Press Relations with BaZ tenant Publicitas are clouded on many fronts: Basler Zeitung Medien's annual report is a source of controversy. 
The Basler Zeitung Medien (BZM) group of companies, which closes its financial year at the end of June, reported a net profit of CHF 4.3 million for 2005/2006 (plus CHF 62.9%). At the same time, however, Group turnover fell from CHF 276.2 million to CHF 272.0 million. The increase in earnings was primarily due to savings of CHF 12.7 million and the sale of unprofitable areas. For example, BZM disposed of the TV production company Allcomm in the 2005/2006 financial year, while sales also fell in most of the eight traditional divisions. "Mainly due to the decline in advertising and the unfavorable margin development in the printing sector," explains publisher Matthias Hagemann. The parent company Basler Zeitung (BaZ) generated two million francs less than in the previous year, the Baslerstab's turnover fell from 27.7 to 25.7 million francs and at Birkhäuser + GBC (commercial printing), revenue even fell by 6.7 million to 68.6 million francs.
The Prepress division, local newspapers and the distribution company Prevag suffered only slight losses. In contrast, the company Birkhäuser + GBC Spezialprodukte (+ 1.3 million francs) and Radio Basel 1 (+ 10 percent) generated higher sales.
The profits that the Group has reported since the turnaround three years ago are primarily based on savings. Publisher Hagemann also knows that this is not sustainable. "The savings are sustainable in themselves; we have aligned our structures to the current level of income. But of course we are aiming for sales growth. That's why we've done a lot to generate profitable additional revenue," he says. Radio Basel 1 has already achieved this. The station has been in the black since the beginning of the current financial year, says Hagemann.
BZM has also initiated sales-boosting measures at BaZ: a large print run for the Basel region has recently been published and the editorial team has been significantly expanded. According to Hagemann, BZM is investing a single-digit million amount for both. These measures are apparently beginning to bear fruit: advertising revenues are already above budget. If the economy continues, the investments may be covered in the first year, says the BaZ publisher.
Key Media forges aheadThe BZM subsidiary Key Media, which is only one and a half years old, is also boosting revenue: In its first full financial year, it already contributed 13.5 million and even generated a profit of an undisclosed amount.
Key Media is an interesting entity. According to the official BZM version, it is primarily intended to boost the cross-media business among the BZM media. In reality, however, it also brokers BaZ on its own, i.e. in competition with its tenant Publicitas. It also brokers other domestic and foreign titles. Above all, however, it has a number of exclusive clients.
BZM founded Key Media because of the customer base of the current BaZ publishing director Roland Steffen: He came from the Publicitas branch in Aarau and brought several major clients with him. This is probably a thorn in the side of BaZ tenant PubliGroupe, which holds a 37 percent stake in BZM. "With Key Media, we have created a legal vehicle for Mr. Steffen's clientele, which came in handy in that we can use it to motivate Publicitas Basel to provide greater services," admits Matthias Hagemann.
The publisher cannot say how much turnover Key Media generated for BaZ. But one thing is certain: The turnover of 134.1 million francs reported by the BaZ parent company only includes the lower P turnover and the likewise declining turnover from newspaper printing, but not the share from the Key Media acquisitions. It is therefore possible that BaZ advertising revenue has not suffered as much as it appears at first glance. Hagemann confirms: "Thanks to the efforts of Key Media for BaZ, we have managed to offset part of the decline in advertising sales at the parent company."
P on many frontsBZM is also at loggerheads with P over the Mittelland Zeitung, which has gained a foothold in the Basel region thanks to its cooperation with the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung (bz). After all, P has a stake in two of the five MZ publishers and is also a tenant of the association. It is also the director of the bz. "This put the P in a conflict of interest: how should it manage the MZ, the bz and our large circulation in Liestal at the same time?" asks Hagemann.
In addition, the Basel, Aarau, Olten and Solothurn branches are all managed internally at P by Moreno Cavaliere, the director of P Basel. "We are in constructive talks with P to find a solution to this problem," says Hagemann. He does not want to say what the solution should look like.
Essentially, two approaches are conceivable: Either P changes its structures in the Northwestern Switzerland-Mittelland region or BaZ withdraws from the lease. Or both. Publisher Hagemann refrains from commenting on this. But Werbewoche knows from an internal source at P: changes to the structures have been initiated. These are to be communicated soon. However, BZM did not want to wait that long in view of the new situation in Liestal. "We market our large circulation in Liestal ourselves," says Hagemann.
In fact, BZM has opened an office there - interestingly, not a branch of Key Media, but of BaZ-Verlag. This means that BaZ is marketed by three players at once.

TelevisionAs soon as the BZM
sold the TV production company Allcomm, she was already flirting with the now defunct Basel TV station NW1. How does this fit together? Allcomm was not part of BZM's defined core business and was also not profitable, which is why it was sold, says Matthias Hagemann. A local TV station, on the other hand, would definitely be part of the core business. If BZM had been able to retain the previous concession for NW1, which provided for a program that was renewed every week, the Group would have been able to operate the station. "We would have simply based our program expansion on revenue," says Hagemann. However, the impression was gained that Bakom expected a major publisher to broadcast daily news programs - which is why BZM ultimately decided against it.
Sunday editionThe Mittelland Zeitung
is known to be considering a Sunday edition along the lines of Südostschweiz. This would also have consequences for BaZ, as this edition would hardly leave the Basel region and Basel in particular behind. "If MZ actually launches a seventh edition, BZM will react appropriately," says Matthias Hagemann. He does not believe in launching his own paid Sunday edition - at least not on his own. However, he does not see any potential partners, "since we are in direct competition with MZ". However, he is thinking aloud about launching a free Sunday newspaper, as the Badische Zeitung has been doing for some time. "If you want to hurt someone brutally on Sunday, then it's a free newspaper," says the publisher.
Markus Knöpfli

Rundum, the center for outpatient surgery, opened in Baden-Dättwil in September. The Zurich agency Startbahnwest developed the name, logo and the entire appearance - which ranges from stationery to give-aways. For the opening, advertisements were placed for the open day and invitations were sent out. Rundum is also supported by Startbahnwest for other projects. The center is not only located in a round tower, various surgeons also work at Rundum, which allows them to provide patients with a wide range of treatments. Dr. Christian Hort, a specialist in plastic, reconstructive and aesthetic surgery as well as hand surgery, has his practice in the Rundum. He will perform all outpatient operations at the center. However, the operating theater is also available to other doctors from the region, as detailed in a press release.

On October 3, a new newspaper, so to speak, appeared on Lake Zurich and in the Zurich Oberland and Unterland. Under the title Zürcher Landzeitung, the three papers Zürichsee Zeitung, Zürcher Oberländer and Zürcher Unterländer took the decades-old idea of a united rural newspaper seriously. A joint editorial team of ten produces daily content for the Zurich, national, foreign, business and culture sections as well as for the last page. The merger is linked to the Tages-Anzeiger's regional offensive, which starts on November 6. The editorial office is located in Stäfa, at the headquarters of the Zürichsee Zeitung.
By merging the national departments of the three newspapers into a single editorial team, the creators are hoping for more power in the regional departments. This is not possible without considerable coordination effort. For this reason, separate teams of journalists have been created in the home editorial offices to deal specifically with the regionalization of topics. The key figure seems to be the editor on duty in the main editorial office. He holds three conferences a day with the home editorial offices and should not lose sight of the overview of national and regional topics.
In the Zürcher Landzeitung, the three newspapers, namely the editors-in-chief, are also relinquishing certain powers. "We are taking the freedom to shape the newspaper independently in day-to-day business," says Michael Schönenberger, the new head of the editorial team.
René Worni

Football No, a person in charge of Euro 08 can't be that stupid not to have noticed what is popularly understood by the word "Zigi". Since the organizers of the European Championship must have realized that the name "Zigi" is absolutely unsportsmanlike and therefore unsuitable for a competition in which the sporting youth is allowed to determine the naming for a mascot, it must therefore be assumed: The suspicions are correct that the cigarette industry is a secret sponsor of "Zigi" because it can use it to cleverly dribble out existing advertising bans.
The heroin dealers have also tried this foul play to seduce young people in the past with the name "Fix". Which is why the owners of the Fix & Foxi character rights are now having a plagiarism lawsuit investigated.
But there is also trouble for some advertisers. Reinhold Weber ("provincial manoeuvre"), Frank Baumann ("interchangeable"), Frank Bodin ("forgot the simplest clarifications") have made a name for themselves in the media with harsh criticism of "Zigi" and thus used Euro 08 to advertise themselves without permission - and without being officially recognized sponsors.
 
Andreas Panzeri

The deadline for the four-country competition has been extended until Friday, October 13, 2006. The organizers have decided to give creatives, agencies, recording studios and clients an extra week to submit their radio spots, jingles and corporate audio concepts, according to the press release. Entries will be judged on the basis of idea, implementation and media appropriateness. The award ceremony will take place on October 26 (see ).

Insurance Ruf Lanz shows for Suva that even the best insurance cannot replace the loss of quality of life.Suva does everything it can to support its insured persons and companies in increasing safety at work and during leisure time. The new campaign for the SuvaRisk brand also appeals to personal responsibility. Everyone who works for a Suva-insured company for more than eight hours a week is automatically insured against non-occupational accidents. And in the event of an accident, they are paid the medical costs and daily allowance. However, Suva cannot compensate for the (temporary) loss of quality of life. It is therefore not worth taking unnecessary risks.
A new TV commercial and an advertising campaign by Ruf Lanz now dramatize this in a surprising way. "Suva is one of the insurance companies that doesn't want boring insurance advertising," says Markus Ruf happily. His team was therefore able to rely on humor in the print subjects as well as a somewhat more sophisticated visual language in the TV commercial. In it, a frail old lady sits on her seat in a streetcar. Suddenly she slowly struggles to her feet - a new passenger (who, cleverly, is not visible) has apparently been so badly battered after an accident that the lady, even in her old age, cannot help but offer her seat to the pitiable passenger. The resolution from off-screen: "An accident can ruin you terribly. Take care of yourself. Even if you are insured with Suva against accidents at work and in your free time."
The subtle commercial was shot by Markenfilm Switzerland and directed by the English-Norwegian directing duo Nic & Sune.
Advertisements were also designed to accompany the original TV commercial. These are intended to sensitize the audience with a striking visual exaggeration: For example, the backs of the heads of the people portrayed, who apparently had to lie in bed for a very long time after an accident, literally came out flat.
Andreas Panzeri

Generic advertising The Swiss Press Association is once again calling for entries to the Young Creative competition "Only an advertisement can do that". The Swiss Press Association's "Only an advertisement can do that" campaign is entering its fourth year in 2007. As last year, the twelve subjects are to be realized by young creative duos (born up to 1978) and a top-class jury will then select which advertisements will be placed in almost all publications in the country. In addition to the honor, interesting cash prizes will be awarded for the professional development of the winning ideas. The three best teams can also take part in the European final of the "BestYET" competition. The prize there is a trip to Cannes.
The Swiss press competition is being promoted this year by Matter & Gretener. For their subjects, the agency has styled legendary advertisers into icons in the style of holy pictures. Erik Vervroegen, Creative Director of TBWA/Paris, played along with a lot of fun with the idea. This agency has won the most lions in Cannes in the last four years.
The CD reveals his recipe for success for the next generation: "I've been doing advertising for twenty years now, and I've never had a good idea fall into my lap. There was always a lot of work involved, a lot of pain, a lot of starting over and starting again. And it takes a lot of strength not to lose the energy, the passion, maybe even the anger that it takes to create outstanding advertising."
Alex Bogusky from Crispin Porter + Bogusky and Marcello Serpa from AlmapBBDO want to provide similar encouragement in two other subjects. All three legends not only happily gave their consent to the campaign, but also sent a selection of photos "so that their canonization could be as convincing as possible", as Matter & Gretener reveals.
Andreas Panzeri

Food Organically produced goods are catching on with consumers in the USA. Whole Foods, which currently has 183 stores, is promoting the trend with innovative marketing methods. Customers say that shopping at Whole Foods is an experience: the apples are so polished that you recognize yourself in them, the cheese is lined up so appetizingly that you can hardly make up your mind, and sometimes the smell of freshly baked white bread wafts through the store. "Experiential marketing", where everything is based on the experience, combined with a holistic lifestyle strategy, is the basis for the success of the American supermarket chain Whole Foods, which is currently giving industry giants such as Wal-Mart and Safeway pause for thought.
"The company has created a mass market for organic products for the nutrition-conscious middle class in the USA," says Bernd Schmitt, marketing professor at New York's Columbia University. "And clearly with experiential marketing, such as focused lighting, through detailed, nutrition-oriented descriptions of the products and through the product range as such."
Even live music and a chocolate fountain into which customers can dip freshly washed fruit have been spotted in some stores. "Whole Foods is really about telling a story, about images, text and ideas that meet customers in their world," says Tim Girvin, brand consultant for international retail companies. "Everything is integrated into that holistic message." Since the end of last year, you can even buy eco-friendly clothing such as eco-jeans and recycled handbags.
The concept is successful: Whole Foods, with its 183 stores, has recorded an average annual growth spurt of around 20 percent in recent years. "The company has established itself in a market niche," says Robb Hecht, marketing professor at New York's Baruch College. "Everyone wants to jump on this wagon at the moment."
The success of Whole Foods is making industry giants, whose business has been stagnating for years, sit up and take notice. Wal-Mart, for example, recently introduced organic products in some stores in order to appeal to new sections of the population. In July, the group also launched an advertising campaign for organic food under the slogan "Introducing Organics at the Wal-Mart price" as part of a broad-based image campaign. The company wants to show that even the usually expensive organic products can be bought at reasonable prices.
Even Safeway, the largest supermarket chain in the US with 1775 stores, opened a "lifestyle store" in Boulder, Colorado, in February, offering not only organic food, but also sushi and freshly roasted nuts. Appetizingly prepared take-away meals are also sold, a strategy that Whole Foods has perfected, bringing in around ten percent of its sales. It remains to be seen how customers will react.
"I don't think Wal-Mart or Safeway will be able to copy the emotional experience character of Whole Foods' brand identity," believes Andreas Back, Partner at the marketing consulting company Prophet in Hamburg, who worked in the USA for several years and has become an avowed Whole Foods fan. "Their stores just don't exude that feel-good experience, they can only take a leaf out of their book."
Whole Foods spends relatively little money on advertising campaigns or even the coupons that are so popular in the USA. The advertising budget is usually less than one percent of its turnover. "Whole Foods doesn't need to play the discount game," says Hecht. "It's all about customer loyalty and word-of-mouth." This customer loyalty is also generated by the fact that Whole Foods mainly hires employees who are interested in the organic concept and are able to provide customers with expert advice.
In addition, the employees receive a higher salary than the minimum wage that is often customary in the industry - an aspect that has become an image problem for Wal-Mart in particular, but has triggered a positive reaction in the local media for Whole Foods. "The competition pays less attention to team building," says Hecht. "At Whole Foods, employees are given the feeling that there is no hierarchy, which creates this sense of camaraderie."
Jump to EuropeWhole Foods began in 1980 with a lone store in Austin, Texas, and was an instant hit with customers. Mackey was one of the co-founders. The company expanded nationwide over the years, often through acquisitions and mergers with smaller organic chains - a strategy that has now been applied internationally for the first time. Last year, Whole Foods ventured into Europe by acquiring the British luxury chain "Fresh & Wild". The company plans to open 75 new stores in the UK over the next few years.
For Mackey, the principle of environmental sustainability also includes cooperation with local companies. The recent initiative to stop selling live lobsters at Wohle Foods also made headlines. "All crustaceans, including lobsters and crabs, appear to have some degree of consciousness, sensitivity to pain and the ability to learn," reads a press release. Many suppliers keep the animals for weeks in overcrowded tanks, which does not meet Whole Foods' standards of "humane treatment". Conveniently, this is also good for the company's image.
"Whole Foods makes you feel like you're a good person when you shop there, and that's important to Americans," says PR consultant Christine Hohlbaum. "The concept of humane animal husbandry fits in perfectly with this."
Gerti Schön

   Lifestyle Was it a celebrity couple who were recently besieged by three paparazzi as they shopped their way through Zurich city center? According to the curious passers-by, yes - the names Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were clearly audible. There was also plenty of whispering and head-turning. Nevertheless, everything was completely different. The solution to the riddle was found in SI Style. It was not Hollywood celebrities, but actors who interpreted the Jung von Matt/Limmat advertising campaign with the claim "SI Style, the stuff of stars" live on the street for a promotion. The actors thus played the readers of Style in a true-to-life way.

Theater Publicis has filmed the difference between life and death for the Zurich Schauspielhaus - a dream job for any director: Patrick Senn from Condor was given the opportunity to turn all the clichés of high drama, or perhaps better melodrama - with suicide, manslaughter and happy endings - into an all-round blow about the whole of life. And in just a few seconds. The emotionally charged spot for the Zurich Schauspielhaus is based on an idea from Publicis. The advertisers took their cue from Oscar Wilde, who famously once said: "I love acting. It is so much more realistic than life." Markus Gut's team is now "bringing this statement to life" for the Zurich Schauspielhaus. Actors from director Matthias Hartmann's ensemble are involved. They interpret the core message of the commercial "Wie das Leben so spielt" in a variety of ways. Because life writes a new script every day, and in the theater you have the opportunity to experience it live and up close. In short: great cinema on the stage that means the world. The commercial is running in all arthouse cinemas and has been on air since the beginning of September.   
Andreas Panzeri

Publishing Gradual Software, a specialist in publishing automation software solutions, announces a partnership with Markzware, the developer of the FlightCheck range of preflighting software. The partnership is designed to seamlessly integrate Markzware's preflighting tools into Gradual's Switch product line and provide users with a high degree of efficiency in professional publishing through the combination of preflighting for various file formats and automation functions.

On October 1, the newly founded Zurich-based communications agency ZürichTokio commenced operations. The journey under the "Code" umbrella brand, which began in 1996 and has been paved with notable successes, has come to an end (see ). The newly founded agency now has its journey with ZürichTokio ahead of it, according to the communiqué. As agency owner Daniel Donati explains to Werbewoche, the name is based on a well thought-out concept: the journey itself. "Our entire presence is based on the idea of travel. There are various reasons for this: on the one hand, we are very cosmopolitan, we travel a lot and draw inspiration from all over the world. On the other hand, every creative process is ultimately a kind of journey; driven by curiosity, imagination and the desire to discover, always on the move, always searching for new paths, that is our goal," says Donati.
The agency employs 10 people and has a strong portfolio: clients include Manor, Daimler, Migros Kulturprozent, SF DRS and Club Q. In future, the agency intends to focus more on classic advertising in addition to its existing strengths of design and branding. The first successes will be seen shortly.