Stöckli Swiss Sports wins Gfm Marketing Award 2023

Stöckli was able to convince the Gfm jury with its clear positioning and innovative products. in addition, Stöckli had always succeeded over the years in adapting to changing conditions and adapting the "go-to-market" strategy from direct-to-consumer D2C to B2B2C.

With the "Annual Award of the Foundation for Marketing in Corporate Management", Gfm annually honors a company that distinguishes itself through outstanding marketing achievements. For the Gfm Marketing Award, successful entrepreneurial results are evaluated, which can be attributed to a high degree to innovative marketing strategies and effective measures.

According to Marcus Schögel, President of the Board of Trustees, various points were decisive in Stöckli's selection as the 2023 Marketing Award winner. These included the unique (premium) positioning of the brand in an intensely competitive environment, the focus on performance benefits (technology to offer quality), the innovative services (ski subscriptions, etc.), and the adaptation of the "go-to-market" from D2C to B2B2C to changing conditions (post-Covid).

The jury also believes that Stöckli deserves this award because of its generally successful focus on market-oriented business management. Stöckli's international presence is particularly impressive, with 60 percent of its business abroad and 900 specialist dealers. This dynamic in channel management and the channel mixer is remarkable, Schögel emphasized in his laudatory speech.

Stöckli also dared to experiment, such as entering the bicycle market, even if they sometimes failed. This willingness to try new things is seen as necessary today.

During the pandemic, the company adapted its distribution strategy and reached out to specialist distributors. This adaptability and the high quality and innovation in the products have impressed.

The laudatory speech goes on to emphasize that Switzerland and its companies, like Stöckli, can sustainably differentiate themselves by focusing on innovation, product quality, customer orientation and added value. Marketing also means understanding and responding to customer demand. This is the way to stay ahead in the markets and to stay one step ahead of the competition. Schögel in the original wording:

"Marketing doesn't just mean doing something good for the customer; above all, marketing is about tapping into the willingness to pay. We can generate added value from our access to Switzerland, quality, customer orientation, whereas others have to stretch themselves a long way to achieve this. And if we don't get involved and say, let's go further up into the markets, then at some point we'll have the problem that others will say, we can do that too."