2/2022 - ongoing

Legendär

Defining and communicating the founder's brand vision to empower the brand team

Challenge:

  • ‚Legendär’ is the brand vision springing from a creative entrepreneur‘s mind: to design and develop a range of objects for everyday use across the most diverse product categories, with the unifying element that tie these together and make them ‘Legendär’ products is prominence of high-quality materials that are left almost untreated: pens made of pure brass, folders made of one piece of leather, perfumes with a distinctive scent. In each product category, there should be only a small number of Legendär products.
  • The task was twofold: one, this unique brand concept / concept brand needed a positioning, a claim and a sales narrative. Two, the team had to understand the entrepreneur's vision so thoroughly and intuitively that they could make their own decisions on new product categories to enter going forward, and develop the appropriate products for it.
  • In addition, the brand and sales teams need a simple, inspiring sales story to convey the speunique idea of the Legendär brand in sales conversations.

Approach:

In brand workshops with the entire team we analyzed the entrepreneur's original idea, the brand's genesis, and the successive implementation of the brand idea in such diverse product categories as brass pens, leather coasters, even perfume.

Positioning:

Simple. To the point.

Brand Manifesto:

A classic for our time.
Legendär stands for products that combine traditional craftsmanship and
High-quality materials. Invariably Purist in design.
And yet always driven by the joy in the beauty of objects.
Anchored by a clear point of view but open to visions.
LEGENDÄR wants to be both a pioneer and guardian of values.
With objects for everyday use
That stimulate the senses, look good, smell good,
Feel good in your hand and are a pleasure to use. 
2/2022 - 4/2022

Treuleben

Adapting a brand’s positioning and sales story to the evolution of its product range

Challenge:

  • In 2015, Leuchtturm Group bought Germany‘s long-established calendar brand Treuleben + Bischoff because of its in-house leather manufacturing facility. A new assortment policy significantly increased the sales share of pure leather goods such as caddies and portfolios, a strongly differentiating elegant-minimalist design for these products was developed. The brand’s center of gravity range had thus shifted away from bound paper products to high quality leather products, made from genuine Italian cowhide. The new articulation of the brand needed to reflect this refinement.
  • Additionally, the brand and sales teams needed a new sales story to communicate the new in-house leather goods production facility in Tunisia in an understandable and motivating way.

Approach:

The solution was the idea of the 'Triad of Excellence': German bookbinding tradition refines Italian leather through Maghrebi craftsmanship.

Positioning:

Leather with a twist.

Brand Manifesto:

Our mission:
Driven by a passion for leather, Treuleben combines beauty and style:
A modern interpretation of traditional craftsmanship, based on a century of experience
In leather goods manufacturing and bookbinding.
High-quality workmanship, Italian full-grain cowhide and the best quality paper -
United in a highly distinct edition of elegant and perfectly shaped products.
Minimalism in exquisite colors that attracts attention.
3/2021 - ongoing

Lighthouse Collecting

Making a deeply analog brand fit for the digital world

Challenge:

Leuchtturm is the long-standing global market leader in accessories for stamp and coin collecting - a true German hidden champion. However, the market for collectors’ accessories is transforming: stamp collectors are hardly replaced, collectors collect new kinds of objects like sneakers, and digitize their collecting behavior. If unaddressed these changes will reduce growth, risk market leadership, and also cause recruitment problems in the war for talent. The owners want to overhaul the core business of their increasingly diversified company for the digital world of the 21st century: the brand is to be redefined in a contemporary way and articulated more effectively along the consumer journey taking full advantage of today’s digital possibilities.

Approach:

All stakeholders of the company were interviewed: employees of various departments, stamp and coin dealers, stamp and coin collectors, as well as collectors of other objects that represent potential growth markets for Leuchtturm, such as watches, postcards, concert tickets, sneakers, records, models, etc.
The results of these interviews were used as a basis for the evolution of the business. A key guiding insight emerged: Leuchtturm, as the world market leader, must truly own the concept of collecting in the 21st century - with all its various manifestations.

Positioning:

21st century collecting

Brand Manifesto:

By collectors. For collectors. For the love of collecting.
Leuchtturm has been the champion of collecting for over 100 years.
A friendly world market leader, a family business with northern German roots.
You can feel this in the personal commitment and efficiency of our service.
We produce collectors’ accessories of the highest quality, made in Germany.
We provide collectors with content catering to their interest and passions,
and we bring them together to exchange ideas.
We are fascinated by the digitalization of collecting with its many possibilities.
We will be its pioneer.
7/2020 - 2/2021

Bethge

Modernizing a founder-brand for new owners

Challenge:

In 2016, owner Waltraud Bethge wanted to retire and sold her boutique retail business to Leuchtturm Group. Bethge’s stores in Hamburg and Munich had once established the brand as leading in high-end desk accessoires, hand screen printing and leather goods. The challenge was to rearticulate for the 21st century an aging founder- brand that had not been maintained properly.

Approach:

The task was to take a fresh look at the brand from a 21st century perspective, and redefine the unique character of this exquisite brand from Hamburg: on the one hand, the ‚dualism between Reeperbahn and Pöseldorf‘: extravagant and unexpected elements in the high-class assortment. On the other hand, the haptic quality of the exquisite items in the range – a quality evermore desirable due to the accelerating digitalization of all areas of life.

Positioning:

Finding the extraordinary.

Brand Manifesto:

For connoisseurs of the extraordinary.
Bethge makes things out of leather and paper
That are second to none -
By hand.
Curation, staging and personal advice
Make Bethge a unique experience. 

Johann Wachs

Brand Consulting

Is your brand

future-fit?

I modernize your brand with you:
Together we develop the brand vision, purpose, positioning, consumer journey, sales story and sales presentations. I design and moderate the entire process, manage all stakeholders, train the team and coach them.
Watch video
What clients come
for - and return for
“
Johann is great at facilitating the sometimes quite controversial processes that make up the journey to a new brand image
Axel Stürken
Managing Partner
Watch video
Watch video
“
Johann lives and breathes brand. He has a deep understanding of markets, consumers and cultural change.
Max Stürken
Managing Partner
Making brands future-fit –
four case studies
3/2021 - ongoing
Lighthouse Collecting: Making a deeply analog brand fit for the digital world
Leuchtturm stands for stamp and coin collecting accessories – a successful business, but analogue through and through in terms of brand, products, team and culture.

How can the world market leader in collecting accessories be positioned for success in the 21st century through a careful digital transformation?
Approach + Solution
7/2020 - 2/2021
Bethge: Modernizing a founder-brand for new owner
Waltraud Bethge sells her iconic premium brand of the 1980s because she wants to retire.

How can the new owner re-articulate the unique character of the brand and give new form to its stores for the digital world of the 21st century?
Approach + Solution
2/2022 - 4/2022
Treuleben: Adapting brand’s positioning and sales story to the evolution of its product range
Treuleben's product range had evolved from bound paper products to high-quality leather products after the company was sold.

How can the new owner modernize the brand's positioning and its sales story to communicate this upgrade effectively?
Approach + Solution
2/2022 - ongoing
Legendär:Defining and communicating the founder's brand vision to empower the brand team
A creative entrepreneur invents a brand based on a cross-category concept: High-end personal accessoires made from premium materials that are left almost untreated.

How can the brand team be empowered to translate this brand vision into concrete product development, marketing and sales activities and remain true to the entrepreneur's vision?
Approach + Solution
Professional
experience
1/2019 - ongoing, Berlin/ DE
Johann Wachs Brand Consulting: Independent brand consultant
Brand consulting for SMEs to make their brands future-fit: fitness for rapidly digitizing markets and target groups, achieved through brand vision, brand purpose, brand positioning, storytelling, customer journey, communications planning and sales training.
4/2013 - 12/2018, London/ UK
Vizeum: Global Chief Strategy Officer
Creation of a powerful global agency network of 40+ independent country agencies: Design, build and establish the necessary consistent infrastructure (products, processes, collaboration). According to RECMA, Vizeum is the fastest growing global agency network in terms of new business from 2015 to 2018.
1/2012 - 3/2013, Berlin/ DE
Grey: Regional Strategy Director CEE
Head of Strategy for Central and Eastern Europe with a mandate to establish a consistent infrastructure (products, processes, collaboration) in the 14 disparate markets for quality assurance and enhancement as well as new business growth.
9/2005 - 12/2011, New York/ NY
Carat USA: Chief Strategy Officer,
North America
Head of Strategy for the region (USA, Canada and Mexico) with a mandate to establish the new discipline of strategic media planning ('Communications Planning') across all 12 agency offices through products and processes to increase product quality and win more new business.
5/2003 - 8/2005, New York/ NY
Psychologics: Chief Strategy Officer
Psychologics is the leading provider for psychological market research in the USA. Planned, executed, analysed and presentated 50+ psychological market research projects on brands and target groups in all conceivable industries. Developed communication strategies based on the resulting deep psychological consumer insights.
5/2001 - 4/2003, New York/ NY
Wolf Group: Chief Strategy Officer
Strategy chief of a turnaround management team that established the floundering mid-size agency as a leader in its market segment in New York City.
5/1999 - 4/2001, New York/ NY
Ogilvy & Mather: SVP Director of Planning & Research
Strategic brand leadership on key accounts such as Verizon, Duracell, Maxwell House, Deloitte, Amtrak.
9/2005 - 12/2011, New York/ NY
Saatchi & Saatchi: VP Strategic Planning
Strategic brand management of General Mills' children's and teen-targeted brands in the in-house youth marketing agency 'Kid Connection'. Proactive further development of extensive youth marketing expertise (proprietary studies on child psychology, youth culture and marketing).
More professional experiencesDownload project biography
1/2019 - ongoing, Berlin/ DE
Johann Wachs Brand Consulting: Independent brand consultant
Brand consulting for SMEs to make their brands future-fit: fitness for rapidly digitizing markets and target groups, achieved through brand vision, brand purpose, brand positioning, storytelling, customer journey, communications planning and sales training.
4/2013 - 12/2018, London/ UK
Vizeum: Global Chief Strategy Officer
Creation of a powerful global agency network of 40+ independent country agencies: Design, build and establish the necessary consistent infrastructure (products, processes, collaboration). According to RECMA, Vizeum is the fastest growing global agency network in terms of new business from 2015 to 2018.
1/2012 - 3/2013, Berlin/ DE
Grey: Regional Strategy Director CEE
Created a powerful global agency network of 40+ independent country agencies: Designed, built and established the required consistent infrastructure (products, processes, collaboration). According to RECMA, Vizeum is the fastest growing global agency network in terms of new business from 2015 to 2018.
9/2005 - 12/2011, New York/ NY
Carat USA: Chief Strategy Officer, North America
Head of Strategy for the region (USA, Canada and Mexico) with a mandate to establish the new discipline of strategic media planning ('Communications Planning') across all 12 agency offices through products and processes to increase product quality and win more new business.
5/2003 - 8/2005, New York/ NY
Psychologics: Chief Strategy Officer
Psychologics is the leading provider for psychological market research in the USA. Planned, executed, analysed and presentated 50+ psychological market research projects on brands and target groups in all conceivable industries. Developed communication strategies based on the resulting deep psychological consumer insights.
5/2001 - 4/2003, New York/ NY
Wolf Group: Chief Strategy Officer
Strategy chief of a turnaround management team that established the floundering mid-size agency as a leader in its market segment in New York City.
5/1999 - 4/2001, New York/ NY
Ogilvy & Mather: SVP Director of Planning & Research
Strategic brand leadership on key accounts such as Verizon, Duracell, Maxwell House, Deloitte, Amtrak.
9/2005 - 12/2011, New York/ NY
Saatchi & Saatchi: VP Strategic Planning
Strategic brand management of General Mills' children's and teen-targeted brands in the in-house youth marketing agency 'Kid Connection'. Proactive further development of extensive youth marketing expertise (proprietary studies on child psychology, youth culture and marketing).
More professional experiencesDownload project biography
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Johann Wachs

Brand Consulting
Reichensteiner Weg 35B
14195 Berlin
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