Banken Unikat has secured the advertising budget of the Vontobel Group. The Küsnacht-based advertising agency prevailed over two competitors in a multi-stage competitive presentation. The core competencies of the Vontobel financial group are private banking, investment banking, asset management and investment funds.

Cinema The number of cinema-goers is tending to fall because there are fewer young people. The Mach Basic 2004 for cinemas was also reweighted after the 2000 census - in the same way as the print media. In contrast to the press, however, the client (in this case Cinecom) did not want the data from Mach Basic 2003 to be reweighted in parallel, which is why there are no truly comparable figures from the previous year for the cinema medium. Nevertheless, this much can be said: the fact that Cinecom cinemas were able to increase their weekly reach from 420000 visitors in 2003 to 464000 has nothing to do with the new weighting, but solely with the integration of the cinemas in French-speaking Switzerland, which were leased to Mediavision until the end of 2003. In western Switzerland, Cinecom was even able to almost double its weekly reach thanks to the withdrawal of the French cinema marketer.
Smaller main target group
Although the previous year's figures are not really comparable, a trend is nevertheless evident: cinema audiences are declining. Last year, the weekly cinema reach for Switzerland as a whole was still 486,000 viewers - significantly more than the 464,000 currently reported. However, it would be wrong to infer from this that there is less demand for the medium of cinema. The decline is primarily due to the new population structure: the main target group for the cinema medium - i.e. 20 to 29-year-olds - has decreased significantly compared to the 1990 census, both in absolute numbers and as a percentage.
This age segment fell by 25 percent or 200,000 people in German-speaking Switzerland alone. In view of this decline, it is astonishing that the medium of cinema did not lose even more reach. In other words, what cinemas have lost in potential due to the population, they have apparently almost made up for with more visits per person.
However, they may also have been able to attract additional audiences in other age segments. Unfortunately, it is not possible to make any conclusive statements on this due to the lack of comparability of the figures, but one conclusion can be drawn: cinema has become more attractive.
The new multiplexes have probably contributed to this. The Cinecom figures in Lucerne and St. Gallen/Schaffhausen indicate this. Multiplexes have been opened there, which have led to a significant increase in reach against the general trend.
Fuzzy: New measurement parameters make it difficult to compare figures.
Markus Knöpfli

Self-regulation The Swiss Press Association is calling on its members to cease all financial support for the Swiss Press Council with immediate effect in response to the Foundation Board's decision not to enter into negotiations on the inclusion of publishers in the Press Council's sponsorship. For the association, this is a "destructive act of defiance by frustrated functionaries" of the journalists' associations, which links trade union objectives with the issue of journalistic professional ethics.

Energie TBS Identity has been commissioned by the Swiss Wood Energy Association with a nationwide image campaign. The Zurich-based agency came out on top in a competitive presentation. The campaign will draw attention to wood as an energy source for three years and is intended to contribute to the sustainable image of this energy resource. Holzenergie Schweiz promotes the ecologically sensible and efficient use of wood as an energy source. The association has around 600 members.

Newspapers The tabloid format continues to provide a boost in an almost entirely stable newspaper landscape, with the small format once again providing the expansive impetus in the Swiss newspaper market this year. As expected, 20 Minuten comfortably overtook Blick with an additional 90000 readers (+13 percent) and a total of 782 000. In particular, 20 Minuten succeeded in strengthening its position in the Basel area, but Blick, which was overtaken by the commuter paper, is in good shape. With 736,000 new readers, it is also trending clearly upwards. It remains to be seen whether the switch to tabloid format in the summer will give the Ringier paper even more momentum. Like Le Matin in French-speaking Switzerland, for example, which has benefited extraordinarily from the change. With an additional 36,000 readers (+12.2 percent), the newspaper is once again reaping a rich harvest from the switch to tabloid.
Apart from 20 Minuten and Le Matin, only the small St. Galler Nachrichten saw significant growth. On the other hand, the daily newspapers hardly suffered any losses this time. Among the top 20 losers, they are only represented by a single title, the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. With its high loss of 27,000 readers (-7.9 percent), the paper seems to be making up for what the Tages-Anzeiger experienced in previous years.
Incidentally, the daily press was surprisingly stable in all three parts of the country. For various newspapers, however, it is not even possible to make a year-on-year comparison this year: All titles with partial or complete large print runs are not comparable with previous years due to methodological adjustments. This includes almost a dozen newspapers (see page 18).The Sunday market in German-speaking Switzerland does not make a positive impression at first glance. Both NZZ am Sonntag and SonntagsZeitung are on the list of significant losers. For the Sonntagsblatt from Falkenstrasse, 47,000 fewer
(-10.1 percent) and 41,000 fewer readers (-4.9 percent) for Tamedia. However, this downturn in the Sunday press was to be expected: In the previous year, the launch phase of NZZ am Sonntag and the simultaneous increase in marketing pressure for SonntagsZeitung brought many additional new (free) trial readers and trial subscribers.
Now that reader market activities have returned to normal
have been discontinued, these are no longer available. What remains now are the real Sunday readers, whose number in German-speaking Switzerland has increased by over 400,000 thanks to the NZZ am Sonntag.
Ticino shows just how much potential there still is in the Sunday market. There, the free title Il Caffè, in which Ringier has a stake, grew by a (non-significant) 6,000 readers (+6 percent), which is remarkable given the small population potential. In contrast, its right-wing competitor, the Mattino della Domenica, lost ground slightly, as in previous years.
Limited comparisonPrint media with a predominantly young audience are poorer
than in the previous year, even though they have not lost any readers. The reason for this lies in the adjustment of Mach Basic to the 2000 census. With the new basis, the Swiss-German potential in the 24-29 age segment has fallen by 200,000 in just ten years to
604,000. The extrapolation factor for weighting the sample therefore became significantly smaller. The resulting "losses" affected particularly young titles such as 20 Minuten.
However, another effect is more encouraging: school education has improved once again. In terms of living arrangements, single-person households have continued to increase.
All these changes mean that the data from the current Mach Basic are not comparable with those from previous years. In order to enable harmless comparisons at least with 2003, Wemf has also reweighted the 2003 figures according to the 2000 census for the trade press. These are used here.
Clarified significanceUntil now, it has been up to the recipients of Mach Basic to work out which deviations are statistically significant - which has always led to uncertainties. These have now been eliminated with Mach Basic 2004, as Wemf has now provided a list of the titles concerned. The chart "Tops and Flops" shows which titles are involved. It is striking that, with only one exception, all the significant changes are in German-speaking Switzerland.
Methodology of Mach BasicThe population of Mach Basic is the resident population of Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein aged 14 and over. The sample size (number of interviews conducted) is 23,637 in total. 17,008 of these are in German-speaking Switzerland, 5,571 in French-speaking Switzerland and 1058 in Ticino.
The computer-assisted telephone interviews were conducted by Demoscope (Adligenswil), Link (Lucerne and Lausanne) and M.I.S. Trend (Lausanne). The survey period ran from April 7, 2003 to March 28, 2004 - excluding Easter and Christmas. (dse)
Daniel Schifferle

Fast food His sex appeal comes from the Stone Age, the mirrored aviator glasses from Ray-Ban, the three-day beard from dull brown and the injury-prone slenderness from too many Camels.behind the mix of Lonesome Rider and Daddy Cool is Kevin. We see him before us: his tattooed arm hangs out of the side window of the discarded 70s Ford Mustang, while he swerves into the McDonald's drive-in, chewing toothpicks and high on T-Rex sound, and snaps into the intercom: "Hey Ronny sausage, a cheeseburger, with large fries and Coke, but there you go."You see, it's so easy for first, second and even third impressions to play a nasty trick on us: because, as the advertisers were pleased to discover at the casting, the poker-faced Kevin is in fact Lukas S. from Berlin's Grunewald. The biochemist with a doctorate - summa cum laude - enjoys driving his two children to restaurants in the family van and likes to listen to Beethoven's Ninth while jogging. "So hardly anyone will doubt his credibility," the consultant will have boasted. And us? We're loving it.
(la)

Publishers Following a competitive presentation, the Zurich media house Tamedia has entrusted the advertising agency Matter & Partner with the launch campaign for the Car4you newspaper.Tamedia is launching the advertising market for second-hand cars in October in collaboration with the online platform of the same name.

Media planning A web-based media planning tool has been added to the MA Comis internet usage study: the "Online Planner" was developed by Wemf in collaboration with the advertising agency Publimedia Webadvertising (PWA) and is available exclusively at www.webadvertising.ch. Based on weekly reach (NpW), 135 websites in German-speaking Switzerland can be included in the planning.

Specialist press Publications for the private sphere are booming, and there is less demand for faraway places. The boost that the business and daily press is lacking is taking place to an extraordinary extent in a completely different print category. Titles that focus on the private sphere, far removed from political or financial issues, are more popular than ever before. Taking care of yourself and staying fit, furnishing your home comfortably and cultivating your hobbies - these are the things that currently interest Mr. and Mrs. Swiss the most. At least that's one of the major trends that the current Mach Basic shows.
The list of top winners speaks for itself: half of the 18 titles with the highest growth are those that focus on the private sphere. AZ Fachverlage benefited particularly from this trend with its two titles Sport-Magazin and Fit for Life. The sports magazine launched at the beginning of 2000 is still going strong and has increased its readership by 68,000 (+19 percent). The new partner is probably not entirely innocent of the strong boost the magazine is experiencing. In January 2004, the sports magazine entered into a cooperation with the magazine specialist Ringier. Since then, the two publishers have published the magazine as equal partners. With Ringier on board, the current upswing is likely to continue.
However, the Aargau-based magazine Fit for Life, which has already been successful on the market for some time, also enjoyed a strong growth spurt. The magazine for active sports enthusiasts increased by 26,000 readers, which corresponds to growth of +16.7 percent.
Focus on the house and garden
Alongside sport and fitness, house and home are becoming increasingly important. This is equally evident in all three major Swiss-German home magazines: Space and living can be
audience by 25,000 to 28,000 readers (+9.8 percent). However, its competitor Ideales Heim, which is currently a good 100,000 readers behind, has also benefited from the increased focus on the
private environment: The magazine increased by 18,000 readers, which corresponds to growth of 11.5 percent. Schöner Wohnen, the Swiss-German market leader in the home furnishings sector, only just missed out on the consecration of significance with 17,000 additional readers.
The fact that the clocks in the specialty press sector in French-speaking Switzerland
The fact that people tick differently is particularly evident in the case of home magazines. In contrast to the run on such titles in German-speaking Switzerland, there was a lull in French-speaking Switzerland. The corresponding leading magazine Art&Décoration lost a (non-significant) 13,000 readers (-9.1 percent).
than in the previous year.
On the other hand, the marked upward trend of Schweizer Garten, which has increased its readership by 35,000 or a good fifth in the space of a year, is evidence of the growing importance of private space in German-speaking Switzerland.
Enjoyment has a high priority
It goes without saying that this also includes the physical well-being. At least that's how the strong growth of Le Menu reads. The dairy association's magazine has seen an increase of 28,000 readers (+17%). Its competitor Saison-Küche is only slightly less successful, but with a (non-significant) increase of 26,000 readers (+5.3 percent), it is also experiencing a comfortable upswing.
The Ticino edition Cucina di stagione was even more successful with 9,000 additional readers (+32.1 percent) in view of the much smaller market. On the other hand, a little more impetus
expected from the AZ Media Group's still young cooking
17,000 new readers (+6.1 percent), however, also showed a clear upward trend. The fact that the desire for enjoyment is increasingly focused on the immediate surroundings is also demonstrated by the current upward trend of the organ of the Swiss Alpine Club. Die Alpen increased its audience by almost a quarter with a gain of 26,000 readers.
And even those people who prefer to explore the country on wheels
showed an increased demand for the corresponding specialty magazines. Motorrad, for example, is on a roll with 17,000 additional readers (+13.6 percent). On the other hand, there seems to be less of a trend towards faraway and exotic destinations at the moment. Despite an extensive Switzerland section, Geo lost 59,000 readers (-6.5 percent), securing the magazine a place in the list of the 20 biggest losers. The same applies to Animan in French-speaking Switzerland, which lost 30,000 readers.
less (-13.7 percent). Tierwelt, on the other hand, which is more of an exotic marketplace than an animal magazine, increased significantly by 30,000
readers (+8.9 percent).
Health topics are still top
It is obvious that the growing importance of the immediate environment also includes an increased focus on health. This is also confirmed by the rising contact figures for most magazines in this area. Puls-Tipp, for example, recorded strong growth of 24,000 readers (+3.7 percent). With 68,000 net contacts, the magazine is now one of the top five paid titles in German-speaking Switzerland. It is followed only a short distance behind by GesundheitSprechstunde, which has now taken a break after climbing in previous years. It remains to be seen whether the recently announced relaunch will help to tap further potential in the limited reader market.
The senior press, on the other hand, has it easier, as its audience potential is growing rapidly due to an ageing society. As in previous years, when it enjoyed strong growth, the (non-significant) trend is continuing upwards.
The steepest growth was in French-speaking Switzerland, where Générations can count 11,000 new readers (+12.6 percent) among its community. However, Zeitlupe also saw above-average growth in German-speaking Switzerland, with an increase of 7,000 readers (+5.8 percent).
French-speaking Switzerland also performed better in the consumer press. Bon à Savoir, Hans Räz's successful title, increased its readership by 50,000 (+14.7 percent). The counterpart to K-Tipp in German-speaking Switzerland has thus climbed to second place among the best-selling titles in French-speaking Switzerland and is now just behind Le
Matin Dimanche.
The money guide Tout compte fait, which is only a year old but is already participating in Mach Basic, already has 68,000 readers. This means that the consumer press in French-speaking Switzerland can look forward to a total of almost 120000 additional contacts.
However, it is not possible to determine exactly how this category fared in German-speaking Switzerland. The reason for this is the absence of Saldo from the readership study. It therefore remains unclear whether the slight downward trend in K-Tipp was compensated for by its advertising-free sister magazine or not.
Publications dedicated to the topic of food are experiencing a strong upswing.
Daniel Schifferle

Urs Binggeli, the new Managing Director of Wirz Corporate, sees great potential in reputation management.
Even as a young preschooler, Urs Binggeli could identify the brand of a motorcycle or car by the sound of its engine. At the time, he didn't know that the instant recognition of a brand had anything to do with branding, but branding has since become a lot more complicated. After studying in St. Gallen, Berkeley and Oxford and gaining professional experience at Interbrand Zintzmeyer & Lux, for example, the Managing Director of Wirz Corporate now knows exactly what it means to design a top address in the Swiss communications industry.
Wirz Corporate emerged from the former Wirz Identity, Wirz
Public Relations and Frontpage. The company has a competent manager for each area. Elmar Mühleder is responsible for Brand Identity, Judith Giger for Public Relations. Hans Klaus, former advisor to Federal Councillor Ruth Metzler, is now responsible for the Reputation Management unit. "The units are basically the same as before
but now integrated. Everything in one company makes things much easier," explains Urs Binggeli.
A total of 26 people are permanently employed at Wirz Corporate, most of them in branding and classic PR. The fact that the company has been housed in the same building as Wirz Advertising since the move has also helped. "Traditional advertising and PR will increasingly work hand in hand," Binggeli is convinced. An important client for Wirz Corporate is Migros. "Classic branding, combined with a lot of internal and external communication and process support." Other multifaceted clients include the Association of the Importing Pharmaceutical Industry VIPS and the Swiss Insurance Association SIA. Urs Binggeli sees a lot of fun and creative scope in the Sihlcity project. Here, a district is to be developed as a brand, which Binggeli has already successfully realized for Limmat West.
All magazine publishers are currently feeling the effects of the cost-cutting measures. However, Wirz continues to produce "Welt der Katze", "mittendrin" for the SWX Group and "sunrise contact" despite losing its overall budget.
Binggeli sees a lot of potential in the new Reputation unit
Management. "After the end of the bubble, many companies have suffered reputational problems. Trust in management has fallen massively in the last five years." In order to expand this unit, Binggeli wants to find a location in Bern and from there
from Hans Klaus to engage in political communication.
Binggeli gained valuable experience after graduating from St. Gallen, where he first worked as a marketing specialist at Switzerland Tourism. He advised Deutsche Telekom in Zurich and Cologne and was later able to use this experience at Wirz for the privatization of Swisscom. Regular "changes of perspective" were also important to Binggeli. Among other things, these brought him to Addison in San Francisco for six months.
He mentions "organizational development" as a rather rare hobby. He is a member of an Intervision group. To compensate, he is an enthusiastic touring skier. And with his flair for engine noise, he has started to race motorcycles and completed road races for a one-make cup. However, the new Managing Director does not come to work on a motorcycle. "That's too dangerous for me, I'd rather ride on racetracks." Like Laguna Seca two years ago, for example.
Urs Binggeli sees corporate communications as a holistic discipline with a future.
Andreas Panzeri

The organizers of the national Radioday chose a beautiful day for their event last week, but it was a pity that it was not an outdoor event but was held in the Zurich Kongresshaus. Nevertheless, the public interest was enormous, the program was packed, and the event was a success. The workshops in particular are becoming increasingly popular. A central topic, especially during the gossip discussions at lunch and aperitif time, was PubliGroupe's expected entry into the radio business sooner or later. It's a topic that's ripe for speculation and gossip, as there are several candidates that could open the door for the almighty P to enter the radio marketing landscape. We'll see, probably sooner than some people would like, and the following day, Jean Frey's publication TR7 had something completely new to report. Now that Roman Kilchsperger is known to have half of Zurich voluntarily roused from their sleep every morning on Energy Zurich, he should definitely conquer the TV screens as well. Kilchsperger was the first person to win the TR7 TV Star Award for his Music Star presentation and other appearances - his biting off-camera comments at last year's Grand Prix Eurovision, for example. The award in the Regional category also goes to someone to whom all of Zurich has become accustomed.
The TeleZüri news presenter team won the gold star here. Anna Maier, who is well known in the advertising industry as a competent presenter of the Media Trend Journal's Media Awards, also took part (despite her move to Sat 1 Switzerland in the meantime). And, this much can already be revealed, she will also host the next Advertising Week Advertiser of the Year event.
Former Managing Director Sandro Rüegger made his irrevocable last appearance for the time being, at least on the TR7 stage. Although he had already switched to Tamedia magazines at the beginning of the month, he really enjoyed playing host to stars, starlets and advertisers alongside editor-in-chief René Hildbrand.
High time also in Rüebliland at Headline, the advertising club of the canton of Aargau, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. In wonderfully summery temperatures, the members and guests of honor were able to get into the perfect mood for the evening in the secluded courtyard of the newly renovated Liebegg castle near Gränichen. The event was also attended by high-ranking guests: with SW President Carlo Schmid, Managing Director Monika Luck and Head of Communications Piero Schäfer, the umbrella organization of Swiss advertising delegated its three most senior representatives to the event.
Actor and satirist Andreas Thiel provided the laughs as he covered everything from advertising and the communication skills of our society to the latest political issues in his usual Dadaist style. Even SW President Schmid could not hold back. In his mischievous Appenzell style, he pointed out in his speech that the former Olten Advertising Club was actually only registered in 1955. Roland Bieri, the project manager for the anniversary event, was able to speak with a smile.
of a resolution to found the association. Dated November 4, 1954 - quod erat demonstrandum. The anniversary-obligatory review of the club's history, accompanied of course by corresponding contemporary images, provided just as much amusement as this not entirely serious dispute.
There were also celebrations at the Rhine knee. To mark the launch of their new bundle concept, those responsible at Basler Zeitung invited the representatives of the "Daig" and a few out-of-towners to the big launch event in the Festsaal at Messe Basel. Temperatures there were closer to boiling than freezing. This provided Chairman of the Board Matthias Hagemann with an ideal introduction to his speech, as he was able to point out to the guests that he would be taking off his jacket afterwards and asked them to do the same. After all, it was a christening, and as we all know, this is a celebration between family members and friends. Family members included relatives from PubliGroupe, such as Otto Meier and Daniel Strobel. A relic from the time of the merger of National-Zeitung and BaZ, PubliGroupe holds a 37 percent stake in the christening candidate.
Finally, editor-in-chief Ivo Bachmann switched from family-oriented to obstetric vocabulary in his speech. After all, the child had to be born before it could be baptized. There was talk of many spiritual fathers and mothers, and that the final editorial team and the print shop should now be slowly going into labor.
Heinz Margot masterfully moderated the transitions between speeches, show blocks and food courses and, in his charming manner, allowed himself the occasional side-swipe, for example when he introduced Pepe Lienhard as a promising up-and-coming Swiss artist. The food, on the other hand, was superb, apart from the fried salmon slice, which the chef had actually finished off in the frying pan for the second time. But, but Maître - the Saumon was already dead, the fisherman does this work for you. However, we were reconciled with the next course, a butter-tender lummeli (Baseldiitsch for beef fillet) with heavenly pommes blanchettes.
Beat Fritsch from the perspective of caricaturist Matto, who drew the guests' likenesses with a confident stroke at the BaZ relaunch party. The trip to Basel marked the end of an event week that had it all. With the Radioday in Zurich's Kongresshaus, the presentation of the TR7 TV Star Award in the TV studio and the 50th anniversary of the
Advertising Club Aargau at Liebegg Castle, there were several other points of contact in the communications industry's event program.
Lots of technology on Radioday - "Hackertool" for radio freaks.
One more sculpture in the Swiss trophy forest: the TV star from TR7.
Not a bit tired after 25 years on stage - bandleader Pepe Lienhard.
The two Mr. Radio par excellence: Günter Heuberger (right), President, and Martin Muerner, Vice President of the Swiss Private Radio Association.
Visitors from outside Zurich: Sabrina Pavone Francet (l.), Radio Basel 1, and Tanja Schmidt from BaZ, with Reto Kammermann, Touring.

They had a lot to talk about: Radio and TV window marketing pioneer Klaus Kappeler (left) with media expert Ueli Custer.

Relaxed lunchtime discussions: Alfred Hostettler from Bakom, René Grossenbacher and Radio Tropic inventor Frédéric Dru (from left).

Doing a lot for the medium of radio: Mark Soldini (l.) and Mister Radio Commercial Frank Bienenfeld (r.) from Soldini Bienenfeld and Mike Gut.

Were represented with an outlet in the Radioday exhibition area: Vanessa Meister (l.), Holger Walther and Stefanie Rieder-Cilia from Publica Data.

There was heated discussion during the coffee breaks: Peter Scheurer (left) from Radio 32 and Michel Colin, Mediatic Conseils.

Radio talks: ASW Managing Director Peter Grob (left), Stephanie Hugentobler and Christoph Fuchs (right) from Script and Fritz Märki.

Stirring the drum for his new company A-tension: Mehmet Inan (right) with Oskar Schneider from Target Music.

From the radio scene in French-speaking Switzerland: Bertrand Jaquet, Pascal Morand and Jean-François Henry from Radio Chablais RCR Publicité (from left).

Encountered over lunch: Hansjörg Keller, ERFE, Karl Ehrler, Radio Fribourg and folklore expert Martin Sebastian (from left).

Sergio Catellani from CAT-Media feels visibly at home with Eveline Fischer (l.) and Jasmin Lehner from Radio Zürisee.

But Martin Schneider, Roland Ehrler and Sandro Prezzi (from left) were adamant that the beer bottles had to be in the picture.

Unlike in the past, these two are no longer at loggerheads: Christian Stärkle (l.), Allmedia-Consulting, and Andreas Meili, Tamedia.

Making new friends at Radioday: Manuel A. Marchev, Trimedia, with Annina Flückiger and Nicole Blum (r.), Lowe.

Successful staging of the 1st TV Star Award: Sandro Rüegger (left) and René Hildbrand (right) with beaming winner Roman Kilchsperger.

Delighted with their success: TeleZüri winning team: Anna Maier, Ivana Imoli, Hugo Bigi and Christine Schnyder (from left).

Came to Leutschenbach as a laudator from TeleZüri: Roger Schawinski (left) with Gabriela Sontheim and VSP President Hanspeter Lebrument.

Table neighbors in Studio 5: Publicis CEO Kaspar Loeb (l.) with Cornelia Kristoffy and Peter Hofstetter, Mediaxis.

Gray eminences: TR7 board members Hans-Peter Klauser (left) and Otto Meier (right) with Jean-Frey board member Peter Kleiner (2nd from left) and Urs Beer.

Erich Baumgartner (right), Managing Director Lowe, had a good smoky outlook next to Annette and Patrick J. Martin from Patoro Cigars.

Viva Switzerland Managing Director Asta Baumöller (left) and Head of Marketing Michèle Széchényi also donned the gala uniform.

Andreas Gedenk, Daniela Bemberg and Claudia Rheinboldt (left), who is now working at Burson-Marsteller after an excursion into banking.

Andy Hostettler (l.) from JWT+H+F talked to René Piesker, Sponsoring Project Manager at UBS, during the drinks reception.

SW President Carlo Schmid offered his congratulations, but also criticized the fact that Headline is not quite 50 years old yet.

Attentive listeners: Sylvia Turke (left) from Schober, Christine Lörtscher, Hakle-Kimberly and anniversary project manager Roland Bieri.

Roland Brogle, the cantonal councillor of the canton of Aargau, also conveyed his best wishes.

The board of the Headline advertising club with its most important guests in the courtyard of the renovated Liebegg castle.

Edy Wiprächtiger, Perry Center, in conversation with Headline Vice President Jean-Claude Bruhin and Fred Struchen, Publicitas Aarau (from left).

And last but not least, there was of course an oversized anniversary cake - well then, enjoy your meal! Welcoming all the guests personally with a handshake: Chairman of the Board Matthias Hagemann and Board member Ruth Ludwig-Hagemann.

Advertisers Anne Hofmann and Hans Tanner with Monika and Daniel Sommer (from left) from the Basler Zeitung in the foyer of the festival restaurant.

By far the most glamorous: Hassania and Jan Tanner from the Basel agency Tanner Communications.

Basel advertisers from the city and countryside: Edgar Muriset (r.) and Yasin Alemdar (l.), Ist-Werbeteam, and Stefan Kaister, Kaister & Partner.

Christian Jost (l.) and Flavian Kurth from the Basel agency Bluegummy with Anita Friedlin from the Basel Chamber of Commerce.

Basel veterans at the BaZ christening: advertiser René Sidler with SWA Director Jürg Siegrist and Peter Frey from cR Basel (from left).

PubliGroupe In Switzerland, sales fell again, but the company as a whole is doing better again Although PubliGroupe can report a slightly positive sales trend for the first half of 2004 for the first time in three years and an even more pleasing increase in the operating result, even within PubliGroupe the figures give rise only to cautious optimism. CEO Hanspeter Rohner said at the press conference on 30 August that there were various signs that the economy was "stabilizing". However, he emphasized: "The future of advertising expenditure remains unpredictable. Commercial advertising in particular seems to serve as a manipulation tool for companies: People are booking at shorter notice, and postponing or suspending at just as short notice. "PubliPress with less turnover
At CHF 986.4 million, sales were only CHF 2.7 million better than in the first half of 2003, and the 62 percent improvement in the operating result to CHF 36 million was achieved primarily through further savings, not least in personnel. In any case, the PubliPresse division, which includes the advertising business in Switzerland and is PubliGroupe's mainstay, recorded a further decline in sales, albeit of only 2 percent. In contrast, the international network Publicitas Promotion Network (PPN) achieved an increase in sales of 8 percent, although developments in the various markets varied considerably: in Europe, sales were up 11 percent, in Asia 17 percent, while business in North and South America was negative at minus 5 percent. One reason for the downward trend in America: In the USA, PPN lost two major marketing contracts - the US representation of the Financial Times and two customer magazines from American Express Corp. "With new management, we are now in the process of implementing a strategy in the USA that focuses more strongly on the daily newspaper market," said Rohner. The USA will remain negative in 2004, but things should start to pick up again in 2005.
Aftermath for Yellow Pages
The PubliDirect division (Yellow Pages) also developed positively with a 6 percent increase in sales, although the recession is expected to have a noticeable impact in this area even if the economy picks up. However, the 30 percent stake acquired in The Guide Company in Zurich in July will enable the qualitative expansion of the Yellow Pages, it said.
When asked whether PubliGroupe now sees growth potential primarily in the electronic media, Rohner said that the press will grow more strongly again in the short term, as he estimates that it will regain 60 to 70 percent of the CHF 800 million in advertising volume lost in the last three years. "But we will not reach the peak of 2000," Rohner clarified. After that, radio and TV would be the main growth drivers. With Cinecom, PubliGroupe has therefore taken a first step into the TV and cinema market, but the decision to enter the radio market is still pending. "However, radio is an issue both in Switzerland and abroad," he said.
No all-clear yet, but cautious optimism: Hanspeter Rohner, CEO PubliGroupe.

The figures are deceptive: Savings were the main contributor to the operating result.
Silver lining: Advertising expenditure is rising slightly in the daily press.
Markus Knöpfli