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PR agency that turns visibility into impact

Strategic public relations for corporate groups and internationally growing B2B companies

In international markets, communication increasingly determines speed, acceptance, and room for action. As a PR agency for industry and corporate groups, Ruess Group helps marketing and communication leaders not only make topics visible, but also guide them in a way that builds trust, provides orientation, and supports strategic decisions. Unlike a traditional PR agency, we think of public relations as a system — not as a single measure.

We work at the interface of communication and leadership, supporting corporate groups, large B2B industrial companies, public institutions, and associations in clearly prioritizing their topics, positioning them robustly, and orchestrating them with international impact — through strategic consulting, international PR, and a deep understanding of stakeholders, media logic, and markets. We use modern technologies and AI wherever they increase precision, speed, and transparency. We make the difference where experience, judgment, and creative intelligence are required.

Let’s talk about your challenge

An initial conversation helps us assess the situation: we clarify whether and how we can support you in a meaningful way.

Select an appointment

Rafael Rahn

Rafael Rahn

References

Success stories
PR agency

Peri / Formwork & Scaffolding
Peri / Formwork & Scaffolding

Public relations, campaigns, and media planning in the D-A-CH region.

Interstuhl office chairs
Interstuhl / Seating Furniture

Public relations and press events for European market leader.

Campaign motive of Recaro: A man relaxing in airplane seats
Recaro / Aircraft Seating

Global public relations in trade and business media.

A crowd listens to the speaker from pr agency Schubert, all of them looking at a monitor hanging from the ceiling.
Schubert / Packaging Machines

International Public Relations, Content-Marketing and Corporate Publishing.

All Cases
All Cases

Task profile, definition, and the difference from classic press relations

What a strategic PR agency must deliver today

A PR agency — an agency for public relations — supports companies in systematically shaping their relationships with relevant publics: with the media, customers, employees, investors, policymakers, and other stakeholders. Classic public relations agencies often focus on press relations and media contacts. A strategic PR agency goes further, combining positioning, topic leadership, media relations, owned channels, and success measurement into one consistent communication system.

For corporate groups and large industrial companies, this distinction is decisive. They do not need broad service catalogs, but a PR agency that structures complexity, steers communication internationally, and makes impact measurable. In this sense, we understand public relations as a steering instrument of corporate leadership — not as a sequence of individual activities.

From strategy and media relations to impact measurement — thought of as a system

Overview of PR agency services

As an integrated PR agency, we cover the service areas relevant to corporate groups and industrial companies — always embedded in a strategic framework and never as isolated individual services. A modern public relations agency connects these areas into one consistent system instead of processing them side by side. As an agency that centrally steers PR, content, and digital communication from a single source, we align them around one shared guiding idea.

Strategy and positioning form the foundation: we clarify which topics have priority, which messages carry weight, and how a company should be perceived.

Media relations and press relations translate this strategy into targeted topic placement in trade and business media. Content and storytelling create substance and depth so that content carries beyond individual announcements.

Digital and online PR, social media, and corporate publishing ensure cross-channel presence and continuous visibility. International orchestration and market entry make communication manageable across countries. Finally, measurement and steering make impact transparent. As an agency for public relations, we do not think of these services in silos, but as a connected program — for awareness, relevance, and growth.

Because complexity, speed, and responsibility have increased significantly

Why PR in the corporate environment must be rethought

Marketing and communication leaders today operate under different conditions than they did just a few years ago: markets are more international, stakeholders more diverse, and topics more interconnected. Decisions no longer emerge in a linear way, but in dynamic public spaces where media, platforms, politics, investors, customers, and employees all exert influence at the same time.

At the same time, the tools of communication have evolved massively. Digital channels, data analytics, and AI-supported systems open up new possibilities for developing, distributing, and measuring content. This increases speed and efficiency — but also shifts the requirements for steering, quality, and responsibility.

For decision-makers in public relations, this means: PR is less a question of measures and formats, and increasingly a question of orientation. Which topics are strategically relevant? Which messages carry across countries and target groups?

Which content contributes to long-term market positions — and which merely generates short-term attention? Especially in the corporate environment, communication thus becomes an integral part of leadership and decision-making.

This is precisely where the role of PR agencies is changing. What is needed are partners who not only implement, but also think along, assess, and steer — with an understanding of organizations, markets, and people. For corporate groups and large industrial companies, PR becomes a steering instrument that creates impact when it is led strategically.

Three focus areas that create strategic impact

What Ruess Group stands for as a PR agency

Corporate groups and large industrial companies do not need a broad service catalog, but a partner that focuses on the decisive levers. Our work as a PR agency is therefore guided by three focus areas that have repeatedly proven critical to impact in practice.

  • Market and topic leadership in B2B industry

    Visibility alone is not the goal. What matters is being perceived as relevant, credible, and competent. We develop clear positioning, precise messages, and strong guiding ideas that carry beyond individual campaigns. We understand thought leadership not as an end in itself, but as a long-term contribution to market position. In complex B2B markets, we closely connect PR with the overarching logic of marketing, so that communication contributes to demand and growth.

  • International PR and orchestration across markets

    International communication requires more than translation. It demands a deep understanding of different media logics, cultural contexts, and stakeholder expectations. Ruess Group steers PR programs globally through its own capabilities. Like a specialized international PR agency, we orchestrate topics across countries and regions — with consistency at the core and local relevance in the details, especially for market entries in the DACH region.

  • Strategic communication consulting in sensitive situations

    There are situations in which communication becomes a leadership task. Change, transactions, public debates, or critical events require particular care and a reliable structure. This includes topics with high regulatory sensitivity, such as ESG and supply chain issues or decisions around sites and transformation. This is where our overarching communication consulting comes into play, securing room for action and protecting trust.

The Ruess PR impact framework

Four phases that turn PR from a measure into a manageable system

To ensure that public relations creates reliable impact in the corporate environment, we work according to a clear operating model. The Ruess PR Impact Framework combines strategic clarity with operational implementation and data-based steering — across markets, channels, and longer periods of time.

  • Phase 1 — Analysis and positioning

    We create the strategic foundation: market environment, competition, stakeholder expectations, and reputation status are analyzed and condensed into a robust positioning. From this, we derive which topics have priority and which messages carry across countries and target groups.

  • Phase 2 — Narrative and topic leadership

    Positioning gives rise to guiding ideas, core narratives, and a topic roadmap. We define the content with which a company will be perceived as a thought leader — sufficiently grounded for trade and business media, and connectable for digital channels and owned media.

  • Phase 3 — International orchestration

    Topics, messages, and measures are steered across countries, media, and touchpoints. We ensure consistency at the core and local relevance in the details — centrally managed, without creating unnecessary complexity, and with trusted partners where local presence makes sense.

  • Phase 4 — Steering and impact measurement

    PR is managed measurably: we connect qualitative and quantitative metrics in digital dashboards, monitor tonality, topic fit, media quality, and message consistency, and assess impact in the context of brand and corporate goals. This keeps strategic clarity intact even in day-to-day operations.

PR that contributes to demand, pipeline, and growth

B2B PR agency for complex markets that require explanation

B2B encompasses far more than industry: from mechanical and plant engineering to technology and industry-related services, software, components, capital goods, and consulting-intensive B2B services. What connects these markets are complex offerings, long decision-making processes, and multiple stakeholders who need to be convinced at the same time. As a B2B PR agency, this is exactly where we guide the right topics in a way that builds trust and reaches purchase-relevant stakeholders — from technical decision-makers and procurement to executive management. Our focus is on industry and technology, but as a PR agency for B2B, we think communication across all complex B2B markets that require explanation.

Unlike generalist providers, we do not think of B2B communication in isolation, but as part of a marketing system. PR, content marketing agency services, and social media agency programs interlock and jointly contribute to visibility, relevance, and demand. The overarching impact logic is steered by our B2B marketing agency; within this system, PR builds reputation and topic leadership.

This creates a B2B PR agency service that functions as a bridge: entry through a clearly defined task is possible — but always embedded in a strategic framework, not as an arbitrary individual measure.

A typical example: an internationally active mechanical engineering company wants to be perceived as a technology leader in a new market. As a B2B PR agency, we do not develop a loose bundle of press releases, but a topic program that connects positioning, trade media, thought leadership content, and digital channels — managed over several quarters and aligned with clear impact goals. It is precisely this combination of substance, continuity, and steering that distinguishes a specialized PR agency for B2B from purely operational service providers.

Seniority, judgment, and clear responsibility

PR consulting: when communication becomes a leadership task

In corporate groups and large industrial companies, communication is rarely simple. Topics are complex, alignment processes are multi-layered, and decisions have an impact across countries, organizations, and stakeholders. This is exactly where our PR consulting comes in: we structure topics, assess options, and create a basis for decision-making before they need to be discussed internally.

Ruess Group deliberately works with senior teams. Projects are led exclusively by experienced consultants who have been working in industrial and corporate communication for many years. In PR consulting, this means fewer friction losses, faster decisions, and confidence precisely where timing, quality, and tonality are critical. Depending on the assignment, two to five senior consultants support a mandate — closely coordinated and with fixed points of contact.

Our PR consulting does not stop at the concept. It ranges from PR strategy to reliable day-to-day implementation and is closely integrated with creation, digital, performance, and media planning. For our clients, this means fewer interfaces, less coordination effort, and greater impact.

In terms of content, our PR consulting ranges from developing a communication strategy and sharpening positioning and narrative to preparing for critical situations. We build message architectures, qualify spokespeople, structure decision-making processes, and create the foundation for communication to remain consistent even under pressure. Collaboration often begins with a clearly defined consulting assignment and develops — where there is a need — into long-term support.

Two fields of impact that belong together in the corporate environment

Public relations agency for reputation and relevance

At Ruess Group, public relations is not an isolated service area. As a public relations agency, we primarily contribute to two closely connected fields of impact: strategy and reputation, as well as reach and relevance.

Strategy and reputation means setting up positioning, narratives, and communication structures in a way that keeps leadership teams able to act — even in sensitive phases. This logic belongs to the field of impact Strategy, Reputation & Corporate Leadership. Reach and relevance means placing content where opinions are formed and decisions are prepared: in trade and business media, in digital media, and in companies’ owned channels.

Many companies compare several public relations agencies before making a decision. The difference rarely lies in the list of services, but in the ability to think and steer reputation and relevance together. As an agency for public relations, we connect both into one consistent system — across markets and channels.

Reputation does not emerge overnight and cannot be forced. It is the result of consistent messages, credible content, and reliable behavior over long periods of time. As a public relations agency, we ensure that this consistency is maintained even when many stakeholders, markets, and channels are involved at the same time. For us, reputation management means identifying early which topics strengthen trust and which put it at risk — and aligning communication accordingly.

Placing topics where opinion formation happens

Media relations and strategic press relations

For us, press relations is not about distributing information, but about the targeted placement of relevant topics. As an agency for press relations, we work with trade and business media, nationally and internationally, with clear priorities: Which topics contribute to the positioning, which media shape opinion formation, and which formats are suited to depth and credibility?

Our press relations work is closely linked to strategic objectives. It ranges from continuous topic placement, interviews, and background briefings to campaign-like focus areas and trade fair communication. What matters is not the number of publications, but their relevance and impact.

Especially in an international context, choosing the right media and formats is essential. We understand the logic of leading media, trade titles, and digital platforms in different markets, and know which topics resonate where. Through structured topic and editorial plans, we ensure that messages are not placed randomly, but systematically and at the right time — consistent at the core and locally relevant in the details.

Arriving credibly where specialist audiences are critical

Market entry in DACH: PR for foreign companies

A particular focus of our work is market entry in the DACH region. For foreign companies, entering the German-speaking market is demanding: the media landscape is fragmented, specialist audiences are critical, and expectations around precision, substance, and seriousness are high. Those who enter this market with messages that have merely been translated, but not adapted to the market, quickly lose credibility.

As a PR agency based in Germany, we understand the logic of the relevant leading media, trade titles, and industry platforms in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. We help international companies set up their communication realistically, credibly, and with a clear focus on impact from the outset — with clear priorities, robust narratives, and a sober view of opportunities and risks.

Instead of flooding a market with activities, we focus on the topics, media, and occasions that actually shape opinion formation in the DACH region.

In doing so, we combine strategic consulting with operational experience: from building initial media relationships and localizing content and messages to continuous topic leadership in the relevant trade and business media. This turns market entry from a one-off campaign into the beginning of a sustainable market position — with communication that continues consistently beyond the first wave of attention.

How strategic PR creates impact in day-to-day practice

From PR strategy to implementation

Strategic PR only creates impact when it is implemented consistently. Positioning, guiding ideas, and narratives must hold up in day-to-day operations — across channels, countries, and longer periods of time. That is why our work does not end with the concept; we support implementation in a way that preserves strategic clarity.

  • Corporate publishing and owned media

    Owned media create depth and continuity. We use customer magazines, web magazines, podcasts, or newsletters selectively to build thought leadership and anchor positions over the long term. As a corporate publishing agency, we do not think of owned media in isolation, but as part of overall communication that contributes to press relations and digital channels.

  • Digital and online PR across all channels

    Digital channels are an integral part of every PR strategy. As an online PR agency, we connect websites, social media, podcasts, and thematic platforms into one consistent presence. Content is not produced channel by channel, but developed from a shared guiding idea — supported by our social media agency and suitable storytelling agency formats.

  • PR campaigns and formats at relevant touchpoints

    Strategic topics often need special formats. These include PR campaigns, discussion formats, film formats, communication support for trade fairs, and online press conferences. We develop and steer them in a way that generates attention, enables substantive depth, and is embedded in existing programs.

In-depth consulting for situations where communication becomes a leadership task

Strategic communication fields

Beyond ongoing PR, we support companies in particularly sensitive situations. These fields are closely connected to our work as a PR agency and are explored in greater depth on specialized sister pages.

Change communication — clearly explaining strategic changes, building acceptance, and providing orientation, both internally and externally.

M&A communication — ensuring clear narratives and communication certainty across all phases in acquisitions, mergers, and portfolio changes.

Crisis communication — securing room for action and protecting trust in exceptional situations, with clear structure and robust messages.

CEO positioning — supporting CEOs and executive board members in consistently positioning their attitude, topics, and personality.

In addition, internal communication is gaining importance when strategies need to be made understandable and sustainable internally.

Steering impact instead of counting visibility

AI, analytics, and measurability in PR

AI-supported systems, data-based analysis, and digital platforms create new speed and precision. For corporate groups, however, this does not automatically result in better communication, but in higher expectations for steering, evaluation, and quality. Ruess Group uses AI and analytics as tools, not as ends in themselves.

AI supports our work in research and topic monitoring, in the analysis of large volumes of data, in structuring content, and in developing variants for different markets.

At the same time, we draw clear boundaries: in sensitive situations and in the communication of leadership teams, responsibility remains with people. Experience, judgment, and contextual understanding cannot be automated.

We understand measurability as ongoing steering, not as reporting at the end. We replace classic clipping logic with digital dashboards and analysis models, capturing not only reach but also tonality, topic fit, media quality, and message consistency. In larger mandates, we work with data warehouse structures to assess the development of visibility, relevance, and impact over longer periods of time.

International mandates, complex assignments, measurable results

Experience in international industrial PR

Demanding communication is proven not through promises, but in practice. Ruess Group has been working for industrial companies since 1980 and has more than four decades of experience in systematic PR for complex markets. With offices in Stuttgart, Munich, and Leipzig, we operate across Germany and internationally — the selection of mandates is determined by the complexity of the assignment, not by location.

We support corporate groups and large industrial companies in international contexts — in long-term mandates as well as in sensitive individual projects, from global PR orchestration to clearly defined strategic assignments. Companies we have worked for or continue to work for include ABB, Peri, Recaro Aircraft Seating, Sappi Europe, Schubert Packaging Machines, and TÜV SÜD, among others. In many cases, these are multi-year collaborations with a high level of content and organizational depth.

  • International industrial communication over many years

    One focus lies in the long-term international support of industrial companies. We develop and steer PR programs across countries and markets, build topic leadership, and ensure continuous presence in relevant trade and business media. In doing so, we combine strategic consulting, operational implementation, and data-based steering into stable communication structures that hold up even through leadership changes and market cycles.

  • Strategic assignments with particular sensitivity

    In sensitive situations, we take responsibility for strategic communication — for example in the context of transformations, transactions, public debates, or the reorganization of brands and portfolios. Our role is to create orientation, assess options, and structure communication in a way that supports leadership teams and secures room for action.

  • Thought leadership and owned media formats

    We support companies in positioning themselves as relevant voices in the market through content and formats. These include web magazines, customer magazines, and thematic platforms that deepen strategic topics and carry them over longer periods of time. In combination with press relations and digital channels, this creates robust thought leadership programs whose impact we make transparent through dashboards and — for larger budgets — data warehouse structures.

Who strategic PR is right for

Situations in which PR creates strategic impact

Ruess Group works with companies for which communication is part of strategic steering. Typically, these are corporate groups and large industrial companies that operate internationally and place high demands on consistency, quality, and impact. Our contacts are usually marketing and communication directors who are responsible for multiple topics, markets, or stakeholders at the same time.

Collaboration is particularly valuable when international communication needs to be steered, topics require explanation, or positioning and topic leadership are to be built strategically. It is less suitable where communication is understood solely as a short-term measure or where operational implementation without a strategic framework is the primary focus. Impact is created when ambition, objectives, and ways of working align.

Let’s talk about your challenge

An initial conversation helps us assess the situation: we clarify whether and how we can support you in a meaningful way.

Schedule a meeting

Rafael Rahn

Rafael Rahn

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions
about choosing a PR agency

  • Many PR agencies are strong in operational implementation. Ruess Group understands PR as more than that: as a strategic steering instrument, working exclusively with senior teams. We combine international PR, positioning, and governance into one system — creating clarity, reliability, and impact, especially in complex situations.

  • As an agency for PR and integrated communication, we combine strategy, implementation, and steering from a single source. Unlike specialized PR agencies that cover only individual disciplines, we orchestrate topics across markets and channels and make impact measurable.

  • The effort depends on objectives, markets, and pace. As a B2B PR agency, we prefer to work in longer-term mandates with clearly defined focus areas, because PR in the industrial environment creates impact above all through continuity. Entry through clearly defined assignments is possible, provided they are embedded strategically.

  • Yes. Our PR consulting covers positioning, strategy, sparring for leadership teams, and the structuring of sensitive communication tasks — also without ongoing operational implementation, if desired. This often develops into a longer-term collaboration.

  • Yes. Ruess Group works as a PR agency across Germany and internationally, with offices in Stuttgart, Munich, and Leipzig. Our mandates are not regionally limited; what matters is the complexity of the assignment, not the location.

  • AI supports research, analysis, structuring, and the development of content variants, increasing efficiency and precision. Strategic decisions, tonality, and responsibility remain with people. Clear internal AI guidelines apply to sensitive topics.

  • We understand measurability as an ongoing steering process. In addition to reach, we consider topic fit, media quality, tonality, and message consistency. In larger mandates, we use dashboards and data warehouse structures to make impact transparent in the context of brand and corporate goals.

  • Less by service lists than by the way it works. What matters are strategic competence, experience in complex organizations, the ability to steer internationally, and the capability to guide communication responsibly even in sensitive situations. It is important that projects are led by senior consultants and that results are made measurable.

  • Whenever companies need to be visible in several markets, enter new markets, or strengthen their position internationally in a consistent way. It is particularly relevant for market entries, global technology topics, and strategic changes that affect stakeholders in different countries.

  • Classic press relations focuses on placing individual topics. Strategic PR connects positioning, topic leadership, media relations, owned channels, and analytics into one consistent system. The goal is not short-term attention, but sustainable relevance, trust, and impact in the market.

  • Yes. Strategic PR only creates impact when it is implemented consistently in day-to-day practice. We support clients from concept development through to operational implementation — from press relations and corporate publishing to digital content, campaigns, formats, and international orchestration. What matters is that implementation always remains linked to strategic objectives.

  • Our projects are led by small, powerful senior teams. Depending on the assignment, two to five experienced consultants work closely with our clients’ internal teams. The goal is collaboration on equal footing, with clear points of contact and short decision-making paths — relieving marketing and communication teams rather than creating additional workload.