This year’s ad test conducted by the medical journal *Journal* proves that creative advertising also resonates well with doctors. The campaign for the erectile dysfunction medication Uprima, created by Jung von Matt/Limmat, took first place in the ranking, making it the most popular ad among the medical community. Doctors described the campaign as «witty and surprising,» «simple and meaningful,» and «right on point.» A total of 1,487 doctors and pharmacists evaluated 41 ads for *Journal*. For Carlos Friedrich, Account Supervisor at Jung von Matt/Limmat, the doctors« recognition of the erect toe is »confirmation that targeted creativity can make a difference in the pharmaceutical industry.« Bilanz is once again reveling in luxury. For the second time, Bilanz is publishing its »Luxury« lifestyle special. In the first issue, Danielle Lanz presented herself as a »woman in a suit” and raved about La Perla lingerie. This time, the former “Advertiser of the Year” comes across as more natural: her top tip for shopping, dining, drinking, and sleeping is Tarasp in the Lower Engadine. Author Zoë Jenny, meanwhile, showcases satin, jewelry, and skin. The photo spread is accompanied by a text in which she dreams of being a diamond. According to Bilanz, Jenny was inspired by Ebel’s new watch collection.
Ceccaroni’s Comeback. For Basel soccer fans, Massimo Ceccaroni is a legend; for the managers of FC Basel, he’s past his prime. After 15 years with the club, the board terminated the pro’s contract—of all years—in the year of the Champions League. For Ceccaroni, that’s no reason to give up. The pro has found a new club. It’s called City Sports Club. Although soccer is no longer played there, the club offers fitness programs. The posters and ads featuring Ceccaroni’s slogan «Time to Change!» were designed by mrg communications Basel; creative directors Andreas Mesmer and Michael Gerber. The stripped-down locker room from Ceccaroni’s former club was styled by art director Tommy Schilling.
«Lifestyle» with a new concept and fewer positions. The «Lifestyle» magazine show on Tele Züri will launch on January 1 with a new concept. Going forward, the show will no longer be produced in the studio but on location. The talk segment will be expanded, as Tamedia spokesperson Peter Hartmeier explained to *WerbeWoche*. The relaunch will result in the elimination of 2.4 full-time positions. Journalists Dieter Guggenheim and Florina Rudin have been laid off, as *WerbeWoche* has learned. According to Hartmeier, additional positions can be reduced through part-time arrangements. Hartmeier emphasizes that the cuts have nothing to do with Tamedia’s cost-cutting program. He explains that «Lifestyle» was simply looking for a new approach «after all these years.».
It’s worth giving it a stir. As part of the VBZ campaign «It Pays to Switch,» the Ruf Lanz agency has come up with a cheeky new take on the roundabout signal. While, according to the rulebook, this means drivers should slow down and yield to vehicles approaching from the left in the circle, for guests on the Fondue Tram it has a much more relaxing meaning: «Stir at your leisure.» The new Zurich Fondue Tram seats 28 people. It’s catered by the Zimmerleuten guild hall and is now available for rent for Christmas dinners and other parties, with a customizable route across the entire VBZ network.
Awesome numbers. Take the number combination 71.39, display it as a digital weight reading on a scale, then rotate the display 180 degrees—and just like that, you’ve got a totally awesome ad. However, even after our persistent pleas—delivered in a soft, coaxing voice—Kellogg’s Switzerland still wouldn’t tell us where this newly discovered advertising idea for Kellogg’s Special «99 Percent Fat-Free» came from. Media inquiries are answered only through the tedious process of written correspondence. That, too, is totally fat-free—but not nearly as cool!
Rail travel. For 39 years, Margrit Neisser has been lovingly arranging her model trains in the storefront window on Zurich’s Birmensdorferstrasse, inviting passersby to linger. It’s not just die-hard model train enthusiasts who find themselves lost in nostalgia at the sight of the romantic railways on display. This makes the slogan «The coolest tracks and sharpest curves in District 4!» all the more surprising—a phrase that has been appearing on shop posters, postcards, and trade ads since October. But offended regulars can rest assured: Ms. Neisser hasn’t changed her line of business! She simply felt that, «after 30 years of advertising abstinence,» a little attention wouldn’t hurt. The old lady received creative support from AD Roland Hess and copywriter Tamás Kiss. For the headline in Langstrasse slang (with which Hesskiss is very familiar), the duo took advantage of the fact that the shop, though on the border with Wiedikon, still lies just within the «Cheib district.».
Editorial

«How the Media Views Reality» «Crisis—Switzerland in the Dumps» read the headline in bold letters on the newsstand posters for the news magazine *Facts* last week. The contrast with the *Weltwoche* poster could not have been sharper: With catchphrases like «No Reason to Panic—The World Is Doing Better—Swiss People Are Succeeding—Love Conquers All,» the weekly magazine sought to cheer up Swiss citizens unsettled by business bankruptcies, a stock market crash, and pension theft legitimized by the Federal Council. In a reversal of the cynicism inherent in the media—“Only bad news is good news; good news is no news”—*Weltwoche* surprised its readership with this good news.
"I didn't set out to put together a feel-good report," Editor-in-Chief Roger Köppel states in his editorial, yet the assessment of the state of the world has, surprisingly, turned out to be positive; the cheap fear-mongering predictions—which are bandied about quickly and without hesitation, especially in the media—are wrong on key points. Given the rampant uncertainty and fear of war, it may be comforting that a magazine, drawing freely on the famous formulations of Leibniz and Hegel, calculates for us that we live in the best of all possible worlds, that everything real is rational, and that only what is rational is real. And one secretly wonders why it is so unpopular in the media to view the world in a positive light.
The discrepancy between the headlines in *Facts* and *Weltwoche* provides the best evidence for the popular prejudice that the media are trying with all their might to manipulate us. A claim that is difficult to refute, yet pointless nonetheless. For the media are not interested in reality «in and of itself,» but rather in how reality is perceived by others. They do not report on what is happening, but on what others supposedly consider important. The media are a kind of reality industry; they construct reality primarily using information that confuses and excites.
They can do this because it is not facts, but opinions about facts, that shape our coexistence. For what we know about our society—indeed, about the world in which we live—we learn through the mass media. On the other hand, we know so much about the mass media that we cannot trust them. We know we’re being manipulated, and yet we’re still willing to accept the information about the world and society as information about reality. It’s a paradox we’re quite comfortable living with, despite everything, because we secretly know that there is no world beyond the mass media.
Samuel Helbling, Editor-in-Chief

In addition, the new editor-in-chief of Blick is Werner de Schepper. Ringier officially announced on Tuesday what had been circulating as a rumor in the industry for some time. De Schepper will replace Jürg Lehmann at the end of January; he has served as Lehmann’s deputy since 1999. Rolf Cavalli will also join the editorial board as deputy editor-in-chief, along with Hanspeter Peyer. Cavalli previously served as deputy to SonntagsBlick editor-in-chief Bernhard Weissberg. Peyer, who has been deputy editor-in-chief of the Berner Zeitung since May 2001, worked at Ringier for many years, including as deputy editor-in-chief of Blick from 1987 to 1999.
Since early October, Adrian Häusermann, through Denkwerk GmbH, has been offering clients and agencies the expertise he gained in strategy and the design of integrated communication while working at agencies and on freelance projects, serving as a «sparring partner» and coach.
Friedhelm Lammoth, head of the direct marketing agency Lammoth Mailkonzept, has sold his 50 percent stake in CallWorld Telemarketing AG. The co-founder and former chairman of CallWorld’s supervisory board intends to refocus on the creative core business of his two agencies in St. Gallen and Wiesbaden.
The PR agency Peter Bütikofer & Company, based in Zurich and Lausanne, has recruited Franz A. Zölch, a media lawyer from Bern, as a communications expert for its board of directors. He strengthens the Zurich-based agency’s strategic capabilities with his expertise in media and publishing law.
There’s a shake-up at the top of the Zurich-based communications agency Burson-Marsteller (B-M): Current CEO Ulrich Bollmann is replacing agency founder Dieter Jäggi as chairman of the board. Jäggi plans to work as an independent consultant. In this role, he will continue to be available to B-M. Bollmann’s successor in operational management will be Roman Geiser, who has led the agency’s consulting business as COO since early 2000. Bollmann will remain active for select clients and special projects.
Since early October, graphic artist and designer Urs Rindlisbacher has been head of the design team and a new member of the executive board at the advertising agency Fruitcake in Worb. The operations of his company, Logo Kommunikationsgesellschaft AG, were acquired by AdConsult Holding AG, Fruitcake’s majority shareholder.
Of the 15 applicants this year, three were granted membership in the Art Directors Club (ADC) Switzerland. The admissions committee determined that the following advertising professionals met the criteria: Art Director Ralf Kostgeld of Publicis, whose agency’s UN accession campaign won a Gold award at the New York Festivals this summer; Pierre Rebetez, co-founder and art director of the Zurich-based multimedia agency Haedbanger; and Daniel Bieri, a freelance advertising professional based in Berlin.

Objective: To increase awareness as a B-2-B solution provider and product presentation.Sony Overseas advertising media: Advertisements in the daily, Sunday and business press as well as trade journals in Switzerland. Use: From the beginning of October to the end of November.
Client: Sony Overseas SA, Schlieren; overall responsibility: Sara Provenzale, Marketing Communication Manager. Advertising agency: Blue Spirit, Schlieren; AD: Lionel Buettner; Text: Ueli Bleuler; Consultant: Christine Lakits; Overall responsibility: Peter Trüb; Photo: Christian Dietrich; Media: Media Schneider, Manuela Sigrist, Zurich.

McCann-Erickson rewires relationships with consumers for CablecomBy Ernst Weber Cablecom is moving closer to its customers and saying goodbye to its image as a cable operator. This is the aim of an umbrella brand identity designed by McCann-Erickson for the highly indebted cable network operator. The profit from the almost double-digit million budget should put the Zurich agency back on the road to success after heavy budget losses (Diax, Suva).
When Cablecom began reorganizing the company a year ago, it quickly became clear that a new start with a new image was inevitable, says Theresia Büsser, Head of Corporate Communications. At that time, the many local network companies merged to form Cablecom.
The image correction runs parallel to the optimization of the offer. According to its own statements, Cablecom wants to create the conditions for a true broadband experience for digital TV, digital telephony and high-speed Internet services with a digitally supported network. And this is just the beginning of a wide range of services that will be launched in the coming years.
Unless a premature grounding thwarts these plans. Since the British-American owner NTL went into debt restructuring moratorium in the spring, Cablecom has had a debt burden of 3.7 billion Swiss francs to pay off. NTL bought the Swiss cable network operator in March 2000 for CHF 5.8 billion.
The new Cablecom brand image was designed by McCann-Erickson. It won the mandate at the beginning of this year in a pitch against three agencies. The decisive factor for the award was the telecoms experience gained with Diax. The agency was also helped by the fact that the interdisciplinary cooperation in dialog marketing is covered by the MRM Target Group, which belongs to McCann.
New logo expresses movement and softness at the same time
No stone of the old brand image was left unturned. The logo, the printed matter, the CD, the naming of the individual offers and the communication presence consisting of product and image advertising were completely rethought.
The pivotal point of the entire communication is the promise that Cablecom fulfills the consumer's entertainment, information and communication needs. The positioning idea gained relevance through the implementation, which showed the consumer connected to all worlds.
The claim "Touch your worlds", which emerged from the range, led to the product-oriented, homogeneous umbrella brand identity, which will be launched on October 20. At the same time, it formed the new signet. It depicts two worlds connected by a bridge and two Cs standing with their backs to each other. "The shape of the logo has something organic about it and expresses movement and softness," says Marion Marxer, Group Account Director at McCann, describing the new logo.
The umbrella campaign covers the areas of digital TV, high-speed Internet and, from next year, digital telephony, which is to be introduced at that time. The divisions are advertised with two ads each, a 30-second cinema/TV spot and a reminder of 5 and 7 seconds respectively. At no point does the presentation give the impression that the divisions are sub-brands, as the brand-forming features are given priority throughout.
The brand promise is anchored by starting the ad headlines and spot texts with the phrase "My world:". This is followed by a statement such as "The weekly video conference with my niece" and "Spontaneously invite me to a nocturne". Statements that belong to the respective product worlds.
In order to convey the greatest possible individuality, the headlines, set off in the red of the logo, bear the handwriting of one of the people depicted, while in the commercials the protagonists indicate their individuality with their choice of language.
In the advertisements, the brand atmosphere is characterized by strong, mostly dark colors. Pastel shades were avoided primarily in order to differentiate from the Bluewin advertising, where pale and cool colors tend to predominate.
To ensure that the viewer's first glance is drawn to the brand and not the product range, the company name and logo have been placed at the top right. The product categories are only marginally mentioned in a bar placed at the foot.
"I don't know of any other brand that has been rebuilt in such an integrated way recently," says McCann CD Dominik Imseng, who pays tribute to his predecessor Daniel Comte. He had conceived the presentation, but no longer completed it as he has since moved to Advico Young&Rubicam as CD.
AD Rating

Striking
No, this time please no opinions on a campaign, but on the website of an Italian coffin maker: Can he use half-naked women to advertise containers in which people are laid to rest? Freudians and Jungians click on www. werbewoche.ch/adrating
Haglöfs campaign
Top: 50,03%
Flop: 49,97%
Praise and criticism of ad-raters summarized at www.werbewoche .ch/adrating/comments

In addition, the Zurich-based PR agency Marengo is losing consultant Adrian Erni. Erni had been with the firm since its founding in early 1999. At the same time, the agency has hired two new junior consultants, Nora Ehrensperger and Simone Brunner (pictured, left).
Swiss International Air Lines is welcoming a new head of media relations. Starting in November, Priska Spörri and her team will be responsible for media relations in Switzerland and abroad.
Enrico Bachmann, a senior copywriter and concept developer, joined the creative team at McCann-Erickson in Zurich at the end of September. Prior to that, he worked as a freelancer for four years. Bachmann began his career 15 years ago at GGK Basel and has worked for Scholz & Friends and Weber Hodel Schmid, among others.

Since early October, Stephan Huwiler (Art Direction) and Adrian Hoenicke (Copy/Concept) have been joining the creative team at the Zurich-based advertising agency Sulzer Sutter.
The Zurich-based agency Felber Kristofori & Pinzon has expanded its consulting team with the addition of Claudia Imholz. Imholz, a certified advertising director, will also join the executive board and will be supported by advertising assistant Stephanie Jocic.
Stefan Rupp will become the new managing director of Freizeit Graubünden AG. The 32-year-old from Zurich will succeed Daniel Häberli at the beginning of November. Rupp previously worked in Graubünden as head of marketing and sales at the Rothornbahn in Lenzerheide and at the Diavolezza-Bahn in the Engadin.

McCann-Erickson rebuilds Cablecom's brand image from the ground upThe economically shaken cable network operator Cablecom is moving closer to the end customer. Images of digging cable workers are a thing of the past. However, the investments in digital data traffic are costly: according to estimates by industry experts, Cablecom is investing at least one billion Swiss francs in its expansion. Logically, the "transformation from technical provider to experience provider" also requires a change in the brand image and a repositioning of the brand. This was undertaken by McCann-Erickson with the help of commercials and advertisements. The agency designed an image in which the old brand is barely recognizable. page 6

What Wirz Advertising had timidly hinted at with a T-shirt for Zurich’s Hiltl (WW 36/02) was taken to its logical conclusion in the September issue of Wallpaper. «All animals have the same parts,» reads the headline above the ad, which promotes more vegetarian creativity in people’s daily search for food. Upon seeing the ad, one connoisseur of the scene remarked that one would wait in vain for such a service—vegetarian for the stomach, meaty for the eye—at Hiltl. Beppi Book Fair. From May 2 to 4 of next year, Basel residents will definitely be able to browse through books at publishers« booths and listen to authors at readings. Stephan Lips, Head of Trade Fair and Event Development at MCH Messe Basel AG, and Matthyas Jenny, Director of the Literature Festival, announced at the Frankfurt Book Fair: »The Basel Book Fair will take place.” This decision was prompted by bookings from German-language publishers, including Ammann, Bastei-Lübbe, the Ullstein Heyne List Group, Schwabe, and other Basel-based publishers. The organizers of the Salon international du livre et de la presse in Geneva, which takes place at the same time, are not pleased with this decision.
Terre des hommes BAT at the Table. On October 16, 217 restaurants in German-speaking Switzerland donated a portion of their proceeds to nutrition projects run by the children’s aid organization Terre des hommes. Anyone who dined at one of the participating restaurants on World Food Day helped support children suffering from hunger in 15 of the world’s poorest countries. The campaign was publicized as a goodwill initiative by the Zurich-based advertising agency Galbucci.
Lucky’s latest stunt. «Push The Button» is the name of Lucky Strike’s newest lifestyle gimmick. For the first time in the history of the cigarette pack, the brand’s latest invention focuses not on the visual design but on the technical and playful aspects. A simple press of the logo opens the cigarette pack. The «Push The Button» pack is being launched to celebrate British American Tobacco’s 100th anniversary and is available in Switzerland starting now. It’s a matter of chance who ends up with an exclusive «Push The Button» pack, as the handcrafted pack is mixed in with the regular packs in a limited edition. For
50,000 units have been reserved for Switzerland. This is also a good opportunity to recall that the Lucky Strike logo was originally designed by Raymond Loewy, the «father of modern industrial design.» He also created the Shell logo, the Coca-Cola bottle, and the design of the Greyhound buses.
Salz & Pfeffer: Clearing the Way for the Future. Edition Salz & Pfeffer AG has appointed Robert Meier Sr. as its new Chairman of the Board of Directors. A close friend of the late Daniel E. Eggli, who is also Chairman of the Board of Directors at Horego AG (a purchasing cooperative for the Swiss hospitality industry, schools, residential facilities, and hospitals), will lead the publishing house into the future, Publishing Director Romeo Brodmann told WerbeWoche. The remaining members of the Board of Directors were also reappointed at last Wednesday’s annual general meeting (after this issue went to press). Since Eggli’s passing, there has been confusion surrounding the ownership structure and the future of the hospitality publishing house. Voting rights have now been adjusted so that Meier holds the majority. The previous Board of Directors, consisting of Sikander von Bhicknapahari (Board Chairman), Helmut Koch (Board Delegate), and Richard Altdorfer, has resigned en masse. «This was necessary to allow for the transformation process at Salz & Pfeffer,» said Brodmann. In principle, nothing will change regarding the products of Edition Salz & Pfeffer AG. However, a gradual «de-Egglization» of the publications’ content is on the horizon. Lovers of grammatical correctness can breathe a sigh of relief.
Art on the Head. The saying «Figaro, stick to your scissors» has long since ceased to apply to Zurich’s trendy hair artist Mondo Valentino. Now the hairstylist, who has long been an active player in the events scene, is also breaking into the advertising industry. Not as a career changer, however, but in a logical and relevant way. Valentino has been selected by the international brand Goldwell to orchestrate a new global image campaign for the company in the field of hair care. The high-end hairdressing industry has long regarded its craft as an applied art. Goldwell is now seizing this opportunity to break new ground in advertising with the Goldwell Art Collection. «Rarely has a global image campaign been realized by Swiss professionals in Switzerland,» says Ogilvy Public Relations, which is overseeing the campaign’s communications strategy. The global advertising campaign was brought to life by the Lucerne-based photography duo Alex Gertschen and Felix Meier. Their 20 images have been constructed as three-dimensional installations and will soon be featured as advertisements in the global press and as decorative in-store posters.
Powerful bass. In the youth segment, Panasonic is consistently continuing down the path of emotional and nonverbal communication that it successfully embarked upon a few years ago. The latest ad promotes headphones that feature an extra-powerful bass system. «Revival» is the name of the concept, which was devised by Jung von Matt/Limmat. «Just like with the ear cup-belly button concept, there’s only one goal here: to get music under your skin,» says Creative Director Daniel Meier about his concept.

Lounge is a welcome niche product for the luxury goods industryThe new lifestyle magazine from the small French-speaking Swiss publisher Artist Edition SA has been eagerly awaited. The bilingual magazine, which is also looking for an audience in German-speaking Switzerland, has now seen the light of day at two presentations in Lausanne and Zurich. Lounge adds a cheerful splash of color to the rather gloomy overall economic picture - but still needs to improve in terms of content. media experts and advertisers unanimously praised the layout, the typography and the quality of the photos. Above all, they pointed out that the aesthetics corresponded to the sister product Eveil Culturel - the bilingual music magazine from the same publishing house. "A lot for the eye," said Flo Kernmayer from Hermès Communication in Geneva. Christine Barnaud from Mediaedge|CIA was taken with the original fashion photos in combination with designer furniture.
However, they are more cautious when it comes to assessing the editorial content. It is difficult to make a judgment based on just one issue. Although the material meets the expectations of lifestyle magazine readers, it certainly needs to be developed further, says Barnaud. Sebastien Fabi from OMD Nyon is also of the opinion that the texts need to be a little more substantial. However, he finds the balance between image and text successful and reader-friendly.
However, the English-language résumé at the end of the magazine is a problem. Fabi sees this summary more as a language link, as Swiss-German and French-speaking people often communicate in English. Laurence Saas from Micom Carat in Zurich considers an English summary to be meaningless for readers in Switzerland. She also finds it a shame that this résumé is visually inferior to the aesthetic standard of the magazine. However, Lounge publisher Nicole Steffen is pursuing a completely different goal with the English-language summary: in future, Lounge will be available in airports and distributed on airplanes.
Mediawoman Saas has noticed a great need for advertising platforms such as those offered by Lounge among advertising clients in the luxury goods sector. International advertising clients do not understand why there are so few glamor magazines in Switzerland. From this point of view, Lounge is an excellent niche product, Steffen is convinced.
Anita Vaucher
30000 targeted

Lounge, magazine for lifestyle, design, living & music - as the subheading specifies - is distributed with a circulation of 30,000 copies in western Switzerland and - from November - also in German-speaking Switzerland. The first issue was enclosed free of charge to subscribers of Eveil Culturel, also an Artist Edition title. Four to six issues are planned for 2003.

Guye Benker stages happy employees for the online platform JobwinnerNot a cage full of fools, but a colorful bus full of hippies shines down from billboards in Bern and Basel. The singing and dancing people are not looking forward to the Stones world tour - they are getting in the mood for a new working day. This paradisiacal vision of the working class comes from the Guye Benker creative department, which aims to help the Tamedia online platform Jobwinner.ch gain more clicks outside the greater Zurich area. "So that you enjoy going back to work. www.jobwinner.ch" is the headline's promise to working people, trying to stir up hope where there is none. The colorful flower-power scenery of the Zurich agency stands in stark contrast to the black figures of the labor market: According to the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, 15,1503 job seekers were registered in September, 8,267 jobs were reported as vacant. UBS economists also describe the outlook for the labor market as "worrying", as they write in the latest UBS Outlook.
Make love, not war - also applies to the way to work
With the colorful and cheerful implementation, the agency team around CD André Benker opposes the gloomy market environment. The advantages of the job portal should be communicated in one image and, above all, radiate cheerfulness as an antithesis to the dreary working day. Hippie authenticity was provided by photographer Michael Joseph, who captured the young Rolling Stones on celluloid a good 40 years ago.
The current regional campaign aims to anchor the job platform from the Winner family more firmly in the Bern and Basel economic areas, according to Product Manager Catrin Rubenson. The portal, which has been online since January 2000, recorded 2.5 million page views by September, generated by 260000 visitors - more than double the previous year's figure. The number of registered jobs amounted to 2200.
The claim "New jobs every day" aims to encourage not only jobless people but also employees with permanent jobs to click on Jobwinner.ch. Just out of curiosity, as Guye Benker explains. In addition to the hippie motif, two text ads claiming: "Happy is he who forgets that he is only an employee" or "Luckily it will soon be Monday again". With so much optimism, the question arises as to whether the creative minds that came up with these sentences have not rather developed a "Monday campaign"? Simone Keller

Eric Forsthoefel What was the last cultural event you attended?
Eric Forsthoefel: The CannesRolle in the Maag-Areal.
What are you reading right now?
Forsthoefel: A biography of John Adams - and detective novels.
Which CD do you currently prefer to listen to?
Forsthoefel: The new one by Elvis Costello.
Which movie would you most like to see again?
Forsthoefel: I can watch "Glengarry Glen Ross" by David Mamet over and over again.
What TV show did you fall asleep during the other night?
Forsthoefel: CNN coverage of the economic situation and the Iraq crisis. Wait: That was exactly what prevented me from falling asleep...
What is your latest discovery on the Internet?
Forsthoefel: Rhapsody on lis ten.com.
What could you never do without?
Forsthoefel: Magnum Almond Glace.
What do you do in a free minute?
Forsthoefel: Surf to www.theoni on.com.
Love is...?
Forsthoefel: Travel and experience the world with your partner and best friend.

AZ Media Group boss leaves partners in the dark about possible CR changeThere is unrest in the court of Aargau media czar Peter Wanner because he apparently wants to replace the editor-in-chief of the Aargauer Zeitung (AZ), Hans Fahrländer, with Markus Gisler. Wanner does not deny the rumors. And offends the editorial team, Fahrländer and his fellow publishers from the Mittelland Zeitung association. When Fahrländer took up the post of AZ Editor-in-Chief (CR) in 1998, he declared his intention to remain in office for a maximum of eight years. A month ago, he gave the editorial team a mid-term review: "On to the second term of office" was his battle cry. A few days later, a rumor circulated that publisher Peter Wanner wanted to replace Fahrländer with former Cash editor-in-chief and ex-Moneycab CEO Markus Gisler. Because Wanner was on vacation, Fahrländer and the AZ editorial team were left in the dark for days. On his first working day after his vacation, on October 14, publisher Wanner made a statement: He confirmed "non-binding talks" with Gisler. The latter has "media experience at an operational and strategic level that could be useful to the AZ Media Group", whereby "various options" are conceivable for Gisler's possible involvement, wrote Wanner, who expressly "does not wish to comment further" on the talks.
However, Wanner's communiqué raises more questions than it answers. Fahrländer is not mentioned at all, not to mention a commitment to the incumbent CR. A conversation with Wanner on October 14 does not seem to have clarified anything for the CR. He told WerbeWoche that he did not know at the moment what would happen next, which made working with the editorial team considerably more difficult.
The matter is also causing trouble in the Mittelland Zeitung (MZ) association. This is because the AZ-CR is also the CR of the MZ shell section. The publishers of the Solothurner Zeitung and the Oltner and Zofinger Tagblatt (ZT) therefore also have a say in any change of AZ-CR. "Wanner won't do anything without us," says ZT director Hans Gresch. But Gresch, who was also on vacation last week, first heard about the rumors on October 15 - via WerbeWoche; he hadn't even received Wanner's statement by then. But he was at least able to say this much: up to now, a change of AZ-CR had never been discussed in the MZ publishers' council, which meets roughly every three months.
A disgruntled Rudolf Rentsch, Director of Vogt-Schild/Habegger, was reluctant to comment. "We discuss all important issues in the publishers' council," he simply said. Arthur Tabeling, Director of Oltner Tagblatt, was unavailable due to his vacation. And Markus Gisler, current member of the Board of Directors at Jean Frey AG and Finanzfachmarkt AG, did not return calls by the editorial deadline.
Markus Knöpfli

The Publicitas index fell by 1.5 points to 110.1 points in September. "P" index falls more sharply again After slowing down somewhat in the summer, the decline is now picking up speed again. In addition to a seasonal effect, Publicitas believes the main reason for this is the slump in job advertisements. Their index fell by 9.9 points to 190.9 points.
Marquard acquires Playboy in Poland The Swiss publishing house Marquard Media takes over the Polish publisher of the men's magazine Playboy. The previous shareholders of VIPress will remain in office as managing directors. Marquard Media has been publishing Playboy in Hungary since spring 2000. Following the takeover, Jürg Marquard's publishing house now publishes nine titles in Poland with a total readership of 4.5 million.