"Our average customer today is 37"
Ph. Olivier Burger, sole shareholder of the PKZ Group, on the success of his fashion chains and advertising strategy.
Ph. Olivier Burger: As
As a fashion company, we have always been able to adapt to the spirit of the times,
if not anticipate it. PKZ was the first to start
ready-to-wear manufacturer in Switzerland, a revolution at the time. Also
We are constantly orienting ourselves to the changing
Consumer needs. How close we have always been to the zeitgeist,
is reflected in external communication. This can be
can currently be seen in the exhibition. There you can see how PKZ
Fashion at the time of the First World War, in the Golden 20s or
presented and sold much later during the oil crisis. The
long-term success depended primarily on three factors: adaptation to the zeitgeist, a strong
profile to the outside world and the best work at the front through constant
Training of our employees.
WW: And if you look at the last two decades?
Burger: In addition to
the expansion of the company was the establishment of a modern and
attractive image is important. When I joined PKZ in 1984, the
The average age of customers was 50, today it is 37.
The basic idea was always: How do you survive in a small market like the
Switzerland against internationally operating competitors? The solution lay in
Expansion of the store network with the same level of overhead in order to benefit from the
economies of scale: reduced logistics costs,
lower prices, more sales. We are at our
Core competence remains: fashion.
WW: How has this positive development affected the marketing budget?
Burger: Our
We have kept advertising expenditure virtually constant at a good 4.5 percent
of the turnover. In the years with several store openings
it was a little more, of course. But the advertising investments were always
within this framework. In a national and international comparison
We are therefore well above average.
WW: In
In your industry, you are almost the only one who focuses so strongly on the
Poster concentrated. More out of tradition or conviction?
Burger: In
of our company history, the poster is certainly an important
Advertising medium. Very often one medium was used in another,
which is certainly outdated from today's perspective. For example, the
PKZ brochure animated in an advertising film and reproduced on a poster
recorded. Often the idea actually came from the poster medium and
was then used in various other advertising media, including the
shop windows their direct implementation. Even these are in the
exhibition is strongly represented. This shows how proud people are of
were their decorative work at PKZ. The difference to today is,
that we used to generate around five percent of sales in all media.
could be present at the same time.
WW: That's probably no longer possible today.
Burger: The
Advertising costs have risen disproportionately. Because a broad
and eye-catching campaign presence for our company economically
makes no sense, we have actually been concentrating for two years on
strongly on the poster as a key medium and on our independent
Adress magazine, which is addressed to 20 percent of the Swiss population.
households. There we place our - nota bene paid -
Advertisements.
WW: How important is this lifestyle magazine for the PKZ Group?
Burger: Around 40 percent of our communication volume flows into direct marketing media, including address ads.
Interview: Luca Aloisi
