“Often copied – never matched”

Gottlieb Duttweiler didn’t think much of advertising, but Migros nevertheless developed its own slogans, always emphasising the quality and low prices of Migros products.

When it is founded, Migros AG promises housewives that it will sell goods as cheaply as possible. Unlike the manufacturers of brand articles, it would do without expensive advertising and extravagant packaging. But even Migros cannot do without advertising entirely and in 1927, an advertising slogan appears for the first time on the sales vans ‘Migros – the fresh quality’. This slogan competes with that of the Zurich consumer association, which advertises ‘fair & advantageous’ on its vans.
In the post-war period, and with the introduction of a central advertising office in 1951, Migros’ slogans increase in number. But they remain straightforward and reflect Gottlieb Duttweiler’s opinion “that the emotional landscape of the housewife, when seen from the purse’s point of view, is the same everywhere”. Accordingly, the advertising slogans always focus on the low prices and savings, in addition to the quality. It is not surprising that one of the long-standing slogans takes the form of a mathematical calculation: ‘Quality + Price = Migros’.