Victorinox Swiss Army

Content Strategy

Challenge

Digital Transformation

Victorinox is a brand with 100 years of heritage and almost 50 different websites – one for each country or region.

My agency developed a one-for-all website, including an e-commerce platform.

My responsibility: Content strategy, from message and channel definition to topic development and content creation.

The Victorinox home screen features stories around their products.

1/7

Positioning

Victorinox Swiss Army is a loved brand. After all, MacGyver and the Simpsons use their products.

The content strategy I developed built on the existing fan base, which focuses on functionality. To add a modern touch, the iconic Victorinox design language was added to the topics we cover.

Bart Simpson and MacGyver make use of the Swiss Army Knife.

2/7

User Groups

The content strategy targets two user groups.

‍Left side: The long-developed fan base of craftspeople is function and quality-oriented. ‍
‍Right side: Design aficionados appreciate the iconic design and the brand’s heritage.

Victorinox products serve both user groups

Victorinox serves two user groups and we create content to serve and sell them both.

3/7

Messaging

Each user group has different content needs.‍

‍Left side: Function and quality-oriented people want an everyday companion and tips and tricks on how to use such a tool.
‍Right side: Design-oriented people want to enjoy life. They are looking for inspiring stories about beautiful objects and the tradition-oriented craftspeople that create them.

The Victorinox message serves both user groups.

Each user group has different interests – so we serve them with different topics on our website.

4/7

Tone of Voice

The Victorinox tone of voice is inspiring yet practical – just like its key product: the Swiss Army Knife.

Depending on the communicative situation, the tone of voice is either more on the inspirational and warm side or more on the practical and factual side.

Defining a tone of voice with the help opposites and communication situations.

5/7

Glossary

100 years of history – that means that a lot of terminology had already emerged. However, the team in Russia did not necessarily use the same wording as the team in Italy or the team in China.

Together with the communication teams around the world, we developed wording conventions to ensure consistency while respecting localization.

Glossary charts always look so innocent in the beginning. Yet they go to editors all around the world, they spark lots of discussion and involve some painful decisions. The image above is the template I use in my work. I adapt it according to my client’s needs.

6/7

Production

Content production is the work of many stakeholders. As the content producer, I’m in touch with them all.

Product Development: Knows about the USPs and areas of use
Product Management: Knows about technicalities such as width and length
Product Marketing: Knows about local market needs
Analytics: Knows which keywords to use to attract organic traffic
Branding: Checks on tone and messaging

Together, they gave input on what to write in the list of key features and in the description copy.

A simple product page on an e-commerce site – yet so much complexity in the background to get this page on air.

7/7

Translation

Victorinox translates its content into 10 languages. Once back from the translation agency, I made sure that their work was accurate and on brand.

I also checked that the translated copy fitted into the layout – text expansion can become an issue as some languages need more space than others, as you can see in my text expansion cheat sheet.

When translating text, the text often gets longer or short. For example 100 characters in an English copy turn out to be 120 characters when translated to German.

Result

Content That Creates Fans

Thanks to the content strategy, topics, formats, and distribution channels now had a clear direction.

It served as the basis on which to build the editorial calendar, track goals, and optimize content.

Some of the content I developed: A series on the Victorinox iconic design, a series on their high sustainability standards, or a recurring contest with several phases.

Victorinox now features web content that speaks to crafts people and design aficionados alike.

Impact

What My Work Delivers

The company went through a profound digital transformation. Legally, a silo organization became one legal entity. Technically, e-commerce and digital communication united in one single online presence.

Thanks to my content strategy, editorial teams around the world now have one compass to align all their activities and communicate with one voice.

Results:
‍

Brand and content consistency
One editorial culture across all continents
Global alignment to support the new e-shop, through which Victorinox can now sell directly to the customer

To comply with my non-disclosure agreement, I have omitted and altered confidential information in this case study. All information is my own and does not necessarily reflect my client's views.
Image sources on this page: Simpsons, MacGyver, man, woman, Swiss Army knife