Newspapers Landbote and Tages-Anzeiger are on the verge of a joint advertising combination - the Kombi Nordostschweiz is breaking up.Lothar Dostal, Managing Director of Landbote publisher Ziegler Druck und Verlag in Winterthur, has terminated his membership of Kombi 1, an advertising pool between Landbote, Schaffhauser Nachrichten and Thurgauer Zeitung, with effect from the end of the year. "We wanted to have a free hand so that we could decide anew in January 2006 which combos would best serve the Landbote," is how Dostal explains this termination.
It is easy to guess in which direction Dostal's thoughts are heading since Tamedia acquired a 20 percent stake in Ziegler Druck at the beginning of the year and also added the Tages-Anzeiger job advertisement to the Landbote: A combined Tagi-Landbote offer is within reach. Dostal confirms: "Such a combination is very obvious and would make sense in the market, because Landbote and Tages-Anzeiger cover the two largest Zurich agglomerations and together have a reach of 45 percent in the canton of Zurich. But we are only the junior partner in this matter." The decision ultimately lies with the Tagi. Its publishing director Maili Wolf, however, does not want to comment on this issue.
Dostal's interest in a combination with the Tagi is all the greater as it could pave the way for a possible integration of the Landbote into the Metropool (Tagi, Basler Zeitung, Berner Zeitung). The chances of joining the Metropool are at least not bad, as the Basler Zeitung is pursuing a similar goal with the Neue Fricktaler Zeitung - and, according to reports, the Berner Zeitung with the Bieler Tagblatt. Dostal is cautious: of course he would "very much like" to see Landbote become a member of the Metropool, but to what extent
The three pool partners will have to decide whether it makes sense to expand this combination, he says.
What's next for the Kombi 1 partners? "The termination does not mean that we want to give up Kombi 1,"
Dostal quickly followed up. A continuation is certainly possible. The Schaffhauser Nachrichten also assumes this. However, Dostal openly admits that he also wanted to dissolve Kombi Nordostschweiz (NOS) when he gave notice. This is made up of Kombi 1 and the Züri-Land trio Zürcher Oberländer, Zürcher Unterländer and Zürichsee Zeitung. "The NOS is an association of regional titles that achieve very different levels of coverage in their respective areas. If a Tagi-Landbote combination comes about, I no longer see any market benefit for the NOS," says Dostal. The new ownership structure of the Züri-Land partners - NZZ holds minority stakes there - played a subordinate role in the decision to terminate the contract, says Dostal. In any case, Tamedia did not exert any pressure.
The Züri-Land-Kombi has already come to terms with the new situation, especially as the Landbote had breached the NOS contract by enclosing the Tagi-Stellenanzeiger. Erland Herkenrath, Managing Director of the Zürcher Unterländer and the Zürichsee Zeitung, and Konrad Müller, Publishing Director of the Zürcher Oberländer, assume that the NOS will not be continued. The aim now is to strengthen the Züri-Land-Kombi - among other things with the uniform layout of the three titles from August 23. "I assume that we will be able to maintain the volume that previously came into our newspapers via NOS and Züri-Land in future, even without NOS, because the major distributors will hardly be able to do without us," says Herkenrath.
But there is one person who weeps a tear for the NOS: Markus Wenger, deputy director of Publicitas Winterthur and advertising manager of Landbote, Kombi 1 and NOS. "The NOS worked very well," he says. "This is probably one of the reasons why the participating titles have become a major player in the market, attracting the interest of major publishers." Wenger estimates the turnover that the NOS will generate this year at CHF 11.5 million; he puts the additional income from Kombi 1 alone at a good CHF 7 million, while that of Züri-Land is slightly lower.
Similar, but not the same
Three newspapers appear on August 23
from the Zurich region in a new look and with a slightly different concept in some cases.
The Zürcher Oberländer (ZO), the Zürichsee Zeitung (ZSZ) and the Zürcher Unterländer (ZU) have had a number of things in common for some time now: a printing center in Oetwil, which has just been equipped with a new printing press, they are united in the Züri-Land-Kombi (see adjacent article), they are marketed by Publicitas and have had the NZZ as a minority shareholder for a few months now. ZU and ZSZ also have the same managing director, Erland Herkenrath.
As of August 23, there will be yet another common feature: For the first time, the three titles have had a uniform design created by Winterthur designer Peter Hajnoczky.
appearance - still in newspaper format(!). But there is no sign of standardization: the newspaper heads are still very different, and the concepts have by no means been lumped together. ZU and ZSZ remain strongly locally oriented, which is reflected, for example, in the bundle sequence: The two titles continue to have the local and regional pages in the first bundle, with the rest in the second bundle.
More color and an airier basic layout
This is reversed in the ZO: foreign, domestic and cantonal are in the first fascicle, the region follows in the second, business and culture in the third and sport in the fourth.
As a result of the new newspaper headline design, the ZO has to do without its previous three-story title, loses the article "der" and is now just called Zürcher Oberländer. There is also a change of name for one of the ZSZ's head papers: March Höfe Zeitung is renamed Zürichsee Zeitung, like its sister papers on the two shores of Lake Zurich. Linth Zeitung and Sihltaler, on the other hand, which are also part of ZSZ, will retain their names.
The new design is simple and without frills. As there are no dividing lines between the articles, it looks very open and airy. What's new is that a small advertising space can be booked on the front and on each of the waistband and bundle end pages. The images are larger than before and the color scheme has been extended to more pages, but the three titles cannot yet be printed in four colors throughout. This will require an additional investment, but this is planned.
Whether ZSZ, ZU or ZO - all three titles want to get even closer to their readers. ZO is probably the most brash. "We have a somewhat outdated image and now want to shed it," says ZO publishing director Konrad Müller. The new image should help speed this up. However, Müller doesn't just want to serve readers "old wine in new bottles". "We need to be bolder, the young people need to understand us and we need to cover the topics that really interest people." Each article must be convincing in its own right, says Müller.
However, the ZO is also creating new channels that will make it easier to address topics that are close to readers. To this end, a "daily topic" is being introduced in the ZO regional section, a regular background page in the general section and a new "Special" section, which is dedicated daily (except Mondays) to topics such as everyday life/family, research/knowledge, health/medicine, trends and nature.
Special pages mutually interchangeableThe uniform layout comes into play with these background and special pages: the other two titles can take over these pages completely if required. However, ZU and ZSZ will also add topics, pages or articles to a pool in future, from which the others can then choose. "The new layout makes it possible to exchange articles and entire pages. This exchange will hopefully be intensified. But it is not the case that departments will be merged as a result," says Erland Herkenrath.
But why is the redesign happening now? Are ZU, ZO and ZSZ arming themselves against possible further local splits of the Tages-Anzeiger? "We did have that somewhere in the back of our minds," admits ZO editor-in-chief Christoph Vollenweider. However, the new technical possibilities at the Oetwil printing center and the competition from 20 Minuten and the Internet were the deciding factors. "The fact that more and more households are doing without any newspaper subscriptions gives me more stomach ache than the competition from the Tages-Anzeiger," says Vollenweider.
Markus Knöpfli
Is the Landbote also terminating its P lease? The planned linking of the Landbote to its own Tages-Anzeiger title suggests that the Winterthur daily newspaper could also terminate its Publicitas lease. "This contract runs until the end of 2007 and is not up for discussion during its term," says managing director Lothar Dostal (for the time being). (mk)
Markus Knöpfli

Specialist retailer The Zurich agency Wirz has won the advertising budget of Mövenpick Wein AG in Zug. Wirz prevailed in a competitive presentation by the specialist wine retailer. The new concept includes image and brand advertising as well as sales promotion.

InsuranceThe advertising agency Grey has won the communications mandate from Intras Versicherungen. The health insurer, headquartered in Geneva, had invited four agencies to pitch. With this new client, the Grey agency now has an insurance company in its portfolio again following the departure of the Mobijeunes budget to Wirz Werbung. Grey Geneva will be in charge of Intras. The first measures of the campaign should be visible in the fall of 2005.

Everyday formatThe Aargau media group's nine-month multimedia project Alltag, with continuous journalistic reporting on the daily life of the Hagenbuch family by AZ-Medien and SonntagsBlick, appears to be a success after just 80 days, following initially rather mixed forecasts of success. Tele M1 now broadcasts twice-weekly reports on the diverse aspects of the Hagenbuchs' daily challenges and, according to everyday life inventor Jörg Meier, the viewing figures have soared to an unprecedented 50,000 viewers per program. (rw)

FoundationsThe Pestalozziheim Buechweid in Russikon ZH will become an independent foundation in 2006. In a competitive presentation, an agency was sought to support the over 100-year-old institution in formulating its new identity and revising its corporate design. Heads Corporate Communications, Zurich, came out on top. The agency is also developing a communication strategy and its implementation for the foundation, which intends to expand its range of services and communicate more actively in future. The Pestalozziheim Buechweid currently cares for and supports 70 children and young people with learning disabilities and social problems.

Objective: Image campaign.advertising media: Posters, e-boards at railroad stations. Client: Federation of Migros Cooperatives; Responsibility: Beat Mühlemann, Head of Marketing Communication; Claudia Haueter, Head of Advertising Super-/Consumer Market. Advertising agency: Publicis; CD: Ralf Kostgeld, Jean Etienne Aebi; Graphics: Nina Rentschler; Text: Tom Zürcher; Consulting: Lukas Tenger, Harry Zogg, Bea Eichenberger; Art Buying: Ines Rimmele, Anna Francke.
>> S. 16

RadioAt the end of August, SR DRS relaunches the cable station Musigwälle 531. Nine years after its launch, it is renamed DRS Musigwälle. SR DRS announced that the new program should respond even more strongly to the increased demand for traditional and folk-oriented content.

Aim: Creating awareness for Tele2 Mobile.advertising media: advertisements, posters. Deployment: From June 2005 until further notice.client: Tele2 Telecommunication Services; responsibility: Christian Bärlocher, Marketing & Sales Manager; Ursina Jeuch, Communications Manager. Advertising agency: JWT + Hostettler + Fabrikant, Zurich; overall responsibility/CD: Remy Fabrikant; AD: Andrea Huber; concept/text: Magnus M. Sambo, David Keller; Consultant: Davide Pincin, Kathy Bickel; Production: Walter Würsten.

NPO The transport service for the disabled, Tixi, wants to increase donations with a quirky TV commercial by Ruf Lanz.Tixi is a transport service for all mobility-impaired people who cannot use public transport or can only do so under difficult conditions. With its service, it aims to make it easier for disabled people to socialize with the outside world and thus integrate into society. Thanks to financial contributions from patrons and partners such as Bank Morgan Stanley, ETH Zurich, Shell and Siemens Switzerland, Tixi fares are approximately the same as those of public transport. However, despite the voluntary service provided by over 400 drivers, the 22-year-old Zurich-based organization is plagued by financial worries. A full 25 percent of operating costs have to be covered by charitable donations.
As with other local and regional aid organizations, generating publicity and increasing awareness for Tixi involves a disproportionately high level of effort. Previously, communication measures were limited to stand campaigns at markets, open days, PR and the visibility of the vehicle fleet. To improve this, Stefan Del Fabro joined Tixi around a year ago as Head of Fundraising and Communication. What is missing is a concise image that can compensate for the lack of resources. He commissioned the Ruf Lanz agency with the conception and implementation of a fundraising campaign, which has made the Mühlehalde home for the blind known throughout the country with various campaigns and has been able to significantly increase the income from donations.
The result for Tixi - a low-budget TV commercial - is convincing anew because it differs greatly from conventional donation advertising. With biting humor, almost a trademark of the agency, the commercial dramatizes how difficult it could be for disabled people to get around without the Tixi transport service.
Generous courtesy from everyone involved in the commercialThe TV commercial shows a cool, carefree cab driver transporting a disabled woman in a wheelchair in his conventional vehicle. Due to a lack of accommodation in the cab, he has unceremoniously tied the woman and her wheelchair to the roof and drives his freight through a residential area with speed bumps - which doesn't make transportation on the roof any more comfortable. Unmoved, the driver finally turns off towards the highway. The resolution is revealed in this final shot: Normal cabs are not equipped for the disabled. That's why we need Tixi, the transportation service for the disabled.
"The advertisements and posters based on the same idea should be just as hard to miss as the TV commercial," says Markus Ruf. The implementation and placement of the various advertising materials was only possible thanks to the generous cooperation of all those involved - from the film production company Rosas 'n' Co to the stunt people and TeleZüri, where the commercial will be broadcast in prime time from mid-September. "No donations were used for the Tixi campaign," says Danielle Lanz proudly.
The commercial makes it clear that a normal cab is not suitable for everyone.

Luca Aloisi

Out-of-home advertisingIn the conflict between Clear Channel Plakanda (CCP) and the Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft over the Swiss Poster Research (SPR) project, the German researchers are being emphatically neutral. After the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Media-Analyse (AG-MA) presented its model last week, CCP reported that AG-MA was open to an exchange of information and cooperation with Switzerland. CCP has confirmed its continued cooperation. AG-MA and the German Outdoor Advertising Association have now put this into perspective in their own press release. They are only concerned with the exchange of information; it is up to the Swiss out-of-home advertisers to decide what conclusions they draw from the information for their own media research.

Advertising David Ogilvy's principles still apply after his death. Two of his students have refreshed them - with mixed success: the godfather of (US) advertising died in 1999 at the age of 88. Kenneth Roman and Jane Maas worked with the master for many years. He as CEO, she as CD of Ogilvy & Mather. Anyone who reads "How to Advertise" will sense this: Every page breathes the spirit of David Ogilvy.This work is a classic. However, much has changed since the first edition in 1976, especially in the art of commercial communication. But Roman and Maas continue to adhere to the principles of their mentor, which they wrote down 29 years ago. For them too, advertising has to do just one thing: sell. If it also entertains, all the better. "But first and foremost it has to sell." Ogilvy himself even went so far as to forbid his people from taking part in creative competitions.
If you want to sell through communication, you first and foremost need brilliant, convincing ideas. And they have one thing in common: they are surprisingly simple and simply surprising. And: often the best ideas are anything but new. Creative people are not bubbling over with new ideas, but they know many tried and tested ideas, mix them in their test tube and come up with something that has never been seen before. As an example, Roman and Maas cite the Sony Walkman - take a cassette player and a pair of headphones - or the Internet auction house eBay (flea market meets Internet).
These examples reveal the main weakness of the book: only a few junior copywriters or junior consultants still know what a Walkman is. Time has taken its toll on the content. Even though the book has been updated and supplemented from A to Z, it has gathered some dust.
Nevertheless, the guide is not outdated. On the contrary: many views and insights, tips and comments are timeless. They apply to good advertising that sells. Yesterday, today, tomorrow; whether as a poster, TV commercial or on the Internet. Roman and Maas show what is important and what works; they do not explain how to do it. Everyone has to find out and learn for themselves. According to Ogilvy, this also requires the courage to fall on your nose from time to time - and get up again. Conclusion: Anyone who works for or with an agency should (re)read this book. The English paperback edition fits just as well in the junior consultant's Friday bag as it does in her client's briefcase. Speaking of which, the chapter on choosing the right agency and working with them is particularly worth reading for clients. Because, to conclude with David Ogilvy: "Every client gets the kind of advertising they deserve."
> How to Advertise by Kenneth Roman and Jane Maas with Martin Nisenholtz. St. Martins Press, New York 2005. 268 pages, 27.90 francs.

Roger Hausmann

Advertising marketIn July, the Publicitas index fell by 0.3 points. At 93.7 points, it is only slightly above the historic low of May 2004. According to Publicitas, the decline is partly due to the fact that July 2005 contained one fewer issue than the same month last year. Another reason is the low momentum of commercial advertisements, particularly the continuing negative trend among major distributors and car importers.