Advertising statistics The women's and fashion magazines in German-speaking Switzerland only managed a measly 155 pages of advertising in January, compared to 289 pages in the same month last year. In view of this dramatic drop, one might wonder how the various new Swiss-German women's titles (Annabelle Business, Edelweiss, Bolero Blush) and all the announced Swiss splits of German women's magazines (Joy, Shape, Elle) intend to make a living. -46.4%

Internet advertising Online marketers are clearing up confusing and confounding statistics: Media Focus' online gross advertising volumes are becoming more precise, but are no longer comparable with last year's figures.The online industry has long been dissatisfied with the informative value of the online gross advertising volumes surveyed by Media Focus (MF). Together with MF, the survey has now been put on a new footing - also in the sense of generic marketing.Marketers report customers
According to the available information from the online industry, a lot is changing: Since January, not only online marketers such as Adlink, Publimedia Webadvertising or Active Agent have been declaring their volumes, but also large website operators who acquire online advertising themselves (for example NZZ-Online, AZ-Online and others). Secondly, the marketers report which websites they market exclusively and which customers have invested how much on the same. Self-marketers report their customers as well.
Previously, budget duplications were relatively common, because often agents and exclusive marketers each declared the same amounts. The third change: budgets must be broken down to the individual months of their duration. Previously, it happened that entire annual budgets were reported in a single month. Fourth, it is now regulated that gross values should be reported before deducting discounts, freespace and special conditions. Previously, some also reported net values.
The online advertising market is therefore likely to appear in a completely new light in the future, because breaches of the rules will become rarer as they become more obvious. The effects on the total volume are unclear: Will it tend to fall without budget double entries, or will consistent gross values and the inclusion of self-marketers tend to push it up?
Swisscom is a new addition
Probably the latter. Because Swisscom Directories is also one of the own marketers, which now includes the huge volumes of WeisseSeiten.ch and GelbeSeiten.ch in the statistics. Swisscom did not want to quantify their size, but since the advertising there is acquired by PubliDirect, a joint venture of Swisscom and PubliGroupe, at least approximate figures became known about PubliGroupe (WW 31/02). According to these figures, PubliDirect sold about as much online advertising last year as the total online advertising volume in Switzerland was estimated to be in 2002 - i.e. a gross figure of CHF 18 to 25 million.
"Limited comparability"
One thing is clear: the gross figures for online advertising have been completely recompiled with immediate effect. MF Managing Director Lukas Zihlmann confirms that they are only "comparable to a limited extent" with the previous year's figures. In terms of volume, however, there will be "no big boost," he says. Overall, the figures will be more stable.
Zihlmann, on the other hand, makes it clear that some of the company's own marketers have already been involved. In the future, however, the aim is to get all the big players on board. The definition of gross values, on the other hand, is by no means new; it has long been the same for all media. "With the young medium of the Internet, however, we have accepted uncertainties because they were not significant for the overall advertising market," he says. But MF has always declared this.
Media Focus' new survey method sheds more light on the jungle of online marketers' measurement figures.
Market shares of online marketersBased on last year's online gross advertising volume of a good CHF 16 million, the three major marketers estimate themselves and their competitors as follows: Adlink and Publimedia Webadvertising (PWA) agree on a 40 percent market share each, Active Agent (AA) gets 10 percent from both - and the rest is distributed among various providers. The view at AA is somewhat different: Adlink is the market leader, PWA is number two, AA comes in third with 25 percent, and 15 to 20 percent remain for various marketers, they say. (mk)
Markus Knöpfli

Affinity of the ads with supporters in "Yuppieland" Gold (148) Bernie's It's time for (DDB Zurich)Silver (147) Archers Mix the finest peach spirit (Starfish Communication Factory)
Bronze (135) Swatch Bijoux/Collect Both (BGS d'Arcy, Milan)

Outdoor advertising Satellite technology can be used to reliably measure the contact opportunities of poster sites. Professor Martial Pasquier from the University of Bern, who developed the research concept for the outdoor advertising company Affichage and Clear Channel Plakanda (CCP), said that the Swiss Poster Research pilot project has provided proof of this. During the pilot last fall, 300 people in Winterthur wore a GPS device (Geographical Positioning System) for a week, which resulted in over 80,000 location data per person. This makes it possible to reconstruct the routes traveled, the billboard locations passed and the speed of passage. It is also possible to tell whether the possible contact was parallel or head-on. Affichage and CCP are now negotiating whether, how and when they want to introduce the measuring instrument to the market (mk).

Guest commentary Those who take offense at media journalism should improve journalism, the rest will follow automatically, writes Christian Mensch.Michael Ringier has many projects in the pipeline as a publisher. Very few of them are ever launched; most wither away on the way from idea to market-ready product. The route is lined with concept ruins for newspapers and magazines, project sketches weighing several kilos and expensive feasibility studies for television and Internet channels. Recently, Michael Ringier talked about an old idea: "I still have a project for my favorite newspaper that I will probably never be able to do; a newspaper in which I only write badly about journalists so that they realize what that means. "Ringier will never dare to produce a media magazine, as we have learned from this. A pity, really, although nothing would ever come of it. However, the discussion of what media journalism is and what it could be would be helpful for journalism as a whole. After all, Michael Ringier correctly, albeit polemically, points out the most important function of media journalism: it holds up a mirror to the industry.
The image corresponds to what is depicted. It's not prettier, but it's not uglier either. After all, media journalists work under the same conditions and with the same tools as all journalists. There are more talented and less talented journalists, just as there are in journalism as a whole. Their analyses sometimes hit the nail right on the head, but time and again they just hit it crookedly, and their misguided blows leave ugly dents. The publisher Ringier is talking about such injuries when he threatens revenge on the alleged or real perpetrators of writing.
Media professionals often struggle with the mirror image that media journalists create of them. In particular, the staff on the carpet floors, the editors-in-chief and publishers, often do not want to admit what they see in the mirror. They sometimes behave no differently towards him than the stepmother in Grimm's fairy tale "Snow White". They vainly call out: "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" And woe betide them if they don't get the expected hypocrisy in return. They then speak of "malice" and "scolding colleagues". At least they don't go so far as to try to put media journalists out of action with poisoned apples.
This would not solve the problem either. Without media journalists, Der Spiegel would only become duller; the image would not become any prettier and journalism as a whole would not improve one iota. Even a mirror polished by pampered media journalists would not make the grimace staring into it any prettier. Anyone who is offended by media journalism - and there are quite a few at the moment - should improve journalism and the rest will follow automatically. We would be quite a bit further along if Michael Ringier were to say at some point in the future: "I have a pet project that I would like to do: a newspaper in which I write sometimes praising, sometimes criticizing journalism and journalists; a self-critical reflection of journalism."
> Christian Mensch, until recently a media journalist at Weltwoche

MigrosMigros remembers its virtues - and lets its customers talk about them. We would love to know what you, as an ad rater, think of this. Please click on www.werbewoche.ch/adratingAlkoholprävention
cR DDB delivered a good campaign "through and through" for alcohol prevention - albeit with a narrow result.

Education The Swiss Public Relations Institute (SPRI) will become a research and further education institute of the private University of Applied Sciences in Business and Administration Zurich (HWZ) at the beginning of March, and will continue all its existing activities, including the annual part-time PR courses leading to a federal certificate. At the same time, the HWZ launches a part-time, interdisciplinary four-year undergraduate course in "Communication" in fall 2003, headed by SPRI Director Cyril Meier.

Ban on advertising In the canton of St.Gallen, tobacco advertising is to be banned on public property and in and on public buildings, contrary to the wishes of the cantonal government, and the Grand Council approved a motion to this effect on Monday.

Computer It's actually quite simple to understand: For men, length counts, and women are free anyway.Logically, because anyone who has never wondered whether a midget has a Gulliver in his pants is surely part of the minority. Or how else do you explain the popular saying: the longer the man, the shorter the..., oh, what the hell. Supposedly the length doesn't matter at all. But when you see the latest Apple advertisement, you start to wonder. Just like when you look at the Italian ad for Internet access via Alice. Once again, Italy is making sure that women don't forget their market value: Zero rate all'italiana. (ck)

The telecom group TDC Switzerland AG has entrusted the advertising group Advico Young & Rubicam (AY&R) with the marketing communication for Sunrise Business Solutions. The main task is to link dialog marketing with the further development of the Sunrise brand among business customers. According to the press release, AY&R was already involved in the development of the brand in 1997.

Sports sponsorship Those who wanted to quickly build brand awareness in the racing circus paved the way to the top class of motorsport with millions of euros. Now the frenzied marketers are pulling back and making way for a new modesty before the first Grand Prix.Prize question: How do you become a millionaire in Formula 1? Answer: Quite simply, by becoming a billionaire! For years, sponsors have smiled at this joke in the VIP lounges of motorsports - mildly, knowingly, confident of victory. Formula 1 as the biggest money-destroying machine in global marketing? So what? The main thing is to be there. And better still, right in the middle of it instead of just being there. This was the motto of the board of directors and their marketing managers and the associated agencies, who brought suitcases full of money to the racetracks. But now the mood in the pit lanes is gloomy. Many sponsors have turned their backs on Formula 1.Michel, you go aheadAs if on cue, German sponsors have left the Formula 1 circus after the end of the 2002 season. Deutsche Post, the Veltins brewery, Telekom, Infineon and Ratiopharm are among those who have left. Other financiers, such as Becks-Bier and competitor Warsteiner, have slashed their Formula One budgets for the start of the new season (March 9 in Melbourne).
Insiders believe that the top class of motorsport will have to do without at least 50 million euros in the coming season. The loss of this prestigious tranche of capital has left some team bosses reeling. With cost-cutting programs and aggressive sponsor acquisition, they are trying to compensate for these losses in other ways. The question remains as to why the German industry has turned away from Formula 1 in such a massive and concentrated way. Has this marketing platform lost its international advertising impact? Is the PS boom over? One thing is certain: The limits of growth have also been reached in Formula 1 - at least in Europe.
One trigger is certainly the crisis in the advertising market. This was compounded last season by the dominance of German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher, who was crowned world champion after just seven races. The rest was boredom. Instead of ten million viewers, as in the 2001 season, the average rating for Formula 1 station RTL dropped to less than nine million per race. And in a survey by TNS Emnid on the most popular sports in Germany, motorsports had to relinquish its second place behind soccer to ski jumping for the first time in November.
"Is the TV sport of Formula 1 about to take the kind of deep fall that tennis experienced at the end of the 1980s? "No, certainly not," says Harti Weirather, head of the Liechtenstein agency WWP.
The ex-skiing world champion has been one of the leading sponsoring agents in Formula 1 for years. His company looks after Red Bull, BMW, Siemens and Allianz, among others. Weira-ther sees the departure of the Germans as a "healthy cooling of an overheated market." He adds, "Two or three years ago, when so many German brands wanted to compete in Formula 1, prices exploded."
At the end of the nineties, there were hardly any price limits. What had previously cost two million euros could only be had for five million during the boom phase. "It wasn't until the recession that the question of cost and return came up," says Weirather. "Before that, the gigantic wastage and the efficiency of the effort put in were not an issue."
Christian Geistdörfer, Managing Director of P&W Sponsoringconsulting, Munich, compares the run by German companies on Formula 1 to the boom in the Neuer Markt: "Everyone wanted to be there, no matter what the price." There, he says, a customer event in Monte Carlo was more important than linking Formula 1 involvement and classic advertising. "It's disproportionate when medium-sized church tower breweries cavort in global motorsports and haven't even solved their sales problems in the national market," Geistdörfer quips.
The agency boss, who this season is looking after the Toyota and Hugo Boss brands, nevertheless still considers Formula 1 to be the "royal class of sponsorship. Those who have long-term strategic goals can achieve them optimally on and off the increasingly dense racetrack network. However, the advertising agencies involved would also have to prove that they have an idea of the subject matter.
Unbelievable things have happened," says Hans-Willy Brockes, managing director of the European Sponsoring Exchange in St. Gallen, about how advertising agencies deal with Formula 1. For example, one sponsor would have found out after transferring three million euros that he had acquired neither photo rights nor the rights for a TV spot with it. "He should pay extra for these services," Brockes said. WWP boss Harti Weirather confirms the dubious practices of some agencies: "All that was sold to customers for vast sums were stickers and hospitality tickets. And that was it."
Those times are over. A new modesty has taken hold. The car presentations for the new season are designed accordingly. Instead of champagne, mineral water is served. And the pompous noble locations have been exchanged for a less expensive garage ambience. Katja Heim, head of the London-based sponsorship agency KH-Promotion, sees the recession as a "brand shakeout" in Formula 1, saying that racing is simply too expensive for sponsorship experiments. "Companies and agencies alike know what's at stake today," she says. Besides, big German players like Siemens, Allianz, SAP and Reemtsma are still very successful in Formula 1.
Heim, who also works for Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone, notes that sponsorship is increasingly valued on the basis of performance. "It's calculated hard as nails according to the sales opportunities of the respective products in the Formula One environment." Ford, for example, is specifically trying to increase car sales in various core markets this season through integrated motorsport campaigns.
There is no bigger and more expensive marketing platform in the world: Last year alone, Formula 1 generated 54.5 billion TV contacts worldwide. Whoever creates the link to the target group here builds image and awareness for their brand in gigantic dimensions. New rules - a ban on electronic driving aids and bo-xen radio as well as the abolition of the replacement car - are intended to inject new momentum into the "Formula Boredom". Ferrari and figurehead "Schumi" are to be given competitive opponents again this season. Ecclestone has also already reacted to the fast-approaching ban on tobacco advertising in Formula 1: In the 2004 season, races are to be held in Bahrain and Shanghai for the first time.
The glamorous world of Formula 1: Without a clever marketing strategy, many companies are wasting millions.
The withdrawal of well-known sponsors is leaving a clear mark on the Formula 1 circus.
Formula 1 advertising: In pole position, pleaseThe fact that SRG has acquired the live broadcasting rights for the Formula 1 races until
at the end of 2004, a look at the company's financial statements shows that the
Rates charged by airtime marketer Publisuisse. For 30 seconds of advertising before the start of the respective races, advertisers will have to pay around 8,000 Swiss francs in the first half of 2003. While the races starting overseas can be booked "cheaper" - 3500 and 4250 francs respectively - advertisers have to pay 8250 francs for 30 seconds of TV spots before the engines rev up in Europe. And they are happy to do so: Peter Kaufmann, Head of PR and Sponsoring at Publisuisse, confirms that the advertising blocks shortly before the live broadcasts on SF2 were 100 percent booked last year, while two-thirds of the advertising time was sold during qualifying. For the current year, booking has just been opened, Kaufmann expects revenues to remain the same - with hopefully more exciting races than in the past "Schumi" season. (cb)
Case Study: Credit SuisseWhile many German financiers have written off Formula 1, the globally active Swiss bank Credit Suisse is sticking by its sponsorship of Sauber. "Our commitment fully meets our expectations," explains Alexandre Fasel, Head Formula 1 Affairs at Credit Suisse. And, "We see no reason to pull out at the moment." The bank transfers around 17 million dollars to the Swiss racing team every year, as the British magazine EuroBusiness knows. With all the additional communications expenses, CS's Formula 1 budget is thus around 30 million dollars a year.
The managers at Zurich Paradeplatz are proud to be the first bank to compete in Formula 1 since 2001. Fasel: "It gives us an effective communications alternative to traditional advertising." Because Formula 1 offers a global presence on four continents. Credit Suisse is using this to expand its name recognition and client base. With its partner Sauber, Credit Suisse does not have a world champion in its sponsoring stable, but it does have a team with a high level of popularity and respectability. Credit Suisse has integrated Formula 1 into its overall communications. In addition to an image campaign, customer loyalty is a central element in the strategy. "We take our clients to the factory, we invite them to tests or races, we organize discussion forums with Peter Sauber," explains the Formula 1 boss of the major bank. This, he says, gives the brand a strong emotional charge. The bank also has its own employees in its sights as a target group. They are kept fully informed about the Formula 1 world via the intranet. This strengthens motivation and corporate identity.
The Swiss sponsorship, which is handled in-house, is not only recognized by customers interested in motorsport. Christian Geistdörfer, head of the Munich-based agency P&W Sponsoringsconsulting, explains: "Credit Suisse's commitment is credible and authentic. At
many a German bank active in sports should take a leaf out of their book." The major Swiss bank, which also holds a 63 percent stake in Sauber, regularly conducts surveys and studies to determine the impact of sponsorship. According to Fasel, in the five European core markets, sponsorship expenses have long since been recouped through on-screen time. (pe)
Clean career "In terms of his habitus, he doesn't really fit into the glitzy world of the
Formula 1," jokes the Austrian Niki Lauda about the Swiss
Racing team boss Peter Sauber. Lauda had been dismissed as head of the Jaguar team just two months ago, accompanied by many headlines.
Goal-oriented, precise and, above all, successful, Peter Sauber has
positioned its trademark in Formula 1. The special hallmarks of Sauber Motorsport AG: seriousness and stability. Attributes that enjoy the highest priority, especially with sponsors. And so, unlike many other Formula 1 racing teams, Sauber has no shortage of sponsors. With Credit Suisse (the main owner with 63 percent of the racing team), the Malaysian energy company Petronas and the Austrian beverage company Red Bull, Sauber can rely on a team of financial partners that has been working together for years. New sponsors such as the Russian mobile communications provider MTS and the Bavarian mineral water company Adelholzener secure the budget of the Swiss racing drivers in the Formula 1 circus. "From Hinwil against the rest of the motorsport world" - loosely based on this motto, Peter Sauber succeeded in making the leap from underdog to establishment in Formula 1. Sauber finished fourth in the Constructors' World Championship in 2001 and fifth last year. The places behind Sauber are occupied by Jordan-Honda, Jaguar and BAR-Honda. Racing teams that rolled up to the starting line with budgets more than twice as big.
Once again, Sauber Motorsport AG will be racing on a "lean budget" this year. Insiders assume
a Sauber budget of $100 million. By comparison, BMW-Williams is estimated by motorsport experts to have a
Annual expense estimated at $230 million.
But what is even more important for the marketing of the Sauber cars and for the sponsors involved: With the German drivers Heinz-Harald Frentzen and Nick Heidfeld, Peter Sauber has already secured a high TV presence in the key market of Germany. Perhaps one of the two drivers will fulfill Sauber's heart's desire: after 163 Grands Prix completed, he still lacks a victory in his palmarès. (pe)
Peter Ehm

Agencies Scholz & Friends have founded a branch in Zurich. In addition to Sebastian Turner, Yvonne Hodel also sits on the Board of Directors. "We are starting small and fine and want to grow with our clients," explained Günther Schneider and Christian Binder during their "inaugural visit" to the editorial office of Werbewoche. Three medium-sized clients are the goal of the Swiss branch of Scholz & Friends by the end of the year. In the longer term, the new agency at Seefeldstrasse 301 aims to employ fifteen people. It will start with four. In addition to the two creatives Schneider and Binder, a "well-known Swiss consultant" is said to be about to sign a contract.The idea of a branch in Zurich has been maturing for some time at Scholz & Friends, which claims to be the "leading European network". An office was founded in Vienna in 1995. Now, with Zurich, the German-speaking region has been fully developed. Coca-Cola helped a little with the decision. The beverage multinational, which already works with Scholz & Friends in Antwerp and Vienna, was looking for suitable support for Zurich through its "house agency". "That accelerated the idea." Of course it is convenient to be able to start with such a budget, say Schneider and Binder. The two top creatives also enjoy the challenge of moving from their previous workplace in Hamburg with over 250 employees to a very small or "smart" team. In their private lives, they are also attracted to moving to "the small cosmopolitan city", which Christian Binder already knows well because he has also worked at BDDP in Zurich.
Yvonne Hodel will also play a key role in helping Scholz & Friends gain a foothold in Zurich. The co-founder of Weber Hodel Schmid sits alongside Sebastian Turner on the Board of Directors of the new subsidiary. Turner is Chairman of the Board of Scholz & Friends, Hamburg/Berlin, and Spokesman of the Board of the German ADC.
(pan)