Advertiser of the Year Skilled and distinguished, he has been shaping the image of the most popular brand in Switzerland for five years: Migros. Advertising manager Beat Mühlemann is the first client to receive the coveted award after many years. Beat Mühlemann (55) welcomes us to his functional office on the eleventh floor of the Migros headquarters on Zurich's Limmatplatz. From up here, one has the best view of the city's vibrant and up-and-coming district, Kreis fünf or Züri West. Just a few objects add a personal touch to the sober modern décor of his office, which is bounded by white metal panels: a clothes rack, a houseplant and a golf practice set. Golfing to enjoy nature "It's a new hobby of mine," says Beat Mühlemann. There is no question of a handicap yet, he says, as he pursues this sport far too extensively for that. "Last summer, when I started, I was teeing off at the deserted Migros Golf Park at seven o'clock in the morning on Saturdays and Sundays. Just being outside and being quiet does me a lot of good."
Colleagues and companions describe Beat Mühlemann as an open-minded and emotional person. He is a likeable and relaxed communicator without airs and graces, an enthusiastic advertiser with a winning charisma, to whom boredom is as much a foreign word as suspicion. His warm, spontaneous nature and positive attitude seem to be tailor-made for the image of the orange retail giant, which is being "trimmed for the future," especially with Mühlemann's work. "Leaner and more powerful" is the goal.
For Beat Mühlemann, who needs harmony, a strong sense of togetherness is at least as important as the reduction of duplications in the 8,000-man operation. The most important thing, however, remains the cultivation of the trust-building and likeable Migros brand, against which aggressive discount chains do not have much to offer except, in some cases, the price argument.
Refreshing opennessAs marketing communications manager at the Federation of Migros Cooperatives (MGB), he has been responsible for all national advertising activities for five years, effortlessly providing the brace for the implementations of the eight Migros creative agencies and finding time for his employees and colleagues. With his refreshing openness, the Bernese native gives his counterpart his full attention, so that a conversation with him is intensive and - like good advertising - efficient. If he is not directly involved in an umbrella or range campaign, then he exerts an influence, for example on specialist markets or the club school, or he works together with the specialist groups of the ten cooperatives on the giant project of the new corporate design.
Agencies have freedomThis is not enough; according to the plans of marketing boss Urs Riedener, Mühlemann will soon also be in charge of sponsorship and advertising accounting. How does that work? "You can only do that with good partners," he says, "and by focusing on the essentials." His cooperative management style helps him achieve this: he leaves a lot of personal responsibility and authority to the agencies he commissions, who thank him for this freedom with originality and initiative. "The agencies run in and out of here and work out the implementations without our involvement," he says modestly.
That is why the "Egon" trophy not only honors his work. He owes the prize to his team and the advertising agencies - Exxtra, Publicis, Weber Harbeke, Pucci Sulzer, Wirz, Inhalt & Form, Euro RSCG and the agency for the Do it + Garden specialty store, which has yet to be determined. "I'm most pleased with the award for Migros, because there has obviously been an attitude here for years that makes good advertising possible," says advertising manager Mühlemann.
The foundation for the brand's success had already been laid by his predecessors Fredy Collioud and Paul Riesen. His own merit, he says, is merely that he was able to continue their work by earning the trust of Urs Riedener and his predecessor Gisèle Girgis. "Under such circumstances, the majority of good advertising succeeds," he says. Doesn't Switzerland's biggest advertising budget also have its share in the recognition? "No," says Mühlemann decidedly. "That's a short-circuit. We do spend around 200 million Swiss francs on advertising. But a third of that goes to standardized advertising - the pork-barrel ads. Another large budget item is made up of the strategic private labels, for which we have lower budgets on average than for comparable branded products."
Making better advertising than this, breaking through the creative and media-strategic advertising conventions, that is the strongest driving force for him. Critical questioning of traditional rules is the be-all and end-all in commercial communication for Beat Mühlemann, who sees himself as an 80-percent gut person. He says that experience in his old age has given him the confidence because you have experienced every situation in the same or similar constellation before. "While in the agency world here you don't look credible as you get older, the situation in the U.S. is exactly the opposite: there you slowly get the more demanding budgets from 50 on, which I see as the right attitude." Because of the youth craze, a lot of know-how is lost here.
lost, which the boys have to work hard for unnecessarily.
Diversity of Migros appealedMarked by three varied decades in advertising agencies, the change of front to MGB did not herald a retreat from advertising and even less a more moderate working life. "What always attracted me to Migros was the breadth of the company and the diversity of the tasks."
Actually, Beat Mühlemann would have liked to follow in his father's footsteps as a graphic designer, who often asked the children's opinion about a lettering or a brochure. "But he made such high demands on us that I could never have lived up to him," he looks back with a smile. Aesthetics were omnipresent: if the color of the socks didn't match the pants, the father would immediately send the children back to the room to put on different ones. Beat Mühlemann did not want to go through the inevitable race with his father. Instead, he recognized in Sawi the professional kinship and his chances of getting started. The agency owner Max Hofer, with whom he completed his commercial training, always quizzed him on the school material on the way to work.
Rapid rise at TBWAfter graduation, he was lured to America as an advertising country. But the quickest way to the renowned agency networks was via Paris. A slight detour for the man of pleasure. With the firm intention of making the leap across the Atlantic from there, he single-mindedly moved to the European advertising metropolis, where he soon became Chef de Publicité at TBWA. The planned stopover in the city of love turned into four years - and a wedding. Since Switzerland seemed more affordable for him and his wife to start a family, they returned to his home country.
In Zurich, he had to take the first career rung again. Undeterred, he climbed the steps and moved from one reference agency to the next, keeping his backpack behind school desks while working
further filled. On the classical consulting career he gained experience mainly at large agencies, which enabled him to supervise good campaigns - "to implement the message with a surprising dramatization". In both his professional and private life, he is not motivated by stubborn slogging. "When I do something, it's out of pleasure and joy."
His sons' opinions were important to him, as they once were to his father, even in professional matters. "After my wife died, a very close relationship developed. I asked them when it came to changing jobs, for example, how I should decide." Now his life partner is at his side in such matters. It is precisely because of this lively exchange, which allowed the sons to share in the ups and downs of being an advertiser, that it crystallizes in their choice of career that they will not go into advertising, at least for the time being.
Beat MühlemannBorn: January 8, 1950 in Bern
Place of residence: Künten AG
Marital status: widowed, two sons
Career: After graduating from business school and military service, he attended a day course at Sawi in Biel. He then moves to Paris, where he works briefly at DP Industries and then for almost four years at TBWA. He returns to Zurich in 1976 with his future wife. At Advico, his career begins as a junior consultant and leads him via McCann-Erickson (consultant) and Gebr. Schellenberg (senior consultant) as di-
plomated marketing planner to Wirz Werbeberatung, where he joins the management board as a group leader. After obtaining his marketing manager's diploma as well as management and specialist courses and a partnership with Walther + Leuenberger, he temporarily went into business for himself with the founders of the Facts advertising agency. From 1993 to 1999, he is a member of the extended management board and group manager at Publicis. In 2000, he takes over as Head of Marketing Communications at the Federation of Migros Cooperatives.
Managed budgets: Prisunic (TBWA); Schweiz. Bankgesellschaft, Züri-Leu, Mobag (Advico); General-Motors, Messerli, Unilever (McCann-Erickson); Haldengut Bier, Helvetia Lebensversicherung, Bandfix, Fenjal, Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (Gebr. Schellenberg); Toyota, Association of Swiss Cantonal Banks, Heliomalt, Remy Martin, Krug Champagne, Rivella (Wirz Werbeberatung); Renault, Swisscom Mobile and partly Fixnet, Schild, Bilanz, Winterthur Versicherungen, Lista Büromöbel, Publimedia, Publicitas and Frisco Findus (Publicis).
Professional goal:Conquer a Cannes Lion.
Time for leisure: Every evening when I get home. There's something to be said for living far enough away from the store.
Coop advertising:I would do a lot of things differently there.
A reason to laugh: Beat Mühlemann receives the "Egon" trophy.
Publicis used an umbrella campaign to better communicate Migros' ethics to consumers.
X-ray views of purity for M's own premium Nendaz (Exxtra) water.
Lifestyle aesthetics rather than humor for the positioning of M convenience label Anna's Best.
"Gibt es auch in der Migros" subject: link between household appliances and baby food.
In 2002, Beat Mühlemann had the Migros-M sent to the Expo by the Publicis agency.
Unconventional image campaign for Migros' social responsibility.
Luca Aloisi

Magazines For three decades, the television program guide from Jean Frey was called TR7, but now the name has become too bland for the publisher: As TV-Star, the magazine is to radiate more glamor in the future. "The name TV-Star is the program," says Editor-in-Chief René Hildbrand. The former TV editor of Blick introduced people and party pages to TR7 two years ago. There will be even more of these in future - even in the first issue under the new name, which was published on January 19. Hildbrand is convinced that the renaming of the magazine will give it a further boost in the reader and advertising market. Under its old name, it has already increased its circulation to 17,3720 copies since 2002 (see also page 23). Archrival Tele is only 17704 copies away.
(sm)

Distribution Direct Mail Company (DMC) gains the delivery area in the Wallisellen region from Distriforce. Direct Mail Company (DMC), Switzerland's largest delivery company for unaddressed advertising material alongside Swiss Post, is gaining additional households in the Wallisellen area. This was made possible by an asset deal with the retail giant Valora: DMC was able to take over the delivery service division and around 300 carriers with part-time jobs from its subsidiary Distriforce, which was also active in direct mail, as of January 1, 2005, said DMC CEO Markus F. Hof. However, the Distriforce shareholding and Managing Director Wolfgang Schickli will remain with Valora. DMC, in which Swiss Post holds a fifty percent stake, took over a total of 115,000 gross households in 44 Zurich municipalities around Wallisellen, some 60,000 of which do not have stop stickers on their letterboxes (net households).
Like DMC and a dozen other delivery companies, Distriforce was a member of the Swiss Direct Mail label (SDM, see WW 44/04). Two years ago, the SDM companies streamlined their delivery areas to avoid overlaps. With the additional households, DMC is strengthening its market position and also its position with SDM.
(mk)

Presse The Publicitas index of advertising expenditure in the daily press rose by 0.3 points to 94.3 points in December. This is 0.3 points lower than in December 2003.Presse The Publicitas index of advertising expenditure in the daily press rose by 0.3 points to 94.3 points in December. It thus remains 0.3 points below the December 2003 level. Publicitas sees this as a "tendency towards stability", which appears encouraging in view of the results achieved in recent years and the ever-so-slightly positive economic forecasts. In contrast to recent months, all advertising categories have developed satisfactorily.

Traditionally, the first event of each new year is the Epiphany meeting of the Swiss Press Association, which is always a good opportunity to wish the entire industry "in toto", to exchange Christmas holiday experiences and to lay the first foundations for business success in the new year - in other words, to initiate a bit of business.The mood at the lunchtime luncheon was excellent, even though Association President Hanspeter Lebrument painted a gloomy picture of the state of the industry in his welcoming speech: declining advertising, the new RTVG, fierce competition from electronic media and blocked CLA negotiations.
While we're on the subject of the CLA: The Comedia media union also had a presence, albeit of a more comedic nature. Four activists, armed with megaphones and dressed as the three kings, tried their hand at demonstration culture.
The guests, the majority of whom are value-added skimmers (even the shortlist author has read his Marx), took it in their stride and overlooked the failed manifestation with demonstrative disinterest. At most, the amateur class warriors earned the kind of pitying, understanding looks that parents sometimes give their children when they put their foot in their mouth. Maybe the Comedia should hire Schlingensief as dramaturgical director for such demonstrations.
The NZZ, on the other hand, left no stone unturned. The giant tent on the Sechseläutenwiese near Bellevue promised a party with lots of pomp and glamor. First and foremost, a big thumbs-up for the catering by Gamma's Gianni Segantini - awesome and absolutely worthy of the NZZ.
The most hilarious (and hopefully not Freudian) slip was made by Marco de Stoppani, who put editor-in-chief Hugo Bütler in the realm of nudism by inserting an uncharming additional "L" in his name. Bütler himself shone with an astute speech that was more than fit to print, in which he eloquently spanned an intellectual arc from today to the origins of the NZZ.
Otherwise, there was gossip here and there: At the bar, the advertising celebrities had a get-together and, in the presence of some candidates, namely Frank Bodin, Peter Brönnimann and Markus Gut, talked about the upcoming election of the Advertiser of the Year (who, as is now known, is Beat Mühlemann).
Speaking of Gut - he seems to have quite an intact marriage and love life with goddess Claudia Gut - Claudia is pregnant with their second child. And that's good, Mr. Gut, because this way our beautiful industry will certainly not die out.
Quasi pregnant with a new job, Cornelia Harder seems to be going. When asked what's new, she replied, "I haven't signed anything yet." And that's good, too, because note the subtlety: she hasn't signed "anything yet," but "not yet," which suggests that we'll be hearing more from the likeable power woman again soon.
Cigars of various origins and fine digestifs were enjoyed later in the evening at the bar of the two cult mixers Seigi from Soda and Bruno from the party label B & G. And at the bar, the invited customers, advertisers and other friends of the house enjoyed and naturalized this successful evening until late into the night.
Beat Fritschwith the right tools for the job of an editor. Sharpened (NZZ) pencil, cigar and a glass of cognac, received at the NZZ party celebrating the 225th anniversary.
Comedia comedy came out pretty flat - disillusioned queen.
Eloquent panel moderator Karl Lüönd with industry association managing directors Peter Grob (l.), ASW, and Walter Merz (r.), BSW.
Panel discussion: Hans Heinrich Coninx, Tamedia, Karl Lüönd, Hanspeter Rohner, PubliGroupe, and Beat Lauber, NZZ (from left).
A lively atmosphere at the lunch: Hans Heinrich Coninx, Filippo Leutenegger and Peter Hartmeier (from left).
Did René Hildbrand (l.) and Francine Bruni of TR7 Otto Meier, PubliGroupe, reveal a secret this week?
Were immersed in what was presumably an exciting discussion: Advertising doyen Urs Beer (l.) and Beat Lauber from the NZZ.
Rudolf Fischer of Cablecom was seen at lunch together with Urs Jaermann (l.) and David Honegger (r.) of McCann-Erickson.
Publimedia Director Moreno Cavaliere (l.) appeared in front of the camera with Daniel Hofer from the Publimedia Promotion Network.
A fresh and cheerful trio of women: Caroline Nünlist, Zip-Media, Gabi Wettstein, Tamedia, and Viviane Rauch-Lyoth, NZZ (from left).
Lang Gysi Knoll Zurich-Bern at the Epiphany meeting: Patrick Lienert (ZH) on the left, Silvano Spezia (BE) on the right.
Top-class audience: Tagi publishing director Maili Wolf, PR expert Christoph Richterich from Richterich & Partner.
Putting their heads together intensively: Radiotele sales manager Felix Kilchsperger (l.) and Max Frei from Swisstext.
Cross-media specialist Corinne Blaser from Publimedia parlayed with Kurt Blum from the NZZ during the meal.
Three big golf fans: Michi Frank and Marcel Bosshard from IP Multimedia and Martin Denecke, Scholz & Friends Zurich (from left).
A glass in honor and during the lunch break: Jürg Siegrist (l.), SWA Managing Director, and Jürg Engi, Sawi Director.
Newspaper boys Stefan Hostettler, Berner Zeitung, and Daniel Truttmann, NZZ, with PR filius Fidel Stöhlker (from left).
Quasi the NZZ Central Committee: Tobias Trevisan, Hugo Bütler, Marcel Kohler and Marco de Stoppani (from left).
Organizing successful NZZ events with great verve: Marianne Läderach (l.) and Grazia Ganci, with customer advisor Stefan Bernet.
NZZ Head of Marketing Christoph Bauer (l.) and Publimedia Head Daniel Strobel greatly appreciate the joint cooperation.
Fusion 1: Lukas Tenger of Publicis was photographed with Martin Spillmann and Peter Felser of SFLB (from left).
Thomas Städeli with his better half Katja Hübener, profanely listed as "Frau Städeli" on the guest list.
Fusion 2: Urs Beer with Peter Brönnimann, SFLB, and Geri Aebi, Wirz Managing Director (from left).
Daniel Meier, Unikat, Jasmine Miescher, craniosacral therapist, and Cornelia Harder, apparently on their way to new shores.
The Konnex team enjoyed the good atmosphere on the Sechseläutenwiese: Peter Döbeli (l.), Monica Jäggi and Ronny Schmid.
Good to know him: Heineken Marketing Manager Fabian Rauber (l.) with his wife Rosa-Maria and Thomas Rüttimann, Zip-Media.
Carlo Schmid outed himself to Monica Glisenti as a Cumulus fan, Beat Lauber smiled a lot.
Fusion 3: Stephan Küng (l.), Initiative Media, shares great sympathy with Peter Hofstetter and Cornelia Kristoffy.
Enthusiastic about the Segantini catering: Peter Kettiger (l.), ZKG, Monika Luck, SW Managing Director, and Erich Baumgartner, Lowe.
Guido Studer (r.) of Studerpartners heard that Fredy Weissert of GGK (l.) recently hired Mark Stahel as his new CD.
Team of the ABN-Amro bank: Marleen van Roermund, Oliver Dister, Anna-Maria Nigro and companion Barbaros Oezdemir (from left).
Publicis crew: Jean-Marie Egger with Claudia and Markus Gut, who are expecting a baby soon.

Television advertising TV commercials flickered across the screens in Switzerland for the first time 40 years ago.1600 According to a Publisuisse calculation, a total of 600,000 television commercials are now shown here in Switzerland every year.
domestic broadcasters, 240000 of them on SRG channels. This corresponds to a total of 1600 commercials per day. Of course, this also includes the foreign broadcasters with their advertising windows. They generate a large proportion of the almost 170 million francs in net revenue that was generated by private broadcasters last year. However, SRG remains the market leader with a turnover of CHF 371 million.

Creative competitions The Swiss Press Association has concluded last year's generic marketing campaign "Only an advertisement can do that" with the selection of the winning agency. Of the 1,6653 votes, 18.2 percent went to the Bern agency Lang Gysi Knoll. It illustrated the claim "Even a small advertisement has a big impact" with the rush that an apartment advertisement can trigger. Jung von Matt/Limmat came second and By Heart third. According to the Swiss press, the free campaign appeared in a total circulation of 11 million copies with a net value of over CHF 6 million. The association plans to launch a new round of the campaign with other advertising agencies in spring 2005.

Corporate Media Ringier-TV has taken over DVD production from Mountain DV Solutions (MDV). Authoring, encoding and replication have been integrated at Ringier-TV since the beginning of the year, and MDV Managing Director Markus Gwerder is now Production Manager for Ringier-TV Business Productions. MDV had already strengthened its collaboration with Ringier last summer and moved to Ringier-TV's headquarters in Hagenholz, Zurich.

The management of Springer Switzerland has appointed Urs Schnider (photo) from managing editor to editor-in-chief of Media Trend Journal at the beginning of 2005. The 40-year-old has been working as an editor at the media trade journal since the beginning of 2000. In May 2004, following Pierre C. Meier's move to the editorial office of Werbewoche, he was promoted to managing editor of Media Trend Journal....
Tibère Adler will become the new CEO of Edipresse Groupe in February.
He takes over from Pierre Lamunière, who is retiring from operational management. In addition to his new role, Adler will also remain CEO of Edipresse Switzerland. Chief Operating Officer Jean-Claude Marchand is also stepping down from his position.
...
At the end of January, Managing Director Consulting Thomas Löw (photo) is leaving the Zurich agency Krieg Schlupp Springer & Jacoby (KSSJ). He will take on the same role at Atletico International in Barcelona, where he will also become a partner. Until further notice, Tanya Barlogis will head the KSSJ consultancy.
...
Urs Rueb and Urs Renner are leaving the media agency Mediaedge CIA (MEC). The former Managing Director of MEC Bern, Renner, and the Managing Director of Zurich, Rueb, have made their decision independently of each other.
...
Rima Badeen will take over from Amos Winteler as editor-in-chief of the local station Radio Basel 1 at the beginning of March. The current deputy editor-in-chief Badeen will be supported by Benjamin Schmid - currently head of sports at the station - as her deputy.
...
As of January 17, André Reichenbach (photo) will take over from Tony Mandingorra as Key Account Manager in e-Advertising Sales. He previously worked in the Weltwoche sales team.

New Business Advico Young & Rubicam (AY&R) in Gockhausen is supporting the Swiss Ski Association Swiss-Ski with its brand management, including brand strategy, corporate identity/design and communication measures. As part of a new marketing concept, Swiss-Ski wants to position its name more strongly as an independent sports brand. AY&R's initial work will be implemented for the 2005/06 season.

Guest commentary France's captains of industry like press flagships and will ruin them sooner or later, warns Stefan Brändle.
Mao is dead, Trotsky is dead, and the Parisian gazettes are fighting for survival. Le Monde and Libération, the two self-managed left-liberal dailies, have to bring an arms company (Lagardère) and a top capitalist (Rothschild) respectively into their capital in order to see the next spring at all. And the conservative traditional paper Le Figaro, together with 70 other press titles, is coming under the control of the aircraft and gun manufacturer Serge Dassault, who has been France's media tsar since the end of last year. At the midday paper Le Monde, the ex-Trotskyist editor-in-chief Edwy Plenel was replaced by the more easy-going Gérard Courtois. At Libé, investor Vincent Bolloré was initially to become the main shareholder, although two editors had published a critical book about his financial empire. Now the editorial team has to vote on whether it wants to transfer more than a third of the newspaper's capital to the (horse betting) investor Edouard de Rothschild, a scion of the well-known banking family. The paper, co-founded by Jean-Paul Sartre and headed by ex-Maoist Serge July, sees its ideals floating down the Seine every day. And with them, the feuilleton battles that once made the Parisian paper a must-read for intellectuals are disappearing.
Economization has had even more dramatic consequences for French newspapers than in the rest of Europe. The general loss of advertising and circulation as a result of competition from free newspapers, TV and the Internet is hitting the "presse parisienne" hard. It has always been financially weak. Now, gun dealers and captains of industry are taking over the helm of the once decidedly independent Parisian press flagships. With their editorial autonomy, they are probably also losing the cheekiness and freedom that the public appreciated far beyond the capital and even the country's borders.
So are they degenerating into mere paper dragons? Will French intellectuals have to switch to other channels, such as the Internet or the still very popular
popular special interest titles? For some time now, the impression has been spreading that Libé in the morning, Le Monde in the afternoon and Figaro magazine at the weekend are no longer compulsory reading for Parisian citizens. Today, most people are happy with a quick-read that is also successful in Switzerland. A sign of the times: the existential crisis of their former favourite papers also illustrates the decline of the revolutionary Parisian debating spirit and salon culture, which served as a benchmark and source of inspiration for the rest of civilized mankind for 200 years. So wake up, Mesdames et Messieurs les Maoistes - the capitalist press system in Paris is in danger!
> Stefan Brändle is a correspondent for various German-speaking countries.
Daily newspapers in Paris.

Television From the beginning of February, the youth channel MTV will also be available in the Basel-Stadt area.Television From the beginning of February, the youth channel MTV will also be available in the Basel-Stadt area. This will increase its distribution by around 83,000 households and reach 1.27 million households in the German-speaking region, writes IP Multimedia in a press release. The Swiss MTV marketer had campaigned for the launch in the Basel area.