Storytelling workshop by Maarten Schäfer – CoolBrands

Maarten Schäfer - Storytelling workshop by Maarten Schäfer - CoolBrands

 Maarten Schäfer is creative mind for CoolBrands in Amsterdam – He travels the world to interview brands -  There is only one question: “what’s your story?”  The stories are written with a wow factor and stickiness and published in CoolBrands the Guru Book – In workshops, people are teached how to create talk value – in this photo: Storytelling workshop by Maarten Schäfer – CoolBrands 

Workshop storytelling by Anouk Pappers - CoolBrands

Anouk Pappers is founder of  CoolBrands in Amsterdam – She travels the world to interview brands -  There is only one question: “what’s your story?”  The stories are written with a wow factor and stickiness and published in CoolBrands the Guru Book – In workshops, people are teached how to create talk value – in this photo: Storytelling workshop by Anouk Pappers - CoolBrands 

 

CoolBrands Storytelling workshop at infiniti in Geneva

 

 

Infiniti Essence - CoolBrands version

 

CoolBrands Storytelling workshop at infiniti in Geneva

   

Maarten Schäfer is creative mind for CoolBrands in Amsterdam – He travels the world to interview brands -  There is only one question: “what’s your story?”  The stories are written with a wow factor and stickiness and published in CoolBrands the Guru Book – In workshops, people are teached how to create talk value - Storytelling workshop by Maarten Schäfer – CoolBrands

Jean-Baptiste Santoul

Jean-Baptiste Santoul during the Henkel Trade week in the CoolBrands House.

Jean-Baptiste Santoul - Henkel Storytelling in the CoolBrands House

The Eastpak story by Gilles Laumonier

Gilles Laumonier – GM Eastpak – CoolBrands
Eastpak – Diversify and conquer, united we stand
Meeting up with Gilles Laumonier in Eastpak’s global headquarters in Bornem, Belgium gives us the opportunity to learn more about one of the truly authentic bag brands today. The friendly VP-GM of Eastpak Worldwide does even more than that: he explains how in order to survive, the brand had to diversify and unite at the same time. And why that is a good thing.

The Bell & Ross Story by Bruno Belamich

Based on an interview with Bruno Belemich by Anouk Pappers and Maarten Schäfer and published in CoolBrands, the Guru Book and seeded online by CoolBrands storytelling.
Bell & Ross – Second to none

If quality is a factor, ultimately you turn to professionals. Bell & Ross has elevated the level of absolute quality to soaring heights, which made it the go-to brand for those for whom time is of the essence. Pilots, deep-sea divers, astronauts and even the French national bomb disposal unit all rely on Bell & Ross. Why? One of the reasons is that they get a big say in developing their utility watches, which do away with futile frill or gadgetry and feature strength, duress and readability. Because if there’s one thing Bell & Ross has no time for, it’s uselessness.

It’s in the minute details
At the beginning of this beautiful brand lies the friendship between its French founders Bruno Belamich and Carlos A. Rosillo. Their personable mix of sure-fire intuition and analytical prowess has proven to be an unbeatable combination, and has propelled them to the upper echelons of time-keeping brands. To stay. In 1993 they started off to change the world of horology as we know it, with a simple statement: function shapes form. Bruno: “With functionality as a solid base, there simply is no group more demanding than the professionals, whose operational needs are way beyond the specifications that most watchmakers boast in their trendy catalogues.” In return, this group can be heart-warmingly grateful and loyal as well. The fact that the first automatic chronometer to be worn in space bore the Bell & Ross logo should be your first clue. Oh yes, it’s that good.

Hunting high and low
The humbling company of renowned professionals distinguishes Bell & Ross from the rest of the bunch. It keeps an open mind by working with designers, watchmakers, engineers and the users themselves, balancing knowledge and demand to provide equal opportunities for all. After all, it’s the passion for a great watch that counts. Satisfy basic needs in an unprecedented way, and do away with excess baggage that distracts from focus. Think Apple, not Vista. Initially, Bell & Ross collaborated with legendary dashboard-meter brand Sinn, that provided a factory and specialist know-how. Its first watches sent a ripple through the time continuum, setting records like accurately telling time in space and at the mind-boggling depth of 11,000 meters. Guinness had a field day, no doubt. The Bell & Ross Bomb Disposal Type is a shining example of the brand’s finely-targeted design objectives, with an anti-magnetic case and instantly readable precision that made the harrowing job of defusing explosives so much easier. The French Security Services did not waste time in ordering one for all their experts immediately.

Time bandits
The brand has established its own factory in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. This freed the brand from complicated commercial stakes, and brought back the autonomy it needed to excel. Currently, Bell & Ross designs its watches in Paris, and has them produced in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Besançon. If needed, the brand is not too arrogant to hire subcontractors for support. It keeps all lines short and open, and the flow of ideas constant. To great effect, as sales have doubled every year for the last three years and running. The unveiling of new Bell & Ross models are highly anticipated events that have fans and experts alike foaming at the mouth with pleasure. No exceptions, just exceptional. Bell & Ross does not care as much about volume, as it does about quality. It only talks of target groups in research and development, and abhors anything above sensible brand strategy and marketing. Belamich and Rosillo are all about the technical challenge and the love of time and time-keeping. This product sells itself, indeed.

Quadcore quality
Watches by Bell & Ross are all rooted in four design principles that the brand has held high from the first tick-tock. Its mission – create a utility watch for professionals that demands tools with optimum reliability – is a holy one, and requires discipline and love in equal measures.

Bell & Ross Design Principles
1. Ledgibility – Bell & Ross watches uses the same visual principles as cockpit instrument panels
2. Functionality – Every detail has its special purpose and use
3. Precision- All mechanical movements are high-precision adjusted, which extends to pure lines, proportions and elegance
4. Reliability – All watches are built with military specifications to endure the most extreme circumstances on either water or on land
The brand’s main markets are the United States, Europe and Asia, of which the latter is about 15 percent. The problem, if any, is that its limited production simply will not meet the growing demand that is knocking at the door. If you think that the brand is worried about this, think again. It solves this dilemma by judging potential markets on maturity, and supplying them accordingly. In other words: first come, first serve. Like it or lump it.

The future’s ticking
What lies ahead, is a future in which Bell & Ross will further enrich the brand’s cult status through professional innovation and its unwavering design philosophy. A brighter tomorrow, where professionals doing the world’s most demanding jobs can be the best they can possibly be. And where those who want nothing other than the absolute platinum standard have only one way to go. By definitively harnessing time in tangible excellence, Bell & Ross has stopped the clock on all other watch brands. On your marks, people: this is a future that keeps its promises, exactly when and wherever you want it to. It’s here, and it’s now. It’s Bell & Ross, and it’s about time.

http://www.coolbrandsstorytelling.org/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Bell-Ross-Second-to-none.html&Itemid=78

http://www.coolbrandsstorytelling.org/dmdocuments/Bell&Ross.pdf

The Infiniti story by Andreas Sigl

Infiniti – From Japan to eternity

Born from Japanese parents, Infiniti hit the US market some twenty years ago. Although 95 percent of its sales still happen in America, things are about to change. Infiniti is coming to Europe, in a big way. After the brand was introduced in Russia and China, Western Europe is next. Not the smallest of challenges, as launching a high-end brand in what must be the world’s toughest automobile market is an endeavour that has not been attempted in the last twenty years. Andreas Sigl, Head of Marketing communications, has a lot to say about why Infiniti could be this century‘s sensational success. 

Konnichiwa means howdy means hello
The main reason why now is the time to launch the brand on European highways and byways is that the stars are aligned perfectly. Want reasons? We’ll give you three:
The product is ready: after twenty years in the United States, the brand is strong enough to answer to expectations on the European market, and the taste of European consumers.
The organisation is ready: separate Infiniti business units were set up in April 2008, in order to fully support the brand on a global scale.
The customers are ready: Asian-made cars now have a better image than ever before, and launching a high-end brand with a Japanese background is finally a possibility.

The brand is sweeping the European market centrally from Switzerland. It deals directly with all of its different markets, and cuts out the local middle level to have a firmer grasp on communications and tighten overall control. Infiniti will roll out in phases: after premiering in 2008 in countries such as France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, the UK and Germany will follow in 2009 to top things off nicely.

The brand – Once more, with feeling
“In terms of global behaviour, Infiniti is a typical cosmopolitan brand with Japanese DNA,“ says Andreas. At the top of its brand pyramid is the brand positioning with the overall top line ‘Performance with a human touch’ and tagline ‘Inspired Performance’. The next layer of the Infiniti pyramid consists of the brand personality – Grateful Strengths – that is reflected in the product itself and the way the brand behaves. To add creative taste to its personality, Infiniti spices things up with the concept of Adeyaka, a state of mind and matter that dates back to the Japanese Renaissance.

 [a-de-ya-ka]: enchanting, terrific, beautiful, fascinatingly elegant

Adeyaka stands for rich, colourful and vibrant imagery. It is rooted in the power of nature, and evokes visions of organic and handcrafted design. Adeyaka is elegant and progressive form in motion, a natural flow and optimistic attitude, mesmerizing to all.
A far cry from the clinical environment where German-built cars rule the roost. As if the top line and tagline didn’t give it away, adeyaka perfectly describes the feeling of driving an Infiniti. This is not a machine, but an organic entity. The relatively small size of the brand makes it easier to pour that human touch into a close personal relationship with consumers.
At the base of the pyramid are three pillars, or three design principles that define the product and are translated into everything Infiniti does:
Hospitality Japanese-style pertaining to product and brand personality Driving pleasure rooted in a performance brand Peace of mind product confidence beyond basic safety and reliability
These principles naturally come with the functional benefits of Refined Power and State-of-the-art Responsiveness.

A self-evident truth
Infiniti aims to lean fully on its Japanese roots to build the brand. Its vision of premium modern Japanese luxury should resonate with those who are convinced that Japan’s cutting edge in the fields of design and conveniences can very well be extended to building a high-end automobile. And why shouldn’t it? Japan has a long-standing reputation in the markets of architecture, fusion food, fashion, and cameras, to name a few. To Infiniti, this notion clearly differentiates the brand from other black-and-white, mechanical brands.

The consumer – Civilised revolutionaries
The typical Infiniti driver is male, 41 years old and married with children. He loves excellent design and technology and is open to Japanese brands. He has a keen eye for what is going on in the world and likes to travel. The brand chose not to position as a female brand, and is banking on the car’s masculine attraction where women are concerned.
Infiniti defines its consumers as Quiet Rebels. Andreas: “Their mindset can be deemed rebellious, because they aren’t following the main stream and have an understated, self-confident way about them. Which means that they do not need big logos on their clothing screaming their preferences to the outside world.” Our kind of people, in other words.

Communication – It’s on now, baby

Key objectives:
• Announce the arrival of Infiniti in Europe
• Declare war on the status quo
• Convey the way the brand behaves: we don’t have to please everybody.
We want to be everything to some people.

The brand intentionally does not use mass media, because it opts to reach a limited target group only. The media channels it does use are:
• Out-of-home print – really big mega sites in mega cities, to boost status
• Print – in business, automotive and lifestyle magazines, not purely car-related titles
• Digital – as an extension of print, to enhance feeling with the brand

Another winning trump card is Adeyaka Magazine, a brand-building, quality in-house publication distributed to business lounges, top boutique hotels and other high-end hang-outs.

Overall, Infiniti wants to turn heads, and shake up the establishment just enough to wake up the rebels that have enough balls to drive their cars. Example? One pay-off states: “If your neighbour doesn’t like it, we probably did everything right.”

House of the Rising Brand
In five years, Infiniti should be clearly defined, both on its own side as well as in customers’ minds. By then, the idea of modern Japanese luxury will be set in stone and be fully understood. The brand has set course to become the premium performance brand, and the cool alternative for old-skool blackand- white players. Infiniti is not afraid to compete with those established giants, but will only enter the battle arena on its own terms. With a vengeance, no doubt. With a solid product and service to match, all the brand needs now is recognition from satisfied customers. Take it from us: if that is all it needs, Infiniti has a bright future indeed.

http://www.coolbrandsstorytelling.org/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Infiniti-From-Japan-to-eternity.html&Itemid=78

Tags: Andreas Sigl, Infiniti, CoolBrands, CoolStorytelling, Maarten Schäfer, Anouk Pappers, Adeyaka Magazine, Nissan, Maarten, Schäfer, Anouk, Pappers, Cool Cars, CoolBrands the Guru Book, Andreas Sigl, Infiniti, CoolBrands, CoolStorytelling, Maarten Schäfer, Anouk Pappers, Maarten, Schäfer, Anouk, Pappers, Andreas Sigl, CoolBrands the Guru Book, House of the Rising Brand, Adeyaka Magazine, infiniti Louis Vuitton concept car, Andreas Sigl, Infiniti, CoolBrands, CoolStorytelling, Maarten Schäfer, Anouk Pappers, Adeyaka Magazine, Nissan, Maarten, Schäfer, Anouk, Pappers, Cool Cars, CoolBrands the Guru Book, Andreas Sigl, Infiniti, CoolBrands, CoolStorytelling, Maarten Schäfer, Anouk Pappers, Maarten, Schäfer, Anouk, Pappers, Andreas Sigl, CoolBrands the Guru Book, House of the Rising Brand, Adeyaka Magazine, infiniti Louis Vuitton concept car,

Links:
http://www.infiniti.com/
http://www.coolbrands.org/
http://www.coolbrandsstorytelling.org/
http://www.cooltravel.org/
http://www.coolsustainability.org/
http://www.coolbrandshouse.org/
http://www.cooltravelforest.org

 

The Kuoni story by Remo Masala

Based on an interview with Remo Masala by Anouk Pappers and Maarten Schäfer and published in CoolBrands, the Guru Book and seeded online by CoolBrands storytelling.

When we met with Remo Masala, director of corporate branding and marketing at Kuoni Travel, he was leading the 102-year old company through its most major rebranding to date. Sitting down in Masala’s ‘future lab’ – a funky office in the middle of Zurich, the hometown of Kuoni – he took us through the 12 month process which has not only resulted in a distinctive new identity for Kuoni’s, but has also changed the way the travel industry views branding and luxury.

 

The next level
Travel has changed a lot in recent years – and will change even more in the future. While Kuoni, the number four travel company in the world, has long been a market leader in travel, all at the firm realised that the company needed to change if it was to enter the next level of travel business. “In order to maintain in the long run Kuoni’s status as the world‘s leading travel company in the premium segment, we knew we had to do something rather radical”, Remo said. “The task was to reposition the brand from product orientation to customer orientation. We decided to get back to our roots by focusing also on the most discerning travellers and provide services that go far beyond conventional travels. It was about new product lines, new fields of behaviour and new cooperations.”

Global branding power
But the brand was also in need of updating in another, basic aspect. Kuoni operated in 30 different countries, but had little uniformity in its branding across its various markets. It even had two different logos. The challenge, therefore, was to mould Kuoni into one distinctive brand speaking one language worldwide. “The goal is building global branding power”, Remo said.

Thinking outside the box
For Remo, brand management is about three basic steps:

1. Define the promise – brand strategy,
2. Deliver the promise – brand engagement,
3. Communicate the promise – brand design.

Remo oversaw an extensive and innovative research program, targeting people within the company, and, more importantly, people outside Kuoni. While speaking to company employees and potential customers is all pretty standard in the field of market research, Kuoni broke the mould by going to speak to creatives and thinkers from different fields as well as to companies it believes best represent the values it respects, such as innovation. Kuoni founded the ‘Future Lab’ in order to find the developments, themes and moods that really shape our time – at present and in the future. And from there to create the new Kuoni. Moreover, Remo organised joint workshops between Kuoni and people from other innovative global brands, where innovation is the key driver. “These were very interesting sessions, for all parties, since they usually don’t mix with non-industry brands,” he said.

After both internal and external research had been wrapped up, the following brand values emerged: reliability, authenticity and passion. These values surround the core value for Kuoni: Perfect Moments. Kuoni therefore represents stable, timeless values such as reliability and the highest possible quality, which have coined the company for over a hundred years. On the other hand Kuoni stands for authentic, intense experiences while travelling, for innovation, creativity and passion. However, the core value deliberately does not highlight any single aspect of Kuoni but rather the subjective, individual experience of each and every client. This way the core value – perfect moments – will keep its relevance also in the future and under a changing environment.

The new kuoni
One of the most important steps for Remo when creating the new Kuoni was the development of new key product and service lines. These included amongst others:

• Cultimo: Cultimo offers short trips to cultural highlights as well as in-depth cultural expeditions to the peoples and their festivals around the world. And it arranges fascinating encounters with interesting personalities such as artists, authors, winemakers and chefs, thus providing opportunities to look exclusively behind the scenes.
• Ananea: Ananea offers responsible and sustainable travelling – another growth area. Ananea is made for people who value local traditions, different ways of life and unspoilt nature. The catalogue features hotels and round trips which are special in some ethical way and which ensure harmony with the natural world, other cultures and one‘s own values.
• Kuoni Concierge: This personal point of contact for the high profile customer manages and shares access to inside track information, special occasions and events, experiences and locations. It ensures that complex luxury trips run smoothly, and generally makes the impossible possible. This service caters to bespoke travelling and is a step towards a general service and lifestyle provider.

Remo also changed completely the look, feel and contents of the company’s catalogues. “About 90 percent of the existing catalogues was external content, hotels and special offers and things like that,” he said. That’s why a new visual image was developed, including a new logo, a completely revised picture style, and a uniform design for all Kuoni catalogues worldwide. The newly used pictures resemble the aesthetics of high-class lifestyle, portrait, and travel photography. The elegant logo was designed by Zurich-based MetaDesign, one of the internationally most renowned companies for branding strategies. Moreover, the Kuoni Worldclass Catalogues have been designed by Herbert Winkler, the art director of Wallpaper magazine. All these different elements work together to create a modern, high-end and authentic visual language which is unique within the travel industry and complements Kuoni‘s status as a premium brand. It is supported by the opening of flagship stores around the world which are characterised by extra-ordinary interior design and the use of high-quality materials.

With Kuoni’s new brand and look defined, the task now was to get everyone – all 9,000 employees – reading off the same page. To achieve this, Kuoni set up an internal ‘Brand Campus’, tasked with immersing staff in this new company language. Workshops and training courses were conducted around the globe and all fixed employees went through the company’s branding awareness program. With these novelties Kuoni is positioning itself in a changing market and with respect to a different definition of luxury, which has become more complex and embraces new meanings. In the 21st century new themes will prevail, which can be understood as developments away from the little reflected consumption of expensive goods towards an intangible understanding of luxury. Kuoni recognises that the luxury travel products of the future are those that convey experiences of a great personal value and the participation in a sophisticated lifestyle that is connected with up-to-date but yet substantial trends in art, fashion, design, food or architecture, but also with responsibility, sustainability and time. welcome to the new world of luxury travel

For over 100 years Kuoni has been among the pioneers who have decisively coined the history and culture of travelling. In order to continue this tradition into the future and to continue its journey off the beaten track, Kuoni has to profoundly understand the needs and latent wishes of tomorrow’s most demanding travellers. That’s why the Kuoni Getaway Council was founded as a platform for exchanging ideas and fınding new ways to innovate and to deliver relevant conclusions on the future of travel. The Kuoni Getaway Council is an international assembly of highly regarded personalities from different fıelds and disciplines: entrepreneurs, scientists, architects, cooks, authors, designers and explorers of new trends. Members are amongst others Kjell Nordström, Peaches, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Nigel Barley. The meetings of the Kuoni Getaway Council will give rise to films, books and other publications. Kuoni also set up cooperations with Osman Yousefzada, Hans Ulrich Obrist and the Serpentine Gallery in London, which bring Kuoni into the heart of contemporary global culture and which can also open up new vistas on many different aspects of travel and culture.

The new Kuoni world is delivering more and more an extensive experience of luxury and modern lifestyle. “Volume in premium markets is a compilation of niches and individual services and not of standards”, Remo explained. So Kuoni’s future is all about diversification and congruent brand extensions that allow for more individual travel experiences. “This will allow for Kuoni to differentiate itself from the competitors,” Remo said. Welcome to the new world of luxury travel – Kuoni style.

Tags: Remo Masala, Kuoni, Travel, Eco-Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Sustainability, Sustainable travel, CoolTravel, Luxury Travel, Cultimo, Ananea, Kuoni Concierge, Maarten Schäfer, Anouk Pappers, CoolBrands, Global Branding power, Define the promise, brand strategy, Deliver the promise, brand engagement, Communicate the promise, brand design, Remo Masala, Kuoni, Travel, Eco-Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Sustainability, Sustainable travel, CoolTravel, Luxury Travel, Cultimo, Ananea, Kuoni Concierge, Maarten Schäfer, Anouk Pappers, CoolBrands, Global Branding power, Define the promise, brand strategy, Deliver the promise, brand engagement, Communicate the promise, brand design, Remo Masala, Kuoni, Travel, Eco-Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Sustainability, Sustainable travel, CoolTravel, Luxury Travel, Cultimo, Ananea, Kuoni Concierge, Maarten Schäfer, Anouk Pappers, CoolBrands, Global Branding power, Define the promise, brand strategy, Deliver the promise, brand engagement, Communicate the promise, brand design,

URLs: http://www.kuoni.com http://www.coolbrands.org http://www.coolbrandsstorytelling.org  http://www.cooltravel.org