5 points Why the ESC was wonderful advertising for Switzerland

Switzerland scored internationally at the Eurovision Song Contest. Not only with Zoë Më's soulful ballad "Voyage", but also thanks to five points that have nothing to do with music.

Four cities have applied to host the ESC: In hindsight, Switzerland seems to have made the right choice. "Basel did a really great job," sums up visitor Catarina from Stockholm, who has been a Grand Prix fan for many years.

And it was because of one particular aspect, says the Swede: Basel succeeded in "spreading the Eurovision spirit throughout the city". She has already experienced several shows where there was only a Grand Prix atmosphere in the Eurovision Village and around the venue.

It is possible that the competitors Bern and Geneva would have succeeded in doing the same, but that remains to be seen. Would Zurich also have been caught up in the Grand Prix spirit? I'm thinking of the semi-finals on Tuesday and Thursday.

And the volume of traffic that would have accompanied them. And the rage of the drivers running amok who will then be torturing themselves through the city center and highways. Or guys who ask colorfully dressed foreign guests in the best Zurich charm: "Are you here before the Eurovision, bro?"

As far as the show elements on the ESC stage are concerned, fire and lasers remain the most popular stylistic devices. The exception that confirmed this rule: Switzerland.

Zoë Më sang her soulful chanson "Voyage" without dancers and a sea of flames. Sometimes less is more, even if the Fribourg singer's haunting performance was ultimately only approved by the jury, but not by the audience.

With Switzerland of all countriesEmbarrassing mishap for Zoë Më at the ESC - it would have completely different consequences in the final

There was something to talk about before the final evening for which Zoë Më could do nothing: Towards the end of her performance in the second semi-final, the picture suddenly froze for a few seconds - oh dear! An unforgivable technical blunder - and in the middle of the biggest TV entertainment show in the world.

Well, courage is not always rewarded immediately. So it's all the better that Zoë Më didn't let herself be put off on her way as a musician.

What are the countless clichés about Switzerland? Watches, banks, cheese and chocolate - anyone who spends time abroad will be familiar with these topics. So it's all the more refreshing that this year's host is addressing these preconceptions herself - and in doing so, taking the edge off them to a certain extent.

This healthy self-irony runs through all three shows. The prime example is the piece "Made in Switzerland". It not only plays with familiar and therefore boring clichés such as those mentioned above, but also lists the more exciting Swiss products: ESC, LSD, the Internet and the "neutral arms industry".

A song as a catchy tune, whose video manages to bring the dark Swiss past to the stage - with a Swedish presenter as the legend William Tell. The foreigner is amazed, and the local marvels - à la bonne heure!

One small drawback: the order.

"Made in Switzerland" is the stuff that is actually tailor-made for the finale. After this climax, the many other self-deprecating allusions in the subsequent shows fell a little flat. Nevertheless, this attitude was good for Switzerland's image.

Admittedly, "good organization" would of course also be a point that could be celebrated in the Swiss clichés category.

Nevertheless, in conversations with the blue News external team, visitors from abroad repeatedly praise how smoothly everything runs in Basel.

Given the size of the event, it is in the nature of things that there are sometimes hitches: if some streetcars break down before the finale, it is simply due to the unauthorized pro-Palestinian demonstration.

And even that seems to have been dispersed after a prudent wait and see approach when the situation escalated. Switzerland is playing to its strengths - even when it comes to organization.

Can Sandra Studer do it? The NZZ asked itself this question in all seriousness when it was announced that the 56-year-old would be presenting the ESC together with Hazel Brugger and Michelle Hunziker.

What the women delivered this week was quite simply world-class show business. And all of it: made in Switzerland.

From the first semi-final to the final, the millions of people watching on TV soon realized every second that Switzerland is not boring and certainly not monotonous.

The three women made a decisive contribution to the success of this year's ESC. And that's why:

12 points for Hazel Brugger, Michelle Hunziker and Sandra Studer.