Betty Bossi: An Opportunity of a Lifetime

Willem Haen, 98 % of the Swiss population are familiar with your company. Could you describe Betty Bossi to the remaining 2 %?

Lars Feldmann Betty Bossi makes cooking and enjoying food easier. That is our core mission and the driving force behind everything we do: from inspiring recipes to kitchen appliances that bring joy to the kitchen, all the way to our food products.

Let's go back to 1956: How did Betty Bossi come to be, and what were the company's early days like?

Lars Betty Bossi was created as part of a commission from the Astra company to an advertising agency to market its products, such as cooking oils and fats. Copywriter Emmi Creola-Maag came up with the idea of doing this not through the newspaper ads that were common at the time, but through a cooking and advice magazine. Essentially, this was what we would call content marketing today. It took a great deal of persuasion on Emmi Creola-Maag’s part to get the agency to embrace this idea. This form of marketing, which was novel for its time, was initially met with skepticism. In hindsight, the success had many fathers—although, if you will, it was actually one mother.

Were there any defining or critical moments in the company's history? And even more interesting: How did you overcome them?

LARS There have certainly been several defining and groundbreaking developments in the history of Betty Bossi. One of these was the decision in the 1970s to transform what had been purely an advertising contract into an independent service. With the founding of a publishing house and corresponding business models—such as paid subscriptions and cookbooks—something entirely new emerged. That was certainly the first major shift. Then came the 1980s, which were also very exciting. That’s when the first kitchen appliances developed by Betty Bossi were introduced—initially through a separate company. The idea behind this was that people don’t just need products; they need solutions to the challenges of their everyday lives. This way of thinking also led us to begin developing fresh convenience products in 2001 in collaboration with Coop.

Is tradition generally seen as an advantage in your community?

Catherine Crowden Tradition is very important. If you grew up in Switzerland, Betty Bossi is part of the culture. Many people learned to cook with Betty Bossi and discovered the culinary world through her. Betty Bossi stands alongside many people in the kitchen. At the same time, she’s a fictional character. Many people think of her as: She’s my friend, my colleague, someone who’s there for me. That’s exactly what gives the brand its authenticity. She’s not just a made-up brand, but a personality with whom a genuine relationship has developed over decades. This credibility is a decisive competitive advantage for us, especially today, in the age of AI. We have a very high level of authority—not only in traditional SEO but also in GEO. This creates the conditions for our content to be visible in AI overviews and generative search systems and to be cited as a trustworthy source. There is so much content out there today—and so much of it is mediocre—when it comes to culinary topics. We, on the other hand, offer a credible and reliable anchor in everyday life. Tradition should never be merely a look back, but something we carry forward into the future. It’s like a vote of confidence.

How do you strike the right balance between heritage and innovation to ensure that Betty Bossi remains relevant and exciting to your audience?

Lars In fact, our heritage is the driving force behind our innovation. A close connection to people has been part of our DNA from the very beginning. Even Emmi Creola-Maag wanted to understand what matters to people in their everyday lives—when cooking, eating, shopping, and enjoying food. And that’s exactly what’s constantly changing. That’s why we, too, must continually reinvent ourselves. We’re constantly challenged to develop innovative new offerings—especially when it comes to food. Our task is not only to understand what’s happening in Swiss households today, but also to recognize what might become relevant next. That’s why our teams travel internationally throughout the year. They observe culinary trends, discover new products, and draw inspiration from markets, restaurants, and cooking schools—from Seoul to Copenhagen.

Are there situations where you're almost too early to the game when it comes to a trend in Switzerland?

Catherine Yes, there are many wonderful anecdotes from the history of Betty Bossi. The tiramisu recipe, for example, is well known. When we first published this recipe in the Betty Bossi magazine, mascarpone sold out everywhere within a short time. LARS A major trend in recent years has been the air fryer. It was similar to when the microwave first came out: At first, many people weren’t quite sure what to do with it. That’s where Betty Bossi came in: with content, foolproof recipes, and, of course, the right kitchen appliances. That’s how we helped many people take the plunge into this new way of cooking.

Is Betty Bossi now «just» a name, or is there still a person behind it? If so, how do you use that in your communications?

Catherine Betty Bossi was, after all, a fictional character from the very beginning. Behind her was always a team of experts. Emmi Creola-Maag had three children and understood the struggles of her time: cooking was complicated. There were huge cookbooks with lots of text and few pictures. So her idea was: Let’s bundle easy-to-understand knowledge under the guise of a fictional character who stands by people like a friend. I think, fundamentally, it’s no different today. Our employees are passionate about solving our customers’ problems. Together, they embody Betty Bossi. In our communications, we rely on corporate influencers. We support employees from across the company in sharing their tips, tricks, and recipes in short videos for social media. This makes it clear that Betty Bossi is made up of many smart and creative minds.

Is the brand name preventing you from appealing to male customers as well? Or does it perhaps convey a message that you no longer want to communicate today?

Catherine Our mission isn’t to promote a specific role model, but to help everyone make their daily lives easier and more enjoyable. There are many different lifestyles and needs. What matters most to us is that we can say: It’s simple and guaranteed to work. This applies to everyone—regardless of who does the cooking. LARS I think that because the brand is so well-known and has been present in Switzerland for decades, it inspires a deep sense of trust. This trust is an incredibly valuable asset for us. It transcends generations and is independent of gender.

In an age when recipes are available everywhere, it's probably not easy to successfully market cookbooks. How do you handle that?

Catherine Trust plays a central role today, which is reflected in a quote from Greg Brockman of OpenAI: «Taste is the new core skill.» The word ’taste” refers not only to culinary taste but also to good judgment. And that’s exactly what it’s all about: the ability to select the right options from countless possibilities. That’s our job. We develop up to 3,000 recipes a year—and each one is cooked and tested multiple times before it’s published. When I look at a recipe on social media, on the other hand, I often have no idea if it even works. That’s exactly where the difference lies. LARS We critically evaluate every recipe: Does it really need all these ingredients? Can the recipe be simplified? We’re convinced that, even in the future, there will be people willing to pay for exactly this kind of high-quality recipe—in whatever form that may take.

Last November, the movie «Hallo Betty,» which tells the story of how Betty Bossi came to be, was released. What opportunities did it open up for you?

Lars The feature film is an independent production. The idea was brought to us by the Swiss film production company C-Films. We were thrilled. It quickly became clear to us: This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Virtually none of us were around 70 years ago. Exploring the story of Betty Bossi and Emmi Creola-Maag in this way was a real eye-opener for many of our employees. CATHERINE We all know the challenge: How do I balance work, family, and everyday life? That’s exactly the story the film tells in a very honest and touching way. That’s why we saw the film as an opportunity to introduce Betty Bossi to a younger generation. To that end, we pulled off an incredible amount: from a major brand campaign—in which we were even allowed to use scenes from the film—to very special experiences for our community: We were able to take customers to the film set, offer exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses, and even raffle off extra roles among our fans. This created entirely new ways of engaging with the brand and many emotional touchpoints.

Let's look ahead: What should we definitely preserve? And where do you see a need to evolve or reinvent yourselves?

Catherine What we absolutely want to preserve is a genuine interest in people’s everyday lives. What do people like to eat? How can we bring that home in a simple way? Or how can we develop products from that which are accessible to as many people as possible? The challenge lies in consistently finding the right business models for these solutions. Throughout its history, Betty Bossi has repeatedly proven that it can reinvent itself.

What will be the key approaches and themes in marketing in the coming years?

Catherine What’s particularly on our minds right now is the topic of relationships. Further strengthening these customer relationships is at the top of our agenda. The key question is: How do we build genuine relationships in a digital world that’s becoming increasingly interchangeable? Topics such as community and personalization will play a crucial role in this. Our goal is to be a trusted companion in everyday life. We don’t want to sell individual products or services; rather, we want to offer an entire ecosystem of inspiration, knowledge, services, and products. Ultimately, trust is the foundation of everything. Only when people trust us are they willing to share information with us, accept our recommendations, and see us as a long-term companion in their daily lives. It is precisely this trust that we strive to earn anew every day.

1956 – One Year, Many Stories

What do an orchestra, a culinary company, and a watchmaker have in common?

They were all founded in 1956—and they remain relevant to this day. We at Swiss Marketing are also celebrating our 70th anniversary this year. For seven decades, we have served as a platform for professionals—a place for exchange, inspiration, and continuing education. Encounters, ideas, and experiences from the business world have shaped us and brought us to where we are today. But rather than celebrating ourselves, we’d like to turn our attention outward—to organizations that were founded in the same year and have, over seven decades, overcome challenges, continued to evolve, and maintained their relevance.