Metropol and 20 minutes press hard on the brakes
What we got back from the market after our expansion was not enough. Instead of being number two in several markets, we want to be number one."
What we got back from the market after our expansion was not enough. Instead of being number two in several markets, we want to be number one in the With these words, Robert Gustavsson, the new Managing Director of Metro Switzerland, explains Metropol's withdrawal from Bern, Basel and St. Gallen. He denies that the previous Metro Managing Director Lawrence Kenny parted company in a dispute. Kenny is once again fully active as Director Business Development and will not be leaving Metro International. 20 Minuten is also pressing hard on the spending brake. The B2B and B2C marketing departments are being merged. Head of Marketing Markus Müller and two of his employees are leaving the publishing house. Managing Director Rolf Bollmann, however, denies any cost-cutting exercises. He wants to "make marketing a top priority" and take the lead on sponsorship and event projects together with Editor-in-Chief Markus Eisenhut.
Media planners are following this development with skepticism. Markus Worch (M&M) speaks of a "first retreat" for Metropol and points out that the space for two commuter newspapers is too small. And Urs Renner (The Media Edge) doubts that the calculation for Metropol will now work out any better. The Zürich Express should not be forgotten either, he adds. Both, however, give 20 Minuten a better chance: it has more readers, is positioning itself younger and is pursuing a cross-media strategy. (mk)
Media planners are following this development with skepticism. Markus Worch (M&M) speaks of a "first retreat" for Metropol and points out that the space for two commuter newspapers is too small. And Urs Renner (The Media Edge) doubts that the calculation for Metropol will now work out any better. The Zürich Express should not be forgotten either, he adds. Both, however, give 20 Minuten a better chance: it has more readers, is positioning itself younger and is pursuing a cross-media strategy. (mk)
