—A Sacred Commodity

The flag is the most important symbol for a nation. It embodies, in the most succinct fashion possible, the cultural values and the way of life of a particular society that it represents. Durkheim writes “The Soldier who dies for his flag dies for his country, but the idea of the flag is actually in the foreground of his consciousness. Indeed, the flag sometimes causes action directly. Although the country will not be lost if a solitary flag remains in the hands of the enemy or won if it is regained, the soldier is killed retaking it. He forgets that the flag is only a symbol that has no value in itself but only brings to mind the reality it represents. The flag itself is treated as if it was that reality.”
            Seemingly more than any other flag, the Swiss flag, or rather, the symbol that represents it, is used as a marketing device in advertising and commerce as a powerful signifier for quality, precision, refinement, and for the ultimate purpose of adding (perceived) value to a product or service. Its ubiquitous presence in the marketplace, often employed as an advertising asset by companies that at times have only the most tenuous ties to Switzerland, or no ties at all, suggests it is a highly valued marketing symbol. I’m interested in exploring the social and cultural meanings of the Swiss flag in this environment in relation to the sociological theories of Emile Durkheim and Igor Kopytoff. And I would like to pose the question; to what degree has the Swiss flag (and by extension the country Switzerland) and the cultural values it represents, become so exploited by commerce that it’s identity and value as a marketing device overpowers and devalues its function and identity as a national symbol, a totem for Swiss cultural values?
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When compared with other flags of the world the Swiss flag has unique aesthetic qualities that identify it as one of the simplest and most iconic. It is one of only two square state flags in the world (the other being the flag of the Vatican City) and employs only two colors, red and white. At the center of a red square lies an equilateral white cross, a reference to Switzerland’s Christian roots, creating a highly symmetrical, highly rational design, its precise proportions defined by the state in 1889: “The coat of arms of the federation is, within a red field, an upright white cross, whose [four] arms of equal length are a sixth longer than their width.”
            The overt graphic quality and simplicity of the Swiss flag is due in part, according to graphic design historian Richard Hollis, to Switzerland's unique graphic culture. He writes “They like flags... Each town and district, as a reminder of its identity within the canton, has its own banner; so has each of the twenty-two cantons in the Swiss Federation... The flags’ emblems and colors, dating from the battlefields of the Middle Ages, today accompany festive occasions. All are boldly graphic.” He further maintains that graphic design holds a unique position within Switzerland’s culture; “Federal authorities have acknowledged the importance of graphic design: Switzerland was the first country to have its passport professionally designed. Public commissions, such as for the state’s banknotes, postage stamps and Swiss charities, are in general the result of competition, as are posters for national events.”
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It could be argued that these inherent graphic qualities of the Swiss flag, its boldness and simplicity, lend themselves to advertising and branding purposes where very simple images and messages are highly effective and desired. And whereas an equally bold and graphic flag such as the flag of Japan (virtually the inverse of the Swiss flag, a circle replacing the cross) would seem to have the same commercial potential, its more sensitive political, historical and cultural connotations prevent it from being such a malleable symbol. By contrast the fact that Switzerland is a neutral country and has a relatively benign history (relative to most countries) is yet another commercial asset. The flag’s lack of political connotations allows for predominantly cultural connotations to be inferred – in fact the Red Cross flag, another icon of political neutrality, is a simple reversal of the Swiss flag, intended to honor the Swiss founder of the Red Cross, Henry Dunant.
            To understand how the Swiss flag is sometimes leveraged to elevate a commercial product, let us take as an example a particular watch made by the Swiss company Mondaine called the ‘Mondaine Official Swiss Railways Watch’. The name of this watch refers to the iconic clocks found in Swiss Railways stations, designed by the Swiss engineer Hans Hilfiker in 1955, and its design is a very precise miniature replica of these clocks.
            In ways not dissimilar to the Swiss flag the clock’s design is striking in its graphic simplicity. It forgoes numbers and instead uses bold black graphic strokes (indicating the hour marks) which sit on a white circle. The only hint of color is reserved for the second hand which is bright red with a small red disc at one end of it. The second hand is perhaps the watch’s most identifiable feature, taking its form says Hollis “from the disc waved by the guard to signal a train’s departure.” The overall effect is one of spare and harmonious order, nothing feeling gratuitous by its inclusion.
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To any Swiss citizen the design of the watch would be immediately recognizable. Richard Hollis says of the clock “as the chief stereotype of Swiss culture, the cuckoo-clock has been replaced by the Swiss Railways station clock.” But to a consumer outside of Switzerland this reference would not be clear, therefore the actual logo of the Swiss Federal Railways is printed on the face of the watch, directly underneath the company name Mondaine (presumably Mondaine agreed an exclusive contract with the Swiss Federal Railways and licensed the design and name). The Swiss Railways logo consists of a white cross with arrows attached to the left and right ends of the horizontal crossbar (suggesting movement or mobility), and aligned to the right side of a long red rectangle. The reference to the Swiss flag is implicit. Additionally, at the bottom of the watch face in very fine print are the words ‘Swiss made’, a regulated official Swiss label that I will address later.
            By applying (in some instances literally) symbols and icons of Swiss cultural life, and by their extension, Swiss societal values, the watch itself is ascribed these properties and becomes what Durkheim would describe as a ‘totemic’ object. If the values and qualities that these symbols embody are considered desirable, and it would seem that they are, then the object or product in this case, increases its perceived value. Thus an individual who purchases such products does so in an attempt to acquire and in a sense, consume the qualities that it represents, similar to the archetypal example given by Durkheim on a particular ritual performed by an Aboriginal tribe: “The Arunta who has properly rubbed himself with his churinga feels stronger, he is stronger.”
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What is interesting about this product is the paradox or conflict inherent in the commoditizing of the Swiss flag, where the ‘sacred’ symbol of the flag and the ‘profane’ act of commoditizing it collide. What is being commoditized is effectively Switzerland’s sacred values and it occurs, with respect to the Swiss flag in particular, in an inordinate amount of instances – on products as in the case of the Swiss Railways watch, or more often incorporated into a company’s logo, as is the case with companies such as Victorinox, Swiss Life, Swatch, or Swiss airlines (now a private company owned by the German airline Lufthansa). In fact, I have counted either the incorporation of the Swiss cross into a company’s logo, or the use of the word ‘Swiss’ in a company’s name or tag line, in over 100 cases ranging from watch manufacturers to shoe makers, and from insurance companies to food products. Usually, but not always, the qualities and values that define the company, or that the company wishes to identify with, are similar to those that are connoted by the Swiss flag, or the country of Switzerland as a whole. For example, the chocolate milk known as ‘Swissmiss’ is a product of the company ConAgra foods, one of the largest packaged food companies in North America.
            When an icon such as the Swiss cross is so pervasively and effectively deployed in advertising and commerce, what was primarily an cultural icon also becomes, and perhaps primarily becomes, an iconic brand, a commodity considered in terms of its exchange value. Kopytoff’s theory of singularization supports this premise when he states: “In the sense that commoditization homogenizes value, while the essence of culture is discrimination, excessive commoditization is anti-cultural. And if, as Durkheim saw it, societies need to set apart a certain portion of their environment, marking it as ‘sacred’, singularization is one means to this end.” And further he adds "the counterforces [of commoditization] are culture and the individual, with their drive to discriminate, classify, compare, and sacralize.”
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The Swiss government it would seem by the following example, has the power to regulate the relative commodification or singularization of its sacred symbols. The label ‘Swiss made’ cannot legally be used in relation to a watch, whether to describe it or to inscribe the words on the watch, without satisfying specific legal conditions. The Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry states: “Only when it is Swiss, may a watch carry the indications "Swiss made" or "Swiss", or any other expression containing the word "Swiss" or its translation, on the outside. According to Section 1a OSM, a watch is considered to be Swiss if: its movement is Swiss; its movement is cased up in Switzerland; and the manufacturer carries out the final inspection in Switzerland.” The reasons for the regulation of its use are made clear: “‘Swiss made’ embodies a concept of quality that has been forged over the years. While prestigious brand names have thrived, they have never relegated  the ‘Swiss made’ label to a secondary place. The brand names and ‘Swiss made’ have always worked together in an alliance that provides the consumer with the best of guarantees.”
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Kopytoff would describe this as evidence of the authorities’ power in "insisting on its right to singularize an object, or a set or class of objects.” He adds: “This applies to much of what one thinks of as the symbolic inventory of a society: public lands, monuments, state art collections, the paraphernalia of political power, royal residences, chiefly insignia, ritual objects, and so on.” In the example given above the Swiss authorities insist on their right to commodify certain symbols as it sees fit. But seemingly no such regulatory system limits the use of the Swiss cross and Swiss flag, yet it would seem desirable. Kopytoff also talks of “a perennial moral concern in Western thought, whatever the ideological position of the thinker, about the commoditization of human attributes such as labor, intellect, or creativity.” He gives an example of how labor risks commodification:  “The cultural argument against a team’s or a film studio’s “selling” a ballplayer or an actor to another actor is cast in the idiom of slavery. The transfer of a contract forces the worker to work for someone whom he had not chosen himself, hence forces him to work involuntarily. We see here a significant cultural detail in the Western commoditization of labor – the commoditization must be controlled by the laborer himself.”
            I believe one can draw a parallel to the general moral concern over the commoditization of sacred symbols; religious symbols such as the Christian cross and Islamic crescent, or, as the case may be, a nation’s flag. The citizens of Switzerland or those chosen to represent the will of the Swiss people in government ought to exert control over the use of the Swiss flag in a similar way, so as to control the degree to which it is commodified or singularized.
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To be fair, it should be noted that the majority of instances where a company employs the Swiss flag or the Swiss cross, or incorporates the word ‘Swiss’ into its name or tagline, it is a Swiss company based in Switzerland. But it is striking to what degree these companies choose to capitalize on this fact – it is a testament to its effectiveness as an icon and its perceived value as a brand asset. That they can do so without controversy or fear of appearing overly nationalistic is surprising but the subject of another essay.
            I would like to conclude by saying that in my personal experience, having grown up in Switzerland and with Swiss nationals as some of my closest friends, it has never struck me that anyone is particularly concerned, or even aware, of the considerable blurring of cultural and commercial symbols. In fact the opposite might even be true. Swiss people are highly patriotic (if not always conscious of it) and take pride in seeing symbols that represent the best of Swiss values deployed around the world. It is in fact perhaps highly prized for its dual function as a cultural and commercial symbol, a sacred commodity.
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