The Bavarians and the Bavarian brand

Many Bavarian companies that are active throughout Europe or globally are confronted with increased competition and imitations at a rapid pace. It is therefore all the more important to strengthen one's own brand, because only those companies remain competitive that are perceived as a brand with character and an unmistakable personality. This applies both to the appearance on the domestic market and on the international stage.

Brands fascinate people, provide orientation, build trust, brands allow price premiums, they bind customers and employees, and they can significantly increase the value of a company. Brands are assets. They need to be invested in. They must be created, nurtured and maintained.

Good brand work begins with an analysis of the company, its competitors, markets and target groups, an examination of the company's DNA and future and, building on this, a positioning that is differentiated, credible, focused and relevant for all target groups. The profiling brand idea must then also be formulated so creatively that it appeals to people emotionally and cognitively. It should be communicated as broadly as possible and yet in a targeted manner: "cross-channel, cross-disciplinary and cross-borders," as they say in marketing parlance.

It is not enough to refer to "Made in Germany" and in most cases not even to the origin from Bavaria. But you can learn a lot from the Bavarian brand, even if there are special features.

"They are known all over the world, these Bavarians! First in many fields, always ahead, be it in soccer, in the Pisa test, in herding cows and traditions," writes a Prussian journalist. Best gross domestic product and best education dynamics and much more are listed by the public authorities on their websites. Bavaria has many strengths and is also lonely top in their marketing, even if Bavaria has no official slogan. By its own admission, it does not need one. With the many strengths it is also not quite easy to find a slogan or claim: A short message that briefly and succinctly describes the real peculiarities in such a way that citizens, consumers, business and tourists feel addressed to stay here, invest here or travel here. The slogans of other federal states bear witness to these difficulties: Interchangeable, meaningless slogans on the highways proclaim, "Welcome to the Land to Live In" or entry into "the land of the world." What does that stand for again? Or where is one always one good idea ahead or can one discover new perspectives? It's not exactly easy to come up with such a good saying as that of the Swabians, "We can do everything. Except High German!", to find and accept. (Allegedly, the agency had previously offered this to the Saxons, where it was rejected).

Yet Bavaria had a dream-couple slogan that summed up the enormous diversity and range of Bavaria's strengths, which managed to focus the egg-laying-woll-mouse positioning claim in a memorable way: Laptop und Lederhosen.Invented in 1998 by Roman Herzog, then Federal President, who used it to describe the successful symbiosis of tradition and high-tech, it was subsequently promoted perfectly by Edmund Stoiber, although not as an official slogan on signs or documents.

Admittedly, laptop no longer stands for state-of-the-art technology and, in general, innovation and high-tech have a long tradition in Bavaria. "The chain of technical-scientific, also artistic modernity in Bavaria reaches from lithography, optics, electrics, the German Museum and aircraft engines" wrote C. Stolz more than 10 years ago in the ZEIT. Conversely, the lederhosen do not only stand for tradition. They are currently experiencing a brilliant revival at the Oktoberfest. The lederhosen took on an almost revolutionary role when they were promoted in the first half of the 19th century by the Wittelsbach dynasty, who, according to C. Stolz, demonstratively donned the clothing of the people. This happened around the same time as the advent of the railroad, the equivalent of the laptop at the time. Like the new technologies, the lederhosen had an identity-forming effect even then.

This brings us back to what makes a good brand and a good slogan and good communication: 
A brand creates trust and identity. To do this, it must be honest and credible, and it must have an independent appearance. In its communication, it is best to be short, concise, memorable, unusual, and remarkable. The latter is all the more important the less familiar (and the less budget) a brand is. This is true for many of the hidden champions, the unknown world market leaders that are so numerous in Bavaria. In the pictures, you can see some examples of such companies that have become strong brands with creative communication and are enjoying global success.