Today, the Brand Club Austria and designaustria hosted their second high-caliber panel discussion at the Vienna Museum Quarter as part of the "Austrian Brand Stories" exhibition. This time, the focus was on the challenging relationship between strategy and design. Following introductory presentations by representatives from the brands MAM and MANNER, the topic was explored in a lively and sometimes controversial "Brand Bowl" format. Representatives from other well-known brands and their decision-makers were also present, adding depth to the evening's discussion.
Tension between design & strategy
Following an engaging introductory presentation on packaging design by Christian Thomas, Michael Schwarz (Chief Designer at MANNER) provided insightful perspectives on the interrelationships between design, brand perception, positioning, and actual market success. Georg Ribarov (Market Manager Austria at MAM Baby Products) offered practical insights into the interrelationships between customer needs, product design, and market development. The topics for the subsequent Brand Bowl discussion were thus set. Participants included Irmgard Querfeld (Querfeld Coffee Houses), Roland Puck (PUCK.page), Roman Brandstätter (Head of Marketing at Zumtobel), Katja Maria Huber (Managing Director at Identity Branding), Sebastian Dorda (Strategy & Innovation at Doka), and Colin Fernando (Partner at Brand Trust).
As an expert hub for the Austrian brand industry, we gained important insights today into the intersection of strategy and design. The fact that we, as Brand Club Austria, can live up to our high standards is thanks to the growing number of people interested in our work and formats – a true honor, and something I am particularly pleased about.
In-depth content requires new formats.
In addition to its "Brand Bowl" exchange format, the industry club has launched several new formats and is clearly positioning itself as a quality network, not one focused on quantity, alongside the usual networks. "It's important to us to bring decision-makers and managers into an inspiring and stimulating, substantive discussion – only then can everyone truly benefit," said Charlotte Hager after the event. She added: "The willingness to speak openly about topics is the great advantage and differentiator of our formats, made possible by appropriate exclusivity and confidentiality – I'm positively surprised by the acceptance and engagement."„
At the subsequent get-together with buffet & drinks, the following were also seen: Philipp Breitenecker (Marketing Leader LG Electronics), Irene Berge Schuster (Marketing Manager CEE Givaudan), Sylvia Blahacek (Product Marketing Manager Joya), Marion Karl (Brand Manager Niemetz) and Richard Winter (CEO Westwood Global).