Museum marketing For the first time, the Swiss Marketing Club (SMC) awarded a trophy in the non-profit organization category. The award went to the Museum of Communication for its repositioning. Despite rigorous austerity measures, the Museum of Communication (MfK) in Bern has big plans. After all, the aim is to make up for last year's decline in visitor numbers of around 13 percent, which was due to a renovation phase and the summer of the century. After a difficult year, the award from the SMC is an important confirmation of the repositioning of the MfK initiated in 1997, as a further step towards market orientation is planned for the current year: By participating in the "Swiss Attractions" project, an association of Swiss adventure museums and parks under the patronage of Switzerland Tourism, the MfK aims to spread its appeal abroad and position itself as an important tourist location factor.
Looking back, the development history of the former PTT Museum seems more impressive than the Verbund marketing project. Until 1997, as part of the PTT administration, it was strongly tied to the specifications and interests of the state-owned company and thus had the typical supplier market attitude. "Among other things, this meant that the museum had to concentrate on the core themes of post, telecommunications and philately. In line with the traditional museum concept, the exhibitions had to maintain a proper historical distance," explains Alberto Meyer, Head of Marketing and Communication at the MfK since 1997. Marketing was limited to some advertising and PR and the visual appearance corresponded to the traditional approach to museum communication, "which incidentally still has a lot of validity today", says Meyer. The pricing policy at the time did not reflect image and value, but rather the concept of a low-cost public service: admission for adults was two francs. On the other hand, the range of services and products was limited to the exhibitions. The latter had no institutionalized communication to the public. A display case in the reception desk served as a store and the cafeteria in one corner was furnished with small tables and a drinks machine.
One thing was clear to the new organization: in future, the Museum of Communication should focus on the needs of its visitors. But who are these customers?
... about the metamorphosis ...
The newly established, previously non-existent marketing department determined the segments of the MfK: around half of the visitors were and are families with children. Hence the positioning as a popular museum with the slogan "A museum that says something to everyone". For the second most important segment - school classes (around 25 % of all admissions) - the "Education & Mediation" offer with its special programs (workshops, teaching materials, etc.) is playing an increasingly important role. The influx of schoolchildren has been increasing for four years. The remaining quarter is shared by the segments "Tourists", "Corporate events" and "Group travel" as well as "Special interest". The latter is very heterogeneous and is attracted by the variety of themes covered by the special exhibitions. "This is a strategic opportunity to selectively penetrate new markets," says Meyer. In order to give the museum and thus the public new impetus, the new concept builds a bridge between the traditional European, deliberately reserved understanding of museums and the US-American one with its focus on staging, experience, multimedia and interactivity.
The master design and the basic concepts of the exhibitions were developed with GSM Design, an internationally renowned exhibition design company from Montréal, which also evaluated the implementation work with the project managers. With the new permanent exhibition, in which more electronic means of communication were used and the latest developments in the individual areas were integrated, the MfK made the connection to the present for the first time.
... to the interactive museum
The new permanent exhibition offers a playful journey of discovery through the realm of communication. "Formally, we focus on sensory design, i.e. the staging of the exhibition content, for example through a special color scheme and lighting," says Meyer. However, multimedia and interactivity are also part of the overall experience. To achieve this, a wide range of state-of-the-art technologies were used and, in some cases, collaboration with artists from the multimedia sector in Germany and abroad, such as Luc Courchesne. At his installation, five people can enter into a virtual dialog. The joke is that you can steer the conversation in a harmonious direction or let it end in conflict. The aim of "Communication Adventure" is not to show the technology itself, but to enable visitors to situate themselves in the use of communication tools.
Connection to the present
The planned opening of an exhibition section dedicated entirely to computers in 2005 will complete the MfK's connection to the present. Regular small and large special exhibitions, which continually explore the boundaries of the subject of communication, expand the museum's range of offerings. For example, the MfK has announced "White on Red - United Colors of Switzerland", an exciting, complex exhibition on Switzerland's branding, for next autumn.
Additional values such as education and outreach are becoming increasingly important, as are language courses with the museum as a venue and starting point for conversations. A fully-fledged museum store and a cafeteria have long since become standard features, and the museum is also already well established as an event platform for third parties.
The services in the area of marketing communication (see box) are in no way inferior to this transformation. The MfK appears to be well advanced in the debate surrounding New Public Management and to think and act in a market-oriented manner. "Today, we don't need to shy away from comparison with the marketing of commercial companies," says Meyer. The use of classic instruments such as market research, formulation of a comprehensive marketing strategy, definition of a service design through to a professional communication campaign has been standard practice at the MfK for six years. In contrast to most museums of a comparable size, the MfK has been working with advertising agencies rather than graphic design studios since 1997. "We focus less on the artistic and aesthetic expression and more on the optimally conveyed advertising message," says Meyer, explaining the decision. The works of CD Ruedi Wyler seem to correspond perfectly to one of the main postulates of the MfK: not only to be a place for exhibitions, but also to initiate discussions. Wyler always tries to incorporate edges and corners into his MfK presentations in order to encourage the target audience to engage with the exhibition themes.
History & FactsIn 1893, the Swiss Postal Administration began to collect objects and
to collect postal and transportation documents and philately. In 1907, the first Postal Museum - renamed the Swiss Postal Museum in 1947 - was founded.
PTT Museum - founded in the Bollwerk-Post building in Bern. In 1990, the museum moved to Helvetiastrasse 16. Six years later, the PTT Museum was transformed into a foundation of Swisscom and Swiss Post and renamed the Museum of Communication (MfK) in 1997. With the new name, the museum's policy also changed and it was time for a repositioning.
Jakob Messerli has managed the MfK, which employs 27 people, since December 2003. Due to the renovation and the summer of the century in 2003, the previous upward trend in visitor numbers took a sharp turn (- 13%) compared to the previous year. At that time, around 50,000 people had visited the MfK.
The museum is again expecting an increase for the current year. The annual guaranteed budget is around six million francs, ten percent of which is reserved for marketing. (la)
Striking and modern: The advertising for the MfK also reflects the unusual approaches to the topic of communication.
Face to Face: Journeys of discovery through worlds of experience.
The MfK not only opens its doors to exhibition visitors, but is also a venue for events and encounters.
Successful repositioning: Marketing Manager Alberto Meyer.
Luca Aloisi

Magazine From March, Bolero (now published by Ringier Verlag) will appear in a softly redesigned look, with a new layout, improved reader guidance, a refreshed content mix and expanded lifestyle topics. The changes are based on trends in the international fashion scene and the analysis of the Bolero fashion team: "Feelings and values are coming to the fore in the 2004 and 2005 seasons, coolness is passé." The best example is the new, ornate title font which, according to Editor-in-Chief Sithara Atasoy, "shows a longing for aesthetics and romance". The soft redesign was created together with Thomas Trüb from Ringier.

Reader marketing Everyone is doing it, soon even the fine Süddeutsche Zeitung; keeping readers in line with supplements. "Publishers don't seem to have much faith in their newspapers or magazines," CD Markus Ruf acknowledges the trend. And takes the mickey out of this behavior in a subscription campaign for the NZZ Folio. By dispensing with premiums, Ruf Lanz positions the supplement as a magazine that doesn't need such offers because it knows how to reward its readers with intelligent reading pleasure alone.

Trade magazines Auto & Wirtschaft aims to become a hub for the automotive industry. The monthly magazine is launched in March.
If you want to get in touch with the automotive industry, you can't get past Auto & Wirtschaft. Stefan Furler has set himself this goal. Furler is editor-in-chief of the new trade magazine, which will be published for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show at the beginning of March. The Swiss automotive industry has around 20000 companies and 280000 employees. They are all the target group of Auto & Wirtschaft. Everyone who has anything to do with cars professionally is addressed, says Furler. This makes the monthly magazine unrivaled in the reader market: until now, there were only publications for sub-sectors and special interests. The new title is intended as a neutral hub for the entire industry.
Furler calls what Auto & Wirtschaft offers its readers "general automotive education". The aim is to convey important economic and technical developments in a readable and focused manner. "As much as necessary to be able to have a say, but as little as possible without simplifying," is how Furler describes the concept. The magazine's motto is "service, service, service".
A team of experienced automotive journalists ensures this. Furler himself previously wrote for various Tamedia publications. Stefan Donat is Managing Director of Autobild Schweiz, Peter T. Kläntschi is Secretary of the SVAJ automobile journalists' association. Roland Christen, presenter of the French edition of "Motorshow TCS" (Ringier TV), provides the French-speaking Swiss component. His contributions are in French; in addition, important German articles are also provided with a summarizing translation.
No direct competition
With its claim to serve the entire industry as a neutral platform, Auto & Wirtschaft may stand alone in the reader market. Things are different in the advertising market. "Of course, our entry into the market won't make the advertising pie any bigger," says Stefan Furler. New titles nibble away at the turnover of the established titles. However, the editor-in-chief emphasizes that Auto & Wirtschaft does not regard any of the existing publications as direct competitors: "We don't want to destroy anyone."
Furler considers the response from the advertising market to date to be very good. The first issue will be published with 40 editorial and 20 advertising pages. However, Furler is aware that this success should not be overestimated. The magazine first has to prove whether Auto & Wirtschaft will really become the title in which every car professional wants to read about themselves. "We are new now and expectations are high. The acid test is yet to come."
As a pure business-to-business publication, Austria-ConnectionAuto & Wirtschaft is only available by subscription. The publisher is aiming for 6500 subscribers. The publisher is the Austrian Helmuth Lederer, who also owns the Internet car platform Car4you. Car4you Managing Director Roger Dal Santo is also taking over the management of Auto & Wirtschaft Verlag AG. Data exchange is planned between the magazine and the online platform.
Auto & Wirtschaft is modeled on the Austrian magazine of the same name. It has been published for around 15 years. Helmuth Lederer bought and redesigned it last year. According to Editor-in-Chief Stefan Furler, the concept was "Helvetized" for the Swiss edition. (sm)
The first issue of the new monthly magazine Auto & Wirtschaft is published in March with 40 editorial pages.
Stefan Furler
Stefano Monachesi

Internet The real estate portal Immostreet.ch, launched in September 2000, is undergoing its first major relaunch. The new design is intended to look more professional, while retaining ergonomics and ease of use, and Immostreet.ch now offers registered users the opportunity to send inquiries directly to the providers. Internally, the portal has also set up a "Customer Care" department to better monitor the real estate agencies' offers and keep them up to date at all times.

Television The TV Production Center Zurich is giving up its German branch, but intends to remain active. tpc International joined forces with the German company Salzbrenner Stagetec Mediagroup a year ago. The goals in the world's second largest market for TV productions, just behind the USA, were ambitious. "We wanted to be one of the five most renowned companies for reportage truck productions by 2006," says tpc CEO Roger Sidler. Now the dream has been shattered and the collaboration between the two companies has come to an end, but Sidler is satisfied with what has been achieved: "Our reputation is already very good. And we've beaten a lot of companies. We were also largely working to capacity in terms of orders. But in Germany, the prices for TV productions are at rock bottom." The background: due to the Kirch insolvency, the number of production orders collapsed, which led to extreme overcapacity in the industry. As a result, tpc International, which owns two OB vans, generated a total turnover in the single-digit millions in 2003, but also a total loss of 800,000 euros.
Non-EU country has a hard time Sidler's conclusion: "A self-supporting German subsidiary with a complete infrastructure is not feasible in the foreseeable future." The decision was therefore made to give up the German location. To this end, the wholly-owned SRG subsidiary is transferring its shares in the joint venture to Salzbrenner as of March 31, while retaining the tpc International brand.
The latter will now effectively become the foreign division of tpc, which intends to carry out all kinds of transmissions from Zurich in both Germany and Austria in future. In order to have at least one German address, tpc International would like to open a sales office in Germany soon. However, it is questionable whether tpc International will continue to receive as many orders as before. "As a company from a non-EU country, we will have a harder time," says Sidler. For this reason, productions abroad will in future be realized with production equipment from Zurich, but mainly with local personnel.
According to Sidler, there is no connection between the withdrawal of tpc from Germany and the decision of Sat 1 (Switzerland) to have the Axpo Super League produced by the German Plazamedia instead of tpc from February 29 (WW 6/04). As part of an overall production offer for Sat 1, Plazamedia was also able to offer the broadcasts for Sat 1 (Switzerland) at a lower price than tpc. This is also confirmed by Sat 1 (Switzerland). Incidentally, Sidler adds, tpc also works for Plazamedia from time to time by broadcasting individual Bundesliga matches. "So it's possible that we'll have to step in for Plazamedia for one of the next Axpo Super League games ..."
Will Schellenberg remain Chairman of the Board of Directors of tpc? Former SF DRS Director Peter Schellenberg will remain Chairman of the Board of Directors of tpc at least until the General Assembly in April - but perhaps for a year longer. That depends not least on whether the new SF DRS director Ingrid Deltenre wants to take on this additional post or not. In 2001, the tpc achieved a turnover of 144.7 million Swiss francs and in 2002, 133 million Swiss francs. In 2003, however, it will be 5 to 6 percent more again, said Roger Sidler. (mk)
No Weko investigation against tpcThe Competition Commission (Weko) rejects a complaint by film production companies accusing SRG and its subsidiary tpc of unlawful restrictions of competition in the area of commissioned films. This emerges from an SRG communiqué, the content of which is confirmed by Weko spokesperson Patrick Drucrey. According to the press release, the Competition Commission notes that tpc is the only provider of commissioned films in German-speaking Switzerland that meets the high standards of availability and quality. However, it sees this as a "natural monopoly" rather than an abuse of a dominant market position. SRG did not give its subsidiary any gifts when it transferred the infrastructure. Moreover, tpc pays SRG rental prices in line with the market and offers its services to SRG not only at normal market rates, but also at the same rates as to other clients. The Competition Commission therefore decided not to conduct an investigation. (mk)
The reportage vans of the TV production company tcp International are now stationary in Germany.
Roger Sidler, CEO of the TV Production Center Zurich (tpc).
Markus Knöpfli

TV advertising Switzerland's advertising windows have almost reached SRG level. The crisis has played into the hands of the advertising windows. Since 2001, when the advertising market literally collapsed, the boom in Swiss advertising on German channels has really taken off. With growth of over 23 percent (gross advertising expenditure), the crisis year 2001 was the absolute top year for Swiss German advertising windows. During the same period, the TV advertising revenues of SRG stations in German-speaking Switzerland experienced a slump of 8.7 percent.It is worth noting that the marked expansion is not due to additional advertising windows. Neither in 2000 nor 2001 were new ones opened. The decisive factor for the better performance was the "different customer structure", explains Michi Frank, CEO of IP Multimedia (Switzerland). "The main customers of the advertising windows consist of everyday products (fast moving consumer goods), which are also consumed and advertised in times of crisis."
On the other hand, SRG broadcasters have a higher share of high-priced products (cars) and services (banks, insurance companies), which were hit harder by the crisis. However, Michi Frank believes that this restraint will subside as the economy improves.
Overtaking maneuver is canceled
A pleasing prospect for Publisuisse, which will thus avoid the ignominy of being overtaken by the advertising windows. It would not be far off: in 2003, the gross advertising expenditure of the advertising windows in German-speaking Switzerland was only 32 million francs behind that of SF 1 and SF 2. Four years earlier, the advertising windows had only reached half of SRG's turnover.
Another factor that speaks against an overtaking maneuver is the large gross-net gap, which has widened particularly wide among private broadcasters. This is because the original advertising blocks overlaid with Swiss advertising have to be filled. This automatically leads to more freespace offers.
However, Publisuisse CEO Martin Schneider casts doubt on the comparison using gross figures: "Private individuals sell heavily on price, which leads to a greater discrepancy between gross and net. This is why the Media Focus figures (gross) show a distorted picture of the real market shares (net)." Due to the real distribution of the TV advertising pressure available in the market, Schneider also sees no danger of being outperformed by the windows. "In German-speaking Switzerland, around two thirds of advertising pressure is attributable to SF 1 and SF 2," says Schneider.
Michi Frank also does not believe in a rapid increase in market share. "2003 will remain the high point for advertising windows for the time being," explains the CEO of IP Multimedia (CH).
Publisuisse CEO Schneider also cites an important indicator for a slower future development of the advertising window competition: "The latest rate increases point to a departure from the pure price strategy. These adjustments show that the advertising windows cannot generate sufficient growth simply by filling their advertising islands."
Sat 1 skims off the top with sponsorship
The Sat-1 advertising window, on the other hand, does not expect the boom to end quickly. Matthias Luchsinger, CEO of marketer Cinecom, predicts that the double-digit percentage upturn of previous years will continue in 2004. This is only possible thanks to the Swiss program window on Sat 1. "In the area of sponsorship, this exclusive platform will also create attractive growth potential in the future," says Luchsinger. After sponsorship revenues already increased "by around 20 percent" in 2003, he expects a further jump "of 20 to 25 percent" for the current year.
IPM CEO Frank also sees future growth in special advertising formats and in tapping into the previously neglected target group of children. From March 1, Super RTL will be the last advertising window still available on German channels. "Children are very brand-conscious and can have a strong influence on family shopping," says Frank.
The "strong trend towards special forms of advertising" will require particular attention in future. To this end, IPM set up the IP Productions department at the end of last year. The innovative advertising programs "Ahead" and "Amped Champ" have emerged from this think tank and production workshop. And that is just the beginning. "Special forms of advertising are not the really big pieces of our future revenue pie," says Frank, putting the brakes on exaggerated expectations. "But they are the butter on the bread and are a lot of fun for us and our customers."
SWA wants expansion in French-speaking SwitzerlandThe unsatisfactory advertising window situation in French-speaking Switzerland is a thorn in the side of the Swiss Advertisers Association (SWA). In view of the hardened fronts between M6 and TSR - the latter has another lawsuit pending before the Fribourg court - it is unlikely that the M6 advertising window will be activated in the conurbations of Geneva and Lausanne in the foreseeable future.
The problem is at the top of the SWA's list of pending issues, explains SWA Director Jürg Siegrist. However, he does not see a short-term solution. "If Bakom and the SRG oppose this, we have to be prepared for a long battle." Siegrist is nevertheless hopeful: "The sale of M6 to the RTL Group a few months ago could get things moving." (dse)
Special advertising vehicle "Amped Champ": Snowboard contest real (picture) and virtual as a video game.
Daniel Schifferle

Newspapers The Basler Zeitung (BaZ) is going tabloid. For the planned relaunch, BaZ is examining two format variants, as can be read in Friday's edition.Newspapers The Basler Zeitung (BaZ) is going tabloid. BaZ is examining two format variants for the planned relaunch, as can be read in Friday's edition. In the "3-1" variant, the first three sections will continue to appear in Swiss newspaper format (broadsheet). The culture and leisure section would become a tabloid. In the "1-3" variant, only the first section would remain in the traditional format. It would contain the news in brief, the topic of the day and the domestic, foreign, business and stock market sections. The remaining sections would be in tabloid format. The two variants will be developed and economically examined by mid-March.

Press review The media observer Argus now provides the press with electronically prepared media clippings in color. The new service is offered as standard and at no extra charge, enabling the creation of attractive presentation documents that reflect the impact and presence of the press release without additional expense, according to a press release.

Special Interest The Swiss milk producers have revised and expanded their cooking magazine Le Menu. A new feature is the "For guests" section with recipes for a complete five-course meal, and because a glass of milk does not go well with fish ravioli, the milk producers also provide wine tips. Le Menu has done away with recipe cards, but the booklet can now be collected in folders. The recipe sections have been designed more generously and the paper quality has been improved.

Erdöl Lesch + Frei makes a film with California's future governor.
Heating with oil is cheap and, thanks to new technologies, increasingly environmentally friendly; you can continue to warm up to it for a long time to come. "Oil reserves are secured for generations," says the Swiss Petroleum Association. On behalf of the Swiss Petroleum Association, the Zurich agency Lesch + Frei has been communicating this future security on TV and in print for a year now. Using children and their plans for the future as subjects, the advertisers argue that now that winter has returned, television advertising is back on the air with two new commercials. Both are stylishly staged and pleasantly calm. "So soothing that the mischievousness behind them seems all the more biting," says CD Thomas Lüber. Both commercials answer the question: "How much longer can you heat with oil?"
A look into the future
In one commercial, a young boy is bored at a wedding party until he discovers the cake, takes the chocolate bride and groom off the cake, bites the groom's head off and puts the bride back on the cake. The voiceover answers the question posed at the beginning: "Until he becomes a divorce lawyer, and many more winters to come."
In the second movie, a boy stands in front of the mirror and practices bodybuilding poses. And how long will you be heating with oil? "Until he becomes governor of California", is the allusion to the long career path of bodybuilder and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Both commercials can now be seen on all Swiss public broadcasters and private stations. The commercials were produced by Chocolate Films.
TV commercial: Will the boy be a bodybuilder or a governor?
Andreas Panzeri

Guest commentary The boom in format television continues unabated. It reflects the bizarre economization of the media system worldwide, says Gabriele Siegert.
Who will be the Swiss "MusicStar" on Saturday? Is the American "Bachelor" all a sham? And does it mean the downfall of the West when German pseudo-celebrities practice jungle (close) combat? In the young "Big Brother" tradition, the formats mentioned achieve something that is becoming increasingly difficult: They generate attention and dominate the public conversation. So what do TV formats have that other programs don't? Formats are serial productions that have a common structure, which is filled anew in each episode. They therefore consist of a combination of the familiar and the new, which appeals to viewers. Just like the protagonists, who are people like "you and me" or at least suitable for everyday comparisons. They stage authenticity. Formats are therefore forms of expression of popular culture and celebrate corresponding audience success.
Formats are also defined by their scheduling modes, target group references, logos, music and studio design. They therefore take into account and utilize current TV market conditions. Their identification as a brand enables minimal legal protection. This is a prerequisite for international marketing. The format producers, who are often intertwined with media groups, market them, including their experience, in order to create identification opportunities in other countries through national adaptations. This gave rise to a new branch of the media industry, the format trade.
TV broadcasters around the world acquire format licenses including market knowledge or follow the trend with imitations. And even if the plagiarisms rarely achieve the success of the original formats, the ratings are occasionally enough to keep them going for a while. Formats also provide ample opportunity to offer the advertising industry new forms of cooperation or to generate additional income through televoting, SMS services and the Internet.
And the other media? They are eagerly practicing follow-up journalism. This allows them to score points with their audience, which - depending on the target group - has "acquired" a considerable amount of knowledge about the rules of the game, candidates and processes (i.e. consumer capital) and now wants to contribute and expand this knowledge.
Conclusion: TV formats are not Shakespearean "Much Ado about Nothing". Rather, they are the prototypical form of television under the conditions of a market that is regulated but influenced by economic imperatives in a highly idiosyncratic way. Anyone who wonders about karaoke, cockroaches and the like, beyond all elitist airs and graces, cannot help but reflect on the structures of the media system as a whole.
> Gabriele Siegert is Professor of Media Economics at the Institute of
Journalism Studies and Media Research at the University of Zurich.