decision-makers were recorded by Facts and Bilanz. In the case of Facts, 13.5 percent of the leaders and 11.5 percent of the top leaders dropped out. In the case of Bilanz, the decline in readership among decision-makers, similar to the losses in Mach Basic, is mainly due to the fortnightly publication frequency that has been in place for two years (previously monthly) and thus to the change in the survey. Bilanz now has 17,000 fewer leaders (27.2 percent) and 8,000 fewer top leaders (23.5 percent) than two years ago. The situation is exactly the same for the Edipresse title Bilan in French-speaking Switzerland, where the publication frequency has also been increased. However, the decline was comparatively moderate: 12.5 percent fewer leaders; 8.3 percent fewer top leaders. And the loss among the top leaders was not even significant.
Detailed information on the methodology and the most important results can be found here:
http://wemf.ch/de/print/maLeader.php

The Goldbach Electronic Media Index (GEMI) showed no surprises in February: the overall market grew slightly (+ 1), while electronic media grew at an above-average rate (+ 2) and online continued to grow strongly with 5 index points. There were no surprises in the development of advertising pressure in Switzerland in February. The overall market grew by 1 index point to 183 (182), while the electronic media as a whole recorded an increase of 2 index points to 361 (359).
Within the electronic media, February 2007 is also reminiscent of last year: TV continues to grow by 1 index point to 364 (363), radio maintains the level of 255 index points, the same applies to teletext with 144 index points. By contrast, the Internet topped all advertising media surveyed with growth in advertising pressure of 5 index points to 266 (261).
The GEMI is based on the data published by Media Focus for published advertising and advertising pressure. As the AIS advertising expenditure statistics will not be continued, current adscreen data will not be published.

Exactly 100 years ago, Henkel launched Persil, one of the first branded articles. In the decades that followed, Henkel continued to surprise with unconventional advertising ideas. They made Persil one of the best-known brands. In 1907, Henkel launched Persil, the first self-acting detergent on the market. It radically simplified what had previously been extremely laborious housework. However, it was not only the product that was new, but also its communication. This began with the packaging: while other detergents could only be bought open, Persil was available packaged in a box - with the unmistakable trademark. Even in the early days, Henkel relied not only on traditional advertising, but also on creative promotions. In 1908, for example, the company had men dressed in white stroll through Berlin with Persil parasols. In 1924, Henkel presented its first silent film, followed three years later by the first radio commercial. In the 1950s, the first German television commercial was a Persil advertisement.
But the brand also caused a sensation in classic poster and advertisement advertising - with a Persil advertising figure that is still considered an icon today: the White Lady. She was designed in 1922 by the Berlin artist Kurt Heiligenstaedt, a well-known caricaturist at the time. However, she was by no means a fantasy figure, but rather the artist's 18-year-old girlfriend. The White Lady advertised the product on posters and enamel signs until the 1960s, later with changing types of women and fashion trends. The Persil man, who appeared in TV commercials from 1975 onwards, is also legendary. He provided information about yield, washing power and gentle care in a sober news style. The associated slogan is still familiar to many today: "Persil - you know what you've got." The successful brand management earned Persil numerous awards - such as "Most Trusted Brand" from Reader's Digest.

Erdmannpeisker, the Biel-based agency for brand identity and communication, is taking over image communication for Credit Suisse Investment Partners with immediate effect. Within Credit Suisse (CS), the department takes care of the really wealthy people, according to a press release. Ermannpeisker won the pitch with a communication package that was as surprising as it was high-quality.

A rough wind is currently blowing at the street magazine Surprise: the sponsoring association, which took over Surprise at the beginning of 2007, is parting company with Managing Director Michele Alvaro with immediate effect. As the news agency Sda reports, the dismissal comes as a surprise to him. Differences over the realignment of the project are said to be responsible for this step. The President of the association, Hans Ulrich Kunz, is now taking over the management on an interim basis. The association has owned Surprise since the beginning of the year. Previously, the company was owned by three shareholders, including Alvaro with a 40% share. At that time, the association only held a 10% share. After a pioneering phase, the sponsoring association now wants to turn Surprise into a professionally managed SME that is self-supporting. Alvaro is accused, among other things, of not being able to eliminate the structural deficit and having to cover it with donations. In order to achieve the new goals, Kunz plans to broaden the target audience and expand the sales area. He also wants to improve the earning potential of Surprise sellers and the social support they offer to help them return to work. Surprise went public last fall with a call for help. After the street magazine threatened to close down for financial reasons, around 1 million Swiss francs flowed into the magazine's donation account.

In order to place the management of the agency on a broader footing and to be better equipped for further sustainable growth, the company founders of Weber Harbeke, Max Weber and Thomas Harbeke, have decided to include one employee each from consulting and creation in the extended management team. This is Dominik Abt from Consulting, who has worked as Client Service Director at Weber Harbeke since 2005. Christian Sidow, the agency's copywriter/concept developer of many years' standing, will represent the creative department. The decision was made on the basis of the strong order book in 2006 and budget gains in the new year and is effective immediately.

SRG and the European Football Association (Uefa) have today signed an agreement concerning the radio and TV broadcasts of the 2008 European Football Championship. SRG will thus become the official rights holder for the tournament in Switzerland. SRG's TV channels (SF, TSR and TSI) will provide exclusive coverage of the 31 matches of the sporting event in Switzerland in the form of live broadcasts and highlight programs. SRG SSR will also make the signals from the matches available in high-definition format. SRG SSR will acquire non-exclusive rights for the radio stations (SR DRS, RSR and RSI). As part of the partnership, the television and radio stations will also report extensively on the major Euro 2008 event in the run-up to the match.
Armin Walpen, Director General of SRG, is quoted in the press release as saying: "Euro 2008 is a good thing for Switzerland, and our contract with Uefa is a prerequisite for support and enthusiasm in our country". Philippe Le Floc'h, Director of Marketing and Media Rights at Uefa, commented on this contract: "Uefa is delighted to welcome SRG to the exclusive circle of broadcasters. SRG is undisputedly the number one radio and television company in Switzerland."
This agreement does not cover SRG's possible involvement in host broadcasting. As is already known, Uefa is seeking its own solutions for the production of the 15 matches in Swiss stadiums. The parties have agreed not to disclose the financial compensation.

The Berner Zeitung (BZ) may acquire a stake in the commuter newspaper 20 Minuten. The Federal Supreme Court ruling published on Tuesday thus confirms the decision of the Appeals Commission for Competition Issues, which in May 2006 had lifted the Competition Commission's (ComCo) ban on participation. The Competition Commission had lodged an appeal against this decision with the Federal Supreme Court (see ). In March 2003, the Berner Zeitung, which belongs to the Espace Media Groupe, acquired a 17.5 percent stake in 20 Minuten. While the Competition Commission approved the simultaneous investment by Tamedia, it refused to allow the Berner Zeitung to enter the commuter newspaper business. The Appeals Commission for Competition Issues overturned this ComCo decision in May 2006. The Competition Commission then lodged an administrative appeal against the Appeals Commission's decision with the Federal Supreme Court. The Federal Court has now made its final decision and has ruled in favor of the Berner Zeitung in its entirety. This means that the participation, which has now been suspended for four years, can finally be implemented.