The modern business landscape is characterized by a paradox: unprecedented choice coupled with a growing lack of orientation. For mid-sized companies, navigating this complexity requires a shift away from traditional agency models and towards a more agile, needs-based approach – one that echoes the role of historical ‘Eichmeister,’ or calibrators, who ensured fairness and comparability in markets.
Historically, Eichmeister weren’t market participants themselves. They didn’t sell or produce; their function was to establish order through precise procedures, creating a level playing field for competition. Where comparability was lacking, uncertainty reigned. Clear standards allowed quality to prevail. As the calibration system became increasingly state-controlled in the early 20th century, the independent profession of the Eichmeister largely disappeared, replaced by state offices and bureaucratic structures. However, the function remained.
Many Options, Little Orientation
Today, mid-sized businesses operate in a remarkably opaque market. Channels, platforms, tools, and formats offer an overwhelming array of options. Marketing, communication, sales, and recruitment are increasingly intertwined, rarely lending themselves to isolated consideration. The result isn’t a lack of activity, but a lack of direction. Decisions are made under time pressure, often with limited resources and without reliable benchmarks. Which measure is truly relevant? Which investment addresses the most pressing bottleneck?
In this environment, mid-sized companies lack the clarity they need. They require a partner who understands the economic realities, assesses needs, and derives actions from that assessment. The core issue, as observed by the agency Eichmeister, is that a company’s actual needs are closely linked to its economic situation.
Need as a Business Indicator
During periods of growth, bottlenecks shift. When personnel is scarce, the focus turns to employer branding and HR support to increase employer attractiveness. As economic conditions weaken, priorities change: demand, capacity utilization, and sales come to the forefront, prompting targeted marketing and the development of effective e-commerce platforms. This pragmatic perspective – prioritizing impact over the instrument itself – is common among entrepreneurs. Whether it’s brand building, employer branding, campaigns, or performance marketing, these are merely tools. The sole determining factor is whether a measure effectively addresses the current need.
This approach is logically sound from a business perspective, but it doesn’t always align with traditional agency models.
Where Classic Agency Models Fall Short
Many agencies are structurally designed to define and continuously deliver services upfront. Retainers, packages, and fixed service agreements create planning security and clear processes. However, a company’s needs aren’t static. They change with market conditions, internal developments, and strategic shifts. When the underlying conditions change, measures must be questioned and reprioritized. Failure to do so creates a disconnect between effort and impact – work is performed correctly, often with high quality, but not on the most critical issue.
Our Approach: Regularly Assess, Decide Precisely
This represents where Eichmeister positions itself. Collaboration doesn’t begin with a measure, but with a joint assessment of the situation. At the core is a simple, yet crucial question: What is currently the bottleneck?
This question isn’t asked once, but repeatedly. At regular intervals, the economic situation is reviewed in collaboration with clients, existing priorities are questioned, and concrete steps are derived. Sometimes So intensifying measures, sometimes changing them, and sometimes consciously foregoing certain actions. Measures aren’t continued simply because they were agreed upon, but only if they remain sensible.
Just as historical Eichmeister regularly checked the fundamental measure, the agency consistently applies the same benchmark: the economic reality of the company.
Multidisciplinarity as a Professional Consequence
Multidisciplinary teams aren’t an organizational decision, but a professional necessity. Needs are rarely one-dimensional. Economic bottlenecks typically affect multiple levels simultaneously: positioning, perception, communication, sales, or recruitment. Strategy, creation, and implementation cannot be considered in isolation. Value is created where different perspectives are combined and decisions are made in the overall context.
Eichmeister: The Name as a Principle
The choice of the name “Eichmeister” isn’t nostalgic; it reflects a deliberate working method. The name represents precision, comparability, and the idea of shaping competition through clarity. In an increasingly complex market, the decisive advantage doesn’t come from the multitude of measures, but from the precision of decisions. The agency’s founder acquired the domain name from a former Eichmeister, recognizing the resonance between the historical role and the agency’s approach – a transaction sealed with a bottle of good whisky.
The firm believes that, in today’s environment, establishing order in competition is no longer a regulatory task, but a strategic imperative.
