Competitions Three Swiss agencies have been honored at the international advertising festival Golden Award in Mon-treux. The most successful was Euro RSCG Switzerland, which won gold with the print motif "Rote Klammer" for Free Tibet and two certificates as a finalist. Rive Gauche from Geneva achieved a total of three final placings and Ruf Lanz, Zurich, one.

Column Public attention is increasingly shifting from big politics to everyday life and lifestyle - especially among young people. The main victims of this development are the traditional opinion-forming daily newspapers: Newspaper publishers and journalists recently gathered at the European Newspaper Congress in Vienna and looked into the void together. It's not just the ads that are missing, but also the new readers. Young people are no longer interested in the daily paper. Recent studies show that the number of newspaper readers among 14 to 19-year-olds has halved in the last ten years, while Internet use is steadily increasing. In a survey conducted by the University of Dortmund, the researchers found that the main reason for this was a simple lack of interest in what is written in the newspaper, and this reading fatigue stands in stark contrast to a new love of reading in another market segment. For a few months now, new and predominantly sophisticated press products have been appearing, particularly in Berlin, whose readers are also younger. These are thick, lavishly illustrated magazines called Dummy and Cicero, U-Spot, Qvest, Deutsch, Alert or Monopol and deal with culture, fashion, art, politics and society.
There is no sign of the much lamented trend towards short and very short texts. Instead, some offer reportages of eight, ten or more pages. The print runs are respectable and reach up to 60,000 copies. And the major publishers are considering further magazine projects - or the option of joining the magazines founded almost exclusively by independent small publishers.
There can therefore be no talk of substituting printed media. However, it is clear that a specific and particularly renowned print segment is in a structural crisis. In addition to the revenue model, this also affects the content on offer. Why do young people read political reports?
in - for example - Dummy, but don't fancy the Süddeutsche Zeitung or the FAZ?
If you leaf through the new magazines, you can see the reason: apart from Ringier's Cicero, there is no institutional politics and economics anywhere. The showdowns and rituals of governments, parties and lobbyists have no echo chambers here. The makers and buyers of these publications are completely indifferent to the productions on this stage.
Life worth reading obviously takes place elsewhere: In the studios, offices and workshops of creative contemporaries, in the various zones of society where outsiders on the one hand and up-and-comers on the other test out their destinies and life plans. There is a hunger for reality in the neighborhood and out in the world, where people work, love and die. This should not immediately be denounced as apolitical. After all, it is about attitudes and morals, about social conditions and about the possibilities for the pursuit of happiness that the American founding fathers spoke of. Exciting stories about this, at least it seems, only begin where big politics ends.
It is no wonder that the daily newspapers, as media that have traditionally devoted themselves entirely to chronicling the political and economic state theater, are suffering the most from this shift in interest.
As it cannot be assumed that the operations on the republican main stage will change fundamentally and thus become more attractive again, we will probably have to prepare ourselves for a further loss of function, especially of the traditional opinion-forming daily press. Even more than today, they will become niche publications for the communication of the functional elites, while society gathers around other campfires.
> Heribert Seifert is
Media and culture correspondent for the NZZ in Germany.

Market research The SRG Research Service (FD) wants to test Telecontrol's Mediawatch in the last quarter of 2004. The new tool can be used to measure the use of radio, TV, cinema, posters and the press.Mediawatch is "one way or another the replacement model for Radiocontrol", said FD boss Manuel Dähler, but "all possibilities will be tested".

Management consultant Ruf Lanz advises McKinsey on recruiting young talent. From the old Swissair to the new Swisscom: wherever an important company is being restructured in Switzerland, the management consultants at McKinsey have a hand in it. The company has 11,000 employees worldwide. There has also been an office in Switzerland since 1966, which currently employs 250 people, around 170 of whom are consultants. And new talent is always being sought. McKinsey therefore commissioned a recruitment campaign from the Ruf Lanz agency. Ruf Lanz won the job after a pitch. It is "not a counter-deal with McKinsey", jokes CD Markus Ruf, as there are "no restructuring measures" pending at his agency.students from a wide range of disciplines are being sought as future consultants. Around 39 percent of McKinsey's specialists come from the field of economics, 24 percent from engineering, 19 percent are natural scientists, 11 percent studied computer science and, remarkably, only 3 percent studied law. The most important requirements for a job at McKinsey are an excellent university degree, strong analytical thinking and excellent communication skills.
Targeting young people with ambitions
It is therefore clear that the recruitment campaign for McKinsey was "not aimed at clueless 30-semester students, but at ambitious young people who have never been satisfied with the first best solution," explains Markus Ruf.
The agency dramatizes this elitist claim with a case that deviates conspicuously from the norm. In addition to a writing tool, the case contains only erasers. The "tool" that is always used when you want to turn a good solution into a better one.
The case of the "tireless optimizer" with 21 erasers and just one pencil is used as an advertisement in numerous student publications, as well as in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. "In this way, McKinsey's clients also see that the company is always looking for new, ambitious people," says Pius Fritschi at McKinsey.
The advertisements have no running text, only the Internet address.
address of McKinsey. Further information can be found in pop-ups on the site, which Markus Ruf considers to be "appropriate for the target group".
The motif is consistently continued in an elaborately designed brochure, which itself looks like a case. Finally, the key visual is also intended to attract attention as an exhibition stand at information events at universities.
To get even deeper into the world of universities, Ruf Lanz has also developed a new advertising medium: It is a pencil that is almost half eraser. The imprint: "McKinsey is looking for university graduates who are not satisfied with the first best solution." The pencils are offered at universities in a dispenser.
"Tireless optimization": McKinsey is looking for ambitious talents.
Andreas Panzeri

Market research Swiss Telecontrol AG has secured a major contract from overseas: Decision Craft Analytics (DCA), a partner company of the McCann-Erickson World Group in the field of data processing, wants to measure TV usage in India, a market worth billions, by setting up a panel of 20,000 Telecontrol boxes. Last fall, DCA already set up panels for the Indian cities of Bombay and Ahmadabad with 1,000 devices; now it is requesting the remaining 19,000 units, although the Indians cannot afford such a quantity of Telecontrol boxes, which cost 1,200 francs. That is why Telecontrol CEO Matthias Steinmann is working on developing a cheaper device. And he already knows how it will work: The "inner workings" of his multifunctional Mediawatch are to be used, which will be connected to a GSM modem, making the device half the price. The former SRG subsidiary Telecontrol is now wholly owned by the German GfK Group.
(mk)

Children's newspapers For Markus Mettler, the crash of Cracks for Kids does not prove that the genre is without a chance.Children's newspapers For Markus Mettler, the crash of Cracks for Kids does not prove that the genre is without a chance.WW After the brief guest appearance of Cracks for Kids, it actually seems that the genre is without a chance.
Clearly, the Swiss market does not support such a children's newspaper.
Markus Mettler: That would be a premature conclusion. Cracks for Kids was undoubtedly a very courageous project. Unfortunately, success was expected too quickly. The paper didn't fail primarily because of weak advertising, but because of its short breath and poor profile. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed it.
To what extent do you think the paper's profile is inadequate?
Even the title "Cracks for Kids" doesn't sound very appealing. The design seemed a bit old-fashioned. It wasn't clear whether the paper was aimed at children or teenagers. This kind of blurring should not happen to a newspaper publisher. The illustration concept also left a lot to be desired.
A children's newspaper needs to be image-heavy, with cool material, not just keystone images. In short: children's media must be able to be taken to heart, they must captivate children and adults alike.
Was Cracks for Kids up to date enough?
In this respect, the paper has undoubtedly missed an opportunity. You have to think about what makes a child tick today. Children are exposed to an extreme amount of information, media and influences. But they are barely able to categorize the information in terms of time or geography. Cracks for Kids should have offered help in this respect by picking up on weekly events and placing them in a larger context or by using graphics suitable for children. But the effort involved should not be underestimated: Preparing this kind of information is very complex.
Is the market big enough for such a children's medium?
I think just about yes, because enough parents make a pilgrimage to a newsstand on Sundays. But first I need an ingenious product, at least a year's time and great reader marketing. Because only when I have a fan base can I successfully offer such a magazine as an advertising platform. Spick magazine is a prime example of this: it gets by without a single advertising franc. If it opened up to advertising, it would be highly profitable.
How high do you estimate the advertising potential in this market?
You shouldn't look at it too narrowly. I don't just count companies that lure children's pocket money with sweets as potential advertisers. The range is much wider. We know that children often have a say when it comes to booking vacations or buying furniture. And when it comes to consumer electronics, they are even superior to their parents in terms of expertise.
What else can we learn from the Cracks for Kids guest performance?
There were also positive aspects: the distribution worked perfectly. The PR before and shortly after the launch was also good. Afterwards, however, the weekly reminding was missing. If the paper had been included with SonntagsBlick or Sonntagszeitung during the launch phase, that would certainly have helped. Alliances would probably also have been helpful in the initial phase, for example with the federal government's reading promotion program, the Swiss Press Association or Pro Juventute.
This is BrainStoreBrainStore in Biel has specialized in the industrial production of ideas since 1989. The team has defined a process in which it can involve people from a network of over 1200 young people and just as many experts from a wide range of specialist fields. BrainStore works for SBB, BMW, Syngenta, Migros, the Federal Office of Public Health, Swatch and the WWF, among others. (mk)
Markus Mettler, Managing Director of the BrainStore ideas factory in Biel.
Interview: Markus Knöpfli

APG held its second Poster Night at the Lakeside Casino Zürichhorn last week. The speeches were brief and to the point, and - it was hard to believe - for once there wasn't the standardized "Lakeside" buffet that is served at the other ten or so advertising events at the Zürichhorn. On the contrary, the food turned out to be a culinary firework display in the style of a small round-the-world trip. No fewer than four different themed buffets were set up. From Switzerland to the Mediterranean, then over to South America and back to Zürichhorn via Asia. However, there were smiles when the German chef had to explain to the Swiss waitress how to conjure up a proper raclette from under the cheese oven. Actress Annette Corti brilliantly led the audience through the program as the slightly over-excited APG COO Henriette Hilpert. Although her punchlines sometimes came close to the waistline, this didn't prove to be a problem given the predominance of men in the audience.
Those responsible for the Poster Night, above all Affichage Holding CEO Christian Kauter, APG PR Director Othmar Casutt, Sales Manager Ivan Schultheiss and organizer Ruth Bertschi, were also pleased with the weather. In spring-like temperatures, the aperitif was served directly on the cozy shores of the lake and the good weather could be enjoyed. Urs Kälin from Starplakat and Bettina Forster from the NZZ were lucky in the competition. They each won one of the Omega watches that are traditionally raffled off at Poster Night.
Beat Fritsch took a seat by the cozy fireplace for a brief moment of relaxation during the aperitif. Then it was time for the battle of the hot and cold buffet at this year's APG Poster Night - a highly satisfying event. 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 are available online at www.werbewoche.ch
Wooden idols adorned the way to the delicious buffets.
Enjoying the open-air atmosphere on the shores of Lake Zurich: Sawi Director Jürg Engi (left) and ASW Managing Director Peter Grob.

Crew from the APG agency Publicis: Ralph Halder, AD, Kaspar Loeb, CEO, and Lukas Tenger (from left), consulting group manager.
For Christof Kaufmann (right), with Fernando Kolb, it's a stone's throw from the new OMD office in Zollikon to "Lakeside".
BSW Managing Director Walter Merz (l.) and McCann-Erickson CEO David Honegger in conversation during the drinks reception.
From the NZZ: Tatjana Pegam (l.) with colleague Bettina Forster - lucky winner of the evening: she won one of the Omega watches raffled off.
Alex Schmid (l.) and Hanspeter Detsch show off their skills at the "Lakeside" bar before the start of the big poster gala.
APG sales manager Ivan Schultheiss (left) is also in a good mood with Monica Jäggi and Ronny Schmid from Konnex.
The best-dressed of the evening: Geri Aebi (l.), CEO Wirz Werbung, with Migros Head of Communications Beat Mühlemann.
Group photo with lady: Diana Strebel, Scholz & Friends, with Andreas Prokesch (l.), ADC Chairman, and Markus Gut, Publicis.
Tobias Trevisan (r.), NZZ, with Christoph Stuehn from the Schauspielhaus, who won a prize as a customer in the Culture category.
They didn't run out of things to talk about at the drinks reception either: Andi Widmer (left), Wunderman CEO, with Erich Baumgartner, Lowe.
This was probably about Advertising Day: SW Managing Director Monika Luck with Affichage/APG CEO Christian Kauter.
Prize in the individual poster category: Christophe Guye (l.), Guye Benker, with customer Peter Schmid, Campari.
Ruth Bertschi (l.) and Othmar Casutt have the organization of the Poster Night under control - joker Annette Corti provided the laughs.
Large media corner: Bernd Leckebusch, Mediaedge:CIA, Axel Beckmann, Mediacom, and Urs Schneider (from left), Schneidermedia.

The editor-in-chief of the French-Swiss women’s magazine Edelweiss is stepping down from her position. She will be responsible for the editorial and graphic design at the women’s magazine femina. Renata Libal—it is unclear who will succeed her at Edelweiss….Effective early September, Roger Knabenhans will become the new publishing director of the TV magazine TR7. He previously worked as advertising director at Facts and the Basler Zeitung, as well as head of classifieds at the NZZ….
Under the name Rentahess, Christoph Hess is starting his own business at the end of April. The copywriter and concept developer previously worked for Jung von Matt/Limmat and Honegger von Matt, respectively….
In early July, Tobias Ferlin will join the advertising space marketer IP Multimedia. He will be responsible for the integration of online media within the IP Production business unit. Ferlin previously served as a senior key account manager at Publimedia Webadvertising. …
Marcel Siegenthaler is now the permanent sports editor of *Blick* and *SonntagsBlick*. He had already taken over the position on an interim basis in early March. Siegenthaler’s deputy and editor-in-chief will be
Urs Frieden. The current sports editor of the Berner Zeitung will be joining Blick in early August. The Ringier publication will also be bolstered by Thomas Knapp, who will replace Nik Niethammer—who is moving to the German TV station Sat 1—as the second editor in the sports department. Knapp previously served as
Editor, layout designer, and producer at the Solothurner Tagblatt….
Roland Wahrenberger will become the new business manager of Reader’s Digest Switzerland. The former publishing director of *Schweizer Familie* replaces
Tamara Mattiussi-Tschuor, who left Reader’s Digest at the end of March. Wahrenberger has already joined the company
and is going through a training program….
The Bern section of the journalists' association Impressum has
Markus Dütschler has been elected as the new president. The editor of the daily newspaper *Der Bund* succeeds Roland Jeanneret.

Magazines In the run-up to the relaunch in mid-May, the Tamedia magazine had four applicants present ideas for a campaign. The most convincing solution was delivered by Christensen & Liechti (graphics and photography) from Bern, according to a press release. The text and concept came from the Value Communications agency in Hergiswil and Zurich, while Ulmann + Partner in Lucerne will be responsible for direct marketing.

Outdoor advertising Airport billboards continue to lose frequencies: The number of passengers at Swiss airports fell in the first quarter of 2004. The exception: Geneva-Cointrin increased by 3.9 percent, with 2.37 million travelers from January to March. EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse, on the other hand, suffered a 23 percent drop, with only 45,160 passengers. At Bern-Belp, the number of passengers was 29965 (-27.4 percent), while Lugano-Agno fell by 20.7 percent to 33693.Unique Airport remained relatively stable at 3.75 million passengers with a drop of one percent; in absolute terms, however, it recorded the second-highest decline with 37161 fewer passengers. The following outdoor advertisers are affected by the overall decline in passenger frequency: Clear Channel Plakanda serves Unique and parts of EuroAirport, APG is present in Basel, Geneva and Lugano, JCDecaux sells space at EuroAirport, while Baracom and Publiscreen market Bern-Belp Airport.
(mk)

Publishers Edipresse, the publishing house in French-speaking Switzerland, increased its turnover last year by 14 percent to 804 million Swiss francs, with the additional revenue resulting from the newly acquired companies in Switzerland and abroad. With a comparable scope of consolidation, turnover fell by 1.2 percent. Edipresse's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) rose by 10.8 percent to CHF 84.4 million. By contrast, net income fell by around 13 percent to CHF 11.8 million. In the current year, Edipresse intends to launch further savings programs as well as new titles.

Advertisements For the first time since July 2001, the Publicitas index, which measures advertising expenditure in the daily press, did not fall in March, but stagnated at 94.42 points.Advertisements For the first time since July 2001, the Publicitas index, which measures advertising expenditure in the daily press, did not fall in March, but stagnated at 94.42 points. The additional expenditure compared to the same month last year and the increase in commercial advertisements from major distributors and the automobile industry contributed to the stabilization. As in previous months, real estate advertisements also grew. The index of job advertisements rose by
1.4 points to 114.3 points.