Agencies II The Weber Hodel Schmid (WHS) era has finally come to an end: the Zurich advertising agency filed its accounts shortly before Christmas. Owner Reinhold Weber's hopes that the agency would continue to exist in cooperation with GGK Zurich have apparently been dashed, following a premature report by advertising client SonntagsZeitung. As a farewell, the bankrupt agency won an award for the subject it designed for the "Only an ad can do that" campaign. WHS received over a fifth of the votes. The convincing idea: a newspaper stuck in a letterbox with an advertising stop sticker. However, Weber did not disappear from the scene. On the contrary: together with Peter Lesch, co-owner of the agency Lesch + Frei, he founds a new agency. It will probably be called Büro Reinhold. Weber has already moved into premises at the headquarters of Lesch + Frei in Zurich.

Cooperation The cinema magazine Close-up has gained Ex Libris as a partner. The Migros media retail chain presents the "DVD & music tips" section of the magazine, and Close-up is now available in all Ex Libris stores. The popular movie magazine will also be available in the most important Swiss-German cinemas and will be sent to holders of a Ciné-Card or a Credit Suisse "Academica" account. It can also be purchased at newsstands. Close-up is published by Teleclub AG and marketed by Cinecom.

Children's newspaper The first issue of Cracks for Kids surprises with innovative picture-text solutions and a relative lack of advertisements After Weltwoche, WochenZeitung has chosen another favorite enemy. At least that's the conclusion drawn by the editorial entitled "Öhrli Bränding" in the Christmas special issue "WoZ für Kidz". In it, the consumer-critical central organ speculates that the children's Sunday newspaper Cracks for Kids (CfK), which was published for the first time last weekend, will probably only engage in "early branding" that endangers young people instead of serious journalism. "Much enemy, much honor", comments CfK publisher René Gehrig on this prophylactic, politically certainly over-correct warning. And: "We provide kids with a picture of the real world, and it's not free of advertising." In fact, three quarters of the 24-page pilot issue is editorial, while the remaining six pages are (still) largely self-advertisements. So for the time being, there is no reason to panic about brand manipulation.
In terms of commercialization, CfK is likely to remain somewhere between its competitors, the recently profitable 20 Minuten and the highly loss-making, ad-free Spick, for the time being. The same applies to the pricing policy: after the three-week introductory phase (see box), the fourth Swiss-German Sunday newspaper will cost CHF 98 for an annual subscription and CHF 2.50 at the kiosk. At the beginning of February, when Gehrig has completed his presentation round with the agencies, the 30 to 40 percent of paid pages (at a price of CHF 9,900 each) that are customary in the industry should and must be in the paper. Otherwise the air will become thin from the middle of the year for the new company, whose operating costs in 2004 are likely to be around four million francs.
From image to text to website
But before establishing itself on the advertising market, the reader market must be conquered. The original mix of topics and styles in the starting number gives us confidence. The exciting avalanche story, the upbeat interview with "Bravo" TV presenter Mia Aegerter and the comparatively critical pocket money report "Verschuldet mit 14" (In debt at 14) pick up young readers in terms of content and language where 9 to 15-year-olds are at home: in nature, in pop culture and in their own four walls.
Most surprising and convincing is the close interlocking of image and text elements, as exemplified by the "Wochenpanorama" news section. The comic collage, complete with explanatory footnotes and further Internet links, is probably one of the most innovative formats that news journalism has produced in recent years. One almost overlooks the Swiss advertisement cross, praised by its inventors as a real novelty: on the panorama page two and three, the four corners are used as advertising space - the layout inside then resembles a Swiss cross. And this is apparently still regarded in some places as a seal of quality for a quality newspaper.
Colorful and cheeky: For the age-appropriate presentation of information, the Kinder-WoZ (top left) relies on comics, while Cracks for Kids tends to use photographs.
"Snack reading for the next generation of consumers "More colorful, gaudier, the texts somewhat shorter, otherwise everything Cracks for Kids offers seems familiar ad nauseam. The newspaper, which wants to take children and their questions seriously, comes along with an astonishing lack of imagination: gossip, sport, multimedia and, for those who don't just watch TV and play games on the computer, a story about a current social issue (debt among young people) and a page about hibernation in the animal kingdom, on which there is so little to learn that any five-year-old would yawn. The so-called "news", which wants to be communicated in a child-friendly way, is already very gray: Anyone who explicitly addresses children who are on the Internet
should not actually be reporting week-old plane crashes. The usual adult perspective is consistently applied, and the newspaper does not offer any orientation in the jungle of information that would be so important for children. Instead of encouraging children to think for themselves, the most stale media trends are chewed over again. In short: snack reading for the next generation of streamlined consumers.
Christine Lötscher, children's and young adult book editor Tages-Anzeiger
"More comics, please "Manon: "My opinion: I liked the newspaper very much because it was very interesting. But I would add more comics because a lot of children read 20 Minuten (newspaper) just for the comics. What I would also change: That you choose the words a bit more straightforward. But otherwise I really liked it."
Leonie: "I like the newspaper. I also like the topics, for example animals in winter, elephants, cell phones or something about Mia. I also think it's great that there's a whole page about puzzles."
Frank: "An excellent business idea that I sincerely wish great success. Not least because, thanks to Cracks for Kids, I can read the SonntagsZeitung, SonntagsBlick and NZZ am Sonntag in peace. "Review by Manon, Leonie and Frank Bodin, CEO Euro RSCG
"Grade 6 for the idea, grade 4 for the implementation for the time being "The idea that the next generation will devote as much time to reading the newspaper on Sunday as
the big ones, is pleasing and gives hope for more harmony on Sundays. The idea of publishing a weekly newspaper for
Making children's books deserves praise and recognition. After all, all publishers have been complaining for years about the lack of young readers, but have offered no satisfactory solutions. However, children who pick up information in newspaper format at least once a week will certainly have easier access to this medium as adults.
It is therefore a shame that the first issue of Cracks for Kids is rather shallow and more reminiscent of a video clip than a newspaper. The mix of topics is rather poor, the entertainment topics predominate, the information topics are kept very simple. Were they afraid of overwhelming the target group? Strange, really, as Spick, which the publisher managed before Cracks for Kids, is known for its child-friendly, yet concise and biting language and sophisticated topics.
A somewhat balanced mix, a focus on the older children (the younger ones prefer to aim higher than the older ones) and a slightly more sophisticated language: Cracks for Kids certainly has a chance in the children's market - and parents have the prospect of a harmonious Sunday brunch.Markus Mettler, BrainStore
Innovative distribution channelsRingier in Adligenswil prints 90000 copies of each of the first three issues of the world's first Sunday newspaper for children and then distributes them free of charge. This is done on the one hand by the company's own colporteurs positioned in front of the nine media markets in German-speaking Switzerland on Saturdays and on the other hand by around 600 sales representatives
of Zurich Insurance, the second of CfK's three long-term partners (WW 40/03), as a customer gift during home visits. A further 2000 copies are available in Orell-Füssli branches. OF produces a children's book hit parade exclusively for CfK. The remaining 40,000 copies are distributed to newsstands in German-speaking Switzerland. After this initial success, publisher René Gehrig expects the circulation to level off "somewhere between 40,000 and 60,000". (oc)
Oliver Classen

Image agency The German-English image agency Image 100 is expanding its sales through a website for Switzerland.Image 100 offers over 16,000 images, which are sold license-free at a fixed price. They can be downloaded or ordered on CD-ROM. In addition to the online archive, printed catalogs are also available at www.image100.ch. Image 100 was founded in 1999 by Russell Glenister.

68.7%Spam boom for penis extension, fixed-rate mortgage and porn emails: according to filter company Apexis Cleanmail, the proportion of
of unwanted advertising last December amounted to 68.7% of all emails checked. Among the spam emails filtered out by Cleanmail, the topic "Paris Hilton sex video" topped the list with almost 25 percent.

Parfum de Paris SA has commissioned Wirz Werbung to create the visual identity for "Jaguar for Women". The Zurich agency prevailed in a competitive presentation and the new women's fragrance will go on sale worldwide in spring 2004.

On January 29, Adrian Fetscherin will go on air with Sportradio.ch. The former commentator of the sports program "Live ran" on Sat1 Switzerland wants to fill a gap with his project: "Because most radio stations have reduced their sports coverage to a minimum, there is a real need for our project. Sportradio.ch will broadcast all ice hockey NLA games and football Super League matches as well as other major sporting events in Switzerland live via Internet audio stream. The first event will be the Swiss Life CSI show jumping competition. Around 20 reporters will be in Fetsche-
rin's services. Sportradio.ch also produces weekly, ten-minute magazine programs for various fringe and trend sports. Fetscherin also wants to provide other radio stations with
supply sound material. The offer is free of charge. Financing is provided by
exclusively patronage, sponsor and benefactor contributions. Nevertheless
Fetscherin was already in the black after the first year.

Automobile "We said that the BMW X3 is a versatile vehicle," says Roland Sutter. His agency Sulzer Sutter has created a truly heavenly advertising motif to mark the launch weekend of the new speedster, with an astonishing montage that makes reference to current events and shows the "second image" of Mars. After all, when the US probe "Spirit" successfully landed on the red planet, an X3 just happened to speed past in front of the lens.

Christian Seiler, Editor-in-Chief of the cultural magazine "Du", has resigned, leaving the magazine along with Art Director Wendelin Hess. J. Christoph Bürkle, publishing director of Niggli-Verlag, confirmed Seiler's resignation to the NZZ.

Power drink 100 years of Ovomaltine: AY&R has created a campaign with a new slogan to celebrate.
Despite brand portfolio adjustments and a sluggish economy, there are more brands on the Swiss market today than ever before - 7,000. Among them, a few top-of-mind brands stand out. According to Brand Asset Valuator, these include one of the oldest Swiss brands: Ovomaltine, launched in 1904 by Berner Wander AG. The history of one of the world's most successful traditional Swiss brands began 100 years ago with this power food. The malt beverage is also sold under the name Ovaltine in over 100 countries and is the market leader among breakfast drinks in Europe and Asia thanks to its growing product range and many sales channels.
The myth that Ovo has become is not only documented by gifted columnists such as Richard Reich or sports celebrities such as Martina Hingis or Gold Vreni Schneider. When the Basel-based pharmaceutical group Novartis divested its food and beverage division in November 2002 and sold Wander AG with Ovaltine to the food group Associated British Foods, an outcry went through the Alpine country as if the deal were treason.
Honor to whom honor is due
In view of the brand's great vitality and Swiss heritage, Ovo was not drunk as hotly as it was cooked and is still in great demand here in Switzerland. Last November, AB Foods reported a nine percent improvement in its annual result, mainly due to acquisitions such as Ovomaltine. In the two years prior to the takeover, global sales rose by an average of a good four percent, and according to Björn Roncoroni, Head of Marketing Food & Beverage, the development in the lead market Switzerland was also pleasing in 2003.
Because Switzerland has the highest per capita consumption of ovo, ahead of Thailand, and is the most important research and development country for the globally active company, the
birthday boy in style. In addition to promos, events, athlete sponsorships, PR measures and the limited edition of the historic box, Advico Young & Rubicam was also involved in a print and poster campaign, which will be flanked by a new TV commercial from June.
Ovo forever
In the testimonial realization, Ovo does not wish anything for himself for his hundredth birthday, but wishes young athletes every success for their careers: To seven-year-old Noel that he can play in the 2018 World Cup or to little Laura that she may win gold at the 2014 Olympics with her snowboard.
"To make these wishes come true, the little stories about the stars of tomorrow always end with the new Ovomaltine slogan - 'Never give up'," says copywriter Peter Rettinghausen. The new slogan, which replaces the award-winning "You can't do better with Ovaltine. But longer", forms the copy platform for future advertising in Switzerland and Austria.
Given the "never give up" appeal, the question of why Ovomaltine didn't also wish our national skiing team a medal or two seems obsolete. At least for the hundredth.
With best wishes for future stars: Ovo's anniversary campaign.

Luca Aloisi

Available advertising space in *Blick* and *SonntagsBlick* is now being advertised as last-minute deals at reduced prices on www.blickverlag.ch. Once placed, an order is binding and cannot be canceled. For Blick, the offers are posted two days in advance; for SonntagsBlick, they are posted on the Thursday before publication. The advertising deadline is the following day.

Kult Hakle turned 75 and commissioned a T-shirt to mark the occasion. Advico Young & Rubicam was happy to take on the project and found a suitably provocative way to visually convey the brand promise «Hakle. For absolute cleanliness.» Designed by the creative team in Gockhausen, the T-shirt shines in the purest white on the front, while the back features a sparkling-clean, beautiful behind in a trompe-l’œil style. Nearly a thousand people have ordered the T-shirt via the website www.hakle.ch. Since then, this playful garment has inspired many of these trendsetters to take sexy photos. And even a few professionals have been creatively inspired by the possibilities offered by the bare bottom. AY&R commissioned sought-after photographers such as Adrian Fritschi, Ruth Erdt, Nicolas Monkewitz, and Maja Dickerhof to create various concepts for an ad campaign that was featured, among other places, in the scene magazine *Kult*. The Zurich-based photo artist Julien Vonier really took the cake—or rather, a few hundred insects—with his work, loosely based on the motto: «Only flies are more beautiful.» And the rhyming moral of the story: Hakle has a lasting effect—and not just on the face.
(pan)