A recent study by Double Click and Tomorrow Focus shows the success of videos on the internet. In the recently published TakeGas study, they specifically investigated the acceptance of different rich media advertising formats and in particular the impact of videos on the internet. To this end, they developed a fictitious product: TakeGas. This was supposed to be a fuel additive in pill form that significantly increases the range of a car per tank of gas. The online marketing agency developed video spots for the campaigns and placed them on Tomorrow Focus sites such as Amica.de, Focus.de, Max.de and others. By examining the length of time users spend watching the videos, it emerged that users not only accept them, but also reward them with dream ratings. The 30-second spots generated an astonishing amount of attention. Almost half of users (47%) watched them; 252,790 videos from start to finish. This corresponds to an audience share of 15.1% - fantastic figures compared to the reality of traditional television.

Subscription advertising The Swiss Press Association supports its members with the new presseabo.ch channel to gain additional subscriptions. Publishers are cautiously optimistic. Since mid-November, Swiss newspapers and magazines can expect additional subscription orders. The presseabo.ch website is the reason for this. The new subscription portal was launched by the Swiss Press Association. The publishers' association wants to give a permanent structure to its advertising campaigns on the Internet (press show, summer game), which have only been carried out selectively to date. The question arises, the association wrote to its members in October, "why we only actively use this growth medium twice a year and, above all, why we only offer trial subscriptions when our primary goal is longer-term subscriptions."
Almost four months after the launch of the subscription portal, Toni Vetterli, responsible for the project at the Publishers Association, sees the first signs that the project is on the right track. Around 1200 new subscribers have been acquired. "And not just trial subscriptions, but annual and two-year subscriptions," says Vetterli. The gift subscription option is particularly popular. The new offer is advertised with print ads and radio spots placed by the individual publishers in their media.

Most publishers seem to be convinced by their industry association's new joint campaign, as a glance at the list of available titles shows. From the national daily newspaper to the trade journal, everyone is backing the new subscription channel. But it's not entirely free. In addition to an annual cost contribution of CHF 800, publishers have to pay a commission of one third of the price to the association for every subscription generated via the portal. For additional money, prominent advertising space can be booked on the homepage of presseabo.ch.
Ringier and Tamedia are currently making intensive use of this offer. Partly with success. The SonntagsZeitung, for example, has already generated 40 subscriptions via the new Internet channel. This is one of the better figures in a cross-comparison, says Caroline Thoma, Publishing Director of SonntagsZeitung. "As the main channel for acquiring subscriptions, the results would of course not make us happy, but as an additional channel, the cost-benefit ratio is fine for us at the moment." The TV magazine Tele has so far only been able to gain five new subscribers, although the Ringier title is also prominently advertised on presseabo.ch. Despite this low figure, Ringier is reasonably satisfied with the action of the publishers' association. The association's support can be described as "generally good".
The extent to which small publishers who cannot afford prominent advertising space on presseabo.ch will also benefit from the new service is difficult to assess at present. However, Guido Blumer, publisher of the Winterthurer Stadtblatt and himself a member of the executive committee of the Swiss Press Association, firmly believes "that the local press will also benefit in the long term." Blumer sees presseabo.ch only secondarily as an instrument to gain subscriptions: "It is much more a platform that is intended to present the breadth of the newspaper offering in Switzerland."

Not the first on the web presseabo.ch is not the first Internet portal where you can order subscriptions to Swiss newspapers and magazines. Direktverkauf AG has already been active in this field for nine years with its abo.ch website. "We are not surprised that publishers are now also becoming active. It was only a matter of time," says Noël Boller. The owner of the direct marketing company from Illnau is not worried about the new competition. abo.ch primarily does business with German magazines. "We also distribute these ourselves. We only take Swiss titles on commission. This makes them less commercially interesting for us."
According to Boller, around 10,000 subscriptions are generated via the portal every year. Around a fifth of these are Swiss newspapers and magazines. Toni Vetterli from the Swiss Press Association is aware of the competition, but puts its significance into perspective: "We differentiate ourselves from other subscription portals through the Schweizer Presse brand and the broader range of products." From the point of view of generic promotion, there can be no question of competition. After all, newspapers and magazines should find new paying readers. The channel through which this happens is only relevant for publishers in terms of the commission fees that they have to pay the intermediary for each subscription generated.

Paper works better
The Swiss Press Association continues to rely on print advertising to support publishers in attracting subscriptions. With a print run of almost seven million copies, the association circulates leaflets offering trial subscriptions twice a year. More than 40,000 of these are redeemed, but how many can be converted into longer-term subscriptions depends on the efforts of the individual publishers. However, the conversion rate is generally very high, says Toni Vetterli from the publishers' association. It is in the range of twenty to sixty percent.
 
 
"The subscription salon has had its day"
Advertiser Dominique von Matt talks about the opportunities and risks of generic advertising for print.

WW: How do you perceive advertising for print media in Switzerland?
Dominique von Matt: Overall, I have a positive picture of the individual brands and how they are positioning themselves. However, I have noticed a relative lack of continuity. Perhaps in the fast-moving print media business, too little attention is paid to communication from a brand management perspective.
WW: How important is generic marketing?
Dominique von Matt: Generic campaigns only really make sense if they are aimed at advertisers. There is fierce competition here. Especially between television and print media.
WW: Why is it pointless to sensitize readers to the advantages of print?
Dominique von Matt: The choice of a particular newspaper or magazine is an emotional one for the reader, not so for advertisers. It's not about information and experience, but about return on investment. That's why reader-title loyalty promises more success than generic marketing.
WW:So an Internet portal like presseabo.ch would be a waste of time?
Dominique von Matt: From the perspective of generic marketing, possibly yes. But that's not the point: a subscription portal is first and foremost a sales promotion measure. And it's certainly quite good at that.
WW:Do you pick up your future readers on the Internet today?
Dominique von Matt: Definitely. It's very pleasant to buy something online, especially when there's also a competition prize on offer. Nowadays, people buy books and book trips online. So why not order the newspaper the same way? The subscription box has definitely had its day. Even among senior citizens. Anyone who has left the workforce in the last five years is familiar with the Internet. Older people in particular are increasingly appreciating the advantage of being able to do many things from home.
Nick Lüthi

Viewing figures Young German-speaking Swiss people watched less local television in 2006. It is not clear why. Perhaps cablecom also played a role. In 2005, the local TV world was still in order: the seven stations that had joined together to form TeleNewsCombi (TNC) achieved a record net reach of 1.3 million viewers per day. And now this: although Tele Südostschweiz (TSO) joined the TNC as the eighth member in 2006, the advertising combination lost 1.2 percent of its audience last year. It is unclear how many viewers actually left TNC because no one knows how many additional viewers TSO brought in. This is because Telecontrol is unable to provide representative figures for the channel due to insufficient case numbers. In addition, Tele Bärn and Tele Top were the only TNC members to report almost 3000 more viewers last year. It is therefore clear that the TNC lost more than the 1.2 percent or 15,000 viewers that can be ascertained.
However, the erosion is even more evident in the main target group of 15 to 49-year-olds. Not only because TNC lost (at least) 5.3 percent or 33,000 viewers there, but also because not a single Swiss-German station can report an increase in reach among this target group. All of them suffered losses. The biggest losses were on the Bern-Aarau-Basel axis: Tele Bärn lost 9.5 percent in this target group, Tele Basel 8.1 percent and Tele M1 7.9 percent. In 2006, the trio had still recorded gains. Tele Züri is not doing too well either: the station lost for the second time and its reach has fallen by 6 percent since 2004.
It would be too simplistic to simply attribute the general loss of range to a drop in quality. This is because a different picture emerges in terms of usage. In 2006, Tele Basel was able to captivate the remaining young viewers by an average of one and a half minutes longer than in the previous year; the overall audience even remained loyal to the station for two minutes longer. Tele Tell also showed similar improvements: In the 3+ target group, it increased by more than a minute, and in the 15-49 age group by almost two minutes. Tele Bärn increased slightly in both target groups and has done so steadily since 2004, Tele M1 at least remained stable, as did most of the other TNC members. With one exception: Tele Züri is watched for around one and a half minutes less.
Due to the fact that some viewers are turning their backs on local stations, while others tend to watch them for longer, the market share trends for the individual stations are very different: Tele Züri is the main loser, with its market share among the main target group falling from 5.7 percent (2005) to 4.8 percent. Tele Ostschweiz (-0.2 percentage points) and Tele Top (-0.1) suffered slight losses, while TeleBärn and Tele M1 kept their market share stable at 1.3 and 1.5 percent respectively. Only TeleBasel (+0.3 percentage points) and Tele Tell (+0.2) recorded gains in market share. TNC thus also remained fairly stable: its market share among the overall audience is 2.9% (-0.1 percentage points), while among the main target group it is 2.7% (-0.1).
We can only speculate about the reasons for the contradictory figures. TeleBasel Managing Director Willy Surbeck, for example, said that falling net reach does not necessarily mean fewer viewers, but simply fewer (search) advertisements. His station had designed its program more clearly in 2006, which is why viewers probably used TeleBasel in a more targeted way and also stayed tuned in for longer. Urs Gerber, Product Manager TV at TNC marketer Radiotele, takes a similar view: "The net reach is not the decisive factor for station usage. We don't want to know who taps in by chance, but who actually uses a channel.". This is why market share is important - and based on this, Gerber prefers to speak of a "stable saturation of regional TV programs".
However, as this does not explain all the questions, Gerber makes further assumptions. For example, the Olympic Games and the Football World Cup could well have a "slight impact" on the annual average of local TVs. "However, Cablecom's behavior is likely to have a more dramatic effect," he adds. "More and more people are reviving the age of the satellite dish because they want to be independent of cablecom. Unfortunately, regional TV stations cannot be received via the satellite dish, which is also likely to have led to a very slight decline."
Rolf Müller, Managing Director of PublicaData, does not deny this last point. At least not for the future. However, he doubts whether the trend towards more satellite antennas has already eroded the reach of local TV in the past.
Satellite dishes or not, the picture is very different in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. The figures there are rising at a clearly lower level. This applies in particular to the Léman Bleu channel, whose reach increased by 77% in 2005 and by a further 22% last year. Usage also increased by around half a minute. However, its market share is still only 0.4 percent. The Lausanne station TVRL is similarly weak, with hardly any movement. The other French-speaking Swiss stations cannot be identified by Telecontrol, but they appear to have increased slightly; in any case, RomandieNewsCombi, which was terminated at the end of 2006 (see WW 5/07), was able to increase its market share slightly from 0.2 to 0.3 percent. Tele Ticino, the only station in Ticino, is also growing slowly but steadily. In 2006, it was even used by its main target group for over a minute longer than in the previous year. And it was able to increase its market share by 0.2 percentage points to 1.3%.
Satellite antennas are growing stronglySince Cablecom has reduced its range of channels
According to the free newspaper Cashdaily, the number of customers of satellite dish sellers is increasing rapidly. The market saw double-digit growth in 2006, and various satellite technicians are expecting growth rates of 20 to 100 percent in 2007. However, as Cablecom is the first to drop foreign channels from its offering, it is primarily foreigners who are switching to satellite. Whether they were previously also local TV viewers and are therefore being lost to these broadcasters would first have to be investigated. However, Swiss
The reason why more and more people are switching to satellite is that the dishes are relatively cheap and there are no monthly fees. However, Swisscable, the association of cable network operators, did not notice any decrease in cable subscriptions last year. According to spokesman Matthias Lüscher, the number of cable connections used in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland rose by a good one percent to around 2.9 million last year.  
Markus Knöpfli

With over 3000 job offers per month, TopJobs is the largest platform in Switzerland in the specialist and management segment. Scout24's specialized job exchange is addressing its target audience directly with new advertising subjects. The entire campaign was conceived, created and realized by Maxomedia. Launched in the fall of 2006, it is now being followed by two new subjects: in print advertisements and online advertising media, the topic of vacant management positions is presented briefly and concisely in visual form. This allows the target audience to see at a glance where most vacancies for managers and specialists are on offer. "Our campaign has been very well received by the target group, and the new subjects also speak a visual language that managers understand perfectly," says Sabrina Candita, Marketing Manager TopJobsScout24.

Paper V Arctic Paper Focuses on Corporate Paper and Environmental Considerations. WW: Mr. Hochuli, there is a huge selection of papers. Yet you claim that every company must choose a single type of paper and even speak of “corporate paper.” What do you mean by that? Urs Hochuli: “Corporate Paper” is a term coined by our business partner Fischer Papier AG, which even had the term registered and protected. The term aptly illustrates what is meant by it: namely, that every corporate design has a corresponding corporate paper. I believe that when a visual designer is working on a logo, typography, brand colors, and so on, they must also consider the paper. Creating a good corporate design means bringing something distinctive and unmistakable into the world. And paper is simply part of that. WW: Can a single paper grade meet all of a company’s needs? Don’t different communication media require different types of paper? Hochuli: If a company chooses a paper that’s only available in a few formats and weight grades, then the corporate paper approach doesn’t work. That’s why Arctic Paper has created corporate papers that meet all standard requirements. As part of its corporate paper program, our trading partner Fischer Papier AG even offers six different lines, including Munken Pure, Munken Lynx, and Munken Polar. WW: Does that mean creatives should already be thinking about paper when developing a corporate design? Hochuli: Absolutely. After all, the first thing you see from a company is often a piece of paper—perhaps in the form of a business card, a quote, or a brochure. It’s often the paper that leaves that famous first impression. I’d also like to mention another factor that makes it essential to give serious thought to the question of paper: Unlike virtually all other elements of design, paper is perceived not only visually but also through touch. After all, a piece of paper is never just read or looked at—it’s always touched as well. And it has a smell. WW: It smells? Hochuli: Yes, of course—paper does have a smell. That’s why people like to bury their noses in a book. Recently, this has sometimes been enhanced by applying scented coatings, for example. Incidentally, our Munken papers are particularly well-suited for this technique. So why not infuse one of our papers with a hint of rose or a light tobacco scent—or even a fragrance inspired by the classic Chanel No. 5? WW: Let’s draw a connection between the sense of smell and ecology. What does a paper manufacturer have to do in this regard today? Hochuli: Constantly address environmental issues. Arctic Paper, for example, has recently further strengthened the ecological focus of its three plants. All factories are now ISO 14001-certified and publish an environmental report in accordance with EMAS guidelines. In addition, we aim to have more and more of our products certified under the FSC. Since January 1, 2007, all Munken papers have borne the environmental seal of the Forest Stewardship Council, a consortium that promotes the ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable use of forests. As a result, we currently offer twelve FSC-certified product lines—including both uncoated and coated paper grades. Additional FSC-certified varieties will follow. WW: Are environmentally friendly papers still in demand? Hochuli: Absolutely—demand is clearly on the rise. We’re feeling this particularly strongly, as Arctic Paper is a top player in environmental management and one of the industry’s pioneers. Customers are also much better informed today, and there’s a growing demand for FSC-certified papers. Publishers were the pioneers. Today, FSC certification plays an important role in all environmentally conscious companies. Interview: Jürgen Franck

SRG's channels in French-speaking Switzerland increased their market share to 57.3% last year, reaching an all-time high. This represents an increase of 0.6% compared to the previous year. Private local radio stations and foreign stations lost market share. Both station categories lost 0.3% each and are now at 22.9% and 12.8% respectively, as reported by the news agency SDA based on a report by Radio RSR in French-speaking Switzerland. "La Première", the most important RSR station comparable to DRS 1, lost one percent and now has a market share of 40.4 percent. All other stations (Option Musique, Couleur 3, Espace 2) have made gains. RSR is planning to expand its Internet and DAB offerings in the near future.

Sport The EVZ is turning 40 and a unique campaign has been launched throughout Switzerland to mark this anniversary. Twenty companies are enabling the EVZ to make an appearance with large flags throughout the canton of Zug. At the heart of the campaign are twenty 8×8 meter large flags, which are hung on building facades in prime locations with the slogan "Zug flies the flag". At the same time, 4-metre-high flag castles in front of restaurants, countless window flags and thousands of car pennants characterize the Zug cityscape. This sensational anniversary campaign was realized by Adcom Communication, Zug and Keller Fahnen in Biberist.

Paper IV White is the trend - the use of coated or uncoated papers remains a matter of taste Two years ago, the Swedish paper group Arctic Paper opened its own sales branch in Switzerland. The Swiss subsidiary was aware from the outset that there is a huge selection of high-quality papers - and that there is a competitor product for every paper quality. This is probably why the company has specialized in two areas: On the one hand, ecology and, on the other, the use of papers within corporate communications. With its three brands Arctic, Amber and Munken, the Swedish paper producer offers a full range of products. The Munken design paper range includes grammages from 70 and 80 to 400 g/m2 and is available in classic offset formats as well as in DIN A4 format. These papers are also available in the standard roll widths for continuous and digital printing as well as label and self-adhesive papers.
Advertisers want bright white In terms of color, the company is focusing primarily on white. Because, as Arctic Papier has learned, white is in vogue. The advertising and design industry in particular is calling for bright white. The trend towards white, this clean chic, as we know it from fashion or as it can also be observed in electronic gadgets or automotive design, is thus also manifesting itself in paper.
Other sectors, on the other hand, prefer different colors to suit their lifestyle: The food sector, for example, prefers cream-colored paper, while environmentally conscious companies like to reflect their credo with natural or beautiful white paper. There is currently no consensus as to which paper is best for showing off images. Urs Hochuli from Arctic Paper says that the widespread opinion as to whether images really look better on coated paper needs to be questioned today: "It depends much more on the purpose of the means of communication - and on what the paper is intended to achieve."
Jürgen Franck

Major distributor Condor and Publicis have turned new advertising ideas from customers into funny commercials for Migros. "The club school even teaches you how to dance. In any way you want," says farmer and Migros customer Hanspi Gmür. Then a dozen sales assistants dance in the commercial, perfectly choreographed like in the most beautiful Hollywood musical. Another young customer named Roy Imhof is convinced: "People stay fit for much longer because of the many healthy options offered by Migros." Then we see an over 70-year-old woman in the commercial running after a streetcar that has just left with full shopping bags. She catches up with it, as the woman is doubled in the commercial by a real 78-year-old world champion marathon runner.statements actually collected from real amateurs in an intro, then the professional implementation of these "advertising ideas" in a second film block, form the concept for ten new commercials from Publicis for Migros. As a "guarantor of entertaining films", the orange wholesaler is currently enriching its advertising blocks with new image spots. The popular concept "The Migros advertisement by..." has been retained, but has been given a facelift, as Brand Director Marion Marxer explains at Publicis. While the first films with such ideas were funny but sometimes a little long, now only one sequence is shown. "The spots have become shorter but spicier," says producer Philipp Petersson at Condor. The short films were developed in close collaboration between the creative team at Publicis and director Patrick Senn at Condor. The spots are based on Migros themes such as freshness, fitness, non-smoking, club school, sport and bottle returns.
Visualizing the differenceIndependent of this season, the films with the "favourite products" will continue. These are set exclusively in Migros stores. The spots with the "ideas" have now also broken out of this grid.
As Marion Marxer reveals, the concept with these "ideas" has been tested on a broad basis and has been "extremely well received" by the public. However, while previously only "big themes" such as freshness were discussed, the new 20 to 30-second short films also aim to bring smaller achievements into play that visualize the difference between Migros and its competitors. As such details from the Migros world can probably only be "properly understood by a local director", as Petersson says, the focus has now also been placed on a Swiss director, Patrick Senn.
Authenticity was also wanted in the statements of the laypeople. They were cast and recorded with different people for all three national languages. "That's what it takes when we're so close to people with a 35 millimeter camera," says the crew.
Andreas Panzeri

Basel-based communications agency Dialog Lucky Lack has developed a new corporate identity for Heinrich Käch. The company is also one of the largest private rescue services in Switzerland, a cab company and a renowned funeral home. The Basel-based company has developed a holistic marketing and communication strategy for all three areas. The latest product is a brochure for the funeral sector. According to the press release, it is something special to deal with the topics of dying, death and mourning in everyday advertising. The brochure "...and the soul was set free" has a strong emotional focus and offers the bereaved unexpected support. The brochure facilitates discussions with customers and offers the bereaved a helping hand in a restrained manner. At the same time, it also serves as a sales tool and is a carrier of services as well as a contact tool for offices, hospitals and Spitex services.

Dental Hygiene Exxtra has nothing but a tired smile for boring toothpaste ads - and has made a completely different commercial for Candida. The audience in the movie theater was in stitches. A Porsche is being cleaned with sandpaper, which sounds dramatic, and not just for sensitive ears. With this noise in the "Carwash" commercial, Exxtra Kommunikation's brand promise of "gentle dental care" has already been wittily and successfully implemented once before. The new "Boxer" spot intensifies this dramatization. Exxtra's new Candida commercial also makes it clear in an unconventional way that you should "only trust Candida" for gentle dental care. The commercial with the attractive boxer is also intended to appeal to women. They still buy more toothpaste than men.
However, according to clinical studies, one in three adults suffers from hypersensitive teeth and tooth necks. The use of the wrong products - such as fashionable whiteners - can be particularly damaging to the health of teeth.
Candida recognized the problem of sensitive teeth some time ago and developed the Sensitive product line in collaboration with Swiss university clinics. This allows gentle yet thorough cleaning.
Candida is now the most successful toothpaste in Switzerland and has overtaken the previous market leader Elmex in terms of market share. Candida also enjoys a very high level of credibility and popularity among dentists and consumers.
This credibility should now be conveyed in the communication. However, Candida does not lecture like most of its competitors, but shows in a surprising way that using the wrong products can damage teeth.
The movie "Boxer" begins with dramatic music. A well-trained young man, dressed only in a white terry towel, loosens up in his bathroom with some stretching exercises and boxing punches. It looks as if he is preparing for a fight. Once he is sure that his muscles are warmed up, he takes a toothbrush and toothpaste and begins to clean his teeth with vigor and commitment. You can see that he is using all his muscle power for this action. Then the music picks up, the boxer grabs a glass of water, rinses and begins to smile.
However, the smile does not reveal gleaming white teeth, but a mouthguard like the ones boxers put over their teeth in the ring. "If you don't trust your toothpaste..." is the comment. This is followed by a close-up of the Candida Sensitive pack shot, with the fade-in "Candida cleans your teeth particularly gently".
Candida Sensitive is only advertised using the medium of film. The main target group on television is all householders aged between 25 and 40. In the cinema, the commercial is "rejuvenated" somewhat with different music and shorter cuts. Advertisements are placed exclusively in the trade press, here in conjunction with additional PR texts.
Andreas Panzeri

Mediafocus Advertising pressure increased by 18.2% compared to January of the previous year. Internet and television advertising as well as advertising in the daily press saw above-average growth. Apart from cinema and teletext, this also applies to the other media groups. The strongest growth was recorded in the advertising markets of telecommunications, charitable campaigns, cosmetics/personal care, food and finance. Tobacco advertising and political campaigns, on the other hand, fell sharply. 1818-Auskunft and Bank-now made it into the ranking of the top 30 advertising companies.