Guteng morgen Austria!

Ahhh, Vienna and Salzburg…world-wide renowned cities by their stunning architecture, imperial traditions, unique coffee houses and delicious Sacher-torte! These fantastic cities at the heart of Austria completely gobsmacks me not only by their cultural wealth, thus by the creative marketing displays and brand extensions seen while exploring both metropolises. Nonetheless, it shocked me the brilliant coexistence between centuries-old brands and the new ones. This is the core essence of such a beguiling and enchanted country that everyone should visit. In this blog post I’ll take you for a walk around Austria, but seen through a marketer’s eyes. Hope you all enjoy the ride as much as I did!

After having dinner with family close to the Austrian parliament, I discovered a very clever bus-stop advertisement made by Nespresso. The “All U need is Milk” campaign sought to promote the Umilk machine and the Aeroccino functionality. The latter prepares a divine milk froth, which is a perfect complement for your morning caffé lattes. Nespresso’s thorough understanding of consumer needs played a fundamental role in the process of developing and launching such an innovative and valuable coffee machine into the market.

"All U Need is Milk" creative bus-stop display. Vienna, Austria

RedBull Collection shopping window. Salzburg, Austria

After visiting Vienna we took a train to Salzburg. As soon I stepped foot in the “Salt Fortress”, (i.e. name given to the city centuries ago due to its massive salt mines) I visited the RedBull store in Getreidegasse St. The shop is divided into two ambiences. The typical Red Bull extreme sports lifestyle apparel area and the Red Bull Collection domain. The second one really caught my eye. This section has been devoted to smart casual clothing, targeted mainly to young and urban adults with an irreverent and rebellious lifestyle. These people are looking for an unorthodox brand that makes them feel like there’s no tomorrow (i.e. carpe diem) and that every day should be lived as it was your last one. Hats off to Redbull, this is such a brilliant way to stretch the brand and connect meaningfully with its target audience. If you fancy watching the amazing Red Bull clothing collection ads just click here.

The famous Sachertorte. Salzburg, Austria

Vienna and Salzburg are cities brimming with history and part of this history has been written out by the Sacher Hotel. It was founded in 1876 by Franz Sacher, confectioner that invented, whilst doing his apprenticeship at the royal palace, the world-famous chocolate cake, Sachertorte. The Sacher Group produces more than 360,000 pieces every year by hand. You can buy a torte in its online store or physical shops. The cake is wrapped up with a minimalistic wooden-box, that makes the cake stand out.

Range of chocolate spoons. Winter Market, Vienna

Franz Sacher’s chocolate cake legacy has a true impact in the way the hotel chain is driven. Hotel toiletries are made from cocoa and you can even receive a chocolate-base massage in the spa! All marketing cues are related to having a moment of self-indulgence and enjoyment. In contrast to this long lasting enterprise, I discovered in a Viennese Christmas Market a brand that sells a range of innovative hot chocolate spoons. The company offers heaps of alcoholic and non-alcoholic spoon combinations. This creative business idea in new markets could open a window of opportunity!