Just two months ago, the last success stories were announced: the opening of the new Publicitas branch in Geneva and the extension of the collaboration with the SBB. A week ago, however, a 128-year history came to an abrupt end: through bankruptcy. "P" was more than just a normal advertising agent, it was a myth. For the uk rcs data publishers, it took on the role of a caring mother, a dominatrix and a scapegoat. And all of this in one person, in a changing order.
The journalistic response is all the more astonishing. Because it is astonishingly low. How much ink was used on Admeira, the SDA, the "No Billag" initiative or the sale of the BaZ. Or the Graubünden construction scandal. When it comes to "Case P", our media are discreetly reserved.
Two examples: The "Tages-Anzeiger" published a major agency report after the bankruptcy was announced, while the "SonntagsZeitung" published nothing at all. Not a word about the fact that Tamedia was criticized for its sudden exit. Instead, the "NZZ am Sonntag" spent a full page analysing the demise of the "P" last week. In 2002, the "decline began with full force". The paper generously overlooks the fact that the NZZ had transferred all of its advertising sales to Publicitas at that time. But this meant that the "P" lost its much-vaunted neutrality.