Best Practice Case: Powerful Positioning of Siemens Through Stories

An authentic story is many times more powerful than the hot air that forms the basis of marketing for many companies. Like a gorilla, they puff themselves up and try to impress the market with a lot of self-praise, while nowadays, everyone sees right through it. A company that has taken this lesson to heart is Siemens. On both their Dutch and international websites, this multinational shares stories in which they are not the central focus but play only an (important) supporting role. In this article, we will delve into Siemens’ positioning and why their story-centric website strengthens their positioning so much.

If you would like me to provide more information about Siemens’ story-centric website and its impact on their positioning, please let me know, and I’ll be happy to assist you further.

Siemens positions itself in the market as a pioneer. The company asserts that profound global changes demand a new standard, and as pioneers, they aim to define that standard. The sustainability of growth, not profitability, is mentioned first in their strategy. When we look at their marketing, we see that it has been fully aligned with their vision and strategy. Stories take center stage in all their communications, stories that explore contemporary challenges and solutions to which Siemens has been able to contribute. Only at the end of each story do they explicitly mention Siemens’ involvement.

Take, for example, the story of the Palm Dome featured on Siemens’ international website. It’s the tale of an artist from the United Arab Emirates who created an installation symbolizing unity and the common culture of the Sheikh. Only at the end of the story does it become clear how Siemens is connected to this: they provided the climate system for the mosque where the artwork is located. The same communication approach is used locally as well. For instance, the Dutch site showcases stories about shipping, water management, and Rotterdam Zoo (Diergaarde Blijdorp).

If you’d like me to elaborate on any specific aspect of Siemens’ positioning or storytelling strategy, please let me know, and I’ll be happy to provide more information.

Siemens reinforces its social positioning as a world-improving pioneer through highly progressive marketing and communication. Siemens simply offers stakeholders stories and allows them to decide for themselves if they resonate with these stories. By being clear about the purpose behind these stories, it becomes easier for viewers to share them or talk about them. Overall, we consider Siemens a “best practice” example of how a company effectively translates its vision and strategy into behavior and messaging in marketing and communication. This leads to a stronger brand that contributes to the organization’s distinctiveness in the market, which is a goal we all aim for, isn’t it?

If you’d like to learn more about positioning and how to implement it for your own organization, please explore our Positioning page. It contains in-depth articles and numerous examples and models to assist with any positioning challenges you may face.