The Swiss monthly magazine ActiveLive will appear in a new look from the July issue. The magazine "without celebrity stories", as it is called in a communiqué, will have a light and airy layout. Bright colors will identify the eleven different sections and the texts will be richly illustrated. The magazine comprises around 100 pages and is divided into the sections Lifestyle, Society, Health, Culture, Holiday Travel, Nature, Science, Advice, This & That, Insights and Entertainment. According to the press release, ActiveLive is not just about providing information. Rather, the articles are intended to motivate people to actively and self-confidently shape their everyday lives. Regula Zellweger will take over as editor-in-chief in July 2006. The psychologist and author at the Beobachter book publishing house has previously written for ActiveLive as a freelancer. According to the press release, she is particularly interested in the new "Lifestyle" section. Topics relating to society, science and culture will gain in importance. ActiveLive is published with a circulation of around 40,000 copies and goes exclusively to subscribers.

The Zurich agency R.O.S.A is producing a Flash-based cinema spot for the Lucerne blues festival Blueballs. The spot will run from June 29 to July 15, 2006 in all cinemas in German-speaking Switzerland. R.O.S.A was founded in 1998 and realizes high-quality and innovative multi-channel productions.

The Neue Luzerner Zeitung's fundraising campaign to help people in need in Central Switzerland is transformed into a foundation. The campaign has already collected 10 million francs since 1996. In future, it will be run independently, but in the same form." Not only have donations for the so-called "Christmas campaign" increased in recent years, but the number of applications also rose by 200 to over 1,400 in 2005, writes the Neue Luzerner Zeitung in a press release. "The LZ Christmas campaign has become an institution in Central Switzerland that we definitely want to continue. For legal reasons, however, it makes sense. We want to separate the campaign from the company and transform it into an independent foundation," says Erwin Bachmann, Delegate of the Board of Directors of LZ Medien and new Chairman of the Foundation Board, explaining the transformation of the campaign.

The Küsnacht agency Unikat has been entrusted by Tamedia Stellenmarkt with the launch of Alpha.ch, the online counterpart to the printed job advertisement. It has developed a campaign that celebrates the power of words, as detailed in a press release. Unikat aims to build on the fact that job advertisements are mainly designed using typographic means. The headlines of the campaign in print and online are intended to emphasize Alpha's claim to leadership in the executive market. The design is closely based on the visual appearance of Alpha and Alpha.ch. Unikat is also in charge of the job exchange Jobwinner from Tamedia.

On July 1, 2006, Claudia Beyeler (37) will take over as Advertising Manager for German-speaking Switzerland at Weltwoche. She has been responsible for key account management at Jean Frey AG since April 2006. In this function, she has already familiarized herself with Weltwoche, according to a press release. Before joining Jean Frey, Claudia Beyeler worked as advertising manager at Finanz+Wirtschaft. She previously gained sales experience in the banking sector, including at UBS and Bank Vontobel.

The Zurich branding agency is to become KPMG's brand agency and a comprehensive collaboration has been agreed. The aim is to raise the profile and continuously develop the brand image, according to the press release. MetaDesign is now developing the various communication tools at company level. This includes the annual report, recruitment brochure and other print media. The brand should be perceived with the same quality at every point of experience - to improve perception and make the messages easier to understand.

The international advertising group Publicis is planning to become the number three in the industry. This was announced by Group CEO Maurice Lévy in an interview with the Financial Times Deutschland. The agency group currently occupies fourth place in the industry with an annual turnover of 4.2 billion euros, but has its sights firmly set on third place. At the top of the podium is currently Omincom, followed by WPP and the US company Interpublic with a turnover of 5 billion euros. Publicis is again expecting an increase in turnover of 5.5 to 6.5 percent this year. Since the takeover of Saatchi & Saatchi and the Leo Burnett Group, Publicis employs around 40,000 people in 104 countries. In terms of profit margins, Publicis currently leads with an operating margin of 15.7 percent, followed by Omnicom with 13 percent. According to Lévy, investments will be made in internal projects and small acquisitions in the near future. Due to the low fees, however, Publicis is also forced to apply the savings brake: With the internal Horizon program, around 70 million francs are to be saved by 2008 - by which time the company also wants to have overtaken its competitor Interpublic.

The Swiss Public Relations Institute (SPRI) is offering companies and organizations from the greater Zurich, Berne and Lucerne areas the opportunity to have detailed concepts developed by prospective PR specialists. The concept development is to take place during the PR specialist course and is planned for the period from October 2006 to March/April 2006/2007. The assignment may include a new homepage, an employee magazine, an open day or internal communication. The concepts will be developed in groups. Interested companies can register by August 4 using the registration form. During the development phase, they will provide access to information and a contact person. The client also offers an aperitif for the entire class at the concept presentation and pays a cost contribution of CHF 500 - there is no entitlement to the actual implementation of the project.

The former Chairman of Grey Switzerland, Stefan Vogler, joins the management consultancy Matrixs as an associated partner. The Zurich Seefeld-based company specializes in corporate development, logistics, M&A, succession planning and family businesses. Vogler founded the advertising agency Tischhauser & Vogler at the age of 23. The agency later changed its name to B,T&V and was incorporated into Grey Worldwide in 1997. Until the summer of 2005, Vogler headed Grey in Switzerland as Chairman & Managing Partner. Since then, he has worked as an independent brand consultant, lecturer, speaker and active board member, according to a press release.

The submission deadline for the 24th "Radio Programming and Promotion" competition at the New York Festivals - International Advertising Awards (NYFIAA) is July 31. Advertisers have until then to submit their work. A jury will evaluate the works according to production value, organization, presentation and information as well as creativity and use of the medium. The winners will be announced at the New York Festival in September.

The Zurich-based agency Jenni Kommunikation is taking over the communications activities for Regensdorf-based Incite Media. The mandate focuses on providing specialist PR advice and implementing the communication strategy for Switzerland. Incite Media uses in-store televsion to bring the advertising message and communication directly to the point of purchase, according to a press release. The company is a full-service provider for multimedia communication platforms and offers comprehensive solutions from the design of the advertising report, through production, to the operation of the entire technical equipment.

Henrik Petro-Ferrari (37) is now responsible for all automotive-related trade fair and event activities at Mevex. The focus is on implementing the AutoExpo trade fair concept at new locations. The vehicle trade fair was held in Zug for the first time in 2006. Further AutoExpos are planned for 2007 in Biel, Fribourg, Wetzikon, Zug and one or two other locations. Henrik Petro-Ferrari previously worked as a journalist and has acquired industry knowledge as an automotive journalist and PR copywriter in recent years. He also gained experience in project management as a producer in the areas of TV, commissioned films and B2B communication. The Wigra Group, to which Mevex belongs, is the largest private trade fair organizer in Switzerland.