Bertsch.Brand Consultants

What Bertsch.Brand Consultants does

Bertsch.Brand Consultants (operating as B.BC) is an independent, founder-led boutique consulting firm headquartered in Hessen, Germany, specializing in the systemic development and transformation of corporate identities. Founded by Prof. Annette Bertsch and Georg-Christof Bertsch and incorporated under the registered trademark BERTSCH.BRAND CONSULTANTS®, the firm delivers brand strategy, brand architecture, corporate identity, naming, storytelling, communication strategy, and executive coaching services to a mix of startups, German Mittelstand, and DAX-level enterprises, alongside government and cultural institution clients. Service delivery is anchored by proprietary frameworks — most notably the Brand Steering Wheel (Markensteuerrad), classical and agile process planning, a cross-knowledge-driven methodology, and an empathy-based dialog approach — with both founders serving as personal lead consultants on every engagement.

The firm operates a project-based and retainer professional services model with quote-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed. It is registered with the German Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA, ID 208719), allowing clients to access subsidized federal advisory funding on eligible engagements. Customer acquisition is entirely sales-led and relationship-driven, relying on personal networks, referrals, and active participation in German design and digital industry associations (Deutscher Design Club, Bitkom), academic institutions (HfG Offenbach, Kunsthochschule Kassel), and community initiatives (Women of DDC, Learn & Burn). Beyond paid engagements, the firm operates thought-leadership channels including the DDCAST podcast and university teaching roles, and maintains a long-standing strategic co-development partnership with design execution partner hauser lacour. Reported scope includes 40+ documented named client projects across banking, energy, healthcare, legal, industrial, government, and cultural sectors.

The firm has no proprietary technology platform and operates with a headcount reported in the 1-10 band. The two co-founders combine more than 60 years of consulting experience and are personally involved in every project, making the business model highly dependent on founder capacity and limiting scalability without further organizational investment.

Name

Bertsch.Brand Consultants

Legal name

BERTSCH.Brand Consultants

Website

https://bertschbrandconsultants.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bertsch.Brand Consultants (B.BC) is a founder-led boutique brand consulting firm in Hessen, Germany, providing brand strategy, brand architecture, corporate identity, and transformation consulting to startups, German Mittelstand, and DAX enterprises using proprietary frameworks such as the Brand Steering Wheel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Strategy Consulting

NAICS

Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Brand Strategy & Positioning (BPAFAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Brand Consulting, Audits & Research (Brand Health, Equity, Competitive) (BPAFAEAJ), Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG), Strategy & Corporate Development Consulting (BPAHACAA)

Keywords

• Brand strategy consulting
• Corporate identity development
• Brand transformation services
• Brand architecture consulting
• Executive coaching services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hessen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Brand Consulting: BERTsch.Brand Consultants generates revenue through professional consulting engagements, including brand strategy, brand architecture, corporate identity development, and transformation consulting. Engagements are project-based or retainer arrangements with enterprise and mid-market clients, ranging from startups to DAX companies. The firm also offers management coaching and BAFA-registered advisory services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bertsch.Brand Consultants is an independent boutique consulting firm providing strategic brand positioning, brand architecture, corporate identity development, and brand transformation services. The firm serves startups, mid-market (Mittelstand), and DAX-listed enterprises through three integrated service pillars: BRANDING (strategy, identity, naming, storytelling), CONSULTING (transformation, communication concepts, agency briefing), and MANAGEMENT-BERATUNG (executive coaching, business model transformation). Both founders personally lead every engagement.

Product overview

BERT SCH.Brand Consultants is an independent consulting company specializing in systemic development and transformation of corporate identities. The company offers a unified portfolio of integrated services organized around three core pillars: BRANDING (strategic brand development, brand architecture, brand identity, naming, storytelling), CONSULTING (transformation support, communication concepts, agency screening, creative briefing, workshop design), and MANAGEMENT-BERATUNG (personal coaching for executives, strategic business consulting, corporate/personal branding). Additional offerings include BAFA-registered eligible business consulting and design management education through a honorary professorship at Kunsthochschule Kassel. The company also operates the DDCAST podcast and supports the Women of DDC network initiative. Services range from strategy development to implementation support, including briefing and procurement of execution partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BRANDING Services Comprehensive brand strategy, architecture, and identity development including Brand Strategy, Brand Architecture, Brand Identity, Brand Steering Wheel (Markensteuerrad), Values/Purpose/North Star definition, Cultural Positioning, Mission & Vision, Naming, Brand Character & Behavior Development, Storytelling, Social Media Positioning, Corporate Identity, Corporate Claims/Slogans, Corporate Language, and Co-Branding Definitions. Targeted at organizations seeking to define or redefine their market positioning.
• CONSULTING Services Transformation consulting, communication concepts, agency screening and selection, creative briefing, editorial concepts, strategic/organizational/conceptual agency consulting, target group differentiation, and workshop design. Targeted at organizations undergoing change, mergers, or needing structured execution support.
• MANAGEMENT-BERATUNG (Management Consulting) Personal coaching and consulting for company and institution leaders, including strategic services (business model adjustment, transformation, partner transitions, mergers, succession planning) and communicative services (corporate and personal branding, internal communications, social media strategy, media training). Targeted at C-level executives and leadership teams.
• Coaching und Managementberatung (Coaching Services) One-on-one coaching and management consulting delivered personally by Georg-Christof Bertsch, structured around regular one-hour sessions focused on leadership development, transformation guidance, and strategic clarity for senior executives and business owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• HILABS GmbH secured substantial investor funding in 2023 following B.BC's brand development, positioning, and corporate communications launch.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers27 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Deutscher Design Club e.V. (DDC)coreOthers · 1 January 2020Georg-Christof Bertsch is a board member of the DDC (elected 2018, re-elected 2021 and 2023) and hosts the DDCAST weekly podcast. Annette Bertsch is an active member and co-initiator of Women of DDC. The DDC is Germany's leading design professional association, providing B.BC with significant visibility and referral network.
• BITKOM Arbeitskreis DigitaldesignminorOthers · 1 January 2019Georg-Christof Bertsch has been a member of the Bitkom Digital Design Working Group since 2019. Bitkom is the German digital industry association. This membership provides industry engagement and thought leadership opportunities.
• Hessen Design CompetitionminorOthers · 1 January 2019Annette Bertsch has served as a mentor for the Hessen Design Competition since 2019, an annual award for outstanding design achievements from Hesse awarded by Hessen Design e.V. and funded by the Hessian Ministry for Economic Affairs.
• Steinbeis ExistenzgründungsberaterminorOthers · 1 January 2018Georg-Christof Bertsch was an accredited startup advisor for Steinbeis Existenzgründung from 2018 to 2025, supporting early-stage companies through the Steinbeis network.
• Technika | Karlsruher Technik-InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Georg-Christof Bertsch was a founding member (2018) of the Technika initiative in Karlsruhe and developed its brand. The initiative focuses on technological innovation in the Karlsruhe region.
• Kunsthochschule Kassel (Universität Kassel)coreOthers · 1 January 2010Prof. Annette Bertsch has taught as an honorary professor (Honorarprofessorin) at the Kunsthochschule Kassel in the Product Design department since 2010 (lecturer since 2010, professor since 2018). She teaches Design Management for Designers, bridging academic education and practical consulting experience.
• Hochschule für Gestaltung Offenbach (HfG)coreOthers · 1 January 2009Georg-Christof Bertsch served as an honorary professor (ehrenamtlicher Honorarprofessor) at HfG Offenbach from 2009 to 2022, teaching courses including 'Leading across cultures.' He co-founded the International Project Platform Offenbach (IPPO) and the Designinstitut für Mobilität und Logistik (DML) at the institution.
• hauser lacourcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerB.BC has been engaged by hauser lacour since 2005 as a strategic partner in early-stage strategy and planning processes for complex client engagements. hauser lacour is an internationally operating brand and design agency (100+ design awards). B.BC contributes brand strategy, positioning, and change concepts, while hauser lacour handles design execution. Together they have won major pitches including HAGER, Fraport, and Sidel.
• Bietz.Design (Johannes Bietz)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor the Steinbeis Beratungszentrum project, B.BC collaborated closely with product designer and design strategist Johannes Bietz (Bietz.Design, Offenbach a.M.) to develop a visual representation (2D and 3D) of the client's complex consulting approach.
• Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und WohnungswesencoreOthersB.BC was commissioned to restructure hundreds of print publications and create a comprehensive corporate literature system and design manual for one of Germany's largest federal ministries. This multi-year engagement (2004-2005) involved internal surveys across minister and state secretary levels.
• BÜRO SCHRAMM Corporate DesigncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerB.BC collaborated with BÜRO SCHRAMM (Offenbach) on the brand development for Musikalische Akademie Mannheim (MAM). B.BC provided strategic positioning while BÜRO SCHRAMM handled corporate design implementation. The partnership enabled immediate acceptance of the new brand within a conservative environment.
• Goethe-InstitutcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorg-Christof Bertsch collaborated with the Goethe-Institut Chennai on the 'Embrace Our Rivers' water conference (2016) and previously on a Water Week (2015). The Goethe-Institut provided funding (Exzellenzförderung) and institutional support. Bertsch was invited to develop and co-lead the conference, which attracted 700 participants and 30+ workshops over 3 days.
• teccle group GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerB.BC developed the brand strategy for fellofox, a managed services company founded within the teccle group. The engagement was conducted in close collaboration with the teccle group's leadership and C-level executives. fellofox operates as a subsidiary/brand under the teccle group umbrella.
• vielfältige DesignbürosminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorB.BC collaborates with a network of design agencies for execution. On the Klimaroute project, Till Hergenhahn, Kai Linke, Katja Kirchhoff, Sophia Muckle, Uwe Tischer, and Martin Wenzel were among the design partners. On various projects, agencies like hauser lacour, Eyeworkers (Karlsruhe), and others handle visual execution following B.BC's strategic direction.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MetaDesign: Berlin-headquartered brand consultancy offering brand strategy, identity, and design execution, comparable to B.BC in serving German enterprise and Mittelstand clients with integrated strategy-to-design engagements.
• Sievert Larsen: Independent German strategy and brand consultancy with a boutique positioning comparable to B.BC, serving enterprise clients with brand and corporate strategy engagements.
• Peter Schmidt Group: Hamburg-based brand and design consultancy (now part of WPP/Burson) comparable to B.BC in delivering brand strategy, naming, and corporate identity for major German and European corporate clients.
• Strichpunkt: Stuttgart/Munich-based brand and design consultancy offering brand strategy and corporate identity services for German enterprise clients, with a similar boutique-style positioning.
• Scholz & Friends: Hamburg-headquartered creative group with a brand strategy and corporate identity practice serving DAX and Mittelstand clients, directly comparable to B.BC's brand strategy and positioning offering.
• KMS Team: Munich-based brand strategy and design consultancy (now part of Accenture Song) with a comparable German-rooted offering across brand positioning, identity, and communication strategy for enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• FutureBrand: Global brand consultancy (Interpublic) with strategy, identity, and experience design offerings — a broader incumbent competing for enterprise brand transformation work comparable to B.BC's positioning.
• Accenture Song: Global experience and brand transformation practice that acquired KMS Team, directly competing for the same German enterprise brand strategy and identity engagements as B.BC at much larger scale.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand consulting and design firm (WPP) with German operations, competing for the same enterprise brand strategy and identity engagements as B.BC but at significantly larger scale.
• Interbrand: Global brand consultancy (now part of Omnicom) with deep German presence offering brand strategy, naming, and identity at scale — a broader incumbent competing for the same enterprise brand mandates B.BC targets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeddc.de/de/magazin/ddcast.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bertsch-brand-consultants

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Bertsch.Brand Consultants