Campus News

There are certainly some bumps in the road ahead for entrepreneurs and pioneering thinkers. Concerns about a looming recession. Storms brewing in foreign affairs. Inflation. Supply shortages and scarcities of raw materials. Markets both physical or virtual are flailing with no clear direction, yet consumer expectations continue to be stellar; and Generation Z still continues to be a mystery. The speakers at the fifth SHIFT conference on hartmann campus painted pictures of the future that were anything but rosy. And yet the prevailing mood at SHIFT was pragmatism, not pessimism. The event embarked on pragmatic deep-dive explorations of many questions: what kind of action can we take, how can we turn these upheavals to our benefit? The answers took various forms. The classic stories of self-made success can still be found, in this case in the fashion, media, and high-tech sectors. And a call went out to employers to address and involve their workforces, to examine their leadership style, and to realize that they themselves were their brands. Finally, there were stories of technological developments that had jaws dropping all over the room––and that may ultimately succeed in making the world a better place.

Germany’s employment market is currently gripped by radical change. Top performers are scarce, and their demands are higher than ever before. Is this impairing productivity? The first panel of SHIFT Summer showcased experienced input from Hugo Boss, Zalando, and hartmann consultants and evolved into a debate over an intriguing and extremely challenging balancing act: how can companies keep their best people on board? Where should they draw the boundaries for freedom-loving Generation Zers? And how far should they go in adapting their corporate culture?

Loungewear label Juvia stands for products that are so much more than mere finishing touches for cozy evenings on the couch. Since Judith Dommermuth finally took the plunge to break into a supposedly saturated market––a decision she made neither lightly nor quickly––those cozy, relaxed evenings have been rare for her. In recompense, Juvia is a type of success story that can still be found, defying the pandemic and the many other stumbling blocks along the way.

Retailers in the world of analog business are battling problems on all sides. Why should retailers in the metaverse have it any better? Nino Bergfeld and Matt Marcotte, veteran retail strategists at Salesforce, seek out the answers to why the hype surrounding NFTs is currently declining. Their SHIFT Session primarily addresses the question: How can I prepare for the upcoming Christmas consumer season? And how can I retain my customers beyond the season?

When three retailers on the same panel can point to the success of their city-center stores, even the blackest pessimist has to sit up and take notice. Nobody can dispute the increasingly important role of online shopping. Yet that is precisely why operating a bricks-and-mortar store is by no means a free pass to carry on doing business in the same way in the past. Nina Müller (Jelmoli), Benjamin Fuest (Breuninger), and André Maeder (KaDeWe Group) all have different areas of focus, but were united in their belief that effective customer retention needs a strong story to drive it, and that store owners must constantly come up with new ideas.

Futuristic technologies have advanced a long way from their past as the stuff of dystopian fantasy. If cutting-edge developments can help to eliminate global hunger, solve the energy problem, and also produce precisely tailored market analyses on top, high tech starts to take a far more positive turn. However, a healthy dose of skepticism is still advisable given the rapid pace of developments and the unpredictability of political events.

Overcome legacy, handle disruption. It was the fourth time that this slogan had announced our SHIFT conference––yet it seemed to have become more current than ever. Talk was needed. Not only about the ever-growing global challenges, exacerbated by the sky-high expectations imposed on companies, by an increasingly threadbare social fabric, and by the growing complexity of online markets, and compounded still further by the uncertain political situation. The SHIFT speakers not only summed up these many and various problems; they also presented potential solutions. And there was still scope to mention topics of the future that need to be borne in mind, however dramatic the daily news headlines.

TikTok has long since overtaken the mother of all social media platforms in terms of downloads. “We aim to provide a creative home for everyone,” affirmed David Roland, Head of Brand DACH at the high-flying app, as he set out its recipe for success. It’s the algorithm in the background that makes the difference. Rewards are reaped by original content, not necessarily range and reach. And that’s exactly what makes TikTok so interesting for companies, too.

A question that increasing numbers of customers––and companies––are asking themselves. Oliver Bogatu, General Manager DACH at SHIFT sponsor Lengow, talked to two acknowledged eCommerce experts on the subject. The only given is that electronic marketplaces will soon be a phenomenon we cannot do without.Everything else is just a matter of data.

It all sounds so far away. SHIFT sponsor salesforce pulled all these tech phenomena together in a mixed-theme panel session which concluded that the Internet is on the cusp of a complete reboot.

Creative futurist Jürgen Alker advises exploring the phenomenon of Web3 before making the decision whether to engage with it. At SHIFT, he talked about one of the earliest NFT hero stories from the fashion industry, which ended up in millions of euros in profit––and opened our eyes to the new business models that are possible today.

Digital marketplace vs bricks-and-mortar retailer – why so black and white? Zalando VP Carsten Keller’s session addressing the concept of connected retail proved how worthwhile it can be to expand our horizons––and that hope lies ahead for pedestrian zones.

We are living through an era in which everything must be possible, everything must be imaginable; this confronts decision-makers with the need for supreme flexibility. In the words of Christopher Sanderson from The Future Laboratory, the foremost ability in this era is “being elastic.” Flexibility and versatility are skills that enable their owners to accelerate developments more effectively while responding more efficiently to obstacles.

Global fashion player Lacoste is currently in the eye of a transformation process––which even extends to its legendary polo shirt. How can a traditional brand with 88 years of history reposition itself in terms of image, digitalization, and sustainability? How much of that tradition is left after the transformation?

Digitalization. Sustainability. Shifts in customer behavior. Not to mention all the planning difficulties accompanying the post-Covid era. Far-reaching changes are clearly on the way for global players and small-scale retailers alike. However, as the third SHIFT Conference of decision-makers and pioneering thinkers has clearly shown, any form of upheaval throws open the door to enormous opportunities.

If the people holding corporate responsibility in their hands stop developing and learning, the companies they manage will find themselves in enormous difficulty, warns Stephan Balzer, founder and CEO of Red Onion and Boma.

Mention “learning,” and the first picture that comes to mind is of kids and teens at school, perhaps taking in snapshots of young adult trainees and college students as well. Executives rarely figure in these mental associations––and that is a fatal mistake, warns Stephan Balzer, founder and CEO of Red Onion and Boma. His battle cry is, “We have to send executives back to school!”

Tobacco company Philip Morris is undergoing the most radical change in its entire history. It has relinquished its foremost brand and is even broadcasting a “no smoking” message––although the company is still performing well. Thorsten Scheib, CMO Philip Morris Germany, explains why.

Although superlatives should always be dealt with caution, it’s no exaggeration to claim that the Marlboro brand is familiar pretty much throughout the world. For decades, it was synonymous with tipped cigarettes and the ultimate in enjoyment, freedom, and adventure. The world’s highest-selling cigarette brand. Built up over decades, well established, well managed, and extremely profitable for owner Philip Morris. So it’s hardly surprising to hear from Thorsten Scheib, CMO Philip Morris Germany, that the iconic brand is rooted deep within his company’s DNA.

The two-day SHIFT Conference brought decision-makers and opinion-shapers together to exchange ideas on the topic of transformation––an issue for global companies and influential individuals alike.

Although SHIFT Spring 2021 was forced to be a virtual event, the content of this year’s spring conference was as real and tangible as the premiere that had preceded it in September 2020. Once again, the topic was change, transformation, even disruption, in all its many manifestations. As host Simone Hartmann from hartmann consultants pointed out, “The topic is a critical one for every brand, large or small.”

In February, our knowledge partner Roland Berger and we invited our C-level network to find out more about the preventive restructuring instruments available identifying lurking pitfalls, and exploring the opportunities offered by new processes in preventive restructuring – with particular attention to the current situation in the COVID-19 pandemic.

As well as obligations of early crisis detection, the new law primarily sets out establishment of transparency by means of liquidity and scenario planning, and discussion of liquidity support and mandatory action plans. The Roland Berger team, comprising Alexander Müller, Senior Partner and Maximilian Dressler, Partner for Restructuring, Performance, Transformation & Transaction and their experienced colleagues Faris Momani and Dr Richard Federowski, Partners in the Consumer Goods & Retail Competence Center, presented an overview of potential grounds for insolvency application and current exceptions as well as proposing answers to the question “What comes next?”

We interviewed Can Saat – Business Development at Right To Play Germany – about his work for the international children’s aid organization.

A past work placement student with us at hartmann consulting, Can Saat chose to pursue a very special career. After graduating in Intercultural Management, he joined the prestigious international NGO “Right To Play” and is now responsible for events and fundraising at its German office. “Right To Play” was founded in 2000 by the Norwegian speed skater and four-times Olympic gold medalist Johann Olav Koss. The organization uses sports, play, and games to help children in 15 countries throughout Africa, Asia, and the Middle East acquire vital knowledge and skills. Play boosts self-esteem, ensures equal opportunities for girls and boys, and builds bridges across previously insurmountable differences.

Michael O. Schmutzer  was establishing Design Offices before the word “coworking” had even been invented. The Franconian visionary talks about how he developed his idea and the way he sees the world of work today and tomorrow.

A man with sound instincts: twelve years ago, Michael Schmutzer was already deeply mulling over what the world of work could be like in the future. Those were days when “New Work” would probably be red-penned as a typing mistake for a major US metropolis. Today we have arrived at the future Schmutzer predicted back then; but our future still extends ahead of us, day by day.

Isabel May is Chief Customer Experience Officer and Managing Director at luxury fashion platform mytheresa.com. A hugely successful venture––because the site has far more on offer than the latest beautiful clothes.

“We do something completely irrational—we sell luxury,” says Isabel May. The special feature of what they sell? “Nobody needs it, not even our customers.” So the key question is: how to sell something to people that nobody needs? At the SHIFT boutique conference held in Munich by hartmann campus, Managing Director May revealed how it can work.