At the invitation of Nese Erikli, Member of the Baden-Württemberg Parliament, the Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture of the Federal Republic of Germany, Cem Özdemir, visited Reichenau-Gemüse eG, Germany’s southernmost vegetable growing region. During a tour of the state-of-the-art marketing facility, the minister was first able to get an idea of the high quality and the current, very broad range of vegetables grown by the Reichenau market gardeners. Around 14,000 tons of fresh vegetables leave the marketing facility every year. 50 % of the turnover and 35 % of the quantity are already in organic quality according to the specifications of the associations Naturland and Bioland.
However, all those involved in vegetable production are concerned about the current market conditions. For 30 years, there has been a common economic area in the EU without tariffs and other residual regulations. However, vegetables are produced in the other member states at significantly lower costs than in Germany. Due to these distortions of competition, German fruit and vegetable production suffers greatly, said Johannes Bliestle, managing director of the cooperative, who is also chairman of the Federal Association of Producer Organizations. In this context, the topic of minimum wages was also raised. Here, Germany is the front-runner after Luxembourg. According to Bliestle, the farms will not be able to cope economically with another short-term increase.
Afterwards, the minister visited a typical family farm to get an idea of the organic production there. He was very impressed by the high professionalism of the young farm manager Manuel Uricher.
Minister Peter Hauk launches the ministry’s new regional campaign on the island of Reichenau
Together with the managing director of Reichenau-Gemüse eG, Johannes Bliestle, the Minister of Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection Baden-Württemberg, Peter Hauk, opened the new campaign of the state of Baden-Württemberg “Natürlich. VON DAHEIM.” The campaign’s motto, “We do it,” focuses on people, products, and other participants in the value chain. Transparency, trust, enjoyment – Baden-Württemberg offers all this with its many different producers and skilled workers in the food trade.
And so it is not surprising that at the campaign launch, a large number of Reichenau gardeners also listened intently to the words of the Minister of Agriculture. For it is precisely these growers who give the campaign a face. Directly from the field, or from the greenhouse, to the consumer’s plate. Producers, marketers, processors, they are the central cornerstones of our regional food, said the Minister. And that is exactly what Reichenau-Gemüse eG and its nearly 50 producers stand for regionality, transparency, enjoyment, trust, and sustainability.
For more information:
www.von-daheim.de
www.reichenaugemuese.de
The Royal Canadian Mint is honouring National Indigenous People’s Day with a $2 commemorative circulation coin.
For the first time on a Canadian circulation coin, three different artists have collaborated on a single reverse design. Together, they have fused personal visions of their respective cultures to create a unique perspective of First Nations, Inuit and Métis heritage that all people living in Canada can honour and celebrate on National Indigenous Peoples Day.
This inspiring coin will entered circulation on June 21.
“Since 1996, National Indigenous Peoples Day has been an opportunity to celebrate First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people,” said Honourable Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister and minister of finance. “Our government is proud to honour the history, art, traditions, and cultures of Indigenous Peoples as we continue walking the path of reconciliation together.”
“Creating coins that tell diverse and inclusive stories is a priority for the Royal Canadian Mint the sharing of Indigenous stories is key to that effort,” said Marie Lemay, President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint. “We are delighted that we could collaborate with First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists on a single circulation coin that will inspire millions to discover the wonderful knowledge and experiences that National Indigenous Peoples Day is meant to celebrate.”
The artwork appearing on the coin’s reverse is the creation of three women artists, each one representing the First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities residing in Canada.
They are Megan Currie, English River First Nation, Myrna Pokiak (Agnaviak), Inuvialuit Settlement Region and Jennine Krauchi, Red River Métis. It is the first time that multiple artists have collaborated on the design of a single Canadian coin. The creative intent behind each artist’s personal choice of symbolism is explained in their own words at www.mint.ca/nipd.
“Though each two-dollar coin is only 28 millimetres in diameter, this coin will have an immeasurable impact on Indigenous Peoples and other Canadians today and beyond. Congratulations to Myrna, Megan, and Jennine on making their indelible marks on Canadian history,” said Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. “At Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, unity is the foundation of our work, and we hope that all Canadians can feel united with us on National Indigenous Peoples Day in celebrating these artists, our distinct cultures and histories, and our efforts in building better futures for our children.”
Limited to a mintage of three million coins, of which two million will be coloured.
The coloured and uncoloured circulation coins are also available as collectibles in a six-piece collector keepsake coin set.
I’d love to have the minimal Hulasol, a combination outdoor sun umbrella and lighting solution, in my backyard this summer. In fact, it’s the first product to combine both functions in such a way, transforming the surrounding outdoor environment as a result. By day, Hulasol is a haven from the sun, protecting you from UV rays as you relax. By night, its illumination sets the mood for cozy time spent outdoors.
Hulasol’s design makes it suitable for long-term outdoor use, while its aerodynamic qualities provide substantial resistance against extreme weather. Its materials have been treated accordingly, making the combination umbrella and lighting water-repellent and low maintenance, while also providing UV protection. Hulasol’s aluminum, steel, and stainless steel components are powder coated to last and are resistant to corrosion. This innovative outdoor product is ready to take on both the residential and commercial sectors.
A smartphone app gives you complete control over Hulasol’s dimmable lighting. The lamp is equipped with a battery or cable pack, allowing it to be used in spaces where there’s no electricity available.
A patented folding mechanism challenges the way we view traditional umbrella design, while simultaneously providing a strong visual statement. Simply fold Hulasol up into its organic pod-like shape and tuck away, taking up minimal storage space.
Design, development, production, assembly, and packaging for Hulasol are all made in-house or in collaboration with local Belgian partners. This results in flexibility, short lead times, and endless customization possibilities.
To learn more about the Hulasol, visit hulasol.com.
Fans enjoy a rare film at Arkadin Cinema.
If you’re down to roll the dice on your evening entertainment, drop into Mystery VHS Night at Arkadin Cinema & Bar (5228 Gravois Avenue, 314-221-2173) this Thursday, June 29.
Here’s how it works: You bring any random VHS tape, and it gets you in for free. That tape could contain your home movies, a quality classic film, a bargain-bin horror flick, whatever.
Then the organizers play a bit of the tapes that everybody brought in for the crowd and they choose which VHS tape gets picked to be the entertainment that night. Best of all, if your tape is the chosen one, you get free drinks and concessions all night.
The show starts at 7:15 p.m., and they collect tapes right up until 7 p.m., so stop in after work for some (likely hilarious but also possibly terrifying) weeknight fun. Visit arkadincinema.com for more information.
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In today’s current environment, marketing feels more about cost and efficiency than about creativity — the balance between art and science is askew. The relentless pressure to achieve more with fewer resources, amid stagnant budgets and the ongoing need to demonstrate their value to leadership, coupled with looming market challenges, has left marketing leaders besieged by both internal and external forces.
One of the barriers, which is partially self-inflicted, is that marketers have been all about the customer, but not in the way that they should. They have been adding more to the experience, more channels acquiring more data, but to no avail. A mere 5% of customers recalled a memorable and valuable digital interaction with a brand.
Instead of focusing directly on customer needs, marketing leaders often focus on a channel-first customer experience (CX), which is putting the proverbial cart before the horse. Marketers must build their CX by identifying the customer needs first before focusing on channels. While it may seem straightforward, it’s surprisingly common for marketing leaders not to adopt this approach, whether due to technological debt or other internal factors.
Ultimately, this approach fosters stronger, more sustainable customer relationships, resulting in customers who are more likely to make a purchase, demonstrate brand loyalty and be willing to pay a premium.
With such positive outcomes, the question then becomes — how exactly do we achieve a customer-focused customer journey?
Many brands leapfrog to a channel as the solution, missing a critical step: to create a clear, customer-centric value statement that will serve as the compass for the project. This is otherwise known as the experience thesis statement. Doing this ensures that each decision regarding CX ties back to the thesis so as not to succumb to opinion (shiny-object syndrome) or common biases.
The thesis statement reflects the goal that target customers (the personas who are of strategic importance for the brand) expect the brand to deliver. It includes the indicators that signal whether those goals have been met.
Marketing leaders should look to achieve two goals when developing a thesis statement. First, ensure that the experience is helping customers accomplish something from which they’ll derive value. Second, it should help align all stakeholders on what specific business target this experience will help their companies achieve.
Related Article: Content for Every Stage: Maximizing Engagement in the Modern Customer Journey
What should the customer-centric value statement focus on? While societal and functional benefits positively impact brand commitment, Gartner research has found that personal benefits have an outsized impact on brand commitment — more than societal and functional combined.
Personal benefits have three important characteristics:
In fact, the more customer-centric the brand promise is, the more impactful the potential brand experiences will be. Consumers are 1.73 times more likely to buy more when they realize something new about their own needs or goals.
Related Article: Augmented Reality, Experimentation, Ecommerce and Your Customer Base
Customers do not think or assign value based on channels; they do so based on the experiences a brand delivers. More specifically, they want to be clear on their next steps and feel confident in their decisions.
With this in mind, consider augmented reality (AR) tools. While they are often viewed as more of a luxury, they can be essential to CX if value is outlined first. AR tools are often used on product pages to aid shoppers’ decisions for product sizing. But leaders who recognize the importance of creating value statements first to highlight products in a new way through AR can be more purposeful in helping customers better understand and learn about their requirements through visualization. In this way, AR is less “fun” and more so furthers “self-learning.”
For example, clothing brands can ask customers to take a quiz to discover their personal style and ask questions focused on personal traits, preferred style and habits in order to recommend products that match their responses. Only then does a customer work with an AR tool to find clothing specifically tailored toward them.
If this is married with the ability to allow users to add products to their carts directly from guided selling pages, a brand can differentiate themselves from peers and meet consumer needs that they just outlined. This customer-first mindset not only helps to close a sale, but also leads to more loyal customers and less returns, ultimately impacting the bottom line in multiple ways.
If marketing leaders begin by identifying and aligning around the objectives of their target customers, they will be able to deliver results in line with the outcomes the brand is aiming to achieve. Remember, when a brand focuses on understanding how to help a customer feel good about themselves and their decisions, they are less likely to return products and more likely to return as loyal customers.
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Stagwell’s Growth Driven by Digital-first Leadership, Integrated Services, Strategic M&A and Global Expansion
NEW YORK, June 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Stagwell (NASDAQ: STGW), the challenger network built to transform marketing, announced today it has earned a place on the renowned Fortune 1000, an annual list of the 1,000 largest American companies ranked by revenues, as compiled by the American business magazine Fortune. Stagwell, whose GAAP revenue hit nearly $2.7 billion (FY 2022), attributes its growth to:
“Learning about our debut on the Fortune 1000 list while we were having an exceptional turnout and reception to our Sport Beach activation at Cannes Lions, cemented our success as a challenger organization,” said Stagwell Chairman and CEO Mark Penn. “This milestone is a testament to the exceptional work and collaboration of our teams in helping our clients succeed, and I’m proud to be in the company of some of the world’s most notable organizations.”
Stagwell’s business approach – blending data-driven marketing strategies with creative storytelling – has proven successful in the rapidly changing digital landscape. This recognition from Fortune underscores the company’s commitment to its digital-first strategy, offering further validation that Stagwell is challenging conventional approaches to client services.
The Company recently bought back the Class A shares held by AlpInvest Partners (AlpInvest); the original investors in Stagwell Media LP, Mark Penn and Steve Ballmer, have now fully exited AlpInvest from Stagwell Media LP.
About Stagwell
Stagwell is the challenger network built to transform marketing. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world’s most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our 13,000+ specialists in 34+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for their clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com.
Media Contact
Sarah Arvizo
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SOURCE Stagwell Inc.
