Content beats form

There were some new features in the 2008 annual report rating: from this year onwards, the HarbourClub, the association of heads of communications at major Swiss companies, is not only responsible for the award ceremony, but also for the overall implementation of the rating and the coordination of the three juries.
The criteria for the evaluated annual reports were redefined (see "Which annual reports were evaluated", below) and the number of evaluated reports was reduced to around 130. What is most striking, however, is that interest in the Swiss annual report awards has reached a peak. With almost 200 participants, almost twice as many communication managers took part in the event as in the previous year. However, the name of the overall winner of the annual report rating remained the same as last year.
Straumann becomes overall winner for the second time in a row
It was a bit of a surprise that Straumann was able to repeat its success from last year. The theme of its 2007 annual report was kissing. However, Straumann was awarded the gold medal not only because of its emotional imagery, but also because the company succeeded in making it a pleasure to read. Anyone who has no idea about dental implants or oral tissue regeneration products will know what this business is all about after reading it. The figures section is also written in a way that is understandable for laypeople and provides a quick overview.
Second place also went to a repeat offender: Novartis once again impressed with the previous year's concept, as the company manages to reconcile complexity, seriousness and the presentation of its own success and make its sophisticated business accessible to an interested public
Third place went to Credit Suisse. Finally, a financial services provider made it to the top again. Although the image concept and design were not particularly praised, the 1.2 kilogram work, consisting of five parts, is well structured and fulfills the legal requirements on the one hand and the expectations of good "value reporting" on the other. The jury particularly praised the fact that CS had succeeded in summarizing the most important information on 64 pages in a separate, clearly structured section, the "Annual Report".
Mediocrity of the design
The design jury pulled off a coup. For the first time, it did not award a clear first place, but honored five companies ex aequo. Bank Coop, Basler Kantonalbank, Migros, Valora and VP Bank all received a diploma. According to Peter Vetter, Coande, head of the design jury, the reason for this unusual assessment: "There is a general tendency towards mediocrity. Behavior without risk seems to be the order of the day. There is a lack of courage to realize something new and unforeseen. Or to make a concise statement, to present yourself in a distinctive way."
Always better in terms of content
The development looks more positive when assessed according to content criteria. Over the last few years, the quality of the information provided has gradually increased and transparency for investors has also improved. Progress has been particularly marked in the areas of risk analysis and value-oriented corporate management. Prof. Rudolf Volkart from the Swiss banking institute and his project manager Benjamin Wilding awarded the first prize for value reporting to Georg Fischer after extensive analysis by students at the university. UBS came second, followed by St. Galler Kantonalbank. The conclusion of this year's annual report rating: content beats form.
Andreas Jäggi

Which annual reports were evaluated?
The 2008 annual report rating included the 2007 annual reports of the 100 companies with the highest market capitalization, the 50 most important companies in terms of turnover, the 25 largest banks and the 10 largest insurance companies. Companies that do not publish an annual report were not included.
How was it chosen?
Professor Rudolf Volkart from the Swiss Banking Institute evaluated the annual reports together with students according to defined content criteria for value reporting. At the same time, ten experts under the direction of Peter Vetter, Studio Coande, dealt with the design, visualization, typography and implementation of the annual reports and compiled the design jury's ranking list. The addition of both ratings according to ranking points resulted in the top 20, from which the third jury finally selected the overall winners of the 2008 annual report rating.
The rating brochure
Interested parties can download the PDF of a 36-page brochure on the annual report rating at www.harbourclub.ch. It includes detailed rating lists and the covers of the best 60 Swiss annual reports.

The winning annual report: