Strong DACH marketing is essential for success in the European market. While Germany, Austria and Switzerland share German as a common language, using Standard German across all three might not work. Differences in vocabulary, grammar and even letters can affect your messaging.
Why does it matter? Audiences in these countries value being addressed individually, not as a single “German” market. Read on to learn how to tailor your strategy for each.
What is the DACH market?
DACH is an acronym for Deutschland (Germany), Austria and Swiss Confederation (Confœderatio Helvetica). As the majority of the region’s population—around 100 million—are native German speakers, these three countries make up the largest German-speaking community in Europe.
Beyond their shared language and large population, the area is known for its strong economies and human development. The region’s GDP in 2022 was around 5.38 trillion USD, and Germany alone is the third-largest economy in the world, after the United States and China.
Each country also has a very high purchasing power per capita. As of 2022, Switzerland is the seventh-highest in the world, at around $83,000, and Austria and Germany are both around $64,000, similar to Hong Kong and Sweden. Germany is often considered the wealthiest mass market in Europe—while other European countries have purchasing power similar to Germany’s, their populations are significantly smaller. 84% of the DACH’s population and 18.63% of the EU’s population live in Germany.
In short: This region is highly developed, with strong economies and discerning customers who expect the best. To succeed here, your marketing must be precise. Using German is key—but how you use it matters most.
Using Standard German in DACH marketing
Standard German, colloquially known as “Hochdeutsch,” which means High German, is exactly what it sounds like: the standard form of German used in official government documents, education and media. Every German speaker, including those in Austria and Switzerland, is taught Hochdeutsch in school and can speak it, regardless of their daily dialect.
German, unlike French or Spanish, has no governing body that decides the “correct” way to write or pronounce things. Because of this, by the Middle Ages, German had many dialects, each with different grammar, vocabulary and pronunciations. Standard German was then gradually developed. It allows all Germans to communicate with each other, even if they can’t understand each other’s dialect.
Using Standard German is acceptable if you have limited resources and want to maximize the DACH area you can target with your marketing campaigns. As previously mentioned, all native German speakers understand Standard German. It’s also the German taught to people who are learning the language, which is good when targeting more international areas like Berlin.
Can you use Standard German in the same way in each DACH country?
Standard German is more than enough if you only want to target a Germany-based audience. Most German people use Standard German daily, albeit spoken in their local accent—accent-free Standard German is seen as arrogant. Regional dialect use has declined greatly in all regions except Bavaria in the last century.
However, if you want to engage and connect with your audiences, particularly German-speaking Swiss and Austrian ones, we highly encourage you to localize your marketing for each DACH country. Austrian and Swiss audiences don’t tend to use Standard German in their daily lives, and may even be offended by being lumped into one big “German” market.
“People in this region are different from each other, and they want you to accept that and speak in certain ways with them. Even basic things can be different, for example, Switzerland doesn’t use the eszett (ß). You must consider these things in your posts—different areas even have different words for the same thing—to maintain a close connection with your users.”
– Carlo Speth, Head of DACH Markets at HolidayPirates
Austria and Switzerland have their own versions of Standard German, similar to the differences between British and American English. While dialects are discouraged in Germany, they’re embraced in Austria and Switzerland—seen as part of one’s identity. Austrians even resist sounding “too German,” and dialects are used in both casual and formal settings.
However, this doesn’t mean you should localize for specific dialects—it’s costly and inefficient. Instead, understand that using the same type of German across Germany, Austria and Switzerland may feel less personal to Austrian and Swiss audiences, making it harder to connect.
“Too Good to Go has different Instagram accounts for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. When their content is localized, they want to make sure it has a different translation for each account to distinguish the accounts and personalize them to each audience, even if one translation could probably work for all of them.”
– Aurélie Berson, Project Manager at VeraContent
While we don’t work on the social media strategies for any of Too Good To Go’s DACH accounts, we do for the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Check out our client story to learn more.
Bottom line: If you’re crunched for resources or only targeting Germans, using Standard German for your DACH marketing is fine. But if you want to connect with Austrians and Swiss Germans, localizing your marketing to their versions of German is best.
See also: US vs. German marketing content: Why localization is key
Regional variations in the DACH market
Now that we’ve covered the types of German in the DACH region, let’s explore some key differences. This isn’t a complete list, but it shows how diverse German can be. A dedicated linguist for each country can help you navigate these variations effectively.
Austria
Most Austrians are native speakers of Austrian German, or “Österreichisches Deutsch.” It’s the country’s official language and is used in everyday communication, media, government and education. It’s considered a variant of standard German, and the two are mutually intelligible, for the most part, but there are plenty of differences.
Austrian German has been influenced by elements from nearby languages and dialects, like the Bavarian and Hungarian dialects. Austrians are known for their singsong cadence and distinct words and phrases. For example, to greet someone in Germany, you’d say hallo or guten tag, but in Austria, you’d say grüß gott or servus.
Austrian German has different pronunciation rules and a smaller vocabulary, which requires them to use different words to convey the same thing. Verb placement is usually different; feminine nouns can take on a different ending, and Austrians use a lot more diminutives, which are done differently than in Germany. There are also differences in punctuation, such as what quotation marks to use and spacing.
The biggest difference, however, is that culturally, Austrians are more polite and speak at length and in roundabout ways. This is a big departure from Germans, who are seen as direct, efficient and logical. The Austrian dialect is seen as more polite and formal than German variations. Austrians are quick to apologize, express gratitude and explain their behavior, usually in lengthy sentences.
Switzerland
German is the dominant language of Switzerland—about 61.8% of the population speaks it as their main language. Swiss German is not a single language, though; rather, it refers to all the dialects of German spoken in Switzerland. A standardized form of written Swiss German, Schweizerhochdeutsch (Swiss High German), is taught in schools and used for official documents and literature.
17 cantons (the Swiss version of a state or province) have Standard German as their only official language, and two more are predominantly German-speaking. Each canton has a unique Swiss German dialect, and even towns within cantons can have their own version. As Switzerland strongly encourages local dialects, people tend to only speak in their dialect and do their best to understand others speaking their own dialect—although many don’t understand each other.
Because of this, Swiss Germans tend to be less comfortable speaking Standard German than Germans or Austrians. They learn it in school and use it in professional contexts, and it’s the primarily spoken language for things like TV, radio and announcements at train stations. However, it can feel like a foreign language to them and a “necessary evil” more than something they would choose to use on their own.
While Standard German and Standard Austrian German are more or less mutually intelligible, the same can’t be said of Swiss German. Swiss Germans can understand Austrian and Standard German, but when Swiss German movies and TV shows are shown in Germany or Austria, they usually have to include subtitles.
Like Austrian German, Swiss German has different vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. There are only two tenses in Swiss German (the present perfect and the present), and no genitive (possessive) case or relative pronouns exist. The gender of a word can differ from the standard, even among the different dialects. Swiss German doesn’t use the eszett (ß), replacing it with a double ss. For example, the word for street is straße in Standard German and strasse in Swiss German.
Due to the linguistic mix of Switzerland—where there are three other official languages, 30% of residents are foreign-born and other major languages are spoken nearby—the Swiss German vocabulary employs many loan words that Standard German doesn’t. For example, instead of saying danke for thank you, Swiss Germans say merci, a loan word from French (but pronounced by stressing the first syllable, unlike in French).
Swiss Germans also use different quotation marks than Germans (« » instead of “ ”) and there are many spelling differences. Maybe a vowel isn’t included, a consonant isn’t doubled or the letter k has been replaced with ch.
Strategies for cultural sensitivity in DACH marketing
In addition to using the correct type of German to reach your different DACH audiences, you need to adapt your messaging in each country to their cultural sensibilities. The DACH market countries each have their own preferences and tastes, and knowing these will help you get the most out of your marketing there.
Germany
Marketing in Germany should reflect German culture, which can be conservative and more formal than in English-speaking countries. Marketing here tends to be less playful and silly. This doesn’t mean your marketing has to be purely functional, though, as Germans like and appreciate dry humor. But avoid exaggerated quotes, aspirational phrases and lengthy descriptions that aren’t about actual technical specifications.
German consumers tend to be skeptical and place a lot of emphasis on proof of a product or service’s quality. It’s usually more important to them than how a product looks or any sort of emotional connection they have with the brand, product or service. Focus directly on your product or service’s features, usefulness and efficacy, and back up these qualities with data. Germans still buy luxury goods and flashy brands, but you need to emphasize any item’s value.
The label “Made in Germany” carries a lot of weight for German consumers; they see it as a mark of quality, precision and reliability and tend to trust these products more. Even if your product or service isn’t made in Germany, you can still leverage this aspect by highlighting third-party sentiment—for example, case studies or testimonials from satisfied customers in Germany. You can also emphasize how your brand upholds German craftsmanship ideals, if applicable.
While Germans are direct and fact-based, they also heavily emphasize fairness. This means that if Germans see your brand as mean or bullying, they won’t respond well and may even lose trust in it. Doing things like bad-mouthing other companies goes against traditional German business etiquette and is frowned upon.
Other countries may want their brands to sound like friends or peers, but Germans tend to prefer a little more formality. The use of actual formal German (sie for you, instead of the informal du or ihr) depends on your region and audience—younger audiences and those in Berlin are more comfortable with formality, but most other groups and audiences in other regions (especially Bavaria) might find it disrespectful.
See also: Social media marketing in Germany: Effective growth tactics
Austria
As previously mentioned, Austrians tend to be more formal and verbose than Germans. There are more social situations where Austrians would use formal language, and this should be reflected in your marketing. Only family members and close friends are referred to by their first name, so stick to sie to avoid any potential mishaps. If you’re addressing someone specifically, always remember to include their title.
Like Germans, Austrians care a lot about quality and price, but value for money is more important for them than it is for Germans. However, Austrians are more likely to “indulge” and don’t see this as something to be ashamed of. Austrians are very proud of their country and prefer buying local products when possible. They are also very environmentally and sustainability conscious, so emphasize any of these when possible.
A big difference between Germans and Austrians is that while Austrians are more formal when speaking, they have a more egalitarian social structure than a hierarchical one. They value personal relationships and networks and prefer participative communication in business decisions, rather than a top-down structure. They love engaging in enriching conversations, so try to create content that both informs and entertains.
Switzerland
Even though German can infamously occupy a lot of space—the rule of thumb is to expect the text to take up 35% more space when translating from English—the Swiss hate wordiness and long sentences. As much as possible, avoid adding any extra words than necessary and keep communication factual.
Swiss people, unlike Austrians, feel uncomfortable with flashy and expensive items. While many may see the country as a mountain haven for wealthy people, the Swiss highly value harmony and consensus. Excessive spending is frowned upon, and even old-money families try to blend in with the middle class as much as possible.
Swiss people are generally polite, reserved and direct, and German-speaking Swiss are more reserved and serious than people in other parts of the country. Like in Germany, avoid appeals to emotion or aggressive marketing tactics. The Swiss value quiet self-confidence, so if they think you are trying hard to push something, then there must be a catch or problem with your product.
When marketing in Switzerland, it’s wise to incorporate multiple languages. For example, in the Too Good To Go example above, the graphic text is in German, while the caption includes both German and French.
See also: 6 global marketing strategies to inspire you
VeraContent client example: Mapp
At VeraContent, we’ve partnered with Mapp Digital, a leading provider of customer intelligence and marketing analytics, to deliver top-tier localized content across multiple languages, including German for the DACH region.
For Mapp, we create content in Standard German, ensuring it meets the formal and professional tone required for marketing and business communication across the region. For example, this brochure demonstrates how we help promote Mapp Cloud’s features effectively.
Why Standard German works for Mapp Digital
The brochure example shows the power of Standard German for business contexts:
- Professional tone: Industry-specific terms like Kundendatenplattform (CDP) and kanalübergreifende Marketingstrategie target marketing professionals.
- Persuasive messaging: Phrases like Leistungsstarke Analysen and umsetzbare Erkenntnisse highlight Mapp Cloud’s benefits.
- Business communication style: Compound nouns, such as Marketing-Ökosystem and Customer-Experience-Plattform, reflect the formal nature of German technical communication.
- Modern approachability: The use of informal “du” creates a friendly yet professional connection with readers.
This approach ensures Mapp’s message resonates with their tech-savvy DACH audience, using a formal yet approachable tone that suits marketing in the region.
Read our full client story for Mapp Digital.
Tailoring your DACH marketing strategy
While Standard German can work as a base, localizing your content for Germany, Austria and Switzerland is the best way to truly connect with your audience. Each region has unique nuances that affect how your message resonates, especially when it comes to German social media management.
As a global social media agency, we specialize in helping brands navigate these challenges. Book a call with our team today to see if you qualify for a Free Content Consultation and take your DACH marketing to the next level!