Cult advertising: Guetzli producer Wernli changes his PR sense

In 2016, the two Guetzli brothers Andreas and Werner Hug decided: it is time for a new slogan. Since the 1970s, the name for Wernli pastries has been “Me het de Wernli eifach gladli”. But by the late 2010s, so-called sharing economy providers like Uber and Airbnb began shaking up the economy. The hugs are inspired by this sharing. And so from then on the new advertising slogan was: “Wernli loves to share.”

But now the sharing is over. The cookies, which are produced in Malters LU, are now again advertised with the old, slightly shorter saying “Wernli it me like”, as Anna Hug, daughter of Werner Hug and now co-director of the fifth generation, confirmed upon request. “Sharing is of course still important with our cookies,” says Hug. “But we noticed that the old saying is still alive in many people’s minds: it’s simply a cult.”

The decision was not taken lightly, says Anna Hug. “We worked with an advertising agency and conducted consumer surveys.” The diminutive ‘-li’ is used even more for other PR slogans, such as at the train station: ‘Commuter stressli – with Wernli pendel bitz meh ike.’ The current campaign for this is still running.

Ricola also knows the positive curse of the cult saying. In 2013, the Basel-based family business introduced the slogan ‘Who invented it?’, which had been used since the 1990s. and replaced it with “Chrüterchraft!”. Other campaigns with the motto ‘All the best’ or ‘Just take Ricola’ failed to make the original saying into oblivion. Another example: Mobiliar Insurance has for years relied on various variations of claim sketches and cover letters that begin with “Dear Mobiliar…”.

Who is your favorite? To vote!

The Wernli Guetzli factory dates back to 1905, when entrepreneur Friedrich Johann Wernli opened a confectionery bakery in Trimbach SO. However, due to lack of demand, he had to close the business again shortly afterwards. A short time later, his 17-year-old son Fritz used his savings to reopen his father’s company, which he took over with his brother Paul in 1914. Together they founded the “Gebrüder Wernli Cookie Factory”. The Hug bakery from Malters LU took over Wernli in 2008 and has continued to run the brand ever since.

So Wernli’s popular saying is back. But it is not the only PR slogan with cult potential from a Swiss company. Finally, there are other well-known examples such as Nespresso or Ricola. But: which one is the best? Take our survey – without any claim to completeness – and choose your favorite: