The German sports portal Sport1.de is expanding into Switzerland and launching Sport1.ch in cooperation with the sports agency Sport Management. In addition to current reporting, background stories and statistics from the whole world of sport, the editorial focus is mainly on the national level, according to a press release. The sports highlight of the coming weeks will be the 2006 World Cup with a focus on the Swiss national team. With regard to the 2008 European Football Championships in Austria and Switzerland, Sport1.ch and the existing Sport1.at platform (Austria) are also expected to provide optimum market coverage. In terms of marketing, the synergies between Sport1.de, Sport1.at and Sport1.ch are to be utilized and expanded to a greater extent in future.

Computer manufacturer Dell is now an official partner of the BMW Sauber Formula 1 team. As part of the collaboration, Dell will supply the team and equip the BMW VIP area at Formula BMW Germany with LCD and plasma TVs, media center servers, Internet terminals, race simulators, photo printing stations and wireless Internet access. BMW Motorsport also relies on Dell at its Munich headquarters and in the Formula 1 factories in Munich and Hinwil as well as at the race tracks. The alliance is set to last for several years. Dell's German branch will manage and coordinate the collaboration. BMW took over the Swiss racing team Sauber Petronas on January 1, 2006.

Over 500 journalists from French-speaking Switzerland have signed a petition calling for a clear separation between advertising and editorial content. The group "Info en danger" ("Media in danger") writes in a communiqué that in recent years, under the pressure of declining advertising revenues, the boundary has become increasingly blurred. Publishers have forced editorial teams to make ever greater concessions to advertisers and the focus is increasingly on entertainment and less on information. However, independent and credible media reporting is a fundamental right of citizens and a duty for journalists and publishers. This is stated in the "Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Journalists".
As the news agency SDA reports, the 556 signatories of the petition complain that editorial resources have been steadily cut in recent years. The necessary resources must be made available to ensure serious and credible journalism.

Following a pitch, IG Zusatzversicherung has commissioned the Zurich advertising agency Lesch+Frei to provide information about the healthcare system using various measures. According to a press release, alarmingly few Swiss people know how they are insured. Even fewer know about the benefits of supplementary hospital insurance. The campaign will focus on the website www.zusatzversichert.ch, where people will be able to request a cost comparison and quote from a health insurance company from June. The page will be advertised after the summer vacations through an advertising campaign in newspapers and magazines and through folders that will be handed out in hospitals and doctors' surgeries.

Business press Since Bilanz and Bilan have been published fortnightly, they have been loved by advertisers. But there is still work to be done in the reader market.
If you look at the Wemf advertising statistics on the
looking back at the year 2005, rubs his eyes: Among the
Bilan and Bilanz have been in the spotlight since their change of rhythm from
from monthly to biweekly publication enormously advertising volume
won. In the first quarter of 2005, Bilan increased by an incredible 358
percent, while the balance sheet took a more leisurely pace at plus 38 percent.
but also significantly better than its competitors. Across the board
last year, Bilan's growth rate was still 43.4 percent,
balance sheet amounted to 27.2 percent, while most of the other
competitors remained in the red or were only just positive. In the
The situation changed in the first quarter of the current year: the
balance sheet continued to grow at 26.5 percent, while Bilan increased by 1.4 percent.
percent remained at the high level reached a year ago.

Record high turnover
The two publishing houses are delighted with the development: "2005 was
the best year in Bilan's history: we were able to increase sales by
36 percent to over 8 million francs, a new record",
says Théo Bouchat, whose responsibilities at Edipresse include the
magazines. In addition, despite the change in cadence, not only the
costs rose by 30 percent, but profits also increased by 50 percent.
have increased. The balance sheet is also relieved: "After we
The largest profit in 2004 thanks to efficient cost management
we far exceeded the budget in 2005," says
Editor-in-chief René Lüchinger. "And this year will be good again."

But there is no time to rest. At Bilan, for example, the
range fell slightly, while Bouchat's growth in the
calculated. Within two years, ten percent more readers than in 2004, the
was his declared goal in January 2005.
issue, however, was (non-significantly) 4.6 percent below the 130000
readers. "But Bilan is now read twice a month, so twice as much
as much as before," Bouchat consoles himself. But he adds: "We
keep the original goal in mind, even if it is difficult to
be achieved." More difficult because Bilan also supports
has lost around 1000 copies compared to 2005 (18569 copies).

"Only temporarily," emphasizes Bouchat, because measures have already been
to support the circulation. Specifically, the magazine is published all
those companies that "have a connection to him and his readership",
as a personalized communication and promotion tool
offered: For example, a bank can offer three or more Bilan issues for
their customers at a reduced price, whereby the "purchased"
part of the print run each receives a special envelope that is entirely
is tailored to the bank. Thanks to this "side business", Bouchat hopes,
the Bilan edition this year is back at the same level as in 2005
to have it notarized. However, his goal is to "soon" have the
to exceed the threshold of 20000 copies.

The situation is different for the balance sheet: its current
reach (315,000 readers) is 25 percent lower than in 2004, which according to
publishing director Sandra Geiger can be attributed to two reasons: Firstly
On the one hand, the change in rhythm led to a change in the Wemf survey.
consequence. In addition, the balance sheet had a circulation adjustment in fall 2004.
of 19 percent, which is now, with a time delay, also affecting the
the range. In fall 2006, when the fortnightly balance sheet
will be fully mapped in Mach Basic for the first time, expects
Geiger therefore expects a further drop to around 270000 readers. "That should
But then it has to be the ceiling," she says.
In 2005 it rose by five percent - and this year it will be higher again
Be."

Women remain cautious
A year ago, Geiger formulated two goals: The balance sheet should
women and among younger readers up to 30. "So far we have
hardly ever managed to do this," she admits. The reason: many women believed
still believes that Bilanz is primarily a men's magazine. "You must
have seen several issues before they revise their image",
noted Geiger. That is why she and the Business
Professional Women (BPF) have entered into a cooperation: The members of BPF
are supplied with the balance sheet for a period of time.

For the younger readership, on the other hand, she made the balance sheet
more mobile: The ten-times-annual Hörbilanz is new
also available as a downloadable audio file or as an MP3. Also the
Bilanz Business Talk, which is broadcast five times a year on SF 2
ready for download. "We want to meet our readers where they are.
But we have to break new ground," she says. From
She will say goodbye to mass mailings and telemarketing.

As one of the new approaches, Geiger and editor-in-chief René
Lüchinger on the previous focus issues of watches, luxury and "The
300 richest" at the end of August. It will also be
annually and entirely in white. In terms of content, the first
Weiss balance sheet under the overall theme "What holds Switzerland together". It
it talks about the "most important personalities", about
"economic identity creators" and on the "costs and benefits of the
national cohesion". René justifies this step
Lüchinger with the strong demand from advertisers for special
environments. With a more content-based, intellectual approach, the
The Weiss balance sheet now joins this trio. "In future, we want to work with
Gold, Silver, Blue and White editions every year, four special
spreading scent," says Lüchinger.

Markus Knöpfli

The agency Mach Corporate & Werbung in Baden is supporting the redesign of the Home Electronic magazine in terms of content and design. Under the slogan "Added value thanks to more knowledge", the campaign summarizes the benefits of the magazine. According to a press release, the headlines are characterized by technical terms that are taken for granted by technology enthusiasts but are often not properly understood and used by laypeople. Advertisements, posters and the Internet were used for the campaign. Home Electronic is a Swiss test and advice magazine for consumer electronics. With trends, information on current products, instructions and practical tips, it is aimed at men over 30 who earn well and have an above-average interest in consumer electronics.

Weblogs How "Citizen" works
Journalism": The commuter paper Le Matin Bleu lets its readers use weblogs
write. More than 5000 Romands are already publishing in a personal
Bleublog. Readers of Le Matin Bleu
act as commentators, while the editors of the
Free newspaper dispenses with opinion articles - a practice that is unique in Switzerland
unique model to date. Example: An otherwise unknown
Geneva native Dominique Bornand says straight away if he doesn't like something.
fits. Unfiltered, direct and sometimes polemical. Especially in focus
the blogger has the free newspaper Le Matin Bleu. The name of their
editor-in-chief, Tristan Cerf, he unceremoniously distorted into a
"sad deer" (triste cerf). He accuses the publisher Edipresse of
to count only the money, but not the spelling mistakes.

In and of itself, this would not be surprising, understand
many bloggers have proved themselves to be sleuths for (supposed) mass media
Misconduct. But Bornand uses one of the following for his tirades
infrastructure, which Le Matin Bleu makes available to him free of charge.
As if in gratitude for the free weblog, he retorts. "So that
we have to live with," says Jérôme Vittoz, who works at the Western Swiss
free newspaper is responsible for the lead blogs. "We only take
if someone breaks the law." So far, this has only
happened two or three times. "Because of pornography. Otherwise we respect
We respect the bloggers' opinions, even if they are not our own."

Born out of necessity
While Dominique Bornand presents himself in his Bleublog as an observer and
Critics of Le Matin Bleu stage, publish another 5000
French-speaking Swiss on the same platform. From the
cartoonist François Maret ("Le Man in Black"), who has published his Bleublog
as a public sketchbook, about the candidates for the
Miss Beauté beauty pageant, to the countless nameless
Teenagers who report on going out at the weekend can be found at
a Bleublog on almost every conceivable topic.

From 0 to 5 in two months
Since March 1, the free newspaper has been offering the following instead of a classic
Internet portal with news and a few interactive gadgets
readers the opportunity to create their own personal weblog free of charge.
open. "It was clear to us from the outset that Le Matin Bleu would also be
must be present on the Internet," says Jérôme Vittoz. "But simply a
It didn't make much sense for us to put another portal online,
especially as it was foreseeable that our main competitor 20 minutes would have exactly this
would follow this path."

What to do? Vittoz, employee in the marketing department of Le Matin,
finally had the brilliant idea. Why not the young one?
Internet-savvy readership a platform where they can find information about
can express their own taste? His superiors at
Edipresse were easily convinced by this project after initial skepticism.
have been convincing. After all, the financial outlay for the
provision of the weblogs is significantly lower than the costs for a
complete online editorial team.

Vittoz obviously had a good nose. As soon as it was launched, the
The number of newly opened lead blogs is soaring - and it is doing so
to date. In the first three months or so, more than 5000
Romands decided to use their personal texts and pictures from now on.
on the Internet offshoot of the Edipresse free newspaper.
However, those who blog at Le Matin Bleu do not just do so ad personam. The
general terms and conditions state that the editorial team
is authorized to remove content from the network notebooks at will.
further utilized. It is conceivable, for example, that a particularly successful
Weblog entry is reprinted in Le Matin Bleu.

"We're not there yet," says Jérôme Vittoz, but confirms: "The
is certainly a conceivable scenario." The last word on such
However, the editorial team has the most important role in cross-media merging. There it says
Although the idea is not opposed to the idea, it is currently considered
However, the timing is still premature. Philippe Messeiller,
deputy editor-in-chief of Le Matin Bleu, sees above all a
Danger: "One of our maxims is the complete renunciation of
commentary elements, we convey facts." When suddenly
opinion pieces were included in the paper, this principle would be
scribed.

A rapprochement between print and online is taking place, for the time being only
selectively, but still takes place. On page 2, the editorial team presents
of the free newspaper presents two weblogs from the universe of Bleublogs.
"This is a special incentive for the bloggers: whoever makes it into the newspaper
thus opens up new circles of readers and increases its
level of awareness," explains Vittoz. In general: competitive elements
play an important role as incentive mechanisms in the Bleublog - like
in the entire blogosphere. On the portal at
www.bleublog.ch shows which bloggers publish most actively,
which blog is commented on most frequently and who is the most popular
moment has just published a text or an image.

Even if there are no texts from lead bloggers in the newspaper (yet)
are published, the editorial team uses the quick and easy
online media form as an additional channel. This was also the case on April 25, when the
Journalists are shown footage filmed with a cell phone camera of a
were sent to the victims of the unpeaceful arrest operation. "We wanted these
images accessible to the public, only on paper can you
It's difficult to reproduce a movie," says Philippe Messeiller. So the
editors opened their own Bleublog without further ado and the three
Film sequences published. In the newspaper, they drew attention to the blog
attentive. More than 200 opinions on the controversial police action
were received in the comments section of this editorial blog.

Advertising - mediated by Google
The Bleublogs are not just a way of playing for some of the
Le Matin Bleu readership, they are also a factor on the
Revenue page. Ads are displayed on every weblog, which the
search engine operator Google. This is not yet working
optimal, explains Jérôme Vittoz. "There are still too few in French-speaking Switzerland
Companies that want to place their ads via Google." This is
But it is only a matter of time before this channel is used more.
"After all, Bleublog continues to grow." And the more pairs of eyes a
offer, the more attractive it will also be for
Advertisers.

Free is the trump card
The success of free newspapers and (free) blogs in French-speaking Switzerland
- especially among young people - can also be expressed in figures. More
More than 1000 pupils aged between 12 and 18 have
in March about their media consumption behavior. On May 10
the Conference of the Directors of Education of French-speaking Switzerland and the Canton of
Ticino presented the results.

The study shows that almost one in three young people
have their own weblog and more than half read blogs regularly.
The Internet is primarily used by 12 to 18-year-olds for communication
and entertainment and less for targeted research for the
School. Overall, young people are increasingly sitting in front of a
computer screen and watch less television. The proportion of those who
watch TV news daily has increased significantly compared to the previous year.
(decrease from 32 to 25 percent).

But it's not just the Internet that benefits from TV buffs; the
Free newspapers are en vogue in French-speaking Switzerland. The launch of Le
Matin Bleu and 20 minutes would have increasingly encouraged young people to
newspaper reading, write the French-speaking Swiss
Education directors. Six out of ten of those surveyed now read at least
a newspaper or magazine three times a week. If the
publication is offered free of charge, the young people
especially on the way to school, where they can get out of the
"Caissette" with a free newspaper. Whereas just a
year, less than a quarter of those surveyed said they had been to school before
and reading the newspaper during breaks, the number is now well over
half of 12- to 18-year-olds.

Nick Lüthi

Football fans can now call up detailed information on the World Cup matches in Germany via the Swisscom Fixnet voice portal. Simply dial 0848 849 850 and call up the desired messages conveniently using spoken commands. The "Teaminfo" command provides information about the Swiss national team's opponents and "Fussball-Ticker" about the Swiss national team and the World Cup in general. Just in time for the start of the World Cup, you can listen to the latest results with "Result". The "Match report" command provides more details on each match. In addition to World Cup news and sports news, the voice portal also offers the latest headlines, weather forecasts and the daily horoscope. Swisscom Fixnet customers have the option of purchasing a subscription for access to the voice portal at a price of CHF 2.90 per month.

Following a presentation by a competitor, the Bern advertising agency In Flagranti was commissioned to redesign the image of Gebäudeversicherung Bern (GVB). The first measures are to be seen in time for the 200th anniversary in 2007, which is also being communicated by the Bern-based company. In Flagranti has already been promoting GVB's services for three years, for example with the hausinfo.ch platform for homeowners, which was awarded the Marketing Trophy.

Radio On May 18, the Radiocontrol data for the first 100 days of Radio Capital FM will be released, marking the start of a new chapter
for Radio Capital FM. For the first time, Publica Data is
Radiocontrol data of the successor station to ExtraBern. As a result
it becomes clear how the "Hauptstadt-Radio" in its first 100
radio listeners in Bern. On January 23, 2006
the radio station belonging to Espace Media went on air,
but have the data blocked for the time being. The industry is therefore waiting
eagerly awaiting the unveiling of the data secret.

However, Bern's figures for the first quarter of 2006 are already known.
none from Capital FM, but those from competing stations. Accordingly
DRS 1 has increased by 3200% compared to the first quarter of 2005.
listeners, while DRS 3 lost 6900 listeners and BE1 gained 5200 listeners.
In the target group of 15 to 49-year-olds, the trend is even more pronounced.
more pronounced. This is likely to make things tight for Capital FM.

"That doesn't have to be the case," disagrees Martin Freiburghaus, Director of
BE1. "It is also possible that a new broadcaster on the market will take over the
arouses people's interest in the medium of radio in general, so that they
listen in everywhere to compare. This increases the number of
stations' reach, while listening time tends to fall." He
I therefore expect that Capital FM will also be able to gain listeners. One
but he already knows: BE1 did not suffer any losses. Freiburghaus
will therefore wait quietly for the Capital FM data to be activated and
then briefly informed his customers about the new market conditions in Berne
to clarify. Otherwise, however, he will "not be a marketing
drive up".  

Markus Knöpfli

Christian Staub from Match Communications wants to "match" clients with ideas and strategies with the right freelancers.
recruitment agency for freelancers, but "a communications agency,
that works with dynamic resources," explains Christian Staub
the purpose of his new company. Staub as boss and consultant remains the
clear contact person. The freelancers work in the background. This should
the infrastructure can be kept flexible. "The customer only pays
what he really needs for the project and no unnecessary overhead."
Not a new idea in these times of shrinking budgets. But
Staub does not want the new structure to be a necessity, but a modern virtue
sell. "In London, there are already several successful
start-ups according to this dynamic model," he said.
researched.

Staubs has over a hundred freelancers working in a strategic
partnership primarily come from the pool of Werbekraft Nordost,
have different skills, characteristics and industry experience.
The young entrepreneur had had the idea in his head for some time. But how
Does that work with customers? Do they bring such a one-man show
the necessary trust? "Yes," Staub knows, "because I know exactly
just like the head of a large agency is always the responsible
I am a frontman who matches and leads his teams with the customer."

In this sense, Staub is not just targeting small budgets,
although he is naturally pleased that he has already been awarded consulting mandates.
from niches such as Symantec with Norton Internet Security or
Sportpark Wohlen is very busy. There is almost no time
for acquisition - "What urgently needs to change!"
Staub, who has also been President of Idée-VfW since 2004, an association
for advertising communication, the entertaining events and
organizes specialist events, has a very large network at its disposal.
Network.

Fisch.Meier.Direkt was his last station with customers such as Heineken,
Kuoni, Helvetic Tours, FlimsLaaxFalera. "The best accounts that you
can imagine as a consultant: Beer, traveling and snowboarding." With
of the direct agency, Staub also witnessed the move to Publicis,
before he went into business for himself.

Having started out in advertising, the federally certified
Head of Communications "as early as 13". At school, Christian was allowed to
shoot a commercial for a fake chocolate product. The career aspiration
was awakened. This was followed by a trial apprenticeship at Grey. But because
"Advertising" in itself cannot be learned, the KV
dranglauben. This opened the doors to the day course at Sawi,
followed by a one-year internship. After Müller & Partner in Zurich
Staub moved to Wirz in 1997 and experienced all of the company's
Workflows of "Advertising in the premier league".

It smelled even more like the wider world when Wirz presented the BBDO network
has joined the company. Ambitious employees were given the opportunity for a
exchange abroad. "I applied and was allowed to choose from a
catalog of 300 international locations to choose from." Staub knew that
tropical landscapes, snow-capped mountains, deserts, beaches
and big cities. So he decided on Melbourne. Because
Masterfoods, Coca-Cola and the largest domestic food retailer.
jeans brand JustJeans was doing a good job, his contract was extended to one year.
year was extended. But staying any longer would have meant studying -
and so the emigrant preferred to settle back in Zurich.
want to develop further.

Here he signed on with Scotti and learned how to work in
times had to make ends meet. In these
Staub also worked out many of his own business dreams during this phase. One
Breakfast Courier was one such idea, a Floating Cinema and
"wAIRbung" with a remote-controlled zeppelin for advertising on air. This
idea was then realized by someone else who was quicker to provide the necessary
was able to raise 50,000 francs.

At TBWA, Staub - now advertising manager - has reconnected "with a
big construct". The campaigns for Whiskas and Chappi were
but not his world. "Even if nobody admits it: It needs a
a certain affinity with the product in order to make good advertising." Dust
didn't have a pet and so he made another big one for Scotti.
Promotion organized for Nestea. "Three months of 300,000
distributing samples gave me a lot of insight into the
promotional mechanisms: People's reactions to real
experience teaches you more than mere theory."

After 18 months, Staub has now moved from Zurich Bellevue to Dübendorf.
moved. Not a move to no man's land though. Or who can
that the Rolling Stones will soon be playing right behind his office.
will play.

Andreas Panzeri

The advertising agency Euro RSCG has realized an unconventional request concert for the private marketing organization IP Mulitmedia: Listeners request Ländler, classical concerts or marching music, which do not fit in at all with the stations' music concept. According to a communiqué, the spots are intended to illustrate how important it is to place messages correctly. To make the request concert seem as real as possible, the speakers are not professionals, but authentic people. The commercials will run on Energy Zurich and Capital FM until the end of the year.