Training The Sawi, in collaboration with
with Goldbach Media and BSW Leading Swiss Agencies the first
Cross-media diplomas are now only awarded to those who attract attention,
who knows how to provide the consumer at the right time and in the right place with
the right message. The miracle weapon for this is called
Crossmedia. But in practice, how can the new media always
professionally networked across a broad range of communication measures
become? Because the need for knowledge in this booming discipline
Sawi in cooperation with Goldbach Media
and BSW Leading Swiss Agencies "the courageous step towards conquering
of this topic", as Sawi explains in its course materials.
writes.

Over a long weekend in mid-March and on a fourth day
On April 8, the above organizers hosted the Crossmedia
compressor the first condensed training on this topic in the
German-speaking countries. The intensive seminar was held under the direction of
by Regula Fecker, strategic planner at the advertising agency Jung von
Matt/Limmat. Fecker is at the Miami Ad School for strategic
planner, where she was the best of her year.
completed her studies. She gained further experience at TBWA in New
York and Berlin.

Regula Fecker was able to work on this "cross-media" course with well-known
Lecturers and professionals from the disciplines of Strategic Planning,
media, public relations and interactive media. In addition
offered communication managers, creative professionals, PR managers and media people
Exciting presentations for practical training and inspiration
for everyday working life. 

"How can you choose cross-media from a multitude of possibilities and
communication measures generate maximum synergies?" was the
Key question of the seminar. After the first three days with introductions
around the topics of strategy, toolbox, concept, the participants had
opportunity to test the methodological knowledge they had learned. Groups had to
a real practical case will be developed. This is on the last day of the course
- after a certain period of time - in front of a panel of experts
has been presented.

For this case, the participants had to work in interdisciplinary groups.
a cross-media campaign for the drink Carpe Diem from Red
Bull. All participants received a detailed
Seminar certificate. The winning team, consisting of Esther Kappenberger,
Patricia Pécourt, Christian Farronato and Mike Krüll, convinced the
jury "with a creative storyline that forms the basis for the
staging of the Carpe Diem brand via various channels," as
it says in the explanatory statement. In addition to the diploma, the team was also awarded
a Sony Playstation as a gift.

Examples from the sewing box
The final day was also the stage for two international luminaries
from the Crossmedia division. David Hackworthy, Chief Strategic Officer
of the recently founded agency The Red Brick in London and formerly
Chiat/Day New York and DDB London, presented case studies from his
campaigns as well as Gregory Duquesne from the cross-media agency Naked
Communications in Paris.

Duquesne showed how marketing can "have a conversation with the
consumers" instead of only triggering them at partial "touchpoints".
to meet. The specialist explained his theory using the example of
Nespresso. Who hasn't experienced the scene themselves, where you're told about
a host with a whole range of these colored coffee pods
and then inevitably leads to a shop talk about
Nespresso is used? A consumer becomes a medium himself. "Get
engaging", Duquesne called this effect. Another
successful model, he showed how the private number 118118 can be used for
telephone information was publicized by means of thousands of T-shirts.
The shirts with the printed number became the coveted
collector's item, found their way into the media via photo reports and
mean for Naked a successful example of "Selling Media
Creativity". The juicy detail in passing: Naked already includes the
Half of all employees work in strategic planning.
They work as so-called "channel planners", who are already known as the
new stars of the advertising industry.

The second speaker, David Hackworthy, tried to show that
Many customers give TV commercials the "respect of oil paintings"
towards them. It is therefore difficult for agencies to offer these customers something
to suggest something else. There are many possibilities, as Hackworthy explains in
the episode showed.

"Selling - not marketing" was his most important credo. He also
argued with a "networked consumer" and presented today's
Advertising in the context of "The age of engagement". As an example
For this intensive involvement, he presented an idea of the
American telecom provider Nextel. Anyone who subscribes to a cell phone
gets exclusive access to listen in on the radio via this
between the driver and the pits in the popular Nascar races.

Tangibly experiencing a basic idea" - how this works was demonstrated on
Crossmedia Kompressor also included the presentation of the winning team around Mike
Krüll. Following the motto of Carpe Diem, they staged their
Idea as a meditative event. Immerse yourself in the philosophy of the product
was required when the team presented its concept with stoic slowness.
the round.    
   

Andreas Panzeri

As part of an unauthorized advertising campaign, Movingposter.ch, a producer of advertising media, clad the water tower of Lucerne's Kappelbrücke with a mega poster from Emmi. The 17 x 15 meter poster made of tarpaulin material was installed within a few hours by assembly workers who were roped down from the roof space. The dairy product manufacturer Emmi is using the large-format advertisement to present its new product Lacto Tab. After a few hours, the poster campaign was taken down again to avoid a conflict with the Lucerne city police and administration. Nevertheless, the city police are investigating the illegal advertising and intend to press criminal charges against those responsible.

Ipex I Top managers from Heidelberg and Xerox also discussed digital and offset printing as well as printing itself.
initiated and held at the Ipex trade fair "In
the Balance", left an exciting question after a warm-up round.
follow: "Does print have a future?" "Yes," believes Edward Carr from The
Economist, "Paper is a fantastic technology. Nevertheless, the
The future of print is certainly not an easy challenge." Goes
according to Carr, then the graphic arts industry needs above all new
models in order to be able to defend themselves against the overall falling margins.

Anne Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox, also believes in the printed word.
communication. She pointed out that digital printing already has many
answers to the changing market requirements. As
She sees the development of these markets as a challenge. St. Bernard
Schreier, CEO of Heidelberg, assumes that the two companies will continue to coexist.
electronic and digital marketing comparable to pull and push marketing
printed media. That's why you can't lump everything together
"Similarly to the means of transportation, there can be several
communication technologies can exist side by side, which
will also continue to develop for their part." Barry Hibbert, Polestar,
is certain that print has a right to exist, but he also drew attention to
ecological challenges.

Differentiated view
The panel event also focused on the question of whether in
future will be printed using the offset or digital printing process.
Mulcahy believes that you have to take a very differentiated view of this. In
The Xerox manager sees the personal approach as the "key to
the success of digital printing" - but, she admitted frankly,
this area "can still be expanded".

Schreier does not consider the question of the procedure to be decisive.
"We (by which he meant the providers of offset and
digital printing systems) are on the same page. It's all about
solely around customer requirements." In response to Paxman's subsequent
The question of when to print in offset and when to print digitally,
Schreier replied: "Offset is the right choice for large print runs.
Procedure - when the price per page is the deciding factor. For personalized
documents, it's digital printing." "And what ...", Paxmann drilled
continues, "Heidelberg is doing something about the market segment that digital printing systems
take away?" "We must continue to be competitive here in the future.
systems. Even if digital printing is currently ahead of offset
shares, this situation can also turn back into the
turn in the other direction," Schreier is convinced.

A look into the future
Moderator Paxman also wanted to know what would happen between now and Ipex 2014,
the Ipex after next, could change everything. Edward Carr suspects that
the industry will handle any customer data even better by then
which, in his opinion, will lead to smaller print runs. Anne
Mulcahy assumes that the next but one Ipex will probably not be a print,
but rather a communication event: "The question of
according to the requirements of customers will become even more important.
and push technology further into the background." Bernhard
Schreier ultimately believes that by then there will be fewer
There will be machine suppliers who will offer more hybrid solutions -
possibly combinations of offset and digital printing machines
would offer. He believes that trade fairs will attract
fewer visitors, as the number of print service providers continues to rise.
will decrease. Centrally produced print jobs today, presumably
Schreier continues, are once again produced decentrally/locally - where
they are also needed.

The audience asked whether the two companies Heidelberg and
Xerox, who took part in a forum together for the first time in this form,
would work together more closely in the future. Both Schreier and Mulcahy
replied that just a few years ago they would hardly have
would have spoken to each other, that today there are
but there would be more cooperation than competition.

Jürgen Franck

Randall Stone, Partner Lippincott Mercer, New York, on the brand strategic value of bank branch interiors.WW: Why is bank branch branding so important in a marketing strategy?
whole brand. With the redesign of Citizens Bank, we wanted something
that is completely focused on the customer, and the relationship
The relationship between consumers and their bank is the be-all and end-all of such a
Customer relationship. Nowadays, many banking transactions can be carried out online or
telephone, i.e. when the customers personally visit the
bank because they need to complete an important transaction.
want, and then they should be welcomed with an atmosphere that
suggests confidence and well-being.

WW: Why are so many US banks redesigning their branches?
Stone: A
friendlier, lighter demeanor expresses better how they feel.
want to represent. These days, banks want to appear more like a place where
business, it's no longer a question of making a
safe place where you can keep your money. And Americans are
It's important what the store looks like where they leave their money. It's about
banks are no longer just about lending money, but about offering products
and services. This is why banks increasingly look like a
Starbucks or a Gap store.

WW: In the campaign for Citizens Bank, you even change the slogan with which customers are greeted every few months.
Stone: Yes,
the key words of the campaign so far have been grow, thrive and strive,
and the design featured flowers, fruit and butterflies. That came
was well received by customers and also by bank staff. It had a
inspiring and motivating effect on employees. The people
should see that they are flexible here and that they are constantly working on new
ideas are being worked on.    

Interview: Gerti Schön

Press Schaffhauser Nachrichten wants to get closer to local events. The relaunch of the paper is accompanied by numerous innovations. On average, every five years
the regional newspaper Schaffhauser Nachrichten (SN) has undergone a revision.
of the layout. This time the changes go much further, because even
The content concept is new: the aim is to make the magazine even more
regionalize and give local and regional events a broader
Give weight. More region, more overview and more color, is the
new credo. For regional newspapers, which are also complete newspapers
newspapers such as SN, sooner or later the question arises as to whether
later, the question of where to deploy the resources.

Although the course of business at SN is developing positively, the
The company does not expect earnings to grow significantly there. Until the
A number of new regional editorial teams will therefore be set up in the fall.
are formed. These are corresponding sub-regions in the catchment area
of the SN relatively autonomously. The catchment area, which comprises 52
municipalities and also extends beyond the canton of Schaffhausen into the
Zurich Weinland and extends into the canton of Thurgau, will be
The new media microcosms have been created for this purpose. "We are the
conviction that we need to tell people clearly where the reports are coming from.
come," says CEO Norbert Neininger. In addition to the journalists
journalists who cover the regions on the ground, two journalists
Reporters for the cross-regional stories. Even more consistent
According to Neininger, the company, which has been operating
service editorial system with newsdesk. The
Readers will recognize the new regions one-to-one as the new
regional pages such as "Klettgau" or "Weinland" daily in the
sheet. This gives it a clearer structure.

More color as a formal element ultimately serves to improve the
Placement of the color advertisements, for which SN has previously
rotary printing. "We are now starting the expansion and
give us a few months until the fall. We're not doing this on
a bang, that doesn't work in journalism anyway," says
Neininger. You first have to find your way around the new places -
actually strange, since everything happens on a small scale.
but it's about the contact with the municipal authorities and the
decision-makers and a local presence.

More political and cultural debates
Regionalization does not take place at the expense of supra-regional
departments. "We are doing a balancing act here, which is complicated on the one hand,
but is also beautiful," says Neininger. SN sees itself as a
Complete newspaper. SN readers should not read any other newspapers besides the
need another newspaper, according to the basic idea. "The fact that we need our
The fact that we were able to keep our competitors at a low level also has something to do with this,
says Neininger. In the domestic, foreign and economic departments, the
SN a relatively brief overview. However, due to the current situation
special themed pages at the front, which, according to Neininger, will allow the
need not shy away from comparison with the big leaves.

On compact pages that summarize the newspaper content for quick readers
as in the case of the newly designed Landbote or the
NZZ, which is known for its lifted edition. "A regional newspaper is
not so large that it could be subdivided into an SN-light again.
would have to be," says Neininger. With clear reader guidance and a good first
page instead tries to convey the most important points to the readership.
bring. Furthermore, the political and cultural debate in the paper will be a
greater weight, following the American example of the
"opinion-ads". The opinion pages are therefore being expanded so that
The newspaper begins each Saturday with a double page of opinion.
Furthermore, the background topics are to be cultivated more intensively, for which
which SN has already won journalism awards. A specialty
These are the so-called community pages, whereby the editorial team is responsible for all 52
communities are confronted with a specific question, the answers then
evaluated and commented on. This promotes the identity of the residents in the
diverse catchment area, which also extends across the Rhine to southern Germany.
radiates.

Selling advertising impact
SN would also like to expand interactivity by the fall. To this end
includes a weblog on the one hand and a so-called
Balzlist with discussion forums organized by topic. In
The principle is still little known in Switzerland, but widely used in the USA.
distributed. The headings can be scaled down to the size of the municipality.
set.

SN also wants to break new ground in the area of advertising. "The
Advertising customers do not want to place commercials or advertisements, they want to
Advertising impact," says Norbert Neininger. So you sell advertising impact.
SN is currently working on two campaigns, whereby together with the
customers what advertising impact is and how it can be achieved.
can be measured. In future, the media company will offer advertising customers
can fulfill practically all wishes: Advertisements in the newspaper, commercials
on Radio Munot and Schaffhausen Television, interactive offers in the
Internet through to targeted advertising mailings with your own
Distribution organization.

This is the realization of a longer strategic idea that all media
united under one roof. "But we can only make such offers,
because we are in a homogeneous space where we are undisturbed
and can play the full range of advertising options",
says Neininger. Editorial independence is sacred,
he emphasizes. Particularly when it comes to impact campaigns, you have to be tough and clear.
be. "In my dual role as editor-in-chief and publisher, I am here
particularly careful." From May, the SN will have a new layout
appear.   

René Worni

On April 28, the animal magazine Tierwelt introduces the new Jobs section to its advertising market. Tierwelt is thus fulfilling its customers' need for a separate environment for job advertisements. The job market is intended to offer added value to companies in the agricultural sector, pet shops, veterinary clinics and vets, among others. The magazine claims to reach 364,000 readers with an affinity for animals and technology every week.

Print At Ipex 06, the
Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG for the first time
Speedmaster CD 74 ten-color perfecting press - with one coating unit in front and
after the turnaround. Since the end of last year, a
Such a machine is already in use at the Emmental printing company Vögeli.
Printing there is done exclusively with frequency-modulated screens in
photo-like quality. In a single pass, the company can
now print in four colors plus spot color and varnish, for example, and
After turning, do exactly the same again. The finished bow can be
as a particular advantage of this machine configuration immediately
further processed. The machine has been running for several weeks
already operates in three shifts and produces over 1.7 million sheets
per month. Thanks to an improved production process that includes all
process steps, it was also possible to increase productivity in the
print finishing could be significantly increased.

Telecommunications Advico Young &
Rubicam has developed a B2B campaign for Sunrise with testimonials from the
Must a testimonial be realized as a presenter?
come along? Or even act? No, says Advico Young &
Rubicam. Above all, a testimonial must be credible. And so has
AY&R for a B2B campaign for Sunrise with several bosses
asked what they thought of the new Voice over IP service.
from Sunrise. Answers are given by Jakob Gilgen from Kaba Gilgen, Michael
Hobmeier from Bank Valiant, Andreas Münch from
Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund and Hans-Ulrich Stucki from Clientis AG.
The gentlemen appear as what they are: CEO, member of the
General Management and Director. They make statements that are not
a copywriter has put in their mouths. And they show face - or
Even a little wink.

In the testimonials, the high-ranking "presenters" naturally express themselves
enthusiastic about Voice over IP and data communication with Sunrise.
IP telephony means telephoning via the local data network with voice
over IP (for Internet Protocol). The offer from the telecommunications company
offers complete modular solutions from a single source. These can be
gradually and flexibly.

The advantage is standardized communication thanks to a single
Network infrastructure for telephony and data communication. With the
Integration of existing and new applications such as e-mail, web or
With Voice over IP, customer relationship management is not just a
future-oriented communication is made possible, but it also
"considerable cost savings", as Sunrise calculates.

In just 15 seconds, the four commercials are intended to arouse curiosity about the new
service, which is broadcast on Swiss television immediately before
"10vor10" and "Le journal" - at a time when in the
Switzerland, the decision-makers are sitting in front of the TV. At the same time
to see the testimonials in the business press - in the form of
full-page advertisements. The campaign runs until September 24, 2006.
The photos for the advertisements and the films are by Serge Höltschi
have been realized.  

Andreas Panzeri

Column The leaves are sprouting like rarely before in spring. But only products with a profile will survive the coming fall.
badly shaken - massive slump in readership and advertising market
shake the industry. The print media are coming out of the negative
spiral. An end to the concentration process is not
foreseeable, the publishing houses are fighting hard among themselves
for territories in the market. The first impression suggests a bloody
The battle of position, from which even today's victors cannot emerge without
losses and will quickly become the losers of tomorrow
could.

However, the spring awakening is on the horizon if you look at the
many fresh leaves sprouting up everywhere. In the media houses
trust in print has apparently not been shaken: the news from the
industry are reporting revivals of original forms of the press, such as the
good old evening newspaper. With Heute, Ringier wants to make the evening
revitalize. Old recipes for press titles are booming. These are
The advertising campaigns are geared towards clearly defined readerships and advertising markets.
Regional offers are evidently attractive again, be it with
Newspapers from the city that want to conquer the country, or be it with
various forms of participation and cooperation. In the
The Graubünden region also wants to distance itself from the media dominance of the
Liberating Zurich. With Südostschweiz am Sonntag, Hanspeter
Lebrument to set off for the Alps.

Multimedia and cross-media are only mentioned in passing. The
traditional companies communicate more newspaper projects than new ones
electronic offerings and platforms with independent
journalistic profiles. Crossmedia, on the other hand, is an important
Topic. Products that are editorially and commercially integrated
such as the AZ Media Group's Everyday Life campaign are an interesting
Rarity. New radio and television offerings are mainly created by newcomers.
announced.

Commuter newspapers have brought unrest to the press. Their
However, success also proves that ultimately it is not the form of the media,
but the way in which they offer what and when to users.
is crucial for market success. Despite the many
mobile electronic information options, paper can obviously
with particularly attractive attractions. On a bumpy bus or
a well-layouted newspaper is more pleasant to read in a gloomy streetcar
than a text on a larger or smaller screen. A
newspaper that can be skimmed in two minutes, even if it's for twenty minutes.
minutes of reading material, brings together important and secondary
Brevity. And a newspaper that can be read in twenty minutes and for
two hours of reading material can only deepen, surprise
and open up new perspectives.

It is to be hoped that, in the longer term, readers will become
winners of the Print Spring. The successes of the
Publishers can perhaps be quantified in the short term.
However, it is not possible to achieve high circulation and reach in the long term.
done. Junk food is consumed carelessly and thrown away. From the
The quality of the content ultimately also depends on the quality of contacts with
the medium. The competition should also drive editorial ambition.
incite. Publishers should now be able to recruit competent journalists.
journalists and qualified media professionals in the
a wide variety of projects. In the advertising industry
Time to pay more attention to print. And when the energy
of spring lasts throughout the year, then in the fall with a few
evergreen leaves that will survive the next harsh winter.
will certainly survive.

> Josefa Haas is head of the Media Institute.

Sarah Hiltebrand wants to use her advertising agency to focus on ideas instead of hierarchical wrangling. "To get ahead in advertising,
you don't necessarily have to have a classic career under your belt.
", says Sarah Hiltebrand. The 30-year-old CD and partner of
Werbeanstalt Schweiz in Zurich adds: "Advertising has much more to do with
life on the street than with a long walk through the
established agencies."

After graduating from the School of Arts and Crafts in Biel, exactly two
Jobs in the display. And the whole class wanted to get their hands on it. But
Hiltebrand was lucky - or perhaps better: she convinced with
her talent. At Hofer Kommunikation in Bern, she quickly became the
"Adöse". As with many who have carved out their place in the industry today
Hiltebrand never wanted to go into advertising. But he did:
"Perhaps it was precisely this rejection that made me
motivated me to want to do better."

And Hiltebrand had dreams: she "naturally wanted a
to become a "famous artist". When she received her graphic design diploma at the age of 24 in the
hands, this art world looked a little more realistic.
The School of Arts and Crafts produces many people who, due to a lack of
practice could not work in the market. "I had the advantage,
that I had to earn the school myself". So the
graphic designer, the practice at night and literally by herself
from club flyers to brochures for machine factories.

The next job was even more hands-on. After seven years in Biel
and Berne, she wanted to make her presence felt in Zurich. Hiltebrand
started at Fisch.Meier, "but only wanted to do it after two weeks.
really admit that she had ended up in a DM agency". And
made a virtue out of necessity. In the four years there, "I
Did he go full throttle and wasn't popular with everyone as a result?" But from
those who appreciated her skills and ambition, she became
preferably on pitches: She was not insignificantly involved in the
involved in winning Bluewin, has for Saab and Kuoni DM in CHF
or the agency trip from Helvetic Tours in Adliswil to the
brought to a halt. Nonprofit organizations such as animal welfare or
Greenpeace were able to benefit from their work.

During this time, Hiltebrand attended creative school, or rather
- served: "I haven't learned much new, maybe I'm
stupid or I'm just one of those people who are convinced that you have to be
You can't learn to be creative, whether it's technique or training."

The rejection of advertising has gradually turned into passion.
has become. So big that it's written all over her face.
"Only wrinkles and rings adorn my face now," describes the
CD self-ironically describes its current appearance. And the development
of the last few months would have given her the rest. Since the
agency was founded a year ago, the 50 percent partner of the
advertising agency can no longer take vacations and with the pitch win
Sandoz three months ago, the free weekends have also fallen through.
fell. "But who wants to hear that anymore, yes it's true, at the moment
there's only the work. And that's a lot of fun, sorry."

But because that wasn't always the case, she had to find out what she liked about
the advertising no longer fitted. Since the creative is the main evil in the environment
which also became apparent when switching to a traditional agency.
"would probably not have changed much," Reto
Dürrenberger put the idea together: "We create the right environment
with its own agency." In this agency, the energy is no longer
"unnecessarily wasted on ellbögeleien", but more profitable in
ideas.

With the campaign "Give your current agency a
farewell aperitif", the advertising agency has already been quite
unconventionally staged. Because this message is also directly
potential customers, the industry initially suspected that it was "a
a few "known minds" behind the cheeky action. "But it was us
two that nobody knew yet." That has changed.

Today, the advertising agency already has eight employees, and the search for
of new personnel continues unabated. The biggest chunk among the
budget is Sandoz. But that's not all: The advertising agency was able to
three more of the coveted budgets from the health sector into the
portfolio.

"At the beginning, we thought that we might get orders for a chocolate
or get a beer." But the first order is from the Zurich
city police. Since then, there have been a conspicuous number of customers of the
advertising agency with a serious-looking "Swiss" in its name.
begin: Swiss Pharmacists Association, Swiss Youth Hostels,
Swiss Lung League ...

"But we are not cherry-pickers," says Hiltebrand, explaining the selection of these
Customers comment. You simply won the pitches. And that
should "encourage" every agency, because it shows that in
achieve something in this industry with passion and tenacity
can.    

Andreas Panzeri

Market research The box office figures for Mach Basic 2006-1 are not as dramatic as the 2005 figures from the cinema association Procinema.the semi-annual rhythm of the Mach Basic
led to a focus on the print figures, the published
However, the weekly reach in cinemas was lost. Here, too, the
cinema data will be submitted later. Calculating the weekly reach of the
If you extrapolate Basic 2006-1 to a whole year, you get 22.5
million moviegoers, 4.2 percent less than in the survey period
of Mach Basic 2005 (April 04 to March 05). The decline is therefore much
less dramatic than the figures published at the beginning of the year by the
Film distributors' and cinema operators' association Procinema.

This had reported 15.4 million visitors for 2005, which corresponds to a
This corresponds to a decrease of 12.8 percent compared to 2004. The differences
have to do with the different survey methodology (with Procinema on
reason of tickets sold) and with different survey periods
(at Wemf: October 04 to September 05). In short: The
Wemf figures, which lag somewhat behind the Procinema statistics,
confirm the statement of the Cinema Association, but they strongly
down. Even on the basis of Mach Basic 2004, which still had 24.1 million
According to Wemf, only 6.6 percent fewer moviegoers are currently going to theaters.
people go to the movies. Moreover, according to Mach Basic 2006-1, the trend in
The trend is by no means uniform between the regions. Western Switzerland is stable and
even recorded a significant increase in cinema-goers in the centers. In
In German-speaking Switzerland, only Zurich was able to retain its moviegoers. What
also stands out in the Wemf figures: the target group of 14- to
34-year-olds, who make up about half of all moviegoers, are
less frequently to the movie theater: Compared to Mach Basic 2005
The decline was 7.6 percent nationwide, and as much as 10.1 percent in German-speaking Switzerland.
percent. In French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, the young audience remains loyal to the
medium of cinema, however.

According to Procinema statistics, cinema admissions are also on the rise.
are currently on the rise again. In the first three months of this year, they were
was already 6.6 percent higher than the previous year. And according to a press release
from Warner Bros, it can be seen that the movie Ice Age 2, which can be seen here at
country at the beginning of April, with 250000 visitors on the first day alone.
weekend "the best Swiss film launch of all time"
could.

Markus Knöpfli

Cinema advertising in 2005 was a
Conversion year for Cinecom. Thanks to digital technology, cinema and
TV advertising can be linked. What creates new alliances Until recently, the PubliGroupe subsidiary
Cinecom is essentially active in two different media sectors:
It marketed cinema and TV. With digital technology, the
movie theater, however, in some respects has become an electronic
Medium. Today, 360 out of 475 cinemas are much more flexible and
bookable at short notice, advertising spots can be easily transmitted and
The cumbersome, expensive copying and shipping of film rolls is no longer necessary.
In two months' time, 65 other smaller cinemas will be converted to digital technology.
converted.

As a result, cinema and TV advertising are merging. Now the same
spot will be shown both on TV and in cinemas. That should make the movie theater
certainly make it more interesting for national customers. But the
Cinecom is opening up new potential, particularly in the local market.
This is because small and medium-sized companies that already have a spot for
the local TV can now also play it in the movie theater and
vice versa.

Linking the advertising media could also be beneficial for SMEs due to the
complementary target audiences: TV tends to reach older and younger audiences.
Cinema tends to appeal to younger people. This is why Cinecom is now trying to
to form local alliances with both media. "We are currently working with
talks with individual local TVs about cooperation in the advertising sector",
confirms Cinecom CEO Matthias Luchsinger. First local projects
are expected in the second half of 2006. Names of TV stations
Luchsinger does not want to name any, but it can be assumed that he is not involved in TVs.
in which PubliGroupe is involved via publishers (TeleOstschweiz,
TeleSüdostschweiz), is most likely to find open doors.

In 2005, Cinecom generated gross revenues of around CHF 10 million from the local market - with conventional slides and film slides. With the
new digital stills (CinePictures, 7 and 10 seconds) and
Computer animations (CineMotions, 10 to 15 seconds), but above all
Thanks to the coupling with TV, this turnover could now grow - also in the
national market. "Digitization will give cinema advertising a boost.
sales growth of 10 to 15 percent," predicted Luchsinger
a good year ago.

Promising figures
However, there has hardly been any sign of this so far. On the contrary: the
The 2005 annual figures of Cinecom's parent company PubliGroupe show that the
cinema advertising even recorded a drop of 10 percent compared to 2004. Was it due to
sharp drop in visitor numbers (see below)? "That also has
played along," says Luchsinger. What is more important, however, is that the change
to digital cinema took place in the middle of the year: "Many
Advertising customers waited a long time." In the first half of 2005, the
Cinecom's cinema advertising sales were therefore 21 percent below those of the same
prior-year period. In the second half of the year, after the technology change,
However, this had already resulted in an increase of 6 percent. And
The first quarter of 2006 was 8 percent above the first quarter of 2005 and
also 5 percent higher than in 2004.

A strategic expansion of the company is also expected to contribute
partnership that Cinecom recently entered into with the Zurich-based
entertainment marketing agency Creative Assets. The agency
supports Swiss films even before production begins. The new
Cooperation now enables Cinecom customers to get started with advertising
in the script stage - with product placement and film sponsorship.

At first glance, Cinecom does not appear to be a major player in TV advertising.
all too successful. According to PubliGroupe, it did achieve an increase of 3
percent, but competitor Goldbach Media trumped the competition with a
sales increase of 10 percent. Luchsinger is unimpressed.
"That has to be put into perspective: The PubliGroupe figures are
by the net-net marketing commissions, whereas Goldbach's commissions are
it the total net sales. Because Goldbach expanded its own portfolio in 2004
and 2005 with the addition of Viva and TVM3, around 8 percent of the
Goldbach growth can be attributed to this expansion," says the
Cinecom CEO. In short: according to Luchsinger, Cinecom's performance at
TV marketing in 2005 was better than that of Goldbach. And in 2006
The PubliGroup subsidiary has made further gains with Kabel 1
a channel from IP Multimedia. I wonder if
new youth channel ElevatorTV the next marketing coup?
"We're still in the running there," says Luchsinger.

That leaves ad screen advertising - according to the budget, this year it will be
2 percent of Cinecom sales, twice as much as in 2005.
But there are likely to be more. "Our cinema network with 275 screens at 43
locations has already reached its target for 2006. And the 155
Screens at Coop front stores and petrol stations are also well on budget," Luchsinger is pleased to report.

Up and down for free movie magazines

Of the four free film magazines, only Close-up from Teleclub
continuously: Since 2004, it has increased its reach by 12.4 percent.
increase. Film coming soon (FD), Avant Première and Live from Geneva
Quorum Group, on the other hand, declined despite support measures, Live lost
20.8 percent since 2004.

The reason for the upward trend in close-up, which Cinecom
Matthias Luchsinger primarily sees the growing demand for
Awareness of the magazine. In previous Mach Basic surveys, according to
he suspects that the younger close-up is still often associated with the
more memorable FD - and supported it.
However, the Close-up brand is now firmly established. And it should
further increase its reach. This is because the Kitag cinema chain, which
traditionally cooperates with Close-up, has been working with Capitol since 2006.
and Abaton/Cinemaxx acquired two major Zurich cinemas. The result: FD
had to go out, Close-up was allowed in. The lost circulation is tried
at FD by distributing 10000 copies per month in 100
other Zurich restaurants, stores, take-aways and hairdressing salons
are being launched. And the competition for cinemas and circulation remains
exciting: this year and next year alone, a total of
six new multiplex cinemas with a total of 51 screens opened.

Markus Knöpfli