German Brand Award 2016 for Recaro Holding

Recaro has been honored as one of the top brands in the competition class “Industry Excellence in Branding,” under the category of “Mobility.” The jury of leading experts was won over by the thorough and consistent implementation of the umbrella brand strategy “Recaro: One Common Brand,” which Recaro Holding has pursued since 2011 with its corporate divisions Recaro Child Safety and Recaro Aircraft Seating as well as its licensing partner Recaro Automotive Seating.

“The brand itself is a key focus at Recaro, as a decisive factor in successful international competition. This is why we have made it an essential priority of our company and our strategic processes,” explains Patrick Gevelmann, Brand Director at Recaro Holding. “We’re delighted that our brand management achievements have now been honored with a German Brand Award. It puts a spotlight on what our group has accomplished in recent years.”

To execute the umbrella brand strategy, several precisely interlocking measures were introduced in order to propagate a clear brand vision internally and present a unified brand image externally. One important factor here is the Recaro House of Brand model, which has helped achieve consistency in managing and guiding the brand across all business areas. Brand Identity Workshops are held at Recaro locations around the world so that all employees can become effective brand ambassadors. They also receive helpful resources like the Recaro Brand Book, which provides comprehensive information on the brand, and the Recaro Brand Pocket Guide, which puts key points for everyday work at their fingertips. Furthermore, meetings like the annual Brand Partners Forum for Recaro senior managers help facilitate internal discussion of both successes and challenges. In terms of external communications, a brand film is also used to present the key characteristics of Recaro in a highly emotive fashion. This film can be seen online at: http://stream.recaro.com/en/award-winning-brand-communication/.

“These are just a few of the measures and initiatives we’ve successfully incorporated to give our customers a comprehensive experience in their contacts with Recaro,” says Patrick Gevelmann.

The German Brand Award

Bestowed by the German Design Council, the German Brand Awards are unique in Germany, honoring innovative brands, outstanding brand management and enduring brand communications, as well as individuals and companies who break new ground in terms of brands. The German Brand Award competition is exclusively for companies nominated by the German Brand Institute, its scouts and expert panels. The award winners are chosen by an independent jury of brand experts from various fields, including industry, higher education, relevant agencies, consultancies and media outlets.

The Recaro Group encompasses two divisions: Recaro Aircraft Seating (aircraft seats) in Schwäbisch Hall and Recaro Child Safety (child car seats) in Marktleugast, as well as the Recaro Holding located in Stuttgart. The Group’s consolidated sales amounted to 470 million euros in 2015. Currently the Group employs more than 2,000 employees at its locations around the world. Recaro Automotive Seating is a product group of the multi-industry company Johnson Controls and uses the Recaro brand under a license issued by Recaro Holding.