Nickless, whose real name is Nicola Kneringer, shook up the Swiss music scene as a 19-year-old in 2015. His song "Waiting", produced with Thomas Fessler, became the most-played single by a Swiss musician on the radio and won "Best Hit National" at the Swiss Music Awards.
The 29-year-old caused a stir when he smuggled a cheese fondue onto the stage at the Energy Star Night 2023 in Basel's St. Jakobshalle and ate it behind the drum kit from the Swiss national dish. The corresponding video featuring the "Swiss Cheese Guy" became a hit on social media with over two million clicks. A charming young musician with a large following and an affinity for Swiss cheese? Emmentaler Switzerland liked that too - and has now hired Nickless as a brand ambassador for Emmentaler AOP.
More cheese for Gen Z
"With Nickless, we have gained a likeable and authentic ambassador who represents our product to the millennial generation," says Urs Schluechter, Director of Emmentaler Switzerland. Nickless is the third brand ambassador for Emmentaler AOP alongside presenter and recipe book author Zoe Torinesi and wrestling king, farmer and Emmentaler AOP milk producer Matthias Sempach. He will mainly be active on social media, including on his established channel "A week in the life of Nickless".
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Emmentaler AOP's international campaign is aimed at the younger generation. The newly developed brand promise "Share a piece of you" appeals to millennials and their values, needs and lifestyles. The new, long-running campaign can currently be seen in Switzerland and selected European countries such as Italy, Germany, France and the Benelux countries as well as in the USA/Canada.
Whether passion, indulgence or sustainability - the traditional Swiss brand from Emmental shares many values with the Gen-Y target group, creating a valuable connection between its product and its consumers. This can also be seen in the films, in which Emmentaler AOP plays the leading role in every conceivable situation in the lives of millennials as a fine source of enjoyment.
Common values of Gen-Y and Emmentaler AOP
In close cooperation with Emmentaler Switzerland, the Milan-based creative agency Child The Agency carried out a target group analysis. The results: The consumer behavior of millennials is closely linked to their lifestyle. As digital natives, they travel a lot, are very health-conscious and are also discerning, sociable foodies. Emmentaler AOP therefore fits perfectly with every menu and lifestyle. And: Millennials love to share.
This is why the campaign focuses on transparency, quality, origin and regionality, animal welfare and sustainability. Incidentally, these are all values that Emmentaler AOP has always stood for.
An Italian agency with a strong connection to Switzerland
The new positioning and campaign was developed by the Italian creative agency Child The Agency, which came out on top in a multi-stage international pitch. The fact that an Italian agency took the lead for Emmentaler AOP makes sense for two reasons: Italy is one of the largest export markets for Emmentaler AOP in Europe. The agency also has strong connections in Switzerland. With Nadine Bachmann as a partner, Child Switzerland was recently established so that customers from Switzerland have a direct contact person in Switzerland. "We are delighted to have Nadine on board. She is a proven communications professional and played a key role in the development and implementation of the Emmentaler AOP campaign," explains Child founder and partner Giovanni Chiarelli.
Sometimes it takes an outside perspective to strengthen a Swiss brand on the international market. Alessandro Egro, founder and partner of Child, knows this too: "Child now combines the best of both worlds, especially for Swiss brands: The valuable view from the outside and the connection with Switzerland and its values. With Child Switzerland, we have now created a win-win situation. For our Swiss customers and for us with Child Switzerland."
Responsible at Emmentaler AOP: Urs Schlüchter (Director), Cornelia Brechbühl (Senior Manager Brand, Marketing & Communication), Sandra Wiedmer (Manager Marketing & Communication Market CH), Deborah Ackermann (Manager Marketing & Communication Market CH). Responsible at Child The Agency: Giovanni Chiarelli (Creative Direction), Alessandro Egro (Creative Direction), Andrea Betti (Strategy), Nadine Bachmann (Account Direction).
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Since his retirement from active wrestling, Matthias Sempach, who was born in Emmental, has lived with his family on their farm in Entlebuch. Since 2019, the family has been producing raw milk for the production of Emmentaler AOP. "I am convinced with heart and soul of the natural product Emmentaler AOP. As a dairy farmer and raw milk supplier, I live the partnership and the product more intensively than ever before. Our 13-year collaboration to date has therefore once again moved to a new level. Simply a round thing," Matthias Sempach is quoted as saying in a press release.
"Matthias is a perfect ambassador for Emmentaler Switzerland. He embodies our values and actively tackles the challenges of tradition and progress," adds Urs Schluechter, Director Emmentaler Switzerland.
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The visually and technically redesigned platform Emmentaler.ch is intended to offer users a special user experience. Various interviews and user tests conducted in advance served as the basis for the strategy and implementation. This was to ensure that all content and tools are consistently geared to the needs of consumers.
In addition to an English version, the new website serves the most important markets in Europe such as Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and France. Visitors:inside are greeted in their local language using geotargeting and guided through the site with country-specific content, content pieces and promotions, configured through a five-language CMS system. The SEO-optimized site also includes responsive programming and is designed to promote a positive user experience with Javascript and Lottie animations, social share elements and sweepstakes.
In videos, SEO-optimized blog articles and a USP hub, users discover the craft and the entire production process from the dairy farmer to the village cheese dairy to ripening in the cheese cellar. The focus in the respective worlds of experience is on the people behind the cheese: Where does the milk come from? Who made my cheese? How long does the cheese mature in the ripening cellar?
The range of eight different Emmentaler AOP cheeses is presented in its own world of images and experiences. Together with cheese sommelier Monika Bösch, an individual taste profile was created for each degree of maturity and graphically presented in an exciting way for users. Each maturity level is also presented by a cheese connoisseur as a testimonial with a personal taste suggestion. Links to the digital and stationary sales outlets are attached to the individual maturity levels.
Those interested in cooking will also find around 200 recipes on how the cheese can be used in cold and hot cuisine. The content is visually appealing and supplemented with user-friendly functions.
With the launch of the new homepage, Emmentaler AOP wants to set an example for quality and innovation and represent the company as digitally state-of-the-art. According to Zimmernann Communications, the number of visitors has increased by 174 percent since the go-live and the length of stay per user:in has been significantly extended.
Responsible at Emmentaler Switzerland: Annemarie Boos (Senior Manager Brand, Marketing & Communication), Sandra Wiedmer (Marketing & Communication Manager). Responsible at Zimmermann Communications: Dominik Mätzener (Managing Director Consulting), Christoff Strukamp (Creative Direction), Julia Hofmann, Sonja Zimmerli (Art Direction), Marietta Mügge (Text), Florian Bieniek, Lara Cavelti (Project Management). Responsible at Weooo: Sebastian Palka (technical conception, consulting), Johannes Gilges (server infrastructure, performance, programming), Michael Großklos, (web development), Christiane Betram (frontend design). Herrbuerli.ch: Manuel Bürli (User Experience/Testings), Fabienne Stoll (User Experience/Testings).
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Emmentaler AOP is launching a new international brand campaign in Switzerland and some European countries in 2023. According to the company, this marks a new era - because with the new campaign, the Swiss cheese brand wants to consciously address the younger generation and refers to their values, needs and lifestyles. And it does so by showing that its brand values and everyday choices fit perfectly with the lifestyle and needs of millennials.
"Share a Piece of You" is intended to create a connection between product and consumer, between passionate craftsmanship and conscious enjoyment. The campaign, which will run for several years, is intended to make Emmentaler AOP, as a versatile and varied source of enjoyment, a constant part of Millennials' lives.
The target group analysis conducted by Emmentaler Switzerland shows that Millennials' consumption and enjoyment habits are closely linked to lifestyle, sociability and well-being. Whether they are culinary foodies, lifestyle-oriented and health-conscious digital natives, travelers or family-oriented epicureans, they value transparency, high quality and sustainability, and love to share their food with friends and family.
Millennials trust the values of the cheese brand
Do Gen Y and Emmentaler AOP go together? Yes. According to Emmentaler, millennials trust in the same strong values that characterize one of the oldest Swiss cheese brands - Emmentaler AOP: Quality awareness, animal welfare, regional craftsmanship, origin and transparent processes in the supply chain, sustainability in combination with the knowledge and experience of the cheese makers.
"Share a Piece of You marks the start of the future for Emmentaler AOP," says Urs Schlüchter, Director of Emmentaler Switzerland. "A world-renowned brand with a centuries-old tradition shares its values not only with its existing consumer:s, but also with the younger generations, the millennials, who believe in the same values that have always inspired Emmentaler AOP. The strongest asset of this campaign is the chosen language and tone, and the ability to address the issues that matter most to the younger generations. Share a Piece of You is much more than a new positioning, it is a powerful and immediate call to action. A call-to-action that connects our brand with modern consumer:s."
Visible in several countries
In the coming months, the brand campaign will be launched in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, France, the Benelux countries, and Spain. Depending on the country, the campaign can be seen in various online and offline media, such as via TV, in online news portals, on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and on emmentaler.ch. The aim is to continuously increase awareness of Emmentaler AOP, especially among millennials.
The imposing, massive and deep red "Micarculum Primitivo" meets the distinctively spicy Emmentaler AOP Gotthelf. The fruity-sweet bouquet of the "10 Year Old Tawny Port" perfectly ensnares the gout of the velvety, full-bodied Emmentaler AOP Eidgenoss. In the collab between Emmentaler AOP and the online wine merchant Flaschenpost, enjoyable cheese-wine matches are celebrated and exclusively curated by cheese sommelier Monika Bösch and wine sommelier Hakan Cap. Always with the aim of highlighting the variety of Emmentaler AOP and the comprehensive wine assortment of Flaschenpost as well as to make it a gluschtig experience for the viewers.
For this collaboration, Zimmermann Communications designed and realized various video and image stories. These stories are published on the Instagram channels of Emmental and Message in a bottle and supplemented with a promotion. The presence in the Flaschenpost newsletter and a specially created landing page on emmentaler.ch round off the campaign.
Responsible at Emmentaler Switzerland: Annemarie Boos (Senior Manager Brand, Marketing & Communication, Sandra Wiedmer (Marketing & Communication Manager), Monika Bösch (Cheese Sommelier). Responsible at Flaschenpost Services: Anouk Naegeli (Social Media Manager), Hakan Cap (Wine Sommelier). Responsible at Zimmermann Communications: Christoff Strukamp (Creative Direction), Sonja Zimmerli (Art Direction), Florian Bieniek (Project Management), Dominik Mätzener (GF Consulting). Photography and film: Ramon Alder, Gianni Peng. Realization/implementation of social media measures and landing page: Zimmermann Communications.
For the annual report - as in previous years - one of the many traditional Emmental crafts was interpreted as a hook: This time the watchmaking craft of Ueli Zürcher in Wasen. The delicate craft, which master craftsman Zürcher has been practicing for almost 50 years, requires a great deal of patience, experience and skill - just as the production of original Emmentaler AOP requires.
Unexciting news from the valley
The current issue of the members' magazine focuses on well-known personalities from the world of original Emmental cheese: dairy farmers Carmen and Hansruedi Müller, the brothers Marc and Thomas from the Neuenschwander cheese dairy in Güttingen, and also the 160th anniversary of distribution partner Lustenberger & Dürst.
In addition, readers can find out more news about Emmentaler AOP: be it the promotion of young talent by Schwinger patron and brand ambassador Mättu Sempach, the digital orientation of the Emmentaler show dairy, as well as an overview of marketing activities and much more.
In the spirit of solid craftsmanship, great importance was attached to careful design, selected uncoated paper and fine print finishing in the creative implementation and realization.
Responsible at Emmentaler Switzerland: Alfred Rufer (Commercial Manager, Vice Director), Stefan Gasser (Director), Regina Miesch (Project Manager), Sandra Wiedmer (Marketing & Communication Manager). Responsible at Zimmermann Communications: Christoff Strukamp (Creative Direction), Julia Hofmann, Ramon Alder (Art Direction), Marietta Mügge (Text), Lara Cavelti (Project Management), Dominik Mätzener (GF Consulting), Rolf Zimmermann (Strategy). Photography: Ramon Alder, Adrian Ehrbar. Printing and finishing Business report: Haller+Jenzer. Printing member magazine: Egger.
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Emmentaler AOP is made by hand in over 100 village cheese dairies, offers nine degrees of ripeness and a corresponding variety of flavors, transparency throughout production, and each cheese can be traced back to its place of origin. So there are many good reasons to choose an original Emmentaler AOP. The current campaign focuses on precisely these reasons - or rather USPs of the brand. Unagitated, but all the more authentic and with a lot of heart, style and a certain grandeur.
After the well-known Bernese actor Marcus Signer with his compagnon Matthias Sempach this spring already accompanied the Emmentaler Schwing promotionhe now sits in front of the camera as the sole performer and cheese connoisseur. This is the first time that Marcus Signer's pithy voice has been heard and seen in the advertising world.
The footage was shot in the Schwingerstübli on Matthias Sempach's farm. All films are uncut "one-takers", supporting the style and the authentic hand-made spirit.
The campaign will air nationally on TV, on various digital platforms and on social media channels, and will lead to the comprehensive Campaign landing pagewhere you can find entertaining outtakes and funny gif links.
Responsible at Emmentaler Switzerland: Annemarie Boos (Senior Manager Brand, Marketing & Communication), Sandra Wiedmer (Marketing & Communication Manager). Responsible at Zimmermann Communications: Dominik Mätzener (GF Consulting/Strategy), Christoff Strukamp (Creative Direction), Ramon Alder (Art Direction), Sonja Zimmermann (Digital Art Director), Florian Bieniek (Project Management), Rolf Zimmermann (Strategy/Media). Film production: Markenfilm Schweiz, Stefan Künzler (director), Pierre Castillo Bernad (DoP), Michael Gloor (producer); Hurrah.ch (food styling and photography). Social media, digital advertising media and landing page: Zimmermann Communications. Technical programming landing page: Weooo.
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The Eidgenössisches Schwing- und Älplerfest ESAF is Switzerland's biggest folk festival and will be held in Pratteln this August. Emmentaler Switzerland is giving away some tickets: anyone who buys a piece of Emmentaler AOP in the Coop during the promotion has the chance to be there live at the big wrestling festival.
One of the protagonists for this promotion is Matthias Sempach, long-time Emmentaler brand ambassador, current dairy farmer for Emmentaler AOP and wrestling king in 2013. At his side: Marcus Signer, the actor and cheese fan with roots in Emmental. The two friends sit relaxed in front of a nice plate of Emmentaler AOP and point out the promotion - and then, under gentle pressure from Mättu, Marcus delivers the right message to the people.
The national promotion will be advertised on TV and on various digital platforms and supported by a comprehensive social media concept.
Responsible at Emmentaler Switzerland: Stefan Gasser (Director), Nadine Graf (Marketing & Communication Manager), Sandra Wiedmer (Marketing & Communication Manager). Responsible at Zimmermann Communications: Dominik Mätzener (GF Consulting/Strategy), Christoff Strukamp (Creative Direction), Ramon Alder (Art Direction), Sonja Zimmerli (Digital Art Director), Florian Bieniek (Project Management), Rolf Zimmermann (Strategy/Media). Responsible for Markenfilm Switzerland (film production): Stefan Künzler (director), Pierre Castillo Bernad (DoP), Michael Gloor (producer); Hurrah.ch (food styling and photography). Conception/implementation of social media measures, digital advertising materials and landing page: Zimmermann Communications. Technical programming landing page: Weooo.
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Urs Schlüchter has been active in the FMCG industry for more than 20 years and has expertise in sales, marketing and trade marketing. As of June 1, Stefan Gasser will hand over the management of Emmentaler Switzerland to Schlüchter. During the transition phase until the end of June, Gasser will introduce the new director to the world of Emmentaler AOP.
"Urs Schlüchter has convinced the board of Emmentaler Switzerland due to his broad commercial experience in marketing/trade, his many years of leadership experience in responsible positions in the national and international food industry, as well as with his open, analytical, but grounded manner," Daniel Meyer, president of Emmentaler Switzerland, is quoted as saying in a statement.
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The aim of the magazine, conceived and realized by Zimmermann Communications in collaboration with Emmentaler Switzerland, is to give Emmentaler Switzerland's members and stakeholders a look behind the scenes and to present the people who contribute to the production of Emmentaler cheese.
In the current issue, the focus is once again on people from the three Emmentaler Switzerland interest groups. Namely the two cheese makers Albert and Silvio Schöpfer from the cheese dairy Kleinstein, farmer Thomas Bachmann from the stable community Ehrenbüel and Beat Hostettler from the cheese trading company Cremo.
The magazine also contains many interesting and entertaining facts about Emmentaler AOP. For the little ones, there is also a children's puzzle in which entries for the King's Trail including a snack in the restaurant of the Emmental show dairy can be won.
The second issue of the magazine has been published in printed and electronic form and can be be browsed online.
Responsible at Emmentaler Switzerland: Alfred Rufer (Commercial Manager, Vice Director), Sandra Wiedmer (Marketing & Communication Manager). Responsible at Zimmermann Communications: Christoff Strukamp (Creative Direction), Ramon Alder (Art Direction), Marietta Mügge (Text), Lara Cavelti (Consulting), Rolf Zimmermann (Strategy); Photos: Emmentaler Switzerland, Ramon Alder, Hugo Grossenbacher, Lena Hogekamp, Manuel Lopez, Manuel Rickenbacher; Illustration: Konrad Beck.
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The Emmental is home to an exceptionally large number of traditionally rooted Swiss crafts. Emmentaler Switzerland is also using this fact as a hook in the 2020 edition of its annual report: After portraying the bell foundry, the cooperage, and the silhouette artist in previous years, the products of the Aebi pottery in Trubschachen now form the conceptual framework. Each piece of the ceramics manufactory is a handcrafted unique specimen, which requires a lot of care and experience in the production. This is also the case with the Emmentaler AOP.
The pottery Aebi has especially for this Annual Report created and produced a set of plates on which different varieties of Emmentaler AOP are illustratively and artistically visualized. The plates also provide the perfect stage for specially developed cheese inspirations that lead through the pages of the annual report.
In terms of production technology, great importance was also attached to high-quality implementation: The carefully selected uncoated paper and the fine die-cutting of the headline and the plate on the title page are intended to provide a haptically exciting, almost handcrafted experience when reading and leafing through.
Responsible at Emmentaler Switzerland: Regina Miesch (project management), Stefan Gasser (director). Responsible at Zimmermann Communications: Ramon Alder (Art Direction), Christoff Strukamp (Creative Direction), Lara Cavelti (Project Management), Dominik Mätzener (Managing Director Consulting). Food Photography: Hurra.ch, Ron Edwards (photography), Rahel Rüttimann (food styling). Reportage photography: Ramon Alder. Printing and finishing: Haller+Jenzer.
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