Last week, Werbewoche held a wild party at Lakeside Zürichhorn to thank its most important readers for their loyalty, inviting only those who are really big names in the advertising industry. The preparations for the festivities and the invitation procedure took place in the strictest secrecy. It was a glittering party that will be talked about for a long time to come - and as alcohol is known to loosen the tongue, many a secret was divulged in conversation with the shortlist author.Dietmar Bemberg and Andreas Gedenk, who are celebrating their birthday this week with their agency BG Media, told us: "Ten years are enough, now we've definitely seen it." When asked what plans they had for the future, they only provided information after a lengthy inquiry. Werbewoche can therefore already reveal exclusively: Bemberg and Gedenk have bought a small restaurant and bar on the Canary Island of Tenerife and will be taking down their tents in Zurich this summer. The cozy establishment on the celebrity beach of Los
Gigantes is to attract wealthy tourists under the name "B&G".
News also from Raphaela Höhn. After her boyfriend Roger Baur surprisingly left for San Francisco with agency owner Gilbert Fisch (Baur's quote: "Finally Gilbert and I can get married."), the busy organizer of the Miss Zurich pageants wants to give it another go and has registered for the Miss Switzerland pageant herself. Thanks to her good contacts with the organization and the jury, she believes she has a good chance of at least making it into the top three, the former TeleZüri weather girl told Werbewoche.
Film-maker Ernst Wirz and his partner Irene Hiltpold also have big plans. They are planning to reopen the in-club Roxy. Two items on the program have already been decided. Erna Höltschi behind the bar and a performance by Wirz with his band Medium Rare at least once a week. Wirz also revealed that he has brought a new guitarist into the band. None other than star advertiser and book author Jean
Etienne Aebi is to pluck the strings at Medium Rare. Aebi explains: "After leaving Publicis, I was looking for a new area of work, so Ernst's offer came at just the right time. After all, even I can't produce a work of the century about creativity every year, because there simply isn't enough good advertising for that."
And there will also be changes to the Advertising Week shortlist. From May, shortlist author Beat Fritsch will be the personal advisor to Federal Councillor Joseph Deiss. The two met on Advertising Day two years ago. Their mutual affinity was obvious - the call to Bern has now been made after a vacancy arose on the Federal Council's staff. Fritsch's successor at Werbewoche will alternate between Hildegard Schwaninger and Suzanne Speich, both of whom are ideally equipped for the job as former gossip columnists for Züri-Leu and Züri-Woche respectively.
By the way, dear reader, what industry do you actually work in? In advertising, which is known to work with illusions and tricks. And you believe everything you've just read? Then take a look at the date at the top left!
Off to the south: Daniela and Dietmar Bemberg (right), pictured here with Kaspar Loeb, are turning their backs on Switzerland and opening a pub.
Andreas Gedenk, pictured here with Irene Ackermann, will also be part of the Tenerife adventure - as Chef de Service at the new B&G.
Raphaela Höhn, pictured here with Robert Hunziker, wants to do it again and will take part in the Miss Switzerland competition in the fall.
A long-awaited outing: Roger Baur (l.) and Gilbert Fisch have moved to San Francisco to get married.
Irene Hiltpold (left) and Erna Höltschi want to bring the Roxy back to life: "We're going to fill everyone up mercilessly!"
Jean Etienne Aebi practiced the right tone at the bar - he will now lead the Medium Rare backing choir.
Shortlist author Fritsch takes a job on the staff of Foreign Minister Deiss, who traveled from Bern especially for the Advertising Week party.
Suzanne Speich, here with Bruno Oetterli, one of the shortlisted successors, is really looking forward to the new job.
And the charming Hildegard Schwaninger will also be providing Werbewoche readers with new gossip stories in future.
Beat Fritsch

Media company 2003 was deep red for Tamedia. Only Schweizer Familie and SonntagsZeitung made a profit: Tamedia has a year of organizational suffering and negative figures behind it. The result is a loss of CHF 17.7 million (2002: profit of CHF 35.6 million). Operating revenues fell by CHF 71 million to CHF 569 million (-11.1 percent). The reason for the losses is the miserable performance of the print advertising market. In 2003, advertising revenues at Tamedia fell by CHF 63 million (-12 percent). Of this, 26 million was lost in job advertisements (-33 percent). In addition, print revenues fell by CHF 7 million (-18 percent).
The only media with growth in advertising revenues were Schweizer Familie (+1.5 percent) and SonntagsZeitung (+0.1 percent). Another consolation: with gross advertising revenues of CHF 67 million, the Tages-Anzeiger retained its leading position among the daily newspapers in 2003 - just ahead of the Mittelland Zeitung, but with a clear gap to third-placed Blick.
Despite the still uncertain development of the advertising market, the current and coming year will also see some joyful events: Tamedia CEO Martin Kall expects TeleZüri to break even in 2005. He also wants to bring 20 Minuten into the profit zone this year if possible. The magazines should also be in the black for the first time this year. Partnerwinner has already achieved this, having emerged from a deeply loss-making situation thanks to the introduction of compulsory fees. Jobwinner also made a small profit in 2003.
Daniel Schifferle

Pneuhandel Proven strategy with a new agency: With Wirz' first commercial, Pneu Egger humorously calls for a tire change. "Pneu Egger always tries not only to sell with its advertising, but also to entertain. But we obviously don't always succeed." This is how Simon Müller, advertising manager at Pneu Egger, reacted to a letter to the editor. In it, the writer was outraged by the Pneu Egger TV commercial in which a frog - ouch! - is run over twice. The fact that the national market leader in tire retreading wanted to use the commercial to highlight the importance of proper tires did not seem to be understood or appreciated by everyone. Instead, the tire specialist slipped up with the slippery advertising maneuver. This and the withdrawal of the management team from the agency at the time prompted the Aarau-based trading company to look for another agency.
Attention thanks to laughter
The decision was made in favor of Wirz Werbung. According to copywriter Thomas Kurzmeyer, Wirz has often generated considerable brand awareness for companies of a comparable size with unusual concepts. As can now be seen, the Wirz creatives are continuing Pneu Egger's previous advertising strategy and campaign idea: high-impact TV commercials will continue to ensure laughter and attention and thus generate the necessary recall value among the heterogeneous target group despite the modest media budget.
In terms of content, it is not the low price of a new tire that serves as an advertising argument, but the safety of "seasonal" rubber. This spring, drivers will once again recognize the Pneu-Egger commercial by its incomparable voice and laconic message: "Can you already feel spring? Then it's time for summer tires. Now at Pneu Egger." The realization is completely new. A nice old lady is shown packing her suitcase carefully and in a good mood: with knitted, crocheted and flowered items. She hesitates for a moment at the sight of her undergarments - a model lovestopper - before resolutely reaching for her scissors and snipping out a G-string.
The campaign is supplemented by POS media and - since Switzerland has a high density of classic cars and many people own several classic cars - by an advertisement in specialty magazines.
Rubber leader Pneu EggerDespite the merger of the Swiss branches of the European chains Euromaster and Viborg, Pneu Egger has defended its position as the Swiss leader in tires, vehicle parts and wheel-related services. With 36 locations throughout Switzerland and around 280 employees, the company generated sales of around 90 million Swiss francs in 2003. 40 percent of this was generated in the private car sector and 60 percent in the commercial and industrial sectors. Gregor Hartmann has been managing the Aarau-based company in the second generation since 1998. (la)
Car tire trade Spring is calling, Pneu Egger is coming. With Wirz as the new agency and, surprisingly, with an update to the previous eye-catching campaign >> page 7
G-string instead of love killer: Pneu Egger relies on Hinschauer.
Luca Aloisi

Newspapers The Ringier Board of Directors discussed the "Neue Zeitung" project last week, but Group spokeswoman Eva Keller has not yet made a decision.Ringier is planning an ambitious daily news paper. Publisher Michael Ringier told the German newspaper Tagesspiegel that the company has been working on this project for years. The whole thing is difficult because there is nothing like it anywhere. "Maybe it's because the concept is no good. That's exactly what we don't know," said Ringier.

PR Trimedia is becoming British. The Swiss agency group is gaining a parent holding company and a helpful network, although the approval of Huntsworth's shareholders is still pending. But Swiss agency boss Werner Mäder is in no doubt that the takeover of Trimedia will be approved. The PR group, headquartered in Zurich, will become a subsidiary of an up-and-coming British communications holding company. The Huntsworth Group has acquired a number of marketing and communications companies in recent years. Last year, it took over the PR agency Hatch-Group, which has been cooperating with Trimedia for some time. Huntsworth intends to rename Hatch-Group as Trimedia UK, which will give Trimedia new offices in London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The network, which was founded in Zurich in 1981, was previously represented in Switzerland, Germany, Austria and France.
Purchase price not yet definitive Huntsworth will pay up to 24.9 million euros for 100 percent of Trimedia shares. The exact purchase price depends on the agency's performance up to 2006. A portion will be paid out in shares. Together, the existing Trimedia shareholders will become significant shareholders in Huntsworth, according to a press release. According to Werner Mäder, however, it is not yet possible to say how large their share will be. The first tranche of the purchase price includes Huntsworth shares for 2.4 million euros. At the current share price, that is around 3.5 percent. Huntsworth has left it open as to whether it will make the final payment in cash or in additional shares. According to calculations by Werbewoche, this could be up to 35 additional percent.
Trimedia's new familyThe Huntsworth holding company in London had a turnover of around 33 million euros last year. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange. The group comprises the PR agencies Counsel, EHPR, Harrison Cowley, Haslimann Taylor and Hatch-Group, the corporate identity agency Woodside Communications, the brand agencies HMI and Stephanie Churchill, the pharmaceutical marketing specialist PBC and the Global Consulting Group for financial communications. (sm)
Stefano Monachesi

Awards The Jung von Matt agency group came out on top in the German Art Directors Club's creative competition, scoring a total of 119 points - twice as many as second-placed Springer & Jacoby. The Zurich branch also contributed to the success. Its campaign for Bank Julius Baer won silver for text and bronze for daily newspaper ads, making JvM/Limmat the most successful Swiss agency at the German ADC, ahead of Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (bronze for the Alpenarena). However, it was not advertisers who won the most ADC nails for Switzerland, but the culture magazine "Du": a gold nail in the magazine title category as well as gold and bronze for magazine design. And the former "Du" designers Wendelin Hess and Beat Müller struck again: with the "Extrablatt" for the Weltwoche anniversary, they won another bronze nail. ADC Germany received over 7000 entries for this year's judging, of which it awarded 11 gold, 48 silver and 88 bronze medals.

Online Markets The Online Markets Switzerland (OMS) association was founded at the end of February. Its purpose is to promote the industry's reputation in the public eye and ensure quality standards. The founding members are the Scout24 Group (AutoScout24, ImmoScout24, TopJobsScout24 and FriendScout24), the Swissclick Group (Autoclick, Immoclick, Jobclick and Bazarclick), the real estate portal Homegate and Media Swiss AG (Gate24.ch) as well as Xmedia Annoncen AG, which distributes the advertising tool MediaManager. Further members will be added. The president is Scout24 CEO Daniel Grossen, who initiated the association.

Sunday newspaper Cracks for Kids was discontinued with immediate effect on Tuesday after eleven issues. According to Editor-in-Chief Marco Aldrovandi, the newspaper had met expectations in the reader market, but had not found sufficient resonance in the advertising market. All employees of the children's newspaper were made redundant. The initiator was the former Tamedia executive René Gehrig.

Newspapers The relaunch of the Tages-Anzeiger on March 30 is just one stage, reveals publishing director Maili Wolf. The continuation will follow next year.WW Compared with other daily newspapers, the Tages-Anzeiger is taking a remarkably cautious approach to its new concept. The Aargauer Zeitung, for example, which publishes all its regional sections in tabloid format, and the Basler Zeitung, which has at least transformed its culture section into a successful format, are much more daring. Why does the Tages-Anzeiger refrain from such clear and immediately visible signs?Maili Wolf We will review the overall formal concept of the Tages-Anzeiger again in 2005. This is because we will then be getting new printing presses, which will expand our possibilities. At the moment we are still somewhat handicapped in terms of printing technology, for example, continuous four-color printing is not possible. For this reason, we are saving further visual adjustments for next year. We can't keep making changes to the newspaper, as this would only annoy our readers.
So it is also conceivable that other tabloid elements will find their way into the Tages-Anzeiger from 2005 in addition to the Züritipp?
That may well be the case. I can't say anything about that at the moment. But our principle is still: we sell content and content. Whether that happens in broadsheet or tabloid is secondary.
Instead of the big spring clean, the Tages-Anzeiger is focusing on
a stronger focus of its content on the presumed actual needs of the readership. To what extent has this process already been implemented?
Over the past year, the editorial team has had long discussions about which stories belong in the paper and which priorities should be set. After many years of trying to become a national title, the Tages-Anzeiger is now clearly committed to its home city of Zurich. This sharpened content focus is already being implemented. And we are receiving positive reactions from the reader market. The years-long decline in circulation has now been halted, both at the newsstand and among subscribers. Until last November, the trend was still downwards. Since then until the end of January, however, we have now gained around 1000 fixed subscriptions. This also shows me that we are on the right track in terms of content.
The advertising market is obviously still causing more headaches at the moment. Here, too, the daily newspapers urgently need new ideas. As an immediate measure, we have switched to a much more active market approach. We are currently on the road with a roadshow where we are informing customers about our new special advertising formats, new placement options and new sections. We are also on the lookout for meaningful cross-media opportunities, for example with television and radio. A new addition to our range is the combination of brochure inserts in the Tages-Anzeiger with a radio spot. Anyone placing inserts in the Tages-Anzeiger can communicate this in advance on the radio. This helps to ensure that such inserts do not simply fall out and end up with the waste paper.
Are there any plans to extend such cross-media ideas to the commuter newspaper?
20 minutes?
First of all, Tamedia only owns 49 percent of 20 Minuten. But in the future we will certainly discuss which collaborations make sense. I am an advocate of collaborations if they can lead to win-win situations.
However, any additional strengthening of 20 Minuten also entails the risk of further cannibalization of the Tages-Anzeiger. Tamedia will therefore have to pay close attention to the directions in which it
20 Minuten wants to further strengthen its position.
Part of the circulation losses suffered by the Tages-Anzeiger in previous years certainly has to do with 20 Minuten. After all, it is mainly young readers who do not feel at home with the daily newspapers. Alongside some readers from all age groups who are satisfied with the light fare. However, this grit now seems to have been dispersed. At least that's one way of interpreting the halt in the decline in circulation at the Tages-Anzeiger.
The Tages-Anzeiger is also trying to gain more ground in the advertising market with competitive prices.
win: The rates for brochure inserts have been reduced by 20 percent. Is this a step towards taking market share away from the booming direct marketing sector?
With this price cut, we are now halfway to the people again. Some customers are considering giving the Tages-Anzeiger a try again. Although they still pay a little more for this than for direct mailings, in return they benefit from the newspaper's credibility and attractive readership profile. We have noticed that customers are already coming back to us for brochure inserts. We have also spared no effort to make the offer more attractive. For example, we have reorganized the delivery routes so that brochure inserts can be offered on a region-specific basis. Customers can choose between a city split, a northern region split and a southern region split.
However, the advertising market is still lacking the long-awaited upturn. Daily newspapers in particular are still struggling with declining advertising income. When do you expect to see a turnaround?
First of all, there has to be a general upturn. Only this much is certain: if there is an upturn, then the daily newspapers will certainly benefit from it. However, we must not forget that the daily newspaper genre is considered very expensive in the advertising market. The Tages-Anzeiger has the lowest price per thousand readers among the daily newspapers in the greater Zurich area. But its toughest competition is and remains the Sonntagspresse, which is almost thirty percent cheaper with the same performance values.
The Tages-Anzeiger has also been struggling with the Swisspool for years. What measures could the combination of Swiss
Are daily newspapers becoming more attractive again?
Compared to the original objectives of Swisspool, market expectations have changed considerably. And the diversity of media has also grown massively. However, Swisspool has merely merged titles and increased prices. The really creative steps that would have been necessary have not been taken. This is now to be made up for. The current discussions are examining whether further modules should be included. Do we want to limit ourselves to certain regions? Should new titles be integrated or are withdrawals imminent? I cannot yet communicate the results of such considerations. But the fact is that the advertising market not only wants more flexibility from Swisspool, but also more attractive pricing.
Creativity with advertisementsThe Tages-Anzeiger is enticing its advertisers with a range of new placement options. For example, advertisements can now also be placed on the front pages of the Bund (exception: front page).
Unusual formats also create additional opportunities for eye-catching presentations.
For example, advertisements can now be printed vertically on both sides of the page. And if you've had enough of the eternal square format specifications, you can now opt for a multi-corner advertisement. In the shape of a heart, for example.
The prices for brochure inserts have been significantly reduced and are now 20 percent cheaper. Additional increase in attractiveness for inserts: they can now be combined with a radio spot. (dse)
More space for businessThe Tages-Anzeiger's new newspaper architecture is economical with changes. The "Domestic" section moves in front of the "Foreign" section. The "Background" page is moving to the end of the first section, supplemented by an additional "Analysis" page. In the "Zurich" bundle, the current division into "City of Zurich", "Region" and "Winterthur" disappears. The "Blue Bund" is now supplemented by the "Bellevue" page. With "Daily tips", "Eva" comic and a column by Simone Meier. For better reader guidance, the most important short news items are highlighted in color.
Economy" receives one and a half additional pages for SME
Stories and short news items. The "Weather" page is also more beautiful and richer. The weather development over the course of the day is now shown in the form of a rainbow.
The Tages-Anzeiger graphic remains largely unchanged. One of the few exceptions: The double lines at the top of the pages and in the text boxes are disappearing. (dse)
Cautious interventions in terms of content and appearance - and yet clearly recognizable changes: This is what the Tages-Anzeiger will look like after its renovation on March 30.
Interview: Daniel Schifferle

Tourism After a multi-stage selection process, Davos Tourism has entrusted Lowe with its advertising budget.Lowe Zurich has entered into an exclusive advertising agreement with Davos for the tourism industry, as detailed in a press release from the marketing organization. The global network will enable Lowe to represent the top Davos brand internationally. The agency will develop a new communication concept and the new Davos advertising presence based on the existing marketing strategy. The core of the first phase will be a brochure concept and a poster campaign. The first results are expected in the fall of 2004. Davos had previously been managed by Contexta for twenty years before the Bernese agency handed back the account in October 2002.

Training The Media Institute of the Swiss Press Association is renewing its in-service training program for media professionals.training The Media Institute of the Swiss Press Association is renewing its in-service training program for media professionals. A two-stage concept will be introduced from September. Course 1 (Publishing Specialist) is aimed at young professionals who want to qualify as project managers, clerks or division managers in the media business. Course 2 (Publishing Manager) is aimed at professionals with management potential. The courses each last around one year. For course 1, the Media Institute works together with the Sawi in Dübendorf, for course 2 with the MAZ in Lucerne. The new concept is intended to compensate for the greatly increased complexity and scope of the course material.

Health The condom manufacturer Lamprecht AG has commissioned Advico Young & Rubicam (AY&R) to develop the launch campaign for a new product. Lamprecht, which owns the Ceylor brand,Health The condom manufacturer Lamprecht AG has commissioned Advico Young & Rubicam (AY&R) to develop the launch campaign for a new product.
develop. Lamprecht, which owns the Ceylor brand, chose AY&R on the basis of an agency evaluation. The decision was made following the presentation of findings from its Brand Asset Valuator study, the Gockhaus-based agency announced. The first subjects of the new campaign will be seen at the beginning of April.