McCann-Erickson celebrates the love of tidiness with dancing plastic containersBy Thérèse Balduzzi There are hardly any more boring products than the practical plastic containers for household goods from the American company Rubbermaid. With its new campaign, however, the company has succeeded in embedding them in a visually highly appealing context.
The Newell Rubbermaid range includes small containers for food, waste garbage cans, stackable boxes for sweaters, rack combinations for organizing built-in boxes, racks for tools and small stepladders. In the new campaign by McCann-Erickson, New York, however, the unspectacular plastic products are brought into a highly stylish world.
The "Wrapping Paper" commercial is about a simple, semi-transparent plastic container that can hold numerous rolls of wrapping paper. However, the commercial begins with colorful rolls of paper that roll down various stairs to rhythmic music. At one point they form a kaleidoscope pattern, roll further and turn into a spiral. Only at the end does the container itself come into play. This is followed by a short product description and finally the tagline: "Rubbermaid: How life gets organized."
The "Stepstool" commercial is about a three-step, foldable plastic ladder. The production is a minimalist dance against a green background, in which soldiers carry the step ladder around, climb over it and fold it up again in perfect synchronization like a combat course.
In the commercial of the same name, individual items of clothing whirl through the air like a tornado against a red background until they form a whirlwind. Only at the end is the rack combination shown, which brings order to the wardrobe.
"Pinata" is named after the Mexican game in which children hit a suspended paper figure full of sweets with their eyes tied shut. Here, a dark-haired beauty dressed in yellow hits a pinata, which is made up of small plastic containers for food, against a blue background. When they all fall to the ground, they remain closed, a demonstration purpose of the spot.
Pantomime performances for 15 million dollars
With their music and mechanical movements, the commercials are reminiscent of the advertisements for Intel Pentium 3 with the Blue Man Group. In terms of color, the campaign is retro chic. The spots were filmed by Spanish director Jaime. The creative director is Steve Ohler.
This is Rubbermaid's first TV campaign in over three years. Its budget is 15 million dollars. The aim is to refresh the image of the company, which was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Wooster, Ohio. Although Rubbermaid products are known for their indispensability, they are less known for being hip and stylish.

Joachim Kernstock, Head of Brand Management at the HSG, on brand vitalizationIn cooperation with the University of St. Gallen, the agency Scotti & Jeanguenin has set up a new series of marketing seminars. Joachim Kernstock, Head of the Brand Management Competence Center at the HSG, kicked off the series with the always topical subject of "Vitamins for the brand". What does the HSG's Brand Management Competence Center do?
Joachim Kernstock: Our competence center is one of several at the Institute of Marketing and Retailing. Essentially, our fields of research are in the area of corporate brand management, in which we have defined six fields of activity: Brand management in mergers& acquisitions, brand management between the various sales channels and media, so-called crossover branding and, increasingly important, branding in services. In addition, there are the three "overarching" areas of responsibility: Brand systems, brand evaluation and the strategic brand development process.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to position yourself in an intensely crowded market. When is a brand revitalization recommended?
Kernstock: In a nutshell, you could say: "Change before you have to." However, brand management is an ongoing process to find the right path between continuity and topicality. Ultimately, I see this as less time-related; it's better to work on it continuously.
What positive examples of successful revitalization can you give?
Kernstock: A positive example is certainly Coop, which is working on this with great commitment and is on the right track. However, we still have to wait and see whether the branding is successful. At a high level, Sixt and E-Sixt are always a good example. If you want to mention somewhat larger turnarounds, Audi is certainly a brand that has achieved an enormous amount.
Why are low-interest brands also well advised to constantly reinvent themselves?
Kernstock: They have to. Milka and Nivea are two classic brands from the "fast-moving consumer goods" sector that are continuously revitalizing themselves and are very successful. I don't think there are so many brands that can always maintain a consistently high level without making an effort. Even Coca-Cola has to keep reinventing itself.
What vitamin cure would you prescribe for the new Swiss airline?
Kernstock: It's a difficult story. The trick will be to build on the high level of trust that Swissair has built up and enjoys abroad. You can't reinvent over seventy years of success in the space of a year.
The carrier, which has been rescued for the foreseeable future, has now embarked on a price profiling strategy that is diametrically opposed to its previous brand values. Isn't there a risk of the brand trading down in the long term?
Kernstock: There's no other choice at the moment, it's the airline business. They have to do everything they can to make money, even if they lower prices in the short term. In the long term, however, it will damage the brand if people become accustomed to this price level.
In recent weeks, the Swiss brand has also suffered in the eyes of the public as a result of various other events - the rampage in Zug and the fire in the Gotthard tunnel. What should an efficient brand communication strategy look like now?
Kernstock: This is a natural domestic view of Switzerland, where the events were perceived extremely sensitively and dramatically, which did not happen abroad. On the contrary: Switzerland has a very positive image in the world. And such a brand image is not destroyed by certain events that are perceived only slightly abroad. I therefore see no need for action.
In the current economic downturn, many companies are cutting back on commercial communication. What are the consequences for such companies?
Kernstock: In principle, this is a short-term optimization that results in a long-term loss of value. Of course, communication budgets can be cut quickly and easily without the effects being felt in the short term. However, it is often the case that it is more expensive in the overall calculation to rebuild what has been destroyed in the short term. However, there are also examples of companies that have started to communicate very aggressively in order to overcome an economic and image crisis. One example from the international arena is the Adidas brand, which carried out an anti-cyclical vitalization push at the beginning of the 1990s. If it hadn't done this back then, the brand might no longer exist today.
From the point of view that necessity is the mother of invention and creativity, one could argue that financial resources are not particularly important for brand management.
Kernstock: Basically, you can say that those who have to work with tighter marketing budgets are very likely to offer more creative solutions. On the other hand, it is also the case that many companies see expenditure on the brand purely as a cost and not as an investment in the brand. This also creates a false image.
You have analyzed brand management in store branding. What challenges do Swiss retailers face on the eve of the market entry of international distribution chains such as Carrefour and Wal-Mart?
Kernstock: I think Swiss retail companies are generally quite well equipped for this entry compared to similar companies in other European countries. But there is always something that can be done. After all, Swiss wholesalers don't just see themselves as distributors of products, but have a certain philosophy that they implement consistently. And that's the right way to go, because the customer wants to feel this. It's not just the shopping experience, which has always been under heavy strain, that is in demand; the relationship with the retailer - which used to be a handshake and local gossip in the corner store - must now be replaced by integration potential. Just as Coop is currently doing to a very large extent. Migros will also have to react to this, but it can also rediscover its myth. Interview: Luca Aloisi

To mark Coming Out Day, Network, the network for gay managers (www. gaymanager.ch), placed this full-page advertisement in the NZZ. It promoted the acceptance of gays and lesbians in the workplace by 53 Network members coming out, including their job title, in the ad. Hats off! For having the courage not to shy away from publicity. And thank you for the power that such subjects bring to those who are discriminated against. There are not only different forms of discrimination, there are also various methods of countering it. One of these is demystifying a taboo. Another would be to include it in TV shows such as "Big Brother" or now "The Bar" on TV 3, especially as these shows satisfy many voyeuristic desires, so a little pink pepper would only enhance the recipe. And as you can see from the Chandon ad, the Californian sparkling wine producer could immediately provide two candidates. Chandra KurtColumn

Andata e ritorno
By Carmelo A. Buffoli
My parents emigrated to Switzerland from Italy. So I grew up here in the country. I was always Italian here. Always lo Svizzero in Italy! Looking back, I see the time in a mixture of joy, the Swiss expected us Italians to be Italian and the Swiss immediately joined forces with us.
In Italy with my relative, everyone saw me as absolutely Swiss and even today when I am in Italy, almost every month, the meal is presented with the same message: "Tu sei uno Svizzero!"
After school, we went to see a career counselor. I was sitting in the office, he asked me what I wanted to become! I answered commercial artist. He told me that he had a very good training place as a printer. He further explained to me that printing also has to do with colors like all commercial artists! I went home and told my mother about the training ground. She was very happy and I should learn a good and honest job and become a printer.
I still went into advertising. I like the advertising field, I've learned a lot! I want to put what I've learned to good use for us Italians, because there's a lot for us Italians to do. Sometimes we secondos are called secondos and from time to time even mafiosi. We have only ourselves to blame for our image! That can be changed, the Swiss people should know that we are better than generally assumed! Apparently our world consists of pasta, calcio, red sports cars and Berlusconi. That's what a lot of the media say! But we want to change because this can't be the right road, and I hope that some of you have changed a little bit your opinion of Italy!
[email protected]
Carmelo A. Buffoli is the owner of Buffoli und Partner GmbH and responsible for communications at ASW.
Language Observer

Blank text III: What would you like?
A great book for blind texts is "If a Traveler on a Winter's Night" by Italo Calvino: "The novel begins at a train station, a locomotive hisses, piston steam hisses over the beginning of the chapter, smoke shrouds part of the first paragraph..." - And it ends: "Ludmilla closes her book, turns off the light, lays her head on the pillow, says: - And you: "
Would you prefer something international? O. K. - "I am a dummy copy. And I've been a dummy copy since my birth. It took me a long time to realize what it means to be a dummy copy: you make no sense. Often you aren't even read at all. Does that make you a bad copy? I know that I'll never stand a chance to appear in the Economist. But does that make me any less important? I may be a dummy. But I enjoy being a copy. And should you still be reading and decide to carry on reading me to the end, I'll have managed to achieve something most normal copies don't."
Or how about something classical? - "Behind the mountains of words, beyond vowels and consonants, the blind texts lived in Buchstabenhausen. One day, a little line called Lorem ipsum decided to go out into the big wide world of media. The wise Gutenberg warned it about the apposition fighters in Apostrophistan, the genitive loops in the Satzlianenwald and the quicksand of Grafia, but Lorem ipsum didn't listen, packed up its ten letters and set off. In the hills of the Italic Mountains, it met a copy that said where it came from, it had been rewritten umpteen times and all that was left of it was the little word and.
But all the persuasion didn't help, and it came as it had to. Insidious copywriters ambushed Lorem ipsum, promised him the gray from heaven and brought it to their agency, where they misused it again and again for their presentations. And if it hasn't been rewritten yet, you're still reading it today."
The perpetuum mobile text is artistically valuable: "There is no such thing as blind text. There is no such thing as blind text. Texts are not blind. At most those who read them. Or not. A blind text would be one that nobody sees. But blind text is seen. Otherwise it would not be used. It is even read. From which it follows: There is no such thing as blind text. There is no such thing as blind text..."
Beat Gloor, www.textcontrol.ch
For the time being, the text here is arbitrary and meaningless. Of course, the character string shown here is only suitable for conveying a general visual impression. The content is of secondary importance at this moment. Later, however, it will provide very detailed information about the topic and content. For the time being, however, it only has a purely placeholder function, although the font, font size, line spacing and spacing should already convey a definitive impression of the appearance. This is important because the design is also very important when making a purchase decision. The dummy text book. Rosebud No 3 ISBN 3-931126-54-4

The British advertising holding company WPP completes the acquisition of the Tempus Group.News WPP finally buys Tempus
After the London Takeover Panel explained in writing in the middle of last week why it would not allow the withdrawal from the deal, WPP waived a further appeal. The forced takeover will cost WPP 432 million pounds. As originally planned, the media agencies CIA of Tempus and The Media Edge of WPP are to be merged.
Boeing stays with FCB FCB remains the global advertising agency for aircraft manufacturer Boeing. FCB Chicago won the pitch against local competition from BBDO and J. Walter Thompson. Boeing had put the budget out to tender when the company's headquarters were relocated from Seattle to Chicago. Previously, the 70 million dollar budget was managed by FCB Seattle.
RTL loses Procter & Gamble The US consumer goods company Procter & Gamble (P&G) will no longer be running TV commercials on the German private television channel RTL next year. As Horizont reported, P&G and RTL marketer IP Deutschland were unable to agree on the distribution of the volume and the amount of the discount. With this major customer, the private television broadcaster is losing an order volume of 70 million euros (with an annual turnover of 1.3 billion euros).
MediaCom worldwide for Shell The oil company Shell consolidates its worldwide media expenditure following a pitch to MediaCom. At the beginning of 2002, the subsidiary of the Grey Global Group takes over the European budget (80 million dollars) from the previous account manager CIA and also Shell's worldwide budget for corporate advertising (20 million dollars). From May, the other international budgets (63 million dollars), which were previously managed by Media Insight and J. Walter Thompson, also switch to MediaCom.

On November 15, 2001, the new advertising agency Adcomm in Basel opens its doors to interested parties. "We have been in existence since January, but we wanted to complete the start-up phase before we present ourselves," explains co-owner Bernhard Wenger. He and his two partners Benny Fasnacht and Peter M. Schulthess form the management team and complement each other: while Wenger rose through the creative departments of various advertising agencies to become CD of Favo Corporate Communications, Fasnacht worked mainly in the film sector and Schulthess brings IT expertise to the table.For the time being, the agency wants to concentrate on classic advertising, especially in the print sector, but already has the necessary know-how in-house for film and web presences.
The Adcomm team consists of twelve employees, a size that Wenger considers to be optimal at the moment: "In terms of infrastructure, we can still expand, but growth is not our top priority. We are flexible at this size." Adcomm has already won Migros, Bell, Grieder, Basellandschaftliche Kantonalbank and others as customers (ba).

TeleNewsCombi opposes cooperation with IP MultimediaNot quite four weeks ago, IP Multimedia (Switzerland) announced that it wanted to make a name for itself as a national TV marketer in future. To this end, it is seeking cooperation with individual stations as well as with their pool, TeleNewsCombi (TNC). However, this is likely to be difficult, as the TNC has already assured Radiotele of its loyalty. It was foreseeable that IPM CEO Michi Frank's intention to also sell advertising time for Swiss TV stations would lead to strong reactions from Radiotele AG. This is because it is entering the garden of the only marketer for national private TV advertising to date. Radiotele boss Bruno Oetterli had already reacted harshly in connection with the presentation of the extended IPM strategy (WW 38/01). He even threatened to pull out of the commitment to the TNC if it followed the lure of the IPM.
IPM is already negotiating with various local TV stations
But Oetterli can rest easy for now. The TNC members discussed IPM's intentions at their regular meeting. "Radiotele AG was unanimously confirmed as the marketer of the regional stations participating in the TNC," says TNC Managing Director Christian Staerkle. The regional TV pool is not seeking any cooperation with IPM "that could not meet the needs of the very fragile regional television market", the statement continues. At the same time as this declaration of loyalty to Radiotele AG, the TNC managers have decided to further expand the station wagon into the other regions of Switzerland - Ticino and French-speaking Switzerland.
According to IPM spokeswoman Bettina Singeisen, the IPM can and wants to say little in response to the TNC's position. Negotiations are already underway with various private TV broadcasters. "We are not aware of any exclusivity in marketing that Radiotele is supposed to have over local and regional TV stations," says Singeisen. On the other hand, she emphasizes that the TNC only markets special environments of its members, namely those in the news sector. "But there is also other advertising time that is sold on these stations," she says. Daniel Schifferle

Young people are not dissuaded from shoppingBruno Amstutz Despite the depressing world situation, terror and economic downturn, young people in Germany seem to have an undiminished enthusiasm for shopping - in contrast to the older generation. This is the conclusion drawn by the Youngcom agency in its study "Teens: Consumption despite the crisis".
Teens are not so easily shaken in their consumer behavior: despite the "crisis autumn" of 2001 and the imminent introduction of the euro, they are hardly spending less money.
In October 2001, the Munich-based agency for integrated youth communication Youngcom surveyed 498 young Germans aged between 13 and 20 to find out how they feel about consumption. More than half said they spent the same amount of money as usual, and around 18 percent even more. Just under 20 percent of respondents spent less money because they were saving up for a purchase and only 9.6 percent cited personal insecurity as a brake on spending.
Michael Simperl, Managing Director of Youngcom, is not surprised by the results: "The stable consumption among young people is easy to understand: Many still live with their parents and therefore have no fixed costs, but often have relatively high incomes thanks to pocket money and part-time jobs." Simperl also attests that young people generally have a more carefree approach to money.
However, young people's consumption did not increase in all sectors. Spending was boosted by short-lived consumer goods such as clothes, shoes and accessories as well as nightlife. Cell phones and the Internet also made the market roll faster than before. For larger and more durable investments such as consumer electronics, furniture or sports equipment, teenagers were digging less deep into their pockets in October than before.
Youth marketing pays off even in times of crisis
Pocket money is still the most lucrative regular source of income for young people, followed by gifts of money from relatives. Around 40 percent of those surveyed have a part-time job, while 22.1 percent already receive a regular salary. Cash is also the biggest Christmas gift wish for two thirds of teenagers, followed by clothes and shoes as well as vacations and travel.
According to Youngcom, with their sources of income and additional savings, young Germans represent a potential of 7.2 million consumers with a purchasing power of around 13 billion marks. And they obviously don't want to know much about saving.
"Teenagers also have a significant influence on the purchasing decisions of adults," adds Simperl. Youngcom's conclusion from the study is clear: youth marketing pays off even in times of crisis.

The Swiss artist platform wins an IP Top Award at the Content Summit 2001By Clemens Hörler Like the entire Internet industry, the Content Summit 2001 and the IP Top Awards also felt the effects of the current crisis. Significantly fewer websites were submitted for the IP Top Awards than last year. That is why there were only three prizes instead of the planned nine.
Bkaro.net is probably unknown even to most Internet connoisseurs. The website of BaBit Internet Lösungen, Lausanne, is a community and virtual gallery for artists from all over the world, who are given their own exhibition wall (bkaro) and can network with each other. The concept convinced the jury of the IP Top Awards (www. iptop.com): The artists' platform won the Special Prize, which primarily rewarded pioneering and original ideas. Second and third place in this category went to ZDF.reporter and Everypoet.com.
Around 130 websites from 25 countries were submitted for the European internet competition, around half as many as last year. Switzerland was best represented with 29 entries. Award organizer Jasper van der Hulst suspects that the decline in participants has to do with the tightened investment brake. Online publishers who were unable to equip their sites with the latest features and are currently cooking on the back burner would not have believed they could win and would not have entered their websites in the first place.
Success also for IWC and Futurecom
Due to the decline in participation, prizes were not awarded in all planned categories. The websites in the Financial Content, Sports Content, Corporate Communications, Entertainment, Documentary/ Reports and Content Development categories were lumped together. The best site from this pot was ZDF.reporter (reporter. zdf.de), which received the "Best European Interactive Content" award. In second place was the corporate site of International Watch Company (www.iwc.ch), which was designed by Futurecom interactive AG, Zurich. It was followed by the Europhie website of HypoVereinsbank, an interactive emotion barometer for the introduction of the euro.
This year, news sites were once again elevated to the top category. After all, the IP Top Awards are presented as part of the Content Summit, an event aimed primarily at online publishers. The "Best European Newssite" award was won by BBC Online (www.bbc.co.uk) ahead of The Guardian and Spiegel Online.
To evaluate the sites, the judges first made a pre-selection and nominated the best sites for the final round. These were compared with each other using the Nextexpertizer evaluation software. The judging tool from the German company Nextpractice GmbH (www.nextpractice.de) was designed to make it possible to combine the quantitative possibilities of a questionnaire survey with the qualitative informative value of a personal interview.
The judges were able to enter their criteria in their own words on the computer and rate the websites according to each of these criteria. Nextexpertizer summarized these subjective thoughts and created the ideal image of the winner from the various approaches. The website that came closest to the ideal image was
was chosen as the winner by the software. The most frequently mentioned criteria for the final ranking of the news sites were content quality, user-friendliness and interactivity.
One factor that is not covered by the software, but can still be decisive, is language. In an international competition, a purely Czech site has little chance of being pre-selected by the jury if almost none of the jury members understand Czech. Websites in German, and above all in English, have an easier time of it...

With the admission of Markus Ruoss (Sunshine) and Roland Baumgartner (Argovia) to the board of the Association of Swiss Private Radio Stations (VSP), the unification of the radio industry is practically sealed.News Radio associations reunited The Argovia and Sunshine radios previously belonged to the Privatradio Suisse association along with other private radio stations, but joined the VSP in September. The membership of two PRS radios in the VSP board was a condition for this (see WW 36/01). The VSP, which recently also Radio Extra Bern joined, represents 26 of 36 Swiss private radio stations. So far, the two Zurich radios Z and 24, most of the stations in French-speaking Switzerland and the non-commercial stations have not joined.
Hourly reach is set The User Commission of Publica Data AG (PDAG) has agreed on the new planning currency "hourly reach" in the radio sector, with which all individual hours between 0 and 24 hours can be shown and planned. The hourly reach replaces the previously used unit "cumulated net reach" of mostly multi-hour tariff windows. This is possible thanks to the greater data density of Radiocontrol. PDAG does not rule out the possibility of introducing ratings at a later date. For handling the planning data, it also offers the "Radiocontrol Planning" tool, which replaces the Lazyplan.
Adlink takes over Doubleclick's European business The online marketer AdLink, headquartered in Germany, is taking over the European media business of its US competitor Doubleclick. It is paying 30.5 million euros for the deal and assuming "certain liabilities," according to a statement. AdLink's majority owner, United Internet, receives the option to sell 15 percent of AdLink shares to Doubleclick for 35.5 million euros in early 2002. In return, Doubleclick can acquire a further 21 percent at no additional cost after exercising the option. United Internet is making minority shareholders a purchase offer for around 37 percent of their shares. This would leave United Internet with a stake of around 50 percent. The combined media business of the two partners will continue under the name AdLink. Thanks to a cross-selling agreement, AdLink's customers will have access to Doubleclick's network in the USA and Asia. Doubleclick will focus on technology and e-mail solutions in Europe in the future.
Ringier with G + J in Eastern Europe The Ringier media group is expanding its position in Eastern Europe. To this end, Ringier has reached several agreements with the German publisher Gruner + Jahr (G+J). In Hungary, Ringier acquires 49.9 percent of the capital of Nepszabadsag from G+J. This makes Ringier the majority shareholder of the traditional newspaper; the remaining shares are held by several minority shareholders. With a circulation of 200,000 copies, Nepszabadsag is the No. 2 Hungarian daily newspaper behind Ringier's tabloid Blikk. In Slovakia, Ringier and G+J enter into a joint venture. Ringier holds 49 percent of the shares and contributes its five magazines in the TV, women's and family segments. G+J primarily contributes the tabloid Novy Cas, the country's most successful daily newspaper with a circulation of 160,000 copies. In the Czech Republic, G+J has a 25 percent stake in Ringier's publishing and printing companies.
RMB optimizes its structures The media marketing company RMB Switzerland is optimizing its structures as part of the "Focus" project launched in the fall. The previous CFO Gallus Hensch is leaving the company. Chief Sales Officer Tarkan Özküp is taking the opportunity for a sabbatical. "Tarkan's desire for time off was one of the triggers for the reorganization," says CEO Matthias Luchsinger. The Executive Board under Luchsinger's leadership now consists of Maria Sessa (Chief Financial Officer, previously Head of Sales).
of Finance & Administration), Corinne Blaser (Chief Sales Officer national, previously Division Manager Cinema), Markus Schumacher (Chief Sales Officer local), Jean-Claude Bruhin (Chief Communication Officer, previously Division Manager Marketing) and Christine Scheucher (Services).

In addition, ProSiebenSat1’s marketing arm, SevenOne Media Switzerland, is expanding its team with the addition of Peter Gmür and Ingrid Christen. As a marketing assistant, she will support B2B Marketing Manager Hardy Lussi.
Urs Peter Naef, formerly the media spokesperson for Swissair, will become the new head of external communications at the Migros Cooperative Federation (MGB).
Radio Zürisee will have a new sales manager, Urs Lorenz, starting in April 2002. He will also become managing director of the Lake Zurich Radio Advertising division. These roles are currently being filled by Heinz Gantenbein, managing director of Radio Zürisee AG. He moved to Radio DRS at the end of March to serve as chief of staff.
Radio Z's management team has a new structure: Sascha Rhyner, as editor-in-chief, and Leander Schüpfer, head of music and interim director of programming, will share responsibility for the station's programming.
Mike Gut heads the Marketing and Infrastructure divisions. The management role is being filled on an interim basis by Medien Z Holding. The former program director, Christoph Romer, is leaving Radio Z.
Anna-Maria Schmid recently joined the consulting team at the branding agency The Creative Factory in Zurich as a senior consultant.
Susanne Berger is a new addition to the team at Mauerhofer & Partner AG in Bern, a firm specializing in recruitment for communications professions.
Marc Zehnder has joined the direct marketing agency Fisch Meier Direkt as Project Manager for Promotions and Events.

FK&P makes Polo St.Moritz unrivaled and a coveted brandFor the 18th time, one of the most glamorous polo tournaments will take place from January 24 to 27 - Polo St.Moritz. For the first time, however, the World Cup tournament in a champagne climate and on a frozen lake is to be made into a brand. As a sponsoring contribution, the Zurich agency Felber Kristofori & Pinzon (FK&P), together with its partners in prepress (Repro + Montage) and printing (JCM Offsetdruck), designed a campaign that uses a comparative concept. Ironic side swipes are intended to clearly position the event in St. Moritz as the most noble in order to attract further sponsors and guests.
With the insignia of the sophisticated supporting program, the three poster and advertisement subjects draw attention to the program's possibilities. "In most cases, several billion fortunes sit very close together. We wanted to express this mood or this aesthetic of decadence in the subjects," says CD Rudy Felber. Thus, in the test tube for the urine sample in St. Moritz, champagne is found instead of
urine, and the lady of the world is not satisfied with a simple face mask in St.Moritz - putting on a new face is literally done with the help of the plastic surgeon in the Engadine posh resort. In the future, the defined brand essence for Polo St.Moritz will be the glasses through which FK&P wants to see every implementation for Polo St.Moritz. Luca Aloisi

The 8th Bern Marketing Day sought "perspective" in an increasingly confused worldBy Anita Vaucher Especially in uncertain times, exchange among like-minded people is particularly in demand. The Bern Marketing Day takes this need for communication into account. This year's motto was "Durchblick" (perspective) and it offers marketing professionals a platform to find out about the latest trends and developments.
The Bern Marketing Day has long since ceased to be an insider tip for marketing enthusiasts from the Bern region. Initiated in 1986 by entrepreneur Heinz Trachsel, the conference now attracts guests from all over German-speaking Switzerland every two years.
This year, more than 500 participants came to the Kursaal Bern to be inspired by the conference theme "Durchblick". The aim of the marketing conference is to provide an overview of the most important trends and developments in marketing in a short period of time. This year, the conference theme was given an additional dimension by the events of the past few weeks.
In his presentation on marketing for an open society, Beat Kappeler said that the September 11 attacks and the American response to them were often interpreted as a "clash of civilizations. This is the essence of the matter, if one means the clash of an open, market-driven and democratically organized society against a society of rural clans with personal rather than factual dependencies without clearly defined basic rights.
An open society needs marketing
The open society must thus be defined as a society that establishes fundamental rights for individuals, not for groups, and makes them enforceable in courts against the state and third parties, he continued. The edifice of the open society sets the economic and political spheres against each other in competition and control. Therefore, there can also be a state failure and not only a market failure.
The state and the economy therefore represent the typical and necessary "checks and balances" for an open society. Kappeler went on to explain that the open society needs marketing in order to be able to explain it in its comprehensive mode of action to the outside world, to developing societies, and to the inside world, to critics.
Practical teaching of marketing - with chairs
Emanuel Berger, Director of the Grand Hotel Victoria-Jungfrau in Interlaken, and Hannes A. Pant-li, Marketing Director of the watch manufacturer IWC, drew close to market reality with their remarks. Both market products in the luxury goods sector. Pantli used advertising to show that special marketing laws apparently prevail there.
For a full twenty years, the same advertising motif was used for the prestige brand: a clock on a blank background. That's over now: the ads from Wirz Werbung have given the brand a creative boost. IWC's customer magazine is also the company's best marketing tool. With a circulation of 20,000 copies, it is the highest-circulation watch magazine.
In order for a hotel guest to come back, you have to generate expectations, said hotel director Berger. And he is obviously doing this successfully and not simply by sending out hotel brochures indiscriminately. The enterprising hotelier has conquered the American market by making low-calorie food palatable to Americans. To this end, the kitchen of the Four Seasons Hotel in New York was seized without further ado, and weighty journalists were cooked on the spot by the culinary brigade of the Hotel Victoria-Jungfrau. The posh hotel in Interlaken was voted Hotel of the Year by "Gault Millau".
Hotelier Berger demonstrated quite practically that this is only possible through hard work. He asked the conference participants to stand up to look under their chair. And there were indeed some lucky ones who found a voucher for an overnight stay or a meal at the posh hotel in the Bernese Oberland under their chair. Berger immediately delivered the corollary: "In marketing, you have to get off your butt to make a profit."
Information technology - no substitute for the brain
David Rosenthal, Internet expert and owner of the Basel IT Press Office, warned against placing too many expectations in information technology. It is true that IT remains a beacon of hope in marketing because it enables greater efficiency, offers new forms of market cultivation and collection, and the Internet is being used more and more intensively.
However, the development of technology is overestimated, for example with regard to the availability of broadband technology or the teething troubles of programs that are not fully developed. In addition, users' sensitivities are not sufficiently recognized, especially in the area of data protection. Anyone who wants to do marketing, Rosenthal concludes, has to deal intensively with IT. However, information technology is only a simple tool and in no way replaces reflection and creativity.
The mysteries of humanity are also a marketing engine
Marketing expert Torsten Tomczak from the University of St.Gallen demonstrated three very different success strategies using the examples of the Marketing Exchange Company, the Marketing Coalition Company and the Marketing Hybrid Company.
For the Marketing Exchange Company, the core challenge is the management of a complex vertical system that accepts conflicts and provides for interdependent task distributions. The Marketing Coalition Company, on the other hand, is challenged by the permanent development and expansion of significant product advantages in a dynamic environment.
Tomczak describes the Marketing Hybrid Company as a marketing virtuoso. This requires both product leadership and a strong lead channel (customer relationship). The core challenge for this model is reduced flexibility in a dynamic environment. And so that the audience was not left hanging in the void, puzzling over whether such companies actually exist, the university lecturer provided practical examples with Hilti Fastening Technology, Zurich Insurance and the car manufacturers VW and BMW.
Apparently Erich von Däniken is part of the speaker pool for marketing events. The specialist for extraterrestrials already had his big appearance at the marketing day in Fribourg last January. Now he was again excited in Berne about riddles around the Egyptian pyramids. But he was quite happy that these riddles would never be solved, otherwise the visitors of the Mistery-Park in Interlaken, which will open its gates in November 2002, would probably stay away, he said in conclusion.