Affinity of advertisements among supporters in the "alternative culture "Gold (156) Swiss Banking Bankgeheimnis (Farner)Silver (140) Der Bund In neuer Frische (Contexta)
Bronze (138) Giorgio Armani Woman in evening dress (Cliché Offset, Milano)

Jürg Brechbühl believes in Bern as a location. He moved from Zurich to Contexta as a CD, and even as a boy he told the careers advisor that he wanted to become a copywriter. But he was told: "You can't learn that!" Brechbühl should look for something else for his education. "That was just the way it was in the sixties," recalls the new Creative Director at Contexta. Jürg Brechbühl returned to the city of his youth when he joined the management of this agency in Bern. After studying history and geography, he worked here as a secondary school teacher for over twenty years. He taught "everything except singing". And he really enjoyed it. But there comes a point in every profession when you think: "What am I going to do for the next twenty years? Will I reach the point where I can get out before everyone else says it's time to go?"
Teacher Brechbühl not only got out in time, he also caught the right moment to embark on his old childhood dream. "I was very lucky to be able to start as a junior copywriter at Advico Young & Rubicam at an advanced age," he jokes.
During his four years in Gockhausen, the newcomer was able to work on major campaigns for Médecins sans Frontières, Swisscom, the city of Zurich's integration campaign and the SonntagsZeitung newspaper. The concept developer later moved into Spillmann und Felser's new agency on Aemtlerstrasse. "I was lucky enough to work with very good people," he says, looking back on this important time.
However, his quality of life suffered during these years. The daily commute between Bern and Zurich cost Brechbühl many hours of free time. However, something else was even more important for a return to his old home: "The constellation in Bern has slowly become exciting." The Contexta agency is in the interesting final phase of a creative change. And when she was looking for a CD, "it was a moment to consider making the move back to Bern". Even in his Zurich years, Brechbühl continued to feel Bernese. And not without pride: "If all the Bernese who work in advertising in Zurich came together here in Bern, it would make a really hot agency," Brechbühl is convinced.
At Contexta, the late career changer is now working at the top of the creative hierarchy for the first time. The CD enjoys the constant change of tasks: "Within a day, I am given tasks for a wide variety of areas, from banks to newspapers, from consumer goods to political organizations." All of these problems require a different analysis. Then comes the exciting creative process. How can I shape a story out of it, how can I dramatize something?
Stylistically, Brechbühl prefers the more serious topics. He does enjoy watching funny commercials himself. But the CD is convinced that advertising doesn't always have to be about making people laugh. The ones from
He considers the campaign for Médecins sans Frontières, which he previously co-directed, to be "highly creative". The current subjects for the weekly newspaper WOZ are also "different". Intelligent advertising does not have to be elitist. With this approach to advertising, Brechbühl is convinced that he fits in very well with the Contexta team. "There are already people here who can be very funny. That makes for a good mix," he says happily.
Brechbühl is convinced that Contexta has great creative potential. However, it is not yet fully exploited. "Still few Bernese agencies win prizes at the ADC. We need to change that." Contexta is making steady progress, but now clearly wants to take another step forward. To put it bluntly: "It's not enough for us to be able to say that we are the best agency in Bern. We want to compete with Zurich and internationally."
In private, Jürg Brechbühl reveals that he loves political cabaret and once did a lot of theater at school. However, he has no plans to write his own play. In his free time, the "homely family man" prefers to swim in the Aare or go on long hikes. For example, from Pontresina to Lake Como in 16 days. The man from Bern likes to walk at a pace that "allows his soul to follow him". It's "almost meditative and extremely relaxing", he enthuses.
Jürg Brechbühl sees "great creative potential" at Contexta.
Andreas Panzeri

Trade journals such as KMU-Manager, KMU-Magazin and Leader vie for the same target group.
They all come from Eastern Switzerland and are relatively young: KMU-Manager, published a few days ago by KMU-Medien in Teufen (AR), has been around for ten years, KMU-Magazin from Engeli & Partner in Horn, Thurgau, has been around for seven years and Leader, published by MetroComm AG in St.Gallen, is now in its second year. What they also have in common is that they address the same target group: Managers of SMEs with at least ten employees, whereby the SME magazine explicitly only wants to address the decision-makers in the companies. In addition, all three are currently in a state of transition or change.
Black in the first year
The business magazine Leader, previously limited to Eastern Switzerland and Liechtenstein, plans to expand into the greater Zurich area (17,000 copies) and Basel (6,000 copies) in May, Bern/Solothurn (13,000 copies) in June and Central Switzerland in the fall (circulation still open). Publisher Natal Schnetzer will one day combine the five regional editions editorially with a jacket section and in the advertising area with discounts on combos.
In any case, the Leader, which according to Schnetzer "pursues a neoliberal course", will continue to concentrate on the respective region: The content will focus on portraits of regional personalities and companies as well as economic policy issues. This regional anchoring, combined with an unmistakable proximity to the SVP, has apparently brought commercial success in Eastern Switzerland: at least four-fifths of all advertisements come from regional advertisers. According to Schnetzer, the magazine, which achieved a turnover of half a million francs last year, was already in the black in its first year. For 2004, Schnetzer expects an increase of 15 percent for the Eastern Switzerland title alone, also thanks to the publication of two specials on the topics of real estate and business location. He intends to refinance the launch costs by the end of 2005.
KMU-Manager, which increased its turnover by eleven percent in 2003, is taking a completely different path. However, the previous publisher Swiss Businesspress SA has now transferred the title to KMU-Medien, a new joint subsidiary with the media company Media Swiss AG, which has been focusing its print and online offerings on SMEs for years. Media Swiss has a "majority stake" in KMU-Medien, as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors Alfred Jung says. Editorial management will remain with Swiss Businesspress. The alliance is being made with a view to expansion: KMU-Manager will soon be published fortnightly. In the longer term, it will also be expanded into a Switzerland-wide platform, with expansion into French-speaking Switzerland being considered for the time being. The website is also being optimized and the editorial team expanded.
More than the market can bear
KMU-Magazin, which has just undergone a relaunch, sees the current situation of SME titles as "difficult and generally declining". KMU-Magazin, which focuses on knowledge transfer, advice and further training, closed "2003 at about the same level as 2002", according to the new sales manager Fabian Meier. "There are more titles than the market can absorb," he says. In order to strengthen his magazine, Meier is in the process of launching various new projects with which he hopes to attract more subscribers and advertisers. He doesn't want to say anything more specific yet, except that he holds regular roundtable discussions with advertisers. "New approaches are needed in B2B communication," he says.
Focus on managers: KMU-Magazin, KMU-Manager, Leader.
Facts and figures on three SME titlesThe Leader (60 to 80 pages) is published eight times a year, initially only in Eastern Switzerland (WG 26, 28, 44, 61). The circulation is 8000 copies, of which 1162 are paid subscriptions. It is registered for Wemf certification. Distribution: Basically free of charge by means of personalized individual mailing. A four-color advertising page costs CHF 2900 in Eastern Switzerland, CHF 2700 in Basel (WG 31), CHF 4400 in Zurich (WG 41, 42, 43, 24) and CHF 4000 in Bern/Solothurn (WG 32, 33, 34, 22).
The KMU-Manager is published as a newspaper in tabloid format (48 pages or more). It is delivered free of charge to all SME mailboxes in German-speaking Switzerland every month. The Wemf-certified circulation is 116,750 copies and is currently being increased to 140,000 copies with additional addresses in peripheral areas. In the MA Leader 2003, the paper reached 10.8 percent of the leaders and 11 percent of the top leaders. It is registered for Mach Basic. A four-color advertising page costs 9500 francs.
The SME magazine is published ten times a year with a circulation of 12,600 copies (80 to 100 pages). It is registered for Wemf certification. Distribution via subscriptions, sample copies via personalized individual mailing. A four-color advertising page costs 6100 francs. (mk)
Markus Knöpfli

TV The telephone polls with which SF DRS earned money from "MusicStar" are permissible, according to the Federal Office of Communications (Bakom).Carole Winistörfer, head of supervision of radio and television at Bakom, confirmed a report by Südostschweiz. Bakom did not comment on the price of 70 centimes per call and the revenue of SF DRS. "The price supervisor would have to comment on this," Winistörfer said. He, however, considers the case settled with Bakom's decision.

EichhofA dispute over beer in the shared flat: Is the new Eichhof campaign a brilliant idea, stupidly funny - or just stupid? Comments on www.werbewoche.ch/adratingRadio Espace 2
For a cultural channel, advertising can be a bit sophisticated, according to the majority of the readers' jury.

Pension business A new name, a new advertising strategy. Swiss Life is getting "ready for the future." Hardly ever before has an economic crisis caused such turbulence and public disrepute for the long-established pension provider as the latest one. Within three years, the once-proud blue chip melted to just under a tenth of its peak value in 2000 - and this in the middle of a capital increase, triggered not only by the stock market crash, but at least to the same extent by the discussion about lowering the BVG minimum interest rate, in which Rentenanstalt played the ungrateful pioneering role. In line with its position as market leader, it was more exposed than the competition, which was less associated with terms such as "pension theft" and "rip-off". This image was reinforced by repeated accounting errors, which ultimately turned a profit into a loss of over half a billion francs.
Farewell to castles in the air
As if mistakes, redundancies and the aborted expansion strategy had not already destroyed enough trust and damaged the company's image, the scandal surrounding the top management's secret investment company caused a further debacle. At the end of 2002, Rentenanstalt abruptly suspended an image campaign that was supposed to plug the credibility gap with happy children and bobbing sailing boats. Only the renewed management and the new CEO Rolf Dörig were able to draw a line under the past and tackle the new corporate strategy.
The ideal world of traditional advertising was put on hold in favour of PR, which was expected to deliver a higher return on investment. For an advertising campaign, it was first necessary to calm the waters and use the new brand architecture as a basis. "Due to the turbulent times in the pensions market and the difficult economic situation throughout the country, the public was not ready for long-term investments," says Corinne Pellerin, Head of Corporate Marketing at Swiss Life. "It wasn't just the situation at Swiss Life itself that made advertising investments seem pointless; the market itself was not ready to take notice of our product." However, other life insurers were already able to benefit from the trend towards single premiums at a time when Swiss Life's tarnished reputation was still getting in the way.
New brand promiseThe strategic refocusing on the core businesses of life insurance and pensions and the introduction of a clearer brand architecture provided the platform for a new advertising campaign, which was commissioned to the new in-house agency Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett. It is probably no coincidence that the campaign, which gives an idea of the newfound self-confidence, was launched just a few weeks before the investor and media conferences at the end of 2003.
The new brand promise "Ready for the future" also characterizes the advertising presence. The ads and TV commercials focus on real testimonials with their plans and aspirations, which have not been followed in their lives. They feature a teacher who originally wanted to become a hairdresser, a farmer who dreamed of becoming a pilot and, conversely, a pilot who would have preferred to drive a tractor.
A second spot is aimed at the future, in which children let their sporting ideas grow wings: They go straight from the sports field at home to the World Cup. "The short stories show that life doesn't stick to plans and that's precisely why it's important to make provisions," explains Corinne Pellerin, closing the conceptual circle with the brand promise "Be ready for the future", the origin of every provision. "Because making provisions means being ready for whatever may come." The new claim was also undoubtedly the most necessary message to the Swiss Life workforce.
Real testimonials instead of the Kukident generation on a sailing trip: Swiss Life presents itself authentically.
White instead of black coats: Swiss Life has reformed.
Logo with hand lines Swiss Life is underlining its strategic realignment with a simplified brand structure and a new image. While the latter is intended to help the pension company position itself clearly in international competition, the uniform appearance supports holistic and efficient communication. The new image was developed together with the Swiss CI agency MetaDesign and combines the company's tradition and origins with its new goals. The three lines of the new logo are intended to symbolize the most important lines of action and express the individuality of the pension business. What is not new is the company name, which builds on existing elements and succinctly links the company's origins with its core business. The new umbrella brand will be introduced in the first phase, followed step by step by the end of 2005 in all core countries by the sub-brands and independent brands indicating the Group affiliation. The costs for the entire rebranding of the Group will be spread over 2004 and 2005 and amount to CHF 15 million. (la)
Luca Aloisi

Posters The APG has published the shortlist for the "Poster of the Year" 2003. The competition is sponsored by the Federal Department of Home Affairs and a total of 16 works have been nominated in the four categories for the 2003 advertising year. The advertising agency with the most nominations - four - is Ruf Lanz. There were two nominations each for Publicis and Büro Destruct. Guye Benker, Jung von Matt/Limmat, Contexta, Hesskiss and the Zurich agency Sofie's Kommunikationsdesign were each shortlisted once. Other nominated designers are Alex Trüb, Cornelius De Buck and Ralph Schraivogel. The winners will be announced at the APG Poster Night on April 15.

Daily newspapers In their search for new forms of financing, more and more publishers are turning to sponsorship. Publishers cannot be quoted with new, but still half-baked business ideas. And if they do, then certainly not in their own paper. But this is exactly what Peter Wanner did when he announced via Mittelland Zeitung at the end of January that there was "innovation potential" in the area of sponsorship that the Swiss press had "completely missed out on".
When asked by Werbewoche whether and how he intended to embed this flourishing below-the-line discipline in the world of newspapers, Wanner was not very pleased: "I didn't really want to make a big deal of it, but wanted to try it out myself first." Blick and Tages-Anzeiger obviously also wanted to avoid a stir - among competitors due to the risk of imitation and among readers due to fear of loss of credibility. Both Zurich newspapers have already been practising their first sponsorship experiments on their sports pages for several months.
More lucrative than advertisements?
For example, the Monday results column of the Axpo Super League - still better known to many football fans as the National League A - in Blick has been dominated by the logos
of the energy provider. And when Köbi Kuhn and his boys produce headlines, the five sponsors of "Swiss
Soccer" under the respective article. "Axpo and the other sponsors of Swiss football want to communicate their commitment to a broad public," says Blick publishing director Bruno Blaser. The strongest sports newspaper in Switzerland offers the best platform for this - and in the neutral results section "an ideal environment for both sides because it is harmless".
Incidentally, Axpo knocked on Blick's door and not the other way around. Blaser is eloquently silent about the income from this exclusive (and nota bene without a clear declaration à la "powered by") permanent placement. However, as with the accompanying advertisements for weather forecasts and the title field, which only change seasonally, the price for table sponsorship is likely to be significantly higher than the normal rate.
Weather and stock market also conceivable
The "Facts and figures" page in the Tages-Anzeiger sports section has also been bookable since October. However, it is only in black and white, but with immediate effect according to the official rate schedule. This means that an advertisement costs between CHF 1,500 (one week) and CHF 900 (one year) per placement, depending on the duration. For Tagi publishing director Maili Wolf, an extension of the new offer to sections that cannot be influenced by the editorial team or sponsors, such as weather, stock market data or TV programs, is not only conceivable but also desirable. "However, innovative forms of advertising always require innovative customers," Wolf points out. In other words, there is currently a lack of the latter. And even if it were otherwise, sponsorship always carries the risk of self-cannibalization for the press. However, it can also generate new customers, as shown by the TV/radio double page of the Tagi, which has been selectively sponsored by Sat 1 (Switzerland) since the end of February.
Tobias Trevisan, Meili's colleague from the NZZ, has far fewer concerns about self-cannibalization than about loss of credibility. Which is why he has spared the main paper from having to deal with the new advertising trend and has chosen the NZZ-Ticket supplement as a field for experimentation. "If a patron were interested in the cinema program, for example, we would certainly be open-minded."
There is therefore potential for press sponsorship not only where the manipulation-resistant football, weather or market gods reign, but also in the notoriously low-advertising cultural section. There, however, it is likely to be even more difficult than it already is for advertisers and readers alike to differentiate it from the genre of "media partnerships".
Sponsor appearances in Blick (above) and in the Tages-Anzeiger (right) open up new sources of money, but are only suitable in the context of neutral sections that cannot be influenced by the editors and sponsors.
"More opportunities than risks "Advertising placed as if the reader personally owes the editorial news to it: Hanspeter Lebrument nevertheless sees press sponsorship, which is located in the no-man's land between media partnership and text ads, as an "important and correct innovation impulse for our industry". Now that red pencils and rationalization have had their effect, the publisher president and Südostschweiz editor believes it is high time to set an example for a creative departure. In addition, these and other long-term forms of advertising could provide newspapers with more planning security in the medium term. "As long as credibility is maintained, sponsorship offers far more opportunities than risks for the Swiss press," summarizes Lebrument - who, however, has not yet followed up these words with action in his own paper. (oc)
Oliver Classen

Vinzenz Wyss, Head of Media Research at Winterthur University of Applied Sciences, on impact analyses.WW Mr. Wyss, is corporate journalism playing a pioneering role in impact research?Vinzenz Wyss Many companies discovered CP as a success factor some time ago. Now they are also gradually realizing that this form of communication should not be carried out on instinct, but that quality management makes sense in terms of control.
CP departments and agencies only strengthen their legitimacy,
or do such analyses really improve quality?
It is indeed often the case that studies with scientific claims are instrumentalized as an alibi. However, if methodologically correct questions are asked, this is also an important contribution to professionalizing CP.
Do consumer media make comparable efforts in the area of impact research?
All media are fighting for attention. Titles that primarily sell at newsstands or new media entering the market have recognized the value of such methods and use them accordingly. Traditional print media with subscription sales, on the other hand, are much more cautious. However, elaborate analyses such as the "CP Standard" are generally rarely used by consumer media for budget reasons.
Not only does corporate publishing in many cases have considerably more resources than the general press, customer magazines are also increasingly dealing with topics from traditional media: is serious competition gradually forming?
Of course, the "war for eyeballs" continues to intensify. Traditional providers are coming under even more pressure, particularly in the area of specialist knowledge. This is because companies with large CP budgets generally produce very good products. Although they are increasingly using journalistic tools to achieve their communication goals: They cannot get rid of their credibility problem. They are first and foremost corporate publications, even if they are trying to become more autonomous and link social issues with their corporate interests.
A fundamental change in reception is therefore not imminent.
No, media consumers still tend to trust independent journalism. However, efforts in the CP sector can help to improve the quality of consumer media, as these are coming under additional pressure.
"CP Standard" profileThe "CP Standard" was developed in Germany by the market and media research institute TNS Emnid with the support of the (industry) "Forum Corporate Publishing". The tool measures the key success factors of corporate publishing, taking into account findings from media, advertising effectiveness and customer satisfaction research.
The new benchmarking process consists of three modules: The "CP Basis" collects the basic usage and evaluation data, the "CP Impact" determines the persuasion performance and image transfer through the customer magazine, and finally the "CP Target" provides values on customer satisfaction and loyalty. All data is collected by means of telephone interviews, which the research institute
conducted by Demoscope on behalf of Publicom. (ps)
Interview: Patrick Steinemann

Private TV The new Swiss-German channel U1 advertises itself as a platform for all forms of advertising that are not expressly forbidden by law, but it was clear from the start that a new TV channel in the small Swiss-German market cannot be refinanced with spot advertising and a little sponsorship alone. The failed TV 3 and Tele 24 had to experience this painfully. U1, which was officially launched on March 1, has drawn the conclusion from this. Without a massively expanded commercial platform, there could be no success, the new channel repeatedly stated during the run-up phase. This means that, in addition to traditional spot advertising, U1 is also letting its creativity run wild in the area of special advertising formats and telephony. The new station has a whole range of new tools and opportunities in store for commercial partners.
The philosophy: advertising should be integrated into the programs themselves wherever possible. "The advertising messages should disturb viewers as little as possible," explains Sandra Tuttlies, Head of Sales & Marketing at U1 and the partner station in Munich. There is only one taboo. The news program "U1 News" remains untouchable for commercial communication. Otherwise, however, "everything is possible at U1 that is permitted by law". "Advertisers can talk to us about all other programs," says Tuttlies.
There is a wide range on offer. The programs have one thing in common: their short duration. The content on U1 is only 15 to 30 minutes long.
Aggressive start pricing
The procedure is as follows: "We go through the customer's target group and communication goals with them," explains Tuttlies. "Then we look at which broadcasting vehicle is best suited to meet these requirements." The frequency of the broadcasts is also determined individually. Anything is possible, from a one-off booking for a single broadcast to a package of any duration.
For spot advertising, U1 is starting with competitive prices. The station has defined six timeslots for the various tariff levels (see below right). The cheapest (6 a.m. to 12 a.m.) offers a 30-second spot for as little as 120 francs. But even the most expensive offer (8 p.m. to 10 p.m.) keeps the entry barrier low at CHF 1080. Another treat to sweeten the "test drive" with U1: During the four-month introductory phase (March to June), "two for one" applies. This means that every spot booked will be broadcast a second time free of charge.
Start-up aid for advertising customers will come to an end from July. A new pricing system will then apply, which is based on empirical values of the actual viewer numbers achieved.
Everything for 1 franc - except sex
However, viewers also have to contribute to making U1's cash register ring via chargeable telephone numbers. To this end, the station has set up various interactive formats. One of these is the "Game Disc Quizshow", a question and answer game whose launch has been postponed until May 1. For this game, the viewer needs a tool in CD form, which has a keyboard similar to that of a pocket calculator. If a player guesses the correct answer, a telephone number appears on the CD to which the answer must be given. Cost per call: 1 franc. The same standard price applies to other interactive formats such as "Astrologos", "Heisse Draht" or "A+O-Dating". Viewers can also take part in various competitions by telephone for the same amount. "We don't say how much of this franc U1 gets," explains Tuttlies.
The comparatively low standard fee is intended to be easy on the audience's wallet. "We don't want our viewers to get into trouble because of high telephone bills." The second reason: "The telephone costs should be the same as the price of an A postcard. Instead of a phone call, all answers can also be sent by postcard," says Tuttlies.
The low call costs definitely stop after midnight, when the five-hour erotic line goes below the belt. That's when telephony prices go up. Anyone who picks up the phone for "ChatStation", the erotic chat show between midnight and 2 a.m., will be asked to pay CHF 4.23 per minute.
"Inside Switzerland" about culture, the scene and going out: can also be used as a stage for event PR.
Oliver Al Liebl: News, guaranteed ad-free.
Thommy Rüegg's consumer magazine: A velvet pawed checkout.
Program grid (left): news, talk, fun. And commercials at a bargain price (right): From 120 francs.
Short programs and many repeatsU1 is characterized by an easy-to-remember program grid. Apart from a few exceptions, the programs are scheduled daily and always at the same time. Repeats on the same day are also the rule for individual formats.
U1's basic recipe is short programs that start on the hour or half hour. Only in the main evening program is this pattern broken up with individual programs each lasting a quarter of an hour.
start before the full hour.
"Especially in the start-up phase, when viewers don't know us yet, there is a great need for regularity," explains U1 Marketing Manager Sandra Tuttlies (pictured).
However, only the official viewer figures from Publica Data will show how regularly and how intensively the audience watches U1. The Schlieren-based broadcaster intends to proceed with this service in two stages: "Between March and June, we will publish initial figures that provide information on the use of U1." Things will then really get going in July. "From then on, we plan to be integrated into Publisuisse's Media Optimizer," says Tuttlies. (dse)
Reception area continues to be expandedCurrently, U1 is connected to the entire Cablecom and Balcab network with a total of around 1.2 million TV households. This means that all of the larger German-speaking Swiss conurbations are already covered. However, there are still gaps in reception in rural areas. U1 is planning to be switched on in a further 500,000 TV households this year. "Negotiations are currently underway with the relevant cable networks," says Sandra Tuttlies. (dse)
Daniel Schifferle

Association Swiss Advertising (SW) has been invited to Vienna to report on its fight against advertising bans at the Euroforum, where the "Stop Advertising Bans" campaign, which SW has implemented on behalf of the Alliance against Advertising Bans, has also attracted attention in Austria, according to a press release. The Euroforum on March 31 and April 1 will focus on the future of the communications and advertising industry following the enlargement of the European Union. Industry representatives from all over Europe are expected to attend. The event is organized by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and the Vienna Section for Advertising and Market Communication.

Agencies A new advertising agency is launching in Geneva under the name Reverse Idea, founded by Stéphane Perino, owner of the web marketing company Agence Virtuelle, and the former Creative Director of Grey, Geneva, Francis Gerber. Reverse Idea is set to become an innovative creative hotshop, according to a press release. Reverse Idea is working with Agence Virtuelle to cover both the offline and online sectors.