Noteworthy: The New York Times is demonstrating what Boris Becker has lost—the ability to convey true, enduring values that people, especially in such fast-paced times, want to believe in. At least when it comes to the ever-recurring topic of marriage. For its Sunday edition on January 14, the American daily produced a special «Advertising Supplement» with the Hollywood-worthy title «Getting Married on Long Island» (where else, if not there?). Across 24 pages, hotels, castles, resorts, jewelers, bridal gown companies, and everyone else you might need for what’s supposedly the happiest day of your life advertise their services. And after all, it has to be expensive—since you only celebrate it once. Or do you celebrate it only once because it’s so expensive? Whatever the cost: the slogans in the individual ads are quite creative. They range from «Honey, now we can relax … that was the wedding of a lifetime» to «Private Sunsets for Future Horizons.» It all sounds incredibly romantic and was undoubtedly conceived by marriage-obsessed creatives who probably wish for nothing more than to get married all over again. All in all, however, the entire supplement comes across as utterly provincial and stuffy. An ad from a divorce lawyer or the publisher of Barbara Cartland would at least have given this staged, virtual world a touch of reality. I’ll give the Italians credit for that. They blow so much money on credit at their weddings that they spend their whole lives paying it off—another reason why divorce rates in Italy are so low and wedding celebrations are anything but provincial.
Chandra Kurt
Column

True or false?
From Anna Esposito
Correction: The news magazine *Facts* apologizes to the entire advertising industry for last week’s blunder. As a precaution for next year, it is asking all advertising professionals to send their résumés and a list of their awards and honors to hannes.britsch@[email protected]. This way, by the time the editorial deadline for WerbeWoche rolls around on Tuesday evening in January 2002, a complete list of names can be published that will, with 100 percent certainty, include the winner of the following Thursday’s competition.
This year’s communication mishap and the resulting message to the outside world regarding the “Advertiser of the Year” award have, aside from the humor, inadvertently revealed a grain of truth: Often, two (or more) advertisers are behind a single idea. So this “scoop prevention” measure will also have a nice side effect: it brings back into all of our consciousness the fact that advertising, despite the rampant cult of the winner, does—at the very least—have something to do with teamwork. It’s crystal clear that the creative team shares the credit for strokes of genius—there’s no disputing that. But every now and then, the realization hits you internally that the flash of inspiration (Eureka!) was born out of all sorts of frills (keywords: analysis, briefing, discussions, exploiting junior copywriters). And that its execution also cost us a thing or two (see media planning, production, and lunches with the press).
The great thing about all the advertisers gathering on stage next year, bathed in the spotlight of the reigning Miss Switzerland, is that the envy that poisons everything will fade away, and we can confidently knock back a beer together. That’s always been the open secret to success for advertisers throughout the year.
Language Observer

A Hundred Questions for the New Year (51–75)
51. Would you rather have a different name? What would it be?
52. Does your life have meaning? And what about the lives of those around you?
53. Do you think the Internet makes the world a better place?
54. Do you take care of your body?
55. Do you think with your head, your gut, or your hands?
56. Do you never want to see your ex again, or would you like to stay friends?
57. Do you lie from time to time? How does that make you feel?
58. Have you ever been arrested?
59. Have you ever killed anyone?
60. Would you be happy if certain people were killed? How many would that be, roughly?
61. Do you think before you answer?
62. Do you remember the most embarrassing moment of your life?
63. Do you ever find yourself amazed by yourself?
64. What do people compliment you on? What would you like to be complimented on?
65. Can two people stay together for the rest of their lives?
66. What do you think of a married couple who call each other “Mom” and “Dad”?
67. Did your parents want you, breastfeed you, love you, and hold you?
68. If you could save only one thing from your burning house, what would it be?
69. How far ahead do you plan?
70. Would you like to be able to see into the future? Would you do it?
71. Does being alone make you strong or weak?
72. Are you strong? What for?
73. Do you like a lively atmosphere, or do you prefer some peace and quiet?
74. How should one live?
75. What voice do you hear when you read these questions?
Beat Gloor, www.textcontrol.ch

The redesigned Tages-Anzeiger revitalizes the reading experience and pushes the service topicsBy Daniel SchifferleThe redesigned Tages-Anzeiger pushes the service topics and links them to the TV program, which is a crowd puller. Although the changes to the page architecture and typography are only minor, they significantly revitalize the reading experience.
Since last Monday, the Tages-Anzeiger has been more contrasting, more colorful, more tabloid-like. But there are actually only a few changes that have a big impact. One of these is the new table of contents, a horizontal strip at the top of the front page and at the beginning of each bundle to guide readers.
No visual approximation to the SonntagsZeitung
A second table of contents in the bottom left-hand quarter of the front page provides detailed outlines that already reflect the core of the story. This makes the first page even more of a treasure trove for a quick reading experience. And learns from the commuter newspapers, which are masters at getting to the heart of topics.
The only minor changes to the typography also create a completely new groove. The typeface remains the same, but the previous confusion of font sizes has been standardized. "Elegant, classy, refined," is how editor-in-chief Philipp Löpfe characterizes the completely new effect it has created. But one thing is obvious: the new Tages-Anzeiger has unmistakably taken a big step closer to the SonntagsZeitung in terms of appearance.
However, Löpfe denies that a convergence of the two brands is intended. "We don't want to come across as upbeat or tabloid-like, and unlike the SonntagsZeitung, we will be very cautious about removing content elements".
The most striking change in the redesigned Tages-Anzeiger is in the sixth bundle. This is where the service topics are now located: "Computers" on Monday, "Cars & Technology" on Tuesday, "Travel" on Wednesday, "Media" on Thursday, "Accounts" on Friday and "Savoir-vivre" on Saturday.
With this prominent positioning, the Tages-Anzeiger is clearly enhancing the importance of service topics. "Market research has identified a growing need for magazine and service topics, and we are responding to this," says Löpfe. The increased importance of the service topics is also underlined by the fact that they are now available all year round and that the previous eleven-week break in publication during the summer will no longer apply.
Now the
Cashier has her say in the Tagi
And a very special trick ensures that readers no longer simply ignore the service topics. This is because the television and radio program is now housed in this place - a driving force for the sixth bundle that is to be profiled and has thus been elegantly integrated into the newspaper. But it is also full of other news.
For example, there is the daily calendar of events or the comic "Eva" by Jaermann/Schaad, which can be found daily on the last page. In contrast to the bought-in comics such as "Garfield" or "Hägar", which used to populate the Tages-Anzeiger, "Eva" is an in-house production. In the future, the quirky supermarket cashier will provide accurate and farmer-smart insights on current topics.
The new layout was designed by Michael Jones in collaboration with Tagi-AD Markus Roesch and Toni Lienhard. Jones is an old acquaintance of the Tagi, as he was already involved in the last relaunch in late summer 1997. At that time, however, he was still working for the renowned newspaper designer Roger Black. Jones has since set up his own business.

Myrta Bugini has headed Ringier's communications department since the beginning of January "Dialogue is more important than one-way communication "For Myrta Bugini, communication means building bridges, bringing people together, facilitating dialog. This area of responsibility is not new to her. Although she has been the newly appointed Head of Communications at Ringier since the beginning of January, as Fridolin Luchsinger's deputy for many years she already knows the department like the back of her hand. In addition, Luchsinger will remain Bugini's superior as Secretary General of the Group Executive Board. "The new challenge for me is to take on all the responsibility," says the Head of Communications, "the work itself has been part of my everyday life for a long time."
Myrta Bugini will not be able to complain about a lack of work in the coming months. The presentation of the annual and environmental reports is imminent, and Ringier is also launching an intranet and a new website. The communication department is responsible for coordinating these projects. In addition, there is the organization of events and customer PR support, as well as the evaluation of an employee survey to reveal the flow of information throughout the company.
Bugini has been working for Ringier for ten years. During this time, she has made many personal contacts, from the printing plants to the top of the Group. "These contacts help me to constantly rethink the internal means of communication," says the 46-year-old, adding: "That's also necessary, because many professional cultures come together in our company." Regardless of the medium, Bugini sets one priority: dialog is more important to her than one-way communication.
In her career, she has always had the good fortune to be in the right place at the right time, summarizes the Head of Communications. After completing a commercial apprenticeship at what was then SBG and working in various branches, she got her first taste of PR as an advertising secretary and PR assistant at an American company in Zug. Bugini joined Farner PR in 1982 to learn the trade from scratch.
After seven years of training, she decided to put her knowledge into practice in the internal communications department of a large company. But not just any large company: it had to be NZZ or Ringier. After working in marketing and communications for Ringier Print, Bugini joined the communications department in 1996 as a PR assistant under Jacqueline Moeri. "I never consciously wanted a career," Bugini emphasizes, "but I am curious, like to tackle new things and then see them through as efficiently as possible." Bruno Amstutz

WHS Berlin is merging with the Berlin agency Melle Pufe and moving to the latter's domicile. Everything is still open, including the question of whether Melle Pufe will take a stake in WHS Holding. "We are creatively on the same wavelength," says Stefan Pufe, whose agency managed billings of around DM 48 million last year with 40 employees. (ew)

A positive image study sweetens the departure of TSR boss Guillaume ChenevièreBy Anita VaucherThe loyalty of French-speaking Swiss audiences to their television is legendary. Despite this, the market share of Télévision Suisse Romande (TSR) shrank slightly last year. In contrast, the French private broadcaster TF 1 was able to increase its market share for the first time in years.
For the last time, TSR boss Guillaume Chenevière presented last year's viewer figures in his usual optimistic manner. His successor Gilles Marchand has already started work. However, Chenevière will proudly leave the company. According to a study, TSR has been able to improve its image over the last eleven years.
In the eyes of the public, French television has mutated from a cumbersome, monopolistic, passive and non-transparent company into a dynamic, modern and audience-oriented broadcaster.
Probably somewhat alarmed by the advance of TF 1, Chenevière appealed to local creativity. The French private broadcaster had been steadily losing market share in French-speaking Switzerland since 1995. Last year, however, it started to rise again, by more than one percentage point from 14.4 to 15.5 percent.
Successful TSR 2 is sometimes a special-interest channel and sometimes a sports channel
People have two domiciles in their lives, said Chenevière: their home and their television set. It is therefore essential to strengthen in-house productions in future programming. According to Chenevière, this is the best recipe for further whetting the appetite for the local channel.
The success of TF 1 also points to the attractiveness of the broad range of topics offered by the station. This mix continues to be an important advantage over special interest programs and the Internet. The TSR director is also extremely happy about the development of TSR 2, which sometimes functions as a special-interest television channel and sometimes as a sports channel.
Chenevière is particularly pleased about one fact: domestic productions have increased significantly in TSR's range of feature films. Of the feature films shown in 2000, 12.1 percent were Swiss productions, compared to just 5.3 percent ten years ago. He sees this as an opportunity for television, as Swiss films have a very difficult time in the cinema.
Market share in decline, despite higher TV consumption
For all his love of "Télévision de proximité", Chenevière could not imagine a "Big Brother" spectacle on TSR. "This type of entertainment is not to the taste of the Francophone mentality," he said dryly. In the Francophone media culture, there is practically no sensational and gossip press and no corresponding television programs, he added.
TSR's overall market share fell by 0.7% to 32.2% last year. Overall television consumption increased from 159 to 161 minutes. TSR was successful with young viewers between the ages of 3 and 14. The market share in this target group rose from 25 percent in 1999 to 26.3 percent in 2000, while the market share in the over-50 age group fell from 37.9 to 35.9 percent.
Raymond Vouillamoz, Program Director of TSR, described the slump in viewership during the summer months last year as catastrophic. However, this was due to a lack of financial resources, which made it impossible to offer a more attractive program.

The consulting team at Farner PR in Zurich has been strengthened. 44-year-old Rosmarie Widmer Gysel takes over from the previous head of finance and administration. On February 1, 2001, Barbla C. Schaerer (32), an economist, joins as Group Head and also becomes a member of the Executive Board. Schaerer was most recently a partner at F&Partner Communications AG. Since the end of 2000, Nanni Hürlimann (35) and Sandra Jost (30) have been actively building and expanding their consulting team as senior consultants. "The fact that so many women have joined us in one fell swoop is a coincidence," says Christian König, Farner PR's board delegate. "In general, though, women are ideally suited for leadership roles in communications," König says. An experience that he has made in the team, not least with Jacqueline Moeri, who remains in an unchanged position at Farner. (ba)

The ex-cyclist pedals in a McCann-Erickson campaign for DiaxIn order to communicate the minimal coverage advantage of its mobile network, an appearance by Swisscom last year alluded to the lower values of its competitors. Now Diax is countering in a sporting way: to advertise the almost complete coverage of its mobile network (over 95 percent), the telecom company sent Swiss ex-professional cyclist Tony Rominger, equipped with a cell phone, on a Tour de Suisse. The idea for this documentary-style product campaign, consisting of cinema and TV spots, advertisements and posters, came from McCann-
Erickson, Zurich. The implementation follows on from the umbrella brand concept launched a year ago, in which Swiss celebrities promote the benefits of the telecoms provider.
Tony, why don't you bring home some more bread and flour
The wacky and funny films are presented as fictitious stage reports. They show Tony Rominger in a good mood, who is obviously in no hurry to reach the stage finish. Much to the annoyance of his exasperated coach, who tries in vain to spur him on from a support vehicle, the professional cyclist interrupts his ride during an ascent on the Schaffhausen-Einsiedeln stretch, for example, to take a call from his wife, who asks him to buy bread and flour on the way. On the stage from Moutier to Bulle, he even picks up the phone himself: from a bakery, he calls his medical advisor to clarify whether he is breaking doping laws if he eats a vanilla roll for refreshment.
The TV films were realized with the Viennese production company Propeller Film, the advertising motif and poster subject were photographed by Michel Comte, cousin of Daniel Comte, the CD Art at McCann-Erickson, Zurich. The headline of the print motif "I'm driving across Switzerland right now, you can reach me anywhere," was put into the mouth of the former showcase athlete by Claude Catsky, CD Text.
A market with dreamlike growth rates
Mobile telephony is a growth market: According to the NZZ, the number of mobile subscribers to the providers Swisscom, Orange and Diax rose by 50 percent to 4.6 million customers. The market leader with 3.17 million cell phone customers is Swisscom, which gained 886,000 new subscribers last year. 500,000 new cell phone customers joined Orange, which now has 800,000 customers. Diax increased its customer base from 465,000 to 60,000. Ernst Weber

In addition, Gérard Geiger is the new Director of Ringier Romandie. He replaces Gilles Marchand, who was elected Director of Western Switzerland Television. Geiger was Head of Magazines at Edipresse.
Publimedia's Account Directors (AD) have reorganized their areas of responsibility. Markus Ehrle is responsible for strategic planning and e-business in addition to his client responsibilities. Markus Bien has been assigned to him as consulting group leader (BGL). He replaces Urs Kaufmann, who takes over Purchasing and Quality/Publisher Relations. AD Moreno Cavaliere is responsible for coordinating the publishing market; reporting to him is BGL Astrid Gartenmann, who replaces Jan Vonderlinn. AD Daniel Strobel is responsible for coordinating the customer market and manages three advisory groups under Giovanni Trümpi, Beat Leuenberger and Bruno Holenweger, who replaces Sandro Prezzi.
At the media consulting agency Publicom, Kilchberg, Jadwiga Gabrys joins the Consulting + Research team as Project Manager and Media Research Consultant.

Kathrin Siegenthaler is the new personal assistant to Herbert Seiler at Seiler Com Holding AG. She was previously assistant to the management of Remy Fabrikant.
The online marketer Ad Pepper Switzerland has appointed Otto Kunz as Sales Director, Josephina Giger and Steven Rafferty as Sales Representatives, Ariane Stauffer as Traffic Manager and Yvonne Fehr as Office Manager.
Metro Publication (Schweiz) AG has appointed Wolfram Meister as the new Editor-in-Chief of Metropol as of March 1.

A walk through hell, where the coins ring heavenlyby David H. Guggenbühl-Meile and Martin R. Bloch*
Las Vegas is an artificial oasis in the Nevada desert. The man-made world of amusement lulls visitors: they quickly lose their sense of time and space, light and shadow. There is a system to this, because Las Vegas is all about one thing: money.
Time plays no role in Las Vegas; on the contrary. The more of it there is, the better. Anyone entering the huge catacombs of Las Vegas, these oversized gambling dens, will hardly ever see one thing: a public clock.
After days of wandering around Las Vegas, you discover just one timepiece - a large Rolex in front of a jeweler's shop window. Las Vegas fears watches like the devil fears holy water. Nothing, absolutely nothing should remind the player of the time. Las Vegas is not set on time, but it is set on gambling.
When gamblers sit at the blackjack table or in front of one of the countless one-armed bandits, they must not think about the time that is slipping through their fingers like dollars. In Las Vegas, it is as taboo as sex in a convent school. Gamblers are supposed to lose themselves in a timeless space, preoccupied only with what makes the casinos money: the game.
And because time is not allowed to exist, casinos fear daylight as well as clocks. No glimmer, no shadow, no ray of light penetrates the large halls from outside. Instead, the gambling halls appear in a strange twilight, not morning and not evening, certainly not midday and certainly never dark night, bedtime. Timeless, in other words.
Many paths lead in,
but no one out
For example, the Hotel Paris. A hotel like any other. Huge, huge, huge; 3000 rooms, maybe even 4000. And in the center a gigantic arcade behind a 1:2 scale replica of the Eiffel Tower, in the twilight of course and without a clock.
But also without any exit. Because that is also frowned upon in the gambling city: the exit. All roads lead to Las Vegas, but no way leads out again. Exits are generally not marked and are almost impossible to find. So the hotel guest has no choice but to march bravely through the halls, once to the left and once to the right, once up and once down, past these dull figures sitting in front of the slot machines, with a popcorn cup full of change in their hands, apathetically feeding the machine, through the endless canyons of slot machines, with one goal in mind: let there be daylight.
But it's not just the exits that are almost impossible to find: The reception is hidden, the toilets are in the farthest corner, the lifts barely visible and the bar only faintly visible in the background.
A ringing, as if
Angels sing
But listen and be amazed: in the catacombs of Las Vegas, a heavenly tinkling sounds incessantly.
There are the machines that dispense money and pay out winnings. They occasionally ring or rattle in chorus with the jubilant jubilation of the lucky winners. But some just sit there and accept the payout like a wife's scolding after twenty years of marriage: emotionless, calm, hardened. Nothing knocks them off their feet that quickly.
Some machines even set off a siren, shriller than any alarm and so loud that no one in the huge hall can miss it and everyone knows: right now, at this very moment, someone is winning again! And because it could be anyone, even the poorest pig, the siren probably wants to convey the message that you should continue to play with hope. Until there is no more money in your wallet.
And all this tinkling, ringing and howling, all these sirens weave themselves into a wonderful unity: into an endless, timeless keynote that sounds like big money. Discreet for the most part, occasionally shrill, but always just loud enough for everyone to hear, the money jingles in the background. And everyone thinks to themselves: there's something to be won here.
In Las Vegas, the smell of
Dreams after toilet duck
Wherever you go, the smell is already there, everywhere in Las Vegas. Whether in the hotel room, in the corridors, in the halls, at the reception - it even follows visitors into the toilets; these sweet wafts of scent, a mixture of chewing gum and floor polish, toilet duck and raspberry syrup.
And because it is everywhere and the same everywhere, there is only one explanation. It must be the sweet smell of money that accompanies guests in Las Vegas at every turn, constantly reminding them that they can win a lot and where they should go to make their fortune. Sweet dreams.
Everyone here only wants one thing: money and more money
Are you familiar with the minibar in hotel rooms? From which you treat yourself to something in your room in the evening and then relax and watch some trivial movie on TV?
The huge hotels in Las Vegas have grandiose hotel rooms. They are so big that every resident feels like a little prince. And that's a good thing, because a prince gives princely tips and probably finds other generous uses for his money. But you won't find a minibar in any Las Vegas hotel room. There is only a bottle of lousy drinking water in the bathroom.
And the TV program is so lousy that you feel like you're in the Hotel Garni in Oberglatt. If you want entertainment, you shouldn't watch TV, you should go down into the catacombs, into the ringing twilight, you should wander through the corridors and play until you run out of money.
And if you're thirsty, you should also go down to the hall, to some bar that you can only dimly make out in the background, wander through the corridors, to the vending machines and play until you run out of money too.
But even in such a case it's not over yet, there is still hope, because the friendly hotel management informs the guest in the hotel brochure about the many credit options available. Give me cash, honey.
This is Las Vegas, a city in the middle of the desert that has learned to live with artificiality and knows better than any city in the world how to take money out of visitors' pockets.
*David H. Guggenbühl-Meile and Martin R. Bloch are partners in the agency Bloch Guggenbühl Associates AG in Zurich.

Peter Kern, Head Corporate Communications CS Private Banking, on Formula 1Zurich had already dropped out in qualifying. UBS then took pole position. But Credit Suisse surprisingly won the race out of the pits. 45 days before the start of the world championship in Australia, the bank announced that it would support Peter Sauber's Formula 1 team with at least CHF 25 million a year until the 2003 season. 20 million, or as Swiss television says, even 30 million francs a year until the 2003 season: was this a surprise Christmas present for everyone involved, or was it simply well planned?
Peter Kern: We looked at various sponsorship opportunities last year and came to the conclusion that Formula 1 was the most attractive for us. The contact with Peter Sauber before Christmas and the subsequent negotiations up to the conclusion of the deal were indeed very quick. Surely an innovative and fast bank is a perfect match for Formula 1?
With such a large sum, it can be assumed that a new sponsorship budget had to be opened for this Formula 1 commitment. Is the calculation correct?
Kern: We see this commitment as an investment in the Credit Suisse brand. The bank wants to continue to grow internationally and needs a strong brand that is recognized worldwide. Formula 1 offers ideal opportunities to achieve this goal.
Will there still be cutbacks in other areas of CS sponsorship to compensate for this large sum?
Kern: The existing sponsorship commitments are not affected, on the contrary: Formula 1 is an ideal addition.
According to which key are the most important sponsoring commitments of CS actually distributed as a percentage?
Core: There is no fixed key that is used when making decisions about sponsorship commitments. The decisive factor is the marketing objectives in line with Credit Suisse's business strategy. Credit Suisse's commitments are reviewed on an ongoing basis and adapted in line with new requirements. The focus can therefore shift from time to time.
Formula 1 now offers CS an extremely attractive environment. 300 million TV viewers per race worldwide. What do you expect here in terms of image?
Core: The Sauber-Petronas racing team is an internationally successful Swiss company characterized by a pioneering spirit, teamwork and efficiency. With this commitment, Credit Suisse is supporting a team with a high degree of identification for the Swiss and international target audience. Naturally, we want to benefit from this. Conversely, having Credit Suisse as a new sponsor is certainly also a benefit for Peter Sauber.
Is the Formula 1 environment right for CS, which, as we know, has caused a few more problems for a few UBS executives, which is why this rival bank was also late with Sauber?
Kern: Today, Formula 1 is associated with innovation, high-tech and professionalism. These are values with which Credit Suisse also identifies strongly. The opportunities that Formula 1 offers a globally active company are unique. As a major Swiss bank, it was also important for us to be able to support a Swiss team with this commitment and thus contribute to the preservation of over 300 jobs.
Red Bull is not only a sponsor of Sauber-Petronas, but also a significant shareholder. At least for the time being. Formula 1 teams are known to be very valuable, as only 11 teams are allowed to take part in the races, but many more car companies would like to take part. Why didn't CS seek a stake here? Are bankers good at math?
Kern: The partnership with Peter Sauber is clearly a sponsorship commitment by Credit Suisse. We are pursuing clear marketing objectives and are not interested in any involvement.
As a Formula 1 fan, you can imagine many possibilities for marketing this commitment. Do you already have initial ideas? How will your bank's customers be able to participate?
Kern: The aim is of course to make the most of the partnership with Peter Sauber's team for both sides. Initial ideas are being discussed. One important aspect is certainly the opportunity to offer our customers exclusive events.
A 20 million budget does not work like a one-off investment. Will the effective advertising management of this commitment be handled in-house or by a specialized agency?
Kern: We will handle this in-house. Credit Suisse Financial Services and Credit Suisse Private Banking both have experience with such commitments.
Will CS have a say in the choice of further sponsors for Sauber?
Kern: We have full confidence in Peter Sauber's abilities and will not interfere in his work as team principal.
What are CS's hopes for the coming season at Sauber?
Kern: We are obviously hoping for a good season. With the two new, young and very motivated drivers Nick Heidfeld and Kimi Räikkönen, Sauber has created the conditions for this. However, results are not the only criterion for a sponsorship commitment. The decisive factor is to position our brand worldwide.
Who in the CS boardroom is already a Formula 1 specialist, and who could soon become one?
Kern: The fact that various members of the Executive Board have an affinity with Formula 1 certainly made the decision easier. But the decisive factor was the mutual trust that existed between Peter Sauber, Oswald Grübel, Thomas Wellauer and Peter Derendinger from the very beginning.
Will CS get wings in the coming months thanks to this commitment to Red Bull Sauber?
Kern: The success of CS is certainly not dependent on a sponsorship commitment. The partnership with the Sauber team is one of many elements of our communication strategy.
Interview: Andreas Panzeri
CS and sports sponsorship

International Formula 1, Ski World Cup (together with Winterthur): around CHF 30 million in total.
National football (national team, association), golf (association and selected events), horse riding (association, events), triathlon, Engadin ski marathon, orienteering: a total of around CHF 15 million.

The wave of redundancies in American and European online editorial offices is bypassing SwitzerlandBy Clemens Hörler Waves of redundancies are rolling over many American and European online editorial offices. In contrast, there is no panic in Switzerland: most online editorial teams have been built up so carefully and are still so small that almost nothing could be cut. One of the few exceptions: Swisscontent.
NBCi, a joint venture between NBC and CNET, recently announced that it would be laying off over 100 employees. Time Warner and Murdoch's News Corp. are also cutting back heavily in their online editorial departments. The online company of the New York Times wants to give a sixth of its employees the pink slip in order to reach the profit zone more quickly. Some newly founded Internet content providers have disappeared from the scene completely. The first redundancies have also been reported in Germany.
Is there any reason to fear something similar in Switzerland? Hardly, because there are practically no companies in this country that have invested heavily in setting up online editorial teams. And so, in their future Internet adventures, local media companies can once again benefit from the experience of the much more mature and risk-averse American market.
The old Swiss (un-)
Virtue: Don't rush things
Peter Wyss, Head of New Media at Bund Verlag: "The problem with pioneers is that they very often create redundancy and unnecessary services that then have to be removed again. Of course, we can learn from these experiences." Martin Diem, Managing Director of Bern Online AG, the Internet subsidiary of BTM AG, also believes that the Swiss caution may have paid off: "It is conceivable that it is now paying off that nothing was rushed in Switzerland."
Even in the age of new economy hysteria, those who behave so cautiously can hardly spell back. This is why practically all media companies are continuing to focus on the controlled expansion of their online editorial teams.
The largest online editorial team still has few customers
Swisscontent Corp., which is backed by Beat Curti Medien Holding AG and Medien Z Holding AG, is a high-flyer, at least in terms of personnel, and virtually unique in the Swiss Internet landscape. Founded just one year ago, the company now employs over 100 people, 80 of whom are journalists. However, the only major customer for content to date is Swiss Post with its Yellowworld portal, which obtains its multimedia content via Yellowcontent, a joint venture between Swisscontent and Swiss Post.
The question is whether such a large crew is still in a healthy relationship to the rather small customer base with one key customer. After all, most major websites in Switzerland currently obtain their news content from other suppliers: SwissTxt
(Search.ch, Swissonline), Internet media (Tiscali, Orange, Sunrise) or media companies (Bluewin, MSN, media sites).
Bendicht Luginbühl, CEO of Swisscontent, is optimistic about the future: "In twelve months, we have built up the largest Internet-specific multimedia publishing company in Switzerland. Only now have we reached the size with which we can supply numerous large customers." Luginbühl also announced that he would be presenting further customers in the coming weeks: "A lot will change in the Swiss content market."
With scarce resources
serve many portals
And once the density of broadband connections increases, interest in the multimedia content offered by Swisscontent may also increase. So this is not an imminent American scenario...
The situation is quite different for Internet Medien AG, one of the first independent content providers for the Internet in Switzerland: thanks to its early market entry and the know-how it has built up (including in the consulting sector), it has been able to conclude a number of supply contracts with major content buyers, most recently with T-Online. In contrast to Swisscontent, however, resources are rather scarce at the Basel-based company. Founded two years ago, the company currently employs "only" 15 editors.
The result of this staffing situation: apart from the Basel area, Internet Medien AG's News.ch platform mainly supplies edited SDA reports, which are selected according to the needs of the customer. Despite the overwhelming competition from SwissTxt and Swisscontent, Benjamin Aebischer, CEO of Internet Medien AG, is still relaxed about further contracts and continues to rely on the low-cost model. Aebischer also knows that the company is still benefiting from its early market entry: "With the same starting capital as two years ago, we wouldn't stand a chance now."

Wirz Partner Holding is once again expanding its circle of owners. Senior employees Elisabeth Dennler and Viviane Egli (Frontpage), Martin Fankhauser (Wirz Identity), Ursula Stalder (Wirz Interactive) and Hannes Steinmann (Publitest) have acquired shares in the Wirz Group. This brings the number of co-owners in the Wirz Group to 21. "We have a great tradition of involving as many employees as possible in the capital," says Jost Wirz.
For around three years now, the participation model has also been applied at the parent company level. According to Jost Wirz, there are psychological and material reasons for allowing senior employees of the entire Group to participate as co-entrepreneurs in the profits and the increase in value that they help to achieve.
The investment requires a position in the management of a Group company and some financial strength: the purchase of the minimum package amounts to almost CHF 100,000. The average annual increase in value of the shares over the past five years has been around ten percent (ew).