Swissness: More than a Buzz Word by Dr. Sven Tuzovic, PLU International Awareness Speaker Series

PLU International Impact Speaker Series

© Dr. Sven Tuzovic │ Associate Professor │Pacific Lutheran University < 1 >

International Awareness Speaker SeriesMarch 19, 2015, MCLT 103

Dr. Sven Tuzovic

‘Swissness’More than a buzz word



What comes to your mind when you think of

Switzerland?



Swiss Banking



There’s more to Switzerland than

skiing, cheese,and chocolate



Facts about Switzerland

● CH: Confoederatio Helvetica● Population: ca. 8 million● Direct democracy● 4 official languages● 26 cantons



Switzerland is Known for Many Traditions



But it is also Known for World-famous Companies



TRIVIA

● The largest food and beverage company in the world is …



But there is also ... Swiss Cannabis

Image sources: Azarius.net; Weedforthought.blogspot.com

http://azarius.net/images/resize/large/swiss-cannabis-pastilles-sugarfree.jpg

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/886/968/1600/ACFF54D.jpg



Associations of Swiss Products



The question is:

What makes a product typical

Swiss?



The Meaning of “Swiss Made”

● Refers to a product which was manufactured in Switzerland using Swiss materials and Swiss labor

● Currently, it is mainly the watch industry



Switzerland as a brand

and the concept of

<<Swissness>>



The Term <<Swissness>>

● Made-up word● Pseudo-anglicism● Emerged in late 1990s● Refers widely to anything

that is typically Swiss● Positive attributes associated

with Switzerland



For both Swiss and foreign consumers, <<Swissness>> brings to mind a

“well-ordered, efficient world”



Swiss Trains Run on Time – Always!

Image source: Retours.eu

http://retours.eu/en/06-simplon-railway-graphic-design/



<<Swissness>> is often a synonym for

“high quality& exclusivity”



Swiss Design and Technology



<<Swissness>> also has connotations of

“precision, meticulousness, reliability and thoroughness”



Swiss Watch Manufacturing



But <<Swissness>> is also used to indicate

“naturalness”



The Problem in the Past

● Increasing misuses, e.g. free-riders and imitators

● Inconsistencies around the use of the Swiss cross



Result: The <<Swissness>> Legislative Project

● Legislative project launched in 2006

● In 2013, new legislation passed that determines the use of the <<Swiss>> designation



In summary,

<<Swissness>> is a lucrative

marketing concept



Products labelled with <<Swissness>> are sold more than

3 times morethroughout the world

than a product without any indication of source



<<Swissness>> is ...

● A positive term that denotes the degree of the Swiss origin of a product

● A marketing and branding tool● A valuable concept that needs

to be protected from dilution and abuse



Questions and Answers

Q&A



References and Image Credits

Sources:

FHS.ch, The new requirements stipulated by Swissness

IGE.ch, Swissness: Protecting “Made in Switzerland” designations and the Swiss cross

Novagraaf.com (2014), The Swissness project: ‘Swiss made’ label under review

Primerelocation, Defining Swissness

Ritzel, L. (2007), Swissness or it’s NOT all chocolate in Switzerland

Swissinfo.com (2010), Defining “Swissness” is a tricky task

The Economist (2014, March 29), Swissness is not enough

UniSG (2013), Swissness is good for business

ZHAW (2012), Competence, International Edition, No. 1

Image credits:

Finest-Swiss.ch, MySwitzerland.com, Cheesesfromswizerland.com, Nestletravelretail.com, Brightnetwork.co.uk, Arabianbusiness.com, BBC.co.uk, Zerohedge.com, Theswisswatchblog.com, Emmabeth.hubpages.com, ListsTrivia.com, Wikipedia.org, Ablogtowatch.com, Walmart.com, Olivetreetrading.com, Fddb.info, Kasunpeiris.com, Steamykitchen.com, Allaboutww.blogspot.com, Bestbuy.ca, Jaspermorrisonshop.com, Retours.eu, Azarius.net, Weedforthought.blogspot.com

Brand logos:

UBS, Credit Suisse, Nestle, Omega, Swatch, Rolex, Lindt, Roche, Novartis, Zurich

http://www.fhs.ch/eng/swissness.html

https://www.ige.ch/en/herkunftsangaben/swissness.html

http://www.novagraaf.com/en/news?newspath=/NewsItems/en/swiss-made-label

http://www.primerelocation.ch/primerelocation - 201111 - Defining Swissness.pdf

http://www.slideshare.net/lritzel/swissness-or-its-not-all-chocolate-in-switzerland-by-swiss-national-lukas-ritzel

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/defining--swissness--is-a-tricky-task/28585888

http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21599832-big-and-small-must-adapt-survive-swissness-not-enough

http://www.unisg.ch/en/hsgservices/hsgmediacorner/aktuell/rssnews/forschung-lehre/2013/august/swissness-worldwide-29august2013

http://sml.zhaw.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/management/ueber_uns/publikationen/competence/pdf/ZHAW_SML_COMPETENCE_International.pdf

Swissness: More than a Buzz Word by Dr. Sven Tuzovic, PLU International Awareness Speaker Series

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