Packaging Weinfelden is home to one of Europe's leading suppliers of corrugated board packaging.While the success of commercial printed matter cannot be measured directly, or only rarely, the success of packaging quickly provides information on whether it "goes down well". Packaging and its consumer-friendliness as well as packaging design have been proven to play a major role in the sales success of products. This is a challenge for marketing strategists and product developers - but also for packaging designers. Creativity is therefore in demand, and an understanding of how packaging is produced as well as how it is filled is also helpful.Model relies on the waveUnchallenged at the top of the list when it comes to packaging is transport packaging. We visited a company that, on the one hand, specializes in the production of corrugated cardboard packaging and, on the other hand, has modern equipment. This packaging can be die-cut, slit, but also printed in a variety of ways. Model has already received national as well as international awards for its creative ideas. As a special feature, Model AG - a subsidiary of the Model Group, which is active in many European countries - also produces the raw materials for packaging and/or displays.
The packaging produced at Model is based on a wide variety of base paper grades. The raw material of this multilayer packaging material is either primary fiber or secondary fiber papers (see box on the right). These secondary fiber papers are produced by two machines of Thurpapier, which is located on the premises of Model AG, but as a profit center has to take care of its own profitability. One paper machine produces the base material testliner at a speed of up to 600 m/minute, while the second machine produces the corrugating medium base paper. The output here is 400 m/minute. After production, the paper is wound into rolls 2.5 m wide. In this way, 120 rolls of raw material are produced daily or 138,000 tons/year.
In the corrugated board production line, these corrugated board base papers are used to produce the corrugated paper webs by means of corrugating rolls. From the 1.2 mm thick F flute to the 5.2 mm thick A flute and various flute combinations, the corresponding papers are glued together here with starch. The resulting corrugated board is first cut to the required format with a longitudinal cutter and then with a cross cutter.
Precise planningBy means of production schedules, customers can be informed when their required corrugated carton type is currently being produced in Weinfelden. In some cases, Model has online access to its customers' systems and can take over the scheduling of packaging requirements: "On request, we can determine the customer's requirements in their system and schedule them accordingly. This helps us with capacity planning, and for customers it minimizes the need for storage," explains Markus Rechsteiner, Head of Application Technology at ModelTec, which is part of the group of companies.
After production, the corrugated board is temporarily stored for about 24 hours so that the paper layers can solidify and dry. What happens next depends on the order: Standard and individual packaging is produced in the inline production area or in the die-cut and glued packaging area, depending on the design.
In the direct printing process, up to six colors can be applied using flexographic printing. High-quality subjects are printed directly onto the corrugated cardboard sheets using the company's own color mixing system and corresponding clichés. The sister company Inoflex, which is located on the same site, produces the cutting dies. Inliner production, on the other hand, eliminates the need for customer-specific tools, as adjustable rotary cutting knives are used here.
Asked about the special characteristics of corrugated board, Rechsteiner explains, "Corrugated board is advantageous compared to other packaging materials and convinces with its enormous stability." He sees Model Group on the one hand as a mass producer of packaging, and on the other hand as a solution provider for very specific needs.
As much packaging as necessary Whether it's a single package or larger quantities of customized packaging solutions, the philosophy at Model is always: advice, optimization - and only as much packaging as necessary. Model solves this with a large standard range that is immediately available from stock, or at the customer's request, a customized solution can be found.
Rechsteiner describes the efficiency of the development department as a particular advantage. "Thanks to CAD support, know-how and appropriate cutting plotters, we are able to produce packaging samples quickly and true to the original". In parallel, the optimization potential is shown to the customer during this phase.
Action instead of reaction "In order to be able to produce creative packaging solutions per packaged unit of output, market proximity, analysis of purchasing habits and knowledge about the use of packaging are the basis for success," says Karin Bächer, responsible for communication in the Model Group. To achieve this, ongoing market observations and participation in development platforms are the norm. In all these activities, an in-depth, well-founded process analysis of the packaging process is essential.
Various awards confirm this proactive development spirit at all Model companies. This year, for example, the Weinfelder Group received two awards: In May, the iF Product Design Award 2006. The "Papillon Maxi Twist" and "Sprüngli Grand Cru" packaging produced by the Model PrimePac offshoot held its own against its competitors.
The company also recently scored points with a Toblerone display developed for Kraft Food at its headquarters in Weinfelden. The display solution was the winner of the Swiss Star 2006, which is awarded annually by the Swiss Packaging Institute (www.svi-verpackung.ch) in various categories. Quote from the jurors: "A lot of product and not much display.
Developments such as the display developed for Kraft Foods represent the top of the value-added pyramid at Model: "The display solutions are the most interesting technologically - and they are also image-enhancing. However, the development is also the most cost-intensive," explains Rechsteiner. "The trend in recent years, thanks to enormous creative input and improved printing possibilities in direct printing, has led to Model making a name for itself today as a proven display producer" explains Markus Rechsteiner.
Model GroupThe Model Group
specializes in the manufacture and production of solid and corrugated board packaging and displays. Under the umbrella of Model Holding, there are production facilities at various locations in Switzerland: Model AG, Inoflex and Thurpapier (Weinfelden), Model Emballages SA (Moudon), Model PrimePac AG (Au/Romanel-sur-Lausanne), Model InoPac AG (Flamatt) as well as PackShops in Dietikon, Flamatt, Geneva, Romanel and Weinfelden. Production facilities and/or PackShops are also located in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Croatia and Slovakia.
The roots of the group, which employs a total of 2700 people, go back to 1882.
Kraft or testliner as a baseFor the production of corrugated or also solid board
folding carton producers rely on kraft or testliner papers, depending on their requirements. Kraftliner consists of bleached or unbleached sulfate pulp, which is also called kraft pulp. This type of paper has particularly high strength and is also very resistant to moisture. Testliner is used as cover papers and consists of 100 percent recovered paper. These papers are now the most important raw material in the corrugated board industry. Depending on the quality of the recycled materials, manufacturers distinguish between three grades of testliner, known as T1, T2 and T3. Jürgen Franck

The German advertising industry expects to lose around 120 million a year as a result of the ban on tobacco advertising. In the middle of last week, the Bundestag imposed a ban on tobacco advertising in the press, on the radio, on the Internet and at sporting events. According to an article in the online edition of Financial Times Deutschland, it is unlikely that the budgets will be shifted to the still permissible advertising media of cinema and posters. However, a spokesperson for the Central Association of the German Advertising Industry suspects that direct advertising at events or by post could increase. The new ban is supported by the CDU/CSU, the SPD, the Left Party and the Greens. The EU had already brought such a directive into force in the summer. However, a lawsuit by Germany against these requirements is currently pending at the European Court of Justice (see
), as there are fears of disproportionate interference with freedom of advertising. Advertising for tobacco products on radio and television has been prohibited in Germany since 1974.

Event High Fidelity Color and security printing were the focus of the Inforum at Heidelberg Switzerland How can print shops distinguish themselves from the competition, offer customers added value and retain added value in-house? Heidelberg Switzerland recently held a customer event in Bern to discuss answers to these questions. Practical demonstrations at the Inforum showed corresponding solution scenarios. Spot colors and extended color spacesFor example, Exact Colour Print from Petzold Concept GmbH uses modern process technology to print with higher color densities. With just four inking units, it is possible to substitute spot colors, which previously required an additional unit. The four process colors eliminate the need for color changes and time-consuming washing of the rollers.
A wide range of metallic colors can be simulated on a five-color press by adding silver or gold underneath - with a sixth unit, the printer keeps the option of a final coating or the application of pearl effects open. Thanks to the higher densities, the ECP system produces a significantly larger gamut image across the entire color value range.
If the ECP color space is only to be used partially within a printing form, image areas can be reduced to the color space according to the ISO 12647-2 printing standard using an ICC profile supplied in the ECP package. The continuously expanded ECP package includes several fans with 4200 color tones as well as CMYK compositions stored on a DVD. As an alternative to purchasing the entire library, individual recipes can be requested via the Internet.
The ICISS color separation system was also demonstrated in Bern. With the Interactive Color-Independent Separation Software, separations can be created from any combination of printing colors. Individual color separations can be calculated from RGB or CMYK data as CMYK with spot colors, as duplex, triplex, hexachrome or hi-fi color. The settings made are stored in a script and assigned to the desired image file via hotfolder, leaving the original data unchanged. ICISS is suitable for defining your own recipes in conjunction with Exact Color Print and other systems such as MetalFX.
Hologram application on a Kama TS 74 as a world premiereA hologram application was presented as a world premiere in Bern on the new TS 74 die-cutting machine from Kama. The control of the foil feed via special mark readers and servo drives ensures that the hologram subject matches the embossing cliché precisely. The TS 74 combines die-cutting, creasing, perforating, blind embossing, hot and cold stamping foil printing and hologram technology in a single machine.
A hot-cut device enables the processing of plastic materials. The automatic die-cutter processes sheet formats up to a maximum of 74 x 54 cm and, according to the manufacturer, is an alternative to the platens and cylinders that have been widely used to date, whereby practically all existing tools can be used.
Holograms can be used to protect products against counterfeiting. Other effective measures to protect against counterfeit products were discussed at the Inforum (see box "Product and brand protection"), which, with a share of up to ten percent of total global trade, represent a considerable security risk and cause major damage to the economy. This is another way in which print shops can differentiate themselves.
Product and brand protectionFor effective protection
In the face of piracy, product packaging can be used as a carrier of authenticity features. The available processes are numerous and range from special printing inks that react to thermal, optical, mechanical and other influences, to the coupling of complementary codes, self-destructing labels and the repro-technical integration of hidden microelements in the color separations. An exciting field is holography with various security levels, from relatively simple 2D subjects to highly complex 3D holograms, which combine all the optical effects that can be realized today in one image. Own formulations with ICISSICISS (Interactive Color-Independent Separation Software)
is a special software for creating separations from any combination of printing colors. Individual color separations can be calculated from RGB or CMYK data as CMYK with spot colors, as duplex, triplex, hexachrome or hi-fi color. The settings made are stored in a script and assigned to the desired image file via hotfolder, leaving the original data unchanged. ICISS is suitable for defining your own recipes in conjunction with Exact Color Print and other systems such as MetalFX. Jürg Marti

Direct booking Despite P-lease, Basler Zeitung is considering compensation for agencies that book directly Tamedia and Ringier pay media agencies "compensation" if they book directly instead of via Publimedia. Now the idea is spreading: Tamedia is extending the compensation to all its titles, Ringier is turning its test run into a permanent situation - and from 2007, other independent publishers are likely to join in. Marcel Siegenthaler, Head of Advertising Market Edipresse Switzerland, speaks of a "huge movement" among publishers. An "informal working group" chaired by Handelszeitung boss Ralph Büchi has taken up the issue at the Swiss Press Association. He also confirms: "Direct booking compensation is currently being examined in several publishing houses." But even for publishers with a P lease, the topic is no longer taboo. Basler Zeitung Medien (BZM), for example, is considering introducing compensation. This is confirmed by BZM CEO Beat Meyer. "But we are a long way from a definitive decision." Such considerations are nevertheless remarkable: PubliGroupe holds its largest publishing stake ever in BZM and also leases BaZ.
However, BZM now has two acquisition companies of its own, Key Media and BZM Werbe AG - two channels through which direct booking compensation would be possible. "We are free in such matters," says Meyer. Key Media acts as an intermediary. BZM Werbe AG markets the BaZ and its new large circulation in the Basel region - because P is not trusted to be able to do the same for the BaZ, the competing Mittelland Zeitung (also leased by P) and its member Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (bz, managed by P).
At this point, the 2007 advertising rates of BaZ and Baslerstab should be noted: The prices of the BaZ regular circulation will not change, but Baslerstab will: Although it will also retain its b/w rate, it will reduce the 4f page by 11.7 percent. This may be to keep the paper attractive compared to the new large circulation of the BaZ. Or to make life even more difficult for the bz. No explanation was available.
Markus Knöpfli

Internet The online community Second Life is the new star on the web. Companies such as Axel Springer Verlag are testing the popular platform. It's not yet about money, but about publicity - it's a crazy story with this Second Life. Within a very short space of time, the virtual 3D world has become an absolute media star. The reason: practically every day a company announces that it is getting involved in Second Life. Once the announcement is made, it only takes a few minutes and the whole world on the Internet knows about it. It's not the Web 2.0 start-ups that are reported on in all the media. It is large companies that are causing a sensation. Niels Benson from Comaffairs, a strategy agency for market and brand innovations, is observing the development closely: "Second Life is literally generating a PR maelstrom. Everyone wants to profit from the hype." The investments are enormous. Large companies are currently spending a huge amount of money (see below) to create office complexes or other virtual buildings.
Just a few examples: The Toyota car company has been represented with a showroom for a few weeks now and launched the Scio Xb model there exclusively and especially for Second Life. Pontiac offers a 400,000 square meter advertising and sales area. And Nissan is also causing a stir with its virtual appearance. The Japanese company had a giant vending machine built that spits out free cars in nine different colors. It's hard to believe if you haven't seen it with your own eyes.
But it's not just car companies that have gained a foothold in Second Life. Clothing companies such as Adidas and Reebok develop shoes for the cyber community and sell them in their virtual stores. The advertising and communications industry is also active in the parallel world. The PR agency Text100 has opened an office. The largest British advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty has done the same, and Big Blue IBM announced this week that it is expanding its virtual presence. Which is worth 10 million dollars to the giant. And last week it was announced that Axel Springer's flagship Bild will also be joining the virtual Duckburg alongside the news agency Reuters.
Virtual tabloidThree weeks ago, Gregor Stemmle, head of Bild.T-Online - the tabloid's website - got to know Second Life. Now he wants to be present in the 3D world with his publishing house. But that's not all. From December, Stemmle wants to offer his own virtual tabloid newspaper. The paper will not bring news from the real world, but will focus exclusively on Second Life. Because what happens in the real world also happens in the meta-universe: parties, politics, business, lifestyle and people. An editorial team of several people will report on life in Second Life. The weekly English-language Postille can be purchased in stationary virtual sales boxes for 15 Linden dollars. The name of the newspaper has not yet been decided.
Right to boredom endangeredCars, sneakers, offices and now a second-life newspaper. Nothing is absurd anymore. Nothing seems to be nonsense. Everything is possible. The virtual population shakes its head and is rather skeptical about the development. Because the question arises as to what the whole thing is all about? Why a virtual newspaper? The natives feel that their "right to boredom" is being threatened and see such projects as radical commercialization. 40-year-old Gregor Stemmle has a different view, seeing Wunderland as more than just a world on the Internet: "It's a real economic area."
An economic space where real dollars can be earned. There are currently an estimated 7,000 profitable business models in Second Life. The ten most profitable generate an average annual profit of 200,000 dollars. However, only designers or agencies such as "MetaAdverse" or "A Million of Us", which provide companies with access to the online world, earn money.
According to Niels Benson from Comaffairs, Stemmle's newspaper project will not generate much profit, if any. Benson sees the Springer company's project purely as a publicity measure. And he doubts that Stemmle wants to open up a new business segment. Because the critical mass of users is simply not there for big business. Added to this is the fact that users see no added value in most of the products currently offered by the major companies and are certainly not prepared to spend money on them.
A community manager from Berlin with the name Ufrom Styrian in Second Life is critical: "Most companies are interested in publicity. The companies are hardly ever visited. They certainly won't earn any money with us." Niels Benson: "Second Life is good PR for Springer and other companies. They quickly become the talk of the town worldwide." So the big companies don't care whether the sites or their Second Life business models are profitable or not. Because the media are currently picking up on everything to do with Second Life, every advertising franc comes back a thousandfold.
How Second Life worksWith "Your World. Your Imagination."
is how the company LindenLab advertises its online playground Second Life. With a self-designed character, a so-called "avatar", the player walks through the 3D world and can interact with other players. With the help of a virtual workshop, players can make everything from trousers to cars themselves. And this is the driving force behind Second Life. Because the production of clothes, houses or cars requires creativity, time and skill, the cyber designers can be paid. The online currency is the "Linden dollar", L$ for short, whose exchange rate is tied to the US dollar. Investments and trade in Second Life therefore have a very real impact. Almost one million users have registered in Second Life. According to various media reports, there are already thousands of programmers and traders in Second Life who can already make a living from their (designed) products.
To take part in Second Life, you need to download a 25 MB client and install it on your computer. All major operating systems are supported. In addition to the installation, online registration is also required. If you want to take the plunge, you can be guided through the virtual world as a Cyper-Tourist. With the Synthravels agency, you can quickly and easily travel through all the virtual worlds on the web.
Christian Lüscher

Airlines Jung von Matt/Limmat surprises with the revival of the cult hit "Campari Soda" for Swiss International Airlines. "I'll drink another Campari Soda, below me is the sea of clouds..." The refrain from this melancholy song will make anyone dream. It was therefore a clever strategy by Jung von Matt/Limmat to use this cult hit in their advertising for Swiss. For a few days now, Swiss advertising has been on the road with the new "Swiss made" label. A 60-second film with the legendary song by the band Taxi from 1977 provides the necessary thrust. Back then, composer and author Dominique Grandjean was able to capture the feeling of flying with just a few musical means and words. After various cover versions by Span, Vera Kaa and Stephan Eicher, among others, the song is now experiencing a revival.
More music clip than advertising film, various protagonists sing individual passages of the classic. Subtle visual analogies give the verses a whole new meaning. For example, the line "Wiit unter mir liit s' Wolkemeer" is sung by a road worker in the steaming tar. Or the co-pilot's announcement "On your left you can see Malaga through the dust" is put into the mouth of a lifeguard during his loudspeaker announcement.
The wanderlust of the protagonists on a visual level and the relaxed nature of the song should leave the viewer with a harmonious feeling, according to the CDs Michael Rottmann and Alexander Jaggy. Then the message finally lands at the end of the clip with the phrase "Flying, Swiss made".
The video was shot by Swiss director Christian Aebi and cameraman Peter Meyer with great sensitivity at various locations in Switzerland. A French version of the cult hit was created especially for use in French-speaking Switzerland.
Andreas Panzeri

The Nestlé Group has given its traditional Maggi brand a new brand claim: "Maggi. We should do this more often.". It is currently being heavily advertised in Germany, on TV stations with a wide reach. The Maggi stories were developed by Publicis Frankfurt, reports the industry magazine Werben und Verkaufen. In the current story a grandfather roams with its grandson by the sunny autumn forest. Advertised thereby the forest mushroom cream soup. The creative idea: People love emotional stories. They just need to be told in such a way that a product is at the center.

According to the latest data from market researcher Nielsen Media Research, gross expenditure on traditional advertising in the first ten months of 2006 amounted to just under EUR 15.3 billion - an increase of 5 percent on the previous year. Radio, last year's growth winner, is clearly weakening this year, however, with an increase of only 0.2 percent. TV is also growing below average with an increase of 3.5%, but was able to expand its position in the advertising mix with a share of 40.9%. The print sector is showing particularly strong growth: trade magazines are up 8.9%, consumer magazines 7.9% and newspapers 6.2%.

Podcast Bruno Bondi from Swisscom Fixnet's family sitcom "Beck & Bondi" wants to have his say. With his own podcast. He is undoubtedly the loudmouth in the family sitcom "Beck & Bondi". Now Bruno Bondi even has his own podcast show: "The Bruno Bondi Show". Every Friday there is a new episode of his home-made radio program. Together with celebrity guests, Bondi gives tips for everyday office life and chats about the highs and lows of life in segments such as "Gentlemen's Club" and "Freedom of Speech". He is accompanied through the show by DRS3 presenter Reeto von Gunten. Over 3,700 people have already listened to the first episode. In addition to the podcast, which can be subscribed to on iTunes, interested listeners can find more information in the individual sections of the show and watch all "Beck & Bondi" episodes on the website www.brunobondishow.ch.
The Bruno Bondi Show" is accompanied by a whole orchestra of communication measures: Advertisements, media cooperations, internet banners, a weekly newsletter and a "Tell a friend" competition, which generated over 10,000 clicks on the website after just a few days.
In addition to the family sitcom and the "Brown & Bondi" video clip, "The Bruno Bondi Show" is another building block in the cross-media strategy that the Bern-based agency Contexta has been pursuing for some time with the "Beck & Bondi" platform for its client Swisscom Fixnet. The crew from Peek Productions, led by director Tobias Fueter, played a large part in this success. And here's another rumor: it is rumored that the sitcom "Beck & Bondi" could one day follow in the footsteps of the chocolate soap "Lüthi & Blanc".
Less Bondi, but all BondContexta recently acquired the license for
to advertise with James Bond for Swisscom Mobile. Just in time for the Swiss premiere of the new 007 film "Casino Royale", Contexta is promoting the new Bond cell phone from Sony Ericsson with a cinema and TV commercial, advertisements, posters and POS measures in Swisscom stores. Christian Lüscher

In the current study "Advertising Reception", the German newspaper marketing company ZMG examined the primary usage habits for the daily news media. The thesis: both usage habits and the changing moods and dispositions of recipients have a decisive impact on the perception and effect of advertising. As the study shows, the outstanding contact qualities of the newspaper in conjunction with an above-average buying and information impulse give newspaper advertising a particularly high impact potential.
What is new about the study is that the emotional states of the users were also surveyed along with their usual activities during the course of the day. It was found that this has a decisive influence on the reception of advertising. It is decisive for the potential impact when and in what state advertising reaches the consumer, whether they are in an active or passive mood, in phases of daily planning or relaxation. The degree of consumer activation thus becomes a key criterion for evaluating media performance. ZMG even goes so far as to question the strong focus of media planning on the contact price.
Adapting advertising to the course of the day Over the course of the day, advertising meets different basic moods. In the morning, the majority of people structure their daily routine and prepare decisions - for 98% of Germans, this phase is completed by 12 noon. This is followed by the transition to a relaxation phase, which half of the population is in after 7 pm. This corresponds to a certain media usage curve: daily newspapers are mainly used in the active mood of the morning, radio more in the afternoon and television in the evening. The contact qualities of the advertising media are also different. As newspapers reach concentrated readers who are in a phase of active daily planning, they are also considered to have the highest credibility and impact in an intermedia comparison. Accordingly, the impulse to buy and information provided by a newspaper is stronger than that of other daily media.

Zurich-based web agency Mitlinks has beaten off several competitors and has been working for Handel Heute Verlag since the beginning of November. According to a press release, the collaboration will be launched with a new website for the Swiss retail trade magazine "Handel Heute". Handel Heute is the fifth Swiss publishing house to work with Mitlinks. Among other things, the Zurich-based company manages the website of Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich, realized the website and newsletter for Ron Orp's Mail and the website for Schweizer Monatshefte. They also create the daily leisure content for the Ringier evening newspaper. 

The latest study by TNS Infratest shows that good and humorous advertising is particularly popular with consumers. In almost every European country, humor and wit achieve the best results. On average, 70 percent of those surveyed in Europe would like advertising to be presented in an amusing way. However, creativity and credibility are just as important to consumers. But when it comes to humor, there is also a clear difference between the individual countries. While 85 percent of Spaniards want amusing advertising, in the UK the figure is only around 40 percent. The British are more interested in reliability and information than irony.
However, differences can be seen not only between the individual countries, but also between the genders: 31 percent of Italian women imagine the ideal advertisement
"trendy", but only 18% of Italian men. Preferences also change with increasing age. While only 23% of Germans in the 15 to 24 age group favor informative advertising, this figure rises to 58% among the over 55s. Conversely, the 50-plus generation rates humor in advertising as significantly less important, with only 51 percent compared to 75 percent of 15- to 24-year-olds. Nevertheless, European consumers as a whole are best reached with funny and imaginative advertising. On average, it is preferred by 70 percent of all respondents. Advertisers have been meeting this demand for a long time by embedding functional product claims in humorous or touching stories.
"However, it is clear that advertising needs to do much more: it should address the deeper social and emotional needs of the target group through its creative staging. The challenge lies in recognizing and capturing the relevant needs," says Henning Rossa, Director of the TNS Infratest Communications Research Centre.