Radiocontrol A new territorial definition brings more realistic sampling. Not just to the delight of broadcasters.
Until now, Radiocontrol's radio market shares could be analyzed according to language regions, reception areas (EG), Wemf economic areas or agglomerations. This is now changing: in accordance with the new framework agreements between radio associations and Publica Data, the EC has been replaced by the unit "distribution area" since January 1, 2004. The background to this change is a discrepancy between the published licensing area (KG) and the often smaller EG defined by the broadcasters themselves. There are historical and technical reasons for this discrepancy (see box) and it is also due to marketing considerations. However, some stations define their EG less according to technical reach and more according to the areas in which they have a particularly large audience. Radio Top, for example, excluded Winterthur, where it competes with Radio 24 and NRJ, from its EG. And Radio Argovia defines its EG so narrowly that 50 percent of its listeners live outside the reception area. The reality of the entire EG was thus distorted.
Who makes the best radio?
This should improve with the new unit "distribution area" (VG), as it generally corresponds to the KG. In one case, it even goes beyond this at the request of the radio stations (Greater Zurich area). This has one main consequence: VG-related figures cannot be compared with EC-related data. In their home market, broadcasters are therefore starting from scratch in terms of data. Almost nothing changes for the advertising industry, which has hardly used this evaluation level to date anyway due to a lack of comparability. This is because the data remains comparable at the levels of German-speaking Switzerland, economic areas and agglos.
In one respect, however, the VG-related data can also serve the advertising industry. After all, they are able to answer one question much better than before, namely: Which broadcasters are particularly good at reaching the population they are supposed to serve? Or in the language of advertisers: Which broadcaster has an above-average affinity with the population in its KG?
Glossary: license, reception and broadcastingEven radio professionals get the terms for the radio broadcasting room mixed up. Here is the clarification:
The licence area (KG) is described by the Federal Office of Communications in the licence, often with field names, connecting routes or political units (offices, districts, cantons). For example, the KG of Radio Emme is "bounded by the Huttwil-Ettiswil cantonal road".
The receiving area (EG) was previously the usual unit. It will no longer be used from 2004. Each radio station largely declared its EG itself, often according to reception quality, but sometimes also according to marketing considerations. In most cases, the EG was smaller than the KG because the stations could only gradually develop certain areas (valleys).
The distribution area (VG) is the new Radiocontrol unit.
It corresponds to the KG, with its boundaries running along municipal boundaries. The VG can be equal to or larger than the KG, but never smaller. (mk)
Radio Argovia's coverage area is twice as large as the declared reception area.
Markus Knöpfli

The Marketing Trophy awards ceremony took place last week in Fribourg as part of the 7th Swiss Marketing Day. The prizes were awarded in three categories, divided according to company size, and this year's winners were all about food. In the small company category, Kräuter Pfarrer Künzle AG won for its successful repositioning. In the medium-sized company category, Bio-Familia took gold with a practical concept for Fit-Crisp, a functional food product. And in the large company category, A. Hiestand AG took the crown for an innovation in the convenience baked goods sector, the first ever frozen wood-fired bread. If you think about it - if it hadn't been for the marketing-oriented presentations in the afternoon, you would soon have thought you were a guest at Anuga, Igeho or the gourmet trade fair.600 guests didn't mind, because what was served at the gala dinner was just as good. Toni's Big Band provided the entertainment between courses, and after the official event the guests went to the Casino Freiburg, which offered a nightcap and a few free chips to blow.
Claudia Hauser, Client Service Director at 141 Worldwide, with Sawi Director Jürg Engi (r.) and Bendicht Rindlisbacher from Innova.
Satisfied Reed trade fair team: GL member Iris Sorgalla with sales manager Thomas Berger (r.) and consultant Ajas Kalici.

Roland Bürgy, Managing Director, and Thomas von Ballmoos, Head of Marketing at Escor, with Werner Bättig (from left) from Optobyte.

They did the honors at the Marketing Day: Publigroupe CEO Hans-Peter Rohner with Peter Keller (right), Publishing Director of Corriere del Ticino.

Gang of three: Guillaume Laroyenne, Charles André Robert and Theodor Hofstetter (from left) from Bongrain SA.

Interest in the Marketing Day: Peter Petrin, Rector of the Akad Business School, with Alain Jaccard (r.), member of the administration of the town of Morges.

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Interior design pitch win for Wirz Werbung: the Zurich agency secured the entire Micasa account. According to Wirz, the Migros subsidiary is the third-largest furniture store in Switzerland, and Wirz presented a concept that allows for a consistent appearance from the 300-page living book to the 30-second TV spot to the promo mailing and Rotair. According to Wirz Managing Director Geri Aebi, Micasa is the eighth new customer in six months.

Urs Schneider has turned his media agency into a top Swiss address in less than three years. "Many campaigns are wonderful, but you don't see them," muses Urs Schneider. The media specialist in Zurich's Seefeld district has therefore spent his entire professional life developing ideas to channel this pointless waste of advertising money into creative channels. "Much more money is spent on media than on creation." It is therefore only logical for Schneider that he offers "much more than just publication plans and cost calculations" in media planning.
With this "strategy", Mediaschneider has developed into a leading agency in the Swiss media scene in less than three years. The company started in June 2001 with two assistants and "without a single client". Today, ten people work for twenty clients. In 2002, sales of 78 million Swiss francs were generated with these clients - and this figure is set to be exceeded in 2003.
The patron of the owner-managed agency is aware: "A points chef can no longer cook everything himself, but he has to know what his customers are being served and regularly show up at the restaurant." For Schneider, increasing turnover is therefore no measure of the quality of his agency. "Logically, with every million you add, you also have to delegate work," he says.
At Mediaschneider, the concept is that the strategy is implemented by the people who helped shape it. Planning is not separated from media buying. Controlling is also carried out by the same team. Schneider: "If work is divided up further and further, there is a collective lack of responsibility over time."
To ensure that this working structure works at all times, two planners are always jointly responsible for a customer at Mediaschneider. "One has the lead, but both are contact persons and know everything."
Schneider sees a major challenge in the ever-increasing diversity of media - "measures below the line" are also becoming increasingly important. It is important to maintain an overview here, from new developments in the print sector to trends on the internet and advertising on pizza boxes. "Broad and deep strategies are a thing of the past. We're looking for new strategy models," he says, using the keyword "the combination of creation and media".
Schneider entered this world of media as an apprentice at Publicitas. Selling ads over the phone was a good school. "Even today, I still have the utmost respect for anyone who calls me and wants to make me an offer. It's a really tough job."
His further path led him to London as a media planner via the advertising assistant school and to P in Geneva. He was later responsible for publishing marketing and training at Publimedia in Zurich, before moving to Blick after 26 years as head of advertising and finally being promoted to key account manager at Ringier. This was followed by a short period as Managing Director at Wolfgang Mecklenburg and finally the decision to open his own agency. Today, Schneider is where he wanted to be in five years' time according to his business plan. Perhaps his credo also applies here: "The important thing is to learn from controlling after every job."
Urs Schneider is married and the proud father of two boys. In his free time, he loves cycling.
He is a virtuoso cyclist, having reached 7th place in the World Cycling Championships at a young age. His other hobbies include yoga and teaching statistics at Sawi for 25 years. "Not an easy subject. But if I can get someone to enjoy numbers, that's a pleasure for me too."
"I have the utmost respect for anyone who sells ads": Urs Schneider, owner of Mediaschneider.

Andreas Panzeri

68Auto BMW is the most web-active car brand. In an international analysis of 1363 car brand websites
BMW is number one worldwide with 68 online presences, ahead of Toyota with 65 and Mercedes-Benz with 59 websites. If you also include the Mini brand, which belongs to the Bavarian group, with 30 sites, BMW is the undisputed number one in automotive cyberspace. In the
However, the Australian car brand Holden from General Motors came out on top in the quality assessment of the study by the Dortmund-based ProfNet Institute for Internet Marketing with just two websites. Maserati comes in second place in terms of quality, closely followed by Smart.

Sonntagspresse With Cracks for Kids, children not only learn to read the newspaper, the internal edition of the new weekly newspaper also helps children and parents with financial planning - with an interactive and, for the time being, free bag money planner. The family-friendly tool was designed by CfK editors Peter Sennhauser and Cordula Sanwald and realized by Support Solutions in Uster.

Baustoff The web agency Mitlinks, Zurich, was commissioned by the company Truffer in Vals to realize the online communication for the product Valser Stein.Baustoff The web agency Mitlinks, Zurich, was commissioned by the company Truffer in Vals to realize the online communication for the product Valser Stein. This includes the development of the CI/CD concept and an image-oriented web implementation. Truffer's Valser Stein was used in the construction of the Vals thermal baths by architect Peter Zumthor, among other projects. It was also used for the redesign of the Bundeshausplatz. Mitlinks also welcomes One Imageberatung as a new customer. The Zurich-based company entrusted Mitlinks with the redesign of its website.

Radio SRG is further expanding its range of digital radio stations, with La Première, Rete Uno and Swiss Classic now being broadcast in German-speaking Switzerland and Swiss Classic being added in French-speaking Switzerland. SRG has been broadcasting in DAB format in large parts of German-speaking Switzerland since 1999 and in French-speaking Switzerland since 2000. In German-speaking Switzerland, the service previously comprised DRS 1, DRS 2, DRS 3, MW 531, Virus, Radio Rumantsch, Swiss Pop and Swiss Jazz. In French-speaking Switzerland, these were La Première, Espace 2, Couleur 3, Option Musique, DRS 1, Rete Uno, Radio Rumantsch, Swiss Pop and Swiss Jazz.

Campaign of the year Give us something to laugh about! In times of recession, the readership of Tele and Werbewoche rewarded humorous advertising. When the nasty economic climate requires material sacrifices, advertising campaigns that promise consumers financial added value are particularly effective. This is the perfect time for pork-barrel ads and weekly specials - after all, it's easier to attract the masses. However, such advertising hardly ever achieves high sympathy ratings because it only conveys liabilities, but no additional psychological stimuli in terms of tonality and secondary messages.When it comes to profiling the affective components of the brand, some marketing experts believe that in difficult times people are increasingly looking for key motifs that can relieve their fears and insecurities. It is part of human nature that these are rarely actual solutions to problems, but rather relaxing and community-building surrogates such as irony and self-irony.
This could be one reason why the proportion of ironic campaigns in the top ten is even higher this year than in other years. All three medal places are occupied by humorous works. Ruedi Kaufmann, Senior Consultant at Demoscope, explains this development from the perspective of the Psychological Climate of Switzerland (PKS): "We have found that difficult circumstances in politics and business lead to an 'adaptation period': with an initially heightened sense of reality, a reining in of excessive demands and distance from utopias and ideals. In turn, the need for entertainment and humor increases." The last time we experienced such phases was between 1989 and 1992 - with a political and subsequent economic crisis and the subsequent recovery, reports Kaufmann.
Irony as an end in itself...
However - and this brings us to the second speculation - it is not only the preferences of media consumers that serve as an indication of this zeitgeist, but also those of the creators, i.e. the creatives themselves. This is precisely where the high-wire act of whimsical campaigns begins: in their growing numbers, they are in danger of becoming a collective industry fashion and thus undermining the individuality and commitment of brands. From an analytical point of view, according to strategic brand consultant Thomas Otte, the increasingly popular equation of the stylistic feature of irony and brand value has nothing to do with the self-similarity of the brand. It has much more to do with the intelligently cool pose in which advertisers are particularly comfortable.
However, at a time when people are looking for stability and security, advertisers rarely realize that they are putting the seriousness of the advertised brands at risk, says Otte. As a result, creatives are looking for ever crazier ideas because all consumer horizons are now illuminated. The question arises: When does the entertainment value of subtle, bitter mockery come at the expense of credibility?
...or an overrated stylistic device?
Urs Schaad, Head of Advertising at Suva and winner of the poll, puts the skeptical reservations into perspective: "As advertising is generally perceived by many as boring, we always think about the audience in our communication measures, which we want to entertain in a surprising, intelligent or humorous way. Regular performance reviews show that our campaigns appeal to a wide audience."
Migros, which has been successfully using irony in traditional advertising for decades, explains this with its mission statement, which
General interest in
first place. Claudia Haueter, Deputy Head of Marketing Communications: "As Migros' serious and competent market services are deeply rooted, we can emphasize the beautiful and funny sides of life in our advertising with few exceptions - especially when the environment is rougher." The stylistic feature is now seen as a characteristic of the major distributor, so that the Migros-typical wink is almost expected.
Stefan Kaiser from the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute does not simply want to attribute the ironic campaigns to a more tense social environment. This would overestimate the importance of advertising: "The fact that more and more humorous campaigns are appearing today shows that the public wants to be more involved now that the banal price war messages have slowly become exhausted. Good irony surprises, encourages people to think and takes viewers seriously - an important aspect of today's credibility problem."
The top ten1. SuvaRisk (Ruf Lanz, Zurich)
2nd Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund (Exxtra, Zurich)
3rd Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund (Publicis, Zurich)
4th Suzuki (Ammarkt, St. Gallen)
5 Coop Naturaplan (TBWA, Küsnacht)
6th Express Post (LangGysiKnoll, Berne)
7. Feldschlösschen (Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett, Zurich)
8 NZZ am Sonntag (Publicis, Zurich)
9th Bluewin (JvM/Limmat, Zurich)
10th Emmentaler (Publicis, Zurich)
Too much risk, no fun: Ruf Lanz's clearly ambiguous prevention campaign for Suva won the gold medal.
Advertising with a bite: Migros won the silver medal with Exxtra's hilarious Candida campaign.
Wit and esprit: The unconventional Migros image campaign stands out and is well received - third place.
Luca Aloisi

Cinema advertising In the first half of 2003, 17 percent of Swiss cinema commercials were too loud. The "Leq 82 db" measurement examined 185 commercials and found 28 to be objectionable, according to media marketer Cinecom.cinema advertising In the first half of 2003, 17 percent of Swiss cinema commercials were too loud. The "Leq 82 db" measurement examined 185
spots and 28 objected to, according to media marketer Cinecom.
The first-time measurement proved effective: in the second half of the year, only three spots exceeded the limit of 82 decibels. "Leq 82 db" is the result of a gentleman's agreement between all parties involved. The initiative is intended to prevent strong sound fluctuations in the commercial break. Thanks to high acceptance in the market, the measurement will be continued until further notice, writes Cinecom. In future, commercials that are too loud will be returned and customers will be asked to deliver new copies at the correct volume.

Hanspeter Lebrument, president of the Swiss Press Association, defends his call for subsidies in the *Wirtschaftswochenblatt*: «It is an illusion to believe that we in our industry can have both media diversity and a truly free market. If a majority of Swiss citizens are willing to do without their daily local newspaper and are content with a biweekly official gazette, then we don’t need subsidies for that. However, such an official gazette would then be financed entirely by the government—that is, with taxpayer money.»
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The U.S. communications industry’s leading trade publication is looking forward to the TV broadcast of the football championship game on February 1:The average price of a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl has jumped seven percent to a record-breaking 2.25 million dollars, solidifying the game’s role as the highlight of the advertising year. (…) CBS has sold 54 in-game spots to leading marketers such as Anheuser-Busch, Frito-Lay, Pepsi-Cola, and Procter & Gamble. According to media buyers, only eight slots remain. Those last spots, as usual, are available for significantly less than the spots already sold.
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In the latest edition of German-speaking Switzerland’s leading daily media publication, people are wondering how *Weltwoche* editor-in-chief Roger Köppel got off so lightly during an appearance at the University of Fribourg:The only question that made him break a sweat was the request that he name the three best stories published in *Weltwoche* during the Köppel era. (…) Quite obviously, the students—many of whom were communication studies majors—didn’t want to burn bridges with Köppel, their potential employer. When asked which fields of study he preferred in job applicants, Köppel said economists and historians—and Germanists only if they abandon their literary pretensions.
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The Hamburg weekly summarizes what twenty years of commercial TV have cost us and given us: for example, channel-surfing. You channel-surf to escape the commercial break. The commercial break is the itch of television. Commercial television means an endless escape from commercial breaks. (…) In the past, «private…» always stood for something particularly prestigious. Private banks. Private patients. The private elevator for the CEO. Ever since commercial television came along, the word “private” has taken on a slightly suggestive connotation.

Market research The Media Research Group has added a new evaluation to its annual advertising market study, which identifies specific communication trends for eleven sectors (based on the years 2000 to 2003) and compares them with the average for the economy as a whole. Among other things, it analyzes the use of individual traditional and non-traditional advertising media as well as the primary communication tasks and objectives. The evaluation consists of 100 diagrams, the most important of which are annotated. Anyone taking part in this year's study can download the "communication trends" for their sector free of charge from www.mediaresearchgroup.ch.