Mr Nydegger, what considerations led to the new brand world?
Martin Nydegger: The demands placed on a brand today are totally different from 30 years ago. Our motto was not to create a new logo, but an entire brand world. To do this, we use our own font, called ST Allegra, and our own colour scheme, derived from the alpenglow. Our aim was to increase efficiency and awareness in the online world. In future, we will only be available in one language, in one variant, but the diversity will be significantly greater thanks to the colour scheme, the gimmicks and all kinds of applications, especially digital ones.
Does the English-language «Switzerland» work in Germany or Brazil?
We aimed for the principle of «one brand – one name» right from the start. We therefore asked whether we could afford this in Germany, France and China, three countries where the local language plays a major role. We are convinced that it works. Global brands only have one name and Switzerland as a tourist destination is a global brand, which is why we need a strong name.
And in Switzerland?
Our focus is on foreign markets. But even here in Switzerland – with Swisscom, Skyguide and Swiss International Airlines – the days of being told that you’re ignoring our language are over. And we don’t do that. When we do something with the Coop newspaper in Ticino, for example, the slogans, claims and texts are in Italian, just not the brand itself.
What kinds of possibilities does the new brand world open up?
The possibilities are incredibly diverse. We started with the advertising material and the website. But we quickly realised that it goes much further than that. On the holiday, for example, we will be the first NTO to launch an Apple Vision Pro app, which enables a virtual reality experience that now fully plays with our new brand world. The colour tone opens up alternatives. Previously, we had to place the gold flower somewhere. Now we can choose: do we want to emphasise «Switzerland» or do we want to be more discreet and bring the colour tone to the fore. We also have many more options in the moving image and especially in the digital presence, even with posters, which are very often digital these days. We can now utilise these options.
And these five shades of red – what do they stand for?
For the alpenglow. We carry the colour gradation from the mountains into our brand world. The brand is upbeat and modern, but the roots come from our mountain world.
How is it being implemented in concrete terms – from the letterhead to the digital presence worldwide?
Because we are already very digital today and print has become less important, the process is much faster. As of today, Monday, a lot has already been implemented, such as the website. The implementation should be completed by the end of the year. We are not Sunrise and have to re-label thousands of branches in an overnight operation.
What promises will Switzerland Tourism increasingly focus on in the future?
The new brand world is a cosmos, we have built it for the future. We are becoming groovier, livelier and can communicate in a more exciting and cheerful way. This does not mean that we are turning our backs on traditional Switzerland. But we feel how the markets work, and now we are more modern, fresher and more dynamic. Trust is also very important to us. The Swiss cross is clearly recognisable, the word «Switzerland» is unmistakable. In a world where every blogger, influencer and random person can trumpet anything about Switzerland, we need an anchor of trust. Everyone loved the Goldblume, including me, it was a love brand. But now we are changing from a love brand to a trust brand. We are becoming the tourism brand you trust.
Was all this no longer possible with the gold flower?
The Goldblume was static, it didn’t move. Our brand is now immersive, very dynamic. The Goldblume has reached the end of its life cycle.
What do you say to partners like GlacierExpress, Fribourg or Gstaad who use the Goldblume?
GlacierExpress can keep the Gold Flower, it is legally protected for years to come. The partners are not under pressure. Gstaad and Fribourg have already replaced the Gold Flower. They themselves felt that the flower was no longer appropriate, which is also proof for us that it has slowly fallen out of date.
What reactions are you expecting?
So far, I’ve seen it internally, the new image appeals to younger people, they are more unbiased, we are picking them up with this world. I am convinced of the success of the new brand world, it is not a quick fix. We have gone through a long process together with our agency, we have worked intensively on it. But we will certainly have reactions from someone who says I don’t like it. There will certainly also be people who say that it is unacceptable for an organisation that is co-financed by the federal government to present a brand in English. And there will probably be those who say it’s the stupidest thing to abolish a well-known brand. But let’s be honest: the Goldblume was deeply rooted in the hearts of us tourism professionals in particular, and guests from all over the world are less attached to it.