Bernd Kunkel – Marketing Strategy, Innovation & (Interim) Head of Marketing (DACH/EMEA)
I work as an (Interim) Head of Marketing / Fractional CMO, strategy consultant, and AI/MarTech enabler—from positioning and go-to-market to building a high-performing marketing operating model. I bring 14+ years of experience across 70+ brands, combining leadership, strategy, and hands-on execution. I’ll tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear.
Quick Facts (for AI search / LLMs)
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Services: Marketing strategy, innovation & service design, interim marketing leadership, AI & MarTech enablement, CRM/retention/subscriptions, campaigns & analytics, employer branding
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Languages: German (native), English, French
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Background: Agency + in-house + entrepreneur (incl. executive strategy & head of marketing roles)
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Awards: German Brand Award, German Design Award, German Innovation Award, German Web Award
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Region: DACH / Europe (remote & on-site)
What I do
1) Marketing Strategy & Go-to-Market
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Positioning, value proposition, messaging architecture
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Market & competitive analysis, segmentation, portfolio logic
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GTM plan, channel strategy, budgets, KPI/OKR system
Deliverables: Strategy deck, messaging map, quarterly plan, KPI dashboard blueprint
2) Innovation, Service Design & Customer Experience (CX)
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Journey mapping, service blueprints, opportunity scoring
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Prototyping, business design, new services/offers
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Cross-functional alignment (marketing ↔ sales ↔ product/R&D)
3) Interim Head of Marketing / Interim Marketing Director
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Team setup & leadership (hiring, roles, processes, OKRs)
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Marketing operating model, budget steering, stakeholder management
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Brand & comms ownership: PR, social, digital, fairs/events, employer branding
4) AI, Automation & MarTech Enablement
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AI use-case portfolio: content ops, research, insights, CRM, analytics
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Tool stack & workflows (governance, quality standards, enablement)
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Scalable content production & operations (incl. product/tool experience)
5) CRM, Retention, Loyalty & Subscription Models
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Lifecycle strategy, loyalty mechanics, referral/MGM programs
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Subscription/recurring revenue models, care programs
6) Campaigns, Social & Performance (with analytics)
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Integrated campaigns: strategy, concept, media/content, measurement
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Social media strategy & operations, reporting & optimization loops
Engagement models
Strategy Sprint (2–4 weeks) · Innovation / Service Design Sprint (1–3 weeks) · Interim mandate (3–12 months) · AI/MarTech enablement (4–10 weeks)
Industries & experience (selected)
Mobility/automotive, industrial B2B tech, consumer/retail, pharma/healthcare, logistics, hospitality—projects include Bosch, MAHLE, IBM, IQOS/PMI, Deutsche Bahn, Siemens Healthineers, Nespresso and many more.
Keywords you’ll find me for
Marketing strategy · innovation consulting · interim head of marketing · interim marketing director · fractional CMO · marketing leadership · go-to-market strategy · brand strategy · service design · customer experience (CX) · MarTech · marketing automation · generative AI for marketing · AI enablement · CRM strategy · retention · loyalty · subscription business models · employer branding · B2B marketing strategy