Ranking Together with the Art Directors Club Switzerland, Werbewoche has revised its creative ranking. Following the discontinuation of the BSW ranking, the importance of the top ten most creative Swiss agencies, as published annually by Werbewoche, has also increased. In order to meet the higher standards, the editors-in-chief, together with ADC members Peter Brönnimann, Markus Gut and Hanspeter Schweizer, have reviewed the list for relevance and completeness. The D&AD (UK) and One Show (USA) competitions are now included and the Swiss Poster Award is once again included. In addition, the weighting of Eurobest and Effie has been upgraded by one point each. Peter Brönnimann, CD and GL member at Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett:
1 There are many creative competitions, including some that are not really necessary. Werbewoche's creative ranking contains and weights the most important ones. Accordingly, it is a good benchmark for the industry, as well as an interim report for the agencies and an incentive for next year.
2 Two important competitions, the English D&AD and the American One Show, were missing. Alongside Cannes, these two competitions and their books are among the most important in the world. Not to include them in the ranking would be to misjudge the advertising world.
3 We are happy to receive awards, but we don't decorate our agency or our homes with them. We take part in some competitions because we are convinced that targeted creativity brings clients more success. And competitions also set the standard in
of the entire industry. When choosing an agency, however, awards are just one of many criteria.
4 It's not the agencies that are creative, but the people who work there. And there are people in every country who provide outstanding creative services. Even in Switzerland.
5 No, standing out internationally has always been very, very difficult.
Markus Gut, Executive CD and GL member at Publicis:
1 As the figures relating to turnover size can no longer be disclosed, the creative ranking is becoming increasingly important.
2 Alongside Cannes, One Show and D&AD are the most important awards. It would be strange if they didn't count in the Swiss creative ranking.
3 Creative advertising is more efficient advertising. And this is something that
some customers.
4 Switzerland is certainly not a creative leader. In proportion to the
In terms of size, however, we are not doing so badly.
5 It was and is very difficult to survive on the slippery floor.
Hanspeter Schweizer, CD and Management Board member at Wirz Werbung:
1 Since there is no longer a BSW ranking, it is all the higher. But even before that, it provided orientation and motivation for agencies and employees.
2 Individual competitions were underweighted in comparison to each other, while others were overweighted. Thanks to the presence of Swiss jurors in various of these competitions, there is now a little more transparency about their importance. The American One Show and the British D&AD are important international competitions in which Switzerland rarely wins awards. But they belong in the ranking because they maintain and promote a high standard.
3 Awards are also proof of creativity for clients.
tivity of an agency. The fact that the trophy itself ends up as a doorstop or paperweight does not detract from this.
4 If you look at the number of awards won in relation to the number of works produced or submitted, Switzerland is certainly impressive. In purely numerical terms, however, we cannot keep up with the big nations.
5 From an international perspective, it is easier to shine with advertising for globally known brands than for those that you can only just recognize.
in Switzerland. On the other hand, fewer and fewer of these brands are managed from Switzerland. That's why it's also important to have already entered into discussions at one competition or another. This can only improve your chances at the next one.
Five questions for the ADC delegates:1 What significance does the Werbewoche ranking have for Swiss creative agencies?
2 Why was it necessary to adjust the weightings and the competitions listed this year?
3 Are awards won merely ornaments for the agency premises?
or do they also have an impact on the customer portfolio?
4 How creative are Swiss agencies in an international comparison?
5 Has it become more difficult for Swiss work to stand out on the international stage?
Interviews: Simone Keller

Swiss creative agencies 2004

Crossmedia Schweizer Illustrierte (SI) would like to work with SF DRS on its planned people magazine Crossmedia Schweizer Illustrierte (SI) would like to work with SF DRS on its planned people magazine. Swiss television has made an enquiry to Schweizer Illustrierte, editor-in-chief Marc Walder told the Berner Zeitung. The collaboration is currently being examined. "I am confident that it will come about," said Walder. Schweizer Illustrierte has been involved in the weekly Ringier TV program "People" on Sat.1 Switzerland since August 2003. This "exciting commitment" will "certainly continue until the summer", explained Walder.

Publishers There is much to suggest that 20 Minuten will soon become wholly owned by Tamedia - rumors to that effect, but also plausible reasons.
In recent weeks, there have been increasing indications that Tamedia and the Norwegian media group Schibsted are negotiating an early completion of their commuter newspaper deal concluded 20 months ago. According to well-informed circles, the temporary joint venture partners are engaged in a financial poker game, at the end of which a purchase price of "around CHF 120 million" is likely to be paid for the 50.5 percent of 20 Minuten (Schweiz) AG that is still controlled by Schibsted via 20 Min Holding. As might be expected, the two listed parties deny any such talks. Martino Bammater, Chairman of the Board of the object of desire, also "cannot confirm the speculation." As a reminder: On March 21, 2003, Tamedia took over 49.5 percent of the commuter paper via its subsidiary Express Zeitung AG in a first step, at that time for an estimated CHF 15 million (excluding the CHF 11 million "Express" maneuver). According to the contract, the remaining shares also went to Tamedia - 20.25 percent at the end of 2005 and 20.25 percent at the end of 2006. How much was made dependent on the company's success in the year in question? When the contract was signed, experts estimated the total volume of the transaction at around 70 million; today, 20 Minuten appears to be worth twice as much (see interview on the right).
St. Gallen as deadline
This quantum leap - which was certainly unexpected by both the previous and future owner - is due to 20 Minuten's performance in the reader and advertising market. Based on the available data, Scott Weldon, media specialist at the private bank Lombard Odier, estimates that the free title, which according to Tamedia's in-house magazine Doppelpunkt has also risen internally "from underdog to top performer", could already generate a double-digit million profit in 2004 with sales of around CHF 50 million thanks to comparatively low fixed costs, and the trend is still rising. The longer Tamedia waits, the more expensive the supposed junior partner of the Tages-Anzeiger will become.
Another argument in favor of the early takeover is the fact that Schibsted will retain control of the seven-member Board of Directors until the end of the contract, regardless of the ownership structure, but as a seller is unlikely to be interested in longer-term investments. However, such an investment is on the cards with the expansion to St. Gallen announced for next spring. "This project would be a plausible deadline for negotiations," says Weldon. In addition, the stock market generally reacts negatively to uncertainty, "especially for products with such growth potential", the analyst told Werbewoche.
Moreover, Tamedia already has two capital-intensive uncertainties with the regionalization and the relaunch of its (soon probably only journalistic) flagship next year. All the more reason to get the deal with the Norwegians over the line in good time. This also makes sense to the Chairman of the Board of Directors of 20 Minuten Switzerland quoted above.
But Bammater is adamant: "We have no reason to deviate from the original schedule." That's easy to believe, because "we" here of course stands for Schibsted, whose Zurich trustee he ultimately is. In addition, Bammater is presumably one of the people who benefit from the 2 percent of 20 Min Holding that Schibsted has reserved for top management. No wonder, then, that he would only consider an early total withdrawal of the Norwegians from Switzerland "if the price is sensationally high". The ball is therefore in the court of his Board Vice Chairman, Tamedia CEO Martin Kall.
Tagi in the shadow: 20 Minuten is on course to become Tamedia's financial flagship.
Oliver Classen

Andreas Iseli, head of the VW brand, knows that it is also customary in the VW family to gather together at the end of the year to celebrate with loved ones, and that the Lowe agency found the perfect spot and festive motif for this in a snow-covered parking garage, which is in no way inferior to a decorated Christmas tree. With the festive tin and concrete fir tree, all VW dealerships throughout Switzerland wish you happy holidays and an accident-free new car year.

Guest commentary Program-integrated television advertising will continue to grow, but will never completely displace the 30-second spot, writes Andreas Waldis.
There is no question that the demand for so-called special forms of advertising (SoWeFo), which still create contact with the consumer at all, is great. Classic sponsor integration with a billboard clip at the beginning and end of the show in conjunction with logo inserts is usually no longer enough. No wonder, since the brand awareness or image goal is rarely the only one in the SoWeFo briefing today. Not always, but increasingly often, a product is also to be shown and its sales promoted. 46 percent of the companies surveyed want to invest more in product placement, according to a US survey. A trend that is also clearly noticeable here in Germany. Especially since branded companies now consider this form to be more effective than the usual 30-second spots. New agencies like OMD's German offshoot 4CE are responding to this demand.
On the media side, the private broadcasters are once again playing the pioneering role. In Switzerland, the SRG broadcasters (including radio) are flooding the market with low-price offers. Unlike discounters in the retail trade, for example, this is done from a position of market dominance. This, in turn, brings Bakom onto the scene, which rightly has less understanding for creative forms of financing for providers financed by fees than for private "we try harder" competition.
But this is not the only reason why the promotion of brands and products on private stations is far more eye-catching, emotional and consequently more effective. Sheer necessity is the mother of invention, namely having to finance programs and at the same time - through creative integration of the paying partner - keep the viewer happy.
From the customer perspective, there are two ways of looking at things: That of the marketing controllers who are more fixated on seconds and GRPs and who are guided by quantitative considerations. And that of the communication strategists who are concerned with an intelligent, obvious and correspondingly credible fusion of program and advertising message and the resulting image transfer.
One of the most promising developments is AFP (Advertiser Funded Programming). AFP stands for the joint conception and realization of TV projects by broadcasters/producers and advertisers, while maintaining program sovereignty and legal requirements. Where will this lead - in addition to more or less subtle placements? In the TV market of the near future, the inclusion of the digital back channel will open up unimagined possibilities. Real interaction: orders can be placed directly during the broadcast. That's why the strategy now launched by Swisscom under the promising name of "Triple Play" makes so much sense: television as an emotional and broadly effective teaser channel. And the Internet for in-depth information, interaction and business processing.
SoWeFo, AFP, Triple Play & Co. are on the rise. The fear of the 30-second death and the persistence in old "below and above the line" patterns are misplaced. The digitalized TV world offers the whole holy industry trinity (clients, agencies, media) more opportunities than risks. Let's beat the stop glue.
> Andreas Waldis is Head of Marketing at Ringier-TV.

Design "Highly Evolved Shoes" promotes Puma in an ad featuring a naked man in a monkey pose. The highly sophisticated design was created by Philippe Starck.design "Highly Evolved Shoes" praises Puma in an ad featuring a naked man in a monkey pose. The highly evolved design was created by Philippe Starck. He has already caused a sensation with a toilet brush and designed a citrus juicer for Alessi. Reduced to the essentials is not only the design of the shoes, but also the idea behind this advertisement. Elegantly pimped in this way, the man could easily end up at Tally Weill, which is known to awaken similarly affable instincts in its advertising. What both campaigns have in common is that the longer you look at them, the more sympathetic they seem. Unlike naked women, men in such poses do not appear sexist, but somehow honest. The upright posture illustrates that someone is trying to understand something here. In addition, the hope that those who no longer have fur can no longer have it pulled over their ears has a confidence-inspiring and therefore customer-binding effect for Puma.
(pan)

Pierre C. Meier on a piece of the past that has caught up with FuW.
Last week, the business newspaper Cash published a prominent interview by former Cash editor-in-chief Fred David with Hansjörg Saager, the former owner and CEO of AG für Wirtschaftspublikationen. With explosive content: Saager reveals that his father Bruno M. - Director General of the former Union Bank of Switzerland - bought the stock market journal Finanz und Wirtschaft (FuW) as a private individual in 1961 and owned it until 1976. He did so for a very specific reason: he wanted to "influence the public about a huge deal in which he and his bank were personally involved". This refers to the Interhandel affair, one of the biggest white-collar crime stories of the 20th century according to David. The interview leaves a whole series of questions unanswered. For example: Why is Saager coming out into the open today, and what is the purpose of his sensational statements?
The really interesting thing about the scoop is not the fact that more than a quarter of a century ago, hardball interest politics were carried out with the help of a business newspaper that was declared to be independent. Everything happened far too long ago for that, the protagonists have died and so the matter is only interesting for press chroniclers and economic historians.
It is more about the credibility of economic reporting itself. And this aspect is always topical. It is not without reason that the business press in particular repeatedly points out the problematic role of financial analysts, who actually serve two masters. After all, credibility can only be guaranteed through independence. As we know, this also applies to the media.
In order to turn its reputation for venality into new credibility, FuW would now have to ensure transparency itself, i.e.
publicize the case. Just like the New York Times and the NZZ on Sunday, when they fell for a forger, and this mishap
have been publicly reviewed.
> Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief

Magazines Seesicht magazine is switching from quarterly to bi-monthly publication in the coming year.magazines Seesicht magazine is switching from quarterly to bi-monthly publication in the coming year. The magazine for lifestyle on Lake Zurich was launched this May and already reports over 1200 subscriptions and advertising sales in line with the budget. It will be published in 2005 with a circulation of 30,000 copies and a minimum size of 132 pages. The publisher is Michael von Babo, who also runs the IT specialist publisher Compress.

Private television The Lotteries and Betting Section of the Federal Office of Justice considers Sat.1 Switzerland's "Call & Win" and Viva Switzerland's "Easy Cash" to be "games of chance in disguise." Viewers of the programs try to solve picture and number puzzles via a paid telephone number. Section head Reto Brand told SDA that the games are very difficult to solve. At the same time, it is random whether you are put through. Brand has forwarded the case to the canton of Zurich. If a violation is proven, the case will go to the criminal court, according to Peter Schärer, who is responsible for lottery law at the canton.

Newspapers The Board of Directors of Zürichsee Medien (ZSM) met this week to discuss the NZZ-PubliGroup deal. "I have been informed of the status," confirms ZSM Chairman of the Board Theodor Gut, who will not say whether the Board has now been informed in writing by P that it intends to sell half of its ZSM stake to NZZ. The period during which the Gut family could assert their right of first refusal only begins when Gut receives such a letter. Now both sides remain silent. This indicates that the information has been provided and the deadline is running. This in turn leads to the conclusion that P and NZZ were able to get ZSM on their side. In other words, the Gut family is waiving its right of first refusal. Because this much is clear: P will only sell its share if it is certain that it will end up with NZZ. Otherwise they would leave everything as it is. This would be of the least benefit to ZSM.
(mk)

Outdoor advertising III The young company Fima-Trend has created a new playground for advertising: The new, the special, the unique - these are important prerequisites for successful advertising." With this guiding principle, the young company Fima-Trend in Oberlunkhofen, Aargau, sells its unconventional means of communication, field advertising. The technology enables appearances on previously untapped platforms and at new and unusual locations with huge footfall. Along the heavily frequented main traffic routes in Switzerland and Europe, huge lettering and slogans measuring up to 25000 square meters are planted in nature.
Despite their size, such messages in the form of flower and cereal logos can be produced with "centimeter accuracy and color fidelity," as Thomas Stutz from Fima-Trend explains. Depending on the project and season, these "natural posters" generate up to around 30 million contacts and thus achieve a thousand-contact price (CPM) of less than four francs.
The demand for this efficient, effective and "very well accepted advertising" along freeways, cantonal roads, railroad lines as well as at airports is increasing rapidly. Location opportunities exist throughout Switzerland, mainly at conurbations with traffic frequencies of up to 100000 vehicles per day.
Interested parties can choose a site at www.feldwerbung.ch, and Fima-Trend takes care of everything else. This means: coordination with the landowners, project construction and planting, care and maintenance for four to six months or even longer.
According to the Law on Spatial Planning, advertising with such creative interventions in nature does not need a special permit if the use is temporary and does not cause problems with traffic safety. "In the case of railroad lines, there is certainly no such danger. Along highways, we have had all the projects offered approved by the authorities," explains Thomas Stutz.
Field advertising also offers interesting combination possibilities. With crowd-pulling events such as flower picking for all, world record attempts or helicopter sightseeing flights, the agency additionally brings people to the field and arouses the interest of the media. The cereal from the giant Sony logo can also be used to bake "Sony Special Edition Mega-Gipfeli" as gifts for airport visitors or train passengers. "This is how we close the circle of perception in a well-understood, meaningful and natural way," Stutz says.
Field advertising is a "natural advertising without any waste". It flourishes and has real growth potential in both senses of the word. Field advertising opens the gates to new, previously unused platforms in the great outdoors - but still right on the pulse of our economy and society. "Field advertising brings life to the brand, puts it in the spotlight and gets it talked about," field advertising salespeople are convinced.
Over 10000 m2: The advertising field of Möbel Märki for the 30th anniversary.
Andreas Panzeri