Consumer-centered concepts offer further development potential

The restructuring of billion dollar markets will require an intelligent transformation in the future. Companies would have to move their concepts more towards consumers, who would always make more decisions as individuals. That was the credo of the 37th German Marketing Day in Berlin.

“In a crisis, business models disappear if they are not competitive,” explained Peter Würtenberger, Chief Marketing Officer at Axel Springer AG. If entrepreneurs asked users to create advertising for their own brand, they could find out in a very direct way what customers understand by the brand. For example, Springer partners have already sold more than 10 million products via the platform for the cross-media campaign product “Volksaktion”. In addition, Berthold Figgen, Director Corporate Marketing at Procter & Gamble, recommended seven successful concepts. These included staying on course, pushing innovations, investing calmly and efficiently, creating trust and security among consumers, emphasizing the value of your own products, using cooperation with partners in the value chain and taking care of employees.

In addition, online moving images could sustainably support the brand funnel and increase brand awareness, purchase intentions and willingness to recommend. This is what Dr. Ralf Strauss, Head of Product Management CRM Marketing at SAP Deutschland AG, referring to an analysis of more than 300 online films known worldwide. As the best example of online video communication, he named a viral film format that water producer Evian would have put on the Internet as a teaser. It can be seen skating babies who embodied the motto “Live Young”, which enabled the manufacturer to generate 50 million clicks within a short period of time. For a success like this, on the one hand, the focus is decisive, but also the possibility that users are enabled to send this film on.

The highlight of the event was the presentation of the German Marketing Prize 2009 for top performance in marketing for the Schwarzkopf brand to the Henkel company. The innovation culture of the “Innovation Lounge” is a success factor for both the adhesive manufacturer and the detergent producer. “With the trend database, each of our employees is free to submit suggestions, which are then evaluated by top managers and bundled on larger topics,” explains Tina Müller, Corporate Senior Vice President and responsible for the global hair, face and oral care business. In order to find greater access to consumers, round tables, home visits and hotline checks are becoming increasingly important for the company.

www.marketingverband.de