The discussion about outdoor advertising in the city of Zurich is entering the next round: the motion originally submitted by the Alternative List (AL) called for a comprehensive ban on commercial billboard advertising - not only in public spaces, but also on private property if it is publicly visible. This would affect not only traditional advertising spaces at train stations, in streetcars and buses or on public vehicles, but also digital advertising media on buildings. The Zurich City Council rejected the motion last year on the grounds that it would represent a significant intervention in the local economy and could jeopardize advertising revenue of around CHF 28 million annually.

The municipal council has now adopted a watered-down version of the SP parliamentary group by a narrow majority: 58 votes were in favor of the amendment, 57 against and there were no abstentions. Although the new model is less restrictive than the AL's original advertising ban, the advertising industry remains concerned.

KS/CS warns of negative consequences

In a press release, KS/CS Communication Switzerland reacted critically to the decision. The association emphasizes the importance of outdoor advertising as a communication channel for the local economy, creative artists, political actors and non-profit organizations. It also warns that restricting poster advertising could further accelerate the already strong migration of advertising money to digital channels and international tech platforms.

Jürg Bachmann, President of KS/CS, is clear: "The far-reaching restriction of outdoor advertising in the city of Zurich would weaken the economy, society, culture and politics. In particular, it would impair consumers' freedom of choice, because advertising is information." KS/CS also points out that outdoor advertising is one of the most CO2-efficient advertising media compared to digital channels.

LSA is disappointed

In addition to KS/CS Communication Switzerland, Leading Swiss Agencies LSA has also criticized the decision of the Zurich municipal council. The association of leading Swiss communication agencies warns of the negative economic and cultural impact of the planned restrictions. "Outdoor advertising is an essential part of urban life in Zurich. A ban has far-reaching negative consequences: It deprives the city of considerable revenue, weakens the economy and restricts SMEs in particular in their communication," says LSA President Andreas Hugi. The measure would also make it more difficult to advertise cultural events, as posters are an important information channel. LSA is therefore calling for a fact-based discussion of the issue and a solution that takes equal account of economic, cultural and social interests.

What's next?

The Zurich City Council is now obliged to draw up a draft bill within the next two years. KS/CS has already announced that it will critically monitor the further process and advocate a business-friendly implementation. The debate about the future of outdoor advertising in Zurich is therefore likely to continue for some time to come.

In November, KS/CS invited guests to the Razzia to discuss the planned restrictions on outdoor advertising. Click here for the Insights.

Advertising ban as protection for public spaces?

A ban on outdoor advertising on public land in the city of Zurich? For Michael Schmid, municipal councillor of the Alternative List and initiator of the Motionthis is a necessary step. He argued that the increasing presence of advertising, in particular dynamic digital ads, impairs the quality of public space and puts a strain on people's attention and mental health. According to Schmid, advertising promotes consumption patterns that need to be critically questioned in light of ecological challenges. He also warned against the increasing dominance of large international players and called for more space to be given to smaller, local players.

The importance of posters for the city and the economy

Christoph Marty, CEO of the Goldbach Group, strongly disagreed with this position. For him, poster advertising is a proven and exemplary regulated medium that has been implemented in Zurich in an ecologically sustainable manner for years. Marty pointed out that the city has severely restricted the expansion of digital advertising installations and that existing installations are powered by green electricity. At the same time, he emphasized the economic burden caused by rising tax costs: "Taxes paid to the city have risen from CHF 7 million to over CHF 28 million in the last 15 years. At the same time, the number of advertising spaces on public land has been reduced from 3,700 to 3,000." This growing cost pressure is making it increasingly difficult for providers to work economically, he explained.

Urs Spinner from the Zurich Building Department also emphasized the financial consequences of a ban. The revenue of over 30 million francs generated annually is essential for financing the city's infrastructure, including the maintenance of bus stops and public services. At the same time, he emphasized that the city already has strict guidelines in place to ensure the compatibility and quality of outdoor advertising.

Rolf Hiltl, restaurateur and advertiser in Zurich, added the cultural dimension of outdoor advertising. Posters are part of the city's history, he explained, referring to his company's historical campaigns, which are now on display in museums. Hiltl spoke out against a general ban, but emphasized that local companies were coming under increasing pressure due to high cost structures. Special regulations in favor of regional players could create a balance here, he suggested.

Advertising as an indispensable part of society

Roland Ehrler, Director of the Swiss Advertisers' Association, also expressed his position clearly. Advertising is an integral part of a functioning market economy and makes it possible to make products and services visible. A ban would increasingly divert advertising expenditure to digital channels, which are less transparently regulated, explained Ehrler. Poster advertising, he argued, has always had a cultural component and is part of the public space. The social and economic value of this medium should not be underestimated.

A tense outlook

The panel discussion chaired by Matthias Ackeret clearly showed how irreconcilable the positions remain. While one side advocates slowing down and reducing consumption, the other sees billboards as an important economic and cultural pillar of urban life. It is clear that this issue will continue to occupy the population in the context of a possible referendum - with far-reaching consequences for the cityscape and the advertising industry.

Jürg Bachmann, President of KS/CS Communication Switzerland, emphasized that the current situation with advertising bans in Switzerland is very serious. With 44 new initiatives this year, he sees a threatening development that restricts the freedom of information and communication. The KS/CS Communication Switzerland organization examines each initiative in terms of its impact and prepares position papers that are made available to parliamentarians to enable them to make informed decisions. Bachmann criticized the fact that many of the advertising bans are ideologically motivated and not based on facts. He emphasized that advertising is important for consumer information, economic stability and media financing. A decline in advertising would endanger the media landscape and quality journalism. He called on the industry to unite in order to preserve the creative and innovative world of advertising in Switzerland.

Andrea Banz, Head of Marketing, Emmi Switzerland, presented the success story of Emmi Caffè Latte advertising and emphasized that the brand would not have been able to build the same emotional connection with consumers without the opportunity to advertise. Emmi relies on self-regulation by advertising responsibly and in line with the target group, for example through sugar-reduced products for children. She emphasized the importance of advertising in building strong brands and consumer loyalty.

Andrea Bison, Co-CEO of Thjnk and Advertiser of the Year 2024, emphasized the cultural significance of advertising, which provides entertainment and information at the same time. She pleaded for individual responsibility and emphasized that advertising bans alone are not a solution to problematic consumer behavior. Parents and schools should play an active role in providing information. Bison explained that careful analysis of target groups and responsible advertising messages are crucial. She called for freedom of advertising to be seen as an expression of freedom of opinion and to think about advertising bans in a differentiated way.

Markus Ehrle, CEO APG/SGA, explained the challenges posed by local legislative initiatives to restrict outdoor advertising. A complete ban on commercial outdoor advertising would jeopardize over 800 jobs and considerable revenue in Switzerland. Ehrle emphasized the importance of advertising for value creation and the financing of journalism. He spoke out against radical advertising bans and pleaded for responsible advertising within the existing legal framework. He described the current measures as "shooting sparrows with cannons."

Cyril Meier from the HWZ emphasized the need for a detailed analysis of public opinion and political trends with regard to advertising. The industry must take proactive measures to understand the voices of the population and political representatives and act accordingly. He called for allies to be found and for professional lobbying and public communication to highlight the importance of advertising for society.

The interviews illustrate the serious economic and social impact of advertising bans. The industry is confronted with ideologically motivated restrictions that are not based on facts. The players emphasize the importance of advertising for consumer information, economic stability and media financing. They call for unity and the defense of advertising freedom, while at the same time advocating responsible advertising practices. Advertising is seen as an essential component of freedom of expression and democratic information culture. The evening was organized by the IAA - International Advertising Association - Swiss Chapter

Flying and driving should "under no circumstances be promoted" because of climate change, the motion says. Advertisements - for example, for vacations in faraway countries - should also carry a warning that flying causes serious damage to the environment and thus also to the health of this and future generations.

Opposition came from the center-right. Erich Hess (SVP), for example, said that freedom of trade and industry prevails in Switzerland. The proposal therefore contradicted federal law.

Tom Berger (FDP) wondered if he had stumbled into a satirical event: products that could be freely advertised throughout Switzerland should come with a warning label in the city of Bern.

The city government showed itself ready to examine the request. Councillor Marieke Kruit (SP) pointed out that private spaces would not be affected by a ban - such as train stations and shopping centers. The municipal council must submit the review report by the end of 2025. (SDA)

On Sunday it was clear: The people of Biel want bilingual advertising. This means that in the future, advertisements in the city of Biel must be designed in the two official languages, German and French. With 52.9 percent in favor and 47.1 percent against, the voters accepted the proposal. The voter turnout was 34.4 percent. As the associations Aussenwerbung Schweiz, KS/CS Kommunikation Schweiz and the Swiss Association of Advertisers SWA had already announced in a joint statement (advertisingweek.ch reported), they criticize the revision of the regulations in particular the "compulsion to bilingualism" for advertisements in Biel. The "Biel advertising ban", as the associations say, would stand alone internationally and have negative effects.

Werbewoche.ch spoke exclusively with SWA Director Roland Ehrler after the vote.

Werbewoche.ch: Mr. Ehrler, how are you doing?

Roland Ehrler: Thank you for asking. After a short but intensive voting campaign, I am above all disappointed. Just 576 more votes and the controversial billboard regulations would have been rejected by the Biel electorate. Unfortunately, the city of Biel was always one step ahead and, in our view, simply misinformed the population. After all, Article 5 clearly states that commercial posters "must" be designed in the two official languages! However, the city of Biel interprets its own regulations quite differently and let it be known during the referendum campaign that there was still plenty of room for maneuver and that slogans such as "ici c'est Bienne" from EHC Biel did not have to be translated. As a voter, I would have been a bit confused. What applies now? The strict regulations or the lax implementation? The whole thing thus degenerates into the arbitrariness of a few officials and in the end then leads to an advertising police in Biel!

The total revision comprises 27 articles. Article 5 is a particular thorn in your side. What is it about, if you look at it objectively?

There is no doubt that the regulations deserve a revision after 20 years. However, with the new Article 5 and the compulsory bilingualism (German/French), an unnecessary tightening has been hidden in the regulations. After all, this is a massive encroachment on the economic freedom of the advertising companies guaranteed in the Federal Constitution. In addition, the language requirement also contradicts the Bernese cantonal constitution, which stipulates in Article 50 that the canton and the municipalities should create favorable framework conditions for the economy. The city of Biel is doing exactly the opposite here and is not doing itself or the economy any favors. This was also evident in the non-partisan committee with the Biel FDP, SVP, Partie Radical Romand, GLP, Biel SME's, Handels- und Industrieverein, the EHC Biel and four national associations (AWS, SWA, KS/CS and Promarca).

What impact will this have?

As already mentioned, regulations will soon be in force that are sharply worded and prescribe bilingualism for Biel. At the same time, companies are dependent on the room for maneuver of Biel's officials. And we take the city president, Mr. Fehr, at his word that slogans do not have to be translated. Since a great many posters contain such slogans, perhaps in the end nothing will happen and the regulations will degenerate into a mere paper tiger? As you can see, the legal uncertainty is very high, especially due to the communication of the city of Biel. We will therefore clarify further legal possibilities against the new regulations within the framework of our current objection and together with the committee.

Now the Bernese cantonal constitution prescribes bilingualism for the municipality of Biel - were you caught on the wrong foot?

No, not at all. This article of the cantonal constitution is about the promotion of bilingualism and that is good and right. In Biel-Bienne, for example, bilingualism has been practiced for a long time without any language restrictions. On street signs, in the stores or in the official information to the population. In the case of commercial posters, however, this is simply going too far. Especially when other articles of the same cantonal constitution are being infringed upon, and then even the federal constitution. Even Biel organizations, which otherwise stand up for bilingualism, were against this coercion and the French Partie Radical Romand. They were all of the opinion that one achieves less with coercion than with voluntariness.

As justification for the revision, reference was made to Article 6, according to which the French-speaking minority feels disadvantaged by the excessive proportion of German-language posters. Are there any figures that confirm or refute this?

APG carried out a survey and found that today about 1/3 of the posters in Biel are already displayed in French without any compulsion. This does not mean that the French-speaking minority is not important to the companies. Furthermore, we must not forget that there are still posters in other languages, e.g. in Italian or English. With a strict interpretation of Article 5, these posters would also be prohibited from the date of validity of the new regulations!

Should advertisers have been more considerate of bilingualism?

I do not blame anyone at this point. It was previously the law that any company could advertise in the language it wanted on posters. After all, the companies paid for it. Incidentally, advertising money, of which the city of Biel also received a nice share.

EHC Biel was also part of the opponents' committee. Why?

Quite simply, as an SME, the EHCB is affected by the language constraint like other companies in Biel. The poster campaign for the season opener was last texted in English: "Welcome back: get your ticket now!" Under the new regulations, this would no longer be allowed! And the monolingual "ici c'est Bienne" would also have to be translated on posters, strictly speaking. Even Biel's city president doesn't want that!

As already mentioned, the revision includes 27 articles. Are there other articles that are considered (too) restrictive from the perspective of the advertising clients?

Only Article 5 with the language requirement is really bad. Everything else can be accepted.

How do you assess the forecast? Will the advertising volume, i.e. the budgets for billboard advertising in Biel-Bienne, decline?

The city of Biel writes in its message to the electorate that the revision will have no direct financial impact. On the contrary, they even expect higher fee income for larger formats. However, I think - and we explained this to the city several times during the objection process - that the city will have to reckon with a decline in advertising revenues. No one will rewrite their English poster texts in German and French just for the city of Biel. Furthermore, the legal uncertainty could lead to Biel simply being left out of a national poster campaign in case of doubt.

Their slogan was: "No language compulsion in Biel!" In retrospect, one is always wiser. Shouldn't the consequences of a "yes" vote have been better communicated?

Our NO committee has supported this referendum campaign in particular with a Website, flyers and a poster campaign were realized in record time with the agency in flagranti in Lyss. The effects of the regulations were somewhat more difficult to explain and were therefore the focus of the media work as well as in the social media channels. In the voting campaign, I was most pleased to have direct contact with the people of Biel. When we distributed flyers on two Saturday mornings, there was a lot of good feedback about the campaign and the commitment of the NO committee. The city hardly expected this. In this sense, I think we did a good job and thank everyone for their commitment. In the end, the result of the vote was very close!

Do you fear that this could have a signal effect for other cities?

I hope not and bilingual cities are not so many! The SWA, as an association representing the interests of advertisers, is in any case prepared to continue to campaign against such nonsensical bans.

When does the new regulation come into force?

The regulations will be implemented in the next few months, according to the city of Biel. However, the last word has not yet been spoken...

In February 2022, the electorate approved the popular initiative "Yes to protecting children and young people from tobacco advertising". It calls for a ban on all tobacco advertising where it reaches minors. A corresponding amendment to the Law on Tobacco Products and Electronic Cigarettes (TabPG) is necessary. The consultation period for this expired on Wednesday.

Critics of the current partial revision accuse the Federal Council and the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA) of "overshooting the mark" in their responses to the consultation. The preliminary draft lacks any sense of proportionality and should be rejected from both a government policy and a regulatory policy perspective, according to the business umbrella organization Economiesuisse.

Harsh criticism is also coming from the advertising industry. The Federal Council is not implementing the result of the vote, but is rewriting parts of the law, according to the umbrella organization for commercial communication in Switzerland (KS/CS Kommunikation Schweiz). This is incomprehensible and is rejected.

For KS/CS Kommunikation Schweiz, APG/SGA, which is active in outdoor advertising, the Swiss Outdoor Advertising Association (AWS), Swiss Tabacco and Swiss Cigarette, this is a total advertising ban that contradicts the freedom of trade and industry enshrined in the constitution.

"In effect, a total ban on smoking".

The obligation to report advertising expenditure, sales promotion and sponsoring by manufacturers and importers to the state authorities, which was included in the preliminary draft, also disregards the decisions of parliament in this regard, is irrelevant and incomprehensible. It is neither the subject of the popular initiative nor does it contribute to the protection of minors, state the Association of the Swiss Tobacco Trade (Swiss Tabacco), the Swiss Cigarette Association and Economiesuisse.

For the SVP and the center, the planned obligation to report is also "incomprehensible". This was never the subject of the initiative and proposals to this effect were rejected in parliament. The SVP criticizes that the FDHA is trying to "enforce a de facto total ban on smoking.

The center supports "in principle the thrust of the proposal". However, the question arises as to whether an absolute ban on advertising is really necessary in order to achieve the goal of the popular initiative, especially since the initiators did not call for an absolute ban in the area of print media in their implementation proposal.

Ratification of the WHO agreement draws closer

The SP and the Greens, on the other hand, say that the implementation of the new constitutional provisions is in line with the intention of the electorate and will result in a very far-reaching, but not an absolute ban on the advertising of tobacco products. The proposed measures are expressly welcomed. They do not go too far, even by international standards.

The preliminary draft of the partial revision would largely meet the demands of the popular initiative, write the professional association Addiction, Public Health Switzerland and the Working Group Tobacco Prevention Switzerland.

These organizations and the Greens expressly welcome the additional proposal to levy the expenditure on tobacco and nicotine advertising. With this and with the implementation of the popular initiative, the ratification of the corresponding WHO Framework Convention would come within reach for Switzerland. The federal government and the cantons would also have to actively carry out controls and the amount of the fines should be based on the size of the billion-dollar tobacco companies.

The board of the Conference of Cantonal Health Directors (GDK) is also satisfied. The advertising restrictions demanded by the initiative and now proposed in the draft law are an effective and inexpensive measure to prevent people from taking up tobacco consumption. In the longer term, they would contribute to reducing tobacco consumption and secondary diseases.

Lack of health promotion

The Foundation for Consumer Protection considers the popular initiative to have been adequately implemented in most respects. The Foundation for Consumer Protection, Public Health Switzerland, the GDK, the SP and the Greens regret that no provision has been included in the present draft to promote the health of children and adolescents. In the opinion of the GDK, the problem of the sale of tobacco and nicotine products to minors via online trade is also insufficiently regulated.

The entry into force of the new Tobacco Products Act and Ordinance by the Federal Council is scheduled for early 2024. (sda)