Interview

Catching up with...

Blaupunkt’s Managing Director, Andrzej Cebrat on how the brand has grown and evolved in the decades since its formation

Blaupunkt was the first brand to invent car radios in Europe – can you outline how the company heralded this invention?

“It was long time ago in Germany, 1932, Blaupunkt created the AS 5. It was the first car radio created in Europe. This radio had everything that we would want in a car radio even today. The Blaupunkt radio had a remote control, external data sources, and even theft protection. The radio itself was ahead of its time but was too heavy and expensive for the average consumer. The AS 5 cost 465 reichsmarks which was about a third of the cost of a new car at the time. A few years later Blaupunkt would go on to create a new radio for Volkswagen that would be 76 reichsmarks and significantly smaller. The German ingenuity, technology and innovation that was present in both radios are still hallmarks of the Blaupunkt brand today.”

And a brief history of Blaupunkt?

“It all started with a Blue Dot. In German Blaupunkt directly translated to “blue dot”. In the 1920’s the Ideal company would put all their headphones through a rigorous quality control process. Once the headphones had passed quality control, they would put a blue dot on the headphones as a visual cue that the headphones were of superior quality. Soon customers would go to the store and ask for the headphones with the “Blaupunkt.” The Ideal company soon adopted the quality control symbol as their brand and the brand Blaupunkt was born. Blaupunkt, has been synonymous with German technology, innovation, and quality for nearly a decade now. In 1932 Blaupunkt was responsible for the first car radio in Europe. By 1959 Blaupunkt had sold over 1 million car radios. In 1979 that number increased to over 25 million and by 1999 Blaupunkt was celebrating the 100 millionth unit. Blaupunkt was also responsible for the first mass-produced navigation system, so the tradition of innovation goes far beyond just car or personal audio. In 2009 Blaupunkt introduced the Global Brand Community through the licensing program.

What was the brand’s first foray into brand licensing?

It’s amazing to think that the Blaupunkt licensing concept has already existed for over twelve years! We started with two licensees. Since 2009 the community has grown consistently, exploring new regions and categories.

How many licenses do you have now?

Today, the Blaupunkt brand has a diverse group of licensees covering our core and more modern categories globally. To sum it up with numbers Blaupunkt has almost 60 contracts in about 100 countries with over forty different license partners.

How is the brand’s global recognition?

Blaupunkt was originally recognized as a high-end audio, car audio, and television brand. It was recognized for great design and functionality including the newest features and highest quality components. Blaupunkt has developed over the years into a brand that is recognized for electronics, audio, and appliances. The transition from high-end audio to an all-around electronics and gadget brand was seamless as the brand is recognized for its quality and German engineering. Our brand partners act globally and with a diverse portfolio of product categories. This solidifies consumer affinity and recognition for the brand globally.

And what does it stand for?

Blaupunkt customers expect quality products at a fair price that perform as advertised. As I’ve previously mentioned, Blaupunkt has stood for technology, innovation, and quality for nearly a century.

What are you looking for when you carefully select partners?

We are looking for companies that really comprehend the value of our brand’s heritage and ones that also understand what it means to work with a brand so deeply rooted in it’s history. We look for trusted companies that are looking for rapid expansion. Companies looking for expansion may try to move into new territories or product categories. Alternatively, they could be looking for a way to diversify their portfolio or elevated their profitability by using a trusted brand name. Ultimately, we are looking for companies who are seeking ways to differentiate themselves on the market to achieve competitive advantages.

Which categories are you looking to expand into?

We are open to expansion worldwide. However, we do have a current focus on finding brand partners for home audio, television, small domestic appliances, E-mobility, car accessories, computers, gaming accessories, mobile phones and mobile phone accessories in North and South America as well as Africa. We are also looking for licensees for the Chinese market who are interested in television, audio, air conditioning, or E-mobility product categories. Many of these product categories are already excelling under the Blaupunkt brand in other regions, so we believe these are truly great opportunities for new partnerships.