In its "Prime time" exhibition, the Museum of Communication in Bern looks back on 50 years of television history in Switzerland The Museum of Communication in Bern looks back on 50 years of television history in Switzerland in its "Prime time" exhibition. The exhibition organizers want to convey an entertaining encounter with television history and its audience favorites.
"Prime time" also sheds light on the present with its flood of images, the virtualization of the world and the trend towards infotainment. The exhibition opens on Friday and runs until July 25, 2004 and is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm.

Once again, the annual congress of the Swiss Press Association took place in the elegant five-star Hotel Victoria-Jungfrau in Interlaken, this year under the sign of the retiring President Hans Heinrich Coninx and the newly elected Hanspeter Lebrument. There were already rumors that Coninx knew how to maintain his influence, as he is now Honorary President - and his son-in-law Managing Director of the association.
Be that as it may: The assembled crowd of publishers experienced a presidential farewell. In addition to a concert by the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, there were many guest speeches and, last but not least, a vocal performance by the entire audience with two songs from the new President's homeland.
However, the party after the official program was banned from reporting. Just this much: the fact that the shortlist author danced there with the three prettiest women from the Bernese Oberland was the attraction par excellence at the top-secret party in Suite 402.
The Publisher's Night on Friday is also of the highest quality. The beautiful hall and festively dressed audience lend the evening the right touch of "noblesse oblige". The only point of criticism was the monkfish served: simply indisputable because it was overcooked and therefore tough. Anyway - sea fish, so close to the blue lake, where the trout jump into the boat by themselves? There would have been a better choice here.
After the meal, the guests traditionally met at the hotel bar for a long dance at the end of the evening. The fact that this overloaded the power grid, so that the fuses - of the hotel, not of the participants - blew, did not dampen the mood. The jazz combo quickly switched to acoustic instruments, which made the atmosphere even cozier.
Beat Fritsch, like other participants at the Publishers' Congress, prefers to dress up for Publisher's Night. The gala evening forms
The highlight of the annual gathering of Swiss media aristocracy, which this year took place at the Grand Hôtel Victoria-Jungfrau.
Where the communications, media and publishing industries meet for their events is where we will be at the various events on the scene. Do you already have something to report? Pick up the phone (01 296 97 98) or get in touch (info@werbe woche.ch). Event tips and further shortlist images are available online at www.werbewoche.ch
Handover - the outgoing President of the Swiss Press, Hans Heinrich Coninx.
Tagi editor-in-chief Peter Hartmeier, Howard Griffiths, Orpheum Foundation, and Thomas Pfiffner (from left), Zurich Chamber Orchestra.
Enjoying the musical performance at the presidential evening of honor: Urs Wasserfallen, Pi.ar, and Publimedia CEO Dani Strobel (right).
Stocks Publishing Director Patrizia Serra (l.), Ueli Eckstein, Deputy CEO of AZ, and Gabi Wettstein, Head of Marketing at Tagi.
Christoph Richterich from Richterich & Partner with Filippo Leutenegger and Beobachter editor-in-chief Balz Hosang (from left).
Runner-up Stefanie Künzli, Miss Bernese Oberland Raphaela Baumann and third-placed Manuela Lanker (from left): Fair maidens.
Eleonore Droux, Managing Director of Springer's specialist publication Medien & Medizin, had a great chat with Peter Urs Naef.
Tamara Tschuor, Business Manager Switzerland at Reader's Digest, with Joachim Tillessen from the Biel-based Gassmann Group.
Bruno Blaser (left), Publishing Director of Blick and SonntagsBlick, with journalists Marianne Noser and Felix Aeberli.
Bruno Blaser (left), Publishing Director of Blick and SonntagsBlick, with journalists Marianne Noser and Felix Aeberli.
Resilient management team of the TV magazine TR-7: Managing Director Sandro Rüegger and Editor-in-Chief René Hildbrand (right).
On the best of terms: Tele publishing director Jacqueline Friederichs with Roli Wahrenberger, publishing director of Schweizer Familie.
For once, they didn't have to keep an eye on all the journalists: Thomas Henne (right) and Ralph Brechlin from Argus der Presse.
Publigroupe CEO Otto Meier with Myriam Engler, Publishing Director of Südostschweizer Mediengruppe, and Hanspeter Lebrument (right).
Riccarda Mecklenburg (l.), m-&-m-Holding, with Heike Findeis, Managing Director Springer Science and Business Media Switzerland.
Meeting with publishing consultants: Andreas Meili, Tamedia, and Uli Rubner, Jean Frey AG, with consultant Kurt W. Zimmermann (right).
Probably a bit more work in the future: Conny Moser, Personal Assistant to Hanspeter Lebrument, with Urs Schnider from MTJ.
Jürg Wildberger with Ringier Group spokeswoman Eva Keller (left) and Barbla C. Schaerer, Farner PR.
Suzanne Speich with Euro-RSCG CEO Frank Bodin (l.) and Karl Lüönd, Head of the Media Institute of the Swiss Press.
Brigitte Schatzmann, Retail Brand Manager at Kiosk AG, with Adrian Bauder, owner of The Primetop Group.
Stylish as ever: BZ Publishing Director Franziska von Weissenfluh and Albert P. Stäheli, CEO of Espace Media Groupe.
Can be described as a kind of host in Jungfrauland: Urs Gossweiler and his wife Beatrice, Gossweiler Media AG.
With Martin Kall (left), you never really know if he's not on a shopping spree again - for example with Charles von Graffenried?
Claudia and Daniel Kaczynski with Christoph Richterich (left) were in excellent spirits at the gala evening.
TV specialist and producer Anton Schaller with publisher Claudia Streit in the ballroom of the Victoria-Jungfrau.
As the new association president, Hanspeter Lebrument will also cause controversy at times.

As Head of Advertising at Jean Frey, Christophe Waeber is in charge of both Weltwoche and Bilanz at the same time. The new Head of Advertising for Bilanz and Weltwoche does not see himself as an administrator, but as someone who wants to "build something". Christophe Waeber has already proved this once - in Portugal. Waeber arrived on the Atlantic coast with a last-minute ticket. He stayed for more than two years. His vacation was already over on the second day. He discovered a house in the Algarve that he really wanted to renovate. It was a ruin. But the property had potential. The profitable sale of the renovated house gave him a taste for it. Waeber renovated other ruins and discovered a gap in the market. The vacation trip developed into a consulting firm that also helped foreigners in the south of Portugal to set up SMEs. Thanks to Waeber's good advice, one of his clients even founded a small newspaper in Portugal, which was a twist of fate. The hard-working dropout returned to Switzerland in 1995 and was hired by Publicitas. For almost four years, he worked in marketing in a staff unit of the general management. He later built up marketing support at the business newspaper Cash and managed various publishing projects before moving on to the agency side: At DDB in Zollikerberg, Waeber initially worked in the creative agency on strategic planning, and later did the same at its media offshoot OMD. Following the restructuring of the OMD Group, he became head of the Zurich City operating unit before returning "back to the roots" on the publishing side.
It is valuable that he knows both sides, says Waeber. The first thing he did at Jean Frey was to write the presentations for the titles himself, "short and sweet", because he knows "what agencies and customers want and what they don't have time for".
Saving time both in-house and at the customer's premises is one of its new dual functions. Time is money. And if you can present two titles to a major customer in one appointment, for Waeber this results in "operational synergies that we naturally want to exploit".
Around 40 percent of advertisers - around 30 key accounts - are the same for Weltwoche and Bilanz. The positioning of the two titles is different, but complementary: "With Bilanz and Weltwoche, we cover the northern fields of the media radar with above-average quality and tap into exclusive readership circles." With Waeber's job at Jean Frey, nothing will change in the sales structure at the level of area sales managers: they will remain with their traditional titles. The restructuring only affects the publishing management and advertising management.
First of all, the "marketing person" analyzed the situation. What is the mood of the titles and the people? Then it was a matter of working out a strategy for the two titles. And then to implement it. His goal and that of Jean Frey Verlag: to continue on the successful path of Weltwoche and, with small corrections and a focused presence, to ensure that "Bilanz is increasingly the talk of the town again". Waeber is convinced: "We have top people, structures and products." He wants to communicate this accordingly: "Now we're getting down to business."
The new mindset has already been rewarded with the Media Trend Award. For Waeber, this is official recognition that he has "found a good team". Waeber also believes he has his own qualities. Among other things, he is said to have great empathy, meaning that he is a good listener - and equally good at giving advice.
As advertising manager, Christophe Waeber is helping to make the balance sheet the talk of the town again.
Andreas Panzeri

Graphics Exclusively in Switzerland, the exhibition "100 Best Posters 02: Germany, Austria, Switzerland" will be shown at the Lucerne School of Art and Design from September 30 to November 12, featuring posters selected from over 1000 entries by an international jury chaired by Henning Wagenbreth. The selection offers a diverse overview of contemporary poster design in German-speaking countries. From Switzerland, 22 posters made it into the selection. A catalog of the exhibition has been published by Hermann Schmidt Verlag Mainz, ISBN 3-87439-629-0.

Branding Studies Private labels already account for 15 percent of total global sales of consumer goods, and the trend is rising, especially in the emerging markets. These are the findings of a study by ACNielsen, which examined 80 product groups in 36 countries. Switzerland is the leader with a 38% share of private labels, ahead of the UK (31 %) and Germany (27 %). In the USA, however, the share is 15 percent, excluding Wal-Mart.

The US creative competition Mobius Awards is taking place for the 33rd time. Advertising campaigns that have been newly launched or relaunched in the last 12 months can be submitted until October 20, and the prizes will be awarded in February 2004. Switzerland was represented at the 32nd Mobius Awards with three gold medals (Euro RSCG and two Lowe). Registration is possible online at www.mobiusawards.com.

Promotional products III What does the elite scene think of promotional gifts? When do they use promotional gifts? And which promotional products are in vogue among creative people? werbewoche received answers to these questions from Frank Bodin, Rolf Zimmermann, Markus Gut, Markus Ruf and Dominik Imseng. Rolf Zimmermann Managing Director Spillmann, Felser, Leo Burnett:
"Sure - we can also develop promotional gifts on request. But I'm not talking about ballpoint pens or umbrellas, but items that match the message of the advertising message or the brand. To find the right giveaway for the existing advertising idea,
we very often have the items specially produced. It is important that the promotional gifts do not cost too much in most cases and yet do not fall apart after three days. One of our better-known examples is the skier accelerator, which works like a ratchet and which we developed for our customer Swisscom for the Ski World Championships in St. Moritz."
Markus Gut Executive Creative Director Publicis:
"If promotional gifts make sense, they are a good way of attracting attention. However, it is essential to develop the idea first and then look for the right product. The best examples of successful promotional gifts are our giveaways for Sportplausch Wider. It is not for nothing that we have already won countless awards for them. They fit into the advertising and communication strategy, are surprising and exciting.
Unfortunately, there are also a lot of unimaginative promotional gifts, just any products with a logo printed on them without any advertising idea."
Markus Ruf Creative Director and co-owner Ruf Lanz:
"To be honest, I can't think of many useful applications off the top of my head. It's often standard merchandise on which car garages, pizzerias and pubs simply print their logos. There is rarely a comprehensible or even surprising connection to the advertiser. At best, an attempt is made to breathe a little sense into the whole thing with a thin play on words (à la "We are on fire for your order" on a lighter). Which doesn't make it any better. Interesting applications arise when there is first a good idea that makes a certain promotional gift compelling. Example: the give-aways that Markus Gut and I have been suggesting to Sportplausch Wider for a number of years and which are awarded with great regularity. It's significant that you usually don't find these giveaways in the catalog, but have to have them specially produced."
Dominik Imseng Creative Director McCann-Erickson Switzerland:
"Promotional gifts are also a creative opportunity. It's great if you can produce them yourself - like our flipchart pad for the NZZ Grandplus, for example. But even an ordinary ballpoint pen can be delightful - as long as the headline is right.
Once again, it's the idea that counts."
Frank Bodin CEO Euro RSCG Switzerland:
"In most cases, promotional gifts are environmental pollution. Or an active bribe. Promotional gifts only make sense if they convey additional content or if the advertising medium creates a special link to the product. Promotional gifts are like real advertising: without an idea, it's garbage."
SFLB for Swisscom.
Publicis for Sportplausch WiderPappstars as 'giveaways' for the private broadcaster NRJ.
McCann-Erickson for NZZ Grandplus
Survey: Annelies Friedli

Press promotion The Swiss Press Association has formulated its wishes for the new form of press promotion. An unsuccessful last-minute veto against the unwanted media article.
Although the position statement came just in time, it was no longer able to influence the will of the National Council. Last Tuesday, the Grand Chamber debated the parliamentary initiative "Media and Democracy" - and thus the draft of a new media article in the Federal Constitution. This was about a new variant of press funding, which is intended to step into the breach after the end of the postal tax reduction from 2008. 83 votes in favor of the initiative were passed by the National Council by 68 votes against. The ball is now in the court of the Council of States, which will have to decide at a later date whether a media article in the constitution that provides for direct support measures for individual press companies is appropriate.
However, this is precisely what Swiss newspaper and magazine publishers do not want. The reason for their opposition is that they fear political influence on the subsidized media as soon as state authorities decide which newspapers should be supported and how. As a counter-proposal, the Swiss Press Association has developed its own ideas on press subsidies. The new model was presented to the public for the first time at the annual congress in Interlaken by Marco de Stoppani, head of the responsible working group, and Daniel Kaczynski, managing director of the association.
The result is a basic model that relies on indirect press funding. The core of the proposal is that the state provides subsidies but does not intervene in the distribution of funds. According to the association's ideas, the entire handling is transferred to an independent foundation, thus preventing direct political influence from the outset. According to the intentions of the association's internal working group, seven to eleven foundation board members, elected for a four-year term of office, will sit on this broad-based body. Their task will be to receive, manage and distribute the funds according to the needs of the publishers.
In addition to the organizational form, which is considered particularly sensitive, the association also formulated its ideas on what would be worthy of support from 2008. In addition to distribution, three other areas are to receive funding, namely education, self-regulation and data provision. However, the total funding requirement of CHF 150 million calculated by the association envisages that the lion's share - CHF 120 million - will continue to be allocated to distribution. The 3,000 or so titles that currently benefit from postal tax reductions need not expect any negative surprises. All of them will continue to receive contributions under the new model. In individual cases, there will be even more: In addition to the principle of providing above-average support for small titles, the association is proposing to grant additional support if certain criteria are met.
Funds also for agenciesAccording to the wishes of Swiss publishers, areas and institutions close to the press that previously had to procure all of their own funds are to benefit from state subsidies from 2008: the areas of education (training institutes with the status of higher technical colleges such as MAZ and the Media Institute) and self-regulation (a cross-industry body) are to benefit from this, with a total of CHF 20 million earmarked for them. The fourth area to be supported with ten million francs is data provision. National and language-regional news, text and image agencies are to benefit from this sum, which to date - in addition to user fees - have been financed to a large extent by sponsorship and donations.
Against "subsidy hunting"
The controversial new form of press funding was the main topic of discussion twice at the association's congress: at the members' meeting and at the panel discussion the following day. Critical voices were also heard. In addition to the small publisher Urs Gossweiler from Brienz, who had already strongly opposed any form of state press funding the previous year, Filippo Leutenegger argued in a similar way. Gossweiler and Leutenegger also received support from FDP party president Christine Langenberger-Jaeger. "Subsidies provide the wrong incentives for future structural development. The fact is that subsidized areas sooner or later become structurally weak," said Leutenegger. The Jean Frey CEO also believed he already knew that parliament would not approve a foundation. "If the state gives so much money, then it wants to have control over it."
The final vote also showed how controversial opinions on press promotion are within the Swiss Press Association: 92 members voted in favor of the working group proposal, 49 against and eleven abstained.
The association now intends to present the finalized model to politicians and representatives of the authorities in the coming months. The main aim is to clarify its feasibility. A second phase involves drawing up all the documents required to establish the foundation, such as foundation deeds, guidelines and regulations.
The touchstone of lobbying: The association's leadership must campaign for a new press funding model.
Daniel Schifferle

ADC At the 39th competition of the Art Directors Club of Germany (ADC), «the country’s most prestigious creative jury» selected «the most creative» entries from over 7,000 submissions. So it is written in the 2003 ADC book. If you flip through this nearly 900-page tome, you’ll find more than 1,001 ideas for how advertising can be creative today. For example, an ad on page 23 offers comfort to all advertisers who came away empty-handed at the Rally. It’s just always been a little easier to tackle an advertising challenge with elevated testosterone levels… (pan)

Press concentration The Competition Commission (ComCo) approves the takeover of 20 Minuten (Schweiz) AG by the Zurich-based media company Tamedia.press concentration The Competition Commission (ComCo) approves the takeover of 20 Minuten (Schweiz) AG by the Zurich-based media company Tamedia.
Tamedia. No decision has yet been made regarding the participation of Berner Zeitung (BZ). Tamedia and BZ want to acquire 20 Minuten jointly via Express Zeitung AG. The Bern-based company is to acquire a 17.5 percent stake in Express Zeitung. In its preliminary examination, the Competition Commission found evidence of the creation or strengthening of dominant positions in the advertising and readership markets of Berne and Zurich. In the case of Zurich, these indications no longer existed in the in-depth review, writes the Competition Commission. In Bern, the planned minority shareholding of BZ parent company Espace Media Groupe in Bund Verlag requires a new assessment of the merger between BZ and 20 Minuten.

Oliver Classen on the ruinous sell-out of press freedomIs Switzerland's newspaper industry turning into a banana republic? Hanspeter Lebrument expresses this understandable fear in an interview with Werbewoche (page 29). The newly appointed publisher president is concerned about the abstruse anti-concentration clause in the RTVA revision and not the National Council's even more serious approval of the new media article and the associated direct press promotion. Nevertheless, Lebrument is officially partly responsible for this media and regulatory debacle. After all, his Swiss Press Association beat the state-believing SP zealots to the punch by relativizing that future
Funding measures should "preferably" be indirect, the decisive ideological steep pass at the last annual congress. Seen in this light, the unrealistic foundation model (see page 20) is ultimately nothing more than its consistent exploitation - and an own goal for the entire industry.
The small, insidious insertion was originally intended as a rhetorical concession to those subsidy-hungry small and micro-publishers who occasionally harbor secessionist desires. Now it turns out that, compared to the announced erosion of Swiss press freedom, a split in the association representing the most contradictory interests would be the lesser evil by far.
Let's hope that Lebrument sees it the same way and quickly follows up his official consternation with action. Otherwise, one morning in the not too distant future, he could wake up in a wild banana plantation instead of an orderly Swiss forest.
> Oliver Classen, Editor

Business press For the refreshed HandelsZeitung, Jung von Matt/Limmat is transforming its image into a decision-making tool. Building trust takes time. Moreover, many of those involved seem to have learned from painful mistakes. For many business publications, the fact that the decline in circulation and readership has been halted is cause for optimism. Things are looking up again, albeit in small steps, and HandelsZeitung (HZ) has embarked on a beautification and rejuvenation program. The business title has been published with a new concept and layout for a week now. This relaunch was not carried out from a defensive position. According to publisher Ralph Büchi, the decline in readership figures was not a loss of confidence, but the result of the company's red pen. And the cumulative 15.9 percent drop in advertising volume at HZ up to July 2003 looked almost harmless compared to the competition. Those who don't read it should feel it
The visually and content-wise slightly facelifted business newspaper is supported by an image campaign which, according to Martin Samsel, consulting group manager at Jung von Matt/Limmat (JvM), is based on the newspaper's good reputation. At the same time, the agency is trying to turn HZ's nice-to-have image among the public into a need-to-have. According to the advertising idea, those who don't read the paper should also feel this. The HZ is supposed to be indispensable by allowing successful personalities to have their say in a compelling mix of topics.
"The benchmark for this need-to-have for us is the NZZ," says Samsel. The advertising team at JvM/Limmat was convinced that the differentiated promise that the HZ can make lies in its relevance as a decision-maker tool, because it does justice to all facets of the complex economy.
The starting point for the campaign was the realization that even experienced managers do not always find it easy to make decisions. Under the motto "Waiting for Wednesday", the first three ad motifs therefore dramatize the product benefits and show managers pondering back and forth or lying sleepless in bed in their pyjamas. Until Wednesday dawns, the day the HZ is published, which puts an end to their hesitation because the magazine provides them with the right basis for making a decision.
The eighties are back: JvM/Limmat advertises HandelsZeitung in story-telling style.
Luca Aloisi