Out-of-home advertising Despite stagnation in the domestic market and a decline in Eastern Europe, Affichage earned more in 2005.
Affichage the company acquisitions that it made last year.
was made. It thus spent on four acquisitions, all of which were made abroad.
not only raised 42 times more money than in the previous year, the
amount also accounts for two thirds of the total
Affichage investments in 2005. Affichage purchased in advance the
Churchill Group, which owns 1500 poster sites in Romania. Next
the out-of-home advertiser took over 60 percent of La Strada in Greece
(large areas), and the small Publifutura in northern Italy, with the
Milan, as well as the niche player Visiorama in Milan.
Liechtenstein, which is active in the mountain railroads sector.

These investments show one thing above all: even after the withdrawal of
Affichage from the bidding process for Deutsche Eisenbahnreklame
(DERG), the Swiss out-of-home advertiser is still willing to expand its
expand its field of activity abroad. In the medium term, the
Foreign business at Affichage accounts for 25 percent of total sales,
said CEO Christian Kauter at the annual press conference on 28.
February. Previous involvement in Eastern Europe as part of Europlakat
International (EPI), a joint venture with JCDecaux, today contributes around
10 percent of affichage sales.

Despite the high level of investment, all the new acquisitions had hardly
influence on the Affichage Group's sales because they are either (still)
are very small or because the acquisitions of La Strada and
Churchill were only made at the end of 2005. The turnover of the
Affichage Group as a whole declined slightly by 1.2 percent, which
two reasons: the sales revenue in Switzerland was
fell by 0.3 percent, and EPI's earnings also declined.
by 8 percent. However, both declines are due to accounting factors - to
The reason for the changeover in accounting from Swiss GAAP FER to
IFRS. According to the previous standard, Affichage would have achieved +0.4
percent, while EPI would have increased by 6.4 percent.
can. "EPI was our growth area in 2005," emphasized
Christian Kauter. Whether declining or increasing sales: the
In any case, Affichage was able to increase its consolidated net income by 5.5
percent to 22.1 million francs.

The outlook for 2006 is rosier again: at EPI, Affichage
with an increase in sales of 5 percent, and in the capital cities
of Bulgaria and Romania this year for the tendering of municipal contracts
on. EPI will take part in the tender in Sofia and in Bucharest
Affichage itself, but is able to rely on JCDecaux and its
range of street furniture.

The out-of-home advertiser also wants to grow in Switzerland, but the
Kauter believes that market share gains in the traditional out-of-home advertising market
not. That is why he has his eye on new areas. Which of these
However, the CEO does not want to disclose the details. Either way, this year
he anticipates an increase in sales of around 2 percent in the domestic market.

At the Annual General Meeting in May, the Board of Directors of
Affichage also announced two changes: As successor to the late
Chairman of the BoD Jean-Philippe Maitre will be the lawyer Klaus Hug
proposed. Hug was a personal assistant to Federal Councillor Kurt
Furgler, member of the Competition Commission and Chairman of the
Swiss Department Store Association. From the last mandate he will
this year. It will also be proposed to the AGM that Christian
Kauter as a member and delegate of the BoD.
   

Markus Knöpfli

The Aarau agency Gutzwiller Kommunikation und Design has expanded its team. New additions are graphic designer Stefan Wegmüller and photographer Daniel Brüschweiler, who has a dual role in consulting. In addition, consulting assistant Brigitte Hediger is responsible for ensuring production processes. Gutzwiller Kommunikation und Design's clients include the AZ Medien Group, Lagerhäuser der Centralschweiz, Jungheinrich Schweiz, Zulauf Baumschule und Gartencenter and Rehaklinik Bellikon.

Entertainment industry Domestic film productions are more successful than ever thanks to clever marketing strategies. "If it works, the movie was good.
If it doesn't work, it was the marketing's fault," says one
common bon mot in the film industry. Apparently the calculation works. Because
Swiss films have been flying high since last summer.
Since then, at least one Swiss film has always been shown for several weeks in
the top ten of Pro Cinema - the association for cinema and distribution. And
According to Thomas Tribolet, Managing Director of the association
Swiss Film Producers, will hardly change in the future. What has changed
the image of Swiss film, which is perceived as top-heavy and
and the audience hardly ever went to the movies.
attracted. In addition to financial support from the federal government and Swiss
Television is currently carrying the latter with the Sunday program
Film series - eight domestic productions celebrate their TV premiere this year -
This contributes to correcting the image of Swiss film.

Marketing begins in the mind
Even if this commercial success has various causes, all -
also intrinsic ones such as the better themes and scripts or
cinematic and acting performances - ultimately go back to the
professionalization of marketing. "Marketing has become
producer sector has gained in importance," says Tribolet. "Left to
the promotion task to the distributors, they are now taking over this task.
more and more frequently together and much earlier, as in the search for
Sponsors." Today, the consideration is paid with concessions to
potential sponsors already in the script or then in marketing
of the end product. The win-win situation is exemplary
between the producers of "Mein Name ist Eugen" and Mobiliar,
which also used the trailer for its own image purposes and, incidentally, to promote the
audience to the movie theaters.

Need more examples? The audience success of the season, "Grounding" -
a quarter of a million viewers in one month -, raised with the help of over
30 partners; from the fruit juice producer to the art gallery, there were
pretty much everything is represented. But that's not all. For the launch, too
new measures to increase awareness: After a threatening
teaser poster motif (r. above), "Grounding" was the first Swiss
stripes with three different subjects on the runway.
"We knew that we couldn't hide behind the US blockbusters
wanted to. On the contrary: the motto was to at least keep up," says Micha
Seger, who designed the posters for "Grounding" at Egli Swiss Effects and the
Eugen created the rascal movie.

Also new, and officially justified by the explosive nature of the film
was an increasingly popular choice for the US film industry.
Promotional ploy: launch the film without any media vision, fill
the halls with curious visitors on the first weekend, climbs the hit list
and relies on the more efficient word of mouth from viewers,
instead of the often divided opinion of film critics. Gone are the
Times in which the media are brought on board as cuddly accomplices.
had to be made. New alliances are much more promising - with
promotion partners.

More and more film producers are looking for direct contact without fear of contact.
contact with potential investors. And they, for their part, know
increasingly aware of the value of the movie medium as a good image producer
with the younger target audience. Since brands are no longer just for
certain properties of their products, but for a
lifestyle, they recognize the potential of staging in a
Entertainment film. Merchandising, product placement, online stores,
Events or visits to the shoot for the promotional partners are not
new terms, but have only been used for a few years as elementary
parts of professional marketing strategies. "Commercial to
is still a taboo. This must be broken. Only then will
the whole industry more successful," says Micha Seger.

"My name is Eugen", for example, was only realized with the support of
SBB and Mobiliar, which supported the production of the film by
from the very beginning. Both brands conveyed in the film as in
the following media reports a sympathetic image. The fact that even
certain audiences were reached, the independent distributor
Frenetic Films. "In addition to 'classic' advertising, we have
targeted interest group marketing and, among other things
groups and school classes into the cinemas," explains Uwe
Luetzen, Head of Marketing at Frenetic Films. In return, the
advertising of the promotion partners, the otherwise expensive
media buys. So that the movie will be remembered for a long time and
simple moments of recognition are awakened, today not only the
DVD or books are available. All conceivable measures are
coordinated and cross-referenced - from the shop window display
to the downloadable ringtone from the Eugen site.

Advertising cake has grown
For the small Swiss film market, only large distributors can afford
the necessary media pressure to achieve a promising production.
advertise. However, compared to the international films, there are also
these budgets are quite modest. Although the advertising pie for cinema films is
according to Media Focus from around 10 million in 1993 to over 42 million in 2005.
million francs and has mostly grown at double-digit rates since 2000 - the
However, campaign budgets for domestic films still rank in the
The Big Donors list was published in 2005 by
"The Chronicles of Narnia", for which six times as much was paid in
was invested in traditional advertising media than in the Eugen film.
In order to be able to play in the international league, it is not
The decisive factor is not only the advertising budget, but also its efficient use. For
Paul Fischli, Head of Marketing at United International Pictures
Switzerland, progress has been made: better communication mixes,
well thought-out strategies, professional promotional partnerships with
corresponding above- and below-the-line support. Above all
The young filmmakers' self-confidence and self-awareness paid off.

The poster for Marco Rima's "Handyman" from the
Atelier Heinzelmann reflects the growing self-confidence of the Swiss
Films. The eye-catcher is based on the US poster for the
Bond film "For Your Eyes Only", as the film journalist Marc Bodmer
was noticed. For Buena Vista - the distributor with the most
Swiss cinema successes in the bag - more than a good omen. In the future
Buena Vista also has 007 films in its range, reveals Matthias Keller,
Head of Marketing Switzerland.   

Luca Aloisi

Michael Steiner, the director of the Swiss films "Grounding" and "Eugen", is working on a 20-part television series about football. Swiss television has already granted a development loan for the series project, as the 36-year-old explains in an interview with the TV magazine TV-Star. According to Steiner, the series is intended as a prelude to the 2008 European Championships if the concept is well received by SF. Steiner is developing the football fiction for P.C. Fueter's production company C-Films. The football series is to be in the style of successful productions such as "Six Feet Under" or "24".

With this award, the Bernese Public Relations Society BPRG honors the Mayor of Biel/Bienne, Hans Stöckli, as a gifted communicator. Since 1999, the prize has been awarded annually to people who have achieved exceptional communicative achievements over a long period of time without the corresponding professional training. Stöckli represents the spirit of Biel in an exemplary manner with his open-minded bilingual communication, the BPRG announced on Wednesday. The BPRG sees Expo 02, where Stöckli proved to be a brilliant trailblazer, as the prizewinner's real masterpiece.

Training Are the electronic systems
not adapted to the individual requirements of a company,
electronic data processing can become a time-consuming and nerve-wracking
become a nuisance. A new training course from the Media Institute, which
is affiliated to the Swiss Press Association, is therefore aimed at
IT specialists. This is because they not only have the advantage of being up to date
technological knowledge, but they know the industry - in
in this case the media industry - and the concerns of users very well.
"The course is intended as a contribution to the professionalization of the
media industry also in the economic area," says
Institute director and organizer Josefa Haas.
In the 14-day course "Media management for IT specialists", students learn
Participants will learn the basics of economics, journalism, production and the
marketing of media and receive insights from experts into
the mechanisms of media management. The course is aimed at
IT specialists working in and for the media industry to
media professionals with IT contact points as well as newcomers to the
Media specialist training. (rw)

Insurance SuvaLiv is committed
intensively in the prevention of recreational accidents on the football pitch.
In addition to over-hard play, a lack of agility is considered the main cause
for the high number of football injuries. That is why SuvaLiv
year, together with soccer experts and sports physicians, the
The 11" training program was developed and implemented at the football clubs with
introduced various measures. Footballers train with "The 11"
not only their muscles, but also their coordination and
Body stability. With regular use, the
performance is increased and the risk of injury is reduced. Call Lanz
has stayed on the ball and also dramatizes the benefits of "The 11".
This year with an astonishing advertising campaign: Binding-covered
Table football figures on posters and advertisements make it clear that the
Kicking with stiff limbs can quickly lead to injuries. And that
Footballers who do without targeted training will probably soon be
will look like their little plastic counterparts.

Beer MRG Communications, which is active in Basel and Zurich, has turned the Zurich-Basel dispute into a campaign for Warteck.
Warteck-Bier is now launching a new image campaign after a dry spell
through. The occasion is the 150th anniversary and the specially brewed
Jubiläumsbier Warteck 1856.

Warteck was taken over by Feldschlösschen Getränke AG in 1989.
The "likeable beer from the Basel and Jura region" (website) is
still popular with many aficionados due to its origins in Kleinbasel.
appreciated as "the beer for Basel". This positioning is reflected in the
new image campaign not only maintained, but strengthened, "because
local brands give consumers the certainty and
orientation that they need in our globalized, heterogeneous world.
miss," says MRG Communications.

Founded in 1999, the agency employs around 30 people in two locations.
offices in Basel and Zurich. From this geographical span, MRG has
now also nurtured the basic tension for their beer campaign. The
Warteck's new image campaign focuses on the solidarity of Warteck
with Basel and the people of Basel with each other. Because Baslers are, as is well known
known and proud to have a strong sense of togetherness and
have. This is not only most evident every year at the carnival.
expression when people in Basel make fun of people from Zurich.

The image campaign starts with three provocative poster subjects with
witty comparisons between Basel and Zurich, in which the Zurich team
naturally perform somewhat less well. At the same time
Gastropromotions and advertisements for the new Warteck 1856 anniversary beer
attention. The campaign starts at the end of February and will be
March is accompanied by a new website.

First comes the beer, then the culture
Zurich and Basel are not as different as the way they are used.
of former breweries. A popular saying is "in vino
veritas". This truth must by now have led to the realization that "where there's beer, there
Culture" will be expanded. In Zurich, the first
Löwenbräu site and later also on the former site of the brewery
Hürlimann is a versatile center for small businesses with a cultural
touch and cultural enterprises of all kinds have emerged since the
Beer production with the sale to Feldschlösschen in Rheinfelden
has been withdrawn. At the Warteck brewery in Basel, too
naturally no longer brewed beer since the niche producer went public in 1989.
market leader Feldschlösschen has been sold. Just like in Zurich
- and not otherwise, as the Warteck advertising probably likes to satirize it
the former brewery site is now a public cultural space.
has been set up. The idea was the brainchild of Basel architect Roger
Diener back. He has a vision of a "workroom" in the castle-like building.
Warteck" was envisioned. This idea has been brewing more and more,
until an association of the same name was founded in 1994.

This association is now the tenant of the entire former Warteck site and
sublets the individual rooms to individual projects.
They are self-employed and financially independent. More than 30
Small businesses, interest groups and non-profit organizations
Organizations with different structures and working methods
are now using the old brewery. The projects include
Agrico - a cooperative for organic farming - as well as
DOKU, the documentation center for Basel artists. Alchemy_space
is called an "ivory tower" for thinking and discussing. There is also
Sculpture studios, agencies for new media or electronic
Publishing. Of course, there are also several artists' studios or
For example, the training center of the well-known troupe Cîrqu'enflex in the
Brewery installed. Also open to the public are a pub and
the former brewhouse for cultural events.

Andreas Panzeri

The Board of the Swiss Private Radio Association (VSP) unanimously proposes Jürg Bachmann as the new President at the General Assembly on March 23, 2006 in Winterthur. Bachmann is Managing Director of Energy Zurich. He has previously held management positions at Radio Aktuell and Tele Ostschweiz since 1984 and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees at Toxic.fm and a member of the Board of Directors at Radio Ri. At the same time, the VSP Board nominates Frederik Stucki (Radio Canal 3, Capital FM) and Alfons Spirig (Radio Central) for a further three-year term of office. The other Board members do not have to be re-elected this year. The Board also unanimously approved Radio Zürisee's application for re-admission at its meeting on February 28, 2006. With the new member, the association now has 26 members.

(pr) According to the latest IDC market figures, OKI Printing Solutions has consistently strengthened its position in the LED/laser printer market in Switzerland for 2005 as a whole and has been able to expand its position compared to the same period in the previous year. in the area of color page printers, OKI is closing in on the market leader HP due to high demand and sales, especially for fast business devices.
In the overall Swiss market for color printers, the specialist for LED-based printers from Pratteln strengthened its second position in 2005 with a total market share of 8.8 percent (in terms of value) and is in third place in terms of units sold with 8.8 percent, only just behind Samsung with 10.9 percent.
In the segment of professional business color page printers - LED/laser printers with a speed of 11-20 ppm - OKI consolidates its second position with 38.1 percent (in terms of volume) and 23.5 percent (in terms of value) of the market. This brings OKI Printing Solutions closer to the market leader HP and puts it well ahead of Konica-Minolta in third place in this segment.
OKI Printing Solutions can also look back on positive business development in the area of matrix printers (9-pin printers) in the annual review: OKI achieved second place with 37.1 percent (in terms of value) and 41.1 percent (in terms of volume), directly behind Epson with 42.9 percent. IBM is in third place with 16.4 percent.
OKI Company Information
OKI Electric Industry Company Limited is one of the top 30 manufacturers of semi-conductors and communication solutions in the world with a total sales volume of around 6.8 billion US dollars. The company employs almost 21,000 people (approximately 5,679 outside Japan) and has manufacturing facilities in Japan, Thailand, China, the USA and Scotland. OKI Europe Ltd. is organizationally part of OKI Data Corporation (ODC), a 100% subsidiary of OKI Electric, headquartered in Tokyo. The complete product portfolio of OKI Data Corporation is sold in 120 countries worldwide under the brand name OKI Printing Solutions. In the 2004 financial year (March 31), OKI Data Corporation recorded total sales of 1.4 billion US dollars (share of sales: Europe 51%, USA 26%, Asia 16%, other 7%).
In Switzerland, OKI Systems (Switzerland) markets high-quality OKI Printing Solutions printers, multifunctional devices, matrix printers and fax machines as a sales, service and marketing organization.
In LED/laser color page printers, the company ranks second in the overall market in terms of sales and third in terms of unit sales. In the business segment, it ranks second in terms of unit sales (source: IDC - FY 2005 results). Managing Director OKI Systems (Switzerland) is Walter Briccos.

450 visitors attended the three-day Dialog Marketing Exhibition 2006 in the Zurich hall of the Maag site. Organizer Marc Zehnder was satisfied. It was great to be able to showcase the entire spectrum of dialog marketing on one platform, he said in a press release. At the vernissage on Friday, Jakob Nef, SDV President, and Christof Lenhard, PostMail, spoke about the importance and future of dialog marketing.

Martin Paff, publishing director of Ringier's political magazine Cicero, will also become managing director of Juno Kunstverlag GmbH, which publishes the art magazine Monopol, also owned by Ringier since the beginning of the year. Within Monopol, however, everything will remain the same, writes the industry magazine Kress. An advertising manager is to be appointed by the middle of the year and a new head of copywriting has already been hired.