The secret of the white wind or branding paradox

Almost every house in Winterthur's old town has such a name. And in neighboring Zurich, too, house names develop communicative power. My declared favorite is a name that is so poetic that people hardly dared to invent it: the "Weisse Wind" (meaning a wind chime, a fast dog.) As with any strong brand, certain ideas, characteristics, product benefits and values are immediately associated with the name.

What the Marlboro Man is the "scent of freedom and adventure" and Milka's purple cow is the naturalness of pure Alpine milk, the "Weisse Wind" is two things: the down-to-earth nature of a large, traditional pub with enormous beer mugs and local specialties in an environment of kebab stores, sushi bars, Thai and Lebanese restaurants. The house specialties here are, firstly, Suure Mocke, Hörnli with minced meat and Teufelsnudeln.

Secondly, the "Weisse Wind" is the launch pad for independent stage artists of all kinds, a Zurich version of an off-off location and, incidentally, an example of private, unsubsidized cultural promotion. Blues Max started here, the Cabaret Rotstift felt at home here, and currently Veri from Central Switzerland is trying his hand at his first full-length solo program ("a cabaret empty run for species-appropriate disposal"). Let's see what comes of it.

Everyone is allowed, no one has to. The new landlady Susanne Bochsler, daughter of the owner (Schorsch, who ran the legendary "Blick" pub "zur Au" on the Utobrücke bridge in the 1970s), supports the artists with simple rules: Daily or weekly rent, advertising and advance sales are the responsibility of the tenant. The threshold is low and it often works. Restaurants, whether pubs, pubs or fine restaurants, are the epitome of local brands: Kronenhalle, Kropf, Della Casa, Galliker, Hasenburg, Bruune Mutz... And local branding is progressing, initially in the neighboring regions of the pub trade, which are rich in delights.

It is particularly noticeable in the case of beer: Heimat sells better (or at least better) than Konzern, as the Ueli beer proves, but also the Turbinen brand, Stadtguet, Quöllfrisch and many others. Dieter Bachmann has revitalized the old traditional brand of Gottlieber Hüppen in an exemplary marketing case (www.gottlieber.ch). What Elisabeth Wegeli started with a waffle iron is now on its way to becoming a success story similar to that of the Läckerli-Huus, which is also locally based. The flagship store (in Winterthur, near the train station) is already open. Intelligent designers - go to www.toesstaldesign.ch" - build small, attractive and comparatively expensive counter-worlds to the huge brand giants that spend a fortune to appear in the pedestrian zones of nameless Chinese cities with millions of inhabitants as well as on Bahnhofstrasse, which will soon be nothing more than a catwalk for the international brand circus. Meanwhile, the nimble little ones are picking up those individualists who don't want to walk around in the same clothes as millions of others.

Likeable brands can not only tell stories, but also convey values, such as security or a sense of home. For years, the Spleiss construction business in Zurich has not advertised with reference buildings or machinery like everyone else, but by presenting itself as a "master builder with heart and mind". Volg celebrates the return to lost village life in its Agglo stores ("Feins vom Dorf").

The wholesalers in general: they have long been running on two tracks, organic and regional. Migros has been promising "From the region - for the region" since 1999, while Coop announces that it even offers regional organic products with a lower margin. And Manor proudly reports that it now offers 15,490 certified products from 545 local producers under the label "Lokal - das Beste aus guter Nachbarschaft". And here, too, the little ones are on their toes. The Internet is their driver. Nachhaltigleben.ch is one of many portals that open the door to the world for local brands and strengthen their competitiveness.