Publicitas wants to seek a solution with the publishers at the round table
AZ Medien is another media company that has terminated its collaboration with advertising sales company Publicitas with immediate effect. Tamedia, Ringier, Admeira, Gassmann Verlag and the NZZ media group have already terminated their business relationship. Publicitas ventures a rescue attempt.
In its press release on Friday, AZ Medien, like the other media companies before it, justifies the move with "payment arrears" and "current events". The Aargau-based media company regrets this step, which it is unfortunately forced to take.
Publisher invited
In a statement on Friday evening, Publicitas regretted what had happened. The publishers had been approached with a proposal. For the most part, the parties involved evaluated this verbally as a basis for discussion, but ultimately not all of them supported it.
The company is continuing to look for ways to "resolve the situation satisfactorily for all parties involved". Publicitas is inviting the publishers to a meeting next Thursday, where an alternative solution is to be presented. A rescue attempt to avert the threat of grounding.
Publicitas expressed its "surprise" on Wednesday following the termination of its collaboration with Tamedia (Werbewoche.ch reported). The company is working on a restructuring concept for medium-term stabilization.
"Public execution"
On the Wednesday announced Tamedia's withdrawal was immediately followed by the reactions of the other publishers. On Thursday morning announced Admeira, Ringier and Ringier Axel Springer Switzerland announced the end of their business relationship with Publictias, in the afternoon ended NZZ also announced its collaboration with Publicitas. On Friday followed AZ Media. According to Switzerland at the weekend The Biel-based publishing house Gassmann Verlag, which publishes the Bieler Tagblatt has terminated its cooperation with the advertising broker.
However, the publishers' communicative approach has also been met with criticism. In Blick, journalist Karl Lüönd describes the past few days as a "public execution of the former dairy cow". The traditional Swiss company, founded in 1890, was "publicly executed with a few press releases". "Words can kill: a communiqué like this acts like a stun grenade. Credibility is shot", writes Lüönd. The Publicitas expert had in the advertising week expressed concern about the "former beacon" of the Swiss media industry back in January 2017.
Bank of the publishers
Like the media companies, Publicitas is suffering from the marked decline in print advertising. The advertising marketer has already been in the red several times.
Publicitas sells advertisements for a commission. In the past, the once rich, highly profitable and powerful company made a decisive contribution to a stable Swiss media landscape by acting as a bank for publishers in difficulties and ensuring their continued existence with loans and low interest rates. The situation has now been reversed - and publishers are not prepared to continue acting as "lenders". (hae/SDA)
