Football rights Lucerne-based Team Marketing AG will continue to market the Uefa Champions League from 2006 to 2009, according to a statement from the Executive Committee of the European Football Association. The subsidiary of Highlight Communications from Pfäffikon SZ has been in charge of the Champions League since 1992. In the tendering procedure opened by Uefa in February, Team prevailed over Sportfive (RTL/Canal+) and Octagon (Interpublic).

The success of the Bern model, the collaboration between the Bund and the Berner Zeitung BZ, is strengthening the Espace Media Groupe. However, CEO Albert P. Stäheli needs growth in the Mittelland to survive the competition.WW The Bernese model has already received plenty of advance praise. A good four months after the launch, what is the reality? Albert P. Stäheli The hoped-for synergies have fully materialized, which makes us very optimistic. We can already say that the Confederation is back on track economically. We are pleased to have managed to get the problems that threatened the Confederation's existence under control so quickly - and in such a persistent crisis environment.
At CHF 1.5 million, you put the remaining deficit for 2004 at a surprisingly low level, after it had amounted to almost CHF 9 million in the previous year. But above all, you predict it unusually accurately. What is behind this?
The calculation is simple. The biggest chunk of the deficit, namely CHF 1.4 million, is attributable to the Anzeiger Region Bern. The newspaper Der Bund on its own would already be break-even. The issue with the Anzeiger is more stubborn, and even the cost-cutting exercises that have already been carried out are not enough. The reason is the contractually guaranteed, far too high concession fees and the contract that runs until the end of 2005. We are now examining an early adjustment of the contract. In the longer term, such a step could be advantageous for all parties.
Following the integration of the newspapers in the Bernese Oberland, cooperation with the federal government is now also well underway. This frees the hands for increased efforts in the Mittelland region. It's probably no coincidence that your struggling newspaper Solothurner Tagblatt has just announced the accelerated expansion of its market cultivation.
Strategically, our only option is to expand throughout the Espace Mittelland. We are well positioned in the west thanks to our cooperation with Bieler Tagblatt and Freiburger Nachrichten as well as successful advertising combinations. However, the Solothurn/Oberaargau region is also very important for us. Basically, we can only strengthen our attractiveness in the national advertising market by consistently developing our regional editions. This is the only way we can counter the great pressure from supra-regional competitors such as Sunday and free newspapers and online media with something competitive. We still have a lot of potential in the Solothurn/Oberaargau reader market. The BZ-Split Solothurner Tagblatt has laid a strong foundation. We will continue to build on this. But new newspapers need ten years to establish themselves in saturated markets.
The Mittelland Zeitung's contracts are up for renewal in the not too distant future. Do you expect the pressure exerted by your newspaper to have an effect on the constellations in this newspaper group?
We are very satisfied with the development of the Solothurner Tagblatt, which is constantly increasing its market share in the reader market. While the circulation of the BZ-Split is rising, that of the Solothurner Zeitung is falling. There is no denying that this will have an impact on the future situation of the Mittelland Zeitung. But the Mittelland Zeitung's contracts still run until the end of 2006. Whatever the decision is then, we will remain in this region because it is part of a coherent market area.
Interview: Daniel Schifferle

Health The Bern-based communications agency Push 'n' Pull has been commissioned by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) to publicize the new chemicals legislation, which comes into force in 2005 and replaces, among other things, the previous poison classes with the European labeling of household chemicals. Push 'n' Pull communicates the changes for the private sector as part of a publicity campaign.

As head of the Communications and Marketing department, Claudia Bossert wants to sell SF DRS much better. "In the past, television was simply there. Today, it has to be sold as a service to the audience against the competition," says Claudia Bossert, summarizing the most important tasks of her new department. SF DRS is in competition with foreign broadcasters, despite its permanently high market share. "Our credibility is there, but it can be emphasized more." It's not a matter of launching a PR offensive, he said. But, "If we create events in the program, that has to be supported communicatively and with marketing measures." Her first television experience that the new member of the SF DRS management team may remember is the 1972 Olympic Games in Sapporo, where Claudia Bossert still remembers how the whole family cheered along in front of the TV set at five in the morning as Russi and Nadig won their medals. "Wow, that's it!" said the sports-enthusiastic commercial employee to herself a few years later when the new magazine "time out" advertised for a production assistant.
Claudia Bossert became a dispatcher and was most recently Head of Communications and Chief of Staff at the Sports Department of SF DRS and at the Sports Business Unit of SRG SSR idée suisse for five years. In both functions, she had to sell television's services to the media.
With the newly created Communications and Marketing department, this approach is now to be intensified even more. Around 60 people will be involved in this work. There were over 200 applications for the management of the department. After four rounds in the evaluation process, one external candidate and Claudia Bossert still remained before the regional council committee.
Claudia Bossert says she is "really gripped by the television virus. But working as a journalist or even in front of the camera was never a dream of hers. She sees herself as an "organization person," although she loves to write and is good at it. The new PR boss has always had to deal professionally with broadcast criticism and has also completed all the necessary training for communicating, first as a PR assistant, then as a federally certified PR consultant.
Claudia Bossert is pleased that she can now carry through the development work she has done on a small scale in sports in a higher-level function for the whole of SF DRS. "But I can't simply put sports concepts over the house, that's clear to me." Nevertheless, the experience will make a lot of things easier for her.
A highlight in her earlier work for Claudia Bossert was the World Ski Championships in St. Moritz. Here, SRG idée suisse, as the host television producer, was responsible for the entire TV world signal. The Communications Department, under Claudia Bossert's leadership, was responsible for overall communications and provided the entire information service, from a production manual for the foreign stations to an electronic information system. On monitors on the premises, journalists, technicians and other responsible persons could constantly get the latest information. There was a media center as a service for the 30 foreign television stations. A team of 350 people from all SRG business units also required internal communication.
Another target group was the media in Switzerland. They were offered comprehensive media relations services ranging from documentaries about the World Cup to press conferences in the run-up or, later, media tours of the elaborate TV production. The communications department offered the media attractive stories, such as a report on the cameraman who had to spend the night in a container on the opposite slope to the race track, or stories that made the media want to cover the TV production of the World Championships. "We achieved a very good presence in the media. The public took note that SRG is doing a tremendous job here."
In the past, all departments worked on their own on communications. Now, the Communications and Marketing department is expected to be more efficient by jointly implementing and networking projects for all areas: Program promotion, Internet, media relations, sponsoring, PR/advertising, events and internal communications.
All the functions Claudia Bossert had at SF DRS were new jobs. "time out" was a new program. The Business Unit Sport was new. It was also new that the Sports department had its own communications. "Building it up is fun for me, although of course you can run into difficulties in the process." You take something away from someone and position yourself.
However, Bossert does not want to implement new ideas simply through the hierarchy and position, but she wants to convince people through her work. In this respect, she now feels well covered by the new management, from which changes are expected. "It is now a very interesting phase to be able to play an active role in the management. The house is in upheaval, and something is happening."
Claudia Bossert: "There is a better way to highlight our credibility."
Andreas Panzeri

Story marketing Short stories in small advertising inserts make a big impression on readers.
In times like these, in which the age-old lecture jingle about the unknown half of the advertising budget thrown out the window is doing the rounds again, advertisers are longing for clear answers even more than usual. Also to the question: How do the placement, colorfulness or size of an advertisement relate to the contacts achieved or, even more strictly, to the attention generated? Anything but linear. Approaches to deepening topics often degenerate in their complexity, and the reaction of some companies to this situation appears to be simple and relatively affordable. Their communications agencies allow them to make a big splash with short stories in small advertising inserts for specific tasks. At the same time, they give success control a considerable role. What is special about the form is that it is not immediately perceived as advertising by many readers because it makes use of the advantages of various print advertising forms: in addition to the credibility of PR, the format of a small advertisement, the sustainability of the image advertisement and the good advertising environment, there is the reduced scope and the reduced blandness of the related public reportage. A testimonial and a competition usually serve as a visual stopper.
One of the first implementations of this kind in Switzerland is the Coop online supermarket campaign by the St. Gallen agency Ammarkt. It runs throughout the year with a drip strategy and delivers good results according to the Link Institute. "In the recognition test, the testimonials achieved spontaneous recall values of 29% and supported recall values of 49%, which are significantly higher than those of product advertising," says Rolf Zeller, responsible for the online supermarket at Coop.
Short stories from celebrities
Zurich-based Contract Media used similar ingredients to design the
a Swisscom Mobile campaign. Her goal: to communicate the cell phone features that are still little known to the public in an exciting and easy-to-understand way. In short stories, the pitch winner lets various Swiss celebrities have their say. Among others, TV presenter Kurt Aeschbacher, national soccer coach Köbi Kuhn and Formula 1 team boss Peter Sauber talk about how they use their cell phones. The story is rounded off with a short instruction manual for the respective service and, as with Coop, a competition.
The latter allows conclusions to be drawn about the level of attention in the medium used. "So far, we are very satisfied with the response to the campaign," explains Carsten Roetz, Head of Product PR Swisscom Mobile. In the case of Aeschbacher - an engagement as a night talker on Schawinski's Sat 1, which he missed out on because he didn't know how to use the combox - the story apparently seemed so real that various journalists asked Schawinski whether the story was true, according to one agency manager.
It is not known which medium the journalists who fell for the new form of advertising work for. However this story continues: Se non è vero, è ben trovato.
Inexpensive and effective: telling stories instead of advertising products.
Luca Aloisi

The new quarterly magazine Causa Sport, published by Orell Füssli, focuses on legal and economic aspects of sport from a scientific perspective. Causa Sport will focus on developments in German-speaking countries, but will also open up to other sports markets, according to the editorial of the first issue. Orell Füssli expects the subscription magazine to attract a high level of attention and distribution and therefore believes that it could also be "an interesting medium" for the advertising industry.

Column Customers are becoming increasingly demanding - even when it comes to voting. In this respect, the government and parliament still have a lot to learn from branded goods manufacturers. And it was not the first, but in terms of the number of consecutive referendum defeats, the sixth such "slap in the face". It is not only the defeats themselves that give pause for thought, but above all the No votes of between 60 and 70 percent, after which politicians from right to left argued about whether the "package character" of the three proposals, women's resistance to raising their retirement age or a fundamental political No to the right-wing austerity measures were the deciding factors. In reality, however, there is a much more fundamental social phenomenon behind the people's rejection: the increasingly critical distance of citizens from time-honored authorities, who are suddenly stunned to discover that their former supporters are refusing to follow them.
Long-suffering brand marketers gleefully call out to the Federal Council: "Welcome to the club!" Marketing specialists in the private sector have long been aware of the trend that we are now seeing more and more in politics: no matter how long and proud a tradition may be, it is no longer a guarantee that a brand will continue to be accepted by consumers. Today, this requires more.
Shell analyzed what this meant after the company suffered a massive loss of image worldwide due to the media coverage of the Brent Spar oil rig disaster. Firstly, the oil multinational came to the conclusion that a key element for the success of a brand and its communication was whether and how it met the public's specific need for information. And secondly, that this - particularly important for a global player - is not the same everywhere (see chart above).
Companies (and politicians) therefore have it easiest in Asia. There, a trusting "trust me" is still enough to convince consumers (or voters). In Europe and the USA, on the other hand, such assurances are no longer enough: Here, people demand plausible explanations ("tell me") or even the
final proof of truth ("show me") is expected.
It is certainly debatable whether Europe is actually in a better position than the USA in terms of consumer confidence. (There is probably no significant difference today.) However, the decisive factor is that even the willingness of companies to prove the truth of their products and services is no longer enough. The consumers of tomorrow want to be able to have a say and shape the development of new offerings: "Involve me!"
In relation to the Federal Council, this means Consultations with parties and other interest groups are not enough. We are by no means recommending that you always opportunistically fly your flag with the wind, dear ministers. But if your policies are to be successful, you must also take the (voting) public into account when forming opinions. Just as the economy does with its consumers: with panel surveys, telephone interviews and all other instruments that are part of professional market research. As Bob Dylan sang 40 years ago: "The times, they are a changing."
> Sacha Wigdorovits was a journalist, including editor-in-chief of Blick, and now heads the Zurich communications agency Contract Media.

Advertising The German advertising industry was able to halve its loss rate in 2003, but the signs of an upturn remain meagre. This is the sobering industry balance presented by the Central Association of the German Advertising Industry (ZAW). Net advertising sales excluding trade fairs and exhibitions (advertising placement costs) fell by 4.3 percent to 19.28 billion euros. In 2003, the proportion of GDP invested in advertising fell to 1.36 percent - the same level as in 1978. According to ZAW President Hans-Hennig Wiegmann, a sustained upturn in the advertising industry is not possible for the current year under these conditions. Wemf will publish the Swiss advertising statistics next month. In 2002, net advertising sales accounted for 1.48 percent of the GDP of around 349 billion Swiss francs. Even if per capita advertising expenditure in Switzerland has fallen slightly, it still remains significantly higher than in Germany.
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Beverages JWT+H+F heats up Lipton Ice Tea with posters. It's not easy to implement three marketing projects at once: new flavor, new bottle, new positioning. "We think we've managed it with the new Lipton campaign," says Remy Fabrikant from JWT + Hostettler + Fabrikant, Zurich. With a poster campaign, Lipton is being positioned throughout Switzerland as the brand with the unique iced tea feeling: "Feel the Tea" is the new claim. The subliminal message: If you want to make more of yourself, drink Lipton Ice Tea. For this positioning, the agency in the Maag-Areal focused on hot bodies - and brought them back to normal temperature with chilled bottles. A Pet bottle is perkily tucked into a pair of bikini bottoms. A hot Baywatch boy carries the cool tee across the beach like a six-pack belly. A mermaid lets a lover sip the cooling juice.
JWT+H+F promotes the original
"Lipton is more than just iced tea" is the message. In fact, Lipton Ice Tea is by far the strongest ice tea brand in Switzerland, the original with tradition. For the advertisers, Lipton Ice Tea delivers a special kind of freshness experience: "A gentle and refreshing kick for body and soul."
For Mr. and Mrs. Swiss, iced tea is a real alternative to conventional soft drinks. This is reflected in the per capita consumption of 30 liters, the highest in Europe. The fact that iced tea actually contains tea is not a matter of course. Lipton is the iced tea brand with real tea extract and a tea tradition. The global brand was repositioned in order to differentiate itself communicatively through this position. Nevertheless, with the exception of one subject, the agency was able to design the campaign specifically for the Swiss market, although the brand otherwise operates internationally. "Paint Switzerland yellow", that's the branding. "But without falling flat," is how Fabrikant formulates his team's aspiration.
Brand advertising is just one of the objectives. Of course, sales should also be supported. The campaign is up to this dual task. Because: "Anyone who not only wants to refresh themselves, but also wants to buy with brains, doesn't just drink any iced tea, but iced tea from Lipton - the original," the tea advertisers are convinced.
Hot scene, cool tea.
Andreas Panzeri

Job market Tamedia expands JobWinner and responds to the apprenticeship crisis with Starterjobs. Unikat is designing a testimonial campaign for this purpose. According to the Federal Office for Professional Education and Technology (OPET), the situation is as tense as it was last year, especially in the urban centers of Zurich, Bern and Neuchâtel. Although many new apprenticeship places have been created, the problem is hardly easing this year because around 2000 more school leavers are applying for an apprenticeship contract this summer than in 2003. In addition, there are all those young people who have taken up a transitional offer due to a lack of jobs. At last week's annual OPET conference, representatives from the federal government and employment organizations called for the creation of more apprenticeships. A new law, the increased use of apprenticeship promoters and start-up funding for training company alliances offer good conditions for the additional supply to alleviate the shortage of positions.
The Tamedia job market is launching a new placement platform with the open-ended Starterjobs campaign, in which apprenticeships, entry-level jobs and internships are advertised free of charge on the JobWinner.ch channel. Seraina Mohr from the JobWinner team explains that the main idea behind the initiative was the realization that jobs for career starters are rarely advertised and that youth unemployment can only be tackled by creating and placing open apprenticeship and entry-level positions. "Isabel Kaiser, Head of the Tamedia job market, got the ball rolling when she read an article about apprentices and university graduates looking for work and thought about how we could offer meaningful job search support with JobWinner.ch," says the content manager looking back. The team then developed the idea into a broad project and implemented it.
A movement should emerge
As youth unemployment is a major burden for those affected - from the psychological problems and social isolation to the increased potential for violence among these young people - it was clear to those responsible at pitch winner Unikat that they did not just want to design the topic as a campaign. "We wanted to create a real movement," explains Jan Maurer, Consultant and Managing Director of the agency.
For the job campaign, CD Daniel Meier was guided by the basic message of solidarity that even celebrities have started small. "Their presence on the advertising material is intended to encourage those affected, because even their paths were not always straight," says Meier about the testimonial campaign. For example, rock singer and producer Chris von Rohr earned his first money as an animal keeper, former Federal Councillor Ruth Dreifuss as a hotel secretary, landlady and former "10 to 10" presenter Jana Caniga as a temp in the electronics department of a department store and successful industrialist Edgar Oehler by selling hens' eggs.
Precisely because youth unemployment also affects these groups, celebrities from the worlds of business, entertainment and politics were very willing to participate free of charge. With the appeal "Everyone deserves a first chance", they are encouraging young people and potential employers alike. For this appeal, Unikat asked for youth photos in which a stellar career was still a long way off. As far away as it is today from many potential future top people. A series of text advertisements, such as "Viktor Giacobbo still had to set lead letters for his first job, show the way. You have it a lot easier: www.jobwinner.ch/starterjobs".
The campaign concept takes into account the self-image of millennials, as generational researchers William Howe and Neil Strauss describe the
first young generation of the new millennium. They cite stability, professional success and family happiness as their greatest goals. Success and enjoyment at work are among the most important factors for satisfaction today.
This tendency to overestimate oneself - an expression of ambition - is also followed by the celebrity campaign. Casting shows are not the only way to prove that everyone has great potential. The broad Starterjobs campaign aims to do the same from June 1 and goes one step further. In advertisements, radio spots, wild posters and cards for free, the role models remind us that they also started small. And that modesty is not an ornament that gets you nowhere. It obviously remains a virtue in modern society too. The best proof is provided by Unikat itself, as it was also entrusted with the rebranding of the Winner platforms.
Role models: Charles Clerc, Ruth Dreifuss and Ulrich Gygi (from left to right) started small in their professional lives and later went far. Recommended for today's young people to emulate.
Luca Aloisi

Health The Confederation's new tobacco prevention campaign dramatizes the frustration of passive smokers. "Does it bother you when I eat while smoking?" - You don't hear many insinuations of this kind from the mouths of the Swiss. 72 percent of non-smoking customers in restaurants and bars never ask strangers to refrain from smoking, even if they feel bothered by the cigarette smoke.
This behavior is documented by studies conducted by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), which has been running a national tobacco prevention program for four years. Although knowledge about the harmfulness of passive smoking is widespread, the Swiss apparently prefer to keep their mouths shut. This misunderstanding of decency is reason enough for the FOPH to focus on passive smoking in this year's public appearance.
Subtle approach
Contrary to the impression conveyed by visits to public pubs in this country, the Swiss are not a united nation of smokers. On the contrary: two thirds of the population are non-smokers. The FOPH now wants to call on this silent majority to stand up for their "right to fresh air". The corresponding measures were designed by the agencies By Heart in Zurich and cR Kommunikation in Bern.
After last year's campaign, which dramatized the toxins in cigarettes, was perceived as off-putting, this year the creative team opted for a more subtle approach. Under the motto "We stink!", the team has created two television commercials and three advertisements. "We want to tell non-smokers that it's up to them to fight back," explains CD Hans Siegwart. In doing so, By
Heart is pointing the finger and trying to create tolerance on both sides. Under no circumstances do they want to denounce smokers as the guilty party, says Siegwart. After all, no smoker endangers anyone else on purpose.
The beep as a popular method
In the spirit of "How do I tell my child" - or in this case my fellow smoker - the creatives provide a possible answer in the commercials. As part of the plot, the passive smoking protagonists make use of the already familiar acoustic heartbeat signal, which has supported the claim "Smoking harms" since the first campaign. By whistling the two short and the long drawn-out sounds, the children in one of the short films show their mother that it stinks when mommy smokes.
A young woman in the bar uses the same trick when her flirting partner lights up a cigarette. The smokers' contrite reactions in the commercial are also intended to confront nicotine addicts with their own behavior and make them aware that they are not only endangering their own health.
Those responsible on both the customer and agency side hope that whistling will be used as in the commercials and become so popular. According to Hans Siegwart, field tests have already been carried out. So anyone who is whistled at in the near future should first check their hands for cigarettes before they feel flattered.
It stinks: Passive smokers should defend themselves against the nuisance.
Close your nose and smoke away: The Federal Office of Public Health has launched a campaign to discourage smokers >> page 7
Simone Keller

Lajos Vizner and Guillaume Borel have opened the communications agency Vizner Borel. The two founders most recently worked as consultants and creative directors at Bonaparte, which went bankrupt at the beginning of the year. Vizner Borel currently employs four people.
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The Zurich advertising agency Euro RSCG is strengthening its creative team with another copywriter/concept developer. Thomas Blumer comes from Hesskiss, where he took his first creative steps at the beginning of 2003.
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Frank Hakenjos has joined Publimedia Webadvertising (PWA) as a consultant. He is dedicated to customer acquisition and support as well as all areas of online marketing.
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Sarah Theilacker joins Laika Grafic Media Factory in June. She will support the five-person crew of the Zurich agency in the areas of marketing strategy and project administration.
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At the beginning of September, Alberto Chollet will become the new Coordinator for TV Program Matters at the SRG Directorate General. He succeeds Tiziana Mona, who is retiring. Chollet is currently responsible for film productions at Ticino Television (TSI).
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Schulthess Juristische Medien AG wants to strengthen its publishing program. With this in mind, the Executive Board is being expanded from four to six members. New members are Inge Hochreutener and Barbara E. Albers. Hochreutener will manage the publishing house together with Werner Stocker. Albers will head the newly created Communications, Human Resources and Operations division. The new Chairman of the Executive Board will be Felix C. Lavater, in addition to his previous role as Head of Printing.
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New board of the Headline association: Kurt Suter (Ringier Print Zofingen), the previous Vice Chairman, will take over as Chairman. Also elected were Jean-Claude Bruhin (Cinecom) as Vice President, Christine Wernli-Meier and Andreas Zimmerli.