Expanding to Austria and Switzerland? One team in Vienna and Zurich.
ad.boutique is a marketing agency in Vienna and Zurich. We take international brands into both markets with local copy, a site that converts and campaigns you can follow live in one dashboard.
Austria and Switzerland are two German-speaking markets with different rules. Austria is in the EU and uses the euro; Switzerland is outside the EU, plans in CHF, has its own data protection law and often needs French as well. A marketing agency for both markets plans one strategy with local copy, legal set-up and budgets per country. We run this from Vienna and Zurich.
What does ad.boutique do for your expansion? Two markets, one team.
One plan, two markets
Which market first, which offer and which channels, with one output KPI per market agreed before the start.
- Austria and Switzerland in one plan
- Budgets in EUR and CHF
- Output KPI agreed before the start
Copy that sounds local
Austrian German where your audience expects it, Swiss spelling without the sharp s, French versions for Romandy where needed.
- Austrian and Swiss wording
- French planned per campaign
- Film, photo and creator content
Site, tracking and live dashboard
Landing pages or shops with the legal information each country needs, consent first and every number in your live dashboard.
- GDPR and revFADP considered
- Consent Mode v2 and Conversions API
- Reporting in English
How does an expansion with us run? From call to first numbers.
- Week 1
Market entry call
In Vienna, in Zurich or by video: product, audience, market order and the number that counts.
- Weeks 1 to 3
Set-up
Messaging per market, creatives, landing pages, consent and tracking, ad accounts.
- Weeks 3 to 12
Launch and learn
Campaigns live per country, Monday reviews, new creatives every week.
- After week 12
Decide
Scale the market that works, add Germany or change course, based on the numbers.
Austria or Switzerland: what is different? Same language, different rules.
Austria and Switzerland share a language, but not a market. These differences shape how we plan an expansion into both countries. General information as of November 2026, not legal advice.
Austria and Switzerland side by side
| Austria | Switzerland | |
|---|---|---|
| EU membership | Yes, EU and euro | No, own rules and CHF |
| Languages | German, with Austrian vocabulary | German, French, Italian and Romansh |
| Spelling | Standard German with sharp s | Swiss spelling, ss instead of the sharp s |
| Data protection | GDPR | revFADP, in force since 1 September 2023 |
| Surcharge on Meta and Google ads | 5% on ads delivered in Austria | None (as of November 2026) |
Language
- Austria: many everyday words differ from German in Germany, see Austrian German. For consumer brands we adapt wording; for B2B, standard German usually works.
- Switzerland: several national languages, published by the Federal Statistical Office. Written Swiss German uses ss instead of the sharp s, see Swiss Standard German.
Legal basics
- Austria: provider information under § 5 E-Commerce-Gesetz (ECG) and consent for cookies and tracking under the Telekommunikationsgesetz 2021 and the GDPR.
- Switzerland: the revFADP, supervised by the FDPIC. The GDPR can still apply if you also target the EU. Google's EU user consent policy names Switzerland explicitly, so consent for advertising is needed there too.
Costs and payment
- Ad surcharge: Google has charged 5% on ads delivered in Austria since 1 November 2020, Meta since 1 July 2026 (Google Ads Help, Meta Business Help Center). Plan the Austrian budget with a factor of 1.05.
- Payment: TWINT reported more than 6 million users in Switzerland in 2025 (TWINT press release). For shops we check whether local payment methods are in the checkout in both countries.
Next steps
Read the single-market guides for Austria and Switzerland, how to decide the order of the DACH markets and what our team in Zurich does. All guides are in the expansion overview, or contact us.
Have we launched brands in these markets? Real numbers from our cases.
Is your brand ready for Austria and Switzerland? The findings arrive as a report by email.
We check your site, campaigns and tracking against what a launch in Austria and Switzerland needs: local copy, legal information, consent, payment options and channel set-up. You usually receive the report within 5 working days. Free of charge and without a contract.
Step 1 of 5
A few questions about your setup, your contact details only at the end. You will receive the detailed report by email, usually within 5 working days.
Planning your expansion to Austria and Switzerland? Let's clarify it in 30 minutes.
Meet us in Vienna, in Zurich or by video. We tell you honestly which market we would start with and why.
Get in touch in three steps.
An honest assessment and one point of contact instead of a call centre.
Step 1 of 3
- current: Industry & budget
- next: Contact
- next: Appointment
Confidential: we sign your NDA before any data is exchanged.
Who replies to you
Florian HörmannManaging Director, Strategy and Performance
Daniel HaydenManaging Director, Creative and Web
We usually reply within 24 hours on working days, personally and without a ticket system.
Prefer to write? hello@ad.boutique
Questions about expanding to Austria and Switzerland.
What does a marketing agency do for an expansion to Austria and Switzerland?
It plans the market order, writes local copy for each country, sets up a website with the legal information and consent each market needs, and runs campaigns per country with budgets in EUR and CHF. ad.boutique does this with one team in Vienna and Zurich.
Should we launch in Austria or Switzerland first?
It depends on your product, price and audience. Austria is in the EU and often works as a test market for the German-speaking region; Switzerland is a high-income market but needs CHF pricing, its own legal set-up and often French. We decide it with you based on your numbers.
Can one campaign cover Austria and Switzerland?
Technically yes, but we usually separate the markets. Copy, currency and legal information differ, and costs differ too: Meta and Google charge a 5% surcharge on ads delivered in Austria, but not in Switzerland. Separate campaigns or at least separate reporting keep the numbers honest.
Do we need different German copy for Austria and Switzerland?
Often yes. Austrian German has its own vocabulary, and written Swiss German uses ss instead of the sharp s. We adapt wording per market where your audience notices it.
Who is our contact in Switzerland?
Alexis Streimelweger is your point of contact in Zurich, together with the team in Vienna. Budgets and billing are also possible in CHF.
How do we start working together?
With a 12-week POC at a fixed price and one output KPI agreed before the start, then you decide by the numbers.