The Zurich-based web agency Mitlinks implemented a new website for Enzaim, an agency specializing in internal communications. Mitlinks was responsible for the technical and design implementation of the new Enzaim site. In just two weeks, Mitlinks realized the new site with a kind of mini CMS that is easy to manage. The options include the integration of text or a PDF download, as Mitlinks writes in a press release.

Swiss agencies brought home the precious metal by the suitcaseful from the New York competitions in the traditional disciplines this fall. The next categories have now been announced: On April 13 of next year, the awards for "Interactive & Alternative Media" will be announced. The deadline for entries for the best work in the new, innovative advertising measures is now open. We are looking for the world's best integrated campaigns, guerrilla marketing campaigns or websites. There are also further awards for "Legal Graffiti", "Word of Mouth" and "Product Placement". The deadline for the competitions is November 30. Those who submit their entries online by November 9 will receive a 10 percent discount on the entry fee.

The Federal Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of the importer of a hand cream. The programs had been accused of unfair competition. The background: In 2002, the Swiss television program "Kassensturz" reported on a test commissioned by the consumer magazine "Saldo". Common hand creams were tested for harmful ingredients. The cream in question, called "Tal", came last. The importer sued for unfair competition and demanded 500,000 Swiss francs. The claim was rejected by the Graubünden judiciary and the appeal to the Federal Supreme Court was also unsuccessful. Overall, the test met the criteria of fairness. Viewers could have easily recognized that the test was limited exclusively to the ingredients deemed to be harmful.

On November 9, the trade journals Viscom Print & Communication, Werbewoche and the Internet platform Mediaforum will be holding a specialist conference with various speakers from the industry. The benefits of the ISO 12647 standard are currently the subject of intense debate in the graphic arts industry. However, the reality in graphic arts companies is quite different. Only a small minority of companies consistently rely on standardized production processes. Is it ignorance or pure ignorance? Is standardization ultimately not needed at all? Or does it?
 
The event, organized by the trade journals Viscom print & communication, Werbewoche and the Internet platform Mediaforum, explores these questions. The event is aimed less at technology specialists and more at decision-makers at all hierarchical levels who are confronted with these issues. The number of participants is limited. For the program and other details, please consult the Internet address below.

The Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) is lowering its prices and eliminating around 70 of its own fees. This concession to small and medium-sized enterprises is intended to make Switzerland more attractive as a location for innovation and business. As of January 1, trademark applicants will benefit from a reduction in the filing fee. The fee for international trademark filings will be halved. Class fees will only be payable for four classes instead of the previous three, and patent protection will also be cheaper. In future, most register amendments and register extracts will also be free of charge. According to a press release, this will save the IPI just under CHF 8 million a year - making the protection of intellectual property affordable for small and medium-sized enterprises too. Last but not least, this is an important contribution to economic growth. The complete amendments to the affected decrees can be viewed on the IPI website:
, News section.

Corporate publishing Qualitative market research in the target market is the basis for the success of a planned magazine Various market studies in Switzerland and Germany on the subject of corporate publishing show that a customer magazine contributes significantly to customer loyalty and the image transfer of companies. However, success depends on professional planning and implementation. And this in turn depends on other factors: Content, design, communication of information and its impact. A strong focus on the target groups, their needs and habits is a "must", as is the implementation of regular success analyses. Knowing what the reader wantsFor a customer magazine to be successful, you need to know what the reader wants. One of the most common mistakes made by publishers is to produce publications that are not sufficiently tailored to the target group. It is therefore advisable to carry out qualitative market research and in-depth analysis in advance. In addition, the content should be clearly structured and easy to understand. This is the only way to keep the reader engaged. This is a major challenge, especially with complex topics. Because the statements must not be distorted despite simplification. A customer magazine must therefore offer readers attractive added value and up-to-date, effective information. This increases customer loyalty and can even contribute to customer acquisition.
However, an image product not only conveys information, but also arouses emotions. It is therefore important to offer the reader the opportunity to get in touch with the publisher. In dialog with the target group, the publishing company can check the impact of its publication and respond immediately to any significant changes.
Focus on brand awarenessPublisher of the customer magazine "Saft&Kraft", which will be used as an example here, is Elektrizitätswerke des Kantons Zürich (EKZ). The starting point for the decision to launch its own customer magazine was the current changes in the Swiss electricity market.
As the EKZ also expects the market to be liberalized in the foreseeable future, its customers should be prepared for this. Customers also receive answers to current electricity questions. From the publisher's point of view, the main objectives are to raise awareness of the EKZ brand and to achieve a high level of reader and customer loyalty through regular publication.
The EKZ had the household structure of its supply area examined. The results were astonishing: the majority of the target group consists of households with people aged between 30 and 50, families or households with children. And the most astonishing thing: most decisions on electricity issues are made by women. The new customer magazine was based on these findings.
Tamedia's in-house market research department conducted a qualitative study with group interviews in German-speaking Switzerland using a pre-produced zero issue. "The aim of the survey was to gain insights into possible feedback on topics, structure, magazine name and format," reveals project manager Jürg Unterweger at Tamedia Production Services. The result confirms that the target group welcomes a customer magazine that contains objective information on the subject of electricity as well as tips for everyday life. The design and magazine name also had an influence on the positive reactions of those surveyed.
First and foremost, effective information from EKZ, but also the latest news from politics and business as well as technology and electronics are presented in an understandable and entertaining way, always with reference to the topic of electricity. Views contrary to those of EKZ are also discussed. In this way, credibility is conveyed and customers are informed objectively and comprehensively.
A light has gone onThe dialog with customers is very important to EKZ. Readers can express their opinions in letters to the editor or have their questions about electricity answered by an expert. However, the magazine probably achieved its greatest success with the offer for readers to apply for a new lighting concept in their own homes. The response rate shows that the magazine struck a chord with the target group.
The reactions to the various offers and response options as well as the many positive letters from readers about the content and design prove that the EKZ has hit the mark with its customer magazine. And that the intensive preparation phase with market research and analysis is ultimately paying off.
Cosette Schwarz is an employee of the corporate publishing agency Tamedia Production Services.

ZMS/PMA Medienbeobachtung is opening the AdToday online archive with advertising subjects from the "Print", "TV" and "Poster" sectors. It is now available to advertising and media agencies for online research on a daily basis. The ZMS/PMA media release promises a complete overview: With AdToday, the advertising public can use standardizable information quickly and easily. For example, if you are looking for current advertising subjects in a particular sector or want to know how the competition is presenting itself, the now open database provides quick and targeted answers.
The database is updated daily with new advertisements from the relevant Swiss daily newspapers, new TV commercials and posters. If visitors are more interested in past campaigns, they will also find what they are looking for: The database contains the subjects of the past two years as well as the current one. This makes AdToday the only source of information in the country to offer a representative overview of more than two years of Swiss advertising activities, writes the ZMS/PMA.
Access to the test version is immediately available at Adtoday.ch. To use it, interested parties can order a login from ZMA/PMA, which will be sent to them on the same day. The database can currently still be tested free of charge. The monthly fee for unlimited use of AdToday is CHF 103, downloads are charged individually as with clippings.

Washing powder Exxtra Kommunikation advertises Total Duo Power Liquid. Every year a product innovation is part of Migros' program in the detergent sector. This year, the powder or liquid is not just fresh, but a world first: Total Duo Liquid Power with the "2 in 1 Bleach Formula". The liquid laundry detergent works in combination with a gentle bleaching agent to combat stubborn stains. The patented premiere: the liquids in the unique double-chamber bottle only combine at the moment of dosing and thus develop their unique power for residue-free and fiber-deep washing power. "Reliable and popular "The universal detergent Total from Migros has always stood for uncomplicated and strong washing power. "Total is a reliable and extremely popular helper in Swiss laundry rooms," says the wholesaler. In keeping with its uncomplicated use, the advertising has so far been designed without a lot of frills.
For example, the easy-to-understand symbol of a snow star was used to visualize that Total also works at low temperatures. In last year's campaign, the effect of active oxygen was demonstrated with air spheres. Graphically, the Exxtra agency has now retained these symbols for active elements that stream out of the bottle. The new addition is a muscular man's arm. However, the intention was not to "encourage more men to wash", as consultants Désirée Strassmann and Kathrin Steiger reveal with a grin. The well-trained biceps are of course intended to symbolize washing power, as CD Dieter Hofmann explains.
This arm is formed from the two liquid active ingredients in blue and white, which fuse together after emerging from the bottle. Technically, Exxtra had an arm formed from gel in a complex production process, which was then further processed on the computer. Because the new formula requires explanation, the headline was supplemented with a subline.
Advertisements, posters and two publicity reports in Migros Magazin will be used. For the first time in its history, this customer magazine will also feature a commercial binder with Total. Until now, Migros Magazin has only allowed such a cover for the announcement of its new publication day on Monday. Over 10,000 people have already taken part in the coupon competition on this cover. Further measures include sampling and an appearance at the POP.   
Andreas Panzeri

Internet giant Yahoo is currently massively expanding its online advertising division. The reason: the company is experiencing a drastic reduction in profits due to a weakening advertising business. The company is now acquiring AdInterax, which produces tools for creating multimedia banners. Yahoo will sell the software to its advertising customers as a service in future. The multimedia banners play integrated video clips and increase user attention, according to a press release. This in turn should have a positive effect on the efficiency of Yahoo's advertising network. Investments were also made in the auction system for online advertising Right Media Exchange. 20 percent of the shares went to Yahoo for 45 million dollars. The campaign platform was only launched in June and is already used by several thousand companies. The banner spaces on offer go to the highest bidder.

Film awards In the competition for the best Swiss commissioned and advertising films, 17 commercials have made it onto the shortlist. Advertising Week presents the shortlist. The competition for the best commercials in Switzerland recorded stable participation with 115 commercials and an increased level with 17 nominations on the shortlist. In the clips and trailers category, 9 out of 43 made it onto the shortlist, while 9 out of 45 corporate films were shortlisted.  
The Edis Gold, Silver and Bronze awards ceremony will take place on November 16 at a gala in Zurich's Schiffbau. In the afternoon, all the shortlisted films will be screened at the Museum für Gestaltung.
 
All shortlists of the Edi.06:

 
The shortlist is also published on the Edi website:
 
The Shortlist Commercials:

Cable provider Cablecom can no longer resist Teleclub’s attractive programming and is now broadcasting the pay-TV channel in its entirety.The upcoming collaboration between Cablecom and Teleclub AG, announced on October 17, appears at first glance to be a rapprochement between the telecom market leaders Swisscom and Cablecom, Switzerland’s largest cable network operator. After all, Swisscom has a say in the matter through its 49 percent stake in Teleclub’s parent company, Cinetrade AG. But Swisscom spokesperson Sepp Huber firmly dismisses this notion: «No, we remain competitors. We compete with Cablecom in the IPTV sector, just as they compete with us in the telephony sector.» However, Huber confirms Swisscom’s interest in ensuring that the content provider Teleclub can distribute its expensively acquired content and broadcasting rights on as many channels as possible—which is why the company views the deal with Cablecom quite positively.
Huber also points out, however, that Swisscom will launch its BluewinTV service later this year. «When it comes to live sports events, BluewinTV will actually offer an even wider selection than Teleclub; in addition, BluewinTV customers will have the option to pay only for the events they watch, rather than a flat fee.»
Boosting Appeal: Huber hints at what likely led Cablecom to finally give in: the fact that Teleclub and BluewinTV were able to purchase the broadcast rights for various soccer and ice hockey games this year. As a result, Teleclub now has a comprehensive programming package that boosts its appeal while simultaneously making it impossible for Cablecom to continue blocking the full distribution of its pay-TV offerings.
Until now, Cablecom—unlike other Swiss cable network operators—had only offered a limited selection of Teleclub programming, which was also only available via a special Teleclub set-top box. This restriction is now being lifted. This comes as no surprise, as Cablecom had to take action: After all, having even a partial live sports lineup in its portfolio gives it a better chance of competing against the upcoming BluewinTV—with its broader and more flexible live sports offerings—than it would have without one.
Incidentally, the agreement reached stipulates that Cablecom will broadcast the full Teleclub lineup via its own digital TV platform starting in June 2007, while also being able to market the Teleclub lineup and enter into subscription agreements for Teleclub.
Markus Knöpfli

Regional press La Liberté and Le Nouvelliste breathe a sigh of relief: Le Quotidien Jurassien remains independent.editors of the Fribourg Liberté and the Valais Nouvelliste breathed a sigh of relief when it was announced that the Quotidien Jurassien in Delémont intends to remain independent. Publisher Michel Voisard has clearly rejected the "Projet Arc" (for arc jurassien) in the Jura Arc, and in the summer it was announced that a strategic rapprochement was emerging in the Jura Arc: The two Hersant papers in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Neuchâtel, L'Impartial and L'Express, as well as the Journal du Jura, published by Biel publisher Marc Gassmann for the Bernese Jura, want to produce a joint supra-regional bund (domestic, foreign, sport and culture) from next February. The "Projet Arc" requires a uniform graphic appearance; the three papers want to work closely together in the areas of editing, technology, logistics and marketing. The independence of the regional section is to be maintained. The Hersant Group also has no financial involvement in the Biel paper.
The Quotidien Jurassien was also approached when the coat project was already underway. This rubbed the rebellious Jura publisher Michel Voisard up the wrong way. Voisard recently informed the strategists in Neuchâtel that the newspaper, which was created from the merger of Pays and Démocrate in 1993, would remain independent. It is clear to everyone that, from Philippe Hersant's point of view, the joint Confederation is only the first step towards a joint regional newspaper in the Jura Arc.
Doubts about Hersant as a partnerFor Pierre-André Chappatte, editor-in-chief of the Jura paper, there were three reasons for the no vote. They had been asked to jump on a bandwagon and do without their own graphic design. The projected savings were not significant enough to justify the unavoidable compromises in quality. In addition, Delémont doubted that the Hersant Group was a good partner for a newspaper that was committed to independence and quality.
Historical reasons from the time of the Jura's struggle for independence also spoke against the participation of the Quotidien Jurassien in the Hersant project: Michel Voisard's paper is based in the Jura, Marc Gassmann's newspaper in the Bernese Jura. The different journalistic culture should also not be underestimated: The Quotidien Jurassien, with its editorial self-image, is closer to Liberté than the Hersant papers, where an article of 3500 characters is a "large contribution", as Hersant journalists complain.
In French-speaking Switzerland, the crucial question of "What do you think about quality?" has not yet been decided: Should a regional newspaper concentrate on its region and take refuge in the protection of a mantle for the national section? Or, on the contrary, can it only survive if it focuses on the full newspaper and quality journalism with its own services in the national section? The Fribourg Liberté and the Valais Nouvelliste have opted for the latter approach. The readership figures prove them right (see below).
In order to be able to pay for its own services, Liberté has been promoting editorial exchange with other newspapers for years - in particular with the six newspapers working together in the Romandie Combi (ROC) advertising network: L'Impartial, L'Express, Journal du Jura, Quotidien Jurassien, Liberté and Nouvelliste.
Exchange promotes qualityJoint Federal Parliament, Zurich and Brussels correspondents write their articles for a pool from which each newspaper draws. ROC dates back to the time when all six papers were still in the hands of independent publishers. Now three of them are owned or influenced by the powerful French Hersant Group.
If publisher Voisard had also joined Projet Arc, Liberté and Nouvelliste would have been on their own and the editorial teams would have feared for the survival of the joint editorial pool. Now people in Fribourg are breathing a sigh of relief - as is the case in Sion, where Nouvelliste boss Jean Bonnard has a fair amount of experience with the Hersant Group. The latter has been trying to extend its influence on the Nouvelliste board for years, and not always by kosher means.
Despite the good news from Delémont, Jean Bonnard is not entirely reassured: "I can imagine that cooperation within the ROC will quickly lead to a stalemate in the future: the three-party group in the Jura Arc on the one side, the Quotidien Jurassien, Liberté and us on the other." In general, the independents fear increased pressure from Neuchâtel marketing on editorial content.
Close cooperation desiredEven the Journal du Jura is having second thoughts: From the point of view of the Bernese-Jura paper, it would have been easier to manage a four-man section than a three-man one. Now the flyweight Journal du Jura is confronted with the heavyweight Hersant alone and must also prepare itself for increased competition from the Quotidien Jurassien.
But Beat Grossenbacher, editor-in-chief of the Journal du Jura, is reassuring: "We have been working together with the Neuchâtel newspapers in the regional section since 2003. If the partnership continues as before, we have no reason to complain - the editorial teams at Impartial and Express are professionals." He is also confident about the future of ROC: "All partners have every interest in close and intelligent cooperation."
An alternative to HersantDie Liberté has provided the Quotidien Jurassien
has already offered a fully-fledged and qualitatively interesting alternative to Hersant's shell project. The newspaper in Delémont, in which the publisher of Liberté owns a minority share, could take over the supra-regional Bund from Fribourg. The offer is being discussed, but nothing has been decided yet, says Liberté publisher Albert Noth. In the medium term, the challenge for all regional newspapers is the same: "How do we position ourselves against the free newspapers?" He is convinced that in the competition with the free papers, it is not enough to simply publish the same agency reports in a little more detail. "You need your own services to sell a subscription."
Circulation mostly negativeBetween 2002 and 2005
L'Impartial has lost around 5000 copies, L'Express around 4000 and Le Quotidien Jurassien around 3000. Le Nouvelliste is stable with a gain of a few hundred copies, while Le Journal du Jura has also lost a few hundred copies. La Liberté has gained almost 1000 copies and the same trend applies to the comparison between 2004 and 2005: L'Express has lost from 28,491 to 25,115, L'Impartial from 20,434 to 16,529. Le Journal du Jura saw its circulation drop from 13,146 to 11,982, while Le Quotidien Jurassien fell from 24,773 to 22,015. La Liberté (38,628 to 38,606) and Le Nouvelliste (43,822 to 42,790) remained stable, although the former is feeling the full pressure of the free newspapers.
Helen Brügger