Allit AG Kunststofftechnik

47 If something is good it deserves to be well presented: our collaboration with Braun. Around the time of Allit’s tenth anniversary we began working with Braun. It was the early 1970s, and Braun was then the undisputed world market leader, offering products of the very highest level, inspired by designers such as Dieter Rams. Braun was the leader when it came to electric shavers, hairdryers, cigarette lighters and much more besides. Their products always impressed thanks to their sophisti- cated yet simple technology combined with very elegant, high-quality designs. This was the heyday of the newly developed clean, sleek and quintessentially German product design style, and an extremely exciting period. What did we learn from our collaboration with Braun that remains valid to this day? Simply this: ‘Present yourself in the best possible light’. We designed display walls, sales aids, stands and shelves, gaining insight into the psychology of advertising, promotions and sales campaigns along the way while also contributing to their success. Sophisticated retail marketing, in those days still in specialist electrical appliance retailers, which were at the time the only ones allowed to sell Braun products – a scarcely con- ceivable state of affairs these days. Orienting yourself to the end consumer, sparking needs and presenting products in the right brand- specific light at the point of sale, all this was experience you just could not buy. We were able to give our creativity free rein, working alongside outstandingly creative Braun developers and marketing personnel, which helped generate a high degree of trust. We were then able to apply our newly won experience of how to respond to consumer market require- ments when we worked with various other prestigious brands such as Wella, Blendax, Philip Morris and Kümmerling, and indeed a while later when finally working for ourselves.