SVP National Councilor Magdalena Martullo-Blocher (53) uses Olma to recruit employees. Last Saturday, the head of Ems-Chemie took part in the traditional Olma parade in St. Gallen – and was annoyed by a flyer that she and her employees handed over to the public on the side of the road.
“Quote thinkers welcome!” is written in capital letters on the sticker. A passerby posted a photo of the ad on Twitter in disbelief, where the slogan also caused misunderstanding among many other users. Since the corona pandemic, the term lateral thinker has been closely associated with measures critics and conspiracy theorists. A conscious provocation by the SVP Vice-President to pick up some points in the corona-skeptical environment, also with a view to next year’s elections?
“No relationship with groups”
When asked, Ems Chemie denies that he deliberately turned to conspiracy theorists. “Of course, the slogan on the moving flyer has no relationship whatsoever with any group, but only refers to the innovative solutions that Ems employees provide to customers every day,” says company spokesman Marc Ehrensperger.
Rather, he justifies the choice of words as follows: “Ems is an extremely innovative company that offers international customers sustainable total solutions. We think much further than special plastics, especially in energy and CO2-Savings for the customer. To develop such unique solutions, multidimensional and creative thinking is essential. EMS employees must also be able to think ‘out of the box’.”
Over, but always along the “seven thinking steps,” Twitter users scoffed at the music video that made Martullo a viral hit long before her political career.
Mask wearer from the first hour
One thing is certain: the explanation of the Ems is not very credible. Because the company has only been advertising with the slogan since the term was on everyone’s lips in connection with the corona pandemic. Internally, according to Ehrensperger, the term has been used “for a very long time.” According to him, it was first printed in May 2021 in an Ems-sponsored crossword puzzle in the “Bündner Tagblatt”.
A few months earlier, Martullo-Blocher had flattered critics of the measures by saying that Switzerland was in a corona dictatorship – for which she had to face heavy criticism. At the same time, the entrepreneur and member of the Land Council was also the first to consistently wear a mask in the House of Representatives – even if she had to endure it at the start of the pandemic.
In addition, very early on in her company, Martullo-Blocher consistently kept his distance and organized mass testing. Many a lateral thinker might reconsider an application.