Fund companies The asset management company GAM has entrusted Euro RSCG Zurich with its advertising budget. Euro RSCG came out on top in a pitch.fund companies The asset management firm GAM has entrusted Euro RSCG Zurich with its advertising budget. Euro RSCG came out on top in a pitch. According to a statement from the agency, GAM was named the best small fund company of the last ten years by Standard & Poor's. The UBS subsidiary was now looking for a Swiss agency that could bring this message to its demanding target group in an innovative and intelligent way.

According to the Informationsgemeinschaft zur Feststellung der Verbreitung von Werbeträgern (IVW), the German equivalent of the Wemf, an average of 54,966 copies were sold in the first quarter of 2005. According to a statement from Cicero, the total circulation was 84217 copies. This means that the circulation target of 50,000 copies was clearly exceeded after one year.

Laser printer With the A3 color laser printer 8124, TallyGenicom presents the new top model in its laser printer range, setting new standards in color printing with a warm-up time of less than 30 seconds, printing the first page after just 10 seconds and outputting 24 A4 color pages and 13 A3 color pages at 1200 dpi without any loss of speed. The long-lasting and easy-to-change polymer toner of the A3 color laser ensures razor-sharp color printouts.

Protection against counterfeiting Paper, design, printing and finishing can be used to take precautions against lies and deception In the EU, imports of recognizable counterfeit products are said to have increased by 900 percent between 1998 and 2001. In 2002, Swiss customs alone confiscated counterfeit imported goods worth 3.5 million Swiss francs. The watch industry in the Jura Arc from Geneva to Biel estimates the damage caused by product piracy at 800 million francs a year. Assets worth billions are destroyed every year. The proportion of product piracy in global trade is now said to be as high as ten percent and rising, with products with high added value, e.g. in the music, pharmaceutical, spirits, watch and cigarette industries, being particularly affected. In some markets in Africa and Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 80 percent of medicines are counterfeit. These counterfeits cause losses in the tens of billions of Swiss francs worldwide every year.
The problem has existed for a long timeSince most countries lack the legal means to take action against the globally operating perpetrators, it is almost impossible. Even Central Europe is not immune. Just think of counterfeit tickets for shows and sporting events. Interpol also recommends taking protective measures. The problem has not only been known to the damaged industry since today, but many companies are still afraid of the additional costs and "prefer" to accept losses instead. It seems as if those responsible are still waiting for the 200 percent security measure. Yet counterfeit protection is a permanent task. New and better elements are helping to make it increasingly difficult to forge documents and copy products - at least temporarily. After all, counterfeiters are also capable of learning.
Experts believe that the demand for security will increase significantly in the coming years. In their opinion, the further opening up of Europe, the technological upgrading of Asia and the expansion of transportation and logistics are reasons for the increase in counterfeit products. This is why security elements in and on paper are becoming increasingly important. Simple solutions are also required for this.
Papers that contain security elements offer even more security in the combination of design, printing and finishing. Despite all this, there is one fly in the ointment: rapid personnel changes mean that there is a risk that not only security expertise will be lost, but also mischanneled. The safety advantage will rarely last long. This makes package inserts and booklets, packaging and seals, labels and authenticity checks all the more important. Regardless of whether it is printed matter for music or medicines. Suitable security and specialty papers are a prerequisite for this.
Security elements in the paperForgery protection means above all additional benefits, which - despite the costs - are often the more favorable solution in the end.
This means that different safety requirements in terms of feel, sound, durability, etc. can be met in the production of these papers by combining cotton, rags, pulp and other base materials.
The addition of invisible chemical dyes in the paper secured in this way, which react with alkalis, acids, solvents and chlorine bleaches and become visible during counterfeiting attempts, makes the counterfeiter's job more difficult. Depending on the organic solvent (alcohol, petrol, plasticizer, etc.), red or blue spots become visible, brown spots when exposed to chlorine bleaching agents, blue-green spots when exposed to alkalis and red spots when exposed to acids.
A security thread can be embedded in various widths during paper production, either in metal (opaque or colored) or plastic (transparent colored or colorless; transparent colored or colorless or opaque white or colored). The thread can optionally be equipped with fluorescence, microprinting or machine-readable additives. Mottled fibers are another feature of security papers. Synthetic or natural fibers, visible with or without fluorescent properties or invisible fibers that fluoresce under UV light, are positioned in the paper. For example, mottled fibers in white paper are either invisible, barely visible or completely visible in daylight, while the fibers sometimes appear in other colors or become visible under UV light. Paper coated with iridescent stripes or hologram foils (Irisafe or Holosafe from Landqart) helps to ensure that documents cannot be copied true to the original. Such a copy is recognizable to everyone without any aids.
With a security paper for personalized data printing using an inkjet printing technology (Digisafe from Landqart), the falsification of some variable data results in the violation of the rest of the printed image.
Although paper color in itself is not a security feature, protection is increased by combining it with suitable printing pastel colors. Watermarks provide effective protection against forgery attempts using color copiers and scanners.
Another measure is a reaction dye that is added during the manufacturing process. The authenticity of the paper can be determined using a corresponding test pen. A blue coloration is then visible on the original document, for example, but not on the forgery. But be careful: Under certain circumstances, the test color of this security type may no longer be recognized due to varnishing or full-surface printing in dark colors.
Noteworthy solutionsIn the past, Ziegler Papier (March 2003) and the wholesaler Sihl + Eika Papier together with the producer Landqart (November 2004) organized specialist conferences to highlight these issues to interested parties. There it was shown that even simple solutions are sufficient to take precautions against fraudulent activities.
The usual marking of products, their packaging or inserts is generally not sufficient to protect against counterfeiting. Additional markings on the paper substrate are often unavoidable in the case of increased requirements. According to the consensus, the combination of several security features not only offers more possibilities, but also generally results in significantly higher security effects.
Security levels Fotorotar AG in Egg ZH produces, among other things, printed matter that has a value - apart from money. A distinction is made between the "Budget", "de Luxe" and "Combi" security levels.
"Budget": With security elements that are technically easy to produce, inexpensive protection of the printed matter is achieved by making reproduction considerably more difficult, e.g. with numbering, barcodes, perforation, punching/grooving, blind embossing, line screens, anti-copy screens, micro lettering or fluorescent colors.
"de Luxe": This higher security level requires specialist knowledge and equipment, e.g. for print products with security foils, holograms, diffraction foil, trust seals (proof of authenticity, closure seals), iris printing, UV printing inks invisible under normal lighting conditions or guilloches (ultra-fine line structures).
"Combi": The combination of "Budget" and "de Luxe" guarantees maximum security and makes counterfeiting impossible. (hjl)
Watermark printing for short runs Watermarks are normally applied to the paper during production. Larger quantities and longer delivery times are the norm. Watermarks can also be printed afterwards - even in short runs. This is made possible by the patented Inmarque watermark system from AGS Technics AG, Frauenfeld, which consists of a device and a liquid.
From 1000 A4 sheets, this is already affordable and documents can be marked as "originals". This also ensures protection against forgery. The device can be installed in older Heidelberg presses in place of a numbering unit. A liquid called Inmarque is applied or transferred to the paper using a photopolymer printing form. Natural papers from 60 to 250 g/m2 are particularly suitable for this. The liquid causes the printed sign to appear transparent, i.e. it no longer has the normal opacity of the paper. It is indistinguishable from a real watermark when seen through.
This watermark printing is practiced exclusively in Switzerland by the printing company Mogensen GmbH in Arbon SG. Papers with Inmarque watermarks can be overprinted or overwritten, are suitable for laser and inkjet printing technology and can be stored for many years. (hjl)
Security printing places the highest technical demands.
Hans Joachim Laue

Technology Electronic paper is coming in the near future - as an advertising poster and probably also as a book After Ida Schwyzer has made herself comfortable in the train compartment, she pulls an A4-sized foil out of her handbag, holds her cell phone to it and touches a field with the word "Update" on the edge of the foil. The news of the day immediately appears on the slide. What Schwyzer is holding in her hands is an electronic newspaper, which she can now delve into, a scenario that is only partly futuristic. Although the electronic newspaper is not yet available, precursor products made from so-called electronic paper (e-paper) have been on the market for some time. A year ago, Sony and the US company E Ink launched an electronic book on the market that is no bigger than a thin paperback but stores the contents of several books. You "turn the pages" and search using buttons.
E-paper made from plastic films
E-paper comes in different varieties, but the basic principle is - if you'll pardon the pun - roughly similar. Electronic paper from the US companies E Ink or Gyricon consists of plastic films in which millions of small beads are embedded. These are half black and half white and float in a film of oil. Using an electrical charge, they can be rotated so that either the white or the black side is turned to the front. The charge is transferred to the individual beads via a network of electrodes that cover the films. As soon as these are turned to the desired position, text or images appear on the surface. Full-color e-papers are now also available. These work with individually controllable color filters that are placed over the beads.
The advantage over conventional paper: e-paper can be rewritten and erased electronically again and again - just like a computer screen. The disadvantage is that it cannot (yet) be folded, but it can be rolled tightly, now to a radius of 5 millimeters. Incidentally, the pellets are so tiny that a resolution of around 150 dots per square centimeter can be achieved - that is twice as much as is needed for a newspaper image. Philips has also developed electronic paper that can display video content. It is used in cell phone displays, digital cameras and video cameras.
As no light source is required for the operation of e-paper, electricity is only needed for the memory, for "turning pages" and, of course, for playing animations. Further advantages over an LCD screen: The writing is easy to read even in bright light and from a flat angle. At this year's Baselworld, the companies Seiko and Epson presented a watch with a dial made of electronic paper for the first time. As e-paper can also be controlled wirelessly, it can be used as an updatable advertising poster or as a price tag in a department store. Both are offered in series, including by the New York company Magink.
Out-of-home advertiser APG has just become aware of Magink's posters and took a close look at them last year. The conclusion: "They are interesting for us because they are cheaper than our LED walls in train stations," says CEO Christian Kauter. "But in terms of color, for example, they are not yet the yellow of the egg." Nevertheless, he is certain that e-paper will find its way into outdoor advertising - at least in places with an electrical connection. This would also make it possible to change subjects at short notice - for example, when a shopping center wants to offer discounted strawberries in its area shortly before closing time. One thing is certain: APG is prepared. "We have the know-how and functioning software at our subsidiary E-Advertising," says Kauter.
Media companies are taking a wait-and-see approach The situation is quite different for the major newspaper publishers. Here, no one expects the electronic newspaper to emerge quickly. This is evidenced by the huge investments in new printing presses that have just been made. A survey by Werbewoche shows: Technical developments are being observed everywhere, but few people, let alone at association level, are apparently considering what this could mean in terms of publishing strategy, for example in terms of alliances with telecommunications companies, other publishers, online and mobile marketers. But what does it mean for a publisher if moving images can be shown in the newspaper in future? Or if the newspaper becomes a large display on a cell phone? Will consumers still want a full newspaper in the future - or will they prefer to compile content individually? And what does this development mean for advertisements, supplements and future business models?
One of the few who is thinking further ahead is Beat Lauber, Head of Regional Newspapers at the NZZ. He does not believe that electronic newspapers will become widespread before five to seven years. "But when the new medium comes, it will come relatively quickly," he warns. The core activity of newspapers - obtaining and preparing information - will not change, but editorial offices will have to prepare it differently and constantly update it online. Dealing with the individualization of information will be a challenge for today's business model. As the appeal of a newspaper is still the surprising confrontation with new ways of thinking. The same applies to advertising. Nevertheless, consumers will increasingly decide in future how and which advertising they want to use. Lauber sees two basic business models for newspapers: Either customers pay for targeted information or they receive a broad, largely advertising-financed information package, as is the case today. Savings in newspaper sales, on the other hand, would be more or less offset by the costs of digital transmission, warns Lauber.
Andreas Göldi, head of the Publi-Connect project at NZZ partner PubliGroupe, agrees with Lauber. Göldi also believes that PubliGroupe in particular, which is already active in the online and mobile sector and has an initial, well-functioning partnership with the mobile provider Swisscom in the PubliDirect (Yellow Pages) area, is already well geared towards the new medium. However, he believes that the most urgent task for P is to coordinate among the publishers to achieve common standards and develop shared infrastructures - similar to PrintOnline, the digital data courier from P, NZZ, Tamedia and Ringier. A project in the area of online classifieds is imminent.
Publishing house with online products
As a publisher, Urs Gossweiler, editor of the Jungfrau-Zeitung in Brienz, has made the most consistent headway. "We made a strategic decision in our company at the beginning of the year that also includes the future with e-paper," says Gossweiler. In concrete terms, his publishing house is becoming a fully online company with a focus on the virtual distribution of content. "We don't care whether the consumer accesses our content via cell phone, text message or website, whether they want it on paper or download it to their e-paper one day," says Gossweiler.
All content is therefore available online; only a fraction of it is already published on paper. Primeurs therefore also belong on the web and are not saved for the newspaper. Part of this strategy is that content on the website is accessible free of charge. "The Internet is not a medium for us, but the basis, which is why the website doesn't cost us a penny," says Gossweiler. "But as soon as consumers want content by text message or on paper, they have to pay us for the distribution or packaging costs."
Jungfrau's advertising sales are also online-oriented. "When talking to our customers, we deliberately don't sell advertisements, but contacts, regardless of the medium," says Gossweiler. In this way, he wants to sensitize (local) customers to the new and future advertising media today. "However, advertisers are still more willing to pay for a print advertisement than for online or mobile advertising," Gossweiler has found.
This is precisely why outsourcing advertising sales is out of the question for him: as a publisher, he wants to keep his finger on the pulse of his customers. "For example, we still don't know how we can generate as much revenue online as with a physical medium," he says. Gossweiler and his team are therefore tirelessly searching for new, more suitable forms of advertising.
The curved electronic paper, which Seiko Watch and Epson have used in a watch for the first time in the world, measures three by nine centimetres. Like a conventional display, it is able to show the time and all other functions - but is easier to read thanks to its higher contrast and wider viewing angle.
The watch with the e-paper display was exhibited at the Baselword 2005 watch and jewelry fair and is due to be launched on the Japanese market this year. (mk)
On display at the World Expo in Japan: E-paper wall newspaper.
As thin as a paperback: the electronic book from Sony.
E-paper film cannot be folded, but it can be rolled tightly.
Markus Knöpfli

Publishers The NZZ Group is restructuring its management. Above all, however, it has to lift its parent company out of the red. As of January 1, 2006, the NZZ Group will have a new management structure. In future, Group management will be in the hands of a three-member board consisting of Hugo Bütler, Beat Lauber and an as yet unknown person. Bütler's powers as Chairman of the Group Management Board will be expanded, and he will also act as the Group's Head of Journalism and thus as the most senior of all the editors-in-chief. The commercial-publishing tasks at Group level will also be managed from a single source, that of Lauber. The current Head of Regional Newspapers will thus become the top publishing director and will also take NZZ and NZZaS under his wing. The third member will be responsible for the finances of NZZ AG and the Group, as well as for coordinating the areas of accounting, controlling and IT.internal changesAt the same time as the three areas of journalism, publishing and finance are being bundled at Group management level, Bütler will relinquish his role as NZZ Editor-in-Chief and Chairman of the NZZ Executive Board. A new, presumably internal person is also being sought for this role. As Marco de Soppani, previously a member of the Group Executive Board and the NZZ Management Board, is also stepping down at the end of the year, the position of Head of Publishing & Printing at NZZ will also become vacant. De Stoppani will take over this function in August on an interim basis from Tobias Trevisan, who will then move to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
After the general meeting of NZZ shareholders on April 16, the NZZ Group also published its 2004 annual report. As already briefly reported earlier, the NZZ Group was able to increase its turnover by 18.6 percent to 547 million francs. The operating result amounted to 16.1 million francs, compared to a loss of 8.7 million francs in the previous year. Net profit more than quadrupled to CHF 21.8 million.
The accounts for 2003 and 2004 are only comparable to a limited extent. In the year under review, the holding in Bund Verlag AG was removed from the scope of consolidation, while the LZ Media Group ("Neue Luzerner Zeitung") was included in the NZZ consolidated accounts for the first time after the holding was increased to 51% in mid-2004.
The annual report also emphasizes several times that LZ Medien is the main factor behind the strong increase in Group sales. The parent company itself - primarily NZZ and NZZ am Sonntag - was only able to increase its turnover by just under 3 percent to CHF 187.5 million (mainly thanks to NZZaS). Business pressure also increased by 3 percent, while Tagblatt Medien only just held steady.
Zurich remains in the redLZ Medien - together with Tagblatt Medien - also helped the NZZ Group to increase its profits, while the parent company remained in the red. According to the annual report, "clear progress" was made there, but this was not sufficient for sustainable development.
NZZaS, NZZ Online and NZZ Ticket are still in the red in terms of contribution margins, but are better off than before. NZZaS in particular was able to reduce its start-up losses from CHF 10.6 million to CHF 4.9 million last year. NZZ itself contributed a contribution margin of around CHF 5 million, a good 50 percent more than in the previous year. NZZ Folio and NZZ-Fernsehen also delivered positive contribution margins.
A well-equipped AnzeigerWith a readership of 17,000, the Anzeiger enjoys a good reputation.
St. Gallen, the tabloid free weekly of NZZ subsidiary Tagblatt Medien, is "growing in popularity", according to the NZZ Group's annual report. It continues: "With higher advertising revenues and increasing success in the reader market, the Anzeiger is strategically on the right track and is well equipped to counter the expansion of 20 Minuten into Eastern Switzerland."
However, according to information from St. Gallen, it has still not been decided whether the Anzeiger will also take part in the SBB tender for box locations in Eastern Switzerland. (mk)
Top position: Hugo BütlerStrengthened: Beat Lauber
Markus Knöpfli

Confectionery Following the market launch of Sweet and Sour Fizz, Halter Bonbons wants to take care of its brand and its stagnating popularity again. The Swiss are a sweet people. Since the general economic downturn, the growing sweet tooth has been setting new records every year - be it in the already high consumption of chocolate or sales of chocolates or sweets. According to ACNielsen, Zeltli sales climbed again last year by over two percent to a good 120 million francs. Sweets with sugar are almost as popular as those with sweeteners. Halter is growing abroadManaging Director Marc Heim is reserved about the popularity of the traditional Halter Bonbons brand - which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2007: "The brand was not quite able to maintain its high level of recognition due to the advertising break in recent months." However, the image of very high quality "Made in Switzerland" remains unbroken. And this now seems to be marketed better abroad than in the country of origin. The company from Beinwil am See generates half of its turnover from exports. While its share of the domestic market is declining, Halter has been able to continue its growth abroad. Despite tougher competition from another large family business from Laufen near Basel, which is successfully occupying the herbal sector, Halter continues to maintain its image of high quality and fruity-sweet sweets in the Swiss market.
The brand is also intended to stand for "my feeling of happiness for every day" or, in new German, "uplifting moments". However, the old commercials with Marco Rima, in which the comedian with his shirt-sleeved Swiss humor played various roles, were out of the question for this new positioning. In addition, the media mix had to be changed after years of addressing consumers directly, in which the innovations were publicized with sample bags. "This year, we are once again focusing more on traditional communication - TV and radio - to increase awareness of the Halter Bonbons brand," explains Heim. He wants more consumers to once again enjoy "this supreme pleasure without remorse", because it is sugar-free and made with natural ingredients, and to feel joy and satisfaction in the process.
Refreshing the brandThe brand, according to Heim's brief to the new in-house agency Blue Spirit, was to be updated and refreshed without overdoing the intended modernization. The team led by Blue Spirit Managing Partner Gerry Flückiger and CD Ulysses Müller developed a basic idea that implements the "uplifting moments" with stop-and-go sequences. The TV commercial shows a driver who is willing to take any opportunity, no matter how impossible, to stop and treat himself to a holder candy and thus a moment of happiness.
In the same conceptual style, the radio spot is constantly interrupted by short pauses. Here, too, the punchline is the slogan: "Stop for Halter sweets." Gerry Flückiger is convinced that this basic idea with an open outcome can also be played with in future implementations. However, it remains to be seen whether a new commercial will be produced next year. What is certain for Halter-Bonbons CEO Marc Heim is that more will be invested in the long-term goals in future.
Blue Spirit - the nutcrackerThe owner-managed agency Blue Spirit in Schlieren has been around since 1999. 25 employees currently look after 20 national and international companies such as Orange, BAT, Johnson & Johnson and Triumph. Partner Gerry Flückiger likes to symbolize the agency as a nutcracker - with the two levers of the advertising and trade marketing unit. This trade-oriented area ensures that the measures not only work, but also sell. This is why the client is supported at all stages and processes, from the manufacturer to the retailer, with measures such as marketing information, communication strategy through to strategic POS programs and sell-in/sell-out concepts. (la)
The driver never misses a stop to get more of his candy holder.
Luca Aloisi

Sponsoring Escolette, a subsidiary of the Hotelplan Group, replaces Imholz as the travel partner of the dating and travel show "Joya rennt" on Sat 1 Switzerland.Escolette works with the same target segment and is just as trendy as the show, according to Sat 1. The show achieves an average market share of 11.4 percent in the target group of 15 to 34-year-olds.

Notebook With the Latitude X1, Dell presents its lightest and most mobile notebook to date: At 1.14 kilos, it weighs just over a kilo and is equipped with everything a fully-fledged business notebook needs.Despite its graceful appearance, the Latitude X1 is tough: Its robust casing protects the laptop from rough knocks in suitcases or luggage compartments. The ultralight notebook can also easily compete with any heavyweight in terms of features. Thanks to the optional 6-cell battery, it can be used for around six hours. The Latitude X1 is equipped with WLAN (802.11 b/g) and Bluetooth as standard.

The papers mentioned are available as follows: Maestro, IQ Triotec, Bio Top 3, Nautilus (Mondi Business Paper) at Antalis and Sihl+Eika; HannoArt (Sappi) at Sappi Switzerland; Magno (Sappi) at Sihl+Eika and Fischer Papier; Presto (Sappi) at Antalis; Reflexion (Stora Enso) at Stora Enso Switzerland and Z-Laser (Ziegler Papier) at Antalis. The Blink collection is available from Sihl+Eika, Curious Collection from Antalis, Dentelle from Antalis, The Art of Printing from Antalis, Efalin from Peyer & Co, Ikono Showbook from Antalis and Sihl+Eika, PlanoColor from Sihl+Eika, Spectral from Biber Papier and finally The Mix from Trend-Papier.
The information does not claim to be complete and is sorted in alphabetical order by manufacturer or dealer.

Advertisements The wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles was not a lavish celebration. Nevertheless, the wedding was a media event that Panasonic and its agency Jung von Matt/Limmat did not want to miss out on, as the new LCD TV impresses with its realistic picture, which is able to conjure up a lively face even from a real British pallor with differentiated color shades.

Research The foundation of the new institute headquarters is taking place these days, and after a delay of over a month, the Bonn-based Medien Tenor is now moving its headquarters to Lugano after all. Founder and Managing Director Roland Schatz assured Werbewoche that Medien Tenor International AG will be entered in the Ticino commercial register "by the middle of next week at the latest". The change of location associated with the expansion to Italy, France, Spain and Switzerland has been delayed by insolvency proceedings pending in Germany against Medien Tenor, which according to Schatz are "a mere formality that will finally be off the table after the creditors' meeting on May 10". The whole thing has "no influence whatsoever" on the reestablishment of the institute specializing in media monitoring, in which Schatz's Fribourg-based Innovatio publishing house is to hold all shares for the time being. At the University of Italian-speaking Switzerland (USI), with which Medien Tenor intends to cooperate closely, jobs have been advertised for 25 coders, whose training is due to start at the beginning of May.
Schatz plans to present "the first Swiss citation ranking" in October. This will include all well-known media from all three language regions. The international agenda-setting conference organized by Schatz will also take place on the same month - not in Bonn as before, but for the first time at the USI. "My guest gift to a partner who has remained loyal during the crisis," comments Schatz.
(oc)