*Each Monday, Prophet’s Chief Curator and Provocateur, Andy Stefanovich, or a member of our innovation team* shares a Monday on-ramp with Prophet employees across the globe. We’ll begin sharing them here, and encourage you to join the conversation by answering questions and providing your own comments below. Happy Monday! Need to dismantle an 1896 Swiss Schmidt-Rubin Model army rifle? There’s an app for that. Need to open a tin of rations? There’s an app for that. Need to whittle a stick? There’s an app for that too. You might consider Victorinox, makers of the iconic Swiss Army Knife the first app manufacturers. And they continue to update their products with tools that help them remain relevant today. But where does the customers’ permission stop? Victorinox introduced the Victorinox SSD (Solid State Drive) during the Consumer Electronics Show this week. Imagine the familiar Swiss Army Knife with a one-terabyte encrypted jump drive along side the familiar can opener, blade, and screwdriver. In their statement the company said the “Swiss Army brand continues to … evolve our product offerings in the electronics division to provide solutions for living in a technology-focused world.” How much of a stretch is it for the brand to introduce something as “21st century” as a jump-drive to the iconic red knife? Maybe not as far as it seems. In 1890 the Swiss Army introduced a new standard issue rifle (the Swiss Schmidt-Rubin) that required a special screwdriver for soldiers to dismantle and clean. Carl Elsener, who at the time was making cutlery knives, designed an elegant solution the Swiss Army immediately embraced. Simple and practical, the first Swiss Army Knife consisted of a black handle, knife blade, tin-ration opener (can opener) and screwdriver. Elsener also produced an officer’s version that included a corkscrew - but the Army rejected that version because the additional corkscrew was not considered “essential to everyday survival.” Not essential to everyday survival. What a remarkable metric for a brand proposition. In order to be considered part of the Swiss Army Knife value proposition, a tool has to be “essential to everyday survival.” It is this commitment to “everyday survival” that allows the Swiss Army Knife to stretch their value proposition elements beyond blades and can-openers to include jump drives. Among its other products is the “Cybertool 34.” Targeted for IT Technicians, it includes wire strippers, a bit-wrench with bits, a ball-point pen, and pliers along with the standard blade — arguably all essential tools to an IT Tech’s everyday survival. The “executive” product line offers the most amusing translation of “everyday survival” by providing a cigar cutter and laser pointer. And with the introduction of the Victorinox SSD and its encrypted jump drive, the brand is supporting “everyday survival” by providing “consumers with a quick and reliable way to store, transport and protect their personal and professional documents.” I can’t recall the last time I needed a combination edge blade to survive a day at work — but how many of us have scrambled for a large enough jump drive to save last minute edits to a client presentation? Everyday survival. By focusing on “essential to everyday survival” Victorinox has made the Swiss Army Knife products, and brand, relevant to the 21st century. In addition to knives, the Swiss brand includes clothing, time pieces, travel gear, and fragrances. I’m not sure what the brand positioning is for the Swiss Army Knife brand, but let’s assume it’s something along the lines of “We believe the most successful people are prepared for any circumstance at any time. We exist to provide solutions essential to everyday survival.” If that’s the case, it’s not that much of a stretch to include durable, easy to maneuver Swiss Army Luggage when thinking about a traveler’s everyday survival. Or the everyday survival of an insulated Swiss Army Winter Jacket. (A disconnect for me is the line of Swiss Army fragrances. I can’t think of an instance in which smelling like “Mountain Water” is essential to my everyday survival.) By focusing on “everyday survival” rather than the features and benefits of its products, the brand can extend beyond knives to include other categories. What Swiss Army product (or even services) could Victorinox introduce under the promise of “everyday survival” that would be relevant for you? *This week’s on-ramp was brought to you by Geof Hammond in our Richmond office.

*Each Monday, Prophet’s Chief Curator and Provocateur, Andy Stefanovich, or a member of our innovation team* shares a Monday on-ramp with Prophet employees across the globe. We’ll begin sharing them here, and encourage you to join the conversation by answering questions and providing your own comments below. Happy Monday!

Need to dismantle an 1896 Swiss Schmidt-Rubin Model army rifle? There’s an app for that. Need to open a tin of rations? There’s an app for that. Need to whittle a stick? There’s an app for that too. You might consider Victorinox, makers of the iconic Swiss Army Knife the first app manufacturers. And they continue to update their products with tools that help them remain relevant today. But where does the customers’ permission stop?

Victorinox introduced the Victorinox SSD (Solid State Drive) during the Consumer Electronics Show this week. Imagine the familiar Swiss Army Knife with a one-terabyte encrypted jump drive along side the familiar can opener, blade, and screwdriver. In their statement the company said the “Swiss Army brand continues to … evolve our product offerings in the electronics division to provide solutions for living in a technology-focused world.” How much of a stretch is it for the brand to introduce something as “21st century” as a jump-drive to the iconic red knife? Maybe not as far as it seems.

In 1890 the Swiss Army introduced a new standard issue rifle (the Swiss Schmidt-Rubin) that required a special screwdriver for soldiers to dismantle and clean. Carl Elsener, who at the time was making cutlery knives, designed an elegant solution the Swiss Army immediately embraced. Simple and practical, the first Swiss Army Knife consisted of a black handle, knife blade, tin-ration opener (can opener) and screwdriver. Elsener also produced an officer’s version that included a corkscrew - but the Army rejected that version because the additional corkscrew was not considered “essential to everyday survival.” Not essential to everyday survival. What a remarkable metric for a brand proposition. In order to be considered part of the Swiss Army Knife value proposition, a tool has to be “essential to everyday survival.” It is this commitment to “everyday survival” that allows the Swiss Army Knife to stretch their value proposition elements beyond blades and can-openers to include jump drives.

Among its other products is the “Cybertool 34.” Targeted for IT Technicians, it includes wire strippers, a bit-wrench with bits, a ball-point pen, and pliers along with the standard blade — arguably all essential tools to an IT Tech’s everyday survival. The “executive” product line offers the most amusing translation of “everyday survival” by providing a cigar cutter and laser pointer. And with the introduction of the Victorinox SSD and its encrypted jump drive, the brand is supporting “everyday survival” by providing “consumers with a quick and reliable way to store, transport and protect their personal and professional documents.” I can’t recall the last time I needed a combination edge blade to survive a day at work — but how many of us have scrambled for a large enough jump drive to save last minute edits to a client presentation? Everyday survival.

By focusing on “essential to everyday survival” Victorinox has made the Swiss Army Knife products, and brand, relevant to the 21st century. In addition to knives, the Swiss brand includes clothing, time pieces, travel gear, and fragrances.

I’m not sure what the brand positioning is for the Swiss Army Knife brand, but let’s assume it’s something along the lines of “We believe the most successful people are prepared for any circumstance at any time. We exist to provide solutions essential to everyday survival.” If that’s the case, it’s not that much of a stretch to include durable, easy to maneuver Swiss Army Luggage when thinking about a traveler’s everyday survival. Or the everyday survival of an insulated Swiss Army Winter Jacket. (A disconnect for me is the line of Swiss Army fragrances. I can’t think of an instance in which smelling like “Mountain Water” is essential to my everyday survival.)

By focusing on “everyday survival” rather than the features and benefits of its products, the brand can extend beyond knives to include other categories. What Swiss Army product (or even services) could Victorinox introduce under the promise of “everyday survival” that would be relevant for you?

*This week’s on-ramp was brought to you by Geof Hammond in our Richmond office.

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