It’s nice to know that you’re managing the Virgin Cola budget. It’s also nice that you get to fill entire pages with Virgin ads. We’ve taken notice, Hermès Communication. It’s just a shame that you didn’t take a slightly more progressive approach to the creative. Of course, there could be two reasons for this: Either you had to adapt this ad for German-speaking markets (in which case I might have left out the agency name), or drinking Virgin Cola brings to mind thoughts that are anything but virginal. I’ve heard it said that a man can’t take enough women’s virginity away, or that certain men won’t marry a woman who isn’t entirely untouched anymore—even though these men themselves can’t even remember when they lost their own «innocence.» But since modern women have learned to take what gives them pleasure, naturally one or two virgin hunters end up missing out—or arriving too late. And it seems that you, dear Hermès Communication, have set your sights on this growing target audience for the Virgin producers. After all, you’re selling virginity produced by the meter. «Baywatch»-addicted guys who, in their fantasies, would love to get it on with Pamela Anderson come a little closer to fulfilling their wish when they open a bottle of Virgin Cola. Personally, I’ve definitely lost any desire to take a sip of it, let alone open a bottle. Because deflowering a woman in a bikini is really not at the top of my list of priorities.
With greetings that are anything but innocent, Yours, Chandra Kurt
Language Observer La House Rules
House Rules applicable to owners, temporary occupants, and tenants of the apartment:
To ensure a comfortable stay and easy maintenance of the house, please be sure to follow all instructions provided by the property owner.
All common areas (passageways, building entrances, stairways, hallways) must be kept clear at all times. Consequently, it is not permitted to leave any items in the common areas (packages, cardboard boxes, shoes, etc.).
Owners and tenants must ensure that the peace and quiet of the property is not disturbed under any circumstances (especially after 10 p.m.). Consequently, they may not make noise or allow noise to occur, nor may they begin any work that might disturb the neighborhood. Please note that you should avoid slamming doors. Televisions and radio sets must be used in moderation.
Children are not permitted to play in building entrances, on stairways, in common areas, in parking lots, or on grassy embankments.
Skiing inside the building is prohibited. For this reason, you must leave your skis in the designated area; walking through common areas while wearing ski boots is prohibited.
It is prohibited to beat or shake out carpets and blankets. (Newer household appliances do not allow for any tolerance in this regard.) Of course, throwing any items out of the window or onto the balcony is prohibited (paper, cigarette butts, liquids, water, flowers, etc.). Washing balconies, hanging laundry, storing wood on them, or using them as a storage area is prohibited.
Dogs and cats must be kept on a leash at all times in all common areas and throughout the entire building. Furthermore, they are permitted on the condition that no claims for compensation will be made.
If everyone respects the house rules, it will make for a more pleasant stay in this house.
The Legal Counsel's Rules and Regulations for the Yeti Summer Camp in Châtel, Savoie (F).
Column: No Panic, Peter Pan
From Anna Esposito
I no longer believe in my date of birth. My age is marked by quantum leaps, phase shifts, and journeys into the future. It’s emotional and possesses an unpredictable, polymorphic nature. For example, after exhausting weeks of presentations and my daughter’s middle ear infection, I feel like I’m a hundred and ten. But when a new junior copywriter respectfully addresses me as “you” during a briefing, I feel like I’m seventy-five. The beauty of discovering that emotions have their own “best-by” dates, however, is mostly a positive thing. When I’m working on a concept with my favorite art director, I’m soon feeling inspired, as if I’ve stepped back into my fourteenth year. With unbridled schadenfreude and absolute political incorrectness, I defame intellectual minorities (people from Aargau, SVP members, Porsche drivers), we brag about sexual exploits (Viva Italia), and strike up deep philosophical conversations, just like back then on a school-free afternoon on a sun-drenched meadow along the banks of the Limmat. And lo and behold, the many ideas come all on their own. When I look at the ADC book, I’m pleased to see that others, too, are venturing into the realm of mischievous youth. And with their cheeky ideas, they know how to awaken the inner child in their clients as well. So there it is—the promising path to growing older, but not old, even in advertising: thanks to secret conspiracies in the battle for those precious moments when Peter Pan picks us up from the windowsill, sprinkles us with magic dust, and flies us to his island. It’s just a shame about all those eternal adults who get tangled up in strategies, theories, and corporate images: Like Captain Hook, they’re constantly afraid of the ticking crocodile that once swallowed an alarm clock—and they look so old doing it.

Edition Patrick Frey publishes a book for true ZurichersBy Chandra KurtCity originals and original city squares are the pulse of the publication "Tage Buch" by Philipp Funk and Claudio Walser. They have collected 365 photos by eleven young photographers who portray Zurich in the year before the millennium.
Free of the creative narrowness of factual and chronological annual reviews, Funk's and Walser's look at the year 1999 flips through like a colorful, surprising diary of the Limmat city. And although this work would be labeled modern art for any historian, it nevertheless reflects all the important moments of 1999.
The change of seasons with the appropriate weather influences, such as the big snow in February, are just as much a part of this chronicle as architectural changes and athletic
and social highlights; and some of the city's construction sites match the one or other political decision.
Complementing this, one reads over 20 texts by contemporary authors and journalists, each in their own way adding a stone to the mosaic of our complex cityscape.
The "Tage Buch" - with the format of a small brick - is so diverse and full of surprises that it could also be published anew every year. However, its beauty is only accessible to those familiar with Zurich. To others, the compilation of images might seem rather arbitrary. Especially since Zurich, proof of its liveliness, is more colorful and chaotic than any tourist brochure.
Philipp Funk and Claudio Walser, "Tage Buch," Edition Patrick Frey, Fr. 49.80.

The number of measured ad impressions is growing fastest in the business-to-business sectorBy Clemens Hörler The boom in B2B e-commerce means that online advertising in the business-to-business sector is also gaining strongly in importance.
B2B companies are pushing online, and more and more large companies are setting up B2B platforms where they hope to save on trading with suppliers. Ford, Nestlé, Pirelli and Boeing are examples of this. Advertising is also benefiting from this: A study by Seattle-based MediaMetrix company AdRelevance shows that advertising spending by B2B companies on the Internet is growing at a faster rate than spending by companies in the business-to-consumer (B2C) sector.
According to the study by AdRelevance (www.adrelevance.com), the number of B2B companies that advertised online increased by 58 percent between October 1999 and February 2000. For the other companies, there was an increase of 17 percent in the same period.
B2B companies also lead the way in terms of the number of ad impressions placed, with an average increase of 66 percent, followed by the B2C sectors of telecommunications (up 45 percent), automotive (up 44 percent), financial services (up 40 percent), consumer goods (up 38 percent) and hardware/electronics (up 34 percent).
Charles Buchwalter, Vice President Media Research at AdRelevance: "The B2B advertising boom is a logical consequence of the online presence of many companies in this sector. You reach customers where they work - and in this case, that's on the web."
More advertising on special interest sites
Within the B2B sector, it is mainly companies that offer Internet-related services such as web design, e-commerce software or network facilities that advertise. Much more than advertisers targeting consumers, B2B companies also use special-interest sites as advertising vehicles.
As much as 9.9 percent of the total B2B advertising volume on the Internet flows to websites on the subject of computers and technology, 2.5 percent to financial services, and 2.2 percent to news platforms. However, the lion's share in both areas still flows to large portals, communities and search engines.
Average increase in ad impressions per company
Business-to-Business 66 %
Telecommunications 45 %
Automotive 44 %
Financial services 40 %
Retail trade 38 %
Hardware/Electronics 34 %
Online media 29 %
Distributor 26 %
Software 22 %
Travel 19 %
Source: AdRelevance Intelligence Report
"Business Is Booming.
The number of ad impressions per company increased more strongly in the B2B sector than in the B2C sector.

Koller Werbung presents the C-Class to car dealers at the Appenzell cattle market This is what the Swiss importer of DaimlerChrysler allows itself: It does the calf with its dealers and goes among the cattle dealers with its noble cars. For the presentation of the Mercedes C-Class the importer chose the Landsgemeindeplatz of Appenzell-Innerrhoden. Traditionally, DaimlerChrylser representatives are presented with new models at an event held at changing locations. If the event is to be held in Appenzell, then it should be in keeping with local customs," said Emil Koller, owner of the Appenzell advertising agency of the same name, which organized the event in cooperation with the event agency Chäs+Brot AG and in analogy to one of the most important events in the town: the cattle show.
When last Monday unsuspectingly the 91 Swiss DaimlerChrysler dealers arrived by car at the Landsgemeindeplatz in Appenzell, they thought they were in the wrong joke: Instead of the expected 91 vehicles - each dealer is given a vehicle as a demonstration car at the events, with which he later drives home - the "horned ones" found 15 cows and a precursor of the C-Class parked as if by chance: a Mercedes 190 E.
Award-winning Lisa traded in for Mercedes 190 E
A staged humorous dispute between Diego Tomasini, Marketing Manager of DaimlerChrysler Switzerland, and an "Appenzöller" cattle farmer played by Emil Koller, which ended with the exchange of the prize-winning cow Lisa for the 190 E sealed by a handshake, resolved the confusion. Following the skit, Appenzeller specialties were dished up, and folkloric music and performances accompanied the company through a happy evening.
The actual presentation of the new vehicles took place the following day at the same location: free of charge, the municipality of Appenzell had removed the fragrant traces of the cows from the Landsgemeindeplatz overnight and transformed the livestock show into one made of 91
C models existing vehicle show transformed.
Ernst Weber

An e-commerce Internet study defines six user typesBy Clemens Hörler A study by McKinsey and MediaMetrix divides the Internet community into six different user types. If an Internet company wants to retain its visitors, it must first identify a target group and address it specifically.
When the saleswoman in the watch store greets the muesli-picking eco-fundi with a well-behaved "Grüss Gott, gnädiger Herr," he is probably just as enthusiastic as the ambitious top manager about a casual "Hi".
Like customers in real life, Internet users want to be addressed in different ways and according to their type. An American study published in April by McKinsey and MediaMetrix identifies six different types of Internet users who are important for the
e-commerce are very different in their appeal and differ significantly in their demands on the Net: Simplifiers, newcomers, veterans, athletes, surfers and merchants.
"Success on the Internet depends very much on customer loyalty, so it is more promising to secure a loyal customer base in a specific target group rather than trying to appeal to everyone," believes John Forsyth, e-marketing specialist at McKinsey. A company should therefore not only pay attention to the sheer number of visitors, it also needs to know about the typology of its customers.
Particularly attractive for the
E-commerce: the simplifiers
According to the study "All Visitors Are Not Created Equal" (www.mediametrix.com), simplifiers are particularly attractive to e-commerce companies. They use the Internet primarily to make their lives more pleasant.
Instead of rummaging through crowded shopping centers, they order online. And although they spend little time online, they are responsible for about half of all transactions. To succeed with simplifiers, Forsyth recommends a customer-friendly approach: clear navigation, quick availability of information and offers, and reliable customer service. Annoying pop-up advertising windows deter simplifiers.
Retailers are also an attractive group for e-commerce. What they value most about the Internet is active pricing and finding bargains, for example in auction houses. Online stores with alternative business models that offer a shopping experience are much more likely to attract retailers than traditionally prepared catalogs of goods.
Online routiniers turn out to be online misers
The more experienced shoppers are less fond of online shopping. Only six percent have shopped on the Internet more than five times in their lives. The routiniers use the Internet primarily to obtain information. To do this, they visit only a few high-quality websites, such as financial or news platforms. Athletes behave similarly to the routiniers, primarily reading sports news.
Information site operators are challenged to turn the information searches of these online geeks into sales. For example, they can entice visitors with links to online stores where they can order something they have just read about. This was practiced very early on by many Swiss online newspapers in the area of book reviews.
The novices can still be formed
Between the online shoppers and the online readers are the surfers and the newcomers. Surfers make up only eight percent of users, but are responsible for 32 percent of Internet usage time. Constantly on the lookout for something new, they are difficult to retain.
Only constant updates, up-to-date design and a strong brand can motivate them to visit regularly. Average sites that still look exactly the same on the second visit as they did on the first are quickly forgotten by the restless Internet nomads.
According to the study, the proportion of Internet newcomers is still 36 percent. They use the Internet primarily for their personal communication, writing e-mails and chatting. Website providers can try to help shape the habits of these Internet novices and attract them as members of a more attractive group for e-commerce. In doing so, Forsyth believes, companies that also have a strong brand offline that newcomers are already familiar with have an advantage.

As soon as it gets a bit sunny and warm in the advertising metropolis of Zurich, you get invitations to aperitifs and other events from all over the place.Shortlist Slur till you drop
By Beat Fritsch
And recently meets before aperitif and party tours at Blue Monkey Cocostin, the newly opened bar & lounge in Zurich's Königsstuhl.
Because it's more or less around the corner, we went straight from there to the opening of Casa Smeralda, the latest hobbyhorse of ex-By Heart co-owner Ruth Arber. She opened a two-story boutique for furniture with a Mediterranean ethnic look on Predigergasse in the center of Zurich.
Marcello Schnyder from Glass Film and life partner of the new boutique owner diligently poured drinks for all the guests. He has experience with this, as he is planning a new spot for Freixenet. Of course, almost the entire By Heart crew was present, above all Hans Siegwart. And also Nathalie Schneider and Patrizia Metzger, who couldn't refrain from wishing their former boss good luck.
The next party was just a stone's throw away. Almost eight hundred people came to the big Publimedia party at El Cubanito in the old Zurich stock exchange. The hall was already boiling at 7 p.m., and temperatures reached tropical levels.
As could be heard, the phones at Publimedia were already running hot two weeks before the event. Many tried in vain to find a place on the hopelessly overcrowded guest list. It's a wonder that a veritable black market didn't establish itself. In any case, the hall was jam-packed, and it was an impossibility to greet all the familiar faces.
Highly pleased was, who found itself then in the turmoil nevertheless. Publishing consultant and recruiter Hans Hofmann, for example, was thrilled by his new and charming competition. He was so affectionate with his competitor Inge Willmann from VMK that one could have thought a merger was already in the offing. But it was in vain, because Inge is already in the firm hands of TA sales manager Fridolin Holdener. He was seen a few meters away talking to Pick Pay advertising manager Sandra Ulrich. As befits a P event, however, there were other headhunters on the prowl, such as Hélène Müller from Worni Personalberatung. She, too, specializes in the communications industry and was engrossed in an intensive conversation with Sawi director Jürg Engi at the event.
Renato Turri was also on a promotional tour. After the sparrows were already whistling from the rooftops and now a new publishing director for Persönlich is officially being sought: Turri is setting up his own corporate publishing company.
Bettina Fischer showed chutzpah: After her unexpected and sudden departure as head of Cash Publishing, she made her presence felt instead of mourning in the closet and licking wounds, as some might have liked to see.
As representatives of all the hospitable Publimedia people, I would like to mention: a confident Otto Meier, Claudia Wilden, charming as always, the discreet Stefan Hostettler and last but not least - Sabina Cadalbert, who as Publimedia's advertising manager was responsible for the entire event and put on a super party. For the catering, Cadalbert hired Rolf Kunz, who - at that time on behalf of Stefan Merz of Merz und Partner - had already taken care of the physical well-being at the Facts party shortly before Easter.
Beat Fritsch thanks Sabina Cadalbert for the invitation to a super party. Therefore, Sabina may exceptionally on the place of honor in the Autorenböxli.
Those who usually party it up in the advertising scene are spotted at a wide variety of industry events. But who makes the definitive leap onto the coveted shortlist places is decided by the editorial team. Do you actually already have something to report? Then you seize nevertheless times fast to the listener (01 296 97 98) or mailen you to [email protected]. Online, there are event tips at www.werbewoche.ch.

Advertising is dead, long live advertising." This bon mot was served up by Josef Haas, co-owner of the Zurich advertising agency Bohnenblust Haas, to his guests at the business breakfast in Zurich's Belvoirpark.Forty early risers, including agency clients, potential clients and journalists, had accepted the invitation of the agency, which was founded at the beginning of the year. The aim of the event was to present the new agency model for the New Economy. The model is based on the new economic world: the organizational and structural changes, the flat hierarchies and the changes emanating from the Internet as a distribution medium. "We need to learn new disciplines," Haas said in his speech, pointing to a more comprehensive understanding of communication. Partner Marc Bohnenblust said it was a matter of examining the extent to which old values would hold up in the new business world.
The advertisers from Zurich's Lavaterstrasse invited Viennese everyday culture researcher and book author Wolfgang Pauser as a guest speaker. In his lecture, he addressed the cultural content of brands and products and their use for CI and communication. In order to increasingly incorporate knowledge from the human and social sciences about the cultural dimensions into their considerations, Bohnenblust Haas is striving to collaborate with Pauser.
In five years, the new economy agency, which today has a turnover of 800,000 Swiss francs with three employees, aims to achieve seven million Swiss francs in fee income with 20 employees. (ew)

Under the name abc dill.com, advertiser and WerbeWoche columnist Christoph Dill opens an "interface management".He offers a control center that links a network of freelancers and services.Under the name abc dill.com, advertiser and WerbeWoche columnist Christoph Dill opens an "interface management".He offers a control center that links a network of freelancers and services. "The client gets exactly what he wants without having to pay for an expensive back office." His clientele includes both direct and freelance clients.
abcdill.com wants to stand on two pillars: Lifestyle including food & beverage and IT technology. Among other things, bar, delicatessen and cocktail guides for Facts go on Dill's account. "The editorial area is already doing very well, but in the IT area I will have to acquire more customers," explains Dill. His most important customers at the moment include Symantec, TA-Media and the Swiss milk producers. (ba)

Affinity of ads among supporters in the "middle-class corner "Best of Print Advertising 1999 The 1999 advertising hits from the Advertising Index of the market research institute Demoscope
In cooperation with the market research institute Demoscope, Publimedia presents the readers of WerbeWoche five times a year with an excerpt from the
Results from the Advertising Index (AX Print). This index (see box) is a module of the Market Radar and measures the popularity of advertising subjects. In the top two rows are those subjects that achieved the greatest acceptance in the relevant psychographic target group (see wind rose). The three subjects that performed best in the entire sample, i.e. in all four target groups, in the past year are shown under the heading "Top three".
Advertising IndexFor the Advertising Index ad tests, a representative sample of around 800 people is surveyed in eight waves. The respondent first completes a psychological test (50-item test) and then flips through a magazine with 45 ads. As with reading a magazine, the respondent is free to spend as much time as he or she likes on each ad in the test. Before turning the page, she rates the ad on a scale of 5 ("appeals to me a lot") to 1 ("doesn't appeal to me at all"). Supporters are people who are "very" or "fairly" appealed to by an ad. The acceptance of advertising determined in this way correlates strongly with other functions of advertising impact and is therefore suitable for benchmarking.
For the segmentation of the sample according to target groups, Market Radar uses a psychographic test, the so-called 50-item test. With the help of this test, the value orientations of the respondent are determined and assigned to one of the psychogram fields (see wind rose). The value orientations range from South (conservative) to North (progressive) and from West (outward-looking, materialistic) to East (inward-looking, idealistic).
Further information on the Advertising Index and the Market Radar is available from Demoscope. Planning support with the Advertising Index, the Radar and new
with the Print Advertising Monitor (PAM), Publimedia.

The Swiss National Circus modernizes its corporate communication with Ron Stocker ArtBy Ernst Weber Spontaneously, the Circus Knie decided to modernize its communication. One of the people behind this change was longtime Knie photographer Jost Wildbolz, who brought the Zurich-based image and media agency Ron Stocker Art (RSA) into the conversation at the Swiss National Circus.
"I know someone who could teach your advertising new tricks in communication," Jost Wildbolz had said to the Knies: Ron Stocker, owner of RSA, has been realizing image and media concepts for ten years. The collaboration between him and the Swiss National Circus began in May 1999 at an opera house coffee, where Stocker discussed a more journalistic concept for the Knie Illustrated with Chris Krenger, press director for 39 years, and Herbert Scheller, marketing director of the National Circus for 28 years.
Stocker argued with the fact that a Knie illustrated magazine had to live from better pictures. It was agreed to create a layout with photos from the extensive Knie archive. "Chris Krenger has every archive image in his head," Stocker says, "he knows the name and function of every person pictured." Stocker's design impressed, "We are," says Chris Krenger, "in a process and soon realized that it can be interesting to incorporate new ideas into communications. But that doesn't mean we just accepted everything."
Authentic acquisition aid: the knee event brochure
First, Herbert Scheller commissioned an event brochure from RSA to convince potentially interested parties that the 2,500-seat Knie tent, which costs just 55,000 Swiss francs to rent per evening, could be the right setting for an unusual corporate event, for example.
"In this case, you have to realize an event brochure according to the real situation," says Ron Stocker: Five times, the agency owner went on a motif hunt in the circus with photographer Hansjörg Egger to authentically capture the atmosphere at closed events.
The event brochure contains pictures of various events, such as Beatocello's charity gala, the general meetings of Crossair and the Bernese department store Loeb, as well as the 150th anniversary celebrations of Rentes Genevoises and Swiss Post. The latter, by the way, booked the circus in 20 cities at once. The circus management often builds a little extra into the program, such as a race between A and B Post.
Ron Stocker likes the way they work together: "Once the Knies have gained trust," says the Canadian with a Swiss passport, "they let you work freely." However, if you wanted to take a group picture of the Knie staff, you wouldn't make any friends because you would paralyze the entire operation. That's why the group picture in the brochure was scheduled for a tough half hour.
Stocker is also impressed by the palpable family mentality: low-level work in the true sense doesn't exist at all, says the advertiser: "Even Franco Knie loads elephants onto the train with the Moroccans at four in the morning."
Putting the glamour of the circus world on paper
In mid-December, Chris Krenger gave the green light for the realization of a Knie illustrated book, as had been discussed at the Opera House Coffee. The glossy illustrated magazine takes up this year's motto "Fun and Poetry". Photographer Silvia Luckner, whose photographs of Gardi Hutter and her ensemble are a tribute to the art of comedy, was commissioned for the first issue.
The aesthetic demands on poetry were implemented by Jost Wildbolz, who has accompanied the Knie family photographically for ten years. More detailed texts tell stories, anecdotes and childhood memories. Ron Stocker: "The goal was really a Knie poetry album." That's why Fredy Knie Jr. was photographed with a zebra instead of horses, with whom he speaks as an animal teacher, he says.
A virtual tour of the circus
The first Internet presence of the Swiss National Circus is a co-production of RSA and Netgraphic (NET), a subsidiary of the Zurich printing company gdz, which realizes Internet and multimedia productions.
Convinced of each other's expertise, RSA and NET enter into joint ventures to integrate Stocker's image and media know-how into Internet presences. The web design of the Knie homepage was created by Art Director Daniel Tschanz. The 27-year-old is a member of the management team at Netgraphic. "The contract to design this website," says Ron Stocker proudly, "was won by RSA/NET at the end of February in a pitch against the Internet agency Jäggi Communications and an agency from Karlsruhe." The presentation was made to the board of directors of the multimillion-dollar company.
In order to be able to launch the Internet site by the start of the tour on March 21, RSA/NET proposed a trilingual advance version that will be successively expanded. The site adopts the main features of the corporate identity of the brochure and illustrated magazine: "The photos and primary graphic elements from the current advertising materials have been recycled on the website, so to speak," says Daniel Tschanz.
Ticket orders via the homepage
Furthermore, the homepage contains facts such as tour dates, the prices of the tiers and the possibility to order tickets. The concept also includes the suggestion that some interested parties might refrain from attending a performance if too much is revealed on the homepage: The texts, for example about the artists and their performances, are therefore kept extremely brief; the electronic visitor is really only given a brief insight into the world of the Swiss National Circus.
In the meantime, however, this - understandably for circus people - natural respect for the new medium has been abandoned. Nothing stands in the way of the planned expansion of the homepage: By August, the site will be expanded to include a marketing and press review and a virtual tour of the circus.

British advertising holding company WPP broke off merger talks with Young & Rubicam, New York, on April 29. According to reports, no agreement was reached on the takeover clause for the Y&R management.Fax Y&R: After WPP now Publicis
French advertising group Publicis, on the other hand, announced on May 2 that it was looking into a merger with Y&R. Together, the two would become the fourth-largest advertising company in the world. According to analysts, Publicis has bad cards: For U.S. investors, an offer only in shares is uninteresting; whether Publicis can raise enough cash is doubtful.
kloiber collects 350 million for tm 3 Film rights trader Herbert Kloiber receives almost 350 million from Rupert Murdoch.
D-Mark for his 34 percent stake in German station TM 3. According to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Kloiber intends to use this to enter the pay TV business. Murdoch is handing over the broadcasting rights for TM 3's Champions League to Premiere and RTL and wants to position TM 3 as a health and fitness channel.
FCB wins Compaq budget U.S. computer manufacturer Compaq has awarded its global budget of more than $300 million to FCB Worldwide (see also page 12). FCB beat out previous handler DDB Worldwide in the final round of the pitch. According to CEO Peter Leutenegger, it is not yet clear when the Swiss agency FCB Leutenegger Krüll will start working for Compaq. Currently, Seiler DDB is handling the budget.
Havas has reached target size The French advertising holding company Havas has achieved its stated goal of taking a place among the top five. In Advertising Age's latest global ranking, Havas climbed from 6th to 4th place thanks to the acquisition of Snyder Communications. However, the gap to third-placed WPP is wide: at $4.82 billion, WPP generated twice as much gross revenue in 1999 as Havas (2.39 billion).

The American takeout chain Boston Market makes fun of real-life TV commercialsBy Thérèse Balduzzi For years, U.S. TV viewers could enjoy the Calvin Klein commercials for the perfume Obsession - or not: The silly commercial provoked satire, and Boston Market, a restaurant and takeout chain that offers U.S. home cooking, quickly launched a parody. Since then, spot satires have been a trademark of the restaurant chain.
Like that one in black and white, the Boston Market parody of the Calvin Klein spot began with a skinny model lamenting a vague sense of emptiness in a dreamy, unreal voice. But what seemed like another detached Calvin Klein spot was soon brought down to earth. In the middle of it, sportscaster Keith Olberman appeared in color and declared, "This feeling of emptiness is called hunger. Eat something!" which was followed by ads for Boston Market sandwiches.
Raising profile through spot satires in the fast food chain market
Founded in the early 1990s, the Boston Market chain operates 850 stores in 33 states and has a particularly strong presence in America's Northeast, Florida and California. It offers wholesome American fare that is either consumed in restaurants or taken home, which accounts for 50 percent of sales. The down-to-earth humor of its advertising suits the chain's offerings and is a clever way to raise its profile amid the plethora of advertising for fast-food chains and ready-to-eat meals.
While the sandwiches spot was aimed at a young, male audience who can relate to a sportscaster, the "Dinner? It's done!" spots appeal to working moms. These also spoof familiar commercial genres. Several are variations on the familiar cleaning supplies spot, in which an (Ajax) whirlwind sweeps the dirty kitchen clean. Only this time, the secret behind the clean kitchen isn't a cleaning product, but Boston Market's ready-to-eat meals.
Another commercial parodies the ubiquitous headache medication commercials on US television: A female doctor tells how she used to suffer from headaches. To illustrate this, she is shown in a black-and-white flashback with a distorted facial expression. Here, too, the spot works with the surprise effect. Instead of a medicine package, a Boston Market shopping bag enters the picture: the solution to headaches that can arise from daily worries about supper.
Wrinkle-free thanks to Boston Market Food
The parody of the advertisement for L'Oréal anti-wrinkle products follows the same pattern. To dance music, a model praises the miracle cure for worry lines. Against all expectations, the Boston Market logo appears.
The campaigns were created by the Suissa Miller agency in Los Angeles. The parodies creatively convey the message that Boston Market offers a solution to the daily probing question, "What's for dinner tonight?" "The humor also serves to connect with consumers, to make them feel understood," says Trey Hall, vice president of marketing at Boston Market.