next to the well-known advertising ibexes Gian and Giachen. 

What Swiss advertising client wouldn't want the same viral success for their campaign? But how do virals actually work? Which mechanisms promote virality? And which stories does Switzerland like? The industry association IAB Switzerland, the Center for Storytelling and the agency Coundco want to answer these and similar questions and have launched the study "Virality in Switzerland". The aim is to define the terms "virality" and "viral campaign" more precisely and to evaluate the order of magnitude of success figures from Switzerland.

Orientation for marketing managers

"Marketing departments often express the wish that their campaign should contain a viral element in the briefing. However, the expectations behind the word 'viral' are very different," explains Florian Wieser, Partner at Coundco, the agency in charge of the study. The study aims to change this. "We want to provide marketing managers with clues. For example, what expectations can be placed on a viral campaign and what requirements must be met," says Wieser. 

Online survey: take part now

Current and past examples of viral stories, campaigns or videos with Swiss origins are being sought for the study. The survey takes about five minutes. Participants are given an insight into the results and thus a guide for their next campaign.

Click here for the survey: www.swissvirals.ch. 

Why did Paul become a star? 

More about the "All Eyes on Galaxy S4" campaign from Swisscom: here.

It is said that children become lonely, that they no longer know what to do with themselves. However, this is less their fault than that of the parents. They are the real culprits. This was also shown in a recent viral post on Facebook by a lawyer who points out the social media sins of parents. In the post, the man describes the actions of numerous fathers and mothers: Without any hesitation (it seems), they published highly personal, even intimate photos of their children. I share his incomprehension. He explains that "even with meticulously selected privacy settings, the "distribution circle" on social networks is unmanageably large in most cases. What he means to say is that the way people present their children, and in some cases their entire careers, on social platforms is simply negligent. And you don't have to be surprised if the photos reappear years later in a completely different place.

But that's not all. What I also don't understand is when the new devices are portrayed as scapegoats for the children's unpleasant developments. But whose fault is that? It's not the machines, and even less the bored children themselves. It is not the machine that is the scapegoat, but the way it is used. So often, when kids complain that they don't know what to do, I see parents "sedating" them with the devices. They just shove an iPad in their hands for entertainment. When I think of parents upgrading their cars, installing screens so that yes, the youngsters won't be bored on the drive south, I can get really upset. What did we do back then? We had to look out of the window until boredom made us invent a game. What this has to do with the lawyer's contribution? The fuss about the danger of the "new media" reflects one thing above all: a double standard. How are children supposed to learn the right way to deal with the new "distraction possibilities" if their parents support them in the "wrong" way? How are children supposed to learn what has a place in social networks and what doesn't, if their parents have already shared countless photos of their children's careers?

In principle, I have nothing against sharing - I preach "sharing is caring" often enough. But that's exactly the point: caring also means not sharing. Parents have it in their hands. They can control, they can still be role models. They are the ones who show their children how to behave on social networks and how to use the devices. I already feel sorry for the children who later see how their parents uploaded all those photos to the Internet.

Manuel P. Nappo, Director of Studies CAS Social Media Management HWZ Hochschule für Wirtschaft Zürich. www.fh-hwz.ch/smm
 

"If a story is so good that it can become really big, then it's worth investing in it". SBB, Swisscom, Mammut, Globetrotter, Raiffeisen and Nikon said the same thing and joined forces for the "Train The World" project. "It's very exciting to work with five big brands. It means we can get something big off the ground even with small individual budgets," says Christina "Shibby" Schmid from SBB.

For this purpose, Coundco has set up the community website Traintheworld.ch developed. Because even the best story needs the right platform to reach and inspire the community, the agency said in a statement on Thursday. The website included the joint conception of the entire event, the strategy for community building and management and the technical implementation of the backend. "This project encompasses many aspects of digital communication and brings together many committed people from different brands. This collaboration is extremely exciting," summarizes Garry Bachmann, Production Manager at Coundco.

Six teams fight for three places

Each company contributes its know-how to send three teams on a trip around the world. Six teams competed for these three places and you are already in the middle of the story: on Traintheworld.ch, the six teams told the stories of their first challenges in Switzerland in text, pictures and film. It was then up to the community to vote and send one of the teams directly on a trip around the world. The other two teams were selected by a jury from all the brands.

Supported in their travel planning by Globetrotter, equipped with backpacks and clothing from Mammut, cameras from Nikon, credit cards from Raiffeisen and cell phones from Swisscom, the adventure begins for the last three teams in October. One will travel from Moscow to Australia, one from Bern to Cape Town and one from New York to Buenos Aires. And the whole of Switzerland can accompany the teams on their journey. Everyone can choose and support "their" team. Specifically with tips for the trip, contacts in the countries or knowledge about cultural peculiarities.

Peter Erni, Social Media Manager at Mammut, sees a lot of positives in the collaboration between the brands: "As we are not competing with each other, we all benefit from each other's fan base and contacts. " In the end, the team with the largest fan base emerges as the winner of "Train the World". For the teams, it's all about having the coolest travel blog with the best photos, funniest anecdotes and most atmospheric videos. And to mobilize and entertain the community. The website is to be Switzerland's big adventure platform until the end of the trips.

Responsible at SBB: Oliver Tamas (Head of Portal Management/Social Media), Christina "Shibby" Schmid and Martina Messerli (Social Media). Responsible at Globetrotter: Dany Gehrig (CEO), Lars Schöps (Project Manager Online Marketing), Ruedi Bless (CEO Globotrain). Responsible at Swisscom: Julia Friedl (Social Media). Responsible at Mammut: Daniela Enke (Head of Online Communications & PR), Peter Erni (Social Media). Responsible at Raiffeisen: Nadine Stutz (Social Media). Responsible at Nikon: Matteo Lonati (Manager Marketing Communication). Responsible at Coundco: Garry Bachmann (project manager/concept), Marie Sophie Pascher (screen design/CICD), Theo Gutmann (web developer/tech. management), Pascal Howald (social media developer/hardware).

Although the child's parents immediately threatened to sue, according to the media, the specific case is not so bad from a legal point of view, but it shows that advertising with heads or people can generally be legally problematic. After all, everyone has a right to their appearance, their image, which only they can control; this generally includes celebrities, such as former Federal Councillor Metzler, who was once used for a daily newspaper's advertising campaign without being asked.
 
The so-called right to one's own image is a personal right under Art. 28 of the Swiss Civil Code. This right begins at birth and ends at death. The right to one's own image concerns not only the taking and publication of a portrait of a person, but of any part of the body, provided that the person can be recognized by anyone on the basis of this publication; e.g. also on the basis of a tattoo.
 
As the right to one's own image ends with death, images of the dead that were taken during their lifetime can generally be used freely for advertising purposes. This makes it difficult for the parents of the deceased child to take legal action against the Montreux Jazz Festival. At best, they may be able to invoke their own right to privacy. From a legal perspective, people like former Federal Councillor Metzler are so-called persons of contemporary history. Relative persons of contemporary history are associated with a specific event. In the case of former Federal Councillor Metzler, this is her time as a Federal Councillor. If this is always reported on, pictures of her from this time may always be published. Famous people, such as the Queen of England, achieve the status of an absolute person of contemporary history. Images of such persons may generally be published. But even such people are no longer "fair game" for paparazzi. In a case concerning Princess Caroline of Monaco, the ECHR Court ruled that persons of contemporary history - even absolute ones - also have privacy, even if they move around in public spaces, and severely restricted the taking and publication of such images. In the case of historical figures and celebrities, a distinction must also be made between the publication of images in the context of editorial articles and the use of images of celebrities in advertising. While the former is permitted within the aforementioned legal framework, advertising with celebrities is only permitted with their express consent. In general, images of people may only be used for advertising with their explicit consent.
 
A special case is people who can be seen randomly and not in focus in a photograph, e.g. in a street or on a square. From a legal point of view, these are so-called staffage, i.e. they belong to the corresponding space, so to speak. However, caution is also required here. Especially when people appear in a context that is unpleasant for them. The Federal Supreme Court has just confirmed this, albeit in a different context, in its Google Street View ruling. A person whose image rights have been infringed can take action against anyone responsible for the infringement under both civil and, in principle, criminal law. Among other things, the removal of the infringement, compensation for damages and, in serious cases, satisfaction can be demanded. As a result, entire advertising campaigns may have to be discontinued and scrapped. This can also result in claims for damages by clients against advertising agencies and graphic designers. When advertising with heads, special attention must therefore be paid to the personal rights of the people depicted. Advertising departments, advertising agencies and graphic designers must make sure that they have the appropriate rights for the publication in question.
 
Ueli GrüterLL.M., attorney at law, Grüter Schneider & Partner AG, Zurich/Lucerne, is a lecturer in communications law at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and co-editor of the book Kommunikationsrecht.ch. He comments on practical legal issues in advertising once a month in Werbewoche. Questions can be sent to the Werbewoche legal expert at [email protected].

Raspberry pink, pistachio green, chocolate brown. For some years now, Luxemburgerli from Confiserie Sprüngli have no longer been sold in the white and blue cardboard box, but packaged along the lines of the sweet macaroons. Contents and packaging match, the inside corresponds to the outside. "A perfect symbiosis," says André Hauser, who helped give the traditional product a new cover. With his company Hauser & Partner, the owner has been communicating for companies, brands, agencies for 32 years. Messages and emotions are transported via three-dimensional means of communication. With packaging, in a shop window, via the design of a trade fair stand, corporate architecture or event marketing. For the cosmetics chain Marionnaud, Hauser & Partner is in charge of the entire branch network in Switzerland; hundreds of shop windows that are renewed every two weeks. The company helped McDonald's to a fitting appearance at the OLMA, and realized a multifunctional lounge for the Wirz agency. On the occasion of the Credit Suisse annual general meeting, the Zurich Hallenstadion was remodeled - including reception, stage area, conference and aperitif zones, and a wayfinding concept.

The goal is always to find the perfect form for each company, for each product. From a black cardboard box, Hauser pulls out a new men's perfume. It's a slim, cylindrical bottle with Bakelite caps at the ends. "The shape expresses what's inside." Round, simple and strong, like the product itself - a tart scent reminiscent of incense. Hauser sees everything in pictures. Numbers are not abstract to him, but carry a certain color. The 3, for example, is always green. There's no other way. "Synesthesia was the reason why it took me longer than the others to do mental arithmetic." Hauser knew early on that he would one day design. As a teenager, however, he had architect in mind as his dream job. The apprenticeship he began as a structural draftsman was abandoned after just three months. It was "too narrow" for him.

With the subsequent apprenticeship as a window dresser, a world opened up to him. He dealt with agencies, manufacturers, craftsmen and customers, gaining insight into the entire process, from concept to production to presentation at the POS. "I knew a relatively large amount, a little bit of everything, but nothing really." He didn't want to leave it at that. Hauser wanted to understand every single step independently. So that he could once produce his ideas himself. Today, Hauser & Partner covers the entire process: from the initial idea to planning, production, assembly and dismantling, and disposal. On an area of almost 3500 square meters, the company conceives, designs, prints and produces in Dübendorf. 75 people are employed for this purpose: Poly designers, interior designers, advertising technicians, graphic designers, construction and furniture carpenters, civil engineering draftsmen, model builders, textile technicians, etc. A large number of the three-dimensional communication materials are produced right on site, in the new building that was occupied in 2012. Hauser gives a tour of the building, showing printing presses and the production facility. The elevator takes us down to the basement. Here, counters, tables, chairs, armchairs, chandeliers, spotlights, cushions and much more are stored on 9000 cubic meters. Everything that is needed for an event.

A large hall in the center of the building offers space to set up installations - and to present them to customers. At the moment, huge light chains are being installed on the concrete wall. "Hauser is convinced that "three-dimensional communication has to be experienced. "That's the only way it unfolds its impact." He takes the perfume packaging in hand again. "When I see this box as a picture, it's just a black box. Only when I touch it do I get a sense of what it really is. How big it is, how rough the surface. " During the walk through the offices, Hauser comes to talk about the company's philosophy. He emphasizes that his employees are involved in the work process from conception to result and take responsibility. The owner is convinced that this increases job satisfaction and motivation. Nothing was left to chance in the design and furnishing of the office building either. The workstations are set up flexibly. The height of the desks, for example, can be adjusted at the touch of a button. A cafeteria with a large courtyard has been set up on the top floor. This is where people eat together. Shortly before noon, a cook is busy preparing food in the open kitchen.

"For me, André Hauser is an exemplary entrepreneur," says Dominique von Matt, owner of Jung von Matt/Limmat. "He has managed to build a special corporate culture: open, participative, inspiring, with a light touch and a high degree of humanity. In our business, that's the key to success." With the new company headquarters, a wish has come true for Hauser. Now the environment also matches the company. The cool and unagitated aluminum and glass building offers the 3-D specialists an ideal environment in which to design. "Our work is loud, so the surroundings have to be discreet," explains Hauser.

Loud, that means to stand out. Hauser & Partner surprises without having to resort to the stylistic devices "even bigger ", "even shoutier". For the launch of the new Mini Convertible, Hauser cracked the top of an ordinary Mini with a 250-cm-long can opener. True to detail down to the last screw. "André Hauser's work is characterized by stylistic confidence and independence," says von Matt. Hauser thinks beyond the given. This is how he scores points with clients. "His three-dimensional solutions are not 1:1 implementations of an existing communication concept. He always surprises with his own ideas and thus creates added value. That's what's fascinating about the collaboration. " "He is a creative and visionary mind who sets high standards for himself in terms of organization, perfection and execution," says Tomas Prenosil, CEO of Confiserie Sprüngli. The family-owned company has had Hauser & Partner provide holistic support for years. "André Hauser is a sensitive and reliable partner and has a feel for what a company needs." There is often a tendency among clients to show as much as possible, to communicate a lot, says Hauser. That leads to a mess, he says, in which it's no longer clear what it's all about. "The art is called omission." Hauser's credo: Show as little as possible - but really loudly. He demonstrated this for Sprüngli, for example, in the production of the truffle creation "Blanc&Noir": a white shop window with just four black bars enclosing a small glass display case with the product.

Even though no one goes into town to look at the shop windows anymore - except maybe at Christmas - Hauser is convinced of the strength of the medium. "It is an efficient means of communicating values and strategies," says the entrepreneur. In the short term, to draw attention to a product and increase sales, but equally in the longer term, for branding and positioning the company. Prenosil also emphasizes this. "The shop window is a very essential communication tool for us, and also a good measurement tool for our promotions," says the CEO of Confiserie Sprüngli. "The customers' reactions are immediately noticeable." Thus, at least the short-term success after a product has been presented in a new way can be determined straightforwardly on the basis of sales figures.

Hauser finds it exciting to integrate new media into three-dimensional communication. Technically, he says, screens are slowly getting to the point where they can be used. But he often underestimates the fact that a digital medium makes people believe that everything is new and up-to-date. The content therefore has to change constantly. "If a screen runs the same thing three times, that's much worse than a good installation." In a fast-paced age where passersby are bombarded with news, images and music, Hauser then finds it equally exciting to leave everything out and focus on just one thing. "I want to create something that sticks." Something that makes people look again, take their time and let something sink in. "We've forgotten how to feel with our eyes." No wonder, Hauser particularly likes the diamond network of steel stretched around the facade at the company headquarters. Because you have to look closely here. From the front, the shear cut is practically invisible, but it gains in intensity the closer you look at it at an angle to the façade, until finally there is only steel to be seen, no more glass. The facade seems to move steadily until you realize that it is you who is moving. "It's like life. Nothing happens by itself, you have to do it yourself," Hauser says. "Once you realize that for the first time, you accomplish a relatively large amount."

Isabel Imper

In a nutshell

After training as a window dresser, Andre Hauser (59) worked at Jelmoli from 1975 onwards (3D designer/marketing/merchandising). In 1981 he founded Hauser & Partner. With 75 permanent employees and a freelancer network, the company communicates in the third dimension. The spectrum includes window dressing and object staging, packaging, interior design, trade fair design, signage systems as well as exhibitions and event marketing. Clients include companies such as Beyer Chronometrie AG, Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprungli (Schweiz) AG, Confiserie Sprungli AG, Credit Suisse AG, Engadin St. Moritz Mountains AG, Exersuisse Service AG, Flughafen Zurich AG, Gais Center Aarau, KPMG AG, LVMH PC Parfums Cosmetiques SA, Marionnaud Switzerland AG, Shoppingcenter Gaupark, Shoppi Tivoli, Sihlcity Center, Tissot S.A., UBS AG, Walo Bertschinger AG.
 

WW: Mr. Kaiser, what does the new partnership look like? Are you setting up a new company together?
Thomas Kaiser: Both partners - Ringier and Seven Ventures - maintain an intensive exchange with regard to possible investments and decide on a case-by-case basis in what form and in what proportion they will become involved in individual start-up companies. This means that neither a joint company nor a fund will be founded.

As you know, this is how Seven Ventures works: The company looks for young companies that offer a product or service in the B2C sector. It then offers these companies advertising time on the channels Pro7, Sat1 and Kabel 1 as well as on their online platforms and receives either a revenue share (media-for-revenue) or a company share (media-for-equity) in return. - Can you name a company that has become big thanks to Seven Ventures?
A good example is the online fashion store Zalando: Here you can see the scale on which the model works and what could be achieved in a relatively short time.

What role will Ringier now play? Do you want to offer additional advertising space in print, radio and online?
Exactly, and also with an investment focus on B2C. The media reach of both partners to achieve the branding or sales targets of the investments is very complementary. The marketing mix can change significantly depending on the orientation of the portfolio company. The interaction of offline and online channels significantly increases the effectiveness of campaigns. Print and radio channels can also be used to increase the regionalization of advertising.

What is the goal from Ringier's point of view?
First and foremost, it is about getting in touch with young online entrepreneurs and working with them to develop their companies. However, our aim is also to introduce these companies to traditional media and their impact. Experience has shown that many only start using traditional channels at a very late stage. Prior to this, they often only use online channels for several years - where they are usually slow to build awareness and reach.

What criteria are used to select the companies?
The company must already be active on the market and have an existing "infrastructure": a strong founding team, an existing basic technology, a functioning mobile app, customer service, logistics, etc. An ideal candidate has already demonstrated on a manageable scale that its business model is attracting market interest (measured, for example, by the number of downloads of the mobile app). Now it is a matter of quickly building awareness and a market position. This is precisely where the cooperation between Ringier and Seven Ventures comes in. Ideally - but not necessarily - there is also potential for international expansion in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Interested start-ups can contact us at www.ringierdigital.ch/ventures.

Why is Ringier Digital, of all companies, taking action?
Ringier Digital has the appropriate "environment" and offers numerous "points of contact" for the young entrepreneurs: marketing, technology and process know-how. In addition to media reach and financial resources, the exchange between experienced online entrepreneurs and young start-up entrepreneurs represents an invaluable asset for both sides. Ringier Digital also keeps its eyes open for the other Ringier business areas of Publishing and Entertainment. The Ventures business is therefore not limited to Ringier Digital's business models (classifieds, e-commerce, digital marketing).

Ringier will therefore become a kind of bank that grants media loans. What enables Ringier to take on this new role? And how much money will be made available each year?
Ringier Digital has experience in the development of online business models thanks to its own history (e.g. through the establishment of the Scout24 Switzerland Group) and speaks the language of founders. We have not set a fixed ventures budget. It is clear to us that in some cases media volumes alone are not enough, but that cash will also be needed for investments in technology, sales staff or customer services, in the sense of traditional financing.

Do you agree pre-emption rights with the start-ups?
This can be agreed on a case-by-case basis if it is clear at an early stage that this will develop into a strategic investment or the interlocking with existing Ringier investments is obvious. As a rule, however, this will not be the case at the beginning of the cooperation. A financial participation in a potential sale of the company to third parties (trade sale) at a later stage is also an option.

When does the partnership apply?
The partnership is already underway. Initial investment options are currently being analyzed. In addition to options that are new for both partners, we are also analyzing the transfer of models to Switzerland that have already been successfully developed by Seven Ventures in Germany.

What is the focus in Switzerland: the media-for-equity or the media-for-revenue business?
This cannot yet be estimated. We are therefore actively communicating both models. Which model makes sense for a company and how high the revenue share is must be discussed on a case-by-case basis.

Is a revenue share fair? Ringier and Seven Ventures skim off the top even in loss-making years.
It is more than fair. It's not about giving away media services, but about keeping the entry barrier to media channels extremely low, which would otherwise not be available to these young, up-and-coming companies in this development phase. We have also made the experience - also internally at Ringier - with media cooperations that the media channels are only meaningfully optimized and success actively shaped if a "minimum payment" is made for them.

Will Ringier's existing investments (Geschenkidee, Scout24 portals, Qualipet, etc.) also benefit from the new partnership?
For example, Geschenkidee.ch - a Ringier company - has been running TV advertising on ProSiebenSat1 Group channels since August on the basis of a media-for-revenue agreement. We are thus demonstrating that this form of media cooperation is also a sensible marketing measure for us. Of course, we also want to gain initial experience in this way.

Why does Ringier rely on Seven Ventures for the Ventures model at all? Is the medium of TV so crucial for this?
In fact, we have repeatedly relied on TV advertising in addition to our own channels to build brand awareness for our own investments (DeinDeal, Autoscout24, Anibis) and have seen how useful this combination is.

However, ProSiebenSat1 and Ringier do not exactly have the same target audience: Print, Ringier's largest audience, tends to appeal to older people, whereas Pro7, Sat1 and Kabel 1 tend to appeal to younger people.
Blick am Abend and Radio Energy are just two examples that contradict this statement and show that Ringier also appeals to a young and urban audience. The complementarity of the channels is also quite intentional: by combining the reach of both media companies, the target groups should be addressed as broadly as possible. Precise targeting is carried out on the online platforms of both companies.

Who is in charge of media planning - an independent media agency or a committee of Ringier and Seven Ventures?
We have an internal coordination office that carries out professional media planning for all our investments via Ringier's media inventory. The same is done on the Seven Ventures side by the marketer Goldbach.

The channels Pro7, Sat1 and Kabel 1 are marketed in Switzerland by Goldbach Media. However, no money flows for the advertising of these start-ups. What are the consequences of the new cooperation model for Goldbach Media?
The marketer is involved as a partner. All planning of the TV placements and the handling of the campaigns are carried out by Goldbach. However, Ringier is not aware of the exact contractual aspects of the cooperation between Goldbach Media and Seven Ventures.

Goldbach Media and the advertising windows mentioned are known for (having to) provide a lot of free space. How much advertising time can you provide per year for these ventures? And how much space can Ringier provide in the print and online media and on the radio?
This is planned on a case-by-case basis.

The venture business is suitable for filling unused advertising space at ProSiebenSat1 and Ringier, even in difficult economic times. Is that one of the reasons for the new commitment?
If you go back to the origins of this idea at ProSiebenSat1, then this was certainly one of the reasons. On the other hand, we can't exactly speak of idle advertising space in the TV sector at the moment. With our print properties, the question is more about how big they are. We are therefore more interested in taking on additional forms of advertising and advertising partners.

Ringier Digital and Seven Ventures together have the largest media reach in Switzerland, writes Ringier. Is that really true? Tamedia has significantly more contacts in the online sector, as well as in print: Ringier is only better in radio and TV.
This is about the media reach that can be made available to young start-up companies as part of this cooperation. We are not aware of a more comprehensive media-for-revenue or media-for-equity package currently being offered on the market.

The Ventures business delivered triple-digit revenue growth for the ProSiebenSat1 Group in 2012. Since 2009, the Group has built up a ventures portfolio with over 50 partnerships and strategic investments. Were these figures decisive for Ringier to contact Seven Ventures?
We have been in contact with the ProSiebenSat1 Group for years, not least thanks to Ringier's investment in Sat1 Schweiz. Discussions have shown that we have very similar ideas in the ventures area and invest in the same models. This means that the combined media reach in Switzerland makes double sense.

Ringier's digital business generated sales of around CHF 195 million last year, or CHF 18% of Ringier's total sales. Turnover has grown by 29%. What push do you expect from the new partnership?
The figures you mentioned refer to the aggregated digital revenue of the Ringier Group (Publishing, Entertainment, Digital, Central Eastern Europe [CEE]), which is consolidated by Ringier. We want to grow to a digital share of 25% this year. However, the contribution from the cooperation with Seven Ventures will initially be marginal from Ringier's perspective, as we do not include the print and radio media volumes in the digital segment and will generally not consolidate the investments.

What about profits: Was Ringier's digital business self-sustaining or even profitable overall in 2012? And what share do you hope to achieve with the new ventures business?
The digital business was still in a strong development and investment phase in 2012. In 2013, however, we expect an EBITDA result in the double-digit million range. This will increase continuously in the coming years - even after taking into account further investments in the digital business.

The new deal with Seven Ventures is limited to German-speaking Switzerland. Could you imagine something similar for French-speaking Switzerland? With whom?
In terms of TV reach, this is correct. Ringier's reach in French-speaking Switzerland is already considerable and can be brought into the cooperation on a case-by-case basis.

As Ringier markets the TF1 advertising window in French-speaking Switzerland, you could implement the same model with this channel there.
We are starting with Seven Ventures. If this test is successful, we will of course discuss whether this business model can be expanded with partners such as TF1 who cover complementary areas. But there are no plans for this at the moment.

Am I right in thinking that this ventures model basically amounts to a kind of performance marketing: the start-ups become advertising clients who do not pay for media services, but allow Ringier and Seven Ventures to share in the additional (sales) success achieved?
Correct, although turnover is only one of the possible metrics. There are others, such as the gross margin in e-commerce or the growth of the customer base.

However, this model could change the mentality of Ringier's existing advertising customers: Because they could say that they too no longer want to pay fixed advertising or radio spot prices, but would rather cede a percentage of their turnover to Ringier. Is such a change in mentality even desirable?
No, this model is really only about supporting start-ups in the development phase. This is also ensured by our marketing departments, as they have a say in who is offered the model and who is not.

One question remains: If Ringier is so heavily involved in the economy in the future, promoting some companies and not others - how can the Ringier editorial teams still report independently on such economic topics and companies?
Editorial offices are just as free in their reporting as they have been in the past. Placing advertising in the media is not exactly a new business model. Nor is this about content integration.

Nevertheless, similar conflicts of interest can arise as with sports and cultural events and stars that Ringier markets: Ringier's editorial teams are biased - now increasingly also in economic matters.
The convergence of media and many B2C business models (e.g. online retail) is already well advanced. Now a media company can watch from the sidelines as others develop the markets, or actively participate itself. We have opted for the latter.

Interview: Markus Knöpfli

About the person

Thomas Kaiser, born in 1966, has been in charge of Ringier AG's digital business activities as CDO since June 2012. As CEO, he is also operationally responsible for Ringier Digital AG, which unites the leading Swiss online marketplaces, e-commerce companies and digital marketing services under one roof. Before joining Ringier, Kaiser was a member of the Group Executive Board of Publigroupe, where he was responsible for building up the Digital & Marketing Services business segment. Kaiser held management positions at Bertelsmann and Hubert Burda Media in Germany for twelve years and has been involved in the development of companies in the new media sector since 1995. Kaiser graduated with a degree in business administration from the University of St. Gallen HSG. Kaiser is a member of the board of the Swiss Chapter of the International Advertising Association.

The business division Ringier Digital combines the following business segments:

Marketplaces:
Autoscout24,
Motoscout24,
Immoscout24,
Jobscout24, Anibis.ch,
Jobcloud (Jobs.ch/
Jobup.ch)

E-Commerce:
DeinDeal,
Geschenkidee.ch/.de/.at,
Qualipet

Digital Marketing:
Competence Center
Omnimedia AG

Business Services:
In-house development and operation of online platforms and mobile applications, for example under the umbrella of Xmedia AG, Nhat Viet Group and Geomatic AG
 

Allaccess is part of the Y&R Group Switzerland.

Switzerland is known to have a problem with collecting and publishing its TV ratings. At the beginning of August, Germany presented a good alternative to the hundreds of measurements and evaluations. It should prove particularly useful for series: Just skip an episode and wait for the fans' reactions. If they get angry, it's worth continuing to produce the series. If the feedback is lukewarm, you can cancel the series.

That's what happened with "Lindenstrasse" on August 4. ARD suspended the Sunday long-running show and instead showed reports on the first main round of the DFB Cup and the swimming world championship. Is it still going on? On the Facebook page of "Lindenstrasse" and on Twitter, there was a hail of protests against this sacrilege on Sunday and Monday: "This would not have happened in the past," a Listra supporter expressed his indignation. "Lindenstrasse is an institution after all." Another user said, "You look forward to the new episode all week and then you turn on the boob tube and ... football ... really great." A third viewer hit it even harder: "It really sucked without 'Lindenstrasse.' I've never missed an episode and now this." And finally, the ARD coup also shook up "world views": "Even though I don't watch regularly - a cancellation of the series would destroy my world view for good. Listra has been a constant since I was 13," someone lamented. In short: a drama.

Shitstorm in a water glass

Before you smile, put yourself in the shoes of these people. They've been looking forward to a special flicker in their box for six days every week for 28 years - and then suddenly something else is on. That's mean. It's as if they went to church every Sunday and suddenly there's a rock concert instead of a church service. Blasphemy! Mind you: "Lindenstrasse" has been running for 28 years and this cancellation was only the third in all that time. Last year, the Zenkers and Beimers had to make way for two Olympic broadcasts. But for a real Listra fan, a world collapses when on Sundays between 6:50 p.m. and 7:20 p.m. everything is not as usual. On top of that, some broadcast time shifts strained the nerves of the already beleaguered fans.

In well-informed Listra circles, there are rumors of cost-cutting measures, even of a planned cancellation of "Lindenstrasse. I say! It was simply clever of ARD to test the loyalty of its series fans with a little doomsday. After all, ARD has long known that ratings have fallen from around 10 million to 3 million in the last 28 years. But how loyal the remaining viewers are can only be determined by "qualitative research. Between the lines, the station even admits to its small, mean, but subtle action: "The reaction of the fans shows how much they appreciate 'Lindenstrasse' and miss it when it doesn't come on at the usual time," said a spokeswoman for WDR. What need is there for clear ratings?

Model for Switzerland

The method could also work here. The only question is whether anyone in Switzerland would revolt if Klapproth were replaced by a test picture, "Tatort" by a cooking show and "Bauer sucht Frau" by a Heimatfilm. I'm afraid the "fans" wouldn't even notice the small change in programming. Which would not be primarily due to the fans ...
 

The first part of the hit film "The Hunger Games" reached almost 200,000 visitors in Swiss cinemas, making it one of the most successful movies of 2012. In November 2013, the second film adaptation of the world-famous book trilogy will be released in Swiss cinemas. Following the successful collaboration on the launch of the first part, Paterson-Entertainment has once again been awarded the mandate for overall support and thus conception and implementation of all marketing and communication measures. Paterson-Entertainment offers comprehensive services around the topic of film and cinema.

The agency, which operates in Seefeld, Zurich, was founded in 2012 by Matthias Keller. The former Marketing Director at the Swiss branch of The Walt Disney Company acts as Managing Director. Eveline Fischer is responsible for the marketing project management. The Paterson-Entertainment team is firmly anchored in the Swiss film landscape thanks to its many years of experience in the industry. After starting her career as a PR assistant at a leading Zurich PR agency, Eveline Fischer also worked as a publicity manager at The Walt Disney Company for around eight years before the federally certified PR specialist became a communications planner at Messe Schweiz for Züspa and Swiss-Moto. Most recently, Fischer was a marketing specialist at Teleclub AG.

Matthias Keller first decided to train as a restaurateur and then became head of junior marketing at the professional association Gastro Suisse. This was later followed by marketing studies at Vancouver University in Canada. Keller entered the world of media as a product manager in publishing at Tamedia before moving to Disney in 1998.

After about twelve years of action for Disney and Sony productions, as well as numerous Swiss films distributed by The Walt Disney Studios (formerly Buena Vista International), Matthias Keller decided to take a creative sabbatical in 2010. However, he didn't want to simply travel the world. "As a tireless doer, I used the time to volunteer for several months in South Africa's Amakhala Reserve. In this nature reserve, endangered wild animals such as rhinos, elephants and giraffes are bred and preserved, thus restoring the ecological balance of the region," Keller says of his adventure. The name of the small village in the reserve is Paterson. The name Paterson-Entertainment thus evokes that time when the agency concept was maturing. "The vastness and remoteness of the wilderness were ideal for me to allow new ideas to take root." Today, Paterson-Entertainment's company logo features an elephant, "because its characteristics match those of the agency: consistency, reliability and honesty."

Cinematic start

A few months after starting the agency, Matthias Keller and Eveline Fischer already counted film distributors, cinemas, film producers, large companies and public organizations among their clients. "We have the know-how in marketing and communication with a profound industry background. This combination sets us apart and is unique in the Swiss market," Keller says. Paterson-Entertainment's core competence lies in the areas of marketing, promotion and events. The activities are not limited to the cinema market, but also include ideas for TV productions and home entertainment products. The marketing possibilities around the topic of film are practically limitless. "Their respective projects are just as diverse as their clients and their needs," explains Eveline Fischer. For example, Paterson-Entertainment organized internal info events for Werbe Weischer's Swiss sales team.

At these "Film Academies," the cinema marketer's sales professionals are informed about the latest cinema and film trends. In addition, Paterson-Entertainment, in cooperation with Werbe Weischer, reliably forecasts demographics and expected attendance for movie releases in Switzerland using its valid database. A completely different focus was placed on the cooperation with Radio Energy. For the launch of the new VW Beetle Cabriolet (AMAG, Automobilund Motoren AG), highly professional drive-in cinemas were set up at six locations from Geneva to Zurich. Radio Energy, as the overall promoter, commissioned Paterson-Entertainment with the film selection, the coordination with the film distributor and the entire technical implementation of the drive-in cinemas. For its client Swisscom, Paterson- Entertainment in turn organized various previews in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. This job includes the coordination between client, cinema group, film distributor, decorator and caterer.

Action off the screen too

For the launch of "Skyfall", the Corso cinema in Zurich was transformed into a "House of Bond" for 14 days. In cooperation with Kitag Kinound Theater AG and Weinkellereien Aarau, the exclusive importer of Bollinger, the film promoters also opened five "SKYFALL-BOLLINGERBars " in four cities in German-speaking Switzerland. Paterson-Entertainment developed the concept and was responsible for planning and implementation. The bars were successfully operated for 36 days - in Zurich even for 75 days. Numerous events were also organized for Heineken around the last Bond film with the involvement of official Bond partners.

In November 2012, Conforama opened its first Swiss decoration boutique, Confo DÉCO, in Zurich. The assignment to Paterson-Entertainment was to raise their profile with a cinema campaign. The central point of the implementation was the Cine-Ticket of the Zurich Kitag cinemas (printout of a second cinema ticket) with a special discount voucher for Confo DÉCO. These vouchers were given during two weeks in May 2013 to all tickets of the cinema hits "The Great Gatsby" and "Hangover III". Based on the existing advertising subjects, Paterson-Entertainment developed a supporting cinema campaign, which consisted of a cine-motion cinema spot, advertisement, web banner, ad screens in the cinema foyer and F200 and F12 street posters.

The new battle plan for "Hunger Games

The film "Hunger Games" grossed over 400 million dollars in the USA last year. This makes Suzanne Collins' book trilogy one of the biggest hits since "Harry Potter" and the "Twilight" saga. The second part, which is now to follow, is expected to surpass this success. In Switzerland, "The Hunger Games - Catching Fire" will be released on November 21. Paterson-Entertainment has already adapted the artwork for Switzerland in all three national languages. The core target group for the advertising is teenagers aged 12 to 19, 60 percent of whom are female. The extended target group is 20 to 40.

Since a large proportion of these target groups will go to the movies "at least twice" six months before the film's release, the experts at Paterson- Entertainment scheduled three phases for the placement of advertising in theaters. The first trailers and posters were already seen from May with the theatrical release of "Iron Man 3". "Focus on multiplex cinemas," recommends Keller. A second phase followed with the summer blockbusters. The final spurt with mega-banners on the cinema facades is on the agenda from October until the theatrical release. In the media strategy, TV will be the main medium. The spots will run for ten days before the film's release on all major stations and on online TV. A large number of online platforms focusing on the target group as well as cinema websites were booked early for the film's release. During the launch week, mobile apps, tablets, selected F200 billboards, and ads in weekly and commuter newspapers complement the media campaign. Of course, a few "cool product promotions" cannot be revealed yet. What is certain is that there will be in-store promotions in various bookstores in close cooperation with the book publisher. The marketing of the soundtrack in cooperation with Universal Music also plays an important role, since songs by Pink and Coldplay represent two globally successful artists.

300 000 visitors are expected

"Premiere tickets are an exclusive competition prize and guarantee a broad media presence," Matthias Keller knows. Once again, a large number of the coveted tickets for the world and European premiere could be secured for the second part. It will still take a few months until the film will start its expected triumphal procession from Los Angeles to London and finally to Switzerland. Enough time for director Francis Lawrence's "The Hunger Games - Catching Fire" to become the must-see film of the season for the target audience of at least 300,000.

Andreas Panzeri

This year was different. Facebook and Twitter ensured that I was well informed about the Swiss media topics that interested me, even in the south of France. And as a side effect, I was also aware of other Swiss-related topics. All I had to do was follow the links of my Facebook friends or read the tweets of the people I follow on Twitter. I didn't go directly to a single page of a Swiss newspaper for three weeks.

But anyone who now thinks that I, too, would join in the death song of the printed press is mistaken. Just as in earlier years, I read newspapers on paper in the mornings at the Café du Marché with my "Grand crème avec croissant". Once, of course, the Nice-Matin, which reports on all the news between Nice and Marseille, covers every village and every local festivity, but also brings local political issues. An interesting concept: including Corsica, it has seven different regional editions, nota bene full of classified ads. This was then joined by Figaro and Le Monde in turn.

So where is the difference in media consumption? Following the Twitter and Facebook links was pure information consumption about topics that interest me. Short or less short (depending on the link), targeted and important in that they came from people of whom I know the interests and therefore know what kind of information they like to share. A rational and time-saving media consumption.

Reading the printed press is quite different. In Nice-Matin, it was the million-dollar theft of diamonds from the luxury hotel or the forest fire nearby; it was local information. In Le Figaro, it might have been a critical article about the president, a report on the Middle East, or in Le Monde, a review of a new book. That was a different kind of media consumption. Surprising, exciting, emotional. I took the time for that and enjoyed it.

Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief
[email protected]
 

Billions are at stake: TV viewers, advertising dollars, sponsorships and social media users. The time for testing the waters is over. TV and social media are now playing double passes. The U.S. company Bluefin Labs, which specializes in analyzing social TV, measured 874 million social media comments in 2012, 363 percent more than in 2011. The big driver and promoter of the viral spread of videos and commercials across multiple screens is Twitter. The TV broadcast of the German-German Champions League final in London generated an impressive 4.8 million Twitter messages. "A brand story doesn't end on TV," says the demo video for the release of the new Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings measurement tool. For the first time, a measurement method provides TV broadcasters, advertisers, marketers and media agencies with reliable figures in real time that quantify the resonance of TV programs on Twitter. Unique Audience - how many users have seen at least one tweet about a program, Impressions - how many tweets in total have reached users, and Average Frequency - how often a tweet was seen by an individual user. In a double-pass game, we go from one to the other and back again.

A Nielsen study published in early August confirmed what experts had been assuming for some time. Twitter conversations were compared with minute-by-minute Nielsen ratings of a total of 221 prime-time shows. The result: In 29 percent of the cases, more Twitter conversations also led to higher TV ratings. Conversely, higher TV ratings led to more Twitter conversations in 48 percent of cases. This study result is cited as "possibly groundbreaking" in the New York Times. The groundbreaking theory is given an additional boost by tornadoes. In the splatter movie "Sharknado," monstrous tornadoes whirl bloodthirsty sharks into the streets of Los Angeles.

The 86-minute battle for survival between chainsaw and shark's tooth is followed closely on both sides of the screen, explicitly recorded via the short video app Vine and commented on with relish using the hashtag #sharknado. "You could say it's a film that seems to have been created just for Twitter" can be read in the blog post on Simplyzesty.com. Indeed, the premiere rating on the Syfy channel is below average with 1.4 million viewers. But already the Encore the day after recorded 1.9 million viewers. Because in the meantime, the B-movie had turned into a Twitter storm of strength 5000 tweets per minute on the social web. Celebrity tweeters like Mia Farrow and series star Will Wheton, with 2000 retweets and more, provided additional wind force.

Sharknado becomes the most successful movie ever for Skyfy. Even broadcasts four weeks later have more than 2 million viewers, and the Twitter storm has now reached the coasts of Great Britain, Australia and Asia. The social web knows no boundaries. Twitter operates on the principle of learning by doing and is constantly launching new services, features and forms of advertising. Twitter is the first social media network to offer 6-second pre-roll commercials in its own newsfeed. These are placed as "in-stream video ads" before partner video posts. Thanks to partnerships with event organizers such as the NBA, TV rights holders such as Turner Broadcasting and consumer brands such as AT&T, Coca-Cola, Taco Bell and Sony Pictures, Twitter offers advertisers completely new, high-quality fields of impact with large reach.

And what is Facebook doing? There's no question about it: When the first gates fall on the TV screen in Brazil and star stories make their first rounds on the platforms, Facebook will have opened its gates for social video commercials in the newsfeed at the latest. We can assume that the content will be similar to that on Twitter: exclusive high-engagement video content, partly from TV stations with broadcasting rights, partly from specialized celebrity gossip platforms, and partly from particularly popular user-generated content, will be preceded by pre-roll video ads. We're talking about spots no longer than 15 seconds. And the potential is huge. For the first time now, in July, Facebook, in collaboration with Trendrr, a service provider specializing in real-time analysis, has published figures quantifying Facebook users' engagement with TV programs. Unsurprisingly, Facebook is in a league of its own. In general, engagement is five times greater than that of all other networks combined. For the NBA playoffs, the share of activities was 82 %. Facebook projects video ad revenue of more than a billion by 2014. This calculation likely includes the World Cup in Brazil. Facebook's entry into the video commercial business will explode traffic across screen boundaries. Provided that resourceful advertisers can come up with outstanding creations beyond the conventional 30-second spot story.

A quick look at the platform Viralvideochart. unrulymedia.com shows that old-school spots have a hard time in new media environments. However, there is no patent remedy either. But benchmark analyses provide a few pointers for success. We've already talked about humor - because "the web loves to make fun of things" - and brevity, because in the news feeds of smartphones, spending a long time on the same content is not very popular. A third clue is that of authenticity.

The product Never Wet is used to spray surfaces of any material, making them completely water-repellent. While the 31-second TV commercial with slow-motion setting gets a few thousand YouTube views and very few likes, the 5-minute product demo video with real employees gets 6 million views and 22,000 likes. The Never Wet product is used to spray surfaces of any material, making them completely water repellent. While the 31-second TV commercial with slow-motion setting gets a few thousand YouTube views and very few likes, the 5-minute product demo video with real employees gets 6 million views and 22,000 likes.

Go to www.huerlimanncc.com for the feature with videos, related links and in-depth content. Play the first pass with a comment and stay on the ball. The World Cup can come!

Beat Hürlimann