Crossmedia 2005 Euro RSCG emotionalized the letter for PostMail. Its successful, networked campaign won the Goldbach Media Group award. Guessing game: Who will win the Crossmedia Award 06?
electronic off- and online media Goldbach Media last year, a
award, which it has introduced for advertising clients and agencies.
for networking a communication idea across different media
wants to win. Using various studies and case studies, she shows
that cross-media campaigns can lead to an in-depth, interactive
experience of a brand or an offer and thus for the
create added value for the target group. So not only the
High-impact, networked campaign "Great things start with a letter"
will still have fond memories of the finalists. The finalists such as Dove
or Feldschlösschen beer have set the benchmark for their successors.
set high.

Although cross-media is a key factor due to the involvement-generating implementations in
the various media is primarily a task in the creative sense. The
However, the invitation to tender is aimed at a broader group of people
Marketing and communication - i.e. planners, consulting teams, agencies,
customers and clients. The award will be presented at the Mediarena on 17.
May. However, before the jury has even finished the - by the closing date
of April 11 - was to be judged by the Advertising Week.
from university of applied sciences lecturer Stefan Gürtler to find out how the
discipline and its potential in Switzerland.

WW: What were the most creative cross-media concepts for you last year?Stefan Gürtler: Perhaps 2005 was not the year of the
Cross-media campaigns, perhaps we have already become cross-media snobs
with exaggerated claims. I really noticed
There is only one campaign - the "Mary Woodbridge" campaign from Mammut.
WW:
And what was particularly winning or intelligent about this?
The intelligent thing about this is that the campaign is - at least
was co-designed by the active part. The communication costs -
planning, logistics and content - are partly or fully financed by the broadcaster.
to the recipients. This requires content with which
want to engage the recipients. On the campaign theme, dilettantism
and overconfidence when climbing Everest, and that is the
second intelligent person to Mary Woodbridge, this was obviously the case.
WW:
With cross-media strategies, isn't there often the danger of
Because of the fascinating projects, it is easy to lose sight of the goal
loses, because one assumes a very high level of media competence and
Gürtler:
The short-term effects of cross-media strategies - multiplying and
transfer effect - have been researched since 1967 and are considered certain.
An ongoing study by our institute also shows a trend that
integrated communication has a positive effect on awareness,
corporate image and business success compared to the rest of the industry.
At least in terms of short-term success, that is what
clarity. It is equally clear, and I agree with you, that
many campaigns are based on false assumptions regarding the probability of media use and involvement and hardly
can be successful.
WW: The
Projects usually aim to generate hype by means of viral
measures, events and the like. If the target group of
30+ win at all?Gürtler:
As long as projects are designed to absorb young media nomads
or to make the self-presentation of the participants the content, such as
the current campaigns of Swisslife or Peugeot, they will have trouble
to reach the 30+ target group. In principle, there are
Cross-media campaigns, however, are not an age guillotine, on the contrary: older
Target groups have a more consolidated so-called relevant set
media through which they can be reached. On this basis, the
Probability of media use in this age segment rather
predictable and campaigns therefore easier to plan.
WW:
I argue that sustainable cross-media campaigns are not possible because of the
additional costs in creation, media and logistics are similarly high.
budget than conventional campaigns with direct marketing as
Interaction tool. Does the price argument speak for cross-media at all?
Concepts?Gürtler:
A good cross-media campaign must be interactive and individualized,
be consistent in terms of content and so on - which thus
The associated complexity costs make cross-media a trend towards
expensive form of marketing. Forms such as the aforementioned
Mary Woodbridge campaign are therefore also a cost alternative because
they reduce complexity on the transmitter side and
Include recipients' own contributions.

WW:
We often hear the criticism - especially from creatives - that
Advertising clients only prefer cross-media strategies because
they are primarily looking for the lowest possible GRP price and therefore
very much like to use below-the-line media. What do you think of this
Reservation?Gürtler:
It is rational behavior in complex situations such as
of a cross-media campaign on the basis of the few reliable figures
and that is the cost. Regardless of this, if you look at the
marginal costs of traditional advertising, then it makes sense, especially with
larger campaigns, it makes sense to invest part of the budget in below-the-line
invest.
WW:
Under what circumstances can it become too much for users to choose from all
channels to be bombarded with the same advertising message?
If cross-media is misunderstood and is nothing more than the
Pushing an advertisement through all channels. Used correctly
Crossmedia is exactly the opposite - the media-compatible adaptation of the
message to the usage and activation needs of the
Media target groups.

WW:
Will the combination of traditional and new advertising media soon be exhausted?Gürtler:
New media technologies, increasing media convergence and changing
Media usage behavior is constantly changing for cross-media.
create starting situations. This will always lead to a
short-term overvaluation and overutilization of channels or shapes
currently no cross-media campaign seems to be possible without podcasts.
to get by. But I don't believe in exhaustion. Special
I see potential for development in "branded entertainment" or "brand
casting" - the combination of media entertainment formats with the
Company or product presentation and supplementary communication.

Stefan Gürtler is a lecturer and deputy head of the
Head of the Institute for Corporate Communications at the University of Applied Sciences
Northwestern Switzerland in Olten.

Interview: Luca Aloisi

Annual result III Tamedia increases the
Group result by over 55 percent. The publishing house has invested heavily
and acquired - including 20 Minuten and the Thurgauer Zeitung - and intends to expand further. The consolidated result for the
The net profit for the 2005 financial year amounted to CHF 79.7 million. The
corresponds to an increase of 55.6 percent. The turnover of 650
million francs grew by 14.7 percent. The increase of 112.2
million francs is attributable to the acquisition of 20 Minuten AG and the
Huber & Co AG in Frauenfeld, the publisher of the Thurgauer
newspaper. The operating result improved by 23.4
percent to 127.2 million francs. With these key figures, the
house on Zurich's Werdstrasse with, according to publisher Hans Heinrich
Coninx "very pleasing business result". 

In the past financial year, Tamedia spent 195 million francs
own funds, the majority of which was invested in the two large
purchases. 20 million francs were invested in property, plant and equipment and
the remainder to the purchase from Winterthur-based Ziegler Druck und Verlags
AG, the publisher of Landbote, and for Homegate. In the
financial year, Tamedia has crossed a few borders, such as that of the
Röstigraben with 20 minutes in French-speaking Switzerland and an extension with 20 minutes in Italian-speaking Switzerland.
minutes to eastern Switzerland.

Tamedia intends to continue
successful financial year - in contrast to previous years
loss-making expeditions into the television business - no longer in
illusions, but will continue to invest in its core business, said
recently at the annual results media conference. The acceleration of the
Regionalization strategy for the Tamedia flagship Tages-Anzeiger
had already been communicated by the Group in advance. Around 65 jobs
are to be created in four additional regional editorial offices for the time being.

Tamedia also intends to introduce a new advertising system by 2007 at the latest.
integrate all titles into advertising sales. According to CEO Martin Kall
The costs of the largest advertising marketer PubliGroupe
"exorbitantly high", as can be observed in the case of the Thurgauer Zeitung
is. Kall is convinced that Tamedia can do this at a more favorable level.
can afford. Kall saw the tepid economic situation in the print sector as a
major challenge in connection with the repeatedly announced
Tamedia's expansion plans. If the potential
takeover companies is not too rosy, the chances for Tamedia are increasing.
for a successful shopping trip. According to Kall, the wish list is
long. The Zurich regional newspapers are likely to be at the top of the list.
are currently within the sphere of influence of NZZ and PubliGroupe.

René Worni

The 2005 second-half results will go down in Ringier's history as its «best year.».
A 12.8 percent increase in revenue to 1,256
Billions of francs and a 20.7 percent increase in net income from
67.1 million Swiss francs, the consolidation in the printing sector with the
Establishment of the Swiss Printers Association (Ringier together with NZZ) as well as
The entry into the free newspaper market in Hungary with *24 hodin*—the
According to CEO Martin Werfeli, these are the most important events for the
Ringier's 2005 fiscal year, the largest Swiss
Media group. «We want to pursue an aggressive strategy in Asia and
»We will continue this in Eastern Europe, but also in Switzerland," Werfeli explained
on the occasion of the financial results press conference on March 31 at Ringier
Press building on Dufourstrasse in Zurich.

Most of the innovation has taken place abroad.
Last year, the publisher released a total of 19 titles in eight countries
launched. These include, for example, the TV guide TV2 in the
Switzerland, Hungary, and Romania—each with its own version of the tabloids
Blikk and Libertatea for women, or the cooking show «Betty’s”
»Kitchen" in China. Today, Ringier is also able to, in the TV sector,
Adapting television formats for various international markets and
adapt to regional conditions. For example, the program «Joya”
»Runs" has already attracted 500,000 viewers in China. This startup fever is
According to Werfeli, this is above the industry average.

Optimism for New Projects
«With some regret,» said publisher and Chairman of the Board Michael
Ringier stated that, unfortunately, the innovations would not have been possible in Switzerland
took place. That makes it all the more likely that things will move forward this year. The publishing house
follows the announcement of Cash Daily as a multimedia extension of the
the business newspaper *Cash*, as well as the launch of
Today, the evening newspaper for commuters, is already making a bold move in the new
A year on the road. Publisher Ringier expects positive results
Today, despite widespread skepticism within the industry regarding the
Opportunities for evening newspapers. Ringier expressed confidence that the
the Abendblatt will find its readership. «Because, unlike in the past,
»There are commuter flows today."

The publisher also hopes to benefit from attractive ad combinations
"Heute" and "Blick" report on the revenue losses suffered by the company, which has been struggling for some time
to make up for the tabloid's losses. At Cash Daily, the
Those in charge assume that the newspaper publishes the business magazine *Cash*
will not compete with it. Because, according to
Publisher Ringier is offering a transitional product until e-paper becomes available
has reached maturity and is ready for practical application.

The strong growth of the
The publisher's share of the Eastern and Central European market rose by 16.8 percent to 373.9
Millions of francs. In the Swiss print and publishing sector, the value of
Werfeli described the sales figures as satisfactory. They remained at 66 percent of the
Total revenue is clearly the highest. However, advertising spending in the
Print media fell short of the previous year's figure. Thanks to a
favorable market conditions in the electronic media sector (+1.8
percent), but revenue in the newspaper business rose slightly
and were thus able to offset the declining revenue in traditional channels
Sales and advertising offset each other. Nevertheless, the
Circulation trends for *Blick* and *SonntagsBlick* according to Werfeli
unsatisfactory, even though both titles are holding their own in the advertising market
were able to.

The printing division, on the other hand, faced significant price pressure. Nevertheless, it increased
It increased by 25.3 percent, due to the integration of Zollikofer AG
and NZZ Fretz AG into the Swiss Printers network. Ringier expanded
in addition, with a 16.8 percent increase in revenue to 46.5 million Swiss francs
further expanded its position in the TV sector. In fiscal year 2005, the media group posted a significant figure of 86 million
more than in 2004, when the figure was 60.3 million Swiss francs. Largest
One such investment was the expansion of the company's own printing facility in
Budapest.

This year, the publishing house intends to persistently pursue its growth strategy
"Continue," was the repeated message. This included new product launches and product lines
Expansions in all markets with the goal of using «innovative
Media platforms, supplemented by mobile apps, TV formats, and
to play a leading role in other digital formats in this field
»play.".

René Worni

Associations Pharmacies are successfully defying competing forms of distribution. A campaign aims to emphasize their cost-saving effect, with everyone talking about the exploding costs
in the healthcare sector. Pharmacies are not immune to criticism either
spared. However, they were able to offset the cost growth in
drugs in just over three years - since the performance-oriented
compensation has replaced the margin system - by over CHF 320 million
slow down. As the switch to the pharmacist flat rate has led to a
marginal increase in the price of inexpensive medicines, the
consumers, although on the other hand the prices of the
expensive drugs could be significantly reduced.

As an advisory sales channel, pharmacists appear to be
with their efforts in the area of purchase satisfaction to do their job well.
and defend their position despite growing competition.
According to IMS Health, the number of pharmacies has risen in the past ten years.
years - to around 1670 units at present. Also
the turnover of retail pharmacies has fallen in relation to the ex-factory value since 1995
increased by over 67 percent to CHF 2.2 billion.

All this stands
in stark contrast to the often cited "great pharmacy demise", which
so far only amounted to a market shakeout at local level.
The crux of the matter: despite efforts, drug prices in Switzerland are
still far above the European average. What for others
The image of the pharmaceutical industry would be poisonous in the long term, even for pharmacists.
That is why the Swiss Pharmacists' Association (SAV) is now trying to
a new image campaign that is "hardly recognized by the public".
perceived" daily performance of the pharmacy teams clearly and
position ourselves positively.

The clear competence message - "Your pharmacy. The first step to
improvement" - and the eye-catching, symbolic visualization with
fruits and vegetables were developed together with the agency Werbeanstalt
designed. The most common ailments are depicted in the striking subjects.
and complaints are sometimes serious, sometimes funny. Always with the
Recommendation to enquire at a pharmacy as a first point of contact
- Whether for prevention, information or advice on issues relating to
medication or health problems. Without further ado
the "consultation hour without prior appointment" implies that you can make an appointment under
can save you a trip to the doctor.

The team led by CD Sarah Hiltebrand has not been able to cope with the variety of complaints.
only with the artworks of nature. With simple means
and keywords on apothecary-green guerrilla material, the
Campaign additional visibility and edges. Ironic placements
like the "Hemorrhoids?" sticker on public transportation seats or "Athlete's foot?" in
Fitness centers advertise for pharmacists in unexpected places
and should also help to reduce threshold fears and taboos.
After sub-organizations such as the TopPharm association
past years about the problems that were considered too low or too complicated
have complained about the perceived marketing efforts of the SAV and even
the umbrella organization seems to be on the right track with its recently launched
image campaign itself. So
The association not only finances the public display of posters,
but also the basic package for member pharmacies for the first time.
The latter also have the option of purchasing the standard package with
further modules - including local events and give-aways
expand. The common thread is the claim and the
striking fears that pave the way for further concerns of the
pharmacy sector in the best possible way.

Luca Aloisi

Digital printing Xerox announces that the
over 70 iGen3 systems print more than one million pages every month.
The digital printing system is particularly popular in Switzerland.
The Sihldruck printing company in Zurich, for example, has developed the
Offset printing started two years ago with the iGen3 to respond to changed
to respond to customer needs. Entering the market for
The company Fotorotar in Egg has developed digital photography with the iGen3
managed. In Switzerland, a total of
24 iGen3 systems in use.

The Basler Zeitung (BaZ) is disappointed by the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung's decision to cooperate with the Mittelland Zeitung (MZ). "The move by the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung to disregard local and regional interests must also be disconcerting for the public in the Basel region," reads the communiqué signed by BaZ publisher Matthias Hagemann. The Basler Zeitung believes that independent reporting is "highly endangered". Publisher Hagemann even spoke to the SDa of a "press war". The Basellandschaftliche Zeitung is allowing itself to be used by the MZ against the BaZ. The "momentous change in the media landscape in north-western Switzerland" hits the Basler Zeitung at a sore point. The Basler Zeitung will become the only independent daily newspaper in the region and will feel the effects of the "new competitive situation determined by the greater Zurich area" more keenly. It is obvious that the Basler Zeitung would have preferred to expand its regional cooperation. In recent years, it has repeatedly communicated its willingness to enter into partnerships while maintaining the greatest possible independence. Smaller collaborations have been realized, such as the joint job supplement "stellefant" or the early delivery of the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung by the BaZ distribution company. The offer of a more comprehensive regional cooperation does not seem to have met with mutual interest at the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung. The Basellandschaftliche Zeitung had rejected a purely regional cooperation for fear of marginalization. It also fears that a cooperation with the BaZ would result in losses in terms of dual subscribers, according to an SDA press release. The solution with the Mittelland Zeitung is also interpreted as a "clear commitment to Northwestern Switzerland", as the clear journalistic demarcation remains in place.
Basler Zeitung, on the other hand, is convinced that it is only possible to secure long-term journalistic and commercial independence with a regionally inspired cooperation model. As an example of such a model, it cites its involvement with the Neue Fricktaler Zeitung, which has thus secured an "independent journalistic voice" in the long term. The BaZ will publish reports, reactions, comments and a statement by publisher Matthias Hagemann in its Thursday edition. Discussions can currently be held online at baz.ch in the online forum.

Below the line: A strategy tailored to the target audience
The folks at the
The party label All Night Long, part of the creative circle in Zurich
Let businesspeople come up with ideas. Manual dexterity is hardly a requirement,
to turn the oddly die-cut flyer into a cigarette pack sleeve
fold. This not only refers to DJ René S.’s CD release party, but
...as well as the health-promoting aspects of the event.
However, it comes with the warning: «Dancing can cause a heart attack.».

Annual result I Although the parent company of
NZZ is still in the red, the NZZ Group feels healthy
enough to tackle new challenges.2005 sales of the NZZ Group 
decreased from CHF 547.0 million to CHF 482.3 million (-11.8
percent). However, this is not only due to the decline in advertising and
Newspaper sales: Last year, the company had sold the
business printing (Zollikofer AG and NZZ Fretz AG) into the joint venture
Swiss Printers AG with Ringier (70%). As a result, the revenue
of the NZZ Group primarily due to consolidation, especially since the start year
of Swiss Printers AG with its restructuring expenses
interestingly enough, was charged to Ringier Print Zofingen AG. Also
Corporate profit decreased significantly. It amounted to 13.6
million francs, a good third less than in 2004.
is largely due to the subsidiaries Tagblatt-Medien
and LZ-Medien, which, according to the communiqué, "clearly positive
contributions to the overall result".

The parent company, NZZ AG, has now for the first time for a full year
no longer acquires advertisements, but instead assigns this work to Publicitas
to the company. A direct benefit of this outsourcing is evident from the
However, this is not evident from the 2005 figures. Although total income rose
of NZZ AG increased from 204.7 to 207.8 million Swiss francs and was just under
the profit zone (deficit: -1.8 million francs). But the increase is
not to the advertising revenue and therefore not actually to Publicitas
to thank for this. On the contrary: the flagship NZZ lost ground compared to 2004.
again 5.2 percent in advertising revenue, while the NZZ Folio recorded a
down 3.2 percent and the NZZ am Sonntag (NZZaS) was down 4.6 percent.
lower than in the previous year and once again required investment.
The NZZ also notes that the cooperation with the P
are only "likely to bear fruit in the medium term".

Freie Presse Holding (FPH) also reported positive results.
out. Its turnover rose by CHF 5.3 million to CHF 279.8 million. The
However, profit fell by 24.1 percent to CHF 18.6 million. The FPH
These include the investments in Tagblatt-Medien, Bund
and affiliated with the Zürcher Landzeitungen.

LZ Holding close to the record
Within the NZZ Group, however, it is once again LZ Holding that
works particularly successfully. As early as 2004, she had already
record values from 2000, and in 2005 one of them even reached
were exceeded: LZ Holding reports a result of 11.7 million
1.7 million francs more than in 2000 and almost 2 million
In contrast, sales in 2005 were 134.2 francs higher than in 2004.
million francs is still just below the previous record, but
by exactly CHF 10 million or 8 percent above the 2004 figure.
The increase in sales was primarily due to a company acquisition and to a
in the printing business as well, the advertising, subscription and
Kiosk income, on the other hand, declined.
The situation is similar in eastern Switzerland at the Tagblatt media group,
which had already published initial figures for the 2005 financial year
had. In addition to advertising revenues, the company also reported declining
Radio Aktuell, on the other hand, achieved its best result in 2005.
result of its history. Advertising revenue increased last year by
13 percent. At Tele-Eastern Switzerland, spot and
sponsorship income and income from media patronage by 17 percent.

The amounts paid by the two regional publishers to the
NZZ Group is not disclosed. What is interesting
however, how cash flows are organized within the Group.
LZ Holding is a direct subsidiary (51 percent) of the AG for the
Neue Zürcher Zeitung (Group), while the Tagblatt media of the
NZZ subsidiary Freie Presse Holding (FPH). This is
relevant insofar as PubliGroupe also holds an 11 percent stake in FPH.
is involved. In other words, the dividends of the particularly
LZ Holding, which is performing well, will benefit the NZZ Group in full.
while those of the Tagblatt media initially still had to deal with the
PubliGroupe will have to be shared. Either way, the NZZ Group sees
According to the communiqué, the company is "committed to mastering future
well equipped for the challenges ahead".

Markus Knöpfli

The medium of television was also able to expand its presence worldwide last year. The global average viewing time is 184 minutes per day. Americans watch 271 minutes a day, the Japanese 251 minutes, Latin Americans 196 minutes and Europeans 195 minutes. In Europe, the average viewing time did not increase compared to the previous year, but as there was no major sporting event last year, an effective increase can be assumed. In addition to viewing time, the study "One Television Year in the world - Issue 2006" by the French research institute Médiamétrie and the German media consultancy Goldmedia also examined the hit lists of the most-watched programs. Fiction programs once again dominated the rankings in 2005 with a 44 percent share. Compared to the previous year, the share of fiction programs in the USA and Australia increased by 10 and 20 percent respectively. In the USA, the fiction share is 60 percent. Entertainment is in second place worldwide with 38%, while news is in third place with 18% of viewing.
Series have become more popular in the various fiction formats, with their share rising by 14% to 64%. The study sees the reasons for this success in the average length of 52 minutes, the regular screen presence, the cliffhanger at the end of the series and the relevance of the subject matter to the viewer's everyday life. Feature films are suffering from the growing success of the series, accounting for just 16% of the total.
The picture is different in Europe, where entertainment dominates with a 38% share of viewing time. Special events such as the European Song Contest are safe bets in this area. However, the so-called "award" formats and shows such as "Millionaire" and "Big Brother" lost a few percentage points in viewing figures.
Fractal and news programs accounted for the same share in 2005 as in the previous year. These programs (news broadcasts and news magazines) are particularly popular in Europe. A series of socio-political events brought this genre a high TV presence in 2005: the death of the Pope, the effects of the tsunami disaster and the referendum on the European Constitution.

With the acquisition of 80 percent of the online department store LeShop, Migros is participating in a dynamic growth market. In 2005, LeShop's sales soared by 45 percent and maintained this growth in the first quarter of 2006. Migros is taking over the shares with retroactive effect from January 1. The parties have agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Food Straight from the Mallorcan throne
the stove at Masterfood: The Master of Disaster has recently been stirring the
the proven cornfield expert Jürgen Drews takes the advertising trowel for the
Ebly- Zartweizen. The TV commercial shows the retired pop singer drinking a
delicious Ebly dish and, in the best "A bed in the
Kornfeld" style, the specially adapted song "So schmeckt das Kornfeld"
warbles. The song can also be heard on the radio. Aim of the
campaign, according to the agency responsible, Scholz & Friends, Zurich,
to increase brand awareness and, above all, to attract first-time buyers.
to win.

Radio advertising The production of radio commercials is multi-faceted and requires precise planning.
Since Roger Schawinski's Pirate Radio Days
The private stations have become a serious competitor of
Radio DRS. But their existence is still hard: In the
In contrast to the public radio stations, which are supported by
fees are financed, they must cover one hundred percent of their expenses.
cover through advertising revenue. "Fortunately, the
Private radio today is a medium that is taken seriously," explains Remo
Civatti, head of the Radio Zürisee Werbe AG branch in Uster and
Managing Director of Silverspot GmbH. With a four percent share in the
Swiss advertising pie, however, the potential does not yet seem to be at all
to be exhausted. Innovation and creativity in the production of
Spots are therefore indicated.

Different forms of advertising
Good classic radio spots grab attention, entertain,
inform or stimulate the willingness to buy. They announce
upcoming open house events at the local car dealership,
point to the new course program of a continuing education institute or the
new opening hours of the furniture store or inform about it,
which cinema is showing the blockbuster that has just been released. Image spots
on the other hand, are suitable as a classic sales promotion measure. Since they
are usually produced without reference to a date, they can be used via
be disseminated over a longer period of time. Besides these
main forms, there are various special forms. These include
Combinations of main spot with a preceding teaser or a
downstream reminders, each of which is supported by at least one other
radio spot can be separated from each other.

Sponsorship is becoming increasingly important, for example when the weather, the
Traffic news or the upcoming soccer world cup from a company
be "presented". In the radio programs can be used for this purpose headings,
vessels or entire broadcasts are sponsored. Compared to the
However, in the case of sponsorship, advertising spot is only a company mention plus
identification is possible ("Dealer X from Y presents ..."). At
the design of the sponsoring appearances, which usually take place over a longer period of time.
time, media law restrictions must be taken into account.
pay attention.

Creation of a radio spot
The spots usually look as if they are produced quite loosely,
but there is a great deal of know-how and experience behind it.
Based on the briefing by the customer and an implementation idea
of the spot producers, a text is formulated. Where less is usually more
is: "Many customers want to fit far too many messages into a far too
short radio spot," Remo Civatti knows from experience.

Because a
average listener can only absorb three to four key messages,
the central message is often not perceived in overloaded spots.
This is where the consulting expertise of a radio studio comes in. The most important room of a studio is the announcer's booth, in which the
invited speaker performs his or her rehearsed text in a soundproofed
environment to the best.

The spoken text is recorded by means of a high-quality microphone
digitized and is then ready for further processing. Besides the
Recording in the broadcast booth, radio studios also provide so-called
outdoor productions. These spots produced in interview style
are recorded directly at the customer or also in the radio studio
and are intended to convey an on-site atmosphere to the listener.

Most often, the radio spot producer organizes a suitable spokesperson,
but the customer can also take care of a speaker - or even
put themselves in front of the microphone. But the choice of speaker has its
pitfalls: "If you want to produce national commercials, you should
consider that in German-speaking Switzerland, prominent speakers in other
(language) regions of Switzerland are, at best, completely unknown," says
Civatti, who sees the use of regional dialects as a particular
challenge and uses it accordingly as a stylistic element.

To find the right voice, for example, the studios reach into
from the list of speakers listed on www.vps-asp.ch, or they
rely on exclusive voices. The latter are mostly people with a
acting training, which, if desired, can also be provided exclusively with an
Studio collaborate. "Popular," says Remo Civatti, "and often very
expensive are dubbing voices of internationally known actors."

Dramaturgy and editing
The control room and editing suite are of central importance. Here are
the spoken text on additional audio tracks with further acoustic
elements are mixed in. These are, for example, jingles (a short and memorable
melody/sound sequence, which is often used as an acoustic logo), the
Music carpet (a dramatizing musical background of the
spoken text) or a soundscape (prefabricated,
purchased or studio-recorded elements). Often it is just
these sound elements that make a spot unique and create a
enable recognition. Important are these the radio spot
complementary elements, because they help the listener to remember the
to stay. Civatti regrets that these soundscapes are far too
would rarely be required.

Music can also be used as the background of a radio spot.
But while "mood" music - which radio producers in
digital libraries combined music pieces - often in the price
of a radio spot is included, should be used for standard or current
Music first prizes as well as the rights to broadcast at the
Suisa (Swiss Society for the Rights of Authors and Publishers)
musical works) are obtained. The cost of musical works
depend on the topicality of the piece as well as the popularity of the
Artist off.

Who does what?
From requests for orders to be produced within hours,
to nationally broadcast radio spots, the production of which is spread over
extends over several weeks, a wide range can be found. With the
Planning radio spots should therefore take two weeks for realization
be included in the calculation. Of course, quick shots are possible,
especially with such a fast medium. But here, too, nothing works
about careful planning, testing and implementation. Too often it comes
amateurishly produced commercials that meet the qualitative demands of the
of the customer are not sufficient, polished up in the studio for expensive money.
need to be.

For the production of radio spots offer different large
Radio studios offer their services. They take care of the
professional preparation and make the radio spot available to the digital
file. The way to the broadcast of a radio spot leads thereby
mostly via advertising pools (see box). While airtime can be purchased from the
private radio stations can be booked directly without any problems, but offer the
advertising pools in addition to greater reach over the whole
more favorable conditions.

A radio spot is created
Step 1: Inquiry and initial clarifications by telephone as to whether it is an image, event, open house spot, etc..
Step 2: Further discussion in the radio studio or at the customer's premises.
Step 3: The offer and a rough schedule are prepared.
Step 4: The media plan is drawn up. It is determined how often the spot will be run and where it will be broadcast.

Step 5: The spot will be
produced: The speaker or interviewee is on location. There will be
two to three proposals/variants with different emphasis and
Background (carpet) created to set the direction
(theatrical, provocative, informative). At this point the
Text to be released. In the case of an external interview, the
radio journalist to record the spot on site.
Step 6: The spot will be
compiled, cut, adjusted, breaks set or
shifted, etc., until it is finally produced and available as a
digital file is available.

Step 7: The customer gives the approval.

Step 8: The file is forwarded to the radio stations or the marketer.   

Music/Radio at your fingertips
Those who are superficially interested in (radio) music can go to the
For example, you can log on to Pandora, a music service owned by Yahoo.
Enter favorite song or artist and will be
Songs supplied, which have similar musical elements.
Spoken editorial contributions, on the other hand, can be viewed by users in the
Internet as podcasts download. Besides Apple iTunes, on whose
Software the "podcasting" goes back, there are here also more
Provider.
Both variants finance their services with advertising on their
websites, superimposed radio advertising or demand fees for the
Download.

The scene of pools and marketers
If radio spots are also booked directly via private radio stations without any problems
can be made, the mostly radio station-initiated
or founded pools offer opportunities for supraregional or even
nationwide broadcast. In addition to the French, Italian and
German Switzerland oriented radio pools, there are pools for the
agglomerations and for tourist areas. Leading marketers are the
IP Multimedia (Schweiz) AG, which belongs to the Goldbach Media Group, and
Radiotele AG. Other marketers include the companies
Spotpromotions and Covermedia.

Jürgen Franck