Men have little to do in Annabelle Business, but they still exert their influenceBy Markus Knöpfli With Annabelle Business, Tamedia took a chance on a business magazine despite poor economic data - and won: The 216 pages include around 60 pages of advertisements and several supplements.
In terms of content, the new magazine aims to be "a platform for women who are making their way", writes editor-in-chief Christa Löpfe-Feldmann. And that's exactly what you'll find: Portraits of women who have climbed the career ladder in more or less specialized companies or who have had success on their own and now have something to say. Carol Franklin, the former managing director of WWF Switzerland, for example, or Poland's central bank chief Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz. But men remain outside. Only one "quota man", this time André Dosé, is allowed to answer questions on one page at the end of the magazine.
The women portrayed are ostensibly role models, encouragers and advisors. But in doing so, the Annabelle Business editorial team and the women described fall into a clichéd role in which they hardly wanted to see themselves: that of the (substitute) mother. This is cemented several times in the content: The women are portrayed benevolently throughout the volume, there are hardly any critical questions, neither about their professional activities nor their approach to life. A large section of the magazine almost imposes its advice: Annabelle Business "tells you what to look out for", gives tips, advises, shows, helps, tests.
But do (prospective) businesswomen really want seven pages of information on how MTV boss Catherine Mühlemann dresses for which occasion? Do they need 10 pages of buying tips - from comfortable thongs to practical suitcases? Do they really need 24 pages of business looks? Always high-priced, of course, as befits a manager. Or is this all just a service for the advertisers?
Löpfe is probably right when she writes that Annabelle Business is not an "emancipatory magazine". It is also true that "men do not appear in it". Nevertheless, their influence is unmistakable. Beauty, elegance and eroticism - the attributes that men often like to reduce women in executive positions to - often come through. And where this is not the case in the editorial section, the male point of view comes into play in the advertisements section: just under 20 cosmetics, 10 jewelry, 10 wellness and fashion advertisements are offset by 8 advertisements in the banking/insurance section, 3 for cars, 2 each for spirits and education, one for real estate and none for travel - hardly a coincidence.
Did the advertisers confuse Annabelle Business with Annabelle? Or was the advertising manager - a man, of course! - was simply hitting on advertisers in an overly masculine way? Career women are likely to feel - once again - that they are not being taken seriously.

APG Director Othmar Casutt and the BAK invite poster designers to competeBy Luca Aloisi After a two-year break, the "Poster of the Year" is to be resurrected. The Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) and the APG want to revive the design competition by opening it up to other countries, involving industry associations and introducing other innovations. Project manager Othmar Casutt on the reasons for the revival.
You are posing in front of an upswing poster, Mr. Casutt, which APG played a key role in creating as a committee member. Now APG also wants to help the "Poster of the Year" competition to flourish again as a sponsor. What will flourish first? Your competition or the economy?
Othmar Casutt: Clearly our competition.
Why are you so optimistic?
Casutt: Because the conditions for competition are better at the moment and we can influence them better. The economy depends on various external influences.
Did you have to do a lot of convincing at the FDHA and the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) to revive the competition?
Casutt: No, not at all. The collaboration was excellent. The initiative to redesign the competition came much more from the BAK itself.
What do you expect from the new competition?
Casutt: In the Swiss advertising market, posters are still much more important than in Europe (2001 market share of 10.8% according to Media Focus, editor's note). In addition, poster advertising in Switzerland is still at a very high level. As the market leader, we also have the task of doing something for the medium of outdoor advertising.
What innovations do you want to use to attract more participants?
Casutt: The most important point concerns the new weighting of commercial posters. After all, the previous competition "died" because advertisers no longer took part. With the new regulations, advertising posters will have two separate categories in addition to the culture and public service categories - individual subjects and series. This makes participation much more attractive for advertisers. Secondly, the relevant associations such as BSW, ASW and ADC are now also backing the competition. Thirdly, the new composition of the jury - with media experts, copywriters, photographers and others - is completely different.
They believe they can increase the number of participants again by involving additional industry associations and jurors. Similarly optimistic campaigns such as the upswing posters clearly show that the behavior of those addressed cannot be forced so easily.
Casutt: I am convinced that the realignment of the competition will not lead to potential participants being forced to take part. Our entry figures and the positive feedback are proof of this. Incidentally, the closing date for entries is the end of November. If the innovations in the "Poster of the Year" competition catch on better in the industry, then I am sure that we will be able to present a good selection.
A new assessment criterion is "communicating a message in a communicative and sustainable way". How do you intend to check this?
Casutt: In contrast to the old competition, where it didn't matter what the poster did, we now also want to take better account of advertising campaigns that triggered public debate. This is a very important change for the commercial category.
Controversial discussions as a benchmark for sustainability?
Casutt: I believe that this is feasible for posters where efficiency results are available. At this early stage, however, we are relying more on emotional than rational results, i.e. press clippings...
...which would certainly have won your Angie Becker campaign an award. What is the purpose of the new categorization?
Casutt: That you no longer have to compare apples with pears. Until now, the composition of the jury itself has led to difficulties in defining precise criteria for commercial or cultural posters. The guidelines for the designers of a cultural poster are often much broader than for those developing a commercial poster. This will now be much easier to distinguish. That is why there will now be one winner per category. The "Poster of the Year" will be chosen from these four category winners.
In view of the flood of awards and the prevailing economic downturn, the agencies have completely different problems and priorities than taking part in yet another competition.
Casutt: I see it differently: on the one hand, participation is free of charge for the agency. On the other hand, it is still a nice recognition for an agency to receive an award for the "Poster of the Year". Because now the agencies, creatives and graphic designers have a much greater say with the new judging mode and the more professional award ceremony.
The award has been given an international aura: in future, the term "Swiss" will no longer be used to describe the "Poster of the Year". How do you rate the chances that posters from abroad will now also be submitted?
Casutt: Not very big.
A marketing bluff then?
Casutt: No. The prerequisite is still that the poster has been displayed in Switzerland.
Only just under 700 posters were submitted for the last competition. How many do you expect this year?
Casutt: We don't expect much more in the start-up year, but a different weighting. We expect that the commercial customers will return and that they will account for at least half of all work.
www.apgsga.ch/kultur

The sports editors of the daily newspaper Blick are working on the concept of a sports talk show on Sat 1 Switzerland, with the weekly program bearing the "Blick" label in its name. The plan is to have discussion rounds with sports personalities, be they athletes, their managers, technicians or trainers, or even journalists. However, the project is "at a very early stage" and has not been approved by Ringier or the Board of Directors of Sat 1 Switzerland, it was reported. When asked, Marc Görtz, co-managing director of Sat 1 Switzerland and reportedly project manager of the sports talk show, stated that he knew nothing about such plans. And the head of the Blick sports editorial team could not be reached.
But WerbeWoche knows: A week ago, Roman Kilchsperger, presenter at Radio 24, was approached without obligation as a future presenter. Kilchsperger confirmed this on request. "It's a very loose deal," he told WerbeWoche. Kilchsperger already presents the program "Live ran", also in the Swiss Sat-1 program window.
The decision as to whether Sport-Talk will be broadcast will be made around the end of October. It is likely to be launched in January or February 2003. Ringier-TV would be responsible for production.
According to Marc Görtz, a people magazine from Schweizer Illustrierte (SI), also on Sat 1 Switzerland, is "on the right track". The launch is planned for February next year, with a broadcast slot on Mondays at 9 pm. However, funding from sponsors still needs to be secured before the final go-ahead by the end of October at the latest.
According to Görtz, Sat1Schweiz is also considering purchasing the "Sonic Sports" format, an extreme sports and lifestyle magazine for 14 to 24-year-olds. The two 30-minute reports will be produced by the company Eqal. "Sonic Sports" is to replace "Powderhouse", which had to be canceled in May. The go-ahead for the format is expected in the next two weeks. If it is given, Sat 1 Switzerland will initially purchase 40 episodes, two of which will be broadcast each week from the end of October. Görtz expressly described the new program as an "experiment." (mk)

Concordia continues to recruit low-risk patients for its basic insuranceThe health insurance companies are getting warmer: Fall is the time to cancel. Customer loyalty and customer acquisition are the essential goals of all advertising campaigns. If you don't want to be swept away by the death of health insurance companies, you have to use your advertising funds carefully: Too much communication gives the impression that the health insurer is throwing money out of the window for marketing. Out of sheer fear of criticism from premium payers, health insurers only dare to use one-size-fits-all, family-oriented campaigns. Like the Concordia campaign by Ottiger & Partner, for example. However, this is hardly likely to lure the young target audience. page 10

The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) have entrusted TBWA Switzerland with the marketing budget for the junior sector.budget news: TBWA wins SBB youth budget TBWA prevailed against Wunderman in the final round of the multi-stage pitch. TBWA CEO Markus Pekeler told WerbeWoche that his agency's experience in youth marketing (with clients such as McDonald's and Sony Playstation) probably spoke in its favor. "Disruptive solutions" proposed by TBWA were apparently also well received: "We didn't stick to the briefing on all points." The budget, which is being awarded by SBB for the first time in this form, includes integrated communication with strategic concepts, offline and online measures, database and direct marketing.
LGK gets a taste for Igeho The Bern-based agency Lang Gysi Knoll (LGK) convinced those responsible at MCH Messe Basel. In a pitch, LGK won the budget for Igeho, the international trade fair for communal catering, hotels and restaurants. Igeho takes place every two years at Messe Basel - in fall 2003 for the 20th time.
Bürgi & Partner looks after Audi The Swiss importer of Audi, Amag Automobil- und Motoren-AG, has awarded the advertising budget of the German premium brand to Bürgi & Partner. The Lenzburg advertising agency will create and coordinate all of Audi's classic advertising activities in Switzerland from 2003. It will accompany the multi-stage launch of the new Audi A8 in Switzerland, which will take place in November, and adapt the various pre-launch activities to the Swiss market.
Same client for KFS and Carré The event agency Carré Communication AG in Zurich and the PR agency Karl F. Schneider AG in Schlieren work together for Fritz Gegauf AG (Bernina sewing machine factory). The client from Steckborn TG engaged the two companies to organize a media conference and various events.
Meyer Schianchi wins Astej The Association Suisse du théâtre pour l'enfance et la jeunesse (Astej) has entrusted the Zurich advertising agency Meyer Schianchi with its communications budget. Astej unites over 180 theater professionals and groups from all over Switzerland who are professionally dedicated to theater for young audiences. Meyer Schianchi won the pitch and will develop a new logo and visual identity for the association in the first phase.
and redesign program announcements and the in-house newspaper. Further steps to raise awareness outside the circles involved are planned for next year.
Disney advertises with Armando Testa The Disney media group is planning a European advertising campaign for its animated television channel Disney Channel. The London branch of the Italian agency Armando Testa secured the budget of 13 million euros. It prevailed in a pitch against Lowe Alice (France), Wieden & Kennedy (UK), Romulo y Remo (Spain) and TBWA Germany, as reported by Brand Republic. The campaign will run with TV commercials, posters and advertisements in the home countries of the invited agencies.
Publicis drinks gin, kahlua and vodka The spirits producer Allied Domecq has entrusted Publicis with the global advertising budgets for three of its brands. Under the leadership of the London office, Publicis will be responsible for the Kahlua liqueur, Beefeater gin and Stolichnaya vodka. According to Advertising Age, the budgets were previously estimated at over 100 million dollars. However, this figure is likely to fall significantly as Allied Domecq wants to focus more on non-traditional forms of advertising. For this reason, the group parted ways with its previous account holder BBDO Worldwide Chicago, which is primarily known for creative traditional advertising.

ZKG wants to put the Turin-based car manufacturer's commercial vehicles in the fast lane with customersBy Luca Aloisi Falling sales, cost-cutting measures and ongoing squabbles over the leadership of Fiat have left serious damage to the Turin-based car manufacturer's image. Zogg Kettiger Gasser (ZKG), Fiat's new Swiss lead agency, wants to achieve a turnaround in brand perception with a mix of hard-selling and image messages.
The Fiat brand is currently under heavy pressure. Speculation about a possible sale of the car division made the rounds when the intensified earnings crisis in the vehicle division came up at the Annual General Meeting in mid-May. However, the situation is less dramatic following the sale of the aluminum unit. The restructuring of the Group, which has been organized into business units with a vertical structure for several months, is also providing a breath of fresh air. However, little of this has yet filtered through to end consumers.
The Fiat image must be redeveloped in the mind
Measured in terms of market figures, sales of Turin passenger cars and commercial vehicles have fallen at an above-average rate. In contrast to the relatively modest Swiss passenger car market
the commercial vehicle market has gained in importance at European level. The Association of Swiss Automobile Importers has seen sales of light commercial vehicles (under 3.5 tons) double in the last nine years. While 12522 new units were added to the small truck fleet in 1993, over 25300 new trucks rolled onto the domestic road network last year.
However, it is precisely this type of vehicle that is currently feeling the effects of the recession (-12%) the most. As a result, Fiat has also suffered, with its LCV sales falling by 23% in the first seven months. A consequence of unfortunate corporate reputation management?
"Today, cars with the Fiat logo are just as reliable as other brands, are among the leaders in terms of equipment and safety and offer excellent value for money," says Max Winiger, Fiat Account Supervisor and co-owner of the Zurich agency ZKG. "But the image of a brand develops in the mind of the consumer. And this is exactly where our job begins," he says, describing the challenge for the Turin-based client for whom ZKG delivered the Mitsubishi budget.
Clear road - the dream of all road users
With the blessing of Fiat in Turin, which Max Winiger is a little proud of, ZKG has now developed a new NF campaign. D'Arcy, one of Fiat's global lead agencies, uses the creativity of the individual countries and supports good concepts, explains Winiger, and: "This freedom is motivating."
Thanks to the incentive, a national print campaign has recently been launched that builds a bridge from the product to the image component, to the road shots from the driver's perspective. The aim is to create an emotional effect on open roads. The hard-selling message can be found on the road signs, which read 0% Leasing instead of place names. B12 posters will soon complement the advertising campaign.
At Fiat Switzerland in Geneva, Franz Wermelinger, who commissioned the campaign, expects an increase in sales: "The campaign also has a strong impact for us.
It has an image character and is part of a process that aims to bring about an image turnaround," he says. Wermelinger knows that a campaign alone cannot achieve the goal: "We recently introduced a new organizational structure with profit centre-like business units. Marketing and After Sales are now product-specific," which allows for a better customer focus, he adds.
The aim is to identify customer needs more quickly and process them in a more targeted manner. Fiat is also currently investing in dealer training. Wermelinger, who previously worked at Volvo Trucks and helped build up the Eastern European market for Ford, is confident. He believes that the previous year's figures will be reached by the end of the year. This would enable Fiat to confirm its position as number 4 on the Swiss commercial vehicle market behind Mercedes, VW and Renault, contrary to the declining sales trend, and gain market share.
Admittedly, Fiat's new image is still a far cry from Scholz & Friends' (S&F) Mercedes appearances, which position the brand unmistakably. At the opening of the International Motor Show for Commercial Vehicles in Hanover, an S&F advertisement posed the question: "What do commercial vehicles actually do for us?" The answer was given in a 12-page supplement of the Stuttgart-based global corporation in the Süddeutsche Zeitung: Commercial vehicles bring love, hope, joy, help and the newspaper - for example with the Love Parade truck, the aid convoy, the bus of the national football team, the fire engine or quite simply with the delivery van.

Jean-Jacques Roth has been the new editor-in-chief of the French-speaking Swiss daily newspaper Le Temps since September 1Head of the week "Le Temps will never earn its shareholders billions" He has long since buried his boyhood dream of becoming a chef d'orchestre, but now he is editor-in-chief. But he never aspired to this position in the first place. Jean-Jacques Roth has worked as deputy editor-in-chief at various media outlets in French-speaking Switzerland in the past. However, he hastens to add that he never regarded this status as a stepping stone to the editor-in-chief's chair. At Le Temps, too, the role of "rédacteur en chef adjoint" suited him just fine. He also had doubts about his competence and, what's more, he enjoys writing.
In the current predicament of Le Temps and the entire print media industry, he will probably no longer have time for this. Nevertheless, he obviously enjoys actively helping to shape the paper, which he claims corresponds exactly to his idea of the kind of newspaper he has dreamed of since the beginning of his career as a journalist.
However, such a career was not a priority for Jean-Jacques Roth. In addition to studying economics, he attended the conservatory in Geneva and graduated with a teaching diploma in piano. However, he never taught. He denied himself a career as a musician early on with the maxim: "Either I become another Maurizio Pollini, or I don't do it at all," he said to himself.
Just over four years ago, Roth, together with Erich Hoesli, the former editor-in-chief and current director, was Le Temps' man of the first hour. However, the newspaper had already had to lay off staff last November in order not to lose sight of its primary goal of getting into the black as quickly as possible. Roth is now fighting for the editorial quality of the newspaper with national appeal in French-speaking Switzerland.
He admits that staffing levels have reached a critical limit. However, Le Temps wants to ensure quality by working with Le Monde and the Belgian newspaper Le Soir. Roth is convinced that Le Temps has its place in the market. "But we will never make billions for our shareholders," he signals. The fact that the paper has recently become slimmer is not a headache for the new editor-in-chief. Readers were overwhelmed by the original size. Today, Le Temps is more in line with the reading habits of the French-speaking population, he knows.
In the longer term, Roth suggests that consideration should also be given to how newspapers are financed. The disadvantages of extreme dependence on advertising clients prove to be very problematic in times of economic downturn.
Anita Vaucher

The St. Galler Tagblatt is revamping its look and drawing the foil of subtle irony with Matter & PartnerBy Luca Aloisi The St. Galler Tagblatt is undergoing several changes at once: a new printing center is being put into operation, the paper itself is getting a new look, the local editorial offices are being strengthened and an expanded coverage area in the canton of Thurgau is being added. The campaign is also new, but not its creator: Matter & Partner.
In its traditional territory, St.Galler Tagblatt AG (SGT) is struggling with its monopolist image. The situation in the neighboring canton of Thurgau is more comfortable. Despite the merger of their two splits to form the Tagblatt edition with the addition "Edition for Thurgau" and the opening up of the Steckborn district, the market leaders Thurgauer Zeitung and Bote vom Untersee will hardly have to fear the competition from St.Gallen. In any case, the market will not be approached "very aggressively", publishing director Daniel Ehrat told WerbeWoche (WW 29/02).
Nevertheless, he hopes that the expansion will more than compensate for the decline in circulation in the previous Bodensee-Tagblatt region. More helpful to him in the relaunch than the enlarged circulation area will be the USPs, strengthened local editorial teams and three local sections. In addition to the graphic redesign, a new bundle sequence and a new teaser principle on the front pages of the bundles will make it easier to guide readers.
These innovations are accompanied by a relaunch and an image campaign by the Zurich agency Matter & Partner, which defended the advertising budget for Eastern Switzerland in a pitch. The new image conveys the added value of the largest regional daily newspaper to both loyal and potential readers. "More than a newspaper", according to the claim, is intended to stand for the pleasure and emotional connection of the reader as well as for the quality of the newspaper. For Thurgau, the campaign naturally focuses on the added value of knowing more about one's own canton. With countless apple boxes, an advertisement visualizes the reading time that people in Thurgau will devote to the Tagblatt in future.
The other implementations, in which the newspaper is always at the center of the action, are similarly captivatingly simple and funny. Whether it's a car mechanic who discovers exciting reports in the old newspapers on display or the newspaper holders of a restaurant, only the one with the SGT is chained up.
Another motif humorously caricatures the relevance of the SGT in Eastern Switzerland, on which an issue is highlighted in highlighter pencil and explained by the headline "Not a word too much". The special motif for the new look (newspaper reader bathing his breakfast croissant in champagne to celebrate) is also characterized by its simple idea.

What was the last cultural event you attended?Muse & Musse Nicole Brandes
Nicole Brandes: Expo.02 - because I was curious to see how these complex requirements were solved at various levels.
What are you reading right now?
Brandes: "The Economy of the Invisible" by Norbert Bolz, because I am firmly convinced that soft factors are the decisive success factors of the 21st century.
Which CD do you currently prefer to listen to?
Brandes: Charlie Haden/ Kenny Baron: "Night in the City" - good for working!
Which movie would you most like to see again?
Brandes: "Bandits" - perfect abdominal muscle training.
What TV show did you fall asleep during the other night?
Brandes: With everyone - but that's probably more down to me.
What is your latest discovery on the Internet?
Brandes: None - I surf more in my head than on the net.
What could you never do without?
Brandes: On many things - when it comes down to it, on everything.
What do you do in a free minute?
Brandes: All sorts of things. Sometimes nothing.
Love is...?
Brandes: ...give.

Commuter newspaper catches up with the Tages-Anzeiger and overtakes the ZürichExpressBy Daniel SchifferleNow 20 Minuten is really taking off: With a jump in reach of 21,000 to 526,000 readers, the commuter newspaper has catapulted itself into the top league. The gap to the Tages-Anzeiger is narrowing.
The jump of a whopping 67.5 percent or 21,000 readers is the highest growth 20 Minuten has ever achieved. However, it is not only the size of the gain that is surprising, but also its impact. With 526,000 new readers, 20 Minuten has made the leap into the top league of Swiss-German newspapers. The situation will be particularly tricky for the Tages-Anzeiger, which with 531,000 readers is now only a hair's breadth away from its main competitor.
However, 20 Minuten was not primarily on the rise in Zurich. In Bern and Basel in particular, growth rates reached unprecedented levels. In WG 34 (Bern), the commuter newspaper more than tripled its audience in one fell swoop. The free newspaper now has 89,000 readers in the Mutzenstadt. The other huge advance was in the Basel catchment area (WG 31). The increase here was only slightly more moderate, with an additional 59,000 readers to a new total of 97,000.
The fact that 20 Minuten's spurt in Bern and Basel is taking its toll on the respective regionally based daily newspapers - comparable to that which the Tages-Anzeiger has already paid and continues to pay - would actually be expected. But at the moment, only the Berner Zeitung seems to have been newly infected by the commuter newspaper flu (see page 20). Neither the Basler Zeitung nor the Bund have suffered any loss of readership.
Although 20 Minuten has gained comparatively few readers in the greater Zurich area, the development in WG 43 is highly symbolic. With the additional 28,000 readers, the commuter newspaper has overtaken the ZürichExpress (ZE) for the first time. The new balance of power is now clearly in favor of 20 Minuten, with 225,000 versus 199,000 readers.
However, ZE publishing director Heinz Krebs is demonstratively relaxed about the overtaking maneuver in WG 43. "We are not a commuter newspaper, but a city newspaper - and we are still number one in the city," he says. The ZE will remain as it is. There are no plans for any further measures or additional investments in the title.
The lack of any battle cries is not really surprising. After all, the passive stance fits in well with the strategy Tamedia is pursuing with regard to 20 Minuten. Even if there are currently still various obstacles in the way, the path to integrating the commuter newspaper appears to be set. Against this background, it would of course make no sense for Tamedia to continue investing in the ZE in order to position it even more strongly as a commuter newspaper.
The advance of 20 Minuten has only a small part to do with the discontinuation of Metropol. This is because it ceased publication on February 13, just a month and a half before the fieldwork for the current Mach Basic was completed. However, this also means that only around one eighth of the readership figures collected at that time are weighted in the readership study. This means that 20 Minuten will only be able to reap the lion's share of the Metropol inheritance in Mach Basic 2003.
Despite being delighted with the top result and the expected profits, the handbrake is still on at 20 Minuten. "We could do more, especially in Zurich, because many boxes here are often empty far too early," says publishing director Rolf Bollmann. However, the capacity of the print shop responsible for the Zurich edition is exhausted. We will live with this for the time being, because as long as the advertisements are not coming in despite good readership figures, it makes no sense to make additional investments.

Mediavision soon wants to gain a foothold as a cinema marketer in German-speaking SwitzerlandBy Markus Knöpfli According to Mach Basic 2002, the cinema medium can once again report growing visitor numbers with an increase of 1.8%. However, this growth is limited to German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino. In French-speaking Switzerland, the figures are declining. The competition between the marketers Mediavision and RMB Switzerland is all the fiercer there - a battle that is also underway in German-speaking Switzerland.
Between April 2001 and April 2002, according to Mach Basic 2002, the medium of cinema recorded an average of 457,000 weekly contacts throughout Switzerland, 8,000 more than in the same period the previous year. However, the increase was exclusively in German-speaking Switzerland (+12000, +4.1%) and in Ticino (+2000, +15.4%), whereas in French-speaking Switzerland cinema admissions fell by 7000 to a total of 137000 visits (-4.2%).
The growth in German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino is primarily due to two new multiplex cinemas, the Kinepolis in Schaffhausen (in operation since the beginning of 2001) and the Cinestar in Lugano (since mid-2001). As the marketer RMB Switzerland was able to lease both, it continues to hold a market share (MA) of 100% in both parts of the country. Because of the two multiplexes, RMB has also established two new large center pools, which has led to shifts in contact numbers and corresponding "losses" in the regional pools and corresponding "gains" in the large center pools. The pool figures at RMB are therefore only comparable with those of the previous period to a limited extent.
While RMB gained all of its contacts in German-speaking Switzerland, it lost all of its contacts in French-speaking Switzerland. In addition, RMB lost a further 12.4% MA to Mediavision (MV), meaning that RMB now has an MA of 54.7% in French-speaking Switzerland. In Geneva, MV was able to overtake RMB for the first time and now has an MA of 54.7% (+24.2%). The situation is similar in Valais: according to an estimate by RMB CEO Matthias Luchsinger, MV now has around 60%.
However, one region is an exception: in Lausanne, RMB was able to maintain its contacts at the level of the previous period - thanks to the newly opened multiplex cinema Cinétoile, which has been leased by RMB since late fall 2001. As MV also lost 6000 contacts in the same region, RMB now has an MA of 78.3% (+9.1%).
In Switzerland as a whole, MV has now achieved an MA of 13.6% since it entered the market at the end of 1999 - something that Luchsinger seems to be taking in his stride. "When we broke into Cefi's cinema marketing monopoly in 1992 - back then as Digital Cinefilm - we achieved an MA of 33 percent throughout Switzerland within two years," he comments.
For Olivier Bloch, Managing Director of MV Suisse, however, the new Mach Basic figures raise three questions: Why did the RMB Jura-Wallis pool lose just 8,000 contacts when MV's new Valais pool has 14,000 contacts in one fell swoop? Why did MV lose 4000 contacts in Fribourg-Neuchâtel, even though the number of cinemas remained the same and even 500 more admissions were recorded per week? And how could MV lose 6000 contacts in Lausanne, even though it has gained four new cinemas there and ticket sales per week have also risen massively?
New multiplex cinemas extend the reach of marketers
For Harald Amschler, Head of Research at Wemf, MV already had a few cinemas in Valais, but these were booked under the Fribourg/Neuchâtel center pool. In the new
In the Valais pool, these cinemas have now been combined with the newly acquired Valais cinemas, which is why MV has not gained 14,000 new Valais contacts, but perhaps 8,000. The repackaging also explains the loss in the Fribourg-Neuchâtel center pool. However, Amschler has no explanation for the heavy loss of MV in Lausanne apart from the multiplex: he has checked the figures again and found that they are correct.
However, the showdown between the two marketers is not only exciting in French-speaking Switzerland. It is also in full swing in German-speaking Switzerland - albeit still behind the scenes. "The current lease situation in Switzerland will remain the same for the next two to three years, MV will not win any new contracts in 2003," says Luchsinger firmly. "In German-speaking Switzerland, things are in motion, and I'll be able to say more in a month's time," says Olivier Bloch mysteriously.
One thing is certain: every expiring lease in German-speaking Switzerland is a potential Achilles heel for RMB. But so does every new multiplex: in the next six months, two more will open in Wil SG and Baden, and the Cinemax in Zurich will be extended by two screens. Does RMB already have these screens under contract? Luchsinger's answer is diplomatic: "They belong to cinema owners who have existing contracts with RMB." In other words, there is still a lot of bidding and advertising going on.

After all, not exactly an everyday success in the increasingly fast-moving trend industry. This exciting contemporary document illustrates with photos, posters, logos, window displays, images of hairstyles, newspaper cuttings and other miscellany how times changed during the Olmo phase from 1977 to 2002. The magazine was designed by Form.01 Thom Pfister, Graphic, Design, Illustration, Art Direction in Zurich.
Faces has several faces. From November 2002, the people and lifestyle magazine Faces will also be published with its own edition in Berne and Basel. So far, the magazine with its many party faces has gained a loyal readership in Zurich and St. Gallen. With the expansion to the north and west, the expansion of the concept to the whole of German-speaking Switzerland is now complete, according to Fairlane Consulting GmbH from St.Gallen, which publishes the magazine. The move from a regional to a national people magazine with 55,000 copies was "a premature decision due to its success". The expansion was originally planned for next year. Pioneers of German pop literature such as Helge Timmerberg (Wiener), Uwe Kopf (Tempo) and Alexander von Schönburg (FAZ) as well as the current Ingeborg Bachmann Prize winner Peter Glaser write in the current issue with the theme "Cliché". It is also part of the concept that young Swiss authors can also give Faces a face. The magazine is published quarterly and is aimed at 20 to 45-year-olds.
Zurich Network becomes Greater Zurich Area. The Zurich Network Foundation for Location Marketing is renaming itself Greater Zurich Area AG. It has been using this name for some time for the region it markets. This includes the area that "can be reached from Zurich-Kloten Airport in 60 to 80 minutes". The new name is accompanied by a new website and web address. The financial resources for Greater Zurich Area AG are provided by the public and private sectors.
Thurgau launches a new image campaign.
The canton of Thurgau is launching a new four-year advertising campaign as part of its location marketing. It aims to better anchor the "Thurgau Switzerland" brand. The campaign will kick off in September and December with posters and advertisements in local newspapers. Under the slogan "I live in Thurgau", Thurgau residents are showing their commitment to their canton as a place to live, work and do business. A total of CHF 2.5 million is available for the campaign. The advertising agency responsible is Zahner & Partner in St.Gallen.
The Swiss are cheating more. With a slightly alienated German flag, Ruedi Wyler Werbung wants to illustrate that "Geo, Brigitte and Schöner Wohnen have now become a little more Swiss". With this ad, the three Gruner + Jahr magazines want to draw advertisers' attention to the fact that the advertising volumes in the Swiss splits of their magazines are above average and for
Carole Pochon from the advertising management in Switzerland.
Poster Biennale in Warsaw honors Swiss artists. Two Swiss works were honored at the 18th International Poster Biennale in Warsaw. Karl Dominic Geissbühler received bronze in the culture and art category. The award-winning poster advertised the opera "Lulu" by Alban Berg in a performance at the Zurich Opera House. Régis Golay and Igor Kunetka received an honorary award in the special category "Debut" with a poster for Winterhilfe. A total of 14 prizes were awarded.
WBO OgilvyOne becomes OgilvyOne. The Zurich dialog marketing agency WBO OgilvyOne is now operating under the name OgilvyOne AG. The agency has used the previous name since June 2000, when WBO Dialog took over the direct marketing unit OgilvyOne from Grendene Ogilvy & Mather. The change of name has no influence on the ownership structure: The founders and agency heads Guido Wietlisbach and Daniel Brüngger continue to hold the majority, while the advertising network Ogilvy & Mather holds a minority.
Cannes is being brought forward a week. The 50th Cannes International Advertising Festival will take place a week earlier than announced. The new date is June 15 to 21, 2003.
Oh dear. Sexy underwear - which is probably where the name comes from - can still be sexy even when everything else has been exhausted. Marc Bohnenblust and Joseph Haas' communications agency BH is taking advantage of this for the umpteenth time. The Zurich-based creative agency develops "for example, printed matter that works in particularly vital places", is how BH wants to communicate with its September Fall Fruit flyer.
EditorialCirculation flashes in the media sky
The massive slump in advertising has plunged the media industry into its biggest crisis for years. "Dizzyingly downwards" was the headline in Der Spiegel, and the NZZ even described the advertising slump as the "biggest slump since the oil crisis". Against the backdrop of this apocalyptic mood, the latest figures from the AG für Werbemedienforschung may seem like a balm for publishers: After all, the overall reach figures for newspapers and magazines have remained stable (more on this on pages 18 to 34).
And: The reach of all newspapers that took part in Mach Basic 2002 is - as in the previous year - 96 percent. The overall value of the title group of all Mach magazines is also at the previous year's level (93%). Readers appear to remain loyal to the print media, at least for the most part. However, the direction of travel is more uncertain than ever.
The management consulting firm Mercer Management Consulting recently analyzed the Swiss market and ventured a forecast. By 2006, daily media use in Switzerland will grow by just one percent per year, while the increase in monthly expenditure per household on media products will be 3.1 percent per year. The study also assumes that the daily media usage time will increase from 316 minutes in 2000 to 341 minutes per capita. This is in favor of television and the Internet - while newspapers are only given 17 minutes of attention (20 minutes in 1996). According to Mercer, a new generation of consumers is growing up that reads fewer newspapers. Against this backdrop, it is hardly surprising that short fodder titles such as 20 Minuten and Le Matin have been able to significantly increase their readership.
Despite all the uncertainties, one thing remains certain: we can do without the mass media less and less, as they form a stable and secure point of reference in the general uncertainty. As modern myth machines, they provide us with an image of evil forces and at the same time weave a safety net of stories. The events may change, but the broadcasting frame remains constant. There is no beyond the media, because the audience share or circulation is the hidden "god" of this cosmos of symbols. Its actual function is to generate attention and the comprehensive mediatization of society. See also the interview with media economist Gabriele Siegert on pages 53 and 54. Samuel Helbling, Editor-in-Chief