Who we are
united communications – integrated brand communication since 1995
Creative ideas, absolute commitment, proven know-how and that essential modicum of pragmatism - this is how have helped brands since 1995 to strategically coordinate the ever-growing possibilities offered by their communication mix so that they can perfectly reach their customers, through all available touchpoints. For united communications, integrated communication is not just the latest fad; it is two decades of practical experience.
Since the agency’s inception, we have also supported start-ups with building brand awareness and market entry.
Our China Business Department offers consulting and communication for Chinese businesses and organisations that want to enter the European market. Through our partner agency Topline Consulting Co., Ltd. we also have representations in Beijing und Shenzhen.
WORKSHOP OFFER
Facts instead of catchphrases.
Try us out.
In our compact practice workshop Energy for your brand®, we analyse the cold hard facts of your business and develop, with you, a strategy that can be immediately put into action. Since the entire process requires little in the way of time and money, this type of workshop is also perfect for proofing the quality and effectiveness of your current strategies.
You would like to know more about Energy for your brand®?
Give us a call:
Manfred Großert
Email: grossert@united.de
Phone: +49 30 789076-0
The way we work
3 Steps to success
Good brand communication is also sustainable brand communication. And it appeals to the people it is meant to reach. That is how we have worked since 1995 – successful for us and our clients.
The clear focus on people – instead of target groups – is apparent right from the beginning in our strategic approach. Accordingly, after the goals of the client have been defined, we ask the three defining questions:
1. Who?
Who are the people we must communicate with in order to meet our client’s objectives?
Often the decision is to focus on either B2B customers or end-users; however, truly successful communication addresses the entire supply chain. That’s why contact with the press is just as much a part of integrated communications as including trade partners and/or one’s own (marketing/sales) team.
2. Where?
Where do we find these people?
Or more to the point:
where can we best reach these people?
Normally there is not just one touchpoint through which they can be reached. And each and every time the approach must exactly fit the current location and existing context. This is the reason that being able to precisely fine-tune communications is indispensable. We have discovered that whoever does this quickly comes to realise that the obvious contact point is typically not the best.
3. How?
How do we approach these people- verbally, visually and emotionally?
The group and context in which a person exists influence how they they communicate. That is why it is important to find the right tone, appropriate to each individual situation. For example a CEO in a football stadium is a classic fan but after the game, at a 5 star hotel, is once again a guest or even a VIP and expects to be addressed in an appropriate manner. Just as a company must present itself differently at a recruiting trade show than at a press conference concerning their fiscal report.
By the way, in our brand workshop Energy for your Brand® you can quickly and inexpensively get to know our methods.
Our principles
Business based on accountability
As specialists for integrated brand communication it’s our job to present and build awareness for our clients’ products, services and messages within their intended publics. We are happy that, while doing so, we have also continually been able to prove that successful business and acting in a sustainable, responsible way in regard to nature and society do not contradict but are directly related to each other.
Values and vision
As a member of the UN Global Compact we are committed to adhering to its ten principles in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment and anti-corruption; in all our business undertakings.
united communications recognises its corporate responsibilities regarding employees, clients, service providers and all other stakeholders. We define the values and principles that play a central role in our business life. And we bank on fairness and respect in our dealings with each other as well as in our daily interchanges with external interest groups.
The idea for Global Compact was first presented by the General Secretary of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, in a speech at the World Economic Forum on 31 January 1999. One year later, the idea was realised. The General Secretary invited companies to take part in an international initiative - the Global Compact - which would bring representatives of the private sector together with the infrastructures of the United Nations, jobholders and civil society, in order to cultivate the establishment of a set of universal social and environmental principles.
The goal of the Global Compact is to encourage the social engagement of companies through the power of negotiation - so that the economy can become a part of the solution when it comes to meeting the challenges of globalisation. In this way, the private sector can contribute to the General Secretary's vision of the realisation of a fair and sustainable world economy through collaboration with other social stakeholders.
Today, businesses from all regions of the world, international workers' unions and organisations of civil society alike are taking part in the Global Compact.
united communications has been a part of the initiative since February 2008.
More information: www.unglobalcompact.org
Social commitment
The principle of accountability must be a part of all business dealings. Our social and ecological engagement is concentrated in three central areas: political education & youth; supporting independent local arts/artists; as well as developing environmentally friendly solutions for clients and our agency.
CSR
Sustainable communications
In 2008 we, as a team that included all of our colleagues, decided to analyse our existing commitments to social, ecological and economic issues and, based on the conclusions, to develop a complete sustainability strategy. The result of our status quo analysis for 2009 and the programmes that we subsequently wanted to employ we collated and presented in our first CSR report 2009/2010 (in German). Annual progress reports are published on the Global Compact website.
Art in the agency
Inspiration for creatives
united communications has its roots in Berlin-Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. In the year 1995 Manfred Großert and Peter Link started at Riehmers Hofgarten in Kreuzberg, five years later the agency moved to Oberbaum City in Friedrichshain. Those who work creatively need inspiration. What couuld be more fitting than decorating the agency walls with works of artists from our surrounding area rather than with the usual prints? Over the years, this small but fine collection has extended to over 40 exhibits.
You can download the catalogue (in German) here.
Press
Please contact Manfred Großert, Peter Link or Gunhild Flöter if you are a journalist and would like more information or have further questions:
Email: presse@united.de
Tel.: +49 30 78 90 76-0
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vegency relaunches website
To stand out in the growing maze of vegan offerings, companies need differentiation and a clear brand image. In 2014, the agency united...
Berlin, 21 June 2022 – To stand out in the growing maze of vegan offerings, companies need differentiation and a clear brand image. In 2014, the agency united consultancy/united communications – located in Berlin – founded its vegency unit to achieve just that. vegency specialises in customised brand communication consultancy for companies, NGOs, and start-ups with plant-based, vegan or cell-based offerings. As part of the current website relaunch, a news section was added, which offers exciting insights into plant-based products and services. It includes easy-to-read maps that provide an overview of existing brands/manufacturers of vegan milk, cheese, fish, meat, and sausage alternatives in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Vegan, plant-based, and cell-based products are exceptional – and the accompanying communications measures should equally reflect this. vegency supports B2C and B2B clients in these ventures with a comprehensive service portfolio that ranges from marketing & communication strategy consulting, LinkedIn & multimedia campaigns, storytelling, and influencer marketing to programmatic advertising.
The experts at vegency have in-depth know-how of the plant-based sector and many years of experience in all areas of international brand and science communication.
"We are strongly convinced that our planet needs change urgently and that creative brand communication can significantly influence this process. With the new website, we not only want to improve how we present our numerous service offerings but also express our passion for plant-based products. Since the respective target groups are very complex and the products often require additional explanations, we were also keen to integrate current industry insights and news that offer readers a real added value," says Gunhild Flöter, Director Sustainability & Brand Communications at vegency.
"With our new plant-based landscape maps, for example, visitors at our new website have access to well-designed graphics that depict the current brand/manufacturer landscape for vegan milk, cheese, fish, meat, and sausage alternatives in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland*. For this purpose, we have monitored the product portfolios of numerous companies in recent months. We have noted a continuous growth of the vegan assortment, especially amongst the own-brand labels of discounters. Of course, the maps are updated regularly. In the just added "News" section, readers will find the latest background information and current news from the industry," Gunhild Flöter continues.
The new website www.vegency.de was implemented in WordPress by the Berlin communications agency united consultancy/united communications.
*As of June 2022
About vegency
Specialising in branding vegan, vegetarian, and cell-cultured innovations: vegency puts brands on the map.
Vegan and vegetarian products have long since arrived in the middle of society - vegency recognised this trend early on and has served clients from the food, research, and media sectors since 2014.
vegency is a unit of the Berlin communications agency united consultancy/united communications, which has been supporting companies and NGOs from the IT, telecommunications, education, science, and research sectors in branding, PR, CSR, marketing, and channel communications since 1995.
Further information on vegency can be found at www.vegency.de.
About united consultancy / united communications
Founded in 1995, the international agency united consultancy / united communications offers clients a full range of services from strategic consultancy to creative sales and brand communication.
united consultancy
The consultancy unit of united communications focuses on three primary services:
• Strategy consulting
• Business development
• Foundation consulting
united communications
The communications unit designs and implements PR, advertising, and social media campaigns for leading brand companies, start-ups, foundations, and other NGOs/NPOs. It also supports clients in stakeholder dialogues and change processes - on a local, national and international level.
For the rapidly growing e-sports market and forward-looking plant-based/vegan business models, the agency has established two special units, united pro gaming, and vegency.
united communications has participated in the United Nations Global Compact (www.unglobalcompact.org und www.globalcompact.de).
If you have any questions or require further information, please contact:
united consultancy/united communications GmbH
Manfred Großert
Tel.: +49 30 78 90 76 0
E-Mail: presse@united.de
www.united.de
www.linkedin.com/company/united-communications-gmbh
www.facebook.com/unitedcommunicationsGmbH
Press contact vegency:
vegency c/o united consultancy/united communications GmbH
Gunhild Flöter, Meike Koch
Tel.: +49 30 78 90 76 0
E-Mail: to@vegency.de
www.vegency.de
www.linkedin.com/company/vegency-de -
RED DOT AWARD 2020 FOR HAIER
Berlin, 3 September 2020 - We congratulate our client Haier on winning the 2020 Red Dot Award in the Brands & Communication Design category for its...
Red Dot Awards 2020 for hOn app by Haier
We congratulate our client Haier on winning the 2020 Red Dot Award in the Brands & Communication Design category for its innovative hOn app, a new integrated digital solution for centralised control and management of all brands of Haier Europe's household appliances.
The Red Dot Award has a 65-year history of competition and is the most important and prestigious design award with more than 18,000 entries per year. An international jury of 24 people awards the renowned prize in the category "Brands & Communication Design" exclusively to products that are equally convincing through exclusive design and creativity. This year, over 7,000 products were submitted in the category "Brands & Communication Design" alone.
The fact that hOn could convince here is the result of a precise strategy. With this app, Haier Europe is not only aiming at an immersive, truly useful and satisfying user experience, but above all, it is the result of a conceptual change in the Haier Group's approach away from the Internet of Things towards the Internet of Beings.
It is thus no longer purely technology: the Internet of Things is becoming a technological factor that can help the Haier Group to create a real ecosystem. By focusing on people and their needs, a technological environment is created that allows anyone who wants to do so to live in a truly networked context and manage it in a simple and appealing way.
More Information:
Manfred Großert, Katja Drießen, Melanie Wollermann
E-Mail: Haier@united.de
Tel.: +49 (0)30 7890760 -
SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE ON VEGAN NUTRITION – EXPLAINED IN A WAY THAT CONSUMERS CAN UNDERSTAND.
Berlin, 3 July 2020 - What actually motivates people to reach for an almond drink in the supermarket instead of cow's milk, a veggie burger instead of...
Uni Hohenheim and EIT Food launch new information platform Food Unfolded
What actually motivates people to reach for an almond drink in the supermarket instead of cow's milk, a veggie burger instead of minced meat? With a two-tiered, pan-European study on the acceptance and prevalence of plant-based foods, the University of Hohenheim is launching a communication project sponsored by the EIT (European Institute of Innovation & Technology) – a topic that is currently and continuously attracting attention across most industries. vegency, the communications agency for vegan and vegetarian products and services, supports this project with evidence-based content about plant-based nutrition.
The initiators of this large-scale study are a consortium of top-class partners from science and industry, including the universities of Hohenheim, Aarhus and Turin, the companies Danone and Doehler, and the non-governmental organisation ProVeg International. "We want to bring this type of nutrition closer to the population in Europe – with solid information that is understandable for everyone," explains project leader Klaus Hadwiger from the Research Centre for Bioeconomy at the University of Hohenheim. "There are still many misunderstandings about plant-based nutrition. We want to change that. We are therefore eagerly awaiting the first study results."
Approximately 75 million people in Europe eat plant-based or vegetarian food, and the trend is increasing. The number of people who reduce their meat consumption, so-called flexitarians, is even greater.
Plant foods are, in the truest sense of the word, on everyone's lips these days. Now that alternatives to meat, cheese and cow's milk can be found on the shelves of almost all supermarkets and discounters, the trend has reached the heart of society. The researchers and food experts now want to understand more about this development. Are consumers motivated by health, ethical, ecological – or may completely different reasons be the driving force? What reservations and barriers do consumers have about the new food items? Should the taste and/or appearance of the substitute products come as close as possible to the original - or should they, on the contrary, be clearly distinguishable? The study aims to provide answers to these and other questions, which are of equal concern to consumers, experts and the economy.
The project will be accompanied by background articles and social media campaigns - in cooperation with the EIT Food web platform FoodUnfolded, which is dedicated to information and entertainment on the topic of food and nutrition.
This will be supported by the vegency, the communications and content agency for the plant-based industry, with scientifically sound content. Thanks to her scientific background, Angelika Schulz, Unit Director vegency, knows this is particularly important to counteract disinformation and the spread of superficial knowledge: "Consumers are bombarded every day with numerous reports on new, surprising study results. Many people find it difficult to distinguish a well-founded study from less credible results, because a great deal of background knowledge is required to do so. With our articles on foodunfolded, we want to provide readable, comprehensible information that allows lay people to inform themselves easily - with the certainty that the information contained is based on valid, scientific findings. After all, half-truths and rumours circulate on the internet quite often".
The series started with an article on the topic of proteins in a plant-based diet. Other scheduled topics include individual nutrients, frequently asked questions and the health effects and the health effects and benefits of a plant-based diet. Currently, the articles on foodunfolded.com are available in English, but a German adaptation of the portal is already being planned.
More Information:
Angelika Schulz, Unit Director vegency - c/o united communications GmbH
E-Mail: angelika.schulz@vegency.de
Tel: +49 30 789076 60 -
EASING LONELINESS AMONG SENIORS
Berlin, April 2020 - Unfortunately, for many senior citizens, loneliness has long been part of their everyday lives. In order to put an end to this,...
SNOM phones in use against loneliness among SeniorsUnfortunately, for many senior citizens, loneliness has long been part of their everyday lives. In order to put an end to this, the Berlin-based association Silbernetz e. V. was founded one and a half years ago in Berlin. Here, volunteer members help people who are alone – and now particularly isolated due to the Corona pandemic – to overcome their loneliness with the help of the “Silver Telephone”.
Due to the good response and the currently increased urgency through COVID19, the conversation hotline 0800 4 70 80 90, originally limited to the Berlin area, received a nationwide expansion.
Corona has forced the silver network volunteers to do their community work from home.
Our customer Snom, a well-known manufacturer of VoIP telephones, has donated 100 telephones for volunteers and employees of the association, so that they are perfectly equipped for their important work.
More information:
Manfred Großert, Angelika Schultz
E-Mail: presse@united.de
Tel.: +49 (0)30 7890760 -
NEW INFORMATION MATERIAL FOR A FOUNDATION THAT IS CARRYING OUT URGENTLY NEEDED DEVELOPMENT WORK IN INDIA.
Berlin, 31 March 2020 - #Covid19 has a tight grip on India too. The current curfew for 1.3 billion people has drastic consequences especially for the...
Foundation booklets Vicente Ferrer Foundation
#Covid19 has a tight grip on India too. The current curfew for 1.3 billion people has drastic consequences especially for the poorer population. In these times of crisis, the work of the German Vicente Ferrer Foundation is even more important. As an agency, we have been supporting the Berlin-based foundation since autumn 2019 and are very pleased that the new, detailed foundation booklet and information flyer, which we designed, are now ready.
In the upcoming months, we will work with the Foundation to further sharpen its social media strategy and to think about the topics of sponsorships and fine fundraising*. In the future, the Vicente Ferrer Foundation is going to focus primarily on the expansion of the support project "Women for Women" as well as educational promotion and health counselling.
*Apply to courts and state prosecutors for imposed fines to be directed to the foundationMore Information:
Gunhild Flöter, Account Director united communications GmbH
E-Mail: pr@united.de
Tel.: +49 30 78907619
