Archive for year: 2016
Program for the 6th Göttingen Marketing Day
Integrated Marketing – Empty buzzword or viable concept?
This is the motto of the 6th Göttingen Marketing Day on November 11, 2016. You can find out what to expect on this day from the program, which you can find here. Also this year, high-profile speakers are on site, presenting a wide range of companies. We look forward to welcoming you in Göttingen!
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HORIZONT presents Content Marketing Study of PFH Göttingen
In the marketing magazine HORIZONT, issue 24/2016 of June 16, 2016, reports extensively on the change in marketing towards a stronger focus on content marketing. The success control of content marketing is particularly neglected, as the figures from our study Content Marketing Strategies. Empirical Study of PFH Göttingen. Riekhof/Jacobi 2016 show.
Content Marketing Strategies: New Study Published
Content Marketing Strategies. Empirical Study of PFH Göttingen. Riekhof/Jacobi 2016.
The two authors Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Riekhof and Teresa Jacobi (PFH Göttingen) provide an overview of the practice and current state of content marketing in German companies in their recently completed study. Companies were surveyed from November 2015 to January 2016.
The evaluation of the study shows, among other things, that content marketing is already an integral part of corporate communication in more than half of the companies surveyed and has high future potential.
You can download the complete study here.
Thorsten Schwenecke, former Marketing Manager Bacardi Germany, in conversation with Professor Riekhof
Thorsten Schwenecke will provide insights into the repositioning of the Bacardi brand as part of the 6th Göttingen Marketing Day on November 11, 2016. Professor Riekhof has already spoken with Thorsten Schwenecke.
Prof. Riekhof: Bacardi had a very clear positioning in recent decades, characterized by young people, good mood and Caribbean feeling. Why did a repositioning become necessary?
Thorsten Schwenecke: After more than twenty years, the well-known Bacardi feeling had lost its radiance and relevance for the German consumer. The reduction to escapism, sun, beach and South Seas was no longer contemporary. There was a lack of enriching the positive basic feeling with brand values relevant to the young target group. The brand had a very high brand awareness, but the image values had deteriorated. Other spirits competitors had attracted the attention of consumers with a clearer positioning and modern communication. It was time to make the Bacardi brand “cool” again.
Prof. Riekhof: Can you explain the essential elements of Bacardi’s new positioning?
Thorsten Schwenecke: In 2014, we began for the first time to tell the unique story of the Bacardi brand. A moving story of over 150 years full of setbacks, obstacles and an untamable will. With this positioning, the Bacardi brand returns to its Cuban roots. The focus of communication is on the authentic milestones of family history with the aim of strengthening the origin and credibility of the rum brand and giving young consumers a relevant reference point in an uncertain and constantly changing environment.
Prof. Riekhof: The repositioning seems to be quite radical at first glance. Did you empirically test the elements of the new positioning, or did you take a full risk?
Thorsten Schwenecke: Yes, the basic core idea of the new positioning as well as the communication strategy and the “Untameable Since 1862” campaign based on it were tested in different ways in the focus markets.
Prof. Riekhof: How did the market react to the repositioning?
Thorsten Schwenecke: Basically positive, although one has to differentiate a bit between the restaurateur and retail buyer. Especially the older retail customers were somewhat skeptical about the new orientation and would probably have preferred a revision of the “Bacardi Feeling”.
Prof. Riekhof: Can you tell us what you think are the success factors of a well and successfully implemented positioning?
Thorsten Schwenecke: In my opinion, there is no patent recipe. The positioning must of course come from the brand itself and take into account the needs of the target group and the zeitgeist. In addition, it may become necessary to include local differences.
Prof. Riekhof: As a rule, one works with alternative positionings in repositioning projects, which are worked out by agencies and put up for discussion. What did this process look like at Bacardi?
Thorsten Schwenecke: Exactly like that. The repositioning was developed globally for all markets. The focus markets (like Germany) were able to give input at all essential points of the process, such as the briefing etc. In the end, a local adaptation of the campaign took place.
Prof. Riekhof: How much time did you invest in briefing the agencies for the repositioning? What was particularly important to you?
Thorsten Schwenecke: We gave our local input to the global briefing from Germany. For example, it was important to us to address the strong presence of the Bacardi Feeling in the minds of consumers and to take into account the legal peculiarity of communicating the origin of Cuba in Germany.
Prof. Riekhof: Which communication channels did you particularly focus on in the repositioning?
Thorsten Schwenecke: The entire communication had a digital focus in order to optimally reach the young target group and to be able to tell the many contents as comprehensively as possible. “Always On” was an essential part. Of course, we also carried out targeted TV, Out of Home and PR measures to generate optimal reach. The positioning was then extended at the POS and provided with messages aimed at the shopper.
Prof. Riekhof: Thank you very much for the interview.
Dr. Tonio Kröger, Managing Director of antoni GmbH, in an interview with Professor Riekhof
Dr. Tonio Kröger is one of the speakers at the 6th Göttingen Marketing Day. In the run-up to the event on November 11, 2016, Professor Riekhof spoke with Dr. Tonio Kröger.
Prof. Riekhof: You founded the agency antoni together with André Kemper in 2015. Aren’t there enough agencies already? Or have you discovered a special niche for yourself?
Dr. Kröger: Certainly there are enough agencies on the market. We did not discover a niche, but we have faced the challenges of the market with our agency and focus all our energy on a single client and their special needs. A concept that can of course be duplicated in this form.
Prof. Riekhof: Agencies are professionals in helping companies sharpen their brands. Does this also apply to the agencies themselves? Do agencies have a really sharp brand profile?
Dr. Kröger: Agency life is a people’s business. Thus, the profile of an agency is not only shaped by the range of services, but also very much by the people who run the agency. Charismatic and visionary personalities thus also help an agency to a sharp and distinctive profile.
Prof. Riekhof: And what is the brand profile or brand promise of antoni?
Dr. Kröger: We love the open and honest announcement. It makes us fast and builds trust. Our way of working, our ideas – everything unfolds more impact and power when it is simple. And this is also simple: We focus all our attention on one goal. We act courageously and remain humble. What we think, we say. What we say, we do. This applies both to our interaction with each other and to our cooperation with the customer.
Prof. Riekhof: You have some experience in consulting the automotive industry. How indispensable is long-term industry experience? Do you sometimes need people without the supposedly necessary expertise, but with an outside perspective? Or is an intensive understanding of customers indispensable?
Dr. Kröger: Basically, you should have a good understanding of what you are doing. Especially in the automotive industry, long-term industry expertise and understanding of market rules is invaluable.
Prof. Riekhof: Consumer behavior is changing, the media landscape is undergoing a dramatic upheaval. What does this mean for brand communication?
Dr. Kröger: The brand and thus brand communication is becoming more and more the differentiating factor. Especially in the area of technically complex products, whose features are increasingly converging over time, the brand as a sender is gaining in importance. It creates trust and helps the consumer to orientate themselves.
Prof. Riekhof: Content marketing is currently on everyone’s lips, even though content marketing has been around for many decades (just think of the Michelin Guide, which has little to do directly with tires). Is content marketing a short-term fashion phenomenon for you, or will it become a new paradigm in marketing?
Dr. Kröger: Content marketing will certainly not become a new paradigm. But content marketing will certainly become more challenging and demanding. Technical developments make it possible to supply not only certain target groups, but the individual customer (segment of one) with information and content tailored specifically to him in the channels relevant to him.
Prof. Riekhof: Thank you very much for the interview.