Pro Patria chooses open up in its anniversary year
Yesterday, on Swiss national day, Pro Patria’s 1 August badges celebrated a special anniversary: 2022 marks the 100th year in a row that they have appeared. Pro Patria sought open up’s expert support with communicating the anniversary year as effectively and broadly as possible in the media.
While the 1st August badge was still a prominent feature of the 700th anniversary celebrations of the Swiss Confederation in 1991, in the years that followed this traditional Swiss symbol of solidarity, helpfulness and belonging noticeably retreated into the background. The reasons for this are manifold and related, on the one hand, to the break-up of the traditional badge sales network and the advent of digital communication. They are also rooted in the fact that society is changing rapidly as a result of individualisation and urbanisation.
To ensure that the 100th 1st August badge, the cultural treasure map and the Pro Patria stamps would receive due attention in the anniversary year, last summer Pro Patria commissioned the communications and PR agency open up. Katharina Teuscher, CEO of the Pro Patria foundation, elaborates: “Thanks to their experience in setting up and managing longer-term communications campaigns, open up were able to advise and guide us all the way from the detailed conception of the anniversary.”
From slogan to cultural treasure map
New ideas were needed to also keep the 1 August badge and Pro Patria relevant for younger generations and a more urban audience. This prompted the launch of the cultural treasure map to coincide with the anniversary year. It contains a selection of more than 2,500 cultural projects supported by Pro Patria in the last 30 years. This was accompanied by a redesign of the foundation’s website and the setting up of social media channels.
Open up supported this realignment by formulating key messages and an appropriate slogan for the anniversary year, as well as taking care of the detailed strategy, planning and execution of media relations work. The agency was also charged with creating and producing videos featuring protagonists from the foundation and their worlds, guiding the Pro Patria in matters of communication both before and during the anniversary event in May.
Picture: Christine Strub, ©christinestrub.ch