71 | 🏆 How Bang & Olufsen, Disney & Waterford Generate Premium Revenue 💎 with Michael König (Fiskars Group, Bang & Olufsen)

Michael König, former VP of Design at Fiskars Group, specializes in cultivating heritage brands like Waterford, Bang & Olufsen, and more. In this episode of Good Revenue, host Neeta Bidwai and Michael cover:The challenges heritage brands face modernizing while preserving tradition and craftsmanship.His experience at Egmont, transforming Disney’s IP into a digital subscription model.How prototype testing with real customers broke a stalemate at Bang & Olufsen and drove mission-critical alignment across teams and stakeholders, fueling future innovation.How he successfully led design across 12 Fiskars Group brands, emphasizing the importance of storytelling, branding, and craftsmanship to stand out in a competitive market.Insights on managing design studios, implementing big strategies, and making tough decisions to discontinue products.What smaller craft-centered firm can learn from successful heritage brands, the need to connect vision, strategy, and execution, and the importance of quality over speed in achieving long-term success.Join us for a deep discussion of the intricate challenges faced by companies dedicated to craftsmanship while navigating the complexities of the modern world._Where to find Michael:https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkonigcph/ Where to find Neeta:https://www.linkedin.com/in/neetabidwai/Where to find Good Revenue:https://goodrevenue.io/goodrevenuehttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ_Highilghts: 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome00:26 Michael's Journey to Heritage Brands01:18 Challenges of Modernizing Heritage Brands02:56 Success with Egmont Publishing04:55 Inspiration from Netflix's Business Model07:45 Innovations at Bang & Olufsen13:05 Prototyping and Consumer Testing14:59 The Vanishing Middle Market20:14 Fiskars and Craftsmanship24:34 Navigating Organizational Change26:02 Managing Multiple Design Studios27:59 The Power of Storytelling in Branding32:31 Bringing Design In-House36:03 Challenges in Smaller Firms41:36 The Million Dollar Kitchen Project44:34 The Value of Speed vs. Quality46:13 Connecting Vision, Strategy, and Execution_Referenced:Bang & Olufsen: https://www.bang-olufsen.com/en/usFiskars Group: https://fiskarsgroup.com/Royal Copenhagen: https://www.royalcopenhagen.com/en-usWaterford: https://www.waterford.com/en-us Iittala: https://www.iittala.com/en-gbGeorg Jensen: https://www.georgjensen.com/en-us Wedgwood: https://www.wedgwood.com/en-us FOLLOW GOOD REVENUE ON YOUTUBE! Or wherever you get your podcasts:YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHrhuWbpYnUwrR75H2Ip4yQ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/44me6PABSQ0k0GfphM70auApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/good-revenue/id1707461473 Web: https://goodrevenue.io/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.