Market research Heinz Ketchup, Mövenpick and Österreich Werbung placed the most popular ads in the Swiss media in 2004.Best of SouthwestAffinity of ads among supporters in the "bourgeois corner"
Gold (178) VW Golf
Made in Switzerland
(Lowe AG)
Silver (173) Savings
Superhits (W&E advertising agency, A-Dornbirn)
Bronze (172)Mc Donald's
Swimmer Nicole Zahnd
(Heye, Zurich)
In cooperation with the market research institute Demoscope, Publimedia presents the readers of Werbewoche with an excerpt of the results from the Advertising Index (AX-Print) five times a year. This index (see below) is a module of the Market Radar and measures the popularity of advertisements. In the boxes on the left and right are ads that achieved the greatest acceptance in the relevant psychographic target group. The three subjects that performed best across the entire sample, i.e., all four target groups combined, are shown under the heading "Top Three." (ww)

The country needs strong postmen: the architectural team Hautle & Partner is currently sending out brick mailings to real estate investors, a weighty acquisition tool designed to raise awareness of the Widnau-based company's general contracting business. "We cast the first stone" is the headline of the brick inscription and the mailing text invites the recipient to cast the next one. However, the creative team at Eugster Kommunikation thought of the letter carriers and women and attached a detachable form to the mailing to ensure a "sensational" response rate.

Sponsoring Roland Treier, Rhäzünser Brand Manager at Feldschlösschen Getränke, on the "Grenztour Graubünden" commitment. WW Rhäzünser is one of four main sponsors of the "Grenztour Graubünden". What goals and expectations do you associate with supporting the project? Roland Treier The Rhäzünser brand should benefit from the image transfer of this alpine pioneering project. The connection between the brand and the consumer should be strengthened. In addition, the border tour gives us an excellent and appealing hook for organizing various below-the-line (BtL) activities in Eastern Switzerland and especially in the canton of Graubünden. We would like to use the border tour and the resulting media contacts as a multiplier to further publicize our near-water product Rhäzünser Plus. The border tour is an opportunity to reaffirm our company's commitment to the locations in the canton of Graubünden.
Passugger and Allegra are also based in the canton of Graubünden. Why is Rhäzünser supporting the project?
The roles that our mineral water brands play within our brand portfolio led to this commitment being applied to Rhäzünser. Rhäzünser is our highest-volume brand. It has the strongest connection to the canton of Graubünden, which we have also communicated with the ibex in our logo since our brand relaunch at the beginning of 2004. Rhäzünser is a highly mineralized mineral water and has been present in the sports environment for a long time. The brand also has a strong foothold in the retail trade. Passugger and Allegra are geared towards the upmarket gastronomy sector and tend to communicate in a quiet tone.
What services does the commitment include?
In addition to a sponsorship contribution, we naturally supply the athletes and their teams with our products.
Apart from PR, are there any other measures planned to publicize the commitment? Various activities are planned in the BtL area, where we would like to bring the border tour closer to our customers and consumers together with the Rhäzünser brand. On tour, we will be present with our products at high-profile stops.
How important is sponsorship within Rhäzünser's marketing mix and budget?
Sponsorship accounts for a significant proportion of the Rhäzünser umbrella brand budget. We selectively look for sponsorships that fit the brand in terms of theme and demonstrate our close ties with the canton of Graubünden.
Rhäzünser, for example, has a long tradition in the sports sector. In the past, we were involved in the Tour de Suisse and the Graubünden Marathon/Graubünden Walking in 2004. This year, we are present in sports stadiums, supported the Swisssnowwalking event in Arosa and are one of the main sponsors of the sports high school in Davos.
"Grenztour Graubünden" The aim of the project is to circumnavigate the mountainous canton of Graubünden along its geographical border. A total of 173 two-thousand-metre peaks, 161 three-thousand-metre peaks and, with the Piz Bernina, Graubünden's four-thousand-metre peak, have to be crossed. The initiator of "Grenztour Graubünden" is extreme alpinist Norbert Joos from Chur. On June 19, Joos will set off from Chur together with his mountaineering colleague Peter Gujan and a support team. He reckons it will take 45 to 60 days to complete the 740-kilometre route - depending on the mountain and weather conditions. (sk)
Interview: Simone Keller

Automobil The Lucerne agency Bossard Kommunikation is now advertising for the two traditional British car brands MG and Rover.Automobil The Lucerne agency Bossard Kommunikation is now advertising for the two traditional British car brands MG and Rover. The Swiss importer MR Cars AG (a subsidiary of the Emil Frey Group) has appointed Bossard as lead agency. According to consulting manager Michael Bossard, winning the mandate is an important step towards the future for the agency. "Our agency has all the expertise and the manpower to look after major national and international brands," he says, convinced of his agency's great potential.

Magazines "Competent, opinionated and entertaining" is what it claims to be, the first German edition of Broadcast Magazine, which has been published in Holland for a number of years. 56 large-format pages present the trends and fads of the international television and radio market in a skillful and appealing way. Of course, trendsetters such as Georg Kofler (Premiere) and Borris Brandt (Endemol) also have their say. Speaking of trends: the (so far) only paid advertising page in the monthly special is from a value-added services company. Will that be enough to survive at a subscription price of 145 euros? Of course, we would wish the Düsseldorf colleagues luck.

Retail McCann Erickson Switzerland is now also advertising Cadbury Switzerland's chewing gum and confectionery, including the well-known Stimorol and V6 brands. Cadbury chose McCann as its international network last year. A TV commercial for V6 is already on air, with further results to follow soon. Cadbury Schweppes is the world's largest manufacturer of confectionery and, according to the agency, has a market share of 75 percent in Switzerland with Stimorol, V6, Trident, Hollywood and Dentyne.

TV The telephone game shows "Call & win" on Sat 1 Switzerland and "Easy Cash" on Viva Switzerland are the subject of criminal charges. The Canton of Zurich accuses them of violating the Lottery Act, claiming that they are games of chance in disguise, as the opportunity to participate is random and the puzzles are often almost impossible to solve.

Networks The European Commission has approved the takeover of the US advertising group Grey Global Group by its British competitor WPP without any conditions. "We are delighted," says Axel Beckmann, CEO of Mediacom in Zurich. This means that the network belonging to Grey will now be incorporated into the new partnership. For Beckmann, the "expected approval of the takeover" will not have any major impact. However, he sees it as an advantage to now be part of a larger media network - in terms of purchasing, tools and process improvements. WPP already owns the media agencies Mindshare, Mediaedge CIA and Maxus. These are bundled in the Groupe M subholding. The changes at Zurich-based Mediacom will "not yet take effect immediately" in day-to-day business. This will only happen once all the arrangements have been finalized.
(pan)

Classifieds In the classifieds market, PubliGroupe is building a bridge between online and print. A competence center is being set up for this purpose. "We are working on the basis of a clear customer need," explains Andreas Göldi. The web specialist heads PubliGroupe's new Classifieds Market Key Account Unit. Thanks to a survey, Göldi knows what classified advertisers want above all from the print media: Simple handling and multimedia offerings. The new competence center, which runs under the working title "Classified House", aims to offer both. Customers are primarily professional advertisers, such as job agencies, real estate agents and garage owners. From summer 2005, they will be able to plan, book and bill advertisements on online platforms and in newspapers from a single source. According to Göldi, the service includes consulting for global solutions on the one hand and automation for individual placements on the other.
Göldi estimates the number of professional advertisers at between 1,000 and 2,000. With this customer base, the "Classified House" is expected to account for around a third of PubliGroupe's classified sales. Last year, this would have amounted to around 110 million francs.
PubliGroupe intends to invest in the new business unit in line with its importance. CHF 7 million has been earmarked for the current year. The existing online planning and scheduling tool "My Publicitas" is to be expanded. However, there will only be a few new jobs - "a single-digit number", says Otto Meier, General Manager of the PubliPresse division, to which the "Classified House" is affiliated. Most of the 40 employees were already working as specialists for classified advertising and online technology at PubliGroupe. This includes project manager Göldi: until last fall, he managed the business of Namics, PubliGroupe's Internet service provider. His place of work is mainly at the headquarters of Publicitas in Zurich. A branch office will also be set up in Lausanne.
Differentiated solutionsThe competence center offers services not only to advertisers, but also to online platforms and publishers: in addition to brokering advertisers, it also offers software solutions for handling and presenting advertisements. With these "white label" solutions, PubliGroupe remains in the background and the publishers operate under their own brand. Such a concept has already been implemented with NZZdomizil.ch in November.
With the "Classified House", PubliGroupe is attempting to extend its dominant market position in the press landscape to the Internet. According to Otto Meier, contracts already exist with some online classified platforms and others are to be added. According to legal clarifications, these plans are not a case for the Competition Commission, emphasizes Meier. After all, it is only an internal reorganization. However, a stronger position on the Internet could influence future Competition Commission decisions on PubliGroupe takeover plans.
Competition revivedWith Media Manager, Xmedia Annoncen AG is also marketing a tool that advertisers can use to design a print ad from their online ad and place it (directly or via Publicitas). It is already being used by Scout24, Homegate and Mediaswiss (Gate24.ch).
Managing Director Thomas Schwabe is not worried by PubliGroupe's (P) plans: "This shows that we are on the right track." Customers today are primarily looking for the (cost-saving) route from online to print, where Xmedia already offers a proven solution. Schwabe does not see P as a direct competitor: "We also supply them via the Media Manager." P General Director Otto Meier sees it the same way: "We will be competitors and partners at the same time." (sm)
"We are working on the basis of a clear customer need": Andreas Göldi, Head of PubliGroupe's new Classifieds Market Key Account Unit.
Stefano Monachesi

Job advertisements Tamedia's offer to the Landbote raises questions about tariffs The fact that the Tagi job advertisement is also to be added to the Landbote raises questions about tariffs. Will advertising customers have to dig deeper into their pockets for the additional reach of 38,000 copies (normal edition) or will advertisers receive a free supplement until the end of the year? No one at Tamedia has (yet) been able to answer this question, and the question of whether and how the additional circulation will affect the Metropool is even trickier. As Edi Battaglia from the pool clearing office explained, this topic will be discussed at the pool meeting on February 2. However, it is not just a question of whether the parking space tariff for the new pool should be changed again, but also whether all pool partners should have equal rights. Only the core newspapers Tages-Anzeiger, Berner Zeitung and Basler Zeitung are involved in the Metropool rate.
If the Landbote were added, BaZ and BZ could demand that the additional editions of their job advertisements also be included. This is because the BaZ adds its job advertisement to the Basellandschaftliche Zeitung on Saturdays and the BZ does the same with the Bieler Tagblatt.
(mk)

So what’s the deal with this guy? Or rather, what’s inside—the bottle, or the glass, of course. Champagne always goes well with pre-party drinks. Girls don’t just shed their clothes—they shed their inhibitions, too. By the time the main course rolls around, he finally reveals himself, completely astonished that she’s more interested in his backside than in his Bordeaux. Well, maybe that’s a plus for Eva’s palate. Because the 2003 Merlot from Cordier may have won bronze in London, but it’s not as «irresistible» as the ad for it. (ck)

Newspapers Burson-Marsteller Bern takes the Diretissima and goes for the symbolic title of the Fribourg newspaper La Liberté The opportunity is tempting, and Burson-Marsteller has seized it: The Bern branch of the large Zurich PR and advertising agency has realized an image campaign for the Fribourg daily newspaper La Liberté based exclusively on wordplay relating to "freedom". Burson-Marsteller formulated posters such as "À nous La Liberté", "La Liberté d'afficher" or "Vive La Liberté" around the original white title on a red background. The F12 posters in Fribourg and the surrounding area are intended to "attract attention and convey the values of the daily newspaper", says consultant Olaf Pilleri. The Bern agency won the new client from Fribourg through a test run last year. In a summer competition, various objects had to be guessed over a period of eight weeks, which were described in ever more concrete terms in subsequent advertisements. In this way, a "thing with four wheels" was turned into a BMW Mini in several stages and at the same time into a huge success - because the newspaper generated eight times more coupons with this competition prize than with conventional advertising. The trust of the French-speaking client in a German-speaking Swiss agency was won, especially as CD René Walker and another employee at Burson-Marsteller in Bern are from Fribourg.
In addition to cinema slides and various sponsorship events, the new campaign is now being supplemented with radio spots. Using a tape recorder, the advertisers spent a whole day in Fribourg asking passers-by about their ideas of "freedom". Answers such as "For me, La Liberté means weekend" or "For me, La Liberté means the smell and noise of the rotary press", as one printer of the newspaper with 4,500 copies and around 100,000 readers in Fribourg put it.
Campaign for La Liberté: word games with freedom.
Andreas Panzeri