Why and why?

WW: Who is the training aimed at?
Peter Felser: To executives with an affinity for brands, i.e. people who are intensively involved with brands, who bear or aspire to bear responsibility for demanding brand-related decisions. Whether this is a CEO, a marketing manager, communications manager or a manager from brand management and corporate communications departments is secondary. Our participants want to shape brands holistically.
 
 "Brand Leadership" is the first course of its kind. Why was there this gap until now?
To be fair, there are various offerings when it comes to brand management. But we claim to have a special approach for this CAS. On the one hand, it is positioned differently in terms of philosophy. We place the brand core and the brand mission at the center of our considerations and say: The most successful companies today are shaped by personalities who primarily lead through the power of the brand. In this sense, brand management is not something that the advertising department can tweak and optimize. We are convinced that brand leadership shapes the entire organization of a company through the power of the brand. That is a holistic approach. On the other hand, we are trying to position the CAS more upscale - in the premium segment. I hope you can feel that in the selection of lecturers. We have a fantastic crew and really the crème de la crème in terms of brand leadership.
 
Will premium also show up in course costs?
Difficult to say, as there is no comparable offer. The absolute prices are slightly higher than other CAS courses. That is legitimate. The price-performance ratio is unbeatable!
 
On the new approach: What does that mean in concrete terms?
I have to backtrack a little. Over the past year, I've read a lot of specialist books and looked at the latest literature on brand leadership. The result is a personal bestseller list with ten fascinating books. One of them is "Grow" by Jim Stengel. In this book, the former Global Marketing Officer of Procter & Gamble shows how brands grow. He has proven that brands which have a clear mission and really do something for people grow much stronger and are also much more profitable in the long run. That's one approach, which informs my understanding of brands. The other is from Simon Sinek, who says, "Start with Why." For him, the conviction of the brand and the raison d'être, i.e. the question of why the brand exists in the first place, is at the heart of brand management. Many brands know what they do and how they do it - but very few know why they do it. And this "why" is what really matters. These books have shaped my understanding of brands and form an essential part of the foundation of the new course of studies.
 
Were these philosophies also formative in the establishment of Spillmann Felser Leo Burnett?
No, at least not so consciously. My brand philosophy has evolved. It's nice to find the time now and then to evolve in terms of content as well. In this sense, I'm now more relaxed about my previous philosophy, "Differentiate or die," or this absolute urge to distinguish myself as a brand from the competition. "Positioning means being different from the others," used to be the motto. Today I'm convinced that the "why," the conviction and the mission are much more important than positioning. I've really evolved in that respect and try to set new accents.
 
Is there also an intention behind the involvement as co-study director for you to satisfy a certain curiosity?
Absolutely. That is my basic motivation. I want to force myself to develop on a subject. Otherwise you run the risk of saying the same thing over and over again. When I ask around in the advertising industry, I get the feeling that many people have something like a "jump in the plate" and keep telling the same thing for twenty years. I fight against this inertia by trying to develop myself further, also on the subject of brands.
 
What will be your role in this project at HWZ?
On the one hand, I will design the course together with co-director Max Meister, determine the content, evaluate and brief lecturers. On the other hand, I will be active as a lecturer on the topic of brand mission and brand communication.
 
What can you personally contribute?
Practical experience in brand management and as an entrepreneur. You have to be careful that you don't see the brand story too much as a philosophy, but are aware: This is a commercial business, success is what counts in the end, and the whole thing has to be financially viable. I find the combination of new findings from science and practical experience exciting. I try to bring both worlds into the course and make it possible to experience them at the HWZ.
 
What motivates you for this commitment?
Such a study course lives not only from the offered teaching material, but also from the discussion among each other. I hope that quite interesting people will come forward here as participants and that they can also benefit from each other. Exchange of experience is something valuable. I could well imagine that this exchange will continue and that we will meet regularly after the course. I am also looking forward to the exchange with the other lecturers. They are all interesting personalities with exciting and successful concepts.
 
Does the program include joint travel?
Yes, we will visit individual companies and talk to the brand leader, the top boss, on site. Due to time constraints, we will stay in Switzerland for the trips.
 
What credentials are needed to participate in the course?
In order to benefit optimally from the study course, participants should have a university degree, several years of management experience and preferably have already been working in marketing for several years. If you are unsure, the study management will be happy to help.
 Interview: Andreas Panzeri

University of Bern: Marketing Management

In September 2014, the first CAS in marketing management and sales will start at the University of Bern. Professor Harley Krohmer, Head of the Institute for Marketing and Corporate Management at the University of Bern, explains the key features.
 
WW: What was the impetus behind this new course at the University of Bern?
Harley Krohmer: First, the current discussion about the strengths of Swiss in-service training has made it clear to us that the University of Bern should also contribute something here. Secondly, we were able to strengthen our team of professors at the Institute of Marketing with two new colleagues - Prof. Lucia Malär and Prof. Bettina Nyffenegger, so that we are well positioned for such new tasks. Furthermore, our advisory board member Prof. FH Hasenböhler and his team support us with their many years of experience in the field of academic continuing education.
 
Can this course fill a gap in the overall offerings in Switzerland or does it basically mean rounding out the offerings in Bern?
We want to specifically expand the range of further education courses in business administration in Berne. In order to be successful in the market, we are striving for an independent profile. We combine the strengths of university research with a very high practical orientation, i.e. we want to bring together the best of both worlds. In terms of content, in addition to standard fundamentals, the focus is on current and future challenges in marketing and sales practice - for example, topics such as marketing return on investment or digital marketing.
 
New training opportunities are springing up everywhere almost like mushrooms. Is your CAS also a bit about the prestige of the University of Bern?
These examples illustrate that the sports industry no longer only has to convince the fan or sports enthusiast, but must also win over other stakeholders such as opinion leaders, politicians, the media, NGOs, and society as a whole. Holistic stakeholder management in all areas of sports marketing is important for both sports organizations and commercial partners.
 
Which target group is the certificate course aimed at ?
The CAS "Marketing Management and Sales" is aimed at people who hold or aspire to hold a responsible position in marketing or sales. Several years of professional experience are required for participation. In somewhat more detail, this means that our graduates are confronted with marketing and sales issues and problems in their everyday professional lives. These professionals work on markets, develop marketing concepts, decide on pricing, implement advertising measures and plan online marketing activities. The CAS is also useful for people who work in sales themselves. For all these interested parties, the CAS can provide a sound theoretical and practical basis so that they can perform their functions better and more successfully.
 
Which faculty members will be teaching?
Lecturers include renowned marketing professors and successful practitioners from Germany and abroad. These personalities promise an attractive combination of theoretical foundation and illustrative case studies from management practice.
 
How can the contents be paraphrased?
The content corresponds to the modules Marketing Management and Sales of a university Master. All aspects of modern marketing and sales management are covered, with a special focus on marketing implementation, sales, marketing return on investment, digital marketing, with the latest trends in online marketing, e-commerce and social media.
 
What diplomas can be obtained?
The CAS is compensated with 15 ECTS credits. After completing the CAS, participants can attend an advanced module at the University of Bern and thus earn a university diploma (DAS). Our CAS is also recognized by a number of universities and universities of applied sciences in Switzerland and is credited in their diploma programs (e.g. Master), so that our CAS is definitely connectable. We therefore offer an entry module for the Master in Marketing.
 

New ways in sports marketing are in demand
 
 
Two experts who stand for many years of success in sports marketing did the honors during a theme evening at the ZHAW School of Management.
 
E on the other hand, Willy O. Hoffmann (former president of FC Bayern Munich) discussed the topic "Future needs origin - the commercial development in international football using the example of FC Bayern Munich". He used the success story of FC Bayern Munich to illustrate that playing good football "alone" is not enough to run a successful football club. With the personnel decisions made by Uli Hoeneß and coach Udo Lattek, FC Bayern München also showed pioneering spirit and innovation, and thus went from being a second-division club to one of the most successful football clubs in the world. This pioneering spirit, in both the sporting and business fields, has become the club's long-standing trademark and the secret of its success. The second guest of the evening, René Stammbach (among others President Swiss Tennis and Executive Council Swiss Tennis), emphasized the importance of passion and emotion in sports marketing. The classic ways are no longer sufficient to attract sponsors today. Creativity and a better understanding of sponsors' needs on the part of sports organizations are needed. The two guests agreed on the point that a lot has changed in the field of sports marketing and that more and more professional workers are in demand.

 
New expectations for sport

Marco Casanova (main lecturer CAS Sports Marketing, see box) also sees new challenges for the sports industry. A key point is that society is demanding more and more from the sports industry. Pure entertainment events with sports are no longer enough; active contributions to society are required. As an example, he cites the recent referendum in Bavaria, where citizens clearly spoke out against the 2022 Winter Olympics in their region. This decision is not unique, but is part of a series of protests against mega sporting events this year: Zurich is rejecting a new soccer stadium, the electorate of the canton of Graubünden is speaking out against a 2022 Olympic bid, and not to be forgotten are the mass protests in Brazil against the enormous investments in the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. These examples make it clear that the sports industry no longer only has to convince the fan or sports enthusiast, but must also win over other stakeholders such as opinion leaders, politicians, the media, NGOs, and society as a whole. Holistic stakeholder management in all areas of sports marketing is important for both sports organizations and commercial partners.

Breaking new ground in sports marketing education, too

The new continuing education course CAS Sport Marketing supports participants in facing these new challenges. It emphasizes integrated stakeholder management, emotionalization of customer relationships, and deals with topics such as sponsoring or event management from the perspectives of marketing with sports and marketing of sports in order to promote professional cooperation between the various stakeholders.

Lucia Comolli and David Kübler