Eating your way through the events of the scene would have been last week's motto; an advertising meal sui generis, so to speak. While the focus at events in the communications industry tends to be on drinks (excluding the ADC festival feasts), last Thursday you could fatten yourself up to such an extent that there was no need for solid food until Sunday brunch. Even if the industry is doing badly, as is sometimes claimed. At least two or three times a week there is still something warm to eat for everyone. No one has to starve or even die of thirst.a lavish breakfast buffet awaited visitors at the "Lake Side Casino Zürichhorn" on the occasion of the Radio Power Breakfast. Whether it was the prospect of the free breakfast or the morning view over Lake Zurich that drove the advertisers out of bed so early was not known. In any case, there were hardly any seats left at half past eight.
TV needs radio was the title, content and conclusion of Christoph Wild's presentation. However, the presentation and its 75 charts ran at such a horrendous pace that it felt like a King's Club sales event. The presentation was very complex, said Ronny Schmid, co-owner of the Konnex media agency and no stranger to the subject. As Churchill once said so aptly: "Don't believe statistics that you haven't falsified yourself. Anyone who wants to take a closer look at the figures will find what they are looking for on the Radiotele homepage.
Incidentally, anyone who claims that advertisers are a drunken bunch was proved wrong at the Power Breakfast. The bottles of Prosecco placed on the buffet were hardly touched - a precise measurement showed that just three Cüplis were consumed per 100 guests.
More of the sparkling juice flowed in the evening. This started with an aperitif at the corporate publishing company Yesway. Renato Turri, former publishing director of Persönlich, founded the company with partners a good two years ago. It is obvious that Yesway is flourishing. The reason for the invitation was the inauguration of the new offices on Zurich's Kreuzplatz. The space in the old offices in Witikon had become too small, as seven people now work for the publishing company.
The catering provided by the Herrliberger Spezerei "Il Buongustaio" was of the finest quality, so that we already ate more than was appropriate for an aperitif. The polpettine (meatballs) and lasagne were particularly superb. The next stop on the gourmet tour was the Zürcher Brockenhaus. Roland Hess and Tamàs Kiss from the Hesskiss agency hosted an agency and customer party. The events at Brockenhaus are always characterized by their very special charm (the Facts Bingo Nights also take place there). The inexhaustible Brocki collection often contains quirky items that tempt you to make an impulse purchase. At the Hesskiss festival, sturgeon chef Monica Neuweiler served a delicious carrot soup and Älplermagronen, among other things. It was understandable that some people spurned the cheese platter and dessert cake. After all, there was still some room left for a nightcap.
This took place in the "Mascotte" at Bellevue, where the party and lifestyle magazine Faces celebrated the publication of its latest issue. The magazine now occupies the niche that Kult left behind when it evolved from a party magazine to a lifestyle magazine. In addition to many young people from the communications scene, event organizers Michel Pernet and Manuel Nappo, author Jürg Zentner, AD Anka Wessely, Delico managing director Matthias Fürer and, of course, Faces owners Stefan Berger and Pädi Pierazzoli also celebrated at the "Mascotte". Incidentally, the well-known Christian Bosshard alias "The Barman Bossi" will be behind the bar at the Club am Bellevue on Thursdays in future to sell his Bossinovas and other drinks. His Seabreeze is already legendary, but it comes across more like a hurricane.
Study presenter Christoph Wild (left), Head of Sales & Services at ARD, with Radiotele boss Bruno Oetterli.
Radiotele sales manager Felix Kilchsperger (right) joined Michel Esseiva, managing director at Media-Markt, for breakfast.
Ronny Schmid from Konnex, pictured here with Sibylle Seitz from the Arcanis advertising agency, said that the presentation was too complex.
Arriving from Unterägeri: Christian Grass and Sibylle Infanger from the marketing communications agency Unimark.
Television professionals among themselves: Roger Mortellaro (l.), Account Manager Sponsoring at Publisuisse, with Hardy Lussi, SevenOne-Media.
Hanspeter Keller (l.) from the advertising agency Dipaar with Peter Schrauder from the Adliswil agency Climax.
Radio producer Egon Blatter (l.), DJ-Radio, discussed with Christian Meili, Head of Electronic Media at Tamedia.
Radio 24 sales manager Richi Gasser (right) with Sergio Catellani, who was already part of the Radio 24 team 24 years ago.
Irène Inderbitzin (l.), Head of Marketing at Zurich Zoo, and her colleague Hanni Stark thought it was interesting.
Host Roland Hess (l.) and Tamàs Kiss (r.) welcomed Express publishing director Marius Hagger to the Brockenhaus.
Viva Swizz women with a big fan: Michelle Széchényi (l.) and Asta Baumöller with ADC chairman Andi Prokesch.
Lounging on a cozy Brockenhaus sofa: Betsy and Patrick "Patman" Spahr (l.) with trustee Roli Hofer.
Gisela Kopp from Express with friend Maha Krummenacher and Express marketing manager Francesca Cannazza (from left).
Cosy chat at the Brocki bar: Reto Alborghetti (left) with Viva Swizz program manager Giovanni Zamai.
Jürg Neuenschwander (l.), Laika Grafic Media Factory, with vodka sponsor Christoph Heeb from Troijka.
Sharon Frei from Outdoor Media with Roger D. Müller, Managing Director at Swiss Inflight Media.
Works with Hesskiss: Heiner Ganz, Head of Marketing at FCZ - hopp Züri! - with Bettina Wyler from Hesskiss.
The greatest dolls - now in your Brockenhaus!Beat Fritsch
is not out of the ordinary. In keeping with the carnival season, Schlaraffia was also the order of the day in the Zurich scene last week. In any case, thanks to the sumptuous food on offer at various events, you could really put on some winter fat.
Where the communications, media and publishing industries meet for their events, we locate the most diverse events in the scene. Do you already have something to report? Pick up the phone (01 296 97 98) or hit the keys ([email protected]). Event tips and occasional shortlist images can be found online at www.werbewoche.ch.

Outdoor advertising Following record sales in 2001, the Affichage Group's revenues declined last year. Eastern European business, on the other hand, is flourishing. Over several years, the Affichage Group's total sales revenue grew steadily to a record CHF 320.3 million in 2001. The year 2002, however, brought - not surprisingly - a reversal of the trend. Consolidated sales revenue declined by 5.8% to 301.6 million Swiss francs and is now even 6 million Swiss francs below the 2000 level.Operating income, which fell by 20.3% to 29.3 million Swiss francs, roughly reached the 1998 level.Consolidated net income, which declined by 16.9% to 22.8 million Swiss francs, is also lower than at any time since 1998.The decline is attributable to the business trend in the home market (Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft, APG): In Switzerland, sales revenue fell by 21.5 million Swiss francs or 7.5%. APG's operating result amounts to 26.8 million Swiss francs. Nevertheless, APG was able to renew various expiring concession agreements - for example in Berne, Fribourg, and Lausanne - and even gained a new city with Sierre.
In contrast to Switzerland, the still young Eastern European business of Europlakat (EPI) is behaving in an almost anti-cyclical manner. Affichage holds a stake of 50% in this company. Affichage's share of EPI's sales revenue rose to 36.1 million Swiss francs, which corresponds to an increase of 8.3%. EPI thus contributed 12% to total Affichage sales, compared with 10.4% the year before last and 9% in 2000. The EPI share of Group earnings more than doubled in percentage terms. It rose from 3.4% in 2001 to 8.6% in 2002. There are three reasons for this: In addition to further revenue growth, the EPI exit from the Polish, Czech and Slovakian markets (sales to EPI partner JCDecaux) was the main source of cash. Finally, Affichage was able to increase its stake in EPI from 49 to 50% in 2002.
Despite the growth in Eastern Europe, EPI cannot make the necessary investments to expand its market presence on its own and remains dependent on its parent companies: Last year, Affichage and JCDecaux jointly decided to invest a total of CHF 100 million each in their subsidiary over five years.
Despite the current stock market slump: Affichage share price.
The nation's outdoor advertiser remains in the black in 2002.
Affichage in figures (in CHF million)
2002 2001 Change in %
Sales revenue 301.6 320.3 - 5.8
Switzerland 265.5 287.0 - 7.5
Europlakat (50%) 36.1 33.3 + 8.3
Operating result 29.3 36.7 - 20.3
Net profit 22.8 27.4 - 16.9
Cash flow 49.8 56.4 - 11.8
Source: Affichage
Markus Knöpfli

Print The weekly newspaper WoZ provides NZZ readers and its own readership with an almost blank double-page spread containing only the name George W. Bush... and the invitation to write their own opinion on the blank lines of the page - and to stand by it. For example, by holding up the completed advertisement or sticking it to your front door, balcony railing or car. This unusual campaign was developed in close cooperation between the editorial team, the publisher and the advertising agency Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett. In addition to the advertisements, the double-page spread will appear in a separate print with important articles on the Iraq crisis. The WoZ intends to use this to be present at information events and demonstrations over the next few days: WoZ advertisement.

Agencies Media specialists Caroline Nünlist and Thomas Rüttimann have merged their agencies, with Media Design Nünlist and Rüttimann Marketing becoming ZipMedia GmbH in Zurich Seefeld at the beginning of March. In addition to classic media planning, ZipMedia also offers media training, publishing consultancy and market research.

Column Even times of consolidation require systematic communication. The new modesty has its limits After the hype surrounding the "new economy", a new, restrained style of communication prevails in many companies today. Those who provide analysts and journalists with less firewood also produce less fire. First show (good) results, then communicate, is therefore the new rule of life for new bosses. As a result, some shooting stars have long lists of interview requests that are not being answered. Josef Ackermann from Deutsche Bank seems to hold the record in this respect. It starts with the fact that not every executive appearance requires a stretch limousine or three BMWs from the latest seven series. Sports sponsorship will also continue to play its part, but that doesn't mean you have to fly a hundred journalists to the Tour de France in the Spanish mountains. And television advertising will remain the big mass attractor, but an intelligent radio and Internet mix will also do for interim phases.
However, the clock cannot be turned back. We live in an economic world with a growing capital market orientation; around every corner there is a smart-aleck analyst with big ears. Non-governmental organizations and pressure groups have gained power and communicative reach; their arguments can no longer be shrugged off. And competition in our mediatized world is shifting more and more from production to communication. Where goods are becoming more and more equal in quality, you have to talk more than before, and sometimes louder or more shrilly.
It would therefore be a childish mistake for company managers to think that they can behave like fishermen who only have to fish every other day.
Take the pipe out of your mouth for hours to spit it out. Issue management remains in demand and necessary. And it works all the better the more the top management and the boss himself are involved. Today, campaigns come from outside, are precisely targeted and require quick, precise reactions. That's why every company's communications department must cultivate long-term relationships with allies, anticipate possible attacks and offer its reference groups (the stakeholders) convincing offers of dialog in advance.
The public does not need to know the nickname of the head of communications, nor does it need to know his various cell phone numbers. But the public does need to know that the company in question has a professional corporate issue management system, that anyone who asks questions will get answers straight away and that the company is prepared to defend itself. Of course, in times of consolidation, other, more discreet communication methods are required than in a phase of unconditional expansion. However, anyone who imagines that communication can be more or less suspended during a consolidation phase is mistaken. Because lulls are particularly suitable for mutinies. So the guards have to stay on deck.
> Peter Glotz was Federal Secretary of the SPD and a member of the German Bundestag until 1996. Today, the professor teaches communication management at the University of St. Gallen.

Following a pitch, the Swiss manufacturer of mountain sports equipment Mammut has entrusted Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett (SFLB) with its advertising budget.SFLB is realizing a brand campaign that will appear worldwide in print media for alpinists, climbers and extreme mountaineers. SFLB CD Peter Brönnimann put the size of the budget at "8800 meters above sea level".

The British "Land Rover Experience" campaign is one of the most eye-catching and award-winning car campaigns in the world. Matthew Berry, Account Manager for Land Rover at Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, London, on excellent car advertising.
WW What characterizes good car advertising? Matthew Berry: A strong advertising idea as the core of a campaign - embedded in a solid advertising strategy - distinguishes good from bad advertising in all industries. The backbone of a good campaign is always a brilliant creative idea. A good example of this is the British advertising strategy for the VW Passat. It positions the car as a family car that is so perfect that you wouldn't want anyone else to touch it. The entire creative idea is based on this obsession.
Can only prestige brands like Land Rover or Audi afford award-worthy campaigns?
That's a lame excuse. Today, every brand can afford excellent advertising. It certainly takes some courage, because you have to leave the well-trodden communication paths. The Japanese car manufacturer Honda currently has one of the best campaigns in its category. It pursues a clearly defined, customer-oriented brand positioning that invites the viewer to remember their childhood dreams.
It is often the case that especially in
the automotive industry
are very reluctant to come up with unusual advertising ideas. Why is that?
Market research is not entirely innocent in this respect: in our industry, market studies have reached such proportions that they have a standardizing effect on car advertising. Most managers prefer to stick to showcase campaigns with lots of metal because they believe that people buy a model primarily because of its design. They also firmly believe that the more expensive the product, the more often consumers have to see it. This is a very short-sighted approach that only makes sense during the launch phase of a new model.
Car campaigns are usually
Products from a central lead agency. Are such globalized and leveled implementations at all suitable for local markets?
In today's automotive market, the market leaders - Ford Motor Company, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler - manage a brand portfolio in such a way that they can benefit to the maximum from rationalization effects (economy of scale). All synergy effects, from the manufacturing to the sales cycle, are exploited as much as possible. It is therefore only understandable that marketing communication must also adapt. It is important that local features are integrated into the global marketing strategy. For "niche brands", it is crucial that they use cost-effective advertising to create a sustainable brand positioning that makes the brand unique and thus gives it a high level of value.
Where is the trend in car advertising heading?
For a good ten years now, the main trend has been moving away from products and technical attributes towards brand differentiation tailored to individual target groups. Land Rover, for example, is moving its brand positioning away from the product home of "The Best 4x4xFar" towards "The Land Rover Experience" with more lifestyle, which is intended to awaken the spirit of adventure. Mercedes and BMW, on the other hand, are trying to fit their brands into a value setting with a desirable high lifestyle, rather than focusing solely on their technological edge. Today's buyers are equally divided between men and women. Women are less interested in value propositions than men and are much more seduced by emotional, communicative value propositions. In addition, the standardization of cars has forced marketing to develop new methods for brand differentiation.
Multiple awards: Land Rover ad campaign by Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, London.
Interview: Luca Aloisi

Radio French-speaking Switzerland is to receive a new information channel. The project of Radio Suisse Romande (RSR) must first be approved by the SRG Central Council and then by the Federal Council, which will give its opinion on the project on March 27, explained RSR Director Gérard Tschopp in response to a report in the AZ Mittelland Zeitung. Following a positive decision by the Federal Council, the broadcaster would need 12 to 15 months to realize the project. The new channel will broadcast news every quarter of an hour.

Media The fast food chain McDonald's Switzerland has put its media budget out to pitch. Mediaedge CIA, budget holder for 18 years, declined to participate. "In view of the close ties to McDonald's, this was a difficult decision," explained CEO Bernd Leckebusch. The pitch will now be contested by Optimedia, Mediacom and OMD.

Edition Renteria has published the 30th edition of the Swiss PR & Media Directory, a standard reference work for communications professionals containing over 3,800 entries, including the addresses of important online editorial offices and - as before - all the names of the most important press offices, PR agencies and titles from the general press and trade press organized by region, language and subject category. Edition Renteria regularly updates its database so that the latest media data can be provided at any time as an online version (Conventa) or in CD form. More information can be found at www.renteria.ch.

Commuter newspapers The Express is going after advertisers with a sleek logo Customers and competitors now have in writing what Martin Kall and his publishing director Marius Hagger have been asserting for months: Tamedia does not want to destroy the Zurich commuter newspaper market - like Bonnier in Stockholm (see page 17) - with knock-down prices - on the contrary: the Group actually seems to see its Express as a long-term investment in a newspaper genre with a future, as evidenced by the rate structure plan with a gross page price of an optimistic CHF 12,284. In terms of costs, this puts the Express roughly on a par with 20 Minuten. In its Zurich edition, a four-color page costs around 11,000 francs.
The pricing policy is flanked by the dynamic Express logo. It was designed by the Dietiker editorial design agency Brönnimann und Berchthold.
Italic type promises dynamism: Express logo with red "x".
(oc)

Dietrich Berg's successor as publishing director of the Tages-Anzeiger is Maili A. Wolf. She will take up the post at the beginning of June at the latest. Before then, she will complete the mandates that she manages with her company Wolf-Consulting.
...
Thomas Landolt will take over the management of Ringier Romania at the beginning of July. He replaces Christoph
Tonini, who will become Tamedia's new Chief Financial Officer in April.
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Managing Director Patrick Zanello is leaving the advertising agency Publimedia Geneva at the end of March. In future, he will be Head of Marketing at the business newspaper L'Agefi. He will be succeeded by Paul Doy.
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The Zurich PR agency Marengo has added Katja Schuler to its team as a PR assistant.
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Marcus Gretener joined the Ruf Lanz advertising agency as Head of Consulting at the beginning of March.
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Regula Tschopp is relinquishing her position as Head of Investor Relations (IR) at Tamedia by the end of June. Her position will be taken over by company spokeswoman Franziska Hügli.
At an extraordinary general meeting, the Swiss Marketing Club (SMC) elected Otto Ineichen as its new president. The owner of the Otto's retail group replaces Roman Zenoni, who resigned following internal pressure.
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Following the departure of Rita Baumgartner, press matters at Baumgartner Papier SA are now being handled by Denis Kaser and Hannes Zaugg.
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The new Publishing Director of Schaffhauser Nachrichten is Alexandra Schneider. The former Head of Reader Market is taking over from Felix Walder, who is leaving the publishing house.
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Andreas Németh is the new advertising manager of the Jäggi bookstore in Basel with immediate effect and will also take over the technical responsibility and coordination of advertising for the entire Jäggi/Stauffacher bookselling group in Switzerland.