Blog & Inspiration

Consistent brand management – anytime and everywhere – is at the essence of any business. Consider it the best way to safeguard its health. Protected access then becomes the practical solution for sharing data and knowledge. The eldest private insurance company in Switzerland (Bern, 1826) got in touch with Censhare for a central brand portal as part of its brand redesign.

Shopping was still relatively simple in the nineties. Now, however, technical achievements such as the smartphone and changing consumer behaviour are transforming the shopping process. According to a study by Demandware, a Salesforce company, the traffic channel that brings in the most customers for retailers is mobile. So the smartphone is a key contributor to growth in digital trade.

The market for online data storage has been battled over for years, and yet, some newcomers, like the start-up Box, have managed to penetrate it and even expand their business. The technology platform increasingly focuses on enterprise customers and particularly seeks to stand out from the competition with clever third-party apps for mobile teams. Niall Wall, senior vice president for business development and responsible for international expansion, explains his long-term strategy and highlights the importance of strategic partnerships.

A bathroom can be an oasis, a private retreat in one’s home where one can relax; some may even feel as though they are going through a thorough process of rejuvenation. Richter+Frenzel, a German wholesaler for plumbers and builders founded as far back as 1895, now use an ultra-modern application that turns dream designs into reality well before they are built. CEO Wilhelm Schuster demonstrates the process through the lenses of some very powerful 3D goggles.

Always-on technology isn’t new. In fact, most of us grew up with a version of this tech in our homes – the telephone dial tone. In 1908, German engineer August Kruckow created the first dial tone as a signal to users that their phone was off-hook and ready for them to enter digits for the automated switchboard to relay. This technology was adapted by the US in 1940 as the availability of in-home telephones increased and the demands on the existing telephone infrastructure made the workload for live operators untenable. In modern parlance, the system of the day wasn’t scalable and so an automated system was created to ease the burden on the network.

At the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, Volkswagen Group defined new goals for the future of mobility. With digitisation at the top of its agenda, the largest car manufacturer in the world hopes to bring in new business and more revenue. Johann Jungwirth, Head of Digitisation Strategy, answered our call for a conversation.

Now, will ya’ give me? Sold!” Just some of the typical rants heard at the premises of Christie’s, the world’s oldest and most respected art business. Since on December 5, 1766 James Christie conducted his first auction in London, the house has expanded into no fewer than eighty different categories ranging from fine art to clocks, marine chronometers and barometers. Its price records are well documented and yet many objects become donations to both longstanding and recent clients. Among them many celebrities: Kate Moss once had her own auction valued at a million pounds. For sale: photos, paintings, sculptures, collages and a tapestry of the supermodel. CIO Ken Citron talked to us without reserve of how the company masters the fine line between tradition and digital transformation.

The Chinese online merchant Alibaba has arrived in Germany. The huge demand for international brands in China has triggered a veritable battle for access to coveted goods. We talked to Germany boss Terry von Bibra about Alibaba’s plans to achieve its new operation in Germany.

Many generations have grown up with the blue-and-gold logo of the American entertainment giant Warner Brothers. The company based in the Californian city of Burbank is one of the so-called “majors” – the six largest film companies in the United States. Along with Columbia Pictures, the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios, it is one of the global players courting the favour of viewers the world over. Now the movie industry pioneer is planning to go one step further and conquer the United Arab Emirates.

Range meets ideas: it is with this innovative concept that ProSiebenSat.1 has become the number one media investor in Germany. By exchanging TV advertising time for company shares or revenue sharing, the media group has built an attractive e-commerce portfolio over the past few years, which today is one of its strongest growth drivers. Now, it has set its sights on assuming pole position in Europe. Dr Christian Wegner, Member of the Executive Board and Chief Officer Digital, provides insight which strategy is being deployed to achieve this goal and what role the topic of digital transformation plays.

We are into great designs and into small details. We are all about quality and understated looks. We started out with denim and advanced into collections. We go beyond borders and believe in true friendship. We value our heritage,  love today, long for tomorrow. We are Closed. Denim handmade in Italy since 1978.

George Wurz and Dr. Eugène Frezzati are names that will ring a bell with only a few. However, Lancaster, the company they founded, is known around the world. The two men met at random in Monaco in 1946 and soon realised they both dreamt of a company developing and marketing innovative luxury toiletries. Back then, this was nothing short of a revolution; seventy years later another one has sparked-off: its digital distribution delivered by Akeneo.

BY NADINE PELZER (Published in The Produktkulturmagazin issue 3 2016) Feeling energised when just waking up — every day. A dream. What sounds like fantasy is now to become a reality. At least in the world of two founders from...

The days are becoming ever shorter, the evenings already feel cool and the sun has to try hard dispersing the morning mist. Autumn is around the corner and we look forward to cosy hours at home and cooking with friends and family. This is the best time for soul food — it tastes good and does well.

An old proverb states that the best stories come from life itself. But we are all familiar with the fact that it gives us more than just sunshine – something that singer Axel (Aki) Bosse is also all too aware of. He creates veritable musical treasure troves from his experiences in life. Sometimes cheerful, sometimes melancholy – but always with a virtually unparalleled authenticity. He touches the hearts and souls of an entire country with his songs. His lyrics are profound, honest and reflect a person who is his own worst critic. We had the privilege of meeting this amicable songwriter for a partly rainy but nevertheless fabulous interview.

Restraint and sensitivity are the trademarks of picture book artist Helme Heine. The 75-year-old is one of the true great artists of his trade. However, he not only creates illustrations, he also simultaneously invents the stories that go with them. These include such veritable children’s book classics as “Friends” featuring the three heroes Franz von Hahn, Johnny Mauser and fat Waldemar or the “Elefanteneinmaleins”. They have all led Heine to international acclaim; his success fundamentally goes down to the fact that he speaks a language that children understand. And: his stories are witty and frequently incorporate a certain amount of irony, but never more than his small readers are actually able to digest. Helme Heine always observes his surroundings with untamed inquisitiveness and quiet passion. It is probably for these reasons that he is so much loved by both big and small avid readers across the globe.

Colours and fabrics affect our well-being. In many cases they influence whether we like a particular product or not. For this reason, industry acknowledges its power in the manufacturing process. Dutch designer Hella Jongerius has made her mark internationally for her typical style, craftsmanship and industrial design. Her furniture, textiles and tableware creations may be characterised as a fusion of past and present, and combine traditional and novel materials. The lady explains her subtle hues and multi-faceted textures in the follwing interview.

They might very well be modern hippies, beatnik heirs or following the footsteps of Lost Generation artists, Victorian explorers and romantic poets. Just like all those distinct groups from the past, so-called gypsetters let go of the limitations that social conventions impose on them and search for places where blue waters run deep, the land is untouched and the beaches are still deserted. They rather base their lives upon creativity and art than upon money and luxury. You will not find members of this breed lounging in pompous five-star hotels, but you may see them on a surfboard of the coast of Montauk, in a small village on the cliffs of Cornwall or in a tipi in Ibiza.

Luxury shoemaker John Lobb dates back 150 years. The business moved from making boots for Australian gold diggers to making bespoke shoes that remain classics to this day. Since 1976, the brand belongs to Hermès group and now includes ready-to-wear shoe collections that are handmade in England.

Wadi Rum in southern Jordan is one of the world’s most impressive deserts. Rugged, steep rock faces open onto far-reaching desert valleys, the view disappearing on the seemingly endless horizon. Even Lawrence of Arabia had been mesmerised by the Wadi Rum and its breathtaking landscape. This is where he wrote his renowned autobiographical work “Seven Pillars of Wisdom”, which made Jordan’s largest wadi world-famous.

There are countless sports cars on the market, although for many people there is just one – the legendary Porsche 911. More than five decades have passed since the first model of the series was unveiled at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt. But the hype surrounding this car continues unabated.