He certainly stands out—Rupert, who makes women and men dream and loves to quote Oscar Wilde. He even looks magnificent in an ad—unlike Fergie, who is padding her bank account by, paradoxically, promoting an investment firm. Which of the two would you entrust your money to? Exactly—probably Mrs. Ferguson, whose spending sprees are regularly tallied in the tabloids. Rupert Everett isn’t posing as «Othello» in the ad, but rather for the London jewelry store Garrard—the finest establishment on the square, whose main clients are likely residents of Buckingham Palace—once Fergie’s home… so much for investing and all that! Chandra Kurt [email protected]
Column

Instead of Flowers By Michael Barney
When this issue comes out, it will be my art director’s birthday. His name is Reto Leierer, and in addition to all the birthday wishes, he deserves my utmost respect. For he is not only a great talent, but also a person of exceptional kindness. And that’s something you rarely find in this world of vanity and self-promoters. Since his mother is from Germany, he understands a few idioms that are known only in the land of Goethe, Schiller, Benjamin von Stuckrad-Barre, and Harald Schmidt. And since his father used to work in the hotel industry, we have great conversations about grand hotels. And because his girlfriend’s zodiac sign is Scorpio—which is also mine—we get along great. September is a month packed with birthdays for me. My sister, Sylvia, celebrated hers on the 7th. She’s a sweetheart and loves dogs more than anything. And she’s just annoyed that U.S. President Bush’s dog happens to be named Barney. My ex-wife, Petra, has her birthday on the 21st. And if she hadn’t chosen another man back in 1980, I’d still be living in that townhouse with a garden in Herford, Westphalia. And I would never have ended up writing a column here. So it wasn’t so bad after all. And there’s someone else who’s very dear to me whose birthday is in September: Ilonka, art buyer at JvM/Limmat. She’s not only exceptionally beautiful, but also smart. And she has formidable taste. A combination that’s hard to come by. And if a magazine or TV station ever asked me who or what I’d take with me to a desert island, I’d say Ilonka. Sorry, Reto, Sylvia, and Petra.
Michael Barney is a senior copywriter at Lowe in Zurich.
Business lunch

A thoroughly unsocialist pleasure. There’s a touch of coquetry right in the name. LaSalle—that’s not a nod to the socialist Ferdinand, since his name had two S’s in it. So it’s *la salle*, the dining room. Presumably—otherwise this column would have to be on a different page right away.
Since it opened in September 2000, the «Saal» has been packed to the brim almost every evening. No wonder—the Schiffbau has become a mecca of Zurich culture, so before the show, people head to this glass-walled structure under construction to dine, where a magnificent Murano chandelier in the center magically draws the eye. And you’ll be glad to know that the owners—Claudine Brunner and Walter Schmid—don’t make a big deal out of the food.
Because the shipyard is located in the Westend district of the city, where many communications professionals—and those aspiring to become one—have already set up shop, the «LaSalle» is a popular spot at lunchtime
as the unofficial canteen for the cultural and communications professionals in this neighborhood, which has shed the working-class vibe of the 1950s. Another point in favor of having lunch at this location is the not insignificant fact that you can dine in relative peace and quiet without having to listen to the cultural chatter at the next table.
But you can look forward to Walter Schmid’s no-frills cuisine—even if he isn’t in the kitchen himself, he’s the one who decides what goes on the plate and how it’s prepared. As for the kind of cuisine served at «LaSalle,» we’d still have to come up with a name for it. Ethnic food? Nonsense. Global fusion? That might pass. In any case, a papaya salad with sheep’s cheese and shrimp would be hard to pin down geographically. Schmid sums it up succinctly: «Mediterranean, the whole world, cuisine du marché.».
Never mind. The Crespelle alla Fiorentina were delicious, even though the béchamel sauce was a bit heavy-handed. The veal liver stir-fry with herbs and shallots, rice, and vegetables was a treat—partly because the liver was tender (and not my own). And the white chocolate parfait with caramel-lime sauce smelled wonderful, because the sauce balanced out the chocolate’s overwhelming sweetness. In short. A lunch at the Glashütte, with its white cloth tablecloths and quick service, is highly recommended. After all, the price and quality here are perfectly balanced.
A word about the wine: The selection of wines by the glass is quite extensive. Four to five white wines and five to six red wines. The cellar houses Sicilian wines and bottles from all over the world. «No flashy brands—we try to avoid those,» says Schmid.
Carlo Bernasconi
[email protected]
LaSalle – Restaurant & Bar, Schiffbaustrasse 4
8005 Zurich
Tel. 01 258 70 71
Fax 01 259 70 71
Evaluation

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

In addition, Ringier press spokesman Fridolin Luchsinger will be stepping down at the end of September. At the same time, he is also stepping down as General Secretary of the Group Executive Board. The 63-year-old had already announced in August that he intended to retire at the end of the year. Luchsinger will continue to head the Ringier School of Journalism until April 2004. Myrta Bugini, Head of Communications, will take on the role of Press Spokesperson on an interim basis. A successor as General Secretary is not yet in sight.
Chris Flückiger, Managing Director of Universal McCann in Geneva, will be leaving the agency at the end of October. He will be succeeded by Marco Rose, who has been with the Geneva agency for around seven years.
The Bern-based advertising agency Lang Gysi Knoll is expanding its management team with the addition of Creative Director Simone Quast.
Christoph Tonini takes over responsibility for Tamedia's finance division at the beginning of April 2003 and becomes a member of the Management Board. He replaces Patrick Eberle, who will step down at the end of March. Among other positions, Tonini was Head of Finance/Controlling at Ringier Europe in Zurich for two years and Head of Controlling at the Basler Mediengruppe. He has headed Ringier Romania and Ringier Hungary since September 2000.
At the beginning of the week, Patrick Jola took up a position as project manager at the consumer magazine Der Beobachter. He also works as an assistant to publishing director Peter Kümmerli. Jola was previously Head of Web Marketing at Ringier until this department was dissolved a year ago.
Liza Fiorentinos, previously CNN International's Sales Director for Switzerland, is moving to CNBC Europe. She will be responsible for the business channel as Regional Sales Director for France, Benelux and Switzerland. Her office is located in Paris.
The former Director Broadcast at media marketer IP Multimedia, Paolo Lococo, is leaving Switzerland at the end of the year. He is moving to Barcelona, where he will become CEO of the radio station 105.fm. According to Lococo, 105.fm
one of Spain's biggest scene channels and can be received as far away as Ibiza.
Sandra Bär joined the consultancy team at Zurich-based communications agency Viva at the beginning of September. The qualified advertising manager has 12 years of agency experience with a focus on tourism and service projects.

The Solothurner Tagblatt uses money and clever marketing ideas to generate circulation and subscriptions The Solothurner Tagblatt uses money and clever marketing ideas to generate circulation and subscriptions By Markus Knöpfli
A good nine months after its launch, the Solothurn split of the Berner Zeitung presents an ambivalent picture. Although the intensive marketing efforts have generated 1,500 subscribers, it still appears to have a weak foothold in the local advertising market. The Solothurner Tagblatt is therefore extending its "free death ads" campaign.
At the end of June, the Solothurner Tagblatt's (ST) "Four for Two" and "Free Death Ads" introductory campaigns were due to expire after a good eight months. But in the first few weeks of July, there was apparently a rethink: Several self-advertisements therefore announced that the "free death notices" campaign would be extended until December 31, 2002. And a further extension is quite possible, as Franziska von Weissenfluh, Publishing Director of the Berner Zeitung (BZ), suggests. The reason is clear: the number of obituaries indicates the local anchoring of a title more than almost any other element. Von Weissenfluh puts it this way: "For us, the obituaries are important reading material, but not the most important source of income."
However, the success of the free offer is - as before - relatively low: in July, WerbeWoche counted nine Solothurn obituaries that appeared exclusively in ST, in August there were only four. In terms of commercial advertisements, the ST counted eight full pages in July and nine in August based on a measurement by WerbeWoche - a figure confirmed by the publishing director. What is striking is that many smaller advertisements are repeated several times. But according to von Weissenfluh, no more discounts are granted here. Her assessment: "We are within budget, and compared to the long-established BZ-Split Oberaargau, for example, the ST has roughly the same volume of advertisements in the local market." In addition, the ST was primarily launched so that the BZ would be better able to compete in the national advertising market thanks to a larger circulation.
So while the ST earns little money from advertising or even does without it, it spends a lot elsewhere. Alongside the editorial office, the early delivery is undoubtedly the most important issue. Initially limited to Solothurn, Zuchwil and Biberist, it has now been extended to six other municipalities. Others will follow. In each newly developed area, ST is delivered free of charge to all households for six months. The success so far: around 1,500 subscribers - and in a few weeks, after a further conversion phase from test to fixed subscriptions, there should be around
be more.
A survey of subscribers also ran until September 16. The result: the majority are satisfied with the content, but 30% would like more local information. The response rate was 41%. No wonder: those who answered the questions received a voucher redeemable at Solothurn's local businesses. This also indirectly attracts advertisers.

By Beat FritschAnyone who travels to a congress in St. Moritz, as Swiss publishers and places close to them did last week, could gain important insights. However, we are not talking here about the primacy of avoiding campaign journalism, which Leipzig University professor Michael Haller preached on the basis of the Borer affair. Nor are we talking about the entrepreneurial advice of Dieter Stolte regarding cost reductions and editorial mergers. Nor is it about the need to improve FIFA's communication concept in the wake of the "Tschau-Sepp mud fight", which Joseph S. Blatter admitted somewhat late, but at least sprinkled ashes on his head, in front of the assembled publishers. Firstly, contrary to a widespread misconception, mountain air does not make you tired - on the contrary, you need much less sleep than at home! The observations made in the hotel bar, which was open until early in the morning, fully confirmed this thesis.
Secondly: high altitude air toughens you up - you can tolerate a lot more high-proof alcohol than usual. However, you also need a proportionally higher dose of Alka-Seltzer in relation to the altitude! Thanks to various voluntary self-experiments by congress participants, this assumption was also confirmed.
Thirdly, just because someone blows the alphorn in the mountain air doesn't make them a real mountain man. Hanspeter Danuser's alphorn trio proved this on Thursday evening on the Corviglia. The trio's line-up: one spa director, two Unterlanders.
Fourthly: mountain air is thinner than city air - it is therefore advisable to immediately and carefully ventilate all the tubes and bottles of beauty lotion, toothpaste and other items you have brought with you as soon as you arrive in the mountains. Otherwise, when opening the tube in the evening rush, the shoe polish will splash across the room directly onto the freshly ironed tuxedo shirt (this wisdom is thanks to an experimental arrangement by the shortlist author). However, thanks to the top service at Suvretta House, the resulting near-miss was immediately rectified.
The five-star residence also proved to be an excellent choice of conference venue in other respects. It was one of the most beautiful congresses, was the verdict of the participants. For Swiss Press President Hans Heinrich Coninx, the stay at the "Suvretta" also brought back personal memories. He was elected chairman of the association at this very venue exactly ten years ago. In addition to the congress presentations, there was also a ladies' program back then, the Tamedia Chairman of the Board of Directors recalled with a smile. Fortunately, courses in lace-making, knitting and herbalism are now a thing of the past, he explained in his speech at the Publisher's Night on Friday evening - which was met with laughter and applause, and not just from the ladies in attendance.
There was also a cheerful atmosphere in other respects. The only serious faces were the general assessments of the industry during the presentations. It's also possible that one or two people were thinking about the fall in the price of their personal share portfolio since the last congress. However, such thoughts were quickly dispelled in view of the St. Moritz panorama and the "Suvretta" ambience. After all, if you can meet and dine in such style, you can't be doing too badly!
Beat Fritsch

last week moved towards the "Top of the Media World", as the motto of the annual congress of the Swiss Press Association was based on the slogan of the St. Moritz venue. As usual, the conference brought together all the big names in the publishing scene.
We find out who else meets in the communications industry when an advertising party takes place. Do you already have something more exciting to report? Pick up the phone (01 296 97 98) or hit the keyboard (info@werbewoche .ch). For event tips and more shortlist images: www.werbewoche.ch

Press's share of K-Group sales declines steadilyBy Markus Knöpfli Sales of daily newspapers at newsstands are falling more sharply again. The K-Group sees the main reason in the relatively heavy discounting of the subscription price compared to the retail price. The publishers, on the other hand, give other reasons or play the ball back to Kiosk AG.
Valora's half-yearly report for the first half of 2001 nevertheless indicated that newspaper sales at the kiosks had continued to fall, but that the decline was leveling off. By contrast, magazine sales had almost stabilized. This is not the case in the current half-year report: there is no mention at all of developments in the press at K-Group kiosks (see box).
On inquiry, Valora spokeswoman Stefania Misteli merely states that the press division accounts for some 30% of K-Group sales in Switzerland and has only just matched the previous year's result. This means that the share of press sales in K-Group's total sales in Switzerland has continued to fall; last year it still accounted for around 33%.
The reason: a "sharp" decline in sales of daily newspapers and special-interest titles, according to Misteli. For seven unspecified daily newspapers that K-Group regularly monitors, the average drop in sales was 6%. There is no longer any talk of a flattening decline. Magazines, youth magazines and comics, on the other hand, had increased.
Inquiries with the major dailies confirm these figures. Blick publishing director Bruno Blaser did not give any figures for newsstand sales of his title in the first half of 2002, and Dietrich Berg, Tages-Anzeiger publishing director, also spoke only of "almost identical numbers of copies sold as a year ago". At the Neue Luzerner Zeitung (NLZ), on the other hand, the decline compared with the corresponding period last year was 0.59%, at the Basler Zeitung 7.1% and at the NZZ 10%. The only positive report came from the St.Galler Tagblatt (SGT): 8% more newspapers were sold at newsstands.
But why are fewer daily newspapers being bought at newsstands again overall? Misteli cites a bouquet of reasons. The two most important ones are that because publishers have not raised the subscription price to the same extent as the retail price in the past, the newspaper subscription has become even more interesting for buyers. In addition, newspaper mergers would reduce the supply and thus also the retail sales (EV). And because of the negative economic development, fewer newspapers are being bought and the individual papers are being used more than once. Finally, Misteli also mentions electronic media.
Better support at the kiosk would be desirable
WerbeWoche presented these theses to the publishing directors of the major dailies - Blick, SonntagsBlick (SoBli), BaZ, SGT, NZZ, Tages-Anzeiger and NLZ responded. However, they did not want Misteli's theses to stand. One thing, however, should be said here in advance: If one compares the subscription and EV price development of the above-mentioned titles over five years (from 1998), it becomes apparent that the EV price was indeed increased more - by an average of 15.5% - than the subscription price (+ 11%).
But there are also exceptions: Blick and SGT's EV prices have remained constant since 1998 (1.50 and 2 francs, respectively), while their subscriptions have become more expensive by 5.38% and 12.1%, respectively. This and the fact that the SGT, of all titles, with its constant price since 1998, was the only one to increase by 8% this year, at least support Misteli's main thesis.
While Daniel Ehrat, head of the SGT publishing house, did not want to comment on this, Berg sees hardly any correlation between subscription price/EV price and newsstand sales and points to Germany: "Although subscriptions are traditionally 20 to 30 percent more expensive there than here, declining trends in EV can also be observed." NZZ Publishing Director Tobias Trevisan takes a different view: although he believes a connection is possible, he does not give it much weight. After all, the NZZ's EV price has remained constant for three years, yet it has lost money at the newsstand. At the same time, however, the NZZ gained subscribers, even though the subscription price was increased annually. The BaZ argues similarly.
"We see the main reason for the circulation shift from EV to subscription in the more intensive market cultivation in the subscription channel, which is due to better cost efficiency," Trevisan writes. Which - interpreted somewhat pointedly - probably means: K-Group is doing (too) little for daily newspapers. Bettina Schibli, press spokeswoman of LZ Medien, expresses herself more neutrally: "The NLZ is a subscription newspaper ... the EV is not specifically advertised, since we concentrate on the subscription market." On the other points, Schibli roughly follows Misteli's arguments. Daniel Fasnacht of BaZ primarily cites competition from free newspapers and the negative economic development. And he describes the other reasons cited by the K-Group as "not applicable.
Hardly any numbers

K-Group figures for the first half of 2002 are sparse in Valora's half-year report. K-Group sales in Switzerland and Germany rose by 9.9% to CHF 965.27 million, accounting for 64% of Valora's total sales. In addition, 900 new customers have purchased goods from the K-Group since the beginning of the year. That's it. Sales figures for Switzerland are not available even on request. Valora spokeswoman Stefania Misteli merely adds that the increase in sales was achieved despite a tense market situation and subdued consumer spending in Germany. This means that the 9.9% increase in sales was generated exclusively in Switzerland.

Wigra Media is now marketing the interior advertising of SBB intercity trainsBy Andreas Panzeri In future, advertising customers will be able to select the city-to-city route network specifically with so-called SBB Rail Posters and thus achieve more than three million contacts in seven days. Wigra Media AG is now responsible for marketing the SBB Rail Posters.
Wigra Media AG in Zurich has been the exclusive provider of advertising space in the leisure and mobility sectors for 27 years. Due to the increasing mobility behaviour of the Swiss population, Wigra Media has specialized in advertising opportunities at locations with high frequency (POT - Point of Traffic), for example at mountain railroads and other excursion destinations. The company has now expanded its product range to include a further POT offering. Wigra Media has been awarded the exclusive marketing rights for interior advertising on SBB intercity trains (IC).
The posters, measuring 56 centimetres x 42 centimetres, have been mounted in exclusive, vandal-proof aluminum frames in all SBB IC coaches since August. In total, more than 2000 rail poster advertising options are available in the 1st and 2nd class of IC trains.
The annual frequency of these IC trains is "enormous", as Wigra says promisingly. "With a weekly display and a maximum occupancy of 750 rail posters, the advertiser reaches more than one million passengers," calculates Managing Director Hansruedi Häusermann. Another advantage is the long-term contact, as journeys on the IC usually last more than an hour. Because every passenger has to see the poster at least three times when boarding, during the journey and when alighting, according to conservative estimates, Wigra can assume a total of more than three million contacts per week.
These estimates are based on SBB's passenger counts. With a total of 300 million passengers per year, they have counted at least 55 million in IC coaches. With 800 coaches, over the course of a week this results in
proven 1375 guests per IC coach.
The placement costs are calculated at CHF 13,300 for 250 posters per week or CHF 3,900 for the 750 posters in the above example, which corresponds to a 1000 kW of CHF 13. Various discounts are available for longer placements. As the trains run across language borders, 80 percent German and 20 percent French posters are recommended on the trains from St. Gallen to Geneva, for example.
Hansruedi Häusermann also sees the fact that the advertising customer has "for the first time the opportunity to place its campaign specifically in the leisure and mobility environment", i.e. separately from regional transport, as a plus.
The target groups addressed are defined as mobile, active and consumer-friendly. As the poster is displayed weekly from Monday to Sunday evening, advertising for weekend events or weekly promotions is also given an ideal platform.
As a provider of advertising space in the leisure and mobility sectors, Wigra Media AG also holds the exclusive marketing rights for advertising on Swiss mountain railroads. The 130 mountain railroads managed exclusively by Wigra carry 61 million passengers per year. According to a Konso study commissioned by Wigra Media, these posters in the mountain railway cabins primarily address the otherwise hard-to-reach young target groups.
According to the study, the average attention paid to advertising on the steep mountainside is 58%. 67 percent of people who feel addressed by cabin advertising are younger than 25. "When the Swiss cities are empty in winter, advertisers find their target group in the mountains," says Hansruedi Häusermann.
"Mr. and Mrs. Swiss have never been as mobile as they are today," Wigra is convinced. The growing trend towards mobility is reason enough for the media agency to offer POT advertising opportunities in as many high-traffic locations as possible. These include SBB train stations, for example, which have now grown into important economic centers in Switzerland thanks to commuter traffic. The six largest railroad stations in Switzerland alone generate over one billion Swiss francs in sales every year, and Zurich's main railway station is already the fourth highest-selling shopping center in Switzerland with annual sales of 349 million Swiss francs.
With this in mind, Wigra Media also offers advertising on SBB printed matter such as subscription covers or timetables with a circulation of over 30 million.

In Switzerland, 1500 mystery shoppers are on the road for Shopcontrol's market researchBy Andreas Panzeri Since July, the German market research company Shopcontrol has also had an office in Zug. Over 1500 mystery shoppers are already on the move throughout Switzerland. As anonymous average customers, they analyze quality and service in service companies ranging from department stores and petrol stations to hotels and call centers.
The use of mystery shoppers has been part of everyday life for service providers in the USA for years. Shopcontrol has also been offering a similar service in Germany since 1998 and has quickly developed into a leading company in this field with over 18,000 mystery shoppers. The company has now also expanded into Switzerland. Shopcontrol already coordinates 1500 mystery shoppers from Zug. The plan is to expand this base to around 5000 mystery shoppers over the next twelve months.
They record their subjective impressions from shopping trips through department stores, petrol stations, restaurants and hotels or their tests with online stores and call centers in detail in an Internet questionnaire. The results of Shopcontrol's evaluation provide client companies and their tested employees with valuable information from the customer's perspective.
Shopcontrol was born out of the realization that competition for customers is becoming increasingly fierce. "It is no longer possible to stand out from the competition solely on the basis of product or price," says Shopcontrol, explaining the concept. The purchase decision is therefore mainly influenced positively or, in the worst case, negatively by quality and service aspects. This is where mystery shopping comes in with the use of 18- to 80-year-old amateur test shoppers.
First major customers are already shopping anonymously
These shopping spies assess the presentation of goods, advice, website and services incognito. As "real customers", they can discover the problematic areas for the analyzed company at the front line. Internal processes are to be optimized thanks to the data collected by Shopcontrol. The staff tested can be better trained in weak areas based on the observations. "The idea of control or even the classification of staff into good and bad employees must not and should not be in the foreground," explains René A. Feldbauer, Managing Director at Shopcontrol.
The method developed by the market research company is based on state-of-the-art logistics. All test shoppers have private Internet access. The entire process, from delivering the questionnaire and answering it to the final evaluation, is carried out exclusively via this medium. "This means that assignments can be carried out at very short notice and without any problems," promises Feldbauer.
Mystery shoppers who are sent out on tour are selected according to zip code and profession. From students to housewives to doctors, all professions are represented in the database. Of course, the "agent boss" of the mystery shoppers doesn't want to say much about his customers. However, large companies in the retail and telecommunications sectors are already included.

Serious efforts by online marketers for generic marketingBy Stefano Monachesi Media Focus attributes only 0.35 percent of the Swiss advertising pie to banner advertising. A worryingly low figure for a medium used by half the population. Online marketers have recognized the signs of the times: With a German-style campaign, they want to remind advertisers of the massive reach of the Internet. And that is supposed to be just the beginning of joint generic marketing.
In Germany, eleven providers and marketers of online advertising space have taken the initiative. At the end of August, they launched a banner campaign that uses testimonials to highlight the Internet's strong reach. Anyone who clicks on one of the banners is directed to the website of the Online Marketing Düsseldorf trade fair. The trade show on October 1 and 2 marks the end of the campaign, which is also supported by ads in the industry press.
The participating marketers AOL, Bauer Media, Gruner+Jahr EMS, GWP Online Marketing, Interactive Media, IP Newmedia, Quality Channel, SevenOne Interactive, Tomorrow Focus, Web .de, and Yahoo! are providing around 300 ad impressions worth EUR 6 million.
Here in Germany, generic marketing has so far only been carried out sporadically by individual marketers on their own. Yet an organization for online advertising would have been in place for a long time: The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), which has been functioning as a working group of the Swiss Interactive Media and Software Association (Simsa) since June 2001.
The German campaign has now shaken up the IAB. At the end of August, Martin Radelfinger, chairman of the Simsa/IAB working group and CEO of marketer Adlink, discussed with René Schmutz, director of the AG für Werbemedienforschung (Wemf), whether a similar campaign would be feasible on the data basis of the new MA Net. With success: "Within a few weeks" a Swiss version of the German generic marketing campaign would be launched, Radelfinger revealed to WerbeWoche.
It will closely follow the German model. The IAB has reached an agreement with the Munich advertising agency Q AG that the concept and creation may be adopted from the north. This includes a focus on reach under the claim "Every second person is online. Your advertising isn't?". However, the testimonials will be re-photographed in Switzerland. The campaign runs under the umbrella of Simsa and IAB in cooperation with Wemf. Behind it are the online marketers and brokers Active Agent and Media Agent, Adlink, Publicitas Web Services and Publimedia Webadvertising.
Simsa/IAB is planning even more marketing measures
Advertising on the Internet has been in crisis since the summer of 2001. Why did it take a year for the industry to agree on coordinated generic marketing? For Reto Hartinger, Head of Marketing at Search .ch, one thing is clear: "There has been no generic marketing in Switzerland so far, because online marketers have always been very divided." They had discussed with each other, but nothing had come to fruition. Before its integration into Simsa, Search.ch was a member of the IAB. Hartinger: "We paid a lot of dues for it, but absolutely nothing happened!"
In fact, in August 2001, after the integration, the IAB had presented a plan with information events for advertisers, agencies and journalists. An Online Advertising Award was planned as the highlight. According to Radelfinger, a campaign was also discussed, which was to prove the high regard for the Internet with accompanying research. However, this plan went down without a sound. "The consolidation of the industry got in the way," Radelfinger explains the reasons.
With closures, restructuring and mergers, the industry was very busy with itself. "That's why the decision was made in the IAB that the timing was unfavorable, and we postponed the measures."
Now the time seems ripe again for a strong commitment. The Simsa/ IAB reach campaign based on the German model is to be just the first step. Under the auspices of the electronic media interest group (Igem), Radelfinger says the idea of an "online version of Angie Becker" is also being revived to demonstrate the advertising effectiveness of the Web. Even the Online Advertising Award is in the pipeline again.
This means that the Swiss web marketers should soon have overtaken the German model. According to press spokeswoman Nadia Elias, this is the first time that "the premier league of German online marketers has come together for a large-scale campaign." Until now, there has been no industry organization. That's about to change: "We're in the process of forming," says Elias with a smile, "give us some more time!"

"The internet has no memory service - unless you create one." Under this motto, the organizers of the Zurich Interactive Publishing Congress collected screenshots from the homepage of online media on 11 and 12 September. 230 snapshots of crisis reporting were archived and have since been visited by 400,000 web users. The "September 11" collection is a non-profit project. www.interac tivepublishing.net/september
Retail Trade Switzerland 2002/03 On 400 pages, the freshly printed documentation "Retail Trade Switzerland 2002/03" has collected the latest data on all important organizations of the Swiss retail and specialist trade. The Swiss Marketing Forum promises "up-to-the-minute information" with organization charts, addresses and telephone numbers including contact persons. A set of charts with over 40 graphics contains information on the population and economy, the convenience market, store concepts, wholesalers, department stores, specialist stores and much more. The complete documentation costs CHF 380, the chart set with various graphics on CD or foil CHF 250. The book can be ordered from maria.flueler@ ihagfk.ch.
A beautiful, casual design What happens, editors Christoph Doswald, Cornel Windlin and Migros Culture Percentage asked themselves, when you ask complete strangers on the street for their favorite recipe? Of course, a cookbook: "Choucroute au curry par hasard" is the name of it. The special thing about it is the design by Cornel Windlin, a top shot in the industry: laid out like a school exercise book with red lines and ballpoint pen drawings by Claudia and Julia Müller, the design gives the book the kind of emotion that you never find in stylish cookbooks. Probably because the soul of the people, discovered by chance, shows its inner self: love that goes through the stomach... The book is published by Christoph Merian Verlag (ISBN 3-85616-166-X).

Health insurance premiums are on everyone's mind, except for the health insurance companies' advertisingBy Ernst Weber Because the premiums for compulsory health insurance have been an increasing burden on policyholders for years, the image of health insurance companies is crumbling more and more. But instead of using communication to correct this image, this year's fall appearances by the health insurance companies are once again presenting an ideal world.
The healthcare system is in a bad way. Six years after it came into force and two years after the first partial revision of the Health Insurance Act (KVG), all therapeutic approaches to curb costs, which have been spiralling for years, have not achieved the desired results. Basic insurance premiums continue to rise by around 10 percent per year.
Serge Ganz, member of the Seniors' Working Group for Justice and Solidarity in Healthcare, explains: "The premiums are reaching a level that many people can no longer cope with."
The cost increase not passed on in full
According to the statistics of the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO) on health insurance in 2000, the benefits paid by health insurers increased by 5.9% between 1999 and 2000. Depending on the administrative costs, which vary from fund to fund, between 93 and 95% of this amount was spent on payments to insured persons. 24.9% of all benefits went to doctors, 34.6% to hospitals, 20.9% to medicines, 9.5% to nursing care costs and 10.1% to other services such as physiotherapists, chiropractors and laboratories.
The health insurers unanimously affirm that basic insurance premiums "are a reflection of healthcare costs". As inflation is not passed on in full to policyholders, basic insurance has already been in deficit for years and compensating for the deficit, which has to be financed from reserves, is a real challenge.
"Our lemon has been squeezed," says Christian Beusch, Head of Corporate Communications at Helsana, for example, where basic insurance premiums account for around 70% of the total premium volume.
The health insurance companies' advertising is closed to the problem
What is striking now, shortly before this year's deadline for switching health insurers, is that although insurers are not the sole cause of constantly rising basic insurance premiums and the trend is obviously damaging their image, the problem has so far hardly featured in their advertising.
In order to appeal to new policyholders or policyholders who are about to switch insurers, the current fall campaigns show the same wholesome imagery as ever. Not one syllable of the campaigns gives the viewer the feeling that the insurers want to make a constructive contribution to curbing costs. And there is also no subject to be seen that attempts to motivate policyholders to refrain from hasty medical consultations.
The Lucerne health insurance company Concordia, for example, is advertising its conciliatory approach in a poster campaign. The motifs of the reference campaign designed by Ottiger & Partner, Reussbühl LU, show smiling policyholders who are clearly completely satisfied with the services provided by their insurer. The slogan "Life happens" underpins the insurance company's willingness to pay.
Even more light-hearted is a TV commercial by the Zolliker agency Pinx, which is intended to reinforce the family positioning of CSS health insurance. Accompanied by an emphatically sweet soundtrack, the film, which advertises student accident insurance in the appendix, tries to give the viewer the impression that CSS is the insurance company for all phases of life by jumping back and forth in time. Verbally, the positioning was implemented with the phrase "Security for every generation".
Only the health insurance company Atupri could be said to be indirectly addressing the problem in an ironic way. At the center of its autumn appearance is the clown Linaz, the same identification figure who communicated the renaming of the health insurance company SBB to Atupri in the branding appearance at the beginning of the year. While Linaz wore boxing gloves back then, in the current appearance a fair beauty is now pressing a victory kiss on his cheek. The headline "Atupri has many friends" explains how the reward came about.
The Federal Council intervenes in the recovery process
Politics stands between the "reality" of the health insurance fund administrators and the advertising campaigns. The Federal Council is also aware that the plight of the healthcare system must soon come to an end. At a closed meeting in Ittingen TG on May 22, it decided to reform health insurance in three stages as part of the ongoing second partial revision of the KVG.
According to the FSIO, the first short-term reform steps are
For example, working towards "better management of service volumes and the assessment of controversial services are important objectives". In future, for example, doctors should prove the relevance of an intended therapy by obtaining a second opinion.
In the medium term, for example, the Federal Council wants to support "the principle of a statutory social target for individual premium reductions". However, as it did not consider the premium burden ratio of 8% of income adopted by the Council of States to be suitable, it proposed a graduated model that is more compatible with the proposals made as part of the reorganization of financial equalization.
According to Marie-Therese Furrer, economist in the Tariffs and Service Providers department at the FSIO, proposed longer-term reform steps that would result in a major change to the system "will probably only be resolved in a third partial revision".
Ad Rating

Concordia campaign Have you ever read the ad raters' comments on the leuven pictures? The air is really shimmering in the savannah heat. I wonder if the colleagues will have more fun with the Concordia campaign - with the rising premiums? Please click on www. werbewoche.ch/adrating for more information.
Bank Leu campaign
Top: 23,11%
Flop: 76,89%
Praise and criticism of ad-raters summarized at www.werbewoche .ch/adrating/comments

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Huge.