Gewista

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Gewista-Werbegesellschaft mbH

logo
legal form GmbH
founding 1921
Seat Vienna , AustriaAustriaAustria 
management Franz Solta
(commercial law)
Hansjörg Hosp
(commercial law)
Number of employees approx. 340 (2019)
Branch Outdoor, poster, transport, location, cinema and light advertising
Website www.gewista.at

The Gewista advertising mbH is an advertising company in outdoor advertising in Austria , located in the Litfaßstraße 6 (named based on the poster and advertising columns, called advertising columns ) in the third district of Vienna highway .

Name and ownership

The Gewista was on 8 November 1921 as Ge made Wi en - St ädtische A nkündigungsunternehmung the Municipal Department of the City of Vienna established to market transit advertising. It was not until 1974 that Gewista was spun off from the municipal magistrate. The majority owner was now the community-owned Wiener Holding , the remaining 49% held the Progress Werbung and IWG .

After the so-called "Eastern opening", Gewista founded subsidiaries in Prague and Bratislava in 1990 and, together with Mahir and the Budapest municipal asset management company, took over the Hungarian company Europlakat . These investments have since become the largest out-of-home advertising group in Eastern Europe. In 1993, Bank Austria took over the majority stake in Gewista and in 2000 transferred it to its foundation subsidiary B&C Holding .

A phase of restructuring began in May 2000, during which the French outdoor advertising group JCDecaux increasingly gained influence in the company: since 2010 at the latest, 67% of Gewista have belonged to JCDecaux Central and Eastern Europe Holding (in which B&C Holding is also involved) and 33 % of PROGRESS Beteiligungsges. mbH (30% of PROGRESS Beteiligungsges. mbH is held by AWH Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH , which belongs to the Association of Vienna Workers' Homes). The managing director of AWH Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH is Helmut Laska, husband of the former Vienna Vice Mayor Grete Laska ( SPÖ ). In addition, there are numerous former politicians of the SPÖ Vienna in leading positions at AWH Beteiligungsgesellschaft , including the former President of the State Parliament Harry Kopietz , which regularly leads to violent political controversy (see criticism).

Business area

As a classic outdoor advertising company, Gewista (as of July 2020) markets 16,000 poster sites , 1,500 advertising pillars, over 11,700 City Light areas (posters illuminated from behind in bus shelters) and 680 so-called rolling boards, as well as over 500 digital locations (large screens and video walls). In addition, around 3,000 billboards in Vienna's underground stations and over 23,000 in the rolling stock of Wiener Linien and Wiener Lokalbahnen . The business area also includes permanent advertising and orientation boards, special advertising media, advertising spaces in and on public buildings, stadiums and other traffic points. The subsidiary Infoscreen Austria GmbH , founded in 1998, operates large-screen projections in some Vienna subway stations (and even in a subway train), on which a program mix of event tips, news reports (sometimes with short film clips), cartoons and advertisements (so-called "Electronic outdoor advertising") can be seen.

Citybike Vienna

Gewista has also been operating the Citybike Wien bike rental system since 2003. In 2010, the second expansion phase was expanded to include 60 city bike stations in the outskirts, the ongoing expenditure of which is expected to amount to around 860,000 euros a year. These costs are borne by the City of Vienna and Gewista has been paid for since the start of the contract. Since the costs of around 1.1 million euros per year for ongoing operation at the 61 city bike stations within the Viennese belt Gewista-representation - especially in the wake of the Corona crisis - are no longer borne, with the city negotiated in the first half of 2020 for the city to assume the costs and, in the event of non-agreement, threatened to close the locations before the summer. Since the responsible city council as well as the green vice mayor and city councilor Birgit Hebein rejected the takeover in the negotiations , Gewista announced the closure of these 61 city bike stations from July 13, 2020.

Market position

Gewista sees itself as one of the largest outdoor advertising companies in Austria. The competitor Epamedia operates a total of 19,500 outdoor advertising spaces across Austria (as of July 2020) and sees itself as the company with the highest advertising space presence in Austria.

criticism

The Gewista has always been said to have a close relationship with the city of Vienna and the formerly absolutely ruling Viennese SPÖ.

  • The control office of the City of Vienna criticized Gewista's "almost monopoly position" and its preference over other applicants as well as the comparatively low tariffs.
  • For example, while in Linz 900 euros per year are due for a rolling board system or in Carinthia even up to 5900 euros, in Vienna they are satisfied with 300 euros.
  • In addition, the report criticized the frivolous granting of approval for almost 5,000 so-called half-shells on light poles without, for example, examining questions of traffic safety.
  • ÖVP and Greens criticize the fact that the SPÖ is indirectly involved in Gewista through Progress Beteiligungsgesellschaft and is therefore more interested in the company's monopoly than in the security of the Viennese. Mayor Michael Häupl speaks of allegations and denies that Gewista has a monopoly.
  • Another report by the control office revealed that the costs for the Vienna Animal Protection Day of Magistratsabteilung 60 (veterinary office) rose by 40% to almost 261,000 euros from 2005 to 2006 and that this money was mainly used for advertising on the Gewista rolling boards.
  • Before the 2006 National Council elections , Die Grünen - The Green Alternative accused Gewista, who were considered close by political observers and the media as the SPÖ, with massive price reductions for the SPÖ, as they believed that the proposed election campaign costs would have been set too low in relation to the number of advertisements placed.
  • For the National Council elections in 2008 , the SPÖ wanted to do without the triangular stands and instead use the Gewista advertising space. This was confirmed by the other parties and a. rejected on the grounds that the SPÖ was connected to the Gewista over several corners and thus easier to get to billboards.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gewista-Werbegesellschaft mbH with business license rental of movable assets, except weapons. GISA number : 25637861. Entry in WKO companies A – Z. Austrian Chamber of Commerce (publisher), accessed on July 10, 2020.
  2. ↑ About Gewista. Here: Employees 2019 - Number of employees: 343. In: Gewista website, undated, accessed on July 10, 2020.
  3. ↑ Entry of GEWISTA in the commercial register, Commercial Court Vienna, serial no. 46/1921, entry on November 8, 1921. (Facsimile in: WStLA, Commercial Court Vienna, B76, A61 / 46 ), accessed on July 10, 2020.
  4. ↑ About Gewista. Here: Gewista shareholder. In: Gewista website, undated, accessed on July 10, 2020.
  5. ↑ Michael Lohmeyer: Million deal for subway advertising. Advertising on and on the U2 comes to the European Football Championship at the latest. In: Die Presse , October 23, 2007, accessed July 10, 2020.
  6. ↑ Florian Skrabal, Thomas Trescher, Klaus Stimeder: Republic: friendship game. (“In Vienna, at least one winner of the soccer euro has already been determined: a company network close to the SPÖ, which - not least due to good contacts with the town hall - has already secured the best seats at the soccer festival for its events.”) In: Date , Issue 3/2008 of March 1, 2008 ( full text online ( memento of September 23, 2015 in the Internet Archive )).
  7. ↑ Out of Home's market position. Gewista on the Austrian advertising market. In: Gewista website, undated, accessed on July 10, 2020.
  8. ↑ David Krutzler: Gewista is threatening Vienna with the end of city bikes before summer. If running costs of 1.1 million euros per year are not covered by the city, half of the 121 lending stations are to be dismantled. In: Der Standard , May 20, 2020, accessed on July 10, 2020.
  9. ↑ David Krutzler: Vienna's city bike system is about to be shut down: half of the stations will be dismantled. No agreement with the city on costs of 1.1 million euros per year: Gewista closes 61 rental stations, mostly within the belt In: Der Standard , July 10, 2020, accessed on July 10, 2020.
  10. ↑ Companies: Achieve more with outdoor advertising. In: Epamedia website, undated, accessed on July 10, 2020: "With almost 17,500 poster positions, over 1,000 Citylight and 1,000 Posterlight areas as well as 75 bigboards and mobile advertising spaces, our company guarantees the highest level of presence in all of Austria."
  11. ↑ Gewista "has nothing to do with SPÖ". Mayor Häupl rejects criticism from the opposition. In: Der Standard / Austria Presse Agentur , February 11, 2008, accessed on July 10, 2020.
  12. ↑ a b Judith Lecher: Billboards: Criticism of the Viennese top dog Gewista. In: Die Presse , January 28, 2008, accessed on July 10, 2020.
  13. ↑ Martina Stemmer: Low rent for expensive advertising. While other federal states can buy billboards at a high price, Vienna is satisfied with a mini fee - from which a company close to the SPÖ in particular benefits. In: Der Standard , October 10, 2008, accessed July 10, 2020.
  14. ↑ Control office: Animal welfare money ends up in the pocket of the advertising company. Cost explosion at MA 60 for animal welfare advertising. In: Die Presse , April 29, 2008, accessed July 10, 2020.
  15. Jump up ↑ Hot election campaign: “Freunderlwirtschaft with poster companies?” In: Die Presse , July 20, 2006.
  16. ↑ SPÖ wants to do without triangular stands. In: Vienna. ORF.at , August 12, 2008.