Mathematical formulas can be used to measure the half-life of advertising - but experts also warn of the danger of an accuracy illusionBy Wolfgang Koschnick Today, accountability in advertising is a generally accepted value - like kindness and charity. Everyone is in favor of it. But when it comes down to it, everyone can think of a thousand reasons why this is just not possible in this particular case...
Accountability is not a self-contained concept that you just have to follow to get any advertising campaign calculated. Rather, it's a general appeal: "People, make every step you take in advertising as predictable as possible. Then relatively little can happen."
A detailed formulation of corporate goals is indispensable. This in turn results in the brand and marketing objectives. From these, the goals of market communication. And this is where all accountability efforts come in. There are six groups of corporate goals that market communication should support:
- Sales, revenue or market share gains;- The size and nature of the market response;
- increased value added or higher price so that other activities perform better;
- Employee attitude, performance and motivation;
- broader distribution;
- Introduction of a new product, trial purchases, repurchase rate.
The debate on accountability in advertising (see also WW 18/00) was shaped in Great Britain by marketing consultant Simon Broadbent. It is probably characteristic of his ideas about accountability in advertising that he has not had a career as a market research and advertising consultant.
For the consistent use of as much data as possible
Broadbent is an engineer and PhD in mathematical statistics. He is the founder of the UK Advertising Effectiveness Award and has worked for Leo Burnett for over 30 years. His interest has always focused on the rational use of advertising money. He has written three important books: "Spending Advertising Money," "The Advertising Budget," and finally "Accountable Advertising," the German translation of which, subtitled "Wie sich Werbung rechnet," was published by Econ in 1999 (see box p. 23).
Broadbent's book - and thus his concept for accountability - advocates the consistent use of as much data as possible. Thus, at the beginning of all accountability is a brand audit. This is a systematic and comprehensive review of the entire brand and marketing system of a business enterprise, carried out periodically as part of marketing control. It aims to uncover problem areas and opportunities for development, as well as corrective actions to improve brand performance. There are four main reasons for this:
- One must review the strengths and weaknesses of a brand and formulate the brand essence as a general guideline for management.
- One can determine brand equity, for example, to accurately assess the return on investment of the marketing function.
- One can determine the position of a brand in a product group in a market analysis based on available data.
- You can use the brand as a tool to improve strategies, defense and acquisition by attributing a financial value to it.
The marketing budget can then be calculated on this basis. The difference between sales and variable costs results in the contribution margin I: sales minus variable costs equals contribution margin I.
The higher the marketing costs, the lower the profit
Subtracting the fixed marketing budget from contribution margin I yields contribution margin II: contribution margin I minus marketing budget equals contribution margin II. Then the fixed costs are subtracted to determine the profit: Profit equals contribution margin II minus fixed costs. This calculation also works the other way around: If the fixed costs and other costs are deducted from contribution margin I, the remainder is available for market communication and for profit; because the budget can also be expressed in this way:
- Contribution margin I equal to sales minus variable costs or - Contribution margin I equal to fixed costs plus communication plus profit or
- Sales equal variable costs plus fixed costs plus communication plus profit.
So after that, marketing communication is nothing more than another cost factor. The more one spends on it, the lower the profit. The pursuit of accountability therefore means nothing other than the desire to reduce the costs of marketing communications in order to increase profits.
For this reason, too, it is advisable to calculate the break-even elasticity for both price and communication (advertising). The two break-even elasticities indicate how easy or difficult it is to justify increasing advertising expenditure or prices. Three different methods are now available for assessing the impact of communication measures:
- Simple comparisons through which to examine what would have happened if there had been no communication at all.
- Mathematical models that take into account other factors that may have influenced the outcome. Their impact is assessed as well as what was achieved via communication.
- Tests: Alternative measures are tested.
Simon Broadbent developed a mathematical model of advertising impact that is identified in the Anglo-Saxon world with practically all ideas about accountability in advertising, the so-called adstock model. It dates from 1979, and when Broadbent developed it, there was no talk of accountability - at least not in the advertising industry. The term is an abbreviation for advertising stock and refers to the "current advertising stock". It is the basic and initial term of an econometric advertising impact model and summarizes the totality of past and present advertising impacts.
Half-life of advertising comparable with radioactivity
Adstock is the accumulation of all past and present advertising effects and thus represents the total advertising pressure at a given point in time (usually expressed in GRPs). It is a common measure in econometric advertising research, which also takes into account the decline in advertising impact (advertising wearout or advertising decay rate).
It is based on the insight that advertising is not only effective at the time it is seen. Broadbent assumes that the effect of advertising constantly diminishes over time. Thus, as with radioactive decay, the half-life of advertising is geometric. For each step of the analysis, Broadbent's book offers a wealth of formulas that can be used to calculate advertising impact.
Accountability remains a budgeting approach in spite of everything
The question is permissible, whether a multitude of formulas already makes the very individual case of each concrete advertising campaign really calculable? One should never forget: Accountability in Advertising is first and foremost a budgeting approach. It does not primarily aim at making the entire process of advertising impact thoroughly calculable. It merely aims to formulate criteria for controlling budgets.
Once it is possible to assess which of the possible explanatory factors of advertising impact actually exert an influence, it can be assumed that buyer habits the known effects of previous advertising and the product itself are the most important determinants of brand equity. This can be measured as brand equity. However, it is only when price, promotion and distribution costs are also taken into account that the short-term effects of advertising become clearly apparent.
The next step is to fit a numerical model that corresponds to the mental model. The aim is to find a plausible explanation that satisfactorily demonstrates the extent of effects. Ideally, if there are several possible explanations, all but one can be ruled out. The internal data from cost and activity accounting are integrated into the market model.
Advertising is the "price of admission" for business activities
The decisive revenues and costs are related to the variables of the model, so that the profitability of the respective activities can be estimated. Thus, it is possible to show whether the original objectives have been achieved and what costs have been incurred.
Often enough, this should also show that advertising is simply part of the "entrance fee" for business activities and only "pays off" in this way. In any case, marketing activities are made calculable in this way in the sense of the accountability of advertising.
Warning of a
Accuracy illusion
Broadbent's accountability model represents a noteworthy attempt to get a full handle on the "multizeptive causal felt of advertising impact" - as German market research consultant Peter Beike ironically calls the model - with a set of generally applicable rules of thumb. Insofar as it amounts to a plea to use accurate numbers and data, it is certainly welcome.
Therefore, there seems to be a great danger of creating illusions of accuracy with a multitude of formulas and number tricks, which can almost never be redeemed in reality.
While practical media research initially only provides mediatechnical figures on the contact opportunities of the advertising media, it is the impact opportunities of the advertising media that are the prerequisites for the highest possible returns.
Media weighting can also be dangerous
As long as each individual task in media planning differs from the other and requires an individual solution, the dictum of the Austrian media old-timer Franz Alexander Späth applies: "Accountability is a high, understandable goal of media planning - and in exceptional cases, it may even be achievable. Generalizing media weightings, however, is not only an ineffective therapy, but also dangerous: because it can lead in the wrong direction with the deceptive hope of security."

A generational change is taking place at Wirz:It took almost a full year to recruit a new management team to lead the third generation of Wirz Werbeberatung, founded in 1936 by Adolf Wirz. The evaluation process has now come to an end with the appointment of Hans Tanner as the designated successor to current board delegate and co-owner Hans Ulrich Schweizer. Tanner, who was nominated for the title of Advertiser of the Year last year, will join the Zurich advertising agency on July 1. Initially as deputy to Hans Ulrich Schweizer, who will thoroughly familiarize the 42-year-old top creative, who was a member of the WHS Executive Board until the end of 1999, with the job for twelve months before handing over the chairmanship of the Executive Board to him.
Following Tanner's entry, a seven-member management team is responsible for Wirz Werbeberatung. This is made up of the two high-caliber newcomers Matthias Freuler and Cary Steinmann, who were recruited last fall, as well as the previous members of the management team Urs Fürer, Manfred Hager, Thomy Ramseier and Hanspeter Schweizer. "A good mix of renewal and continuity has always been our recipe for success," says Hans Ulrich Schweizer, commenting on the composition of the new agency management.
From the time of the handover, Hans Ulrich Schweizer will chair Wirz Werbung and Wirz Identity as Chairman of the Board of Directors. Jost Wirz will remain Chairman of the Board of Directors of all other companies belonging to Wirz Partner Holding AG.
After twelve years, it was time to decide on a new perspective, was the reason Hans Tanner gave for leaving Weber Hodel Schmid at the end of 1999. The fact that he will now become Chairman and CEO of one of Switzerland's most enduring advertising agencies fits in well with the personality that radiates calm and level-headedness. (ew)

The Berner Zeitung is considering a split edition for SolothurnBy Markus Knöpfli The Berner Tagblatt Mediengruppe (BTM) is consistently focusing its media on the Espace Mittelland, starting in the fall also with an Internet portal. In the case of the Berner Zeitung, it is considering a Solothurn split edition, in case the Solothurner Zeitung becomes closely involved with the Aargauer Zeitung or NZZ.
The Berner Tagblatt Mediengruppe (BTM) wants to develop a portal with all the group's own media categories and become the "leading information provider on the Internet for Berne and the Espace Mittelland" from autumn 2000. To this end, it will invest around CHF 20 million over the next three years.
With partners from technology, business, culture, government and NPOs, it wants to establish a regional service and product offering for the most important areas of life. In parallel, BTM is developing an agricultural thematic portal for the whole of German-speaking Switzerland. In total, it wants to create fifty new jobs.
BTM waves a fence post at the Solothurner Zeitung
But BTM also wants to grow with the Berner Zeitung (BZ). That's why it has been courting the Solothurner Zeitung (SZ) for a long time. Last week, the courtship turned into a threat: in the event that SZ enters into a close cooperation with the Aargauer Zeitung (AZ) or NZZ, BTM still wants to implement its strategy in the Solothurn area and "take advantage of the opportunities that competition offers us," BTM CEO Charles von Graffenried announced in the BZ of May 15. "In any case, we have made the necessary reserved decisions."
The Chairman of the Board of Directors was even more explicit in an interview with WerbeWoche. He confirmed that he was at least considering a BZ split edition for the Solothurn region as "one of several possibilities." "I know how high the costs would be, I have had them calculated." Clarifying, however, he held that the BZ does not choose an aggressive strategy on its own. It would only react with a split edition if the SZ were to launch a newspaper for the southern foothills of the Jura together with the Aargauer Zeitung, as has been rumored in various quarters.
No empty words, because the BZ is in a position to finance a Solothurn split edition, all the more so if it can save one elsewhere. This will soon be the case in the Oberland, if the Competition Commission (Weko) accepts the cooperation with the Berner Oberland Zeitung (WW 13/00).
BZ circulation to grow to around 200000 copies
According to von Graffenried, the BTM expansion plans at BZ and in the online area are based on the following considerations: In order for BZ to remain "indispensable" for the advertising market, its circulation must increase from the current 135,000 to around 200,000 copies. The BZ therefore wants to establish itself as the newspaper of the Espace Mittelland over the next ten years. Hence the planned cooperation in the Oberland, the courting of the SZ and the contacts with the Freiburger Nachrichten. The purchases of the Solothurner Woche (1996), the Murtenbieter (1999) and the Berner Bär (1999) are related to this. Since BTM expects more advertising volume to flow into the electronic media, it is also expanding strongly on the Internet.
What role does competitor Bund play in the FC strategy? "The federal government should not disappear, it is a strong impetus for BTM. But we don't want to give it any gifts," says von Graffenried. The fact that he is serious about this is shown by the fact that, via the BZ of May 15, he offered the Confederation for the first time to print in the planned new BTM printing center from 2004. Such an offer was unthinkable a year ago. He justifies his about-turn with image considerations: "An expansion of the Bund printing plant would be unacceptable for the affected neighborhood, which is why sticking to our strategy on this point would also be ecologically absurd".
He does not consider the scoreboard dispute to be absurd. An official advertiser in and around Bern, jointly supported by BTM and the federal government, is out of the question for von Graffenried. The fact that lower BTM batches as well as representatives of Bernese authorities, NZZ and competitor Bund consider a joint advertiser to be the "most sensible solution" does not count for him. "Our strategy is clear: We don't give gifts to the Bund," he repeats. How he will react if the BTM does not receive the concession for the official publications today, Thursday, he leaves open.
Three growth options for the MTM GroupCharles von Graffenried sees three main growth options for BZ over the next ten years or so:
The BTM boss believes that growth through cooperation - in line with the planned variant in the Oberland - is "probably the best option". For all parties involved, this is "a win-win option acceptable to all sides.
Growth through pure acquisition, on the other hand, is hardly an option, since according to recent decisions by the Weko, such an acquisition "is apparently judged to be problematic in terms of competition law".
While growth through aggression - such as launching a Solothurn split edition - is not out of the question, von Graffenried says it could undermine the credibility of the BTM and BZ. "It destroys the basis for cooperations in general."
BTM with record result1999 was BTM's best business year to date. With sales of 194 million Swiss francs, net profit after taxes rose by 58.5 percent to 32.8 million Swiss francs, while cash flow increased by 41.9 percent to 40.3 million Swiss francs. Profit even climbed 63.6 percent to 23.4 million francs. According to BTM, the growth is attributable to market share gains in the advertising sector (Berner Zeitung) and to expansion in the printing sector.
The largest BTM subsidiary, Berner Zeitung, achieved a cash flow of CHF 29.7 (22.9) million on sales of CHF 121.3 (1998: 110.4) million. Radio ExtraBern and TeleBärn, however, did not reach their budget targets. (mk)
the figures of the BTM group (in fr. million)

1999 1998 Change
Sales 194.0 187.5 + 3.5 %
Operating result 31.1 21.2 + 46.7 %
Net profit 23.4 14.3 + 63.6 %
Cash flow 40.3 28.4 + 41.9 %
Employees 489 488 + 1
Source: BTM Annual Report
The BTM Group remained healthy and strong in 1999.

TV group CLT-Ufa wants to further expand its presence on the German market and is negotiating with news channel n-tv for a "significant stake".Fax CLT-Ufa wants to buy into n-tv
According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ), an agreement is likely to affect the plans of CLT-Ufa's RTL channel, which is considering its own news channel.
Publicis & Hal Riney wins Iomega The US technology company Iomega has selected the advertising agency Publicis & Hal Riney for its brand and product budget. It will focus on establishing Iomega's Zip drives as a global brand. The San Francisco-based agency beat out more than 20 competitors.
US recruiters fear for young talentDot-coms are the future. America's young creative talents apparently believe this and are flocking to web companies in search of jobs. So much so that the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) is now sounding the alarm: its agencies are lacking young creative talent. As a counter-strategy, the AAAA is relying on advertising. With a 10-minute infomercial produced by DDB Worldwide, the association wants to improve the image of the industry.
Eurosport to tf 1 and canal plus The French TV groups TF 1 and Canal Plus jointly take over the Eurosport shares of the Disney channel ESPN. Previously, the three groups each held a one-third stake in Eurosport International. TF 1 now owns 50.5 percent and Canal Plus 49.5 percent. Eurosport International is controlled by
TF 1 operated and broadcasts in
18 language versions for 47 countries in Europe and the Middle East.

Joint venture between advertising and literature: a comparison of two public communication platformsBy Anita VaucherOn the controversial topic of "Truth, lies, art and work - the advertising text under the microscope", literature and advertising came together at the traditional literature podium in Bern. As big as the differences may be, both depend on pleasing the audience.
The author Daniel Ganzfried ("Der Absender") flattered the numerous advertisers at the start of the literary discussion in the Kramgasskeller in Bern by saying that he admired the ability of advertisers to express themselves with brevity.
It would be good for literature to keep it short, then it would also be easy for it to be long, Ganzfried continued. The Zurich-based author, who made a name for himself by exposing the sensational autobiographical fraud of alleged Holocaust victim Binjamin Wilkomirski, is convinced that advertising does have literary qualities if it knows how to surprise and play with words.
At the literary discussion on the uncomfortable topic of "Truth, lies, art and work - advertising copy under the magnifying glass", Simon Freiburghaus from the Bern advertising agency Freiburghaus und Banderini represented the advertising side: exciting advertising is actually not witchcraft. Contrary to widespread opinion, there are many clients who give agencies a free hand and have the courage to go for the unusual.
The more sophisticated the strategy, the duller the advertising
Simon Freiburghaus, also a columnist for WerbeWoche, sees the real evil in the sophisticated marketing strategies, analyses and pretests that in most cases would give an originally original idea the coup de grace.
Advertising that uses the word "new" ten times and constantly brings the price of a product into play would pass such tests at best. In addition, the financial means play a major role, allowing a client to disseminate advertising so intensively that the consumer can no longer avoid it. A lot of money guarantees broad distribution, but does not necessarily correlate with good advertising. On the contrary: a smaller budget is the biggest challenge for any advertiser in terms of ideas and implementation. He himself has only been severely held back once in his creative work by a client, namely when he created the slogan "A place for animals" to advertise a garden barbecue. This was too macabre for his client.
More metaphors, more
Entertainment in advertising
"Nobody wants advertising, it comes at the viewer unbidden and unexpectedly," explained Freiburghaus. For him, entertainment value is therefore one of the most important quality criteria for advertising.
It should appeal to people as intelligent beings without always wanting to use deep psychological mechanisms. The current washing powder advertising is a prime example of how people can be taken for fools. However, they achieved brilliant results in pretests and marketing analyses.
Freiburghaus is convinced that advertising should never be about the product per se; advertising needs more metaphors. In order for a woman to buy a particular shoe, she should be addressed via the beautiful leg and not directly via the product.
In contrast to advertisers, writers are apparently given a free hand when it comes to commissioned work for newspapers and magazines. Daniel Ganzfried explains that there are only restrictions when it comes to sensitive topics such as the Second World War, anti-Semitism or feminism.
Otherwise, he feels like he's in a big playroom in his industry with a lot of freedom. He believes that literature has a more lasting effect than advertising, but reaches fewer people. Advertising often likes to make use of provocation - an important means of achieving an effect, but one that rarely ensures quality. In contrast to short-lived advertising campaigns, a literary work can survive for centuries, and this remains the case as long as people understand a language.
Judgment as a mental process is disappearing
What both advertising and literature have in common, however, is that they take place in public. For this reason, the criterion of truth is of great importance, according to Ganzfried. He believes he has noticed a tendency for the will to perceive judgment as an intellectual process in public life to diminish more and more and for the pursuit of authenticity rather than literary quality to increase. This is shown by the example of Wilkomirski, who was published and received uncritically and without questioning. Advertising has the specific characteristic that it is recognized as such and is more likely to be forgiven for untruths and distortions, even deliberate lies. In literature, the responsibility towards reality and the readers is greater, says Daniel Ganzfried. It is therefore more difficult to lie and be good at the same time in literature.
Advertising is subject to strict controls by the competition
Simon Freiburghaus countered this by stating that advertising cannot simply be cheated, as the competition checks advertising claims very carefully and ultimately the enlightened and critical consumer cannot be easily fooled. There is no comparable control in the literature.
As interesting and promising as the topic of the evening was, presenter Daniel Rothenbühler did not manage to draw his eloquent discussion partners out of their shells. This left the audience with an ambivalent impression, which was summed up by one listener: "I was actually expecting an interesting game in which the balls are passed, caught and passed on in quick succession, but instead everyone just threw their ball in the air."

The era of rapid change is anything but fictitious or a figment of the imagination of Western forecasters. And out of sheer habit, we are already not even noticing it. The tendency to trivialize the phenomenon, in addition to an ever-expanding environment, brings with it two larger sets of problems. On the one hand, the loss of a sense of real values: What was valid yesterday is obsolete today and will disappear from the market tomorrow. On the other hand, the communication of these innovations that spring up like mushrooms - what good is a change if it is only communicated internally? For this purpose, advertising can be used as a valuable mouthpiece. For example, in the case of the new name of Oerlikon-Bührle. If this ad had appeared on April 1, it would have had a good chance of passing as a joke. Why? Because it almost sarcastically sends a very traditional name for Switzerland - albeit a controversial one - into oblivion. What remains is a slightly bitter aftertaste, because this ad makes it bluntly clear that things can happen so quickly.
The second example with self-made multinational Richard Brandson is more surreal. The slogan "You know me as Richard. But now I'm going to be Frank" is a classic example of successful confusion. It was only when I read the fine print that the penny dropped for me, too. Frank - "honest" in German - gives mortgages to his fans in England. Honestly, Frank, until now I thought you were a likeable businessman - and not one who has to pin his honesty on his shirt. Maybe you should have stayed Richard. Chandra Kurt
Language Observer Anonymity (II): The aura of the originless
On the WWW there is a service called DéjàNews, which makes it possible to search all newsgroups to find out what someone has "said" in the course of Internet history so far. In addition, a company called Internet Archive is in the process of archiving the entire WWW - every phrase you uttered in an online discussion years ago. Imagine that your future boss would first check the Net before hiring you.
Many do not know that the WWW is a living archive. They tune in as Moritz Kleinert and chat lively
on it. (At the same time, they get excited about any pranks by the so-called State Security). In the Internet community Well, some members decided in 1997 to delete their entire record retroactively. This procedure, which is normally not possible on the WWW, was hotly debated online. Some netizens went so far as to equate the action with suicide.
Oracle is the name of an Internet game in which anonymity is expressly desired: You ask a question, which is then forwarded to other players and finally answered. The best questions and answers are published without any names being given. The idea of the game is that Oracle embodies the collective wisdom and intelligence of all players.
Oracle texts are a mishmash of bon mots, philosophy, student jokes, worldview statements, platitudes and irony. One organizer of the game, English professor David Sewell, credits anonymity with two key advantages. First, freedom of expression: "I'd be less spontaneous and might not have the courage to write certain things down if I knew my name would be associated with it." But the real thrill is the mystical aura of universality. The accumulated wisdom of the universe seems to speak here, not merely the feeble voice of a human being.
In pre-biblical times Yahweh (I am who I am) was not allowed to be addressed, which is why He had no name. With Goethe He was called The Unspoken One, with Klopstock The Nameless One and with the Gnostics - Anonymos. As in the Bible, "oracles" are supposed to give the impression of coming directly from God's mouth. One of Oracle's e-mail addresses is [email protected].
Some authors of the Middle Ages refrained from signing their texts because they were not concerned with their self-realization or personal fame, but with praising and deepening the subject of the text. One Oracler writes, "I would put less effort into my contributions if my identity were publicly known." Another: "I don't care who wrote something, but it would lose value if I saw a signature underneath. That destroys the myth."
Anonymity allows the public's attention to be drawn to a statement without disturbing it with one's own person. Those who want to serve the cause publish anonymously. Seen in this light, advertising copywriters are among the shining examples. Beat Gloor, www.textcontrol.ch
Column More
Team spirit
By Michael Barney
Why did you go into advertising? Because you're good at drawing? Or are great at storytelling or lying? Or because you've always been very vain? Whatever the case, advertisers like to be vain. And that's why they like to see their name in the press as often as possible. In the ads at the top left or right, in the trade magazines under the campaign motifs. Most of them would prefer it if it were also mentioned that it was their idea for the ad, the poster or the commercial. But, let's be honest, it usually takes several people to give a campaign the right shine. For my part, I was and am grateful to everyone who helps me with my work. I ponder and ponder, get stuck - and then the copywriter Jürg comes in the door and says the better, more appropriate line. Thank you, Jürg. And Reto, my AD, only types one of my headlines into the computer when he likes it. Otherwise he hesitates. And I guess, Barney, I had to do it again. Teamwork without vanity is fun: I had fun with Frank Bienenfeld and Oli Schneider, with Paolo Tonti and even with Remy, the manufacturer, oh yes! But likewise with the consultation, preferably also with the customers. If they appreciate and encourage our enthusiasm, something good must come out of it, of course. But the secret of good teamwork is not one at all: mutual respect is enough. Dogmatism, on the other hand, is poison for good teamwork. Know-it-all attitude as well. The proximity of beautiful women also works wonders, at least for me. Their smile alone is enough to push me to peak performance. Right Claudine? ADC dice or not, nothing against it, but when Christiane praises one of my works in faraway Berlin, it sounds more sublime to me than any honorable dice. Do you notice anything? Of course, I'm vain, too.

For the first time in the young history of the Street Parade, the Mainstationparty will be a free party with all the trimmings. The Fehraltorf event agency Tit-Pit is responsible for organizing the Mainstationparty, the first free party with all the trimmings in the young history of the Street Parade. The organizer is the Fehraltorf event agency Tit-Pit.
"Thanks to the ideal location, the infrastructure and the free admission, we are expecting over 30,000 people aged between 18 and 40," says Tit-Pit owner Stefan Schmid. Not entirely altruistically, as he promotes the dance spectacle as a trend-conscious hub for all kinds of advertising purposes.
Tit-Pit was even able to attract media partners with a large audience who would otherwise compete with each other: SF2 and Radio105 will broadcast live from the main hall of Zurich's main railway station, while Radio Zürisee and the Tages-Anzeiger will make use of the event in a different way. You can find out how on the dedicated website. In addition to a stage for live DJ performances, animations or show blocks, a large screen and sky monitors visualize their products perfectly. Schmid's other sponsors already include Virgin Cola and the Bahnhofsbuffet (including an exclusive catering contract). Even arch-rival Energyparty has secured an advertising platform with its own DJs at the Mainstationparty.
Luca Aloisi

Tribune Mont-Blanc: New Edipresse newspaper for the border regionBy Christophe Büchi The French-speaking Swiss media group Edipresse is launching a newspaper for the French border region around Geneva. Tribune Mont-Blanc is the name of the baby and is due to launch in the fall with 25 employees and a 100% French structure.
The Edipresse Group, which has long flirted with the French market, is venturing into "douce France" for the first time with a newspaper. The Saturday newspaper Tribune Mont-Blanc is expected to be launched in September, covering a region that includes Haute Savoie, Evian, Chamonix and Annecy.
In recent years, the Edipresse daily newspaper Tribune de Genève has already started to devote a special section to the French border region. However, the Tribune is primarily aimed at cross-border commuters and other people with close ties to Geneva. "The new newspaper, on the other hand, penetrates deeper into the French hinterland," says Edipresse publishing director Théo Bouchat to WerbeWoche.
Antoine Exchaquet, former editor-in-chief of Le Matin, is the "éditeur délégué" of Edipresse on site. Otherwise, however, it will be a thoroughly French product. The editorial team, which consists of around a dozen full-time employees, is based in Archamps, France. It is headed by José Carron, a journalist who previously ran the "France voisine" section of the Tribune de Genève. Another dozen employees will be in charge of advertising acquisition. The Tribune Mont-Blanc wants to remain faithful to the French system of self-regulation.
A regional concept, but not taken to excess
As Exchaquet goes on to explain, the new newspaper will have four twelve-page sections - a section on the daily paper, a regional section, a sports section and a general information section.
One can conclude from this: Although the newspaper will cultivate the "micro-information" about regional events - celebrated to excess by the French regional newspapers - it will not neglect the national information (criminally neglected by the French regional newspapers).
Théo Bouchat says of the journalistic concept: "We want people to be served objective information and not just the deeds of local politicians." In contrast to the large local regional newspaper Dauphiné libéré (Hersant Group), the Edipresse-Tribune does without regional split editions.
Despite France: still a bit "Swiss made"
The newspaper is printed in four colors from A to Z, both in the editorial and advertising sections. To a Swiss eye, the zero issue of the newspaper, which is available to WerbeWoche, looks a little "nervous" (although this is not unusual for readers of the Tribune de Genève).
But by French standards, it is a beautifully and cleanly designed product that is a good testimony to the Swiss newspaper industry. The newspaper is produced at the Edipresse printing center in Vernier - so it is still a bit "Swiss made".
The new Tribune also benefits from the backing of its Swiss parent in another respect: a slightly "Frenchized" version of the TV guide, the program guide of Tribune de Genève and 24 Heures, is included with it. The aim is to offer something equivalent to the Saturday edition of the Dauphiné libéré.
A big step towards the western offensive
The Tribune Mont-Blanc is to be launched with a modest circulation of around 20,000 copies. Nevertheless, this launch is a big step for Edipresse. Although the market leader in French-speaking Switzerland has already made its first forays into the slippery French media scene with the creation of a men's magazine, it has not yet entered the highly competitive newspaper market.
Is the Tribune Mont-Blanc, if it is successful, just the beginning of a major western offensive? Antoine Exchaquet piles deep: "Nous devons d'abord faire nos gammes" - a pretty word that reads like this in German: "We must first learn our abc." In other words: let's start first and then we'll see.
Will the project fail due to the payment morale of the French?
Théo Bouchat does not strike the pose of the conquistador either, but points out the potential risks of the fall offensive. One major issue that concerns Edipresse is the payment behavior of French advertising customers.
It can be assumed that the Tribune Mont-Blanc's advertisers are acting as hard sellers in the French style. However, it remains to be seen whether the butcher from Annemasse will pay the bill as dutifully as the average Swiss. In any case, barter deals are no way to pay printing bills and wages.

What was the last cultural event you attended and why this one in particular?Muse & Musse Katja Hübener
Katja Hübener: A friend's wedding on Saturday.
What are you reading right now and why?
Hübener: The SonntagsZeitung to check out the Winner.ch ad.
Which CD do you currently prefer to listen to?
Hübener: Dido, "No Angel".
Which movie would you most like to see again and why?
Hübener: "Magnolia", because that's where the frogs fall from the sky.
What TV show did you fall asleep during the other night?
Hübener: When I do get around to watching TV, I don't actually fall asleep.
What is your latest discovery on the Internet?
Hübener: www.heavy.com
Love is...?
Hübener: Good.

According to a U.S. study, readers of online newspapers show a completely different behavior than print readersBy Luzi Weber According to a journalist's wisdom, you should lead the reader into the text via the image, because most readers would first direct their attention to photos and graphics and then to the title and text. But that's not true for online newspaper readers.
A study by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg (Florida) and Stanford University shows that readers of online newspapers behave completely differently from readers of print media. That's why they have to be addressed differently.
The Poynter Institute measures the behavior of print and online readers using a method in which test subjects are fitted with glasses that accurately record and store eye movements. A complicated cluster is used to process the data obtained. The most recent test setting involved 67 people from three American cities reading their favorite news sites.
While print readers are primarily captivated by images, online readers concentrate on the text first and usually only pay attention to images after the text - if at all: 78 percent of the online readers surveyed did not give graphics on websites a glance. Photos fared somewhat better: 64 percent paid attention to them. In contrast, 82 percent of the test persons looked at short teasers, and 92 percent even looked at longer articles.
With 45 percent attention, advertising banners performed better than graphics, but significantly worse than photos. These results should give online advertisers, who also believe in the power of images on the web, food for thought.
We can only speculate about the reasons for web readers' obsession with text. According to the Poynter Institute, long image loading times can be ruled out as a reason. This problem has been eliminated by high-speed connections. The Poynter analysts, on the other hand, suspect that small graphics and images in low resolution, as they are often used for performance reasons, simply do not attract the same attention as their larger and, above all, sharp counterparts in print.
Gender
Prejudices eliminated
As part of the "Eyetrack 2000 Study," the Poynter Institute also evaluated the type of texts read. It was also possible to disprove a gender-specific prejudice: Women read more sports news than men.

"Big Brother" makes it possible: Since its launch at the beginning of March, RTL 2 has generated more viewers than Sat 1 for the first time in the 15-49 target group in Switzerland.Fax RTL 2 overtakes Sat 1
In March, RTL 2 had a market share of 6.7 percent, Sat 1 only 6.1 percent. In April, the gap grew even wider, with 7.6 for RTL 2 and 6 percent for Sat 1. RTL 2 also improved its market share by percentage points in the young 15-24 and 15-34 target groups, thanks to "Big Brother." After the last broadcast of the voyeur show on July 9, IP Multimedia sales manager Martin Schlenker expects a downward correction. But it is expected to be short-lived: RTL 2 will launch its own version of "Robinson" in the fall. And "Big Brother" will also be relaunched after the summer break. Whether it will be with a different concept is still up in the air. According to Schlenker, a modified version with only celebrity participants is conceivable. But a version in which ten people travel across the country in a bus for two weeks and are observed by cameras is also possible.
Vogt-Schild: profit explodesDespite a three percent drop in sales to 84.4 million Swiss francs, the Vogt-Schild publishing house looks back on an excellent 1999 financial statement: earnings before interest and taxes soared by 191 percent to 3.5 million Swiss francs. Vogt-Schild also expects growth for 2000.
Viva may take stake in SwizzThe Federal Council has approved German pop broadcaster Viva's 44 percent stake in Swizz Music Television. Viva will now withdraw its programs from the Swiss cable network and broadcast Viva-Swizz.
Metropol distributor exoneratedThe criminal complaint filed by 20 Minuten (Schweiz) AG against an employee of the Metropol distribution company AKS has been dismissed. 20 Minuten accused him of verbally and physically harassing two of its female colporteurs. The women had confirmed this to TeleZüri; however, during police questioning they recanted their statements.

SWA presents 1999 performance record and discusses requirements for new radio and television lawBy Daniel Schifferle The new radio and television law will be outdated before it enters into force, feared participants in a panel discussion held by the Swiss Association of Advertisers (SWA). The path to more liberal Swiss advertising rules is being thwarted by the EU, which is currently pursuing a very restrictive policy.
The fight for more liberal framework conditions for advertising is one of the main tasks that the Swiss Advertisers Association (SWA) has taken up. "What can and must the current revision of the Radio and Television Act (RTVA) contribute to this?" was the question discussed at this year's SWA event, chaired by Zurich publicist Alex Bänninger. The panel included Michael Ringier, SRG CEO Armin Walpen, SW President Carlo Schmid and Sabena CEO Paul Reutlinger.
In his introduction, Bänninger basically criticized the Federal Council's strategy paper, which on the one hand accentuates the SRG's fee monopoly even more, while on the other hand granting private companies a release from previous advertising restrictions.
"This separates the SRG, which supports the state in terms of journalism, above the belt from the entertainment of the private sector below the belt," Bänninger said. Media policy would be transformed into a welfare policy "with a privileged réduit for the SRG and a slippery slope without security for the private companies." According to Bänninger, the revision plans lack a radical departure that takes into account the radical nature of technological development.
"The law does not create plurality"
Bänninger also expressed particular concern about the "snail's pace" at which the revision is proceeding. By the time the law is scheduled to go into effect in early 2004, the subtle distinctions between program broadcasting, access services and the Internet could already have vanished into thin air, he said. To prevent this, he said, lawmakers will have to grasp and interpret the future much more pointedly than "E. future."
According to Bänninger, plurality and quality are the qualities that a successful media system in the audience and advertising market must have. Michael Ringier denied that legislation has any influence at all here. "It's the viewers who decide," Ringier said, "that's the painful experience of everyone who tried it with new TV programs." With almost thirty receivable German-language programs, the local TV market is saturated, he said, and the law can be shaped however one wants.
SRG CEO Armin Walpen identified saturation above all in Swiss content, as demonstrated by the discontinuation of the RTL/Pro 7 program window. Walpen: "When RTL/Pro 7 started, Pro 7's market shares really plummeted; after the cancellation of the window, they are growing again." For Michael Ringier, it's clear: "A program was made there that already exists on the domestic stations and that people therefore don't want to watch at all." Those who choose the German stations do so because of the series that are on there, and not because of the Swiss programs, the Group CEO said.
The participants in the discussion were concerned about the restrictive course that the EU states have taken with regard to advertising bans. Not only tobacco and alcohol advertising are threatened, but also advertising for children's toys and textiles is under discussion.
Warning against anticipatory obedience to the EU
And this, of all things, at a time when Switzerland wants to liberalize. If developments in the EU continue as they are, the revised RTVG will give Switzerland much more liberal advertising rights than the surrounding countries. Sabena CEO Paul Reutlinger warned against the proverbial "anticipatory obedience" to the EU and pleaded for our country to go its own way. "Why can't we stand to run our own train anymore and possibly suffer repression for it?" asked Reutlinger.
However, various participants in the discussion questioned whether the question of "making one's own move" would arise at all. "You don't think a tobacco company is producing expensive commercials especially for Switzerland," said Michael Ringier, "if Brussels decides something, then what's in our own law is no longer relevant."
Hoping for the lobbying strength of German publishers
But will the looming soup of advertising bans really be eaten as hot as it is currently being cooked? "The strong lobby of German publishers will provide a counterweight and prevent the worst-case scenario," Ringier is convinced. Should the unexpected nevertheless occur, Paul Reutlinger believes in the creativity of the advertising industry: "Advertising will then open up new channels, such as the Internet, where these restrictions do not exist."
In addition to the impending avalanche of advertising bans, the EU's critical attitude toward TV and radio fees was also a topic of discussion. In our country, this is hardly an issue, the panelists agreed. "Abolishing fees would mean no more television for our country, it's as simple as that," said Armin Walpen. Michael Ringier even attributed to SRG a similarly important integrative task as the army used to have, saying: "Whoever wants this Switzerland must also say yes to the financing of SRG."
Plea for a lean law with few regulations
At the end of the discussion, the panelists pleaded for the legislature to slow down its regulatory zeal. Carlo Schmid demanded: "Prejudice as little as possible, formulate laws in such a way that they can be reacted to at the administrative level, hands off the regulation of the Internet under broadcasting law". This is the only way to ensure the necessary openness for dynamic developments in the communications sector.