The Gstaad vacation region is expanding its storytelling with two audio formats. The podcast "Gstaad Stories" introduces personalities who shape life in the region - from the hotel manager to the farmer to the event manager. In the first episode, presenter Selina Riegert talks to Nadja, a mother of three who runs an alpine hut and experiences life in the mountains up close.

"The stories we share in the new podcast make the Gstaad vacation region tangible and lively," explains Ariane Ludwig, Head of Marketing, Communication & Sales. Having local heroes tell stories about Gstaad makes the destination more approachable than an advertising campaign, Ludwig continues. A new episode is published every first Thursday of the month.

Gstaad Saanenland Tourism is also launching the "Sounds of Gstaad" audio format. Natural sounds such as the rushing of streams or the ringing of cowbells are intended to offer a relaxing break from everyday life. "With these sounds, we want to create a conscious audio time-out that slows down everyday life and awakens a longing for the mountains," says Ludwig.

The content is available on streaming platforms and is intended to give listeners a new, sensual connection to the region.

It's Gstaad, not Gstad. The focus on the stretched pronunciation is put in relation to the fact that people also tend to say "schöön" when they particularly like something: they enjoy the word and take their time.

To express the unique beauty, the pleasurable tranquillity and the relaxing serenity, the current campaign continues this old tradition from the Saanenland - and doubles the vowels of beautiful words. The striking implementation with impressive images and a single, supposedly misspelled word in large letters is intended to irritate, attract attention and involve - and also get to the heart of the message for those who do not speak the language. This ensures that the central communicative idea is also understandable across language barriers, which is a significant advantage for the simultaneous playout of the campaign in French-speaking and German-speaking Switzerland, online and locally.

Gstaad's attitude to life expressed

In terms of content, the campaign focuses on "Gstaad Savoir Vivre". It shows that enjoyment is simply easier in the Gstaad vacation region because everything has time here. "And that's exactly what it's all about: this enjoyable tranquillity is and remains the central theme of our story, our brand promise. The new implementation with 'Time for more' is an inspiring continuation of 'Come Up - Slow Down' with a further level of meaning: the conceptual idea is deeply anchored in the spelling of Gstaad and expresses what Gstaad stands for, namely: time for more enjoyment. As part of the rebranding process, the launch of the winter campaign 'Time for more' is another important step into the future," explains Flurin Riedi, Tourism Director and CEO of Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus.

According to Ariane Ludwig, Head of Marketing & Sales at Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus, the claim is more appropriate than ever in today's stressful world: "The aim of the new campaign is to recharge the claim with the message and express the beauty of our region, the deceleration in a stressful world and the diverse enjoyment."

The new image was created in close collaboration between Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus and Skiwelt Gstaad. "It is important to us as a mountain railroad that we run a joint campaign, follow common paths and speak a common language, despite sometimes differing needs and communication requirements," explains Matthias In-Albon, CEO of Skiwelt Gstaad.

Large-scale use

The new campaign appearance was developed on behalf of Gstaad Saanenland Tourism - together with MRB as the creative agency and the tourism agency Schmid Pelli & Partner, which specializes in strategy. The current winter campaign is part of the new corporate design process initiated over a year ago, the destination website and the 2025+ tourism strategy signed by over 30 of the destination's service providers in the fall.

The first winter campaign has been running on posters in Saanenland and Simmental since mid-October. From the end of November, the campaign will be rolled out nationally via digital channels, OOH at highly frequented locations such as train stations, public transport, print media and on dedicated platforms. In the following measures for 2025, the new campaign presence will be expanded in a targeted manner and the destination will be positioned sustainably with the brand promise "Come Up - Slow Down".

Changing technological requirements, a new digital brand world at its main partner Switzerland Tourism ST and the desire for multidimensional storytelling on its own communication channels prompted Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus GST to relaunch its website.

As part of the relaunch, the logo and CI/CD were gently optimized for digital communication. "The project has been with us intensively for around a year. The journey from a refresh of our logo to a new CI/CD in line with the digital age was a big part of the website project. At the same time, we want to offer more substance and storytelling in terms of content. At the same time, we are now sharpening messages and optimizing imagery, giving us future-proof tools for larger marketing projects in the coming years," explains Ariane Ludwig, Head of Marketing & Sales at Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus, who is in charge of the project.

Visually and content-wise fit for the digital age

With the previous logo, Gstaad Saanenland Tourismus visually aligned itself with ST by using the golden flower. As part of the move into the digital brand world, ST has now left the golden flower behind. With the new website, the digitalization and refreshment of the brand identity for the Gstaad vacation region now go hand in hand.

Frank Bodin from Bodin.Consulting wanted to express the special quality of Gstaad - confident, distinguished and with a touch of discreet luxury. When examining the history of Gstaad's logo, a small but subtle graphic element caught his eye: a line that had once underlined the Gstaad word mark. This "original line" was integrated as an element in the new logo and now brings a line to the entire appearance, both literally and figuratively.

The new website is not just limited to a visual refresh, but modernizes the entire engine room for the future of digital marketing, as Ronnie Oehrli, Head of Digitalization Gstaad Saanenland Tourism, notes: "The technology used with Content Hub and modern CMS now corresponds with our destination management system. This is how we are setting the course for digitalization in marketing. In future, we will be able to aggregate data from individual systems such as the digital Gstaad Card, our chatbot, the digital concierge or the newsletter tool - in accordance with data protection regulations - and thus provide guests with a more personal, individual and better service." The web agency Pixelpoint was entrusted with the technical implementation.

The Gstaad vacation region is also breaking new ground in storytelling, both visually and in terms of content. In narrative formats portrayed in moving images, guests get to know local protagonists through short stories and other journalistic formats and thus receive insider tips for their next stay in the vacation region.

Synergies used in the region

The new website bundles information for guests. In future, the partner website will channel information for service providers and B2B customers. This will allow partners to be addressed in a more targeted manner. The next project phase will be simpler with the implementation of a CRM tool with already defined interfaces. "We are doing pioneering work across destinations. The project, which we launched together with our colleagues from Lenk Simmental Tourismus and Tourismus Adelboden-Lenk-Kandersteg, is taking us all further. Based on similar requirements, we were able to purchase technologies together and thus optimize work processes. We actively share knowledge and exchange experiences. At the same time, each destination receives a customized implementation tailored to its positioning," emphasizes Flurin Riedi, CEO of Gstaad Saanenland Tourism. Over the next few months, the website will be continuously developed, taking into account the behavior of website visitors.

Synergies in cooperation beyond the valley borders will also be used in future projects. In future, other tourism service partners in the Gstaad vacation region will also be able to benefit from these synergies.

Dominic Stricker has been a member of the Swiss Tennis national squad since 2013 and was named Switzerland's best young athlete of the year in 2020. In his short time as a professional tennis player, Dominic has already achieved impressive successes: In addition to winning in Paris 2020 at Roland Garros in the singles and doubles of the junior tournament, he won the doubles title with Stan Wawrinka at the Swiss Open 2023 in Gstaad.

"We are delighted to have Dominic as our new Evian ambassador. With his sparkling passion for tennis and his bright, youthful spirit, he could hardly be a better fit for Evian. #LiveYoung-Spirit of Evian. This partnership represents Evian's mission to ensure that players can always give their best in matches and training through healthy hydration," says Jasmin Droste, Head of Marketing at Danone Switzerland. After all, optimal hydration is an essential element of both physical and mental performance. Dominic and the other Evian ambassadors therefore fit in perfectly with the Evian brand's ethos of promoting well-being and a healthy lifestyle.

"I am delighted"

Dominic Stricker says about his new partnership with Evian: "I'm delighted to be part of a very special story as an Evian ambassador. I've been seeing Evian on the tour and in everyday training for some time now. Being able to represent this great and dynamic brand naturally fills me with pride. At the same time, I am looking forward to many great stories and encounters on and off the tennis court."

Evian is official supplier of the Swiss Opens in Gstaad and already since 2008 official sponsor of the Grand Slam tournament in Wimbledon. Evian provides healthy hydration for the tennis pros and fans at both tournaments.

Besides the Well-being the Consumers and Athlete:inside lies the brand also the Environment at This is why it only uses bottles made from 100 percent recycled PET (rPET) for its natural mineral water, which saves over a quarter of C02 emissions compared to conventional PET bottles. In addition, the Evian plant is completely powered by renewable energy. operated. Since 2021 Evian is also B-Corp certified and thus fulfills the strictest ecological and social standards for sustainable business.

"It's great to support young talent"

At Evian - and its parent company Danone - testimonial campaigns and the promotion of young talent go hand in hand. Head of Corporate Affairs Philippe Aeschlimann explains why this is so important to his company. 

Werbewoche.ch: Mr. Aeschlimann - Dominic Stricker is evian's new brand ambassador in Switzerland. What prompted you to cooperate with the young tennis talent?

Philippe Aeschlimann: We saw Dominic play in Gstaad last year in a doubles match with our former Evian ambassador Stan Wawrinka. That led to initial talks and the chemistry was right. Dominic and Evian also share the same values: both are ambitious, but down-to-earth, open and honest. With his sparkling passion for tennis and his bright, youthful spirit, Dominic fits in perfectly with Evian's #Live young spirit.

The combination of "Promotion of young talent" and testimonial campaign is something I find very exciting. Is this a tradition in your company or are you venturing into "new territory" here?

#Live Young is the motto of Evian, but this refers more to the spirit, the mindset - and less to the age. Of course, it's great to support young talents like Dominic Stricker or Emma Raducanu, who was born in the same year as Dominic, on their hard road to the top of the world and throughout their careers.

Can you give us an initial idea of the form your brand ambassador will take for you? Is there a campaign, events ...?

Dominic will definitely be in Gstaad and we are currently working together to see how we can best integrate him into our campaigns. Events like the tournament in Gstaad are particularly suitable because, in addition to on-site activities with fans, the opportunity can be used for content creation for social media.

Finally, a question that goes beyond the announcement of your brand ambassador: Evian has increasingly focused on sustainability in recent years and is following the "One Planet. One Health." vision of the parent company Danone. How does this manifest itself in concrete terms - and why is it important for your brand?

For Evian, this means being able to offer a natural product for healthy hydration in the most sustainable way possible, with a balance between business success and a positive impact on society and the environment. We are convinced that the health of people and the health of the planet are closely linked. Good, natural mineral water starts with healthy, preserved nature, which is why we have long protected the natural environment around Evian's springs. Source protection is part of our commitment to a sustainable future, as is the switch to 100% rPET bottles and exclusively renewable energy at the plant. And Evian is proud to be B Corp certified. We are therefore part of a movement of companies committed to building sustainable, ethical and inclusive business models.