"The commercials are coming back"
APG Director Othmar Casutt and the BAK Invite Poster Designers to Participate in a Competition
APG Director Othmar Casutt and the BAK invite poster designers to competeBy Luca Aloisi After a two-year break, the "Poster of the Year" is to be resurrected. The Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) and the APG want to revive the design competition by opening it up to other countries, involving industry associations and introducing other innovations. Project manager Othmar Casutt on the reasons for the revival.
You are posing in front of an upswing poster, Mr. Casutt, which APG played a key role in creating as a committee member. Now APG also wants to help the "Poster of the Year" competition to flourish again as a sponsor. What will flourish first? Your competition or the economy?
Othmar Casutt: Clearly our competition.
Why are you so optimistic?
Casutt: Because the conditions for competition are better at the moment and we can influence them better. The economy depends on various external influences.
Did you have to do a lot of convincing at the FDHA and the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) to revive the competition?
Casutt: No, not at all. The collaboration was excellent. The initiative to redesign the competition came much more from the BAK itself.
What do you expect from the new competition?
Casutt: In the Swiss advertising market, posters are still much more important than in Europe (2001 market share of 10.8% according to Media Focus, editor's note). In addition, poster advertising in Switzerland is still at a very high level. As the market leader, we also have the task of doing something for the medium of outdoor advertising.
What innovations do you want to use to attract more participants?
Casutt: The most important point concerns the new weighting of commercial posters. After all, the previous competition "died" because advertisers no longer took part. With the new regulations, advertising posters will have two separate categories in addition to the culture and public service categories - individual subjects and series. This makes participation much more attractive for advertisers. Secondly, the relevant associations such as BSW, ASW and ADC are now also backing the competition. Thirdly, the new composition of the jury - with media experts, copywriters, photographers and others - is completely different.
They believe they can increase the number of participants again by involving additional industry associations and jurors. Similarly optimistic campaigns such as the upswing posters clearly show that the behavior of those addressed cannot be forced so easily.
Casutt: I am convinced that the realignment of the competition will not lead to potential participants being forced to take part. Our entry figures and the positive feedback are proof of this. Incidentally, the closing date for entries is the end of November. If the innovations in the "Poster of the Year" competition catch on better in the industry, then I am sure that we will be able to present a good selection.
A new assessment criterion is "communicating a message in a communicative and sustainable way". How do you intend to check this?
Casutt: In contrast to the old competition, where it didn't matter what the poster did, we now also want to take better account of advertising campaigns that triggered public debate. This is a very important change for the commercial category.
Controversial discussions as a benchmark for sustainability?
Casutt: I believe that this is feasible for posters where efficiency results are available. At this early stage, however, we are relying more on emotional than rational results, i.e. press clippings...
...which would certainly have won your Angie Becker campaign an award. What is the purpose of the new categorization?
Casutt: That you no longer have to compare apples with pears. Until now, the composition of the jury itself has led to difficulties in defining precise criteria for commercial or cultural posters. The guidelines for the designers of a cultural poster are often much broader than for those developing a commercial poster. This will now be much easier to distinguish. That is why there will now be one winner per category. The "Poster of the Year" will be chosen from these four category winners.
In view of the flood of awards and the prevailing economic downturn, the agencies have completely different problems and priorities than taking part in yet another competition.
Casutt: I see it differently: on the one hand, participation is free of charge for the agency. On the other hand, it is still a nice recognition for an agency to receive an award for the "Poster of the Year". Because now the agencies, creatives and graphic designers have a much greater say with the new judging mode and the more professional award ceremony.
The award has been given an international aura: in future, the term "Swiss" will no longer be used to describe the "Poster of the Year". How do you rate the chances that posters from abroad will now also be submitted?
Casutt: Not very big.
A marketing bluff then?
Casutt: No. The prerequisite is still that the poster has been displayed in Switzerland.
Only just under 700 posters were submitted for the last competition. How many do you expect this year?
Casutt: We don't expect much more in the start-up year, but a different weighting. We expect that the commercial customers will return and that they will account for at least half of all work.
www.apgsga.ch/kultur
You are posing in front of an upswing poster, Mr. Casutt, which APG played a key role in creating as a committee member. Now APG also wants to help the "Poster of the Year" competition to flourish again as a sponsor. What will flourish first? Your competition or the economy?
Othmar Casutt: Clearly our competition.
Why are you so optimistic?
Casutt: Because the conditions for competition are better at the moment and we can influence them better. The economy depends on various external influences.
Did you have to do a lot of convincing at the FDHA and the Federal Office of Culture (FOC) to revive the competition?
Casutt: No, not at all. The collaboration was excellent. The initiative to redesign the competition came much more from the BAK itself.
What do you expect from the new competition?
Casutt: In the Swiss advertising market, posters are still much more important than in Europe (2001 market share of 10.8% according to Media Focus, editor's note). In addition, poster advertising in Switzerland is still at a very high level. As the market leader, we also have the task of doing something for the medium of outdoor advertising.
What innovations do you want to use to attract more participants?
Casutt: The most important point concerns the new weighting of commercial posters. After all, the previous competition "died" because advertisers no longer took part. With the new regulations, advertising posters will have two separate categories in addition to the culture and public service categories - individual subjects and series. This makes participation much more attractive for advertisers. Secondly, the relevant associations such as BSW, ASW and ADC are now also backing the competition. Thirdly, the new composition of the jury - with media experts, copywriters, photographers and others - is completely different.
They believe they can increase the number of participants again by involving additional industry associations and jurors. Similarly optimistic campaigns such as the upswing posters clearly show that the behavior of those addressed cannot be forced so easily.
Casutt: I am convinced that the realignment of the competition will not lead to potential participants being forced to take part. Our entry figures and the positive feedback are proof of this. Incidentally, the closing date for entries is the end of November. If the innovations in the "Poster of the Year" competition catch on better in the industry, then I am sure that we will be able to present a good selection.
A new assessment criterion is "communicating a message in a communicative and sustainable way". How do you intend to check this?
Casutt: In contrast to the old competition, where it didn't matter what the poster did, we now also want to take better account of advertising campaigns that triggered public debate. This is a very important change for the commercial category.
Controversial discussions as a benchmark for sustainability?
Casutt: I believe that this is feasible for posters where efficiency results are available. At this early stage, however, we are relying more on emotional than rational results, i.e. press clippings...
...which would certainly have won your Angie Becker campaign an award. What is the purpose of the new categorization?
Casutt: That you no longer have to compare apples with pears. Until now, the composition of the jury itself has led to difficulties in defining precise criteria for commercial or cultural posters. The guidelines for the designers of a cultural poster are often much broader than for those developing a commercial poster. This will now be much easier to distinguish. That is why there will now be one winner per category. The "Poster of the Year" will be chosen from these four category winners.
In view of the flood of awards and the prevailing economic downturn, the agencies have completely different problems and priorities than taking part in yet another competition.
Casutt: I see it differently: on the one hand, participation is free of charge for the agency. On the other hand, it is still a nice recognition for an agency to receive an award for the "Poster of the Year". Because now the agencies, creatives and graphic designers have a much greater say with the new judging mode and the more professional award ceremony.
The award has been given an international aura: in future, the term "Swiss" will no longer be used to describe the "Poster of the Year". How do you rate the chances that posters from abroad will now also be submitted?
Casutt: Not very big.
A marketing bluff then?
Casutt: No. The prerequisite is still that the poster has been displayed in Switzerland.
Only just under 700 posters were submitted for the last competition. How many do you expect this year?
Casutt: We don't expect much more in the start-up year, but a different weighting. We expect that the commercial customers will return and that they will account for at least half of all work.
www.apgsga.ch/kultur
