Catering SV Schweiz has brought a new advertising partner on board in the form of the agency Unique. For the catering company SV Schweiz - a subsidiary of the SV Group - Unique will conceptualize and design the communication in the approximately 320 restaurants, primarily in the SV Business division. In Switzerland, the SV Group is also active in the SV Care, SV Event and SV Hotel business areas in addition to SV Business. The objective for the coming year is to increase guest loyalty and generate new guests with the advertising campaigns developed by Unique in addition to increasing sales.

Online markets J/ obwinner.ch has undergone a relaunch.online markets Jobwinner.ch has undergone a relaunch. Under the new claim "Bringing the right people together", the job platform has a new design and enhanced functions. Job advertisers now receive a selection of suitable job applications directly after placing an advertisement. Jobseekers have access to a personal cockpit where they can save advertisements as favorites, manage search subscriptions, submit job applications and store application documents. The redesign was realized by Futurecom Interactive.

SBB timetable change JvM/Limmat introduces the changes with new signage campaign subjects.
The biggest timetable change in the history of SBB is imminent. On December 12, 90 percent of all train connections will be adjusted. What this change means for Switzerland's largest travel and transport company only becomes clear when you know a few key figures: every day, 7,000 trains run on SBB's 3,000-kilometre network, and over 27,000 employees ensure that the company runs smoothly and safely. Every year, over 250 million passengers and around 55 million tons of freight are transported by rail, which corresponds to around 87 percent of passenger kilometers and around 90 percent of ton kilometers in freight transport. Trains stop at almost 800 stations at hourly or half-hourly intervals. SBB receives around CHF 1.3 billion from the federal government for the operation, maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure.Easier and more comfortable travelWhen the first stage of Rail 2000 rolls off the tracks in a few days, a good 17 years after the sovereign's yes vote, this will not simply mean more tracks, new routes and better rolling stock, but twelve percent more trains, more frequent connections and therefore more comfortable and easier travel. This increase in capacity made a complete overhaul of the entire timetable unavoidable. And this in turn required comprehensive information for customers, for whom the changes meant major adjustments and possibly difficulties in adapting. In addition to the below-the-line measures for communicating the changes, it was also important to strengthen SBB's image. After all, thanks to the new lines, it can make its USPs such as increased frequencies and shorter travel times even more credible.
The "Stations of Life" umbrella campaign designed by the Jung von Matt/Limmat advertising agency, which reflected personal memories in romantic images and made reference to SBB, is now also being used as an extended platform for the benefits campaign.
The integrated communication campaign includes posters, mega-posters, advertisements, TV commercials, e-boards, POS material and online activities and focuses on SBB's various improvements in a humorous way under the motto "More train for Switzerland". The blurred "Whoosh!" motif, for example, highlights the high speed and thus the time savings. The increased frequency
on the other hand, is represented by two blue and red station signs with the inscription Ping and Pong.
The forest of signs, which visualizes the more frequent connections, is also based on the key visual of the typical SBB sign and at the same time makes the sender's details superfluous. The high level of awareness and customer satisfaction of over 80 percent explain the emotional and self-confident appearance of the brand and the concise message with benefits and date.
A train more often: the poster campaign by JvM/Limmat puts the numerous improvements that the new timetable brings into the landscape in a humorous way >> page 9
The new posters focus on SBB's improvements - such as saving time - in a humorous way.
Luca Aloisi

Petrol station operator The Zurich-based advertising agency Jung von Matt/Limmat has won Avia's budget.petrol station operator The Zurich-based advertising agency Jung von Matt/Limmat has won Avia's budget. The association of independent Swiss importers of petroleum products operates a network of 700 filling stations in Switzerland and is also active in the heating oil and lubricants business. Jung von Matt prevailed against two competitors in a competitive presentation. The first measures of the new communication presence will be seen in the new year. Avia was last looked after by Metzgerlehner in Erlenbach.

Kathy Horisberger sees it as a good sign of the times that she is the first woman to take over as editor-in-chief of Switzerland's largest newspaper. The three children are practically out of the house and the 80 percent job as deputy editor-in-chief is just right. But then just over a month ago, editor-in-chief Dominic Geisseler resigned and the press management offered Horisberger the job. After discussions with the Head of Communications and Hansueli Loosli, Chairman of the Executive Board of Coop Switzerland, it was clear to Horisberger: "As a woman, you can't chicken out here!" In the 102-year history of Coop Presse, no woman had ever been editor-in-chief, and the "overwhelming response" from colleagues confirmed her decision, and the women in particular were delighted, as female editors-in-chief are still a rarity in the media landscape. Kathy Horisberger is probably also an exception: the 52-year-old only entered journalism at the age of 38 and has now been appointed editor-in-chief. "It was good to see that today it is possible to have a family and still have a career. That's encouraging."
When she wanted to become a journalist after graduating from high school, there were no regulated training courses like there are today. Her alternative was to become a primary school teacher. She later moved to the USA with her husband for five years. The physicist completed his doctorate at Stanford. It was the moment for her to take a break from the family: she gave birth to twins and was "fully occupied". The third child was born in Geneva. After ten years, the family ended up back in German-speaking Switzerland, in Baden. Horisberger: "I was already afraid that I would have to bury my former career aspirations" - then a door opened at what was then the Aargauer Volksblatt.
After a year as a freelancer, she got a 40 percent job on the local editorial team. In 1995, she came across an advertisement for a 50 percent position as a travel journalist at the Coop newspaper and got the job. For five years, Horisberger was able to reconcile her passions - globetrotting, writing and family. Then she became deputy editor-in-chief and worked 80 percent.
According to Horisberger, "family and partnership issues" will play a more important role in the paper in future. Women between 40 and 60 make up the largest proportion of the newspaper's readership, reaching a total of 70 percent of all women in German-speaking Switzerland. However, the paper is also targeting younger readers across a "very broad spectrum".
The 15-strong editorial team of the Coop newspaper tries to fill "a grab bag" every week with stories ranging from science and culture to sport and politics "at an easy-to-understand level". The concentrated Coop section in the middle of the magazine is a must-read for the editor and "obviously a good marketing tool". "Otherwise we are very free in terms of journalism," says the woman, who will probably have less free time herself in the future.
Kathy Horisberger wants to give more space to family and partnership issues in future.
Andreas Panzeri

Television In the U.S., «programming» and «advertainment» are giving rise to some bizarre TV phenomena. And the most effective commercials are recorded on TiVo. It was an unforgettable TV moment: For a week, the Vardon family from Detroit went on vacation at the expense of the ABC television network, and when they returned home, their modest home had been completely renovated—courtesy of the sponsor of the series «Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,» the home improvement chain Sears.The deal between Sears and ABC satisfies the needs of everyone involved, not just those of the surprised Vardons. As a result, Sears spent over three million dollars on additional commercials on ABC in just one month. A subsequent survey revealed that viewers’ likelihood of shopping at the DIY giant had increased by a quarter.
The line between entertainment and advertising isn’t just becoming increasingly blurred, says Miriam Smith, who teaches communication studies at the University of San Francisco: «It has simply disappeared.» Other TV formats built around a brand and its products also aired on NBC last summer. This is the same network where, in Donald Trump’s reality show «The Apprentice,» toys and toothpaste were already seamlessly integrated into the plot.
TV Clips as Web Teasers In the fragmented American television landscape, where advertisers dare to dream of a mass audience even less than in Europe, innovative forms of advertising are in greater demand than ever. Alongside «product integration,» «advertainment» is therefore experiencing a veritable boom in the U.S. Alongside big spenders like Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, and General Motors, American Express is considered one of the clients that pursues the fusion of entertainment and advertising most aggressively and professionally.
The credit card company even managed to get Jerry Seinfeld this year
to star in one of his «advertainment» clips. In it, arguably the most popular American comedian of the moment got into a fight with Superman—
... At the bottom of the TV screen, a line appeared displaying the corresponding web address. Millions of viewers were thus drawn to the American Express homepage, where several four-minute «webisodes,» produced by Hollywood director Barry
Levinson, as shown.
To watch the movies, you first had to sign up, and in the process you were informed about new offers. «The campaign was originally—
»It was really only intended for the Internet,« says Marc Goldstein, CEO of Mindshare, the lead agency in New York. "But people were so enthusiastic about Jerry that we started working with NBC and Turner Broad-
»to negotiate casting deals so that they would air during prime time.« American Express also sponsors the NBC reality series »The Restaurant," where the card is prominently featured as a payment method.
One in every 20 households has a DVR
But it’s not just a desire for creativity that’s driving the U.S. advertising industry to seek new ways to reach its audience. The industry is under enormous pressure: Digital video recorders (DVRs), also known as hard-disk recorders, are on the rise and allow frustrated viewers, among other things, to easily skip commercial breaks with the push of a button.
According to a study by the market research firm Forrester, 92 percent of all DVR users do this. «Any advertiser today—
»Anyone who still thinks it's enough to just run 30-second spots is fooling themselves," says Tim Hanlon, DVR consultant at the consulting firm Starcom in Chicago.
Although the hard-disk recorder is not catching on as quickly as initially expected, it still seems only a matter of time before this «anti-advertising wonder weapon» becomes standard equipment. Currently, about six of the roughly 100 million U.S. television households own such a digital recording device. Two million of those households have a “TiVo,” the brand-name device considered the pioneer in this field. According to optimistic estimates by Forrester Research, that number is expected to reach just under 50 million in five years.
A Paradoxical Business Idea: Tivo is considered particularly innovative in one area: the promotion and production of alternatives to the 30-second commercial. The company, which is now publicly traded, produces so-called “showcases” in the run-up to major events such as the Academy Awards or the Masters golf tournament. In these, of all people, the gravedigger klas-
TV advertising allows companies to place their message in long-form segments—ranging from ten to 30 minutes—on their DVRs. This could be, for example, a golf lesson with Bernhard Langer, a report on a cruise aboard the «Royal Caribbean,» or an interview with Nicole Kidman. TiVo customers see these and
He can view other showcases in the main menu of his recorder and download them whenever he wants. The best part: Since users actively request the content, the ads embedded in it are considered particularly effective.
In the U.S., this new technology is gradually becoming mainstream, primarily because more and more cable companies are integrating it into their services. «Cable providers are experimenting with hard-disk recorders and video on demand to see how they can benefit most—and most sustainably—from these new possibilities,» says Miriam Smith. Experts, however, consider the idea that the average viewer will one day no longer have to watch any commercials at all to be illusory. «Our lives today are so permeated by brands,» says Alex Halavais, director of computer science at the University at Buffalo, «that it seems unrealistic, even unimaginable, that we might one day no longer have to »digest’ commercials as part of our daily TV viewing.”
TV Commercials as an Art Form? If media research forecasts are to be believed, traditional commercial breaks and interstitial ads will soon be a thing of the past on German-language television. According to Professor Mike Friedrichsen of the University of Flensburg, conventional TV commercials will, «in the foreseeable future,» be of interest only from an artistic perspective rather than a commercial one, as has been the case until now. Due to their lack of effectiveness, surreptitious advertising is being «systematically normalized» by advertisers and broadcasters.
Thomas de Buhr, Sales Manager for Special Ads at IP Deutschland, on the other hand, believes that «special advertising formats such as product placement or advertainment will never replace the traditional TV spot.» Rather, their complementary value lies in «selectively reinforcing core campaigns with one or two exclusive placements.» However, it is also a fact that the supply of such special formats from marketing agencies is still «significantly smaller» than the demand. (oc)
TiVo is considered a pioneer of (paradoxically) advertising-based digital video recorders (DVRs).
Gerti Schön

will be the new media officer at health insurer Visana. She replaces Jean-Blaise Defago, who is moving to the Federal Department of Defense, Civil Protection and Sport as Head of Communications.Mirjam Müller The interpreter and PR specialist was most recently Head of Communications at the Swiss Pharmacists' Association. She will take up her post in mid-March....
The Basel-based IT service provider Trivadis has appointed Gabriela Bleuler as Unit Manager Marketing Communication. She is to implement the strategic adjustments in marketing initiated by Trivadis and position Trivadis as an IT solution provider in Switzerland and Germany. She took up the position at the beginning of November. Prior to this, Gabriela Bleuler was responsible for marketing at business and application service provider Boss Lab for three years.
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Katharina Reichert is the new art director of Kriens-based bolzern.com. Reichert was most recently unit manager at McCann Erickson in Nuremberg. She replaces the previous AD Kim Sokola, who is completing two years of additional training.
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Martin Kurzbein takes over the art direction of Saisonküche at the beginning of March 2005. Kurzbein has been working as an art director at the Inform communications agency in Zurich since November 2001. He previously held the same position at Prime Communications.
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From February 1, 39-year-old journalist Reinhard Kronenberg will be the new head of the Migros Media online editorial team. He succeeds Marlise Schori, who is retiring at the end of 2005. Kronenberg previously worked as a news and business editor for SonntagsZeitung and SonntagsBlick, among others. He then worked for Cash-TV and SF DRS. He gained online experience as managing director of the Internet company CarWinner.ch.

Private TV The Bernese regional broadcaster TeleBärn reached a total of 344,000 viewers with its live coverage of the Bernese city elections last Sunday. 7.8 percent of the market share was achieved during the live broadcast of the municipal council elections at 7 pm. This put TeleBärn in second place, behind SF 1 but ahead of SF 2.

According to the Advertising Index Switzerland, advertising sales fell by 8.5 percent to CHF 328.271 million in October, with five of the 15 sectors surveyed reporting growth, the strongest being office supplies (21.0%) and finance/insurance (14.0%). Telecommunications (-16.2%) and transportation (-12.3%) invested noticeably less. SMEs slammed on the brakes, with advertising expenditure falling by 48.7% to CHF 7.1 million. Administration and politics also slumped (-42.2%).

Awards 23 Swiss works have made it to the final of the Eurobest 2004 creative competition. Publicis is the front runner with nine nominations and Lowe is also shortlisted three times. Two finalists each are Exxtra, Wyler Werbung and Lesch + Frei, one each Weber Harbeke and Advico Young & Rubicam. The winners will be presented on December 2 at www.eurobestlive.com.

The funny wiggly figures have been known and loved not only since their appearances in commercials for Audi or Levi's. Their hip swing, which accompanies every bump in the road, has recently also inspired the two JvM/Limmat CDs Michael Rottmann and Alexander Jaggy. For the Piaggio scooter brand, they and their team have gone one step further and launched the wobbly "Ma che cazzo": A rubber hand that is mounted on the Vespa and rocks up and down at the slightest jolt. And all in the best Italian style. Like all communication for Piaggio, this gadget also runs under the motto "Piaggio. Molto cool."

Cinema In 2002, the Swiss went to the cinema an average of 2.56 times, with the Romands (2.7 admissions) seeing more films than the German-speaking Swiss (2.1) and the Ticino (1.8). According to a study by the Federal Statistical Office, the cinema is more popular in Switzerland than in most other European countries. The EU average in 2002 was around 2.4 admissions per person. The French are particularly cinephiles with 3.1 admissions, while the Germans are less fond of the big screen with 2.0 admissions.