Professional camera With the Cybershot H1, Sony offers a digital camera with a 12x optical zoom. With a focal length of 36 to 432 mm (compared to 35 mm), the H1 meets every photographic challenge from the slight wide-angle to the super-telephoto range. The focal length range of the H1 can be significantly extended using optional Sony lens converters. The H1 is equipped with the Super Steady Shot optical image stabilizer to prevent blurring. The image stabilizer is absolutely essential to prevent blurred photos, especially with longer focal lengths or longer exposure times. www.sony.ch

Transport SBB Cargo has entrusted its advertising budget to Euro RSCG Zurich, the freight transportation subsidiary of Swiss Federal Railways, following a public tender and a multi-stage evaluation round. The first work under the new mandate will be launched this spring.

Paper The Crissier VD-based Baumgartner Papiers Group is back in the black after three years of losses, posting a net profit of CHF 1.3 million for the 2004 financial year. In 2003, a loss of 16.8 million francs had to be reported. Baumgartner cites the restructuring of the Elco business unit (envelopes, stationery) and the sale of the loss-making foreign branches as the reasons for the improvement.

TV advertising The broadcasters of TeleNewsCombi have elected Radiotele boss Bruno Oetterli as Managing Director.Bruno Oetterli's election marks the first time a marketer has become Managing Director of TeleNewsCombi (TNC). Until now, representatives of private TVs have always been at the head of the pool - first TNC initiator Christian Stärkle (Tele M1) and then Marcel Geissbühler (TeleBärn). Florenz Schaffner from Tele M1 justifies the choice of the Radiotele owner with the tasks of a TNC managing director in the area of advertising acquisition and customer care. This requires close cooperation with the marketing partner. "Bruno Oetterli can now do this in one person, so his choice was simply the best solution," says Schaffner.
Three-stage model remains
Oetterli will take on his new additional role on April 1. The TNC's three-tier marketing model will not change: the broadcasters will handle their regional markets, Radiotele will acquire and look after customers at national level, and Publisuisse will ensure efficient processing and billing and look after its direct customers.
However, Oetterli's choice can also be understood as a reference to the TNC's position against IP Multimedia and its planned entry into the local TV market (WW 10/05). Geissbühler also sees it this way: "The local TVs are indirectly making it clear that IP plays no role for them and that
it cannot market the TNC."
Although Oetterli himself sees the election as a "vote of confidence and a commitment to continuity", he only sees a position against the IP to a limited extent. In any case, he was asked to take on the new role before the IP announced its new strategy.
Schaffner agrees with this. He sees Oetterli's election as a "great confirmation of his good work for the TNC".
Markus Knöpfli

Guest commentary Is creativity actually worthwhile at award shows? For some time now, the motto of the German ADC has been: "Creativity pays off." A phrase that has now also been heard in the boardrooms, which have traditionally focused on "pushing" rather than "staging" advertising messages. After all, the creatively exciting campaigns have demonstrably achieved greater advertising effectiveness, i.e. proven to be the most efficient. As a result, the creative agencies' shelves are lined with Effies alongside the creative awards, with clients such as Procter & Gamble sending their marketing departments to Cannes by the busload. And nowadays they select their agencies according to the creative ranking.
"Creativity pays off" is therefore a motto that has achieved a great deal. The only question is: does it also apply to creative people in agencies? Or: How creative can you be to win competitions such as the ADC?
Sounds paradoxical, but it is reality. It has been shown too often that
the pursuit of something truly new came away empty-handed.
The average juror is only human. And people usually value the familiar more than the new. Or rather, they often reject the new at first.
As a rule, if you follow the typical pattern of award-winning work, then you win. If not, you don't.
Most of the truly innovative campaigns tended to be undervalued in their first year, until they later (often also thanks to awards at international award shows) received more and more deserved attention (in Germany, for example, the "Fiat Panda" and "Lucky Strike" campaigns).
So what to do? React to the trend and only produce campaigns with Brazilian picture jokes? Or act according to your creative ideal and provoke possible award failure?
The solution: The creative direct hit that simultaneously excites the elite and moves hearts. A test has proven its worth: Form an elite jury of the best creative minds in your agency - "the head group" - and let them vote on your work. Then do a cross-check with the "gut check group", i.e. with people in your agency who are not primarily creative but have a healthy gut feeling: Chief consultants, contact persons, team assis etc. If your work can inspire both groups, you have a sure award winner. If only the elitists like it, there is a 50:50 chance that the jury will also appreciate your work. If only the control group likes it, you can save yourself the entry fee.
At Jung von Matt, we call this process a "gallery". Everyone is called upon to give their assessment in the form of school grades. The result is then analyzed according to the criteria.
No time to conduct an elaborate survey? Ask your consulting partner - and your wife. Then decide.
Did the tests help us? Sometimes more, sometimes less. After all, we've always been in first or second place at the German ADC over the last ten years, alternating constantly with Springer & Jacoby. And we were not entirely unsuccessful at international awards either. Unfortunately, some of these awards have their own rules. But that's another story.
> Dörte Sprengler Ahrens is an ADC member, partner and head of JvM/9 (Kreativ-Turbo-Unit).

The members of the Swiss Private Radio Association (VSP) want negotiations with the private TV association Telesuisse to proceed swiftly. The aim is to establish an umbrella organization for e-media in Switzerland. The VSP General Assembly gave its Board a corresponding mandate on Tuesday. The decision was made with only one vote against. Subject to Telesuisse's approval, the talks are to be initiated as quickly as possible so that the new association can be realized at the 2006 VSP AGM. The VSP Board is also expected to present an interim report at an extraordinary AGM in September. The exploratory work is apparently well advanced. Yesterday, Wednesday, the Telesuisse AGM had to decide on a similar proposal from its Board of Directors. The result was not available by the editorial deadline.
The desire to come together under a common umbrella is no coincidence. "The major challenges (convergence, broadband capacities, digitization, telecom companies, mobility) can be better dealt with by a joint umbrella organization," it says in a communiqué. It is also known that the Swiss Press Association would also like to unite all media - even SRG - under one umbrella organization. The private TV and radio stations now want to pre-empt this.
There is another reason for the VSP's haste: after 20 years on the Board, VSP President Günter Heuberger will step down at the 2006 AGM.
(mk)

Publishers Tagblatt Medien, St. Gallen, closed the 2004 financial year with a Group profit of CHF 8 million, 85 percent more than in the previous year. Operating income fell from 133.9 to 133.7 million francs. Advertising revenues developed differently within the Group. The St. Galler Tagblatt AG achieved 41.9 million francs, 1 percent less than in 2003. The free newspaper Anzeiger increased by 4 percent, but fell short of the profit zone. Radio Aktuell recorded an increase of 4 per cent, TeleOstschweiz grew by 7 per cent and stabilized its deficit. Income from the printing business grew by 16 percent to CHF 31.5 million.

Television The local TV channel Züri Plus will soon be available again in around 45,000 households - not in Zurich, however, but on the cable network of GGA Maur and the municipal utilities of Brüttisellen, Dietlikon, Dübendorf and Wallisellen. ZüriPlus was canceled on the Cablecom network in December 2003. In order not to let the license lapse, ZüriPlus continued broadcasting on the Dietlikon network. A new start is planned before the summer.

Automobil Publicis has created a poster with a 3D effect for the Renault Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet.car advertising is a crux. On the one hand, agencies are gratefully provided with generous budgets. On the other hand, the creative scope is generally limited because the car has to be the dominant eye-catcher in print campaigns. And the design of the various brands has become quite similar. Eye-catching staging
"Renault stands out," said the creative minds at Publicis. The cars of this brand are considered attractive vehicles, impress with their fine design and also offer "the safest model range in Europe". But Renault also stands out off the road: The most successful French car manufacturer is increasingly able to present its advantages in a bold and eye-catching way. The most recent example: the posters for the Renault Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet 2.0 turbo.
Publicis Zurich was free to design a poster for the public in Switzerland. However - see above - the image of the Mégane provided had to be incorporated into the campaign. The outstanding idea now: in Switzerland, the convertible is presented to the viewer in three dimensions at 80 poster sites. The potential outdoor fans should feel how it feels to drive the Mégane Coupé-Cabriolet 2.0 turbo, namely: closer to the sun.
The weather advertises with
In a new, elaborate design, the convertible is not simply depicted, but stands out from the mass of generic posters as a media eye-catcher. "We tried to find a surprising solution. Surprise and win," comments consultant Philippe Meyer on the campaign. Publicis is pleased that the idea with the blue sky is currently also benefiting from good weather. In other words: a beautiful, sunny campaign for a beautiful, sunny convertible.
Media eye-catcher: Publicis makes the Renault Cabrio stand out from the mass of generic posters.
Andreas Panzeri

Price war According to the Viscom Association, the graphic arts industry was able to significantly increase its production in the 4th quarter of 2004, while the simultaneous fall in earnings suggests that the price war will continue unabated. Slightly higher sales prices are expected in the coming months. According to the results of the KOF quarterly survey in January, the overall improvement in business in the graphic arts industry is continuing.

Television The German TV group ProSieben Sat 1 is taking over Euvia Media, buying the interests of HOT Networks (48.6%) and Euvia boss Christiane zu Salm (3%) for a net 115 million euros. ProSieben Sat 1 already held a 48.4 percent stake in the company, which operates the quiz channel Neun Live and Sonnenklar TV.

Event Printing according to ISO 12647, processless plates and LFP inkjet were the topics at Typon Imaging at the Typon Focus Days on 10 and 11 March, where standardization according to ISO 12647-2 was a topic. Without standardization, the event in Burgdorf revealed, as many different print results will continue to be produced as there are print shops. With many years of experience in prepress and printing as well as proven specialists, Typon Imaging competently supports graphic arts companies in the implementation and introduction of the standard.ecology and economy
Typon partner Agfa believes that with the Azura it has come a big step closer to the ideal of a process-free printing plate. The thermally operating plate is ready for the printing process after just one gumming process without any development. The elimination of chemical development not only means the elimination of a process variable; thanks to the lower investment and the developer substance that is no longer required, operating costs can be massively reduced. With a tonal range of 1 to 99 percent, the plate, which can be processed in normal daylight, can be imaged with normal AM screens up to resolutions of 200 lpi. The Azura, which achieves a print run stability of up to 100,000 unwindings, is approved for thermal platesetters from Agfa as well as Creo, Heidelberg and Screen.
TypoJet complete system
With the TypoJet Print and Media System, Typon Imaging presented its three TypoJet Explorer large format and LFP printers for all indoor and outdoor advertising applications. The LFP printers are available for media widths of 127, 165 and 224 cm and can process dye, pigment and low-odor Eco-Solvent Plus inks. Typon also offers special print media for this purpose.
On the software side, two powerful rip solutions, ColorGate and PosterShop, are available in a respective Typon Edition. Color and CMS profiles specially created by Typon Imaging are adapted to the various TypoJet media.
Jürg Marti