Vehicle market Car4you, the new printed vehicle market from Tamedia, is facing up to cut-throat competition The vehicle market is by no means a goldmine at present. For the fourth year in a row, dealers are registering falling sales figures for used and new cars. Especially
unpleasant for the print media: the crisis is further reinforcing the already strong trend of advertisers moving to the much cheaper Internet.
With the Car4you newspaper, which appeared for the first time on October 14, Tamedia is merging the online platform with a weekly newspaper in tabloid format. The partner is Car4you.ch, the second-largest electronic used car market in Switzerland with around 60,000 offers. The newspaper in tabloid format is around 100 pages thick. The content includes
consists largely of around 8000 small advertisements of roughly the same size,
in alphabetical order and some with color pictures. Unlike usual, Car4you has succeeded in giving a visually attractive form to an advertisement material that tends to be a bit of a lead desert.
Publishing directly from the Internet
The editorial section is kept short at four pages: In addition to the page with the editorial and table of contents, the "Car of the Week" and other new cars are presented on two other pages. The fourth editorial page is a service page with interesting facts about cars. Another special feature is the fully automated procedure by which the advertisements are transferred from the Internet to the paper. Tamedia uses a technology that enables publishing directly from the Internet without the need for
Media break permitted. The text and image data are inserted on Monday evening. The process selects exactly as many advertisements from an advertiser as they have ordered for publication in the print product. And it always selects those with the most recent
date. Current offers are a must in the vehicle market.
Tagi expects losses
Car4you is published in a print run of 35,000 copies, which are available at around 4,000 sales outlets in German-speaking Switzerland. Duttwiler expects to sell 8000 copies per issue via the newsstand. He has one trump card up his sleeve: the copy price of CHF 2.50 is by far the cheapest among the competition. You have to pay four to six francs for other second-hand paper markets.
Werner Duttwiler is convinced that the printed selection from the Internet is an attractive alternative, even in the age of convenient search functions. The Head of Vehicle Market at Tamedia, who is also responsible for the Car4you newspaper, sees the target group as people who "feel more comfortable with a newspaper in their hands than on the Internet". Many are overwhelmed by the huge amount of offers on the Internet. "Car4you offers them a selection with a better overview," says Duttwiler. And last but not least: the newspaper does not require dial-up. For those who still can't resist, each advertisement has an online ID number that leads directly to the detailed information on Car4you.ch.
Duttwiler also sees attractive potential in the advertising market: "There are many garages that are bringing the used car trade back to them." At least as important: "As soon as demand in the vehicle trade picks up again, salespeople will have to communicate more actively." The modular advertisements in Car4you should then benefit from this in particular.
The outlook for the large vehicle market of the Tages-Anzeiger, where Duttwiler is also the boss, is not quite so cheerful. He does not dismiss "possible losses of market share" to home-grown competitors out of hand. However, he qualifies this by saying that the Tages-Anzeiger concentrates on the greater Zurich area, while the Car4you newspaper focuses on German-speaking Switzerland. However, new ideas to regain lost volume elsewhere are well advanced and will be implemented in 2005.
With the Car4you newspaper, Tamedia is merging the successful online platform with a weekly publication in tabloid format.
Two ad categoriesCar4you recognizes two ad types: Text ads, which are taken from the online platform, and module ads for designed ads. Text ads are available at a basic price of 15 francs.
Retailers are offered an account contract that runs for twelve months and requires at least five advertisements per week. The contract guarantees a generous discount:
From as few as five ads per week there is a 10 percent discount, from 250 ads the price is only half. Private advertisers are likely to be the happiest: For them, a text advertisement in Car4you is even free of charge.
The newspaper uses a modular system for its advertisements. This divides the page into 36 areas of equal size, which can be combined in virtually any way. The rate per module is CHF 60 plus a color surcharge of CHF 30. In addition to the volume discounts, an introductory discount of 30 percent applies to all advertisements until the end of the year. (dse)
Mutual participation plannedCar4you Switzerland and Tamedia want to further intensify their cooperation in the future. To this end, the two companies have signed a letter of intent which provides for a one-third stake each in Car4you Switzerland, in Car4you-Zeitung and in Car4you Switzerland by Tamedia. The negotiations are expected to be concluded by the end of 2004. (dse)
Daniel Schifferle

Magazines The Tamedia title Das Magazin has decided to collaborate with McCann Erickson Switzerland following a competitive presentation. The first measure to be implemented is an advertising campaign, which will be launched in November.

Automobiles Volkswagen's sales figures show that nowhere is the interest in 4Motion as great as in the Alpine republic of Switzerland, which is why Lowe has now created a campaign for the new Golf 4Motion that focuses on Switzerland. Unusual and surprising - namely from the perspective of the new Golf driver. For him, the Swiss Confederation can have as many mountains as he likes, but thanks to all-wheel drive and optimum traction, he experiences it as flat. Or in other words: as a wide plain, as Lowe's subject shows.

Magazines /German Vogue can celebrate an anniversary this fall. The magazine from Condé Nast Verlag has been writing fashion history for 25 years.1625Magazines German Vogue can celebrate an anniversary this fall. The magazine from Condé Nast Verlag has been writing fashion history for 25 years. The anniversary issue in October honors the occasion with 638 pages, which corresponds to a weight of 1625 grams. The magazine is available at newsstands with 25 different cover editions. The parent edition of Vogue was the first magazine in the USA in 1892 to take on the ever-changing catwalk sensations.

Othmar Casutt from APG management is pleased about the relaunch of the poster competition.WW The leading advertising agencies showed less and less interest in the old competition. The awards became less important. Why was this the case and what new ideas does APG have to restore the competition's importance?
Othmar Casutt The previous competition was held for the first time in 1942. Since then, the conditions for communication have changed completely. When the competition was introduced, the main aim was to promote artistic creation. At that time, there was only one poster format, the world format (today the F4). Later, additional formats were added and significantly changed the poster design. The older the competition became, the greater the criticism from poster designers. These were increasingly the creative people in the advertising agencies and less and less the artists. However, the judging criteria remained unchanged and the competition fell into disrepute in the advertising industry as a cultural poster competition in which the commercial poster was given too little importance.
What's new about the Swiss Poster Award? The change to the competition now launched by APG lies almost exclusively in the completely new jury. It consists of recognized and active art directors, including Dominic Geissbühler, a proven expert on cultural posters, and two representatives from the client side. This jury will create the credibility of the competition that has been lost in recent years.
In 2001, a new set of rules was tried without much success. What procedure will be used for judging the new competition?
The judging procedure is not the decisive factor. This became clear when the regulations were amended in 2001. The intention at the time was to pave the way for commercial posters by including various categories. However, the composition of the jury failed to convince the advertising scene and the fact that the title of "Poster of the Year" was not awarded last year, despite four category winners, with an unconvincing explanation, has probably pushed the competition to the sidelines for good.
Is it a flaw that competition is no longer approved by the FDHA? The interests of APG as the market leader in out-of-home advertising and the FDHA have drifted further and further apart.
The newly created Swiss Poster Award should also count towards the ranking of advertising agencies. Would such a ranking be at all representative without evaluating the posters?
Of course posters belong in the ranking. However, to date there has been no reason to include the results of the previous competition in the ranking. These results simply lacked the necessary competence. This is why APG started thinking about a new direction for the poster competition and realized and implemented the project in a very short space of time.
Why do those involved believe that the new Poster Award will be a success? The conviction that this new competition will establish itself quickly and well in the industry is based on the fact that advertising agencies are interested in having their poster campaigns professionally assessed by a competent jury. The current composition of the Swiss Poster Award jury is exactly what has been missing until now. In addition, the competition is backed by a company that has every interest in doing something to maintain the high standard of Swiss poster art in the commercial poster sector, without neglecting the fact that the high standard must also be maintained and promoted in the cultural poster sector.
Top jury for Swiss Poster AwardPresident: Fredy Collioud Publicis AG Werbeagentur, Zurich
Members: Daniel Comte, Advico Young & Rubicam; Remy Fabrikant, JWT+Hostettler + Fabrikant; Tobias Trevisan, Neue Zürcher Zeitung; K.
Domenic Geissbühler, Creative Director; Markus Gut, Publicis advertising agency; Wendelin Hess, Atelier Müller-Hess; Danielle Lanz Ruf, Lanz advertising agency; Roger Möschler, Head of Marketing APG Winterthur; Martin Spillmann, Spillmann/Felser/Leo Burnett; Dominique von Matt, Jung von Matt/Limmat; Beat Mühlemann, MGB.
Entries for the "Swiss Poster Award" poster competition from October 4, 2004 at www.apg.ch/kultur. The closing date for entries is November 15.
Interview: Andreas Panzeri

Triple Play Swisscom must notify its stake in Teleclub's parent company Cinetrade to the Competition Commission (ComCo). Competition Commission spokesman Patrik Ducrey confirmed this to the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. After a preliminary examination lasting a maximum of one month, the competition authorities must decide whether the purchase creates or strengthens market power. If this is the case, an in-depth four-month investigation is initiated.

Private television There doesn't seem to be much truth to the rumour that RTL 2 will show a new "Big Brother" season in its planned Swiss window, as TV magazine Tele has learned from the Hessian State Media Authority, where RTL 2 has submitted a license application for the program window. Director Wolfgang Thaenert: "It's actually more about extending the existing advertising window. RTL 2 has submitted an application for more advertising, special forms of advertising and call-in programs."

Television From next spring, SF DRS will be broadcasting a daily people magazine from 6.45 to 6.55 p.m. It will be dedicated to people and events that are not given enough space in the information programs, said editor-in-chief Ueli Haldimann. Around two thirds of the new program will focus on Swiss topics. Haldimann promises that it will not be a "flat celebrity show" like the German private channels.

Publishers The NZZ wants to campaign for the future independence of the Zürcher Oberländer At the beginning of the week, the Tages-Anzeiger reported that the liberal orientation of the Zürcher Oberländer (ZO) was possibly in danger. The reason: Following a publicly published offer, the Zurich-based investment consultancy firm Albin Kistler, Partner (AKP) now owns a third of the shares in Zürcher Oberland Medien and now wants to sell the package on against the wishes of the newspaper publisher.Peter Edelmann, Director of the ZO, explained the procedure to Werbewoche: "We are in talks with AKP about how we can get out of the situation, because our priority is to find an amicable solution." The share purchases by AKP are not legally valid because they were made without the consent of the Board of Directors. "However, as these are registered shares, the Board of Directors must give its approval," says Edelmann. And he adds: "Our preference would be for the package not to be sold at all."
The NZZ, which shares a liberal orientation with the struggling newspaper, has also taken notice. "We want to help ensure that the ZO can continue to publish an independent newspaper," explains Beat Lauber, Head of Regional Newspapers at the NZZ Group. However, this will only become an issue if the announced change of ownership of the share package takes place in such a way that the ZO would go in a different direction. At the moment, however, Lauber is "not worried" after AKP assured the Tages-Anzeiger that it wanted a good solution and would not simply sell to the highest bidder.
Daniel Schifferle

Heidi Bucher, Head of Marketing Communication, and Fred Veron, Head of Marketing, on their strategy.WW How is Geberit positioned in advertising and marketing?Veron: We are the number 1 in sanitary technology and want to appear as such. But exaggeration does not suit us.
Geberit is present in almost every quiet corner, but why is the logo hardly ever seen in advertisements, on posters or in commercials?Veron: Geberit advertises primarily in trade media, because our customer is usually the craftsman, planner or architect, rather than the end consumer.
Bucher: We defined our position on the basis of internal and external surveys. We asked sanitary plumbers by name what values they associate with Geberit. Quality, innovation, partnership and reliability were at the top of the list. We then differentiated these terms for Geberit and narrowed them down to innovation, knowledge and integration.
How do you use the results of the survey for marketing and advertising?Bucher: We were looking for an implementation that would represent these core values specifically for Geberit. So through a long internal process we came up with the term: "Know -How Installed."
Veron: Geberit offers "intelligent" installations in sanitary technology. 32,000 products from the perfect cistern to sound-insulated waste water pipes. We explain the new marketing concept to employees in an internal brochure. In the breviary for our customers, we show in pictures and words what we mean by "Know-How Installed".
What does the new appearance mean for Geberit?Veron: We want to install our know-how with the customers, but for us the term also essentially means "training". Geberit transfers knowledge and skills in free training courses year after year to around 20,000 plumbers and other professionals all over the world. This is costly but targeted marketing.
And how does the target audience find out about the new campaign?Veron: The "Know-How Installed" icon is applied in advertising in trade magazines and on the products. The blue square echoes the blue square of the Geberit logo. In advertising, "Know-How Installed" is consistently shown with a product and together with the Geberit logo.
Bucher: Geberit used to work with different slogans depending on the product, but now we have created an all-encompassing USP. We have already introduced the icon in 18 countries; the concise message is understood in all languages. The advertising is realized centrally and still adapted individually in the individual countries.
What tipped the scales in favor of the Kunde & Co agency?Veron: The agency, which works in Copenhagen and Zurich, has an excellent track record in branding. Our concept is to also integrate the newly acquired companies into the advertising and branding concept and thus create a unified presence.
How much does Geberit spend on advertising and marketing communication?Veron: It is difficult to name a percentage of sales (around 1.9 billion in 2004) because training is an important marketing tool. The total costs for advertising and marketing are probably less than two percent of sales. However, if you convert the advertising costs to the individual installer, they are respectable.

Building services engineering It was tough posing in countless positions in frosty five-degree temperatures wearing only a pair of panties. And smiling sexily at the same time, even though the photographer was constantly shouting. But after all, she wasn't just posing for Playboy, but for the pipes of Strub + Blaser AG. We know that nomen est omen, but the company name was taken a little too literally in this ad. A small consolation: the slogan "Grip - for plumbers with brains" does not seem to really satisfy those responsible. Visitors to the homepage are asked to write a "ready-to-use Grip slogan". Nevertheless, the only prizes are a day trip to the Rothorn, Pilatus or St. Peter's Island. A visit to a swingers' club with Heidi was probably too politically incorrect for the family business in Lyss. But even stony hills, so the story goes, are not stingy with charms. (sk)

Headings The most important source of information for Swiss people looking for a home is the internet, according to a survey conducted by the IHA-GfK among 500 people who have moved in the last twelve months or are planning to move soon. In response to the question "Where did you mainly obtain information?", 31% mentioned the internet, 25% regional newspapers and magazines and 20% friends and acquaintances. In total, 53% of respondents used the press, 52% the internet and 48% personal contacts.