An end to the power struggle
Advertisements The dust stirred up among publishers by P Basel’s account credit has already settled. But some questions remain.
Advertisements The dust that the P Basel account bonification raised among publishers has already settled. But some questions remain: the account bonification with which Publicitas Basel wanted to bind its customers to itself has been called off. In this respect, it would actually be superfluous to reproduce the statements that Werbewoche obtained from the surprised publishers. However, we still consider some opinions, questions and concerns to be important. Important enough, at any rate, to take them on board before the next avalanche of hasty measures and countermeasures is unleashed: none of the publishers we asked, regardless of whether they are owner-operated or leased publishers, were positive about the new bonus. Susanne Lebrument, for example, found it "basically good that the P is finally reacting to the direct booking compensation for self-published titles". However, the head of Südostschweiz-Publicitas, which has its title under partial management, is still not happy about the "power struggle between the publisher and P". "The customers' needs are being completely ignored," she criticized, adding: "It's high time everyone sat down at the same table."
Markus Ehrle, Head of Advertising Market at the NZZ, was not overly concerned. He considered the bonus - apparently rightly - to be primarily an outgrowth of the local dispute between P Basel and Basler Zeitung Medien. However, he also warned of the possibility of a "national conflagration".
The self-directed publishers were primarily concerned about their price sovereignty - and that customers could once again increasingly order via the P. The latter would cause additional costs. The latter would result in additional costs for the owner-managed publishers. This is because the commission they pay P for each advertisement it acquires is generally higher than the compensation they pay to customers who book directly. Franziska von Weissenfluh from the Berner Zeitung was therefore not happy about P's new bonus: "It's unfair. Until now, everyone has stuck to the tariffs. But with the bonus, the P would significantly undercut the prices," said the publishing director.
Marcel Siegenthaler, Head of Advertising Market at Edipresse Switzerland, has two souls in his chest. After all, Edipresse runs its own magazines, while the newspapers are leased. But Siegenthaler also spoke out against the bonus. Because as an old hand in the industry, he knows: The agency commission paid by P's own-account publishers is higher than the 3 percent bonus in most cases. But not everywhere. One or two self-publishers pay less. Nevertheless, P Basel would also have paid up to 3 percent bonuses for orders placed with these titles - and thus made a profit. "But where would it get the money for the bonus?" asked Siegenthaler - and gave the answer himself: "From the self-directed and leased publishers, of course, who pay a higher commission". However, this would lead to a "mixed commission calculation", which he disapproved of. "Publishers with a higher sales or leasing commission would then be subsidizing those with a lower one," he criticizes. For him, this would raise the question of "whether the leased titles in particular are paying P too high commissions if it can still give something back to its customers".
Markus Knöpfli
Markus Ehrle, Head of Advertising Market at the NZZ, was not overly concerned. He considered the bonus - apparently rightly - to be primarily an outgrowth of the local dispute between P Basel and Basler Zeitung Medien. However, he also warned of the possibility of a "national conflagration".
The self-directed publishers were primarily concerned about their price sovereignty - and that customers could once again increasingly order via the P. The latter would cause additional costs. The latter would result in additional costs for the owner-managed publishers. This is because the commission they pay P for each advertisement it acquires is generally higher than the compensation they pay to customers who book directly. Franziska von Weissenfluh from the Berner Zeitung was therefore not happy about P's new bonus: "It's unfair. Until now, everyone has stuck to the tariffs. But with the bonus, the P would significantly undercut the prices," said the publishing director.
Marcel Siegenthaler, Head of Advertising Market at Edipresse Switzerland, has two souls in his chest. After all, Edipresse runs its own magazines, while the newspapers are leased. But Siegenthaler also spoke out against the bonus. Because as an old hand in the industry, he knows: The agency commission paid by P's own-account publishers is higher than the 3 percent bonus in most cases. But not everywhere. One or two self-publishers pay less. Nevertheless, P Basel would also have paid up to 3 percent bonuses for orders placed with these titles - and thus made a profit. "But where would it get the money for the bonus?" asked Siegenthaler - and gave the answer himself: "From the self-directed and leased publishers, of course, who pay a higher commission". However, this would lead to a "mixed commission calculation", which he disapproved of. "Publishers with a higher sales or leasing commission would then be subsidizing those with a lower one," he criticizes. For him, this would raise the question of "whether the leased titles in particular are paying P too high commissions if it can still give something back to its customers".
Markus Knöpfli
