Print Relaunch fever is rampant in Germany. Specialist publishers alone carried out 294 relaunches last year, 156 more than two years previously. Due to economic problems, publishers often proceeded in a hectic and unsystematic manner, the Hamburg-based media consultancy Heinold Spiller & Partner (HSP) points out the frequent shortcomings. This is why, in collaboration with the Association of German Magazine Publishers, it has compiled a compendium that sheds light on various aspects of the topic: "Media relaunches: experiences and success factors. An inventory".

Awards The Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) and the APG have stopped the "Poster of the Year" competition, stating that the organizers' expectations could not be met even after the relaunch in 2002. Interest in a competition based on artistic criteria had waned in the advertising industry. The FDHA and APG are now each considering their own measures to promote poster design in Switzerland.

Sponsorship Kronenbourg Switzerland becomes a partner of the Alinghi sailing team.1664, the French brewery's main brand, comes on board as an "Official Supplier". The aim is to further expand 1664's premium positioning. "The collaboration with an internationally successful sports team enables us to anchor high-quality promotions in the market," confirms Henri Jung, General Director of Kronenbourg Switzerland. Alinghi is not Kronenbourg's only involvement in the world of sailing. The importer also supports the Société Nautique de Genève and the Bol d'Or and Challenge Ferrier-Lullin regattas. It is also a sponsor of ice hockey.

Deutsche Presse Holtzbrinck takes advantage of "tabloiditis" and makes the printed Internet chargeable No German newspaper manager is currently acting faster than the operational head of the Stuttgart-based Holtzbrinck Group. And no one learns more consistently from other industries. After the now legendary - and from Süddeutsche Zeitung to Bild copied - boosting of the "side businesses" at the Group's flagship Die Zeit, Michael Grabner has now launched two speedboats within a quarter: 20 Cent and News. Their official mission is to tap into young, internet-savvy readers in the city (News) and the country (20 Cent).
Unofficially, Holtzbrinck is also responding to Welt kompakt, launched in mid-May, which Grabner, of course, rejects out of hand. The quality tabloid from Springer, dubbed "Halb-Welt" by malicious tongues, is merely a "new form of presentation" of content from the parent newspaper, while 20 Cent and above all News are a new, hybrid type of newspaper (see interview).
No self-cannibalization. 20 Cent editor-in-chief Peter Stefan Herbst also put forward this thesis last week at a tabloid conference of the International Newspaper Marketing Association (INMA) in Frankfurt. Visually and in terms of content, his unstitched, 32-page cheap offshoot of the Lausitzer Rundschau, published in Cottbus, offers nothing but printed Internet - and thus hardly anything other than the commuter newspapers that are (still) unknown in Germany. One third each of agency news, lifestyle advice and community building with party photos and a daily singles exchange: with this mix, 20 Cent wants to turn young people who have previously only consumed the Internet and TV into newspaper readers who will hopefully later subscribe to the parent paper.
Herbst wants to prevent the danger of self-cannibalization, such as that posed by the compact version of Die Welt, in two ways. Firstly, through the "completely different topics and target audiences" of the subscription and compact versions.
cheap newspaper; on the other hand, because the 20 Cent, which is available at 1,200 kiosks in Lusatia, can only be subscribed to in combination with the Rundschau. According to Herbst, four times as many of these combined subscriptions have been sold to date than expected. So if the Beiboot concept really works in the East German province, Holtzbrinck will probably soon transfer it to its other regional newspapers.
From toothpaste to newspaperIn contrast, no national roll-out is planned for the urban 20 cent counterpart News, which was launched in mid-September in the greater Frankfurt area, even if it is successful. At least that's what Managing Director Wolfgang Ernd said on the fringes of the INMA event.
However, such statements probably have more to do with appeasing direct competitors - such as Welt kompakt, which recently launched a nationwide presence - than with a real publishing strategy. Firstly, despite extremely low-budget production - for example by paying the 25-strong editorial team below the going rate - News, which consists of secondary exploitation of the national Holtzbrinck newspapers Tagesspiegel and Handelsblatt as well as local in-house services, only pays off when the costly concept is multiplied. And secondly, Grabner & Co. are pursuing a much more fundamental, longer-term and more ambitious goal with their cheaply produced, but nevertheless not free "quick-reads for the iPod generation" (Herbst).
For all their differences, both 20 Cent and News are trying to get their young audiences (re)accustomed to what the print back door has to offer.
Internet: the realization that valid editorial information and services can and must cost something. Grabner justifies this educational measure, which benefits the entire industry and could serve as a model, as an attempt to establish a second, lower price level. The former detergent manager copied his innovative differentiation strategy from the watch and textile industry.
The British Independent recently showed how newspapers can successfully learn from other sectors. Its editor-in-chief had the momentous idea at the sight of a toothpaste display that reversed the quality paper's ten-year downward trend within just ten weeks: a small travel tube lying next to jumbo and family packs inspired the paper maker to switch the Independent completely to tabloid format.
The Europe-wide consequences of this brainwave are well known. And it is not entirely far-fetched that Holtzbrinck's transfer of know-how will also find imitators - perhaps even in the home country of Swatch.
Founder fever: New tabloid titles on the German market.
Oliver Classen

Television The Geneva-based cable network operator Télégenève plans to offer digital television throughout Switzerland in the future, and negotiations with various cable networks are underway, explained CEO Antoni Mayer. In preparation for the expansion, Télégenève is relaunching its TV offering under the new Naxoo brand. From 2005, television via the Internet and video-on-demand will also be offered. A test operation with a thousand households has just started.

Digital TV Ringier and Swisscom join forces: the telecommunications giant acquires a 49% stake in Cinetrade AG, in whose subsidiary Teleclub Ringier in turn holds a one-third stake. Swisscom is thus pushing ahead with its "triple play" strategy: TV via ADSL as a third pillar alongside telephony and Internet. Cinetrade, which also owns the cinema operator Kitag and the DVD distributor PlazaMedia, is intended to secure access to attractive content for Swisscom television, and Ringier also expects benefits. "We are delighted to have a new partner," says TV boss Fibo Deutsch. For Ringier, Teleclub has already been the foot in the door of the digital world. Now Deutsch wants to open the door even wider: "Swisscom is looking for content for its television offering. We would of course like to produce this with Ringier TV."
The Competition Commission has a say in the matter. At the time of going to press, it had not yet decided whether the Cinetrade deal is notifiable.
(sm)

Sunday press Now well-trained dogs need strong teeth if they want to bring the SonntagsBlick to their master or mistress's bed, as the publisher Ringier is launching the e-SonntagsBlick, the electronic version of the paper. For Lumpi and Co., picking up the newspaper will be back-breaking work - after all, even a 12-inch laptop weighs a good two kilograms. If the two-legged friend does not yet own a notebook, it becomes more cumbersome and difficult. For the launch ad, the creatives at FCB Leutenegger Krüll have already tested a dog's bite resistance - the dog is currently recovering in the animal hospital from a broken jaw.

"In the motherland of the entertainment industry, "highbrow" has always stood for real, i.e. elitist art and "lowbrow" for commercial mass taste. In "Nobrow", the New York journalist uses MTV, blockbusters and other pop phenomena to document how (in his view) what belongs together is finally growing together and becoming indistinguishable in the globalized attention economy: Culture and marketing. The beauty of this light and fluffy, but by no means undemanding book is that the liberating dissolution of boundaries that it states or propagates is redeemed by "Nobrow" itself.
> Nobrow: The Culture of Marketing and the Marketing of Culture by John Seabrook. Vintage Books, New York 1999. 226 pages,
24 francs.
(oc)

Radio The licensing decision for Zurich's youth radio station is imminent. Never before has a new private radio station been as controversial as Zurich's youth radio station. According to the original timetable, the licensing procedure should have been completed in winter 2003/2004. Now the applicants are becoming impatient because the decision is still pending.
The Federal Office of Communications (OFCOM), which is preparing the basis for the decision for DETEC, is not making things easy for itself. The clarifications and discussions with the applicants are taking considerably longer than planned. The decision should now be made in the coming weeks. However, it is unlikely that the youth radio station will actually be able to launch at the beginning of 2005 as expected, as appeals against the decision are almost as certain as the Amen in church (see "Pre-programmed delay").
The fact is that the wishes and requirements for the new youth radio station differ widely. In the consultation process, the government council of the canton of Zurich complained that there was too little education and too much music on all stations, applicants are already talking about a broadcasting area that is too small, and for advertisers, only a national youth radio station would really make sense.
No new framework conditionsHowever, the basic conditions cannot be changed. These include the size of the broadcasting area, which only covers around half of the
of the audience potential of Radio 24 or Energy Zurich. "Too little for long-term success", Suzanne Speich had already complained in advance. Nevertheless, she does not want to withdraw her Groove FM project. "We would start with what we get, but soon after receiving our license we would look to expand our territory.
to apply," says Speich.
Bakom is putting a spoke in the wheel of such hopes. A rapid expansion of the broadcasting area is not possible simply because it would overturn the entire licensing procedure, explains Roland Zbinden, responsible for youth radio at Bakom. The new station would first have to operate within the prescribed framework. "Only if it turns out after a longer period of time that the size of the area is a real problem would it be necessary to go back over the books as part of a global restructuring of the local radio landscape. However, this is not likely to happen for several years," says Zbinden.
A further obstacle is the question of financing. This must be based on very solid foundations, as subsidies from the licence fee pot are ruled out from the outset for the new youth station.
However, a strong financial basis is essential for any station that wants to assert itself in the highly competitive Zurich radio market. We know from past experience that newcomers regularly underestimate the time and resources required to gain a foothold in the audience and advertising market. "If we get the license, it won't be a walk in the park, even for an organization as experienced as ours," explains Giuseppe Scaglione, initiator of Music First.
Another stumbling block concerns the demand that the youth wave should not take away any noticeable market share from the established radio stations in the greater Zurich area, neither in the audience nor in the advertising market. This is an illusion. After all, a new station enters into competition on the very first day on which it wants to sell advertising spots. That is the market.
Objections are certainTherefore, objections to the forthcoming licensing decision are to be expected not only from rejected applicants, but also from the established broadcasters. Radio 24 and Energy are carefully considering which competition will be the least painful for them. "It is possible that the two top dogs in Zurich will appeal against the licensing decision in order to keep the new competition at bay for at least a little while longer," says RadioMax initiator Mike Gut.
Radio 24 and Energy's fear of losing too many young listeners to the new youth station is understandable. This would push up the already high average age of their audiences - 39.9 years for Radio 24 and 39.1 years for Energy Zurich. But that is certainly not in their interest.
Competing for the favor of young people: Radio 24 and Energy fear competition from Zurich's youth radio station.
Three favorites Among the five applicants for the Zurich youth frequency, there are three favorites: Music First, backed by Giuseppe Scaglione (Radio 105), was given preference by Zurich City Council in the consultation process. For the cantonal government, the project was still the 2nd choice.
DJRadio is also well in the running. Egon Blatter's Internet radio station, which has been broadcasting online since the fall of 2000, is the preferred candidate of the Zurich government council.
RadioMax is also at the top of the list of favorites. The project by Mike Gut, the former marketing manager of Hitradio Z, has made it to second place among the projects favored by the Zurich City Council.
The chances of the other two candidates, who are not favored by the city or canton of Zurich, are considered to be lower.
were awarded: Groove FM by Suzanne Speich, which had already criticized the broadcasting area as too small in the run-up to the event, and
The youth radio station 3Fach, which has been broadcasting in Lucerne for six years, is considered to have too narrow a funding base.
Pre-programmed delayWith DETEC's decision on the license expected soon, the trembling is not over. This is because the decision made by the department can be challenged by means of an administrative appeal to the Federal Council. This will take time.
Roland Zbinden, responsible for the youth radio dossier at Bakom, reckons it will take "around a year" until
an appeal decision from the higher instance would be available. Nevertheless, even if all four rejected projects respond with appeals, this timeframe is realistic, "because the appeal proceedings would be
run in parallel," says Zbinden.
Most unpleasant are the
expected appeals against the Zurich youth radio station, in particular for
the one of the five projects that is awarded the license. This is because it would not be able to go on air until the matter has been legally settled. (dse)
Daniel Schifferle

Promotional products 93 out of 100 companies rely on the advertising impact of small gifts - a 600-million market.
Who hasn't been annoyed by them? The small, occasionally useless promotional items that, with a bit of bad luck, run out of juice after just five minutes in the form of a ballpoint pen or disappear never to be seen again in the back corner of the wardrobe in the form of a T-shirt.So promotional items are a clear case of superfluous? Not at all - after all, 93 percent of all companies in Switzerland now use gifts as an advertising medium. So there must be something about the sometimes small, sometimes larger gifts. "People simply like to receive gifts," says Beat Suter of Eckert Werbeartikel AG in Zurich. And then adds: "Small gifts simply keep customers coming back."
They are obviously doing this well. Promotional products consultant Robert Scheidegger from Promo'Plus AG in Münsingen estimates that 400 to 600 million Swiss francs are turned over here in Switzerland with promotional products. Suter even assumes up to 800 million francs. And the Promoswiss trade association, in which 28 promotional products retailers are organized, reckons with a volume of 600 million francs.
Different estimates
By way of comparison, according to the AG für Werbemedienforschung (Wemf), net advertising spending on all advertising media amounted to CHF 5.1 billion in 2003 (see chart below). This means that more than one in ten advertising francs was spent on gifts. However: Wemf itself no longer conducts surveys on promotional products. In 1999, the year of the last survey, it determined a volume of only 121 million Swiss francs.
The discrepancy between the Wemf figures and the estimates of Promoswiss and experts are huge. The reason for this lies in the vague definition of the promotional article. Do T-shirts, caps and other printed clothing worn at work already fall under it? What about gags whose luster fades in seconds? "And what about the wine bottle with an Ascom label, does it already count as a promotional item?" asks Scheidegger.
Be that as it may, the promotional products retailers don't care. The main thing is to keep the cash flowing - even in times of economic downturns, such as the one between 2001 and 2003, when advertising sales fell sharply (from 5.7 to 5.1 billion Swiss francs), according to Wemf. "We haven't noticed anything of a decline. On the contrary, we grew by a single-digit percentage," says Elisabeth Riwar of Racol Partner AG in Rotkreuz. Hans Lindauer, Compagnon at Immowerb Werbe-Presents in Horgen, and Beat Suter are also satisfied. Despite the economic problems, sales are stagnating or only slightly declining.
Robert Scheidegger, who also sits on the board of the Promoswiss trade association, has a different experience. "Today, every advertising franc is turned around twice," he reveals, "and then you save on promotional items first." However, the larger retailers organized in Promoswiss seem to be less affected by this. Small and very small businesses are probably more susceptible to declining advertising budgets due to a lack of size and professionalism.
Overall, the industry is characterized by strong fragmentation and high fluctuation. According to Scheidegger, there are between 300 and 400 providers in the market. "Only a handful of the companies have sales of 10 to 15 million." Suter doubles down: "There's hardly a promotional products company with a market share of more than three to four percent." In contrast, many "one-man shows" would open their doors every year - and in many cases soon close again. The reason: the hurdles to market entry are relatively low. "You need practically no investment and no great prior knowledge at the beginning," says Scheidegger. But if you want to be successful in the long term, you have to work professionally. Many of the small providers failed because of this.
Strong emotional component
In the meantime, promotional products have won an important place in the marketing mix. "Today, promotional gifts are simply part of the package," says Elisabeth Riwar. It's no wonder, since promotional items have striking advantages over other advertising media because most of them are handed over personally. "With no other medium do I receive a 'Merci' as an advertiser," says Scheidegger. In addition, at the time of delivery, there is absolutely no competition; the recipient cannot simply zap away or turn the page. The three-dimensional, emotional element should also not be underestimated: "You can touch a promotional gift," says Hans Lindauer, "you get an experience you won't soon forget."
What's more, there is hardly any other advertising instrument that can be used so widely: From A for subscriber advertising to D for saying thank you or M for trade fairs to V for VIP events, there are probably no events at which promotional items have to be dispensed with. According to Beat Suter, promotional items are currently particularly popular as mailing boosters (such as tea bags, Post-it notes or chewing gum), but also as door openers for the sales force.
Permanent lighter
In contrast to the past, however, companies today work much more efficiently with promotional items. The gift must fit the intended target group and the message associated with the item must fit the occasion. For example, it makes sense to give a key fob to a driver after his car has been serviced. But giving him a condom in the presence of his wife is probably a breach of etiquette and will definitely cause bad feelings.
The range of products is as broad as the possible applications: air mattresses, balls, writing utensils, agendas, mouse mats, clothing, and so on and so forth. Nevertheless, according to Robert Scheidegger's estimate, lighters and pens still account for around 20 percent of the market volume, while textiles such as clothes, caps and bags account for as much as 40 percent. "The lanyards that you wear around your neck are also selling very well at the moment," says Elisabeth Riwar.
Utility items are also well on trend. "Our customers want something useful that the recipients can use every day," says Hans Lindauer, "or then the absolute gag that costs them nothing to begin with." Riwar's assessment is along the same lines: "Customers want items that are useful and not fast-moving gags whose effect quickly fizzles out." In principle, the industry is clearly tending toward high-quality products: "The promotional items have to be right in terms of quality and also design," says Scheidegger. "Customers want branded and not cheap products," confirms Riwar. This applies to inexpensive giveaways as well as to more expensive, individualized gifts such as Victorinox knives.
And something else: "The gift must come from the heart," warns Scheidegger. If the person courting the customer's favor hands over the gift with a sour expression or even bashfully slips it to the customer, almost like a bribe, nothing is likely to trigger the intended positive feeling - not even a watch costing 6,000 francs, as Scheidegger reports.
The original gift for companies with a Swiss connection: the Swiss Travel Kit, which comes standard with a bar of Swiss Army Chocolate, a box of Swiss Navy peppermint candies, a Swiss lip balm and a pack of Swiss paper handkerchiefs. Seen at Pandinavia.
Integrated in an original communication package, the Smile bed bottle is likely to attract positive attention, Siegrist Werbeartikel is convinced.
A system for greater success If a promotional product campaign is to succeed, it needs a concept.
The following questions should be answered in it:
What are the goals?
Regardless of whether it's a sales increase, memo effect, invitation or contact building or cultivation: the promotional item is memorable and activating for the consumer.
What are the target groups?
These should be defined by age, profession or lifestyle, for example.
What are the expected measurable outcomes?
Whether contact volumes, additional sales or visitors at trade show booths: It is important to know that the effect depends strongly on the creative idea of the promotional item.
What funds should be invested?
Whatever the basis for budgeting: It's not the material value of the promotional item that matters. Even inexpensive items can have a big impact.
How long should the article work?
The life of any promotional item is limited and thus achieves a certain multiplier effect. Although standard promotional items such as notepads or pens are less popular, their utility and recall value is satisfactory.
How to transfer the item?
By mail or in person at an event, with or without a verbal message: the very process of distributing promotional items has a high profile, especially at events. Source: Promoswiss
Advantages of promotional gifts - They are tangible and palpable: Advertising you can touch has a lasting effect.
- They become the property of the customer: The high presence is guaranteed.
- They can be used individually; the scattering loss is therefore low to zero.
- They are useful and usable: Advertising with real utility value is the best image cultivation.
- They are designable and can be customized to suit the gift recipient.
- They arouse emotions and can become topics of conversation.
- They have long-term effect and are used several times.
- They create sympathy, because being given a gift gives pleasure.
- They open doors and make effective personal contacts.
- They are three-dimensional and make the message unmistakably clear.
- They make direct mailings more successful because they convey additional benefits.
Source: Promo'Plus AG
Patrick Imper

Not only since advertising proudly called itself advertising have promotional products been the basement children of the glamor industry, but even today the selection and distribution of promotional gifts needs to be learned. This compendium is a competent guide through the jungle of free lighters, pens, etc.
> Practical guide to promotional products by Michael Nebert. Redline Wirtschaftsverlag, Frankfurt a. M. 2004. 248 pages, Fr. 48.50

In a pitch, the Bern-based agency Polyconsult has won the overall budget for the basic communication of the Swiss meat industry, thanks to the fact that the basic strategic idea can be developed over several years and can be applied down to the smallest accompanying measure, said Regula Kennel, Head of Communications at Schweizer Fleisch. The label, which is backed by the Proviande association, was previously managed by Freiburghaus & Partner. Polyconsult's first activities will be visible from January 2005.