“Swiss Made” is often said to be still standing for, quality, reliability, and precision. All of which are attributes most people don't usually associate with software, while they most often do with similarly complex systems like watches. Still these are likeable terms, both for geeks and managers, and as I attributed some Swissness to what we do myself, joining Luc Haldimann‘s Swiss Made Software initiative as a charter member was an easy decision. If the points made are indeed valid on a larger scale for the business we're in remains to be seen. That kind of branding surely does work for The Valley.
The attributes suit quite well, though. But Swissness sure is a difficult thing, and adjectives like “open”, “cool”, “fast” or “agile” don't generally apply to it. Same for “innovative” or even “sexy”.
That's quite an issue. Guess we should change that. Please help (or help). :)