Miele’s Andreas Wieser and Yulia Kalner at Kantar on reinventing German Brands Through Emotion

In this episode, Verena Gründel is joined by Andreas
Wieser, VP Brand Strategy & Customer Experience at Miele, and
Yulia Kalner, Head of Creative and Media Effectiveness at
Kantar.


Together, they explore why German heritage brands must
move beyond engineering excellence and functional messaging to
build emotional connections. They discuss Miele's brand
transformation, the launch of its Outdoor Kitchen category, the
role of creativity and humor, and why emotional differentiation
is becoming the key competitive advantage.


In this episode of the DMEXCO Podcast, Verena Gründel is
joined by Andreas Wieser, VP Brand Strategy & Customer
Experience at Miele, and Yulia Kalner, Head of Creative and Media
Effectiveness at Kantar, to explore why even the world's most
respected heritage brands need to evolve beyond engineering
excellence and product quality.


For decades, German brands have built their reputation on
precision, reliability and functionality. But in an increasingly
competitive market, these strengths alone are no longer enough to
create lasting brand preference. Andreas and Yulia discuss why
emotional connection has become one of the most important drivers
of brand growth and how companies can embrace it without losing
the authenticity that made them successful in the first
place.


The conversation dives into Miele's ongoing brand
transformation, the launch of its new Outdoor Kitchen category,
and the thinking behind a campaign that deliberately breaks with
traditional category conventions. Andreas explains why Miele
chose to evolve from a position of strength rather than
necessity, while Yulia shares insights from Kantar's research on
creativity, advertising effectiveness and the power of emotional
differentiation.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Af1mgSWxvgc


Together, they discuss why humor deserves a place in
premium branding, how emotional storytelling complements
functional excellence, and what marketers can learn from one of
Germany's most iconic brands.


They answer the following questions:


·        
Why have German brands traditionally relied so heavily on
functional communication?


·        
How can premium brands create emotional impact without
losing credibility?


·        
What role does humor play in premium advertising?


·        
Can entering a completely new category strengthen an entire
brand portfolio?


·        
How should heritage brands balance tradition with
transformation?


·        
What can marketers learn from Miele's brand
evolution?


A fascinating conversation about brand transformation,
creativity, consumer perception and the future of premium
branding.


Listen now!


+++ Ad +++ BIG BANG AI
Festival – Europe’s leading event for the future
of AI, inspiration, and high-level networking. Join more than
11,000 attendees and 350+ speakers on September 16–17, 2026,
in Berlin. Learn more and get your ticket at
https://www.bigbangfestival.de/.
+++


+++ The DMEXCO ticket shop is now ! Go to
https://dmexco.com/tickets/ and get your
ticket for DMEXCO on September 23 and 24. +++


+++  Want to get inspired? Find the DMEXCO
Conference program here:
https://community.dmexco.com/event/dmexco-2026 
+++