A sawdust arena full of poetry
The Swiss National Circus modernizes its corporate communication with Ron Stocker Art
The Swiss National Circus modernizes its corporate communication with Ron Stocker ArtBy Ernst Weber Spontaneously, the Circus Knie decided to modernize its communication. One of the people behind this change was longtime Knie photographer Jost Wildbolz, who brought the Zurich-based image and media agency Ron Stocker Art (RSA) into the conversation at the Swiss National Circus.
"I know someone who could teach your advertising new tricks in communication," Jost Wildbolz had said to the Knies: Ron Stocker, owner of RSA, has been realizing image and media concepts for ten years. The collaboration between him and the Swiss National Circus began in May 1999 at an opera house coffee, where Stocker discussed a more journalistic concept for the Knie Illustrated with Chris Krenger, press director for 39 years, and Herbert Scheller, marketing director of the National Circus for 28 years.
Stocker argued with the fact that a Knie illustrated magazine had to live from better pictures. It was agreed to create a layout with photos from the extensive Knie archive. "Chris Krenger has every archive image in his head," Stocker says, "he knows the name and function of every person pictured." Stocker's design impressed, "We are," says Chris Krenger, "in a process and soon realized that it can be interesting to incorporate new ideas into communications. But that doesn't mean we just accepted everything."
Authentic acquisition aid: the knee event brochure
First, Herbert Scheller commissioned an event brochure from RSA to convince potentially interested parties that the 2,500-seat Knie tent, which costs just 55,000 Swiss francs to rent per evening, could be the right setting for an unusual corporate event, for example.
"In this case, you have to realize an event brochure according to the real situation," says Ron Stocker: Five times, the agency owner went on a motif hunt in the circus with photographer Hansjörg Egger to authentically capture the atmosphere at closed events.
The event brochure contains pictures of various events, such as Beatocello's charity gala, the general meetings of Crossair and the Bernese department store Loeb, as well as the 150th anniversary celebrations of Rentes Genevoises and Swiss Post. The latter, by the way, booked the circus in 20 cities at once. The circus management often builds a little extra into the program, such as a race between A and B Post.
Ron Stocker likes the way they work together: "Once the Knies have gained trust," says the Canadian with a Swiss passport, "they let you work freely." However, if you wanted to take a group picture of the Knie staff, you wouldn't make any friends because you would paralyze the entire operation. That's why the group picture in the brochure was scheduled for a tough half hour.
Stocker is also impressed by the palpable family mentality: low-level work in the true sense doesn't exist at all, says the advertiser: "Even Franco Knie loads elephants onto the train with the Moroccans at four in the morning."
Putting the glamour of the circus world on paper
In mid-December, Chris Krenger gave the green light for the realization of a Knie illustrated book, as had been discussed at the Opera House Coffee. The glossy illustrated magazine takes up this year's motto "Fun and Poetry". Photographer Silvia Luckner, whose photographs of Gardi Hutter and her ensemble are a tribute to the art of comedy, was commissioned for the first issue.
The aesthetic demands on poetry were implemented by Jost Wildbolz, who has accompanied the Knie family photographically for ten years. More detailed texts tell stories, anecdotes and childhood memories. Ron Stocker: "The goal was really a Knie poetry album." That's why Fredy Knie Jr. was photographed with a zebra instead of horses, with whom he speaks as an animal teacher, he says.
A virtual tour of the circus
The first Internet presence of the Swiss National Circus is a co-production of RSA and Netgraphic (NET), a subsidiary of the Zurich printing company gdz, which realizes Internet and multimedia productions.
Convinced of each other's expertise, RSA and NET enter into joint ventures to integrate Stocker's image and media know-how into Internet presences. The web design of the Knie homepage was created by Art Director Daniel Tschanz. The 27-year-old is a member of the management team at Netgraphic. "The contract to design this website," says Ron Stocker proudly, "was won by RSA/NET at the end of February in a pitch against the Internet agency Jäggi Communications and an agency from Karlsruhe." The presentation was made to the board of directors of the multimillion-dollar company.
In order to be able to launch the Internet site by the start of the tour on March 21, RSA/NET proposed a trilingual advance version that will be successively expanded. The site adopts the main features of the corporate identity of the brochure and illustrated magazine: "The photos and primary graphic elements from the current advertising materials have been recycled on the website, so to speak," says Daniel Tschanz.
Ticket orders via the homepage
Furthermore, the homepage contains facts such as tour dates, the prices of the tiers and the possibility to order tickets. The concept also includes the suggestion that some interested parties might refrain from attending a performance if too much is revealed on the homepage: The texts, for example about the artists and their performances, are therefore kept extremely brief; the electronic visitor is really only given a brief insight into the world of the Swiss National Circus.
In the meantime, however, this - understandably for circus people - natural respect for the new medium has been abandoned. Nothing stands in the way of the planned expansion of the homepage: By August, the site will be expanded to include a marketing and press review and a virtual tour of the circus.
"I know someone who could teach your advertising new tricks in communication," Jost Wildbolz had said to the Knies: Ron Stocker, owner of RSA, has been realizing image and media concepts for ten years. The collaboration between him and the Swiss National Circus began in May 1999 at an opera house coffee, where Stocker discussed a more journalistic concept for the Knie Illustrated with Chris Krenger, press director for 39 years, and Herbert Scheller, marketing director of the National Circus for 28 years.
Stocker argued with the fact that a Knie illustrated magazine had to live from better pictures. It was agreed to create a layout with photos from the extensive Knie archive. "Chris Krenger has every archive image in his head," Stocker says, "he knows the name and function of every person pictured." Stocker's design impressed, "We are," says Chris Krenger, "in a process and soon realized that it can be interesting to incorporate new ideas into communications. But that doesn't mean we just accepted everything."
Authentic acquisition aid: the knee event brochure
First, Herbert Scheller commissioned an event brochure from RSA to convince potentially interested parties that the 2,500-seat Knie tent, which costs just 55,000 Swiss francs to rent per evening, could be the right setting for an unusual corporate event, for example.
"In this case, you have to realize an event brochure according to the real situation," says Ron Stocker: Five times, the agency owner went on a motif hunt in the circus with photographer Hansjörg Egger to authentically capture the atmosphere at closed events.
The event brochure contains pictures of various events, such as Beatocello's charity gala, the general meetings of Crossair and the Bernese department store Loeb, as well as the 150th anniversary celebrations of Rentes Genevoises and Swiss Post. The latter, by the way, booked the circus in 20 cities at once. The circus management often builds a little extra into the program, such as a race between A and B Post.
Ron Stocker likes the way they work together: "Once the Knies have gained trust," says the Canadian with a Swiss passport, "they let you work freely." However, if you wanted to take a group picture of the Knie staff, you wouldn't make any friends because you would paralyze the entire operation. That's why the group picture in the brochure was scheduled for a tough half hour.
Stocker is also impressed by the palpable family mentality: low-level work in the true sense doesn't exist at all, says the advertiser: "Even Franco Knie loads elephants onto the train with the Moroccans at four in the morning."
Putting the glamour of the circus world on paper
In mid-December, Chris Krenger gave the green light for the realization of a Knie illustrated book, as had been discussed at the Opera House Coffee. The glossy illustrated magazine takes up this year's motto "Fun and Poetry". Photographer Silvia Luckner, whose photographs of Gardi Hutter and her ensemble are a tribute to the art of comedy, was commissioned for the first issue.
The aesthetic demands on poetry were implemented by Jost Wildbolz, who has accompanied the Knie family photographically for ten years. More detailed texts tell stories, anecdotes and childhood memories. Ron Stocker: "The goal was really a Knie poetry album." That's why Fredy Knie Jr. was photographed with a zebra instead of horses, with whom he speaks as an animal teacher, he says.
A virtual tour of the circus
The first Internet presence of the Swiss National Circus is a co-production of RSA and Netgraphic (NET), a subsidiary of the Zurich printing company gdz, which realizes Internet and multimedia productions.
Convinced of each other's expertise, RSA and NET enter into joint ventures to integrate Stocker's image and media know-how into Internet presences. The web design of the Knie homepage was created by Art Director Daniel Tschanz. The 27-year-old is a member of the management team at Netgraphic. "The contract to design this website," says Ron Stocker proudly, "was won by RSA/NET at the end of February in a pitch against the Internet agency Jäggi Communications and an agency from Karlsruhe." The presentation was made to the board of directors of the multimillion-dollar company.
In order to be able to launch the Internet site by the start of the tour on March 21, RSA/NET proposed a trilingual advance version that will be successively expanded. The site adopts the main features of the corporate identity of the brochure and illustrated magazine: "The photos and primary graphic elements from the current advertising materials have been recycled on the website, so to speak," says Daniel Tschanz.
Ticket orders via the homepage
Furthermore, the homepage contains facts such as tour dates, the prices of the tiers and the possibility to order tickets. The concept also includes the suggestion that some interested parties might refrain from attending a performance if too much is revealed on the homepage: The texts, for example about the artists and their performances, are therefore kept extremely brief; the electronic visitor is really only given a brief insight into the world of the Swiss National Circus.
In the meantime, however, this - understandably for circus people - natural respect for the new medium has been abandoned. Nothing stands in the way of the planned expansion of the homepage: By August, the site will be expanded to include a marketing and press review and a virtual tour of the circus.
