Sport The Airport Outlet at Zurich Airport sells top brands at factory prices. Before winter snows in, the range has been expanded to include racing skis, carving skis and the latest generation of snowboards. Ruf Lanz is advertising this range at Zurich Airport with cheeky F12 and F4 posters, which are likely to catch the eye of more than just Japanese tourists. The first motif shows the national icon Heidi together with Geissenpeter and Alpöhi. However, not in front of the barren hut on the alp as usual, but in a hospital bed. With the laconic headline: Now even ordinary people can afford racing skis. On the second subject, Schellenursli suddenly swings his bell with a plaster cast after an obviously somewhat too fast run. Thanks to the Airport Outlet, he too can now afford the latest racing skis. Markus Ruf, Thomas Schöb and Marcel Schläfle were in charge of Ruf Lanz. Ernst Feurer was responsible for the faithful illustrations.

The new SF documentary series "Start up - Der Weg zur eigenen Firma" has met with great interest: Swiss Television received 937 applications by December 11, 2006. The program is intended to accompany young entrepreneurs on their path to self-employment (see ). The media company announced on Wednesday that the response to the call for entries and the quality of the business ideas submitted were well above expectations. The applications include a whole series of very attractive projects which, according to experts from the Institut für Jungunternehmen (IFJ), have a realistic chance of obtaining funding for their start-ups. As a partner of "Start up", the IFJ examines and evaluates the applications for Swiss television and makes a pre-selection. In further rounds, the project ideas are assessed by a jury, which includes Nobel Biocare CEO Heliane Canepa and McKinsey Switzerland Director Thomas Knecht.
The proportion of women among the applications received is 17.8%. The industry breakdown is as follows: 43 percent services, 11.5 percent trade, 17.4 percent production, 18.8 percent information/communication, 5 percent interdisciplinary industries, 3.3 percent life sciences and 1 percent micro/nanotech.
For the television audience and all young entrepreneurs who have not made it, SF will be offering free services such as young entrepreneur aperitifs, information events for company founders or useful contacts and tips on the subject of self-employment on the Startup.sf.tv website from April 2007. The first program will be broadcast on Monday, April 16, 2007, at 10:20 p.m. on SF 1, directly following "10vor10". The other programs will follow weekly in the same time slot.

Fire protection AY&R hired a German bomb disposal robot for a commercial for the Fire Prevention Advice Center.electrical appliances cause most domestic fires in Switzerland, namely around a quarter of the 21,000 fires that occur each year. Time and again, people are killed because the appliances can ignite at any time in a completely unpredictable manner. What you can do to prevent these ticking fire bombs is simple: always switch off appliances, because only appliances that are switched off are fireproof.
This is dramatized in a red-hot film by Advico Young & Rubicam for the Fire Prevention Advisory Service (BfB). In the middle of the night, men in combat gear storm an apartment, drag a couple who have just been asleep outside and have a bomb disposal robot drive into the house. There it switches off the television - which is in standby mode - completely.
The commercial was shot by Munich-based GAP Films with a special squad of the German police (SEK) and a real bomb disposal robot. It was directed by Stephan Coito, a young Frenchman who has just graduated from film school and impressed AY&R with his graduation film. "He made an action film that looks like very expensive Hollywood cinema, but was realized with a much smaller budget, instead with a lot of imagination in terms of cinematic effects," as CD Urs Schrepfer reveals. The action spot is currently showing in Swiss cinemas.
Andreas Panzeri

Magazine The Beobachter is now selling wine. The publisher and editorial team believe that this will not affect its credibility. Some of the advice offered will also be subject to a charge. The "selection of choice Swiss wines in a reasonably priced tasting package" comes neither from a winegrower nor from a wine merchant. The sender of the advertising leaflet is Beobachter, the consumer magazine published by Jean Frey. The wines are even "carefully selected and recommended by Beobachter". Did a few editors volunteer as test drinkers after work and tweet the best wines for the readership? Not at all. Even if the explicit recommendation may give a different impression, the wine campaign is a project of the publishing house. "The editors-in-chief were informed about it from the outset and had no objections," says Beobachter publishing director Roland Wahrenberger. Editor-in-chief Balz Hosang confirms this. 
Despite this transparency, the new role as a wine shop gave rise to internal discussions. The discomfort about the fact that the publisher of the renowned magazine itself sells a product that is normally critically reviewed by the editorial team is to be taken into account in future. "The editorial team would like to have a fundamental discussion with the publisher before taking any further action," says Hosang.
Further offers decidedthat further promotions will follow is a foregone conclusion. This is also stated in the advertising for the "selected Swiss wines": "We regularly put together offers for you from a wide variety of areas." Those responsible have not yet decided what they want to offer readers next. "Not just anything, of course," says Wahrenberger, "but things that our readership likes. The focus is on quality." The wine campaign is a "first-time test". Only a small number of subscribers received the advertising. He is only aware of a few negative reactions, says the publishing director, "but that is normal". The editor-in-chief is also hardly aware of any criticism: "The product seems to have been well received overall." Balz Hosang is also convinced that the credibility of the Beobachter brand is not at risk due to the new reader campaigns.
The Beobachter is obviously not dependent on income from wine sales. The campaign is primarily about reader loyalty. "If it also generates a little money," says publishing director Wahrenberger, "that's very convenient for us."
Independence at riskCompetitors would never consider campaigns such as those now introduced by Beobachter. Independence is key for a consumer magazine, says René Schuhmacher, journalistic director of K-Tipp magazine. "As a magazine that regularly publishes tests, we are only credible if we treat all providers equally. That would no longer be the case if we worked with some and not others." Schuhmacher considers the sale of books or other information carriers that pick up on or expand on content from the magazine to be unproblematic. "Informing is one task, selling is another," says the K-Tipp boss. "We limit ourselves to providing information."
Paid adviceNot only the sale of wine and other products will bring a few extra francs into the Beobachter coffers in the medium term. A new advisory service may also generate income. Editor-in-chief Hosang confirms: "We are examining the introduction of fee-based advice." The current service will remain free. However, anyone who submits a more complex request to the Beobachter experts will have to dig into their pockets in future. The fees are intended to contribute to the personnel costs of the advice center - currently three million francs per year. Pricing models and a definition of when a request is considered "more complex" are not yet known.
 
Nick Lüthi
Observer's fear instincts?stagnating reach and declining image
are a cause for concern for the respected magazine, which is regarded as an institution by broad sections of the population. According to Wemf, Schweizer Illustrierte has overtaken the long-standing second-placed Beobachter in terms of reach. No wonder, then, that the makers are resorting to reader retention campaigns and trying to find salvation in side businesses to keep their readership happy. Apparently the makers
The Süddeutsche Zeitung, which recently entered the wine trade, has inspired us. It remains to be seen how successful the brand expansion will be. The Beobachter advisory and legal service, which has been active for decades, is to become partly chargeable, a further indication that the long-established Beobachter tradition is being taken less seriously. (rw) Keenly observed BeobachterHow the Zurich weekly WoZ
recently reported that as of January 1, 2007, Jean Frey Verlag intends to keep a closer eye on its employees - and thus also the editorial staff of the Beobachter - at work. The WoZ article refers to "Big Brother practices". In a paper that Jean-Frey CEO Filippo Leutenegger sent to his employees, it is stated that "if necessary", the logging of e-mail traffic, telephone calls and Internet use is planned. The reason given for the monitoring measures is to protect against "possible misuse". Zurich data protection officer Bruno Baeriswyl
criticizes the plan. The directive provides for very extensive monitoring, "without a clear demarcation to protect the privacy of employees." (nl)

Agencies At the top of this year's Werbewoche creative ranking is Publicis, followed by SFLB and Ruf Lanz, reflecting the creative performance of the agencies that were recognized in national and international competitions. As last year, the competitions were selected and weighted in collaboration with a delegation from the Art Director Club of Switzerland. Unfortunately, a small error crept into the creative ranking that we published on December 7, 2006. We would like to apologize for this. New in 10th place is the advertising agency Contexta. Ranks one to nine remain unchanged. The top ten Swiss creative agencies in 2006 are:
Publicis

Spillmann/Felser/Leo BurnettRuf LanzJung von Matt/LimmatAdvico Young & Rubicam and Exxtra KommunikationWalkerWirz WerbungEuro RSCGLoweContexta

Book Under the title "Give me a Tobias", author Paul Himmelblau tells the story of Georg, an agency owner. More precisely: the crazy everyday life in a small advertising agency that gets the chance for a contract. The story is gripping and exciting right to the end.  
Paul Himmelblau
Give me a Tobias, ISBN 3-033-00928-8, Sugarfree Verlag

Competition Werbewoche and the TV program magazine TV-Star present the "Advertising Campaign of the Year". You can choose your favorite from ten candidates and win attractive prizes.

Regional press Zürcher Unterland Medien provides three of the five members of the board of directors of the Neue Bülacher Tagblatt When the integration of the Neue Bülacher Tagblatt (NBT) into the Zürcher Unterländer's headline system was announced in September, there was only talk of "close editorial and technical cooperation". The fact that the takeover of the NBT publisher Druckerei Graf by Zürcher Unterland Medien had already been decided at the time could be guessed. However, nobody wanted to confirm this at the time. Now it is in black and white in the commercial register. It can be read that Druckerei Graf has been renamed Neue Bülacher Tagblatt AG in the last few days and that the previous owners, brothers Karl Heinz and Dieter Graf, have relinquished the chairmanship and vice-chairmanship but will remain on the Board of Directors. It has also been announced that three of the now five seats on the Board of Directors will go to Zürcher Unterland Medien, which belongs to the Freie Presse Holding (NZZ Group): Its managing director Erland Herkenrath, who is also managing director of Zürichsee Medien, will take over the NBT chairmanship.
In addition, two other members of the Board of Directors of Zürcher Unterland Medien will also be joining. One of them, Emanuel Hunziker, will become Vice President of the NBT. Since November 6, the NBT has been part of the Zürcher Landzeitung, the association of Zürichsee Zeitung, Unterländer and Oberländer.   
 
Markus Knöpfli

The Zurich-based communications agency Contract Media is expanding its client base and strengthening its team of consultants. New clients include the energy group Axpo and the mattress and bed manufacturer Bico. Axpo supports Contract Media in strategic corporate communications and media relations. The Zurich-based company is developing a comprehensive communications and PR concept for Bico, as detailed in a press release. As of February 1, 2007, business journalist Franziska Pedroietta will join the team of consultants. The 41-year-old has worked for the business newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft for the past eight years, where she mainly reported on listed industrial companies.

Surreptitious advertising There was a great deal of excitement when a few observant consumers realized that they were not only being entertained and instructed in programmes such as "Lüthi & Blanc", "Tatort" or "Gesundheit Sprechstunde", but were also being tangibly advertised. "Surreptitious advertising" thundered the anger of the politically correct. However, it has now remained remarkably quiet when - completely new - surreptitious advertising is used in a commercial. Cleverly disguised as a beautiful and atmospheric image film for Swiss, Campari soda is shamelessly advertised on Swiss television channels. And this, without blushing, even for the real drink full of promilleschub and not just for an alcohol-free glider version. Surreptitious advertising in the advertising block - this is of course something of a legal vacuum when it comes to prohibited alcohol advertising. There is no precedent yet. Or as Reinhard Mey puts it in another song about the feeling of flying: "Above the clouds, freedom must be boundless ...". The strategy should work for the advertising agency. If the commercial is taken down, there will still be plenty of free advertising for Swiss thanks to the scandal in the media. If it stays in the air, it will be profitable for the client Campari, because Swiss will then have to buy a few bottles for the wooden class as well. Otherwise it would be unfair advertising. For the time being, this drink is not yet available on board in Economy. (pan

The Bern-based internet communications agency New Impact has created the new website for the Swiss hiking trails. The relaunch of the website focused on communication and the service aspect, as the Bern-based company announced on Wednesday. With a network of over 60,000 km, hiking is one of the most popular leisure activities in Switzerland. In line with the motto "Leading the way for your hiking experience", the focus is on communication relating to the goals and vision of the organization, the network of hiking trails, signposting and much more. A feedback form is used for quality assurance; links to the cantonal hiking trail organizations, the online store and the extranet complete the offer.

Electronic Media: The Goldbach Media Group has published a report assessing the state of the private electronic media sector in Switzerland. CEO Klaus Kappeler explains where the sector currently stands. WW: Why is your company publishing a report on the private electronic media sector right now? Klaus Kappeler:
Is there a better time for a gift? All joking aside, we’re convinced that right now—when the media landscape and its structure are changing rapidly, driven primarily by technological developments, and consumers’ media behavior is being influenced by these changes in leaps and bounds—is the right time to pause and reflect. So, on the threshold of a new media age, let’s take stock and analyze why, when it comes to private electronic media in Switzerland, we repeatedly come up against a political wall of protectionism. Which electronic media do you think have the greatest potential for growth and development?I am convinced that we cannot rely on current trends today. Or would anyone have bet on today’s text-messaging culture ten years ago, simply because cell phones were gaining popularity? On the other hand, one thing is clear: the internet, as a technical platform and meeting place for a wide variety of media, will continue to grow. Mobile media consumption can easily be identified as a strong driver of growth. Nor should new forms of out-of-home communication via electronic platforms be underestimated, because the use of ePosters in this area has only just begun.
There are more and more signs that the second wave of the Internet could end in a debacle similar to the first. What do you think about that? There are neither signs nor a wave! To stick with your vocabulary, the water level is rising overall—and quite dramatically. But if you ask me to what extent, I have to admit that growth will be subject to fluctuations in the coming years. Basically, as I said, the Internet will experience rapid growth as a logistics medium. But if you look at in-game advertising, for example, two years ago people would have laughed at the idea that dynamic advertising in online games would be such a success.
To what extent can and should private electronic media in Switzerland grow in relation to public media (SRG)? Despite strong opposition, private electronic media in Switzerland have developed quite well. However, when compared to other countries—even taking into account differences in media development due to historical factors—electronic media, particularly the private sector, have enormous potential. Thanks to digital broadcasting, the electronic media’s current 30 percent share of advertising investment will grow to 50 percent over the next ten years. Regarding your question: Of course, private broadcasters will grow more rapidly than public ones, which will also make the balance of power somewhat more even. The prerequisite for this is that better content—that is, content preferred by consumers—is actually allowed to prevail, regardless of whether the SRG’s new licensing fee round goes through or not.
Roger Schawinski says that running a serious private television station in Switzerland is an impossible utopia. I don't suppose you share his view? You're mistaken. However, the simple word «serious» is key to the statement.
Is audience fragmentation an opportunity or a threat for advertising? 
Opportunity and risk. It’s an opportunity because target audiences can be defined more clearly and addressed more precisely. Future user research must also make a quantum leap forward in this area so that advertisers have access to relevant metrics in a comparable framework. I see risks in striking a balance between the effort required for content on the one hand and advertising revenue for a smaller target audience—with correspondingly lower wastage—on the other.
 
Email Interview: René Worni
 
 
«The Battle of the Electronic Media: »Switzerland's Private Electronic Media—An Assessment,'",
That is the title of the 125-page A4-format publication by Goldbach Media, a marketer of private electronic media. The company commissioned numerous well-known industry authors to write about the broader context, the market, and the development of the media from every angle. Based on the observation that nowhere else has the (struggle for survival) of electronic media been documented to date, this work—complete with an accompanying glossary—offers interesting insights into the current media debate. The volume is available from Goldbach for a nominal fee of 100 francs. (rw)