Swisscom campaign by Andylusti.com brings dialects to the ESAF

After the great success of "Pistenfarbe", Swisscom also relies on the creative support of andylusti.com for this sponsoring campaign. The "Dialects" campaign was created in close collaboration with the two creative directors Susen Gehle and Andy Lusti.

In the TV and online spots, a total of ten Swiss people with original dialects have their say: they talk in their very own language about what fascinates them about wrestling, hornussen, stone throwing and, of course, the ESAF itself. Thanks to the clever editing, a lively and natural dialogue is created between the protagonists. This shows with a wink that Swisscom connects different regions, generations and customs with each other - just like the Swiss Federal Wrestling and Alpine Festival.

"From the very beginning, the aim was to present the ESAF and Switzerland in their different facets and to offer the public a stage," Swisscom project manager Pascal Morgenthaler explains the background to the campaign.

Creative Director Andy Lusti adds, "With quaint Swiss dialects such as the Fribourg Jaun German, the Bernese Hasli-Diitsch, the Muothtaler, Rheintaler, Nidwaldner and Valais dialects, as well as the Grisons Sursilvan, we have found a playful way to show the traditional diversity of our country and combine it with Swisscom's core competence, in the truest sense of the word."

Connected 365 days a year

While the ESAF connects the whole of Switzerland for three days, Swisscom does this for 365 days - bringing even remote valleys and their cultural assets closer to the rest of Switzerland. At the major ESAF event itself, Swisscom provides the entire technical infrastructure it needs to stage an event of this size. "How much of the spots individual viewers* understand depends entirely on where they come from. While individual expressions are a challenge for some city dwellers, rural ESAF visitors are happy to see their language on TV," adds Creative Director Susen Gehle with a smile. 

Comeback of almost extinct languages

For the French-language spots, Swisscom is relying on the traditional Vaudois dialect and helping the virtually extinct patois to make a comeback. The Franco-Provençal language was the main language of French-speaking Switzerland until it was displaced by today's French. In Italian-speaking Switzerland, too, the Dialétt de Ciróni, an almost forgotten dialect from the Leventina, is making a big appearance.

All of the ESAF king partner's spots are tied off with a yodeled Swisscom jingle - performed in style by a Zurich yodeller whose traditional costume has the colors of the sender. "By staging the original languages and traditional costumes in the futuristic LED cube, we transport Swiss traditions into the modern age - and continue the visual language from the Swisscom blue campaign in a playful way," says Swisscom CD Jürg Brauchli, explaining the unusual appearance around the time-honored festival.

The modern LED cube, the centerpiece of a 300m2 stand structure designed by the Aroma agency, will also be present at the ESAF and will be used as a stage for extending the spots onto the festival grounds and into the public viewing arena. "The concept with its idiosyncratic expressions will be consistently continued at the Swisscom stands and an entertaining quiz will challenge visitors on site to prove their language skills", says Swisscom project manager Pascal Morgenthaler, looking forward to Swisscom's appearance at the ESAF.

Old dialects in the new media 

To give Gen Z access to their linguistic roots as well, the campaign with the old dialects is also present in the new media. For this purpose, the spots are subtitled. Appropriately, however, not in High German - but with the traditional dialects themselves.