Brand cocktail gives wings
Swiss Takes Off from the Runway of the Past on a Flight into the Future
Swiss takes off from the runway of the past for a flight into the futureBy Ernst Weber Since Easter Monday, small Switzerland has once again had a big airline. As a prerequisite for a successful long-haul flight, Swiss must already deliver what the brand promises in the climb.
The period between the collapse of Swissair last September and the launch of Swiss last Easter Monday was a turbulent time for the communications department of the new Swiss airline. To get the brand off the ground, the 15 members of the new advertising crew worked up to 14 hours a day. The team was recruited from former communications employees of Swissair (35 employees) and Crossair (6).
The greatest difficulty in building the Swiss brand was deciding on a name and a strategy. Numerous naming options were discussed until a new name was chosen for the new brand. For good reason. The existing risk spoke against Swissair, according to which the aircraft of the highly indebted airline could have been held abroad. The name Crossair was not considered suitable for further use because of its low international profile.
Gravity is surmountable, past is not
Nevertheless, the new Swiss airline brand was not built in isolation from Swissair's past, which crashed to the ground in the nosedive of economic reality. Because the intercontinental airline sees itself as an ambassador for Switzerland, the obligation arose to also transport Swiss values such as "hospitality, quality, service and cleanliness" abroad.
Furthermore, Swiss rose like a phoenix from the ashes of its predecessor. The latter had significant brand values. For example, an attempt was made to recycle Swissair's care positioning and to integrate old Crossair values such as efficiency, dynamism and youthfulness into the new portfolio.
"Swiss is definitely not intended to become a second Swissair. It is a sensible objective to anchor the high values of Swissair together with the values of Crossair in the new brand," says Michael Boenigk, Head of Advertising at Swiss.
To implement this Swiss-Brand-Heritage strategy internationally, which was developed in collaboration with Advico Young & Rubicam (AY&R), Zurich, a sum in the double-digit millions has been budgeted. This year alone, at least another 15 million Swiss francs will be added. That's how much the international launch campaign, which will run for six weeks from April 8, will cost. The campaign, which consists of ads, posters, DM and a TV spot broadcast on Easter Sunday, was designed by the London agency Wink Media. Further brand communication to replace the launch campaign is currently being developed. It includes tactical, integrated product and partnership advertising.
There is still no homogeneous product experience
Since it would have been irresponsible to risk blind positioning at costs of this magnitude, market research was used as a pilot. It defined and verified the relevance of the new airline's brand personality. Experience, on-board surveys, focus group interviews and a study conducted with AY&R's Brand Asset Evaluator provided the data. The Quality-Made-in-Switzerland positioning is now based on this.
It manifests itself first in the visual of the fleet. The colors white and red stand for Switzerland. The reduction was intended to create a comprehensible and stylish appearance. In Switzerland, this brand identity might be perceived as arrogant. However, Boenigk explains, it should not be forgotten that the positioning must also be sustainable in markets such as the USA, Great Britain, France, Japan, Asia and the Arab world.
Furthermore, they are trying to be authentically Swiss by using Swiss products on board. "There will be no caviar on board, but we will serve Honest Food," Boenigk says. He estimates that currently still existing product deviations, such as a relatively mixed fleet, different seat configurations or a non-uniform catering concept, will only be eliminated towards the end of 2002.
"At the moment, there is not yet a homogeneous product experience of the new brand. It will take a while before the last cloth napkin is on board and the last plastic cup is sorted out," says Swiss' advertising manager.
The period between the collapse of Swissair last September and the launch of Swiss last Easter Monday was a turbulent time for the communications department of the new Swiss airline. To get the brand off the ground, the 15 members of the new advertising crew worked up to 14 hours a day. The team was recruited from former communications employees of Swissair (35 employees) and Crossair (6).
The greatest difficulty in building the Swiss brand was deciding on a name and a strategy. Numerous naming options were discussed until a new name was chosen for the new brand. For good reason. The existing risk spoke against Swissair, according to which the aircraft of the highly indebted airline could have been held abroad. The name Crossair was not considered suitable for further use because of its low international profile.
Gravity is surmountable, past is not
Nevertheless, the new Swiss airline brand was not built in isolation from Swissair's past, which crashed to the ground in the nosedive of economic reality. Because the intercontinental airline sees itself as an ambassador for Switzerland, the obligation arose to also transport Swiss values such as "hospitality, quality, service and cleanliness" abroad.
Furthermore, Swiss rose like a phoenix from the ashes of its predecessor. The latter had significant brand values. For example, an attempt was made to recycle Swissair's care positioning and to integrate old Crossair values such as efficiency, dynamism and youthfulness into the new portfolio.
"Swiss is definitely not intended to become a second Swissair. It is a sensible objective to anchor the high values of Swissair together with the values of Crossair in the new brand," says Michael Boenigk, Head of Advertising at Swiss.
To implement this Swiss-Brand-Heritage strategy internationally, which was developed in collaboration with Advico Young & Rubicam (AY&R), Zurich, a sum in the double-digit millions has been budgeted. This year alone, at least another 15 million Swiss francs will be added. That's how much the international launch campaign, which will run for six weeks from April 8, will cost. The campaign, which consists of ads, posters, DM and a TV spot broadcast on Easter Sunday, was designed by the London agency Wink Media. Further brand communication to replace the launch campaign is currently being developed. It includes tactical, integrated product and partnership advertising.
There is still no homogeneous product experience
Since it would have been irresponsible to risk blind positioning at costs of this magnitude, market research was used as a pilot. It defined and verified the relevance of the new airline's brand personality. Experience, on-board surveys, focus group interviews and a study conducted with AY&R's Brand Asset Evaluator provided the data. The Quality-Made-in-Switzerland positioning is now based on this.
It manifests itself first in the visual of the fleet. The colors white and red stand for Switzerland. The reduction was intended to create a comprehensible and stylish appearance. In Switzerland, this brand identity might be perceived as arrogant. However, Boenigk explains, it should not be forgotten that the positioning must also be sustainable in markets such as the USA, Great Britain, France, Japan, Asia and the Arab world.
Furthermore, they are trying to be authentically Swiss by using Swiss products on board. "There will be no caviar on board, but we will serve Honest Food," Boenigk says. He estimates that currently still existing product deviations, such as a relatively mixed fleet, different seat configurations or a non-uniform catering concept, will only be eliminated towards the end of 2002.
"At the moment, there is not yet a homogeneous product experience of the new brand. It will take a while before the last cloth napkin is on board and the last plastic cup is sorted out," says Swiss' advertising manager.
