Gastronomy Following the success of Monday Sushi, the "Lake Side" in Zurich is now introducing a dim sum chef. From Tuesday to Saturday, he will add a list of fresh dim sum to the evening menu, while the "Happy Buddha" developed by Zurich agency Department demonstrates the effect the Far Eastern dumplings have on the palate.

Raoul Wanger, once head of the Bund publishing house, becomes managing director of the consulting firm Interpublicum in Bern.In January, Raoul Wanger suddenly went quiet. Yet the busy head of the Bund publishing house had initiated quite a few things in recent years: an unusual distribution campaign for the Bund relaunch in October 2002 or a Bund promotion in Migros centers, where customers' purchases were packed in Bund carrier bags. In addition, Wanger linked the Bund, Radio BE1 and eBund.ch in cross-media projects.Wanger's (temporary) disappearance has to do with the "Bern model." The 39-year-old father of two was involved in finding a solution for the loss-making Bund last year. He helped bring the paper under the Espace Media umbrella - knowing full well that he himself would have no place in this model. That's why he started looking for a new job early on. When he finally vacated his desk at the Bund at the end of January, he had enough offers and was able to take a few weeks off with his family to let the decision mature.
In the meantime, however, it has been decided that Wanger will become a partner in the Berne-based
consulting firm Karlen-Consulting and will start at its subsidiary Interpublicum (IP) as Managing Director on May 1. There he will replace the principal owner, Peter Karlen, who has been managing both the parent company and the subsidiary on an interim basis since the death of former IP managing director Markus Zölch a year ago.
When you talk to Raoul Wanger, you sense that he is literally bursting with energy. For weeks, he has been preparing for his new job, which encompasses four areas: Publishing and editorial consulting, creating product concepts, communications and PR consulting. IP's client list includes the Harmonie restaurant in Bern as well as the Bern cantonal police, the SBB as well as the Frankfurter Neue Presse. "I'm not bringing any ready-made ideas with me, but first want to see where IP stands," says Wanger. But he already knows one thing: "Despite very difficult times after Zölch's death, excellent work was done at IP. Customers have attested to that." Nevertheless, the graduate marketing manager, who teaches at the Media Institute/Sawi, among other places, will focus on two main areas in terms of his expertise: He wants to push publishing and editorial consulting again, especially the IP reader research tools Opus and Echo. Inevitably, they lay fallow last year. In addition, Wanger wants to bring his cross-media knowledge to IP. "I'm convinced that there's a need for cross-media marketing in the market, including among IP customers."
Wanger, who began his career at Publicitas, was head of sales at the TCS newspaper Touring from 1991 to 1995. He then moved to P Bern as sales manager of Bund, where he advanced to vice director after just one year. In 2001, J. Pepe Wiss then brought him to the Bund publishing house, where Wanger was responsible for the newspaper, Anzeiger Region Bern, Radio BE1 and eBund.ch. Even though this last assignment brought many difficult moments, especially last year, Wanger looks back with satisfaction, all things considered. "For us, it was always about the cause, about the Confederation. We put personal interests aside in all our deliberations," he says. And he adds, "I think we did a good job."
Large quotes: "In the federal government, we were always concerned with the cause. We put personal interests second."
"I am convinced that there is a need for cross-media marketing in the marketplace."
Ambitious goals: Raoul Wanger wants to push publishing and editorial consulting again.
Markus Knöpfli

Guest commentary Weblogs are the egg-laying woolly mammals of Internet journalism, says Nick Lüthi. 10185 dollars were in Christopher Albritton's account a few days ago; today it will be a few greenbacks more. The money comes from donors who financially support the former AP reporter in his independent reporting from Iraq. A considerable sum, considering that Albritton only publishes his research via back-to-iraq.com - an online journal that is freely accessible to everyone. Other web journalists have also reported that strangers financed a new laptop for them within days. The booming online media format of the weblog can also be used to earn money.
Inspired by the example of Albritton, more and more
blog operators to convert their hobby into cash. The PayPal buttons on many weblogs are a clear indication of this. The credit card-based payment service makes it easy to transfer money. However, technical feasibility alone does not get the money rolling. Only a high number of hits and a good journalistic reputation can trigger a flow of donations.
The same applies to advertising programs such as Google Adsense, which are increasingly being embedded in blogs: The cash register only rings when text ads are clicked on. Even a top weblog like Editor:Myself only earns a meagre five dollars a month this way, according to its operator. That's just enough to cover the rent for the server space.
This sobering result should not lead to the hasty conclusion that weblogs have a basic anti-commercial resistance and that their operators can expect at most mild gifts.
The hare runs differently. A weblog is primarily a purpose-neutral and web-supported editorial software system. What can be done with it commercially is hardly foreseeable. The first to benefit from the current boom are, of course, weblog providers. They develop, maintain and sell the tools without which nothing works. However, those who are particularly in need at the moment can obviously also benefit.
Why else did the online strategists at Tages-Anzeiger, Die Zeit or La Repubblica decide to integrate weblogs into their media's Internet presence (the Italians have eight of them!)? Hardly just because it's hip. The fact is: with this step, the newspapers mentioned are killing two birds with one stone. Firstly, weblogs increase the attractiveness of the journalistic offering: exclusive online content as a differentiation from the omnipresent agency fodder. Secondly, weblogs are highly interconnected. It is not for nothing that they are referred to as a "blogosphere". However, it is far more likely to refer to a newspaper's weblog than to the rest of its online content. The weblog therefore acts as a kind of link magnet. And more links bring more traffic, which in turn brings higher advertising revenue. For this obvious reason, it is reported that a number of Swiss newspapers will soon follow the example of the Tages-Anzeiger with its "correspondent notebook" and install weblogs on their websites.
> Nick Lüthi is an editor at eBund and writes in the
Weblogs bernergazette.ch and nick.kaywa.com.

Bed market The agency Hochspannung is to anchor Riposa more strongly with a perky teaser campaign.
People spend at least a third of their lives asleep, and thus usually in bed. It is no longer a secret that the quality of the nightly surface also has an effect on the waking phases. When buying a bed, more and more people are focusing on the health aspect of a mattress or a slatted base. This is confirmed by Walter Schnellmann, owner and founder of Riposa AG Swiss Sleep: "Swiss customers are very sensitive to what they put in their bed frame. "Success in a stagnating market
In 2000, the former Bico boss founded the company in Bilten, Glarus, together with Max Rickenbacher - who was also previously with Bico. In addition to mattresses, Riposa Swiss Sleep also produces grids and the FlexBed bed line. Although the bedding market no longer has any growth potential, Schnellmann and Rickenbach are convinced of the success of their "innovative think tank for healthy sleep. Schnellmann is happy to provide information about the goals they are pursuing: After establishing themselves in the domestic market, they want to make the Riposa Swiss Sleep quality brand known abroad as well. After all, the Swiss are "world champions" in mattress construction, as the Riposa owner knows.
The world champion image is part of Riposa's corporate philosophy. Accordingly, the company has also chosen a multiple world champion as its communications testimonial: Former professional cyclist Urs Freuler supports the claim "Sleep like a world champion".
Together with various partners, Riposa designs its own advertising. "I don't have time to talk to agencies," admits Schnellmann, who was responsible for marketing until the beginning of this year. Since recently, his daughter Iva has been responsible for this area. However, nothing will change in terms of strategy: "If an agency has an unusual idea, we are ready to discuss cooperation," the Riposa boss continues.
Such an idea was presented by the Zurich agency Hochspannung. The teaser campaign with yawning people kept the media and the public guessing for the past two weeks. The various posters show models of all ages yawning heartily and decently - as without a hand held out. Since April 26, the rudeness has been corrected and the puzzle solved: "Sleep yourself fit," the inscription in the censor bar demands.
However, the resolution does not seem to be very clear for everyone. For example, the Tages-Anzeiger writes in its April 26 edition that the question arises as to who wants a mattress that makes people so tired. To this Schnellmann says: "Perhaps the resolution in the communication is a little too little clear." Nevertheless, the number of positive reactions shows that the message was very well understood.
HochspannungThe independent Zurich advertising agency Hochspannung was founded in March 2003 by Matthew Katumba, most recently a CD at Expo.02, and Alex Taiganidis, previously a copywriter at Guye Benker. Although the two young entrepreneurs started in a crisis year and without any clients, the client portfolio is impressive today: In addition to their work for Riposa AG, the creative agency also serves Phonak Schweiz AG, Hilti Schweiz AG, Bluewin, as well as the Zurich city police, Trottomundo, Nielsen Optik and KME. Last summer, the high-voltage creatives made a splash with the Second@s slogan "If more and more Swiss feel like Negroes, then the National Council finally needs a real one." The agency is domiciled in Zurich's Kreis 3 and today employs
three employees. (sk)
Eye-catching either way, the posters are meant to promote fit Riposa products. Critics find them misleading.
Simone Keller

Press The AG for the Neue Zürcher Zeitung is not distributing a dividend this year. This was decided by the Annual General Meeting last Saturday, following a proposal from shareholders. The Board of Directors wanted to pay out 100 francs per share. In view of the broad distribution, the bureaucratic burden of this mini-distribution would be too great, it was said at the AGM.

Newspapers Anyone who thought that advertisements in prestigious titles would reach a high-spending audience will be proven wrong by the WochenZeitung (WOZ): after all, almost 40 percent of WOZ readers have a household income of over CHF 8,000. And unlike other newspapers, this one spends its money. WOZ's in-house agency Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett provides proof for advertisers with an advertisement. While the NZZ and Tagi are available for as little as 1.80 francs, the WOZ costs a hefty six francs. So an ad in the WOZ pays off more. Martin Spillmann and Co. have certainly proved one thing: Arithmetic must have been one of their favorite subjects at school.

Associations The Swiss Public Relations Association (SPRG) has commissioned Flowcube Communications to manage its media office, and the Zurich-based communications agency will initially accompany the SPRG's National PR Day on June 18 in Thun with the PR Symposium and the subsequent 50th anniversary celebration of the SPRG. It is also responsible for coordinating cooperation with the SPRG's media partners and for managing the new website, which will be launched in June.

Market research A study shows: Girls between the ages of 7 and 14 listen to the radio more than boys. Private stations are surprisingly popular. Almost all Swiss households with children have at least one radio or TV set, according to a study by the SRG Research Service (FD). And: the more radio sets there are in a household, the more often 7 to 14-year-olds turn them on. This is not the case with TV, where there is no relationship between the number of devices and TV consumption. This is only partly due to different restrictions imposed by parents, which are surprisingly low: 68% of all 7 to 14-year-olds are allowed to switch on the TV at their own discretion, compared to 90% of radio listeners. Parents place greater restrictions on PC use: 59 percent of children have free access; if they have an Internet connection, the rate drops to 50 percent. These are the initial results of an FD study carried out in May and June 2003. The complete data analysis will not be available until mid-2004. The research system is special: for the first time, the media usage behavior of 7 to 14-year-olds was not only surveyed by means of interviews, but also by means of the radio control clock. 300 children wore them for a week. The study was also intended to find out whether this method generates reliable data for children. This appears to be the case. However, a final report will not be available until the fall.
The TV flickers at weekends
The results currently available from surveys and measurements essentially confirm expectations. It is hardly surprising that radio use is more intensive in this age group than in adults and that it follows a similar pattern throughout the day and week. TV viewing is different: at the weekend, children watch significantly more television in the mornings than adults.
The older the children, the more they use the medium of radio. From the age of 11 ("hit parade age"), use increases noticeably. Interestingly, girls listen to the radio more than boys. Even on school mornings, they have an average reach of around 5 percent, while boys have around half that figure.
Markus Knöpfli

Sports equipment With Uriella's fall from a horse and the consequences - her visions - Ruf Lanz developed a radio spot campaign for Sport Factory Outlet's bicycle helmet promotion in 2003, for which the agency received the highest awards for radio advertising. This spring, the agency is again advertising the large range of bicycle helmets in Schönenwerd. Once again, not with a raised index finger, but with a good dose of irony. This time, well-known works of art, reinterpreted by Ruf Lanz, have to take the rap: The posters brazenly declare Picasso's cubistically displaced portraits to be accident victims. Headline: "Because accident victims only look good in art: Bike helmets 40 francs cheaper."

Agencies On May 7, "the shreds will fly" at the Poly-Fest. At least that's what the invitation to the "30 years of Polyconsult" party promises: no ordinary flyer, but a large-format Rotair announces the party to mark the company's anniversary, as if it were a sale. "Snack hunters, watch out: Total liquidation of the bar! Food straight from the ramp! and free entertainment!" reads the large print.

Wellness The advertising team Thaddey Klingelfuss Weber (TKW) is once again calling for people to work out.TKW was entrusted with the pre-sales campaign for the new Migros Fitnesspark Greifensee following a presentation by a competitor. Art director Rudolf Klingelfuss and copywriter Sämi Weber have already realized the launch campaigns for the Stockerhof and Münstergasse fitness parks in Zurich and for the Regensdorf fitness park. For the latter, Christine Thaddey from Snap Event and Marketing was involved as a consultant for the first time. For the launch of the Puls 5 fitness park in Zurich West - the campaign is currently running - Migros relied on Grey Worldwide.

Radio Das Wort is given more weight on Swiss Radio DRS. From May 17, DRS 1 and DRS 2 will be expanding their information services. SR DRS is thus preparing for the end of the frequency shortage. Thanks to digital technology, numerous new commercial providers will emerge in a few years' time, believes Radio Director Walter Rüegg. To differentiate itself from them, SR DRS wants to position itself as an "information radio station". "We are leaving our private competitors a wide range of alternative positioning options," says Rüegg.