The media company Ringier is relaunching the Betty Bossi newspaper at the beginning of next year. With more pages, more content and even more concrete benefits - for example with an online recipe database - the newspaper will reach over 850,000 subscribers in future. By Heart is designing the campaign for the new paper. The Zurich advertising agency had already taken over the layout and design of the new newspaper last early summer following a presentation by a competitor (see ). The campaign will be launched in January 2007 and will focus on the new appeal of the successful newspaper, according to a press release. The primary aim is to confirm the large readership and show Betty from her newest, strongest side.

The Cartel Office has put an end to the broadcasting chain's efforts to broadcast its programs in encrypted form via satellite and thus be able to charge viewers fees. The TV group must therefore abandon its encryption plans for digital satellite television. The decision also has repercussions in Switzerland. The Cartel Office had considered the similar plans of RTL and ProSiebenSat.1 to be a prohibited cartel agreement and threatened to issue a warning. As RTL had already concluded a contract with the satellite SES Astra, ProSiebenSat.1 wanted to wait for the decision of the cartel watchdog. The broadcasting group has now suspended its project so that the proceedings against RTL and ProSiebenSat.1 can be discontinued. Should the business model be resumed, the proceedings will be continued. An RTL spokesperson said that there was no clear decision and therefore no planning security because the proceedings had been terminated for formal and not substantive reasons. However, a ProSiebenSat.1 spokesperson said that not all encryption plans had been shelved as a result. In any case, it is an unfortunate decision for the TV chain, which is currently in sales negotiations.
 
Bypassing competition The main point of criticism from the Cartel Office was that both broadcasting groups "would have tapped into an additional source of revenue relatively risk-free, bypassing competition". To this end, the satellite operator was to charge a monthly fee, "from which a significant proportion of the revenue would have accrued to the two broadcasting groups". The public broadcasters ARD and ZDF want to prevent their programs from being encrypted for satellite reception. The private broadcasters, on the other hand, want to use encryption to ensure that the use of transmission rights is geographically limited.
Consequences for Switzerland? In Switzerland, cable network operators justify their controversial basic encryption with the argument that they would no longer be able to show encrypted television channels without basic encryption. They argue with the international trend that cable network operators must assure broadcasters that they will only make available to customers those programs for which they have paid. The case of RTL and ProSiebenSat.1 was seen as a milestone on the way to pay-TV.
As a result of the decision by the Cartel Office, the main argument seems to have been dropped and a ban on basic encryption, as demanded by consumer protection, for example, is no longer unrealistic. As Patrik Durcey, Deputy Director of the Swiss Competition Commission (ComCo), told SDA, compelling reasons are needed to justify the encryption of basic programming when switching from analogue to digital television. A procedure for basic encryption is pending with the Competition Commission, but is currently suspended. However, the Competition Commission does not want to rush ahead and wait to see whether the issue of basic encryption will also be resolved with the ongoing revision of the Radio and Television Act (RTVA). The corresponding ordinance is on the Federal Council's agenda for January 2007.

In Vancouver, there is a company that hires potential advertisers to get temporary tattoos on their foreheads. In January 2005, American student Andrew Fisher made headlines for auctioning off his forehead as advertising space for temporary promotional tattoos on Ebay. German Hans-Jürgen Pleines then offered his entire body as advertising space at the same auction house. He would then wear the advertising for his entire life. Then the 22-year-old Swede Philip Ariosa came up with the idea of selling his skin for $1,000 per square centimeter, he got the idea from the million-dollar homepage of an Englishman who became a web millionaire. Advertising on the skin is also already going into the race as art, and the business model is likely to be quite promising with postitutes. But at present a message makes the rounds, which shows that this trend can be used also for charitable purposes. Pat Pedraia, an 11-year-old boy with leukemia, wants to sell the space on his head as advertising space via Ebay - for a good cause. Because the money is to benefit the American Bone Marrow Registry. The boy's plans became known through - who would be surprised - local television. Local News 6 station reported that the boy, who lost all his hair due to chemotherapy, will provide the advertising space on his head for temporary advertising tattoos for 2 months. Offered to interested advertisers is a total package: Pat Pedraia told the station he is willing to have a company logo put on his head for two months with a washable tattoo. He said he would then use it to advertise on television and on his website. "Leukemia therapy is very intense and makes me sad," Pat said, "but I need something to look forward to while knowing it will help other people. He would especially like to rent a spot on his head to his idol, Tampa Bay Lightning hockey player Brad Richards. So far, the highest bid on his auction stands at $ 5100, and two interested parties have already bid. The boy has already made a name for himself in the past when he and his mother organized a charity drive through many cities in the USA, promoting more bone marrow donations.

For years, publisher Michael Ringier has spoken out against free publications. In the last 13 months, he has launched five new free products: three in Eastern Europe, "heute" and "Cash daily" in Switzerland. Even though he was not a fan of free newspapers in the past and probably still isn't today, he says in an interview with the Basler Zeitung that "the market is demanding free newspapers". If the competition follows suit, Ringier cannot stand on the sidelines. He cites traditional journalism as the reason for his skepticism; this is the industry he comes from. He therefore had great doubts for a long time as to whether the new type of "fast-food" journalism would find any readers at all. Today, he describes free newspapers as "a different kind of journalism". However, Ringier still considers traditional journalism to be essential for the functioning of democracy. When asked who will pay for journalism in the future, he says: "We have to sell advertisers the idea of a product that runs on all technologies, as with 'Cash daily'". In addition, Dufourstrasse wants to continue to sell its products to readers, but this news must go beyond topicality. Nobody wants to read again in the morning what they already learned the day before via other channels. Ringier is also convinced that today's 20-year-old free newspaper readers will buy a newspaper when they get into positions of responsibility. The publisher also revealed in the interview that changes are planned for Blick - which will be seen in the coming year.

The intensity of reading is linked to the attention paid to an advertisement: The greater the attention, the greater the advertising reception. This was the result of a study conducted by the German branch of Initiative Media. According to the study, articles on the subject of travel are read with the greatest concentration at 64.1 percent. This was followed by cooking (62.8 percent) and parenting tips (60.1 percent). Weekly women's and lifestyle magazines (37.3% and 33.4% respectively) are generally leafed through. However, the reading intensities also differ considerably within a genre. In the case of women's titles, for example, it was found that magazines with instructions on healthy living, diet, fitness, knitting or sewing, for example, are read with greater concentration than titles that are predominantly devoted to fashion, styling and celebrities. Similar findings can also be seen in the current affairs magazine segment. In particular, titles with a high level of topical reporting and features are read more attentively than magazines with a lot of celebrity news and many pictures.
Women read with more concentration than menAn analysis of the female target group revealed that women read special interest titles containing tips, advice and information on topics such as parenting, cooking and baking with particular attention. In the male target group, the researchers found intensive reading of magazines with an advice function or about computers and finance, as well as magazines with a high proportion of up-to-date information. Overall, women read magazines with more concentration than men.
Based on the hypothesis that a higher intensity of reading is associated with greater attention to advertisements, Initiative Media also analyzed this aspect. The study showed that people who read magazines carefully also remember certain advertisements better.

A project by Zurich agency MetaDesign has won an award at the 9th International Corporate Design Award. The corporate design of the technology group Bucher Industries won in the B2B category. The new image of one of Switzerland's leading industrial companies with 70 subsidiaries worldwide impressed the jury. The new corporate design unites almost all areas of the company under the strong umbrella brand. The work of the Berlin branch of Metadesign for Landesbank Bayern LB and Europark Deutschland, an umbrella organization for nature parks, also won. 
Designers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland submitted 118 entries for the 9th International Corporate Design Award. This means that the number of entries has more than doubled. A total of five awards and 22 distinctions were presented. LastCall for the 10th International Corporate Design Award is January 25, 2007.
 

Vaudois winegrowers want to establish the term "Vin Vaudois" as a brand. The use of the label is voluntary, but is recommended by the Vaud Winegrowers' Office (OVV), as reported by the SDA news agency on Tuesday. According to Robert Crüll, director of the OVV, the Vaud region can no longer afford to dissipate its energies and appear completely anarchic. Although the idea was initially ridiculed, it has now gained acceptance due to the opening of borders, overproduction and deregulation, and has thus created a new awareness among winegrowers and wine merchants. According to OVV, Vaud is doing pioneering work as it is the first Swiss region to use this marketing tool. The logo, created by a designer, is to be emblazoned on all Vaudois wine labels in future. 

Numerous large media companies are currently trying to jump on the wave of success of YouTube and co. Now the internet company Yahoo and the British news agency Reuters are also cooperating and launching the joint project "You Witness". Amateur filmmakers and amateur photographers from all over the world can submit images of the latest news. The Reuters editorial team will then review the content and publish the best and most newsworthy photos and videos. Reuters plans to distribute the content to its media customers, Yahoo wants to put selected content on the Yahoo News page.
The Financial Times Deutschland reports that submitters may even receive remuneration for their work. Exclusivity rights and contracts with individuals still have to be overcome. Currently still specializing in news, Yahoo plans to expand the project to sports, entertainment and other areas in the future. Those responsible are also puzzling over whether they want to turn the submitters completely into amateur journalists and also accept print articles.

The Zurich agency Jung von Matt/Limmat has received a Global Award Finalist Certificate at the New York Festival. The work "Acupuncture on the Bulletin Board" for the Zurich School of Classical Naturopathy was honored in the category "Consumer: Medical Service Advertisement." The international communications competition takes place annually as part of the New York Festivals and honors the world's best work, in particular prevention campaigns in healthcare communications. According to the organizers, the winning entries will be published in the New York Festivals Yearbook 2006, Volume 15.

On December 1, the mass-produced shirts from Artesanos Camiseros were put to an unusual use in the city center of Zurich. The creative agency Lowe came up with a guerrilla campaign. The aim was to prove that the shirts really do look good on everyone. According to the motto "Every figure looks good in our made-to-measure shirts". According to the criteria of tall, short, fat and thin, Lowe dressed four types with shirts that fit them perfectly. These were on display at highly frequented locations such as Paradeplatz, Bellevue, Stadelhofen and Löwenstrasse. The shirts also featured 10 percent discount labels.

The pressure on producers and advertisers is also growing in this country. TV commercials for junk food in the context of children's programmes are being increasingly criticized. The food industry is relying on self-restraint to prevent advertising for unhealthy foods from being banned. As reported by the NZZ am Sonntag, National Councillor Heinrich Studer intends to submit an interpellation to the Federal Council in the December session. The question is whether the Federal Council is prepared to introduce restrictions like those in the UK. There, advertising for unhealthy foods on television has been banned from children's programs (see
and ). If the Federal Council is not receptive to this initiative, Studer intends to demand an amendment to the Radio and Television Act. Even if this initiative has little chance of success, food manufacturers are increasingly being pilloried as the cause of the growing incidence of obesity among children and young people. The Federation of Swiss Food Industries (Fial), which brings together around 200 companies, therefore wants to take action and impose voluntary restrictions. The aim is to avoid an advertising ban. For example, the nutritional value of products should be consistently declared. New products are also to be developed in smaller sizes. Advertising is also being rethought. Coca-Cola no longer advertises sweet drinks on vending machines in schools, but Valser water instead. Masterfoods no longer advertises to children under the age of six. Migros positions the Lilibiggs children's figures in connection with statements about healthy eating. However, the retailers do not want to do without the sweet stands in the checkout area.
However, even if a ban on advertising is not yet a political issue, the way is already being prepared. Advertising bans are an issue in the EU, where a ban is currently being examined. However, the food industry still has until spring 2007 to submit proposals for self-regulation. In Switzerland, the Federal Council intends to adopt a national strategy on nutrition, exercise and health by mid-2007. For the time being, however, manufacturers are still involved in the process.

Mach Corporate & Werbung, the communications agency based in Baden, has designed and produced a brochure for the Aargau Pharmacists' Association. This is aimed at customers of Aargau pharmacies and is intended to present the advantages of the personal regular pharmacy. The eight-page brochure contains the six most important reasons for remaining loyal to your personal pharmacy. The approximately 300,000 brochures are distributed by post and by the specially trained staff of the more than one hundred pharmacies in Aargau.