Global market sees Viking green turn Stihl orange

By way of a complete coincidence it seems changes are afoot in the Viking camp. After visiting their Austrian HQ and seeing Stihl battery products being built alongside their Viking siblings news has come through of a branding change.

I was called to be told that all Viking products will change livery from their usual green to Stihl orange.

As of 2019, the Stihl Group will market the entire product line of garden tool manufacturer Viking exclusively under the Stihl brand name.

This change will enable the company to concentrate all sales and marketing activities on one brand.

This makes perfect sense as Viking is mostly known in Europe, whereas Stihl already has global presence.

I was also informed that the impressive Viking plant will see a further boost in employment. That’s never a bad thing is it?

The Stihl brand strengthened

As both premium brands have product portfolios that complement each other, the overall product line will remain unchanged. In fact, it will continue to grow to meet customer needs.

Norbert Pick, executive board member responsible for marketing and sales stated:

By merging both product lines under a single brand name, we create greater transparency and easier orientation for servicing dealers and customers. Furthermore, we extend the assortment competence of the Stihl brand”

Spares and guarantees

Guarantees, spare parts and service for Viking products remain unchanged.

The Stihl Group guarantees that even after the brand change, parts availability, guarantees and service will continue as normal.

Executive board chairman Dr. Bertram Kandziora explained:

Our customers can continue to rely on the time-proven services of the dealers for the Viking tools they have bought.”

A word from Stihl GB

Robin Lennie, Managing Director of Stihl GB, said:

With the merger, we bolster the areas of expertise of the Stihl brand and as a consequence, we expect significant growth, new markets and larger market shares. This means new customers and higher sales for us and our servicing dealers. Furthermore, developments in the cordless market have enormous potential and now we are able to offer our dealers and customers a universal cordless system across all products under a single brand. In this context, the much better known Stihl brand has greater customer appeal.”

Moving forward

I really think this is not only a bold move but a sensible one. As I said in my Viking piece earlier in the week, the brand is only currently really known by those in the know.

Stihl already has a good global foothold so Viking’s part of the business can only benefit. It also makes sense from a marketing standpoint, both in strategy and in investment.

I look forward to more exciting news from the Stihl Group over the next few years.

Good luck to Stihl and Viking from GadgetyNews!