It's no exaggeration to call the campaign guerrilla marketing: The Swiss bag manufacturer Freitag celebrated its 30th birthday with a very unusual form of presentation and, with a wink, copied a supermarket chain that has not always taken brand protection so seriously.
The container tower on Hardbrücke, which houses the multi-storey Freitag flagship store, is probably well known to Zurich connoisseurs. On September 18, the birthday party of the Freitag bag label took place in the striking location and many guests initially wavered between déjà vu and the feeling of being in the wrong movie. Even from a distance, you couldn't see the familiar black and white logo, but a strangely familiar orange lettering. The store was also completely different, with flowers and vegetables on sale and the familiar bags made from recycled truck tarpaulins were advertised with special discounts.
After the opening of the supermarket by store manager Ms. Mosimann, Daniel and Markus Freitag, the founders of the company, explained to the visitors what the satire was all about. At the end of the nineties, Freitag was still small and a newcomer, but the Freitag brothers' unusual bags already had a decent fan base and were considered very cool. Less cool, however, was a campaign by the Swiss supermarket chain Migros. It brought out a blue messenger bag that was strikingly similar to the Freitag model and, as if that wasn't cheeky enough, it also called the bag Donnerstag. Freitag had not had its bags protected, partly out of inexperience and partly because the brothers believed that a good, sustainable idea should inspire others. But there is nevertheless a difference between inspiration and copying. There wasn't much that could be done legally, but in the public eye the action was seen as rather brazen plagiarism and Migros didn't look good.
Daniel and Markus Freitag demanded that the supermarket chain should never again bring out a bag with the name Donnerstag, and Migros has stuck to this until today. To mark its 30th anniversary, however, Freitag has now launched its own Donnerstag bag. It looks like the original, and of course it is, but it bears the Donnerstag label. The anniversary bags are limited to 400 pieces and are available in the bag store until September 30.
99% of the proceeds go to the 1% Foundation, which Migros uses to support cultural projects. Another little dig at the supermarket chain, but perhaps also a little compensation for the theft that Freitag committed, because even the supposed underdog doesn't have a completely clean slate in this story. "When I found out about the plagiarism," says Markus Freitag at the opening, "I went to the nearest Migros store and actually discovered the bags there. A friend who was still studying law had advised us to secure evidence, but I didn't want to pay anyone 49 francs who had just stolen from us." So he stole two of the fake bags, which was promptly and gleefully publicized in the media.
When asked whether Migros had already warned them about the store and the cheeky branding, Markus Freitag laughs. No, they informed those responsible shortly before the presentation at lunch and showed them the store. After the initial shock, Migros showed good sportsmanship and promptly sent the social media manager over to make a story out of it.
With 250 employees and stores all over the world, Freitag has long since developed from a start-up into a serious player. The Zurich-based company is particularly committed to sustainability and innovation. In 2023, for example, Freitag will send its first fully recyclable backpack into production, which will be available under the name Mono[PA6] from spring 2024, and the F crew is working consistently to transform its production into a circular cycle. With the Thursday Weeks, the founders and the team have now shown what still motivates Freitag even after 30 years: simply tackling things and making a difference with fun and in the community.