The cable network operator Cablecom must switch on Teleclub's digital program offering with immediate effect.News Teleclub is coming to the Cablecom network According to a statement from Teleclub, the Appeals Commission for Competition Matters (Reko/ Wef) has refused to grant suspensive effect to an appeal by Cablecom. The Weko considers it likely that the cable network group is abusing a dominant position by excluding Teleclub and had therefore opened proceedings. The cable network group assured to comply with the official order "as soon as an agreement is found with Teleclub regarding the commercial conditions".
Radio Fribourg is refinanced To stabilize its precarious financial situation, Radio Fribourg is carrying out a recapitalization. The general assembly of the bilingual radio station has approved the reduction of the previous capital by 50 percent and a simultaneous increase of the share capital by 525000 francs to 856525 francs. The radio management assumes that the annual accounts for 2002 will show a deficit, despite the savings and refinancing measures that have been introduced. For 2003, however, Radio Fribourg sees chances that the situation can be improved.
Stutz to Moneycab Martin Stutz, currently still head of the online editorial department of Bilanz, has been appointed the new editor-in-chief of Swisscontent/Moneycab. The 39-year-old, who already headed the business editorial department of Swisscontent until March 2002, will take up his new position by the end of February 2003 at the latest. The previous editorial management under Franziska Hügli and Beat Römer, who both resigned last week, had "promised Stutz their full support," according to a press release.

McCann-Erickson uses dignified testimonials for PricewaterhouseCoopersBy Luca Aloisi PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Switzerland is taking a self-confident stand against the general crisis of confidence. To this end, McCann-Erickson has developed a campaign that finds competitive advantages for the business consulting and auditing firm among its employees and offers them a platform.
Until a few years ago, the management consultancy sector was boasting double-digit growth rates. Today, it is not only the economic downturn that is hitting it hard. In addition to the sluggish order situation, the consulting industry is suffering from a sustained loss of image. It has brought this on itself. Many of the strategies it has developed and implemented have ended in sometimes terrifying crash landings. Want some examples? Enron, Swissair, Swiss Dairy Food, ABB - the chain of consulting failures could go on and on. No wonder that the headlines have been and will continue to be so violent: "First the money, then the disaster" is only a mild formulation. Consultant bashing is the order of the day everywhere. And in addition to the already low social competence, the professional competence of consultants is now also being called into question. Consolidation and downsizing, terms that consultants used to use primarily in dealing with their clients, are flying back at their own companies like boomerangs. However, industry leader PwC (41% of all auditing mandates for listed Swiss companies) recently proved once again that things have not become equally tight for everyone in today's client market.
Different
Industry self-image
In this difficult environment, the Swiss branch shone with growth of 4 percent compared to the previous year. However, as PwC recently divested its consulting business, which has been hit by the economic downturn, the company expects growth to be lower in the current financial year. This is because the remaining three service areas - tax and legal advice, auditing and consulting and corporate finance & recovery - are also facing flagrant restraint on the part of their clients.
The auditors and consultants themselves are now under scrutiny. As a result, the order situation and the prospect of promising new employees are even more directly linked to the company's image than before. However, Karin Schmid, project manager at PwC, knows that traditional advertising is only used "to a modest extent" as an instrument to strengthen the company's image. Advertisements on specialist topics, direct marketing, specialist events and publications as well as personal contacts between specialists and their clients are much more important in terms of branding. Apart from a few exceptions such as Accenture, the image presentations of consulting firms are characterized by a business uniformity - as if a lack of profile were a seal of quality in the industry.
Every company is as good as its employees - including PwC
When it came to giving the restructured PwC a face, the creatives at pitch winner McCann-Erickson knew how to emphasize the range of skills and services even after the sale of the consulting line. "The times call for sobriety," CD Dominik Imseng explains the initial situation. "The virtues of the true old economy are in demand again. Inevitably, we now have to talk straight." These days, stilted statements from business strategists end up in the bin unread.
Even if the solution approach is basically another testimonial, it still impresses with its simplicity and independence. The team around CD Edi Andrist and Imseng has packed a lot into it that reflects the courage of the client.
On the one hand, they have lined up the names of three PwC employees and set them off in the characters of the PwC logo in such a way that any "don't touch the logo" advocate would have to raise their hackles. On the other hand, the top-class consultants were not photographed by Grundflum photographers in conventional office situations, but in unusual atmospheric surroundings.
In addition, there are some edgy quotes intended to demonstrate the experts' expertise. In the informality of the nine subjects, the personalities express corporate values such as teamwork as a unifying foundation, excellence and leadership, explains Account Director Martin Samsel.
With the seven-figure media budget of the first campaign flight, the client wants to strengthen its image with no less than three target groups: with the extremely heterogeneous clientele, the career-oriented young generation - with whom the industry already appeared more attractive - and last but not least with its own employees.

In a pitch, Euro RSCG has won the budget of Swiss Post International (SPI). account news Euro RSCG Export: Swiss Post The account was previously managed by Jung von Matt/Limmat. The mandate includes the strategy and creation of a multinational umbrella campaign with DM and sales promotion measures. According to Euro CEO Frank Bodin, the campaign will be launched in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands at the beginning of 2003. "We are allowed to export Swiss advertising abroad," says Bodin happily, "this is the best thing that can happen to a Swiss agency."
Marengo speaks for Spirig Pharma Spirig Pharma AG in Egerkingen SO commissions the Zurich PR agency Marengo with the communication for its three-part skin protection concept for the Excipial brand. According to Marengo, Spirig is the market leader in the field of dermatology.

The magazine Pferdharmonie/Chevalharmonie aims to conquer horse lovers at a gallopRiders and horse lovers in Switzerland will discover new reading material about their favorite animal from December. The magazine Pferdharmonie/Chevalharmonie is published by the two young publishers Corinne Tâche-Berther, also co-editor of the magazine SeventhSky, and Patricia Bechaalany. The two horse lovers came up with the idea for the magazine around two years ago when they were disillusioned to discover that there were only association magazines for horse breeders and equestrian sports in German- and French-speaking Switzerland. Generous illustrations in the planned luxury magazine
The range of topics in these association publications is very narrow, says Corinne Tâche. The two publishers and horse owners agree that the quality of the editorial content tends to fluctuate rather than remain constant. And Pegasus, the equestrian magazine for German-speaking Switzerland, may have an editorial team in Switzerland, but its choice of topics is geared more towards neighboring German-speaking countries and is mainly geared towards leisure riding.
The magazine will comprise 100 pages and will be launched with an initial print run of 35,000 copies in German and French respectively. It will be published twice a year in May and November. The first issue at the beginning of December will be published just in time for the prestigious CSI indoor tournament in Geneva with international participation. The publishers also want to distribute the magazine via equestrian businesses and specialist stores as well as by direct mail. Pferdharmonie/Chevalharmonie costs ten francs at newsstands.
For the advertisements, the horse lovers knocked on the doors of banks, insurance companies, car dealerships and watch manufacturers in particular, as well as manufacturers of equestrian products. The new magazine sees itself as a luxury magazine. In terms of language, the magazine is also aimed at people who have never sat in a saddle before, the publishers assure us.
In addition to a wide range of topics, horse and riding enthusiasts will find ten pages of atmospheric photos. The American Robert Vavra, the world's number one in equestrian photography, who has also been hired by actor and horse lover Robert Redford for his films, has spontaneously agreed to do a photo shoot for the two women from French-speaking Switzerland at a special price. There are also fashion photos with a dressage champion to admire. Anita Vaucher

SRG is sticking to compensation from advertising agencies "Only SRG has to pay Suisa compensation for the broadcasting of advertising spots," triumphs the Swiss Advertisers' Association (SWA). According to a decision by the arbitration committee, only those who carry out the copyright act of "broadcasting" are considered to be tariff partners of the rights exploiter Suisa. The broadcasting tariff W will no longer be charged to advertisers, only the recording tariff VN remains, which is why the SWA is questioning the pricing policy of the advertising time marketer Publisuisse in a press release. As the Suisa fees will be paid from the SRG budget in future, an average tariff increase of 1.5 percent "is not justified in itself, as the costs of the W tariff have been included in this surcharge as a precautionary measure".
Othmar Stadelmann, Head of Finance and Operations at Publisuisse, disagrees. For the new tariffs, the entire pricing has been reviewed. Suisa fees are only one of many cost factors and are not relevant to the result. It is clear that SRG cannot pay for TV commercials with licence fees, but must pass them on to Publisuisse (sm).

Women can tolerate less alcohol than men. They prefer to drink sweet, sticky liqueur. But this is nothing but an unproven rumor. How do I know this? Every other restaurateur in the country will want to confirm it. The fact that such knowledge has more to do with his imagination than with the preferences of the female palate is another matter. However, the following two campaigns show the effect that too much alcohol has on the male brain. The higher the alcohol content, the more abstruse the creation. The beauty soup versus the olive with the Always Ultra liquid. It's almost unbearable sober. But luckily the next bottle is not far away. Pommery? Vodka? Not necessarily.
Chandra Kurt
[email protected]
Column

Well-intentioned? Think again! By Michael Barney
Beware of people who supposedly mean well for you. That's everyone around you, parents, partners or spouses and doctors anyway. Why? When people ask you "How are you?", they're really not interested. It's a kind of stupid everyday habit that's similar to the Monday question at work: "How was the weekend?" Nobody really wants to know what you or I did at the weekend. Such questions are pure hypocrisy. What if you answered: "Strangled the neighbor", right? Just as stupid as asking the waiter if he can recommend the fish. What would he say? "Nah, it's from last week." As a child, I suffered from questions like "Does it taste good?" at the table or "How was school?". People who are in committed relationships know the worst questions. "Do you still love me?" How should you answer that? "What are you thinking about right now?" Just because you're leafing through GQ and happen to have turned to a page where a nude model is lolling around. The reproachful question is even worse: "You have something, don't you?" Of course you have nothing. You just want to be left in peace. "But I can see that you do." All good reasons to live alone. Because the truth is, it's all about you-belong-to-me, you-are-my-one-and-only. To be the center of attention, German women make the best coffee in the world, clean their hands bloody and wear panty liners. Distrust anyone who is concerned about your well-being. Especially doctors. Those who smoke, drink and take drugs themselves will consistently forbid you to indulge in these vices. Entire industries are busy trying to make us feel guilty. Advertising included. And so tomorrow I'll sit down at my desk again and write "If your cell phone can't do this, at least it was expensive". Meant seriously? Think again!
Michael Barney is Senior Copywriter at Lowe, Zurich Business Lunch At the crossroads of art and economics
There are very few places in Zurich that you can assume with a probability bordering on certainty will outlive you. So what is there to write about? The food has always been like this - sometimes it was better, sometimes worse: in a relationship that has now lasted more than a quarter of a century, you can look past the highs and lows and the light of memory smooths out some of the bumps.
The "Kronenhalle" in Zurich is one of my favorite places to eat. Sometimes because of the food, and because certain conversations go better there - for example in the afternoon, when the tables are covered by a heavy green blanket, hardly anyone is sitting in the "Halle" and you still get something to eat when you get hungry. Every now and then, an exhilarating ray of sunlight shines through the windows.
At lunchtime and in the evening there is a hustle and bustle, but no nervousness. Perhaps this is because this is where business and art intersect. An excellent address for a business lunch. What's for lunch? The menu is sumptuous, makes a few seasonal excursions, but only really disappoints the snob among gourmets. The cuisine is typical of a brasserie - that should be written down: What is served here is sumptuous, satisfying and spared any frippery. There's no need to stick a sprig of thyme somewhere in the fillet. The new head chef Peter Schärer also knows his trade comme il faut, having learned it from his predecessor Hans Lichtenberg. A typical "Kronenhalle" solution. The offer from the Voiture is also reliable - because it is served quickly. The salads are always very fresh and excellent, and the chocolate mousse has tempted many a guest to go for dessert, even though they were absolutely well-fed and satisfied as they sipped the last drop of the reserve de la patronne. My God, it all costs a pittance. But what is today's lunch money compared to the certainty of finding everything tomorrow exactly as you left it the day before? By the way: if there are too many guests under the beautiful chandeliers and next to the modern classics, you can also eat your plate from the Voiture in the excellently run bar.
Carlo Bernasconi
[email protected]
KronenhalleRämistrasse 4
8001 Zurich
Tel. 01 251 66 69
Tel. bar 01 251 15 97
Evaluation

Food .......................4
Drinks ..................4
Operation ................4
Business Factor ........5
5=top, 4=very good, 3=o.k., 2=naja, 1=flop

Rolex is breaking new ground in patronage and now honors not only researchers but also artistsby Anita Vaucher Every two years, the Geneva-based watch manufacturer Rolex presents its "Rolex Awards for Enterprise". The coveted prizes are awarded to researchers who are working on a better world away from the lavish flow of funding. The Geneva-based watch manufacturer now also wants to provide artists with a paid mentor.
Typical Geneva, typical Rolex. When it comes to acting as a patron, the traditional company keeps a low profile: "We offer our award winners a platform and want to draw the media's attention to what they do," says Rolex spokeswoman Dominique Dadion. "We deliberately stay in the background." This will now also be the case with the watchmaker's latest project: "The Rolex Mentor and Protegé Arts Initiative" will be realized for the first time in 2003: Rolex is financing the sponsorship of a world-famous artist in each of five art fields for a promising talent.
No, says Dadion, this is not a departure from the communication strategy, because all products - luxury watches - will continue to speak for themselves. They do this eloquently at golf and tennis tournaments, in advertisements and in publications. "But we don't want to mix patronage with the classic means of communication," she adds.
This is why the "Rolex Awards for Enterprise", which was founded in 1976, is hardly mentioned in the media. Despite the fact that 3,000 applicants had already registered for the first award competition - launched to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rolex Oyster, recalls Rolex Award project manager Quentin Deville. However, the watch patron at the time, André J. Heiniger, left the world in the dark after each award round as to whether he wanted to host the awards again.
There are also adventurous guys on the jury
Since 1996, however, one thing has been clear: every two years, a jury of top-class scientists reviews the submissions from all over the world: and as befits a global player, the five prize winners were celebrated in Tokyo this year. In fact, anyone can apply for an award, consisting of a prize money of 100,000 dollars, a gold Rolex watch and lots of media attention. 1400 applicants from 113 countries entered the tenth edition of the awards. "Of these, a few dozen have a real chance of winning a prize," says Deville.
A new international jury is formed for each award round, which meets in Geneva and assesses the projects without being paid. The jury usually includes scientists, but also adventurous types such as Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person to conquer Mount Everest.
"The Rolex Awards are our contribution to a better understanding of the world in which we live," said Rolex CEO Patrick Heiniger at the awards ceremony in Tokyo's Hotel Okura (www. rolexawards.com). Laureates from France, Brazil, Canada, the United States and South Africa were honored. Frenchman Michel André, for example, has developed a system that warns sea captains of schools of whales. His "whale anti-collision system" is based on the acoustic signals that these mammals emit in the sea.
But it is not only concerns about endangered creatures and energy that guide the jury members. In 1993, for example, Rolex presented an award to Nancy M. Abeiderrahmane from Mauritania - she had succeeded in developing a process for making cheese from camel's milk.
Just like in the Middle Ages: the mentor looks after his protégé
This year, Rolex has added an artistic dimension to its patronage: "The Rolex Mentor and Protegé Arts Initiative". Over the course of a year, a master of his or her field will support a talented student with help and advice for at least 30 days a year.
The winners were announced on June 13 at the Frick Collection Museum in New York. The luminaries Sir Colin Davis (music), William Forsythe (dance), Toni Morrison (literature), Alvaro Siza (visual arts) and Robert Wilson (theater) have commendably taken care of the newcomers Federico Leon (theater), Sahel al-Hiyari (visual arts), Julia Leigh (literature), Sang Jijia (dance) and Josep Caballé-Domenech (music).
According to Rolex, however, the focus of this mentorship is not so much on individual lessons. Rather, it is about sharing in the mentor's day-to-day work so that the protégé recognizes what the existence of a great artist is made up of. Rolex CEO Patrick Heiniger again heads a committee of advisors made up of renowned artists such as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Wole Soyinka and Frank Gehry.
The sponsors and protégés also receive financial benefits from Rolex for over a year. On the other hand, the watchmaker refrains from transferring its image on the communication side, as Deville explains. There are historical reasons for this, he says. When André J. Heiniger founded the "Rolex Awards for Enterprise", he was less concerned with the impact for the watch company than with the social commitment behind it.

The German electronics group Bosch continues to rely on Jung von Matt. The Munich branch of Jung von Matt/Isar won the European budget for household appliances in a pitch.budget news Bosch continues to wash with jvm The colleagues on the Elbe are already in charge of the Bosch Powertools budget. The agency is to secure a top position in consumer awareness for Bosch household appliances with a double-digit million euro budget.
Electronic Ivony The Zurich design agency Ivony has been entrusted by Schaffner EMV AG with the budget for a new corporate design. Schaffner offers test equipment and services in the field of electromagnetic compatibility.

WHS advertises in a reader campaign for a break with the SonntagsZeitungPlay it again, Reini Weber! For the second time, the creative head of Weber Hodel Schmid has composed a campaign for the SonntagsZeitung (SoZ). In doing so, he was in the mood for a lot of sacred bimbam: Honor Sunday as a day of rest. At most, you should pick up the newspaper on the seventh day of creation - and leave everything sweaty behind. At least that's what the print motifs suggest. The day's orders and activities are depicted by a host of oppressively hyperactive Sunday workers with their to-do lists. Only by taking a look at the SoZ can they escape into the idyll of intelligent and entertaining reading. The new campaign with seven motifs was launched on November 3, coinciding with a "gently renovated" layout of the SonntagsZeitung. page 10

Goldbach CEO Klaus Kappeler hopes for future demand for cross-mediaBy Daniel Schifferle CEO Klaus Kappeler sees the future focus of the Goldbach Group in the marketing of cross-media. The division, which is currently still being expanded, will see significant growth in two or three years at the latest. However, Goldbach Media intends to take its time with the sale of Hitradio Z, which should further pave the way for radio marketing.
The future of the Goldbach Media Group is obviously back to the old business, which was cultivated before Goldbach Media also fell for the New Economy hype and Internet dreams. But in the end, you will be poorer for Hitradio Z. That is a high price to pay.
Klaus Kappeler: Goldbach Media will continue to be active in the electronic cross-media sector. As the only company in Switzerland. However, we will concentrate on the B-2-B market as published, which is absolutely our strength. We are growing by around forty percent this year, which not many companies can match. We will continue to invest heavily in the online sector, in mobile and in new media such as flatscreens.
As we know, Goldbach has had a problem with its equity base since 2001. The costly expansion into new business areas has bled the company dry. Now money is urgently needed. Is that the reason why you want to sell Hitradio Z?
Kappeler: We want to concentrate on our absolute core competence, and that is the marketing of electronic media. This is the reason why we are selling Hitradio Z.
Goldbach is giving up a lot with Hitradio Z. In addition to a secure pillar of income, it also has a strong symbolic value: Radio Z was the beginning of the Group and remained the basis of today's company for a long time.
Kappeler: But a lot has developed out of this business within twenty years. Today, Hitradio Z accounts for a very small proportion of sales. We won't simply sell the radio station anyway. We want to bring it into a network in which it is more broadly based without having to part with it completely.
You only want to sell Hitradio Z without a marketing department?
Kappeler: Yes, the channel is only available without marketing. We will certainly keep it.
Where do you put the lowest bid for the purchase price? The sum of CHF 18 million is being bandied about in the industry, which is what the station should cost.
Kappeler: I'm not talking about the sale price, and I can't give any information about potential buyers either. Let's leave such things to the speculation of journalists.
The current economic situation is a bad time to achieve an attractive sales price. The fantasy from the media is gone, they are no longer a hit at the moment.
Kappeler: We live in a time that offers opportunities like any other. For us, it's more important that the station gets into the right environment than the timing. But I can't say when the purchase will be completed. Just this much: when you announce something, it is in everyone's interest that it is completed within a reasonable period of time.
Do you already have interested parties on the line?
Kappeler: Numerous interested parties have come forward. In any case, I can't confirm the concern reported in the press that there might not be enough interested parties.
As one of the reasons for the planned sale, you explain that the synergy gains between the subsidiaries in the B2B and B2C areas have neutralized instead of paying off. What does that mean?
Kappeler: We have more than doubled our turnover in radio marketing this year, and we want to continue to grow significantly in this area. However, this goal is hindered by the fact that Hitradio Z itself belongs to the group. Because of this, media agencies and advertising clients are concerned that Hitradio Z could be at an advantage. To counteract this, we have to position the station more cautiously than is appropriate for its actual performance. However, as soon as Hitradio Z is no longer majority-owned by us, we will be able to market the station much more actively than we do today.
Is the 35 percent stake in Radio Ri also up for sale?
Kappeler: That's not out of the question. At the moment, however, Radio Ri is not a priority at all.
When will you part with the Moneycab Internet portal, which is swallowing up a six-figure sum every month? Moneycab's business model didn't even work when the stock market was still going reasonably well. How should it work in the future now that investors are likely to be driven away from the stock market for many years?
Kappeler: Moneycab is a difficult case, I admit that. But at the moment I can't tell you anything about its future, because we are in talks with various potential partners. Moneycab is recognized as having one of the best business editorial teams and is very well respected in interested circles.
For the future, Goldbach Media is focusing on the marketing of cross-media concepts. Cross-media was already hardly in demand during the boom years, and with the advertising market crisis, clients no longer have any ears for it.
Kappeler: Whether it's a boom or a slump, customers are always looking for new and more attractive ways to reach their target group more effectively. Crossmedia is not just a technique but a philosophy of where and when I can reach my audience most successfully. Even in the current advertising market climate, this is certainly being heard.
You have announced that Goldbach Media will significantly expand cross-media marketing. Will you be reallocating jobs internally?
Kappeler: We are massively expanding our cross-media offering, not the number of jobs. We will be able to publish new contracts in the next few days.
Goldbach Media can no longer grow strongly as a marketer: with the exception of Super RTL, all possible advertising windows are already open in German-speaking Switzerland. Although there are TV candidates in French-speaking Switzerland, the closed cable networks in Geneva and Lausanne mean that there are no routes. Additional income from radio marketing will not grow skywards either, as you will have to share the already small radio pie with Radiotele.
Kappeler: We will also see double-digit growth next year. In addition to further growth in the TV market, the radio segment will also see further strong growth. And we will tap into growth potential, particularly in the still young cross-media sector. I am convinced that we will achieve very strong growth here in two or three years' time.
This has been said about the Internet for a long time, but as the whole world now knows, things have turned out quite differently.
Kappeler: No medium has ever reached its goal in such a short space of time. Not even the online medium. Online is notorious at the moment, and I also admit that it's not a business at the moment. But you can see that it is slowly developing and will find its place within the media offerings. We wouldn't invest if we didn't expect this to happen.
Goldbach has increased its capital three times in the past twelve months. A total of 1.2 million francs flowed into your coffers. Was it to meet the legally required reserves? Or are you up to something with the money?
Kappeler: No, no. These were quite normal capital increases that resulted from the integration of new business areas.
In 2001, Goldbach Media posted a loss of CHF 9.4 million on gross sales of CHF 115 million. What will these figures look like for the current year?
Kappeler: We are experiencing high growth. Our gross sales will probably exceed 150 million francs this year. But these are estimates. For the definitive figures, I will have to refer you to our annual media conference in May or June of next year.
Will the result be less deep red than in 2001?
Kappeler: I don't want to comment on that at the moment either.

The call for entries for the ADC judging 2003 is open: Service ADC invites you to the vanity fair Aspirants for one of the coveted cubes can submit their creations until November 22. Some changes have been made to the mode. Instead of 15 categories, there are now only 9, with in-house use, trade press and public service being dropped or integrated into the remaining categories. Direct advertising and sales promotion have been combined. In addition, the Art Directors Club writes that the requirements for the authenticity of entries have become stricter. Documents can be requested from ADC Managing Director Helen Müller (info@adcschweiz .ch or tel. 01 262 00 33).
Guide to typefaces Two years ago, Hans Peter Willberg and Friedrich Forssman published "First Aid in Typography", an ideal introductory book that was deliberately aimed at interested amateurs, because typography "is no longer the sole preserve of professionals". Following the great success of the first book, Willberg is now supplementing his work with a "Font Guide". This guide to the font jungle aims to provide a generally understandable and well-founded introduction to the history, form, selection and mixture of fonts. With examples and practical exercises, Willberg trains the eye for the form and style of different fonts and how to use them. "Wegweiser Schrift", published by Hermann Schmidt, Mainz, costs CHF 23.40 and can be ordered under ISBN 3-87439-569-3.
Text tools How do I make my message stand out from the flood of texts? Helga Zimmer-Pietz's guide provides the necessary tips for the right writing, from advertising copy to product descriptions, with practical examples. In eight chapters, she presents the necessary tools for learning the craft of professional copywriting at lightning speed.
Helga Zimmer-Pietz: "Professionelles Texten", Wirtschaftsverlag Ueberreuter, ISBN
3-7064-0172-X, Fri. 19.30.

By Beat FritschA VIG for VIP - i.e. "Very Important Major Event" for all friends, partners and customers - was at the top of the industry's event calendar last week with the 25th anniversary party. The "Very Important..." was also the central theme of the party. The Bilanz in-house advertisers from Publicis created over ten different gadgets for the party. This task must have given AD Luigi Del Medico, responsible for the CI of the event, and Jasmin Schmid, who carried out the realization, quite a headache. After all, as production experts know, a number of advertising materials are not simply available from one day to the next, and the gadgets in balance sheet red - also Publicis' corporate color - covered a wide spectrum. Starting with the VIE (Very Important Invitation) sent out in advance, there were various signs such as VIT (Very Important Toilet), naturally divided into VIM (Very Important Men) and VIF (Very Important Women), VIE (Very Important Entrance), or VIG (Very Important Wardrobe). But the name badges VIG (Very Important Guest), the catering T-shirts VIK (Very Important Waitress), the napkin band VIS (Very Important Napkin), the VIB (Very Important Beer Mat), the VIZ (Very Important Matches) and the menu VIM (Very Important Menu) were also on display. Finally, the guests naturally walked across the red VIT (Very Important Carpet) as they arrived.
The entrance area already gave visitors an idea of the eventful history of the business magazine, which in the pre-Cash era of the 1980s was still referred to slightly disrespectfully as Wirtschafts-Blick. In addition to the various Bilanz advertising campaigns, the owners' gallery in the entrance area attracted a great deal of attention. The publication has seen a number of owners come and go, including those who have since failed, such as Werner K. Rey, but also those who are still (more or less) successful, such as Bilanz founder Beat Curti or the Basel publishing family Hagemann.
It is worth studying the front pages over the course of time, as they review the economic and political history of the last quarter of a century in concentrated form. We have already seen sociologist-in-chief Karl Marx, two popes, various federal councillors, a number of gastronomic entrepreneurs and other business leaders, but also total economic failures. After all, success in business was and is not the criterion for appearing on page one. Failure and capital failure can also earn you the - then rather dubious - honor of a front-page mention.
Only - unfortunately, an advertiser has never made it there; at best gifted communicators like the Hayeks (Nicholas, Nick and Sam), the Ringiers (Michael and Christoph) and, of course, Roger Schawinski. But also Globi and Mickey Mouse, or century icons such as the Coke bottle, the
McDonald's-M, the Levi's jeans,
The Rolls-Royce insignia Lady Emily and, of course, the Swiss cross on an airplane fin adorned the balance sheet title several times.
You can see all the covers in the anniversary supplement, which was included in the last issue. The "eternal imprint" is also worth a close read. It lists all the names that have appeared at least once in the masthead of the financial title. Including all sorts of industry celebrities. For example, Walter Bosch, a widely respected communications expert; Peter Hartmeier, once editor of Bilanz, now Tamedia Group spokesman; Peter Höltschi (= 1993), author, journalist, ADC member and former editor-in-chief of Schweizer Illustrierte; Serge Riedener, Bilanz freelancer at the end of the 1980s and now co-owner of the Inhalt & Form agency; Hildegard Schwaninger, mother of all Swiss shortlist and gossip columns; Thomas Trüb, Cash inventor and Ringier Group Executive Board member; Christian Wapp, former editor-in-chief of WerbeWoche and current Bilanz production manager; Jürg Wildberger, TV-3 inventor, and, last but not least, the current "Schawi enemy" Kurt W. Zimmermann, to name just a few of the 295 names mentioned.
Another anniversary was on the agenda at the advertising agency Metzgerlehner Worldwide: "20 years in advertising heaven and 20 years in advertising hell" was the motto - and the agency's employees were dressed in corresponding T-shirts. Exactly twenty years ago, Ted - then still under the respectable-sounding name of Anton Ernst Metzger - and Matthias Blatter launched their own communications company, Metzger Blatter Partner. In its history, the agency was also called Metzger Lehner Briccola before the current constellation with Marco Lehner emerged. Metzger enjoyed telling the story of himself and his agency throughout the evening. He started his career in 1963 as an advertising ace at Amag, spent ten years as head of the advertising and sales promotion department - as it was called back then - at Globus and finally became consulting group manager at Wirz. The brochure that was created to mark the launch of the agency also caused hilarity - and wistful memories of the ideal Swiss advertising world of the 1980s. Be that as it may, the agency has survived all industry storms and is flourishing magnificently. Quite unlike others. Or can anyone still remember an agency called Brüllmann & Contini (later CSWH Univas), which was also a stop on Metzger's career path?
Beat Frisch

was V. I. B. (Very Intensive Busy). At this time of year, as we all know, the calendar of events fills up to the limit. Two anniversaries were on the agenda: The business magazine Bilanz celebrated its 25th anniversary under the motto "Very Important", and the advertising agency Metzgerlehner Worldwide celebrated its 20th anniversary. Both events were a heavenly success with a hell of a lot of people.
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