Private radio stations The local radio stations on Lake Geneva have settled their long-standing dispute. Three years ago, the private radio stations One FM and Lausanne FM took their French competitors NRJ and Nostalgie to court: they were said to be profiting from the advertising pie in French-speaking Switzerland without having to enter into the same obligations as Swiss private radio stations. Although the court rejected measures, the dispute continued to smoulder. Last Tuesday, the two parties formally buried the hatchet and intend to work with rather than against each other in future. Francis Rivollet, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NRJ Group, emphasizes that they remain competitors, but that cooperation on a commercial level is conceivable. Rivollet does not want to say any more.
However, the advertising pool situation is likely to change next year. Until then, One FM and Lausanne FM are contractually bound to the Swiss Radio Pool. Owner Antoine de Raemy is likely to have a keen interest in this, as the dispute has left him with virtually no access to advertising pools in French-speaking Switzerland.
(rw)

Awards More than 100 participants submitted almost 300 entries to the second edition of the Grand Prix de la Création Romande creative competition in French-speaking Switzerland, with Benoît Pirson, CD of Grey Brussels and President of the Belgian Creative Club, presiding over the jury. There were only awards in five of the eight categories, and the strict jury did not find a worthy campaign for the Grand Prix either. Six works made it onto the podium: Saatchi & Saatchi Simko twice for Nutrilait Tam Tam (TV/Cinema) and Carlsberg Beer (Print), Lang Gysi Knoll for Swisspatat (Poster), Grey for the fashion boutique Casalucis (Print), Vincent Fischard for Reitzel (Book Design) and Tasmanie for the winegrowers Willy & Gilles Blondel (Graphic Design).

Insurance company Wirz Werbung is looking for a language to explain to the still carefree youth why risks should be covered Anyone who has children who have just fledged or can still remember their time in their first shared flat, their first hitchhiking vacations or their youthful exploits in the sports club knows that one thing they definitely don't think about in those years is insurance. "The fact is that young people have little interest in dealing with insurance," is the logical conclusion of Wirz Werbung's briefing for a new campaign for its client Mobiliar. Nevertheless: "Shit happens!" - and when the topic of insurance becomes topical in the target group of 16- to 26-year-olds, Mobiliar has to be present at this time.
No matter what happens: If something goes wrong, Mobiliar with its MobiJeunes product line is welcome as a paying savior in an emergency. Wirz Werbung shows what crazy things can happen at this age if you are not careful or risk too much in a fresh and funny campaign for "the insurance for the young" in the Swiss Mobiliar product range.
The provocative statement "Shit happens!" ensures that all subjects stick in the minds of the target group. But it's not just the cheeky slogan. The subjects were also put down on paper in a rather unconventional way. With funny, surprising and bizarre pictures of all sorts of mishaps and accidents, big or small, the creative minds at Wirz quickly make it clear to young people why they can't do without MobiJeunes insurance.
In addition to posters and advertisements, "Shit happens" patches and "Shit happens" warning vests for cars are used below the line. Rescue sleds with the "Shit happens" logo are also planned for the coming winter in the ski resorts.
At www.mobijeunes.ch there is a "Shit happens" internet portal designed exclusively for this campaign. Here, young people can send in funny and quirky photos or videos on the subject and have them rated by others. If it works, a new community of MobiJeunes policyholders will be created here. If the idea is not accepted by the target group, the following also applies to the advertisers in this new experiment: "Shit happens!"
Wirz Werbung took over the campaign with the damage sketches for Mobiliar from Publicis because the agency on Zurich's Theaterstrasse with its
New customers Zurich Insurance
has a competition clause. With MobiJeunes and MobiLife, all Mobiliar products are now bundled in just one agency at Wirz for the first time in the company's history.
The subjects with the "shit" that can happen conceptually continue the idea of damage protocols. The campaign can also be continued endlessly. Instead of being drawn as caricatures, however, the ever-changing cases are now styled like action pictures for young people. "The special approach harbors risks," CD Matthias Freuler is aware. You're treading on super thin ice when you use cool slang to sell such an absolutely uncool product as insurance to young people. If the language is perceived as ingratiating, negative success is inevitable.
To ensure that the form and content are right, the posters are put up as wild posters - in the zones permitted for this purpose. Real "guerilla" bright red stickers are to be placed among young people, who are to post the "Shit happens!" flyers virtually as an apology wherever something has happened, be it parking damage, glass breakage or any other case for liability insurance.
And if they then annoy the adults there, then it could still be this target group that finally comes to the conclusion as parents on behalf of their kids that it would be time to give their son or daughter one of these cool insurance policies from MobiJeunes for the rest of their lives.
Shit also happens to insured persons, but it costs less thanks to MobiJeunes.

With or without MobiJeunes insurance: Shit happens. Wirz Werbung wants to show young people that they can at least limit the damage >> page 7
Andreas Panzeri

Everyday life Since June 1, AZ media have been reporting on the life of the Hagenbuch-Tresch family. The public is interested - and so are the sponsors - and the next family is already sitting in a glass house, being watched by cameras and microphones. Not again, one would like to exclaim in memory of the families trimmed to the century before last, who blinked so authentically into the lenses of nimble media people on the Sahlenweidli in the last Gotthelf year - not to mention Big Brother and co. It is also about money and spirit: about the interests and products of sponsors on the one hand and, on the other, about the multimedia accompaniment of real everyday family life on the farm in Freiamt, Rottenschwil in the canton of Aargau, i.e. about the joys and sorrows of the family of farmer and municipal mayor Franz Hagenbuch-Tresch (44), his wife Esther (45) and their three sons Sebastian (16), Niklaus (15) and Simon (12).
15 months preparation time
However, in contrast to the well-known reality formats, the creators of the project with the sober title "Everyday Life" are focusing on the unspectacular: "We don't want to stage a show, but rather depict everyday life," says Jörg Meier, the spiritual father of the project. Meier needed 15 months of preparation for this seemingly simple project, set up his own seven-person editorial team, which he heads as journalistic director, and brought together media professionals from print, TV, Internet and radio from various media in the AZ Media Group. "There are also other types of journalism," says Meier, who draws on 15 years of experience in local and regional journalism and is keen to stay on a single topic for a longer period of time.
Since the first of this month, the Hagenbuchs have been a permanent fixture in the sections of the Aargauer Zeitung, Radio Argovia, Tele M1, the Aargauer Woche and the SonntagsBlick, for which the "Alltag" editorial team writes its own texts, for the next nine months. Daily updated news, media reports, background and service information can also be accessed on its own website www.alltag.ch. After all, 59 Aargau families were prepared to endure this multimedia striptease. Three alone made it to the final round, hosted by "Quer" ex-presenter Röbi Koller, with the Hagenbuch farming family coming out on top - much to the satisfaction of the Aargau Farmers' Association, which had issued election recommendations for the cause of the farming community on its website.
But is that all there is to it? "We accept that the whole thing will be unspectacular," admits Jörg Meier. The journalistic concept of "Alltag", which has never been seen before in Switzerland, goes beyond the long-term study of everyday family life in Aargau. Because this everyday life generates hundreds of stories and sub-topics almost automatically.
The identification potential for the audience is huge: what happens to the Hagenbuch family is something that other families also deal with: changing tires, tax returns, vacation plans, career choices, language courses, gardening, parents getting older, and so on. "The potential is huge," says Meier. The corresponding service articles and contributions almost write themselves.
Eight companies have also been won over by the "everyday life" idea, supporting the project and using it as a kind of new advertising platform - although Meier prefers to speak of partners rather than sponsors. For example, the Hagenbuchs drive a VW Sharan from car importer Amag, which they are allowed to keep after successfully completing the nine months. "We expect the car to feature in the articles when it makes sense, and the opportunity to provide expert help with mobility issues that arise in everyday life," says Dino Graf, Head of Public Relations at Amag.
For SBB, "Alltag" also offers a welcome opportunity to boost the rather thin travel traffic to the south in the fall. "We clearly want to generate more traffic with our campaign," says SBB press spokesman Roland Binz. Under the title "Get out of the daily grind", the transport company is offering Half-Fare travelcard holders tickets to Ticino for 35 francs. The tickets can also be purchased in branches of the fashion house Charles Vögele, another "Alltag" partner, which in turn allows it to appear in the project. "It was crucial for us that the project appeals to families, which is our classic target group," says Renzo Radice, Head of Corporate Communications at the Charles Vögele Group. The company is interested in testing new forms of communication, whereby the multimedia character of the project is ideal.
The Aargau-based Axpo subsidiary AEW Energie AG is also involved and wants to keep an energy diary with the family, which will ultimately provide comprehensive information about the Hagenbuchs' energy consumption. "The project offers many possibilities. We could also imagine inviting children to the substation and showing them how electricity works," says AEW media manager Elke Piller. Finally, Pro Senectute also sees a welcome opportunity to address the concerns of the older generation.
The creators of "Alltag" had previously approached 80 potential partners. Since the launch, the number of inquiries from interested companies has increased, explains Jörg Meier. "But we want to keep the number of partners within reasonable limits," he says. Meier does not want to put a figure on how much of the project's budget comes from sponsors. However, he is satisfied if the investment is returned in the end and the project is able to cover its costs. If the project is a success and if the Hagenbuch family can withstand the nine months of multimedia stress and stay healthy, then Meier could well imagine a continuation. "Maybe there will be a second round, perhaps with an SME."
Unusually ordinary: the Hagenbuch-Tresch farming family presents itself in the Aargau media and in SonntagsBlick.
Advertising platform with future potentialWith the long-term multimedia accompaniment of the Hagenbuch family for nine months, the AZ Media Group has created a kind of new advertising platform - assuming the experiment succeeds. This
allows companies that act as sponsors to use the incidental nature of everyday family events and problems to highlight their products and services in the AZ Group's media. There is no question of surreptitious advertising in Baden, as the advertising content is clearly stated. The concept is new in this form in German-speaking countries and could set a precedent. Following the launch, other companies have already expressed interest in a partnership. (rw)
René Worni

Energy The pitch for Shell's international media budget (estimated at 240 million US dollars) was won by the agencies Mediacom (New York) and Maxus (London) of the British advertising group WPP, with Carat and Starcom also taking part in the final round.

Advertising law The consumer protection ministers of the EU member states have adopted a draft regulation against misleading advertising in the food sector: in future, manufacturers will no longer be allowed to unilaterally advertise healthy ingredients in products and conceal dangers. The European Parliament, which last week toned down key passages of the draft and, in particular, removed the requirement to provide a nutritional profile, must now give its opinion.

Affichage Holding has submitted an offer to Deutsche Bahn for Deutsche Eisenbahn-Reklame GmbH (DERG), but no details of the amount of the offer have been provided. The German press estimates the value of the company at between 40 and 60 million euros. Deutsche Bahn put DERG up for sale in December 2004. The German outdoor advertising companies Ströer-DSM and Wall as well as the US company Viacom Outdoor are also mentioned as interested parties.

Column The global primeur hunt has fatal risks and side effects. The Newsweek report on the desecration of the Koran in the US military prison at Guantánamo once again proved that the media have powerful effects. The 17 deaths caused by anti-American protests in Afghanistan in response to the story are not brought back to life by the fact that the news magazine's editors-in-chief have since apologized to the relatives.It is at least psychologically understandable that Newsweek did not want to be accused once again of having
left a scoop to others because she faltered. The shame was probably not yet forgotten that President Clinton's affair with his intern Monica Lewinsky was only uncovered by Internet reporter Matt Drudge because the Newsweek story had not yet been investigated at the time of going to press.
But was the story about the Koran in the toilet really a scoop? The fact that prison guards humiliate those entrusted to their care in this or that way is probably not so unique in this world - neither in US prisons nor elsewhere. On the other hand, it is no less naive to denounce the media's general use of anonymous sources. Without those "informed circles" and targeted indiscretions by insiders who themselves remain in the dark, (government) critical journalism is unthinkable.
However, it is important that every journalist who uses anonymous sources is aware of the risk of being instrumentalized: If you don't want to simply spread rumors, you should ask for documents or at least look for a second informant who can confirm the first's statement.
So much for the textbook rules, which are admittedly not easy to adhere to in the fierce competition for prime time. Especially as journalists themselves like to play with anonymous informants - and thus show their audience how well connected they are. In principle, of course, readers have a right to know where information comes from. For example, the New York
Times recently stated in an internal report that it undermines journalistic credibility when the paper constantly publishes reports without tangible sources.
Perhaps we should not take the strong media effects too lightly. For he who sows hate will reap hate. In this case, it was not Newsweek that sowed it. The deaths in Afghanistan are more likely to be attributed to the Islamic fundamentalists who actually killed them. And probably also the hardly less fundamentalist, bigoted Christian warriors who rule in Washington and also harass liberal media in their crusades.
However, anyone who, like Newsweek, has to deliver bad news should do something that is still frowned upon among journalists: think about the possible consequences of a publication and weigh up whether there really is a public interest in the incident. It was foreseeable that journalists worldwide would attach great news value to the desecration of the Koran at Guantánamo, even though this episode may not have deserved our attention. In any case, it stands in a strange contrast to how little the media, as the Fourth Estate, have so far made a fuss about the fact that this camp exists at all. The real scandal is that people have been harassed there for years without any legal basis and deprived of their freedom - contrary to all declarations of human rights.
>Stephan Russ-Mohl is a professor of journalism at the University of
of Italian-speaking Switzerland in Lugano.

Etats Demner Merlicek & Bergmann (DMB) has to hand over its client Media Markt in Austria. The new account manager is Dirnberger de Felice, which, like DMB, is based in Vienna.Media Markt will continue to work with DMB in Switzerland (as it has done since 1994), a spokesperson for the company told Werbewoche.

What makes this thriller about numerical and human manipulation in the media market so interesting is its realism: The Standard did not review the novel, but at least it was worth an inquiry to Springer Verlag. And the company spokeswoman promptly confirmed to the Viennese daily "certain irregularities in the recording of circulation in the magazine sector - around ten years ago". These were of course rectified immediately. Nevertheless, the accusations made in "Kokoschansky's move" will be investigated.
The book is based on true events. In fact, some well-known actors and companies involved in dubious machinations surrounding the above-mentioned major German publishing house, bogus invoices from a distribution company and - of course - the obligatory murder, appear in the opus with hardly any ciphers. This makes the industry burlesque thoroughly entertaining and occasionally exciting.
In literary terms, however, despite repeated references to Stefan Zweig's "Schachnovelle", the text either has no claim or is unable to fulfill it. The unequal pair of protagonists, consisting of the businessman Lichtenhagen, degraded to the status of pawn victim, and the investigative journalist Kokoschansky, simply remain too clichéd and calculable in their actions and reflections. Even the all-too-obvious borrowings from the "Tatort" legend Schimansky (hard shell, soft core and snappy mouth type) and the flirtation with insider knowledge don't help.
The lurid storyline of this now time-barred scandal is also somewhat transparent and shakily constructed. Unfortunately, Zäuner couldn't resist packing the whole of contemporary history into his third Kokoschansky, including 9/11, the re-founding of the RAF and wild conspiracy theories. Less (artificial excitement) would have been more (real drama) here. Perhaps the Springer spokeswoman thought so too - and is waiting with the promised review until the next Kokoschansky adventure, which will hopefully also be made a little more credible in narrative terms.
> Kokoschansky's chess move or money doesn't matter by Günther Zäuner. Schmidt Verlag, Freiburg i.Br. 2004. 252 pages, 20 francs.
Oliver Classen

Admittedly, the Alldays campaign is not brand new. Nevertheless, its effect is still so irritating and far removed from any dry humor that it takes at least three martinis not to be embarrassed. The creatives went into somewhat less detail with the Three Olives vodka. But here too, female charms caused male confusion and female stockings. Or was it the alcohol? Either way, a martini - whether made with gin or vodka - seems to sharpen the male eye for female underwear. Or is there another reason to be served briefs and stockings with an aperitif? Perhaps 007 would have the answer.
(ck)

Sports stores A well-groomed burn-out among friends with the right racing bike from Sportplausch Wider - at least that's the recommendation from the agency Publicis, whose sporty, steeled creatives show their most productive side even on hot summer days. (Seemingly) effortlessly, they once again developed several advertising appearances for the dealer of the hardcore biker scene: from the rosary - a bicycle chain - to the Hero poster and the vertical bicycle stand.