What does the “Swiss farmers. For you.” campaign want to achieve?
The aim of the campaign is to foster relations between urban and rural areas, to strengthen confidence in local agriculture, to impart knowledge and to boost the sale of produce. Consumers should become aware of where their food originates from and what it takes to make this high-quality offering available. “Swiss farmers. For you.” is aiming to shine a light on the wide range of services that farming families provide for society and thus to emphasise just how important the agricultural sector is for our country.
Why do people today know so little about agriculture?
In the past, a large part of the population was either employed in or close to the agricultural sector or at least had some link to it. Today, however, less than three percent of the working population is now employed in the primary sector. Instead, more than 75 percent live in cities or their agglomerations. And this trend is continuing, with the level of urbanisation set to hit approximately 85 percent by 2050. Many people have little or no contact with agriculture whatsoever. They are unaware of the interrelationships, the services provided by the sector and when which food is currently in season. This is where “Swiss farmers. For you.” comes in. By providing education and information, it builds bridges between urban and rural areas.
What are the slogan “For you.” and the blue and green frame trying to say?
The colours blue and green form the frame of the logo and symbolise Switzerland’s cultural landscape: green fields under a blue sky. It frames the services that the agricultural sector provides for the population each and every day. The claim “For you.” closes the frame and, at the same time, establishes a link between the services of Swiss farmers and the added value they generate for the target group.
Since summer 2022, the German-language brand has made reference to “Schweizer Bäuerinnen & Bauern” (Swiss male and female farmers) rather than simply “Schweizer Bauern”. Why has this step been taken?
The name “Schweizer Bauern” (and before that “Gut, gibt’s die Schweizer Bauern” – thank goodness for Swiss farmers) has always stood for the profession as a whole: the domestic farming community. Both male and female farmers have always been used on posters and in adverts or videos in equal measure. The recent “gender discussions” have led to this generic brand also being increasingly scrutinised in the agricultural sector. We therefore decided that the time had come to also integrate female farmers visually into the brand.
Why do we need advertising for Swiss farming families?
While it produces products that are vital for our survival, agriculture is a low value-added sector. This is due in no short measure to unfavourable market structures (many suppliers and a few powerful buyers) as well as high investment and production costs. Farmers in Switzerland adhere to stringent regulations relating to the environment and animal protection, which further increases their costs relative to their counterparts abroad. They are also limited in terms of growth for topographical reasons. The reform process, which has now been going on for a quarter of a century, as well as falling producer prices and consequently unsatisfactory incomes have resulted in a steady decline in the number of farms, which has now fallen beneath the 50,000 mark. Compared to 1990, the number of farms has in fact halved. Swiss raw materials and labour will only have a future if they are valued more highly in the form of a cost-covering price. And it is precisely here that our communication comes in: the people of Switzerland should consciously buy Swiss food in the shops and be prepared to pay a fair price for it.
What does our brand DNA look like?
We want to position the “Swiss farmers. For you.” brand as follows:
- Innovative: Swiss farmers are open-minded and act with entrepreneurial foresight.
- Strong: Swiss farmers feed the country and shape Switzerland’s landscape.
- Responsible: Swiss farmers treat people and nature with care.
What key messages characterise the campaign?
Surveys show that the topics currently on the mind of the Swiss population in connection with agriculture are “animal welfare”, “ecology/biodiversity” and “recreation, exercise and proximity”. And we have focussed our communication on these three strategic priorities over the coming years.
We already see a lot of agricultural advertising. Do we actually need this basic communication?
The basic communication is embedded within a three-tier model (basic communication, industry communication, product and brand advertising). The respective measures and activities are interlinked.
The basic communication lays a foundation that creates an understanding of the services associated with the agricultural sector and improves the starting position for the sale of domestic products. It highlights the added value that all food produced in Switzerland has in common.