Bücher One Marketing Services positions Karger Libri as the first port of call for specialist books Competition in the book trade is becoming tougher and increasingly based on size and price. Differentiation is therefore necessary for small specialists. With this in mind, One Marketing Services in Zurich has publicized Karger Libri as the first port of call for specialist books in five areas. Karger Libri on Petersplatz in Basel specializes in medicine, medicine, natural sciences, psychology and economics and also sells these books via a web store. Big appearance for the specialist bookIn the "Knowledge in its most beautiful form" campaign, the agency makes the specialist book itself the main actor. The book makes customers blossom, brings order to confused thoughts, illuminates strategies of successful companies or lets the reader feel the current pulse of science. With strikingly beautiful subjects, Karger Libri taps into the interest and desire for knowledge topics.
With the claim "Your knowledge is our profession", Karger Libri manifests its love of specialist books and its advisory expertise. In an integrated campaign with implementations in the streetcar, at selected points of presence where the important target groups are present, as well as in front of and in the bookshop, Karger Libri is setting "a clear counterpoint to the competitors' text campaigns", as the agency explains its concept.
Andreas Panzeri

Printing inks The Flint Group Publication Printing Division announces significant price increases for printing inks. Flint Group is specifically increasing prices for publication gravure and heatset inks in Europe with immediate effect. According to a company statement, these adjustments are necessary to offset high energy, raw material and logistics costs. In recent months, an increase in raw material prices of up to 15 percent has caused problems. And the fall in the price of crude oil in recent weeks has not brought any noticeable relief.

PrintOnline relies on the PDFX-ready standards rather than its in-house standards for ad production. When it comes to handling digital ad data, the Schlieren-based company PrintOnline has, from the very beginning, tried to encourage data suppliers to use existing and up-to-date technologies. However, not all «roadmaps» could be implemented as desired. The company’s managing director, Kurt Obrist, openly admits this: «The plan was for senders of digital ads to leave the image data used in the ads in the RGB color space and link it to a corresponding ICC profile. The recipient was supposed to perform the corresponding color separation.» This workflow would have required broad acceptance of the RGB color space among both the senders and the recipients of the data—but the graphic arts industry is struggling with this. «Advertisers want to perform the separations themselves,» Obrist knows from experience. «And the recipients don’t want to take responsibility for this process.»
Aiming for PDF/X-3 Based on the Extended PDFX-ready Standard When it comes to the PDF format, PrintOnline relies on PDF/X technology for the electronic exchange of advertisements. Not least to help the PDF/X-3 format (ISO standard PDF/X-3:2002) gain wider acceptance, an association was founded in early 2005 by key players—including Ugra, the industry association VSD, Adobe, and PrintOnline.
The PDFX-ready association, chaired by Kurt Obrist, has become well established. The creation of PDF/X-3 files in accordance with X-ready specifications is gaining increasing popularity—not only among those who send and receive advertisements, but also in commercial printing. Thanks to X-ready, PrintOnline benefits from the fact that data senders can now base their work not on their «in-house standard,» but on a more broadly supported set of rules defined by PDFX-ready.
«To put it simply, the goal of PDFX-ready is to create a clean PDF—based on PDF/X-3. The settings we’ve published are more comprehensive than PDF/X-3 because we’re convinced that this ISO standard alone isn’t sufficient,» explains Obrist. In his view, while the PDF variant X-3 does ensure reliable output, it is the X-ready criteria that additionally guarantee quality. To establish these quality standards on a broad scale, PDFX-ready—through PDF expert and X-ready member Stephan Jaeggi—is even contributing to the Ghent PDF Workgroup, the international counterpart to PDFX-ready. «The goal,» says Obrist, «is a global PDF-based data exchange standard. Through PDFX-ready, we can actively contribute to this.»
Cutting Off the Branch You’re Sitting OnBut isn’t PrintOnline cutting off the branch it’s sitting on by advocating, via X-ready, for a PDF/X that’s easy to create and process—and that also meets its own quality standards? Obrist says no: «Of course not, because verifying PDF data is just one aspect that we cover as an ad hub. With Poldirect, we primarily operate a portal that enables the timely processing of ads. Moreover, even with widespread acceptance of PDF/X-3, the problems associated with data exchange haven’t gone away.»
Obrist is referring to the poor image resolutions, missing control elements, and so on. «New software versions—and soon PDF/X versions as well—are released regularly, and these need to be tested and used to develop the templates. So we won’t be running out of work when it comes to data validation anytime soon.»
Specifically, PDF/X-4 and—already—PDF/X-5, the successor formats to the PDF Exchange Format, are set to be released: «PDFX-ready will provide the corresponding settings as soon as they are approved by the ISO.» PDF/X-5 is expected to make it possible to integrate future ICC profiles stored on a central server. Who knows—maybe we’ll finally see a breakthrough in the RGB workflow after all.
PDFX-ready PDFX-ready is an association.
Founded in early 2005 by various partners from the graphic arts industry, X-ready quickly established itself. As of the end of September 2006, the association had approximately 260 paying members. Companies can obtain certification as PDF creators (Creator Classic), and their employees can be certified as Creator Classic Experts. On the recipient side, PDFX-ready distinguishes between printing companies and publishers that process pure four-color data (Output Classic CMYK) and those that also process data with spot colors (Output Classic Spot). In addition to paying a membership fee, senders must pass an online test, and recipients must print special test forms. An «Output Classic Expert» test is currently under development. Future Challenges: The unique selling point of the PDF format could soon be challenged by Microsoft when it comes to outputting digital print templates. In addition, AdsML (see Werbewoche 31/2006) is knocking on the door. We asked Kurt Obrist about the potential of these emerging technologies.
WW: In addition to new versions of PDF/X, a new standard is emerging in the form of the AdsML XML vocabulary. To what extent are you following this standard? Kurt Obrist: Actively and very closely. Together with Christian Rohrbach of iWare, I represent Switzerland’s interests in the AdsML Consortium. WW: How do you assess AdsML? Kurt Obrist: We view AdsML as a trailblazer in ad delivery because we believe that standardization is also necessary on the administrative side. Fortunately, AdsML does not have to be implemented in its entirety; implementing just parts of it is sufficient. The recently launched AdsML 2.0 version allows for this modular approach. This means AdsML can likely be put into practice soon, moving beyond its theoretical framework. Personally, I’m particularly interested in the «Material Delivery» module, which includes electronic data delivery. WW: What is the goal of the emerging AdsML standard? Kurt Obrist: The entire process of booking, payment, and data transfer can and should be automated as much as possible. Specifically, advertisers or advertising clients can use this standard to compile the correct orders with the corresponding invoices—and for the ad recipient or publisher, the advertising documents can be linked to the corresponding orders. WW: A new document format is set to be integrated into the upcoming Microsoft operating system, Vista. How do you assess this technology, known as XPS (XML Paper Specification)? Kurt Obrist: Once XPS can actually be printed, it could flood our market. I suspect, however, that this new document format will be underestimated by our industry at first. But perhaps XPS will initially serve only as an intermediate format for generating PDF documents. After all, documents prepared in this way will still need to be verified and distributed. Jürgen Franck

The institution with the well-known lighthouse logo is more than just a last stop for AIDS patients. It is a home where everyone can die with dignity. The NPO communication specialists at AP & P realized this year's fundraising campaign. The hospice is dependent on donations, which is why a fundraising campaign is launched every year - mainly in the run-up to Christmas. This summer, the budget was reallocated as part of a pitch. The Zurich-based communications agency AP & P was able to prevail against several competitors. The TV commercial can now be seen on Telezüri from the beginning of November. The Lighthouse will also be featured on billboards and in advertisements in various newspapers in the Zurich region, as the agency announced on Wednesday.

Pleon, a PR agency specializing in sponsorship, surveyed the budget managers of the 118 Swiss companies with the highest turnover on the subject of sponsorship. The findings: stable budgets, concentration on the domestic market and increasing professionalization. According to the survey, 76.6 percent prefer to sponsor sport. In figures: Almost half, or 47.1 percent, of all available sponsorship budgets go to sport.
The sponsorship budgets in turn correspond to one eighth of the total communication budget, Pleon wrote in its press release on Wednesday. Compared to the total available communication funds, the sponsorship budgets have remained stable over the last two years.
An international comparison of Germany, Austria and Switzerland shows that media sponsorship is far more important in Switzerland than in our neighboring countries. On average, 21% of media sponsorship is used in the three markets, compared to 31% in Switzerland. It should also be noted that only one sixth of the Swiss companies surveyed engage in cross-border sponsorship.
The Pleon study also revealed that sponsorship activities are increasingly being based on concrete written plans. Likewise, more and more companies want to know what the sponsorship is achieving: 63 percent now carry out a performance review.
The empirical long-term study "Sponsoring Trends" has been published by Pleon every two years since 1998.

Dominique Strebel and Thomas Angeli of *Der Beobachter* received the 2006 Bedag Media Award in the print media category. Kurt Frischknecht of *MTW* won in the television category. Frischknecht was awarded a «Eugen»—as the award is called—for his two reports titled «Electronic Waste in Switzerland and India.» Bedag explained its decision by noting that the reports successfully contrasted the same work processes.
The two *Beobachter* journalists, Dominique Strebel and Thomas Angeli, won the Presse-Eugen award for their report «Big Boss Is Watching You.» In their report, the authors demonstrated that new technologies do not always make life easier, according to the SDA’s report on the jury’s decision on Tuesday.
The Bern-based IT company presented the awards for the 15th time. The Bedag e-Government Awards, which have been presented for the past seven years, went to the Federal Office of Communications, the cantons of Bern and Basel-Stadt, the Lucerne municipality of Horw, and Zollikofen in the canton of Bern.

Beat Werder will join Converium as the new Head of Public Relations on December 1.  
In this role, Beat Werder will be responsible for all matters relating to external corporate communications. Werder was most recently Group Spokesman for Swiss Re for five years. Prior to that, he was Head of Corporate Communications at Bertelsmann Online. Werder graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and holds a Master of Public Administration, as Converium announced on Wednesday.
He succeeds Esther Gerster, who has accepted a new challenge at Credit Suisse.

The marketing of Switzerland abroad financed by the Confederation is to be consolidated in a single organization. The aim is to achieve uniform brand management and the targeted promotion of Switzerland's advantages abroad. To this end, the Federal Council opened the consultation process on the merger of Presence Switzerland, Switzerland Tourism and Location Switzerland on Wednesday. The plan is to transform them into a federal agency under public law. According to a press release, this would avoid duplication in terms of content and operations. However, the Federal Council is refraining from creating a super organization that would also include the foreign trade organizations. The organizations active in the field of foreign trade are to be brought together in a separate foreign trade company. However, new provisions are not necessary for such a step.
Presence Switzerland, Switzerland Tourism and Location Switzerland currently have a combined budget of around CHF 60 million. In a motion submitted to the National Council, savings of 20 percent in administrative costs were demanded. These currently amount to 8.75 million. However, as the reorganization will also cost money, the savings target will only be achieved after the reorganization. The pooling of resources is a long-standing concern of Parliament. The consultation process will last until December 21.

Business press The glossy business titles in German-speaking Switzerland are facing competition from French-speaking Switzerland Two entrepreneurs from French-speaking Switzerland, Patrick Sikias and Raphael Dana, have massively expanded the business segment of their company Market Publishing SA within a very short space of time. From September 2007, the German edition of their monthly financial and business journal Market.ch will also be published in German-speaking Switzerland. The plan is to install a two-person editorial team on Dufourstrasse in Zurich, right under the nose of the Ringier headquarters. "Our competitors in French-speaking Switzerland have so far been the business titles Bilan and PME-Magazine. In German-speaking Switzerland, it will be Bilanz and Stocks from the Handelszeitung group," explains publisher Patrick Sikias. Sikias and Dana launched the title in French-speaking Switzerland almost four years ago and have been in the black since 2003. Market.ch, whose title is the same as its website in line with current trends, has a circulation of just over 21,000 copies in French-speaking Switzerland. In Zurich, the makers want to launch the German-speaking Swiss edition with 19,000 copies.
Market.ch is divided into the following sections: Dossier, Marketing, Management, Technology, International, Finance, Reading and Lifestyle. In the dossier of the current issue - a bright red cover page with the national coat of arms - the magazine deals with Switzerland as a business location and how it stands out internationally in various domains under the title "Swiss Power".
The market.ch website complements the offering with business news and fund guides, career recommendations and a real estate portal. The company also produces daily broadcasts on the Geneva-based private channel Léman Bleu with reports on marketing, innovations, success stories and portraits from the world of finance and business.
Cooperation with leading title The Economist "Around 80 percent of the content in the German edition will be similar to the French-language edition," says Patrick Sikias. The editorial team also wants to address specific topics relating to the Zurich financial center.
It seems to be becoming more and more trendy to embellish one's own title with long-established brands. Where Handelszeitung, for example, carries the Dow Jones flagship The Wall Street Journal in its subtitle, Market.ch also has a deal with the long-established London business magazine The Economist (circulation in Europe around 370,000, worldwide 1.1 million copies). "This allows us to print five to six articles per issue from The Economist," explains Sikias. The contract provides for the publication of around 15 pages per year in the areas of politics and business.
Market.ch will cost 8 francs at the newsstand and 45 francs for a subscription. "The subscription price is significantly lower than that of the competition," says Sikias.
Present on the market with financial and lifestyle topicsThe company is not content with the launch of the German edition, however. About two weeks ago, Sikias and Dana bought the Sur La Terre group from publisher Matteo Legler, who had been publishing the lifestyle glossy titles of the same name in Geneva since 2003 and in Zurich since January 2006. It also includes Sur La Terre International SA, which also publishes the corresponding lifestyle titles in London, Moscow, Cannes, Courchevel, St. Tropez, Megève, Paris, Monte Carlo and Corsica under a franchising system.
Legler is now a 20 percent shareholder in Market Publishing SA. "With the two titles Market.ch and Sur La Terre, we have a complementary market presence in the business and finance sector on the one hand and in luxury and lifestyle on the other," says Patrick Sikias. Sur La Terre is available at newsstands and in the airport lounge. Until now, Legler's titles have been loss-making. However, since the takeover by Market Publishing SA, which the owners prefer to see as a merger, the titles have been out of the red. This is emphasized by the third man in the group, John Hartung. He is Publishing Director and will be responsible for the Swiss-German edition of Market.ch in Zurich next year.
The two entrepreneurs also want to launch an English-language edition under the title Market500.eu. This glossy magazine will be published every three months throughout Europe and will have an initial circulation of around 75,000 copies. Sikias and Dana have skillfully managed their business: Market Publishing SA is under exclusive contract with a Brussels-based organization "Europe 500". This organization represents around 500 European companies, which automatically become subscribers to Market500.eu. The magazine aims to rank the 500 fastest growing companies in Europe and offer them a platform. The first issue will be published next December and will be available at newsstands in 28 countries.
Edipresse has a foot in the doorPatrick Sikias and Raphael Dana
were previously involved in Internet design and founded the company netarchitects.com in the second half of the 1990s. The company had a total of 100 employees in Geneva and Zurich and saw itself as a direct competitor to Internet pioneer Namics. Its clients included Swissair and Schindler. According to press reports in French-speaking Switzerland, Market Publishing SA is almost 50 percent owned by the two founders Sikias and Dana. Other shareholders are Matteo Legler with 20 percent, publishing director John Hartung and the internet portal romandie.com with 8 percent each.
Edipresse recently expanded its Internet activities and acquired a 20 percent stake in romandie.com. The dominant media house in French-speaking Switzerland thus has a foot in the door at Market Publishing SA.
René Worni

CtP Sales of the new Suprasetter A52/A74 platesetters from Heidelberg have got off to a good start. In Switzerland alone, twelve companies have already opted for the new platesetter. To convince more customers of the benefits of the new platesetters, Heidelberg Switzerland is organizing a roadshow from November 1 to 15.

The ADC judging has been announced and is entering the next round with some changes. New criteria for multimedia campaigns, a new category for low'n'no budget and a different handling of the 25 percent guideline will improve the chances of winning for everyone. The first change concerns overall multimedia campaigns, which will be judged more professionally from now on. This is ensured by the fact that a separate, new jury group will be set up for this category and funds from more than one year's use will be permitted. Such campaigns become a whole over a longer period of time, which is more than the individual parts, writes the ADC as justification.
To ensure that like is compared with like, the ADC is also introducing the "Low'n'No-Budget" category. This is only open to campaigns that were realized free of charge or for less than CHF 10,000.
In future, the ADC will be judging even more consistently according to purely qualitative standards. Accordingly, the previous quantitative quota rule, according to which a maximum of 25 percent of all works that reach a higher level will be replaced by the fact that 25 percent will actually remain the guideline. The jury will still have the leeway to award a few more or fewer awards for good reason.
 
The strict but objectively comprehensible criteria used by ADC Switzerland for judging were formulated by Michael Conrad. They have now become something of a world standard, as the ADC writes in its press release on Wednesday. The ADC only awards precious metal to those who actually deserve it - only the place on the shortlist is reserved for worthy projects.
The deadline for entries is November 23, 2006
 

Regional press The Tagi split for Zurich explains the tariff war According to Tamedia's tariff documentation, the new Tagi split for the city of Zurich starts with 55,980 copies and - based on Mach Basic 2006-1 - has 129,000 readers. A full-page, four-color ad costs 9504 francs. This is a striking figure, as this Tagi regional edition is in direct competition with the Tagblatt der Stadt Zürich, a free newspaper that is 60 percent owned by Tamedia itself, 40 percent by the NZZ Group and also functions as the official publication organ of the city of Zurich. At the Tagblatt, which according to Mach Basic 2006-1 reaches 123,000 readers, a four-color advertising page currently costs CHF 9922 (circulation: 140,000 copies). The Tagi split is therefore cheaper.
The city must therefore expect fewer advertisements in the Tagblatt and falling concession income. The Tagblatt is working on a new concept. According to the city authorities, negotiations with Tamedia are still ongoing three weeks before the publication of the new Tagi split.
Markus Knöpfli