{
  "id": 4825441,
  "title": "Hitschler: „Wer nicht polarisiert, verliert“ – So knöpft Hitschies seinen Konkurrenten Markanteile ab",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/hitschler-wer-nicht-polarisiert-verliert-so-knopft-hitschies-seinen",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-01T08:38:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/unternehmen/mittelstand/familienunternehmer/hitschler-so-gewinnt-hitschies-marktanteile-von-der-konkurrenz/100243107.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Philip Hitschler-Becker, the business leader of the sweets manufacturer Hitschler, has gained widespread recognition due to his unconventional marketing techniques. One such technique involved him kneeling on the floor of Heidi Klum's dress, munching on red fruit gum laces. He shared a video of this incident on Instagram to promote his brand.\n\nHitschler-Becker, who is 38 years old, dons a white polo shirt with Hitschler branding, a gray cargo pants, and slip-on sneakers. His unique approach to self-promotion has set him apart from other German company CEOs. He distributes sour sweets on an Eurowings airplane, sings at the Beer King in Mallorca, and orders a dragon-tongue-flavored ice cream from McDonald's.\n\nHitschler works diligently in his line of work, which is dominated by secretive family businesses like Haribo, Katjes, and Storck. Even though Hitschler has a century-old heritage, the company has taken a modern turn since Hitschler-Becker took the helm in the fourth generation in 2017. Since then, Hitschler has emerged as one of the most visible brands in the industry, boasting nearly 775,000 followers across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn.",
  "summary": "Der Süßwarenhersteller wächst schneller als der Markt. Firmenchef Philip Hitschler-Becker hat weder Laptop noch E-Mail-Account – aber 775.000 Follower. Hängt die Marke zu sehr an seiner Person?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Hitschler: \"Who doesn't polarize, loses\" - That's how Hitschies takes away market shares from his competitors",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/hitschler-wer-nicht-polarisiert-verliert-so-knopft-hitschies-seinen",
        "published": "2026-08-28T02:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}