Photography

"I am fascinated with photography. So it's a real stroke of luck that I have been able to work for Olympus since 1998. Of course photography is about technology but also always about emotion and creativity. People want to capture their most beautiful moments as they experience them. Digital photography has made these wishes come true. And united communications has been part of it right from the start: when Olympus launched their first digital camera in 1996 we provided strategic advice and guidance. Since then we have delivered communication support for the launch of hundreds of cameras and lenses. Milestones which immediately come to mind are the first digital camera for the mass market, the first waterproof digital camera or the first mirrorless system camera from Olympus."

Katja Drießen

Corporate Publishing

"For every product and company there is a gripping story worth being told. Sometimes quite obvious, sometimes hidden. Whether developers in a software start-up, marketing representative at a medical technology company or the person in charge of the new Italian restaurant around the corner: I love dealing with people from all walks of life and discovering their individual stories.

For example the on-site magazine “Oberbaum CityLights”, which targets companies and employees in the Oberbaum City business park as well as prospective tenants. We have been producing this publication for the HVB Immobilien AG for over ten years now. For us at united communications this is a home match in the truest sense as our offices are in the centre of the former industrial area, which, after extensive renovation in the 1990s, is one of the most modern service centres in Berlin. I never cease to be amazed at how many creative heads are gathered here in close proximity, what kind of ideas are born here and what type of projects are controlled from this place. With the Oberbaum CityLights we do more than just make our contribution to neighbourly networking. With the magazine we also contribute to conveying an image of the quarter that it deserves."

Peter Lindheim

Foundations/NPOs/NGOs

"Supporting NPOs and foundations in strategically positioning and presenting themselves as brands so that they reach their goals is a matter close to my heart. Because I am convinced that new approaches and ideas create the impulses necessary to move the respective organisations and in the long run society as a whole forward.

The number of entrepreneurs, founders and initiators of civic involvement is continuously rising. But many of them come to realise after some time that their objectives do not catch fire and that the hoped-for success never comes, or that donors or sponsors are no longer easily satisfied. The reasons for this often go back to the early stages of the respective organisation. Together with our clients we search for the wrong decisions and point out what needs to be changed, and how, in order to get back on the track to success. But we are not just advisors. We also take on the implementation and thus the responsibility for the desired changes to come into effect."

Gunhild Flöter

Brand building

"New business ideas arouse my curiosity. I gladly support start-ups that opt for sustainability in brand building and market development. I know from my own experience how hard starting a company is. And how difficult it is to attract good employees (and keep them in the team), fascinate investors and turn multipliers into proponents.

Besides all the organisational challenges, it is crucial to hone your business idea. For this purpose we co-operate with marketing professionals who have been in responsible positions in various international companies for many years. Together we not only develop marketing plans and communication measures needed for their realisation but we also help to set up a sales organisation. If desired we even offer Sales as a Service (SaaS).

hotsplots GmbH provides the blueprint for an extremely successful start-up agency co-operation. After the completion of an almost two-year long pilot phase we and the two company founders together laid the foundation for a prospering brand company. Today, HOTSPLOTS is among the top 3 providers in the market of Wi-Fi hotspots for guests."

Manfred Großert

Healthcare

"Top of the line medical technology. Based in the USA and Germany. An international success story spanning more than 70 years. That’s MAICO. Our assignment: a brand relaunch. The biggest challenge: international brand companies that are active in very specific markets – MAICO for example produces innovative devices for diagnostic hearing tests – must precisely weigh up the opportunities and risks involved in deciding for, and implementing, a global communication strategy. If they are perceived as being too international, they run the risk of alienating publics in their local markets. However, if they are not active enough internationally, there’s a real danger that, through inefficiency and rising costs, they lose their economic edge i.e. profitability.

Finding exactly the right balance is always the most challenging part of the task. We began by working in tandem with the client’s various teams to find out and help them discover exactly how the brand values have developed and changed over the years.

Only after we had accomplished this, and established it as a basis, did we start working on the logo as well as all the other marketing materials. The main objective was not just to create one fabulous but static format but also to insure the freedom the client needs to address regional characteristics as well as make any other modifications."

Electra Wolfe

Brand communication

"To support brand companies in making technical innovations and products in need of explanation or even their own brand more well-known and successful fascinates me - after all, it is important to adequately and comprehensibly present the features, advantages and special features for the different target groups and channels.

I have a natural scientific background and many years of experience in healthcare communication, so I love to get to grips with the background and interrelationships and at the same time question them critically. This is exactly what is needed to communicate credibly and successfully in complex industries.

Our clients from the IT and CE sectors also benefit from this: With a love of detail and an understanding of complex interrelationships, my team helps international companies to become more and more successful in Germany and Europe."

Angelika Schulz

IT/CE

"I have a soft spot for CE and everything digital that makes life better, more pleasant and comfortable. This passion has been driving me professionally for 25 years now. However, the short life cycle of most CE products of just six to twelve months requires that communication reach customers very quickly.

As in the early 90s, when I was the CEO of an international advertising agency network, I prefer to plan PR and advertising transnationally. For this reason, Europe-wide services have always been part of what united communications offers.

Today, interaction with many different people in their cultures and markets, the co-operation with partner agencies as well as the direct contact with all relevant IT/CE editors guarantee our success. This is how we contributed to the top position our client MMD has reached in the European monitor market."

Peter Link

Children's and young people's electio project U18

"I am wholly committed to U18 – also as a volunteer – because this project enables children and adolescents to learn very practically how to contribute to shaping politics in a democracy. The idea for U18 was born in a Berlin youth club in 1996. united communications has been advising and supporting the project since the first U18 Bundestag elections in 2005. The fact that U18 has since then developed into the biggest federal extracurricular education initiative for children and young people has been a great source of joy for me and my team.

Within U18 young people learn to understand politics, to question election promises, to recognise differences between political parties and to voice their opinions. The highlight of the project is always the U18 election day for all children and young people under 18 – nine days before the actual federal or state election. And the number of participants has been rising: at the U18 federal election nearly 200,000 young people cast their votes.

In 2014 there was the first U18 European election – and not just in Germany but for the first time also in France, Spain and Poland. united communications is responsible for web and presentation design, PR as well as the implementation of various communication materials."

Katja Drießen