How Do You Become a Game-Changer?

Brand management for start-ups. Success stories and stumbling blocks.

Sven-Oliver Pink is one of the three founders of the Cologne-based start-up Fond of. A graduate in economics, he is an entrepreneur through and through: he set up his first company at a young age, before coming up with the idea for Ergobag – now Fond of – in 2011 with two friends in their late 20s. The three friends wanted to develop school bags that would allow children to shift the weight of their books from their shoulders to their hips – just as in mountaineering – rather than carrying the burden hunched over. Today, Fond of is the global market leader in ergonomic school bags and has since established six further brands.

In conversation with Saskia Diehl, Sven-Oliver Pink tells us how a start-up can become a game-changer in a market dominated by strong brands, the importance of internal brand communication, and why it can be an advantage to have no idea about a market. A conversation about successful brand management and the power of authenticity.

Fond of: Three interesting insights from this episode:

1) Ignorance as a success factor: As the three founders had no knowledge of the product segment or the market, rapid iterations with end customers were the only option available to them. In doing so, they followed the principles of the Lean Start-up method.

2) One of Fond of’s success factors was that they were able to find contemporary answers to contemporary questions, whilst the leading brands were primarily preoccupied with maintaining their market position. As game-changers, they were thus able to transform an entire market that had slowed to a crawl in terms of innovation.

3) Success factor: agile brand management. Anyone operating in the VUCA world must, despite clear brand positioning and consistent brand management, remain flexible to market changes whilst constantly balancing the tension between adaptation and maintaining brand identity. For new brands, this means that the USP of what makes them special requires consistency and perseverance, as the market’s viewing habits do not accept the unique overnight.

In our podcast series, we bring you fascinating interviews from the world of brand communication and design. Up-to-date, informative and at the cutting edge of the industry. Featuring interesting personalities, industry leaders and decision-makers – on relevant topics such as digital transformation, sustainability and advancing globalisation.