Schweizer Illustrierte and TR7 magazines launch new image campaigns. Both rely on celebrities Swiss media luck has a name: Schweizer Illustrierte. It's not just most of the celebrities who are happy there - "negative stories sell worse at the newsstand," says editor-in-chief Marc Walder. The entire editorial and publishing team was also successful, as it was able to raise the profile of Switzerland's strongest magazine with a series of special issues - Auto, Shopping, Al Dente, Login and the two event issues Montreux Jazz Festival and Miss Switzerland competition. Marc Walder cites further reasons for the increase: "In the past two years, we have succeeded in becoming more topical, bringing events from the weekend to the front page on Monday as a highlight." SI has also wrested the lead from the competition in terms of people journalism.
Separation from Wirz "on the good side "Anyone who speaks so confidently about their product is unlikely to be put off by a slight dip in circulation. This year's circulation sky is not completely cloudless. Walder attributes the decline of around 4200 copies (-1.65% to 251550 copies) to the economic downturn and the price increase for subscriptions and individual sales.
In addition to the "very good start to the new year", the new advertising campaign for its magazine is also likely to contribute to the optimism. "After many years, we parted ways with Wirz Werbung on good terms and opted for the top agency Publicis without a pitch," says Publishing Director Urs Heller. Heller and Walder were not deterred by the fact that Publicis already serves other players in the media industry (NZZ, NZZaS and Mittelland Zeitung).
Exciting environment for the stars And rightly so. Despite the old claim "Closer to the stars", the current campaign by the Publicis team of CD Markus Gut and AD Ralph Halder has nothing in common with the previous appearances. You don't see the stars in the picture - "There's plenty of opportunity for that in the SI itself," says Gut - but the heads make pointed statements about them. These are misleading at first glance, but are surprisingly resolved in the small print. People from the celebrities' environment come into play. "A double testimonial campaign," smiles Gut. "We had to ask each of the stars and their acquaintances for their permission," explains Walder, who was able to recruit the protagonists for the idea free of charge and donates the fee to Dr. Beat Richner's children's hospitals. The new concept seems to be able to achieve two goals at once: to make the stars and starlets appear more likeable and to encourage them to take part. On the other hand, those responsible hope to make better use of the opportunities presented by topicality. "We're already thinking about a Köbi Kuhn theme that we can use in the short term around the European Championships," speculates Walder.
Intimate insights in TR7 A concept that plays on readers' curiosity, entertains and amuses them is also currently being implemented by the program magazine TR7 from Jean Frey (JF) and strikes a similar note in its new campaign - TV commercials and print. The agency JWT+H+F was guided by the magazine's increased focus on people stories. "Since television in Switzerland discovered the sales and ratings value of stars, the star business has been running at full speed," says consultant Sara Meier. Since TR7 editor-in-chief René Hildbrand, just like Marc Walder, once honed his eye for the secrets of our Swiss celebrities at "Blick", this asset is also becoming increasingly important for the JF product. While its competitor Tele, which positions itself as "the Swiss media magazine", has lost 6.4 percent of its circulation, TR7 sees its orientation as a celebrity insider publication confirmed, as its circulation has risen by 2.1 percent to 17,2509 copies.
That's why the creatives from the Maag-Areal dug deep into the stars' garbage bags for the new TR7 appearance and neatly laid out the funny trouvailles in the ads. These revelations, however, are withheld from the viewers of the two low-budget commercials. To find out more, they have to look inside the magazine - this is the tactical mechanism of the image campaign.
Knowing more about celebrities: Publicis has revamped the existing slogan "Closer to the stars".

What is Lolita Morena up to? Her garbage collectors have a clue, TR7 readers even know exactly. TV commercial by JWT+H+F.
Luca Aloisi

Regional TV How the Basel government holds a protective hand over TeleBasel and the Basel media group TeleBasel is the TV child of the Basel government: at the time, it initiated a broadly supported cable network foundation as a sponsor. The fact that it is now rejecting an enlarged Baselbieter TV Nordwest 5, which would put pressure on TeleBasel, is therefore to be sympathized with. Nevertheless, there are several reasons why the "no" vote is a cause for concern. Firstly, because the government accuses the private TV advertising association TeleNewsCombi (TNC) of having exerted pressure on TeleBasel. In fact, TeleBasel has been pressured several times in the past by other TNC members to broadcast standardized formats without a local connection in order to help build up regional language advertising platforms with identical target groups (see WW 44/03). Once there was even a threat to "beef up" NW5 and bring it into the TNC in place of the recalcitrant TeleBasel.
This universally confirmed story dates back four years. However, it reappears in the Basel government's statement: An NW5 extended to WG 31 could one day push TeleBasel out of the TNC and disconnect it from the national advertising market, it is feared. Especially if a "foreign media company" were to support the expanded NW5. The government believes the latter is possible in view of Tamedia's entry into 20 Minuten and Radio Basilisk.
Shorter stakes for BMHowever, Samuel Hess, Head of Economic Services at the Basel Department of Economic and Social Affairs and author of the Government Council's statement, emphasizes that the intrusion of foreign companies is not simply seen as a threat in Basel. "At the time, the government council classified Tamedia's entry into Radio Basilisk as unobjectionable," he says. But now the government wants to prevent a (foreign) publisher from controlling a TV station in the region. This would mean that BM, which cannot participate in TeleBasel (foundation), would have shorter stakes, which would be "undesirable" from the government council's point of view in view of its "economic and journalistic contribution".
Conversely, NW5 is not a gateway to the TV sector for BM, because BM and NW5 boss Beat Alder are not on the same stage. In addition, BM itself once slammed a door to NW5: When Fritz Schuhmacher, Vice President of BM, took a private stake in NW5 two years ago, BM executives were so irritated that they called him off. For financial reasons, BM does not want to operate its own TV anyway, preferring to cooperate with TeleBasel. Hess knows all this too.
This means that the Government Council's statement is entirely in line with the BM. However, the company is surprised by this. "We have not lobbied and have never been contacted by the government," assures CEO Beat Meyer. And publisher Hagemann even let it be known via the Basler Zeitung that he had no objections to an expanded NW5. Hess also rejects any contact with BM prior to the statement. Both may be true, but they have known each other's positions very well for years anyway: after all, Meyer and Schuhmacher sit with Hess on the TeleBasel foundation board.
"No fear of contact "The government's protection of BM and TeleBasel gives the impression that BM and TeleBasel are moving closer together due to the increasing influence of Zurich in the region and want to establish at least an ideal bulwark. The fact that TeleBasel and BM-Radio Basel 1 are joining forces for the first time in the next few weeks and launching a major competition further fuels such suspicions.
Meyer is aware of this and openly states that his group is interested in further cooperation opportunities with TeleBasel. At the same time, however, he does not forget to emphasize that financial ties with TeleBasel are ruled out by the system. Willy Surbeck, Managing Director of TeleBasel, on the other hand, is completely independent. He is also planning a big box with Radio Basilisk in the near future: The joint broadcast of the FCB championship celebrations in May. "If we're not pushed, we have no fear of contact," he says.
A privilege with barbsFor years, TeleBasel has enjoyed a privileged position compared to other private TV stations: Cablecom subsidiary Balcab has had to pay it CHF 1.5 million a year - since 1998 and until 2028. This could now become a disadvantage. Because it seems doubtful whether TeleBasel, as a recipient of the Balcab manna, will also be able to participate in fee splitting in accordance with the new Radio and Television Act. All the more so if an expanded NW5 were also to vie for splitting shares. (mk)
Biedereses von Land und Stadt: Program scenes from TV Nordwest 5 (left) and TeleBasel.
Markus Knöpfli

Marketer The Cover Media is joining forces with Radiotele as of April 1. The collaboration with Radiotele was the lifebelt, so to speak.marketer The Cover Media is joining forces with Radiotele as of April 1. The collaboration with Radiotele was the lifebelt, so to speak. Radio and TV marketer The Cover Media (CM) has been through difficult times. Although the advertising market crisis has also affected the company, it has been in a threatening situation "due to internal problems, too rapid growth and the entry of IP Multimedia (Switzerland) into national radio marketing around three years ago", explains Hans-Ueli Zürcher, Chairman of the Board of Directors of CM.
Reduced from 12 to 5 employeesThe crisis threatening the company's existence is also reflected in the number of employees. In spring 2003, CM still employed 12 people at its headquarters in Basel and a branch office in Zurich. Since then, the workforce has shrunk to five people, three in radio and TV marketing and two in production. "We had to consistently focus on our core business and eliminate unprofitable areas," says Zürcher.
The cooperation between CM and Radiotele, which was agreed on April 1, is based on a contract. The main aim is to exploit synergies. The CM location in Zurich will only exist as an address. "We will also retain our Zurich customers, but bookings will now be made via Radiotele," says Zürcher, explaining the organization.
Radiotele boss Bruno Oetterli also sees the collaboration in terms of market policy: "We want The Cover Media to continue to exist, because it harms the radio genre if there are fewer and fewer marketers." A merger is not an issue at the moment, say both Zürcher and Oetterli. However, they both leave it open as to whether this will remain the case.
Daniel Schifferle

The Swiss Society for Communication and Media Studies (SGKM) is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year under the chairmanship of Roger Blum, Professor of Media Studies at the University of Bern, and is concerned with the analysis of public communication and has set itself the goal of promoting media studies at the various Swiss universities and representing their interests. Since the founding of the SGKM, communication and media studies have become increasingly important: While there were just three professorships in Switzerland in 1974, today - including universities of applied sciences - there are 47. However, media institutes are still struggling with a huge influx of students and a shortage of teaching staff. (ps)

The spring oracle of the HandelsZeitung enjoys unbroken popularity. The attendance at the annual presentation of the advertising trend study in the "Lakeside" was at any rate enormous. Slight skepticism, cautious optimism, rising budgets - that's what the forecasters reported - at the moment, there's a bit of everything. Even if the banks are still extremely stingy in granting loans, they have already adjusted their advertising budgets upward. More gloomy the prospects with the job advertisements, here no upward trend is in view. And even among the agencies, the feelings are of a mixed nature. While almost three quarters of media agencies expect revenue growth, only half of advertising agencies do. Qui vivra, verra! The get-together ended with an extended aperitif and appetizers, accompanied by the incomparable lake view offered by the Zürichhorn.Mediaschneider AG also celebrated its 1000-day anniversary. But the party after one hundred days was not missed, it simply did not take place, owner Urs Schneider welcomed the guests. After all, one hundred days after the company was founded, it still had nothing to report and was not really noticed by the trade media.
In the meantime, around 36972 hours have been worked, 14131 ads have been placed, 38489 posters have been displayed, 12836 TV commercials have been put on the screens, 27504 radio spots have been broadcast, 20962 commercials have flickered across the cinema screens and, last but not least, around 3.6 tons of receipts have been sent, filed or disposed of. Even the famous white page, which has become the epitome of the "horror vacui" of a media agency, has been created. It was published for Swiss in the USA. However, the legal costs would have been many times the page price if the real advertisement had appeared.
Anecdotes older than 1000 days were also rehashed. For example, Schneider, who once worked for m&m, had thrown the current APG sales manager Ivan Schultheiss, then with P, out of the office on edge. And even at Mediaschneider, one is not always immune to friction. However, the company owner admitted self-critically that his impatience was usually the cause. The fact that he nevertheless enjoys great popularity was evident from the unusually high number of gifts he received.
The gift table overflowed and almost collapsed, especially under the weight of a bottle of Methuselah-sized champagne (6 liters). However, the passionate cyclist received an even more valuable gift from his client Andy Rihs. The very first jersey of this year's Tour de France team from Phonak. The shirts had just been delivered from production and had not even been presented to the press yet, Rihs announced. Whereupon Schneider took up the suggestion and said that Mediaschneider's 1000 days were only to be regarded as the first stage. The second stage would be completed on March 27, 2007, after 2000 days, and this date should be noted in advance for the next festival.
This is especially true for wife Marlise Schneider. Together with her PR agency Union 3, she was responsible for the whole event. The above-average quality of the wines served was particularly memorable. But also the perfectly grilled skewers and other appetizers were not without success. Perhaps, since the demand for good events in the industry is great, there will be another party after 500 days. On the mountain prize of the second stage, so to speak, to return to the cyclist jargon.
Beat Fritschwur was not bored last week. After a rather lean March in terms of events, the tide turned in April. The HandelsZeitung publishing group kicked things off with the advertising trend study presentation at Lakeside Casino Zürichhorn; the first 1000 days of the Mediaschneider agency in Seefeld were the occasion for an equally successful celebration.
We locate where the communications, media and publishing industries meet for their parties at the scene's various events. Do you already have something to report? Pick up the phone (01 296 97 98) or hit the keys ([email protected]). Event tips and more shortlist pictures are available online at www.werbewoche.ch.
Always surprising with an illustrious guest list: Publisher Ralph Büchi (l.), with Chris Flückiger from the Mediatonic agency.
Martin Spieler took care of the banks: Monika Hofmann (l.), UBS Wealth Managament, and Bernadette Grossenbacher, ZKB.
Showing his charming side as always: Renato Oliva from HandelsZeitung with Claudia Haering.
Michael Ebnöther (l.) manages cooperation projects at Jean Frey and small-talkts with Markus Will, Reader Market Magazines at Ringier.
Stocks Publishing Director Patrizia Serra with Urs Meier, Managing Director of SKO, and Samuel Dubno (r.), from HandelsZeitung's Euroforum.
Patrick Suire (left) from Swissquote and Walter Weder, author of the advertising trend study with MRG, talked shop.
Good acquaintances from the "Castors", the loose association for the cultivation of the French language: Jenni Best and Jean-Christophe Francet.
Tidied up: Mediaxis owner Peter Hofstetter, BSW Managing Director Walter Merz and OMD Switzerland CEO Christof Kaufmann (from left).
Laurence Saas of Mediaedge:CIA was seen eagerly discussing with NZZ ad manager Marcel Kohler at Lakeside Casino Zürichhorn.
Hans Lackner and Christa Allenspach from Spot Promotion were pleased with the positive outlook that the study promises.
Beat Leuenberger from Publimedia and Moritz Weibel from Publimag "worked on" Massimo Lucchini (from left) from Keramik Laufen.
Inge Willmann, VMK/Excellent Careers, with Victor Zahn of the tapeworm agency, Zahnzimmermannfankhauser.
Stephan Küng (l.), with MTJ Editor-in-Chief Pierre C. Meier, no longer showed the stress of moving from the previous weekend.
Tagi sales manager Fridolin Holdener with Publicis CEO Kaspar Loeb and Toni Vetterli (from left) from the Swiss Press Association.
The Sunrise women's team from Wirz Werbung: Vanessa Rubinick, Silvia Bandschapp, Andrea Staub and Susan Baumgartner (from left).
Celebrating a splendid party: Urs and Marlise Schneider with customer and guest Andy Rihs (r.) from Phonak, the hearing aid manufacturer in Stäfen.
An agency cannot live on the boss alone: Carla Fuhlrott, Helena Maly and Martina Schulz (from left) are also part of the team.
A job at Schneider would be an alternative, thought Jano Berni in the presence of Cordula Müller (l.) and Petra Bosshard.
Giovanni Trümpi (l.), Head of Publimedia Bern, with Henri Robyr, one of the doyens of Swiss advertising and publishing.
Even if it was very close - there was room for discussion, for example between Uli Rubner and Sacha Wigdorovits.
Talking in a quiet corner: Hansruedi Fuhrer (l.) from Kunde Biomed with Peter Kümmerli, Beobachter publishing director.
Standing guard to congratulate for the first 1000 days of Mediaschneider: Ludy Turkavka (l.), Jeannine Fédier and Fernando Kolb.
Three angels for Ursli: Teresa Eisenring with Claudia Bächler from Phonak and Tagi publishing director Maili Wolf (from left).
Slightly winey corner: wine book author Ernst Meier, Edelweiss, with Felix Kilchsperger and Bruno Oetterli (from left), Radiotele.
Daniela Hobi with Sandro Rüegger (l.) and René Hildbrand from TR7, who lifted Schneider into the TV environment in a special way.
Daniel Pauletto (r.), here with Fridolin Holdener, kept his mouth shut: his move to Cinecom only became public the next day.
Good-humored guests: Patricia Müller (l.) and Peter Triner from Triumph International with Suzana Langenegger from Smartbits.
1000 days of tailoring mediaPresentation of advertising trend study at "Lakeside

CeylorThe fastest condom in the world is presented to us by Advico Young & Rubicam. Well done - or rather God forbid? Give us your quick opinion at www.werbewoche.ch/adratingBasler Zeitung
Top 56.5% , Flop 43.5%. No frills, clean, according to a majority. Others are offended by the fact that the old celebrity routine is being played out again.

Direct Marketing Last month, HR managers were astonished when they received the application dossier of Mr. VW Passat, because the mysterious "gentleman" officially recommended himself as a company car. The fictitious application folder was put together by the Lowe agency for its client Amag. The camouflaged mailing for the VW Passat was sent to 6000 potential customers. Some of them even wrote a reply letter to "Mr. Passat", as Lowe is aware.

Association representatives and corporate publishing market leaders from eight countries met in Zurich in March as part of the European Corporate Publishing Forum (ECPF), where the main topic of the conference was a broad-based research study on the success of corporate publishing measures. The study is being carried out by the British market research institute Millward Brown. It is to be presented at the beginning of October.

Media design At the most important international competition for editorial design in New York, the "Society of Publication Designers" competition, three corporate publishing objects for which Horst Moser was responsible as art director were chosen from more than 8,000 entries: Forum (MLP), edition two (Allianz) and Leica World (Leica Camera AG). Since 1997, Horst Moser, Art Director of Primafila (Zurich) and Independent Medien Design (Munich), has been the only media designer from the German-speaking world to be regularly honored in this international competition.

Newspapers If you want to buy a copy of the Tages-Anzeiger (TA) at the kiosk on Saturday, you now have to pay CHF 3 instead of CHF 2.50. The publisher justifies the surcharge with the production costs of the Saturday supplement "Das Magazin". The price remains unchanged for subscribers.

Private TV The ProSieben-Sat 1 TV Group plans to reduce its debts with a capital increase. 282 million euros gross are to be flushed into the coffers through the issue of around 24 million new shares. Shareholders can acquire one new share for every eight old shares. According to Reuters, this will increase the Saban Group's stake from just under 72% to a good 75%. The publisher Axel Springer announced that it would not be acquiring any new shares as it intends to sell its stake in the long term.

Associations At the 6th general meeting of the Interessengemeinschaft elektronische Medien (IGEM), Martin Schneider was elected to the board to succeed Ingrid Deltenre, taking over the seat held by Publisuisse. All other Board members and President Urs Renner stood for re-election for a further term of office.