Outdoor advertising After two years of declining sales, Affichage Holding recorded growth again in the first half of 2004.The parent company of Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft (APG) increased sales revenue byTP3T 5.11 to CHF 149.4 million. Sales in Switzerland grew by 4.1% to 134.2 million, and those in Central Europe by 15.4% to 15.1 million Swiss francs. Expenses also increased by 4.5%. At 13.4 million, operating profit was 11% higher than in the same period of the previous year, while net profit increased by 3.3% to 9 million Swiss francs.

Martin Muerner, Head of Radiopower.ch, on the advantages of radio as an advertising medium, black sheep in its own ranks and the unequal length of the stakes between SRG stations and private stations.
WW Radiopower wants to promote radio advertising. What are the USPs of radio as a medium? Martin Muerner Radio advertising can be realized very quickly. You can book today and the spot runs the same day or the next day at the latest. Radio advertising is efficient and very favorable in terms of CPM. The net reach of private radio stations in German-speaking Switzerland is around 2.3 million listeners. Furthermore, emotions can be conveyed better than via advertisements, for example. We therefore believe that the medium will gain in importance in the media mix. The fact that PubliGroupe is now also interested in this medium reinforces our opinion. But it is clear that radio is too weakly positioned in Switzerland compared to other countries.
What can the radios themselves do even better?
Under the existing framework conditions, the private radio story is a success story. But certain framework conditions are bad, for example in terms of frequency distribution: SRG has around 90 percent of the frequencies and the best ones at that. In the Bernese Oberland, for example, SRG broadcasts with 5000 watts from 2000 meters, while Radio BeO has to make do with 100 watts from 1000 meters. Due to a lack of frequencies, private radio stations are also unable to offer a second program.
Nevertheless, what can be improved?
The public service could be expanded regionally. We then hope for improvements in technical distribution via RTVG. Marketing can also be improved. This has not always been optimal over the past 20 years, which also has to do with personalities who are no longer on the market today.
Reinhold Weber wrote in Werbewoche that radio stations were broadcasting moronic word contributions and cloned music. Advertising is not interesting in such an environment.
I have to strongly disagree with that. Our content is certainly no worse than that of other media. It would also be presumptuous to accuse 2.3 million listeners of debility. Nor is it true that all stations sound the same. Especially in the regional public service, the stations differ enormously. The same applies to the choice of music: If our audience wants certain tracks, we play them. Anything else would be stupid. For these reasons, I can in no way understand Weber's aversion to radio as an advertising medium.
The Radiopower homepage and campaign launch today. What happens next?
For example, we also want to promote spot quality by launching a radio spot award. Although the "Golden Ear" award already exists, it doesn't seem to be taking place this year. Nobody knows exactly what's going on. What is certain, however, is that private radio stations are no longer taking part in the previous "Golden Ear".
For years, garden-variety thinking and envy prevailed in the radio scene. Does Radiopower indicate a change of attitude?
Something has certainly changed. We have succeeded in uniting all radios in one association. Radios did leave at the beginning of the year, but this was solely due to political differences over two RTVA articles. We are largely in agreement on the other issues. That is why we spun off our internal association marketing group called Taskforce and renamed it Radiopower. This allows us to reintegrate not only the radios that have left the commercial sector, but also the agents and recording studios. Radiopower is also a kind of bracket that will hold us together even if the pool constellations change.
Time and again, we hear that private radio stations offer customers lower prices if they book directly instead of through intermediaries. Such actions turn generic marketing into cosmetics.
There are black sheep everywhere. But I would say that they make up no more than one percent in our company. Paying fair rates is our top priority. The radio industry is not a bazaar. What's more, we have already addressed such issues in the task force and will continue to do so at Radiopower. For example, if a customer wants higher discounts, freespace or additional competition from radio stations or agents, we discuss this together. We usually refuse. We want to stick to our tariffs, otherwise they make little sense.
It is also said that IP Multimedia (IPM) often lures its TV customers with radio freespace (see box below). Isn't that also damaging the industry?
I can't say anything about that, you'll have to ask the IPM directly. I've heard rumors like that, but I've never seen any figures to back them up. And I don't respond to rumors anyway.
IPM counters the often-heard accusation that IP Multimedia (IPM) is luring its TV customers with free space for radio advertising as follows: "We have no interest in diverting advertising budgets from radio to TV. Nor vice versa. That would make no sense for our Electronic Division, through which we market both genres." The accusation is being spread by agency competitors, but is based on weak foundations. "They had a monopoly in the radio market for over 25 years, now they've become comfortable. What was true 20 years ago no longer has to be true today." (mk)
Interview: Markus Knöpfli

Market research Coop, Globus and Helvetia Patria placed the most popular ads in the Swiss media in the second quarter of this year.Best of NorthwestAffinity of ads among supporters in "Yuppieland"
Gold (173)
Spanish Tourist Board Spain shapes you (Media Planning Group Madrid/Zurich)
Silver (168) Swisscom Mobile 168 hours per week (Jung von Matt/Limmat)
Bronze (156) Balance sheet Mission impossible (Publicis)
In collaboration with the market research institute Demoscope, Publimedia presents readers of Werbewoche with an extract of the results from the Advertising Index (AX-Print) five times a year. This index (see below) is a module of the Market Radar and measures the popularity of advertisements. The boxes on the left and right show the ads that were most popular with the relevant psychographic target group. The three subjects that performed best among the entire sample, i.e. all four target groups, are shown under the title "Top Three".

(ww)

Cinema The French-speaking Swiss Roland Ray can now cover two-thirds of cinemas with his three magazines.For two months, the Geneva-based Quorum Communication has owned the French-speaking Swiss film magazine Live, which, with 117700 copies, is available exclusively in the cinemas of the Europlex chain. Quorum Chairman Roland Ray took over the free magazine from the Lausanne publisher Télimage and integrated it into the Quorum subsidiary Promoéditions. Through the Quorum subsidiary Promoguide, Ray has been publishing the similar titles Avant Première (AP, 86150 copies) and Film soon (FD, 108300 copies) for years. Because AP is available in all non-Europlex cinemas in French-speaking Switzerland, Ray can now cover all cinemas in French-speaking Switzerland. In German-speaking Switzerland, Ray serves only a third of the cinemas with FD; Teleclub's rival title Close-up (160000 copies) is available in the remaining cinemas. At that time, Télimage commissioned Promoéditions to produce Live. At that time, Ray appointed Jean-Pierre Grey, the product manager of FD and AP, as publishing manager.
He will continue to run Live as a stand-alone title, Grey said. And, "There are no plans to merge with AP as long as the market can bear two titles." Live is currently marketed by the Lausanne agency General Media, while a Quorum-owned sales crew campaigns for AP and FD. The sale of Teleclub's Close-up, on the other hand, is handled by Cinecom.The latter now adds spice to the matter: Ray is also chairman of the board of the Lausanne advertising agency Mediapresse, which markets the cinemas in western Switzerland for Cinecom and thus for PubliGroupe (WW 27/04). In other words: In the cinema advertising market, Ray is at the beck and call of P, and in the cinema magazine sector, he is its strongest competitor. In addition, shortly before joining P, he quickly snatched Live away from his new client, who was probably also interested in it as a counterpart to Close-up.
Markus Knöpfli

Gesundheit Sprechstunde on a new path: The Ringier magazine is changing its concept for 2005 and moving closer to the TV program. The change in the concept of the magazine Gesundheit Sprechstunde (GES) has nothing to do with the May furor surrounding the magazine and the TV show of the same name; it was already planned beforehand. According to publishing director Martin Tamas, the accusations also resulted in hardly any subscriptions being canceled. "In any case, we are satisfied with the new readership figures," he says. No corrections have been made to the target audience. The focus is still on women aged 40 and over who are interested in health and prevention. "They are still the health managers of the family," explains Tamas. The readership of the fortnightly magazine and the viewers of the TV show are almost identical, as Tamas knows from market research. "The TV show's audience tends to be slightly older. That's probably due to the medium of TV," he says.
Focus on medicine
The concept change is intended to achieve two goals: Firstly, Ringier wants to align the magazine more closely with the needs of readers - and they want a print supplement to TV and thus a stronger focus on medicine and prevention as well as more tips and service. This is the result of reader surveys. Generous graphics and images, info boxes and concrete, directly applicable tips characterize the new magazine.
GES also wants to position itself more clearly in the advertising market and increasingly approach potential customers in the pharmaceutical and OTC sectors. These are to be lured out of the reserve with new offers (see interview). Ringier is pleased that the GES magazine and program are to grow together. This is because the two editorial teams are also moving closer together, which will enable synergies in all processes, particularly in the recruitment of patients and experts, the procurement of image material and research. Duplication will be avoided and costs will be reduced even without reducing staff.
Sooner or later, such a health competence center ("Health Unit") could also become active for other Ringier media (Schweizer Illustrierte, Blick).
At the same time - and this is where the May turmoil is now having consequences - content and commerce are being separated more clearly in terms of personnel and organization in the GES media network. The new unit will be managed by Ringier-TV. It will be overseen by Hans-Jürg Deutsch, who was already responsible for the GES program. Regula Käch is now responsible for the content of the entire health platform as editor-in-chief. Publishing director Martin Tamas, previously responsible for magazines, will head the commercial part of the "Health Unit".
Supervisory procedure still ongoingOn May 27, 2004, the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom)
initiated supervisory proceedings against the TV program Gesundheit Sprechstunde.
Following the accusations made by Beobachter and 10 vor 10, an investigation is now underway to determine whether Ringier TV actually violated the sponsorship guidelines. "We will be able to present a result in October at the earliest, nothing has been decided yet," says Susanne Marxer from the Bakom supervisory service. For the time being, Ringier-TV has been granted a legal hearing and has been provided with extensive material, including video tapes and contracts. (mk)
"There must be more in it "Martin Tamas, Publishing Director at Gesundheit Sprechstunde, on the new concept, the hoped-for increase in revenue and the separation of money and spirit.
WW At Gesundheit Sprechstunde (GES) two years ago there was a
Relaunch - why again?
Martin Tamas In the last two years, GES has increased its readership and circulation, but we are still not satisfied with its performance. We have now come to the conclusion that the magazine should merge more closely with the TV program and focus on medicine, health and service.
Classic beauty, i.e. decorative cosmetics or perfume fragrances, will certainly be less common in the future. Beauty or wellness must now have a connection with health or prevention.
GES is not yet where you want it to be. Are you annoyed that the pulse tip is ahead?
No, I was referring to the advertising market. We were experiencing stagnation in the core magazine because the market in the traditional pharmaceutical and OTC sector was no longer viable with our current positioning. That's why we created
We are also creating additional containers with special issues. But there should actually be more in the health trend market.
According to VSW statistics, GES is back at the level of 2000 after a year in the doldrums.
This is true, but the growth came exclusively from the tourism sector - thanks to our specials on topics such as wellness and hiking.
GES is now restricting its thematic focus and thus reducing the number of potential advertisers. Are you still hoping for additional revenue?
We see previously unrealized potential through our new, clear positioning in the OTC and pharmaceutical sector - we are also hoping for an increase through additional forms of advertising. In addition to traditional advertisements, we offer six- to eight-page commissioned productions that appear as publicity reports. Furthermore, topic or product-specific booklets and special brochures can be commissioned and booked with us. Companies can also support the new anatomy poster in the middle of the magazine.
After the accusations in May, content and commerce need to be separated. How are you tackling this?
By separating editorial and sales staff. To
All forms of advertising and customer presentations are clearly labeled as such.
Will Dr. Stutz continue to acquire sponsors? As a consultant, he will be available to support both the content and commercial areas. But acquiring sponsors will be one of the main tasks of me, my team and the TV marketing department.
So far, sponsorship contracts have passed through Hans-Jürg Deutsch's hands.
In future, we will sign them together.
Interview: Markus Knöpfli
Health consultation hours in a new look.

Markus Knöpfli

Radios The Zurich-based communications agency Flowcube is to take over PR and public relations work for Tivoli Audio with the aim of raising the profile of the successful designer radio brand in Switzerland. Tivoli Audio, based in Boston, USA, launched its minimalist "Model One" table radio in 2002. This June saw the launch of its latest product, the iPAL, which is designed to complement Apple's iPod and combines the typical Tivoli design.

Branding The Eastern Swiss agency Eugster Kommunikation has won two new clients.branding The Eastern Swiss agency Eugster Kommunikation has won two new clients. The Hangl family business in Samnaun
covers a wide range of services: from the hotel to several
gastronomic establishments, sports and fashion stores, boutiques, a ski school and various duty-free offers including a petrol station. Eugster has the
The company was commissioned to bundle these services under one brand in future. For Locher & Co. AG in Altstätten, the agency is responsible for setting up
of the family brand for lubricants "Viscotex". First, dialog-oriented
B2B measures should already be on display this fall.

Guest commentary In the run-up to Radio Day, Reini Weber complains that cloned music and moronic word contributions are degrading the radio to a waste medium.today I'm making friends again, but it's pure self-defense: we only listen to Internet radio at our agency. And it gets worse. Wolfram, our famous lyricist and electric guitar player, has recently reprogrammed his car radio from "DRS Einerlei" (DRS 3) to DRS 2 "to listen to Brahms instead of junk". And in the office he hums along to "Radiostorm Classic Rock". Thanks to ADSL.
Urs Leierer next door has only liked sound that is "blue" and has "balls" and comes from a silver disk for years anyway. And so, piled up next to me on the windowsill (they are allowed to take notes): Walter Trout (live), Eric Sardinas, Scott Henderson, Curtis Mayfield (live), Free (live), Buddy Guy, Joe Satriani, Donny Hathaway (live), Aretha Franklin (live), AC/DC (live), Eagles (live), Aerosmith (live), Maceo Parker, Jeff Beck, Ben Harper, David Bowie, Till Brönner, James Brown (live), India.Arie, the Beatles' white album, Stevie Ray Vaughan (live), Zucchero, Dan-
ny Gatton, Nina Hagen, Billy Bob Thornton and half a meter of new releases that Blue Balls Music receives.
What happened to us? To be frank: We have probably
listened to a lot of radio. As a reminder: these are those cloned bores who, between word contributions ("Scandal! Basel tram drivers are delivered T-shirts that are too small!") or phone-ins ("And what are you doing about the summer heat?" - "I'm still in the pool on Friday!" - "Genial, schpiiiiiizemässig!") no longer broadcast a music program. Instead, they broadcast unfiltered PR from the music industry. These are the stations with
computers instead of music editors, which is why all
the same MAFO beat into the ether: Girlie chirping, swaying rock and Britpop swagger. Lots of hits. But not a single song.
And in such an environment, we are told, we should please advertise. Would you advertise in the NZZ if the environment no longer consisted of journalism, but to a certain extent also of advertising? If the editor-in-chief was called Stöhlker instead of Bütler? If the NZZ's readership had degenerated into a mainstream movement?
A thousand years before the invention of MP3, I once learned that "the medium is also the message". And that you make more profit with profile, which in turn can be used to create more profile. The rules are obviously different for radio stations and the record industry. And so they screw each other into the swamp of arbitrariness, nonsense and double-digit profit margins - after the zero and the decimal point, of course.
Despite everything. Turn on the radio occasionally. Skip through the commercial breaks. Unfortunately, you will easily recognize them: The advertising has already been infected. Mega fair, right? Scho.
> Reinhold Weber was a radio advertising pioneer in the 1980s and is now the owner of (advertising) Büro Reinhold.

Christian Toberer successfully conveys useful content with his agency Weissgrund.
He used to be an international orienteer. You can only win if you have a lot of experience and the courage to keep looking for new paths in any terrain. Now the former orienteering runner Christian Toberer has also ventured into a new area professionally: he is also positioning his agency in corporate communications. 29 years ago, Gaudenz Tscharner, who was known as a left-wing green, founded the TSR campaign office. Toberer has been on the board of directors there for 15 years. Ten years ago, he took over the agency and now manages
It has enjoyed constant success ever since. "Small, fine and right in the middle of it all", the company on Zurich's Bellerivestrasse has been generating
years with half a dozen employees and a constant fee of around CHF 1.2 million per year.
One of the agency's most conspicuous pieces of work is the communication support for the congestion problems during the six-year construction phase of the Baregg tunnel. Until two years ago, Toberer and his team also played a decisive role in helping to transform Zurich's public transport company VBZ "from a means of transportation for old people to a modern lifestyle product".
develop. Other customers were or are Pro Helvetia, Bakom, the University of Zurich and ETH, the WWF, as well as Swisscom Mobile and IKEA.
One of the agency's specialties could be described as "communication on projects and topics". Toberer is interested in the thrust
PR and advertising do not. "Today, we need to engage with topics. Much more than inflated packaging."
Just under two years ago, the campaign office founded a subsidiary to primarily serve new clients with demanding corporate communication needs. Under the name Weissgrund, the aim was to "try out what happens for a year".
A lot has happened, as the entire agency has been called Weissgrund since this summer. Corporate developer Gaby Wyser was head of communications at national association level and at VBZ before joining Toberer as a partner. The most important thing for the corporate culture at Weissgrund, however, is that the agency "brings together a lot of life experience". Toberer is convinced that this has a positive effect on the content of the campaigns. The agency therefore deliberately enables working models that "are normally almost impossible to implement in advertising". For example, there are part-time positions at Weissgrund that are filled by fathers or mothers.
Toberer points to current prevention campaigns against addiction and sexual assault in sport as typical work for his agency. "These are sensitive topics where you can't just come up with any old advertising. You're dealing with victims and perpetrators and have to use more subtle arguments to get someone to seek help."
Toberer can use "a discontinued study program" as a reference for such topics.
I can offer a degree in psychology and journalism," he says. At Ascom, he spent over four years building up the advertising and communications department for a division. Before that, he wrote operating instructions for an agency and learned to "convey content that people can use", as he describes his work today.
Christian Toberer believes that today it is more important to deal with topics than to use pompous packaging.

Andreas Panzeri

12 percent The upswing begins not in the head, but in the cinema: after a significant drop in admissions last year, the Swiss cinema industry has recorded a significant increase in admissions.cinema The upswing begins not in the head, but in the cinema: after a significant drop in admissions last year, the Swiss cinema industry has recorded a significant increase in admissions. In the first half of 2004, admissions rose to 9 million - almost 12 percent more than in the previous six months. Revenues climbed from 113.5 million to 128.5 million francs. Of this, 69 percent is attributable to US productions, 20 percent to European productions and just 3.3 percent to Swiss productions.

Books Without publishers, books would probably be nothing more than a stack of paper between two covers. Only the publishing house with its editing department, marketing department and distribution channels turns the manuscript into a book.Leone Ming guides the publishing house Frank P. van Eck step by step from the idea to the book with the work "dein Buch". His creative idea has turned the textbook into an advertising medium in itself and shows all the stages that a manuscript has to go through before it can be sold.

Private television provider Cablecom has submitted a license application to OFCOM for its own TV channel. On 14 July, Cablecom GmbH submitted a license application for a regional language TV channel. In a circular letter on the hearing of the new application, OFCOM writes that the new license is to be used for a "regional language information channel". Cablecom's concept states that the cable network operator will no longer be able to broadcast only cablecom-relevant information on its existing information channel as before, but also more in-depth topics on society, tourism, weather, leisure and sport. The hot subordinate clause reads: "It should be possible to broadcast sponsored and advertising-supported content."
In other words: Cablecom no longer just wants to distribute the programs of others, but wants to actively enter the TV market itself. What worries the competition is, of course, the network operator's pole position in the race to win the favor of zappers.
Channel 3 or 30
Until now, the info channel was programmed at the far end of the program. Will the newly upgraded channel now be moved to the front? Which of the smaller private channels will it displace? Dominik Kaiser, President of the Board of Directors of Elevator TV, for example, is concerned. This company has a license application pending with Bakom for the provision of a regional youth television channel. Cablecom has so far - as in other cases involving private broadcasters - refused to allow distribution via its cable network, claiming that it has no space for the analogue distribution of further television channels.
Paul Grau is also less than happy about Cablecom's license application. His Star TV has benefited from significantly better viewer ratings since it took over TV 3's previous position at the top of the Zapp scale. Will it stay that way?
The Bakom hearing is no easy task for Walter Bosch. The busy entrepreneur and media man is also a member of the Board of Directors and shareholder of Star TV and a member of the Board of Directors of Cablecom. According to the RTVA, the license for a TV channel can only be awarded to
applicants domiciled in Switzerland. The shareholder of Cablecom GmbH is Cablecom Luxembourg with its registered office in Luxembourg.
This company in turn has CCom Holdings in Gibraltar as a shareholder, which in turn is a subsidiary of Cablecom Holdings AG. The new licensee is therefore "Swiss-controlled", as Cablecom claims in its application. According to another view, U.S. investors have the say at Cablecom.
First program preview
The viewer potential of the new channel is estimated at 1.1 million viewers.
francs. The planned new content includes, for example, tourism information with paid presentations of excursion destinations, hotels and "special offers". Concert information can be placed via a "partnership with event organizers". Most interestingly - because the content is completely open - the application states that the new broadcaster can enter into partnerships with program providers and thus also wants to offer "new TV formats".
The program is broken down into 70 percent information, of which 60 percent is own work and 10 percent culture. They are to be covered with 30 percent in-house contribution. For entertainment, 20 percent of the program is planned with 10 percent in-house contribution.
The comments in the hearing on Cablecom's TV license application must be returned to Bakom by September 3, 2004.
Swisscom goes TVUnder the motto "What TV can be", Swisscom subsidiary Bluewin is also entering the television business and - like Cablecom - is thus becoming a player in the digital "triple play" (telephone, Internet and TV via the same channel and provider). However, this is not as an additional program provider, but purely as a "TV content aggregator" and "video service provider". In a market trial lasting from September to December 2004, "Bluewin TV" is the first Internet provider worldwide to test the potential of "Internet Protocol Television Technology" (IPTV) developed by Microsoft.
In this first step, "Bluewin TV" will bring video on demand into the homes of 630 representatively selected subscribers via telephone cable in addition to the 4 SRG channels, 21 other free TV stations and 5 pay TV providers. In addition to an Electronic Program Guide (EPG), the set-top box required for this also offers the option of skipping commercial breaks using the "Live Pause" button. According to project manager Michael Zumsteg, this function was "met with curiosity rather than rejection" by the broadcasters. Conversely, IPTV opens up completely new ways for "the interactive, precise and correspondingly efficient TV advertising of the future". (oc)
Cablecom no longer just wants to distribute the programs of others, but wants to actively make TV itself.
Bluewin also wants to get involved in the TV business.
"Both remain distributors "Triple Play media consultant Andreas Hürlimann* on the motivations and options of Swisscom and Cablecom.
WW Mr. Hürlimann, is the neck-and-neck race in the TV business between Cablecom and Swisscom a pure
Infrastructure competition?
Andreas Hürlimann That is the case. The fact that the public may currently have a different impression is due to the fact that Switzerland, with its very high broadband penetration rate of over 20%, is an ideal test market for triple players offering telephony, Internet and TV from a single source. The lowest price level for broadband Internet connections in Europe also has a favorable effect. Even if Cablecom is planning steps towards its own program and Swisscom has acquired its first broadcast rights with The 13th Street, SciFi and National Geographic: Both companies will ultimately remain distributors.
The existing Swiss TV market players therefore do not need to fear any new competition.
Every infrastructure operator dreams of one day earning money with their own content and programs. The reality, however, is determined by the rights holders in Hollywood, Munich and elsewhere. And they want to keep the transmission of their premium content under control. The small Swiss market allows for two or three niche approaches at best, nothing more.
If not profitability, what is triple play about for Swisscom and Cablecom? Prestige or customer loyalty? Both may play a certain role. What is more important, however, is that Swisscom could only make gains in its home market through such business expansions. And Cablecom's entry into the relatively high-priced telephony market in this country is certainly linked to the growth expectations of investors.
What expectations can the advertising industry have of the new players and their products? For clients and their agencies, digital innovations such as time-shifted television and personal video recording are an extremely double-edged sword. The new technology not only makes it possible to fade out interruption and hinge advertising blocks, but also interactive forms of advertising and precise target group communication. In purely technical terms, consumers could use IPTV to select not only their programs but also their product interests. It remains to be seen whether the Swiss advertising industry will therefore support these new services or whether cannibalization fears will gain the upper hand.
What seems certain, however, is that the pending revision of the RTVA is already lagging miles behind this development.
Quite right. In my opinion, instead of this patchwork, we need firstly a sober infrastructure law - in the sense of an extension of the Telecommunications Act to all relevant areas - and secondly a general media law with a separate SRG annex. Anything else would ignore technological developments and the market. Interview: Oliver Classen
*Andreas Hürlimann is Partner and Global Head of Telecommunications, IT and Media at Arthur D. Little in Zurich.
Andreas Panzeri