Client example
Engadin St. Moritz
The Engadin St. Moritz destination has achieved something special: with a two-brand strategy, it ensures a clear distinction between Engadin and St. Moritz while at the same time strengthening the cohesion between the two brands. This is not a contradiction.
1. Initial situation
In 2007, a regional decision was made to merge the 13 municipalities of the Upper Engadine into a single tourism umbrella organization. All tourism offices were brought under the umbrella of a joint organization working on behalf of the Upper Engadine municipalities.
Their goal: to become the best-known and most desirable holiday destination in the Alps. In 2008, the Engadin St. Moritz tourism organization brought BrandTrust on board.
2. Challenges
The 13 municipalities of the Upper Engadine are very different in character. Nevertheless, they had to be brought together so that they could achieve success as a group. The project was unique in the Alpine region at the time and was accompanied by the peculiarity that the region's "beacon," St. Moritz, did not fit in with the rest of the Engadine.
Precisely because of these positive preconceptions, which seem so obvious, as many relevant stakeholders in Fribourg as possible should be involved in the process to ensure broad acceptance, advocacy, and implementation and to achieve a sharpening of the tourism brand. An additional challenge was the coronavirus pandemic that began in early 2020 and the associated restrictions on physical meetings.
3. Solution
The first important step was to develop and leverage the diversity of the communities as a strong advantage. The answer was a two-brand strategy: on the one hand, the appeal of St. Moritz should be exploited, and on the other hand, the very different communities of the Upper Engadine should be bundled together.
The St. Moritz brand thus serves as a door opener for distant markets and for a discerning, high-class audience. The Engadin, on the other hand, can serve nearby markets, especially Switzerland, with its diverse offerings. Under the common brand umbrella, each community can position itself with its own focus while at the same time leveraging the strength of the Engadin brand in the overall message.
4. Result & effect
The two-brand strategy has proven to be the right strategic approach for the Engadin St. Moritz destination. Growth has been achieved despite the strong Swiss franc and contrary to the overall trend in Switzerland.
The clear separation of the two brands has led to a measurable strengthening of the individual St. Moritz brand and a disproportionate recovery of Swiss guests in the Engadin. Guests in the Engadin now benefit from new offers that have only been made possible by combining synergies, such as comprehensive offers such as "Bergbahn inklusive" (mountain railway included) and "Hotel + Skipass" (hotel + ski pass).
The contact person for this project
Klaus-Dieter Koch
Managing Partner
Klaus-Dieter Koch
Managing Partner
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