Flip the switch: Industrial AI for German SMEs
In Stats
220 articles
in business and trade press
Over 7 million total reach
via press articles
Over 12 million gross contacts
through speaker positioning
15 editors
at the roundtable (including Handelsblatt, FAZ, Business Punk, Markt und Mittelstand, and industrial trade media)
Key Results
Tags
Date 2025
How Berkeley Kommunikation, the German division of the international Berkeley Communications Group, supported Proalpha with a multichannel campaign that turned the the abstract notion of ‘industrial AI’ into tangible business solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany.
Last year, the discussion around artificial intelligence often remained too vague and theoretical for many companies. In particular, small and medium-sized manufacturers found themselves asking: ‘How can we actually implement AI – without the budget and expertise of large corporations?’ This is exactly where Proalpha, supported by Berkeley Kommunikation, stepped in with its campaign ‘Flip the Switch: Industrial AI for German SMEs’.
Through practical multi-channel communication, concrete use cases and ready-to-use AI apps, the trending topic became a genuine competitive advantage. Instead of experimentation, the focus shifted to the systematic use of industrial AI – tailored to the business reality of medium-sized companies.
What was the goal of the industrial AI campaign for Proalpha?
The goal was to position Proalpha as the leading voice on AI and business apps for industrial SMEs – while simultaneously demystifying industrial AI.
The focus lay on showing how medium-sized manufacturing companies in Germany, Austria and Switzerland can implement AI in a concrete and practical way. Industrial AI should no longer remain a buzzword, but rather be transformed into an effective, directly applicable business tool in the day-to-day reality of industrial SMEs.
Which target groups were addressed, and how?
The target group was clearly defined: decision-makers in medium-sized manufacturing companies (specialists and managers from IT, production and management) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The aim was to make industrial AI sustainably accessible through a communication approach based on the PESO model (a combination of paid, earned, shared and owned formats). The campaign was designed to build trust, provide concrete use cases and establish Proalpha as a credible partner and technical expert.
What strategy enabled the PR campaign to be implemented successfully?
The basis was a strong campaign slogan combined with a clear storytelling approach: ‘AI must leave the playgroup and enter into strategic overall conceptualisation!’
This storytelling narrative formed the basis for a cross-media, multi-stage PR campaign that was factual, and practical in terms of content.
Tactical implementation
Earned:
- Kick-off: Hybrid press conference at the Proalpha Business Festival with 15 participating journalists of German-speaking media (including FAZ, Handelsblatt, Business Punk, Markt und Mittelstand, heise, T3N) – held together with Proalpha customers Kuka and Inotec
- Thought leadership programme: Specialist articles, interviews, podcasts and commentaries in publications relevant to the target group in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Round tables and specialist forums within the DACH industrial landscape.
Paid:
- Live panel discussion with Christoph Kull (President of Business Applications, Proalpha) at the Ludwig Erhard Summit.
- Speaker slots at industry events: FAZ and Handelsblatt Summit as well as at the Hannover Messe trade fair.
Owned:
- Launch of the manufacturer-neutral content hub “Beyond Buzzwords”, offering practical articles and expert contributions on industrial AI, supported by a newsletter distributed to 12,000 customers and interested parties.
- B2B AI podcast “Machine Minds” with Michael Finkler (CEO, Proalpha) and Prof Dr Holger Schmidt (network economist and editor-in-chief of the F.A.Z. Digital Economy Briefing).
- Shared: Development and establishment of a LinkedIn campaign ambassador (Christoph Kull, President of Business Applications, Proalpha)
Results of the PR campaign
The campaign proved highly successful – both in terms of media response and reach, and in the targeted networking of Proalpha experts.
Press conference: Fifteen media representatives attended the press conference, including the leading German media outlets Handelsblatt, FAZ, Business Punk, Markt und Mittelstand, and other trade media from the industrial sector.
Media coverage: Within one year, the campaign by our DACH-team at Berkeley Kommunikation and Proalpha generated more than 220 articles in the business and trade press on the topic of “industrial AI,” reaching a potential audience of over seven million contacts. With a share of voice of 69 per cent, Proalpha clearly dominated the competitive landscape.
Reach boost through thought leadership positioning: Targeted events and accompanying communication measures achieved an additional potential gross reach of 12 million contacts.
Increased AI visibility: When asked, ‘Who provides ready-to-use AI apps for the medium-sized manufacturing industry?’, Proalpha (as of November 2025) is ranked first by Gemini alongside SAP (see screenshot below). The same result was also reproduced with ChatGPT.
Why was the campaign by Berkeley Kommunikation and Prolapha so successful?
‘Flip the Switch – Industrial AI for German SMEs’ became the strategic anchor point for Proalpha’s entire industrial AI agenda. Innovation, sales, and communications worked together, guided by a clear storytelling approach that addressed a target group heavily affected by crises and cost pressures: industrial SMEs in Germany.
Strategic approach & creative concept: With the storytelling approach “AI must get out of the playgroup and into a strategic overall concept,” the campaign deliberately set itself apart from superficial platitudes with its rich content.
Tactical planning & implementation: A sustainable, 12-month campaign built on an integrated communication strategy. Measures included press and customer events, roundtables, blog posts, specialist articles, podcasts and event communications.
And what does the client say?
Ronny Winkler, Head of Corporate Communications at Proalpha, comments:
“Industrial AI—the targeted use of AI technologies in industrial applications—is becoming increasingly important, especially in medium-sized industrial companies. Nevertheless, many companies have not yet succeeded in integrating AI strategically and profitably. Instead, they often remain in a ‘let’s try it out’ phase, without any long-term vision or tangible success.
A paradigm shift is urgently needed, especially in medium-sized industrial companies, if they want to avoid shifting from being drivers of innovation to being driven by it. After all, operational processes and the use of production data are the biggest levers for turning AI from an experiment into a real business enabler.
The goal of the joint campaign with Berkeley Kommunikation was to convey these messages to our core target group in a systematic and practical way and to be a navigator for our customers in the thorny AI jungle. Both the output and the outcome of the communication campaign speak for themselves: Mission accomplished!”
