The Business of Brand Management

The Smoothness of Clarity.

Why we seek the unambiguous — even though reality is something else entirely. I am sitting in a briefing. The marketing director of a mid-sized company lays […]

SHORTS

A cookie for the cooler bag.

Laura Schreiner

TO BE DISCUSSED

Today is another one of those days when the question of what to snack on practically answers itself: something cold, please. Ice cream, watermelon, and a drink […]

Who's actually going to get the crown here?

Laura Schreiner

TO BE DISCUSSED

The König Pilsener brand is meant to come across as more modern and youthful, playing a clearer role in the everyday lives of younger people—without losing its […]

Are Supplements the New Snake Oil?

Alexander Rauch

TO BE DISCUSSED

One of the iconic characters of the American Western is, of course, the quack, the “snake oil salesman” —for example, Mr. Merriweather (that name!) in the magnificent […]

Death by Greedflation?

Alexander Rauch

TO BE DISCUSSED

For global luxury brands, things have actually always been great since the turn of the millennium: unless there was a financial crisis or COVID, demand and sales […]

A “new study”—so many questions.

Alexander Rauch

TO BE DISCUSSED

It took us a while, too, to recover from the German national team’s completely unexpected elimination from the World Cup—which is why our newsletter is a little […]

Dress for Performance?

Alexander Rauch

TO BE DISCUSSED

There’s a lot of excitement among Porsche employees: But no, it’s not about the company’s zigzagging course on powertrain technology, the sales slump in China, or U.S. […]

It's always trouble with the old folks!

Alexander Rauch

TO BE DISCUSSED

Time and again, we read that brands “underestimate” the 50-plus demographic: In terms of their purchasing power and willingness to spend, their readiness to use new media […]

What should I wear? Your dress code for the World Cup.

Alexander Rauch

TO BE DISCUSSED

We’ll keep it short for you today—we know you need to pop into the supermarket to grab some beer and chips. Because today marks the start of […]

You can't get in here for free!

Alexander Rauch

TO BE DISCUSSED

Of course, we don't know what you believe, and it's none of our business - but if you're Catholic, you might be celebrating Corpus Christi tomorrow. In […]

Editorials

The Expected Failure. Germany as a Football Nation.

Dr. Eric Häusler Prof. Dr. Jürgen Häusler

Rereading. Rethinking (3)

Germany’s men’s national football team has been eliminated. Once again. That is no longer surprising. A tournament victory would now be the surprise. A series of sporting […]

Editorials

When Branding Becomes Marketing, Strategy Breaks

Why organizations that conflate the two, risk sacrificing long-term value for short-term performance. In many organizations today, branding has become increasingly difficult to distinguish from marketing. The […]

Editorials

The Damaged Image: Germany and the Problem of Self-Representation.

Dr. Eric Häusler Prof. Dr. Jürgen Häusler

REREADING. RETHINKING (2).

For several years now, the idea of the “nation as brand” has become part of the established vocabulary of place promotion, tourism marketing, and communication consultancy. States […]

Editorials

Comparing the Incomparable? When Adolf Hitler and Donald Trump Turn Nations into Brands.

Dr. Eric Häusler Prof. Dr. Jürgen Häusler

For now, any comparison between Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler and the United States under Donald Trump almost seems to rule itself out. Politically and historically, the […]

Editorials

THE BOARD DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOUR BRAND ARCHITECTURE

It cares about concentration, risk, and return. In late February, WPP announced WPP Creative — a new umbrella structure folding Ogilvy, VML, AKQA and Burson into a […]

Editorials

MESSY BRAND ARCHITECTURE IS A LEADERSHIP ISSUE

Why technically correct architecture systems often fail inside real organisations. The notion that brand architecture systems are neatly organised into categories like ‘Branded House’, ‘Subbranded’, ‘Endorsed Brands’ […]

Opinions

When Branding Becomes Marketing, Strategy Breaks

Why organizations that conflate the two, risk sacrificing long-term value for short-term performance. In many organizations today, branding has become increasingly difficult to distinguish from marketing. The […]

Opinions

THE BOARD DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOUR BRAND ARCHITECTURE

It cares about concentration, risk, and return. In late February, WPP announced WPP Creative — a new umbrella structure folding Ogilvy, VML, AKQA and Burson into a […]

Interviews

A CITY LIKE NO OTHER.

Jennifer Rickers Johannes Christensen

An interview with Jennifer Rickers about city brands, leadership and building a new identity for Dortmund. When Jennifer Rickers took over her role in Dortmund, many things […]

Interviews

Openness instead of simplicity

Hadi Teherani Elke Malek Johannes Christensen

On designing without dogma and the ambition to make every project a benchmark. A conversation with Hadi Teherani about attitude, holism, and why the strongest designs often […]