"Federal Council is not a chocolate angel".
A SW panel compares the communication of SP and SVP
A SW panel compares the communication of the SP and SVPBy Andreas Panzeri What is political advertising allowed to do, where does it have its limits and what is its effect? In Bern, a number of popular politicians together with illustrious advertisers sought professional solutions to this complex of issues.
"The winner on points was the SVP, which was attested professional, if not necessarily stylish, communication," was Piero Schäfer's retrospective assessment of the discussion. The communications manager of Swiss Advertising moderated this panel at the "Casino" in Bern to kick off the summer session. It was attended by around 70 politicians and advertisers. Among the panelists, Schäfer was able to welcome Hans Rudolf Abächerli and Hermann Strittmatter as his most important opponents. Abächerli, with his agency Goal, is responsible for the advertising of the SVP Canton of Zurich - and thus also for the controversial "knifeman" ads. Strittmater was introduced as an SP member who "occasionally advises" that party. Other panelists were Urs Beer of Advico Young & Rubicam and Dominique Brunner of Farner PR.
Abächerli earned a lot of praise from within the industry "for the professionalism of his public relations work. All panelists agreed: The SVP is the party with the most efficient communication. Compared to other parties, the SVP is the only one with a clear strategy.
Abächerli explained this success with the historical development of the SVP. As a formerly small party, it had only been able to attract attention "thanks to provocative advertising". "In the 1970s, we only experienced electoral mumbo-jumbo instead of election campaigns. With a nodding people to ready-made lists," Abächerli opined. "So a small party had to compete in the election campaign. Because when you fight, you find an audience, just like in sports, and you also get into the media," Abächerli said.
PR man Dominique Brunner praised the SVP's advertising for systematically pursuing topics that were on the minds of various people. He described the style of the ads as "artillery", which, however, would have to be followed later by much more subtle PR work.
Abächerli himself considered the design of his "knifeman" ads a necessary evil. "With the style, we make a political issue the subject. We would never be able to do that with a normal ad.
"Anyone who thinks people will fall for a superficial Brunz is mistaken," Christoph Blocher defended his ads. He always calls for messages with a hand and a foot that can separate the unessential from the essential, he said. He would be happy if the SP could stand up and say the opposite was true. Hermann Strittmatter contrasted this with the fact that the SVP "actually no longer has any opponents" if the SP does not even react to statements that massively accuse the left-wing party.
But the noble red Strittmatter was still enraged: "If the SP people had a real program, they could count on the media and do without a big budget." - "If the advertiser gets a clear message from the party, then he can read something from it," Strittmatter continued.
Urs Beer also likes the fact that SVP advertising can reduce messages to core statements. In addition, it makes integrated campaigns: "The Puurezmorge is modern event marketing, where people are picked up on the spot.
Abächerli sees a highly concentrated party committee as the reason for such ideas of success. "If other parties also want to do more attacking advertising, then they have to drastically reduce their committees."
"The winner on points was the SVP, which was attested professional, if not necessarily stylish, communication," was Piero Schäfer's retrospective assessment of the discussion. The communications manager of Swiss Advertising moderated this panel at the "Casino" in Bern to kick off the summer session. It was attended by around 70 politicians and advertisers. Among the panelists, Schäfer was able to welcome Hans Rudolf Abächerli and Hermann Strittmatter as his most important opponents. Abächerli, with his agency Goal, is responsible for the advertising of the SVP Canton of Zurich - and thus also for the controversial "knifeman" ads. Strittmater was introduced as an SP member who "occasionally advises" that party. Other panelists were Urs Beer of Advico Young & Rubicam and Dominique Brunner of Farner PR.
Abächerli earned a lot of praise from within the industry "for the professionalism of his public relations work. All panelists agreed: The SVP is the party with the most efficient communication. Compared to other parties, the SVP is the only one with a clear strategy.
Abächerli explained this success with the historical development of the SVP. As a formerly small party, it had only been able to attract attention "thanks to provocative advertising". "In the 1970s, we only experienced electoral mumbo-jumbo instead of election campaigns. With a nodding people to ready-made lists," Abächerli opined. "So a small party had to compete in the election campaign. Because when you fight, you find an audience, just like in sports, and you also get into the media," Abächerli said.
PR man Dominique Brunner praised the SVP's advertising for systematically pursuing topics that were on the minds of various people. He described the style of the ads as "artillery", which, however, would have to be followed later by much more subtle PR work.
Abächerli himself considered the design of his "knifeman" ads a necessary evil. "With the style, we make a political issue the subject. We would never be able to do that with a normal ad.
"Anyone who thinks people will fall for a superficial Brunz is mistaken," Christoph Blocher defended his ads. He always calls for messages with a hand and a foot that can separate the unessential from the essential, he said. He would be happy if the SP could stand up and say the opposite was true. Hermann Strittmatter contrasted this with the fact that the SVP "actually no longer has any opponents" if the SP does not even react to statements that massively accuse the left-wing party.
But the noble red Strittmatter was still enraged: "If the SP people had a real program, they could count on the media and do without a big budget." - "If the advertiser gets a clear message from the party, then he can read something from it," Strittmatter continued.
Urs Beer also likes the fact that SVP advertising can reduce messages to core statements. In addition, it makes integrated campaigns: "The Puurezmorge is modern event marketing, where people are picked up on the spot.
Abächerli sees a highly concentrated party committee as the reason for such ideas of success. "If other parties also want to do more attacking advertising, then they have to drastically reduce their committees."
