Michael van Droffelaar is a driving force at this year's Brand Forum in Brand / Vorarlberg (June 24-26, 2022). In his role as Director of Brand & Communication at sonoro, he talks about how to mobilize the people behind the brand.
Christian Prill He is active as a volunteer board member for Germany at the Brand Club. His main occupation involves market penetration for design agencies and the development of brand strategies for optimal value creation.
Christian Prill (CP): Hi Michael, it's great that you're interested in talking to me about sonoro and brand management. Let me get straight to the point and share my personal customer insights: I have a sonoro Meisterstück on my fridge. When I'm cooking, I sometimes stream fip, a music app from Radio France that I discovered during my last weekend in Paris. But I also enjoy listening to CDs that I bought 22 years ago and don't want to just throw away. Am I the typical sonoro customer?
Michael van Droffelaar (MvD): Hello Christian, yes, to some extent. We know that in specialist stores, sonoro products are predominantly purchased by men over 50 who want a beautifully designed device at home that sounds good despite its compact size. But online, it's mainly a younger generation who buys, and there are many more women among them. Capturing this broad appeal under one brand is one of the challenges.
CP: You're indirectly touching on some of the macro trends that are currently affecting so many people and brands: the massive importance of connectivity, the aging and quite active silver society, and also the purpose-driven economy. It seems to me that this diversity of people and trends absolutely requires scoring points with a clear brand image. With sonoro, I see design and sound as key. What's your take?
MvD: Absolutely! And let's not forget the ease of use of the devices. A clear brand image, a distinct profile, is essential for sonoro, simply because we're a medium-sized company competing with global brands like Sonos and numerous small niche providers. Without a sharp niche positioning, your brand will disappear. But we want to be Europe's No. 1 design audio brand.
CP: That's interesting, because it also means setting boundaries. The economist Michael Porter is said to have once remarked that the essence of strategy is choosing what not to do. Sonoro is in good company with that. Brands like Vitra, Birkenstock, and Patek Philippe immediately come to mind. For me, the furniture, sandals, and watches all share the common thread of a clear vision, a strong concept, which they communicate convincingly and authentically. "You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation." It doesn't get any better than that. Incidentally, for me, this is a purpose-driven economy that derives its meaning from the clarity of its positioning and the quality of its products—nothing tacked on after the fact.
MvD: It also thrives on an entrepreneurial personality and vision. In the case of sonoro, it's the founder, Marcell Faller. There's so much intrinsic purpose and wealth of ideas there that I don't need a purpose campaign by an advertising agency.
His endeavor, and that of everyone on the team, to make a sustainable contribution to a happy, harmonious life for people, with extremely beautifully designed "home icons", great build quality, music in excellent sound quality and reduction of technical complexity through intuitive usability, all of this makes sense in sum and we understand it as a valuable contribution to our society.
The challenge and the art lie in consistently focusing this entrepreneurial energy and mission and communicating it precisely to the target audience. Ultimately, this contains everything needed for successful communication, brand building, and authentic employer branding.