In future, Ryanair passengers will not only be courted in the normal way. Soon they will also see advertisements on the back of their seats. As the news agency SDA reported on Wednesday, the advertising is intended to further reduce Ryanair's flight prices. However, it remains to be seen whether the advertising message will burn itself into the minds of passengers as intended or whether it is too much of a good thing. The Zurich-based marketing agency InviseoMedia, which has signed a five-year contract with the Irish company, is responsible for the measure. The airline wants to increase its passenger numbers from 42 to 70 million per year by 2012.

  Advertising market The advertising month of August increased by 10% compared to the previous year. The cumulative increase in 2006 was 6.4%. Internet (+33%) and the print media were up 10 percent and more on the previous year. Television (+5.7%), radio (+5.1%), posters (+3.2) and teletext (+0.8%) also increased. Only cinema advertising recorded a decline of -36.6%, with the following key markets posting the strongest gains: Energy (+71%), Clothing (+66%), Cosmetics/Toiletries (+31%), Vehicles (+25%) and Finance (+18%). Tobacco products (-37%) and transportation (-28%), among others, invested less.
 
 

Pierre Buntschu, deputy editor-in-chief of the daily newspapers 24 Heures and La Tribune de Genève, is to leave the French-speaking Swiss publishing house Edipresse at the end of the year, the company announced on Wednesday. Buntschu is leaving the company to set up his own consulting firm in the field of media, marketing and communication. He worked for Edipresse for six years and was a member of the Executive Board. Among other things, he was responsible for adapting the advertising offer of the daily newspaper Le Matin in tabloid format.

The Basel-based advertising agency Mrg has outgrown its old homepage. The new site is no longer so playful, but focuses on content and important facts about the agency, according to a press release. In addition, the new page offers a glimpse into the soul of Mrg, as the entire team is represented with a photo and a personal text. The current work is also presented in an emotional way. Special emphasis was placed on simple navigation and a clear design of the page. With 39 employees and 60 mandates, Mrg is one of the medium-sized agencies in Switzerland. Over the past three years, consulting and creative services have been continuously expanded. New clients have also been steadily acquired. The polygraphic department and the packaging design unit have also been completely restructured.

Effective immediately, 1,677,884 households in German-speaking Switzerland can receive the new Swiss private station 3+. Since the start of broadcasting on August 31, 3+ has increased its reach from 75 percent to over 82 percent. By the end of the year, the channel's penetration on the German-speaking Swiss networks should be around 85 percent, the company announced on Wednesday. This reach would be comparable to the Swiss advertising windows of German private stations. From October 3, the 3+ program will also be receivable digitally via Cablecom. In Switzerland, 90 percent of households receive the channels via cable, the remaining 10 percent terrestrially and via satellite. At the screen-up in Zurich, broadcasting director Dominik Kaiser also announced that 3+ had already captured an average market share of 2 percent. Previously, 1.4 percent had been expected. This means that the new Swiss channel already has a higher market share than Super RTL. Kaiser also revealed that the company had entered into a partnership with 20 Minuten and that he planned to launch a second channel as early as next year.
When it comes to advertising, 3+ is very open, Kaiser further emphasized at the screen-up. "We are open to product placement," Kaiser said. He also provided insight into the ownership situation, which has not yet been fully clarified. In addition to the 89 percent of shares he holds himself and has financed with private loans, program director Torsten Prenter owns ten percent. One percent is also held by TV producer Martin Schäfer, Kaiser told Kleinreport.

Program magazine Wyler Werbung uses playful ideas to promote the image of the TV magazine Tele. 
The brief for the new Tele campaign was not to boost circulation, but simply to show presence once again. "Tele is a product without problems," explains Ruedi Wyler. His agency won the coveted budget from Ringier in a pitch. The campaign now underway aims to communicate that the program guide Tele offers more than just a TV timetable. Around 40 percent of the content is presented as a magazine section with topics relating to cinema, media and gossip from these worlds. These should evoke sympathy in the viewer. However, the stories are not told to the end, but want viewers "to be able to project a little imagination into the subject themselves". In other words, viewers can form their own ideas as to why the supernatural darling ET wants to make contact with TV figurehead Viola Tami. What is goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler shouting at the angry dinosaur? The montage with King Kong and the two singers should simply be a pleasure to watch - which, of course, immediately brings to mind "The Three Tenors".
Wyler would have liked to be a little more "politically incorrect" in his creations. In a campaign for the TV guide TV täglich, he once invented stories such as "Pamela Anderson gives up the shirt off her back just to get on the front page of TV täglich."
However, the figures and celebrities depicted in this campaign would hardly have allowed any more cheeky stories. It was "struggle enough" for Wyler to win over a celebrity like ET for his project in the first place. It took more than 27 phone calls to the afterlife or to the owner of the character rights. ET set the condition that he must not look too sexy under any circumstances. A contract also had to specify exactly how long a poster with ET as an advertising assistant for Tele could hang.
Warned by such regulations, Wyler did not even seek personal contact with King Kong. An anonymous ape can evoke the same associations in the viewer.
The real human celebrities were easier to look after. Advertising for Tele is ultimately a give and take for such popular stars. "But everyone was approached," assures Wyler. Inspired by Hitchcock, he even snuck himself into an advertisement. Because Frankenstein also showed a certain reluctance to appear as an advertising figure, Wyler had to make a few retouches to the original. The professor from the horror film can now be seen in a Wyler smock and has had to undergo a few cosmetic operations himself.
All in all, these picture stories, which are to be read "not as photomontages but as photos in relation", are intended to provide entertainment similar to that promised by Tele. The series can be continued at will and will be placed in all Ringier titles, but also in Annabelle, Magazin, Facts and others.   
Andreas Panzeri 

   Tea Ruf Lanz has been advertising the venerable Hotel Dolder Waldhaus in Zurich since 2004. The hook is always the tea specialties. The "Prince of Wales tea" motif springs to mind. The teacup had two handles that stuck out like the ears of the heir to the British throne. Now Ruf Lanz's creative kitchen is serving up another theme. It focuses on the current game season and again plays with the cup in a surprising way. Here, the cup is placed on the saucer in such a way that it is strikingly reminiscent of a hunter's hat. This is because the Hotel Dolder Waldhaus serves herbal teas during the hunting season.

The Lucerne-based communication and design agency Planet won the pitch against four competitors and was commissioned by AHV Lucerne to develop a new trade fair concept. The new implementation is to be used for the first time at the "LUGA" experience fair in Central Switzerland, as detailed in a press release.

Jürg Brechbühl, who has switched careers, discusses the reasons why, as CD at Contexta, he might want to step back from advertising and pursue a new career path.  
WW: After a successful career at Advico Young & Rubicam, Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett, and now three years as Creative Director at Contexta, you’re stepping away from advertising. What’s next? Jürg Brechbühl: I’m taking a break until Christmas. Time to reorient myself. I want to fulfill a few wishes. For example, taking an Italian course in Ravenna.WW: Your departure came as a surprise. Now you can speak with a certain degree of freedom. What’s going wrong in advertising?Jürg Brechbühl: That can’t be summed up in a single sentence. I’m not really in the mood for that either. I’m curious about the next three months. I’m in my early 50s now—an age where I might be able to chart a new course for the last time. I don’t feel like I need to settle scores with advertising right now. WW: So you haven’t completely had enough of advertising? Jürg Brechbühl: It’s not that I’m absolutely fed up with advertising. The industry remains exciting. But a lot has changed in the last nine years, since I switched to advertising as a career changer after 20 years in the classroom. WW: What has changed? Jürg Brechbühl: Advertising has lost its social significance. It’s not considered very relevant anymore. People used to publicly discuss whether an ad was good or bad—it would get people worked up. Today, advertising isn’t even a topic of conversation among non-advertisers. In the past, advertising films often inspired major feature films in theaters. Today, commercial filmmakers copy new ideas from feature films. Advertising no longer sets trends. That happens in the new arts and on the internet—but hardly ever in advertising anymore. WW: Where has the passion gone? Jürg Brechbühl: Not everything has changed for the worse, of course. I also have to say: I’ve naturally changed along with it. It’s always a two-way street. But Cary Steinmann is right when he said, upon leaving the industry, that the fun factor had been lost a bit. When I started out in the «90s, we were able to work with more leisure, time, and enjoyment. What worries me is that, despite taking a tougher approach, advertising hasn’t actually gotten any better. In recent years, we’ve been treading water and settling for a certain level of mediocrity. WW: You were able to write copy at the highest level right from the start. What are some fond memories from that time? Jürg Brechbühl: It was great for me that, even at an advanced age, I was really able to learn a new profession from scratch. That was exciting. Back then, too, I hadn’t had enough of high school. But I saw a new opportunity in advertising—and I had to seize it. It’s better to step away from a career while you still have the desire to do it than to just let yourself drift into burnout. I don’t feel burned out yet. Once you’re burned out, it’s always too late. There are people who say, »Too bad, he’s quitting.« But maybe in three years people will be saying, »When is he finally going to leave? He’s not cutting it anymore.« WW: What are you already struggling with? Jürg Brechbühl: In our industry, you often work in a vacuum or a somewhat artificial environment. My wife is a goldsmith. In my eyes, she has a great job. She creates things with her hands. The very next day, a customer finds the piece of jewelry beautiful. And that’s not always the case in advertising. Sometimes you come home in the evening and have no idea what you did during the day. Although that might be a bit of an exaggeration. WW: What did your wife say about you leaving the industry? Jürg Brechbühl: I always have her full support. WW: What are your plans starting at Christmas? Jürg Brechbühl: Nothing’s clear yet. The next three months are meant to be a time of discovery: Will I stay in the communications industry, or do I want to return to my roots as a teacher? At most, it could also be an interesting combination of both worlds as a lecturer at Sawi or at a school of arts and crafts. I can also imagine doing something in the educational-social sector. WW: What motivated you to get into advertising back then? Jürg Brechbühl: It was a childhood dream of mine. Even as a 16-year-old, I wanted to become a copywriter. But back in the »60s, no one in that industry was waiting for us. So I became a teacher first, and I really enjoyed it. WW: These days, many people go through several careers. Why did your fascination with advertising fade? Jürg Brechbühl: Is it because I’ve lived out that dream? A little bit, yes. It’s like with many dreams—everyday business comes into play. That’s often tougher than you’d expect. We’re an industry where money has to be made. It has to be profitable, and sometimes the human aspect gets pushed to the side. WW: You’re considering a career in the social sector. Do you also want to examine advertising from an ethical perspective? Jürg Brechbühl: More like finding a greater sense of purpose in life. You can’t ethically scrutinize advertising if you’ve worked in the field for so long. Otherwise, something would have gone wrong. But perhaps there’s a more lasting sense of purpose in working with young people, for example, than in creating a great campaign. WW: As a teacher at Sawi, could you guide young people in the right direction?Jürg Brechbühl: One could try. WW: Why did you leave Contexta? Jürg Brechbühl: It just happened that way. My three years at Contexta were very good and exciting for me. We celebrated major successes not only with “Beck & Bondi.” A team has really grown there. Contexta is a large agency, and I think it’s absolutely right that younger people get their chance, too. WW: To what extent have clients contributed to your disappointment in advertising? Jürg Brechbühl: It’s too easy to say the clients are to blame. But you increasingly sense the mentality: “He who pays the piper calls the tune.” Economic pressure is leading clients to interfere more and more in the creative process. They write their own headlines and want to choose the photos themselves. Mistrust has clearly increased. Many clients feel that the agency is trying to talk them into something under the guise of “creativity.” For me, Migros and Swisscom are the positive exceptions—large corporations in Switzerland that still have the courage to invest in good advertising. WW: The famous 50 percent that’s thrown out the window… Jürg Brechbühl: Creativity continues to be pitted against market impact. Yet it has been proven time and again that creative advertising can actually sell better. Nevertheless, these prejudices persist, and clients prefer mediocre advertising. Klar: When they invest in it under significant financial pressure, the impact is inevitable. It’s also become harder to reach decision-makers in this field. There are more and more people involved in the decision-making process, but they’re also very afraid. The economic situation is such that many people have to worry about their jobs. They don’t want to make a mistake under any circumstances. And you certainly don’t make a mistake if you opt for the status quo. This has been extremely evident over the past three years. WW: Have you grown tired of fighting? Jürg Brechbühl: It would be far too easy to blame clients alone for bad advertising. Most agencies, too, no longer really fight for their creative ideas the way they used to—for the same reasons. There have been many new agencies, but the pie hasn’t gotten any bigger. The economic pressure on agencies has actually increased. Back in the ’90s, you could still turn away a client who lacked an understanding of creativity. An agency with 40 people can’t afford to do that anymore and often has to fulfill strange requests. Today, well-known agencies are producing commercials they would have been ashamed of in the past. But this isn’t just the case in advertising. WW: What are some good memories? Jürg Brechbühl: There were more good moments than bad ones. It was great when we could really bring a good campaign to life—make a film that resonated with the audience. Even more than recognition from the ADC, I was delighted by positive feedback from people outside the industry. That happened to us several times at “Beck & Bondi.” WW: What advice would you give to young advertising professionals? Jürg Brechbühl: Look to the best for inspiration. Interview: Andreas Panzeri

In May last year, Ringier added a magazine to its SonntagsBlick that has since replaced the previous magazine supplement. The magazine's creators claimed to offer "straightforward journalism", a claim that was more likely to puzzle the wider public than raise expectations. Almost a year and a half after the launch of the magazine, which is intended to be received as a veritable magazine and not merely as a supplement, it will undergo a slight overhaul on October 1. Essentially, the aim is to bring the lavishly designed magazine, which is dominated by large-format photo reports, closer to its parent paper SonntagsBlick.
SoBli editor-in-chief Christoph Grenacher does not want to talk about a relaunch. "She and He will be slightly revised," he says. The most noticeable change is on the front page. "From now on, we will be working with pictures on the front that fall off the edges," says Grenacher. The logo of the parent newspaper SonntagsBlick is also emblazoned in the top left-hand corner to avoid any misunderstandings.
Essentially, the creators have optimized the reader guidance with additional service elements. According to Grenacher, the magazine is now "more compact and easier to read". The format has not been changed. The size also remains the same at 64 pages. "We still see ourselves as an illustrated magazine, with many small service articles alongside the large picture-dominated sections," he says.
The magazine is divided into two sections. One of these is a new section called Enjoy. It covers lifestyle topics, fashion, beauty, design, travel, food and drink. The other section is dedicated to culture. Next to it are the components of a magazine with small-scale elements. "We hope that we will succeed in positioning Sie und Er even better in the reader and advertising market," says Grenacher. He also wants to communicate this more aggressively.    
 
René Worni

  Placements A man should still understand the world - or at least the SonntagsBlick. "Hotly sought after in Switzerland" is the headline in an ad featuring Xenia Tchoumitcheva for Suzuki. "Who wants me?" asks the desperate Swiss runner-up in the same newspaper in an article about her six-month ordeal as a single woman. "Xenia" for 93.75 francs instead of 125 is offered for the third time in the same SoBli, a hair's breadth away on the next page. However, this "Xenia" turns out to be a "floor lamp, matt nickel" with a 25 percent discount at Micasa. Which means that at least this lamp could shed some light on the unknown market value of the versatile Xenia.  
Andreas Panzeri  

In a cross-media campaign for Migros, major distributor Publicis shows which are the favorite products of the Swiss. 
Children want farmers and parents want syrup. This is the result of a large-scale survey on the purchasing habits of Migros customers. In June, the wholesaler launched a competition with the question "And what is your favorite product?". Customers chose their favorite product from the entire range and could win attractive prizes by taking part. The campaign will run until the end of November, but with over 200,000 visitors to the competition site already, "it's time to take stock," says Beat Mühlemann, Head of Marketing Communications at the Federation of Migros Cooperatives. For example, teenagers and 90-year-olds have the same favorite product: energy drinks. Unexpectedly, two thirds of all syrup lovers are adults, most of them without children. And what could be an interesting hint for singles: Bald men and blondes like to meet in front of the yogurt rack and reach for the same mocha cup. Carpenters also like yogurt, albeit the Excellence brand. Politicians like to spoon up Actilife Breakfast, and virgins with the zodiac sign Virgo crave Bifidus.
The orange giant knows all of this thanks to the evaluation of more than 100,000 participation cards and online questionnaires to date. And Big Dealer knows a lot more. Some of these findings are now being communicated by Publicis in a new TV commercial from Condor and in a new print and POS wave. Further favorite results can be found on
can be viewed. The Migros magazine also reveals interesting stories and connections between customer segments and products in each issue. Migros will reveal more about the deeper intentions of this survey and further background to the campaign at a later stage, but for the time being the question will be asked until November 30: "And what is your favorite product?" Until the end of the survey, 10 full shopping carts can still be won every week on the Migros website. With a little luck, those who compete for the main prize will be able to shop for free for 1 year with a total value of CHF 20,000.
 
Andreas Panzeri