Klenk & Hoursch AG

What Klenk & Hoursch AG does

Klenk & Hoursch AG is a Frankfurt-headquartered, owner-managed corporate-affairs consultancy founded in 2003, delivering integrated Corporate Communications and Public Affairs services to large enterprises, mid-market German Mittelstand firms, and select associations/NGOs. The firm operates from four German offices (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) with approximately 70 consultants and is led by eight partner-shareholders; Daniel J. Hanke serves as CEO and spokesman of the board. Its core offerings span Corporate Communications, Public Affairs, Crisis & Issues, Internal Communications, Brand Engagement, Online & Media Relations, Employer Branding, Sustainability Communications, and Strategy & Positioning (anchored by the proprietary H3 Create methodology).

The firm generates revenue primarily through project-based professional-services fees, with billable consultant hours and project retainers across its four offices, supplemented by an emerging AI/CommTech product portfolio (LLMO-Readiness-Report, GEO-Monitoring, EmpCO Check, KI-Avatare, AI-powered dashboards, automated content generation) developed by a five-person AI team and partly monetized on a subscription/assessment basis. International delivery is enabled through the PROI Worldwide network of ~90 partner agencies across 60 countries, in which Klenk & Hoursch is the German partner; capability breadth was expanded in October 2024 through the acquisition of Folienhelfer GmbH's visual storytelling and design business. Recent FY 2024/25 fee revenue was €7.45 million (+3.9% YoY), and the firm has received 80+ industry awards including PR-Journal Top 25 ranking in Germany.

Name

Klenk & Hoursch AG

Legal name

Klenk & Hoursch AG

Website

https://klenkhoursch.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

German owner-managed corporate-affairs consultancy founded in 2003, serving large enterprises and Mittelstand clients with integrated Corporate Communications, Public Affairs, crisis, brand and AI/CommTech services across four German offices and the PROI Worldwide network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Relations & Corporate Communications Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services (541611)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF)

Keywords

• Corporate communications consulting
• Public affairs advisory
• Crisis communications consulting
• Internal communications consulting
• Visual storytelling design

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Corporate Communications Consulting: Project-based consulting fees for services including strategy development, brand positioning, change communications, internal communications, and visual storytelling. Revenue is generated through billable consultant hours and project retainers.
2. Public Affairs Consulting: Advisory services for political consulting, stakeholder engagement, regulatory communications, and advocacy. Provided through dedicated PA teams in Berlin and Frankfurt.
3. Crisis & Issues Management: Crisis communications consulting, training, and simulation services, typically project-based or on retainer for ongoing readiness support.
4. AI/CommTech Products: Proprietary AI-based tools and products (LLMO-Readiness-Report, GEO-Monitoring, EmpCO Check) sold as part of consulting engagements or as standalone assessments.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Klenk & Hoursch AG is an owner-managed German consultancy providing Corporate Communications and Public Affairs services to enterprises, mid-market companies, and non-profit organizations. The firm delivers strategy, reputation, positioning, transformation, crisis, internal communications, media relations, brand engagement, employer branding, sustainability communications, and visual storytelling & design projects from four German offices. It also offers an internal AI/CommTech practice that develops proprietary AI tools (LLMO-Readiness-Report, GEO-Monitoring, EmpCO Check, AI avatars, AI dashboards, automated content generation) integrated into consulting engagements.

Product overview

Klenk & Hoursch AG is a German owner-managed communications and public affairs consultancy offering a comprehensive portfolio of professional services rather than a unified software product. Core offerings include Corporate Communications & Public Affairs consulting, Visual Storytelling & Design (expanded via Folienhelfer GmbH acquisition), Internal Communications, Crisis & Issues management, Online & Media Relations, Brand Engagement, Strategy & Positioning with the proprietary H3 Create methodology, Social Media & Digital Marketing, Employer Branding, and Responsibility & Sustainability services. The firm also operates an AI CommTech practice developing proprietary tools including intelligent AI avatars for stakeholder dialogue, LLMO-Readiness-Report for AI search optimization, GEO-Monitoring, and EmpCO Check for sustainability compliance. Services are delivered by approximately 70 consultants across four German offices (Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich) through international PROI Worldwide network of 90 partner agencies in 60 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Consulting Core consulting offering covering corporate communications, public affairs, strategy, reputation, positioning and transformation support, including change communications, crisis management, media relations and thought leadership for enterprise and mid-market clients.
• Visual Storytelling & Design Creative services including live event communication, executive presentations, internal communications, social media content, sales kits, and PowerPoint templates and training, expanded via the Folienhelfer GmbH acquisition in October 2024.
• Internal Communications Performance optimization and unleashing potential in organizational communication, encompassing change communications, transformation support and employee engagement strategies.
• Crisis & Issues Reputation protection through crisis prevention, crisis management and reputation repair consulting services, including simulations and training.
• Online & Media Relations Professional media relations across classical and online media, journalist relationships, influencer engagement and community management across owned, earned and paid channels.
• Brand Engagement Brand communications from brand audit through brand identity development, strategic positioning, brand design and implementation of communication measures, including influencer relations and event management.
• Strategy & Positioning Methodical development of guiding principles, positioning and communication strategies using the Challenger Workshop approach and the proprietary H3 Create methodology with 20 creative tools and more than 500 impulses.
• Social Media & Digital Marketing Social media strategy and governance, digital marketing campaigns and digital transformation consulting.
• Employer Branding Building successful employer brands to attract and retain talent, including career development stages from Junior Consultant to Director.
• Responsibility & Sustainability Sustainability communications, ESG strategy support and Nachhaltigkeitskommunikation services, including the proprietary EmpCO Check tool for emerging sustainability disclosure requirements.
• AI CommTech Solutions Proprietary AI-based communication technology portfolio including intelligent AI avatars for stakeholder dialogue, AI-powered dashboards, automated content generation, the LLMO-Readiness-Report for AI search visibility, GEO-Monitoring, and EmpCO Check for sustainability compliance. Developed by a five-person cross-disciplinary AI team.

Quantifiable outcome

• 23 million paid social impressions for Vitamix campaign
• +13 more outcomes

Named customers22 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• SPARX Communication (Dr. med. Anna Stechele)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Klenk & Hoursch entered a strategic cooperation with Dr. med. Anna Stechele of SPARX Communication in 2025. This partnership extends Klenk & Hoursch's healthcare and medical communications expertise, particularly in the area of regulatory and sustainability communications (EmpCO Check).
• Folienhelfer GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Folienhelfer GmbH was acquired and its team integrated into Klenk & Hoursch as of October 1, 2024. The acquisition strengthened Klenk & Hoursch's visual storytelling and design capabilities. Co-founder Laura Barthelme now leads the 10-person creative team as Director Visual Storytelling & Design. The team moved into Klenk & Hoursch's Munich office. Folienhelfer clients (Apcoa, SIXT, Würth) gained access to Klenk & Hoursch's full Corporate Communications and Public Affairs portfolio.
• InnofactminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Innofact is the market research institute that partnered with Klenk & Hoursch for the Image Barometer 2024 and sustainability studies. Innofact conducted the representative survey of 1,036 German citizens (aged 18-79) in October 2024 on sustainability perceptions of employers.
• PROI WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKlenk & Hoursch is a partner of PROI Worldwide, the largest network of independent communication consultancies with more than 9,000 employees in 90 partner companies in 65 countries (some sources cite 60 countries). PROI enables international project delivery, client referrals, and co-development of thought leadership such as the Transformation Readiness Index 2025. Klenk & Hoursch actively participates in PROI initiatives including the annual PROI Transformation Readiness Index study.
• Telescope Advisory PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTelescope Advisory Partners was the management team that co-founded Folienhelfer GmbH in 2016. Simon Fischer, Managing Partner at Telescope Advisory Partners, commented on the Folienhelfer acquisition. Relationship is historical/investmental in nature through the Folienhelfer founding story.
• TrendOneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrendOne is the trend research institute whose insights on eating habits and mobile lifestyle were used as the basis for Kaufland's 'K-to go' PR campaign storytelling approach. Klenk & Hoursch incorporated TrendOne's consumer trend data into campaign strategy.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Serviceplan Group: Germany-headquartered integrated marketing and communications group with Public Affairs and corporate communications offerings among its broader agency portfolio. Directly comparable in geography but operates a much broader model spanning creative, media, and digital.

Broad incumbents

• Burson: Global communications and public affairs leader formed via the merger of BCW and Hill & Knowlton. Directly comparable public affairs and corporate communications capabilities; Gregor Schreiber's prior stint at Burson shows clear talent flow between the firms.
• Ketchum: Global communications consultancy owned by Omnicom with deep corporate, brand, and public affairs practices. Broader incumbent that competes for the same enterprise client budgets in DACH.
• Edelman: World's largest PR firm with global Corporate Affairs, Brand, and Public Affairs practices. Competes with Klenk & Hoursch for large DAX and multinational client work but operates at significantly larger scale with global offices.
• Weber Shandwick: Global public relations and communications agency within IPG, with strong public affairs and corporate communications capabilities. Competes for cross-border enterprise mandates referenced via the PROI network and other client referral pipelines.
• FleishmanHillard: Global public relations and marketing communications agency with significant DACH presence. Competes with Klenk & Hoursch for corporate communications, brand engagement, and public affairs engagements in Germany.

Direct peers

• Finsbury Glover Hering: Global strategic communications and public affairs consultancy specializing in corporate affairs, public affairs, crisis and change communications. Direct competitor in the same Corporate Affairs positioning as Klenk & Hoursch, targeting large corporates and complex stakeholder engagements.
• Hering Schuppener: Leading German corporate communications and public affairs consultancy headquartered in Düsseldorf with offices in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Frankfurt. Closest direct German peer to Klenk & Hoursch in terms of service mix and DAX/Mittelstand client roster.
• Storymaker Group: German communications consultancy with comparable scale (founded 1999 in Munich) focused on brand storytelling, content strategy, and corporate communications. Comparable in geography, mid-market positioning, and storytelling/brand engagement services.
• CNC Communications & Network Consulting: German corporate communications and public affairs consultancy operating in DACH. Directly comparable scope across corporate communications, public affairs, and stakeholder management for enterprise and mid-market clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/klenkhoursch
• Facebookfacebook.com/KlenkHourschAG
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/klenkhoursch
• Instagraminstagram.com/klenk_hoursch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Klenk & Hoursch AG