December 2024

Another year of tackling communication challenges has come to an end. At Ziegler Company, 2024 was defined by restructuring, conflict management, and crisis communication.

Global Uncertainty and Economic Challenges Drove Restructuring and Business Acquisitions

The economic and political landscape remained challenging in 2024. The ongoing war in Ukraine, new geopolitical tensions, and economic uncertainties caused by high interest rates and volatile markets pushed many companies to their limits.

For many of our clients, 2024 was a year of major transformation—but not necessarily in a negative sense. While some companies restructured themselves both as brands and operationally on a global scale, others seized opportunities for acquisitions and business expansion.

We had the privilege of supporting one of our long-term industrial clients in restructuring its corporate structure, repositioning its brands, and preparing and communicating the largest reorganization in the company’s history. This complex task required months of close collaboration between ownership, management, corporate communications, project management, and consultants to ensure a successful outcome.

Additionally, we provided strategic guidance to one of our clients—now among the largest providers of regional rail transport in Germany—during the acquisition and integration of an established competitor. Our goal was to align all stakeholders with a communication strategy that highlighted the benefits of the ownership transition, ensuring a smooth transaction without disruptions.

Conflict Resolution Through Intensive Dialogue and Mediation

As in previous years, the challenging environment led to escalations in wage negotiations and internal workplace conflicts. The public and municipal sectors, in particular, struggled with budget constraints, a nationwide skills shortage, increasing demands, and often structural inefficiencies.

Once again, our well-established conflict resolution strategies proved indispensable. They facilitated fact-based dialogue involving all key stakeholders and prioritized collaborative solutions.

For instance, we successfully supported two of our clients in the public transport and cultural sectors in reaching labor agreements that balanced the interests of both employees and employers. Additionally, we helped de-escalate a deep-rooted conflict within a municipal administration that had increasingly played out in the public eye. While not yet fully resolved, our approach enabled all parties to identify key action areas and initiate the first improvements by the end of 2024.

Challenging Projects in Crisis Communication

No company wants to face a crisis, but in times of global uncertainty, volatile markets, increasing social media conflicts, and rising digital threats such as cyberattacks, crisis situations occur more frequently. As a result, we provided advisory and operational support to our clients in 2024 more often than ever before.

One particularly insightful case highlighted the growing influence of social media personalities on consumer brands and the implications for corporate communication. A subsidiary of one of our clients in the beauty sector faced intense examination from its online community following an investigative report by a high-profile influencer. Since transparency had always been a core value of the brand, we made it the central element of our communication strategy—a decision that was validated by the overwhelmingly positive response on social media. In this case, protecting the company’s reputation meant first acknowledging mistakes. To safeguard the parent brand, all communications were strictly managed through the young subsidiary.

10 Years of Ziegler Company GmbH

2024 was not only a year of exciting projects but also a milestone for us—Ziegler Company’s 10th anniversary. A decade of communications consulting for clients across industries and business sizes. Whether working with international industrial corporations, municipal administrations, banks, healthcare companies, shipyards, telecommunications firms, automotive suppliers, aircraft manufacturers, railway companies, or investment firms—we deeply appreciate the trust our clients have placed in us over the years and look forward to 2025!

Ulf Ziegler – Founder & Managing Partner