Improper handling of customer data can be a boomerang for companiesBy Alessandro Monachesi In a new study, the Center for Technology Assessment in Bern calls for transparency vis-à-vis consumers when it comes to digital data collection. The Federal Data Protection Commissioner is also blowing the same horn.
Since digital technologies are penetrating more and more areas of life, consumers are leaving data behind at every turn. Data that can be collected and analyzed and that, when put together, form a comprehensive personality profile.
The Internet in particular offers companies unprecedented opportunities to collect data, whether with cookies or online forms that are filled out before an order is placed or as part of a contest. For one-to-one marketing, the new medium seems virtually predestined. If you know your customers, you can address them specifically with personalized mails or on a personalized website.
Seriousness in handling data is rewarded
The collection frenzy of some companies is opposed by consumer organizations in their efforts to ensure optimal data protection. But companies should also be aware that trust-building measures and transparency are extremely important for the future of the company, emphasizes Federal Data Protection Commissioner Odilo Guntern. The seriousness of a company is important for its long-term success.
Wemf's MA Comis 2000 also shows that if a company appears reputable and promises not to pass on data, many Internet users are willing to disclose personal information (see chart). The same is probably true offline.
With the publication of the study "The Transparent Customer" a few days ago, the Center for Technology Assessment in Bern presented a summary of the current state of digital data collection and data evaluation and the resulting dangers.
The authors are four employees of the Zurich planning office Basler & Hofmann and the Institut romand d'éthique of the University of Geneva. The authors received support from the Migros-Genossenschafts-Bund, the data protection commissioner of the canton of Zurich, the NZZ, the Konsumentenforum and the Catholic Media Service, among others.
Transparency in data collection is necessary
The study essentially comes to three conclusions: Swiss data protection laws must be modernized, and data protection must be internationalized due to globalization.
There is an information imbalance between the companies collecting the data and the consumers. The one-sided advantage must be eroded through consumer education and training. The responsibility of customers and consumer organizations is called for here.
Companies must define internal rules for data protection and communicate these clearly to the outside world. The rules should be drawn up by professional associations in collaboration with consumer protection organizations. The data collected must be accessible to the customer, whether at the bank, in the hospital or on the Internet portal.
However, many companies still have a major shortcoming, particularly in the area of transparency. This also applies to the Internet. Many companies still do not provide any information about the use of collected data, and on some websites the disclaimers can only be found after a long search. In general, there is still a great deal of legal uncertainty, especially when it comes to collecting data via the Internet.
Before collecting, consider what the data will be used for
The authors of the study point out that the actual collection of data is not usually a cause for concern. It is only when various data sets of a person are combined that a comprehensive personality profile is created, which can be used in a damaging way under certain circumstances. Linking anonymous data with data that can be assigned to a specific person is particularly sensitive.
Those who want to declare their project with the collected data in an exemplary manner should do so with a longer-term view. Because the declared purpose can no longer be changed without further ado.
Migros' M-Cumulus customer card serves the authors of the study "The Transparent Customer" as an example of the caution required in the subsequent expansion and modification of data evaluations: Currently, the retail giant makes only limited use of Cumulus data, although much more intensive management and the creation of differentiated customer profiles would be possible, the study says. Migros plans to increasingly develop the customer loyalty program into one-to-one marketing. The question here is whether the customer's consent, once given, is still valid if the parameters of data evaluation are changed to this extent. Collecting data without knowing what you are doing with it, just because everyone is doing it, is therefore not necessarily worthwhile.
Six principles for data collectors on the InternetConsumers should be informed in an understandable manner and in an easily recognizable place in the virtual store about applicable legal provisions, purpose, disclosure and viewing options. The security of the collected data must be guaranteed against unauthorized access.
Obtain customers' consent to use the data or pass it on to third parties. Data may only be processed for the purpose specified during procurement.
No tricks when obtaining consent: pre-marked forms can make it appear that the company is trying to dupe the customer.
In addition to basic information such as name, delivery address or e-mail, only optionally ask for further information. "Interrogations" discourage or entice false information.
Customers should be convinced of the benefits of data collection.
Respect data protection laws such as the obligation to notify when transferring data abroad. Personal data may only be transferred abroad if the data subject is not seriously endangered as a result, namely by inadequate data protection laws in the country concerned.
Recommendations of the Federal Data Protection Commissioner and the Council of Europe can be found at edsb.ch/framesd.html (News and Links) and at www.coe.fr/data protection.
How a correct disclaimer could look like is described at cs3hq.oecd.org/scripts/pwv3/pwhome.htm.
I only provide information about myself, applies in %hen it is a serious company 69%
if the data is not shared 55%
to receive offers tailored to me 45%
if the company gives me a serious impression 43%
when I receive interesting information 43%
to receive personalized newsletters 23%
when I get a good return 21%
to receive interesting advertising 21%
to collect points, e.g. Cumulus, Qualifier 19%
to get personalized homepages 17%
I do not provide any information about myself. 11%
Basis: Internet users in German-speaking Switzerland (1,653,000 people) Source: MA Comics 2000, Wemf

Media house Ringier expects marked increase in sales and profits for 2000 and a less rosy 2001By Daniel Schifferle Lower circulation losses than expected for the flagship Blick, excellent sales and profit expectations for 2000 and improved prospects in foreign business: The media house Ringier looks back on a good year, but expects a slowdown in growth for 2001.
The 2000 financial year ends with a striking step at the Ringier media company. Only two years after Marco Solari took office as deputy to Group CEO Michael Ringier, the management is already being reorganized again. The reason: Solari has been appointed operational president of the Locarno Film Festival. Michael Ringier made the official announcement at this year's fall press briefing.
The new deputy to the Group CEO is Martin Werfeli, who at the same time retains his current responsibilities as Head of Finance and Newspapers. But Solari, who will still be in Zurich two to three weekdays in the future, will also remain with the Ringier media company.
In the future, he will be responsible for marketing and key account management at Group level. The new philosophy of the Executive Board - in which only the operating units are represented - also has consequences for Jacques Pilet; he is leaving the Executive Board. He will now head the "Media Development" staff unit, where he will be responsible for new projects.
Blick suffers less from free newspapers than Tagi
Michael Ringier announced an encouraging outlook for the current financial year. He said that a marked increase in sales and, above all, profits could be expected this year, although he did not yet want to give more precise details. On the other hand, the prospects for the following year are no longer so rosy. After all, CFO Martin Werfeli expects "at least an operating result in the order of magnitude of the current year" for 2001.
The Blick Group performed particularly well this year. Among all newspapers in Switzerland, Blick achieved the highest growth in advertising and, probably the most important surprise, the Ringier flagship "only" lost between 3,000 and 5,000 copies in the environment of the new commuter newspapers.
That is far less than the Tages-Anzeiger, for which Kurt W. Zimmermann recently announced losses in the order of 10,000 copies in an interview with HandelsZeitung. "Nevertheless, it is still too early to sound the all-clear," said Michael Ringier. For a definitive answer, one would have to wait for developments in the next few years.
Ringier was optimistic about most of its company's titles. Particular praise was given to dimanche.ch and the Ticino free Sunday newspaper Il Caffè, which was already in the black in its first year. The situation had also improved in the foreign business. This was thanks to streamlining of the business units and an improved economy. Ringier cited the situation in French-speaking Switzerland, where the advertising market should be better, and Glückspost, which is struggling with circulation losses, as less pleasing exceptions.
Anyone at the press conference who expected a quick end to "Täglich ran" on Sat 1, as the SonntagsZeitung recently suspected, was disappointed. "We will definitely hold out until June 2001," emphasized Michael Ringier. In terms of viewer numbers, the show is not yet where it wants to be, but it is not "so far away from the goal" either. Once again, Ringier reminded viewers that television takes more time and patience than is often assumed.

Eye-Catching As is well known, the ads that catch my eye most often are those that address erotic themes. And although they sometimes aim below the belt in terms of their message, they usually come across as very aesthetically pleasing. Not so with this example, which has been catching my eye with annoying regularity for months as I flip through print media. Visually torturous, but also a successful example of exactly how not to do it. And then there’s the archaic headline «Hüäru güät!,» which may refer to red wine in the celebrity scene. Also interesting is the following advertising message: «With Profitline, you too can afford the best: the highest quality at the lowest cost.» Hard to believe when you consider the rest of the ad in connection with the same company. But maybe this is just a subtle hint that you can hire Sina and Bernhard Russi as advertising endorsers for very little money. Nothing against celebrity advertising, but please, with a little more style or wit. Chandra Kurt
Column

Shawne on Me
By Simon Freiburghaus
Dear Uncle Mailbox: Lately, I’ve been pondering a few questions regarding the image of Swiss advertising abroad. Essentially, the question is whether the wife of our highest-ranking diplomatic official in Germany (the one who sometimes has a beer with Gerry after work and has a job offer from the Swiss Bankers Association) can continue to bring in new business for WHS Berlin, while at the same time singing the national anthem, damage SBB locomotives with champagne bottles, and never miss a party (or, rather, work to promote Switzerland’s image while surrounded by Starfigaros, Meistersängers, and other opinion leaders).
If so, then why isn’t Ms. Borer in the container? After all, there are blondes on this reality soap, too. And John de Mol, the creator of Big Brother, says: «Motivated women are more motivated than motivated men. Women go all the way.» (And we’re really expecting that end to come soon—preferably yesterday.)
If not, who can replace Shawne? Who will let the flag of Swiss advertising flutter in the harsh north wind, just as Stalder, Suter, or Nägeli once did—to name just a few who reeled in big fish for Swiss agencies down the Rhine in the last century? (Actually, it was really just for one agency. But who remembers that exactly anymore…?) For a long time, we pinned our hopes on Emil, the cheerful Swiss mailman with a sense of humor as subtle as a Melitta coffee filter. But he didn’t even manage to bring home a single contract from New York. Well, there’s still that likable Swiss guy who makes sure no other nation can boast of having invented Ricola’s herbal candies. Could he perhaps be an alternative?
Language Observer

Kitsch! (II)
Kitsch turns back the clock: the past becomes the present again. This is pleasant (nostalgia) and convenient: we don’t have to learn anything new. Kitsch offers small talk instead of information—the opposite of kitsch is stock market data and computer programs. In times of information overload, kitsch is popular. It aligns with a fundamental principle of modern communication: «If you want to make an impact with language, you must provide little information.» Since kitsch involves recycling already familiar content, it can often be recognized by the prefix “neo-”: neoclassicism, neoliberalism, neodarwinism, the New Right, the New Left …
In literature, kitsch usually draws on familiar themes and presents them in a new way (Hamlet and Ophelia in an underground parking garage) or presents new wine in old wineskins (modern poetry in classical verse forms). If the form or content is out of step with the times, the work quickly comes across as contrived rather than artistic. The endlessly repetitive medical novels are so kitschy because readers are only interested in how the blond doctor will finally win over sweet Sonja. Against this backdrop, the question of whether poems can still be written after Auschwitz might be answered as follows: Yes—but they easily turn into kitsch.
There is something artificial about kitsch—does the word “art” perhaps derive not from “to be able,” but from “artificial”? Kitsch, however, is not merely an artistic phenomenon, but a generally human, existential one. Kitsch is a way of making oneself comfortable amid the clutter (as a glance at cluttered living rooms confirms) and of dying peacefully in the face of the absurdity of human existence. Beat Gloor, www.textcontrol.ch

In addition, Roland Rosset (43) took on the newly created position of New Business Development at the market research firm IHA GfM. In addition to developing new strategic projects, he also manages selected key accounts.
Alfredo Briccola, previously a partner and member of the executive board at Metzger Lehner Briccola, will be leaving the company at the end of March 2001. He has decided to pursue a new personal direction but will still be available to the agency. Starting in March 2001, Franco Gritti will join the creative leadership team as Group Head.
Markus Tellenbach of Switzerland will become head of operations at Luxembourg-based SBS Broadcasting SA. Tellenbach previously served as managing director at Kirch-Pay-TV.
Denis Kaser is replacing Claude Trachsel as head of marketing for the paper trading division and head of sales promotion at Baumgartner Papier. Previously, he was in charge of sales and advertising for the packaging division. In addition, the sales promotion team has had a new manager, Antonio Govetosa, since October 23.
Tamara Tschuor, Head of Reader Marketing at the Aargauer Zeitung, is leaving the company effective March 1, 2001. Tschuor joined the Aargauer Zeitung in mid-1998 and expanded the Advertising/Communications department. She later took over as head of the Reader Market division.
On January 2, 2001, the new agency Werbewerkstatt Beratung und Dienstleistungen für visuelle Kommunikation GmbH opened its doors. Its managing director is Heinz Bigler.

Media professionals Caroline Nünlist and Thomas Rüttimann met at Wirz Werbeberatung. Rüttimann, who had already become partially self-employed in March 1999, had always seen her as a potential dream partner. Today his dream has come true: As an office and working partnership, they now offer media conception and consulting as well as publisher marketing under the name Media Design Nünlist & Rüttimann Marketing. The know-how of the two is intended to enable agencies and direct customers without their own media departments to receive comprehensive and competent advice. The new team also offers cross-media, media training and analyses of target groups, markets and sectors (ko).

How Swiss German booksellers achieve high awareness with minimal advertising budgetsBy Carlo Bernasconi Swiss German booksellers have a hard time: their profits are so slim that advertising is hardly worth thinking about. Nevertheless, even smaller booksellers, who are also involved in a communications profession, dare to take the step of building a strategic brand image and spend between two and three percent of their sales on advertising.
In fact, business studies of small and medium-sized bookstores have rarely produced positive results in recent years. No wonder that the topic of advertising is more of a taboo than a must in these ranges struggling for survival. The situation is different for large bookstores. They have recognized the tune to which the retail trade will dance in the coming years: Advertise or die. For one simple reason. The products (books) are the same in all establishments. 80 percent of the books come from the Federal Republic of Germany - as a retailer, you can only differentiate yourself by building a strong brand image.
One of the first to recognize this is Jens Stocker of the Bider&Tanner bookstore in Basel. Located on Aeschenplatz, just off Basel's 1-a location, Freie Strasse, he will be doubling his store space these days. He will announce this expansion with posters and advertisements in the Basler Zeitung. Stocker, a trained Sawi advertising manager, will skip radio spots: "We're focused on print, if only because of the industry."
Stocker is one of the booksellers in the industry who packs a punch when it comes to advertising. So powerful, in fact, that his agency Hess & Müller has to stop him. Copywriter Tom Seinige comments: "Stocker is an innovative spirit."
Bookstores must focus on continuity
ADC member Seinige has been running image advertising for Bider&Tanner for two and a half years "in a relationship of trust based on partnership", and with the same appearance: mainly outdoor advertising and streetcar posters.
But bookmarks in the bookstore specializing in English-language and travel books are also used. And extremely successfully. In a professional judging of bookstore advertising, organized by the German industry magazine Buchmarkt, these bookmarks won a bronze award. The reason given by the jury for this choice: they are convincing because of "the surprising, creative and endearing idea".
Booksellers have yet to be convinced that such use does not have an immediate impact at the checkout. Seinige is of the opinion that "it takes a certain incubation period" before the return on investment is visible at the checkout. Admittedly, this maxim applies less to the Internet bookseller Bertelsmann Online (BOL), for example, says Marketing Director Andreas Németh, who concentrates on radio and TV spots and has to spend a lot of money on advertising because he is still working on building up the brand: "Either you go in immediately after seeing or hearing the spot, or you don't," says Németh.
Does only online advertising bring immediate response?
BOL assumes that many surfers also listen to the radio and are directed to the homepage by the spot. Particularly important for Németh is the banner placement on the Bluewin portal. There he has replaced the Internet department of the bookstore Orell Füssli. The online advertising is
important for BOL because it brings immediate response, which "you don't see in the ad," says Németh.
Ursula Weber, Communications Coordinator at Orell Füssli Buchhandels AG, would disagree. She considers her campaign for the homepage with half-page ads in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung to be successful. Weber also extends her communications efforts to advertising at the point of sale, i.e., in the store. "We employ our own decorator who creates worlds around a book without smothering it," she says. Unlike Bider&Tanner, she focuses her advertising activities on the individual books and works with the advertising and DM agency Alex Schmid AG for Orell Füssli's advertising presence. "For us, the focus is clearly on the individual book," Weber emphasizes, "because each book has its own character." This is an advertising philosophy that the St.Gallen bookstore Rösslitor also supports - albeit with different advertising media. Rösslitor CEO Martin Brühwiler also focuses on image advertising and putting the book at the center. Rösslitor has employed the Rorschach agency Erat Thoma & Herzog to handle its advertising. Copywriter Hank Sulkowsky links the individual book to the St.Gallen leader's appearance. "It's about triggering a sense of wonder" when Rösslitor posters are hung in the city of St. Gallen or slides are shown in movie theaters. "We imagine the headline and look for a book title that fits it," Sulkowsky adds.
Budgets are by no means a creative stumbling block
The fact that Erat Thoma & Herzog, like the other agencies that serve booksellers, have to deal with smaller budgets doesn't bother Sulkowsky at all. "That's no problem for an advertiser if you have a good idea," he says in a tone of conviction, forging a virtue out of necessity: "The low budget is the strength of the campaign. Our agency service mainly consists of research," says the copywriter.
Bider&Tanner posters as sought-after home decor
The restriction to text as an advertising medium is a challenge in its own right for Tom Seinige. The fact that he and his client mastered it so well can be seen, on the one hand, in the fact that Bider&Tanner customers would like to have the posters in their homes. "In Basel, Bider&Tanner is the bookstore with the funny sayings," says Seinige about the impact of the image.
At the very least, it inspired Katja Muchenberger from the Jäggi wholesale bookstore to also remind the people of Basel of the Jäggi stores with an image campaign. It's clear to her that this campaign was meant to inspire a desire to read. "Lesch+Frei implemented the assignment as I had envisioned it," says the advertising and communications manager in Basel, who has been in office since May.
For CD Thomas Lüber of Lesch+Frei, almost everything was already clear before the briefing: Jäggi had already booked the poster sites and the budget was also fixed from the start. "If the briefing is not fixed on solving problems, advertising becomes a broad field," says Lüber. No problem for him and his consulting team.
For him, the fact that the solution ended up being a text has to do with the medium of the book: "The text is closer to the medium and you have to get involved with it. Solutions with pictures were also available, but "the idea of the text is stronger than the picture," says Lüber - and something else: it could be implemented concisely. Because in the end, Lesch+Frei advertises with what the entire print industry wishes for, whether newspaper, magazine, or book: "Have fun reading."

Roger Schawinski's private TV station Tele 24 and the free newspaper 20 Minuten are in contact about a media partnership, the reason being 20 Minuten's portal, which is to be launched on December 8 (WW 41/00). 20 Minuten wants to integrate it "multimedia-wise" and is thinking of cooperations with TV and radio providers. Tele 24, which is independent of publishers and covers the language region, would fit well into the concept in terms of target group and image. On the other hand, Roger Schawinski's Tele 24 would undoubtedly benefit from a print pillar. Interesting variations on the game could also open up in the advertising sector.
When asked by WerbeWoche, however, both Schawinski and Sacha Wigdorovits, delegate of the board of directors of 20 Minuten, denied the contacts with Tele 24, and Schawinski confirmed that 20 Minuten had asked him. "Logically we are inquired, we are the bride, we have content that others do not have," he said. However, both sides maintained that everything was still "unspecific," that they couldn't even talk about negotiations, and that they were also in talks with other potential partners. Schawinski's conclusion, probably intended as a fatherly tip for WerbeWoche: "I wouldn't write anything on the subject." (mk)

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum puzzles New YorkersBy Thérèse Balduzzi Posters with unusual images of celebrities draw attention in New York to the opening of Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in Times Square. They invite visitors to play a guessing game and at the same time convey something of the experience that awaits visitors to the museum.
Instead of just depicting wax figures of famous people on display at the museum, the advertising shows characteristics of their human exhibits. These could be assigned to different celebrities, however, and so the launch campaign for the museum's opening asks "Richard Nixon or Janis Joplin?" to the image of a hand raised in the Victory sign.
"Mahatma Gandhi or Jerry Springer?" is written above a metal eyeglass frame. "Michael Jackson or Jackie Kennedy?" the ad wants to know to a hand in a white glove. "Albert Einstein or Don King?" is the guessing game for wildly standing up tufts of gray hair, and finally "Judy Garland or Elton John?" for Dorothy's red glitter shoes from the musical "Wizard of Oz".
Under the Madame Tussaud's museums' signet is the exhortation, "Get close. Get the details." ("Get closer so you can see the details, too.")
You don't know celebrities until you see their details
The campaign, designed by DDB Worldwide, New York, arouses the viewers' curiosity and at the same time refers to the surprises that visitors to the wax museum can experience every now and then. "Even if you think you know all the details of the celebrities, when you visit the museum, you usually find out that this is not the case," says creative director Tan Shen Guan, explaining the campaign.
Since ordinary consumers know their celebrities primarily from TV and film appearances or from magazine photos, a closer look at their likenesses usually reveals that they are smaller than they had imagined or possess features they had never noticed before. Finally, the museum also offers the opportunity to study the details as long and as closely as would never be possible in reality, not even in made-up TV reality.
The campaign began in Where magazine and includes posters in subway stations, on billboards and in phone booths, postcards and magazine ads. In addition, small posters were also wildly pasted.
The subway cars of the Times Square Shuttle, which runs back and forth along 42nd Street, were also used as moving billboards, and finally, images were projected onto building walls.
The campaign was launched in October to coincide with the opening of the new branch of Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum on 42nd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues. Madame Tussaud's also maintains museums in London, Las Vegas and Hong Kong.

In recent times, Glückspost has organized imaginative invitations in its now completely redesigned editorial offices.By Beat Fritsch Once a week, publishing director Brigitte Schatzmann, editor-in-chief Helmut-Maria Glogger and sales manager Jean-Orphée Reuter welcomed interested parties to a feng shui aperitif.
After Glogger took over as editor-in-chief, the offices were gradually cleared out together with a specialist in Far Eastern interior design and radically redesigned on a minimal budget - no new furniture was allowed to be purchased. The life-size Gottschalk in the entrance hall, the 15-year-old pattern poster of Prince Charles, knickknacks of every kind: everything was swept away by the new wind.
Glogger thus followed a dual principle. The repositioning in the external reader market is countered by the internal transformation of the editorial team. Anyone familiar with the yin-yang sign should understand this.
The editorial team's interior design credo is based on optimal energy evaluation, works with Far Eastern color theory, and draws on Chinese universal theory. At the beginning, Glogger said, he had received a number of wry looks and collegial scorn. Nevertheless, he went through with the concept.
Meanwhile, even die-hard critics attest that the design of the Glückspost editorial office spreads a very special ambience. And originally, the Feng Shui events were intended for customers. But the fact that management and executive assistants of other Ringier bosses suddenly expressed great interest in them is seen as a thoroughly positive sign. It is a well-known fact that managers in large companies usually send out their front office assistants to other departments for the initial exploration of successful phenomena. It seems that Glogger has indeed hit the bull's eye!

Carat International takes over media planning for Vodafone's branding campaign, with which the British telecom group wants to position itself as a global brand for mobile communications.Fax Vodafone's media budget to Carat
Carat prevailed in the pitch against OMD and Universal McCann. The advertising campaign was created by the McCann-Erickson agency. In buying, Carat will work with Vodafone's local media agencies.
Rover consolidates media with Zenith The media budget of the Rover car brand will in future be managed throughout Europe by Zenith Media. The decision was made after a series of regional pitches, each of which involved Zenith. The agency was already responsible for the UK. Rover's European media spend is estimated at 150 million Swiss francs.
RMB swallows Ufa cinema advertising
With the takeover of Ufa Kinowerbung (UKW), Belgium's Régie Media Belge (RMB) becomes the biggest international cinema marketer in Germany. Only about two months ago, RMB acquired a majority stake in the Cinecom Group Germany. In future, the company will market more than 5,000 screens and, as Europe's largest cinema advertising marketer, holds a market share of almost 40 percent. Cinecom Switzerland also belongs to RMB.
Publicis wins Euro in France Publicis has come out on top in the repeated pitch for the Euro launch budget in France. An initial presentation had been halted in August because, in the opinion of the Procurement Commission, Publicis and DDB had not been shortlisted in accordance with the rules. The campaign, for which 200 million French francs (about 46 million Swiss francs) are to be made available, will begin in January next year. Publicis also handles the euro budgets of Germany, the Netherlands and the European Central Bank.

Swiss web services provider Crealogix increased sales by 36.6 percent to 6.54 million Swiss francs in the first quarter of the 2000/2001 financial year.Fax Crealogix sales
However, it did not meet the expectations of the management. The operating result was 0.4 million lower than budgeted, the company announced. Including the one-off costs of the IPO, Crealogix saw its operating result fall by 79.6 percent to 0.51 million Swiss francs. However, Crealogix is confident about the current financial year.
PubliGroupe sponsors Expo site PubliGroupe is supporting Expo.02 with four million Swiss francs. As a service sponsor, it is handling the media budget and creating a new website. PubliGroupe subsidiary Namics has around one million francs at its disposal for the Expo's new online presence.
Money for jobs As of November 21, even small-format job offers on the Jobclick.ch ad platform will be subject to a fee. In the future, 50 francs will have to be paid for a basic online ad. Job applications will remain free of charge.
Banner.ch with Suchtreffer AG
The online marketer Banner.ch is entering into an alliance with Suchtreffer AG. To this end, the Constance-based company and Banner.ch parent company, Medien Z Holding AG, are founding Suchtreffer Schweiz AG. The partnership aims to offer customers consulting, conception and realization of various online marketing measures from a single source.

Otto Walter has been head of advertising for the Basler Zeitung at Publicitas Basel since the beginning of NovemberHead of the Week "I'm a career changer"
When Otto Walter heard that Henri Robyr was leaving the post of BaZ advertising manager, he thought to himself that this would certainly be a very exciting job. "But I didn't want to come out of the closet," Walter recounts. The reason: As former head of key accounts at Publicitas and, since the beginning of 1999, as operational head of Publimedia Basel, he had a job that satisfied him all around. He didn't want to leave this young branch again.
He was all the more surprised when Robyr offered him the job. Because Publicitas Basel and BaZ also reacted positively, Walter accepted.
He has been in this position since November 1, but was already introduced to his new task by Robyr in October, just at the time when it was a matter of setting the rates for 2001. It was decided not to increase the local column rates at BaZ - because of the new competition from commuter newspapers and Baslerstab. Another decision: BaZ ad sales are to be intensified on the national stage, mainly in Zurich.
"I've never represented a single title in the advertising market," Walter reports. On the other hand, he only wanted - if anything - to switch to the side of a major title "because this task is particularly exciting." So now, as BaZ advertising manager, he also has a say in Swisspool.
Otto Walter, 44, has only been in the media business for three years. "I'm a career changer," he says. He originally trained as a structural draftsman and worked for eleven years in various architectural offices. Among other things, he was involved in the construction of a high-rise building in Basel that now serves as the headquarters of Coop Switzerland. He never imagined that some 20 years later he would regularly enter this very building to visit Coop as one of the Publimedia key accounts.
The "link" between then and now was the period from 1986 to 1997, when he was editorial director of the Baudoc library and the monthly bulletin at Schweizer Baudokumentation. "That's when I became interested in publishing," he says. He completed Sawi's training as a publishing salesman and applied to Publicitas Basel as head of key accounts. No sooner had he taken up this post in 1997 than, following Ofa's integration, he was already tasked with setting up Publimedia Basel.
Otto Walter is married and father of two children. He lives in Basel, whistles for the "Basler Bebbi", is interested in painting and is a regular ART visitor. His real name is Otto K. Walter. The K stands for Kilian and should mark the difference to the name of his father. His father's name was Otto F. Walter. And was a writer. Markus Knöpfli