Brand Strategy Firm RiechesBaird Becomes BrandingBusiness

Online, May 13, 2014 (Newswire.com) - RiechesBaird, the award-winning B2B brand strategy firm founded in 1994, today became BrandingBusiness, an entirely new company created at the confluence of business strategy and brand development.

"This is not so much a re-launch as a reinvention driven by client need and market opportunity," said Ray Baird, one of four Founding Partners of BrandingBusiness. "There is a lot at stake for B2B companies today as many consider repositioning their brands and go-to-market approach in an increasingly complex and commoditized world."

Also named Founding Partners of BrandingBusiness: Ryan Rieches, co-founder and CEO of RiechesBaird; Alan Brew, Prinicipal of RiechesBaird; and Michael Dula, its Chief Creative Officer.

The creation of BrandingBusiness comes as industry watchers report that B2B companies will spend more on marketing in 2014 and beyond after several years of belt tightening.

"We believe executives and business leaders are looking for a new standard in branding beyond the often simplistic approach of B2C branding," said Brew. "Companies today are searching for new ways to differentiate and deliver value to drive growth. They need a different approach and a new dialog about brands rooted in the language of business and strategy. BrandingBusiness aims to meet that need."

The company is building a new creative capability based on Dula's experience with more than 25 years in mainstream corporate identity. "These days, corporate brands have to be thoroughly integrated into the company's total business strategy," he said. "It puts a new imperative on design to deliver exceptional results based on long-term objectives. This is what we are in business to deliver."

BrandingBusiness is also in the business of delivering compelling stories: It is unveiling a content-rich website (www.brandingbusiness.com) that will serve as a thought leadership platform for its executive team, B2B companies, and other experts on branding and business building. Guest contributors and podcast guests in coming weeks include Jason Bartlett, Xerox's VP-Global Digital Marketing, Corporate Marketing and Communications; Dave Logan, author of "Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization;" and August Turak, author of "Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks: One CEO's Quest for Meaning and Authenticity." Also featured: interviews with executives from ABM Industries, IBM, and Villeroy & Boch.

While the company aims to fill a void left after cutbacks by traditional trade publishers, it first embraced content marketing and thought leadership years ago. Its new name, BrandingBusiness, comes from the blog and podcast it created in 2008 and underscores the growing importance content marketing and thought leadership plays in the branding space for businesses today.

"With purchase decisions that are more considered, complex and relationship-oriented than high-volume, low-margin transactions in the B2C world, B2B companies need a specialized branding resource that is tailored to their operational structure and audience groups," said Rieches. "We aim to be that resource 24/7."

About BrandingBusiness

BrandingBusiness is a brand strategy and development consultancy that helps B2B companies establish, assess, and position transformational brands. The company, formerly known as RiechesBaird, views brands as strategic assets that are best leveraged by integrating brand strategy with business strategy. It offers a rigorous approach to brand building, engagement and design with programs customized for unique challenges and opportunities B2B companies face. Its founding partners are sought-after brand strategists who, over the past 20 years, have worked with American Airlines, Cisco, Constellation Energy, Elsevier, Huawei, ITT, Pacific Life, Sharp, Sage Software, and Toyota Material Handling USA, among other companies. BrandingBusiness has offices in Irvine, Calif., and New York City.

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