Dear reader,

Who will foot the bill? In 1949, the prohibitive costs of Germany’s postwar reconstruction actually made it into a popular song. The new German currency introduced that year woke fears that the inflation of the early 1920s would repeat itself.

While the worries proved unfounded, the spectre of inflation has returned lately as one of the most pressing topics of our times (in addition to ESG, of course), raising the question how to cope with the inflation-related cost hikes, margin pressure as well as their downstream consequences.

Insights of a communication consultant

I will say right off that I don’t have the answers either, being just a column writer. But I will gladly share another piece of my mind from the “insights of a communication consultant” (and you may have seen it coming):

Focus on your core asset, and generate extra value-added to set yourself apart from the competition.

Combining the two may well be the most difficult approach to take, but it also represents your best bet in terms of crisis-resilience. Differently put: It will hone your competitive edge. May I suggest a good way to start? Set up your communications strategy in such a way that your core messages (ideally) transport your transforming power outward to your target groups. In short: Create an entertaining value added. A very recent survey by the Zukunftsinstitut trend analysis and futurology institute aptly calls this “valuetainment.” That being said: Please enjoy your read of this edition of FondsNews, our property fund newsletter.