> Studies have shown that certain products branded as “made in Switzerland” are sold at a price 20% higher than comparable goods from other origins, with the sale price rising by up to 50% for luxury items.
> Mondelēz, which has owned Toblerone since 2012, announced last year that from the end of 2023 it would move some of the production to its plant in Slovakia, where it also produces the Milka chocolate brand originally made in Switzerland.
The usual story of corporate greed. They just don't get the valuation and pride that people put into things. So in spite of "Made in Switzerland" giving them such an edge on the market in terms of consumer trust and pricing, of course they have to go where work is cheaper.
I've been hating this with a passion since when I was a child. I'm not a brand-loyal consumer at all, but I value that I can buy stuff for a fair price with an assurance of quality and product stability. I grew up with a famous yogurt brand whose unique selling point (apart from the inane amount of money they spent on advertising) was that the sour-ish and rather firm yogurt was put on top of a layer of fruit jam. This was distinctly better than almost all the other brands that were (and still are) homogeneous, super-sweet slurries of all the ingredients. My favorite yogurt maker then got sold to, I believe, Nestle; they then quickly overhauled their new brand and wouldn't you know, they kept the name on the outside but inside they turned it into the same sweet slurry that all the other brands offered. Because, obviously, that's what consumers wanted, right.
It totally evades me what goes on in the minds of these 'managers'. What did they 'manage' at all? They just destroyed a brand by executing the one UPS it had.
> Mondelēz, which has owned Toblerone since 2012, announced last year that from the end of 2023 it would move some of the production to its plant in Slovakia, where it also produces the Milka chocolate brand originally made in Switzerland.
The usual story of corporate greed. They just don't get the valuation and pride that people put into things. So in spite of "Made in Switzerland" giving them such an edge on the market in terms of consumer trust and pricing, of course they have to go where work is cheaper.
I've been hating this with a passion since when I was a child. I'm not a brand-loyal consumer at all, but I value that I can buy stuff for a fair price with an assurance of quality and product stability. I grew up with a famous yogurt brand whose unique selling point (apart from the inane amount of money they spent on advertising) was that the sour-ish and rather firm yogurt was put on top of a layer of fruit jam. This was distinctly better than almost all the other brands that were (and still are) homogeneous, super-sweet slurries of all the ingredients. My favorite yogurt maker then got sold to, I believe, Nestle; they then quickly overhauled their new brand and wouldn't you know, they kept the name on the outside but inside they turned it into the same sweet slurry that all the other brands offered. Because, obviously, that's what consumers wanted, right.
It totally evades me what goes on in the minds of these 'managers'. What did they 'manage' at all? They just destroyed a brand by executing the one UPS it had.