New Media PubliGroupe (P) is merging its two online subsidiaries Publicitas Webservices (site marketing) and Publimedia Webadvertising (media consulting) at the beginning of July to form Web2com AG, which will be headed by Ueli Weber, previously Managing Director of P Webservices. P is also creating a new competence center for cross-media within the Business Development division, which will support all business units in the development of cross-divisional marketing offers. It will be headed by Heinz Bischof.

Bargains In the home electronics market, the ads for Panasonic always catch the eye. But now the in-house agency Jung von Matt/Limmat is not leaving it at simple ads: in the latest issue of Facts, a page was shot that looks like a badly copied Panasonic ad. Only at second glance does it turn out to be a self-confident side-swipe against plagiarism: "Copies have poor image quality."

After three unsuccessful years, a Swiss entry has been shortlisted for the Cyber Lions for the first time: the interactive, cross-media campaign "The Mystery of Dalarö" by OgilvyOne for Volvo was nominated. There was nothing for the young Swiss advertising talent to take home: First place in the Young Creatives category went to the Swedish team Karin Frisell and John Bergdahl from Forsman & Bodenfors. They were followed by Spain and Brazil. More about the Cannes Lions from page 8.

Furnishings No Calder copies, but huge advertising installations have been dangling above the heads of passengers in the atriums of Zurich Airport for a few days now. the flying objects by USM and Fritz Hansen are intended to make the design business Wohnbedarf known beyond the country's borders. The advertising message is as purist as the design: Wohnbedarf furnishes architecture.

Media The new Metropool advertising combination entices with a weekend offer. Anyone who places an ad in the Metropool on Friday or Saturday can place a second ad on Monday free of charge. The new advertising combination between Tages-Anzeiger, Berner Zeitung BZ and Basler Zeitung sees "metropool weekend" as an "optimal communication bridge over the weekend". The new combination is already a firm favorite with media and advertising agencies. Not least because more than 1.1 million readers in Zurich, Bern and Basel can be reached in one fell swoop. The figures: 36 percent reach plus almost 60 percent of all leaders and top leaders.
The new weekend offer is accompanied by a print campaign from Wirz Werbung. It dramatizes the doubling of advertising performance at a single price.
The campaign works with subjects that trigger associations with similar promotions in the world of advertising. A discount from Tele 2 is thus doubled with Tele 4. In addition to the claim "With Metropool-Weekend you get twice as much out of your advertising budget", well-known brands such as 8 x 4 are upgraded to 16 x 8 or instead of "Take 2" sweets it is now called "Take 4".
The weekend offer is valid from 1/2 page. There is no time limit for the time being. The offer is not entirely new. The former Swisspool already had a similar offer.
Further discounts are also available in the online edition with
ten percent cross-media discount with simultaneous Metropool booking.
Double advertising effect: Tele 2 immediately becomes Tele 4.

Andreas Panzeri

Cécile Heusser-Bachmann is building up the Socially Responsible Investments division at the Zurich PR agency Vipr as a Senior Consultant, and from the beginning of July she will be responsible for communications at SAM Sustainable Asset Management. ...
Former Balance Sheet Editor-in-Chief Medard Meier (photo) will be in charge of the Watch International customer magazine of the watch brand IWC. He replaces Ignaz Miller. He will retain his position as communications consultant at the think tank Avenir Suisse.
...
In the fall, Felix Bingesser will replace Michael Wehrle as head of the sports department at the Aargauer Zeitung. Wehrle wants to return to more journalistic activities. Bingesser is currently head of sports at the Stuttgarter Zeitung.
...
Christoph Ottiger has been appointed Deputy Director of the Swiss Public Relations Institute (SPRI). He took over the operational management in May. He is supported by former SPRI Director Eric Herzog. Olivier Rappaz was also elected as a new member of the Executive Board.
...
Propaganda, the specialist for special advertising formats, has strengthened its team. Marketing planner Tanja Siebenförcher, marketing assistant Sabrina Luck and intern Corinne Schwitter have joined the Zurich-based company.
...
Claudio Zuccolini is moving from Schweizer Illustrierte back to television - not in front of the camera, but to the "People" editorial team at Sat 1 Switzerland. Zuccolini was previously the presenter of Tele 24's "Inside" and the SF DRS advertising show "Top Spots".

Internet The online marketer Adlink Switzerland is auctioning off banner ads on its 140 or so customer websites, with the winning bid going to whoever is willing to pay the most when their banner is clicked on. The insertion itself is free of charge. The auction is handled via the QualiAds tool, which Adlink developed together with QualiGo GmbH from Constance.

The opening of the ART in Basel is a special kind of happening. Where else can you get an idea of the latest trends in the art scene, and where else, for example, can you look at a Magritte, costing around 1.5 million Swiss francs, from five centimeters away - without a glass wall in between? Probably the most renowned art fair in the world, its diversity more or less completely covers the period from classical modernism to the present day. One of the current shooting stars of the Swiss art scene, the Italian Gianni Motti, who lives in Geneva, has already caused a sensation in the run-up to the fair. The artist, who is represented by Zurich-based Nicola von Senger of Galerie Ars Futura, fabricated a soap for the fair made from Silvio Berlusconi's suctioned body fat. The object is considered the sensation of this year's event.The guests of Bilanz and Weltwoche can each be guided through the exhibition by a competent guide. Christoph Vitali, doyen of the Swiss art scene, Gerald Matt, director
of the Kunsthalle Wien, Beuys pupil John Armleder, probably one of the most renowned Swiss artists, the young talents Claudia and Julia Müller or Guido Magnaguagno, director of the Jean Tinguely Museum Basel, are the names of the recognized specialists. Even after the guided tours, the Apéro riche at the Swissôtel is a great place to continue discussions with the art experts. It turns out that many an advertiser is also familiar with the subject matter on display.
Jubilation, hustle and bustle and merriment were the order of the day at Publisuisse. What once started as a joint stock company for advertising television celebrated its fortieth birthday this year. This was a good reason to break out the big, big, big one, and of course the people in charge didn't miss the opportunity.
The event was staged by Rufener Events, and Aroma Productions was responsible for the breathtaking decorations. Our favorite catering artist, Gianni Segantini, also provided an unforgettable experience. The pupil of noble caterer Gamma outdid himself this year. Five starters - the favorite was the asparagus pannacotta with truffle oil, four main courses - the lemon balm ravioli were ravishing, and five desserts - the strawberry mango mousse to melt away - were continuously served in bite-sized portions and consumed by the guests with great pleasure. The bar was no exception, offering a variety of very nasty drinks - the kind you only feel after the fifth one, but then all five glasses together.
And yet - as usual at the end of such a great party, a few remained who just hadn't had enough yet, let alone wanted to go home. For these, a very high-ranking member of the Publisuisse management sacrificed himself and escorted the incorrigible night owls (reluctantly, of course) to an extended nightcap session at the Mascotte. Which then dragged on accordingly until the last one had finally and really had enough.
Chapeau pour cette fête, chers amis de la Publisuisse - and congratulations again on your birthday!
Beat Fritsch traveled to Basel last week at the invitation of Weltwoche and Bilanz. More precisely, to the pre-vision before the official exhibition opening of the 36th edition of the renowned art fair ART. He was joined by around fifty other advertisers and clients interested in art.
The big party, however, was hosted by Publisuisse for its 40th anniversary. The guest list included almost 800 names, and almost all of them came. The chosen location, the shipyard, promised outdoor fun. The aperitif was taken on the secluded shore of Lake Zurich before the ultra-fine catering was served. A super event,
all the guests agreed at the end.
Eloquent silence: The Publisuisse pantomimes.
The two inviting publishing directors Sandra Geiger (l.) and Maike Juchler with Jörg Becher (l.) and Michi Hermann.
Andreas Sarasin, Bank Sarasin & Cie. AG, with Marcel Fankhauser and Victor Zahn of Zahn Zimmermann Fankhauser (from left).
Guided competently through the exhibition: The artists Claudia (l.) and Julia Müller (r.) with Anne Keller and Hans Tanner.
Eagerly discussing: Hans-Joachim Timm with Wolfgang Wünsche, Beiersdorf, accompanied by his junior of the same name.
Not only excellent wine connoisseurs, but also art connoisseurs: Heidi and Ernst Wirz with Francis Sulzer, Sulzer Sutter (from left).
For once, art instead of advertising was the focus of Tom Harbeke, Giovanni Pucci and Max Weber (from left).
Guests of honor: Federal Councilor Moritz Leuenberger and former Publisuisse CEO and current TV Director Ingrid Deltenre.
Congratulator Anna Maier with Publisuisse Marketing Manager Markus Hollenstein (l.) and CEO Martin Schneider.
Affichage CEO Christian Kauter (l.) and
Armin "Porsche" Walpen, top authority at SRG idée suisse.
Welcomed guests: Silvano Spezia, Lang Gysi Knoll, SWA Managing Director Jürg Siegrist and advertising doyen Jost Wirz (from left).
They had a good laugh: Ronny Schmid, Konnex, Beat Obermayr, Publicis, consultant Peter Urs Naef and Peter Döbeli, Konnex (from left).
Enjoying the aperitif on the lakeshore: Beatrice Kniel (l.), Publisuisse, Roland Ehrler, Swisscom, and Corinna Schneider, Optimedia.
Gabi Zimmerli (l.) and Christian Ruppanner of Grendene Ogilvy & Mather with Condor producer Michèle Seligmann.
Jürg Streun, Christa Holenstein and Reiner Roduner (from left) were infected by the good mood at the Publisuisse party.
The Publisuisse party was also the number one topic for Saverio Progano, Daniela Andric and Frank Bodin (from left).
Ladies Night with Rosanna Miele, 3M, Monica Jäggi, Konnex, and Peugeot advertising manager Maya Hitz (from left).
Welcome back to the media industry Laurence Saas - with Martin Vogel, who will soon be moving to Swiss Casinos.
Martin K. Parsons (l.) and Sunny Parsons-Moon of Hyundai with "All in, Hyundai" creator Fredy Weissert.
Already dreaming a bit of Cannes: Bene Abegglen with the new Contexta business partner Nadine Borter.
Christoph Bauer, NZZ, advertisers Markus Gut and Andy Häuptli, and BSW Managing Director Walter Merz (from left).
Media specialist Julien Witt (l.) and Erich Baumgartner from Lowe made themselves comfortable at one of the decoration boxes.

Distribution costs Swiss Post and publishers developed a new model for press promotion: it remains roughly the same price.
Parliament's decision to no longer subsidize press distribution by post from 2008 hangs like the sword of Damocles over the publishing guild. This is true in two respects: without the current CHF 80 million annual reduction in postal tax, small publishers in particular see their existence threatened. In addition, the already fragile unity between large and small publishers in the Swiss Press Association (VSP) is at stake: Swiss Post has set the wedge: it has made it clear that without federal subsidies it would have to introduce two different prices, a kind of urban and a rural tariff. The reason: delivery in sparsely populated areas is significantly more expensive than in densely populated areas. In addition, Swiss Post is forced to charge lower, competitive rates in urban agglomerations anyway due to the newspaper contract organizations of the major publishers.
Motion as a glimmer of hope
For some time now, publishers have therefore been desperately trying to avert the impending danger (see box). Thanks to a motion that was referred to the Federal Council this spring, they now see a glimmer of light on the political horizon again. The motion instructs the national government to once again draft a law for "targeted participation in distribution costs", explicitly addressing "the shortcomings of the system in force until the end of 2007". The current system is accused of being based on a watering can principle, which is why high-circulation member newspapers from Coop, Migros or TCS also benefit from postal tax subsidies.
In order to drive the political process forward, a joint working group of the Swiss Press Association (VSP) and Swiss Post has now drafted a new press subsidy model and presented it to publishing circles. According to Hanspeter Kellermüller, VSP lawyer and member of the working group, the model envisages a two-stage subsidy - a basic subsidy for all existing press titles and an additional subsidy only for small-circulation press titles.
The basic subsidy consists of a standardized nationwide tariff for postal delivery, which is based on the distribution costs in urban agglomerations. The additional costs for press distribution in rural areas, on the other hand, would be borne by the federal government. Large press titles such as the customer magazines of Coop or Migros are also included in this part of the federal compensation. "Politicians are occasionally calling for these large titles to be excluded. However, we consider their volume to be important, as they make a contribution to coverage that should not be underestimated, especially in rural areas, and small titles also benefit from this. Excluding them would be counterproductive," says Kellermüller.
The second stage, the additional subsidy, provides for a supplementary reduction in postal rates for weekly and daily newspapers with circulations of between 1,000 and 40,000 copies that also have to meet other criteria. "The entire model thus meets the regional and press policy requirements of the motion and would allow targeted distribution support on the basis of the current federal contributions," says Kellermüller.
Swiss Post does not wish to comment on the material. "It is true that we are striving for a new model with the publishers, but we are only at the stage of exchanging ideas," says Swiss Post spokesman Richard Pfister. Moreover, there is time until 2008.
However, this sounds rather hypocritical. Because with this model, Swiss Post is torpedoing the Alternative Delivery Organization (AZO) for magazines, which the major publishers Ringier, Tamedia, NZZ, Südostschweiz and the retail giant Valora want to set up as of 1 January 2006. However, AZO can only succeed if major customers such as Coop, Migros and TCS are won over. So far this has not been the case, and the new model of Swiss Post and VSP makes the situation even more difficult for AZO. This is because the major distributors and TCS are hoping to be included in the press promotion scheme again in the end. This is having an effect: their interest in AZO has already waned noticeably.
Unity of the VSP at riskIt is probably no coincidence that the VSP of all organizations is helping Swiss Post to stab the AZO planned by VSP members in the back: This is because AZO provides for a volume-based rate, which puts publishers of small magazines at a disadvantage. This could jeopardize the unity of the VSP just as much as a city/country tariff from Swiss Post.
AZO spokesman Walter Lütolf also acknowledges that Swiss Post can now operate more diversely thanks to the new press promotion model. He also confirms that the model could become a stumbling block for AZO. "If Swiss Post can reduce the price of its distribution with federal funds, it will be tight for the competition." However, he points out that AZO could start as early as next year, while the political discussion on the new proposal has not even started yet. "We are sticking with AZO because we are convinced that an alternative can be successful in the long term," says Lütolf.
Politically activeThe publishers were not prepared to accept the fact that press funding was to be removed from federal responsibilities. They proposed other forms of state support for the press. In 2003, for example, the Swiss Press Association (VSP) proposed a foundation endowed with CHF 150 million, the funds of which would be earmarked for newspaper distribution and training. Recently, the VSP has kept the idea in the background due to the lack of support in the political debate.
A second idea put forward by small publishers and left-wing circles envisaged a media article in the Federal Constitution that would replace press subsidies via reduced postal taxes with direct subsidies for press products. Such an article was rejected by Parliament. Instead, it passed the motion that once again called for a federal contribution to press distribution. (mk)
A bone of contention: Who should benefit from delivery fees from federal funds remains controversial.
Markus Knöpfli

As the new head of corporate communications, Marco Castellaneta wants to help keep the Ringier fleet on track worldwide. His fan club is appalled and asks
Searching the website for an answer: Why did the moderator and former
Editor-in-Chief of the program «konsum.tv» will take over as head of the
He has taken over corporate communications at Ringier and is also the
Has he become the new spokesperson for the Ringier Group?
Marco Castellaneta
describes his new challenge as a «dream combination of
»various roles" in an industry in which Castellaneta
«has grown professionally.» The multinational employer with
Given the flourishing developments in Eastern Europe and Asia, the
tasks related to internal and external operations that have become strategically essential
Communication. That will change his professional approach. Not as
not as a corporate journalist, but rather in a more strategic role
Castellaneta: Communicating the Company's Development
accompany.
«Things that grow and can be nurtured,» says the
A new guy on the 5th floor on Dufourstrasse in Zurich. He's talking about
a «garden of riches and plants.» Corporate Communications
The group includes all countries, and the new head is from Zurich
Of course, this applies to national communications managers and a «great
can be considered part of the »team in Switzerland.".
In the event of such a change from the
When a passionate doer becomes a strategist, certain things fall by the wayside, «as always,
»when you're doing something new," says the former host. This role
But he doesn't want to be overrated on screen.
«The advantage of being a
The moderating editor-in-chief was the one who said that you should immediately
»could take the heat himself." As the show's host, he often had a
Quick access to conversations with exciting and interesting people
found. Such conversations and encounters motivate Castellaneta
both at work and in life in general.

Castellaneta has been
Joined Ringier in 1996. Among his most notable achievements are «live
»ran" during the launch of the Sat-1 programming block in Switzerland. With
«konsum.tv» on SF 2 offers an alternative to «Kassensturz»
designed and launched.
The
Marco Castellaneta's passion for the media began at a very early age
awakened. Even as a middle school student, he was already writing for the Luzerner Neusten
News (LNN) as a youth reporter. Up to three times a week
The editor-in-chief gave him «plenty of space» for a column. Later
He worked his way up through every position at a regional newspaper, eventually becoming a correspondent.
passed through the Lucerne Parliament.
Now a news junkie,
he moved to Radio Pilatus. There, he hosted the morning show and
Once, as a news editor, I worked for a full 35 days straight. One
A welcome «back-and-forth between humor and seriousness» is the daily
The shift was from working with the microphone to taking on responsibilities in editorial management.
Back then
The goal was to get the station back on its feet with very limited resources
to bring about and establish this, and to communicate it as well. «The act of doing
That's one thing, but telling people why you're doing it and how, and
»For what purposes—that is at least as important."
The strategic aspect has
has played an increasingly important role in Castellaneta's career.
«The development of a new show doesn't just happen out of the
»Based on a gut feeling or a beer-fueled mood."
has 280 shipments
Castellaneta moderated and led the entire event. The management of the
Broadcasting and cross-media activities have, in relation to
has taken on a more prominent role in journalism.

After
After completing his master's degree in journalism at the MAZ, the
All-rounder: a PR course at Sawi and a postgraduate program
Marketing at Bern University of Applied Sciences. In two months, he will graduate from the
The University of Lugano offers a Master of Science program in
Communications, through which he has expanded his existing knowledge.
«One
An outstanding institution with many top-tier figures serving as faculty members from the
»Communications around the globe." For this degree program
Even before being appointed to the leadership team of
I signed up for Ringier. That was a good decision, «knowing that it
»might play a role at some point.".
As Head of Communications
Castellaneta wants to reach its 6,000 employees worldwide
not only inform them, but also make them feel that: We
are in the same boat and are moving forward. «We must embrace this common ground—”
make my team and me visible so that our presence is felt and put into practice
»can be." The fact that he has such famous predecessors at Ringier as Fridolin
Luchsinger and Béatrice Tschanz have shown «that the
»Communication efforts are taken seriously in this organization.".
In my personal life,
Castellaneta serves as president of the Kiwanis Club of Lucerne and commutes as
Tennis players in the junior seniors division between National League C and the 1st League,
loves biking and, as a «singer-songwriter,» also spends a lot of time
Piano.
 
Andreas Panzeri

Advertising industry Gross advertising investment in Switzerland fell by 1.5% in May compared to the same month last year, marking the first decline in the current year according to statistics from market researcher Media Focus. The automotive (-24.9%) and consumer electronics (-18.2%) sectors saw significantly lower advertising expenditure, which also fell over the course of the year as a whole (-7.1% and -17.3% respectively).

Schulen Wagner Communications is designing the new image of the Interstate University of Applied Sciences Buchs NTB, the agency for creative marketing based in Triesen, Liechtenstein, won a pitch against two competitors. Implementation will begin in fall 2005.