Daniel Meierhans, the former editor-in-chief of the ICT trade magazine InfoWeek, has launched Inhalte.ch, a new contact point for content from the fields of ICT (information and communication technology) and science. The offer ranges from journalistic work, ghostwriting and communication consulting to moderation and presentations. The aim of Inhalte.ch is to grow into an actual content agency over time, explains Meierhans. For this reason, the range of services will be continuously expanded in the coming months through networking with other qualified ICT and science journalists.

After the summer break is before the end of the year - click prices for Google AdWords rose again in September for the first time since June. The number of advertising spaces booked also increased and reached the same level as in spring. For Angelink yourposition, this is an indication that the year-end spurt has begun. In September, the consumer electronics and advertising and communications sectors invested heavily in this advertising medium. In the consumer electronics sector, click prices rose by almost 40 percent and the number of advertising spaces also increased by 20 points. The tourism industry is challenged in a different way: Because in September, three-quarters of the ads booked came from abroad.
The monthly Swiss Adex published by Angelink yourposition measures how search engine marketing with Google AdWords is developing in Switzerland. All prices are based on the click prices that Google offers potential advertising customers online.

Justice Minister Christoph Blocher does not want to take legal action against the French-speaking Swiss television station TSR and the caricatures in the program "Infrarouge". However, he will no longer appear in such programs, his spokesman Livio Zanolari told SDA on Tuesday. Blocher had taken offense at the caricatures by Philippe Becquelin, which illustrated his statements on the Asylum and Foreign Nationals Act (see
). They were produced and shown during the interview with Blocher. Switzerland now also had its cartoon controversy and Switzerland its laughing stock due to the overreaction of Mr. and Mrs. Blocher. Blocher had actually demanded that the program be changed (see ). No more caricatures and pictures Blocher will not be appealing to the Independent Complaints Authority (UBI) or the Press Council either. Moreover, they would have little chance of success: only if the caricatures had been defamatory or offensive would these bodies have become involved. Blocher and his wife had denounced the cartoons as strongly xenophobic. This had created the impression that this xenophobic content was in line with Blocher's attitude. According to Zanolari, it was incorrect for Blocher's statements to be manipulated by images. Blocher will therefore no longer take part in broadcasts in which his statements are accompanied by xenophobic images or caricatures.

Sony Ericsson presents itself in a new look for its fifth anniversary. The green company logo takes center stage. In future, this will be framed by a short, concise message in a brightly colored environment. The focus is on emotions that cell phone users can have and thus on creating a relationship with the viewer. Sony Ericsson wants to set itself apart from other manufacturers, as the German industry magazine Werben & Verkaufen reports. The message always begins with the "I" - followed by the logo - and finally a message that relates to something that the individual person loves, appreciates or is passionate about. The new identity developed by the international brand agency Wolff Olins will be introduced from October 2006. The campaign was developed by Sony Ericsson's new lead agency, Saatchi & Saatchi in London.

On October 15, 2006, blind and visually impaired people will join forces with sighted people to produce a special broadcast to mark "White Cane Day". The project by Verein Klipp Klang Radiokurse is called Radio Blindbild and takes place on Toxic.fm in St. Gallen, Radio X in Basel, LoRa in Zurich, RaBe in Bern and Kanal K in Aarau. 22 blind and visually impaired people are involved in the Radio Blindbild project. Their special program includes cultural contributions and personal reports, but also concrete tips for sighted people on how to deal with their blind or visually impaired fellow human beings. Radio Blindbild aims to improve the integration of blind and visually impaired people into society by expanding their opportunities for expression and improving their career prospects on the radio, according to a press release. In the fall of 2006, a pilot group was trained in a specially designed basic course in radio journalism. Based on this experience, Klipp & Klang will open its regular course offerings to blind and visually impaired radio producers in 2007.
The project is supported by the Federal Office for the Equality of Persons with Disabilities, various cantons and the major Swiss organizations for the blind. Radio Blind Power, a web radio station run by blind and visually impaired young people, is an important cooperation partner.
The white cane symbolically draws attention to the fact that a person is blind or visually impaired. It gives blind and visually impaired pedestrians the right of way in road traffic, both next to and on the pedestrian crossing. On International White Cane Day, a joint campaign with the Swiss Council for Accident Prevention (BFU) will show what the white cane means.

The online dating portal Swissfriends.ch wants to boost its profile in German-speaking Switzerland with a stronger presence. The company wants to achieve its goal with a poster and TV campaign, for which real users of the portal have posed as models. The casting, which was advertised on the company's own website, attracted 250 applications within a very short time. 15 of them can now be seen on posters around Zurich and in TV spots on SF1, SF2 and RTLII. 
In the campaign, the company, in which Edipresse also holds a stake, relies on user testimonials that reveal expectations and experiences in connection with the dating platform. Lausanne-based creative agency Didwedo is responsible for the poster campaign. The TV spots were realized by Element P, the film production company based in Biel. The advertising mix is also supported by online ads. Currently, around 90,000 people use the only quadrilingual online dating platform in Switzerland, according to a statement.

The Swiss Milk Producers' Organization SMP has a new website. From now on, the famous advertising cow Lovely will also be dancing through the web in video animation, providing a wealth of information about milk and the SMP. She also presents nutritional information, recipes and aids for milk producers as well as articles and games. The SMP has been online with Lovely since 1996. Recently, however, the dairy cow's website has become easier to navigate, according to a press release. In addition to the new and clearer navigation, an efficient, user-friendly search engine should help users find what they are looking for. The website receives around one million visitors a year. The TV commercials with the black and white cow were downloaded around 350,000 times in 2005. The Ruf Lanz agency has been managing the campaign since August 2006 (see
).

The Eastern European market is a growth market. At the beginning of October, Edipresse Romania supplements the celebrity title Viva! with a three-times-a-year publication Viva! Biografii. This presents biographies of Romanian celebrities and international stars and starlets. The biographies were selected in advance by the readers of the Viva.ro website. The magazine is published in an initial print run of 30,000 copies and is aimed at well-educated men and women aged 25 to 45 living in the city, who have a good income and want to be inspired by lifestyle. A DVD is also distributed together with the magazine. The launch will take the form of a large-scale event. The campaign includes advertisements, radio spots, online and POS measures. Edipresse Romania is a joint venture between the French-speaking Swiss publishing house Edipresse and Axel Springer and already publishes 15 magazines in Romania.

Until now, you got on TV or got a job with a casting show, and that was fine. But in the future, you can also apply for a trip into space - at least in Great Britain. There, the Virgin group of companies owned by British billionaire Richard Branson is planning a commercial space project called Virgin Galactic, which aims to usher in commercial space tourism in 2009. What could be more natural than to recoup some of the resulting costs with a casting show for the future astronaut or astronauts? As the British newspaper The Guardian reported, negotiations about the astronaut casting "Astronaut Idol" are underway with the BBC and with the private broadcaster ITV. According to the setting, the final selection will be made between six candidates, who can come from all over the world. The spacecraft should be ready in the second half of 2007. If further funds have to be raised, an additional show from the spaceship could be realized after the launch, following the BigBrother model, says Werbewoche.

In flagranti, one of the leading advertising agencies in the canton of Bern, is promoting a PostFinance campaign featuring autumnal motifs. From October through December, individual customers will receive double the interest on every franc deposited into a savings account. The promotion is being carried out through print ads, on e-boards at major train stations, via an online campaign, direct mail, and flyers and posters at post offices.

Revenues from the sale of fan merchandise and income from license fees are constantly increasing. Business is booming most in football, and of course every major event has to have its own mascot. The latest addition is the official mascots for the UEFA European Football Championship EURO 08, which have been known since September 27: There will be two mascots because the games are being held in Austria and Switzerland. And: They come from Warner Brothers. What is not known, however, is the name of the football-themed characters, who, according to UEFA, are not there for the money, but for the advertising and communication of EURO 08. At the last European Championship in Portugal, however, the marketing of commercial rights generated a sum of 180 million euros. Be that as it may: In order for the two little guys to sneak into the hearts of the public, McDonalds in Switzerland and Austria and the EURO 08 website are looking for the right names until October 8, 2006: Votes can be cast between "Zagi and Zigi", "Flitz and Blitz" and "Trix and Flix".
Imaginary characters and names were deliberately chosen, they say. But perhaps it would have been better to involve a local communications agency in the naming process. Because the suggestion of "Zigi" (Swiss abbreviation for cigarette) seems more than unsuccessful with regard to the protection of minors at major sporting events.

The agency D'sign Bringold & Cueni, based in Biel-Benken, has given the biscuit company Wernli a redesign. The decisive factor for this step was the desire to modernize the brand image of the over 100-year-old company and make it more international.
 
The redesign encompassed all levels of design, from the logo to the product packaging and
to the sales folders. According to a press release, the new Wernli logo is intended to radiate more conciseness. The traditional "Petit Beurre" biscuit shape has been retained, but it is now characterized by three-dimensional depth and has the appearance of an elegant enamel sign. The word mark in the logo has been joined by the Swiss cross and the statement "Tradition Suisse". This is intended to emphasize Swissness.
 
When designing the packaging for the more than 25 products, D'sign Bringold & Cueni concentrated on refreshing the Wernli corporate colors and color gradients. A soft wave in red against a beige textured background lends the appearance a lively elegance. Embedded in the wavy shape, the biscuits stand out as teasers. The redesign was rounded off with sales folders that present the company, its range in standard pack sizes and the "travel-friendly" pocket line.