Strategy is the Art
of Embracing
the Unknown

25A0 is unicode for black square and a research office at the intersection of strategy, aesthetics, and technology.

We conduct commissioned and self-initiated ventures and projects, partnering with clients that are driven by curiosity, vision, and impact.

Ventures

Strategic Foresight

Deutsche Telekom AG

Europes biggest telco wanted to identify emerging trends at the intersection of art and technology. We conduct seminars, a podcast, and a publication exploring weak signals in art and tech.

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Brand Strategy / Portfolio Integration

Carlsberg

Carlsberg acquired the German beer brand Wernesgrüner. We help to maintain the brand’s local authenticity while preventing brand cannibalization within the existing portfolio.

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Brand Strategy / Organizational Development

Schmitt + Sohn

Schmitt + Sohn, a family owned enterprise in its 6th generation, needs to update its brand. We develop the strategic framework and install a new department.

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Strategic Narrative / Award Logic

Polyton

POLYTON is a new platform and music award to highlight the social impact of pop music. We create the strategic narrative and the participatory award mechanism.

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Systemic Change

European Commission

The “Agents of Transformation” project bridges the gap between the next generation in arts and design and European policy making. We connect students with high-level decision-makers in politics and industry.

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Brand Strategy

Volkswagen Group

The biggest automaker in the world converges the separate software divisions from its brand portfolio in a new companywide department. We develop the strategic framework with a focus on employer branding.

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Employer Branding Strategy

Schneider Electric

Schneider Electric reshapes its employer value proposition in the DACH region. We provide the strategic direction and create alignment across the board.

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Organizational Transformation

Reeperbahn Festival

The leading international music festival evolves from an annual event series to a holistic music platform. We develop and implement the strategic framework for this transformation.

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Growth Strategy

Krautreporter

A young online publisher with an industry-leading business model faced challenges in user acquisition and retention. We developed a purpose-driven loyalty strategy that led to sustainable growth.

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Brand Strategy

TD Reply

A marketing innovation consultancy transforms its business model and service portfolio. We develop a purpose-driven new brand identity and restructure their service offerings.

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Journal

Interface Critique

Interface Critique is an academic platform, that facilitates trans-disciplinary dialogues about human-computer interaction.

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Partners

 

If you want to know more or request a case study, please get in touch:

hello@25a0.com

Cases

Reeperbahn Festival

Challenge

Reeperbahn Festival is the largest club festival in Europe and an international platform for pop culture and the music industry.

We help the music festival to evolve from an annual event series to a holistic music platform.

In close collaboration with Design Consultancy S-T-A-T-E, we provide the strategic framework for this quantum leap transformation.

Approach

Co-creative workshops and one-on-one deep listening sessions with the whole team led us to a new definition of purpose, mission and vision of the umbrella brand and two sub-brands. The top-down approach was accompanied by a bottom-up onboarding to integrate the operative baseline into the high-level strategy.

Results

Along with a printed brand book, containing the long-term strategic framework, we produced dynamic hands-on guidelines for the operative level.

Brand Book

The brand book contains the strategic framework, explains purpose, mission and vision in detail, lays out the brand character and brand values, describes the most important persona, maps all relevant stakeholders and defines the complex brand architecture, encompassing the umbrella brand, sub brands, initiatives and external partners. It also outlines the long-term transformational vision.

Channel Strategy

Based on the brand strategy, we developed a detailed channel strategy to strengthen the brand and increase its reach, defining touchpoint maps, traffic flows, flywheel dynamics, platform synergies, campaign implications, content focus and editorial organization for each individual channel.

Communication Guidelines

Based on the brand values and character, we defined communication guidelines to streamline internal and external content production and processes on an operative level. We defined among many other aspects behavior for social media, general text structures for different formats, gender guidelines, how to write about music and people, as well as exemplary artist portraits and news posts.

Next Case

Krautreporter