New Swiss industry magazine for Internet and e-businessBy Daniel Schifferle The Swiss Internet and e-business industry is getting a platform. The publisher of the newspaper, which will appear weekly from April 19 and is entitled Netzwoche, is ZBM.
"Until now, the Swiss Internet industry has lacked its own communication platform," notes ZBM co-owner Matthias Zehnder. That will be a thing of the past as of April 19. On that date, the Basel-based ZBM, a leading information agency on the Internet and new media, will launch the newspaper Netzwoche. The core target group is providers of Internet services as well as decision-makers and implementers for the Internet sector in companies.
With a broad range of topics, the new B2B sheet aims to tackle the communication deficit in the Internet industry on a weekly basis. The menu contains up-to-date and practical reports on the Internet and e-business in Switzerland. News, background reports and an international trend checkup analyze promising business models. Case studies, interviews and portraits promise insights into the strategies of leading players.
"The timing is right," says Matthias Zehnder, "Internet service providers are consolidating into an industry of their own." An industry with high growth potential that already generates sales of around six billion Swiss francs and employs around 11,000 people.
"We're making a newspaper that primarily shows heads," Zehnder specifies, "so we want to contribute to transparency in a professional environment that offers steep careers." In the advertising section, this strategy is to be reflected in a rich job advertisement.
In many colors the displays should shine
The stapled format of Netzwoche is slightly larger than A4. Weekly, 24 pages are planned. In terms of design, the magazine looks like a newspaper. One special feature that will please advertisers is that the magazine will be four-color throughout, but a discreet color palette will be used in the editorial section. Bright colors are reserved for advertisements.
The first two issues will start with a promotional print run of 50000 copies, which will be sent to all IT managers, communications managers and Internet service providers. Later, a circulation of 12000 copies is planned. Netzwoche is also available at newsstands, prominently placed in Swiss business titles. The magazine costs six francs for individual sales, and company subscriptions are available for 258 francs per year. An entire advertising page is charged at the standard rate of 7900 francs.
Netzwoche works together with the St. Gallen-based company Act Media to sell advertisements.

Marc Schürmann: Founder, young entrepreneur and owner of the marketing and promotions company MosaikHead of the week "I want to offer good service and not get rich as quickly as possible".
The guy has a good laugh: First, he works with attractive people. Second, he's successful. In three years, Marc Schürmann has turned his marketing and promotion company Mosaik into a million-dollar enterprise, made a name for himself as a serious agency owner and Generation X specialist, and landed numerous major clients. "I'm doing great," confirms the young entrepreneur. But success didn't just fall into his lap. "I had to work hard for it. Schürmann is convinced: "That's the only way to build something lasting."
Fast money has never interested him. "Anyone who does things just to get rich as quickly as possible can't succeed," he says. At 29, he is one of the youngest and most successful agency owners in Switzerland. He picked up the necessary know-how early on. As the youngest branch manager of the Blondino fashion chain, founder and owner of a telephone customer service line, sole manager of a telecommunications company and junior consultant for a computer business, he learned the ABCs of management. "And that's without being specifically trained for any of these jobs," he laughs. The only additional training he completed besides his hairdressing apprenticeship was as a federal marketing planner. "Everything else I taught myself."
He is particularly proud of his reputation in the scene: "Word has spread that I don't just do any promotions for companies, but that I empathize with the target group of the respective product, that I know how to make a product palatable to 18- to 25-year-olds, that I propose entire concepts and organize promotional and marketing appearances from A to Z."
In the meantime, large companies such as Diax, R. J. Reynolds Tabacco AG and 20 Minuten in particular turned to the young entrepreneur. As a result, in 1999 he was active at 30 trade fairs, spent 40 to 50 days with his crew at events in train stations and organized countless national marketing appearances in trendy restaurants.
Since taking over as sole owner of the Mosaik marketing and promotion agency in 1997, he has increased sales tenfold, expanded the team from two to ten employees, signed 980 models, changed offices, hired a "man on the spot" in Lugano and Lausanne, and founded a limited company in January 2000.
But he is not satisfied with that. "My goal is to become the strongest promotion and marketing agency in Switzerland," says the single man who is into "beautiful things in life." Among his strengths, he counts the ability to quickly familiarize himself with a subject and to produce quality work: "My company should not be just any company with a lot of turnover and little substance, but should have the level of a five-star company: high quality, super service and fair value for money."
The 29-year-old Zurich native has the necessary potential. Annelies Friedli

Bolzern Kommunikation celebrates its 20th anniversary and grows into a full-service agencyBy Luca Aloisi Three years ago, Atelier Bolzern merged with Syntexta PR AG to form Bolzern Kommunikation AG in Kriens/Lucerne. The move was as obvious as it was lucrative. The agency thus increased and concentrated its competencies in consulting, PR and new media. After a consolidation phase, Bolzern Kommunikation repositioned itself as a comprehensive full-service agency.
It is one of the peculiarities of companies that they often assert themselves as self-sufficient and dynamic systems in so-called "remoteness". A recently published UBS study on Central Switzerland as a business location also concluded that this area holds good cards compared to the Swiss average.
So it's no surprise that companies like Bolzern Kommunikation, located at the foot of Mount Pilatus in the idyllic rural town of Kriens, have grown in their 20-year history from an execution agency to a full-service agency that serves all areas, from market analysis, brand identification and marketing strategy to creation and media planning. Significantly, the conceptual implementation of the UBS study came from Bolzern Kommunikation.
Continuous growth of the value chain
"Over the past year and a half, we have been in a consolidation phase," says Erich Rava, communications consultant, summing up the period of raising awareness among existing and potential new clients. It should be made clear to them that the new agency no longer corresponds to the formerly execution-oriented studio, but from now on can offer comprehensive support for communication strategies on all levels and media.
Bolzern has therefore given itself a new image to mark the milestone and the anniversary. According to Emanuel Bolzern, Chairman of the Executive Board, nothing will change in the agency's philosophy. Partnership will continue to be a top priority, both externally with clients and internally with employees.
This attitude is expressed in the flat structure and family atmosphere that prevails in the agency. Not only have the structural requirements for this been met - the office building houses all departments of the continuously growing value chain spread over two floors: from the photo studio to prepress to the open-plan office of the creative team and the new media department, where three programmers realize clients' Internet presences.
With the merged agencies and new customer demands, the value chain has become longer and longer. But a spin-off of any area has never been up for debate, says Emanuel Bolzern. He is convinced that such a structure with these manageable dimensions would provide advertising clients with optimum benefits thanks to the fast internal workflows and the supporting interdisciplinary solutions. This means that the advice of various specialists can be called in as early as the conception phase.
In 1999, the 26 employees increased their own output by around 8.5 percent to 4.5 million Swiss francs and produced commercial communications in all forms for companies from a wide range of industries: for the pharmaceutical and consumer goods sectors as well as for food manufacturers, publishing houses, banks and transport.
Three professional worlds - connected in one place
To meet the needs of different customers, heads are often put together at Bolzern Kommunikation. This partnership-based and networked way of thinking and acting is also evident at management level. In and among the four teams Advertising, PR, New Media and Contact, there is a lively exchange that originates at the grassroots level.
All employees are involved in the projects in order to tap into their specific expertise and let them participate in the business. With long-standing customers, this proximity seems to have worked so well that sometimes the consulting level is no longer involved. With some customers, this has become so well established that only the design level is used. In the future, however, Bolzern wants to position itself even more strongly in holistic support, because its know-how has increased as a result of expansion and new specialists.
"The New Media team in particular is the best place to present the range of services that has grown," says Erich Rava. It often has to be explained to the customer that, in terms of management, a presence on the Internet is the same as managing a branch. That's why Bolzern's offering is also broad and includes pretty much everything from electronic identity concepts and updating services to training.
And since there are professional copywriters in the advertising and PR teams, the company is not above knocking on their doors when it is necessary or urgent. Thus, in addition to the obligatory range of products, links and portraits of the sponsored athletes, the Stöckli ski site also contained the latest results of the Ski World Cup. Whether Didier Plaschy was boosting the reputation of the Swiss ski team or Paul Accola was taking a shot at the coach, the copywriters and programmers in Kriens were busy updating.

Europeans are slowly catching up with Americans in terms of Internet usage via mouse clickBy Clemens Hörler 17.2 percent of all Swiss people have already made a purchase online. This puts Switzerland in third place in a European comparison.
This is the result of the first survey of the Pan European Internet Monitor, conducted in 14 European countries by the Amsterdam-based market research company Pro Active International (proactiveinternational.com) with offices in Europe and soon also in the USA and Asia. Only Sweden (23.6 percent) and Denmark (17.9 percent) have a higher proportion of Internet shoppers.
Sweden also leads Europe in terms of the number of Internet users. 53.3 percent of respondents said they had been online at least once during the past two weeks. The four Scandinavian countries are followed, well behind, by Switzerland and the Netherlands, the UK, Austria and Germany, which according to Pro Active is around the European average (24 percent). The southern European countries, as well as Ireland and Belgium, are far below the average. In Portugal, only 0.3 percent of respondents said they had ever shopped online.
Further results to follow at the end of April
Lisbeth Hop, CEO of Pro Active International, sees the results of the study as confirmation that Europeans are catching up with North Americans. A study by Nielsen/Netratings shows that in the USA, more than 50 percent of the population has Internet access, but in a survey only 35 percent said they had been on the Internet in the past 14 days. In the 14 countries considered by Pro Active, the figure was already 24 percent.
Pro Active International surveys 14,000 Internet users in Europe twice a year in telephone and street interviews. In parallel, an online study is conducted via the Internet with 150,000 users. Further results of the survey on demographics and preferences of Internet users, consumption of other media, and attitudes towards e-commerce and online advertising will be presented at the end of April.
Hop is convinced that the study will be of particular interest to international Internet providers. "They will finally get what they have been asking for for some time - reliable reference data and trend information on the growth of the Internet in Europe and on European Internet users."

In addition, five and a half years after By Heart was founded, Ruth Arber will be stepping down later this month. The co-founder of By Heart is opening her own furniture store, «Casa Smeralda.» In early June, Jan Maurer will take over as commercial director and head of consulting. The advertising director has experience as a consulting group leader at top agencies.
New Hires at WHS: Copywriter Patrick Suter joins from McCann-Erickson, and consultant Vanessa Rubinick from Grünbaum Marketing & Promotion; Lucia Mitsch, Art Buying Assistant, previously worked at Euro RSCG; Consulting Group Leader Daniela Ciotto was most recently self-employed and previously worked at AY&R; Ailinh Truong is an assistant at WHS International. She comes from AY&R. IT Support Specialist Michael Ecker previously worked at Data General.
Bettina Tamò, former publishing director of *Beobachter*, will take over as executive director of the Interactive Publishing Conference. The conference will take place in Zurich from November 15 to 17.
The Swiss Graphic Design Association has admitted eight new members: Paolo Tonti, Michel Fries, André Schneiter, and Franziska Widmer of Zurich; Thomas Bruggisser of Winterthur; Daniel Felde of Lucerne; Gerhard Blättler of Bern; and André Reymond of Langnau am Albis.
Ulrich von Bassewitz is the new Chief Financial Officer of Affichage Holding SA and a member of the Executive Board of Allgemeine Plakatgesellschaft APG.

A Yugoslavian immigrant photographs New York facade advertisements from the turn of the centuryBy Thérèse Balduzzi Old advertisements painted on building facades are as much a part of New York's cityscape as the fire escapes and the water tanks above the rooftops. For three years, Yugoslav immigrant Sava Mitrovich has been searching for them with his camera. Part of his rich documentation is currently on display at the Municipal Art Society in New York and is scheduled to be published in book form in the near future.
Scarred by the weather, which only adds to their charm, most painted ads promote companies and products that have long since ceased to exist, such as Omega Oil, Goodall Rubber Products, or Milo Electronics. Out of sheer carelessness, they have survived for half or a century.
Some only reappear because an attached house is demolished. Removed from their useful context, their artistic elements gain in importance and enrich the cityscape as decoration and as witnesses of advertising history.
On the road as a housing inspector in the Big Apple
For the past three years, Sava Mitrovich has been documenting the work of the "wall dogs," as the painters of the advertisements used to be called. "The ads have a life of their own and are always changing," Mitrovich says, "They add something romantic to the urban environment and remind me of the pentimenti, the subtle images among the early church frescoes, as I remember them from my childhood in Yugoslavia."
Sava Mitrovich was born in Belgrade and studied engineering and shipbuilding before moving to Paris in 1965 to study art at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. In 1969 he emigrated to New York and worked in the film industry as a set cleaner and camera assistant.
Since 1988, he has been a project manager for the New York Housing Preservation and Development Department - a kind of historic preservation. Thanks to this job, he knows every corner of New York and always encounters more painted ads on his way to inspect houses. "I'm always on the lookout for special details and nuances that painters had given to the signs," Mitrovich says of his expeditions. He studied photography at the School of Visual Arts and the Maine Photographic Workshop.
New York counts the most contemporary witnesses of the "Wall Dogs"
At the turn of the century, almost every store, hotel or restaurant had an advertisement painted on its facade. Especially for manufacturers of consumer goods such as Coca-Cola, they were considered the option of large-scale outdoor advertising at the time. They had prestige and were profitable.
New York therefore has one of the highest concentrations of these contemporary witnesses. From today's perspective, the advertisements often come across as heartwarmingly naive: they encourage passersby to polish their shoes to look decent, they urge people to go to the movies as a remedy for depression, or they urge people to buy a bottle of Omega Oil for ten cents to cure their stiff joints and aching muscles.
Today's version of large-scale outdoor advertising appears on huge sheets of vinyl netting that cover entire building facades: a technique developed in 1990 makes it possible to print digital images onto large rolls of the material, which is then attached to house walls. The images meet the need for fast-moving advertising motifs and campaigns, and can be quickly produced, put up and taken down again. Because they cover houses completely - even windows, for which apartment owners get paid - they are controversial.
Painted ads can still be seen in the USA
Ads are being painted less and less frequently. Exceptions are individual small stores or the "Player's Navy Cut" cigarette campaign that Leo Burnett Chicago designed for Philip Morris four years ago: On the cigarette logos painted on various house walls in New York and other cities, some bricks were intentionally left out to recreate the nostalgic charm of the old advertisements.
Also on Houston Street in Greenwich Village are new hand-painted ads for Stolichnaya vodka and Casio watches. Unlike the old ads, which were mostly just lettering, but the new ones mostly reproduce larger formats of the print ads running at the same time and images of the products.
Despite the nostalgic feelings Mitrovich and his wife have for the "Wall Dogs" displays, they oppose preserving them as historic landmarks. "It would destroy their whole character," explains Linda Cooper Bowen, Mitrovich's wife.
"Wall Dogs" are adventurers, artists and acrobats
Mitrovich still knows some of the old guard of "wall dogs" personally. Most of them have trained in the arts and spent years of their lives on scaffolding at dizzying heights. Cooper Bowen says they are an unusual species, a mix of adventurers, artists and acrobats. "They rave about working dozens of feet above the ground somewhere in Times Square on a blustery day in the middle of winter, which would be a horror for anyone else," she says with admiration.
The task of the "Wall Dogs" often included not only painting, but also the layout and production of the paint. Until the forties, they mixed pigments with white lead paste and linseed oil. The lead is probably responsible for the longevity of the signs, but highly toxic.
Currently, Sava Mitrovich and Linda Cooper Bowen are working on a book for which she is writing the texts. They plan to search for old facade advertisements in other cities in the USA and include them in the book.
"Art of the Wall Dogs: The Painted Signs of Yesteryear," Municipal Art Society, 457 Madison Avenue and 51st Street, Mon-Sat, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., through April 29.

TV3 boss Jürg Wildberger on the radical programming changes at his stationRestructuring in programming by the meter - that's currently the only sure thing at TV3. Jürg Wildberger is convinced that only truly new formats have a chance in the Swiss audience market. With the new cancellation of various in-house productions, TV3 is making a clean sweep of its programming. What is your vision?
Jürg Wildberger: This is not a clear cut. These programs are coming to an end this season and will not be continued in the fall. We have to consistently focus on programs that show an upward trend in the audience market. We simply don't have room for anything else.
What lessons do you draw from the first seven months of TV3.
Wildberger: We had to take note that no one was waiting for us. If you want to build an alternative to the established offering in Switzerland, you really have to be very good. Only really new things that are clearly different from the offerings on SFDRS and the German stations have a chance.
Specifically, what new shows is TV3 planning to launch in place of the canceled programs?
Wildberger: At the moment we are discussing and negotiating. No decisions have been made yet. A lot depends on whether or not we air "Big Brother. If the show comes on, we'll have a strong program every day for fifteen weeks.
Shows like "Robinson," "Millionaire Show" or "Big Brother" can achieve short-term success. But once they're off the air, the audience is gone, too. Such shows are no recipe for retaining viewers on a regular basis. But TV3 needs them.
Wildberger: We are still in the start-up phase and need to create reach. Programs like this help. But we're also at a point where we need to create more solid structures so that people watch us more regularly. That's clear. That's why we're thinking, for example, of broadcasting the "Millionaire Show" regularly once a week in the fall.
These ratings hits are also insanely expensive. They can't be refinanced at all.
Wildberger: At the moment, that's true. But shows like "Robinson" or the "Millionaire Show" have a marketing function. If we broadcast such formats regularly in the future, production costs will also go down. In the fall, we're planning to broadcast the "Millionaire Show" regularly once a week, and there will also be a new edition of "Robinson" next year.
TV3 has scaled back its programming investments in the months when advertising is weak. It's dangerous for a new station to follow the cycles of the advertising industry. First, after all, you have to attract viewers, and that only works with constant programming.
Wildberger: We also have to keep revenues and expenses somewhat in balance. We can't afford an expensive program that attracts a lot of viewers but generates little advertising revenue.
The advertising industry also insists on predictable and therefore constant programming. That's not possible if you're constantly rebuilding.
Wildberger: The advertisers want regular performances throughout the week that can be planned for a year or half a year. Unfortunately, however, we can't guarantee that as long as the station is under construction. Nevertheless, we are deliberately not changing anything at all until the summer. In the fall, we'll be changing a lot of things again, that's true.
TV3 is not only struggling with its own productions. The big films also have too few viewers. Even blockbusters usually have a market share of well under five percent.
Wildberger: That's right. Here, too, we are not yet where we want to be. Films simply need time. Swiss broadcasters have the image of not showing good films. We have to fight against that and set an example. For example, we have now programmed "Titanic" at the same time as the stations in Germany and Austria.
But that will probably remain an exception. When it comes to first broadcast rights, the financially strong Pro7 and RTL will always be ahead.
Wildberger: As a rule, advance broadcasting rights are not affordable for us. Simultaneous broadcasts have to be negotiated hard. We're in the same boat as SFDRS.
TV3 is again talking about rising market shares. But that's only due to exceptional formats like "Robinson" or "Millionärsshow. Other shows have not made gains.
Wildberger: "Robinson" and "Millionärsshow" show us that with the right programming, we have a chance in the market. In addition, shows like "Fohrler live" and the series "Eine himmlische Familie" are gaining ground.
But such new, successful formats are in short supply and the licenses for them are very expensive. It will probably never be possible to fill an entire full program with them.
Wildberger: There are certainly fifteen formats at the moment that have the potential to become a top show and that we could do right away. But of course it's always a question of money.
And that's what's missing, as evidenced by the massive cuts in TV3's programming. The cuts happened shortly after your partner SBS was taken over by UPC. Can the current cost-cutting efforts be interpreted as a signal from your new co-owner?
Wildberger: Our current share price has nothing whatsoever to do with the takeover of SBS by UPC. The takeover has not yet been completed. What is certain is that UPC itself has a long-term investment strategy. And it needs content from Germany, Austria and Switzerland to do so. UPC wants to get into these countries.
But you are more economical with your funds, that is obvious.
Wildberger: We have to try to keep income and expenses in balance. Our advertising revenues are lower than planned. Of course, that also has an impact on the budget.
Originally, TV3 had an annual budget of 73 million francs. By how much did you cut it back?
Wildberger: We have adjusted our budget to the lower revenues. But I can't give you any figures.
Have you also revised your market share targets? Before TV3 was launched, there was talk of a market share of 10 to 15 percent in three years. That no longer seems realistic at the moment?
Wildberger: Our target is still a market share of ten percent, and at the moment the ratings are rising.
TV3 not only has problems with its programming. Now Bakom is also coming to clarify whether TV3 is violating its license by canceling "News um 7.
Wildberger: I am optimistic that the proceedings will end in our favor. Information doesn't just take place in the news broadcasts. We have a whole series of other infoloaded programs, such as "Fohrler live" or the documentaries. Interview: Daniel Schifferle

Foreign stations are on the retreat in all parts of the countryBy Markus Knöpfli After a slump in 1996, the importance of radio as a medium is on the rise again in Switzerland, but it is still lower than in 1995. The SRG stations in Ticino are benefiting from this upswing, and the private radio stations in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland. The foreign stations, on the other hand, are losing ground - even in a long-term comparison.
The latest figures from the SRG Radio Study say one thing above all: the number of radio listeners throughout Switzerland remains stable. In German-speaking Switzerland, 77 percent of the population aged 15 and over tune in to the radio on weekdays, while the figure is 70 percent in French-speaking Switzerland and 71 percent in Italian-speaking Switzerland. The situation has remained unchanged since 1996 - with very small deviations in Ticino.
However, radio usage increased: in German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland, it rose by two minutes each to 200 and 140 minutes respectively, while in the SI, the medium increased by twelve minutes to 146 minutes. Despite this jump, usage in Ticino is still 20 minutes below the 1995 figure, and in the SR nine minutes below. In German-speaking Switzerland, on the other hand, a new record has been set in terms of listening time.
If we look at the regions, we see further differences: While SRG radio stations, private stations and foreign stations in German-speaking Switzerland have more or less stable daily reach, private stations and SRG are converging in terms of listening time. Since 1996, SRG programs have been listened to for five minutes less (now 94 minutes), but private stations have increased their listening time by nine minutes to 80 minutes.
The market shares have shifted accordingly: SRG comes in at 47 percent (down one percent from 1998), the private stations at 40 percent (up two percent), and the foreign stations fell one point to 13 percent.
In Suisse romande, SRG, private and foreign stations also show stable reach, but here the private stations are increasing listening time at the expense of the foreign radio stations, while the SRG stations remain stable compared to 1998 (up one minute). The new figures: SRG 59 minutes, private 55 minutes (plus five minutes), foreigners 25 minutes (minus five minutes). SRG maintains its market share at 42 percent, the private stations increase by four to 40 percent, and the foreigners drop from 22 to 18 percent.
In Ticino, the picture is quite different: Although the private broadcasters were able to increase their daily reach by two percent to eight percent, primarily at the expense of SRG, SRG has nevertheless gained market share. It now has 77 percent (up five percent), the Priavten nine (up one percent), while the foreign stations have only 14 percent (down six percent).
SRG programs were able to increase because they are listened to significantly longer than in 1998, with an increase of 15 minutes (new 121 minutes), compared to only two minutes for private stations (new 14), and foreigners stay tuned in for six minutes less (new 23 minutes).

Television consumption rises slightly - SF DRS maintains stable market shareAs in previous years, the regional SRG stations were again clearly the most watched programs in 1999.In German-speaking Switzerland, five minutes more television was watched in 1999 than in the previous year, averaging 137 minutes per day (1998: 132 minutes). In Suisse romande with 161 minutes (1998: 154 minutes) and also in Svizzera italiana with 170 minutes (1998: 164 minutes) per person, the increase in TV use was even more pronounced. In all three parts of the country, women sat in front of the screen longer than men.
SRG stations accounted for 46 minutes (1998: 45 minutes) in German-speaking Switzerland, 58 minutes (1998: 56 minutes) in French-speaking Switzerland and 61 minutes (1998: 58 minutes) in Ticino.
Although the number of TV channels in German-speaking Switzerland increased in 1999, SF DRS recorded the same market share in prime time as in the previous year (42.5 percent), at 42.2 percent. However, there was a "shift back" in audience from SF 2 (6.6 percent/minus one percent) to SF 1 (35.6 percent/plus 0.7 percent). Tele 24 came in at 2.6 percent in its first full year, and TV 3 at 2.7 percent in the last four months of 1999.
At 38.2 percent, TSR (TSR 1+TSR 2) was slightly below the 1998 figure (39.1 percent). TSI (TSI 1 + TSI 2), at 39.7 percent, significantly improved on the previous year's figure (38.2 percent). TSI 1 in particular (34.0 percent/plus 1.3 percent) made clear gains, while TSI 2 remained virtually stable at 5.7 percent. Tele Ticino had a market share of one percent in the second half of 1999.
A word on the use of video recorders: 69 percent of the Swiss population aged 15 and over have a video recorder (German-speaking Switzerland: 67 percent, Suisse romande: 76 percent, Svizzera italiana: 67 percent). In German-speaking Switzerland, video playback was used during 51, in French-speaking Switzerland during
60 minutes per day in Switzerland and 54 minutes per day in Ticino. In all three regions, video is still used more frequently by children (3-14 years) than by adults. Markus Knöpfli

An unknown man uses slang headlines to promote more religiosity in the USABy Thérèse Balduzzi An unusual campaign is making headlines in America: On billboards and television, God is speaking to people in slang in forty states. The client wants to remain anonymous.
"Let's meet at my house on Sunday. - God," "Have you read my No. 1 bestseller? - God" or "I really meant it - God" were written on billboards in Florida in 1998. Behind it was an anonymous client who had rented a handful of advertising spaces in Fort Lauderdale (Florida) to spread his private interpretation of Bible texts. The Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), the industry organization for outdoor advertising, which annually takes up a public service campaign free of charge, ensured that the campaign was distributed nationwide on more than 10000 billboards in 40 states.
In its new phase, which has just started, the campaign is aimed specifically at young people. This, too, is being shown in forty states on posters, on buses, at bus stops and in shopping malls, and is being broadcast as a TV spot in which the messages are sprayed onto the screen to techno music.
For the "God speaks to Kids" campaign, God speaks in the slang of American youth: "Let me be your ecstasy," "Think I planted stuff down here for you to smoke?" and "Yo, casual sex is on my list of deadly sins" are the ingratiating sayings to America's youth.
The 16 messages to young people mainly revolve around alcohol, drug abuse, divorced parents, sex, hatred and violence and are based on the Ten Commandments. A forum has been set up on the website www.wuzupgod.com where young people can share their thoughts on the subject.
Both campaigns were designed by agency SmithAgency.com, a subsidiary of QuikBIZ Internetgroup in Fort Lauderdale. The second round was launched in partnership with Gateway Outdoor Advertising of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania, which donated the money to place billboards in 15 markets.
Gateway has also made connections with other outdoor advertising firms that have underwritten the cost of eight additional markets. The campaign will appear primarily in urban areas, including New York, Los Angeles, Denver, Washington D.C., Miami, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia.
The following statement was released through the agency by the client, who wishes to remain anonymous: "Every day we watch our children die and our families destroyed. When people talk to God, establish a relationship with God, and are guided by His rules, we will begin to save lives."
All that is known about the mysterious client is that he is an individual, a man who sensed a need for religion because of the Lewinsky scandal and the shootings in American schoolyards. According to SmithAgency insiders, he is a powerful, wealthy man who is said to have close ties to the evangelical community.
MTV has rejected the unknown's spots
Criticism of the campaign centered at most on the question of whether it was ethically okay to put such casual language in God's mouth. In a country where the religious right has grown in power in recent years and is accustomed to spreading and imposing its opinions, it is surprising that the campaign did not trigger more fundamental debates. Only the cable channel MTV is known to have rejected the ad for this reason, while the black music channel BET has accepted it.

Daniel Brunner wants to whip the Zuger Presse into shapeBy Bruno Amstutz The Zuger Presse experiment is heading for ruin. The alternative to the powerful competitor Neue Zuger Zeitung has exhausted its financial reserves. Now Daniel Brunner wants to turn things around.
"I describe myself as impatient, but long-suffering. But my long-suffering is at an end." Landis & Gyr heir Daniel Brunner wants to take the business of Zuger Presse into his own hands. As one of the main shareholders and founding fathers of the newspaper, he also has to bear a large share of the financial losses: they amounted to CHF 1.3 million last year.
Now Brunner is pulling the emergency brake and setting out on a new course, under his own direction. To do this, he needs the approval of the other shareholders. Brunner already owns 23.5 percent of the shares, but the voting weight is limited to 10 percent. This rule must be lifted on May 9 by a majority of 75 percent of the votes so that Brunner can do as he pleases.
His grab for the majority of the shares and the management still has to be approved, but Brunner's ideas about the new direction of Zuger Presse are already concrete. "Print alone won't get us into the black," he is convinced, "but opportunities are aplenty on Zug's streets."
The greatest potential lies in the Internet
Brunner senses great potential above all in the Internet sector and thus wants to turn the plight of the print edition into the virtue of the new Zug press. A daily newspaper would not be financially viable at the present time, and the high costs are even forcing the editors to reduce the print editions: Starting in the fall of 2000, the Zuger Presse will appear only twice a week instead of three times.
The Zug press delivers the latest news on the net, because it can no longer guarantee the print edition on a permanent basis. New sources of income are also opening up there: Banner advertising, subscribable information channels and e-shops.
"We no longer want to just sell print and ads," says Daniel Brunner, explaining the concept, "because choice increases consumer delight." Discussion forums and marketplaces are intended to encourage active participation by the public, and a web factory will offer services.
A second mainstay is urgently needed, because the print version of the Zuger Presse is undergoing a complete overhaul. The Monday edition is being cancelled, as is early delivery. These measures will reduce costs, but subscription prices will also have to be lowered, and logically, fewer issues also mean a drop in advertising.
In addition, the subscription combination with the Tages-Anzeiger expires at the end of this year, and continuation is not assured. Brunner is very interested in a further cooperation, but he remains realistic: "The combination was favorable for the Zug press, but expensive marketing for the Tages-Anzeiger. But Zug is an interesting place in the longer term." Around half of Zuger Presse's current circulation of just under 5500 copies was generated by the Abokombi.
In order to attract advertisers again, the Zuger Presse will undergo a redesign in the fall. A clear section structure and special pages planned for the long term are intended to attract advertisers, while marketplaces and entertainment pages are intended to increase reading pleasure. However, Daniel Brunner does not envisage a complete repositioning: "We have a journalistic bracket that holds together the most diverse sections of the population. We want to maintain that."
Seeing Daniel Brunner as the sole captain of the Zug press might not please some Zug residents. His past as a left-green regional politician has earned him the nickname "the red Dani". But Brunner does not want to offer this attack surface in his position. Both the editorial team and he himself emphasize the journalistic independence of the Zug press. Brunner does not want to create a Zug WoZ and only wants to be seen in his function as an entrepreneur, not as a politician.
Professional competence instead of political orientation
In the future, the Board of Directors should also be a technically oriented body and not a political one. A first step towards refreshment has been taken with the participation of Matthias Luchsinger, CEO of Cinecom & Media AG. "Matthias should bring his professional expertise to the table," says Brunner, "and he's also an image booster." Luchsinger's involvement, Brunner hopes, could also send positive signals in the direction of TA-Media.

At the end of last week, Das Magazin editor-in-chief Roger Köppel invited guests to the annual photo night at the EWZ substation in Selnau, Zurich.by Beat Fritsch In contrast to faded photo nights, the atmosphere was downright civilized. Although the cream of Zurich's barmaids and bartenders were shaking it up behind the centrally set up bar, the whole thing didn't seem to develop any party dynamics. Many cultural and other celebrities appeared, and so the invitation retained the - admittedly not unpleasant - level of a well-heeled and attended vernissage throughout the evening.
The magazine photo night offers a lot for the eye, as it is both a competition and a showcase of the work of young Swiss photo stars. The jury headed by Thomas Cugini had to deal with a large number of submissions. Cugini, together with magazine editor Wendelin Hess and picture editor Tiberio Cardu, presented the photo prize to winner Peter Tillessen.
Basel soul interpreter Nubya put on a convincing performance, but unfortunately the musical performance was somewhat lost. The band was positioned above the heads of the visitors in a corner of the hall and could not win the attention of the smalltalking guests. In contrast, the photo studio on the upper floor: the digital photo corner of the magazine crew, equipped with finesse and backdrops, was well received. In keeping with the location, guests were allowed to pose as Frankenstein's bride or groom on an electric chair.
In addition to the EWZ, the event was sponsored by the mobile phone provider Orange. Andreas Wetter, head of communications, was on site to see for himself the quality of the event.
The audience presented itself as a melange of advertisers, journalists and publishing people. One of the first guests from the communications pie to be spotted was ASW board member Stefan Hofmann with companion Analoú Pereira. The ASW leadership crew seems to be cleverly dividing up the representation duties. Already in the afternoon we saw President Diego Bally as ASW representative at the AGM of the direct marketers.
Christoph Bürge, Client Service Director at Migros agency Exxtra, showed up accompanied by Petra Hiltenbrand, consultant at Advico Young & Rubicam, Tina Röckl from Tally Wejl, and Philipp Skrabal, AD at Matter und Partner. From the Zurich advertising house, Rafael Müller was seen together with Markus Graber from TA-Media and Beat Frei from Frei & Glaus. Thomas Weber from the PR agency Publicum came with photographer Roland Tännler and Sabina Diethelm from Bolero. Hanspeter Lebrument and Myriam Engler even traveled from Graubünden. Qualimedia managing director Christof Kaufmann was pleased about winning the budget of Internetwunder Day.
Christoph Meier and Josi Bauer, meanwhile, are worried. As beer lovers and due to recent developments, they fear that all the media francs for beer ads will soon be flowing down the Rhine.
Fridolin Holdener and Inge Willmann were enthusiastic about the pictures shown. The qualified advertising manager is to expand the communications division at the recruitment agency VMK. Her former employer, the British editorial agency Forward Publishing, has left Switzerland again. With the departure of Loeb/Hasen from the Migros boardroom, some of her projects were also discontinued. Among them was a food and lifestyle magazine that Forward Publishing was working on.
Beat Fritsch

marveled at works by Swiss photographers at the magazine photo night, but was ultimately most enthusiastic about the living work of art Monika Schärer.
Whoever else can be photographed in the advertising scene will be spotted at a wide variety of events in the scene. However, the editorial team decides who will definitely make it onto the coveted shortlist. Do you actually already have something to report? Then you seize times fast to the listener (01 296 97 98) or mailen you to [email protected]. Online, there are event tips at www.werbewoche.ch.