Carsten Ovens has lived, studied, and worked in Australia, Germany and the United Arab Emirates. With a strong background in market entry strategies, brand positioning, brand architecture, retro marketing, and brand revitalization work, he focused his interests on strategic brand management.

Prior writing Brand Origin Management, Carsten worked for different management- and branding consultancies on projects in several B2C markets, including automotive, consumer goods, financial services, and the fashion industry. Thus, he has experienced a broad knowledge of industry specific complexities. At present, Carsten is engaged as a business development specialist working for a leading international software company.

Besides his professional experience, for many years he has worked for a German student marketing consultancy, including projects in brand management for both global players and SME throughout Germany. Until recently he was engaged as an internal coach, training the local management boards of the association.

Carsten has studied Business Administration at the University of Hamburg, researching brands and country-of-origin effects. Additionally, he holds a master’s degree in International Business from Macquarie University, Sydney.

Brand Origin Management

Brand Origin Management is a new approach in strategic brand management, focusing on how consumers perceive the relevance of their brands´ origins.

With a new pace in globalization reached at the beginning of the 21st century, more and more brands are expanding into the global markets and finally turning into multinational or global brands themselves. In this process, some of them try to keep track of their origin, others completely loose their national identity. The one way or the other, finally reaching a global status, a brand can easily dominate its product category, building on high consumers´ brand awareness on the one hand, and low production costs using economies of scale on the other hand.

One man´s meat is another man´s poison. Brands with proud heritage, focused on regional markets, are under strong pressure defending their market shares against the global competition. However, these regional brands have another trump card to play: their origin. Following a brand origin management approach can help local brands not only to survive but to beat the global competition.