Pantone, the world's leading partner for
colors and color communication in the graphics and design industry, concludes
a strategic partnership with GretagMacbeth, the global market leader
for color measurement and color management solutions. The collaboration is intended to
Make color management more accessible for professionals and hobby users,
according to a press release. The first result of the
technology partnership, Pantone presents the user-friendly
Huey monitor calibration solution. The device for calibrating
monitors was developed for color management beginners, digital photo fans, gamers
and PC users who demand absolute color accuracy and brilliance.
value.

The Federal Council has published its strategy for a
Information Society Switzerland of 1998. The following remains unchanged
the goal of using information technology quickly, in a coordinated manner and for the
of all, as this will contribute to Switzerland's long-term prosperity.
the communiqué states. With the electronic
eGovernment, the Federal Council wants to use the international
Switzerland into a leading position. A
A new focus will be placed on the use of information and
communication technologies in the healthcare sector (eHealth). Here
The hope is that this will lead to cost savings. The Department of Home Affairs
was tasked with developing an eHealth strategy by the end of 2006.
commissioned.
The portal site run jointly by the Confederation, cantons and communes
www.ch.ch is to be continuously expanded under the name "The Swiss Portal".
become. The Federal Council measures the national digital business card
political significance.

The AZ Medien Group has appointed Eva Keller (49)
as Head of Corporate Communications. She takes up her new
position on January 23 and is also a member of the Board of Directors.
extended company management. Keller will also be responsible for various
publishing projects. Due to the growing
communication tasks, the AZ management had opted for the
Bundling and concentration of corporate communications activities
decided, according to the press release.
General Secretary Eva Fuchs will continue to oversee the events. Cellar
is a qualified management expert and has worked as a
Managing Director of the business magazine Bilanz, as Managing Director
of the Swiss Press Association and most recently as Head of
Corporate Communications at Ringier.

Eastern Switzerland trend and lifestyle magazine
Massiv is now published with sections on visionary and new thinking.
Massiv was developed by the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute (GDI) as a channel
chosen to support the GDI networking platform "Pioneers", which organizes events and
information for forward thinkers and lateral thinkers, and to
discuss. We plan to provide information on events and
Meetings, but also all other possible forms. How editor-in-chief
Mario Romano reveals to Werbewoche, the reader is in for a surprise.
"We want to offer deeper impulses than just facts," says Romano. Goal
is to touch the reader.
Massiv from the St. Galler Schreibwerk publishing house was launched in 1999 and
is already in its 37th issue. It is published seven times a year in
with a circulation of 25,000 copies.

The Zurich advertising agency Neutral takes over
will be responsible for all communication tasks for the Swiss
windsurfing brand Mistral. The first measures are to be implemented in February.
be seen. Mistral has been producing surf products since 1976, making it the
oldest windsurfing brand in Europe.

With Ruedi Alexander Müller-Beyeler (51)
the Baar-based Pleon C-Matrix has acquired a savvy branding expert.
on board. This will expand the offering in brand strategy,
Brand Leadership and Design Management, according to the communiqué. The foundation of Brand Leadership
Practice is a logical step, with the Pleon C-Matrix in the
Switzerland wants to create "its own class of communications consultancy",
Managing Partner Alfred C. Köcher is quoted as saying. Ruedi
Alexander Müller-Beyeler can look back on a successful career as a
Consultant for Corporate and Brand Identity at Interbrand Zintzmeyer
& Lux and as CEO of Nose Design Intelligence.

In the yearbook of advertising throughout the
competition held in the German-speaking countries
kempertrautmann in Hamburg and the Zurich agency Krieg Schlupp
Springer & Jacoby KSSJ. Due to the extremely high participation
The jury decided in favor of two agencies because both of them
meaningful campaigns and a successful business strategy.
performance were convincing.
The Zurich agency KSSJ was founded in April 2004 as a two-man company.
and has experienced enormous growth. Since January 2006
the agency has 35 employees. KSSJ shows that one and a half
years after its foundation, even in a relatively small market such as the
Switzerland can advertise in an eye-catching and successful way, explained the
jury made its decision.

In the pitch for the Migrosbank budget, the
The Zurich-based branding and CI agency Metadesign has been commissioned to redesign the logo. Furthermore
now to redevelop the entire corporate design. Migrosbank
wants to present itself as the "most likeable alternative in the Swiss
banking market". In the fall, the new identity will be fully
to be seen.

The Bern-based advertising agency Numéro 10 looks after
now manages the national budget of the Vaudoise insurance company in French-speaking Switzerland.
Initially, advertising will take place at regional level in Berne, Basel, Lucerne
& Aarau. In addition to product launches in the current year
a new market presence was developed for 2007.

Weblogs Without specialized search services, you would be hopelessly lost in the jungle of blogs. The Umbria search service is particularly interesting for advertisers.
Communication media of the future: weblogs, or blogs for short, are
Online diaries in which the authors can discuss any topic at will.
can pour out. Any reasonably savvy Internet user can create a blog
start. So it's no wonder that there are already more than 25.5
million blogs, and around 50,000 new ones are added every day. 90
percent of blogs come from the USA, and more and more Americans are accessing
one of her favorite topics: consumer goods. Products of all kinds are relentlessly criticized in the blogs or
have also been recommended to others: Teenagers like to be told about
TV series, cell phones and computer games, techno-geeks criticize
the latest laptops, and housewives warn against unsuitable
Can openers or inedible apple porridge.

For marketing companies, these online tirades represent a valuable
source of information about their products. "Marketing professionals start
to understand that they can communicate directly with customers without having to
the usual middleman in between," says Brad Adgate,
Research Director of the marketing company Horizon Media in New York.
"Customers are much more honest and direct than if they were, for example
would participate in a focus group." Adgate believes that the
Internet will soon drive traditional focus groups to extinction
because many of the participants in the survey were not able to identify with a
certain social pressure and therefore often do not honestly express their
Give your opinion.

Umbria has its nose in front
But because an entire staff department of interns is also involved in reading
would be overwhelmed by 25 million blogs, several bloggers have
search engines specialize in their daily evaluation. In the
In the US press, the Umbria tracing service has recently appeared particularly frequently,
because, alongside other providers such as BuzzMetrics, WebFountain from IBM
or Intelliseek is not only effective, but also inexpensive. For around
60000 dollars a year are paid to companies such as the telephone company
Sprint, gaming specialist Electronic Arts and the German
Software giant SAP provides detailed information on how its products and
services by an online-savvy public.
The effect of advertising campaigns or the image of competitors
can be analyzed in this way. "This is important for the
particularly important aspect for advertising companies: insights
to find out how the competition's products are received," says
Umbria spokeswoman Willow Baum.

With the help of such blog analyses, a number of telephony providers realized,
how worried many teenagers are about their cell phone service. They talk about
complained about the limited number of telephone minutes included in the contracts.
of their parents, and that at the end of the month they will receive their cell phone
have to switch off to avoid paying for the excessive minutes.
have to. One provider, US Cellular, then modified its offerings
and immediately placed various TV commercials with the message that the
minutes of incoming calls would no longer be charged, which in
was applauded by the blog community.

Another company that has worked successfully with Umbria,
was an unnamed confectionery manufacturer that had developed a new product with
low carbohydrate product to the market. The idea was a
Reaction to the general hype among the population about diets with little
carbohydrates, such as the Atkins diet or the South
Beach Diet. But because every year in the USA a new
miracle slimming cure is doing the rounds, the manufacturer wanted to
to find out whether Atkins and Co. were still "in" at all. The result
was unmistakably negative: Because more bloggers are now writing about it
complain than rave, the product was not expanded any further and the
discontinued at the end. "The companies save a lot this way
Money," says Baum.

A manufacturer of communication devices also benefited from the new
Method. The idea was to introduce a new smart phone, a
Combination of cell phone and Palm Pilot. The analysis showed that many
women over 40 prefer this combination and, moreover
wanted more audio options, while men of the same age
were more interested in the capacities of data transmission. The
As a result, the company offered several models and launched for
both demographics a marketing campaign.

Gerti Schön

Campaign of the Year II SuvaLiv, Bank Coop
and Swisscom Fixnet are the undisputed leaders in popularity.
of the audience. Which is why Werbewoche editor Luca Aloisi is all the more curious.
and put the responsible marketing managers to the test.
"Every year, 800 head injuries can be prevented thanks to the bicycle helmet."
For Susan Huber, Head of Leisure Safety,
advertising and communication, the campaign saves 30 million francs
Insurance costs.

WW: Deception in the year
In 2000, only one in five cyclists wore a helmet, today more than
one in three. Where does Switzerland stand with this high wearing rate in the
international comparison?
Susan Huber (Leisure Safety, Advertising and Communication): This question is difficult to answer as our neighboring countries do not collect bike helmet wearing quotas.

WW: So let's stay within the national borders. To what extent have your marketing measures contributed to this success?

SH: 1987
Suva launched a bicycle helmet campaign for the first time. Due to the
lack of supply, Suva was even forced to offer the specialized trade a
to offer its own bicycle helmet. Today, the pure "head protection" has become a
trendy bike accessory. Thanks to the
awareness-raising campaigns, the benefits of the bicycle helmet were
to a wide audience in an attractive, entertaining way.
be communicated. Our experience has shown that a
multi-part campaign, which includes children, young people and adults.
the best results. Thanks to the repeated
new ideas, the topic is always given a fresh look.

WW: What proportion of Suva's claims volume is accounted for by bicycle accidents?
And what is the relationship between advertising expenditure and this?

SH: The
At 26 percent, bicycle accidents take second place among all accidents
with means of transportation and cause 140 million francs a year
insurance costs. Thanks to the bicycle helmet, around 800
cranial and brain injuries can be prevented. Expressed in figures
This means that Suva receives over 30 million francs a year in
Saves insurance costs. An accident with head injuries costs
45,000 francs on average; an accident without head injuries about
5,000. This includes the annual advertising expenditure of around one million
francs is money well invested.

"Suva receives neither taxpayers' money nor subsidies."
A pure image campaign is coming for Urs Schaad,
Head of Markom at Suva, also in the current, extraordinary situation.
situation is out of the question. For the prevention campaigns, he receives
the second Audience Award in three years.

WW: You are privileged.
In contrast to social insurance, you receive
Prevention funds from the federal government for your advertising campaigns. How high is the
Share of own funds for advertising campaigns?

Urs Schaad (Head of Marketing Communications): Since
I have to set the record straight. Suva is self-supporting and receives
neither taxpayers' money nor subsidies. Suva does not work
profit-oriented. All premium income and income from investments
benefit customers and policyholders in full and flow into the company.
not into the pockets of shareholders.

WW: For several months
Suva mainly makes negative headlines. How important is this
Audience award for the perception of the brand among these
circumstances?

US: Various
Real estate sales have caused an immense media storm.
However, the media repeatedly ignored the fact that it is not the
structure of our company than much more the criminal energy
of an individual seems to be the trigger. All the others
Suva employees do a good job for our customers every day.
customers. This is confirmed by regular customer satisfaction surveys.
confirmed again and again. But it's nice when - like now - we can
appear in the editorial columns because of our good deeds.
All the more so because this is already the second Audience Award within
of three years that we have received.

WW: Wouldn't an image campaign be appropriate in the current climate?

US: A pure
Image campaign that neither promotes prevention nor reintegration
I would also like to see the current, extraordinary
situation. Suva is expected to
efficient accident prevention and to provide accident victims with as good and as
reintegrated as quickly as possible. And all this at a low
price. When we launch campaigns that realize these goals
help, this automatically has a positive image effect.

"Landlines will become more important again."
Roger Renfer, Head of Marketing at Swisscom
Fixnet, is convinced that his sitcom will appeal to the young target group.
appeals to her. The love letters to Denis are proof of this
Bondi.

WW: Mr. Renfer,
TV audiences have taken the Becks and Bondis to their hearts. Is then
the advertising impact of the soap opera for Swisscom is still greater than the
Awareness of their protagonists?

Roger Renfer: The
The advertising impact of Beck & Bondi is still very high. Especially
because the audience has taken the two families to their hearts. Beck
& Bondi is representative of Swisscom Fixnet. The better known the
protagonists, all the better for us.

WW: In the meantime, the
family members in all kinds of advertising materials and channels -
up to the single by Brown & Bondi with video clip. There is another
B&B-free zone at Swisscom Fixnet?

RR: No. Beck & Bondi
is a communication platform whose strengths include
is that they enable integrated communication across all
services and products from Swisscom Fixnet. And that
in all channels. The single Brown & Bondi and the accompanying
Video clips are a good example of successful cross-media
Communication.

WW: Although the
fixed network sector is feeling the intense competition and cost pressure
it currently has the stronger advertising presence compared to
the other Swisscom units. Do you run an internal competition?

RR: The various
Swisscom units have different advertising appearances. That is why
not yet an internal competition. However, we are pleased that you
Swisscom Fixnet's presence as the strongest within the Group
perceive. This is probably also a consequence of the consistently integrated
Communication.

WW: The number of
landlines is declining, especially among younger target groups, who also
watch less television than other segments. Is Beck & Bondi a
Campaign for older people and for an outdated product?

RR: Fortunately
Beck & Bondi not only appeals to an older target group, but also
even with young viewers. This is shown, for example, by the love letters,
that Denis Bondi receives. Or the fact that he has been chosen by the readers of
20 Minuten was voted the star of the series. It is also our
declared aim to appeal more strongly to young people. Because the
Landlines will become more important again in the future. Also
in cooperation with Mobile. Swisscom Fixnet will
be prepared.

"With our budget, this success cannot be taken for granted."
Christoph Loeb, Head of Communications at
Bank Coop AG, would have liked to run his granny commercial more often and
Italo hits storm the charts.

WW: Mr. Loeb, with the campaign of the evil potentates, who are
millions are stored in Swiss banks, except at Bank Coop,
you won various awards two years ago. Which
The significance of this new award for last year's
Advertising campaign?

Christoph Loeb: For the
Bank Coop has awarded the prize for our "pickpocket granny" a
more important than the various high-caliber awards for the
Campaign with the potentates. Because this time the audience voted
and put us on a pedestal, while the potentates of the advertising world
were awarded. We are delighted that our latest commercial
the TV viewers liked it so much, and we
are even more pleased that it has obviously also been noticed.
has been. Given our comparatively extremely modest
budget and the associated low advertising pressure is absolutely no
A matter of course.

WW: Have you also achieved quantitative and qualitative goals with the humorous advertising in addition to the prizes?

CL: Within three years, we have increased our supported brand awareness from
69 to 80 percent - and this with an unchanged budget! The
unaided awareness has even risen by more than 50 percent. The
The aim of the "Omi-Spot" was to promote Bank Coop as an investment bank.
position. A representative survey has shown that 85
percent of respondents know that Bank Coop offers investment advice.
offers. Finally, the morally and ethically decent
 business policy in the image values of Bank Coop behind the
second place in terms of safety - proof that the
Positioning as a decent bank takes effect.  

WW: Despite the high
According to advertising psychology, humorous advertising
Advertising the risk of fatigue within a short time. Increase
therefore not the advertising pressure?

CL: We could have used our Omi
would love to spend much longer in the Swiss TV parlors
drive. Because never before have we had so many
positive reactions to a commercial. And the sound, which was specially
was composed for this commercial would probably have been
one of the first places in the summer hit parade - that's how big the
demand from us. But our budget is and remains limited.
That is why it is so important for us, in the truest sense of the word
to broadcast outstanding commercials. We also remain true to our
We remain true to our own claim of offering high quality at fair prices.

WW: Due to
Supercard promotions and other co-branding measures, the
connection to the retail group. Will your institute
apply as a bank for me and you in the future?

CL: Bank Coop is a
Retail bank - and therefore a bank for me and you. And it is
a subsidiary of Basler Kantonalbank. Naturally, the bank will
Coop will continue to maintain its close partnership with its important
minority shareholder Coop and, above all, to emphasize the advantages of the
Supercard program. In addition, however, it will continue its independent
Maintain appearance.

Interview: Luca Aloisi
> Picture: Susan Huber

Creativity Good ideas do not fall from
heaven. But to one or the other they obviously fall into the
Schoss. With "Creative Sessions", Mario Pricken demonstrates in a playful
The way creativity works, no, of course, how could I ...
You don't need "Creative Sessions"! You are creative from birth,
solve any communication problem with ease, even though you are a self-confessed
are right-handed and know how the nose runs. Save yourself the
65 francs for 100 cardboard cards and the three minutes you would need,
to read this text.

Excuse me, are you reading on? Then you are either on a coffee break
or you sometimes don't (or no longer) get up to speed as quickly as you used to.
brilliant idea. Or like your CD. Or your junior AD. And how do the
even come up with such good ideas? Either they are simply better than you,
This is said to happen, or they work with "Creative Sessions". Who
knows, perhaps it is worthwhile for you to take a look at this
creativity tool.

"Creative Sessions" is not an instruction manual on how to be (more) creative.
but a tool. That means work. But it is work,
that is fun because you learn in a playful way what is behind the myth.
creativity. Mario Pricken shows advertising for what it is:
Creatively designed communication that often follows patterns
follows. In his daily work, in seminars and workshops
Pricken came across the same thinking strategies again and again, thanks to which
Communication amazes, convinces and sells: combine, turn,
exaggerate, dissect, replace, reinterpret, work with metaphors,
Change perspective, provoke.

Learn how to do this with 100 colorful cardboard cards. Alone or in
Team. At the beginning you define a clear goal, then you determine
someone to write down every idea or, if necessary, sketch it out. Now
Choose a card, randomly of course, and ask the question
on the card to the team. Now you generate idea blanks, no
ready-made concepts. The more, the better, because the probability of
to find the brilliant idea. This is reminiscent of brainstorming, but is
but more structured, because the goal is clearly defined and the cards are
Ask questions to help achieve this goal.

On the back of the map you will find information, explanations and
Questions that should encourage us to think laterally and further than before,
and a possible solution. If you are unable to use a card
you select another one, again according to the
Random principle. Perhaps one card is enough to
communication problem, you may need more than one. On
At the end you have lots of ideas, none of them fully developed, of course. Now
is to select and implement the best one. You know how to do this
yourself, you've been in the business long enough ...

"Creative Sessions" is not only a working tool, but also a
Game. You can try to improve a campaign. Or a team
draws a card and must draw two usable cards within 60 seconds.
Develop ideas. If this fails, the other team receives these ideas.
card and now has two cards to generate two ideas himself.
The winner is the person who has written down the most ideas after 20 rounds.

Roger Hausmann
Tingling in the head - Creative Sessions by Mario Pricken and Christine
Klell. Verlag Hermann Schmidt, Mainz; 2005, 100 cards in the
Tin can,
65 francs.