Birch and Partners

What Birch and Partners does

Birke und Partner GmbH (operating as Birke und Partner and branded 'bup') is a privately held German communications agency founded in 1993 by Ralf Birke and Sabine Birke in Erlangen, Bavaria. The firm operates exclusively as a B2B professional services agency delivering History Marketing, History Communication, Heritage Management, Corporate Archive consulting, History Research, anniversary (Jubiläumskommunikation) campaigns, and integrated storytelling production (film, exhibitions, magazines, brand books) to clients across the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland). Its core methodology fuses academic-grade historical research — performed by in-house historians including PhDs — with creative communications strategy and end-to-end production, a combination the firm describes as a category-defining proprietary approach it developed in 2008-2009 and which it is the first to bring into Germany's GWA industry association.

The agency serves large enterprises and corporate brands as its primary segment, with a documented logo base spanning industrial manufacturing (NETZSCH, Wehrfritz, C.HAFNER), home appliances (Miele), chemicals (BASF), sporting goods (PUMA), agricultural machinery (CLAAS), banking (Stadtsparkasse München), fashion retail (Hirmer), housing (GWG München), and institutional clients (IHK Nürnberg). SMEs and institutional clients constitute secondary segments. Revenue is generated through custom-quoted, project-based professional service engagements — no SaaS, marketplace, or licensed-technology model exists — with pricing varying by scope from archival consulting to full 360-degree campaigns. Distribution is purely direct: consultative sales, pitches, referrals, and relationship-led renewals, supported by thought-leadership content (the 'Storys' editorial section, LinkedIn), industry conferences, and an active awards strategy.

The firm is led by Managing Directors Michael Bantele (joined 2009, MD since 2017) and Fabian Birke (founder's son, MD since 2022), with Sabine Birke overseeing Finance and Dr. Andreas Plöger appointed to the Geschäftsleitung in February 2026. Founder Ralf Birke departed the management board in July 2026 after 33 years but remains a shareholder. Headcount is reported as 11-50 employees, and there is no evidence of external investment, M&A activity, subsidiaries, or technology platform development. The agency's primary moat is its interdisciplinary in-house talent (historians, archivists, heritage conservators, filmmakers, editors) combined with 33 years of accumulated corporate history project experience in the DACH market.

Name

Birch and Partners

Legal name

Birke und Partner GmbH

Website

https://birke.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Birke und Partner is a privately held German communications agency founded in 1993 and headquartered in Erlangen, specializing in History Marketing, Corporate Archive consulting, and heritage storytelling for large enterprises and corporate brands across the DACH region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Erlangen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services — History Marketing & Communication: Birke und Partner generates revenue through fee-based professional service engagements including History Marketing strategy, Corporate Archive development and management, History Research, anniversary/celebration communication campaigns, Heritage Management, Storytelling, and film production. Projects are typically custom engagements scoped and quoted for individual clients, ranging from archival consulting to full 360-degree communication campaigns.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Birke und Partner GmbH is a Germany-based communications agency founded in 1993 that specializes in History Marketing, Corporate Archive setup and management, Heritage Management, and Historical Storytelling for corporate clients. The firm supports companies in leveraging their corporate history for brand positioning, employee engagement, anniversary communications, and stakeholder storytelling. The company has worked with clients including NETZSCH, Miele, BASF, PUMA, CLAAS, Stadtsparkasse München, and IHK Nürnberg.

Product overview

Birke und Partner is a communication agency offering integrated History Marketing services. The core offering combines History Research, Corporate Archives setup and management, and Storytelling capabilities to help companies leverage their heritage for brand building, employer branding, and crisis communication. Services are delivered as project-based engagements rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• History Marketing Strategic service that converts a client's corporate history into brand, communications, and stakeholder-narrative assets. Targeted at corporate communications, marketing, and brand teams that need heritage-driven positioning.
• Corporate Archives (Aufbau und Pflege von Unternehmensarchiven) Setup, structuring, and ongoing care of physical and digital corporate archives, including cataloguing, preservation, and access infrastructure. Aimed at companies seeking to formalise their historical record-keeping.
• Heritage Management Consulting service for managing a company's historical identity, including heritage strategy, narrative frameworks, and integration with brand and communications activities. Targeted at corporate heritage and brand custodians.
• History Research (Historische Recherche) Primary-source historical research service for corporate clients, covering archive excavation, oral history, fact-checking, and narrative reconstruction. Used to support marketing, anniversary, and stakeholder communications with verified historical content.
• Anniversary Communication (Jubiläumskommunikation) Communications service for corporate milestone anniversaries, including campaign concept, content production, events, and stakeholder outreach. Targeted at corporate communications teams planning jubilee programmes.
• Storytelling (Geschichtenerzählen / Historische Erzählung) Creative storytelling service that transforms historical research and archival material into narratives across editorial, film, and design formats. Aimed at marketing and brand teams seeking differentiated, heritage-based content.

Quantifiable outcome

• Award-winning projects: Internationaler Deutscher PR-Preis 2024 (Bewegtbild category), two Dolphins at Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards 2024, Gold at THE BEST AGENCY 2024 (Spezialagenturen category), Gold at bcm-Awards (Corporate Print), Gold at Best of Corporate Print Award 2025

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GWA (Gesamtverband Kommunikationsagenturen GWA e.V.)coreOthers · 1 January 2022Birke und Partner joined the GWA (Gesamtverband Kommunikationsagenturen), Germany's most important communications agency industry association, in 2022. With approximately 140 members out of over 20,000 advertising agencies in Germany, the GWA represents the leading communications agencies in the country. Birke und Partner is the first communications agency with a History Marketing / History Communication focus to be admitted to the GWA. The membership provides the agency with industry visibility, network access, and credibility as a leading specialized agency.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Antoni Group: Berlin-based independent creative agency with strong reputation for integrated brand campaigns. Comparable mid-sized independent German creative peer competing in similar enterprise storytelling and brand activation work.
• Kolle Rebbe: Hamburg-based creative agency known for integrated campaigns and brand storytelling. Similar mid-sized independent positioning and GWA membership; competing for the same enterprise communications budgets.
• Thjnk: Hamburg-based independent creative agency founded in 2012. Comparable as a German independent creative agency of similar scale serving major brands with strategic storytelling and integrated communications.
• Grabarz & Partner: Hamburg-based independent creative agency and GWA member. Comparable as a mid-sized specialized German creative agency competing for the same enterprise brand-storytelling engagements.
• Scholz & Friends: Berlin/Hamburg-based independent creative agency with deep experience in brand storytelling and corporate communications for major German enterprises. Comparable as a full-service German creative agency serving DAX-grade clients with integrated campaign work.

Emerging players

• denkwerk: Cologne-based independent digital agency with strong creative and digital storytelling capabilities. Comparable as a mid-sized German agency serving enterprise clients with brand and content work, though more digitally focused.

Broad incumbents

• Serviceplan Group: Europe's largest independent agency group headquartered in Munich. Comparable as a major German full-service communications house competing for enterprise marketing budgets, though vastly larger and offering integrated digital, media, and creative services.
• DDB Germany: German arm of the global DDB network. Comparable as a large established creative agency serving enterprise clients in Germany with brand and corporate communications work.
• Jung von Matt: One of Germany's largest independent creative agency networks with offices across Germany. Comparable as a GWA-leading German creative powerhouse serving many of the same enterprise clients, but operating at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Heimat (TBWA): Berlin-based creative agency within the TBWA global network. Comparable as a German creative agency serving major enterprise clients with brand storytelling; broader scope and network resources versus Birke's specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birke-und-partner-gmbh
• Xx.com/birkeundpartner
• Facebookfacebook.com/BirkeundPartner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Birch and Partners