by Matthias Ackeret
How important is marketing for your company, Mr. Gut?
Christian Gut: It is elementary for us. It starts in racing, but is also very important for being close to customers. We have a ski factory and carry out ski tests. These are important marketing tools. We want to make our brand tangible through interaction with people.
Their aim is to be the best ski brand in the world.
Marc Glasses: When I joined Stöckli-Ski nine years ago, I encountered three different business areas: Bike, Retail and Ski. After two years we realized that this was too much and didn’t work for Stöckli. As a manufacturer, we made a strategic mistake back then. It was thought that Stöckli could sell skis in winter and bikes in summer. That’s completeentary. This made sense from a retail perspective, but not from a manufacturer perspective. We struggled to convince customers that we were not only the best ski brand, but also the best bike brand. And against this background, we developed a vision of how the company should position itself in the long term. From this and thanks to our DNA – we were founded as a ski brand in 1935 – the focus on the ski brand emerged. But we are not just a ski brand, we are also one that produces in Switzerland and we want to be the best.
How did you “restructure” the company?
Marc Glasses: Es was an incredible transformation. In the first few years we had to clean up a lot and realign ourselves. But we always clearly committed ourselves to the Stöckli brand. When the owner hired me, he clearly chose a marketing, sales and design expert with production experience in Switzerland. I had virtually no retail experience. I had to learn that first. By hiring me, the owner anticipated that things should go in this direction.
The brand was founded almost ninety years ago by Josef Stöckli in Entlebuch. For a long time, your company lived in the shadows as the big brands fought against Stöckli.
Marc Glasses: The other big ski brands wanted one thing above all: to prevent our entry into racing. In 1991 we had planned to join the Swiss Ski Pool. However, he refused entry to us, the only Swiss brand. This was prevented at the time by the large foreign brands. For us, this meant that we could not equip Swiss skiers with our brand. That’s why we equipped the Liechtenstein racing driver Marco Büchel until after three more years, thanks to the tireless efforts of Beni Stöckli senior, we were admitted to the Swiss Ski Pool. With Urs Kälin we were able to sign the first Swiss driver. We achieved great success in the first year when he won several World Cup races and became runner-up in the giant slalom in Sierra Nevada. This made the Stöckli fire more visible.
Now you have the absolute superstar of the ski circuit in Marco Odermatt. How do you get such a high-flyer who is also courted by other ski companies?
Marc Glasses: It was a happy coincidence. But before I elaborate, I would like to say: It was a great achievement for Stöckli that Marco extended his contract with us for another four years in autumn 2022. But back to coincidence: It was twelve years ago when a good training colleague of Marco’s was on Stöckli skis and beat him in training. Marco quickly borrowed the Stöckli skis from his colleague and was immediately two seconds faster. Since then he has relied on Stöckli. Six or seven years ago we gave him our own service man because we saw great potential in Marco. He then won five gold medals at the Junior World Championships. He had his own service man and was able to live out his full potential. The great art was to keep him. There should be no reason for him to change. Loyalty is important on both sides.
You said: Marco Odermatt was two seconds faster with your skis. Can one ski actually make up two seconds, or was it a coincidence?
Christian Gut: At the professional level of racing, the material is very important and it always has to be right for the athlete. Marco and Stöckli-Ski are a perfect unit. He could also win the overall World Cup with another brand, but whether he would do it from one day to the next is another question. Stöckli offers him a family atmosphere, employees who look after him and top material, from giant slalom to downhill, so that he can exploit his potential at all times. That’s what Marco once wrote on a profile when he was asked what Stöckli was to him: Stöckli allowed him to realize his potential.
Are you also feeling the Odermatt hype in sales?
Marc Glasses: I think we will still feel the Marco Odermatt effect, as no one will buy a ski tomorrow just because the athlete became an Olympic champion yesterday. However, I hear many people saying that their next ski will be a Stöckli ski. Of course, we have been feeling this hype about Marco Odermatt for about two years, the media hype is enormous. This helped us a lot in Switzerland and certainly contributed a lot to our growth. But most of it is still to come. Nevertheless, we must not forget that our greatest growth is taking place abroad, especially in North America, where racing is not extremely important. The phenomenon of ski racing is a huge topic, especially in Central Europe. And it’s also important for motivation internally, because our employees, be it in development, production or marketing, know that their work will make them even better so that they can continue to win. The intrinsic effect it triggers is very important.
How should I imagine a CEO as a racing companion?
Marc Glasses: At the races I am more of a spectator than a participant. It’s important for our people on the ground to see that the CEO is interested in their work. Of course, this is also how I build up my knowledge. I know all the routes today because I go sightseeing in the morning. In addition, the head of racing reports directly to me, and the budgets that we invest in racing are considerable. It is important that the boss knows his stuff well.
Have you already driven down the Kitzbühel route?
Marc Glasses: I tended to slip, which is quite challenging for this route. Even just visiting it is difficult because the route is as slippery as an ice rink. It is also very interesting for Marco to see that the CEO of Stöckli is there, is interested in racing and supports him so much. He feels the fascination and passion of Stöckli, and he appreciates that.
What are your visions for the next five years?
Marc Glasses: We want to continue to grow. Our growth goal is to sell 90,000 pairs of skis worldwide. Today we are at 72,000. We have increased the production volume to 80,000 pairs of skis because we have to pre-produce for next year (2024/2025). At the same time, we want to strengthen and internationalize the brand and remain successful in racing. We would also like to modernize the ski factory. We have made great efforts in recent years to be able to double production in a short period of time.
What was the biggest difficulty in this regard?
Marc Glasses: There is not one major difficulty, but rather two or three issues, such as the question of having enough skilled workers to carry out the demanding work. Another issue is whether the investment planning is the right one, as we always do it four to five years in advance and it is very demanding. But there won’t be anything revolutionary new; rather, we want to continue on the path we’ve chosen, which is very successful. There are currently an enormous number of projects pending, but no longer as big as the bike exit, the doubling of production or the drastic downsizing and realignment of our own retail business, but rather smaller ones. We would like to open up new markets and forward integrate sales here and there. We are currently in the process of introducing a new ERP system. This software system allows us to run the entire company. This has kept us busy for the last year and a half.
Christian Gut: On the operational side, one of our current challenges is to further professionalize sales. As a company, we have a responsibility towards our employees. We have a factory where fathers and mothers work. We have to produce consistently twelve months of the year, and for that we need professional sales. The more specialist retailers we have to look after abroad due to internationalization, the greater the complexity and demands placed on our team and processes. What we have done well in recent years is advancing sustainability. We want to be sustainable and at the same time improve the business result.
You can read the full interview in the current print edition “personal”, which is being published these days.
2023-10-24 18:12:13
#Society #Marketing #feel #Marco #Odermatt #effect
