Migros' Town Sign Campaign Sparks a Nationwide Creative Craze
What Thjnk Zurich conceived as a regional campaign for Migros evolved into a nationwide creative phenomenon within just a few weeks: More than 50 brands and hundreds of users created their own posts—and the social media engagement rate rose by more than 400 percent.
Migros' Town Sign Campaign Triggers a Swiss Snowball Effect
What was intended as a regional marketing initiative has long since spiraled out of control—in the best possible way. The Migros place-name campaign, conceived by Thjnk Zurich, has been going viral since its second wave. More than 50 brands and countless individuals have created their own posts on social media based on the playful combination of place names and products. Since the campaign launched, a total of more than 230 posts have been created.
The range of responses is remarkable: tourism associations from Graubünden, Valais, and Schaffhausen have adapted the concept for their destinations. The same goes for payment services, car dealers, recruitment agencies, and printing companies—they have all carried on the campaign in their own fields and cited Migros as their inspiration. At the same time, the Migros community also actively participated with its own suggestions, which further fueled the momentum.
Engagement rate rises by more than 400 percent
The numbers speak for themselves: The social media engagement rate rose by more than 400 percent. The press release states that the sheer number of adaptations demonstrates how quickly the campaign became part of the cultural zeitgeist and generated a significant amount of additional earned media.
Rémy Müller, Head of Marketing & Communications at Migros, puts the success into perspective: «We’re thrilled that so many people and brands have embraced the campaign and taken it in new creative directions. These reactions show just how effectively we’ve been able to combine our regional roots with Migros’s signature humor.»
Regional Roots as the Creative Foundation of the Migros Place Name Sign Campaign
The basic principle behind the campaign is incredibly simple, and that is likely the key to its success: place-name signs are combined with product names or brand messages—a format that is both familiar and open to interpretation. This design approach’s accessibility made it possible for brands and individuals alike to participate and create their own content without having to invest significant resources.
The result is a rare phenomenon in the Swiss advertising market: a campaign that not only reached its audience but also actively encouraged it to participate—and in doing so, grew far beyond the originally planned advertising inventory.
Responsible at Migros: Rémy Müller (Head of Marketing & Communications), Frédéric Zürcher (Head of Campaigning & Sponsorship), Désirée Strassmann (Head of the Campaigning Department), Bojana Taraba (Campaigning Project Manager), Zoe Venakis, Graziella Potenza (Social Media Managers), Erasmo Palomba (Creative Producer), Simone Blaser (Head of Media), Christian Küng (Migros Photo Studio) Responsible at thjnk Zurich: Alexander Jaggy, Pablo Schencke (GF Creation), Lukas Amgwerd, Lukas Frischknecht (Creative Direction), Johannes Gorsboth (Text), Alba Dita Rau, Fabian Esslinger (Art Direction), Xenia Marty (Graphic Design), Andrea Bison (GF Consulting), Andrea Häfliger, Claudia Ziltener, Shawna Fitzner (Consulting), Gordon Nemitz (GF Strategy) External partners: VisualEyes (Photo Production), Tina Sturzenegger (Photography), Lorenz Wahl (Image Editing), Detail, The Factory.
