The first advertising campaign mounted jointly by the Swiss unions of vegetable and fruit growers was launched in mid-August, 2009, and has – a little over a month after the first three ad clips were aired on Swiss TV and posted on the unions’ respective websites – all the characteristics of a hit. This is mainly because its animal stars are so appealing, as is the ads’ setting, a splendid farm in the canton of Bern. The way the scenes are filmed and produce is presented, in charming baskets and arrangements, also has an attractive natural feel to it.
But although they may have that eye-candy aesthetic, the ads are no slow-motion, romantic exercise in visual prettiness. The stars of the campaign, Barry (a Berner Sennenhund or Bernese mountain dog), and Hans the goose (he’s Jean or Gianni if you’re watching Swiss-French or Swiss-Italian TV) have salty personalities.
Both animals ‘’speak’’, Barry in the voice of a mature man, while Hans’s vaguely quacky voice suggests that of a young guy in a hurry. Barry is unflappable and knows how to get things done with a minimum of fuss and bother, while Hans is impulsive, suggestible, and makes way too big a deal of things that don’t warrant the energy. Hans thinks Barry is old-fashioned, and Barry is prone to reminding Hans that poultry often ends up on a table. But as with all scrappy comedy duos, they’re basically both pulling together.
Barry And Hans To Continue In ‘’Waves’’
Tom Krayenbühl, media spokesman for the national campaign, says that the first three ads featuring berries, plums and summer vegetables have just been replaced by a fall series or 'wave' for pears, apples and sauerkraut. (The Guerbetal in Switzerland is known as its cabbage belt and is the biggest producer of Swiss pickled cabbage or sauerkraut). ‘’It’s a campaign we’re seeing over the long term, there will be further waves next year,’’ he says.
The campaign is primarily Swiss TV oriented, but there will be periodic appearances in Swiss print media. ‘’Since the launch, feedback has been very positive,’’ Krayenbühl says, ‘’ but it’s too early to really tell. Great press clippings are just beginning to come in, but our market research figures for the first wave aren’t completed yet.’’
Aside from promoting the quality and diversity of Swiss produce, the campaign also aims to promote the proximity factor. Nearness to the consumer means greater freshness (goodness and healthiness are two points mentioned by Barry in the summer veg ad) but also less of a carbon footprint because transport time to sales points is relatively short. Another consideration was that the pooled resources of the fruit producers union and the vegetable growers union would amount to a message with greater impact thus giving each union a bigger bang for its advertising buck. By clicking on Medien (German version) or Media (French version) on the home page of the fruits producers' website, all six presently available clips can be watched.
Is There A Real Barry And Hans?
Krayenbühl says that Barry is actually two Bernese mountain dogs, both 9 months old at the time the campaign was filmed. ‘’Several young geese and the dogs spent months with an animal trainer just learning how to feel comfortable with one another but they are not trained in the sense of being animal performers’’ – undoubtedly part of the appeal, since they do not project the cutesy vibe of many animal routines.
At one point, Barry does pull a small cart, but this is a Swiss tradition for dogs of his breed; they were harnessed to such carts in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and did the village milk rounds.
Are Barry and Hans just a flash in the pan, or will they take off big time? They’re on YouTube, bloggers are starting to weigh in (‘’witty and charming’’ writes one). One day will there be a Barry and Hans Land to visit, merchandising with cuddly toys and T-shirts? Krayenbühl laughs this off reiterating that evaluating the results of the first wave of the campaign spearheaded by the animals, and launching the next waves, are all that’s on the agenda for now.
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