Advertising In order to increase the efficiency of its advertising, wholesaler Coop is reviewing its advertising budget, press spokesman Karl Weisskopf admitted to the NZZ am Sonntag. Savings are planned - but it has not yet been decided how much and where, and industry insiders are assuming cuts in the double-digit millions. The background to the budget correction is a drop in sales of 3 to 4 percent in the first half of the year. Coop is not giving any official figures. According to the market researcher Media Focus, Coop was the second largest advertising client in Switzerland last year with around 240 million francs. The number one, Migros, has also reviewed its expenditure for efficiency in the current year. However, the budget has not been cut, according to press spokesman Urs Peter Naef. Only certain advertisements have been shifted from the daily newspapers to the Migros magazine.

Radio The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM) is preparing the expansion of the digital radio service (T-DAB). The first step is to clarify the needs of interested parties. If there is sufficient interest in a second DAB coverage in German-speaking Switzerland alongside that of the SRG, licenses could be put out to tender in spring 2006. In this case, Bakom expects to make a decision by the end of 2006. Priority will be given to private broadcasters aiming for regional language coverage.

The German media monitoring company
Ausschnitt is expanding its media program with the search engine-supported
Research in 60,000 German weblogs. In addition to the classic
mass media, the Internet and thus also weblogs are seen as a "pre-media
space" is becoming increasingly important. This is often where company-relevant
develop issues before they are even discussed in the media.
will be made, writes Ausschnitt in a press release. The observation of the
Weblogs should help users to pick up on these topics and
recognize potential conflicts at an early stage.
In Switzerland, the
The topic of weblogs is handled differently by media observers:
Swissdox does not have the Internet diaries in its program. "We keep
this question in mind, but the monitoring of weblogs does not currently have
highest priority. As a subsidiary of the Swiss Media Database (SMD), we have
The main task of the Swiss media houses is to ensure that their products
to take a closer look," said Swissdox Managing Director Jürg Mumprecht at the
Inquiry from Advertising Week.
The media observer Argus, on the other hand, has
Weblogs have been part of the program since the first ones appeared on the pages of Schweizer
appeared in the media. Anyone who has subscribed to Argus' online service also receives evaluations from blogs. "Our panel of
network diaries is constantly growing. However, we only include those who
we attest to a certain relevance. The quality gap between the
Blogs is relatively large and we do not claim to be,
them completely. We also limit ourselves to the
Swiss region," explained Linard Campell, Head of Development at Argus.
"We are always looking for new sources ourselves or supplementing our
Inventory following information from customers. It has also happened that
authors of weblogs have suggested to us to include their site in our offer
to record."
Carole Scheidegger

Magazine aberrations of taste belong to puberty like kitsch belongs to Catholicism. My teenage sin was called Nena, wore a bright red miniskirt and hovered over my bed like an archangel - thanks to Bravo in full life-size. The "star cut" became an institution for generations - and a trademark for the central organ of German-speaking pimple wearers, published by Bauer Verlag. In its last issue, the magazine also granted this status to the Bavarian Pope, who was surrounded by shouts of "Be-ne-detto" at World Youth Day in Cologne. Pure zeitgeist. However, B16 was not delivered for cutting and pasting, but in one piece, presumably for reasons of piety. Aesthetically, however, not only the - ingeniously self-promotional - congratulatory lettering is strongly reminiscent of detergent ads from the 1970s. Ratzinger's robe is also more reminiscent of the white giant than the Holy Spirit - at least for zeitgeist fans fixated on outward appearances (see above).
despisers like me.
(oc)

Swiss Post The range of services for fast consignments is broad, but little known. In addition to speed, the collection service is now also to be advertised.Swiss Post offers various services for the fast delivery of parcels and letters. ExpressPost AG commissioned the Bern-based agency LangGysiKnoll to advertise the SwissKurier service with a surprising series of TV commercials in two different seasons. The speed of the courier was humorously but subtly dramatized with ever-increasing gusts of wind. The ExpressPost gusts didn't just ruffle the hair of passers-by. They were so violent that they caused heavy advertising signs to spin, sent dogs running and won a few prizes in creative competitions along the way. Almost three years after the end of the last series of commercials, a new campaign is intended to dramatize another aspect of the service and thus stand up to the ever-increasing private competition. After market tests revealed that small and medium-sized companies still often post their express items at the post office counter, PostExpress wants to remedy the poor awareness of the collection service in this sector. In order to benefit from the previous campaigns and to be recognized as the originator, the new advertising idea should seamlessly tie in with the windy concept of the previous commercials.
Two wind directions
Together with freelance CD André Benker and director Rainer Binz, the LGK creative team developed a simple and plausible idea to take the spot series into its third round: The courier will no longer sweep through the scenery just once, but twice - there and back or fetch and deliver.
The team built two surprising stories on this basic idea: the gusts of wind carry a flea from clochard to businessman and back again, and in the other spot, the wind carefully drapes the thinning head of hair back over the bald head that the same express van had uncovered shortly before. The new campaign approach of the two wind directions was also adapted to the print sector. Wind-tousled models on the front and back of a newspaper and magazine page represent ExpressPost's collection and delivery service.
The wind also plays a cheeky game in the new spots: one time a bald head is exposed, the other time a flea is whirled up.
Luca Aloisi

Insurance When you can no longer draw the damage: Wirz advertises Mobilife with creative respect.how do you thematize such a serious topic as term life insurance within the CI of such an upbeat, cheerful campaign as the Mobiliar claims sketches? The concept is based on humor. But the topic demands respect, because at a time when surviving dependents are receiving life insurance payouts, these people are not doing very well. The Wirz-Mobilife team around AD Thomas Bolliger, copywriter Thomas Kurzmeyer and CD Matthias Freuler have now found a respectful, yet striking way. The idea is based on the graphic tradition of the obituary. Since August 21, the first black damage sketch has been causing a stir on advertisements and posters. There will be "a big campaign", although it will only work with a single subject. However, with its plain black, it will be hard to miss on the full page. The above-the-line campaign deliberately dispenses with detailed product explanations, but brings the core message "Mobiliar also has life insurance" all the more directly to the target audience.
For Freuler, this solution is also good proof that even such a long-standing concept as the Mobiliar claims sketches can still be given a new twist. The "life insurance" subject otherwise works with all the previously established elements of the claims sketches, such as the checkered background, paper clip, reminder note and the Mobiliar logo. When designing the "black block", the creative minds were also reassured to learn that printing technology can now solve such ideas without further complications such as show-through or black fingers.
Andreas Panzeri

Anniversaries II Thursday, August 25, 2005,
Seven o'clock, Limmatplatz. A day like any other? Far from it. Because:
A delivery van pulls up, and around 30 people from Coop and their new
House agency KSSJ enter the main building with 80 Betty Bossi cakes
of Migros. Birthday wishes from Coop boss Hansueli Loosli
Migros boss Herbert Bolliger handed out candles with the candles supplied
and a smile on their faces to the employees. The campaign was
also accompanied by a witty side-swipe ad.

US media America's media conglomerates used to buy up everything that wasn't nailed down. While Axel Springer Verlag is taking over ProSieben Sat 1 AG in Germany, news of a split-up of Viacom and the spin-off of Time Warner Cable from the parent company is making headlines in the USA. Disney is also thinking about getting rid of its radio business and Liberty Media some of its TV stations. The reason: the shares of these success-accustomed companies have been falling for years and investors are putting pressure on them. "The conglomerates are finally being shaken up," comments Diane Mermigas from the trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter. "They are finding it hard to keep all the promises about synergies and value growth."
Carl Icahn, classified by Forbes as a "corporate raider", made the most prominent move last week. He is a billionaire shareholder activist who has bought shares in major corporations in the past and subsequently put them under pressure to reform as a major shareholder. He is demanding that Richard Parsons, the head of Time-Warner, uncouple the entire cable television business in order to drive up the Group's share price again - a strategy that Viacom is also pursuing with its uncoupling of the MTV Group. "It's a common practice to spin off parts of the business that are more dynamic and higher risk," says Ted Magder, professor of media economics at New York University, and sees this as "a brilliant move."
The business models of the 1990s are quickly becoming outdated. Television stations and film studios, important components of the conglomerates, are confronted with declining viewer interest, and advertising money is also increasingly flowing towards online media. The growth rates of successful Internet companies such as Google and Yahoo are putting pressure on the industry giants, whose growth rates are expected to fall from 23 percent in the boom years to an average of 5 percent in the coming years. Those groups that have not yet planned any spin-offs, such as News Corporation or NBC Universal, are increasingly trying to increase their revenues from the internet and digital media sectors.
Media moguls are slowly becoming obsolete
At the same time, many media companies are facing a generational change. The celebrated moguls such as Sumner Redstone at Viacom or Rupert Murdoch at News Corporation will not live forever, and the question of succession is a tough one. Only a few weeks ago, the designated heir to the throne, Lachlan Murdoch, left News Corporation, partly, according to industry observers, because Rupert Murdoch does not want to diminish his power. In this way, it remains to be seen whether the family will dominate the fortunes of the company in the future, as some believe that News Corporation will also break up after the death of the old man. In addition, more and more publishing families that have long shaped the face of renowned US newspapers are giving up their claim to power. After the Pulitzers, the Brancroft family is currently also considering whether to sell its "golden goose", the Wall Street Journal.
Diane Mermigas believes that in a listed company like NewsCorp, family ties are no longer the key. "The next generation of media and entertainment executives must bring a combination of entrepreneurial spirit and a sense of technological wonder. That's what's needed to make the digital world accessible to a mass audience," she says. "It's not necessarily obvious that this is being sufficiently encouraged, because there's still far too much playing by the old rules."
Gerti Schön

Column From the storm disaster
not only the media benefited. Our state security officers were also pleased
by redirecting collective attention at the right time. For once, it's not just
metaphorically the water on your neck, and what do you see? Lots of happy
Faces. There is a strange relationship between nature and other
Disasters: People die, livelihoods are destroyed, the
The damage is enormous - and yet we long for the accident. It takes us for
for a moment (or a few days) from the pedal bike of the
Self-realization. He interrupts the hunt. He gives us a little
Piece of time back. The ice-cold invisible hand has hit "pause"
posed.
Now the guard fetches coffee for everyone. Sandbags are dragged across the
Lucerne's Schwanenplatz and cook for each other. A black
electricity market pulls its cables from the dry part of the city to the
wet. Boutique saleswomen on night watch pump the clothes store
and debate the meaning of life. Piera brings Luciano De
Crescenzo from his handbag and reads aloud. The baker with the high
Preisen is making plans for a commercial-free neighborhood festival: "That's allowed now.
not just be over."
Urs von Däniken ("Blocher's spies run amok") will also be pleased with the flood of
have been pleased. It drew attention away from his snooping state.
Cute word for the project: What the head of the domestic intelligence service
formulated with a freedom-killing energy, overrides all
personal rights. Before the rain released the man, he had
This briefly put his boss, Christoph Blocher, in need of an explanation.
At that time, something like the public still seemed to work.
But the topic went down the drain (not the cause,
Of course, state security officers are only trying to legally determine what
they have been doing for a long time). The usual excitement journalism did its work,
including the usual industry metaphor salad of flood and nature's revenge.
Tear-jerking and platitudes instead of contexts and enlightenment.
"Switzerland in distress - but where is our Federal Council?" asked Blick in
a cover story that clarified nothing, but nothing at all. The
Research capacities currently seem to be limited to a few excited quotes.
exhausted.
Blocher doesn't need to be asked twice. Thanks to the welfare freeze,
he said, fewer and fewer asylum seekers were leaving Switzerland.
haunt. ("No more Rolex here," says the tortured Kurd to the
mass-raped Congolese woman, "You'd better go to Portugal.") The
is, in the claimed causality, a gross untruth. Everywhere in
Europe, the number of asylum applications has been falling for years, regardless of the
asylum regime. Every reasonably knowledgeable person knows this fact
domestic editor. Nevertheless, Blocher's rose-tinted deception was unquestionably
reported. Even those media that give the right-wing minister little
They let the lie stand. Just as they told the
bizarre idea that von Däniken had carried out his attack on the
Democracy sent into office without Blocher's approval. But none
Fear not: when the opportunity arises, they will once again attack Blocher with terribly nasty
commentary, but this serves him twice over.
This is where the essence of publicity comes to light - and our problem
with this. If the media can broadcast and write without censorship, is that still possible?
no public. In advanced capitalism, anyone can
chatter all he likes. The public demands more: clear
Terminology. Knowledge. Contexts. Media that play their role in
Consciously perceive publication...
They rarely do that anymore. They prefer to report. Corporate PR,
Blocher PR, self-PR. Seen in this light, the growing number of
non-readers, media deniers and blogologists are unconsciously part of a
new media ecology movement. It would be better if they knew.

> Oliver Fahrni is a freelance journalist and media ecologist.

Kommet zu Kreuze: Wirz Werbung preaches that alongside football, luxury and parties, the Reformed Church is also of this world.

Newspapers In the struggle between NZZ and Tamedia for regional newspaper titles, the next candidate is on offer. In mid-January, with the participation of
Tamedia at Landbote in Winterthur (20%) and with the entry of NZZ
the Zürcher Oberländer has set an important course in the struggle for the
The company's supremacy in Zurich's extended catchment area has fallen. The
has led to a temporary stalemate.
Now it's time for the next round. This will be held in north-eastern Switzerland
in Schaffhausen. There, both Tamedia and NZZ are vying for the Schaffhauser
Nachrichten (SHN) and the Thurgauer Zeitung (TZ).
to everyone," confirms Norbert Neininger, CEO and Editor-in-Chief
of the SHN.
TZ, on the other hand, currently has a vital problem: Urs Lüdi,
Delegate of the Board of Directors of Thurgauer Medien AG, publisher of the
TZ, laments the loss of a lucrative advertising combination in advance with
SHN and with the Landbote, which provides Frauenfeld residents with an annual
million advertising francs. "The loss of the Kombi I affects
directly affects our immediate economic area," says Lüdi. He also fears
the connection to the national advertising business, which until now has been
Publicitas was in charge. Is the advertising alliance with SHN and Landbote coming?
again - the negotiations are to begin in the first half of the year.
September week will bring positive results, Frauenfeld will be the
The next step would be cooperation with, for example, the
Tages-Anzeiger is conceivable. "We are examining the question of cooperation" explains
Lüdi.
We can only speculate about the modalities. A plausible model
would be for advertisers to combine the three papers together with the
Tages-Anzeiger could book. Whether Tamedia, in return
Frauenfeld is currently unclear. After all, the
company recently reported rising sales for the first half of the year and
Positive operating results for all divisions for the first time
presented (see p. 21). Participation in Frauenfeld must be
for the Tamedia strategists, because Lüdi is
at the same time with the St. Galler Tagblatt, and thus with the NZZ,
in talks about possible collaborations.
For now, Frauenfeld at least has the pressure problem
solved: The TC runs over the rollers of a single rotation. But
In the longer term, we could also consider cooperating in the printing sector with
to one or other of the big players. Both Landbote and SHN
are already doing this with Tamedia. Lüdi makes no secret of the fact that
a cooperation, whether with Tamedia or with the NZZ.
   

René Worni

Now Tamedia is getting serious
The recently communicated personnel decisions at Tamedia bring something
Shedding light on the strategic considerations at the Zurich
Werdstrasse. What is certain is that the change in the publishing management of the
Tages-Anzeiger is to be given a new lease of life. With the hitherto little
effective regional strategy, things should now finally get serious
(see interview on page 17). When and, above all, where Tamedia will
local editorial offices of its flagship, however, remains to be seen.
The subject of speculation. According to reports, within Tagi the
change in the publishing house management is hardly communicated. There is also
Concerns that the editorial content could be published under "Mister 20 Minuten"
commercialized, i.e. contributions linked to advertising business,
be

In contrast, the generational change at the top of the publishing house with Pietro
Supino, who as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors and Publisher replaces Hans
Heinrich Coninx at the beginning of 2007.
Observers view the change positively: "Supino is starting from a
good position, but he has to prove himself first," says Klaus I.
Stöhlker. For the management consultant, it is clear that Tamedia has major
integration and quality enhancement processes. In view of the
positive business results (see p. 21), it is clear that the
assume that many employees would like to have one again after years of
Inflation compensation in the pay packet. (rw)

For subscribers only: Interview with Rolf Bollmann

Radiocontrol The attention for the
Radio as a medium is in minimal decline. Market shares have decreased slightly
shifted in favor of SRG. Representative of the entire Swiss
population ticked on the wrists of 15,189 people during a total of
103351 measurement days the Radiocontrol clock (French-speaking Switzerland: 8007 persons and
54481 hours. Ticino: 2793 persons and 19005 hours). The evaluation
of the watches for the first half of 2005 shows that Mr. and Mrs.
Swiss the most intimate medium on average 1.5 hours less,
namely 114.3 hours. In French-speaking Switzerland, the figure was
1.9 hours and in Ticino even 3.7 hours less. The radio audience
watched the SRG programs in German-speaking Switzerland 0.2 minutes longer.
(101.3 min.), while their attention for the private channels increased by 2.4 to
50.2 minutes and for the foreign
radio stations shrank by 1.3 to 19.6 minutes of listening time. In French-speaking Switzerland
Both SRG and the private sector recorded a slight decline, while
In Ticino, the listening time generally increased slightly.  
In terms of market share, SRG SSR idée suisse has gained ground on the
private customers improved slightly: In German-speaking Switzerland, it reached 66.7%
(+1.4%), while the private radio stations generated 1.2% (new 25.5%) and the
foreign stations lost 0.2% (new 7.8%) market share.
SRG has also slightly improved its market share in French-speaking Switzerland
(+1%), while the trend in Ticino was the opposite. Here the
private channels by 0.7% and the foreign channels by 1%, while SRG added 1.7%
lost.
Although the radiocontrol statistics are exceptionally stable, they show
Nevertheless, there have been some relevant changes. For example, the net reach
(NR) of foreign radio stations in Switzerland by one percentage point
increased to 41.3%. The public broadcaster recorded
DRS 2 recorded growth of 1.1 percent (new 9.8%). In contrast, the
significant private values all downwards: Energy Zurich new
4.5% (-0.5%), Radio BeO new 1.6% (-0.3%), Radio 105 new 0.9% (-0.3%)
and Radio Tropic now 0.7% (-0.2%). In French-speaking Switzerland
Lausanne FM with new 7.0% (-0.8%), Fréquence Jura with new 2.9% (-0.5%)
and NRJ Léman with 5.1% (-1.1%) in the statistics. In Ticino,
where the market share of the private sector is negligible, the
The only SRG program RSI 1 lost 2.4% reach (now 51.6%). RSI 3
on the other hand, increased by 2.5% to 25.1%.
A more meaningful picture of the development of private broadcasters
show the market shares in the respective distribution area. In comparison
to the first half of 2004, Radio BE 1 (+1.4%), Radio Ri (+2.1%), Radio
Lake Zurich (+1.2%), Fribourg (+3.5%), Rhône (+1.6%) and RTN-2001 (+3.5%)
increased. In contrast, the following lost more than one percentage point of market share
Radio Basilisk (-1.4%), BeO (-2.4%), Extra Bern (-1.5%), Fréquence Jura
(-2.9%), and Jura Bernois (-1.6%).

René Worni