Hotel industryThe Garten Hotel in Winterthur, which was built almost 50 years ago, will be renovated over the next six months and reopened under the name Park Hotel Winterthur. The new image will be designed by the Zurich agency TBS Identity. It won the mandate, which includes not only the corporate design program but also the entire marketing communication, in a competitive presentation.

Creation Creatives swear by the ambiguity of advertising slogans. The advertising impact is clearly enhanced. However, there are a few rules to follow in order to reduce the risk of banality The potential of ambiguous advertising slogans has long been recognized: Every day we come across advertising messages that allow or force several possible interpretations. In advertising, there are four main types of ambiguity: the use of ambiguous words, variations on idioms, playing with proper names or ambiguities created by combining them with the advertising motif.
Ambiguous words are used most frequently. The Financial Times, for example, plays with the term "salary" in an advertisement, hinting at the content of the newspaper. The K-fee brand acts in a similar way. In its slogan "Coffee in high doses", it emphasizes the various possible interpretations of the term "high dose" ("high dose of caffeine" vs. "high dose as packaging material").
Not an easy game with idioms
Slightly rarer than ambiguous words are variations of idioms in the landscape of ambiguous slogans. Recently, posters from the aid organizations Bread for All and Fastenopfer preached "Good Christians go to hell". Using a variation on the phrase "Go to hell", they called on people to get involved in places where poverty and suffering prevail. Mair Dumont Media, on the other hand, uses the expression "carry on your back" to advertise its book spines, which it offers as advertising space.
You can also play with proper names. This variant in particular is very promising, as at least the integration of the message into the ambiguity causes little trouble. The newspaper La Liberté, for example, uses its name for the slogan "Vive la Liberté", referring to itself on the one hand and to freedom on the other. Bank Syz & Co., on the other hand, adds the letters "erland" to its name with "Welcome to SYZerland", creating an association with the English name for Switzerland. And Man is "What a Man".
Ambiguous slogans draw attention to themselvesThe NZZ is a well-known example of ambiguities that only arise in combination with the advertising motif. Various terms such as "multi-layered" or "unspent" describe the character of the newspaper, with a specifically designed pencil illustrating these characteristics. Another example is a poster for McDonald's and Switzerland Tourism. With the advertising slogan "Drei-Käse-Hoch", they are not referring to a cheeky child, but to three large cheeseburgers.
The opportunities and risks of ambiguous slogans arise at different levels of the consideration process. It is therefore advisable to consider the following design rules: Ambiguous slogans can activate a viewer. They "awaken" the recipient from their low-involvement situation through cognitive stimuli and entice them to take a longer and more concentrated look at the advertising message. It should be noted, however, that the initial arousal of attention is never caused by the content of a spoken or written text. Therefore, ambiguous slogans cannot replace classic activation tools such as size, color and emotions. Furthermore, activating and informative elements in the ad must form a unit.
A clear message that does not allow for misinterpretationArousing attention by means of images requires that these are related to the slogan and draw attention to it, for example through curiosity. If, on the other hand, the visuals of the slogan are used for activation, the message of the ad must be directly apparent from the slogan. Otherwise, there is a risk that the activating element will distract the viewer from the actual message.
The second level of impact in the reception process is that of understanding. Here it is important not to overtax the target group intellectually. The slogan must inevitably lead to the message and must not allow for misinterpretation. Puzzle ads should be avoided. Overchallenging or underchallenging can trigger reactance in the viewer, which at best leads to the viewer breaking off contact with the ad - but may also have a negative impact on the viewer's attitude towards the advertised product. It should be emphasized that the ambiguity should be understandable, but not already known. The wear-and-tear effect is particularly high with intellectually demanding advertising. For this reason, regular variation of such campaigns is of great importance.
Ambiguous slogans also offer opportunities at the image level. Empirical studies have shown a correlation between humorous or ambiguous advertising and positive attitudes towards the advertisements. Furthermore, the attitude towards the advertisement affects the attitude towards the advertised product. If it is possible to break out of the usual advertising cliché through ambiguity, acceptance and recognition of the marketed product increases.
Last but not least, ambiguous slogans have an effect on the recall potential of the message. This is because the viewer is more likely to remember positive or new and surprising advertising than boring advertising. And if the viewer has to work out the message of the ad themselves, the chance that they will remember it increases even more.
A study has shown that the majority of ambiguous advertising slogans are used in the print sector - in titles with an above-average educated readership. However, ambiguous advertising slogans are also promising for other target groups in other media.
The bottom line is that ambiguous slogans are a successful advertising method. Certain design rules must be observed in order to avoid "groping in the dark". It is crucial to implement the ambiguity in an exciting way and to get through the two pitfalls of "incomprehensible riddle ads" and "banal corny jokes" without any accidents.
Dr. Stephan Feige is managing partner of htp St. Gallen Managementberatung AG. He specializes in brand strategy, communication, consumer and durable goods and retail.

The NZZ also plays with terms in its own advertisements: A specifically designed pencil illustrates the character of the newspaper.
The newspaper La Liberté cleverly packs its name into its own advertising campaigns.
By "salary", the Financial Times means more than just the content.
Stephan Feige

ArchiveThe ARD Radio Creative Competition was held for the 25th time this year. To mark the occasion, the organizer, ARD-Werbung Sales & Services GmbH (AS&S), is presenting an overview - around 1200 radio spots - of 25 years of creative radio advertising on CD-Rom. Most of the Swiss radio commercials are from the 1980s. The CD-Rom can be ordered at www.ard-radio-awards.de and all the spots can be listened to in the "Hall of Fame".

Not everything that Al Ries and Jack Trout have written is worth reading. All too often, the two grand masters of the marketing bestseller have merely recycled their ideas, and most of these ideas can already be found in "Positioning". This book, which was first published almost a quarter of a century ago, is still the standard work for anyone who has to (re)position brands, products or services in saturated markets. And rightly so, as Ries and Trout explain extremely clearly what works and why it doesn't work. They do this with many examples from business practice and create aha-effects because their explanations are as astute as they are comprehensible. (rh)> Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout. McGraw-Hill, New York 2001 (1981). 213 pages,
21.90 francs.

Outdoor advertisingAirport poster sites are once again seeing a strong increase in traffic, as the number of passengers at the three major Swiss airports rose sharply in the first half of 2005. With an increase of 25 percent compared to the first half of 2004, EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse recorded the largest increase in passenger numbers, with 1.4 million passengers. Geneva-Cointrin, the only airport not to have suffered a decline in recent years, once again recorded an increase of 11 percent, with 4.9 million passengers. The increase at Unique Airport was 4.3%, with a total of 8.5 million travelers from January to June 2005. The upward trend is benefiting the following external advertisers: Clear Channel Plakanda, which serves Kloten Airport and parts of EuroAirport, APG, which is present in Basel and Geneva, and JCDecaux with space at EuroAirport. (mk)

Cosmetics The Unikat agency from Küsnacht beat two major German competitors to win a Fenjal pitch.The Fenjal brand, produced by Doetsch Grether, stands for top Swiss quality. Its specialties include high-quality care products tailored to the needs of women's skin with an unmistakable feminine fragrance. With the new Fenjal sensitive touch care line for sensitive skin, Fenjal is now responding even more specifically than before to the individual care needs of discerning female consumers. The new product is also being promoted internationally by the Swiss agency Unikat from Küsnacht. "A welcome development for a previously rather local agency," says a delighted Küsnacht-based company.Delicate scent of white flowers
Unikat has already developed the naming and the entire product design for this new product line with the delicate scent of white flowers. CD Daniel Meier also sees this as one of the reasons why his agency won the pitch. Unikat won the international Fenjal budget in the course of a multi-stage competitive presentation against two agencies from Germany.
Meier and his team played with the design of the packaging in the commercial. The reason given for this link is that consumers should immediately recognize the new Fenjal in the frame when they go shopping. For the advertisers at Unikat, this kind of identification is essential for new products, especially when Fenjal has previously worked with other colors. The traditional turquoise has been replaced by white in the new line. This is implemented in the commercial through a playful use of a white fantasy flower. This is based on a jasmine flower because jasmine is also added to the fragrance of the new Fenjal.
The new campaign for Fenjal sensitive touch, which is primarily based on this 20-second TV commercial for the German market, is currently being launched: The spot primarily emphasizes the sensual scent of the new product and is completely computer-animated except for the main actress. "We only filmed for one day and spent three weeks working on the computer at Sehnsucht in Hamburg," explains Meier. The aim was to create a sensual, dreamy Fenjal world.
Unikat has been working for Doetsch Grether for one and a half years. The packaging for Crest condoms was also designed by Unikat. The design for a new product to be launched soon in the cosmetics sector is already in progress.
Recognition effect: The commercials for Fenjal sensitive touch not only symbolize the care effect, but also bring the product packaging to the fore.

Andreas Panzeri

TV With more in-house productions in the film and series sector, TV channel RTL wants to extend its shrunken lead over the competition again. "The channel is and remains the top address for in-house produced fiction," said Managing Director Anke Schäferkordt according to a report by Werben und Verkaufen. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, however, there will be neither a new in-house produced sitcom nor telenovelas in next season's program.

AutoThe small Bernese agency Agentur01 has won two competing presentations: It is in charge of dealer advertising for the car importer Peugeot (Suisse) SA, and has been commissioned by the Swiss Electric Purchasing Association (EEV) to recruit members.

BeveragesThe Zurich advertising agency Jung von Matt/Limmat has won the communication budget of the beverage label Rivella International. It prevailed in a competitive presentation. Jung von Matt/Limmat will be responsible for the German, French, Austrian and Luxembourg markets for Rothrist-based Rivella International AG. From September 2005, a campaign using posters as the main medium will provide surprising refreshment in the four European countries.

SpiritsKampai! Swedish vodka producer Absolut looked around for the most dazzling figures from the Tokyo club scene for its new advertising campaign. Models and artists staged their bodies and their fashion in front of the lens of award-winning photographer Nadav Kander. Among them was motorcycle freak Hazuki Kazuhiro with his bad boy outfit. It will be interesting to see what effect the campaign has in Switzerland. According to the Brand Asset Valuator, the distillery brand is one of the big losers of the last ten years.

Affinity of the ads with the supporters in "Yuppieland "Gold (193) Longchamp Paris handbagSilver (148) Davidoff Cigarettes - new designBronze (141) Skoda Skoda Fabia RS - tons of muscles (1,2 three advertising agency)

Direct mailThe National Health Service (NHS) is trying to encourage British smokers to quit via the nose. The national health service sends out letters that smell like ashtrays and show pictures of attractive people. The inside of the letter shows the same people with a cigarette and yellow stained teeth. Because, according to the NHS, young people and women in particular do not respond to health warnings, the advertising agency responsible, Kitcatt Nohr Alexander Shaw, hopes to influence the target group with its special appeal. Women who respond to the mailing will receive a magazine that deals with the negative effects of smoking. For the male target group, by the way, the agency focuses on the message that tobacco is dangerous for sexual fertility.