LSA calls for uniform booking tool and is concerned about neutrality of Ad Agent
Following Publicitas' bankruptcy, Switzerland's leading media agencies have outlined their requirements for a future tool for planning and booking print media and are calling on publishers to quickly fulfill their responsibility for print-media marketing.
In a press release issued on Thursday, Leading Swiss Agencies welcomes the efforts of publishers to set up a successor company to Publicitas. The association of leading communication and media agencies is of the opinion that it should be in the primary interest of publishers to provide the market with a uniform standard with a modern tool in the near future, with which print planning can be handled in a complete, secure, platform-independent, reliable and user-friendly manner.
"It is important that the print industry acts as one in this situation. Hopefully, it will soon be possible to process planning and bookings for all titles via one tool again," emphasizes Beat Krebs, CEO Publicis Media and Vice President of the LSA.
A rapid introduction of a standardized booking tool for print would be more than desirable from the point of view of leading communications and media agencies. Already a reality in other genres, a significant increase in efficiency would be vital for print in particular. A standardized solution for handling print volumes should be in the interest of publishers in order to manage the highly fragmented print landscape accordingly. If this solution is not found, the pressure on sales in this genre will increase significantly.
Neutrality guaranteed?
The LSA media agencies are also concerned about the neutrality of the new company - an issue that has not yet been satisfactorily addressed by the communication and media agencies. "How does Ad Agent ensure that information that does not concern Ad Agent's sponsoring companies is treated confidentially?" asks Catherine Purgly, Managing Director of the LSA association.
At the operational level, it must also be ensured that the entire area of special interest and specialist titles is covered. This area is ultimately the most complex to plan, argues the LSA. Coverage also includes ensuring that all titles can be booked via Ad Agent, regardless of whether Ad Agent concludes an agreement with them or not.
It remains to be seen whether the new company will be able to provide a satisfactory industry solution in the shortest possible time so that the print genre continues to receive the same level of support from advertisers and media agencies as before.
"The LSA's expectations of an industry solution, as announced by the newly founded company Ad Agent, are high. That is why we have signaled our willingness to work on a solution," says Catherine Purgly. (pd/hae)
