ROOTS

What ROOTS does

ROOTS Brand Strategy Consultants GmbH is a privately held, founder-owned boutique marketing consulting firm headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. Founded in 2016, the firm operates with 1-10 employees under Managing Director Richard Erbler (formerly CMO at OBI and marketing leader at Coca-Cola, Metro, and BAT) and partners Manuel Stankovic (digital marketing and transformation) and Richard Bolten (AI strategy and governance). ROOTS serves CMOs and senior marketing decision-makers primarily in the DACH region, with named enterprise clients including Metro, TUI, Beiersdorf (NIVEA), Danone, Lidl, Alpro, Gropper, Sartorius, and Molkerei Berchtesgadener Land. The firm's positioning rests on practitioner-led advisory: consultants who have themselves managed brands on the client side.

The core offering is organized around the proprietary 6P Model, a six-pillar consulting framework spanning #Planning (growth strategy), #Purpose (brand positioning), #Presence (customer experience), #People (marketing capability), #Productivity (marketing operations), and #Performance (marketing analytics). ROOTS has extended this framework with three productized lines: the CMO JumpStart 16-week transition coaching program for newly appointed marketing leaders (priced at €1,960 individual / €7,960 corporate); the Agenturbriefing training seminars (€950 online, €1,050 in-person, custom in-house); and the ROOTS AI Governance Model, a five-stage EU AI Act-aligned framework for responsible AI deployment in marketing. The firm also operates Brylliant (brylliant.one), a digital briefing and agency management workflow platform.

ROOTS generates revenue through three streams: bespoke strategic marketing consulting engagements (project-based or retainer advisory), productized executive coaching (CMO JumpStart), and training seminars (Agenturbriefing). Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, relying on the firm's thought leadership blog (Think Tank), a quarterly newsletter, the roots-consultants.com website, and selective participation in industry events such as the OMR Digital Masterclass. Training is offered both through direct corporate bookings and open-enrollment public sessions in Düsseldorf and via Microsoft Teams. The company is German-speaking at its core, with an English-language website version indicating selective outreach to international enterprise buyers.

Name

ROOTS

Legal name

ROOTS Brand Strategy Consultants GmbH

Website

https://roots-consultants.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ROOTS is a Düsseldorf-based boutique marketing consulting firm serving CMOs and senior marketing leaders in DACH enterprise companies, delivering advisory through a proprietary 6P framework alongside CMO coaching, agency briefing training, and AI governance consulting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing & Brand Strategy Consulting

NAICS

Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Pricing, Revenue Growth Management (RGM) & Promo Analytics Services (CRAOAOAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Innovation Leadership & Leading Growth (EDABAAAO), Change Management & Transformation Leadership (EDABAAAD)

Keywords

• Brand strategy consulting
• Marketing strategy advisory
• Brand positioning services
• Marketing operations consulting
• Customer experience consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Strategic Marketing Consulting: Core revenue stream from providing strategic marketing and brand consulting services to enterprise clients. Engagements are project-based or retainered advisory relationships, typically targeting CMOs and senior marketing decision-makers in B2B contexts.
2. CMO JumpStart Coaching Program: A structured 16-week transition coaching program for marketing executives entering new CMO or senior marketing leadership roles. Revenue generated through program fees charged per individual or corporate participant.
3. Training & Seminars: Revenue from marketing training programs including Agenturbriefing seminars, offered in multiple formats: in-person (Düsseldorf, max 10 participants at €1,050), live online (two half-day sessions at €950), and in-house corporate training (custom pricing).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ROOTS is a strategic marketing and brand consulting boutique that helps CMOs and senior marketing leaders sharpen growth strategy, define brand positioning, optimize customer experience, build marketing capability, transform marketing operations, and establish marketing analytics. The firm delivers its work through a proprietary 6P framework and offers complementary structured programs including the CMO JumpStart executive coaching program, Agenturbriefing training seminars, the Brylliant digital briefing platform, and the ROOTS AI Governance Modell for responsible AI deployment in marketing.

Product overview

ROOTS Brand Strategy Consultants is a strategic marketing consulting boutique operating under a proprietary 6P-Modell framework consisting of six integrated service areas: #Planning (growth strategy), #Purpose (brand positioning), #Presence (customer experience), #People (marketing capability), #Productivity (marketing operations), and #Performance (marketing analytics). The company also offers specialized programs including the CMO JumpStart coaching for marketing executives, Agenturbriefing training seminars, and Brylliant—a digital briefing and agency management platform. With the ROOTS AI Governance Modell, the firm has expanded into AI strategy consulting, helping marketing leaders implement responsible AI practices. The company operates from Düsseldorf, Germany, and serves clients including Lidl, Beiersdorf, Danone, and TUI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 6P-Modell — Strategic Marketing & Brand Consulting Framework ROOTS' flagship integrated consulting framework with six pillars covering growth strategy, brand positioning, customer experience, marketing capability, marketing operations, and marketing analytics; for CMOs and senior marketing decision-makers at medium and large organizations.
• #Planning — Growth Strategy Consulting Strategic consulting for sustainable profitable growth and market share development, including marketing, brand, and category/product strategies; for senior marketing leaders seeking clear growth paths.
• #Purpose — Brand Positioning Consulting Brand positioning and purpose development services that define brand value for consumers, employees, and stakeholders; for CMOs and brand teams needing differentiation.
• #Presence — Customer Experience Consulting Customer experience strategy and program development for consistent, integrated customer journeys across all touchpoints; for marketing and CX leaders.
• #People — Marketing Capability Consulting Marketing team capability development including training, coaching, and skill-building programs; for CMOs and HR/L&D leaders building internal marketing talent.
• #Productivity — Marketing Operations Consulting Marketing system and process transformation for improved efficiency and productivity, including AI governance; for marketing operations leaders.
• #Performance — Marketing Analytics Consulting Marketing analytics infrastructure and data culture development as competitive advantage; for CMOs and analytics leaders seeking to demonstrate marketing ROI.
• CMO JumpStart Program A 16-week structured transition coaching program for marketing executives entering new CMO or senior marketing leadership roles, providing a kick-off, full-day workshop, bi-weekly check-ins, reflection meeting, peer exchange, and personalized 100-day roadmaps. Available as individual enrollment or corporate booking for HR/executive search firms.
• Agenturbriefing Training Seminars Training seminars on writing effective agency briefings, offered in three formats: in-person in Düsseldorf, live online via Microsoft Teams, and customized in-house corporate training. Includes downloadable templates and optional 1:1 coaching for briefing creation; for marketing teams and their agency partners.
• Brylliant — Digital Briefing & Agency Management Platform Digital briefing and agency management platform for creating structured briefs with step-by-step guidance, brand strategy storage, and secure agency communication; for marketing teams working with external agencies.
• ROOTS AI Governance Model — Responsible AI Advisory A five-stage advisory framework for building ethical, legally compliant, and customer-centric AI strategies in marketing, aligned with the EU AI Act and including a Quick-Check assessment; for CMOs and marketing leaders implementing responsible AI practices.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% of all job changes fail within the first 18 months — cited by ROOTS as rationale for the CMO JumpStart coaching program.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

AI capability4 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Accenture Song: Marketing services arm of Accenture, covering strategy, creativity, and customer experience at global scale. Comparable as an incumbent offering overlapping brand and marketing strategy.
• McKinsey & Company (Marketing & Sales Practice): Global strategy consultancy with a dedicated Marketing & Sales practice serving CMOs on growth and brand topics. Comparable buyer set and strategic mandate, though at much greater scale.
• Bain & Company (Customer Strategy & Marketing Practice): Global strategy consultancy with a marketing and customer strategy practice that overlaps directly with ROOTS' growth and brand positioning work for large enterprises.

Regional players

• Serviceplan Group: Largest owner-managed agency group in Europe, headquartered in Munich, with integrated strategy, brand, and digital marketing services. Comparable as a DACH-rooted alternative competing for similar CMO-level mandates.

Direct peers

• MetaDesign: German-headquartered brand strategy and design consultancy. Directly comparable as a DACH-rooted boutique competing for similar brand and marketing strategy mandates.
• FutureBrand: Global brand consultancy with strategy, positioning, and customer experience services. Comparable offering for enterprise clients seeking brand strategy support.
• Prophet: Brand-led growth strategy consultancy with a DACH presence. Closely comparable on growth strategy, customer experience, and marketing transformation engagements.
• Landor & Fitch: Global brand strategy and design consultancy with German operations. Comparable as a dedicated brand consulting firm targeting similar enterprise marketing leaders.
• Siegel+Gale: Brand strategy and simplicity-focused consultancy. Comparable as a boutique-style brand strategy firm working with global enterprise clients.
• Interbrand: Global brand strategy consultancy with a strong presence in DACH and deep enterprise client roster. Directly comparable as a specialist brand and marketing strategy boutique serving similar CMO-level buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/roots-brand-strategy-consultants-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 ROOTS