Blog & Inspiration

Yellow and black gadgets for the house and garden, there is a good reason why many will recognise that we are talking about Kärcher here. Michael Meyer, Head of Industrial Design Home & Garden Products at Kärcher, tells us in an interview how the company manages to anchor its consumer product worldwide in different markets, how product innovation comes about and which channels it has to pass to reach product maturity.

A changing world entails unknown challenges. Questions arising from this provide the fertile ground in which new ideas germinate. Expanding building sizes in metropolitan cities have inspired the creative heads at thyssenkrupp elevator technology to rethink the traditional elevator principles. Head of Product Development, Markus Jetter, tells us how it is possible for the new elevator system, Multi, to go sideways.

The unique history of Red Bull goes back to the 1980s, when it was launched as a completely revolutionary product – the energy drink. Today, it is one of the world’s strongest brands, known as much for the beverage as it is for Formula 1 and extreme sports. With the same innovative dynamism, the company is now also designing ready-to-wear apparel for men and women, combining functional fabrics and textile innovations with natural, high-end materials. Ahmet Mercan, Head of Global Consumer Products at Red Bull, talked to us in greater detail about the exciting AlphaTauri brand and its plans.

Only very few enterprises enjoy as much affection among people across the globe as the Swedish furniture and home furnishing company Ikea. The wonderful, diverse designs on offer at Ikea’s countless emporia allow everybody to express their personality. However, just what steps the individual products have to go through before being added to others on the shelves in stores is known only to very few. The primary focus of the rigorous design process is always very clearly on customer benefit. As Head Designer, Marcus Engman manages a team of 20 designers, responsible for creating and producing all Ikea products. We spoke to Marcus about his exciting work and the design philosophy behind it.

Communication agencies face a Herculean task with digital transformation, because in order to accompany their customer’s digitalisation they first have to advance their own. The digital revolution not only changes how and where advertisements are now perceived, but also how all types of adverts are produced in general.

The place where inkjet printers and programmable pocket calculators were once invented is where the focus is now on other topics. The HP Labs, the innovation lab of the eponymous corporation, are currently on a quest to research mixed reality applications – albeit ones that are user-centric and therefore as mass market-compatible as possible.

A photo taken in 1944 shows a bombed-out wasteland. The west of Bremen is nothing but rubble, not a building or outline recognisable as far as the eye can see. The only exception: a high-rise bunker – in the centre of the ‘desert’ – undamaged, unaffected by the severest of air raids on the city of Bremen. At the time, the eight-storey high-rise bunker saved lives. Soon, it will be protecting people’s business interests, namely digital data. Bombproof, both then and now.

Digital transformation is networking the entire globe to an ever greater extent. And it is the wholesale sector in particular that is currently facing a digitalisation process that will fundamentally change its business model. We asked Alexa Wackernagel, Head of Digital Business at Swiss wholesale enterprise Elektro-Material, a company that looks back on more than 100 years of experience, how it is dealing with this topic.

In Ridley Scott’s latest sci-fi blockbuster “Alien: Covenant”, a small vehicle made by Audi caused a stir. The Audi lunar quattro is a rover used to navigate and explore the terrain of foreign planets, gathering data for the team aboard the “Covenant” colonisation ship. In the meantime, a real trip to the moon is on the horizon for the Audi lunar quattro, which will cause a stir beyond Hollywood’s borders. Audi has supported the Part-Time Scientists (PTScientists) start-up from Berlin since 2015. Their common goal for 2018 is the “Mission to the Moon”, to explore earth’s only natural satellite, the moon.

The customer experience ecosystem is no longer a linear paradigm moving from being educated about the products to purchase to support. Customers go online not only to shop, but also to find inspiration to research products and to avail post-purchase services.  Enterprises engage with customers along their purchase lifecycle, collect their digital footprints and enrich future interactions. Processing these large amounts of data at optimal levels and delivering on the consumer’s expectations can be challenging even for the most tech-forward enterprises.

Having acting classes with Hollywood star Kevin Spacey, taking singing lessons with Christina Aguilera, learning to have stage presence from R&B artist Usher or attending comedy courses with Steve Martin. Where does Werner Herzog acquire the creativity for his movie masterpieces and would you not love to know the secrets behind the success of Diane von Fürstenberg’s fashion brand? The absolute best in their fields love to pass on their knowledge and expertise. American start-up MasterClass now offers online courses with Hollywood's A-list and top international stars from sport, entertainment and music. Here, anybody can share a classroom with Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman or have Serena Williams teach them the perfect forehand shot.

High above, between heaven and earth and in complete tranquillity, the young Frenchman Pablo Signoret balances highly concentrated on a highline in a breath-taking mountain panorama. The highline is the more extreme and demanding version of the slackline, which requires a perfect control of body and mind. We spoke with Pablo about his great passion.

Uncompromising quality combined with craftsmanship and a sure sense for trends. This is Suitsupply. Because in a world where off-the-rack suits have taken over men's wardrobes worldwide, Suitsupply introduces a new approach, creating a completely new market for men’s fashion. With great attention to detail and on-site tailoring while you wait, everyone leaves the store with the perfect fit. We talked to founder and CEO Fokke de Jong about the concept and future plans.

Es ist fünf vor Umbruch. Denn in gut acht Wochen, am 25. Mai, tritt die europäische Datenschutz-Grundverordnung unweigerlich in Kraft. Doch dass dies überhaupt kein Drama für Marketingverantwortliche bedeuten muss, erklärt uns Marketing- und IT-Security-Experte Andres Dickehut im Interview.

Already an established part of everyday life, digitalisation is gradually becoming a fixture in politics and business as well. Initially eyed with scepticism, many businesses have since come to realise the benefits of digitalisation and the advantages it brings as they attempt to keep pace with developments. We spoke with two experts about the current state of digitalisation in Germany and Europe.

Carolyn Robb was the Royal Family’s chef for thirteen years. She travelled with Prince Charles and was there when Prince William and Prince Harry lost their mother, Princess Diana. Her expertise and experiences inspired a cookbook: ‘The Royal Touch, Simple stunning home cooking from a former royal chef’. Carolyn's brand, ‘The Royal Touch’, is inspired by her experiences as a royal chef as well as her love of the British countryside and British produce.

Carefully designed details and an immaculate fit combined with top-quality material is the recipe for timeless items of clothing. For 60 years, the Italian Slowear Group, which consists of 4 brands, has been passionately devoted to manufacturing products which are beautiful, sustainable and reliable at once. Every single brand has kept its own identity and is specialised in what it can do best, which is the way to achieve excellence.

Digital transformation seems to be THE topic of the year. There was hardly any other theme at the World Economic Forum in Davos and the DLD in Munich organised by Burda at the beginning of this year. How will digitalisation affect companies and society in the coming years? How long until we drive our car but busy our hands with the next purchase at the same time?

Sweet and smoky — if there is one trendy scent, it is sandalwood. A warm, strong basic note, which is intensive, woody and spicy at first. Combined with cedar, cardamom and leather, it creates a subtle masculine fragrance whose strength is, however, mellowed and rounded off by violet and iris. The result is “Santal 33”, one of the exclusive unisex fragrances of the perfume label Le Labo, which are equally suitable for men and women.

In the old Kingdom of Siam in the rainforest-covered hillsides of the Thai peninsula of Phuket, there is a mysterious place. High above the beach, small buildings, like giant birds’ nests, are visible through the dense leafy cover of the jungle, hidden in the treetops. Just under them is an infinity pool that provides an amazing view of the bay and the Andaman Sea. It all feels like a magical world, because through its architecture, the Keemala Resort brings the ancient culture of Phuket back to life. With its design, its different villas, their particular style and the skilfully crafted materials, the whole site tells a tale many hundred years old, of an ancient people who were washed ashore by a storm and decided to settle on the majestic beaches of Phuket.

Distance is an illusion. Today we live in an era in which flight connections and various ways of communication have shrunk the world. New possibilities to stay loyal to your social environment have opened up, even if you are thousands of kilometres away. We are on the edge of a revolution that will change the way we live and work.