Music TV The German Federal Cartel Office has approved the takeover of Cologne-based Viva Media by US media giant Viacom, bringing the four German music channels Viva, Viva Plus, MTV and MTV2 under one roof. The approval was granted unconditionally. According to the Cartel Office, the takeover does not lead to the creation or strengthening of a dominant market position.

TV September 7, 2004 is "screen-up" day at Zurich's Cinemax Abaton cinemas, and Swiss opinion leaders in the media and advertising industry are eagerly awaiting this unique infotainment event for electronic AV media, as the content presented there is up to a year ahead of its time. In addition, high-caliber representatives of German private television stations will also be in attendance. For example, top people from Sat 1, ProSieben and RTL are expected in Zurich.

The summer kicked off a while ago with the premiere of the Spiderman sequel, appropriately named Spiderman 2, complete with hot party, of course. A typical chick flick, by the way, as not only a look at the cast but also the premiere guest list showed. Thanks to Tobey Maguire - in the dual role of wimpy softie Peter Parker and his web-slinging alter ego - women have definitely discovered the action genre. With three more male leads and one colorless female lead, it should be clear to everyone where the true target audience of this action tearjerker is to be found.
Even the established English actor Alfred Molina, who is used to impersonating villains, came to the premiere party in Zurich with his youthful extras Daniel Gillies and James Franco. They were impressed by the gigantic party set that Aroma Productions had created more or less from scratch in a factory building somewhere between Altstetten and Schlieren. Chapeau guys - at Buena Vista and Aroma they still seem to know what excites the audience!
The Association of Swiss Publishing Professionals also came up with an idea. The annual boat trip on Lake Zurich is nothing new, but it was probably the first time many visitors had come into contact with a cheese fondue at over thirty degrees. And the fact that the art of fondue cooking has its pitfalls in midsummer must have dawned on the ZSG's smutje. In the high humidity associated with high temperatures, the cheese mash separates faster than in the winter parlor. Which is why one or the other caquelon had to be sent back to the kitchen at half-time to boil up again and thicken.
However, one deceived with composure. Especially since the organizing committee of the boat trip came up with quite good news. Markus Will from Ringier, Silvia Landolt from Sportverlag Medien, Däni Allemann and Francine Bruni from TR7 and Jean-Christophe Francet from Publimedia worked so perfectly together right from the start and had so much fun doing it that the fondue boat committee is running in corpore for the completely vacant SAAM board. The election at the extraordinary general meeting in autumn is actually only a formality. The fact that after the hitchhiking at Bürkliplatz almost the entire troop went first to the Terrasse and then late into the night to the Mascotte to celebrate, could only strengthen this impression.
Another favorite ritual during the summer break is the opening night at the Kino am See. This year even with weather luck. Just in time for the premiere, Peter showed a little mercy and blew away the clouds over Zurich. And so the whole world made a pilgrimage to the Zürihorn to while away the two and a half hours before the film screening with food and drinks and gossip.
Film was also on the agenda this summer at the Idée-VfW. For the third time, the communications association was able to invite guests to Leos Gerteis' NJP sound studio in Küsnacht for the Idée Film Night. Thanks to the support of Buena Vista marketing manager Matthias Keller, the Swiss top comedy "Achtung, fertig, Charlie!" could be shown this year. After aperitifs and appetizers in the cozy garden - by the way, the temperatures at the Idée were also pleasant - NJP owner Gerteis initiated the guests into the secrets of a professional recording studio in a guided tour with numerous practical examples.
Quite spontaneously, an invitation from Carat and Vizeum to the house-warming event of the new offices on Kanzleistrasse also fluttered into the house. The brainwave of inviting people to the party before the big move date probably came just in time for those responsible.
And right, the event was so well attended that any furniture would only have been in the way. This made the overman-high totem brought along by IPM, organized by Marietta Widmer in a lightning action, really come into its own. The short panel discussion was also charming - the most exciting quintessence: PubliGroupe CEO Hans-Peter Rohner would also like to have some radio marketing in his portfolio.
The crowning finale of the summer parties was the Street Parade. Just this much: It's your own fault if you don't check out this mega party. And if you're even invited to the Baur au Lac, don't miss the wild dancing!
Fight the only spider beast that women go for: Doc Ock.
Roger Crotti (l.), Managing Director of Buena Vista Intern. (Switzerland) with Spiderman star Daniel Gillies, who plays John Jameson.
"Where for God's sake did you learn your job?", Alfred Molina (r.) alias Doc Ock teased interviewer Hannes Hug.
Hot Spidi party set up: Lukas Meier (l.), Aroma Productions and Matthias Keller, Marketing Manager at Buena Vista.
Consultant Claudia Wilden from Cinecom went all customer care - she came with Roman Sonders from Ford.
See and be seen: Andrej Voina (r.) of Jenni Kommunikation, who appeared at the Abaton with Matthias Borner of Apple.
For once, no fear of spiders - on the contrary: Nele Zollinger (l.) from Siemens with Isabelle Plieninger, Futurecom.
Philip Kramer, Head of Sponsorship and Events at Orange, convinced Corinne Graf of the party quality.
The joint Küng-Marchel childcare service: Susanne and Stephan Küng (r.), Initiative Media, and Markus Marchel, g...media.
Andreas Stachel and Margrit Wandeler from La Corona Cigar & Spirits in Rapperswil provided the smoky pleasure.
The organizers of the SAAM ship got along so well that it was decided to run for the orphaned board right away.
Were unfortunately sent off board in Thalwil - the sprightly ladies from the Ländlerkapelle provided the entertainment before the fondue.
"Chum Edi, take a schnapps too," Christian Widmer said to Edi Häusler (right), while Rolf Wiggenhauser (left) waited for the fondue.
You can see the fun these ladies have on a boat trip: Daniela Bahnmüller, Andrea Schaffner and Jacqueline Roth (from left).
Guido Eberhard thought that a fondue like this would put him in a good mood, and he immediately got up close and personal with Barbara Dohner.
Dessert in style was also provided: Rudolfwilli and Mirella Nuolf smoked on the back deck with Walter Vontobel (r.).
The innovative minds behind the Orange Open Air Cinema: Dieter Steger, Daniel Höltschi and Peter Hürlimann (from left) from Cinerent.
Every year during the Kino-am-See premiere, the well-stocked bar at the foot of the giant screen is bustling with activity.
René (2nd from left) and his crew are responsible for the well-being of the guests in the Orange Lounge high above the spectator stands.
If he runs out of beautiful companions, humanity will definitely be extinct: Frank Bodin and Ayana Calugar.
A family trip to the cinema at the lake was made by journalist HG Hildebrandt, designer Nina Thoenen and son Tim.
The new Sat 1 weather forecaster Tamara Sedmak (l.) with colleague Paola Biason, head of the society section at SonntagsBlick.
Hans Bébié (l.) from the Tagblatt with partner Karin Curi and Bernhard Oehrli from Spreitenbacher Limmatdruck AG.
Fresh back from her US honeymoon, Natalie Schneider had a lot to tell her Idée board colleague Heinz Egli.
Sonja Hürlimann, Head of Strategic Planning at Euro RSCG with Christian Staub, Idée VfW Board Member.
Top-class panel discussion: Andy Lehmann, moderator Filippo Leutenegger, Hampi Rohner, Ueli Eckstein and Michi Frank (from left).
At the joint aperitif: Clear Channel CEO Beat Sulzer (l.) and Beat Stähli (r.) with Jean-Michel Bonvin from Carat.
Finally an opportunity to toast each other again, said Tina Näf from Carat and Philip Hofmann from IPM.
Parleying a bit in Italian: Maja Kuhn, Vizeum, and Carlo Salvioni, Senior Country Manager Switzerland at Bulgari.
Good mood also among Christoph Marty and Bea Künzle, AZ Group, with SonntagsZeitung advertising manager Diego Quintarelli (from left).
The Reader's Digest delegation with advertising manager Paolo Placa (l.) and consultant Ruedi Geisselhardt.
Supposed to bring good luck: Gift totem from IP Multimedia.
Awesome and without words - Raverin at Baur au Lac.
Host Bruno Oetterli (r.), Radiotele, with Rudolf Wüthrich, Zurich Insurance, and Beatrice Flühmann of Mode Flühmann.
The most beautiful and charming ladies - always at the Street Parade at Baur au Lac: Asta Baumöller (l.) and Suzanne Speich.
Helped Viva launch: Hans Savonije, with wife Ann, now CEO at Nestlé-Coke joint venture Beverage Partners.
Boat test passed, now comes the one for the bike: Mirjam van Zweden with Harley rider Renato Schena (r.) and Felix Kilchsperger.
Chantal Arnold (l.) with ZKB advertising manager Bernadette Grossenbacher and Eugen Huser.
Richi Gasser (l.) from Belcom came with wife Carmen and met Ikea advertising manager Beat Fingerhuth in the Baur-au-Lac garden.
Are not sleepy, but wear sunglasses as accessories: Andrea Staub (l.), Wirz, and Nicole Zubler, Carat.
Posing together over champagne and canapés: Luise Diem and Paul Kelly with Madeleine Bieri (from left) from Radiotele.
Enjoyed the Street Parade heavily in love. The ideal couple's party, said Nicola Stadler and Marc von Waldkirch.
This garden is the place-to-be, said Pascale Sigrist of SMS/Sigrist Marketing Services and Andi Gloor of Unique People.
Michèle Széchényi, Head of Marketing, Giovanni Zamai (l.), Head of Program, Viva Switzerland, with guest Thorsten Gatterdamm.
Thomas Rüttimann (l.) came with Thomas Kämpfer - note the Street Parade-appropriate slogan on his T-shirt.
Unfortunately far too rarely seen in Zurich: Daniela Depping from Bern's Kiss-the-Frog-Events, with Hans-Peter Scholl, Radiotele.
They knew each other from their kindergarten days, when techno was not yet an issue: Carla Fuhlrott (l.), Mediaschneider, with Candie-Anne Ryser.
Jenni Best (l.) and Marielle Morerod were at full throttle.
Susanne Notter (l.), Wemf, with Mirjam Ernst, teacher - you'd love to go back to school.
Pretty cool number: Kuoni Marketing Manager Gianni Moccetti (l.), with Vanessa Bay, Travel Inside, and Daniel Siegenthaler, Radiotele.
Patrick Walgis (l.) and Luzi Rageth with Kiss-the-Frog hostesses ensured a smooth entry process with the Ticketino system.
Beat Fritschat the educational session at the Zurich Street Parade, where prevention was writ large. So if a woman wears inflatable plastic hats during "you know", she won't get sick or pregnant. Or? Once again, the crazy techno-love-sex-drug festival was the highlight and conclusion of the summer break. Other visits during the Werbewoche summer break: the Spiderman 2 premiere party, the fondue ship of the Association of Swiss Publishing Professionals, the Idée-VfW film night and the housewarming party of Aegis-Vizeum-Carat.
Shortlist Preview11 August: Theater Spectacle Event with Tages-Anzeiger, Landiwiese
August 12: 80 years of R & B - Birthday party by Roger Baur and Beat Fritsch, Lebewohl Culture Club
August 13: Orange Night, Cinema by the Lake

TV In Switzerland, there are officially only 100,000 households without a TV set. With 96.7% penetration, almost every household has a TV set. One in five households receives programs via satellite, and only one in seven households no longer has a video device for recording. Source AC Nielsen

Internet NZZ Online has recorded more than 20 million page impressions for the first time The Wemf Net Audit shows 20.2 million page impressions for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung website in July. Only the pages of the party portal Tilllate.ch (23.9 million page impressions) were queried more in Switzerland. With 3.9 million visits and 686,000 unique clients, NZZ Online achieved clear peak values. According to a press release, the online editorial team's own contributions on important daily topics are clicked on the most by users.

Tamedia What strategic options does the Zurich media group have after the P-NZZ deal? Following the NZZ Group's acquisition of Zürcher Unterländer and Zürichsee-Zeitung, the industry is hotly debating what Tamedia will do now. Only very general statements can be heard from the Zurich media company itself. Tagi editor-in-chief Peter Hartmeier, for example, is quoted as saying: "Now we know where we stand and that we have to build on our own strengths." And Tamedia spokeswoman Franziska Hügli doubles down with the statement: "It is clear that we will continue to develop the Tages-Anzeiger under our own steam. "No taboos - or are there ...
Much more concrete information can be found in an interview with Peter Hartmeier in the in-house newspaper doppelpunkt this spring. There, Hartmeier emphasized that there were no taboos in the further development of the Tages-Anzeiger. Among other things, the question was raised as to whether the Tages-Anzeiger should be further developed as a newspaper purely for the city of Zurich and whether a newspaper for the surrounding area should be founded at the same time. However, the conclusion was then reached that "we don't want to make a compact newspaper, but rather a complete political newspaper. We don't want to touch the identity, the unmistakable character of the Tages-Anzeiger, but rather develop it further." From this perspective, there is a taboo after all. The Tages-Anzeiger is only to be adapted, but not radically changed. Perhaps this should be reconsidered after all.
The main problem with today's traditional daily newspapers is that they have to cover the needs of the entire population of a certain geographical area. However, these needs are increasingly heterogeneous. A newspaper for everyone is thus becoming a fiction. 20 Minuten is the best proof that you can also make progress in the newspaper market by thinking in terms of target groups. What does this mean for the Tages-Anzeiger? It must decide on a target group and, if necessary, launch a new title for a target group that has been neglected as a result. Although this strategy is expensive, it is hardly significantly more expensive than the rumored launch of regional splits for individual regions of the canton of Zurich. Such regional splits could actually only achieve one thing: Wear down the competition with bloated marketing costs until they give up. In view of the latest deal between NZZ and PubliGroupe, however, the chances of success of such a strategy have diminished considerably. It would drive the land publishers, who still need to be softened up, directly into the arms of the NZZ, which, with the support of the "P", is likely to do everything in its power to ensure that Tamedia's strategy does not work.
The solution lies rather in the apparently rejected idea of concentrating the Tages-Anzeiger on a narrower area and launching a new title. However, Tamedia should not continue to fixate so doggedly on the canton of Zurich. This is probably one of the reasons why the Group is not making any progress. This becomes clear when one compares the sales of the three major Zurich publishing houses last year with those of 1996. While Tamedia's turnover practically stagnated (-0.6%), it grew by 34.1 percent at NZZ and 17.2 percent at Ringier. If one compares the strategies of the publishing houses, one possible explanation is obvious: Tamedia generated most of its turnover in the greater Zurich area. NZZ, on the other hand, acquired sales in various regions of German-speaking Switzerland, while Ringier expanded primarily abroad. As a result, Tamedia has a significantly higher cluster risk than the other two publishers.
With the purchase of 20 Minuten, it has reduced this cluster risk somewhat. The regional editions in Basel, Berne, recently Lucerne and soon probably also in St. Gallen are likely to generate a good ten million francs in sales this year. A regionalization strategy for the Tages-Anzeiger throughout the whole of German-speaking Switzerland would be an obvious next step. However, apart from the high costs, this would be just as pointless as regional editions in the canton of Zurich.
Compact for the discerning
Instead, the solution lies in launching a new newspaper that complements 20 Minuten and the Tages-Anzeiger. The Tagi would focus more strongly on the greater Zurich area and completely abandon its national claim. At the same time, a new Swiss-German daily newspaper would be launched in tabloid format, a high-profile but very compact publication for discerning readers. It would contain short articles and commentaries on political, economic and sporting events in Switzerland and abroad.
The target audience would primarily be people in management positions who, in their busy schedules, hardly have time to find the information relevant to them in a conventional daily newspaper. In contrast to 20 Minuten, such a newspaper should not be free. It would have to be distributed throughout Switzerland in early morning deliveries so that the target group could read it on their way to work.
It can be assumed that the daily newspaper project, which has been dormant in a Ringier drawer, looks something like this. In contrast to the competition from Dufourstrasse, however, Tamedia has a much better chance of getting off to a good start in terms of resources. For example, it can divide the current (very large) editorial team of the Tages-Anzeiger between the two titles and make targeted additions. For the launch, it can rely on the subscribers of Tages-Anzeiger, SonntagsZeitung and Facts.
It is clear that the Tages-Anzeiger would lose circulation as a result of such a new newspaper. However, as a regional newspaper for the greater Zurich area, it would have a much clearer perspective than it does today. And the NZZ would have clear competition and would perhaps have to consider whether its old aunt needs an occasional facelift.
NZZ and PubliGroupe strengthen the fronts against the Tages-Anzeiger. Tamedia has reacted calmly so far, but is clearly under pressure to act.
Ueli Custer

Event marketing A roadshow promises proximity to the customer. But the event form also harbors a number of pitfalls. Trade fair appearances cancelled for cost reasons or company events rationalized away: the tight budgets of many companies make it difficult to make personal contact with potential customers. Yet this is the be-all and end-all when it comes to acquiring new segments. Swisscom Enterprise Solutions (SES) has also found that customers find it difficult to deal with a company that they only know via the telephone or the occasional letter in the post. The Swisscom Group company offers telecommunications solutions for business customers. "Customers expect their individual needs to be discussed in person," explains Fabian Talleri, Marketing Communications at SES, who has been trying to satisfy the need for more proximity by holding roadshows for the past six years. This flexible marketing instrument offers the great advantage over trade fairs that the organizing company has the attention of potential buyers to itself in a non-competitive environment.
To do this, it has to offer visitors something in order to activate even latently interested parties, as marketing expert and author Rolf Gruber confirms: "As the company appears alone, customer expectations are very high." If the organizer is unable to satisfy them, they will fall through the cracks. Absolute killers, according to Gruber, are boring speakers or PowerPoint presentations. But also the fact that many companies organize such an event without really being able to present anything new. Fabienne Marchand from FM Projects, who organized a tour of Swiss football pitches for Meister Proper, also confirms the importance of the news content of a roadshow.
In addition to the content to be communicated, the setting of an event plays a no less central, if not overriding, role. "The customer compares the event one-to-one with the company in question and with the product it is trying to sell them," says Christian Bonnot from Bonnot's Eventhouse, who organized the SES roadshows. Even poor catering could have a negative impact on a subsequent purchase decision. Therese Wenger, press officer at Orange Communication, sees another important point - and at the same time a Swiss peculiarity - in the adaptation to the country's typical environment. After all, a concept that is used successfully in German-speaking Switzerland does not necessarily work in Ticino or French-speaking Switzerland.
However, the trick is not to create a professional, exciting design that is tailored to the target group, but to gather as many potential customers as possible. "The communications industry in particular has developed a real 'eventitis' in recent years," says Fabian Talleri. The density of events is making it increasingly difficult to attract people to an event. A trend that is further supported by the fact that today anyone can easily obtain the information they want in an alternative way.
The decision to visit a roadshow is primarily influenced by two factors: the topic and what is on offer. If the former is not convincing, the "trappings" must be so attractive that it is still worth registering or staying on site. If you are on the road with a tour bus like Orange, you will try to attract passers-by with special promotions. On the other hand, potential customers who are specifically invited to a roadshow are lured with a big name.
In the case of the variant with an invitation, an additional complication is that the attendance rate cannot be calculated even after telephone follow-up and is usually only an approximate value. The weather factor in particular can throw a spanner in the works for organizers - both indoors and outdoors: Nobody likes sitting in their car in snow flurries, and on a balmy summer evening, potential participants are more likely to be drawn to the garden pub instead of the seminar room. Fabian Talleri explains: "At a free event, many people have the feeling that it doesn't matter whether they show up or not. This is a risk that is borne by the organizer alone, as his expenses, from the invitation to the implementation, remain the same - hardly affected by the number of visitors.
The success of roadshows cannot be measured in figures, not least because of the image component. The fact that such events are nevertheless held is all the more surprising, as investments are currently being meticulously examined in terms of their return. However, Christian Bonnot and Fabian Talleri are convinced that the bottom line is that the effort is worth it. "A roadshow that can be deployed throughout Switzerland is still cheaper than 20 salespeople driving all over Switzerland or spending eight hours on the phone," Talleri is convinced. Nevertheless, the SES roadshow has gone on tour as the company is now focusing on large corporations. According to Talleri, sales events are the wrong way to address this target group.
Apart from a few restrictions, roadshows can be used in both the B-to-B and B-to-C sectors. Therese Wenger from Orange Communications also sees no restrictions on the products to be sold, as long as they can be demonstrated well and conveyed with communication messages.
According to Rolf Gruber, it may only be more difficult to reach the public in this way in the case of pure service providers such as banks, real estate managers or recruitment agencies. "As a strategic tool in the marketing mix, however, a roadshow is only as valuable as it is used in the medium to long term," Gruber is also convinced. He sees potential for development over the next few years, but expects it to level off again after that. Wenger also sees the roadshow as a good addition
as part of the communication mix. But: "A detached
Roadshows without a complete communication concept quickly fizzle out and the long-term effect tends towards zero," she warns. Fabienne Marchand, on the other hand, predicts a great future for the roadshow. In today's media overload, new paths need to be taken and she knows: "Experience-oriented communication lasts longer."
Christian Bonnot not only sees potential for development, but also for optimization for future roadshows: by partnering with companies that address the same target audience, costs could be shared and synergies could be used sustainably. "The problem with this idea, however, is the Swiss mentality: everyone cultivates their own little garden," he points out.
Questions welcome: To liven up the presentations by Swisscom Enterprise Solutions, organizer Christian Bonnot sometimes put a "fake" SME representative in the audience.
Up close: The telecoms company arrives directly at its target group with the Orange bus.
From the laundry room to the football pitch: FM Projects attracted onlookers to the roadshow for Procter & Gamble's laundry detergent with the real Meister Proper.
Simone Keller

TV From the fall, SF 2 will be broadcasting the series "Bianca" every evening at 6.45 p.m. It is a so-called "telenovela". The format of the endless romantic saga originates from South America, but "Bianca" is produced by ZDF, ORF and SF DRS. From the end of July, 200 episodes of 45 minutes each will be filmed in the Potsdam studios of Ufa/Teamworx. Ufa had already announced the series under the working title "Wege zum Glück: Bianca" at the beginning of the year. At the center of the "modern fairy tale" is a heroine who starts a new life and meets the love of her life, according to a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the production costs amount to 18 million euros. Press spokesman Robert Neuhaus did not want to disclose how much SF DRS is investing in the telenovela when asked.
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Before the Zurich advertising, media and publishing scene takes a well-deserved summer break, the last key event is used to assess the current situation. The presentation of the Media Trend Award by the Media Trend Journal, which takes place at the end of June at the Moods jazz club in the Schiffbau building, is ideally suited for this purpose. The show is hosted by the charming presenter Anna Maier, who is also an expert on media issues. Incidentally, there were also two premieres this year. Pierre C. Meier, now editor-in-chief of Werbewoche, officially handed over the reins at MTJ to his successor Urs Schnider. And with cabaret artist Patrick Frey, a new face was brought to Moods for the show block.
One burst of laughter followed the next during his performance. In addition to a Christmas story in short form, which was appropriate for the time of year, he particularly impressed the audience with his propaganda for testicle bathing pelvic floor therapy and his explanations of the relaunch of the car magazine "Rasen und Glauben", in collaboration with Filippo Lombardi and Jolanda Surer-Marquard-Tavoli-Bönzli. Frey received a huge round of applause for his performance.
The awards ceremony brought both the expected and the surprising. With NZZ, followed by Clear Channel Plakanda, last year's winners were once again seen at the top of the podium of media providers. However, NZZ sales manager Marcel Kohler wanted to see an award on every desk, according to insiders.
to hear. And Plakanda CEO Beat Sulzer was also delighted with the almost customary second place. He pointed out that the bar had been set very high. To end with the almost insidious side-swipe that you don't have to be the biggest poster company to be the best. However, Plakanda will have to hurry up for next year. The commuter newspaper 20 Minuten, which made the leap from eighth to third place within a year, was hot on the poster provider's heels with a difference of 0.01 points. And fourth-placed Gruner + Jahr Schweiz also followed with a wafer-thin gap of just 0.02 points.
There was a new winner among the media marketers - Radiotele and Publisuisse have swapped places here. However, Publisuisse CEO Martin Schneider modestly put the performance into perspective, saying that the duel with Radiotele for victory had been taking place in the statistical confidence zone for years anyway. First-placed Publisuisse did, however, come out on top by a clearer margin.
from its rival than, for example, third-placed Cinecom. With a lead of just 0.01 points, the cinema and Sat-1 marketer can already feel the warm breath of the team from Mediabox, the agency for special forms of advertising, breathing down its neck. The Media Trend Award '05 therefore already promises a lot of excitement. The protagonists are under great pressure, as others are also pushing for the podium.
The Idée-VfW also fought for points last week. The industry association hosted a soirée française with pétanque on the Zürichberg, or more precisely on the Sonnenberg next to Jacky Donatz's restaurant of the same name. The first thanks of the evening went to him. The Zürichberg landlord par excellence provides the club with free electricity for the event. And even without Martin Radelfinger from Adlink, another generous friend of the Idée-VfW, the cash register would be much more heavily burdened. Not forgetting Roger Wilfinger, Managing Director of Oggenfuss Catering, who provided the tables and benches at the request of Idée member Claudia Wilden. Despite the somewhat windy weather, around thirty guests were able to indulge in a game of boules and enjoy French delicacies until late into the night.
Delicacies were also served at the Züri-Fäscht. The Straight Friday team set up their bar at Riesbach harbor, not far from the tent of Lukas Moser and Baki Meta's event agency Emozio, where they launched the Miss Switzerland Multinational. Former Mosaik owner Marc Schürmann was on the road as a promoter for Trojka, but it was definitely
Annette Weisskopf and her Action Agency team with the Flossbar at Mythenquai. With a perfect view of the fireworks, the mega party was celebrated there in almost unusually wild exuberance.
Happy about the NZZ victory: Marcel Kohler with Viviane Rauch-Lyoth and Sabrina Wägli (l.).
Markus Hollenstein (left) from Publisuisse talked to K. H. Panhuber, who makes the wing statues.
Heike Findeis, Managing Director of Media-Daten AG, Urs Schnider (l.), Managing Editor of MTJ, and Pierre C. Meier, Werbewoche-CR.
In the mood: Markus Cavegn (l.), Cavegnwerbung, Jana Nyvltova from Mediador and Media-Daten-Verlagsleiter Samuel Helbling.
Brand new to the podium: Nadine Andres and Marco Gasser from the commuter newspaper 20 Minuten.
Just missed the podium: Florian Biafori (l.), Nicole Japp and Sandro Proietto from Mediabox.
Regular guests at the Media Trend Award: René Hildebrand and Sandro Rüegger from TR7 with Ivan Schultheiss, APG (from left).
(Not) a new face: Roger Baur from Cinecom with Manuela Zwald from UBS Investment Banking.
Patrick Luther (l.), specialist trade consultant at Sharp, Nicole Zubler, Carat, and Marco Spadacini from the large poster provider Paron.
P-Family: Alessia Freitag (l.), Publimedia, Frank Hakenjos, Publimedia-Webadvertising, and Isabelle Kropf, Publicitas-International.
It's nice when two competitors unite so profitably in the picture: Maili Wolf, Tamedia, and Tobias Trevisan, NZZ.
Ofex colleagues from the old days: Fridolin Holdener, Tages-Anzeiger, Werner Pletscher and Victor Tschugmall (from left), APG.
They had a great chat at Moods in the Schiffbau: Urs Schneider from Mediaschneider with Karina Giger, Edipub.
As Professor Stolte-Benrath, he caused a storm of enthusiasm in the audience: Zurich cabaret artist Patrick Frey.
Relaxed at the bar: SW Managing Director Monika Luck (left), Reto Kammermann, Touring, and Verena-Nicole Giese.
Idée sponsor Martin Radelfinger from Adlink with the organizer of the boules evening, Monika Schneider from the Idée board.
Idée board member Christian Staub also welcomed Yvonne Müller, KI-Media, and Ratna Irzan (right), Edition plus, to the Soirée française.
Fans of savoir-vivre à la Idée-VfW: Jean-Christophe Francet (l.), Publimedia, and Stephan Suter, Adlink.
Enjoying the cozy evening: Michèle Gutmann and Martin Schmitt (l.) from JvM with Thomas Gschwind from Onemarketing.
Delegation of the copywriting association Script: Managing Director Christoph Fuchs and President Stephanie Hugentobler.
Stimulating conversations over wine, baguettes and the finest cheese: Rolf Pfäffli (l.) and Urs Steudler.
Magnificent panorama: Christina Maron (l.), TBWA, and Andreja Sedeljsak, Wyss & Partner, with Idée webmaster Andri Hofmann.
The most high-profile opponents in a game of boules: Kilian Gasser (right) from WOZ and Philippe Meyer from Publicis.
Straight Friday at the Riesbach harbor: Michel Pernet, Sandra Zahner, Barman Bossi and place manager Marc Menden (from left).
Met at the Bernhard Theater: Promoter Marc Schürmann (l.) and Franco Columberg, event sponsorship man at Trojka.
Action on the raft: Annette Weisskopf, Action Agency Zurich, with Norbert Netzker (l.) and Georg Rippel from Action Vienna.
Leos Gerteis, NJP, and Daniela Schönholzer, Sunrise, also enjoyed the fantastic view of the fireworks from the action raft.
Tereza Stäheli and Sebastian Rundy from Acapulco Communications with Andi Lehner (right) from the Action Agency.
Raft master Marc Hofer (l.) from IBM and his colleague and soccer icon Georges Bregy had everything under control.
Symbolizes the wings of Hermes: Media Trend Award.
Essential for a French evening: boules balls.
Beat Fritsch had a lot to bite off last week and had to be careful not to choke on all the invitations to events before the big summer break. The Media Trend Award on Wednesday was the Oscar ceremony for the Swiss media and publishing scene, on Thursday the Idée-VfW hosted the 2nd Soirée française on the Sonnenberg, and on Friday the Züri-Fäscht kicked off with a full three days and
Night mega party all over the city.
Where the communications, media and publishing industries meet for their parties, we locate them at the events of the scene. Do you already have something to report? Pick up the phone (01 296 97 98) or hit the keys ([email protected]).
Event tips and further shortlist images for the Media Trend Award are available online at www.werbewoche.ch

Publications The Bonviva bonus program offers private clients of Credit Suisse exclusive cultural, wellness, travel and sports activities as well as financial assistance, presented in the Bonviva magazine and Bonviva News, which are managed by the Primafila agency in Zurich and Munich.

Economic areas The media consultancy Publicom rejects attacks by the daily newspaper La Liberté on the new classification of economic areas (EAs) as defamatory and damaging to its business. 30 June, in a commentary entitled "Bas les masques", Liberté editor-in-chief Roger de Diesbach alleged that Publicom had invented facts for its analysis of the economic areas of French-speaking Switzerland. Publicom is demanding a rebuttal.

Will the new edition regulations lead to further admissions of manipulation? In any case, the publishers still have a grace period.
Publishers who "repeatedly attempt to falsify the actual circulation figures by deliberately providing false information" must expect a contractual penalty of CHF 50,000 per title - who carries out the manipulation is irrelevant. If the penalty is imposed, the publisher also loses "the right to the circulation certification for the next three years". This is stated in the circulation regulations, which have been in force since July 1, 2004.
Following the Landbote's confession (WW 25/04), the question now arises as to whether other newspapers or magazines will follow suit and disclose circulation manipulation. Since penalties cannot be imposed retroactively, publishers still have a grace period until the next declaration deadline (June 30, 2005). So will the new circulation regulations lead to a major clean-up? And was this even the intention of the Wemf?
Manipulations as individual cases
However, they don't seem to be able to do much with these questions.
not. When asked, Wemf Director René Schmutz writes succinctly: "I don't suppose you expect me to comment on your speculations?" And Christel Plöger, chief editor of the publication, even warns: "Your thesis is pure speculation, which I do not wish to endorse. I would find a publication on your part dangerous and not serious."
Wemf Chairman and NZZ Publishing Director Tobias Trevisan apparently has more distance from the matter. He writes that the new sanctions are not intended as a major clean-up. The fact that circulation manipulation can be prosecuted as forgery or fraud is already a deterrent today. In the case of the manipulation of Giornale del Popolo and Landbote, he assumes "individual cases".
Hanspeter Lebrument, President of the Swiss Press Association, takes a similar view, pointing out that the new regulations were "welcomed by the publishers". However, the two most recent manipulations "do not indicate a trend", writes Lebrument. On the contrary, efforts have been made in recent years - including by the associations - to report circulation and other figures accurately. "Apart from individual errors, the result is convincing," concludes Hanspeter Lebrument.
Advertisers are more suspicious. "Only transparency can create the necessary trust among advertisers," says Urs Schneider, Vice President of BSW/IGMA. However, since he has identified indications of further circulation falsifications using a simple calculation, he is skeptical. He calculates that the LpE value (readers per copy) of 1.59 for the Landbote has been a quarter lower than that of other daily newspapers (a good 2 LpE) for years. "The reason is clearly to be found in the over-declared circulation," says Schneider. "This is an indication of inflated circulation figures." However, it has nothing to do with the large circulation: "Wemf's new certification regulations already seem to be having an effect."
Jürg Siegrist, Director of the Association of Swiss Advertisers, also assumes that possible sanctions have "sensitized the publishing houses". "It is now five to twelve to clear the air," he warns and calls for an additional, confidence-building measure. "As most publishing houses are public limited companies, I expect the controlling department to check these figures too."
The Landbote as a "serious" exampleAn article by Piero Schäfer in the customer magazine Wemf-Report from June 2002 shows how a circulation certification is carried out. From today's perspective, however, it is embarrassing that the showcase certification visit described took place at the Landbote of all places. Even if it is not certain that the Landbote was already manipulating figures at the time, passages in that text seem directly satirical today.
For example, when the Landbote publishing director is certified as having "done serious work during the year". Or when he says that certification is "a very personal matter for him, because the advertising industry then works with these figures." He continues: "There is a quiet joy when everything is correct ... But we don't actually make any gross errors." When the Wemf inspector found an error of 24 copies, the publishing director spoke of a "small oversight". (mk)
Markus Knöpfli