In the competitive Austrian beer market, the independent Ottakringer brewery has been the number 3 for years, successfully defying the hegemony of international brewing groups. In addition to being the undisputed market leader around Vienna, Ottakringer has grown from a down-to-earth brewery to an innovative event brand and a “creative beer hub” over recent years, focusing on a young, cosmopolitan and urban target group that experience Ottakringer not only as a traditional thirst quencher but as an integral part of their cultural and social life. Let’s take a closer look at Ottakringer’s marketing strategy.

Credit: OttakringerBrauerei, Ottakringer Helles bottle with glass, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Sexy and provocative. Comfortable and high-quality. Innovative and modern. In its 105-year history, the Palmers brand has been reinvented several times. Since “Restenkönig“ (literally translating as Surplus King) was founded in Innsbruck in 1915, only the crown in the striking green logo has remained the same. Innovative marketing and a good instinct for social trends made Palmers an iconic brand in Austria and beyond. After a phase of consolidation, Austria’s largest textile company is now back on the road to success. What can marketers learn from Palmers’ eventful history?

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The Red Dot Award jury’s statement hails Deutsche Telekom for creating a simple, puristic brand that has been consistently reinvented and developed. It manages to remain relevant for all ages, always ready to meet the zeitgeist while remaining true to itself. The “Brand of the Year 2019” award is further proof of the strategic success of the formerly nationalized telco provider Telekom. From a number 4 ranking behind Vodafone, Orange and Telecom Italia in 2008, Deutsche Telekom is now the most valuable European telecommunication brand. How did they do it? And what are the highlights of Telekom’s marketing strategy?

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Anyone who has ever spent a winter holiday in the mountains has more than likely come across the name Doppelmayr. With a market share of 60%, the former cable car construction pioneers not only lead the industry in numbers, but the Doppelmayr/Garaventa Group is also considered a spearhead of innovation within the industry, introducing new, faster, and more comfortable lifts, as well as delivering cable car technology for adventure parks, suspension railways in Las Vegas, and transportation to attractions such as the Great Wall of China. In addition, it is establishing itself in the field of alternative urban transportation, especially in Asia and South America. How did Doppelmayr find its way to the top?

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Here I can be myself, here I like to shop. An extremely successful slogan, inseparably linked to German drugstore chain dm. 45 years after its foundation, the company has a network of 3,500 stores in 13 countries with almost 60,000 employees. And despite stiff competition from Rossmann, Müller, and others, dm is selected again and again as one of Germany’s most popular brands, the last time in 2017. Here are some of the most important success factors of a truly sustainable company …

Source: https://www.dm-drogeriemarkt.at | © 2018 dm drogeriemarkt GmbH

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The home improvement market in the German-speaking world is crowded and full of fierce competition. The regular winner of the raging marketing battles is Hornbach. While its competition focuses largely on efficiency and prices, Hornbach relies on the appeal of a brand with a distinctive profile and quirky commercials. Its success proves Hornbach right. For years, the No. 3 in the German DIY market has regularly won awards, not only for creativity but also for the effectiveness of their campaigns. In 2018, Marketing Manager Karsten Kühn was voted CMO of the Year. What are the principles behind the often whacky charm of the Hornbach brand? Let’s drill down a bit.

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Founded in 1943, IKEA has been the largest furniture retailer in the world since 2008. For years, the Swedish company has also been ranking among the most valuable brands. After all, IKEA stands not only for do-it-yourself furniture, but for a modern, yet homey lifestyle; the furniture stores have become a destination for the whole family including comfort food and a kids’ play area. In 2018, the first IKEA store opened in the traditionally DIY-averse Indian market. The company has now expanded its presence to 433 offices in 52 countries. What are the foundations of its growing success? And what can up-and-coming companies learn from IKEA?

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Construction workers, cowboys and knights. When the German company Brandstätter launched its first Playmobil figures in 1974, the success was just as modest as the available range of figures and themes. About 3 billion produced toys later, the company, now owned by the geobra Brandstätter Foundation, supplies 100 million figures and their 40 theme worlds to 100 different countries every year. With ingenuity and a great deal of nostalgia, Playmobil has defied the crisis that has been rattling the traditional toy industry for years. What opportunities has the company seized? And what challenges are still to come?

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Digital transformation confronts enterprises and their marketing divisions with almost overwhelmingly complex tasks, with ever more diverse target groups requiring ever more concerted and concentrated collaboration across the company as well as with external partner companies. Marketing resource management systems, which we already took a general look at in our article on MRM systems, are here to help square the circle. In this article, we will give you an idea of how MARMIND® not only helps organize your marketing in a centralized way, but also of how to transparently manage it in everyday life, and the advantages you can benefit from.

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Since its introduction in 1964, the Birkenstock sandal with its cork footbed and leather straps was considered sensible, but ultimately unfashionable footwear only donned by square family fathers, hospital personnel and anti-consumption hippies. When, in 2012, the tide turned, a hype erupted around the chunky shoe with its comfortable footbed. Since then, Birkenstock is found in all walks of life, in trendy city districts as well as on international catwalks. The latest highlight in the 245-year company history – but what are the foundations of Birkenstock’s recent success?

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