The Arabic news channel al-Jazeera is planning to launch al-Jazeera International on November 15. In English, the company wants to compete against CNN and BBC and thus promote the flow of news from East to West, writes the Tages-Anzeiger. In addition to Europe, the makers from Qatar are hoping above all for lively interest in Asian countries. The broadcaster is also planning a third pan-Arab newspaper for the coming year, which will enjoy greater freedom than the two Saudi papers al-Hayat and al-Sharq al-Awsat. The al-Jazeera channel has been broadcasting via satellite since November 1, 1996 and has since initiated countless political discussions and has often been caught in the crossfire of criticism. Many millions of viewers now watch the program every day.

Cheese Contexta has filmed a journey through 700 years of Appenzeller cheese with "Eugen" director Michael Steiner. an Appenzeller would rather eat Emmentaler than wear his earring on the left. That never works, even if the golden ladle is barely recognizable. Director Michael Steiner's intention to "mirror" a shot in his new commercial for Appenzeller caused the Appenzeller dairymen on the set to shake their heads vigorously. Whether the scene will actually be mirrored - that remains the secret of the Appenzellers for the time being.back to the future: half of Appenzell was on its feet for the filming of the new TV commercial to stage a journey through time through the 700-year history of Appenzeller cheese together with Contexta and director Michael Steiner.
Christoph Holenstein, Head of Marketing at Appenzeller Käse, "once again had a good nose", as the film crew knows how to praise. Just in time for the shoot, the autumn sun shone over the Alpstein. "A great backdrop for an ambitious film," enthuses CD Bene Abegglen.
The weather is also "just right" for Michael Steiner. Incidentally, the new shooting star of Swiss cinema was already the in-house director of Appenzeller Käse before he caused a sensation with his two successful films "Grounding" and "My Name is Eugen". Together with cameraman Pascal Walder and his crew, he has now turned the idea of Contexta into magnificent images: "It's a real pleasure to shoot with such motivated actors in this wonderful landscape."
Intensive filmingThe filming was complex and intensive. This is evident in the cast alone. Over 40 non-professional actors gave their best on the set: Alpine herdsmen, cheesemakers, a string orchestra, dancing couples and lots of children. There were also 20 cows, 6 goats and 2 mountain dogs. All of them original Appenzellers. Because as is the case with advertising for Appenzeller cheese: everything is real, nothing is artificial.
Not only the herdsmen know exactly where to go, but also their cows. So a scene with an alpine descent became a very special challenge. Because Appenzell cows never go the same way twice. That would be boring. The cows' sense of direction could only be outwitted with a cleverly designed circuit. And after just three takes - or rounds - this scene was also shot. Christoph Kempter, Director of SO Appenzeller Käse, was delighted: "The film crew worked extremely professionally and with a great feel for Appenzell culture. You could tell that a well-rehearsed team was at work here."
In contrast to the last Appenzeller commercials, the new film no longer focuses on the secret of the herbal salt, but on the long tradition of the spicy Appenzeller specialty. Accordingly, the curious tourist, Uwe Ochsenknecht, stayed at home this year. For once, the people of Appenzell were completely among themselves.
Bene Abegglen: "We take the audience on a journey through the 700-year history of Appenzeller cheese. And who better to tell such a story than Michi Steiner with all his talent and great attention to detail?" The sequel to the Appenzeller success story will be shown next year as part of the new overall campaign.
The Appenzell brandWhether cheese, mineral water, beer or spirits,
If it says "Appenzell" on it, the product sells exceptionally well. No other region in Switzerland knows how to sell itself and its products so skillfully. "In addition to the cheese, we also sell the whole philosophy of the Appenzellerland," says the variety organization. Around 9000 tons of Appenzeller cheese are sold every year. 60 percent goes abroad, most of it to Germany. "Appenzeller cheese has enjoyed strict brand and territorial protection for more than 60 years," says Christoph Holenstein, the marketing manager responsible. It is produced in 70 cheese dairies. The variety organization keeps a watchful eye to ensure that no imitators enter the market. Unlike Emmentaler, Gruyère and Sbrinz, however, Appenzeller cheese has always been exposed to the free market.
Andreas Panzeri

Regional splits Spillmann, Felser, Leo Burnett celebrate regional advertising for the new regional Tages-Anzeiger newspaper Does the map of media sovereignties need to be redrawn? On November 6, the Tages-Anzeiger will appear for the first time with 5 regional splits. In addition to the left bank of Lake Zurich, which has already had a regional edition since 2004, the Tamedia flagship will now also have daily regional editions for the right bank of Lake Zurich, the Zurich Oberland, the Zurich Unterland and the city of Zurich. For the regionalization campaign, the new Tagi agency Spillmann, Felser, Leo Burnett (SFLB) has literally taken the Tages-Anzeiger to the countryside. This means that SFLB has created a local "Tages-Anzeiger" for each individual village in the target area from the familiar Tagi newspaper head with the Zurich coat of arms between "Tages" and "Anzeiger". Instead of the Zurich coat of arms, for example, the coat of arms of Stäfa can be seen. Or of Bachenbülach. Or from another of the more than 100 municipalities in which there will be an additional regional edition every day from now on.
Striking ideaMartin Spillmann, who has already introduced Cash as an advertiser and currently also manages the budgets of WOZ, Beobachter and Annabelle, has opted for an extremely striking idea as the CD for his latest media budget.
For this simple yet ingenious campaign, SFLB and the poster displayers have accomplished a logistical tour de force. The right poster motif has to be displayed in over 100 different municipalities. For this purpose, over 300 kiosks are equipped with individual hangers and sales stacks decorated with coats of arms. "In this way, proximity to readers is not only claimed, but dramatized in style," says Dominique von Albertini, Head of Reader Market at the Tages-Anzeiger.
The Tagi brand promise has become even more valid than before. The claim has been slightly modified. For example, the regionalization campaign now reads: "Stay tuned. Also in Bachenbülach. With the new regional association."
In addition to the more than 100 different poster subjects in the respective municipalities, the Tages-Anzeiger is also using the subjects as advertisements - dozens of local Tages-Anzeiger coats of arms will appear over the next few weeks, from the advertising route to the small advertisement. A double page with over 100 coats of arms should not only appeal to heraldists. A few fantasy coats of arms have also been smuggled into the subject as a competition for resourceful jokers.
TeleZüri also plays with the coat of arms. Several astonishing versions of a simple TV commercial have been mounted, in which various coats of arms rattle through like a one-armed bandit. In this way, many municipalities are given an - albeit brief - TV appearance.
Local and regional advertisers are also advertised in a humorous way. Advertisements in the new regional section promise so much success "that it will change the municipality", as copywriter Peter Brönnimann jokes. More than ten completely new municipal coats of arms are used for advertising. For example, with a coat of arms consisting of a fat mouse. The text: "Advertise your cheese dairy in the regional association. And your municipality will become a municipality of cheese lovers."
SFLB is prepared to expand the campaign with posters, T-shirts, Jass cards ...                 
Andreas Panzeri

Cross-Media The Goldbach Media Group is the first marketing organization to launch a business unit dedicated to cross-media communication—regardless of medium or portfolio. Peer Dittmar, head of Crossfactory, comments on this.WW: Why is Goldbach Media launching this cross-media business unit right now? Peer Dittmar: Communication projects are becoming increasingly complex. On the one hand, the fragmentation of brands, media, and target audiences is on the rise. This goes hand in hand with changes in media usage and how consumers engage with commercial communication. An incredible transformation is currently taking place in the communications market, which can quickly lead to situations that push the limits. On the other hand, we see the difficulties that communications managers face. Adding value and project orientation are the key challenges. There is already enormous pressure to demonstrate successful implementation rates. That’s where we come in. WW: What exactly is Crossfactory? Dittmar: Crossfactory draws on Goldbach Media’s leading expertise in the marketing of electronic media. It represents a completely new type of market player. We are neither a creative nor a media agency with the corresponding claims and positioning. We solely facilitate the implementation of convergent, networked, and interactive communication solutions by supporting clients and agencies in the conception and execution of cross-media communication initiatives.WW: Everyone is talking about cross-media, and in practice, everyone understands it to mean something different. What do you do differently—or better?Dittmar: Specifically, our core services include consulting, media-specific concept development, project management, and end-to-end project execution. Our mission can be summed up as «adding value to marketing»: We help optimize our clients’ communication value chain.WW: Your services are media- and portfolio-neutral. What do you mean by that? Dittmar: Unlike other marketers and media providers who operate in the market as cross-media specialists, our solutions extend beyond the Goldbach Media portfolio. Specifically, this involves an increasing shift toward convergent, networked, and interactive communication solutions. WW: What role do agencies play? Dittmar: Agencies continue to play their traditional role. And we support them by making our entire expertise in all existing electronic media and their interconnectivity available to them. In addition, we can draw attention to new developments—especially technological ones—and advise them in collaboration with our partners. WW: How big is Crossfactory, and how many people work there? Dittmar: The size of Crossfactory is irrelevant in the traditional sense. That’s because we operate as a project-based organization, deploying the right resources at the right time to solve the right problem. This allows us to optimally manage complex communication projects while taking time, budget, and objective parameters into account. Interview: René Worni (via email)

Peter Heeb has set up his own company, Heeb & Partner, to market the channel U1 TV. Heeb previously worked for more than ten years at Star TV, where he was responsible for marketing and sales. U1 TV's know-how was the decisive factor in the decision. According to a press release, it was important to Heeb that new formats and new challenges are constantly being accepted at the young channel.

Medicine The family doctors treat minor injuries quickly and well. And also carry out any follow-up treatment. Once again, they are there, just in case. Spillmann, Felser, Leo Burnett dramatized this fact with a streetcar hanger: blood flows where the staples pierce the poster. Until the denouement. Just in case: Your family doctor. 

Event Agfa Graphics, together with Bernd Zipper from ZIPCON Consulting, organized a Productivity Tour 06 in seven cities in Germany, Poland, Austria and Switzerland. The core of the events was a live presentation that showed participants that today only a few manual interventions are required in the interaction between work preparation, prepress and printing through to finishing. A job was first planned and calculated in the Management Information System (MIS) and then automatically transferred to the production systems using JDF.

Guest commentary The industry shows little enthusiasm for the Tages-Anzeiger splits, says Robert E. Gubler. This may seem logical on the publisher's table and could, at best, inspire Tages-Anzeiger readers as an additional benefit: The regional supplementary newspapers inserted in the Tages-Anzeiger will not quickly lure SMEs out of the woodwork, either as advertisers or as readers. Experience in the district of Horgen shows that, after the initial weather glow, economic reality has just returned to local and regional advertising behavior. The split editions hardly offer any concrete added value to locally and regionally rooted commercial and service companies. On the other hand, the new competition has had a positive effect on traditional local newspapers. They have once again expanded their editorial services and have been able to maintain their position as an indispensable platform for information from and for associations, cultural and leisure organizations, communities and local businesses for the time being.
The SME also places its advertising message where indispensable information is summarized and available on a daily basis. It cannot afford not to be present in the local section, where friends, consumers, neighbors, newcomers, investors and authorities meet again in news, events, happenings and announcements.
However, if the business wanted to expand its business area to the entire region, it would have to reduce its presence in the traditional local or regional newspaper or increase its advertising budget. However, this would not effectively reach additional target groups. Retailers, particularly in the fashion or gastronomy sectors, who want to attract additional visitors beyond their regular clientele are somewhat of an exception. This is where the editorial environment is least in conflict with the intentions of these industry representatives. 
The editorial concept of the split editions will play a not insignificant role for local advertisers in particular. Accidents, crimes and hyped-up scandals will hardly arouse a great desire to advertise in the SME segment or even lead to an increase in advertising budgets or the abandonment of visibility in the existing local newspaper. The opposite will be the case: SME bosses also decide with their hearts and not just according to readership and contact price figures.
Robert E. Gubler is President of the Zurich Cantonal Trade Association.

The publishing house Edipresse has appointed Patrice Matthey as Commercial Director of regional publications. He succeeds Pierre Buntschu, who is leaving the company to set up his own media, marketing and communications consulting firm. From January 1, 2007, Matthey will be responsible for the multimedia projects and marketing of the individual titles, as well as for relations with the management bodies, sponsors and partners. The 47-year-old is currently responsible for the marketing of the Matin Group. He previously founded several private radio stations in France and Switzerland before starting his career with Edipresse at Radio L in 1985. He was then responsible for the marketing of various publications. Mattey's previous deputy Michèle Cassani will take over the position at Matin with immediate effect.

Ogilvy PR launches and organizes a top-class brand summit in St. Moritz. "We recently saw at Nestlé how important brand management is at CEO level," says Thomas Hermann. The Managing Director at Ogilvy Public Relations in Zurich launched the idea for a new summit together with Transport Director Hanspeter Danuser at last year's St. Moritz Design Summit, which is also organized by Ogilvy PR. Under the title "Brands - A Powerful CEO Tool", company bosses and managers of global brands will meet for the first time at the St. Moritz Brand Summit in January 2007. Current topics such as political risks and social competence in the globalization process will be discussed. It is no coincidence that the summit takes place immediately after the WEF and can "seamlessly serve its guests with the same shuttle service". Ogilvy has secured the services of John A. Myrne, Editor-in-Chief of Business Week, to moderate the Summit.
The invitation to the St. Moritz Brand Summit is based on the current Top 100 Brands, in line with the renowned St. Moritz brand, "Top of the World". This ranking is calculated annually by the brand consulting agencies Interbrand and Millward Brown and is not only a benchmark, but also a barometer of success for CEOs.
To be included in the ranking, a brand must be valued at a minimum of 2.7 billion US$. "The appreciation of brand value is soaring," says Thomas Hermann. This is also appreciated on the stock market. At The Coca-Cola Company, for example, the brand values of Coca, Fanta and Sprite already account for 67 percent of the stock market value of around 100 billion dollars. The St. Moritz Brand Summit is supported by UBS and Novartis as Swiss sponsors. The Brand Summit website is provisionally online and will be available with further information from Thursday, November 2.
 
Andreas Panzeri

Column The murder of Anna Politkovskaya forces the Swiss media to reflect on freedom of the press.A few years ago, I met Anna Politkovskaya. At an event in Bern, she talked about her work, the unimaginable living conditions in Chechnya and the permanent fear for her own integrity. At the time, an older gentleman dared to explain paternalistically to what he considered a young woman that no harm would come to her if she worked professionally. What it means to risk one's life for journalism was simply beyond his imagination. But Anna Politkovskaya is not an isolated case. Since the beginning of the year, 89 media professionals have been killed worldwide. In Switzerland, few can imagine risking their lives doing journalistic work. Fortunately, the country has long lived in peace and cultivates cultural diversity in a very small area. The pronounced democratic consciousness, the collegial system of government and a rich media set limits to the germination of ideological terror. This is an achievement that must be appreciated and nurtured.
Above all, the principle of freedom of the press must not be taken for granted. While this freedom is not open to discussion in principle, it must always be at the center of the discussion about the function and performance of the media. The scissors in the head are present everywhere, be it from fear of losing one's job, from the drying up of information sources or simply from making oneself unpopular.
The Reporters Without Borders organization, among others, is responsible for the debate on press freedom. It recently published its ranking of press freedom. At the top of the list are Finland, Iceland, Ireland and
the Netherlands. Switzerland moved up seven ranks to place
eight. The reason given for this is the legal prosecution of the media under Section 293 of the Criminal Code, which criminalizes the "publication of official secret proceedings.
Germany was also downgraded, from 18th to 23rd place. The reason for this was the illegal surveillance of journalists by the Federal Intelligence Service, the editorial and house searches at Cicero, the proceedings against two journalists for "aiding and abetting the betrayal of secrets," death threats against a cartoonist and the more difficult access to data.
The U.S. continues to lose ground: In 2002, it was still in 17th place; in 2006, it was only in 53rd place. Reporters without Borders explains this development by saying that any journalist who critically questions the Bush administration's "war on terror" appears suspicious.
It is interesting to look at the list of questions for the ranking. The survey does not only focus on government restrictions. Economic or private attacks on press freedom are also analyzed. These include subtle mechanisms such as restrictive access to information, preferential treatment of media with a particular editorial line, tabooing of topics, advertising boycotts or relevant restrictions on the diversity of information through media concentration.
These more or less subtly applied forms of instrumentalization of the media also exist in Switzerland. All those involved therefore have a responsibility for media freedom: the media owners, by creating space for broad information and comprehensive opinion-forming; the advertising industry and those responsible for PR, by valuing controversial debates to strengthen credibility; the journalists, by taking up explosive topics with civil courage and also facing up to critical examination of their work; and the audience, which uses journalistic products to broaden its horizons and form a differentiated opinion.
Josefa Haas is head of the Media Institute.

Credit cards Exxtra Kommunikation shows how plastic from M-Budget is worth its weight in gold.Things are piling up in the consumer paradise. After Jelmoli, Coop and Orange, the orange giant now also wants to charm its customers with a credit card that is as exclusive as it is inexpensive. The card of Migros is supposed to be particularly customer-friendly, as a comparative test of K-Tipp has shown. "An average customer finds the most advantages with the card of Migros", one dares to report at the cooperative federation. the favorable plastic money is launched on 6 November. The cooperative revolution (see interview with Migros founder Gottlieb Duttweiler opposite) is being accompanied by Migros' own Exxtra Kommunikation. At Zurich's Hardturmstrasse, ideas could be hatched at a creatively grateful level during this campaign. A trash product as a credit card! The Migros credit card is styled in the look of M-Budget.
Migros is now known for offering practically every product for everyday use in this cheap green-and-white version. The fact that it is not only the low-income earners and large families who make use of this, but the entire Swiss population, probably stems not only from the good value for money of the products, but certainly also from the cult status of the brand. But whether the emphatically clever, pragmatic character of the Swiss discount original is enough to make people pull the green and white plastic out of their leather wallets without shame, even in posh restaurants? Or pay for high-end brands with M-Budget in the designer boutique?
Instead of focusing on the attractive benefits of M-Budget's new credit card in its advertising, Exxtra Kommunikation rather appeals to the "I'm not stupid" attitude of the population, as CD Dieter Hofmann explains. In a subtly ironic way, billboards show that the card is just as good as any other credit card, despite its cheap appearance. And the facts also speak for it, after all, with this M-Budget card there are not only Cumulus points for every purchase, even abroad. It is also a full-fledged MasterCard with all the benefits - but without an annual fee and with an unusually low credit interest rate.
Visually, the new M-Budget campaign is set in luxurious surroundings, where the low-cost brand seems to have no business. Or it does, as the headlines, written in typical M-Budget style, suggest: "The lobster doesn't care which card you use to pay for it. This subject is kept in elegant white like a noble menu card. Otherwise, AD Grischa Rubinick has consistently worked with the color code dark and gold to suggest the luxury associated with credit cards.    
Andreas Panzeri
Gottlieb Duttweiler on the M-Budget credit card WW: When your Migros was founded in 1925, "1. Strict cash payment" was enshrined in the Articles of Association. Now you're launching the M-Budget credit card. A betrayal of your principles?Gottlieb Duttweiler: You can also find the sentence in my old texts: "Migros may once no longer be or be a business like any other." What is important today is that as long as we remain true to ourselves, the struggle must continue and this course must prove a blessing for all.WW: Exxtra is advertising that the new credit card can also be used to pay for clothes at Gucci. Is that what you have in mind?Duttweiler: People should always have something to look forward to. No existence should be without a bit of adventure. I want to brighten up the often somewhat gloomy everyday lives of many people. We, Migros, want to take grocery shopping further. We are not fanatics. WW: Do you think that your customers today want such a modern Migros?Duttweiler: Back in 1950, we had 200 stores and 200,000 cooperative members. They repeatedly raised the question of whether a breath of fresh air would not do Migros good everywhere. Wasn't it Migros' duty to take up a general fight against backwardness and inertia in the entire distribution industry? So in 1950 there was a ballot, and the members of the cooperative decided by an overwhelming majority that Migros should also pursue an active consumer policy in areas other than the traditional ones.WW: Aren't you afraid of a problem of over-indebtedness?Duttweiler: Migros is at least as creditworthy as the Kreditanstalt.WW: And the danger of alcohol being bought with the card?Duttweiler: The instinctive desire for stimulating stimulants probably has its purpose in the course of bodily functions.WW: Do you believe in the future of M-Budget?Duttweiler: Lack of belief in the future is a sin against the national community.Interview: Andreas Panzeri
The answers are real quotes.