From September, the celebrity magazine Schein will be available from newsagents at a price of 1.80 francs. The previous free distribution will be discontinued. According to publisher Sacha Ercolani, problems in supplying the distribution outlets led to this step. As a sales magazine, Schein is reducing its circulation from 50,000 to 15,000 copies. In terms of content, it will remain true to its previous concept.

Automobile Those were the days when women manned the stove, pulled rebellious children by the ears and welcomed their husbands with broad pepsodent smiles.those were the years when the world loved only one thing about Germany - the VW Beetle - and was conquered by the Martians. Everything was designed to be orientation-friendly and ran in an orderly fashion: Sputnik and UFOs at the top, the rest of the means of transportation in the middle and at the bottom. The bad guys were in the east, the good guys, i.e. us, in the west. People took cover under tables from nuclear attacks, and futurologists with horn-rimmed glasses predicted self-driving cars - the latter, as we now know for sure, remained a legend and the world went off the rails. Good thing there are advertisers who use "original" inventions to iron out the failings of science and recommend cars based on remote-controlled catamarans and space shuttles. The future is just around the corner - the créateurs de la publicité have opened it wide.
(la)

Internet research The importance of the Internet in the everyday lives of the Swiss is rapidly increasing, as can be seen impressively from the usage figures from Publica Data/NetView in the second quarter of this year. Of the top 20 domains, only three are experiencing a slight decline in usage, while all the others are growing, in some cases significantly. The domain ricardo.ch benefited the most, rising from 22nd to 15th place with an increase of over 23%. Sunrise.ch and the Swiss search engine search.ch made a name for themselves with growth of more than 10 percent. However, its big brother google.ch grew slightly faster in absolute terms. The public is also relying less and less on unwieldy telephone directories to look up telephone numbers: Swisscom's electronic directories (directories.ch) were clearly on the rise. Top 20 domains Domain UV* 1st Q. 04 (in 1000) UV 2nd Q. 04 (in 1000) +/- in %
1 google.ch 2093 2211 +5.6
2 bluewin.ch 1902 1947 +2.4
3 microsoft.com 1839 1810 -1.6
4 msn.ch 1588 1601 +0.8
5 msn.com 1526 1534 +0.5
6 (7) sbb.ch 983 1035 +5.3
7 (6) passport.com 985 1008 +2.3
8 search.ch 912 1009 +10.6
9 (11) sunrise.ch 877 976 +11.3
10 (9) windowsmedia.com 909 935 +2.9
11 (10) passport.net 885 883 -0.2
12 google.com 778 761 -2.2
13 yahoo.com 711 744 +4.6
14 ebay.ch 705 708 +0.4
15 (22) ricardo.ch 499 616 +23.4
16 directories.ch 549 594 +8.2
17 (15) ebay.de 577 580 +0.5
18 (17) yellownet.ch 534 577 +8.1
19 (20) swisscom.com 521 554 +6.3
20 (21) admin.ch 520 541 +4.0
*Unique visitors; figures in brackets: 1st quarter 2004
Source: Publica Data/ NetView
(dse)

Private TV U1 wants to remedy the communication deficit lamented by media agencies and is looking for a niche in the Swiss market with a sports offensive.TV City in Schlieren's Wagi-Areal is running on a low flame as far as U1 is concerned. A good five months after its launch, the former TV 3 premises are devoid of the hustle and bustle you would expect from a TV station, and numerous departures in recent weeks and months have not only caused the crew to shrink considerably. Among the renegades are the station's real TV experts: marketing and sales manager Sandra Tuttlies and editor-in-chief Beni Leoni. However, Managing Director Thomas Sadecky does not want these developments to be understood as "dissolution tendencies". "On the contrary, we are currently preparing a program offensive for the autumn." The two vacant management positions will soon be filled.
One of the main problems that U1 is struggling with is the surplus of German content. This is because a large part of the U1 program is made up of programs from the two partners TV.München and TV.Berlin. "We clearly need to become more Swiss," says Sadecky. An offensive in this direction is to follow in the fall. And with sports that are not or only insufficiently covered by the established broadcasters. U1 has already made a start this summer with the "Beach Volleyball Tour" and the broadcast of FC Luzern matches. Now the offer is to be expanded to include motor sports and ice hockey. Sadecky is also expecting a hit from the new reality format planned for late fall, but he doesn't want to reveal anything about it yet.
Media agencies without information
Media agencies, meanwhile, are complaining about a complete lack of communication from U1. "We don't get any information and certainly no audience figures," says Beat Krebs, TV planner at OMD Switzerland. At the launch, U1 had announced that from July it would offer a full service with audience data including integration into Publisuisse's Media Optimizer. This is to become reality "from September". "We have increasing figures, but we are not yet where we want to be," says Sadecky. Net reach is currently in the region of 200,000 viewers per day. In the first two weeks of March, they were still just under 124,000.
Kick-off with a zero number
U1 is planning an initial information offensive worthy of the name for the screen-up on September 7. A zero issue of the long-announced free program guide, for which U1 bought the Metropol boxes at the time, will be distributed there. "We are producing a 32-page magazine in tabloid format that will be distributed to our customers in a large print run," says Sadecky. Whether this will ever become the planned free program guide, however, is written in the stars. "A decision has not yet been made," says the station boss.
As far as communication with the audience is concerned, U1 continues to rely on word of mouth and presence at events, where the station is advertised with flyers. "Instead of investing in a large marketing budget, we prefer to invest in the program, just as we do now with the elaborate sports productions," says Sadecky.
Nevertheless, the fact that U1 is moving a little slower than announced also has its good points: the introductory prices and the "2 for 1" promotion continue to apply to spot advertising, even though these special offers were originally only scheduled to run until the end of July.
Three minds that have stayed with U1: Businessstalker Medard Meier, reporter Rachel Spirig and newsman Oliver Al Liebl.
Interactive formatsU1 is characterized by an easy-to-remember program grid with numerous repetitions. The basic recipe is short programs lasting 15 to 30 minutes, each starting on the hour or half hour. In addition to news, talk and, in the future, more sports programs, various interactive formats, in which viewers can join in via paid telephone numbers, are an important focus. Of the corresponding formats announced in advance ("Astrologos", "Heisse Draht", "A+O-Dating"), the "Game Disc Quizshow" has already failed due to the planned distribution of the necessary basic tool via the retail trade.
Too much GermanThe Swiss German channel U1 is part of a broadcasting conglomerate that also includes the agglo channels TV.München and TV.Berlin. The station not only exchanges staff with these stations, but also programs, which has led to a surplus of German content on U1 to date.
In Switzerland, the station has brought Intro-TV on board, whose team is now primarily used for sports productions. The Solothurn local broadcaster has been taking over U1's programming since June under a provisional license. The definitive decision by Bakom on U1's intended takeover of the majority shareholding in Intro-TV is expected in September. (dse)
Daniel Schifferle

Sweets As part of an agency evaluation, Halter Bonbons AG has entrusted the Schlieren-based agency Blue Spirit with the entire communications budget, including strategic positioning tasks as well as traditional advertising, trade marketing and sales promotion. The first short-term measures can already be seen this fall.

Television Saturday becomes a working day for TV judges. Roger Schawinski invented it. The competition is copying it. Roger Schawinski made headlines in May with Anke Engelke's Late Show. The Swiss Sat-1 boss had to take a beating in the media for disappointingly low viewing figures. The media missed Schawinski's real ratings coup. Just nine days before the first "Anke Late Night", he quietly revolutionized Saturday afternoon TV.market share more than doubled
The special thing about Schawinski's idea: no spectacular new formats, no expensive foreign cult series. On the contrary: since May 8, Sat 1 has been showing exactly the same talk and court shows on Saturdays as during the week. The obvious choice: anyone who can be lured in front of the television during the week in the afternoon should also find time for their familiar programs on Saturdays. A mix of bought-in programs had to make way for this: "Picket Fences", "ED" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine".
The new Saturday afternoon show on Sat 1 caught on immediately. According to the German TV portal Quotenmeter.de, the psycho-talk show "Zwei bei Kallwass" achieved a market share of 11.7% from 2 p.m. on May 8. "Richterin Barbara Salesch" and "Richter Alexander Hold" even achieved 20.8% and 19.7% respectively. In June, Schawinski followed suit and also extended "Britt - Der Talk um Eins" into the weekend.
The success proves to be lasting. According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Sat 1 had increased its market share on Saturday afternoons from 6.8% to 15.3% by mid-July. Competitor RTL finally had no choice but to simply copy Roger Schawinski's idea: Since July 18, RTL's court shows have also been flickering across the screen on Saturdays.
Ratings boost in Switzerland too
The program change has also helped Sat 1 to significantly higher Saturday ratings in Switzerland. Angelika Kallwass, Barbara Salesch and Alexander Hold also have a loyal fan base here in Switzerland, as an analysis of Telecontrol data shows. In the overall population, the average market share from 2 to 5 p.m. rose by over 280% to around 14%. Richter Hold attracts the most viewers: 77,400 people watch Sat 1 from 4 to 5 p.m. That is 314% more than before Schawinski's coup.
15 to 49-year-olds at a distance
There are two downsides. "Talk um Eins" with Britt Reinecke has not yet really found its place on Swiss Saturday afternoons. It saw a comparatively small increase in market share of 78%. In the advertising-relevant target group of 15- to 49-year-olds, the ratings even fell by 3.3%; the market share still rose by 21%.
This is also the second fly in the ointment: among 15 to 49-year-olds, the gains are significantly smaller than in the overall population. Before Schawinski's reform, the market share in this target group was higher than the overall share. Now it remains consistently lower.
This is most evident in the 4 to 5 p.m. hour. The science fiction series "Star Trek" was watched by an average of 18700 people, 14600 of whom were between 15 and 49. "Richter Alexander Hold" attracts 27,000 viewers in this age group. This means that only 35% of viewers of the court show belong to the advertising-relevant target group. Moreover, these are hardly fans of "Starship Enterprise".
There has been loud criticism in the relevant internet forums about the end of the series and the synchronization of weekdays and Saturdays. A good portion of the former Sat-1 audience is likely to turn to other television channels on Saturday afternoons. At least until Roger Schawinski's program idea catches on there too.
Sat 1 has gained a massive audience in Switzerland with its weekday programming on Saturdays. The court shows in particular made significant gains.
The success with the advertising-relevant target group of 15 to 49-year-olds is lower, but still remarkable. Only "Talk um Eins" is only marginally popular.
Stefano Monachesi

Sports equipment Months before the start of the season, Department Heads presents its latest board development in an international campaign The relationship between riders and their boards - monogamy has never been known in the scene before - is notorious for being extremely close despite everything. For outsiders, it is inexplicable how a wooden core, some synthetic resin, fiberglass and other materials can exert such an attraction and fascination. With the "Intelligence" board, Head provides a comprehensible explanation for both groups. Thanks to the new technology, in which special composite fibres generate electrical energy while riding, the board stabilizes itself and "actively adapts to the environment and riding style". "A nice USP, but also difficult to communicate," says CD Oliver Brunschwiler, whose agency Department has been looking after Head Snowboard internationally for four years.regaining trendiness
Brunschwiler's team realized that the only way to make the innovation rationally and emotionally comprehensible was to take a creative leap via analogy. The English headline places the benefit in a human context. Infographics and technoid staging, which appear credible for other product groups, would hardly have attracted the attention of the target group - on the contrary.
Two prototypical subjects are intended to represent situations in which people feel best understood as individuals. World-class snowboarders from the head team were booked as testimonials, who confide in their board at the psychologist and late at night at the bar. Brunschwiler is convinced that the campaign "makes a strong product statement on the one hand, while integrating important brand ambassadors into the product communication in a striking and independent way, thus building up the emotionality of the brand". Thanks to patient rights, the content of the therapy sessions remains a secret among board and athletes. We would like to take this opportunity to send our best wishes for a speedy recovery to the latter.
Ready for the couch: the relationship between Brett and Brettler as a theme.
Slump: Snowboard sales are falling.
Trend "no board" After years of constant growth, snowboard sales in Germany and Switzerland peaked in 2000, according to the IHA-GfK. While around 110000 snowboards were sold from Swiss stores to halfpipes back then, last year it was
a third less. The carving and freestyle boom grew to become the biggest adversary: skis that enable surf-like powdering almost like a snowboard and have pushed skis into the realm of extreme sports. According to Kurt Meister from the research institute, in addition to the new surfing feeling, the lack of innovation in snowboarding itself was also a decisive factor in the decline. The most important brands have long since adapted to this and are supplying
the right sports equipment for every taste and type of rider. (la)
Luca Aloisi

The titles that were left behind when Swisspool switched to Metropool are testing new partnerships From January 1, 2005, the new Metropool will link the Tages-Anzeiger with Berner Zeitung (BZ) and Basler Zeitung (BaZ). At the same time, the national advertising combination Swisspool will end, and the Neue Luzerner Zeitung (Neue LZ) and the St. Galler Tagblatt (SGT) will be virtually left behind. The new pool offers a circulation of 564,741 copies, almost 1.2 million readers and a combined discount of 13 percent. Negotiations are still underway regarding the addition of 24 Heures and Tribune de Genève in French-speaking Switzerland, and it is also unclear whether the Metropool will be supplemented in the magazine sector - if BaZ and BZ take over the Tages-Anzeiger magazine. For BZ publishing director Franziska von Weissenfluh, this matter is "not yet ready for decision", and Maili Wolf from Tages-Anzeiger is also cautious, but BaZ publisher Matthias Hagemann is talking about a contract being signed soon.
SGT and Neue LZ are not worried because of their own market position in their respective distribution areas. "We are open to new, intelligent combinations and talks are underway," says SGT Publishing Director Daniel Ehrat. Erwin Bachmann, CEO of Neue LZ, is also weighing up new options: A combination with SGT and Südostschweiz? Or with the NZZ, supplemented by Zurich local papers? "We shouldn't forget the Mittelland Zeitung either," he says.
Christoph Marty, Head of Advertising, is also sensing a breath of fresh air there, because the cheaper Metropool ties up less advertising money than the Swisspool. However, he doesn't see MLZ as a partner of a combination.
Rolf Bollmann from 20 Minuten also has a relaxed reaction. "The Metropool strategy is similar to ours, but although it only has 40 percent more readers than us, it is 100 percent more expensive",
he says.
Markus Knöpfli

Media policy The State Policy Committee (SPK) of the Council of States is against direct press subsidies, rejecting the media article approved by the National Council last fall on Tuesday by 7 votes to 4 with one abstention. According to committee president Jean Studer, it is in favor of continuing the current system with a reduction in postal taxes. However, it is calling for a bill for a more targeted use of these funds.

Advertising expenditure The long fall in the Publicitas Index appears to have been halted: after rising by 0.6 points to 94.2 points in June, it increased by a further 0.2 points in July. The index measures the development of advertising expenditure in the daily press. From mid-2001, it fell from its peak of 136.1 points and in May 2003 fell below 100 points for the first time since its launch in early 1994. According to the advertising agency Publicitas, the current increase is mainly due to positive developments in job advertisements and real estate.

Fundraising An eye-catcher in the truest sense of the word should help the Swiss Library for the Blind and Visually Impaired to raise substantial donations: the man with the fixated gaze is wearing CD-ROMs on his eyeball instead of pupils. In this way, the library and Catsky & Partner want to draw attention to the new technology of digital audio books. The library will use the donations to offer the playback devices needed to "read" the audio books at a reduced price. In addition to the appeal for donations, various measures will be taken to draw the attention of blind and visually impaired people to the new technology. Viktor Giacobbo even got involved and lent his voice to an audiobook mailing.

TV Swisscom CEO Jens Alder has given details of his TV plans to the SonntagsZeitung newspaper, saying that a trial with digital television channels via telephone cable will start "soon" with several hundred test customers. The commercial launch "on a broad front" is planned for mid-2005. In the first phase, however, the target is 300,000 households at best. Swisscom is focusing primarily on existing broadband connections, which are the easiest to convert for TV reception. According to Alder, Swisscom is primarily concerned with preventing telephone customers from migrating to Cablecom.