Paul Odefey

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Germany’s Axel Springer In The Digital Age
Paul Odefey
Posted on November 18, 2016 at 3:13 pm
How Europe's biggest media house adapted to the digital age and created a digital classifieds success story
Germany’s Adidas And Global Climate Change
Paul Odefey
Posted on November 4, 2016 at 3:18 pm
The #2 global sportswear company Adidas finding new and innovative ways to battle the impact of the fashion industry on the global climate change

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On November 20, 2016, Paul Odefey commented on GE and the Industrial Internet of Things :

Super interesting post.

Software, technology and services will surely be the main drivers of growth in the industry. European players such as Siemens and ABB are facing the very same issues and are focussing on shifting revenue and profits towards software and technology.
The main question here once again is organic vs M&A growth. Can multi-hunderd-billion dollar conglomerates such as GE still be at the forefront of technological innovation. Are they agile enough or will these conglomerates mostly use their ability to provide the distribution infrastructure and to raise capital in the capital markets to acquiring the new and promising assets?

On November 20, 2016, Paul Odefey commented on HBO: How Over the Top Content Providers (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu) Have Forced HBO to Transform its Business Model :

Outstanding blog post!

This of course reminds me a lot of our Rdio and Spotify discussion. Will the industry as a whole ever be able to generate as much industry wide revenue and profit as it did in the pre internet years. The price points of Netflix (starting at 7.99) and Amazon (basically free as included in the already popular Prime service) have accustomed consumers to low prices far below the traditional cable bill.
Nonetheless HBO surely chose the right strategy by doubling down on online service. I am wondering if HBO has the brand and quality and most importantly exclusive content to demand higher prices.
Very interesting to see where the industry will go over the next 5-10 years.

On November 20, 2016, Paul Odefey commented on Nike’s Play in the Digitization of Fitness :

Super interesting post!

We used the Fuelband in a one-month office challenge in 2014. Although being given the fuel band as a gift I have never used it since, while I am in general very fond of these kinds of tracking tools. For me the Fuel points never seemed like something transferable or desirable. Whereas when I use Runkeeper or Runtatstic to track my runs I can always see how fast, long or often I go compared to my friends. I believe in order to create the buy-in you need for a product like this, the “rewards” need to be highly desirable, where the Fuel points to me always felt very arbitrary.

On November 20, 2016, Paul Odefey commented on Putting the “New” in “News”: NYT Reinvents itself for the Digital Age :

Amazing article.

I saw an interesting podium speech by Sarah Cohen of the NYT last year in Munich about NYT’s digitalisation strategy, its use of big data analytics and social media. It is incredible to see how media has shifted over the past year’s and how newspapers and websites often are faced with the option content vs reach. NYT and others can easily track which content translates into the most clicks, while also following the call of journalists to deliver the most relevant news/stories.

Here is the link to the speech in Munich: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2zqd6QCOyM

On November 20, 2016, Paul Odefey commented on The Berliner Philharmoniker’s Digital Forte :

Super interesting piece. Surely the right move in our digital age where we can access music from anywhere, with any device at any time.

I am wondering which effects this digitalisation strategy will have on ticket sales and live performance guests. Will this be a way to access a new listener base who will maybe go to a concert at some point or who simply can’t so based on their geographic location or will in the future the Philharmoniker only play without an audience as all guests are tuned in via the internet. Especially when the quality of audio and video are further improving.

On November 7, 2016, Paul Odefey commented on The Education of a Reluctant Businessman :

Great post!

It’s great to read about a company that has actually put sustainability at the core of its business (and business model). I wonder how Patagonia can serve even more as an example for the industry as a whole. How outspoken is Patagonia about it? From the comments it seems that many people already knew of Patagonia’s values, but are they actively marketing this focus?
If Patagonia can be successful both in terms of impact on the environment (and society) while also being profitable, Patagonia should be the leading example of tripple bottom line focussed business.

On November 7, 2016, Paul Odefey commented on Care for the crop; Care for the cup :

Amazing post!

How do you think, we as consumers can help to make an impact here? Should we ask and look out for environmental friendly coffee? Should we be willing to pay up? Or is it really a question of demand and should we all try to limit ourselves in our daily intake?
I read that Nestle for their Nespresso brand and Starbucks have made an impact on the supply chain, as they only buy highest premium coffee that was produced in line with fair trade policies (because given their high price points and margins, they can afford it) – have they also put climate change on their agenda? Should they?

On November 7, 2016, Paul Odefey commented on ZARA – How to reduce carbon footprint in fast-fashion, one of the most polluting industry in the world :

Very insightful piece!

As per your last point, the real question is really, how Zara and other fast fashion retailers can incentivise customers to wear clothing for longer periods and propose more sustainable use rather than just sustainable production, without severely harming its own business. In order to do that Zara would likely need to change its business model, focus more on quality and charge higher prices in order to make up lost revenue for fewer pieces sold. An alternative could be something Ronnie brought up in a comment to my Adidas post; if Zara and others continue to rely on “fast use” and high frequency purchases, they could at least try to actively promote recycle or reuse (through charitable organisations).

On November 7, 2016, Paul Odefey commented on Seeking Snow: The Impact of Climate Change on Vail Resorts :

Super interesting post!

As you can image, European ski resorts are facing the very same issues and have put climate change on top of their agendas. While the resorts in higher altitudes in Switzerland and France, where most resorts go up to 3000m plus, have seen less snow but not existential threats to their business, resorts especially in Austria have had to adapt quickly.
Kitzbühel, one of the most famous European resorts with 600k visitors each year only goes up to only 1950m (6400ft) and has seen its season been shortened by weeks over the past years. They have invested more than €100m over the past decade in artificial snow machines and new lifts to stay attractive. While trying everything to keep its skiing possible, Kitzbühel is also trying to focus on making it more interesting as a summer destination.

On November 7, 2016, Paul Odefey commented on Farming the Data :

Great post, Matt. What do you think is the end game for a company like Trimble? To what size can Trimble grow? Given recent M&A activity in the sector (especially Bayer trying to acquire Monsanto) I am wondering if this will be a likely target for a larger corporate soon.