The various planned cable radio stations threaten to fail due to full cable networksBy Daniel Schifferle The eagerly projected second programs of the private radio stations are facing closed cable networks. For most of them, that will remain the case. Because only those who promise to enrich the range of radios receivable on cable with a really new offer can count on chances.
The disappointment for the planned cable radio stations came in stages. As early as last fall, it became clear that the desired distribution at zero or at least minimum tariff would not meet with a sympathetic ear from the cable network operators. This is no different today: Of the total of eight programs licensed for cable, only two are on the air: Top Two and 32 Goldies. All of the other six projects - Sunshine Gold, Swiss Classik Rock, Hit Radio, Aktuell 2, 105 Classic and the station-independent Swiss Music Radio - had made their launch dependent on cost-effective conditions for connection to the cable networks (WW 42/01).
But nothing will come of it. Cablecom, the market leader among the cable network operators, has defined its switch-on policy for cable radio stations. It leaves hardly any room for maneuver. "We don't see any possibility for regional language programs for the whole of Switzerland if they only offer more of the same. But that's exactly what the majority of these second channels do," explains Paul Winiker, who is responsible for the range at Cablecom. "It would have to be something completely new that really enriches our range." But because only very few of the cable radio stations in line for a connection can meet this requirement, things are looking bad for most of them. Cablecom wants to reallocate only one of the 40 or so radio frequencies available on cable, that of the discontinued
24plus.
Only a few still have hope of being connected
Dishearteningly for the applicants, the majority of them are not even in the running for the only channel to be awarded. According to Winiker, only three or four offers are on the shortlist. First and foremost among these is George Wismer's station-independent Swiss Music Radio. In addition, 105 Classic and the Internet station DJ Radio will be looked at more closely. Winiker: "We will now check whether these stations actually address a specific customer need that has not yet been met."
However, time is now running out for the projected cable radio stations. That is why they were forced to apply to Bakom for a postponement of their launch dates. This has already been granted. Others have meanwhile radically changed their distribution concept in order to escape from the deadlocked situation and to finally be able to get started without further delays. Swiss Music Radio is one of the latter.
The radio station, which focuses exclusively on Swiss artists, has switched to satellite transmission and will soon be receivable throughout Europe. Owner George Wismer hopes that cable networks will take over Swiss Music Radio directly from satellite on their own initiative because of the Swiss USP.
Argovia is thinking of a step-by-step approach
Still other secondary channels are more likely to gain a hearing with cable network operators if they regionalize their offerings. Sunshine boss Markus Ruoss has decided to take this step. He will submit a new license application for his Sunshine Gold with a focus on the regional level, Ruoss told WerbeWoche. Argovia boss Roland Baumgartner still wants to reserve the further procedure. It is conceivable, he said, that the two projects Swiss Classik Rock and Hit Radio would start with regional broadcasting and then gradually ramp up regional language coverage. Whether this approach is at all possible must be clarified with the Federal Office of Communications. But even for Baumgartner, the project is on the back burner. "We will start this summer, or then we will leave it alone," he says.
But regionalization doesn't guarantee a connection. "The other criteria must also be right," says Winiker. At least he has an alternative ready for those who have been rejected: Swissfun, Cablecom's digital platform. There is plenty of space there for new radio programs. However, its reach is still very limited: Swissfun is only in use in about 50,000 households, most of them in German-speaking Switzerland (45,000).

Jury President Outdoor Advertising (Series)How would you rate the standard in your category? On the whole, it was okay. But the ADC entry fees are obviously so inviting that even miserable posters are submitted. What is pleasing, however, is that some campaigns that have been running for years still look fresh as a daisy thanks to new subjects: for example, the Mobiliar damage sketches.
Can newcomers be spotted, or did the ADC habitués win once again?
Ruf: The lion's share has probably already been won by the well-known top agencies and makers. But there are also some nice surprises this year. For example, the "Freitag" book.
Which works do you think have a chance at the Cannes Festival?
Ruf: Anyone who doesn't require any local knowledge and gets a clear message across in an amazingly simple way. The Nico yearbook campaign with the pee stains, for example, might have an easier time than the ZVV campaign with the Zurich streetcars in the lake.
What did you pay particular attention to during the evaluation?
Ruf: That the posters had a surprising idea. And that this idea was implemented in such a way that it could be understood without an explanatory slide.
What stood out to you as you evaluated the work?
Ruf: That more and more attempts are being made to incorporate the poster environment into the concept. This can be funny, such as the Graubünden warm-up ski squat in the toilets. In other cases, it seemed rather contrived.
Has advertising become bolder?
Ruf: No. Unfortunately, courage is often inversely proportional to the size of the budget. And since September 11, some clients obviously confuse boredom with seriousness.
What importance do you attach to lobbying in such competitions?
Reputation: Practically none. The safest way to get a work into a book is if the idea and implementation are captivating.
Would you now buy one of the award-winning advertised products solely on the basis of the advertising submitted to the ADC?
Ruf: If I were on vacation, I would actually look at Kuoni rather than Vögele. Conversely, I boycott companies that advertise stupidly. That's the most effective way of protesting against it.
Has this competition raised your professional pride as an advertiser to a new high?
Ruf: No.
Was there one of the works that achieved art status for you as an art director?
Ruf: No. But that's not a sign of quality either. For example, I find a commercial like the one with the rooster who wants to take his own life because of the Radio DRS wake-up program more interesting than a video installation by Pipilotti Rist.

Christian Stärkle, Managing Director of Belcom and TeleNewsCombi, has a new project: a private TV pool that can cover the whole of Switzerland. he wants to add a Ticino and a Romandie module to the German-speaking Swiss TeleNewsCombi with the members Tele Züri, Tele Bärn, Tele Basel, Tele Top, Tele Ostschweiz, Tele Tell, Tele M1 and Tele Südostschweiz. Stärkle has two conditions, however: The programmes of the private stations in Ticino and French-speaking Switzerland must be aligned with the stations in German-speaking Switzerland: half an hour each of news and magazine with hourly repetition and inclusion in the media optimizer. The Ticino module with Tele Ticino will probably be finalized by the middle of the year. Only the tariff is still open, as Tele Ticino will synchronize spots at its own expense, says Managing Director Filippo Lombardi. The situation is different in French-speaking Switzerland. The existing Télépool Romand with Léman bleu, TVRL, Canal Alpha +, Ici TV, Canal TV and now Canal 9 is struggling with the required programme adjustments and the expensive media optimizer. The lack of telecontrol devices in some broadcasting areas is making things more difficult. A decision will not be made there until the end of February at the earliest (mk).

ADC JurychairmanWhat is so groundbreaking about this year's Gold campaigns? The strength of the campaign for Sportplausch Wider: lots of great individual ideas that form a whole. The strength of the campaign for ZVV: a great overall idea that doesn't get boring in its individual parts. The strength of both campaigns: witty ideas, well done.
Have you noticed any new trends?
Matter: The trend in all categories was: less above-average, less below-average.
How is the quality of this advertising vintage in general?
Matter: Not a bad year for a year with only three quarters. It would have been better if things that have already won awards abroad (Cannes, Epica etc.) hadn't ended up under the table.
Your conclusion after 26 years of ADC?
Matter: Difficult. Exciting. Necessary.
Can newcomers be spotted, or did the ADC habitués win once again?
Matter: Yes. Certain habitués in a new formation. RufLanz, for example. Or Jung von Matt/Limmat and Matter & Partner, both of which have grown. But the question is always: who won an award for what? It's easier for clients who give you complete freedom.
Which works do you give a chance for the Cannes advertising festival?
Matter: Anything that wins gold or silver in Zurich has a chance in Cannes. But not only that. I've also seen bronze and even non-award-winning films that should make it.
What did you pay particular attention to during the evaluation?
Matter: Respect for the achievements of others. Even if they are not good enough to receive an award. Professionalism in the evaluation, in the discussion, in the decision. Renouncing self-interest.
Based on the advertising, will you now buy one of the award-winning advertised products?
Matter: Sure. I believe in advertising. Especially the kind that the ADC recognizes.
Has there been any work that has achieved art status for you as an art director?
Matter: There is art that has achieved advertising status. The "Freitag" book by Lars Müller, perhaps the illustrations for Publicis' Christmas mailing. Ah, and then there's the art of pleasing everyone as an ADC board member or jury chairman. But neither Andreas Prokesch nor I have succeeded in doing that. Logical.

Jury President Outdoor Advertising/Single MotifsHow would you rate the standard in your category?: In our category, there was only bronze and silver. The fact that we were nowhere near the medal quota of 25 percent of the entries says it all.
How is the quality of this advertising vintage in general?
Comte: The economic crisis has not only had a negative impact on advertising budgets, but also on the innovative power of ideas. I would say it was an average year with a rapid decline.
Your conclusion after 26 years of ADC: Has the standard of the submitted work increased, remained the same, or deteriorated?
Comte: Since Swiss advertising has increasingly been competing with foreign creations at festivals in recent years, the standard of the work has risen considerably thanks to international role models from England and North and South America.
Can newcomers be spotted, or did the ADC habitués win once again?
Comte: Yes, the newcomers in the established ADC agencies.
Which works do you think have a chance at the Cannes Festival?
Comte: The Laax/Flims and Erotic Book Store print works and also some entries that unfortunately received too few or no awards from the ADC, such as the Nico yearbook campaign and the "Siegerpodest" print motif for Tibet. There are still jurors who ignore international standards.
What did you pay particular attention to during the evaluation?
Comte: On new, surprising ideas and the quality of their implementation. In other words, work that will never be forgotten.
What stood out to you as you evaluated the work?
Comte: There were many follow-up campaigns that had already won awards last year and very few new submissions from major clients, which in turn indicates the poor order situation.
What importance do you attach to lobbying in such competitions?
Comte: Can anyone tell me where anything is still going on today without lobbying?
Based on the advertising, will you now buy one of the award-winning advertised products?
Comte: Yes, Hakle feucht in the Erotic Book Store.
Has this competition raised your professional pride as an advertiser to a new high?
Comte: No, because if you stop improving, you have stopped being good.
Has there been any work that has achieved art status for you as an art director?
Comte: Perhaps the "Freitag" book, which won gold.

Jury President Overall Campaign and Editorial/Book DesignWhat is so groundbreaking about this year's Gold Campaign? The standard of this category was therefore no worse - but it offered slightly fewer surprises than before.
Do you see any new trends?
Aebi: One trend is probably that multidimensional campaigns are developing an almost limitless variability (fractal brand), which in the best case takes on a cult character - far more than just a consistent visual style, for example. Sportplausch Wider was the closest example of this.
Your conclusion after 26 years of ADC: Has the standard of the submitted work increased, remained the same, or deteriorated?
Aebi: Today, as in the past, there are pleasing and less ground-breaking things. The evaluation criteria are also rightly adhered to: 1. an independent idea. 2. a winning realization. And 3. a realization that does not make the 1st and 2nd worse, but rather more of them.
Can newcomers be spotted, or did the ADC habitués win once again?
Aebi: Newcomers and non-members were by no means handicapped this year either. For example, gold in the "Editorial" category went to the "Freitag" books by Lars Müller. Such outsider successes are not prevented by jury lobbying, but many awards go to ADC habitués. On the one hand, by jurors who confuse strict selection with not wanting to grant others anything at all. On the other hand, by individuals who have not done any award-worthy work themselves for years, but then embarrassingly want to prevent better-qualified people from receiving the awards they deserve.

December data from the AC Nielsen and MMXI Internet panelsAccording to MMXI, 2.397 million people surfed the Internet from home for an average of 323 minutes in December, visiting 279 sites. According to the data from AC Nielsen, on the other hand, 2.057 million people surfed for 336 minutes each and visited 508 pages.Blick.ch's primary role as a bearer of bad news (WW 1/02) was a premature assumption. After the site left the top 20 domains in November, it returned in December - and is doing better than ever before! AC Nielsen ranked it in 12th place, while MMXI ranked it in 15th place.
The number of Internet home users reported by MMXI in December is 150,000 lower than in November. AC Nielsen, on the other hand, did not see such a sudden and sharp decline; on the contrary, it set a new record with 2.057 million users.
MMXI also set a record: Bluewin.ch achieves its previous peak reach of 54.3 percent (2.8 percentage points more than in November), which means that the gap to the runner-up is greater than ever before at 24.6 percentage points. However, this is not consistent with the AC Nielsen panel either: Bluewin.ch's reach of 46.84% in December does not reach a peak value, but is 0.06% lower than in November. Markus Knöpfli

With the new club in the former Toni dairy in Zurich, the organizers of the Xaver Award have found a trendy location for their award ceremony.service trade fair award in the Toni dairy On 7 March from 7 p.m., the award for event and trade fair marketing will be presented for the first time. A number of well-known names have been recruited for the judging panel. The events will be judged by Julian Garcia (Newton 21, Chairman), Christian König (CEO Farner PR) and René Hürlimann (President BSW), among others.
Ringier Advertising Primer 2002 published The annual advertising primer with current data on the Swiss advertising market is now available from Ringier Verlag at www. go4media.ch. The free brochure contains key data on the largest Swiss newspapers and magazines, general demographic and economic figures, an overview of the most important media studies and much more.
CRM Connect trade fair parallel to x'02 CRM Connect will take place for the third time in the halls of Messe Zürich from August 20 to 22, 2002. The forum for customer relationship marketing (CRM) and call centers will be held for the first time this year in parallel with X, the trade fair for marketing, communication and events. According to a press release issued by CRM Connect, this is intended to create synergies in terms of both topics and visitors and participants.

Management consultant Thomas Otte on the name of the new Swiss airlineby Thomas Otte*The new Swiss airline will fly under the name Swiss. After months of excited guesswork, the secret of the new airline name was revealed last week. Management consultant Thomas Otte believes that the name's claim to be the sole representative of collective trust is dangerous.
Switzerland is loved because it is so beautifully Swiss. That's what we wrote just under six months ago. And brands are positive preconceptions. Switzerland is a gigantic positive preconception, which means that Switzerland is a very strong brand. One of the reasons why the former Swiss airline was so successful as a brand for so long was that it had largely aligned the content of the positive preconception of "Swissair", which it had created itself, with the preconception of good origins. In this respect, the clear content and stylistic
This reference to the collective trust context of "Switzerland" is of course correct in terms of brand strategy.
But that's all the positive aspects of the new "name". However, at least three reasons form an incalculable mortgage for the future. They will all have been considered and rejected with a straight face.
A brand without a product is like soap without water
"Have you heard of the new Swiss?" - "Swiss what then? I know a thousand different Swiss XY. Swiss cheese, Swiss chocolate, Swiss banking...?" And how does it sound when someone tells us: "I fly German." - "No, oh no, flying French will do the trick."
We don't necessarily want to remind you of the good old brand triad - brand, product and key wording - but successful brand management tolerates very little creative experimentation, especially when it comes to life-threatening things. The high performance standards proclaimed by the decision-makers are not compatible with the cheeky négligeance of the product: the public is definitely more in need of trust.
A brand with an exclusive right of representation
With the five national letters, the new airline clearly and unambiguously proclaims a claim to exclusive representation that could not be more comprehensive. This claim to exclusive representation refers to the whole of Switzerland and all its parts, as there is no customary restriction to one product or service.
The chronicler - another foreigner who persistently holds Switzerland in very high esteem - asks himself: How do the voters feel, how do the proto-Swiss feel, how do the national institutions feel, when a commercial enterprise - thanks exclusively to generous help from private and taxpayers, i.e. private hands again - suddenly takes it upon itself to represent its warm-hearted patrons on the international stage? How can this be reconciled with the new modesty declared from the top?
Until Halifax, it was only conceivable as a theoretical case that a Swiss plane would crash at all. Nevertheless, Halifax was probably still an exogenous accident. However, if you consider a brand to be a living system - and you should - then the other two were at least partly endogenous accidents, i.e. partly caused by the "brand" system itself: Vital subsystems made fatal mistakes under years of nerve-wracking tension.
Swiss XY - go along, get along
Unfortunately, such horror events cannot be ruled out for the future, even if it is only due to genuine third-party negligence. The headline will read: "Swiss crashes - 35 dead again." As the brand has no product but claims to be the sole representative for the whole of Switzerland, such an event has a direct and unshakable impact on the collective international trust of the whole of Switzerland. The media's customary desire to make things short will then repeatedly ask Switzerland as a whole: "Switzerland crashed?"
* Thomas Otte is the owner of Dr. Otte Brand Consulting/ Zurich.

Jury President Public Ads (series)How would you rate the standard in your category?: Good. There were only a few really bad works. And even among those that failed, there were some that would have won bronze if the competition had been weaker. I didn't see any new trends.
How is the quality of this advertising vintage in general?
Müller: Average on average.
Your conclusion after 26 years of ADC: Has the standard of the submitted work increased, remained the same, or deteriorated?
Müller: As we know, everything used to be better anyway, including the standard of the work submitted. However, in addition to the usual pretentious glorification of the past, this can also be explained by the fact that people remember the highlights of at least five years in a single year. And the present can hardly keep up with this. But the standard is no higher than in the past.
Can newcomers be spotted, or did the ADC habitués win once again?
Müller: Once again, it was almost exclusively the same large agencies and the usual exceptions that won. For most of the works, however, I only know which company they come from and not who did them. There may have been one or two newcomers at work internally.
Which works do you give a chance for the Cannes advertising festival?
Müller: Flims Laax Falera and Radio DRS.
What did you pay particular attention to during the evaluation?
Müller: The idea, of course. But the Bally ads are so beautiful and perfectly done that we gave them bronze, even though they are unimaginative.
What stood out to you as you evaluated the work?
Müller: Text has always been regarded as a gray value by the ADs, but now it is also being treated as such by the copywriters and concept developers. The Migros do-it campaign by WHS was the only work in which text played a role at all. Maybe that's why it only won bronze. Despite the danger of maneuvering myself into the camp of the sour cultural pessimists: I think it's a shame that the text is treated so stepmotherly today.
Has advertising become bolder?
Müller: No. And it is to be feared that she will now become even more despondent.
What importance do you attach to lobbying in such competitions?
Müller: Officially none, unofficially a lot. However, it's not lobbying in the strict sense, but rather the tacit agreement "tit for tat". That evens itself out over the years. However, this makes it more difficult for entrants who are not or only weakly represented in the ADC to win anything.
Based on the advertising, will you now buy one of the award-winning advertised products?
Müller: I certainly won't be buying Laax or DRS 3, but I will continue to use the ZVV.
Has this competition raised your professional pride as an advertiser to a new high?
Müller: Pride goeth before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18).
Has there been any work that has achieved art status for you as an art director?
Müller: No.

Jury President Electronic PublishingHow do you assess the standard in your category?Patman: The standard was sobering. Just five out of 38 entries were awarded bronze, and that's about it. There was a lack of real innovation. There were very few real surprises, which then lose substance again in depth. As a technological trend, it was noticeable that over 50 percent of the websites were produced entirely with Flash. Unfortunately, however, in most cases this technology was applied too clumsily and too conventionally. Always the same classic effects that aroused boredom rather than emotions. Websites that applied Flash only selectively as a means to an end usually had the greater variety. But overall, the level can still improve a lot. There are many talented people in Switzerland who can compete internationally. An end to the crisis is in sight, and I think that with the upswing, the industry will also be revitalized.
Your conclusion after 26 years of ADC: Has the standard of the submitted work increased, remained the same, or deteriorated?
Patman: ADC doesn't make advertising better, but it does distinguish good advertising and thus sets a benchmark.
Can newcomers be spotted, or did the ADC habitués win once again?
Patman: On the whole, not much has changed. The big fish shared the top, and a few small familiar fish mixed in.

Once again, the Art Directors Club (ADC) "Food with Fun" working group demonstrated its gastronomic expertise. by Beat Fritsch And the members of the creative club are not immodest when it comes to culinary delights. It is well known that the ADC spends a lot on its parties, with the largest budget item going on food, the second largest on drinks and the petty cash for hall hire. No wonder, then, that tickets for this event are considered to be the most sought-after of all.
So last Sunday everything, but really everything, that has rank and name in the scene met for a festive rendezvous in Zurich's Kaufleuten - as always after the previous award ceremony. There's only so much to say about this one: the judging was just as tough as last year. The same people won as last year. And the same people got as upset about it as last year.
The disappointment of missing out on throwing honors doesn't last long anyway. The traditionally exclusive meal, accompanied by plenty of alcohol, quickly makes you forget any unpleasantness. That's why this anxious question came to the fore at a tidy hour: "Can the ADC top its top culinary offering?"
While two years ago a whole quartet of star chefs - a total of over 50 "Gault Millau" points were represented in corpore - were invited, André Jaeger, also a demigod in white, from the Rheinhotel Fischerzunft zu Schaffhausen showed off his skills on the occasion of the ADC's 25th anniversary last year. This year, only the globally active Swiss culinary export Anton Mosimann remained, a kind of globalizer of the culinary arts who normally prepares dishes for crowned heads and presidents. And what does this mean for the ADC's gastrotesters? You'd have to fly in Alain Ducasse or the Troisgros brothers to top this series!
This is how delicious it looked on the plates: Salmon carpaccio with crab meat, oriental duck salad, saddle of lamb in a mustard and herb crust, stuffed with shitake mushrooms, served with market vegetables. Grande finale with tarte tatin with cinnamon ice cream and the finest friandises with coffee. Always accompanied by the matching alcoholic beverages. The always perfectly coiffed Mosimann and his ten-strong brigade undoubtedly put on a masterful performance for the 350 or so guests. This was also the opinion of those present, who acknowledged the performance with an ovation. And that's saying something. Christian Bauer from the Swiss Hotel Management School in Lucerne reported that the only guests worse than advertisers were actually teachers. He arrived with two carloads of trainees who were responsible for the service. One or two of them stumbled at times, but given the young age of the Hofa students, their consistently confident performance deserves praise.
In his acceptance speech, Andreas Prokesch contrasted the immodesty of the advertisers with the modesty of the restaurateurs. While advertisers only need to let out a quiet fart to expect it to appear in the next issue of WerbeWoche and be rewarded with a cube, Mosimanns asked modestly: "Is it good?" It was very right, added the ADC President with a smile and modesty.
A frequent topic that we picked up during the many discussions at and between the tables was, of course, in addition to the usual factual and laugh-out-loud stories, the royal Dutch dream wedding. H.M. King Kraska, ruler of the ZEN and A-ZENtrian world, also took advantage of the fact that the last weekend was dominated by the monarchy. Instead of the Oranians, he gave preference to the Swiss aristocracy. His Majesty also appointed a new dignitary to his court for the first time in a long time. Last Sunday, Reini Weber was awarded the title of "k. u. k. HofsCHwul" for the first time. Honny soit qui mal y pense ...!
A few days before the ADC party, the house party at Linkgroup was less wild and daring and not quite as advertising chic. At the prepress and print specialists, for once it was not the creatives but the production experts who were in demand and invited. Here, too, over 250 guests made the pilgrimage to Wetzikon in the Zurich Oberland to spend a fun evening. The two hosts, Jürg Trösch and Christoph Jäckle, combined their customer party with a vernissage by Iranian photographer Shirana Shahbazi, whose works are being published in book form by Linkgroup. The atmosphere was so pleasant and the conversations so intense that even after the last S-Bahn train had left, there were still guests who didn't want to go home.
Denis Lechmann and Reto Blöchlinger from Printlink had to work pretty hard behind the bar. However, the production specialists made a good trap at the bar. They only ran into a slight snag when the vodka briefly ran out. However, with some clever improvisation and fig schnapps, they easily overcame this liquidity bottleneck. Jazz musician Robi Weber also had to improvise. He provided the musical entertainment, albeit not with his regular quartet, but in a three-piece formation. This did not detract from the listening pleasure, as the trio sounded as smooth and groovy as you would expect from Weber.
Beat Fritsch

once again set out to inspect the events of the Zurich communications scene. Which proved to be a tough job last week. On Thursday, the Linkgroup hosted a customer party, on Saturday the Prix Courage was awarded at the Volkshaus (report in the next WerbeWoche), and on Sunday evening there was a well-deserved "Dîner Mosimann chez ADC" to round off the week. The gourmets of the creative club once again hired a great cooking star to give their annual festival a special culinary touch.
Those who want to be catered for by top chefs or who are satisfied with simple catering can be found at a wide variety of events on the scene. Do you already have something to report? Pick up the phone (01 296 97 98) or hit the keys (info@werbewo
che.ch). Event tips and further shortlist images are available online at www.werbewoche.ch