Swiss Army
Swiss Army Brands, Inc. (www.swissarmy.com) (SABI) is the only marketer in the US, Canada and the Caribbean of the world-famous Victorinox Original Swiss Army Knife. Swiss Army Inc. is an example of a company that has grown by basing its product expansion on established brand equity. Leveraging the success of the knife, the company expanded into watches, sunglasses, apparel, travel gear and other product categories. The launch of the Swiss watch was an overnight success. Today one out of five watches under US$500 in the United States is Swiss. The company enjoyed similar success with its travel gear and expects to do the same with apparel.

Questions

1. Which factors are attributable to the strong global brand equity of Swiss Army?

2. What are the main motives behind the product line extension from Swiss Army knives into other product areas?

3. Are there any problems for channels of distribution associated with the prospect of Swiss Army stores?

4. How might Swiss Army use ‘non-traditional advertising' to promote its brands and new products?