Mr. Lutz and the Australian toothpaste

When designing M-Budget, marketing project manager Gianni Lutz was inspired by an inexpensive brand of Australian toothpaste. M-Budget’s look, as well as the idea behind it, was a hit with customers and the product range soon developed cult appeal, particularly among young people.

”It should contradict all ideas of good taste“, says Gianni Lutz about the packaging design for M-Budget. He should know, because as the marketing project manager for Migros, he is the father of this product range.
The idea for it came about on a trip to Australia. Lutz travelled on a tight budget, which is why he noticed a toothpaste which was very cheap and very simply packaged. He remembers this when he is instructed to make Migros fit to compete with discounters and cheap brands.
In 1996, nine years before Aldi and Lidl open their Swiss branches, Migros launches six products for daily use, which are meant to help large families and those with limited budgets. Success follows quickly and with it, an unexpected turn: M-Budget becomes a trend. In 1998, the first ”Budget parties“ are celebrated, and with the expansion of the range five years later, the label achieves cult status. Today, energy drinks, mobile phones, crisps, pasta and milk are the best selling M-Budget products.