LATE IN GERMANY

German industry enjoys a stellar international reputation. The collective brand "Made in Germany" is often still able to fend off global competition and has contributed significantly to the German industrial sector's decades-long success story. Companies that advertise their products as "Made in Germany" can still benefit from added trust. Until now, German industrial companies generally saw little need to invest in their own brands. And their success justified this view.

But Germany's industrial sector has struggled withthe deep, complex paradigm shift we're currently going through: the pandemic, a global change in values, the digital revolution, hyper-competition. The transformations that are needed are proceeding at a sluggish pace. The collective brand "Made in Germany" is in danger of becoming "Late in Germany." For many years, Jung von Matt and McKinsey & Company have observed industrial companies failing to adequately utilize their brands' potential, despite brands being one of the strongest tools to drive transformation. These companies are often completely unaware of the benefits of strong brands.

This prompted us to conduct a study on the current situation: How are German industrial companies doing? What role does branding play at these companies? And what adjustments need to be made to maintain the strength of the "Made in Germany" brand, transfer it to companies' own brands, and use it to drive transformation in these companies?

n our study, we interviewed marketing and brand managers from a range of B2B industries. We also included facts and figures from previous studies to give as complete a snapshot of German industrial brands as possible.

The result is a dossier that examines the role of brands in professional buying decisions and the ways in which the coronavirus pandemic, digitalization, and geopolitical turbulence have affected market conditions. It also includes interviews with leading experts who have extensive experience with industrial brands.

The aim of this dossier is not only to provide a profound analysis, but also to offer solutions. It includes specific suggestions on how change might get started and how brands can be harnessed to help companies transform.

Download the complete study here: