We got the entire nation talking about beer: The orchestrated campaign used the highly anticipated «alcohol vote» and its controversy to anchor Migros' values in the public eye and engage the target audience along a unique customer journey. Widespread public relations and a broad ATL campaign had all of Switzerland talking about Migros’ heritage and the unusual product representing it. We engaged customers every step of the way by encouraging them to discuss their opinions. And by showing that these opinions matter, the campaign made joining the Migros cooperative more relevant than ever, driving brand engagement.

Migros is Switzerland’s largest food retailer and structured as a cooperative association with more than two million members. Founder Gottlieb Duttweiler was concerned about the health of his customers and stipulated nearly 100 years ago that Migros would not sell alcohol. As market situations change and consumer needs for convenience and one-stop-shopping have become more important, the issue was put to a vote among Migros’ cooperative members in 2022.

The problem: Many saw this as a betrayal of their founder's values and a greedy business move.

The brief: developing a campaign that would promote the vote while avoiding a shitstorm. That meant taking a neutral stance and emphasizing the core values of Migros as a social and democratic cooperative, rather than pushing for a “yes” or “no” vote. Objectives were a positive media coverage, igniting a public discussion, getting new cooperative members and a high voter turnout.

Migros is the only supermarket chain in Switzerland (and possibly in the whole Western world) that does not sell alcohol. The alcohol ban was introduced in the 1920s by their founder, Gottlieb Duttweiler, affectionately known as “Dutti”. He still holds an iconic position in Swiss culture for his work ethic, his value-oriented business policy and his decision to basically gift Migros to the people by turning it into a cooperative.

As a direct democracy, Switzerland is characterized by a very high degree of citizen participation. The Swiss participate in political decision-making more than any other nation. Nevertheless, including customers/cooperative members in strategic business decisions via an official vote is highly unusual, even for a Swiss company.

Switzerland has four official languages, one of which is French. The naming of our Migros beer in connection with the vote (NON = No, OUI = Yes) was understood by everyone.

To promote the vote, we utilized a product idea instead of a "usual” campaign and invented the very first Migros beer. It was directly linked to the outcome of the vote. OUI or NON? With or without alcohol? No matter the outcome, there would be reason to celebrate. Should the pro vote come through, the OUI with alcohol would be released. Should the opposition win, they could celebrate with the non-alcoholic NON. This changed public perception completely: Instead of divisive politics, a fun product took the stage. And instead of talking about the "sinister" aspect of selling alcohol, people were discussing which beer they would prefer to see in their supermarket in the future. The Migros Beer thus not only made the results more tangible and illustrated Migros’ neutral, democratic stance in a striking way, but also gave the story a much-needed positive twist.

As one of the main target audiences were Migros’ cooperative members, we leveraged existing data and communication channels to reach, inform and involve our current voter base in a direct way. By translating a complex political issue into a tangible product, we were able to utilize public relations and the resulting media coverage in an effective way – adding a positive twist to the story. A wide-ranging ATL campaign added even more awareness for the vote and how to take part in it, even if you were not yet a cooperative member. We aimed to inform and engage customers and the Swiss public as a whole every step of the way, emphasizing their role in shaping the future of Switzerlands biggest retailer.

After an initial press release the Migros Beer was immediately picked up by the media. Content pieces in Migros owned channels gave background information and portrayed Pro and Con arguments via expert interviews as well as public surveys throughout the whole campaign period. 7 TV Spots, OOH and Print flights as well as Display Ads and Online Video placements provided additional reach.

Timeline:

21.03. – 31.08.22 (Phase 1) Promotion of vote

15.10. – 30.10.22 (Phase 2) Promotion of product launch

Placement:

Owned channels (Migros Magazine issued weekly to all cooperative members, Newsletters, Landing Page) / TV spots on national TV / National OOH Flights / print ads in the Sunday press / Display and Online Video Ads on Instagram / Facebook / Youtube and various Swiss advertising networks / POS in all Migros stores

The launch itself used the same channels and placements, benefiting from the existing media buzz.

Voter turnout:

- 20’515 new registered cooperative members

- Highest voting participation in Migros history (30% of 2.3 million registered cooperative members)

A national debate:

- 5,187 earned news articles

- Total advertising value equivalent of CHF 14.72 million (more than ten times of the invested media budget)

- Earned Reach: 47.8 million (radio and TV), 222.2 million (Print), and 129.4 million (online)

- Social post reach of 1.72 million (organic 620k vs. 1000k paid), Post engagement rate of 3.8%

Successful new product

- Rise of Migros’ revenue in the alcohol-free beers segment by 85%*

- Rise in Migros’ market share in the alcohol-free beer segment by 47%*

- Repurchase rate that is 80% higher than average for similar products*

(*Period: October – December 2022)