from Max Winterhoff
The Brand Club discusses brand-related topics in all their facets, from scientific findings to economic trends. But despite all the conceptual depth, concrete impulses that can be directly transferred to day-to-day operations are also needed. With Hands-on Brands, the Brand Club launched a new format in early November 2025 that fills precisely this gap: digital, up-to-date, and directly from brand practice.
Why a new format?
AI permeates every aspect of our work. Expectations for brand managers are rising. At the same time, the lines between corporate strategy, organizational development, and brand management are blurring. What's needed now: immediately applicable insights and peer-to-peer exchange, precisely because knowledge is increasingly available at the touch of a button.
That's precisely what Hands-on-Brands delivers as a digital business breakfast, generating maximum added value in one hour: 15 minutes of condensed insights, 45 minutes of intensive exchange. The format is deliberately streamlined and follows a bimonthly cycle, digitally via MS Teams and exclusively for Brand Club members.
The opening: Customer centricity for brand consultants
On November 11, 2025, I was able to provide the initial impetus myself on a topic from my experience as a strategy and agency consultant: "Customer centricity for consultants with AI".
The core of my point: Positioning oneself as a generalist or full-service provider no longer works. How can brand consultants, agencies, and service providers use AI to position themselves as unique solution partners for very specific people?
The aim was to systematically refine the target groups in order to address them in a highly targeted and needs-oriented way – using concrete prompts that transform descriptive agency jargon into genuine appeal. The response was very positive, not least because of the concise, immediately applicable format and the engaging discussion.
What happened next?
On February 11th, Steen Lykke Rasmussen followed with a presentation on emotional intelligence for winning organizations. Developing high-performing companies requires trust, respect, and a framework in which the people directly affected by strategies also participate in developing and implementing them. Steen's perspective, gained from over 30 years of experience, brings a crucial dimension to the discussion: the parallels between emotional leadership and holistic brand management.
In March, the series continued with a topic that is often neglected: brand impact and management. Michael Casagranda and Frédéric Wüstner from Silberball Brand Management explored why classic brand metrics alone are insufficient and how brands function as strategic management tools. The central question: How does measurement lead to concrete decisions and changes, both internally and externally?
Next Steps
As part of the current international expansion of our community, the Next Hands-on Brands Session on May 12th The event will take place in English. Based on her experience from four successful turnarounds, Heike Linnemann will discuss how brands can grow profitably and sustainably from her perspective.
Format follows function
Hands-on-Brands strengthens the digital network of the growing, decentralized Brand Club. The format thrives on the willingness to share knowledge, refine positions, and improve together. It's an offering for anyone willing to take an hour to expand their own toolkit.
Anyone interested in joining can find all the information at brand-club.net. Those interested are warmly invited to come and see what it's like – a simple email to the office is all it takes.
Max C. Winterhoff He is a management consultant and organizational development expert. As managing director of Rheinstrategie GmbH, he develops positioning and growth strategies for agencies and companies. He is a Brand Ambassador Digital and host of hands-on brand workshops at the Brand Club.