New offers for advertising - but demand is still restrainedBy Daniel Schifferle The first Weltwoche in magazine format is on the market. The completely revamped paper differs in appearance from continental European news magazines and sets itself apart from the Sunday press in terms of content. However, advertisers are still reluctant.
A long tradition has come to an end: Weltwoche as a newspaper no longer exists. The weekly newspaper, founded in 1933, was published for exactly 69 years and one month. With the issue of May 2, 2002, it has now retired at a stately age.
The new era began last Wednesday. The qualities on which the fresh
born magazine, explained editor-in-chief Roger Köppel in the last issue in newspaper format. The new Weltwoche will "refuse to pander to any fashion trends or to certain age and purchasing power groups.
The new Weltwoche in magzine format also sets itself apart from news magazines such as Facts and from the Sunday press: "It is intended to set a clear difference from the rather image-heavy political magazines and news magazines of continental Europe, but also from the Sunday and daily newspapers, which have increasingly developed into daily weeklies in recent years," Köppel writes. He says the graphic design was conceived with this in mind: "Effect-free, unagitated, geared to the needs of people who appreciate craftsmanship and enjoy reading." A "calm, unadorned design" was the order of the day, with the aim of presenting the authors' contributions in the most reader-friendly and stylish way possible.
Advertising market still exercising restraint
However, a new era has begun not only for readers, but also for advertisers. Unlike newspapers, all the additional advertising formats that a magazine offers are now possible: Unfold, altar fold and tip-ons. Also new is the standard rate for black and white and four-color ads (1/1 page costs 13728 Swiss francs).
However, advertisers are still reluctant. According to Weltwoche publishing director Uli Rubner, the first issue was quickly booked up. But there is still plenty of advertising space available in subsequent issues, she said. "Many potential advertisers say they want to see the issue first. I expect interest to pick up significantly after the first issue is published," Rubner explains.
The most difficult hurdle in the new launch in magazine format, he says, was convincing advertisers that the new Weltwoche was a longer-term proposition. "After Weltwoche disappointed advertisers' expectations several times in recent years, the attitude is now widespread: they should first prove that they're really serious."
Weltwoche magazine to include job ads
Despite this temporary reluctance, however, Rubner also identifies new potential - thanks to the magazine format and better print quality. "Advertisers from the luxury goods and upscale consumer goods sectors who didn't want to advertise in the newspaper are now showing interest," she says.
Weltwoche also wants to continue to offer itself as a platform for the job market, even without membership of the Executive Combi (with HandelsZeitung and NZZ). The fact that the first issue did not yet contain any job ads was due to the hectic launch phase, during which other things took priority.
Rubner is convinced that the magazine format is also very well suited as a job platform. "The Economist in England, which has plenty of job ads, is clear proof of this. Marked financial losses in the job market are therefore not expected. "Especially since the executive combination has never really fulfilled expectations anyway," adds the Weltwoche publishing director.

Contexta awakens thirsty senses for Schlossgold with yellow and white hallucinationsBy Luca Aloisi In "Mirages," Contexta makes people thirsty for the alcohol-free Schlossgold. The fact that it is simultaneously strengthening the image of Feldschlösschen, the largest national brand, is the intention of the new marketing manager Fred Haferkamp, who wants to expand the lead position of the Rheinfeld beer brewer with the clear competitive strategy.
In 2001, 57.2 liters of barley juice were still drunk per capita in Switzerland, 14 liters or 19.4 percent less than ten years earlier. This is a trend that affects all traditional beer countries. It documents changes in lifestyle and drinking habits.
Breweries are responding to these with various strategies: production cutbacks, the introduction of low-price brands on the one hand and higher-margin premium beers on the other, and above all structural streamlining. The latter, encouraged by international takeovers, has intensified competition for the ever-shrinking Swiss beer keg. The emergence of new home breweries and microbreweries gives the industry new hope, because such microbrews make beer trendy and interesting again, especially among young people. Fred Haferkamp has identified the big danger in the fact that beer has lost its appeal among young people and is losing newcomers to other beverages. "That's why we have to get out of the very conservative corner."
The market leader wants to grow further
In this difficult environment, Feldschlösschen Brewery, which is part of the Carlsberg Group, held up well: it maintained sales at the previous year's level and once again placed Feldschlösschen as market leader and Cardinal as the second strongest brand. But that is not enough for the German marketing manager. He has set himself growth targets for market volume and share. "We clearly want to displace and continue to grow from a position of strength" says Haferkamp. He draws parallels with global market leader Budweiser. Ten years ago, the 150-year-old brewery in St. Louis also set itself growth targets, even though it was already the market leader. With aggressive targets, it had succeeded in "pushing Miller, the number two in the U.S. market, to the wall." And he knows the market, having previously worked for Holsten, Germany's largest brewery group, where he was responsible for the product portfolio in international marketing. Haferkamp: "My goal is to set a few landmarks with the appearance."
The potential in the non-alcoholic segment is small, but...
To this end, the government-imposed challenge of lower alcohol limits does not seem to come at a bad time. An opportunity for the hitherto relatively small segment of non-alcoholic beers (around 3% market share), one would think. But the fact is that the submarket in Switzerland has been stable for several years and is showing signs of saturation. In other words, it's not a promising submarket for making new customers thirsty with voluminous campaigns.
But Feldschlösschen pours in a sparkling new campaign here of all places, with high media and creative pressure - five TV spots. The fact that so much is being invested in a relevant but not particularly attractive market is striking. The continuous market share gain of Feldschlösschen Schlossgold at the expense of the leader Clausthaler and the imminent tightening of the law, which is likely to increase the zero-alcohol market, only partly explain the imposing advertising expenditure.
The new Feldschlösschen advertising strategy with high TV use seems to turn the industry's usual media mix on its head. According to Media Focus, breweries spent only 6 percent of their advertising budget on TV advertising in 2001, a fraction compared to newspapers (38%), magazines (16%) and billboards (38%). The fact that Haferkamp plans to continue to increase spending slightly also suggests a longer-term increase in the value of the brand. Whereas the beer industry as a whole was more conspicuous for its cyclical and anxious behavior in 2001 (7% less advertising expenditure than in 2000), Haferkamp stands out with its anti-cyclical advertising behavior.
From the spot series can also profile the umbrella brand
The solution to the riddle lies in the Schlossgold positioning, which corresponds to that of the umbrella brand. In combination with the TV commercials and based on the same hallucination idea, the campaign for the alcoholic Feldschlösschen original is running on posters and in print. A mutual image promotion is obvious.
The idea behind the advertising campaign is a witty further development of the brand essence "Feldschlösschen - the reward beer" introduced five years ago. Whereas previously the protagonists had to wait until the next fresh beer, now the tingling anticipation of hops and malt is visually translated. In the process, everyday things are transformed associatively into an omnipresent promise of reward - a carton of beer.
In one spot, construction workers have the crane operator lift a yellow concrete mixer kettle in front of a cloud. With dry lips and an empty gulp, it becomes clear what they are looking forward to. Even the exhausted athlete on the fitness machine not only notices the naked woman hanging yellow bedclothes out of the window and, startled, pulls down the white blind. Rather, he is already thinking about the cooling blonde. A beautiful scene of pouring the dreamed-of beer is followed by the resolution in the claim "Life makes you thirsty! With the pointed, humorous feel and look of the campaign, Contexta could succeed in leading market leader Feldschlösschen to a more modern image.
AD Rating

Castle Gold Campaign
That was overcooked, meat lovers. The only thing that helps is a beer to wash down the anger about the Proviande campaign. Let's hope the barley juice doesn't taste too stale. Judge for yourself at www. werbewoche.ch/adrating
Proviande campaignTop: 37,96%
Flop: 62,04%L Praise and blame of ad-raters summarized on www.werbewoche.ch/adrating/comments

Self-promotion is certainly much harder to pull off than advertising for a client (from whom you also get paid). You’ll come to this conclusion, if not sooner, then certainly when analyzing this celebrity portrait in the latest issue of *Vanity Fair*. Liza Minnelli and her current husband, David Gest, are the subjects. The photo was taken on December 13, 2001, by photographer Mary Ellen Mark. The caption reads: «People don’t realize how much we’re in love» and «I’ll die for her.» What is probably meant to be romantic has, in this case, been captured by the photographer with startling realism. After all, “Loverboy” David doesn’t look particularly healthy, not to mention “Loving Darling” Liza. Her contorted facial expression is reminiscent of a Mater Dolorosa, though the cause of her suffering would likely be shellfish poisoning, a severe migraine, or seasickness. David’s expression, on the other hand, is more suggestive of acute constipation. Sick with love? It happens. But rather, blinded by love—because, dear Liza, a photo like this belongs in the photo album inside the oak sideboard, not out in the open. Now your fans are genuinely worried about you and are naturally wondering (sniff) whether you’ll ever be happy with David. Chandra Kurt [email protected]
Column

Happiness in Advertising by Thomas Lüber
Don’t worry, I’m just getting a little philosophical: Happiness is when what you want and what you have are the same. In the best-case scenario, this state lasts for days, but at the exhibition «Happy—The Promise of Advertising» at the Museum of Communication in Bern, it lasts about three seconds—namely, until you realize that the promise of the awesome
the subversive H&M poster parody isn't followed through on.
The problem lies in the exhibition's concept, which is strikingly reminiscent of the approach that leads to advertisements featuring images of happy people: To clarify
To address the question of whether advertising reflects our actual ideas of happiness, there was first a workshop and then a survey, the results of which were presented in fun “value circles.” Based on this, a collection of advertising images was put together that correspond to the Swiss people’s values regarding happiness. Where is the critical examination of these images? Where is the question of their relevance to the product? Where’s the acknowledgment that no one feels drawn to these images anymore because they’re so overused? One can’t help but suspect that the exhibition is aimed at the roughly four Swiss people who still believe that advertising is conceived by nasty, brainwashing psychologists rather than by the client.
That’s what true happiness in advertising is all about: when an idea is still recognizable after the CEO’s wife, chauffeur, and cleaning lady have all offered their suggestions for improvement. When the NZZ prints an ad perfectly. Or when the ADC listens to Frank Bodin.
But people don't work in advertising to be happy—they do it to get rich. And according to the Link-Happy study, financial security is the most important value for Swiss people aged 30 and older. What a bummer for the advertising industry.
[email protected]
Thomas Lüber is Managing Director Creation at Lesch+Frei, Zurich.
Business lunch

A Journey Back in Time to the Cozy Atmosphere of the Veltlin Halberdsmen Who keeps claiming that the average businessperson can only manage small, tasty, light, and delicate portions for lunch—no wine, and certainly no schnapps to wash it down? The opposite is true, if you take a look around the traditional restaurants where food is still prepared according to time-honored traditions. The Veltlinerkeller in Zurich’s Old Town is one such place. For 31 years, Giorgio Derungs has been treating guests to a culinary experience across three floors in this charming restaurant. And what he serves up has substance—in every sense of the word.
Guests dine in a Swiss stone pine interior that is already 100 years old. This welcoming establishment has been run as a tavern since 1551—though guests are no longer sure why it’s called a «cellar,» since you actually have to climb a few steps before taking a seat in the «cellar.» It is a bit dim, but that’s due to the bull’s-eye windows. However, the light filtering in, combined with the table decorations and, not least, the attentive service, has an extremely soothing effect on frayed nerves. You hardly ever hear cell phones ringing; Swisscom’s signal barely penetrates these thick walls, and Sunrise’s certainly doesn’t.
Derungs doesn’t serve a business lunch. The menu features seasonal dishes alongside classics of home-style cuisine, such as a Châteaubriand. And in the gastronomic melting pot that is the city on the Limmat, such dishes almost seem exotic again. We were served fresh morels in a delicious cream sauce, followed by a herb-crusted rack of lamb with vegetables and potato gratin.
Sure, this isn’t nouvelle cuisine—these are dishes that are fun because they satisfy the hungry. And because—a welcome side effect—they’re prepared to be extremely tasty. Butter here, cream there—to hell with cholesterol levels and the margarine mafia. Derungs knows what tastes good. That’s enough. And you can tell his guests are loyal by the fully occupied tables. On all three floors (which can also be booked individually for private events). No wonder, then, that reservations must be made well in advance. Businesspeople will find plenty of space for their meetings, and anyone who turns down a glass of wine to accompany Giorgio’s dishes has only themselves to blame: the menu features five wines by the glass from the white selection and nine from the red selection. Including Veltliner Sfurzat, of course. The name says it all.
And anyone who still clings to dreams of Swiss greatness—from the time when the Valtellina briefly belonged to Switzerland—can take comfort in this: Even in the 21st century, we’ve kept only the best of the Valtellina.
Carlo Bernasconi
[email protected]
Veltlinerkeller, Schlüsselgasse 8
8001 Zurich
Tel. 01 225 40 40
Fax 01 225 40 45

Following a call for tenders, the commuter newspaper 20 Minuten takes over the distribution box spaces on the Zurich S-Bahn that became vacant after competitor Metropol went out of business.News 20 Minuten inherits S-Bahn monopoly 20 Minuten prevailed over ZürichExpress and the planned TV program guide U1 from the Austrian television project Kanal 1.
World Cup allowed on Sat 1 Switzerland The television station Sat 1 Switzerland is allowed to broadcast the 2002 World Cup and other international sporting events. The Federal Council has amended the license accordingly. The previous license for Sat 1 Schweiz did not explicitly prohibit the broadcasting of international sporting events. But until now, it had only mentioned the broadcasting of Swiss soccer matches.

Despite proven ineffectiveness, tiered models like AIDA celebrate resurrection among advertisersDespite proven ineffectiveness, tiered models like AIDA celebrate resurrection among advertisers By Wolfgang Koschnick
The previous tiered models of advertising effectiveness research have had their day. New findings by advertising researchers are leading to so-called single-source panels, which enable a high degree of transparency in purchasing decisions. The closer the advertising message is placed to the consumer, the greater the chances that it will have an impact and influence purchasing decisions.
The hierarchical stage models of advertising impact, which began their triumphant march through the advertising industry over a hundred years ago with AIDA, are hopelessly outdated. They could all be buried in the great graveyard of stage models. But their spirit lives on today. And some are tenaciously resisting burying AIDA and all the other beautiful step models.
The enthusiasm with which people cling to stage models is easy to explain: The models reduce complicated social processes to an understandable level. But this does not work. And even those who have long been aware that the stage models are useless still succumb to their spirit. If one considers how stubbornly the Catholic Church has held on to the idea that the earth is at the center of our planetary system, one can almost graciously spread the mantle of Christian charity over some of the delusions of advertising research. The advertising researchers did not have such a long line.
While the models have largely been shelved in theory and hardly any serious researcher still adheres to them, they are currently celebrating a cheerful resurrection in advertising and media practice. This is due not least to the influence of ideas about the importance of advertising pressure.
Consumers cannot be controlled at will
The prevailing doctrine in advertising today is that if you want your advertising to get noticed, you need the audience's attention. That makes sense, but it's a mistake in thinking. And so it happens that all advertising practitioners have nothing better up their sleeve than to attract attention at any price. The whole discussion about "sex in advertising" is about nothing else. Sex undoubtedly attracts a great deal of attention and therefore lulls us into the deceptive certainty that half the advertising battle has already been won: because attention is the first stage in all stage models.
But why does the attention of the wooed have such a central significance? Why is it so important? It almost suggests itself when thinking about the process flow. If you want to make an impact on consumers, you first have to get them to turn all their receptors on. That makes sense to everyone. And yet it is precisely at this point that the numerous thought errors of classic advertising research begin.
Attention is the mediator between sensory perception and the absorption of selected stimuli into short-term memory. Without attention, nothing is perceived.
This seems plausible at first glance. But the flaw in thinking lies in the approach. And the approach is manipulative: How do I get the "stubborn" consumers to buy my product?
This is precisely why the ideas about subliminal advertising of the "secret seducers" caused such a big echo in the fifties: suddenly there was a theory that promised to free the advertising industry from the yoke of attention. It assumed that consumers' behavior could be manipulated at will without first having gained their attention. But the dream of being able to penetrate directly into the consumer's subconscious and have an effect remained an illusion.
There's no doubt about it: by using activating stimuli, advertising can draw attention to its often unstimulating factual messages. One of the most effective methods is the use of key stimuli. Innate triggers work best. These include key stimuli such as the infant or the sight of a female breast. These key stimuli virtually never fail to have an effect on the recipient. Because they are genetically programmed - whether you like it or not.
While advertising researchers were still busily tinkering with their stage models, a revolution in the viewpoint of communications research was announced step by step. Since the 19th century, the prevailing view had been that media directly influence their recipients. That is why it was always so important in many countries to observe how newspapers decided before elections. Which candidate did they favor? Behind this was the idea that voters were guided by the recommendation of "their" newspaper. But, as a rule, they did not and do not do that at all.
In the U.S. presidential election, for example, the decision of a local newspaper in favor of a candidate is still announced with great fanfare. Yet election research has long shown that voters make their decisions regardless of what their newspaper tries to persuade them.
In the 1950s, a radical turnaround became apparent. At that time, empirical attitude research - especially the Yale Group around the communications researcher Carl I. Hovland - recognized that all factors of the impact process, namely the sender, medium and receiver, and not just the media alone, exert an influence on the thinking and actions of the audience. Applied to advertising, this means that the advertiser, the advertising medium, the advertising medium and the advertised person are all players in the impact process. Research into the effects of advertising is approaching the modern age with giant strides.
In his book "The Effect of the Mass Media," published in 1960, the American communications researcher Joseph T. Klapper formulated the thesis for the first time that there was no direct influence on the audience by the mass media at all. Klapper thus went straight back to the "amplifier hypothesis," according to which the media merely reinforced previously existing attitudes.
The hypothesis is a product of the model of a two-stage flow of mass communication, in which opinion leaders play a decisive role. They use the mass media more intensively than other people, they ask more questions and, conversely, are asked for advice more.
From the "amplifier hypothesis" and the theory of the two-stage flow of communication, the idea developed that media effects and thus also advertising effects are determined much more strongly by user characteristics - such as age, gender intelligence, attitudes, social situation, knowledge, expectations, value attitudes or mental state - and virtually not at all by the content of the media.
The benefit approach assumes conscious consumers
The "Uses and Gratifications" approach was later directly linked to this hypothesis. This approach focuses on the active recipient. According to this approach, the message of the media is by no means as decisive as the gratifications that the user seeks in it and the uses that the message is able to create. The active recipient turns to a medium in search of certain gratifications. The media user thus behaves like the homo economicus of classical economics: he selects rationally according to criteria of subjective utility and takes what he needs. He discards everything else.
In general, recipient-oriented gratification research assumes an active audience and, according to Stuttgart-based communication researcher Michael Schenk, is concerned with "1. the social and psychological origins of 2. needs that generate 3. expectations of 4. the media or other (non-media) sources. Expectations then lead to 5. different patterns of media exposure (or to other activities), resulting in 6. need satisfaction and 7. other consequences (mostly unintended)."
The "uses and gratifications" approach initially assumes that the audience's actions are purposeful and intentional. Media use is determined by considerations of utility. Since media use serves to satisfy needs, it must be seen in the context of other, equally possible alternatives for satisfying needs. Finally, another assumption is that recipients are aware of their needs and motives.
In principle, the model is based on the idea of a rational decision maker. In fact, this approach shows clear parallels to the economic behavioral model.
It took quite a while for advertising effects research to rise to the level of media effects research. In the 1990s, American advertising research began to develop new ideas about advertising impact with the empirical findings and the theories linked to them by John Philip Jones, Larry Gibson and Erwin Ephron, among others. They led to the old stage models finally being thrown on the garbage heap of advertising history.
Although it is quite a simplification, it nevertheless gets to the heart of the matter when Ephron's theory of "recency planning" (WW 40/01) is referred to as the advertising impact version of the "uses and gratifications" approach. At least in one point, both theories are similar: The focus is on the sovereign recipient, who decides what is good for him and what is not. It is his or her selection behavior that sets the impact process in motion in the first place.
Single-source panels bring maximum transparency
Single-source panels have been used in international market and media research since the mid-1990s. The method of obtaining data from a single source existed long before that. But today it uses completely new methods. Today's single-source panels use scanners to examine the specific purchasing behavior of a representative sample of individuals and households. They simultaneously measure media usage and advertising impact.
This makes it possible to track whether a consumer who buys a particular product has also had prior contact with advertising for that product. One can also check whether those consumers who have seen advertising for a product are more likely to buy that product. And finally, one can even determine whether consumers who have had advertising contact a week before purchase a product in larger or smaller numbers.
This has introduced a degree of transparency into the process of persuasive communication that was previously unheard of. One can now make unambiguous statements on the basis of this panel: Of those who buy a particular soap, a certain number have previously consumed advertising for that soap. Another percentage of consumers has not done so. So a certain amount of soap was sold more because of the previous contact. One can also state: An advertising contact five weeks before purchase triggered a certain number of sales. A contact one day before the purchase again generated a certain number of sales. And one can reliably state: Is a contact more effective if it occurs a very long time or a very short time before the act of purchase?
In the studies conducted since the mid-1990s, it became clear that of those who actually bought any product, most had had advertising contact very recently. The purchases made by those who had briefly
had had prior advertising contact were 21.3 percent higher than those who had had no contact or contact much longer in the past. Two conclusions from these results were compelling: the temporal proximity of the advertising contact to the act of purchase matters.
It is quite unimportant how many contacts someone has before the act of purchase. A more frequent number of contacts does not increase the advertising influence.
These conclusions come from studies conducted primarily by British professor John Philip Jones, who hails from Wales. Jones has taught at Syracuse University in New York for many years. He used a classic controlled experiment in which he formed two groups from the participants in a single-source panel: the members of one group had demonstrably seen a particular commercial. The members of the other had not watched it. The result was that the people with advertising contact bought around 25 percent more goods than those without contact. And more importantly, the shorter the time between the advertising contact and the willingness to buy, the higher the number of purchases.
Based on the findings confirmed by Jones and other researchers on the relationship between advertising contact and advertising impact (= purchase), New York media planning expert Erwin Ephron argues, "It's best to try to place contact as close as possible to purchase in media planning."
Advertising, argue the proponents of "recency planning," is effective only shortly before the act of purchase, when consumers' needs become virulent. The decisive question is whether a consumer is "on the market" as a potential buyer and whether he wants to buy. So if someone is not eligible as a buyer for a product because, for example, his resources are not sufficient or he is well supplied with the product in question, all advertising for it bounces off him ineffectively. This also means that the triggering factor for advertising effectiveness is the consumer with all his needs and characteristics. If the consumer doesn't want to, can't or doesn't like it, advertising can try as hard as it likes: It fizzles out without any effect.
This new conception of advertising impact represents a radical departure from all previously dominant theories. Accordingly, advertising is a rather weakly effective instrument of market influence. However, it is also a seemingly paradoxical one. It is weak in its effect on the market as a whole, but can have a strong effect on individual consumers. In general, advertising impact is weak because consumers are not particularly interested in advertising at all. It may be that advertising refreshes their memory, but generally they don't learn much from it either; usually they have long known the products being advertised.
The consumer decides whether the message gets through
Earlier models of advertising impact always assumed that advertising influenced consumer behavior. The advertising message says "buy me" and consumers bought... Modern advertising research sees the process exactly the other way around: consumers decide whether a market communication message has an impact on their behavior. From the multitude of messages, they select only those that are relevant to themselves at the given moment. It is not advertising that influences consumer behavior. The events in the lives of consumers determine whether or not they are prepared to attach importance to the messages of market communication.
Regardless of how one may feel about modern American theories, there is one realization that can no longer be suppressed under any circumstances: Advertising impact never takes place as a step-by-step process.
AIDA

The AIDA formula is based on the assumption that advertising is effective when it triggers a defined sequence of perceptions and actions in the consumer: Attention - Interest - Desire - Action. The AIDA formula differs from more complex advertising impact models in its hierarchical structure: Once you have reached one level, you have to climb the next, all the way to the act of purchase. It's like being on a hike. Each step brings you closer to the goal.
Articles published so far

Sex appeal in advertising (WW38/00); Humor in advertising (WW42/00); How does the environment influence advertising impact? (WW1/01); How does placement influence advertising impact? (WW14/01); Creativity & efficiency in advertising (WW18/01); Fear appeal in advertising (WW 21/01); Not all advertising that is liked also entices consumers to consume (WW24/01); TV commercials with high entertainment value are more appealing to consumers (WW 32/01); AIDA as a discontinued model (WW 43/01).
How advertising works for real

With this article by Allensbach journalist Wolfgang J. Koschnick, WerbeWoche continues its series of articles on advertising effectiveness research. Anyone with questions about aspects of advertising effectiveness research can send them to us (in [email protected]). We will answer them to the best of our knowledge. In selecting topics for this series, Koschnick can draw on several hundred scientific studies on advertising impact.

The editorial bloodletting is increasingly costing Jean Frey's cash cow substanceBy Oliver Classen After the second wave of layoffs at the Beobachter, the new editor-in-chief Balz Hosang hopes for an end to the personnel blood toll. And Ringier's Hans Jürg Deutsch hopes that the defectors will be contacted soon.
In his first editorial for the Swiss consumer protection body, Balz Hosang presented himself programmatically in a red sweater and thus as a respectful heir, who also promised to honor and increase the ideal and personal legacy of his predecessor Ivo Bachmann. The ex-TV man must have found his first official act all the more sobering, as it consisted of announcing the next four departures.
After the three resignations at the end of March, when two guarantors of the proverbial independence of the Observer took their hats with Bachmann, last week four more top performers drew their consequences from the new ownership structure of Jean Frey Publishing. "I do not work for the majority of the current shareholders," says deputy editor-in-chief Fredi Lüthin, explaining his "carefully considered" decision. Similar sentiments are heard from the other three fundamentalists, including head of production Thomas Roth and head of department Rahel Stauber.
Hans Jürg Deutsch waits for Bachmann application
Unlike the first defectors who were released, however, Lüthin et al. must fulfill their contract term in full. In this way, Hosang, who by his own admission has received ten inquiries for every vacant position, wants to ensure "a seamless transition into the new era." And he should, since his deputy Lüthin has already observed "the first signs of a vacuum" in the last two issues. Further editorial loss of substance would probably soon be registered by the millions of readers who keep a sharp eye on the Observer, and they would react accordingly. If the subscribers are skeptical, the advertisers are already skeptical.
Such a creeping loss of confidence in the 75-year-old press institution would, of course, be most welcome to Ringier, which wants to have its own consumer magazine ready for presentation by the fall. All ex-observers are also still welcome at Dufourstrasse. According to Ringier spokesman Fridolin Luchsinger, two of them have already come forward - albeit quite profanely with the HR department and not directly with Hans Jürg Deutsch, who was appointed interim project manager by the journalistic committee at Dufourstrasse 23 at the end of April. The appointment of Ringier's TV boss bears all the signs of an embarrassment. It is true that this will ensure a close link between the parallel TV and print plans. However, the actual message of this "personnel provisional arrangement" (Luchsinger) is more reminiscent of a missing persons report and probably reads (German and clear): Bachmann, Lüthin and Roth, please get in touch!

BaZ exited Basilisk and wants to enter EdelweissThe Basel-Land radio Edelweiss has exceeded the turnover limit of three million francs in the business year 2001. This is the first time the station has been in the black since its near-bankruptcy six years ago. During the same period, Edelweiss, which belongs to Pool 2000, doubled its listener numbers. The current year has also started well, according to board president Bernhard Burgener: With a turnover of 800,000 Swiss francs, the station remains in the black.As a result, the former wallflower is now suddenly mutating into a sought-after bride. One of the suitors is the Basler Mediengruppe (BM), which, according to CEO Beat Meyer, wants to buy into Edelweiss. Burgener is not averse to this. Currently, many would ask for Edelweiss' hand, but "I would favor a Basel solution," he says. Meyer, for his part, emphasizes that BM is not interested in Edelweiss because of its recent black figures, but because an entry represents the only possibility for BM and its multimedia strategy to continue to be active in the radio sector, after it recently parted with the other Basel station, Radio Basilisk.
BM held a total of 40 percent of the shares in LH-Holding of Basilisk founders Hans-Ruedi Ledermann and Christian Heeb directly and indirectly through the trust company Itag of its board vice president Fritz Schuhmacher. "This participation was a blatant wrong decision," Heeb comments bluntly today. Meyer also speaks of "unfulfilled mutual expectations" and of "people who did not fit together." That's why Heeb and Ledermann sold the BM and Itag shares before
14 days bought back again.
Last weekend, the SonntagsZeitung now claimed that Tamedia wanted to get involved with Basilisk and was holding talks with Ledermann and Heeb. Heeb, however, described the article on request as "absolutely zero news". Talks were indeed being held with Radio 24 owner Tamedia, for example about new pools. "But we are not negotiating about Tamedia's participation," Heeb said. Tamedia spokesman Peter Hartmeier, for his part, confirmed that there were "talks" with the Basilisk founders. However, he gleefully left open what these talks were about.
Markus Knöpfli

Muse & Musse Jan De Schepper Which cultural event did you attend last?
Jan De Schepper: A concert by Faudel as part of the Cardinal Concerts at Kaufleuten.
What are you reading right now?
De Schepper: "Business Class" because Suter's columns are masterfully written and full of laconic wit.
Which CD do you currently prefer to listen to?
De Schepper: Macy Gray, "The id".
Which movie would you most like to see again?
De Schepper: "Lost Highway" because this film has neither a beginning nor an end. Perhaps I will understand the interweaving of delusion and reality better after seeing the film a second time, but I doubt it.
What TV show did you fall asleep during the other night?
De Schepper: "Loft Story".
What is your latest discovery on the Internet?
De Schepper: Miss of the castle
Mirenda at www.feldschloess chen.ch
What could you never do without?
De Schepper: To cold beer.
What do you do in a free minute?
De Schepper: I send flowers to my girlfriend.
Love is...?
De Schepper: ...the feeling that makes life worth living.

Contexta and Simko strengthen the image of Feldschlösschen and Cardinal with TV spotsThis advertising brew is high-percentage: Although non-alcoholic beer is stagnating in Switzerland with a share of around three percent in the declining beer market and the non-alcoholic Feldschlösschen subbrands have little sales significance for the company, the market leader is launching two campaigns for Schlossgold and the non-alcoholic Cardinal - with media heavyweight TV. This is a clever tactic on the part of the Rheinfelders, as they are using a medium that has rarely been booked by the beer industry for legal and market strategy reasons. They want to exploit this unused impact potential and hope that it will also have a positive impact on the image of the umbrella brand. Page 12

JCDecaux and Affichage invest 100 million francs in Eastern EuropeBy Markus knöpfli The Affichage holding company grants its largest shareholder, the outdoor advertising company JCDecaux, more say in the form of a seat on the board of directors. In return, the two out-of-home advertisers in Eastern Europe are reorganizing their cooperation at Europlakat and investing CHF 100 million.
Affichage-Holding, the Swiss number one in out-of-home advertising and number six worldwide, has overcome its initial aloofness towards JCDecaux, the European number one in out-of-home advertising and number three worldwide. Together, the two groups are now building a partnership in which they also grant each other more rights.
On the one hand, JCDecaux, which holds a 30% stake in Affichage via JCDecaux Central Eastern Europe Holding, will receive the required seat on the Affichage Board of Directors (BoD) - provided that the Affichage General Meeting approves a corresponding proposal on May 29. However, Affichage is sticking to the transfer restriction clause, which allows an individual shareholder a maximum of 5% of the voting rights.
On the other hand, the billposters are reorganizing their joint Eastern European business at Europlakat International (EPI). Affichage is a partner of Gewista, Austria's largest outdoor advertising company, whose main shareholder is JCDecaux (see chart). Previously, Gewista held 51% and Affichage 49% in EPI, but had equal voting rights. Affichage and Gewista now each hold half of EPI. In addition, they agreed to invest CHF 100 million over the next five years.
Part of this money is needed to integrate some of JCDecaux's Eastern European subsidiaries into EPI. The investments are also intended to accelerate growth in countries such as Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Serbia. Conversely, EPI is withdrawing from Poland, where it lost around four million Swiss francs in 2001.
New heads on the Affichage Board of Directors

At the Affichage AGM, three people will be leaving the ten-member Affichage Board of Directors. In addition to Christian Brückner and Gilles Colomb, Eric Honegger, the former Chairman of the Board of Directors of SAir Group, will also be stepping down. Jean-François Decaux, Co-CEO of JCDecaux, Jean-Claude Marchand, CEO of Edipresse, and the Bernese lawyer Klaus Hug are the new nominees.

SWA Board of Directors admits "gaps in internal information "A few days ago, all members of the Swiss Advertisers Association (SWA) received two letters from its President Gérard Stalder. In it, Stalder announced the convening of an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on May 22. However, no agenda was available by the editorial deadline. 24 SWA members had requested the extraordinary general meeting because they did not agree with the dismissal of the previous managing director Fredi Schwab and the appointment of his successor Jürg Siegrist and wanted comprehensive information (see also WW 16/02 and page 26 of this issue).Stalder acknowledged "gaps in our internal information policy" and declared his willingness to provide open information. At the same time, he clearly defined the limits of the hoped-for "constructive dialog": the Board of Directors was "not prepared to go back on its decision to place the management of the association in new hands." The choice of management is the sole responsibility of the Board of Directors, which is why the appeal lodged against it is "null and void".
One SWA member who supported the appeal was Fritz Zimmermann, Head of Media at SBB. What does he say about the already limited scope? His answer is short: "The most important thing is that there is an extraordinary general meeting. I won't go into the rest. On verra!" (mk)

Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger on his relationship with advertisingBy Andreas Panzeri The book containing his speeches is already a bestseller. Expectations were therefore high when Federal Councillor Moritz Leuenberger addressed the assembled industry at the "Advertising Day" in Bern's Kornhauskeller. The Swiss "Communications Minister" played his role brilliantly. His speech, which is available in full at www.werbewoche.ch, was accompanied by repeated applause and lots of laughter.
Your speech ends with the resolution: "As soon as advertising becomes the state, the state will become advertising." Is that just a nicely worded bon mot at the end of your speech or do you see a concrete timetable for this development?
Moritz Leuenberger: The state and advertising are both subject to social developments. There is no fixed timetable. In my speech, I noted that there is also skepticism about advertising from the Federal Palace. Too much advertising can damage a product under certain circumstances. However, I believe that we are in a process in which advertising is increasingly being recognized as a professional means of selling not only commercial products, but also government products. I emphasize, however, that this is a social process and not a legislative plan.
In the introduction to your speech, you humorously described how you fell for Carlo Schmid-Sutter's advertising and therefore accepted this invitation to "Advertising Day". Have you ever fallen for seductive advertising before?
Leuenberger: For me, the word "fooled" is dangerous. You can also want to fall in. That's what I wanted to say with this introduction. Some advertising is seductive, yes! But it always takes two people. It also needs those who are prepared to be seduced. An independent person can also remain resistant. No tobacco advertising has ever been successful with me because I have no interest in smoking. But if a barker at a fair is particularly charming and tries to sell me something that I really don't know yet, then I'm happy to buy it. This can also be the case with professional advertising. But then I didn't fall for it, I wanted to fall for it.
Why is it important to you to write your speeches yourself? There are very good PR agencies in Switzerland.
Leuenberger: A speech is something personal. You can immediately tell whether a speaker has formulated their words themselves or bought them in. You can hear whether the basic content of a speech comes from within or whether the speaker is just reading down something that someone has written down for him. I have never said that my speeches are written from A to Z by myself. I always consult others. But I want to be behind the basic message and structure myself.
You recently wrote the script for a commercial for SBB. Did you find the job of an advertiser beautiful on this occasion?
Leuenberger: When I wrote the more literary text, I toyed with the idea of an advertising film. When "10 vor 10" put it into practice, I realized that advertising should not be romanticized, but is a tough job.
Would you rather be a politician than an advertiser?
Leuenberger: That's a leading question that I'd better not fall for.