An e-mail that was incomprehensible at first glance landed at Werbewoche on Wednesday. Only after clicking on the link provided did it become clear: it was about publisher marketing. The advantages of advertising in various Indian newspapers and magazines are to be made palatable to the Swiss market. Unfortunately, even in the globalized world, understanding still works via language and translation programs should be avoided at all costs when trying to attract advertisers. Because this is how it comes out: "Inexpensive advertising will benefit almost all types of business, seeking new markets for their products & services. Above all, what matters most is the HUGE Indian market, you tap into this cost, this brings you all the benefits of mass bringing to market campaign; advantage of mass marketing is simply you get an opportunity to sell your products in large volumes where even in small margins of profit, can grant huge profit. The businesses looking for new & so far new uncharted markets can look for Indian market. It has a population of over a billion people. An all issue campaign in a prominent Indian newspaper, has the potential of reaching out to the maximum number of people, & can cover a large number of important cities & administrative districts, covering an entire area."

Column The cartoon controversy at the Röschtigraben shows how Christoph Blocher feels about freedom of expression when others claim it. The peak of mendacity was reached when Silvia Blocher declared in an interview with the Sunday press that the cartoons were xenophobic. With this, the minister's wife explained her intervention after the taping of "Infrarouge" - the western Swiss "Arena" - in Geneva. Her husband had already thanked her for the fair conversation without deep blows and slurs. Then the minister's wife suddenly burst into the studio in a rage. Her spontaneous anger had been triggered by caricatures that were shown during the production. There were discussions, negotiations and arguments. At a late hour, the editorial management was of the opinion that the matter was over. "Infrarouge" on the subject of the asylum votes was to go on the air the next evening.But that's exactly what the country's justice minister wanted to prevent on his own account after all. The editors and the responsible persons of the French television rejected the request consequently. They, too, know what consequences caricatures can have. But fortunately our minister of justice is not an ayatollah. And his political friends are not remote-controlled fanatics.
Nevertheless, Blocher's clumsy attempt at censorship has triggered something like a religious war at the Röschtigraben. When it comes to cartoons, the French-speaking Swiss can't take a joke. Political line drawings are sacred to them. Anyone who touches their freedom is breaking a taboo. When it comes to jokes, satire and irony, French-speaking Switzerland takes its cue from the French. Everything is permitted. The political system needs the possibility of subversion and transgression - even if it is as an outlet. This is French tradition, going back to the court jester and even further. The privacy of politicians and celebrities is much more protected than in any other democracy - but there are hardly any limits for humorists. That's a good thing.
To make this point clear as well: The television caricatures with which Blocher's statements were garnished were harmless - and by no means xenophobic. Which, by the way, they may well be! Moreover, Blocher, who has a rather healthy relationship to provocation, propagates the free expression of opinion and pleasantly strains political correctness, has already bought works of the TV caricaturist. No one believes him that he didn't know how the show was going.
First of all, the affair has caused the press all over the country to really look at the influence of the woman at his side for the first time. The SVP men were pleased. It probably didn't influence the voting results - the slight differences between Welschland and Suisse alémanique would have been the same even without the Helvetic cartoon controversy. That shows political maturity.
But at least for a few days, Blocher has become as unpopular in French-speaking Switzerland as he was during the great European debates fifteen years ago. With which, by the way, his national career began. He skillfully and unscrupulously relied on the development of the media and mentalities that gave rise to programs like "Infrarouge" and "Arena". Blowback and popularization. Blocher and his party waged a culture war about the past, foreigners and Europe. The asylum vote was one of their biggest victories in recent years, commentators declared. That has to be acknowledged. With some justification, however, one may point out that the reduction of the foreigner issue to "abuse" borders on disinformation.
Stirring up fears and then acting as a savior from the threat is an old political recipe. Napoleon mastered it perfectly. And in power he introduced an elaborate system of disciplinary measures. Our direct democracy is susceptible to manipulation and at the same time sets limits to it. The cartoon controversy at the Röschtigraben has at least shown how Blocher feels about provocation and freedom of expression when they are claimed by his (apparent) opponents.
Almost exactly one year to the day after the publication of the ominous cartoons in a Danish newspaper, the Blocher department announced that the justice minister would refrain from taking legal action. Possibly, however, never again appear in "Infrarouge". For politics as a genre of entertainment, this is of course a bitter loss, because Blocher is a guarantor for a good show. This time even with a woman.
From a civic point of view - as the outcome of the vote shows - the promised abstinence, in which one may not really believe anyway, can be gotten over. And from a regulatory point of view, it even has something reassuring about it: In Bern, after the improvised intermezzo of a wife, the media advisors have once again taken the scepter in their hands.
Jürg Altwegg is the French-speaking correspondent of the Frankfurter Allgemeine.

Nahverkehr Publicis is involving passengers in a new campaign for Zurich's public transport network ZVV.all good things come from above. In its last night network campaign, the ZVV advertised its attractive night service with bat passengers hanging from the ceiling in the S-Bahn. Now the advertising agency Publicis has developed this campaign further and brings the bats out of the anonymity of the night. True to the motto "Live like a bat", the public is invited to take part in a big competition to hang out somewhere as a bat themselves and send a photo of it to
to send. The picture will be displayed in an amusing gallery and Internet visitors can vote for the most original "bat", with the twenty pictures with the most clicks winning great prizes. The top three will be rewarded with an annual subscription to the entire network. The others will receive a voucher for a long night at the Moods jazz club.
The nightlife platform Tilllate Switzerland is also taking part in the competition. Anyone photographed by a Tilllate photographer will automatically be added to the popular Party People gallery on the website
. There you can activate your picture for the night network competition. The competition starts this week and will be announced on advertisements, hanging boxes, bar screens and in the tag-on of the previous cinema spot. The ZVV "Fledermaus" carriages cover six S-Bahn lines and 36 bus routes. Night-time services will run on Fridays and Saturdays and before most public holidays. Services run every hour in Zurich and Winterthur and every two hours in the region. As a target group-friendly gesture, the surcharge of five francs for a ticket at Zurich Bellevue can also be purchased at the bar in the Rondell.
Andreas Panzeri

The winner of the U1 presenter auction will present himself to the public on October 13. After the "News Flash" at 5.50 pm, he will announce the weather to the Swiss public and thus collect his "15 minutes of fame". The performance is the result of an auction on Ebay. (see ). Before his presentation, the guest weatherman will hand over the auction proceeds, which are as yet unknown, as a cheque to Pastor Sieber. U1 will also not reveal who the person is until the broadcast. 

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has published the revised and consolidated version of its advertising and marketing codes. This is the 8th revision of the ICC International Code of Advertising Practice, which was first published in 1937. The new version includes a catalog of guidelines in the areas of marketing, advertising via the Internet, telephone, SMS and customer communications. The code ensures that around one hundred companies worldwide adhere to certain principles, including the appropriate protection of personal information and the prohibition of fraud. Messages aimed at children should also not exploit their inexperience. The new version is primarily intended to serve as a practical tool and reference for everyday marketing issues. ICC Switzerland will be organizing a seminar in the coming months to present the new code to Swiss companies.

The consumer protection foundation SKS is calling for cheaper digital television for cablecom customers. It criticizes the overpriced set-top boxes that are needed to decode the TV signal. The SKS writes in a press release that customers have no choice, because wherever Cablecom is present, there is no other provider: the set-top box costs CHF 15 for the first 6 months and CHF 25 thereafter. This is significantly more than abroad. The SKS is therefore calling for the Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) to ban encryption when granting licenses. In addition, measures are needed to keep the power consumption of the devices as low as possible.
Price watchdog Rudolf Strahm also criticized the prices for set-top boxes in September. The background to this was Cablecom's announcement that it was moving two more analog TV channels to digital television. According to an agreement with Strahm valid until the end of 2006, Cablecom must offer at least 37 analog channels in its television service. Negotiations for a regulation from 2007 are currently underway, reports SDA.

According to the results of the latest "Ad Formats Report" from the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA), the industry association for online marketers, two of the six main formats used in online advertising are the winners: rectangle and leaderboard. As Adlink announced on Tuesday, these are also becoming increasingly popular in Switzerland. The report examines the popularity and use of online advertising formats in the European network of EIAA members. But also the most important factors that lead to this. The increased use of the Internet for entertainment purposes now offers advertisers a more effective platform for communicating interactively with users, involving them directly and engaging in eye-catching brand communication. The increase in online advertising is due to the increase in broadband connections in households. Advertisers are pleased, as this means more opportunities for interactive and creatively sophisticated forms of advertising.
The results of the study (see chart) were presented on Online Advertising Day 2006. In Europe, only a few large-format advertising formats were able to establish themselves.

Following a redesign of its corporate identity, Liechtenstein-based marketing and advertising agency Leone Ming has also undergone an online relaunch. The new website is intended to focus on the core competencies of marketing and graphics, present reference projects, introduce the team and provide a side view, as the company reports. The site is kept in plain white and is intended to be accessible to users through simple navigation and a clear design. The downloads section contains specialist articles, checklists, worksheets and press articles. The technical implementation and programming of the website was carried out by the Triesen-based company ICS.

Nathalie Brülisauer took over as Head of Public Relations at the International Institute of Management in Technology IIMT in Fribourg in October 2006. Brülisauer studied media and communication sciences at the University of Fribourg. She succeeds Stefan Züger, who left his position as head of PR and communications at the beginning of October.

Austria should no longer be allowed to be called Austria. However, it is not the state that is meant, but its latest daily newspaper. And because an attentive Austrian wants the name Austria to stand exclusively for the national territory, he has filed a cancellation application with the Patent Office against the red and white word and picture mark of the daily newspaper.  
Attorney Stephan Schoeller states that the registration of the Austria sign is contrary to public policy and morality. In addition, the readers could be misled by the assumption that contents of legal publication are offered. The two initiators are also offended by the Internet address
, which is already reserved for the newspaper. "For more than 1,000 years, the name of our homeland was economically sacred, untouchable and was not appropriated in terms of marketing strategy," Böck said at a press conference and has also launched a website for his initiative.  
But the millennial empire is now over and trademark law has begun its triumphal march. The publisher of the daily newspaper, Wolfgang Fellner, also considers Böck's proposal to be an insult to the intelligence of the readers. It is downright absurd to assume that his tabloid-oriented daily newspaper can be confused with a state medium.

Profilwerk is expanding its marketing and communications services. Since August 2006, the network has been strengthened by Rachel Uster. The business economist comes from the client side and takes over the areas of text, concept and consulting. At the same time, Christoph Rüdt is expanding the area of PR and promotion and concentrating more on the promotion of shows and stage events. Profilwerk, founded in April 2000, has continuously expanded its range of services and is now the contact for text, concept, visual design, web design, signage solutions as well as PR and promotion. Profilwerk's web presence is also new.

Swiss television SF is creating a new series slot. From October 30, 2006, the popular "Friends" can be seen from Monday to Friday at 7.25 p.m. on SF zwei. This means that "SF Börse", the "Tagesschau" main edition and the subsequent "Meteo" program can be seen exclusively on SF 1 every day. With this program renewal, SF will no longer broadcast the three information programs in parallel. For the audience of SF 2, this means: from 5 p.m., continuous series entertainment until the main evening. The change is a further step in the implementation of the SF strategy "two programs on two channels", as the company reports.