The federal government packs it in
Publisher marketing The Bund newspaper does not shy away from tricky ways of advertising subscriptions and customers and relies on "cross-media staging".
Publisher marketing The Bund newspaper does not shy away from tricky ways of advertising subscriptions and customers and relies on "cross-media staging." Anyone shopping in larger Migros stores in and around Bern on the past three Saturdays was asked at the checkouts by young people wearing Bund caps and T-shirts: "Can I help you with the packing?" For those who didn't mind, helpful hands stowed the goods in the shopping trolley they had brought with them or in a bag from the Bern daily newspaper. Finally, Migros customers were offered a free copy of the latest edition of the paper. The campaign was announced on Radio BE1, which belongs to the Bund Group, in the Anzeiger Region Bern, in the newspaper itself and on posters in the Migros stores. the campaign, which took place on three Saturdays and in nine large Migros stores, was a success for all sides. Raoul Wanger, responsible for marketing at the Bund Group, had the most reason to be satisfied. "We had 50,000 personal contacts, gained a lot of sympathy, and many Bund carrier bags have been in circulation ever since. Achieving the same result with traditional advertising would have cost us significantly more," he says.
However, he does not believe that the campaign will cause the Bund's circulation to skyrocket. "Our aim was primarily to support the newspaper's image and correct it where necessary," says Wanger. According to Medienradar, the Bund is read by progressive and young people. "Dynamic, helpful, likeable" - these are other attributes that should stick in the minds of the public. "If we have succeeded in doing this, and there are many indications that we have, perhaps people will be more willing to order a Bund trial subscription the next time they receive a mailing or phone call," hopes Wanger.
In view of the deficit of eight million francs and the uncertain future of the newspaper, however, this marketing campaign seems like a desperate grab for a lifebelt. According to Wanger, the campaign has nothing to do with the current situation at the Confederation or the reduced marketing budget. Rather, he has been looking for new, more effective forms of subscription and customer acquisition since he took up his position at the Confederation three years ago. This includes integrating as many of the Bund Group's media as possible. The Packer campaign was not the Bund's first cross-media campaign, and he is also looking for corresponding ideas for advertising customers.
The visit of the fake divaIn February, Wanger developed a daring campaign for Mediamarkt Lyssach with the aim of
video projector to customers as a home cinema device. To this end, a fake Hollywood diva drove up to Bern several times in a stretch limousine over the course of a week and handed out real tenners. She also stayed at the Hotel Schweizerhof every day. The whole thing was daring because Radio BE1 tracked down the staged diva, involved listeners in the search and regularly reported on the mysterious lady, even in news reports. The presenters also praised the advantages on the microphone
of video beamers. A competition was organized and information about it was posted on ebund.com. Mediamarkt placed advertisements in various newspapers. These featured the logos of BE1 and eBund - with the information that further information on video projectors could be found on the website (which the competition was not particularly pleased about).
Although this cross-media approach did not immediately increase sales of video projectors, it did lead to a higher demand for these devices, explains Peter Gast, Managing Director of Mediamarkt Lyssach. Today, he is convinced by such cross-media presentations and is already planning the next project. However, Wanger and Gast openly admit that the mix of staging, advertising and editorial work moves in a legal gray area and that both sides could also put their image at risk. "But the risk is justifiable," says Gast.
Cross-media bagging: Small bundle surprise for Migros customers in Bern.
However, he does not believe that the campaign will cause the Bund's circulation to skyrocket. "Our aim was primarily to support the newspaper's image and correct it where necessary," says Wanger. According to Medienradar, the Bund is read by progressive and young people. "Dynamic, helpful, likeable" - these are other attributes that should stick in the minds of the public. "If we have succeeded in doing this, and there are many indications that we have, perhaps people will be more willing to order a Bund trial subscription the next time they receive a mailing or phone call," hopes Wanger.
In view of the deficit of eight million francs and the uncertain future of the newspaper, however, this marketing campaign seems like a desperate grab for a lifebelt. According to Wanger, the campaign has nothing to do with the current situation at the Confederation or the reduced marketing budget. Rather, he has been looking for new, more effective forms of subscription and customer acquisition since he took up his position at the Confederation three years ago. This includes integrating as many of the Bund Group's media as possible. The Packer campaign was not the Bund's first cross-media campaign, and he is also looking for corresponding ideas for advertising customers.
The visit of the fake divaIn February, Wanger developed a daring campaign for Mediamarkt Lyssach with the aim of
video projector to customers as a home cinema device. To this end, a fake Hollywood diva drove up to Bern several times in a stretch limousine over the course of a week and handed out real tenners. She also stayed at the Hotel Schweizerhof every day. The whole thing was daring because Radio BE1 tracked down the staged diva, involved listeners in the search and regularly reported on the mysterious lady, even in news reports. The presenters also praised the advantages on the microphone
of video beamers. A competition was organized and information about it was posted on ebund.com. Mediamarkt placed advertisements in various newspapers. These featured the logos of BE1 and eBund - with the information that further information on video projectors could be found on the website (which the competition was not particularly pleased about).
Although this cross-media approach did not immediately increase sales of video projectors, it did lead to a higher demand for these devices, explains Peter Gast, Managing Director of Mediamarkt Lyssach. Today, he is convinced by such cross-media presentations and is already planning the next project. However, Wanger and Gast openly admit that the mix of staging, advertising and editorial work moves in a legal gray area and that both sides could also put their image at risk. "But the risk is justifiable," says Gast.
Cross-media bagging: Small bundle surprise for Migros customers in Bern.
Successful marketing for the Confederation: Raoul Wanger.
Losses in the countryside, gains in the city
For a number of years, the Bund was able to maintain its circulation at a good 68,000 copies. At the last certification, however, it fell by 2.9 percent to 6,6606 copies. This has to do with the discontinuation of the Biel-Seeland and Thun-Oberland fascicles, says Raoul Wanger. In the city and region of Bern, on the other hand, the core area of the Bund, circulation is growing slowly but steadily, especially since the relaunch last fall. According to Mach Basic 2002, the Bund has 14,000 readers. (mk)
Markus Knöpfli
