Cross-media The experience of a combined trial between Radio 24 and Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft Zürich was so good that the private broadcaster is considering a nationwide expansion.
What has long been the order of the day in the USA - commercial cooperation between local radio stations and billposters - was tested this summer by Radio 24 and the Zurich branch of Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft (APG). In a first-time trial for the city and region of Zurich, they offered an advertising combination consisting of radio and poster. The offer for radio-listening commuters was attractive, at least in terms of price (see box). The trial is over. Was it worth it? Both Radio 24 and APG Zurich are pretty tight-lipped when asked. "We are very satisfied, it has become clear that the offer meets a need. The demand is certainly there," explains Belcom Sales Manager Richard Gasser. He does not want to disclose any exact figures, neither on bookings nor on customers. He is also keeping quiet about their industry affiliation. "We are still evaluating the situation, but there was a lot of interest and a good response," adds Beat Holenstein, branch manager of APG Zurich.
One thing is certain, however: the two media providers will soon sit down together and work out whether and in what form they will continue the combined offer. Radio 24 appears to be more interested in the collaboration than APG. It was Gasser who submitted a cooperation offer to the Affichage subsidiary at the time. Gasser openly admits that this was primarily for economic reasons. "We have to come to terms with the current circumstances. They inspire us," he says. He is therefore confident that a new combined offer will soon be available for 2004, valid from January 1 and for the whole year.
New honeypot for private radio stations
But Gasser is already thinking ahead: "We are currently considering extending the offer - beyond Radio 24 and Radio Zürisee to the entire city pool." In other words: Radio 24 seems to have discovered a honey pot in the collaboration with APG, which the pool partners Basilisk, ExtraBern, Pilatus and perhaps Aktuell/Toxic should also feed off.
APG has not yet grasped this pace - at least notionally. Holenstein wants to examine "this interesting proposal". The APG branches in Berne, Basel and Lucerne know nothing yet. Affichage General Director Christian Kauter is also not yet aware of this proposal from Werdstrasse. Moreover, even he does not yet have the figures for the Zurich trial. Nevertheless, he is not averse to Gasser's idea: "If a combination of APG and City-Pool is commercially interesting and there is demand for it, we are open to it," he says.
Such a combination is perhaps attractive because you can
the connection of "Out of Home Medias" could appeal to commuters in particular. However, he was skeptical as to whether what works in Zurich would also work elsewhere. He also made it clear that even if the new combos were successful, APG would not suddenly want to acquire stakes in radio marketers - as its competitor Clear Channel Plakanda had tried to do. "We are sticking to our core business. The current cooperation with Radio 24 does not mean a departure from this strategy," says Kauter.
Zurich local radio station 24 would like to continue benefiting from the good combi experience with APG, but the poster company is still hesitating.
Poster-radio comboFor a period of seven days each from June to September
One APG poster network and 40 15-second radio spots were placed in parallel. There were two options: Combi 1 covered the city of Zurich with Radio 24 and 106 billboards, while Combi 2 covered the Zurich agglomeration with the Züri Pool (Radios 24 and Zürisee) and 293 APG billboards. Customers only had to pay the price for the selected APG network (CHF 32880 and CHF 67050 respectively) and received the radio services free of charge. According to APG, this gave them a reach of over 80 percent and 20 to 30 opportunities to see (OTS) or 5 opportunities to hear (OTH). Posting and placement took place from Monday to Sunday. (mk)
Markus Knöpfli

Wine "Strada del vino" or "Route du vin" is the name usually given to those beautifully winding country roads that lead through vineyard landscapes, but for once and according to Ruedi Wyler, these roads lead straight to Spreitenbach. For the wine exhibition at Shoppi & Tivoli, he has added the most important wine-growing regions of the (western) world to the Spreitenbach highway exit - albeit in internationally valid blue signs. And because you definitely have to leave the highway to taste the wine, the motif even fulfills an educational purpose in addition to its successful advertising effect.

Tourism AY&R discovers for the brand advertising of the
vacation canton a whole new Graubünden.
Graubünden is "a very special canton with very special people and services" - who would seriously disagree with this statement by Olivier Federspiel? The employee of the office of the "Graubünden" brand association is therefore placing this statement prominently at the center of a campaign for the mountain canton, which wants to re-establish itself as a brand and is enlisting the communicative help of Advico Young & Rubicam (AY&R) at the end of May, when the advertising agency won the pitch for the Graubünden brand advertising, with which the former "vacation corner of Switzerland" wants to present itself economically and culturally beyond tourism. As part of this repositioning, the new CI with the ibex logo (a creation of the CI agency Interbrand) is also to be publicized through classic advertising. The collaboration between Gockhausen and Graubünden began with a large poster in Zurich's main railway station (see WW 30/03) and is now continuing with print motifs.
Long-haired cattle
The ads, which will run until October 11, start with three subjects on the topics of agriculture, energy and timber construction. One headline - "Long-haired people keen on good Grisons weed again" - is a tongue-in-cheek reminder of a mailing from the former "Graubünden" agency. At the time, Weber Hodel Schmid had sent out a real hemp leaflet for advertising purposes. In the ad from AY&R, the "long-haired" animals are shaggy Highland cattle imported from the Scottish Highlands by an organic farmer from Graubünden. Another motif shows a holidaymaker from Fulda, who has not only found relaxation during his vacation in Graubünden, but also a transportable house designed by architects Padrun & Estévez. As with all motifs, the resolution to the headline can be found in the small print: "Whether construction, vacations, energy, transportation, education, culture or high-quality products: Graubünden is building." In this spirit, the third motif - vacation bliss by a mountain lake - also refers to Graubünden's green electricity, 97.5% of which is produced from optimized hydropower.
In addition to these advertisements, for which CD André Benker and AD Valentina Herrmann are responsible, which combine an emotional vacation mood with surprising information about a modern canton, the "Graubünden" advertising continues to work with the already introduced T-shirts from XXLarge to Small. Car stickers with the new CI have again been created for avowed Graubünden fans.
Farewell to the postcard idyll: AY&R communicates the diverse vacation aspects of the mountain canton for the "Graubünden" brand.

Andreas Panzeri

Gastronomy Many people dream of having their own pub or even their own cultural club, but filmmaker and former president of the Association of Film & Video Producers, Urs Wäckerli, has made this dream come true. On October 1, his culture club "Lebewohlfabrik" opened in Zurich's Seefeld district. It is intended to be a meeting place for people interested in intelligent culture and sensual entertainment. The venue in the former factory for Lebewohl chicken eye plasters is a café-théâtre and music club with a small stage and seating for up to 80 people at the bar and bistro tables. Urs Wäckerli discovered the empty loft when he set up new offices for his film production company Allmedia Productions in the same building. The bar right next to the office is open daily from 5 p.m. until midnight. Exhibitions, readings, concerts and film screenings are also planned. The program can be viewed at www.lebewohlfabrik.ch.

Special Interest The Swiss Internet pioneers Christian Schwengeler (Swissguide) and Matthias Zehnder have founded Edition Smile AG in Basel, Switzerland, which has taken over the publishing rights to the Internet magazine Smile and will publish brochures, booklets and other information products on the use of new technologies in addition to the magazine and the associated website.

Cheese The Valais Milk Association is fighting with the Bruges agency Visucom for an AOC designation for its raclette cheese.cows are not only sacred in India, but also in Valais - at least in advertising. With the same fighting spirit that the cloven-hoofed animals show at the traditional cow fights, the marketing commission for Valais cheese is also campaigning together with the Valais Milk Association for a protected designation (AOC) for raclette. Maurice Chevrier, President of the Valais Milk Association, is convinced that this cheese has its origins in Valais. This is where the original product is made from untreated raw milk according to traditional methods.
However, the associated high production costs make it difficult for Raclette du Valais to compete with industrially produced raclette products. In addition to Valais cheese, there are various other brands of fried cheese available to consumers - Raccard from Migros and Racletto from Coop are just two of them.
According to Chevrier, national market surveys have shown that the majority of the Swiss population spontaneously associate raclette with Valais. Even if the cheese on offer was not processed in the mountain canton. "This confusion is mainly due to the fact that producers outside of the canton of Valais have marketed their product with Valais names and terms or images for decades," the Milk Association President is convinced. The marketing commission for Valais cheese now wants to clarify the situation with a national campaign by the Bruges agency Visucom.
The creative team chose the Hérens cows as the key visual and placed some provocative headlines alongside them. Statements such as "Character and uniqueness are sacred to us Valaisans" or "We are clearly ahead when it comes to authenticity" are intended to put Valais at the top of consumers' minds as the region of origin for raclette.
Reconquering a type of cheese
The AOC application from the Valais has met with resistance from Raclette Suisse, among others. The association, which represents around 95% of all raclette producers, has a "positive attitude towards a regional AOC 'Valais Raclette'". However, the association is disconcerted that the term raclette should only be used for products from the Valais. After all, in the 1960s, cheese dairies outside the Valais were entrusted with raclette production, as the high demand could no longer be met. At around two kilograms, raclette today has the highest domestic per capita consumption of cheese, together with mozzarella. Around 14 percent of annual demand is met by Valais raclette cheese.
The Federal Office for Agriculture wants to put an end to the wrestling match over raclette this October. This is when a decision is to be made on the "Valais raclette" dossier, which has been on the table for six years.
Simone Keller

Household appliances Speed achieves intoxicating effects and shortens work processes, both of which are valued in our leisure society. Have you ever thought about how you spend your free quality time? There are at least as many possibilities as there are impossibilities, and an advertisement for Bosch's QuantumSpeed recently added an example of the latter: Turtle Watching. A sensation, as it saves you time traveling to Madagascar or the zoo. What's more, caring for the virtually odorless reptile is a breeze. The turtle is also one of the most important lucky charms in feng shui. Above all, however, this cute creature casts a spell over everyone. Note the dreamy gaze of the depicted owner, his devotion and devotion.
Unfortunately - and this must be added at this point for the sake of completeness - the thoughtful four-legged friend is, according to zoologists, one of the most maltreated pets because it is kept incorrectly due to ignorance. Anyone considering the purchase of a QuantumSpeed should therefore first consider how to kill the time gained - not the tortoise.
(la)

The Zurich School of Applied Linguistics (SAL) is offering 15 seminars, courses and workshops in the areas of language, media and communication in its 2003/2004 continuing education program, including Mario Romano, publisher of Massiv magazine, who will explain the importance and future of lifestyle magazines. Brigitte Hauenstein, owner of the corporate publishing agency Patchmedia and a permanent lecturer at SAL, will provide assistance in the search for a book publisher or in the realization of PR texts. The 15 courses last one to three days and take place in seminar centers in Thalwil and Männedorf. The further education program can be ordered from SAL by calling 01 361 75 55

Audience research SRG has made a stop on the way to new structures for the SRG Research Service and Publica Data. They are waiting for the new RTVG. At the end of September, the SRG Executive Board was to approve the New PDAG project, the planned integration of the SRG Research Service into Publica Data (PDAG), and then look for a new overall manager. That was the original timetable. Matthias Steinmann, the current head of the SRG Research Service, will retire in the middle of next year - and a clear job profile was to be drawn up for his successor. But now an interim solution is needed. On September 17, the SRG management put the New PDAG project on hold. "We don't know how and where radio and TV research will be positioned in the new RTVG," said SRG spokesperson Josefa Haas, explaining the decision. The project will remain suspended until these questions have been clarified in the parliamentary discussion. Haas: "The time horizon is open."
In fact, when discussing Article 33 (research article) of the new RTVA in August, the National Council Committee for Transport and Telecommunications (KVF) decided not to locate audience research within the SRG as before, but to create a new body for this purpose. Private broadcasters should also be involved in this. The Federal Office of Communications (Bakom) was commissioned to develop a new model.
Offers from Radiotele and IPM
Another circumstance has prompted SRG to slow down: The rift between it and the private broadcasters is deeper than ever - because of the New PDAG project. The private broadcasters, who were only integrated into the project at a late stage, had protested against the SRG's approach and concrete proposals (see WW 14/03). The extent of the mistrust is now evident in two things: For the first time, the private TV association Telesuisse and the Association of Swiss Private Radio Stations (VSP) are examining whether they could set up audience research without the SRG. The direct reason for this is a verbal clash at the Locarno Film Festival between SRG Director General Armin Walpen and Filippo Lombardi, CVP member of the Council of States and Telesuisse President, as well as Telesuisse and VSP member Markus Ruoss. Walpen had apparently hurled at his opponents that they should see for themselves how they get their reach. Or something like that.
In any case, Telesuisse and VSP took this as a threat and began to request corresponding offers from the intermediaries Radiotele and IP Multimedia. One of them described how the private broadcasters see their situation with the words: "Either we take what the SRG puts in front of us without grumbling, or we seriously examine alternatives and exert pressure accordingly."
Mistrust contractually regulated
The new framework agreement between PDAG and VSP - signed last week and valid from next year - also bears witness to this mistrust: Although they explicitly committed to the Radiocontrol system, it also contains a clause that allows the VSP to exit quickly if the "fundamentals" should change significantly. For example, if the new RTVG actually requires a new sponsorship for audience research or if new research methods become available. Or if the VSP does not like the new PDAG. This was the first time that mistrust of the SRG was incorporated into a contract.
Nevertheless, both sides emphasize that they are fundamentally interested in a joint solution. A new terminology already exists for this - "research peace" - but it mainly expresses how fragile the ice is.
Verbal exchanges at the Locarno Film Festival: SRG Director Armin Walpen (l.) and Telesuisse President Filippo Lombardi.
Markus Knöpfli

Promotional items II To stand out from the crowd, a promotional gift retailer offers items from fair production sites. For Thomas Märki, owner of Promotrading, one thing is certain: "There are tons of cheap junk products made somewhere in Asia on the promotional gifts market." That's why he wants to replace his range "in the foreseeable future" with products that he can "guarantee have been produced ethically" and are not sold everywhere. He realized two and a half years after setting up his promotional gift business that this would not be easy. "How can I be sure that all the products I buy are produced fairly?" Demanding proof from every supplier is impossible: "The manufacturers just laugh at me as a small businessman."
Markus Schnelli and his team at Wipex try to solve this problem by purchasing "Made in Europe" products whenever possible. "This gives me the guarantee that the items are produced in a fair and environmentally friendly way," says Schnelli. According to him, almost 100 percent of Wipex items come from fair production facilities. A good example of this is the Swiss company Switcher, which has its textiles produced in India and Portugal under a strict code of conduct. Or the company Schwan Stabilo in Germany, which works with workshops for the disabled.
Direct purchases as collateral
Harry Hes from Hesidea.ch also strives for fair production of the items sold: "Our aim in the medium term is to only work with such manufacturers for direct purchases. We already have some manufacturers in the Far East who meet this standard." It is not possible to name a binding number of suppliers who manufacture their products under fair conditions. As we are far from being able to check all of our suppliers," emphasizes Hes.
"It's worth the effort," says Märki. Even if he is not entirely sure whether his customers will appreciate it. "After all, you can't tell by looking at the products that they have been ethically produced," he says.
Switcher pays attention to fair conditions in its production facilities.
Annelies Friedli

Column The structural crisis in the print media offers a good opportunity to dispel old prejudices. For example, that journalistic communication is more honest or even just more honorable than commercial communication.advertising is communication: what a simple, even indisputable sentence. But for more than a century and a half, the moralists of this world have treated the combination of high-minded editorials with advertisements in the media as a perhaps necessary but nevertheless regrettable mesalliance. The relationship between journalism and advertising was treated like that between sausage and wrapping paper. Now that the mesalliance is becoming fragile because the classified ads (job, car, real estate market) are migrating to the Internet, the lamentations are beginning. Could it even be that the newspaper is dying? Is it dying because its impure sister, advertising, is looking for other ways?
As a Delphi study by our institute shows, the situation is quite dramatic. The experts surveyed predict that in the long term, daily newspapers will lose 20 to 50 percent of their revenues in the classified advertising markets to Internet competitors. National newspapers are therefore likely to lose half of their income from the job market business within eight years. At the same time, it is assumed that by 2007 half of all 14 to 59-year-olds will regularly use journalistic online offerings. Between 70 and 80 percent of the time spent in this way and around 80 percent of advertising money could be lost to existing media.
The newspaper will not die as a result, but many papers will have to increase their subscription prices because their usual income will be lost. In other words, the print media are currently experiencing an economic crisis that is being overshadowed by a structural one. This turning point is a good opportunity to dispel old prejudices. For example, that of the unclean sister.
Of course, advertising is generally an attempt at persuasion; a product, occasionally also a person (currently parliamentarians, for example), is to be sold. Persuasion is only one of three basic forms of communication. In addition to persuasion based on will, there is also communication of meaning and emotion. But just as the lion is no more worthy than the worm, the attempt at persuasion - to which the recipient is by no means helpless - is no more unworthy than a conversation about trees, books or federal politics.
This also means that the editorial is not the lion and advertising is not the worm. After all, the editorial is also persuasion: it wants to achieve the reader's approval of the Iraq war or anger over a subsidy and occasionally even bring about a decision similar to the act of buying, an act of voting. There are excellent editorials and miserable ones - just as there are first- and third-rate advertisements. Incidentally, this is the reason why intelligent recipients (and uneducated children) can enjoy advertising just as much as movies or commentaries. The cultural criticism that our popular educators - from public broadcasters, for example - make of it is often enough guided by interest.
This is not a revaluation of values. The mediation service of journalism is absolutely indispensable in a democracy. It is simply a reminder that communicating about products is just as much a part of life as communicating about George W. Bush. Especially in a market society.
> Peter Glotz is Professor of Media and Communication Management at the University of St.Gallen.

Fashion "Advertising with celebrities only has advantages - the search for creative ideas is superfluous," Rolf Greulich, CCO at Michael Conrad & Leo Burnett, once said, but Studio Achermann is currently demonstrating in a new Spengler campaign that advertising with celebrities can also be combined with clever ideas. In a stylistic mix between a fashion shot and an autograph card, celebrities are outed as the wearers of Spengler fashion. At the same time, an elegant touch of home story is created by depicting the popular models in their favorite places. In the case of soccer king Hakan Yakin, it is the foyer of the Hotel Drei Könige in Basel. Advertiser Michelle Nicol had herself modestly photographed in front of her front door, although the text in the ad presents the co-owner of the Glamour Engineering agency as an expert "for everything glamorous". Leisure modeling was a first for Nicol.