Swiss and Thjnk Zurich: Swissness in modern style

m&k: Stefan Vasic, when we interviewed you last time, we were in the middle of the Covid pandemic. On the surface, your entire industry came to a standstill - but in the background, you switched your entire marketing to customer service. Your people took care of canceled flights, unsettled travelers ... How do you think back to that time?

Stefan Vasic: Looking back, this was an extremely challenging and, in many respects, emotionally stressful time. As a globally operating airline, we were forced to constantly adapt our communication to the ever-changing conditions. As you will remember, during this phase our marketing was completely focused on providing information to our customers. Instead of large campaigns, social media activities and events, the focus was on dealing with the various requirements of health authorities around the world. Our primary goal was to ensure that our guests always received the information that was relevant to them and that they felt safe and in good hands on board our aircraft.

"The pandemic was an emotionally stressful time in many ways."

 

The relief when the pandemic subsided must have been huge.

Yes, of course. With the gradual return to normality, our core business was also able to come back into focus in marketing, which brought great joy to my employees. The emotional strain resulted in particular from the uncertainty as to how things would continue. Even though I personally didn't know exactly how the situation would develop, I always believed that things would continue. I tried to pass on this confidence and positive attitude to my team. After the initial downsizing of the marketing department, we gradually began to rebuild it in small steps. This process required a high level of motivation, leadership skills, clear communication and, last but not least, a lot of energy. Looking back, I would say that we have succeeded impressively in rebuilding the department, as we are performing better than ever in terms of both quality and quantity. I would like to thank my team and all my colleagues for this.

 

Andrea Bison, you were not yet the lead agency for Swiss at the time - i.e. during the pandemic - but how did you and Thjnk experience this extraordinary time?

Andrea Bison: It was particularly hard because we had mandates that were almost immediately reduced to zero. And that naturally raised the question: What does this mean for the people we have at the agency? We really wanted to keep them and lead the company through the fog because we value our employees so much - because we also know how much work goes into their recruitment and their training and development - and because we were sure that we wouldn't be able to simply "replace" them after X amount of time. We managed to do this, but - as for so many - it was anything but easy.

 

And yet you both took fresh impetus from the Covid pandemic: To put it bluntly, Swiss was in the mood for a new agency and Thjnk was ready?

SV: (laughs) It's not that easy to say! The desire for change, momentum, new dynamics ... that was definitely there, but it wasn't necessarily linked to a new agency. I really want to emphasize that here. The reason we went out to tender at the time was for very clear legal reasons, especially compliance reasons. We were obliged to start a regular tender process after an extension of the last contract period with Publicis; this began in the final third of the pandemic ... and lasted, yes, until the announcement. A pitch like this always involves an enormous amount of work, for both sides: It starts in writing, then we had meetings, then Thjnk - as well as other agencies - was given a "shoulder look". In the end, there were only two providers left in the running, and Thjnk was one of them. We realized that the timing was right, the content was right, the people were right - and the commercial aspect was also right. So we decided to go into the future with Thjnk.

AB: If I may interject here: As an agency, you are of course always happy when a "big brand" invites you to pitch. But you also have to check: Do we suit the brand, does the brand suit us? What is their idea of and openness towards creative communication? You really dig into it, develop ideas and - linked to this - emotions. That's why it's always so difficult when you lose a pitch ... because you've put so much of yourself, so much of your own strategic expertise and creativity into it. At Swiss, however, the process was transparent, respectful and based on partnership at eye level. Only the announcement of the win ... that could have gone more smoothly. (laughs)

"You really dig into it, develop ideas and - linked to that - emotions."

 

Now you have to explain that.

AB: Stefan was in Geneva on business, so we had to get his verdict via video call. At our agency, however, we couldn't get the sound to work. We saw that he was moving his lips and became very anxious. The sound only started when the words "... and that's why I'm sorry to tell you..." were spoken. Of course, the mood sank for a millisecond before Stefan added: "... that you'll have a lot more to do because of us."

SV: That was a bit mean of me, wasn't it? (laughs)

 

Then your cooperation began. Andrea, how do you as an agency approach a brand as rich in tradition as the Swiss flag carrier?

AB: The Swiss brand is an icon. Accompanying this next step in its further development is a great honor and at the same time a very demanding task, a significant challenge and a great responsibility. The shared vision was clear from the outset and was already evident when we got to know each other during the pitch process. We then embarked on an intensive collaboration. First we focused on the strategy, then on the conceptual development of the selected platform. It was particularly valuable to get to know the contact persons and managers in the team and to get to know the market managers in the key regions in order to be able to implement the campaign internationally.

 

What are the biggest challenges when working with such a legacy brand?

The biggest challenge in developing a new platform for such an established, iconic brand is to preserve enough of the brand while taking a new step far enough forward. We repeatedly developed concepts and discussed together whether we were in the right place in this area of tension. Essentially, however, it was all about the Unique Swiss Experience, which we wanted to focus on. We mainly experimented with possible design elements and a new look and feel.

 

Is there a kind of formula, a top tip, for navigating through the area of tension that you mentioned, which could also be applied to other brands?

There is probably no single tip or solution. In my opinion, it is a smart and sensitive mix of preserving elements that enable recognition and at the same time meeting the zeitgeist so that new target groups can identify with the brand, as well as a fresh, modern and unseen implementation that carries the brand into the new era.

 

Let's take a look at the results together: What were the strategic considerations behind the decision to choose the new claim "Swiss all the way"?

SV: In recent years, people have changed the way they look at many things in life. This affects areas such as work and leisure, nutrition, but also travel. More is expected. Not only on board, but also in everything before and after. "Swiss all the way" takes this development into account by extending our quality promise to the entire customer journey - from booking in the app to the warm welcome at check-in, from the Swiss Schöggeli, the extra mile of our cabin crews to the "Uf Wiederluege" at the destination - our guests can expect superior Swiss service quality at every point of the journey.

AB: The claim "Swiss all the way" also conveys that Swiss is the airline of Switzerland and that it absolutely embodies the country's values - without falling into national romanticism. From A to Z, from C for comfort to H for hospitality. "Swiss all the way" offers an emotional and sympathetic response to the needs of passengers, stands for a premium service promise and encompasses the entire customer journey. This claim can be understood all over the world.

"With our campaign, we want to remind people of the magic that flying still exudes."

 

The spelling of "Swiss all the way" on the visuals is special - the spaces between the words are deliberately kept wide, symbolizing for me as an outsider the path, the stations along which the "Swiss-ness" becomes tangible. But aren't you worried that you've built in a "reading brake"?

SV: No, quite the opposite! This is an "over-reading brake" and underpins our claim to do one or two things differently from our competitors.

 

The campaign relies heavily on emotional and cinematic imagery. Why is this aesthetic so important?

SV: With our campaign, we want to inspire people, remind them of the magic that flying still exudes and appeal to all those who know that good travel is not just defined by the number of films in the entertainment system or gold applications in the cabin interior. It is the countless little moments between crew and guests, the warmth, the feeling of being at home above the clouds - or in our lounges, for example. And that in all travel classes, from Swiss Economy to Swiss First.

 

And are you satisfied with the reactions so far?

AB: Very much so. I've been doing this job for a while (laughs), but it's always something special to see maxi posters with subjects you've co-created - at Zurich main station, for example. These moments are always an absolute highlight. And people also seem to like the campaign; we get a lot of positive feedback. I'm excited to see what we hear in the various national markets when we roll out "Swiss all the way" globally - because that will be our next step.