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Research - 23.02.2015 - 00:00 

"Swissness" scores in Poland

According to a survey conducted by the Institute of Marketing, "Swissness" remains a valuable trademark in Poland in spite of the strong franc: just over 1,000 consumers in Poland indicated that they rated Switzerland and Swiss enterprises as particularly reliable and trustworthy.
Source: HSG Newsroom

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24 February 2015. For the first time in 2014, the survey homed in on the image of Swiss companies as business partners and employers. With a mark of 3.8 (the top score being 5), they did well. They are perceived as attractive employers. Swiss companies' good cost-benefit ratio, high degree of flexibility and simple and reliable cooperation appealed a great deal to interviewees in Poland.

Reliability is appreciated

Swiss products and services are regarded as reliable, of high value and luxurious in Poland. The survey reveals that interviewees are also prepared to spend more to obtain this quality. The example of the kitchen sink – a product towards which customers harbour rather scant emotions – served to calculate that 12% of the interviewees were willing to pay for this declaration of origin.

Poland is an interesting growth market for Swiss enterprises: it is the only transition country which has been able to double its gross domestic product since 1989. With a bilateral trade volume of just under 4 billion Swiss francs and a growth rate of more than 5%, Poland is ahead of the BRIC states Russia, India and Brazil.

Swissness helps to compensate for cost disadvantages

A glance at the exchange rate between Poland’s złoty and the Swiss franc demonstrates that Swissness helps to compensate for cost disadvantages. A sudden rise in the exchange rate as in January, however, exceeds the realisable "Swissness premium" in most industries. "Local production in Poland with Swiss quality standards is therefore becoming increasingly attractive to many companies," says project leader Stephan Feige. Ulrich Schwendimann, Director of the Swiss-Polish Chamber of Commerce, adds: "Owing to the high costs, Swiss enterprises will have to set even greater store by innovation or else concentrate on niches."

"Switzerland will only be able to defend its position if, on the one hand, it protects the beauty of nature and landscapes and, on the other hand, continues to focus on quality awareness, innovations and research," reckons HSG marketing expert Sven Reinecke. The survey was conducted in cooperation with Swiss export promotion association Switzerland Global Enterprise and the national organisations of Franke, Jura and Roche in Poland.

Picture: Photocase / Sportsocke

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