Radio "DRS Musigwälle" switches to digital radio. In 2008, the Beromünster transmitter is shut down for good. "DRS Musigwälle", which is celebrating its tenth anniversary these days, is a success story. Schweizer Radio DRS (SR DRS) launched it in 1996 as a complementary program to DRS 1 in order to reach an audience for whom even the staid first DRS program still seems too modern. It broadcasts a mostly unmoderated and therefore inexpensive music program consisting of folk music and traditional hits. A desirable side effect: the proportion of Swiss music in this program is 34 percent, and this improves the overall balance of SR DRS, which does not broadcast so many Swiss productions in any other program. With this mix, "Musigwälle" achieves an astonishing four percent market share, which corresponds to over 300,000 listeners every day.
These figures are particularly astonishing because "Musigwälle" is not broadcast via terrestrial FM transmitters. It reaches around half of its audience via medium wave, and the rest via cable, satellite, internet and digital radio.
And this is also the catch in the success story: the medium-wave transmitter near Beromünster in Lucerne has to be renovated after 75 years of operation because it does not comply with the limit values for electromagnetic waves set in 2000. At the time, measurements prompted well-connected opponents of mobile radio to organize protests and petitions.
Swisscom Broadcast AG, which operates the transmitter on behalf of SRG SSR, would have liked to keep the transmitter running until 2015 with an exceptional permit - until the medium-wave technology was finally obsolete. However, the Environment and Energy Department of the Canton of Lucerne did not agree. The reason: excessive exposure of the surrounding area to electrosmog. It stipulated that the transmitter would either have to be renovated or shut down by the end of 2008.
However, investing in outdated technology did not seem sensible to Swisscom Broadcast AG, as a refurbishment would have resulted in a reduction in transmission power and therefore also in range. The transmitter will therefore be switched off in two years' time.
Segment-specific communicationThe only remaining distribution channels for "Musigwälle" will then be cable, satellite, Internet and, above all, Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB). "DRS Musigwälle will need DAB technology intensively to compensate for the loss of medium wave broadcasting from 2008," says Ursula Kottmann, Head of Communications at SR DRS.
In view of the approximately 150,000 listeners who need to be motivated to switch, this is not a rosy outlook for the future. Musigwälle" has "mainly a middle-aged and older audience", as Kottmann says. In the UK, this audience has shown itself to be quite open to digital technology because it is easy to use. Nevertheless, SR DRS has already started advertising for DAB in order to counter a feared slump in listener numbers.
"We are working on making digital technology better known. As far as 'DRS Musigwälle' is concerned, we are currently taking a very segment-specific approach to communication, for example with information for folk music associations," says Ursula Kottmann. One such "segment-specific" campaign is currently underway: 100 digital receivers for farms are being raffled off under the title "Glück im Stall". For the time being, this seems to be enough. In the long term, however, broader communication is planned. Detailed planning will begin in December this year, explains Kottmann.
What will happen to the striking transmission tower near Beromünster when it is decommissioned in 2008 is still an open question, says Swisscom spokesman Sepp Frey. Interest groups want to prevent its demolition. "The national transmitter is a cultural monument that absolutely must be preserved," says Hanspeter Bürki, President of the HistoriAV support association. The association brings together collectors of historical radio equipment.
The Swiss Heritage Society is also campaigning for its preservation. "As a federal company, Swisscom is legally obliged to preserve its cultural monuments," says Philipp Maurer, Managing Director of the Swiss Heritage Society. However, no one has yet found a solution to the high maintenance costs.
A strong brand disappearsWhen the Beromünster country radio station
ceases operations, a once excellently established brand also disappears. For over forty years, Swiss radio has no longer been called Beromünster, but DRS. Nevertheless, the term is still deeply rooted in the collective memory. Its birth in 1931 was a coincidence. In the early days of radio, most stations bore the name of their local community. However, the Swiss transmitter was located in the municipality of Gunzwil - not a resounding name. And the name of the neighboring municipality of Münster could not be used either, because a transmitter was already in operation in the German town of Münster. So the medieval name Beromünster was remembered and Münster was renamed without further ado. No other municipality of this size subsequently became so well known.
Adrian Scherrer

Harry Sulzer’s campaign for Tilsitskij was apparently too successful for the producers of the original. But who is really the original? With just a few posters, Harry Sulzer managed to turn his campaign for Tilsitskij into a hotly debated topic in the media. Sulzer was delighted to hear the term «efficient creativity.» After all, that’s also the name of his small but sophisticated agency. Not everyone shares his enthusiasm, however. At Olma, where the Tilsiter from Russia has a booth and is being promoted with the revolutionary posters, the APG had to cover them up on Wednesday of this week. To «avoid legal disputes,» the brand name «Tilsitskij Syr» now appears above the designs instead of «Tilsiter,» «and everything remains as it was,» as Sulzer explains. The cheese continues to be sold at select gourmet spots nonetheless.
But is all this excitement surrounding the Tilsiter label really justified? According to Wikipedia, Swiss cheesemakers from the Emmental region once migrated to the area north of the city of Tilsit in what was then East Prussia. They also «exported» the recipe for making cheese to the region bordering Lithuania.
The city of Tilsit has been called Sowjetsk since 1946, and cheese is still produced there today. It is called Sowjetski. However, the recipe for Tilsiter had already been brought back to Switzerland via other channels before 1893—by Otto Wartmann and Hans Wegmüller. They discovered this cheese in Tilsit, as mentioned above. Later, it was protected here as “Tilsiter Switzerland.” So, it’s all just cheese, isn’t it?
Andreas Panzeri

The Basel-based advertising agency Mrg was successful in two competitive pitches and has secured two new advertising accounts: Coop Mineralöl and the KV Schools of Baselland. Coop Mineralöl, part of the Coop Group, operates the Coop gas stations and Prontoshops. Mrg will carry out its eighth scratch-off ticket campaign for the company. The campaign includes eight million tickets, national billboard displays, ads in Coop’s in-store publications, and various point-of-sale promotional materials.
The schools of the KV Baselland, which include the KV Liestal, Muttenz, and Reinach, have commissioned Mrg to review the schools’ public relations efforts and develop a fundamental realignment of their communication strategy.

Megaposters on scaffolding offer an attractive platform for large-scale advertising. The former niche is growing, with a maximum of 60 megaposters hanging in Switzerland at any one time, covering the scaffolding of construction projects in the most prominent locations possible and advertising products and services. In the advertising industry, posters over 12 m2 fall into this category, but they are usually at least 60 m2 in size and cover up to 400 m2 or even larger areas. There are currently a particularly large number of them, but this is not because there are more jobs available. The economic situation has caused advertising budgets to fall in recent years, with money being cut mainly for special campaigns, including megaposters. That is now a thing of the past; advertising budgets and interest are increasing again. However, many factors determine whether such an advertising space on a scaffold can be marketed.
Tricky location searchBefore a location can even be considered, some clarifications are necessary. "Only properties in prime locations are of interest, otherwise there is no chance of marketing," explains Felix Rothweiler, Managing Director of Clear Channel Felice GmbH, one of the brokerage companies for megaposters. First and foremost, an urban environment is required. Zurich, Basel and Bern are particularly interesting, but a sales market can also be found in Lucerne, St. Gallen, Winterthur and Lugano. According to Rothweiler, Geneva and Lausanne would be very popular with advertisers, but no permits for advertising space on scaffolding are being issued in these two cities for the time being.
Finally, the location within a city is also decisive: shopping streets, pedestrian zones and heavily frequented streets. For example, Bellevue in Zurich, Barfüsserplatz in Basel or the old town in Bern. "The number of eye contacts and their quality are of particular interest," says Rothweiler.
Finding the ideal location is not enough; there are many regulations to be observed. The authorities are particularly restrictive when issuing permits near places of interest. The authorities involved are the building police, the traffic police and a specialist department for advertising structures at the Office for Urban Development (or similar, depending on the canton). Another decisive factor is whether a planned megaposter would be located on a building that is on public land or on private land. In both cases, permit fees are due, in the former case an additional fee for the use of public land.
"The fees can account for up to a third of the total price," Rothweiler knows from experience. It's not just the location that matters, but not just any motif can be printed. It is carefully checked whether it could fit in with the surroundings. Different test approaches apply depending on the location. At Bellevue in Zurich, for example, no more than five words are generally permitted, plus the logo.
The owner decidesToo many trees in the forest of paragraphs? There are various brokerage agencies that take care of the matter, contact clients when they view a suitable property, clarify options and interests with property managers and owners. 
The customers - companies from the 300 biggest brands - reach the intermediaries, sometimes via advertising and media agencies. If there is a good chance that a location and a poster will be approved, it is up to the owner. They not only decide whether they want a megaposter in principle, but also what kind of advertising is suitable for them.
"In 90 percent of cases, the owner is the decision-maker and says what can and cannot be done on his construction site," confirms Rothweiler. Dates and local conditions are discussed with the site manager and the scaffolder, also with regard to site installation. It may be helpful to use a crane during assembly.
Façade climbers rarely in demandA scaffolding façade must meet certain requirements. For example, it should be as straight as possible, free of - in this case disruptive - scaffolding stairs, lifts, splinter guards or plumbing runs. If cables cannot be attached in any other way, for example from streetcar lines or street lighting, slots and the like must be made during the poster printing process, so careful preliminary clarification is important.
Because the wind load can be significant, the affected scaffolding must be anchored twice as strongly. One anchorage is required for every 10 m2 of advertising space. Specialized façade climbers are rarely required for installation - as in the case of the Messeturm Basel, for example - but the classic method is usually used.
It is primarily the building owner or developer who earns money, with most of the rental income going into their pockets. The prices for advertising space vary. As a rule, the following factors are decisive: city, exact location/neighborhood, number of views per month, frontal or angled view and the size of the poster. Rental prices range from CHF 10,000 to just under CHF 60,000 per month. The highest prices are paid for locations such as the aforementioned Bellevue in Zurich. Then there are the fees, which according to Rothweiler are most expensive in Zurich at CHF 60/m2/month, followed by Basel at CHF 33/m2/month.
The media service, production and costs for installation and removal are also calculated. As the poster is the property of the client, they also decide what happens to the posters made of net vinyl after they have been dismantled. "Around half is destroyed, the rest is released for further processing," says Rothweiler. The material often ends up with social institutions, which process the tarpaulins into bags or similar items in sheltered workshops or employment programs.
Mega popularZurich is extremely popular,
when it comes to megaposters on scaffolding. Accordingly, the Office for Urban Development drew up a concept for dealing with megaposters at an early stage. According to Bernhard Lüthi, Head of Advertising Installations at the Office of Urban Development, around 90 percent of the megaposters approved in Zurich are on scaffolding. Half of these are on public property. On average, there are around six installations at any one time, and around 30 posters are approved each year. "Because the framework conditions are clearly defined, refusals are the exception," explains Liechti. "As a rule, we try to clarify the permissibility of installations before the application is submitted."
A method that works well; in recent years, only one or two requests have been rejected. Most of them were due to traffic safety issues with scaffolding in exposed locations; sometimes the installations were not able to comply with building regulations.
Liechti would never approve a megaposter in the old town (scaffolding and façades), on the façades of buildings of artistic and cultural-historical value or anywhere where the legal requirements of the Canton of Zurich's Planning and Building Act (PBG) regarding classification and traffic safety aspects (SSV/SVG) are not met.     
Sandra D'Arienzo

Guest commentary No other broadcaster offers such a good advertising environment as that of the SRG, says Matthias Künzler.public service by the SRG - commerce by the private sector. This is how the division of tasks between public and private broadcasting looks, at least when it comes to regulating commercial financing in the new Radio and Television Act and the associated ordinance: The SRG's advertising and sponsorship opportunities are now limited, while those of the private broadcasters are increased. It is hoped that the advertising funds freed up by public broadcasting could flow into the private broadcasting sector. This should have a stimulating effect on the development of private radio and television - like the doping drug EPO on the performance of cyclists. The logic of the equation is plausible, but it is unlikely to work in reality: Ireland tried to encourage the private sector with advertising restrictions on public broadcasting as early as 1988. However, a rapid increase in revenues for Irish private broadcasters failed to materialize. This has to do with structural problems in small states, which also affect Switzerland: As in Ireland, the development opportunities of private stations are limited because of the small market and the competition radiating in from other countries with the same language (the German private station RTL, for example, already has six times more money available than SF with fee and advertising financing combined).
Second, Switzerland is still a print country. More than 70 percent of total advertising revenue goes to the press, less than 20 percent to television. This is different in Germany: The total share of the press is less than 50 percent, while that of television is over 40 percent.
Thirdly, the question arises as to whether excessive advertising restrictions for SRG are in the interests of the advertising industry at all. After all, no other Swiss broadcaster can offer such a good advertising environment in the TV sector in terms of market share, reach and reputation of the programs - even the new private TV station 3+ will not be able to change that any time soon.
Conclusion: Doping-like effects on the performance of the private broadcasting sector are not to be expected from the additional advertising restrictions on public broadcasting. Those with many years of experience in the Swiss media industry seem to know this: The major Swiss publishing houses, contrary to their usual credo of rejecting state intervention in the market, have fought to maintain and increase fee-splitting. After all, they want to ensure that their stakes in regional radio and television stations are on a sound financial footing.
Matthias Künzler is a lecturer at the Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research (IPMZ) at the University of Zurich.

Wohnkultur Exxtra Kommunikation airs things out effectively for Migros with Fresh Neutro. FIGAGESG could be loosely interpreted as "Fondue is good, but gives a bad smell..." As much as we love our national dish, we could all do without the smell of FIGUGEGL. But bad smells also accompany us everywhere else. Migros now wants to remedy this with a new odour neutralizer. Fresh Neutro gives thick air no chance. In the launch campaign for the new spray, Exxtra dramatizes the product benefits in a humorous way with two situations taken from real life. The first print shows a cow on a fondue caquelon in the style of homely peasant art. She has to cover her nostrils because of the smell of cheese.
Manslayer to orderThe second subject depicts a situation in a typical Swiss pub. Even the ibex on the regulars' ashtray can barely stand the clouds of smoke. So he too can only hold his nose to protect himself from the intrusive smell. Incidentally, the Exxtra agency had to have the ibex specially made by a blacksmith, as there are hardly any pubs left in Switzerland with such massive "dead beaters", as the regulars' table ashtrays are popularly known.
Fresh Neutro is not simply designed to cover up unpleasant odors with a perfume, but to reduce them thanks to a specially developed system of active ingredients.
The two subjects can be seen in various magazines from mid-October until the end of the year. Hanging boxes in streetcars are also planned.
Andreas Panzeri

Websites: The Schaan municipality’s website, designed by Leone Ming, has received the AA+ rating—the highest award given for accessible websites—from the «Access for All» Foundation. This new certificate is awarded to websites that are accessible to people with disabilities and older adults. The «Certified Accessible Website» certificate establishes a binding standard for accessible website design in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

Broadband Glamour Engineering launches a viral campaign for Sunrise featuring Malcolm McLaren and Jurczok. Mobile broadband technology is considered «the next big thing.» The cell phone is becoming an all-around device and communication tool. Sunrise is at the forefront of this trend. Now, the advertising agency Glamour Engineering has created a series of unconventional commercials centered on Sunrise’s mobile broadband. In this viral campaign, the videos—which are shown in Sunrise Centers—are also shared online, introducing them to a wide audience. Sunrise’s mobile Internet is gaining new customers every day. Music downloads via mobile broadband are in high demand. More than 10,000 MP3 songs are now downloaded directly to cell phones each month from the Sunrise Musicworld platform. The Sunrise Live mobile experience platform already attracts 135,000 unique users per month.
Whether it's news, emails, live TV, or MP3 downloads, more and more customers are discovering the benefits of these services. Since the launch of the mobile broadband network in December 2005, data traffic has increased sevenfold, thanks in no small part to the successful market launch of the Sunrise Mobile Broadband Card.
Slamming, rapping, dissing for Sunrise live: Glamour Engineering has managed to secure the iconic legend Malcolm McLaren and Zurich-based rap poet Jurczok for its commercials.
«Thank you, Sunrise»: Malcolm McLaren, former manager and creator of the Sex Pistols, relies on staying connected with everyone and accessing the world on his cell phone through Sunrise’s broadband services. After all, he’s constantly on the hunt for «the next big thing.» In the late «70s, he succeeded in doing just that with the Sex Pistols. Their hits »Anarchy in the UK« and »God Save the Queen” made the punk revolution accessible to the masses.
The big trend today is the dominance of children’s culture and video games, which McLaren incorporates into his fashion label, Fashionbeast. Or the anti-fast-food movement, which is the subject of his first Hollywood film, *Fast Food Nation*, based on the novel by Eric Schlosser and starring Bruce Willis and Avril Lavigne, set to hit theaters in early 2007.
Malcolm McLaren is thus «the compelling and committed communicator and promoter of the broadband service offering for business customers,» according to Rudolph Schürmann, Michelle Nicol, and Erich Baumgartner at Glamour Engineering. 
Jurczok 1001 fits right into this concept. The Zurich-based spoken-word pioneer slams and raps—hard but poetically—about the benefits of broadband services and music downloads for residential customers. The French-speaking slammer Roberto Roccobelly, known for his current show «Love Gangsta Club,» performs as César Vegas for Sunrise. And Toni Caradonna, a ubiquitous stunt comedian, plays the role of a man from Ticino.
In the commercial clips, these wordsmiths act as hosts and offer intelligent and insightful commentary on songs by Pink and Placebo, which are available for download as ringtones and MP3s on Sunrise live.
Check the effect on the Sunrise website
www.sunrise.ch/mobilesbreitband_kampagne
, on the Sunrise Live mobile experience platform, at Sunrise Centers, and on various online video platforms such as .Andreas Panzeri

Poster Printing: From offset to screen to digital printing, poster printing companies offer the full range of services. Standard commercial or digital printing companies often have to pass on producing this advertising medium—which is very popular in Switzerland—at least in the traditional poster formats. This is because their machinery is often not equipped to handle large formats, making it impossible to produce posters at all—or at least not in a way that covers costs. Nevertheless, poster printing is not a niche business. The providers in this sector differ not only in their printing processes or systems but also in the services they offer. Werbewoche surveyed various poster printing companies on these aspects, as well as on their areas of specialization, data handling (see below), and services.
Poster Production: What all poster printers have in common is that they all have large-format machines. But that’s often where the similarities end. The spectrum ranges from companies that are 100 percent dedicated to poster printing (such as Seriplakat AG), to companies that generate about two-thirds (Setaprint AG, JCM Offsetdruck AG) or approximately one-third of their revenue (Christinger Partner AG, ComRo Rohner AG, Graphische Anstalt J. E. Wolfensberger AG) to companies where poster printing accounts for 20, 12, or 10 percent of revenue (Gamper AG, Karl Schwegler AG, Rutschi AG).
Offset Printing for Large Print Runs Offset printing is the most suitable printing process, especially for large print runs. Large-format machines, appropriate for poster-sized prints, are used for this purpose.
All posters in the F4, F12, and F200 NP + LP formats with double-sided printing—including Rollingstar, GF, and various custom formats—are printed in-house at Setaprint: «We produce 95 percent of our posters using offset printing on a MAN Roland 900 XXL—with a maximum print format of 130 x 185 cm,» explains Werner Heschel. Thanks to the large-format press, the company can produce these sizes using fewer sections in some cases (for example, F12 posters in two sections instead of three) and even print posters up to and including the F200 size in a single section.
Karl Schwegler AG also takes advantage of the benefits of large-format offset presses: «We also produce five-color posters in a single pass,» says Paul Seliner. In addition to poster printing, the company uses its MAN Roland XXL-905-8-LV five-color press for commercial printing jobs as well.
«We print on the world’s largest offset presses,» says Manfred Sollberger of JCM Offsetdruck AG. The company operates the KBA Rapida 205 (150 x 205 cm), a five-color press that is the largest of its kind in Switzerland. In addition, posters are produced using a MAN Roland 900 (format: 100 x 140 cm). For smaller print runs—which are better suited for digital printing—JCM either uses a Hewlett Packard DesignJet 3500 CP or relies on partner companies.
«We generate 80 percent of our revenue from the production of street posters (F4/F12/F200) and 20 percent from the production of POS posters,» explains Robert Wernli of Seriplakat AG. «As far as printing processes are concerned, we use both offset and screen printing.»
According to Luciano Faoro, Wolfensberger AG prints posters using a MAN Roland 905-LV sheetfed offset press. «For small print runs in the F4, F12, GF, and F200 formats, we use a plotter.»
In between: Screen printing. The screen printing process is also very well suited for producing posters. Among other things, it is characterized by the ability to print with thick ink layers and on a wide variety of papers and substrates. In terms of print speed, it falls between digital and offset printing, making it ideal for medium-run print jobs.
Gamper AG uses a fully automated screen-printing machine to produce F4, F12, and 12-m² posters, as well as—as a special feature—illuminated posters and direct prints from digital files.
Rutschi AG uses both screen printing and digital printing: Posters up to F12 and GF sizes (in just six sections) in medium print runs are produced in-house. The printing plate for the screen printing press is produced using a computer-to-screen process. The company covers all formats using digital printing. «We also print many posters that are displayed in light boxes (illuminated posters), and we have access to papers, films, and print profiles tailored to these needs in order to achieve optimal brilliance and luminosity,» explains Kurt Rutschi.
Professional Digital Printers: In addition to offset and screen printers, there are quite a few companies that now print posters exclusively using digital technology. Take ComRo Rohner AG, for example: «We print with an HP Scitex TurboJet, the world’s fastest digital poster printing system,» explains Silvan Rohner. However, this printer impresses not only with its speed but also with its print quality. The result differs from posters produced with other digital printers because it allows the use of the same slightly glossy paper as that used in screen printing. «And thanks to the ink application, they look even more vibrant than posters produced using offset or standard digital printing. The workflow—printing and cutting—is fully automated at our facility!»
Stutz Foto Color Technik AG in Bremgarten also relies exclusively on digital printing. The company uses a variety of inkjet printing systems, including large-format printers from Scitex for producing items such as gigaposters.
Christinger Partner uses eleven different digital printing systems for poster printing. The company prints larger runs on the HP Turbojet 8300: «The quality achievable here today—combined with our PDF workflow and the ISO 12647 Fogra Matt standard—is unique,» explains Toni Fricker. Thanks to the existing infrastructure, large poster runs with frequent changes in format and design can be handled efficiently. The company produces single-color posters with special shades using screen printing machines.
Different Services: In addition to their printing processes, poster printers differ in the services they offer. At JCM Offsetdruck AG, these services range from providing an FTP server for data uploads—including a PDF workflow—to warehousing and shipping.
Wolfensberger also offers a PDF workflow and poster storage—plus, as another specialty, gold-bronze printing for commercial printing.
Christinger Partner views its services as a full-service offering. This ranges from professional data import and preparation—including image scanning—through printing to finishing, order picking, delivery, and shipping. In addition, the company has a «Print & Cut» department. There, posters are produced that feature custom two- or three-dimensional elements. The company also handles project planning for the permitting process of large-format applications as well as their custom installation. Its large-format services range from printing to finishing.
Stutz Foto Color Technik defines its services as «consulting and services related to images.» The company thus covers all needs in the field of outdoor advertising—from development and production to installation in any size requested by the customer.
Data upload, data post-processing, small- and medium-run printing using screen printing and digital printing methods, lamination, mounting services, delivery services, distribution and shipping, as well as poster archiving—Rutschi AG counts all of these among its strengths. In addition, the company offers preliminary consultations and installation services for megaposters and manufactures illuminated posters for long-term use. In the area of megaposters and textile printing, the company collaborates with domestic and international firms.
At ComRo, full service is a given. This includes consulting and providing layout templates for all programs and formats on our website—complete with an easy-to-use upload tool. Upon request, the customer can approve the final print proof directly at the press. ComRo Rohner’s services include a courier service covering all of Switzerland with 24-hour delivery, as well as close collaboration with APG and Clear Channel Plakanda.
In addition to consulting, actual poster printing, and a delivery service, Gamper AG offers poster storage as part of its expanded range of services.
Full-service support in consulting, order management, and data handling is standard at Setaprint, as are shipping processing, delivery service, and data receipt via FTP server, ISDN, email, or CD-ROM.
Schwegler Druck offers services ranging from consulting (prepress, materials, printing) to data upload and data preparation, as well as print proofing and shipping services. In addition to five-color single-pass offset printing, the company highlights its ability to print illuminated posters as a special feature.
Last but not least, Seriplakat offers all the services a customer might need: In addition to producing posters in compliance with APG guidelines, our standard services include consulting, the option to upload files via FTP, and the preparation of a “Good to Print” approval.
Good print results require high-quality data
Today, posters are produced from open files or, increasingly, from PDF files. Proofs are more than welcome, as is sufficient resolution.
Toni Fricker of Christinger Partner AG would appreciate it if customers would find out about data delivery requirements in advance. «We’re happy to advise customers if they want to know what scale the data should be delivered in, what resolution is best for the desired product, or what standards we use for printing. Of course, this also includes a color-accurate proof.» He cites insufficient resolution, missing fonts, or images saved in the wrong format as the most common problems with data exchange. «We recommend that our customers submit PDF/X-3 files, as this standard ensures optimal print results in both digital and offset printing.»
Silvan Rohner of ComRo Rohner AG has experienced few, if any, problems with data transfer. «However, it’s important to have sufficient image resolution. At least 72 ppi (in the final format!) is required.»
Werner Gamper of Gamper AG sees insufficient image resolutions and missing files (fonts, logos, etc.) as the biggest problem with data migration. «To ensure that even impossible deadlines can be met,» says Gamper, «we appreciate being involved in the planning process early on.»
Manfred Sollberger of JCM Offsetdruck AG notes that Pantone colors and images saved in the RGB color space are not converted to or separated into the CMYK color space, and that overprinting or knockout options are often selected incorrectly. «To achieve good results, images should therefore be saved at a resolution of at least 355 ppi, and a color-accurate proof should be included with the job. Furthermore, we’ve had the best results with High-End-PDF.»
Paul Seliner of Karl Schwegler AG requires a color-accurate proof, which the company can also produce itself upon request. «We often find that the quality of photos and logos is inadequate. Information regarding language versions or product varieties is also frequently missing; this is particularly important for multi-panel posters.» As a general rule, the same applies to poster production: Good planning is half the battle.
According to Kurt Rutschi of Rutschi AG, you should choose a resolution that is sufficient for the final format: «And include proofs whenever possible …»
Robert Wernli of Seriplakat AG would appreciate it if all customers would follow the printing specifications. «Every now and then, we receive files with insufficient resolution, without bleed, with incorrect color definitions, or in a format other than the master litho format.»
«The data should be professionally prepared, and the proof should be ISO-certified if possible. We provide a technical data sheet with our parameters (ICC profile, etc.) for this purpose,» says Werner Heschel of Setaprint AG. «We consider open data to be more advantageous because PDFs do not allow for adjustments to account for missing bleed, color matching, etc.»
Luciano Faoro of Graphische Anstalt J.E. Wolfensberger AG requires «flawless data delivery with verification tools.» Missing fonts, rough data, incorrect links, and the absence of color-accurate templates are among the most common data issues.
Standard Poster Sizes: City Size
F200: 116.5 x 170 cm
F200L: 119 x 170 cm
F200LR: 119 x 170 cm
F200P: 116.5 x 170 cm
Widescreen
F12: 268.5 x 128 cm
F12L: 268.5 x 128 cm
F12P: 268.5 x 128 cm
Large Format

Dimensions: 388 x 295 cm
World format
F4: 89.5 x 128 cm
Abbreviations:
L = Illuminated sign (Note: The visible area is slightly smaller)
P = Posters to be printed on tarps
LR = Automatic Rotating Display for Illuminated Signs
Source: Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft
Jürgen Franck
More information:

Daniel Donati has renamed his company Code_Agentur for Communication to ZürichTokio and plans to focus more on traditional advertising. All forms of communication make use of codes. That’s why «Code» was the ideal name when freelance designers Daniel Donati and Reto Gehrig joined forces as a creative duo ten years ago. The agency grew rapidly: by 2001, Code already had seven employees. That same year, Daniel Donati and Reto Gehrig were ranked 40th by the SonntagsZeitung in its highly regarded «Heads of the Year» list. This recognition was sparked by a campaign for the Migros Culture Percentage, a CD cover for the newly famous Lovebugs, and several awards won right off the bat when Code first submitted work to the ADC. For example, they won a gold award for the fashion book “The Skin I’m in.” Thus, Code evolved into a success story with 14 employees, international renown, and exciting clients—and yet this Code is no longer valid.
«If you stand still and rest on your laurels, you’ll get your butt scratched,» says Daniel Donati. At the same address and with mostly the same team, he has now launched a new agency called ZürichTokio. He realizes that such a relaunch could lead to «misinterpretations» in the industry. But: «There has to be movement—that fits our concept.»
Building a new company is «much more exciting than running an existing one» for the current sole owner, Donati says. He therefore didn’t mind the decision to wipe out the brand recognition he had built up in one fell swoop. «Ten years ago, the goal was the right one. Today, it’s no longer the case. Now we want to break new ground.»
With the ZürichTokio brand, Donati aims to create a new world of its own. After all, that’s exactly what the company does time and again for its customers. The focus here isn’t primarily on Tokyo, even though, for Donati, Tokyo «has been setting the standard in design and technology for 20 years.».
Rather, the entire ZurichTokio brand is based on the concept of travel. There are several reasons for this: For one thing, the agency has a very cosmopolitan character, and it draws inspiration from all over the world. And second, the creative process is like a journey: You have a destination in mind, set out on the journey, and are then constantly driven forward by curiosity and a thirst for discovery. This means you’re always on the move, constantly searching for new perspectives and interesting possibilities.
For every project, every client, and every product, ZürichTokio aims to create a unique world of its own. Accordingly, the agency’s guiding principle is: «creating new worlds.» They’ve only come up against the limits of the new name once, Donati says with a smile. That was when Ryo Kawaguchi, the Japanese graphic designer who works for him, answered the phone for once and identified himself as “ZürichTokioRyo.”.
While Donati’s work used to be primarily graphic in nature, ZürichTokio is now set to become «more comprehensive and a bit broader and bigger.» «We have top talent and great potential. We now want to fully tap into that and leverage it with more full-service offerings.» Donati thus hopes to be able to apply what has proven successful as a design concept on posters to radio commercials or TV spots in the future.
Using visual imagery that «gets right to the point,» the long-established agency has already produced classic advertising campaigns for Manor, Swiss Olympics, and Xbox. A project for Mercedes-Benz in Stuttgart is serving as a pilot campaign for accident management across Europe. In the area of branding, Donati’s team has just designed a new logo for Swiss television’s *Rundschau* and *Reporter* programs.
The agency, which has traditionally been design-focused—12 out of 14 employees were graphic designers—is now set to become more professionally diverse. However, ZürichTokio intends to remain particularly strong in the area of the young target audience. After all, this consistently attracts young employees from all over the world to the agency. And they always have the latest trends up their sleeves. «We want to bring this potential into traditional advertising,» explains Donati.
Andreas Panzeri

General Motors Europe has selected the Zurich-based agency Aegis as its media agency for the Opel, Saab, and Chevrolet brands across all European countries.  
The agreement takes effect on January 1, 2007. Aegis Media Switzerland will be responsible for all communication planning (strategy, planning, and media buying) for all media in Switzerland.

Guides As it does every year, the Gault Millau Guide for Switzerland will be published again this fall. The gourmet guide lists 800 restaurants that were newly tested and rated for the 2007 edition. And as it does every year, Publicis was commissioned to “serve up” the new Gault Millau to a wide audience of foodies—presented in a surprising and eye-catching way in an ad. There are many restaurants in Switzerland, but professional advice is very useful for finding the true culinary gems. So why not turn the restaurant guide itself into an irresistible delicacy waiting to be discovered? To bring this idea to life, the most discerning gourmet of all was chosen: the truffle pig. In the ad, Gault Millau thus becomes a coveted delicacy.