APG│SGA: new brand presence in Switzerland

In line with the new business strategy geared primarily to the company's home market of Switzerland, APG│SGA is updating its organization, its mission statement and its brand presence. The former umbrella brand Affichage Holding will no longer be used to manage the brand for operational activities in Switzerland, but will remain temporarily unchanged for the purposes of the listed holding company. The new brand presence is part of a varied range of strategic and operational initiatives that have been agreed in recent months as part of a comprehensive examination and optimization of business activities. The company wants to use the new corporate brand APG│SGA – which simultaneously builds on company tradition while supplementing the brand with a new direction – to act as a visual reinforcement of its step into the future. As the leading company for all types of out-of-home media in Switzerland, APG│SGA shows professionalism, passion and sustainability in its commitment to the interests of its market partners.

Swiss, dynamic, modern
APG│SGA's new logo is fresh, dynamic and modern without losing any of the company's typically Swiss character. This "Swissness" forms the basis of the brand that has held a firm footing in the Swiss economy for over a hundred years. Markus Ehrle, Head of Marketing & Business Development, explains: "The triangle from the old logo has been further developed into a triangle of dots. These dots represent the range of offers and networks, partnerships and, above all, the increasing digitalization of out-of-home advertising. At the same time, the established brand is strengthened by the use of capital letters. This is an acknowledgement by APG│SGA of Switzerland, its culture and its (linguistic) diversity."

Corporate brand and sub-brands
The corporate brand APG│SGA replaces the current umbrella brand Affichage in all operational market activities in Switzerland, and will be used in all language regions. The segment brands which until now have operated independently on the market will all be grouped together under the new umbrella brand. The new sub-brands are APG│SGA Airport (formerly Bercher Publicité), APG│SGA Mega Poster (formerly Paron), APG│SGA Mountain (formerly APGMontagne) and (as previously) APG│SGA Traffic. eAd, an APG Profit Center for digital out-of-home advertising, will be integrated into the core business and thereby strengthened. No changes will be made to the brand management of Ecofer or Impacta, or to the company's subsidiaries outside Switzerland.

Gradual implementation
The new direction of the business strategy, the mission statement, the new brand and the associated organisational measures will take effect on 1 January 2012. The logos will be replaced in various phases. The agency Wirz Corporate is responsible for the design development of the corporate brand and the sub-brands.

About the company
Affichage Holding SA is Switzerland's leading "out-of-home" media company. Listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich, Affichage covers all aspects of out-of-home advertising: on the street, at the airport, in shopping centres and train stations, in mountain regions and on public transport – from poster campaigns with the widest coverage and large poster spaces to state-of-the-art digital advertising media. When communicating with customers, the authorities and the advertising industry, Affichage represents sustainability, innovation, environmental responsibility and competency.

Contact
Markus Ehrle, Affichage Holding AG, Head of Marketing & Business Development, Giesshübelstrasse 4,
                         8027 Zurich
Tel.:                 +41 58 220 71 73
E-mail:            media@affichage.com