Beiersdorf creates new corporate indie brand unit

They were two outstanding personalities of their era. Two people with an entrepreneurial mindset and inventive spirit: Oscar Troplowitz and Paul C. Beiersdorf are known as the founding fathers of Beiersdorf. With a great deal of drive and self-confidence they created real innovations and laid the foundations for today’s global brand over 100 years ago with NIVEA. Since the beginning of July, Oscar Troplowitz and Paul C. Beiersdorf have also been lending their name to a new business unit at Beiersdorf for the first time: OSCAR&PAUL – Corporate Indie Brands will manage existing brands such as 8X4, Labello, and Hidrofugal, while also serving as an innovation cell for new concepts.

“Over the past two years, we have maintained a clear focus on new ways of developing and digitalizing our existing brands. With this new business unit, we will go a step further in future and test new, innovative approaches on all levels – from positioning to communication and sales – thereby serving as a source of internal inspiration,” says Hauke Voß, director of the new OSCAR&PAUL – Corporate Indie Brands business unit. Yet it does not stop there, as he further explains: “We will create corporate indie brands and launch new business models that are unique within the Beiersdorf Group. In doing so, we have deliberately decided against establishing an outsourced innovation lab that operates in isolation from the group. We will remain part of the management unit for Germany, one of our biggest and most important markets.”

Mastering Corporate Indie Brands – that is both claim and aspiration in itself for the new business unit. “We want to create brands that cater to the consumers’ needs in relation to authenticity, meaningfulness, and speed. To this end, we must constantly question our approaches and ourselves. This calls for a certain degree of initiative, courage, and creative thinking,” explains Hauke Voß. The unit is guided by the culture, idea generation processes and working methods of agile start-ups and is testing and adapting them based on its needs within the context of the company. As a consequence of this approach, the team not only works closely with colleagues within the company when developing new concepts, but also consciously relies on the input and ideas of external partners. This means that knowledge and innovation can be transferred between different worlds – and both parties ultimately benefit.

The business unit already proves this year that the aim and high aspirations are no future vision, but an actively embraced culture. This starts with the relaunch of the deodorant brand 8X4. Based on current trends and the latest insights into consumer needs, a completely new concept has been developed that focuses on individualization. Furthermore, a new brand will be launched in the fall – for the first time in more than 30 years. It is a brand that gets under the skin and appeals to a young and modern target group.