Consumer study A new term is used for an old finding: Brand extinction is affecting mid-price products in particular: the consumer as an unknown or incalculable being: A marketing commonplace from the good old days of scientific selling. 50 years later, not only is there contemporary talk of the "prosumer", but this is also given attributes such as radical or merciless, and quite rightly so. However, the two Düsseldorf management consultants Klaus Vossen and Frank Reinhardt prefer to call consumer behavior, which has recently been swinging more than ever between cheap and premium brands, whimsical. And although they predict hard times for the solid mid-range brands that are neither in the discount nor luxury segment, they do not - like others in their guild - predict their immediate demise from all shelves.
The joint work, which analyzes growth markets such as health, design, living and media (!), also relies on subtle tones in other respects. The method used to design future consumer worlds, on the other hand, seems shrill - at least on a conceptual level. Until now, the distinction has been between (short-term) trend research and veritable futurology, but this study, which is based on consumer and expert surveys, focuses entirely on "tracking". This "tracking" means as much as a trend that continues in the medium term, which "changes if necessary, passes through shock-like rising and falling fashions and remains closely linked to a basic motif".
Individual scenarios are less vague and a lot more plausible than such definitional spaghetti. For example, when it comes to addressing target groups: for cross-generational TV shows such as "Wetten, dass ... ?", the consultant duo predicts the parallel production and broadcasting of formally different versions. Fast cuts and strobo thunderstorms for the young, longer additional information for the elderly: it makes sense to the reader, the advertising industry is happy, and the program directors will probably not be able to avoid it, even if such duplication drives production costs to stratospheric heights.
The capricious consumer. Between Bargain Hunting, Shopping Experiences and Luxury by Klaus Vossen and Frank Reinhardt. Metropolitan Verlag, Regensburg 2003. 224 pages, Fr. 28.30.

Oliver Classen

Private TV The music channel Viva Switzerland is restructuring its program this autumn. The format "Vivamat", which was previously broadcast in the evening, will now also be used at lunchtime.Private TV The music channel Viva Switzerland is restructuring its programming in the autumn. The "Vivamat" format, which was previously broadcast in the evening, will now also be used at lunchtime. With "Vivamat", viewers can determine the music program and exchange messages via SMS. In primetime, Viva Switzerland will broadcast the comedy series "Crank Yankers" four times a week. According to Viva, the show focuses on "bizarre, but funny and sometimes borderline phone jokes".

Publishers The Ringier Group has stepped into the breach to ensure that the news magazine Facts could be published on time despite the strike by Tamedia's commercial printers: in the canton of Zurich, the magazine produced in Zofingen was available at sales outlets as usual on Thursday morning. According to Tamedia, the magazine was slightly delayed in the rest of German-speaking Switzerland. In French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino, Facts only went on sale in the evening.

Sponsorship campaign Amused footballers in tight ski outfits, a successful photo shoot on a glacier 3882 meters above sea level and an enthusiastic head of marketing: Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett's advertising campaign for Swisscom has passed the acid test.
Andreas Zuber, Vice Director and Head of Marketing of the Swiss Ski Association (SSV), would never have dreamed that professional footballers would one day wear the kit of the Swiss national ski team. After all, the blue suit with the Swisscom logo was specially designed for the Swiss skiers for the 2003 season by the Zurich-based communication and design agency Trümpi&Partner. The advertising agency Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB) has repurposed the tight racing suits for the latest Swisscom advertising campaign. The players of the Swiss national football team, a female tennis player, a well-built man (as a business boss) and a cute three-year old put on the blue kit for a photo shoot. This resulted in five subjects with the headline "We don't just support the Skinati". Among other things, they advertise the telecom group's football sponsorship, business sponsorship, ski sponsorship, cultural sponsorship and the promotion of young talent.
Further subjects are to follow. "The campaign can be expanded at will. Neither the SFLB creative team nor we are short of ideas," says Roland Ehrler, Head of Marketing Communication and Media at Swisscom AG. How many subjects there will be in the end has not yet been decided. The advertising media are just as open. "There is no TV commercial in the pipeline yet, but we could imagine some good picture stories," explains Ehrler.
For the time being, Swisscom is relying on advertisements, online advertising, on-site appearances and outdoor advertising. The highlight of the campaign will be the start of the ski season in October. Swisscom is already looking forward to it. "The campaign has been a success. It proves how deeply anchored Swisscom is in Switzerland and how important it is to us to promote performance at all levels," says Ehrler.
Focus on sport Nobody at the telecom giant wants to reveal how many millions Swisscom spends on sponsorship each year. What is known, however, is how the sponsorship money is divided up: Two thirds go to sport, while one third is used to support economic, cultural and social activities (see box). The sponsorship of the Swiss national ski team has the greatest broad impact.
It was therefore an obvious choice for SFLB to advertise with the racing kit. "The kit is perfect for building a campaign on. After all, there are few things in Switzerland that are as recognizable as the Swiss national ski team's ski kit. Every child knows it," says Christian Baertschi, SFLB consultant.
The Swiss Ski Association was impressed by the campaign right from the start. "The idea is great. The subjects make the connection to the various sponsorship commitments clear in a simple way," says Zuber. Without thinking twice, those responsible at the Swiss Ski Association took out the blue ski suits a few weeks ago and sent them to the Zurich agency, where the suits were prepared for the photo shoots.
"The outfits had to be adapted quite a bit," says Baertschi. This was also because some of the footballers wore the suit over their football shorts, the model for the "business boss" is chubby and the boy for the young talent promotion subject is only three years old.
The Swiss Ski Association hopes that the suits will be returned in the same condition as SFLB received them. Namely in perfect condition. "After all, these are our official training suits," says Zuber. However, this is likely to cause SFLB a few more problems. "Apart from that, everything went perfectly," says Baertschi.
Photo opportunity at 3882 meters
According to Swisscom, the spoiled footballers even enjoyed the shoot. For Blick, Le Matin, Swiss television and Schweizer Illustrierte, the parade in front of the lens was reason enough to report on it. And even at the photo shoot of the Swiss national ski team on the glacier of the small Matterhorn, at 3882 meters, everything went according to script. However, the skiers were not wearing their usual skin-tight ski outfits, but were standing on the eternal ice in short football shorts and the Swiss national football team shirt. Which - in the cold - was noticeably less fun than the footballers' racing kit adventure.
Photo shoot for one of the subjects: the national soccer players had to put on the tight ski dresses.
Where Swisscom distributes its moneyIn addition to the Swiss Alpine and Nordic national ski teams, Swisscom sponsors the national football team, the Swisscom Challenge women's tennis tournament, the Swiss Tennis Association and the new Swiss Football Cup, which is now called the Swisscom Cup. In the cultural sector, the telecoms giant supports the Locarno Film Festival and the AVO concerts. From the
The WWF, the national park and the local community benefit from this social commitment.
Schools to the Internet" initiative. The sponsorship portfolio also includes the Swiss Quality Award for Business Excellence Esprix and the Swiss Economic Forum. The three Swisscom Group companies Fixnet, Mobile and Directories are also involved as partners of Good News, as sponsors of several open-air concerts and as sponsors of the Bernese football club BSC Young Boys. (af)
Annelies Friedli

Diplomacy Purity, cleanliness and clear water are attributes that are closely associated with Switzerland, so what could be more obvious for the renowned Diwisa Distillerie Willisau than to create a Swiss product that embodies precisely these qualities? The only question was which spirit had this potential? After a hard-drinking analysis, it was clear that vodka is one of the very few spirits segments,
which continues to grow unabated. However, there are already over 3000 vodka brands on the market. So there had to be a product that was different and better. Xellent is the name of the vodka made from real water from the Titlis glacier. And the water was also presented as excellent. An "ice cooperative" was founded once again in Central Switzerland and Thomas Borer was appointed its first ambassador. In his laudatory speech for the new vodka, Borer said: "We want to be free in our choice of spirits!" and added in his typical style: "With a glass of Xellent in your hand, even DJ Bobo looks like a man!"

Magazines As of December, Schweizer Illustrierte (SI) will no longer be publishing its double-page "Hit Parade" section, as SI publishing director Urs Heller told Werbewoche. This measure has no effect on the cultural section of SI, which will be slightly renovated on this date.

Until now, media marketer Cinecom has charged TV commercial customers a surcharge when converting them into a cinema spot. From September, existing TV campaigns will now be billed 1:1, as Cinecom announced. This will bring advantages for TV advertising clients, above all in the form of more broadcasts for the same budget. The conversion project is being carried out with the Association of Swiss Film and Audiovisual Companies. According to Cinecom, this step is in line with the digitization planned for 2004. Further significant simplifications can then be expected.

Outdoor advertising Clear Channel Plakanda (CCP) has signed an exclusive contract with Shell (Switzerland) for the marketing of billboards at its petrol stations.Outdoor advertising Clear Channel Plakanda (CCP) has signed an exclusive contract with Shell (Switzerland) for the marketing of billboards at its petrol stations. The contract with the outdoor advertising group applies to all 155 Shell branches in Switzerland with their 141 stores. This increases CCP's petrol station portfolio to around 1000 locations. Exclusive contracts already exist with Coop Mineralöl and Tamoil.

Fashion When artists create fashion, the result is usually something iconic. Navyboot hopes that its new women's handbag will do the same. The photographer from Zurich is famous for his intimate portraits of people from all over the world. Naturally, the accessory also features pictures of young, lively people, taken in Zurich's Kaufleuten, at the Schiffbau and at the Street Parade. "Creative bags have taken on a special significance in the Swiss fashion scene and are almost part of a piece of trendy national pride," says Venzago, explaining his commitment to Navyboot.

Advertising platforms The paralyzing lull in the advertising market can also be countered with a creative idea, which is what the advertising sales team of Tamedia's TV täglich program supplement decided to do. For several weeks now, an ad has been announced on the front page, along with the week's movie highlights. "The incredible Magic Soft Bra on page 7" can thus be teased alongside a reference to the movie "Chinatown". The new advertising platform should be popular with advertisers, according to the publisher. TV täglich appears in a weekly circulation of 1350000 copies as a supplement in various publications from Tages-Anzeiger to Glückspost or Schweizer Familie.

Column Commentators and editorialists are preachers who have fallen away from the faith and as such are to be pitied. A paradoxical plea for less opinion-making and more realism in the media.one of the questions you never want to have answered in life is what senility feels like: do you notice it when it starts? And if so: Are you the first to notice it, or do others notice it first? And how do you know that it hasn't already started? Nobody can be unafraid of this question, least of all journalists. There are simply too many examples with names and faces. Journalists are forced to publish until they die (at least professionally): Their senility thus becomes a public spectacle.
It usually starts gradually. The craft works almost to the end. The sentences, arguments and punchlines still roll out. Nevertheless, something is missing. It's the old melody - only it sounds like it's coming from a music box with an overstretched spring. And soon everything smells of decay and decomposition.
Premature senility seems to strike the best and most powerful in the industry like a curse: current and former editors-in-chief, sought-after experts, reporters who once commanded respect. Examples? You know enough.
Statistically speaking, the mental decline of the profession's most famous people is far too frequent to be attributable to individuals. Consequently, the problem is not a personal one, but a structural one: our best people are being rushed into an impossible task. In fact, the diagnosis can be summed up in one word. It is "opinion".
The dangerous thing about one's own opinion is that it is overrated. Disastrously, it is seen as a central component of personality. Yet there is little that is more impersonal and random. Opinions grow as automatically as hair. You have countless of them, whether to
Sex, cell phones or world politics.
And that's okay. After all, life is neither a philosophy seminar nor a quiz show. The only thing that's not okay is when nonsense is published. Of course everyone has opinions that are interesting and relevant: opinions that are backed up by real knowledge and real passion. But how many are there? A dozen at most. Too few for a professional life anyway.
It is not for nothing that the letter to the editor is considered the lowest genre of journalism: opinion is free here and is not paid for. This makes it all the more unfathomable that the opposite applies to the same product in the form of columns, commentaries and editorials: just because a name with a photo is writing here.
Every week, talented people write about topics where you can't find any other
The result may be provocative, even intelligent. The result may be provocative, elegant, even intelligent, but it will always just be the word on Saturday: a sermon without faith, prejudice in sauce.
The antidote to opinionated nonsense is called research or reportage. What they have in common is that none of the assumptions made at the desk can be confirmed outside. This not only appears more honest, but above all more interesting. "Little," as the roving reporter Kisch knew, "is more astonishing than reality."
The deadly thing about a career in journalism is that trainees write stories while the established writers drive themselves out of their minds line by line. Sure: from time to time you have to go easy on tired journalists and fire exhausted editors-in-chief. The only problem is that there is no rehabilitation program for them. So they shouldn't be put out on the street, they should be sent. Giving them journalist status means cooking them in their own sauce. Because columns, Mbwana, are dungeons.
PS: Have you noticed anything yet?
> Constantin Seibt is domestic and business editor at WochenZeitung (WoZ).

How do other countries (such as the USA, Germany, France, Italy (!) and the UK) secure and legitimize the future of their public service media institutions? And what could Switzerland learn from this? These and similar questions are explored in detail in this recommended study. Anyone who wants or needs to arm themselves with pro-SRG legal and social science arguments for the RTVG revision will find ammunition here. Broadcasting regulation: models, models and experiences in international comparison by Otfried Jarren et al. Seismo Verlag, Zurich 2003. 409 pages, 58 francs.