Objective: Communication of background information, information on the concept, the activities, the events and the team.Berne 2010 Winter Olympics Advertising material: Internet site. Use: Since April 25 until further notice.
Client: Berne 2010 Winter Olympics Initiative Committee; Responsibility: Silvio Weilenmann, Head of Marketing; Ursula Beyeler, Project Management. Agency: BS MediaVision, Bern; Consulting/Concept: Olivier Telschow; AD: Bruno Hofmann; Technical concept: Philipp Hofstetter.

Pool 2000 manager Martin Muerner on the new million-euro pool and the industry imageBy Markus KnöpfliThe Zurich module of Pool 2000 is breaking ranks and wants to sell the new million-euro pool of eight radios. Pool 2000 manager Martin Muerner (Radio BeO) does not agree with this.
Since a few days the Pool 2000 no longer exists...
Martin Muerner: That's not true, he was terminated on time by our Zurich module (Hitradio Z, Sunshine, Argovia) at the end of the year, in full compliance with the contract. The three are just not allowed to join a new pool straight away.
But they do. Pool spokesman Roland Baumgartner said that the market decides when the pool will be sold.
Muerner: If the pool of millions is actually sold before the end of the year, we will have to talk to the three radios again.
However, they are now saying that Pool 2000 has hardly been booked since the beginning of the year, when the Powerpool (24, Zürisee) was launched. Why do you still want it until the end of the year?
Muerner: That's not quite right. The pool was still booked, but less than before, which was due to the economic situation. However, it is true that our Zurich module is suffering from the power pool. We therefore discussed measures to strengthen the Zurich module. The expansion to include Radio Top was also an issue.
On May 13, the day before the million pool was announced, a meeting of Pool 2000 took place. Was the new pool not a topic there?
Muerner: Yes, we did. We decided three things: we unanimously said yes to expanding the pool without mentioning any names or dates. The proposal from our Zurich module to expand the pool to include not just Top, but Top, Grischa, Piz, Ri, Central and 32 and to offer six modules instead of three was then rejected. The Zurich team then requested that we release them from the pool early, which was rejected. The next day, we were surprised by the press release from the pool of millions.
Why was the extension rejected?
Muerner: The Basel (Regenbogen, Edelweiss) and Bernese (BE1, BeO, Canal 3) stations felt that the pool structure with so many modules was not optimal. And they wanted to discuss the Zurich draft agreement, which was only presented to us a week before the meeting, in more detail.
But now the Zurich module had to react, while the Basel and Berne modules were not under the same pressure, because they were booked in addition to the Powerpool or the Zurich module anyway.
Muerner: The whole thing is a Zurich problem. But I don't think that a tried and tested pool should be massively changed in a rush. We would have agreed to an expansion of the Zurich module with Radio Top, but the Zurich team overloaded the pool and wanted to almost double it.
What happens now?
Muerner: The Zurich module will have to explain this to us at the next meeting. If it insists on the pool of millions, the Bern and Basel modules will simply have to reorient themselves. But I'm looking for a solution that everyone is happy with in the end. I want to avoid a lawsuit.
The Basel and Bern modules could simply join the pool of millions.
Muerner: Or the Powerpool. There are several options open. However, after the last vote, I don't consider a connection with the Million Pool to be the first priority. But perhaps the Million Pool founders will put the brakes on.
The Bern and Basel modules are in a convenient position: they can be combined with the Powerpool, the Zurich module and the Million Pool. So you have time.
Muerner: You're right, we have a certain amount of breathing space. That's why I also want to proceed with caution in strategic terms.
Has the conflict between the intermediaries IP Multimedia and Radiotele contributed to this new industry dispute? In any case, the radios BE1, Canal 3 and Ihr Radio BeO, the only stations leased by Radiotele, have not moved along with Hitradio Z, which belongs to IP.
Muerner: This conflict also played a small role. However, it should be noted that the radio pie has not grown since IP entered the intermediary business, but has been divided up, which has not been to the benefit of the genre. This was said to be purely cyclical, but this is not true.
It has also been reported that Radiotele has hardly sold the Pool 2000 module Zurich with Hitradio Z because of the competition with IP.
Muerner: I can't say whether that's true or not.
A year ago, as an integrator, you were elected Managing Director of Pool 2000 and Vice President of the Swiss Private Radio Association (VSP). What is your balance sheet?
Muerner: We have succeeded in uniting the scene and bringing it together in one association. The VSP has never been as strong as it is today. I don't think we made any mistakes with the pool. However, I was unable to convince the Zurich module to take a different approach.
Was it a mistake to take over the pool management? The bridge builder himself is now in the middle of a conflict.
Muerner: No, that wasn't a mistake. The problem didn't arise because of me. I assume that things would be much nastier without me. People would probably be going at each other with lawyers now. I don't want that.
Can the radio scene, which resembles a bunch of fleas, be disciplined without complaining?
Muerner: Not the whole industry, just two or three exponents are so undisciplined.
They play it down: all eight members of the million pool, including VSP President Günter Heuberger, are aware of the legal situation in Pool 2000, yet they followed the Zurich module. And Zürisee and 24 had not bothered with the Leaderpool contracts in December either.
Muerner: Nevertheless, I am against such an image of the industry. But I don't understand the VSP President's approach either. I've already told him that. This will be discussed again at the next VSP meeting.

At the 7th German Trend Day, trust became the most important (scarce) commodity of the futureBy Oliver Classen This year, the Hamburg Trend Office posed the crucial question of what holds our multi-option society together at its core. The answer - "instant trust as the new morality of network children" - was far less surprising than the consequences that follow. Also and especially for marketers of all stripes.
The trend is dead, long live the trend. In the German cultural sphere, no one stages this royal return of the eternally new more elegantly and efficiently than Peter Wippermann, communications designer and former business partner of Matthias Horx. Last week, the top trend bureaucrat held court for the seventh time in Hamburg's Curio House (which, significantly, takes its name not from "curiosity" but from a Hanseatic merchant). And this year, too, the orientation seekers came in droves to pay their respects to the whimsical king of postmodernism.
The fact that one in five of the 500 or so guests belonged to the writing guild this time too is part of Wippermann's multiplication calculation. After all, the shrewd strategist and canvasser, to whom we owe terms such as "Ich AG" and "Power-Napping", is all about temporary air sovereignty in the feuilletons and marketing gazettes. (Stich-)Wortführerschaft as a simple but powerful business principle: the philosophical tabloid ultimately works according to exactly the same principle as the journalistic one. So perhaps the Trendbüro, which is currently also rather lackluster in terms of orders, should simply get into the ring the next time they pitch for the Bild or Blick budget.
The attention economy is followed by the trust economy
With such a disposition, instinctively setting topics is naturally part of the trade. After economization (2000: "Ich AG") and biotechnization (2001: "Posthuman"), this year's twelve speakers therefore logically focused on the moralization of the individual and society by the media. In times of a rampant decline in values, when paparazzi are dumping celebrities, black suitcases of money are part of politicians' hand luggage, managers are making millions for themselves and pupils are massacring entire teaching staff, the question of a new code of conduct that provides at least some residual security and commitment is almost self-evident. There was a quick consensus on this and on the need for moral pluralism at the lectern.
So far, everything was foreseeable. What was surprising, even disconcerting, was that there was widespread agreement on the slogan that would lead us into the ethical wonderland of the future: coolness is king or "first civic duty" (Sloterdijk) and communicative cooling is the only effective remedy against the moral overheating of our minds. A bold basic thesis that (even for a trend day) met with so little opposition that it sent shivers down the spines of skeptical listeners who don't just think in terms of sales figures and target group grids. The resulting marketing consequence, according to which the attention economy of the nineties is gradually giving way to a trust economy, does little to change this cold shock.
The moral minimum is (mathematically) assured
As usual, Norbert Bolz opened the series of keynote speakers with a programmatic all-clear. "There is no need to worry, the moral minimum is secure," the media theorist announced beamingly. To justify his confidence, the conceptual juggler for once did not refer to reason, altruism and certainly not to a God who demonstratively stays away from such occasions anyway. The (nota bene real, not ethical) superiority of nice cooperators over ruthless egoists follows other, more rational laws: those of mathematical logic. A "robust program", which Bolz eagerly presented to his increasingly incredulous listeners, ensures that those people who are non-aggressive but provocative, conciliatory but not forgetful and, above all, never jealous, assert their interests. According to Bolz, this pattern of behavior, which is the only successful one in the long term, "automatically leads to society's ideal operating temperature: close to the cold pole".
The recent television star of the event was also there. Peter Sloterdijk, dressed in black as always and mumbling authoritatively, illustrated his coolness apology with the brightest and at the same time most delicate sentence by another dark author, the German constitutional lawyer Carl Schmitt. "Sovereign is he who decides on the state of emergency", he stated in the 1930s. Today, what Schmitt meant back then - namely the opposite of stationary, stable power relations - has become the individual and social norm, believes Sloterdijk. The "boundary-breaking and disinhibiting stimulation of desire" by an advertising industry that thrives on social explosives such as envy and desire has played a significant role in this.
Pornographic view of young wallets
Accordingly, the pop philosopher sees coolness as a natural, indeed necessary, protective reaction against the increasingly brazen "encroachments of the commodity world and its vicarious agents". This would finally give academic legitimacy to the zeitgeist attitude of ironic distancing - which, incidentally, fundamentally contradicts the "committee as lifestyle" later invoked by Wippermann.
Most marketers were able to ignore this broadside against their guild. Not so, however, the smart and smug rebuke from New York media professor Douglas Rushkoff, who accused the perplexed audience of talking about the "new morality of network kids", but actually only referring to their accounts and purchasing behavior. "Staring at young people's wallets is no less pornographic than staring at their butts," warned the rhetorically brilliant author and New York Times columnist.
Even word design is no substitute for a lack of warmth
The worst thing for kids, however, are trendy young professionals who try to be cooler than their target audience with their marketing concepts. Instead of mere cheap images of themselves, young people hope and expect advertising to provide role models who live and communicate different, adult attitudes and values. "Don't worry you youth marketers, it's cool to be uncool. So grow up at last": Rushkoff bid farewell with this urgent appeal, whose provocations have left their mark even on hardened industry cracks, because in addition to brainpower, they also contain a lot of heart and soul.
There was much less evidence of the latter when Wippermann crowned the 2002 and subsequent trends with the names "instant trust", "sociotainment" and "self-commitment". All velvety and pleasant-sounding brainchildren that seem as cool as their creators. Because remember: even the most avant-garde word design is no substitute for the lost warmth of the nest, for which no price is too high and hardly any product is too uncool.

Objective: The online game is intended to serve as a communication tool for health promotion and generate awareness for the topic of lungs.Lungenliga Schweiz Advertising media: Internet site, online game. Use: Since May until further notice.
Client: Swiss Lung Association, Bern; responsibility: Werner Vogel, Head of Marketing. Advertising agency: FunFox Entertainment, Zurich; responsibility: Urs Graf.

The private stations Hitradio Z, Argovia, Central, Grischa/Piz, Ri, Sunshine, Top and 32 founded the "Millionen-Pool" on Tuesday, which will be sold with immediate effect and will break the Pool 2000. according to Radiocontrol data for the second half of 2001, the new pool has a daily reach of over 1.2 million listeners. In the radio rankings, the pool members occupy places 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 22.
The "million pool", which officially starts on July 1, covers the agglomerations of Zurich, Winterthur, Aarau, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Olten, Chur, Schaffhausen, Solothurn, Zug, Baden and Buchs, but not Bern and Basel.
According to Argovia Managing Director and pool spokesman Roland Baumgartner, "the market will decide on the actual start of sales."
According to a press release dated May 14, the pool is open to other radio stations. Although Hitradio Z, which belongs to Goldbach Media, is also involved, the new pool is not tied to an intermediary.
The secondary tariff is on average 20 percent lower than the tariffs of the individual radio stations. In addition to the overall pool, three regional modules are offered.
The masterminds behind the new pool are Hitradio Z, Argovia and Sunshine, which previously formed the Zurich module in Pool 2000, but have been thwarted by the Powerpool (Radio 24 and Zürisee) since the beginning of the year. They had therefore wanted to expand the Zurich module with Radio Top, which was rejected by the entire Pool 2000 on May 13. The next day, the three radios terminated their membership at the end of the year in due time, but by starting the pool early, they were disregarding a ban on competing pools. Markus Knöpfli

The two lawyers Lucas David and Mark Reutter present a completely revised edition of Swiss advertising administration, civil and contract law.Books ServiceNew Advertising Law It replaces the out-of-print first edition from 1977 and takes into account all changes in legislation and the Federal Constitution. The reference work is aimed at lawyers, advertising consultants and advertising clients.
Lucas David and Mark A. Reutter: "Schweizerisches Werrecht", Verlag Schulthess Juristische Medien, ISBN 3-7255-4258-9, 168 francs.
Market psychology
The volume "Marktpsychologie - Grundlagen und Anwendung" offers students and lecturers of business administration, social sciences or psychology an overview of key issues in market psychology. Each chapter presents a theory, from learning theories to attribution theories, which are illustrated with practical examples from the market.
Gerhard Raab and Fritz Unger: "Marktpsychologie - Grundlagen und Anwendung", Betriebswirtschaftlicher Verlag Dr. Th. Gabler, ISBN 3-409-11596-X, 58 francs.

Noted: Ambiguous puns are always amusing, even when they come from copywriters. Sure, I know what I’m writing about. Driven by the conviction that almost every thought starts out below the belt before it’s put into words, many a campaign features the
Spotting a cleverly hidden sexual message. It gets boring, though, when the message seems like it could have come from a group of uncreative barflies. See the example shown here from InterDiscount. The front cover of the brochure draws the eye with a half-naked teaser image labeled «Callboy.» Pages 2 and 3 reveal the punchline: The «Callboy» is a technician—who provides as much service as you want. Copy: “…because you decide if it’s worth it.” Yawn! What does he deliver, anyway? A TV? I already have one. We unanimously decide—and far removed from any regulars’ table—that this campaign simply doesn’t cut it. And just to be clear: Callboys are out of style anyway. Chandra Kurt [email protected]
Column

Saumagen
By Martin Lanz
When I was a copywriter at GGK, we wrote with pencils. At Wirz, I was given an electric typewriter. At Grendene & Lanz (G+L), I treated myself to an IBM ball-head typewriter. Our first client at G+L was Rank Xerox. In a competitive pitch, we had to prove that we were capable of bringing a truly sensational device to market. With it, you could transmit an A4 page from one place to another in half an hour—including images and such. Goodbye, telex.
Now that even Markus Ruf has one, it's time to replace my PC with something simpler and faster. Just a few more nights to go.
In 1878, Western Union was offered the rights to the telephone; it turned them down: «What would the company do with an electric toy?» About 10 years ago, my friend Fredy Eggler had one of the first cell phones. It was a suitcase weighing over 2 kilos… «The horse is here to stay; the car is just a gimmick.» That’s what the president of the Michigan Savings Bank said when he advised Henry Ford’s lawyer not to invest in the Ford Company. «Flying machines heavier than air are an impossibility.» (Lord Kelvin, 1895.) And in two years, cell phones will be lighter than air. «…People will quickly get fed up with staring at a plywood box in the evenings.» (Daryl F. Zanuck, head of 20th Century Fox, in 1946 on the subject of television.)
If you hear the response, «It won’t work because that’s how we’ve always done it,» you’ll know you’ve asked a good question. And that it’s high time to replace the boss. Even if he’s already had a pig’s stomach implanted, a chimpanzee heart, a Sulzer knee, and half a meter of polyethylene intestine.
In 1899, Charles H. Duell advised U.S. President William McKinley to abolish the Patent Office: «Everything that can be invented has already been invented.» [email protected] Martin Lanz is a freelance copywriter and director of KRAZ in Zurich.
Business lunch

Judith conjures up heavenly dishes from her pots
Urs Heller, editor-in-chief of «Gault Millau Switzerland,» which awards its annual “Toques,” is a wise man. In 2002, he named Judith Sourvinos-Hollenstein Chef of the Year. At the Hotel Post in Ebnat-Kappel, where she works alongside her husband Aristo at the front of the house, she has been delivering top-notch cuisine for years and is helping to elevate the culinary scene in Toggenburg—a region known for its schnitzel and French fries. Her unpretentious manner and open personality have already inspired many chefs in the Churfirsten region to serve the Subaru drivers and Helly Hansen wearers something other than the frozen foods from the big retailers.
Of course, long before Urs Heller found his way to Toggenburg, his incomparably witty and literate predecessor, Silvio Rizzi, and the author of these lines spent many an evening in the frilly Stübli (very pleasant, plenty of space) or in the hearty farmhouse parlor, following with growing admiration the steps Judith took on her way to a Lucullan paradise, while Aristo time and again replenished the wine cellar with exquisite vintages and did not shy away from serving up these noble treasures. Many of them come from France and Italy, primarily from Piedmont. But there are Spanish wines as well—all of them noble crus.
Instead of a three-course business lunch (55 francs), for once the full-course menu (118 francs) was on the agenda. Six courses! One after another, they were compelling and captivating proof of uncompromising culinary artistry at its finest: terrine with linden blossom essence, white and green asparagus with veal sweetbreads and pan-seared duck liver in a Parmesan basket, lemon soup with lobster and summer truffles, grilled turbot on spinach ravioli with wild garlic essence, lamb in a sesame crust with a refined vegetable medley, and to top it all off, a dream of a Läckerli soufflé with vanilla cream and rhubarb ice cream.
Sure, you should take the time to enjoy a full-course meal. And once a week, that’s just the right thing to do—business or no business. But then you can experience the certainty of having caught a glimpse of paradise while still on earth.
It lies—as the reader might guess—in the pots where Judith stirs the ingredients all by herself, assisted by two apprentices. A one-woman show? No, no—she remains true to herself: a woman who has never closed herself off to outside inspiration, yet steadfastly follows her own path. She is also a chef who takes things step by step, gently and carefully. The result is creations that are a feast for the eyes as well.
The «Post» is closed on Mondays. Of course, you have to make a reservation. Cell phones and cigars are allowed, provided you have good manners. There are a few parking spaces available. Carlo Bernasconi [email protected]
Hotel Post, Ebnaterstrasse 6
9642 Ebnat-Kappel
Tel. 071 993 17 72
Fax 071 993 18 10

In additionThe management of the Keystone photo agency has appointed Andreas J. Minor as the new editor-in-chief. He succeeds Hans-Ueli Blöchliger, who is retiring. Minor will take up his new position on September 1. He was most recently a page editor and member of the editorial board at 20 Minuten.
At the Annual General Meeting of Publica Data AG, Urs Renner was elected to the Board of Directors as the representative of the advertising associations, succeeding Pierre C. Meier. Alongside Renner on the Board of Directors are: Silvio Studer, Chairman, Matthias Steinmann, Delegate, Ingrid Deltenre and Klaus Kappeler.
Christina Hertig-Klocker will become Head of Information at the Federal Office of Public Health on September 1. She takes over from Lorenz Hess, who is moving to the private sector.
Europa-Park in Rust is strengthening its Swiss presence with an external marketing office headed by Dieter Borer.
At the beginning of July, Diana Strebel (photo) will take over as CEO of the Zurich marketing agency Wunderman. Until the end of 2001, she was a member of the Executive Board and Managing Director Consulting at the advertising agency Publicis. At Wunderman, she replaces Managing Director Thomas Biedermann, who is leaving the company at his own request, according to a press release. In addition to her role as CEO, Diana Strebel will also take on the role of Board Delegate and replace Biedermann on the Wunderman Board. It was questionable whether, as an employee of a non-BSW agency, she would be able to remain a member of the board of the industry association Swiss Advertising and Communication Agencies (BSW). As Wunderman intends to apply to the BSW in the next few days, this question is likely to become obsolete.
The youth cable station Radio 105 is losing its program director Gabriel Felder. The pop singer and former DRS 3 presenter is leaving the station after 16 months due to differences of opinion with 105 boss Giuseppe Scaglione.
Sandra Wüst has been working as PR Coordinator at Ford Switzerland since March 1.
Peter Turtschi is now responsible for design at the Media Consulting Group in Bühler AR. Turtschi previously worked as Art Director at the internationally renowned design agency Nofrontiere in Vienna.

Those who wait a long time are treated to a great party: the event for Weltwoche, which has mutated into a magazine, finally took place during Ascension week! By Beat Fritsch The relaunch of the weekly newspaper as a magazine had been put on the back burner several times - partly because of the Jean Frey deal. Some visitors even admitted that at times they no longer believed in a relaunch. The deal for the Zurich publishing house, which already had many owners, also caused surprises this year. At the end of December, Ringier was still being congratulated on its supposedly successful press coup, until the Basel media group put the brakes on the Zurich-based company and sold it out of the blue to the investment bank Swissfirst. Swissfirst first installed Filippo Leutenegger, who had just been dismissed from SF DRS, at the head of the company and placed the shares with private investors, including Bernese press czar Charles von Graffenried, media specialist Heinz Wermelinger and entrepreneur Tito Tettamanti. This seems to have brought peace for the first time.
However, the party was not expected to be quiet. The high level of expectation among the guests in the ABB hall in Zurich-Oerlikon was palpable. The main aim was to bridge the time until the first new Weltwoche was delivered. The ambience created in the hall left nothing to be desired, with the Weltwoche blue decorations creating a pleasant atmosphere. In the entrance area, the annual covers of the collected Weltwoche editions invited visitors to study them, further back there was a lounge area generously furnished with leather armchairs - we couldn't quite agree whether they were real Corbusiers - which later served as a reading corner, and in the middle of the hall there was a well-stocked bar with a mirrored look.
Before the guests could plunge into the reading pleasure like some or the party pleasure like others, there was a short but intensive supporting program to complete. Co-owner von Graffenried welcomed the attendees on a big screen, then there was a fake "live" connection to Dani Nieth. Afterwards, Susanne Kunz, SF-DRS presenter, interviewed Filippo Leutenegger and Weltwoche editor-in-chief Roger Köppel, until laser fireworks announced the arrival of the newspaper. The dramaturgy was perfect, but the acoustics left a lot to be desired; unfortunately, hardly a word could be understood in the back rows.
Which didn't detract from the good atmosphere. The generous supply of drinks and snacks made for relaxed faces. And as is the case with launch parties: The topics of conversation never run out, which is ensured by the new product alone. The statements ranged from "it takes a lot of getting used to" to "I really like it", from "formally successful" to "heavy layout". Nobody wanted to make a prediction as to whether Weltwoche would make it or not. What is certain is that Weltwoche will continue to be a topic of conversation under Roger Köppel and the new owners.
The enthusiasm of the team around publishing director Uli Rubner and advertising manager Ivan Schultheiss seems unbroken despite the somewhat difficult birth. And the investors have announced that the newly launched magazine has at least three years to get into the black. Good luck!
Beat Fritsch

disguised as former ambassador T. B.-F., Berlin, makes it clear what he thinks of the hullabaloo surrounding his person. The fact that B. adorns the cover of the newly conceived Weltwoche and has his say in it at length can be interpreted as a sideswipe in the direction of Dufourstrasse and a kick in the shins of the Bernese political establishment.
We can locate people in the communications scene at launch events or other parties at a wide variety of industry events. Do you already have something exciting to report? Pick up the phone (01 296 97 98) or hit the keyboard (info@werbewoche .ch). For event tips as well as further shortlist images: www.werbewoche.ch

Affinity of ads among supporters in the "Christian camp "Best of Print Advertising The 2002 ad hits from the Advertising Index of the market research institute Demoscope
In cooperation with the market research institute Demoscope, Publimedia presents the readers of WerbeWoche with an excerpt of the results from the Advertising Index (AX Print) five times a year. This index (see box) is a module of the Market Radar and measures the popularity of advertising subjects. In the top two rows are those subjects that achieved the greatest acceptance in the relevant psychographic target group (see wind rose). The three subjects that performed best among the entire sample, i.e. among all four target groups in total, in the 1st quarter of 2002 are shown under the heading "Top Three".

Affinity of advertisements with supporters in the "middle-class corner "Best of Print Advertising The advertising hits 2002 from the Advertising Index of the market research institute Demoscope
In cooperation with the market research institute Demoscope, Publimedia presents the readers of WerbeWoche with an excerpt of the results from the Advertising Index (AX Print) five times a year. This index (see box) is a module of the Market Radar and measures the popularity of advertising subjects. In the top two rows are those subjects that achieved the greatest acceptance in the relevant psychographic target group (see wind rose). The three subjects that performed best among the entire sample, i.e. among all four target groups in total, in the 1st quarter of 2002 are shown under the heading "Top Three".

Martin Radelfinger on Adlink's new pole position in the Swiss online marketBy Markus KnöpfliWith the takeover of Qualiclick's activities, Adlink has become the number one Swiss online marketer. Martin Radelfinger, Managing Director of Adlink Switzerland, analyzes the new situation and shows where the online market could be heading.
How is it that the third-placed online marketer was able to take over one of the two largest?
Martin Radelfinger: We are only third in Switzerland, but thanks to the acquisition of the Doubleclick Media business, we are by far the largest in Europe. This naturally gives us a certain economy of scale in terms of ad serving, technology, research, marketing resources and so on. On the other hand, Qualiclick, which has done very well, found itself in a difficult situation due to the market situation and the planned IPO.
Do you have to be internationally networked to survive as an online marketer in Switzerland?
Radelfinger: (hesitates) I think it is a great advantage - and not primarily to capture international advertising flows, as is often said. That is also a factor. But the most important thing is the technology and ad serving contracts that can be negotiated centrally across Europe, as well as shared resources in research, marketing and advertising planning. We are always at the cutting edge of innovation (for example in multimedia advertising or new forms of advertising), have access to a creative studio and to e-mail addresses throughout Europe and, via the Doubleclick network, to Swiss users on most European and American sites. These are the main competitive advantages in an international network.
What is Adlink Switzerland taking over from Qualiclick?
Radelfinger: In this asset deal, we are taking over the customer base, ongoing campaigns, marketing contracts for the websites, the three-person sales and marketing team, 80,000 e-mail addresses and the Qualiclick name. According to reports, Adlink Switzerland generated sales of around CHF 5.5 million in 2001. There is now talk of an increase in turnover to around CHF 14 million.
Radelfinger: I can't and don't want to comment on this because we are listed on the stock exchange. I will only say that Adlink Switzerland will immediately become profitable.
What is the situation regarding market shares in online advertising?
Radelfinger: In 2001, we had a market share of around 20 percent. In the first quarter of 2002, it was around 35 percent. For the current year, we expect a market share of around 55 percent.
Is that enough to survive in Switzerland in the long term?
Radelfinger: Yes, because we have optimized invoicing, controlling and technology. As a result, we will generate the new, higher turnover with a company that, even after the integration of the three Qualiclick employees, is smaller in terms of employees and costs than Adlink Switzerland was 16 months ago. We now have twelve employees.
How many online marketers will there be in Switzerland in two years' time?
Radelfinger: Switzerland is an atypical market. We have one of the highest PC and cabling densities, rapidly growing ADSL penetration, and the Swiss are extremely willing to buy on the Internet. The situation is similar in Sweden, where 2.4 percent of the total advertising volume is spent on online advertising, compared to just 0.6 percent in Switzerland. One reason for this is the print-heavy nature of Switzerland. Nevertheless, one day we will reach 2, maybe 3 percent. This will result in a classic separation of planning and marketing in the Swiss online market, as in other European markets. It will then be worthwhile for agencies to plan online advertising themselves, as it will become an integral part of the advertising mix. Today, holistic online planning is only possible for some large traditional media agencies, such as BG Media or CIA Outrider.
Did I understand you correctly? So the prerequisite for such a split is a share of around 2 percent of total advertising sales?
Radelfinger: It is a direct function of the size of the market, yes.
In what time frame will this figure be reached?
Radelfinger: In two years at the most. By then, we will have achieved a share of around 1.5 to 2 percent of advertising sales.
Will Adlink split into a planning and a marketing company?
Radelfinger: In future, planning will take place almost exclusively centrally in the network - otherwise we will concentrate on the role of the classic marketer. That was the plan from the outset. However, due to the slowdown in growth, we were forced to offer comprehensive planning. However, this was and is a delicate matter, as transparency and the interests of the client must be guaranteed.
Will there be more than three Swiss online marketers in two years' time - or fewer?
Radelfinger: Definitely not more, but not necessarily less either. Publimedia Webadvertising consistently focuses on competent planning. We were by far the most successful with the classic marketer model and will be even more successful. Goldbach (Media Agent and Active Agent) also has a niche if it consistently implements cross-media advertising.
Qualiclick shareholders have received Adlink shares worth a maximum of 700,000 euros. Is that all, or is there more money to come?
Radelfinger: It was agreed not to disclose this information.
If no more was actually paid, the amount would be out of all proportion to the CHF 18 million or so invested in Qualiclick. Above all, this would show how small the fire is on which you are cooking and would cast your industry in a rather gloomy light.
Radelfinger: (hesitates) Working profitably in the current online advertising market is certainly a challenge. But I wouldn't measure Qualiclick's performance or value by the amount I mentioned.