Heidi, your world is Migros
Packaging originality and naturalness. At least that's what the visual presentation of the Heidi line on the Migros shelves promises.
"In 90 percent of all cases, we no longer buy the product, but its packaging," says packaging expert John Webb-Jenkins. As shoppers only see the product directly for one in ten items, they now have to trust the packaging. This also applies to the new product line that Migros recently launched under the name Heidi. The associations that the character from Johan-na Spyri's children's book creates here in Switzerland - Switzerland, mountains, nature and tradition - are intended to emphasize the high quality of mountain milk products in the minds of consumers.
Not all milk that foams
For Armando Rutelli, owner of Atelier Rutelli in Bassersdorf, there was no question that the depiction of the traditional Heidi world would pave the way for the new own brand in consumers' shopping baskets. The design agency's concept won the competition against two competitors: Each product is printed with a scene from the Heidi book illustrated by Tomi Ungerer. In addition, excerpts from the original text are used where space permits.
"I wanted to revive the world of Heidi in the design in order to do justice to the mountain milk products," says Rutelli, explaining the elaborate design. The Heidi story illustrated by Ungerer gives the mountain milk product a tangible, genuine Swiss quality. "What's more," adds Walter Dworschak, Marketing Dairy Products at FMC, "the packaging takes on greater significance thanks to the linear character."
Heidi is to be developed into a strong Swiss brand that forms a counterbalance to cheap imported products in view of the opening of borders in the agricultural sector. Migros also wants to make a contribution to the sustainable marketing of Swiss mountain milk products and to securing jobs in agriculture and downstream businesses. Although this commitment is welcomed by the majority, the practical implementation is criticized as "half-hearted". The Foundation for Consumer Protection (SKS), for example, accuses Migros of only just fulfilling the origin criterion "despite the pretty pictures on the packaging". The mountain farmers do not receive a share of the higher sales price, nor does the milk come from organic or particularly animal-friendly farming. Heidi products could therefore also be made from the milk of overbred high-performance cows. In fact, the milk for Heidi production only has to meet the requirement that it comes from a mountain zone defined by the authorities.
Migros' Heidi to go abroad
Migros rejects such accusations. They do not use preservatives and pay attention to gentle processing in order to preserve the naturalness of the products. Heidi offers mountain farmers new, attractive market opportunities and thus helps to secure sales. Migros has clearly communicated from the outset that Heidi is not an organic label. Walter Dworschak comments: "Organic is and will remain a niche product. In contrast, Heidi appeals to a broader target group." Namely, people aged 25 and over who have high expectations in terms of product quality and properties.
According to the critics, the idyllic Heidi world on the packaging makes consumers believe that they are supporting mountain farming when they buy the product and that they have received a sustainable product from species-appropriate animal husbandry in return. If Walter Dworschak is to be believed, the SKS's reservations do not seem to be affecting the sale of Heidi products: "The launch has been an excellent success". This means that the city dwellers seem to have welcomed the mountain child and its products with open arms - at least in the domestic market. The global diaspora of the Heidi figure has also helped to spread the Swissness image. The globally known and positively connoted name should make it easier for Migros to position its mountain milk products abroad. In addition to brand development in the domestic market, the retailer is clearly focusing on opening up new export markets with Heidi.
From orphan ...
... that set out to conquer the world: Johanna Spyri's Heidi story has been translated into over 50 languages since its publication in 1880. With a print run of around 50 million copies, the book is one of the best-selling in the world. The numerous film adaptations of the story have also contributed to the character's fame.
The Japanese cartoon series produced in the early 1970s triggered a Heidi boom. Thanks to successful
marketing and merchandising strategies, the cartoon heroine is now one of the dominant Heidi characters worldwide. Despite outward changes, Heidi continues to embody values such as joie de vivre, unspoiled nature, authenticity - and Swissness. A large number of Swiss tourism and gastronomy businesses are now taking advantage of the positive perception and high profile of the mountain child.
But Heidi is also finding her way into other areas of the economy. The traditionally anchored figure is increasingly becoming a lifestyle icon that is intended to sell fashion, cosmetics and even cars to women and men. As the name Heidi cannot be protected under trademark law, the marketing potential of her image is far from exhausted. (sk)
Homely: The packaging of Heidi products entices you to enjoy them.
Heidi conquers the Migros shelves - she provides the major distributor with a name and image for high-quality dairy products. How packaging designers stage the Alpine world and more about the TV commercial >> page 8
Simone Keller
