Galaxus: pretty much everything for pretty much everyone – in pretty much every language

Switzerland’s largest online retailer is living up to its well-known brand claim to have something for everyone in a new poster campaign, with unique imagery targeted at each of the more than 50 nationalities that now call the country home. And Supertext helped to ensure the message got across – in every language.

The Galaxus campaign aimed to connect cultural idiosyncrasies with appropriate products from its 7.4 million-strong range of items, in languages (and scripts) ranging from Amharic to Ukrainian.

Cultural expertise for that certain je ne sais quoi

The posters demanded both in-depth knowledge of each target culture – which products and gadgets would be the best match for the culture’s characteristics and traditions? – and the creativity to turn these into a lively campaign that would speak to audiences in their own languages. (Forty-two of them, to be precise.) Two very human tasks at which Supertext excels.

Here are two examples:

1. The Danish slogan, Hænderne op eller bukserne ned (“Hands up or pants down”), is popularly used by children playing at being police officers. And the matching product? A LEGO® set from the Danish toy manufacturer, naturally.

2. The Macedonian poster (Заштитник од промаја – зашто БаБа Беше во право!) means “Draft stopper – because grandma was right!” and plays on the most popular cause of illness according to folk wisdom.

More than 80 linguists and cultural experts were involved in the project, researching the latest trends among the target communities and trawling Galaxus’s vast range for appropriate products. From the green light to the dried ink, the whole project took just two and a half months. The final result? Just over 50 unique posters, which went up across Switzerland at the end of October 2024.