Moving Beyond Single Products
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“My job is very much like that of a translator.” That’s how Lukas describes his tasks as a Brand Strategist for the BSH home appliances brand Bosch. “I translate consumer insights into product innovations and business strategies. Whatever the product, I find out exactly what our consumers need – and I make sure that this is what Bosch appliances deliver.”
“The degree of freedom and flexibility is surprisingly high for such an established and large company like BSH.”
In order to get that message across, Lukas translates not only for the designers and the product engineers, but also shares his learnings with the marketing and communications team. He works across all of the Bosch product categories, ranging from big home appliances such as dishwashers to smaller ones like irons. “I cover a huge variety of products, but as a Brand Strategist I am interested in getting the complete picture. I need to figure out how people live in their homes and how they run their household. Once I have an understanding of that, I can draw general conclusions and project them into every product category.”
“At BSH, we assign a very important role to our brands. To this end, we give the global brands an organizational home. It is great to contribute a lot to the definition of the Bosch brand and to the strategic objectives and frameworks we set up. For example, we issued a brand book including the positioning of the brand, what we stand for, what our promises are and whom we target. This book is like the ‘bible’ of our brand and the basis for everything we do.”
It is the energy and the drive to change that Lukas likes best at BSH. “The degree of freedom and flexibility is surprisingly high for such an established and large company like BSH.” He admits that he, too, had his reservations about applying for a job there. “A couple of years earlier it would not have crossed my mind to work here, for fear of an ‘old-fashioned’ company culture. But as a global leader in our innovative and dynamic industry, there is no way we could be anything other than that. Digitalization is bringing radical change to people’s lives, and BSH definitely plays a major role in defining the outcome.”
Lukas, who has a background in innovation studies and brand consultancy, enjoys being part of a team that plots the home of tomorrow. “Living in a smart home turns the household into a kind of ecosystem. That changes the way people interact with their appliances, and in turn has huge implications for a brand’s relationship with consumers. It is our mission to make the Bosch brand a trustworthy and supportive partner for them in this new world. I am more than happy to be part of a team that embraces this very exciting challenge, shaping a global success story.”
