Two new board members were elected at the annual general meeting of shareholders of Wemf AG für Werbemedienforschung on Monday, June 17, 2013, according to a statement on Tuesday. Moreno Cavaliere, Managing Director Publicitas, succeeds Stefan Bai as representative of the Association of Swiss Advertising Companies. Florian Fels (pictured), CEO Ringier, succeeds Caroline Thoma as representative of the Association of Swiss Media.

The Board of Directors of Wemf is thus constituted as follows: Jürg Weber, Chairman, Delegate of the Association of Swiss Media; Moreno Cavaliere, Vice Chairman, Delegate of the Association of Swiss Advertising Companies; Valérie Boagno, Delegate of the Association Medias Suisses; Roberto Rhiner, Peter Wanner and Florian Fels, all Delegates of the Association of Swiss Media, and Roger Harlacher, Delegate of the Association of Swiss Advertisers (SWA).

Image: Ringier.ch
 

According to the press release, this establishes once and for all that the author's name Jurius at Jusletter is not Markus Felber. He will report weekly from the Federal Supreme Court under his abbreviation "fel." and summarize important decisions and rulings in his usual manner.

Markus Felber has been a reporter at the Swiss Federal Supreme Court since 1981. During this time, the role of Federal Court correspondent has changed considerably. Whereas it used to take up to a year and a half for the leading decisions to be published in the Official Compilation of the Federal Supreme Court, since 2007 all written reasons for judgments have been published online by the Federal Supreme Court. Initially, the NZZ was therefore the only source for prompt information on judgments. The reporting had to be correspondingly detailed. Today, the focus is on a concise presentation and summary of the judgments. Anyone interested can consult the judgment itself for a detailed reading.
 

The public's perception is strongly influenced by the media. However, the majority of reporting on Chinese companies last year was devoted to controversial topics and only just under one-third was neutral (32 percent). Although, according to the assessment of Swiss journalists, companies from China are certainly concerned about their image, too little information is often provided - including on the Internet. This was the finding of an analysis of articles in major Swiss daily newspapers from March 2012 to April 2013, conducted by a study group from the ZHAW School of Management and Law and the Swiss communications agency Farner. These findings were mirrored by the results of a random survey of Swiss journalists and Chinese companies as well as an analysis of the online presence of the 59 Chinese companies based in Switzerland.

Of the 59 Chinese companies, only 43 have an online presence at all (73 percent), and only 12 (20 percent) have a website tailored to local needs. Only 5 of them (8 percent) offer information on the web in the three national languages German, French, Italian and English. Only 17 (29 percent) of the companies surveyed offer information for download, such as annual reports, media releases or newsletters. In general, there is a lack of regular communication with the media - only 18 (31 percent) of the 59 companies surveyed even make media releases available on their website. Furthermore, according to their website, only 12 percent of the Chinese companies have a media office in Switzerland, and only 3 (5 percent) afford a dedicated local media contact. At the same time, Swiss journalists complain about the difficult access to company spokespersons.

The unanimous tenor of the Swiss media: Chinese companies are not yet particularly well integrated in Helvetia due to cultural differences and too little active communication. They clearly want more company information with reference to and relevance for Switzerland, preferably in one of the national languages, of course. Second on the media professionals' wish list is well-prepared information about Chinese companies, such as factsheets, info-graphics or images. The media world is open to written or personal communication, for example via media releases and in the form of interviews or background discussions.

"What tends to stand out is: The more frequently journalists had personal contact with Chinese companies, the better their assessment of Chinese communication efforts," explains Anka Kästner, head of the study group and senior consultant at Farner. "It can be concluded from this that personal dialog with the Swiss media is (still) in short supply, but that investments in communication definitely pay off," the communications consultant continues.
 

Schweizer Illustrierte and SI Style made a start in May with new apps for iPad and iPhone, in which the latest issues of the magazines are available in high image quality and resolution, according to a statement. Glückspost has also been available in the Appstore since this week. Swiss Landliebe and Bolero will follow by the end of 2013. By then, the eMagazines will be available not only on Apple tablets and smartphones but also on Android tablets and smartphones, Kindle Fire and a web reader. The integrated reading mode is intended to make reading on the smartphone screen additionally pleasant.

All Ringier eMagazines are based on the printed edition and offer additional content such as panorama shots, image galleries and animations. In addition to the content, the design and imagery that characterize each magazine are identical to the print edition. Links, sharing functions and the minimum data size of the issues are also intended to ensure a pleasant reading experience. To produce the eMagazines, Ringier is working with FutureFolio, a British publisher and developer of interactive tablet magazines. "FutureFolio has adapted their software to our needs within a very short time and offers us the flexibility we need to fully exploit the digital potential of our magazines in the future. Our readers can be excited," says Ringier Project Manager Javier Vázquez.

The apps are available for download free of charge from Apple's App Store. The magazines can then be purchased individually or by subscription. Subscribers to a print edition have free access to the eMagazine edition. The login for this is available in the online newsstand.

 

From January 1, 2014, the Südostschweiz media network will include the regional titles Südostschweiz Graubünden, Südostschweiz Glarus, Südostschweiz Gaster und See, March Anzeiger, Höfner Volksblatt and Sarganserländer. The titles Werdenberger & Obertoggenburger, Bote der Urschweiz, Liechtensteiner Vaterland and Rheintalische Volkszeitung will be removed from the association.

The Südostschweiz network has existed since 1997 and comprised the above-mentioned titles. Its term is limited until the end of 2013. The new titles belonging to the association negotiated a new cooperation agreement as of January 1, 2014, which essentially concerns the joint editorial section produced in Chur and marketing by the advertising company Südostschweiz Publicitas. Publicitas will continue to act as an intermediary for the association. The outgoing publishers have decided to enter into a cooperation with the NZZ media group.

The future Southeastern Switzerland region stretches from the southern valleys of Graubünden to the upper part of Lake Zurich and includes the cantons of Graubünden and Glarus, the Sarganserland in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley, large parts of the St. Gallen Linth Plain and the Ausserschwyz region. This is an economically self-contained area on the important north-south axis along the A3 and A13 highways, which will be very attractive for advertising customers. The circulation of the network is 82,083 copies. The reach is around 160,000 readers. Interesting advertising offers for the new newspaper network are currently being prepared for the advertising industry.

Andrea Masüger, CEO of Südostschweiz Medien, which also owns Werbewoche.

Werbewoche: Andrea Masüger, how did the current situation come about?
Andrea Masüger: It was clear to us that the Werdenberger & Obertoggenburger (WO) and the Rheintalische Volkszeitung (RVZ) would leave the Südostschweiz Medien Verbund - the WO belongs to the NZZ Group and the RVZ works closely with the Rheinthaler (also NZZ) - at the latest when both joined the new Ostschweiz am Sonntag. When these titles joined the Südostschweiz group years ago, they were still independent.

Why is the Liechtenstein Fatherland leaving?
I don't know the exact reasons. We negotiated with them and made them what we thought was a good offer. I don't know why they are now moving to St. Gallen.

Why is the Bote der Urschweiz leaving the association?
The Bote is not part of the NZZ. Hugo Triner, the publisher, has a certain proximity to Lucerne and it can be assumed that the competitive situation in Central Switzerland will change. It's obvious that something will happen with the Neue Schwyzer Zeitung, which is a head paper of the Luzerner Zeitung. This should lead to a market shakeout and Triner can benefit from the new situation. (Editorial supplement: Werbewoche.ch on the new situation of the Bote der Urschweiz)

What does the new situation mean for the print shop in Haag?
We have longer-term contracts with the print shop in Haag. The individual partners who previously printed in Haag will remain there. Then we'll see what happens. The Bote der Urschweiz has its own print shop anyway.

How do you see the new situation?
We remain among the top ten daily newspapers in terms of circulation and readership. Certain overlaps in the St.Gallen Rhine Valley and Central Switzerland will be eliminated, the area will become more homogeneous and also more clearly defined for the advertising industry. This also meets the wishes of our advertisers. The new large circulation with 190,000 readers is also an interesting offer for the advertising industry. We are approaching the new situation with optimism.

Interview: Pierre C. Meier

 

After the invention of language, writing, printing and broadcasting, digitalization is now bringing about the next upheaval in the media industry, Greuter said on Tuesday in Zurich at the presentation of the latest "Media Trend" study. For media companies, this means studying the changing use of media particularly closely instead of focusing on product development.

The reflex of media managers who feel forced onto the defensive to "react with practiced cost management" is fatal. Although short-term cost-cutting efforts are unavoidable in a difficult environment, in the long term this "sets a downward spiral in motion". It is therefore necessary to "switch from the defensive to the offensive", said Greuter.

Challenge and opportunity

However, digitization is not only a challenge for publishers, but also an opportunity: it opens up the possibility of offering existing and new products as well as digital services. The lower revenue potential of convergent business models is offset by lower overall costs, which brings attractive margins - resulting in a healthy transformation. According to Greuter, this search for new business models and sources of revenue is also at the top of the list of priorities for the media managers surveyed. This necessity is underlined by the fact that, for the first time, more than half (51%) are convinced that professional journalism can no longer be financed through sales and advertising.

Trend towards electronic news consumption

The digital revolution can also be seen in consumer behavior: according to the "Medienbudget" study also presented, sales of newspapers and magazines at newsstands fell by 9 percent to CHF 478 million last year (Werbewoche.ch reported). The population is increasingly shifting its media consumption to electronic media. Mobility and innovation are particularly important to them: for the first time, more smartphones and tablets were purchased in Switzerland than PCs, according to project manager Thérèse Ruedin from the Swiss Media Association. According to Ruedin, the tablet has rapidly become the "favorite gadget of the Swiss": spending on such devices soared from 296 million in 2011 to 460 million in 2012, an increase of 55.4 percent. The population even invested 58 percent more in apps for tablets.

Overall, consumers spent another 0.7% more on IT and telecommunications than in the previous year. The amount exceeded the CHF 4 billion mark. Each private household spent an average of CHF 3,093 on media consumption in 2012. Although this expenditure fell slightly compared to the previous year (2011: CHF 3,150), it was still higher than in 2010 (CHF 2,920).

In total, the Swiss media market generated sales of CHF 14 billion in the reporting year. Consumers spent CHF 11.1 billion on media (-1.9%). The decline in advertising was significantly greater: advertisers invested 2.9 billion or 7.5 percent less. (SDA)
 

The idea is simple, the implementation probably less so. But the chain, which has around 2,000 branches, suddenly became known beyond Taiwan's borders. Customers were able to send portraits of themselves to the cocoa powder printer via smartphone. The device - you guessed it - then printed the pictures on the milk foam of the coffee ordered. The results are impressive. Fortunately, the print has a half-life of a few minutes, otherwise you might have the idea of putting the portrait coffee on the shelf at home. The only question that remains is whether and if so why the lady in the thumbnail is taking her cat with her to the shops. (hae)

Swiss Post customers can decide for themselves which topics they would like to receive more addressed advertising on in the future with "advertising as requested". This is not only good for the mailbox, according to a press release: recipients are pleased to receive offers and promotions tailored to their needs.

Swiss Post is promoting the new service with an integrated campaign: in addition to an instream and online banner in which a mailbox tells what makes it happy, two viral commercials , a postcard mailing and PromoPost mailings advertise the new offer.

Responsible at Post Mail: Ursula Gasser (Marketing Communications), Frédéric Devrient (Head of Innovation). Responsible for strategy, conception and realization: In Flagranti, Lyss. Film production: Tuna Productions.
 

In February, the young Zurich agency announced the budget win of BMW (Werbewoche.ch reported). For the completely new model, which combines generous space with maximum dynamism, the task was to develop an introductory campaign for the Swiss market, according to a statement. Independent and attention-grabbing - using the already existing, internationally deployed visuals.

A tight corset in which visual independence became a challenge and ultimately the model claim "space in a new form" became the key to an extraordinary campaign look. It invited to play with the spatial distribution in the existing campaign images.

The result: no two campaign subjects are alike, thanks to a seemingly randomly arranged and spatially appearing "diamond pattern"; the spatial design is thus intended to surprise again and again, not only in the BMW Three Series Gran Turismo, but also in terms of communication. Subject for subject - and beyond. Because the look characterizes all measures of the 360° campaign. From mailings to POS productions to the TVC.

The centerpiece of the campaign is a microsite optimized for touchscreens, which was already promoted via mysterious silhouette ads in the teaser phase of the campaign. All advertising media are in use immediately and throughout Switzerland.

Responsible at BMW (Switzerland): Mark Backé (Member of the Executive Board and Head of Marketing). Responsible at Serviceplan Suisse: Christian Baertschi, Sacha Moser, (overall responsibility) Christian Sommer, Ulrike Schumann, Julia Bochanneck, Alexandra Rapeaud (creation), Martin Zentner (DTP), Julia Tognini, Klara Zürcher (consulting), On Line Video (film), JingleJungle (sound), Pixelprinz/Linus Schneider (CGI).

 

The current "Box Office" editorial team will continue to report on film, according to a press release. However, it will concentrate on other TV formats. A new online strategy for the topic of film and cinema will also be developed. Srf.ch developed. Achim Podak, Head of Arts, Knowledge and Society and Editorial Director of "Box Office": "Box Office stands for lively and diverse film reporting. In future, the editorial team will adapt the content on television and online even more precisely to the usage habits of our viewers."

As part of the new direction of the editorial team, the previous presenter Lory Roebuck, who also works as an editor, will be leaving SRF. Achim Podak: "Lory Roebuck took over the moderation of 'Box Office' when the program was geared towards a younger audience. I was impressed by his commitment right from the start, as well as the development he has undergone in recent months. I am grateful for everything he has done for the editorial team and wish him every success in his next endeavors."
 

The traditional Schwyz newspaper will in future take over the national editorial section with the foreign, domestic, business, sports and culture sections as well as the national advertisements from the Neue Luzerner Zeitung. The regional section and the editorial focus will remain unchanged. In return, the Neue Schwyzer Zeitung will be integrated into the Boten, according to a statement. The new cooperation replaces the 16-year collaboration of the Boten der Urschweiz with the Südostschweiz publishing group in Chur.

The Bote der Urschweiz will continue to appear six times a week. Seven jobs will be lost in Schwyz as a result of the integration of the Schwyzer Zeitung. The two cooperation partners are endeavoring to place these jobs in the two editorial offices. The location of the editorial office in Schwyz will remain unchanged, and the "Bote" will also continue to be printed in Seewen. However, the layout of the newspaper will be adapted to that of the Neue Luzerner Zeitung.

For readers, the new orientation of the Messenger towards Central Switzerland should create additional editorial added value, as should the expanded national section of the newspaper. By integrating the Neue Schwyzer Zeitung, the new Bote der Urschweiz will be able to increase its circulation to over 16,000 copies and thus reach over 70 percent of households in the Schwyz region every day. The overall edition of the Neue Luzerner Zeitung will be able to increase its circulation to around 130'000 copies.

Hugo Triner, publisher of the Boten der Urschweiz, has decided to establish a foundation and transfer the publishing rights to it with the purpose of promoting the exchange of opinions and preserving jobs.
 

Real agency managers who have already taken this step act as ambassadors. So far, many agency managers have been recruited from the ranks of K Kiosk employees. Valora is now also looking for external applicants for the K Kiosk agencies. Committed people with management experience and training in sales or catering are to be given the opportunity to take over an agency as independent entrepreneurs.

The K Kiosk agency system has developed into a successful entrepreneurial model in recent years, according to the agency managers who have already taken the plunge into self-employment. In video messages, they tell their personal success stories and explain the advantages of the agency system. Testimonials are intended to dispel fears among the target group and give potential candidates the feeling: "I can do that too".

The campaign relies primarily on online advertising, which leads potential candidates directly to the revised K Kiosk website. On My.kkiosk.ch Not only are the details of the partnership with Valora explained, but an aptitude test is also used to determine the chances of success of an application. Posters, advertisements and flyers also help to spread the word about the campaign.

Responsible at Valora Retail: Susanne Berger (Head of Corporate Human Resources), Bettina Benkenstein (HR Business Partner). Responsible at Werbekontor: Tom Schaich (overall responsibility), Patricia Heyne (concept, text), Claude Reichmuth, Stefan Senn (art direction). Photo: Tobias Sutter. Film: Bela Böke (Arbel). Litho: Exacta Pro. Media: OMD.