What Scholz & Friends does

Scholz & Friends Zürich (legal entity: Scholz & Friends Schweiz AG) is a full-service creative and communication agency headquartered at Neptunstrasse 96 in Zürich, operating since 2003 as the Swiss affiliate of the Scholz & Friends Family group (originally founded in Berlin in 1981). The agency delivers orchestrated marketing and communication solutions for Swiss enterprise clients and Swiss federal government departments, spanning strategy, brand identity, advertising, social media, content marketing, events, digital and print production, employer branding, video and film production, performance marketing, retail design, customer experience, cultural marketing, and AI-powered marketing. Named clients include UBS, Mastercard, Salt, Rivella, Cardinal, NZZ, Atupri, Medela, Cailler, Feldschlösschen, Swissgrid, and federal offices including BAKOM, EnergieSchweiz (UVEK/WBF), and the Federal Office of Justice (e-ID mandate).

The agency's operating model combines a compact core Zürich team with the broader Scholz & Friends Family network of approximately 1,300 specialists across eight DACH locations (Berlin, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Vienna, Zürich), enabling project-by-project scaling without proportional fixed-cost expansion. International reach into 60+ countries is delivered through a strategic partnership with VML, and the AI service line leverages the WPP Open platform under WPP Germany's data protection oversight. The agency has won international creative recognition, including a New York Festivals Silver Award (2022) for the Mastercard glacier protection campaign.

The business model is professional services revenue generated through client engagements on a project basis; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales to Swiss corporates and public-sector pitches for federal mandates. The customer base spans banking, telecommunications, FMCG/beverages, healthcare, media, NGO, automotive, and federal government verticals, with multi-year anchor accounts (BAKOM DAB+, EnergieSchweiz) and recently won mandates (e-ID introduction, VIER PFOTEN) driving retention and pipeline.

Name

Scholz & Friends

Legal name

Scholz & Friends Schweiz AG

Website

https://scholzandfriends.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Scholz & Friends Zürich is a full-service Swiss creative agency serving enterprise and federal government clients across banking, telecom, FMCG, and media with strategy, brand, digital, content, and AI-powered marketing, backed by a 1,300-strong DACH network and a VML international partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising and Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Creative Boutique Agencies (MPAAAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Product & Brand PR (Consumer & B2B) (BPAFADAH), Technology & B2B PR (MPAAADAC)

Keywords

• Creative advertising agency
• Brand strategy services
• Marketing communications
• Digital marketing solutions
• Content production services

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services (Creative & Marketing): Full-service creative agency providing orchestrated marketing and communication solutions including strategy, creation, digital, events, brand identity, content marketing, and AI-powered marketing solutions. Revenue is generated through client engagements and service fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Scholz & Friends Zürich is a full-service creative communication agency providing orchestrated marketing and communication solutions across strategy, brand identity, advertising, social media, events, B2B communication, content marketing, digital production, employer branding, video/film, performance marketing, retail design, customer experience, cultural marketing, and AI-powered marketing. The agency serves Swiss enterprises and federal government clients with cultural understanding of German and French-speaking Swiss regions, while scaling projects through a network of approximately 1,300 specialists across the DACH region.

Product overview

Scholz & Friends Zürich is a full-service communication agency headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, operating as part of the Scholz & Friends Family with 1,300+ colleagues across eight locations in the DACH region. The agency positions itself as 'the smallest large agency in Switzerland,' offering a compact team with capabilities spanning strategy, creation, and AI solutions. Their portfolio comprises specialized sub-brands covering the full marketing spectrum: Scholz & Friends Business (B2B communications), Scholz & Friends Identify (brand identity and design), Scholz & Friends ON (content marketing), Scholz & Friends Realisation Hub (digital and print production), Scholz & Friends Employer Branding, Scholz & Friends Sounds (music and audio), Scholz & Friends Reputation (sustainability consulting), Scholz & Friends Digital Media (performance marketing), Scholz & Friends Broadcast (video and film production), Scholz & Friends Trademarks (retail design and packaging), Scholz & Friends CX Group (digital customer experience), Scholz & Friends Circus (cultural marketing), and Scholz & Friends Commerce (connected commerce). Additional services include traditional advertising, social media, event marketing, brand strategy with Market Insights & Trend Research, the AI-powered WPP Open marketing platform, and the BrandAsset™ Valuator brand research tool. The agency also maintains a strategic partnership with VML for international solutions across 60+ countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advertising
• Brand Strategy, Market Insights & Trend Research
• Social Media
• Event
• Scholz & Friends Business (B2B-Kommunikation)
• Scholz & Friends Identify (Brand Identity & Design)
• Scholz & Friends ON (Content Marketing)
• Scholz & Friends Realisation Hub (Digital & Print Production)
• Scholz & Friends Employer Branding
• Scholz & Friends

Quantifiable outcome

• DAB+ campaign reached Swiss drivers to promote transition from FM to digital radio
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VMLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with VML, one of the world's leading creative agencies. This partnership opens possibilities for international solutions in more than 60 countries for Scholz & Friends Zürich clients.
• Scholz & Friends FamilycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of approximately 1,300 Friends across 8 locations (Berlin, Brussels, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Vienna, Zürich). The Zürich office can scale projects by drawing on specialists from this network.
• VIER PFOTENminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampaign partnership for responsible pet ownership awareness in Switzerland. Scholz & Friends Zürich serves as lead creative agency.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jung von Matt: Independent creative agency group with strong DACH and Swiss presence, offering full-service creative, digital, and brand strategy — directly comparable as a creative-boutique alternative competing for the same enterprise and federal clients.
• Wirz Group: Switzerland's largest independent advertising agency; competes head-to-head with Scholz & Friends Zürich for Swiss enterprise, FMCG, and federal government budgets across strategy, creation, and digital.
• Farner Consulting Group: Swiss communications and consulting group offering advertising, public affairs, and digital services — direct competitive overlap in Swiss federal, financial services, and corporate communications pitches.
• Heimat: Berlin- and Zürich-adjacent independent creative agency with DACH reach; competes for cross-border enterprise and federal clients in German-speaking Switzerland.

Broad incumbents

• Publicis Group Switzerland: Swiss arm of global holding Publicis Groupe; competes with Scholz & Friends Zürich for major enterprise and government accounts as a broader incumbent with wider portfolio (media, data, creative).
• Havas Switzerland: Global holding-company agency with Swiss operations across creative, media, and health; directly competes on Swiss enterprise RFPs and federal government campaigns.
• BBDO Switzerland: Swiss office of Omnicom's BBDO network offering full-service creative and advertising for enterprise clients; comparable pitch competitor in Zürich.
• TBWA Switzerland: Omnicom-owned creative network with a Zürich office; competes for Swiss brand and federal creative mandates using 'disruption' methodology similar to S&F's creative-boutique positioning.
• Serviceplan Switzerland: Europe's largest independent agency group with Swiss operations; competes in integrated, AI-enabled creative and media on enterprise and FMCG accounts in Zürich.
• DDB Switzerland: Swiss office of DDB Worldwide (Omnicom) offering full-service creative and digital; competes for the same Swiss enterprise and government retainers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scholz-and-friends
• Xx.com/scholzfriendsch
• Facebookfacebook.com/scholzfriends

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scholz & Friends