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Marketing is only as strong as its measurability – and campaigns must contribute to the overarching company goals. Marketing controlling makes this verifiable.

Marketing Controlling – From Goal to Impact

Marketing is only as strong as its measurability. In today’s data-driven business models, it is no longer enough to manage campaigns with creativity and intuition. CMOs must demonstrate that their measures contribute to overarching company goals – in a traceable, comparable, and real-time manner. This is exactly where modern marketing controlling comes in.

From Intuition to Clarity: Set Goals Properly
Without clear goals, there is no controlling. What sounds simple is often the biggest hurdle in practice. Marketing goals today must:

Be closely aligned with company objectives (e.g., revenue growth, lead generation, brand awareness).

Be SMART: specific, measurable, attractive, realistic, time-bound.

Remain consistent across hierarchy levels – from strategic brand management to operational campaigns.

Measure What Really Matters
Dashboards and KPIs are everywhere, but not every number is meaningful. Successful marketing controlling means filtering the relevant signals from the data flood. Examples include:

Efficiency metrics like Cost per Lead or Customer Acquisition Cost.

Impact metrics like Net Promoter Score or Brand Lift.

Long-term value metrics like Customer Lifetime Value.

Crucially, these metrics should not be viewed in isolation but in context: Which channel contributes to which goal – and with what ROI?

Without clear goals, there can be no controlling. 

Above Content

Setting the agenda, creating relevance, building trust. This is the guiding principle behind the way we work at Ruess Group.

Press relations Today – Data-Based, International, Integrated

Setting the agenda, creating relevance, building trust – this is the standard by which modern public relations must be measured today. Anyone who wants to be visible now must be faster than the newsfeed and more precise than the algorithm.

At Ruess Group, we combine strategic expertise with digital tools, international networks, and a deep understanding of markets and media built up over many years. We identify relevant topics using AI-supported research, international media databases, and continuous monitoring of trade, business, and daily media – both online and in print. Our goal: to create relevance in order to set the agenda first. We then place the content in the right format – whether specialist article, white paper, interview, feature, or event PR.

Public relations today is an integral part of a connected communication strategy. Content is not created in isolation but embedded within an overarching storyline – aligned with digital campaigns, media planning, and other channels such as social media or corporate publishing. Thoughtful cross-channel planning and close integration with marketing and sales ensure long-term impact.

From strategy to content creation (including SEO optimization, translation, and native proofing) through to publication, we see PR as part of a comprehensive communication strategy – tailored to our clients’ target groups, channels, and KPIs.

And we make success measurable: with web-based dashboards, media monitoring, performance reports, and ongoing optimization. In this way, public relations makes a decisive contribution to brand awareness, building trust and driving growth.

In scorching summer heat, eight runners from Ruess Group lined up at the AOK Company Run on July 2 – and delivered a strong performance.

On Your Marks, Get Set, Go – Ruess Group at the Company Run

In scorching summer heat, eight runners from Ruess Group lined up at the AOK Company Run on July 2 – and delivered a strong performance despite the challenging temperatures. The fun certainly wasn’t left behind on the course.

Together with 6,000 runners from other companies, our team tackled the 6 km of dusty forest trails in over 30°C heat. The atmosphere among the participants was fantastic.

Our female colleagues turned out to be the true running wonders of the day, overtaking almost all the men with their impressive pace.

We rounded off the evening in high spirits with rosé and Italian dishes at the TEC Waldau’s club restaurant.

The recently published Pfeffer ranking by PR-Journal lists Ruess Group in second place in Baden-Württemberg.

Ruess Group is number two in Baden-Württemberg

The recently published Pfeffer ranking by PR-Journal lists Ruess Group in second place in Baden-Württemberg. On the national level, we even managed to climb four spots to rank 39.

The year 2024 did not make things easy for us – as for many others. However, the budget cuts by some of our existing clients due to economic conditions were largely and very successfully offset by new business wins – which makes this placement all the more rewarding.

We received increasing inquiries from international corporations as well as large medium-sized companies. Interest in strengthening and further developing their marketing came especially from the construction industry, mechanical engineering, the automotive sector, software companies, and insurance providers.

Ruess Group is number two
in Baden-Württemberg

At the Ruess Group, we take a dual approach to crisis communication.

At Ruess Group, we rely on double safeguards when it comes to crisis communication.

In our interconnected world, companies face a double challenge: in the event of a crisis, it’s not only about managing the situation itself, but also about dealing with its rapid digital spread.

Industries with physical risks – such as the construction sector – are particularly affected.

- Natural disasters bringing construction projects to a standstill
- Safety risks or human error leading to accidents
- Problems with subcontractors failing to comply with regulations

The core principle, however, applies across all industries: what once remained a local incident can today escalate within minutes into a regional or even national crisis with severe reputational damage. A single phone video, a critical post, or a screenshot can spread instantly. Before long, safety deficiencies are being publicly debated, while compliance violations by subcontractors reflect back on the main company.

In my experience, resilient companies integrate both dimensions into their strategic planning. They not only anticipate potential incidents, but also their communicative impact – and prepare accordingly.

At Ruess Group, we rely on an international team – this not only enriches the agency but also fosters greater creativity.

We are convinced: diversity within the team leads to greater creativity – and this has also been well proven. For us as an internationally active marketing agency, employees with different language skills and diverse backgrounds are of particular importance. 🗯️

In recent years, we have repeatedly been able to attract outstanding employees from the Russian republics, Belarus, Eastern Europe, and most recently from Ukraine, all with strong German language skills, to join our team.

Some colleagues have been living in Germany for many years and have obtained German citizenship, while others are starting their first position in Germany with us after fleeing from war zones. All of them are excellently trained in mathematics and business administration, many with multiple university degrees, and show an above-average commitment to our company. At present, we are delighted to have three colleagues – Natalia, Tetiana, and Olena – who are responsible for controlling or work in the media unit.

Employees with diverse language skills and different backgrounds strengthen the Ruess Group team.

Growing demand for international marketing and communication strategies and complex digital solutions at the Ruess Group.

In 2024, we still managed to achieve a small increase in revenue: Ruess Group closed the year with overall growth in gross income of 2%, reaching 2.7 million euros. Our Munich office contributed a decisive 20% to the gross income.

What we are particularly proud of: 90% of our clients remained loyal to us at the same level. For that, we say: thank you for your trust!

That said, budget cuts among some existing clients did not pass us by. However, we were able to successfully compensate for this through the acquisition of new clients. Among our new clients, the IT sector dominates, but public-sector clients as well as the packaging and packaging technology industries are also strongly represented.

What pleases us most is the growing demand for international marketing and communication strategies, for complex digital solutions, and for projects and budgets that require diverse skills and disciplines. This is where we can fully play to our strengths.

For companies operating internationally, weaknesses in individual regions of the world could be offset by growth in other market segments. 

Most B2B companies adjust their marketing budgets and activities in line with rising or falling sales in order to keep operating results reasonably stable in the short term. 

This is understandable and easy to comprehend. The marketing mix is usually kept largely stable: slightly less is invested in all activities and channels, or slightly more when the economy is good. 

Assuming that the various touchpoints play different roles in the purchase decision funnel, an alternative approach would be to change the mix and, in a more difficult market environment, shift budgets to channels and mechanisms that have an impact on sales. 

For internationally active companies serving diverse market segments, for example, digital marketing and digital sales could be used to fully or partially offset weaknesses in individual regions of the world with growth in other market segments and regions. In some cases, an increase in marketing expenditure and countercyclical investment would even pay off in the short or medium term. 

Marketing in difficult market environments

The Ruess Group has appointed Angela Kunwald as managing director of its Stuttgart office. She will be heading the agency together with Steffen Rueß.

The Ruess Group has appointed Angela Kunwald as new managing director of its Stuttgart office. She will be heading the agency together with Steffen Rueß, founder and owner of the agency group.
 
The Ruess Group generates an annual gross income of close to EUR 3 million at its Stuttgart and Munich locations. It primarily focuses on international marketing and corporate communications. In addition to strategic consulting, its key areas of expertise include PR/content marketing, digital marketing, media and creation. Its clients include corporate groups such as ABB, Antalis, Ebm-Papst, Peri, Sappi, Schubert and Zoho.

Angela Kunwald has 30 years of experience as a communications professional in B2B and B2C – in executive positions in national and international agencies as well as Head of Communications in the education sector and in industry. Before joining the Ruess Group, she was a member of the management team at Fink & Fuchs AG.

Ruess Group brings Angela Kunwald on board as managing director

Find out more about the intertwining of sustainability and marketing in the Ruess Group Magazine.

In our politically and economically increasingly volatile world, in which environmental and social responsibility are becoming more and more important, companies need to rethink and adapt their position as social players. This includes taking a clear stance on sustainability. Sustainability should not only be understood as an ethical imperative, but can also be used as a decisive competitive advantage from an economic perspective. In order to fully develop its effectiveness here, it is important that sustainable corporate management, sustainability strategy and marketing are well interlinked.

Get the latest insights on online marketing from our digital expert Christoph Eichholz on the Ruess Group Magazine.

Online Marketing – An Update | Ruess Group

Do we now need to completely overhaul our online marketing because of AI?

This is the very question many of our clients are currently asking. The answer? A clear yes and no!

Read the latest assessment from our digital expert, Christoph Eichholz, from our Munich office.

Our content, creation and production team starts working on the new magazine concept in the summer of the previous year already. And here it is, the latest SEQUENCE >>

Corporate Publishing Schubert Sequence customer magazine 2024 - Ruess Group

For the 21st time, we realise for our long-standing client Schubert its high-quality customer magazine SEQUENCE. Our content, creation and production team starts working on the new magazine concept in the summer of the previous year already. Over a period of months, we then fill the magazine page by page with a great deal of passion and dedication in close collaboration with Schubert.

The Ruess Group successfully asserts itself in a difficult market environment for agencies >>

Ruess Group No. 3 among PR agencies in Baden-Württemberg according to Pfeffer Ranking. No. 43 in the national ranking. 

The market situation was not easy for agencies last year and this year due to the economic situation. But we have held our own better than many other agencies. For us, this is a great confirmation of our positioning. International marketing with a cross-disciplinary approach and strong roots in PR and content marketing is important for large companies, especially in a difficult market environment.

I would like to thank all our customers for their trust and loyalty, often over many years. And to our employees for their daily commitment. It is an honor and a pleasure.

With Shopware, you can create your own online shop. We have compiled all the important information: how it works, advantages and disadvantages.

Successfully implement e-commerce projects with Shopware

The open source e-commerce platform Shopware has a constantly growing user base and is characterised by a flexible, easy-to-use interface and management-friendly solutions. Together with our customers, we implement compelling shop concepts and advise on standard and extension functions to optimise the user experience and, in particular, sales processes.

Explore sustainability insights with Ruess Group. Dive into the CRSD Sustainability Reporting Magazine for expert perspectives. Discover other articles!

CRSD & sustainability reporting obligations | Ruess Group

The CSRD reporting obligation? Isn’t it only applicable for the 2024 financial year, or 2026, or even 2028? In any case, there’s still time, or is there? What exactly applies? For whom and as of when?

Let’s start at the beginning. The CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) is an EU directive. It requires companies to report on their own impact on the environment and society, as well as the relevance of sustainability factors for the company. Standardised key figures are used to ensure measurability and comparability. And, as with financial reports, these sustainability reports need to be audited externally. 

The CSRD reporting requirements apply in stages:

From the 2024 financial year: Public companies with over 500 employees.

From the 2025 financial year: All other large companies.

From the 2026 financial year: Capital market-oriented SMEs (with certain exemptions until 2028).

CRSD & sustainability reporting obligations: Why companies should act now

The Ruess Group supports you as a management consultant  and as an agency in the development of your sustainability strategy and  communication. Learn more

What challenging goals and tasks are you facing?

+49 711 16446-581
steffen.ruess@ruess-group.com

Magazine

Hot agency news and the latest updates

Marketing Controlling – From Goal to Impact

Press relations Today – Data-Based, International, Integrated

On Your Marks, Get Set, Go – Ruess Group at the Company Run

Ruess Group is number two in Baden-Württemberg

Crisis Communication – Done Right

More diversity – more creativity

Sustainable growth in focus

Marketing in difficult market environments

Ruess Group brings Angela Kunwald on board as managing director

Sustainable marketing

Online Marketing – An Update

Schubert Sequence customer magazine 2024

Pfeffer PR Journal Ranking 2024

Successfully implement e-commerce projects with Shopware

CRSD & sustainability reporting obligations: Why companies should act now