Advertising sales Contrary to what was announced, the Advertising Index Switzerland (AIS), Wemf's advertising sales statistics, is not able to report gross invoiced figures for the TV medium, but only gross-to-gross figures - like competitor Media Focus (MF). Wemf informed its customers of this. The reason: A major advertising client has refused, via its agency, to provide the gross invoiced figures because freespace and discounts could be roughly derived from a comparison of the AIS and MF figures. "Unfortunately, the medium of TV does not demand transparency - but we cannot go against the market," regrets AIS project manager Hans-Jürg Gränicher on request.
Nevertheless, the AIS can now report cinema advertising revenues - also only gross-to-gross. For the media categories print, poster, online, radio and teletext, however, the invoiced gross figure remains unchanged. As a result, the AIS will not be able to show total advertising sales or market shares. Gränicher: "We have not achieved our goal of realizing better media statistics."
(mk)

LTV Yellow Pages: Hollywood at its sunniest: We welcome your cinematic opinions on Publicis’s new campaign for LTV Yellow Pages AG at
www.werbewoche.ch/adrating
APG (Publicis) The Poster Book—a total flop! Ever since the PISA study, we’ve known that reading is boring. We’d much rather look at pictures.
Top 8.03 %Flop 91.97%

The Zurich-based communications agency Giger & Partner has been awarded a direct marketing contract by 3i Implants Switzerland. Giger & Partner was commissioned to develop the concept and design a mailing for implantology courses.

E-Commerce II Email marketing in HTML format is more successful than plain-text messages. This was determined by the online advertising service provider DoubleClick.It analyzed 2 billion emails: HTML messages with a sophisticated layout had a click-through rate of 14.4 %. Text-only messages achieved 4.3 %.

Electronics: Once again, electronics retailers are sounding the death knell for all bargain hunters. For Eschenmoser, Wirz is blazing new trails through the discount jungle. Bright red displays, percentage signs, and rock-bottom prices as far as the eye can see. Although there are no confirmed figures yet on sales performance around Christmas 2003, retailers are firmly reinforcing the impression this January that they’ve been left with even more unsold merchandise than usual. While stores seem to be able to boost foot traffic with their promotions, the cash registers aren’t filling up as quickly as they used to. Customers have become even more discerning; they can spot merchandise produced specifically for clearance sales, or they’re being even more frugal than in previous years. One might wonder whether the «frugality is cool» mentality preached by retailers themselves has made consumers more immune. Miracles do still happen, after all.
Under these circumstances, it was only a matter of time before creative advertising strategists would elevate this profit-margin-eroding consumer behavior to the status of something sacrosanct. The idea came from the Wirz team led by Creative Director Hanspeter Schweizer. Copywriter John Leuppi and Art Director Britta Egger named Prozentus the patron saint of bargain hunters. After all, says Leuppi with a smile, the electronics chain Eschenmoser believes in it. This provided a more striking dramatization of the core concept «No wonder, at these prices.» It will also serve as a platform for future 10% discount weeks in June and September. Previous campaigns played on pictograms that highlighted the weight of overfilled Eschenmoser shopping bags. In addition to ads, posters, tram banners, and giveaway holy cards featuring the ironic advertising character, three radio spots are being aired—though the percentage symbol doesn’t play a major role in them. The advertising concept was handled with care, as it could otherwise have veered into the blasphemous for certain consumer groups. Leuppi assembled a «star-studded cast» for the spots: Patricia Boser and Daniela Baumann can boast of being the first self-proclaimed fans of Prozentus.
Oh, Prozentus, guide us through the discount jungle: Wirz invents a patron saint for the electronics chain Eschenmoser.

Discount Prozentus, patron saint of bargain hunters, is promoting the electronics chain Eschenmoser >> Page 10
Luca Aloisi

Column: From an authoritative source comes yet another lesson in innovative—and therefore good—journalism. The bottom line: Those with ideas gain editorial power—and vice versa. But woe betide anyone who becomes the boss. What, Mbwana, do you need to be a good journalist? The answer can be summed up in one sentence: You have to have something to say. And that applies to content, but even more so in a figurative sense. Because in order to be able to work sensibly—that is, with enough assignments, interesting topics, and without censorship—you need one thing above all else: a good dose of power.The nice thing about a job in journalism is the encouraging size of the market. Crisis or no crisis: every one of the thousands of pages of print that appear in this country every day has to be filled again for the next issue. This employee-friendly reality means that journalists, while gossip-hungry, ultimately form a collegial community. Scoundrels may fight, but they get along. The pie is too big to be jealous of each other’s share.
You can see how things work in more feudal industries, for example, in the art world. There, a small clique distributes the money (grants, galleries, patrons) to a rotating cast of favorites. The result is sycophancy, submission to the prevailing code, reputation-damaging rumors, rigid hierarchies, and existential envy. Anyone who hangs around the art scene smells one thing above all else: the sweat of classic courtiers—conformity and fear. It’s no coincidence that hip young artists look and act as if they were clones.
But back to journalism. As in any attention-based industry, the audience determines success or failure here as well. The only difference is that the audience isn’t the readers, but your colleagues—and, above all, your own editorial staff. Your standing within your own publication determines the degree of freedom you have, Mbwana. This, in turn, is measured by the usefulness of your ideas. At first glance, that sounds naive: While sharp minds aren’t a hindrance to careers, they’re rarely the deciding factor; elbow grease and perseverance are far more often the key. But because the results of internal competition are visible to everyone on a daily or weekly basis, journalism is a special case here as well.
Intrigue thrives best where there is a lack of transparency: in bureaucracy, politics, and the executive suites (including those of media companies). In the hands-on, grassroots levels, on the other hand, you’ll always have a support base as long as you create or acquire the indispensable raw material: ideas. These are the foundation of editorial power. So here’s a quick checklist:
1. Of course, you, too, can only get good ideas with a six-month subscription. But hey! We’re talking about the media—an almost perfect recycling industry where paper grows from paper, and good ideas stay good, even if they’re copied from other media: especially foreign-language ones. So: Read the competition—and steal like a magpie.
2. What you find interesting is almost always interesting. Set aside half an hour each day to figure out what that is—and what questions arise from it. If nothing comes to mind, make a seemingly casual phone call to a colleague. Et voilà!
3. «You can only improvise if you’re perfectly prepared,» Sammy Davis Jr. once said. Armed with knowledge from your reading, you’ll shine at every meeting. Act as if you’re pulling ideas out of thin air. After all, you’re not a nerd—you’re inspired.
4. At the same time, be generous; let yourself be robbed willingly. Because, first of all, intellectual stinginess is the death of every mind. And second, you will make both the recipients of your gifts and the thieves increasingly and reliably dependent on you.
5. Here’s how to make yourself indispensable. Take advantage of this freedom to do whatever you want. Of course, you won’t be able to get away with it forever. Because one day you’ll wake up and find yourself in charge. No longer a journalist, but an official. But that, Mbwana, is another story.
> Constantin Seibt is a political and business editor at the weekly newspaper WoZ.

Print Dietschi AG does not want the Zurich-based asset management firm Albin Kistler Partner (AKP) as a partner.Print Dietschi AG does not want the Zurich-based asset management firm Albin Kistler Partner (AKP) as a partner. The publisher of the Oltner Tagblatt is resisting a purchase offer from AKP. Tagblatt publisher Albert Tageling told the Mittelland Zeitung that the company wants to keep its shareholder base regional. He also believes it is possible that AKP is secretly acting on behalf of another publishing company. AKP denies this. It already holds several stakes in the media sector: in Zürcher Oberland Medien, the NZZ, the NLZ, the AZ, and the Zofinger Tagblatt.

Since the beginning of the year, Regional-TV Radiotele has been exclusively responsible for marketing Tele Ticino in German-speaking Switzerland and French-speaking Switzerland. Since the beginning of the year, Regional-TV Radiotele has been exclusively responsible for marketing Tele Ticino in German-speaking Switzerland and French-speaking Switzerland. According to a statement from Radiotele, the only private television station in Ticino intends to do without additional intermediaries in favor of a unified marketing strategy.

Advertising budgets Despite the bad news surrounding the bankrupt Erb Group, the Metzgerlehner advertising agency has made a reasonably good start to the new year. "Last week, the Belgian Alcopa Group, which acquired the automotive division of the Erb Group, extended our mandates for Suzuki and Hyundai - beyond 2004," says Ted Metzger, co-owner of Metzgerlehner. It is also certain that the agency will be able to invoice all the advance services provided in 2003 for 2004. However, it is unclear what will happen to the remaining outstanding invoices. "There's no doubt that we'll have to take a cut," says Metzger, but adds: "We got off lightly once again." Whether this will also be the case for the Mitsubishi agency One Stop and for the
media agency m&m is unclear. No information was available from m&m by the editorial deadline. And for One Stop, the
situation at the end of this week at the earliest. It is possible that Alcopa will sell the Mitsubishi dealership in Switzerland.
(mk)

Newcomer Agency of the Year Five seasoned advertisers and family fathers modestly show the way: Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett - or the extraordinary success story of a very ordinary advertising agency.Hardly any other agency has had such a brilliant start in the last ten years and at the same time made as little noise as the advertising agency Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB), newly founded on July 1, 2002. The former has to do with their ability, the latter with their modesty. Behind the new company are Executive Creative Director Martin Spillmann (49), CEO Peter Felser (41), Managing Director Rolf Zimmermann (41), Creative Director Peter Brönnimann (38) and Chief Financial Officer Michael Waeber (44), all former executives of Advico Young & Rubicam (AY&R) in Zurich. They will retain their functions in their own agency, with the two creatives complementing each other perfectly: While Martin Spillmann, conceptualizer of many award-winning campaigns, comes from a design background, Peter Brönnimann is a gifted copywriter. In recent years, the two have been among the most awarded creative talents in Switzerland. The fact that not all five partners are represented in the agency name has a practical reason and shows that they see themselves more as a team than as individual fighters, they say.
"We are the newcomers with gray temples," jokes Peter Felser, who together with Martin Spillmann and Rolf Zimmermann played a key role in AY&R's success for 17 years, including the past ten years together with Peter Brönnimann. Only Michael Waeber, a graduate in business administration and certified public accountant, spent only two years at AY&R as Chief Financial Officer.
Long live freedom
Why this joint and abrupt exit after so many years of continuity and success at what was until recently Switzerland's largest advertising agency? "Even as a member of the management team, we still had our first employment contracts at AY&R and thus the relatively short notice period of three months, which gave the impression to the outside world of a sudden exit," explains Spillmann.
The decision to become independent matured slowly. It was based not least on the fact that the Y&R agency chain had been taken over by the WPP Group in October 2000. "While Young & Rubicam allowed its agencies a high degree of autonomy, WPP manages in a centralized manner. That quickly translated the desire for entrepreneurial self-determination into action," adds Felser.
Self-determination is obviously so important to the old foxes that, as fathers of families, they decided to forego a secure career job even in economically difficult times and embarked on the adventure of self-employment. Just how serious they were about it is shown by the fact that the five partners started out with fifteen employees. In Switzerland, this makes them one of the medium-sized agencies.
Thanks to numerous awards in international creative competitions, the newcomers are no strangers to the international stage. In addition, even before they left, AY&R was named "Best Agency of the Year" by the network, which met with a great response internationally. After announcing their plans, international networks were quick to respond with relevant offers. The fact that they chose Leo Burnett has to do with their creative aspirations and their drive for independence: The network is one of the most creative in the world and was content with a 20 percent share, while 80 percent remained with the five agency founders.
It speaks well for the young agency that even after a year and a half, it is still not serving a network client. "We wanted to get on our own feet first," Felser notes. The first national client was Swiss Dairy Food, which wanted to expand its business beyond the national border. Nothing came of it; months later, the milk processing company - the once proud Toni dairy - slid into bankruptcy. At least Swiss TV advertising that summer was enriched by a well-done commercial for the legendary yogurt in a jar.
Brand management as a core task
"The agency's founders are motivated by the desire to produce outstanding creative advertising for clients who really want it and have fun together in the process. In the first year, a good dozen clients have already been inspired by this. It is striking that all of them are renowned Swiss companies with strong brands: From the Alpenarena Flims-Laax-Falera to the luxury watch brand Carl F. Bucherer and the Grand Hotel Dolder to Feldschlösschen beer, the department store Globus, the outdoor outfitter Mammut and the mountain boots Raichle as well as Rentenanstalt/Swiss Life and Swisscom.
This is no coincidence: As part of Young & Rubicam's periodic worldwide brand study BrandAsset Valuator, the Swiss branch of AY&R had a representative study conducted in 1995, 1998 and 2000 among the German and French-speaking population on the differentiation, relevance, appreciation and familiarity of a good thousand brands. CEO Peter Felser acted as project manager in each case. He was also the one who explained the results and knowledge gained in more detail to the media and interested advertisers. The in-depth brand knowledge he has acquired in this way makes him a sought-after interlocutor for numerous branded companies. And the fact that Spillmann and Felser have acquired the same understanding and the same way of thinking during their joint career makes them a dream team for any client who regards differentiated brand management as the core task of communication.
It was precisely this requirement that led Mathias Kiess, Brand Manager at Feldschlösschen, to pitch among four agencies. "As the industry leader with a market share of 25 percent - the second largest comes in at only 11 - and a distribution in retail and gastronomy of a good 50 percent, we have to think long-term and lead our strong brand in the right direction," says Kiess, explaining the starting position and saying that the danger of inertia is great. Because SFLB presented the best approaches to solving the problem, it immediately won the overall budget of the Swiss beer giant with Rolf Zimmermann as Managing Director in charge. According to Kiess, the agency correctly recognized that the Feldschlösschen brand needed rejuvenation, but without excluding traditional beer drinkers.
The new campaign positions Feldschlösschen as a proud Swiss beer, toasting Swiss inventions or achievements that are known far beyond its borders. Each spot surprises with a fine little story, touching traditionalists with pride, making young and young-at-heart audiences smile with humorous statements. The fact that this humor also works in the print media is a bravura achievement.
For Mathias Kiess, a quality that is often neglected on the agency side also counts in the day-to-day collaboration with the agency: "I feel taken seriously by SFLB, I am listened to; the problems can be discussed thoroughly in order to arrive at the best solutions." They also work together to find new, fair ways to charge fees. Based on a certain parameter, an agency rating is created jointly at the end of the year, which influences part of the fee. Says Kiess: "SFLB is certainly not cheap, but it has an excellent price-performance ratio. Their way of working is straightforward, flexible and very professional." There's something else Kiess is keen to get off his chest: "They're people like you and me, they're likeable, tangible and anything but arrogant."
Consumer service provider
The fact that the young entrepreneurs are not only targeting large companies with lucrative budgets is demonstrated by their collaboration with the WoZ. The left-wing weekly is unique in the Swiss media landscape: Since its founding 21 years ago, it has pursued independent, well-founded and critical journalism. With a weekly paid circulation of 13,200, the WoZ reaches 110,000 readers, according to MACH Basic. The ProWoZ association supports the left-wing rebellious paper - its 800 or so members voluntarily pay at least double the subscription price.
Executive Board member Verena Mühlberger is full of praise for SFLB. "There was simply a spark between us right from the start," she says. "They are absolute professionals, and they also understand that the WoZ is a niche product, independent of a big publisher, and therefore can't pay fantasy fees." She and her team really appreciate the way they work: "We sit down regularly to brainstorm. Then we discuss and set processes in motion together."
The new design launched last fall with a new advertising presence
According to Mühlberger, the new editorial focus, combined with a simultaneous expansion of the editorial team, is beginning to bear fruit: "Our subscriber numbers are increasing, and we are registering a very large number of trial subscriptions. In the economically difficult year of 2003, we were probably the only newspaper that was able to increase its circulation."
SFLB's advertisers know exactly what they are talking about. They don't even mention buzzwords like "integrated communication" or "full service power. They see themselves as service providers and think and speak in a way that clients and consumers understand right away. Their goal is to make the in
of the large agency with the advantages of a flexible agency with lean structures. Decades of experience have confirmed for them: "With the existence of an overarching brand idea, implementation in the various disciplines is easy."
Whether they use internal or occasionally external specialists for this is secondary. The only thing that matters is that the best people work on the project. Those who understand the central brand idea and can dramatize it. The same applies to media planning, for which they often work with Starcom Adplus, a media agency belonging to the Leo Burnett Group. "We are very involved in the areas of media strategy and impact management, because that is essential to our goal of shaping the market with efficient and creative campaigns," the five partners agree. And, "We are not some diffuse communications group, but simply an advertising agency."
Simply successful
The agency's domicile on Aemtlerstrasse in Zurich's Stadtkreis 3 can also be described as simple. The agency, which has now grown to 28 people, has space on around 400 square meters on the 2nd floor of a solidly built, well-proportioned brick building. That's just 14.3 square meters per person - not an excessive amount. But the employees are compensated for this with a beautiful view of the greenery of the Sihlfeld cemetery park with its old trees. Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett's goal is not quantitative but qualitative growth. It looks as if the agency will succeed in this in its second year as well: Since the beginning of 2004, the Swiss Cantonal Banks and Herren Globus have been relying on SFLB's brand ideas.
Newcomer Agency of the YearThe competition for Newcomer Agency of the Year was held for the 13th time in 2003 by the Advertising Yearbook. A jury of well-known experts reviewed the entries from Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The evaluation was based on the following three criteria:
a) quality of advertising work for the agency's clients
b) economic success of the agencyc) quality of self-promotion
and PR of the agency.
The "Newcomer Agency of the Year" competition was first held in 1991. In the meantime, it has found a great echo in the professional world, because newcomer agencies cause a stir in the communications market in many different ways. The competition is one of the most important platforms for the award-winning agencies to showcase their creative power and commercial performance.
and put it to the test. (WW)
Dream team with gray temples: (from left to right) Martin Spillmann, Executive Creative Director, Peter Felser, CEO, Peter Brönnimann, CD, Rolf Zimmermann, Managing Director. CFO Michael Waeber is missing from the photo.
Watch me: portraits of outmoded lateral thinkers for Bucherer.
100 km/h snowstorm, zero visibility: Welcome to Mammoth Land.
Homeland! Robidog and Matterhorn spot for Feldschlösschen - patriotism with a wink.
Guaranteed exciting, guaranteed eye-catching: campaigns for Globus and Swisscom.
Sarah Rieder

The Swedish free newspaper publisher Metro International has entered into a cooperation with the British commuter paper Metro UK, offering an advertising combination that covers twelve European countries and reaches 10.4 million urban readers between the ages of 16 and 44.

Under former Publimedia consultant Bruno Hollenweger, who has been in charge of the private broadcaster Tele Tell in Central Switzerland for the past six months, important changes have been made to the program structure. Tele Tell now wants to communicate these changes through a creative agency. Bossard Kommunikation in Lucerne was chosen. In addition to creating a powerful claim, Bossard Kommunikation is developing the first advertising material, which will be launched in January 2004.