Starting this month, Maxomedia is sending the Mobil Bonus-branded locomotive on its one-year journey. The unusual vehicle was inaugurated and celebrated on December 18: At the industrial plant in Yverdon-les-Bains, the place where it was built.

Every member who took part in the "Wir sind Mobil Bonus" campaign and was able to gain at least three new members made it onto the locomotive. The highlight: the more members they were able to encourage to register, the larger their picture was printed. You can see the result on Mobilbonus.ch.

The campaign was developed and implemented by Maxomedia. It is part of a multi-phase campaign for SBB. In addition to various online campaigns, posters with photos of Mobil Bonus members were designed and a book with member stories was published. In this way, Maxomedia wants to draw attention to the plus to the subscription: Registered holders of a Half-Fare or GA travelcard have access to special offers, are reminded by e-mail when their travelcard is due to expire and can take part in discussions about public transport in the forum.

The 2x80m2 area of the SBB advertising locomotive can also be used by other companies. You can use your own advertising locomotive on Sbb.ch/commercial-locomotive with the design generator.

Have you been to the shoe store around the corner? It has a great selection." - "I went to the new pizzeria yesterday. The service was lousy, the food was bland." People talk about brands, products and companies in everyday life. In marketing jargon, these conversations are called Word-of-Mouth WoM. In a positive sense, they mean advertising. In a negative sense, they can be image-damaging. Nice or not. In both cases, it is in the company's interest to control communication, i.e. to ensure good conversations or to be able to respond to any criticism. This is the aim of word-of-mouth marketing (WoM marketing). This is not a new concept, but a tried and tested marketing tool. This is because input that comes from personal contact is considered more relevant and also more credible than traditional advertising methods (Nielsen, 2009). However, the possibility of reaching a much larger target group via social media has made the use of WoM marketing even more attractive. There is also interest on the scientific side. As part of her Master's thesis at the IPMZ Institute of Mass Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich, Alexandra Weber investigated the use and suitability of WoM as a communication tool. To her delight, the companies and agencies she interviewed for her qualitative study showed great interest. However, Weber soon realized that WoM is interpreted differently in practice. How the concept is to be distinguished from viral marketing or buzz marketing, for example, seems anything but clear. Werbewoche asked agencies and communication managers how WoM is understood and used and - in combination with Weber's work - attempted to classify it.

1. the WoM classics

Specialized providers such as Webguerillas or Mr. Wom sharply differentiate WoM marketing from other forms of alternative advertising. They focus on the experience with a product or service. "WoM marketing, or recommendation marketing, is a marketing tool in which opinion leaders and multipliers are invited to get to know new products and services before anyone else, talk about them publicly and pass on honest experiences to other interested people," is how David Eicher, Managing Director of the Webguerillas agency, defines the term. Mark Leinemann, who offers WoM consulting under the name Mr. Wom, also emphasizes the experience aspect: "While viral and buzz marketing clearly focus on the advertising or brand message, WoM marketing focuses on the real, authentic product experience of a consumer with a brand that is passed on." However, Leinemann takes issue with the term referral marketing, which he considers to be too sales-oriented. "For a good WoM marketing effect, it is enough for someone to tell others or report on the web that they have tried the product and like it, without explicitly recommending the purchase." Campaigns that meet this definition are used in particular for product launches. The approach is often based on the following elements:

 Sampling/Tryvertising: Campaign participants receive a package containing the test product as well as discount coupons, flyers or small test samples, which are distributed to friends and family.
 Storytelling: The product test is surrounded by a story that is as exciting as possible. This should give the consumer an incentive to test the product and at the same time provide a reason to talk about it with others.
 Continue the story: The testers should share their experiences offline and online. Online on specific platforms (e.g. Buzzer.ch), on blogs or, for example, on the company's Facebook page.
 Exclusivity factor: The testers benefit from exclusive treatment. At a product launch, they are given the opportunity to try the product before anyone else. Some companies also organize competitions, company tours or excursions for the testers - also to provide additional talking points.
 
Kraft Foods launched a classic WoM campaign for the introduction of a new Tassimo coffee machine. The agency responsible, Webguerillas, specifically selected multipliers (including bloggers) who wrote posts on their blog or other social media channels after the product test. Ricola also relied on WoM marketing for the launch of a new sweet. In contrast to Tassimo, the test packages in the campaign managed by Buzzer were not sent to bloggers, but to a wide audience. Clichés were used as storytelling tools and conversation starters. Ricola confronted the testers with common clichés and asked them to put their fellow human beings to the test. The claim was: Women like to store for life. Men pee standing up. Or: Herbal sweets are good for your mouth and throat, but don't taste good. The aim was to communicate that Ricola herbal sweets "contrary to the opinion of many consumers, they also taste good and are therefore suitable for everyone", as Janine Gauch, Social Media Manager at Ricola, explains.

2. WoM as a corporate strategy

Certain companies do not rely on temporary WoM campaigns, but generally work via word of mouth. For example, SMEs that reach new customers primarily through recommendations from existing customers and also actively manage this channel. These include the shoe manufacturer MBT Masai Barefoot Technology, which invests a large part of its marketing budget in WoM - currently around 50 percent. Not least because the shoe with the thick, rounded sole is less of a fashion accessory and more of a health shoe. "Our product thrives on recommendations. To explain the health benefits of MBT to a person, you need an explanation," says Annette von Mandach from MBT. "This works better through healthcare professionals and acquaintances who have already had experience with MBT than through traditional advertising." MBT maintains contact with health experts such as physiotherapists, whom the manufacturer informs about its product and supplies with test samples. If they are convinced by the shoe, they receive marketing tools such as information brochures and vouchers that they can pass on to their patients. On the other hand, the manufacturer uses the customer-recruit-customer approach. When a customer buys a shoe, they receive a voucher for an MBT product, which they can either redeem themselves or pass on to friends and family members. If a friend buys an MBT shoe, the "referrer" is entered into a prize draw.

3. WoM as part of the whole

Other agencies do not regard WoM as an independent marketing tool. "For me, WoM marketing is an integral part of communication," says Cyrill Hauser, Senior PR Consultant at Jung von Matt/Limmat, for example. And he is not alone in this view, as Weber's interviews show. "The proportion of agencies that see WoM as a small cog in the marketing machine is high," says Weber. "Often the measures are not specifically geared towards WoM, but WoM is seen as a hoped-for result or welcome by-product of an entire campaign." Well-known campaigns were cited as examples of WoM projects, including the one by SFLB for Mammut with Mary Woodbridge, who pretended to want to conquer Mount Everest, the "Obermutten Project" by Jung von Matt/Limmat or the prevention campaign "Slow down. Take it easy" by Rod with the bearded angel Franky Slowdown.
 
Contrary to the specialized agencies that claim a direct experience with a product is necessary for WoM marketing, these campaigns are primarily based on a good story. "In a WoM marketing campaign, a story is constructed around a product or brand that gives the consumer a reason to talk about it. After all, people don't tell each other marketing messages. Instead, products or services need to be emotionally charged," explains Hauser. However, WoM marketing is independent of media and measures. "WoM can be triggered by a funny commercial, a media release or a mailing."

Motives and obstacles

Regardless of the understanding and use of WoM marketing, companies and agencies agree that the advantages of WoM lie in the dialog with the target group. "With WoM, we find out what consumers really think about us and our products, so that an active exchange takes place and very high-quality feedback can be obtained. Especially when launching a new product, this offers us an ideal opportunity to learn from consumer insights and eliminate any weaknesses," explains Janine Gauch from Ricola. The company has already launched another WoM campaign in Germany, in which it intends to have its apple mint and licorice products tested by around 7500 consumers.
 
However, this two-way communication also leads to caution among companies. Quite a few are afraid of the momentum of WoM. Of being overwhelmed by an avalanche of negative comments. WoM specialists counter this with the fact that reactions will come anyway and emphasize that a WoM campaign at least offers the opportunity to moderate criticism. However, good preparation is the be-all and end-all. A company must ask itself the following questions in advance: How are we positioned in the market? What are the weaknesses of our product? What negative reactions can we expect? How do we react to this? Once the campaign gets rolling, monitoring is also important. Factors that can make a WoM campaign costly under certain circumstances. It would therefore be inappropriate to regard WoM as a cheap alternative to other marketing measures.
 
One final detail: social media is also hyped for WoM. Although the impact of WoM is mainly postulated offline in the literature (according to Keller/Fay 2012, only 8 % take place online), Weber has identified a majority of web-based use. This is probably due not least to the fact that the success of a campaign on the web is easy to measure. A good argument for advertising customers.

Isabel Imper

Robin William Lingg has been a member of the Board of Directors at Ringier since July 2011. As of May 1, 2013, he will become Head of Business Development at Ringier and in this role will be responsible for the development of Ringier's new markets across the Group, the media group wrote in a statement on Thursday. Robin Lingg will report directly to Ringier CEO Marc Walder.

Lingg studied languages, economics and cultural area studies at the University of Passau in Germany and has worked for the international pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim in Ingelheim and Mexico since 2006. Since November 2011, he has been responsible for the Mexico and Central America market as Head of Marketing for cardio and diabetes medicines.

Claudio Cisullo joins Ringier as a new member of the Board of Directors. He is the owner and Chairman of the Board of Directors of CC Trust Group, a family office and consulting company based in Pfäffikon SZ. His best-known subsidiaries included Panatronic, a service and trading company in the IT industry.

Claudio Cisullo has already held various directorships, including as a member of the Board of Directors of the Sauber F1 Team from 2009 to 2011 and as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Marquard Media from 2009 to June 2012. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Swisscom subsidiary Swisscom IT Services, Chairman of the UBS Industrialization Advisory Board and Chairman of the Business Advisory Board of the Laureus Foundation Switzerland.
 

At the risk of boring my intelligent female readers and my handsome male readers, I must return to the topic of newspaper carriers and their pay, which I’ve addressed here before. They do their grueling work early in the morning, while it’s still dark, and it certainly seems as though Brecht’s line from *The Threepenny Opera* applies to them: «You can’t see those in the dark…» Even worse: Not only are they overlooked, but two years ago their meager wages were also cut. Now, however, their employer, Presto—a subsidiary of the state-owned Post Group—has announced an 8 percent price increase for early-morning newspaper delivery in 2013. Yet the early-morning delivery workers, who do their jobs in all kinds of weather, are still not set to receive a pay raise.

The «bonus» they received in each of the past two years—200 and 100 francs, respectively—was barely enough to cover a tip. Incidentally, newspaper carriers—who are absolutely essential for early delivery and thus for the survival of the daily press—earn, depending on the region, between 2,822 and 3,108 francs gross per month when calculated on a full-time basis, paid out 13 times a year. Where a night shift premium is added, the pay is 10 percent higher. This translates to hourly wages of 20 to 23 Swiss francs gross.

The only publisher who has so far rejected this unreasonable demand in a burst of decency and indignation and publicly protested against it is the independent Dr. Hugo Triner of the *Boten der Urschweiz*. He published his blunt message to Presto right in his newspaper: «I have agreed to accept the price increase starting from the point at which early-morning delivery workers benefit appropriately from this additional revenue. Presto rejected my proposal. It merely referred to wage negotiations with the unions next spring. I will not accept this response from Presto. I will fight a price increase with every means at my disposal as long as the wages of early-morning delivery workers are not raised.» An entrepreneurially minded publisher cannot remain indifferent when such wage decisions create a negative atmosphere at the very foundation of daily newspaper distribution. This will quickly result in poorer service, which—given the importance of reliable early-morning delivery for the reader market—could become extremely dangerous.

Hugo Triner puts it this way: «Since, as an entrepreneur, I am not indifferent to the fact that a supplier’s employees are clearly underpaid—especially since it is a state-owned enterprise—I would like to spark a discussion. In the long run, our economy and society will only develop positively if win-win situations are created for everyone.»

Anyone who tolerates such blatant wage injustices as those faced by newspaper delivery workers should not be surprised if the left’s call for a government-mandated minimum wage gains momentum. At the Swiss Post, for example, the minimum wage for 18-year-old employees is CHF 45,047 per year (: 13 = 3,465), and for 20-year-olds without a completed vocational apprenticeship, it is CHF 47,299 (3,638). During the first three years as Swiss Post employees, these wages automatically increase by 2 percent annually; from the fourth year onward, they increase by 1 percent annually. In addition, there are annual wage adjustments negotiated between the social partners. In addition, Swiss Post pays so-called labor market allowances, which amount to up to 4,800 francs annually, depending on the work location. These are intended to offset regional wage differences.

It is therefore not far-fetched to claim that there are very few employees at Swiss Post who earn less than 50,000 francs gross per year. Depending on the region and years of service, that is 30 to 50 percent more than what is being quietly conceded to them. No plausible explanation for this glaring inequality has been offered to date. Photo: Keystone. The only person to have spoken out is the independent Dr. Hugo Triner of the *Boten der Urschweiz*. He published his blunt message to Presto right in his newspaper: «I have agreed to accept the price increase starting from the point at which early-morning delivery workers benefit appropriately from this additional revenue. Presto rejected my proposal. It merely referred to wage negotiations with the unions next spring. I refuse to accept this response from Presto. I will fight a price increase with every means at my disposal as long as the wages of early-morning delivery workers are not raised.» An entrepreneurially minded publisher cannot remain indifferent when such wage decisions create a negative atmosphere at the very foundation of daily newspaper distribution. This will quickly result in poorer service, which—given the importance of reliable early-morning delivery for the reader market—could become extremely dangerous.

Hugo Triner puts it this way: «Since, as an entrepreneur, I am not indifferent to the fact that a supplier’s employees are clearly underpaid—especially since it is a state-owned enterprise—I would like to spark a discussion. In the long run, our economy and society will only develop positively if win-win situations are created for everyone.»

Anyone who tolerates such blatant wage injustices as those faced by newspaper delivery workers should not be surprised if the left’s call for a government-mandated minimum wage gains momentum. At the Swiss Post, for example, the minimum wage for 18-year-old employees is CHF 45,047 per year (: 13 = 3,465), and for 20-year-olds without a completed vocational apprenticeship, it is CHF 47,299 (3,638). During the first three years as Swiss Post employees, these wages automatically increase by 2 percent annually; from the fourth year onward, they increase by 1 percent annually. In addition, there are annual wage adjustments negotiated between the social partners. In addition, Swiss Post pays so-called labor market allowances, which amount to up to 4,800 francs annually, depending on the work location. These are intended to offset regional wage differences. It is therefore not unreasonable to claim that there are very few Swiss Post employees who earn less than 50,000 francs gross per year. Depending on the region and years of service, this is 30 to 50 percent more than what is being claimed behind closed doors. To date, no plausible explanation has ever been given for this glaring disparity in treatment.

The same status update kept popping up with my friends, starting with "Due to Facebook's new terms and conditions, I hereby object to the commercial use of my personal data...". It said that Facebook had introduced new terms and conditions and that users were handing over the copyright to their content to Facebook with immediate effect. The status update was intended as a protest against the change and explained that users were not relinquishing their copyrights.

However, the scaremongering was unfounded and the protest pointless. It was in fact a false report. Neither the terms and conditions were changed nor did the users transfer the copyright of their own content to Facebook. The law firm Ferner also explains on its website why such a status update would be of no use if the situation were actually the case. Anyone who does not agree with changes to the terms and conditions has the right to cancel the contract. In the case of Facebook, however, this would mean that your profile would be deleted. In order to assert the right of withdrawal, you would also have to approach the contractual partner. A status update is not sufficient, as it cannot be assumed that FB employees monitor every private profile.

The rapid spread of this hoax shows how many Facebook users are unclear exactly what Facebook's terms of use are. Astute users simply laughed about it. They poked fun at their unsuspecting friends with messages such as "Dear city council, I hereby declare that I will no longer pay parking fines with immediate effect".

In addition to the aforementioned status update, a second hoax was circulating, starting with "I would like to stay in touch with you privately...". It called for the privacy settings to be adjusted, as Facebook had allegedly made changes there too and comments and likes were now visible to everyone. However, the proposed countermeasure was anything but advisable. Anyone who followed it would no longer see any entries from the relevant friends in their timeli ne.

If you see such messages and are unsure whether they are actually true, it is best to check snopes.com or http://newsroom.fb.com/factcheck. In the case of a major hoax, the relevant information can usually be found there. Nevertheless, many Facebook users seem to lack an overview of terms of use and privacy. This naturally leads to uncertainty and unnecessary anger towards Facebook in the event of such reports. Facebook would therefore do well to communicate these two topics in particular in a more understandable and accessible way. This would make them easy and clear for every user to understand, and false claims about data protection and privacy could be reduced.
 

The Media Education Research Association Southwest surveyed 1201 German young people between the ages of 12 and 19 in the current "JIM 2012" study. The results show that TV also plays an important role in this generation.

First of all, the results of the study clearly show that the households in which young people live are very well equipped in terms of media. Almost every household has a computer or laptop, television and internet. However, in addition to household equipment, owning their own media devices plays a particularly important role in young people's media use. And this is also impressive. 47% of young people have their own smartphone - compared to just 25% in the previous year. Almost nine out of ten young people (87%) can use the internet via a laptop or PC in their room. 60% of young people have their own TV set - an increase compared to the previous year (2011: 52%). Boys (64%) are more likely to have their own TV than girls (55%). Only seven percent of young people have their own tablet, although this figure has also risen significantly compared to the previous year (2011: 3%).

Media plays an important role in young people's everyday lives. In line with the wide range of devices available, media use among 12 to 19-year-olds is varied and flexible. In each case, 91% of young people use the Internet and their cell phone at least several times a week. 40% of young people also use the Internet regularly on their mobile phones (2011: 22%). TV use is on a par with the Internet and cell phones: 91% of 12 to 19-year-olds also use television daily or several times a week. This is followed by the music media MP3 (81%) and radio (78%). Books and daily newspapers are each read by 41% of young people, magazines by 26%.

However, it is not only the use that is interesting, but also the trust that different media enjoy. In the case of contradictory reporting, the comparatively rarely used daily newspapers are the most trustworthy medium for young people (48%). TV follows in second place (22%) - clearly ahead of the internet (11%). The fact that TV maintains its status among young people also underpins the assessment of the subjective importance of the media. Despite the enormous variety of media, more than half of young people (55%) consider watching TV to be important or even very important. For boys (57%), TV plays a slightly greater role than for girls (52%). So digital youth cannot do without TV. But how do they watch TV? The study makes it clear that 12 to 19-year-olds continue to watch television primarily on traditional TV. When asked how they had watched TV in the last 14 days, 99% answered "on a stationary TV set". In the same period, 15% of young people watched TV via the internet, roughly the same number as in the previous year (2011: 14%). Mobile TV consumption via cell phone or smartphone remains low at 5% (2011: 3%), and tablets also play only a minor role in young people's TV usage (3%). All in all, the survey shows that the media world of young people is very dynamic. In particular, the increasing spread of smartphones and the growing use of mobile internet play a role here. On the other hand, the media world of 12 to 19-year-olds is also characterized by continuity, for example in terms of TV use.

Clemens Koob

Treat yourself to a few agonizing minutes and listen to here the agency's plaintive wishes.
 

The publishers in French-speaking Switzerland confirmed their decision to terminate the CLA to Impressum on Thursday. The journalists' association wrote this in a communiqué. The journalists had asked the publishers to enter into the negotiations on a CLA revision desired by the publishers without first terminating the CLA. On 11 December, the journalists mobilized for this purpose (Werbewoche.ch reported).

The decision could only lead to a hardening of the fronts and is not a good start for negotiations based on partnership, writes the association. The only positive point is that the publishers have given assurances that they have no intention of cutting wages or questioning the social partnership. How journalists will react to Médias Suisses' decision is now being discussed within the association.
 

The creative work of the agency can be filtered with tags and is the focus of the new website. This should give the user a quick overview and find the desired work immediately. The new website is responsive. At Kargokomm.ch/xmas is also a Christmas surprise to discover.

What is at stake here: One of the most classic examples of name changes that did no good but did harm was the attempt to change the name from Coca Cola to Coke. Coca Cola lost sales and the marketing director lost his job. Rightly so. Our airport Zurich Kloten was once called Unique for a certain period of time. This was nothing unique. In the meantime, Rail City has mutated back into Zurich's main station. What moves the management to change the name instead of improving the product? Answer: pure bullshit or marketing blather. In my column from August 2011, I already criticized the unnecessary re-design for Swiss in detail.

My theory: If you rename well-known and well-rehearsed names like DRS and SF only for internal reasons of togetherness to a new one, in my opinion a tongue twister, then you should think longer whether this is correct. Ticino television is now called RSI (i.e. Radiotelevisione svizzera), where did the "T" disappear to? The fact that the word "radio" had to be incorporated into these abbreviations, for reasons known or unknown, is accountant marketing. Our radio station (formerly Radio Beromünster) has been called DRS for 30 years. Today it has to be called SRF. And so that one does not confuse it with television, it is specially applied with the word "radio" as an addition.

I am of the opinion that no communications professionals have been called in here. Equally unprofessional is the belief that this nonsense change should cost less than 100,000 francs (SonntagsBlick). Four locations, only in German-speaking Switzerland, with facade illuminated signs costing about 20,000. To re-label a vehicle costs between 5,000 and 10,000. With four vehicles, the 100,000 have already been exceeded. No matter what it costs. The money comes from the spectators.

The crucial question is whether any consumer wanted this change and whether ratings are now up. Twice no. There are name changes, but mostly re-designs that make sense and are to the brand's advantage. For example: the modernization and shortening of the logo from Federal Express to Fedex. Also, the merger of Ciba-Geigy with Sandoz to form Novartis makes sense. Perhaps a figurative mark to go with the existing, well-known and proven logos would have been the simplest and most correct solution. I was thinking of a Swiss cross with eyes and ears. My pick of the week is that BBC, CNN, ARD, SBB and Switzerland continue to stick to their corporate identity.
 

The first is the creative ranking, which is eagerly awaited by the industry, and the second is the presentation of the candidates for the 2013 Advertiser of the Year award. Werbewoche's creative ranking focuses on the creative achievements of agencies that have won awards in national and international competitions. The competitions and their corresponding weighting were selected in collaboration with a delegation from the Art Directors Club of Switzerland. The ranking is based on the self-declarations of the participating agencies, which were checked by the editorial team on the basis of the official ranking lists of the creative competitions. My warmest congratulations to those who made it into the top ten.

Six personalities from the Swiss advertising scene have once again been nominated for the Advertiser of the Year award by the election committee, consisting of former Advertisers of the Year and the respective finalists. I would also like to congratulate them. They have already taken the first step towards becoming Advertiser of the Year.

Advertising Week subscribers can now choose their favorite from the nominees. They will receive a corresponding voting card at the end of December. On January 31, one of the candidates will then receive the coveted Advertising Week Egon and be able to celebrate the evening as the newly crowned Advertiser of the Year 2013. We are not yet revealing where the event will take place and who will be hosting it. Let us surprise you and reserve the date in advance. Admission will be free, but the number of participants will be limited; details will be available at Werbewoche.ch at the beginning of the year.

But first we are taking a short Christmas break. The next printed edition of Werbewoche will be published on January 18, 2013. Until December 21 and from January 3, you will find regular news from the communications and media industry on Werbewoche.ch. We would like to thank you, dear reader, for your loyalty. We wish you a wonderful and peaceful time over the Christmas period and hope that 2013 will be a successful and exciting year together with you.

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

Under the claim "Rough. Real. Remote" (Rough, Real, Remote), Greenland.com launches the first adventure trailer of a five-part clip series. In the following episodes, the viewer accompanies Petr Kraus (world trial bike champion and Red Bull athlete) and two of his friends on a discovery tour through the various facets of Greenland. With emotional images and local sounds, viewers are whisked away to the land of adventure in the Arctic Circle.

Responsible at Greenland.com / DAC: Mads Pihl / Natasha Martin. Responsible at MMP Films: Humbi Entress (director), Ralph Baetschmann (cinematographer), Aurora Vögeli (editor), Jürgen Kupka (grading). Sound Design: Jingle Jungle.