heise medien

Growth needs clarity: Sharpened positioning for c't and heise online increases focus and relevance

Distinct brand roles
Precise roles for c't and heise online give clear guidance to editorial and product teams.

Precise audience focus
Data-driven, interest-based audience profiles enable tailored content and offerings.

Structure in the digital ecosystem
A consistent brand logic reduces overlap and creates clarity for new offerings.

Foundation for digital development
Clearly defined brand and audience profiles lay the groundwork for new formats, products and revenue opportunities.

At a glance

heise medien is one of the most influential tech publishers in the German-speaking world and has reached millions for decades with heise online and c't. As the portfolio grew, overlaps emerged between the brands and assumptions about target audiences became inconsistent. DAYONE sharpened the roles of heise online and c't and developed an interest-based audience logic. The result: a clear brand model as a foundation for new formats, products and business models.

Client: heise medien, brands heise online and c't
Industry: Media and Publishing (B2C/B2B)
Services: Digital strategy, brand positioning, audience research (ICPs), stakeholder workshops
Result: Sharpened brand model with ICPs as the foundation for new formats, products and business models

The heise online and c't logos side by side, separated by a diagonal edge

Clearly defined brand roles

DAYONE sharpened the positioning of c't and heise online from the ground up and clarified the functional and emotional role each brand plays in the digital ecosystem. This new clarity helps editorial, product and management make decisions faster and align content more clearly. Both brands make their respective strengths more visible and differentiate themselves more clearly in the market.

Interest-based audience profiles as the new foundation

With the Interest-Based Customer Profiles (ICPs), DAYONE has developed a data-driven audience model that reflects real usage needs and situational interests better than classic personas. The ICPs show which user groups are more drawn to c't and which to heise online, and why. This provides a foundation for content, formats, subscription offerings and products that fit each target group.

Two people at a desk in front of a laptop showing source code, overlaid with the audience labels “Insider”, “Explorer” and “Entscheider”

Two people assembling a computer with a smartphone guide beside them, overlaid with the labels “Bastler und Maker”, “Deep Diver” and “Skill Builder”

Clear value propositions and differentiators

DAYONE developed precise value propositions and differentiators for both brands, showing the specific value c't and heise online create for their respective audiences. This gives the brands a clear editorial focus, strengthening their relevance and enabling clear differentiation in the market.

Specific work packages for implementation

Together with heise medien, DAYONE defined specific next steps to embed the new brand and audience profiles into the organisation. The work packages range from portfolio analyses and format rationalisation through community approaches to product ideas and editorial enablement measures, and provide the roadmap for implementation.

Outcome

heise online and c't now have clear, distinct brand roles, rather than previously sharing parallel formats and inconsistent audience assumptions.
With the Interest-Based Customer Profiles (ICPs), a data-driven audience logic is in place that shows which user groups are drawn to c't and which to heise online.
Specific work packages are in place for implementation, ranging from portfolio analyses and format decisions to community approaches and initial product ideas for both brands.

Our Services for a Successful Collaboration

The project was built on a structured process that connected insights, strategy and collaborative alignment. Research, workshops and strategic conclusions were interlocked so that clear brand positionings could emerge for heise online and c't. The results are evidence-based, actionable and geared directly towards the digital development of both brands.

Research and analysis of the brand and product portfolio

We began by examining the existing ecosystem of heise online and c't, including content, formats, audiences and market positions. The analysis made visible where overlaps exist, where there is potential to differentiate and how both brands are used today.

Workshops with editorial, product and management

In a series of facilitated workshops, expectations, strengths, subject areas and target pictures were developed together. The process ensured that editorial, product teams and management built a shared understanding and that the results are broadly anchored.

Development of brand roles, value propositions and points of differentiation

Drawing on all the findings, we formulated clear brand roles for heise online and c't. At the same time we derived precise value propositions and differentiating features that describe what each brand offers its audiences.

Development of the interest-based audience logic (ICPs)

With interest-based customer profiles we developed an audience structure that reflects real information needs. The ICPs help editorial and product teams align content, formats and offerings precisely with relevant usage situations.

Definition of concrete work packages for delivery

Finally, we jointly defined clear next steps for carrying the new brand profiles into the organisation and its products. The work packages cover portfolio analysis, format decisions, community approaches, enablement measures and initial product ideas for both brands.

Case Strabag - User guidance for a complex topic

Frequently asked questions

How does a digital strategy differ from brand positioning alone?

A digital strategy defines how a company develops its entire digital business. Brand positioning clarifies in advance which role each brand plays in the market and within its own portfolio. For heise medien, that was the first step before formats and digital products for c't and heise online could be defined.

How do you develop a positioning that genuinely remains distinct in the competitive landscape?

A distinctive positioning comes from analysing the existing portfolio and using a data-driven audience logic, not from a mere wording exercise. At heise medien, analysis of the brand and offering portfolio and the interest-based audience profiles fed into sharpening the roles of c't and heise online.

How do you ensure a new positioning doesn’t just sit on paper, but is adopted by the team?

Positioning takes hold when the people who work with it every day have helped create it themselves. At heise medien, several facilitated workshops were held with the editorial team, product teams and management, where expectations, strengths and future-state visions were co-created.

How does brand positioning work when two brands in the same portfolio could compete for the same audience?

What matters is an audience logic that shows who is drawn to which brand and why. For c't and heise online, the Interest-Based Customer Profiles do exactly that: they show which user groups fit c't better and which fit heise online, instead of developing both brands for the same audience.

Last updated on 25 September 2026.