The creative beguiler
With Incite Media, Roland Kümin aims to turn advertising at the point of sale into an experience for all the senses.
With Incite Media, Roland Kümin wants to turn advertising at the POS into an experience for all the senses.how can you inspire a customer? This is the area of tension in which Roland Kümin has been working for a long time. The founder of two successful companies finds ideas for this when shopping for clothes with his partner, for example. The former mechanical engineer is not bored waiting next to the fitting room. Today's marketing specialist looks around the store with curiosity - and notices what customers react to most emotionally. In the USA, Kümin has discovered in this way that in-store television is already very advanced. Wal-Mart and other retail chains have their own television. Customers are informed and entertained on these in-store screens and are also provided with live news. "Why not us too?", Kümin wondered. Now a futuristically styled and large service center is being opened in Regensdorf this week under the management of his partner Habegger AG by Kümin's Incite Media, which was founded a few months ago.
The advertising market is changing. "Retailing and advertising are merging," says Kümin. At the POS, it must be possible to captivate all the consumer's senses. This leads to a symbiosis between marketing understanding, content and technology. The task will therefore become more complex. "A normal advertising agency can no longer manage this alone," says Kümin.
His Incite Media sees itself as a full-service provider for marketing at the point of sale. Kümin has integrated the experienced Habegger AG into his company as a partner for the provision, installation and operation of the hardware. As one of the most important technology specialists in the event industry, Habegger looks after the infrastructure, displays and networking in cooperation with Incite Media. The
Filmproduktion Bluepark is the third specialist responsible for production and post-production. Kümin and his team of ten are responsible for content management and creatively orchestrating the messages for the new medium.
Display technology has developed enormously. These new possibilities have also become affordable in terms of cost. The new technology also allows marketing processes to be digitized. Whereas in the past, print products had to be carted into the store with the help of transport logistics for advertising at the POS, the new media can now be routed digitally to any point much more easily.
And the next revolution is already just around the corner. "Organic LED" is a thin and flexible film that can be wrapped around a pillar in the store or otherwise incorporated into the architecture in any shape. Kümin is convinced that "moving images will be displayed on it via the digital network the day after tomorrow".
With Incite Media, he wants to supply the big brands across Europe in the medium term. These must become multi-touch point organizations in the course of e-commerce. On the way there, the new service provider wants to help these brands so that they can "transport their messages to their customers in an emotionalized way" at the POS and one step further in the virtual world.
Incite Media realized the first project for Esprit. The company built networked display systems for the fashion chain and integrated these areas individually into the architecture of the stores. A multimedia concept for future stores is now to be developed for a Swiss travel company. The new model of a travel agency presents itself as a lounge and, with its multimedia platform, is to become a real community meeting place for travel enthusiasts.
Kümin was already infected by such IT worlds during his studies as a mechanical engineer. Back in the 1980s, computer-aided design was just being introduced in industry and Kümin was one of the pioneers who first "produced" a product idea virtually on the computer. He then moved to NCR. As a system engineer, he had to demonstrate his own applications and solutions to customers. This eventually led him to work in sales and marketing at companies such as Apollo Computer and Sun Microsystems.
And he successfully built up the market in Switzerland and southern Germany for another American software company. Then "a donkey rode him". Kümin said to himself: "Why can't I do this for myself instead of working as a mercenary for an American company?"
He founded his first company in 1995. Actano initially acted as a service provider for CAD applications. But because "as a consultant you can't charge for more than 24 hours a day", Kümin continued to look for an idea that could be multiplied more easily. Actano specialized as a software manufacturer in the field of project management for the automotive industry and today supplies all major brands. After the company had grown from 0 to 150 people, Kümin sold Actano.
Kümin also built up his second start-up, Monzoon Networks, brought it to success and finally sold it. Today, this company successfully operates a public wireless LAN network in Switzerland.
What is driving him to found his third company, Incite Media? "Maybe I'm a start-up junkie," smiles Kümin. Some climb mountains. His passion is "turning ideas into reality". He finds fulfillment in the process of inspiring people, convincing investors, finding employees and looking for customers. "Just like in physics, you have to overcome the initial resistance. It takes a lot of energy to get going. Then it rolls - but only if you do it right." Kümin is proud that all of his start-ups are still active.
Andreas Panzeri
The advertising market is changing. "Retailing and advertising are merging," says Kümin. At the POS, it must be possible to captivate all the consumer's senses. This leads to a symbiosis between marketing understanding, content and technology. The task will therefore become more complex. "A normal advertising agency can no longer manage this alone," says Kümin.
His Incite Media sees itself as a full-service provider for marketing at the point of sale. Kümin has integrated the experienced Habegger AG into his company as a partner for the provision, installation and operation of the hardware. As one of the most important technology specialists in the event industry, Habegger looks after the infrastructure, displays and networking in cooperation with Incite Media. The
Filmproduktion Bluepark is the third specialist responsible for production and post-production. Kümin and his team of ten are responsible for content management and creatively orchestrating the messages for the new medium.
Display technology has developed enormously. These new possibilities have also become affordable in terms of cost. The new technology also allows marketing processes to be digitized. Whereas in the past, print products had to be carted into the store with the help of transport logistics for advertising at the POS, the new media can now be routed digitally to any point much more easily.
And the next revolution is already just around the corner. "Organic LED" is a thin and flexible film that can be wrapped around a pillar in the store or otherwise incorporated into the architecture in any shape. Kümin is convinced that "moving images will be displayed on it via the digital network the day after tomorrow".
With Incite Media, he wants to supply the big brands across Europe in the medium term. These must become multi-touch point organizations in the course of e-commerce. On the way there, the new service provider wants to help these brands so that they can "transport their messages to their customers in an emotionalized way" at the POS and one step further in the virtual world.
Incite Media realized the first project for Esprit. The company built networked display systems for the fashion chain and integrated these areas individually into the architecture of the stores. A multimedia concept for future stores is now to be developed for a Swiss travel company. The new model of a travel agency presents itself as a lounge and, with its multimedia platform, is to become a real community meeting place for travel enthusiasts.
Kümin was already infected by such IT worlds during his studies as a mechanical engineer. Back in the 1980s, computer-aided design was just being introduced in industry and Kümin was one of the pioneers who first "produced" a product idea virtually on the computer. He then moved to NCR. As a system engineer, he had to demonstrate his own applications and solutions to customers. This eventually led him to work in sales and marketing at companies such as Apollo Computer and Sun Microsystems.
And he successfully built up the market in Switzerland and southern Germany for another American software company. Then "a donkey rode him". Kümin said to himself: "Why can't I do this for myself instead of working as a mercenary for an American company?"
He founded his first company in 1995. Actano initially acted as a service provider for CAD applications. But because "as a consultant you can't charge for more than 24 hours a day", Kümin continued to look for an idea that could be multiplied more easily. Actano specialized as a software manufacturer in the field of project management for the automotive industry and today supplies all major brands. After the company had grown from 0 to 150 people, Kümin sold Actano.
Kümin also built up his second start-up, Monzoon Networks, brought it to success and finally sold it. Today, this company successfully operates a public wireless LAN network in Switzerland.
What is driving him to found his third company, Incite Media? "Maybe I'm a start-up junkie," smiles Kümin. Some climb mountains. His passion is "turning ideas into reality". He finds fulfillment in the process of inspiring people, convincing investors, finding employees and looking for customers. "Just like in physics, you have to overcome the initial resistance. It takes a lot of energy to get going. Then it rolls - but only if you do it right." Kümin is proud that all of his start-ups are still active.
Andreas Panzeri
