BUILDING A NEW BERTELSMANN

Bertelsmann literally took the title of his annual report - and created a two-and-a-half-meter B. The central aspect of brainstorming was the combination of attractive architecture based on the visual elements of the printed annual report and an innovative yet intuitive interaction with multimedia content from all business areas.

Six screens and five computers provide a playful, modern and entertaining amount of information, which makes Bertelsmann and the products of its subsidiary companies more tangible. For the viewer there is a lot to try out.

A LIVING EXHIBIT

A first subtle impression of the "living" exhibit already arises when approaching. A picture strip incorporated into the front - consisting of photos of various media content - changes from a pulsating light to a running light emphasizing the details.

Various audiobooks can be heard at an audio station, from Penguin Random House and the German-language publishing group Random House as well as songs by BMG artists. If a visitor puts on headphones, they can activate albums and audiobooks by simply touching the covers on the exhibit surface. By using the haptic wheel, you can access more than 100 other audio samples.

The highlight: integrated tablets provide further information. So biographies can be called up on singers, authors or summaries of audiobooks.

WATCH VIDEOS AND BROWSE BOOKS

In front of a large screen, the visitor can sit in the B, and makes themselves comfortable in the "Videolounge" and can watch more than 80 videos that can be selected and swiped on the screen via a built-in "B" touchpad remote control , On offer is a range from trailers and corporate films to entire TV episodes and web videos that are assigned to the strategic directions of the company.

Bookcases incorporate bestselling titles by Penguin Random House or the Random House publishing group and G + J magazines. There is also a lot of additional knowledge to be discovered through a special sensor system attached to the products.

If you want to refresh your knowledge about the core markets of Bertelsmann and the defined growth regions and learn the respective national language, you can also try this out - you can learn different phrases in Chinese, Indian, Portuguese, Spanish, French, English and German at this interactive station.

On another touch screen, the current Bertelsmann online annual report can be accessed.

The B was in use from early 2015 to mid-2016 and often still goes ‘on tour’. It has been used far more often than originally planned.