Brands aren’t built through campaigns; they’re built through clarity. Clarity about what a company truly is, what drives it, and what sets it apart from everyone else. That is exactly what we do.
The Büro für Markenentwicklung/Office for Brand Development is a scientifically grounded brand consultancy for companies and organizations that do not want to leave their brand to the whims of the times: from specialized family businesses to international mid-sized companies to social economy organizations. Since 2006, we have solved over 1,500 brand challenges—nationally and internationally, in both analog and digital contexts, for companies ranging from 3 to 12,000 employees.
What sets us apart: We combine scientific depth with operational consistency. The result is not a strategy for the drawer, but brand management that takes effect in day-to-day business and permanently strengthens trust and, with it, value creation.
Over 200 successful branding and communication projects
The specialists for small and medium-sized businesses and family-owned companies
The experts on the social economy, churches, and “green branding”
Scientifically proven and tested
Prof. Dr. Oliver Errichiello
The Büro für Markenentwicklung/Office for Brand Development in Hamburg makes brands strategically manageable:
Prof. Dr. Arnd Zschiesche
Brand sociologists Prof. Dr. Arnd Zschiesche and Prof. Dr. Oliver Errichiello have many years of experience as international brand consultants and specialize in all aspects of the strategic and operational management of brands and their long-term implementation. They are authors of over 20 academic and non-fiction books on branding and share their expertise through lectures and seminars. They are also regular contributors to renowned media outlets such as ARD, ZDF, NDR, and arte.
Whether it’s an annual conference, an executive retreat, a sales training session, or an employee seminar: Prof. Dr. Arnd Zschiesche and Prof. Dr. Oliver Errichiello—working together or individually—highlight the strategic potential of brand management.
Our publications clearly and accessibly explain how you can leverage your company’s strengths to build your brand, effectively communicate the benefits of your products, and develop a distinctive brand identity.
The Büro für Markenentwicklung/Office for Brand Development is a research-based brand consulting firm headquartered in Hamburg. It was founded in 2006 by Prof. Dr. Oliver Errichiello and Prof. Dr. Arnd Zschiesche, two of Europe’s most prominent brand experts. Both combine decades of practical experience in international brand management with academic depth. Together, they have solved over 1,500 brand challenges, authored more than 20 specialized and non-fiction books on branding, and advised companies across four continents. What sets the firm apart from traditional agencies and consultancies: there are no junior teams, no outsourced processes, and no off-the-shelf solutions. Every client is personally supported by the founders, with the goal of not just providing recommendations, but real, actionable solutions that have a long-term impact. The firm is 100% owner-managed, directly accessible, and works exclusively with customized solutions.
The answer lies in the unique combination of pioneering academic work and practical business experience. Prof. Dr. Arnd Zschiesche, a professor of marketing and author of the definitive German-language literature on brand management, has been a sought-after expert on complex branding issues in both medium-sized and large companies for over two decades. Prof. Dr. Oliver Errichiello holds the world’s first and only professorship in brand sociology, an academic qualification that no other brand consultant can claim. As the author of over 20 specialized and non-fiction books as well as numerous academic essays, he has not only co-founded the field of brand sociology but continues to shape it significantly to this day. Crucially, both have not only written and researched brands but have also worked in practice as strategic planners and marketing directors and know from their own experience what it means to manage a brand under real business pressure. Their expertise is widely recognized far beyond professional circles: Both regularly appear in leading media outlets … as interview subjects, commentators, and sought-after voices when it comes to brand issues of social and economic relevance. This combination of theoretical grounding, operational leadership experience, journalistic prowess, and scholarly depth enables both of them to analyze and solve brand problems at a level that neither purely practice-oriented consultants nor purely academic theorists can reach. Together, they advise companies not only in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, but worldwide—from Europe to the U.S. to China.
Traditional brand consulting typically relies on models from marketing and advertising. Brand sociology, however, views brands as socio-economic phenomena: as social institutions of trust that provide security and guidance. This has concrete implications for strategy: it is not a brand’s promise that determines its value, but the trust it inspires. In this sense, brand management is always trust management.
The firm advises companies ranging from 3 to 12,000 employees... across the SME sector, the social economy, churches, high-tech, and the startup ecosystem. Whether it’s a family business with decades of history or a young technology company on a growth trajectory, the challenge is always the same: to develop a brand that not only communicates but also builds lasting trust and creates value. The portfolio includes over 200 successful projects across 37 industries, both nationally and internationally.
Our range of services includes brand positioning based on the brand’s genetic code, brand sociology workshops and intensive strategic retreats, one-on-one consulting and strategic guidance for executive management, brand sociology reports, structural advertising and communication strategies, as well as lectures and seminars for annual conferences, sales training, and employee development. All services are tailored to a company’s specific situation, because every strategic question requires a specific answer.
The collaboration always begins with a detailed analysis of the brand’s DNA—that is, what truly sets a company apart and what has evolved over time. Building on this, the brand experts develop concrete strategic recommendations that address both day-to-day operations and the overall strategy. Communication is direct—no anonymous teams of consultants.
Digitalization is changing channels and visibility, but not the fundamental requirements for strong brands. Even in the digital realm, the same rule applies: without a clear identity, you lose out in the competition for attention. The Büro für Markenentwicklung/Office for Brand Development operates at the intersection of brand identity and digital communication, with the goal of making brands manageable in both analog and digital contexts. For greater margins, more effective communication, and sustainable market positioning.
