Afrosuisse

Some of you may recall having seen Tyler Brulee, the uber-Euro designer and media mogul via satellite at the Design Indaba in 2004. At the time, we as the custodians of the Bizcommunity brand were inspired to shift our brand a little north of centre, imbuing our 100% homegrown values with a bit of Swiss panache.

We figured if it were good enough for Wallpaper* and Monocle, it would surely good enough for us.

In case you're wondering what the link is between Canadian-born Brule and Swiss design, he was responsible for repositioning the airline once known as Swiss Air, now known simply as Swiss.

But apart from its achingly pared down iconic red and white status, what is the mystique behind Swiss design? The answer to this was provided by a happy stumble, which in the pursuit of empire building, I have blatantly plagiarised from author Barry Silverstein. Read the full 24 August 2009 article.

The point Silverstein makes in his article is that for such a small country, Swiss brands pack a mighty global clout - Nescafé, UBS, Nestlé, Credit Suisse, Zurich, Rolex, Lindt, Swatch, Longines, Breitling and TAG Heuer - and not forgetting the army knife. Ok, they may be a bit dull, but you must admit it's impressive that such a tiny country has become a global branding powerhouse. So how do they do it?

Swiss companies rate themselves; it's not just about watches and choccies, it is about the "Swissness" which is embodied in every fibre of their corporate styling! Capitalising on this value, the Swiss government is even going so far as to publish a comprehensive corporate identity manual for Brand Switzerland, realising "that a focused and strong brand definition is necessary for successful positioning in the international market".

Haven't you ever wondered about Nestlé's little baby bird logo? Well, the equity that snuggles on the reverse of this US$110 billion stable of products was started by Henri Nestlé, a pharmacist who created an alternative to human breast milk in the 1860s. The product, which apparently saved the life of a premature infant, went on to be successfully marketed. In Henri's German dialect, Nestlé meant "little nest," so he chose a bird's nest, also his family's coat of arms, as his trademark. A stylized version of which is still used today.

Similarly, the household name "Swatch" was simply formed from the words "Swiss" and "watch". Perhaps demonstrating that marrying what you do with who you are ensures automatic authenticity in the marketplace.

Perhaps lessons to be learned indirectly from brands like these are that being true to what and where you are in the world is great investment, that it is not de rigeur to follow any kind of global standard practice in product development or branding, and that the best products and brands of the future will be the ones that are truly imbued with heart and a proud and fiercely guarded national character.