Hirschen Group

What Hirschen Group does

Hirschen Group is an owner-managed, integrated communication and advertising agency group headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. Founded in 1995 and operating across eight cities in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) and Belgium, the group employs over 800 people through a multi-brand platform structure. Its customer base spans German government ministries and public authorities, pharmaceutical/biotech/MedTech companies, government health bodies, and corporate brands, with no single client representing more than 5% of revenue. The group operates an integrated portfolio of eight service brands—KI² (AI²), Studio, Health, Social, Public Affairs, Consulting, Campaign, and Brand—delivering strategy, creative, production, and consulting services to enterprise clients, and manages multiple wholly-owned subsidiaries including 365 Sherpas (Corporate Affairs), Zum goldenen Hirschen (Social Media/Influencer Marketing), RYSM (Employer Branding), Health Angels (Healthcare), Hype Hart (Digital/Creative), and Freunde des Hauses (Advertising).

The group's core technology proposition is 'KI²' (Kreativer Impact x künstliche Intelligenz), positioned as both an operational standard and strategic operating system. The AI stack combines third-party generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, Co-Pilot) with proprietary data-based campaign steering and AI-supported evaluation across multimodal content (text, image, video, audio). The group operates seven specialized in-house studios producing over 600,000 assets per year and benefits from a WPP media-buying partnership enabling global reach. It was ranked 3rd in the 2025 HORIZONT/W&V/GWA TOP 50 ranking of owner-managed agencies in Germany.

Hirschen Group generates revenue through professional services engagements—time-and-materials or project-fee-based contracts—spanning advertising, communication, digital, social media, influencer placement, content marketing, editorial work, production, PR, and strategic and political consultancy. The group follows an entrepreneurial platform model, founding and building agencies together with their founding entrepreneurs and supporting them through developmental phases; the 2025 integration of 365 Sherpas into Bully Pulpit International illustrates this model. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are typically multi-year with separate remuneration for brand development work and use rights, and no publicly listed pricing or standardized rate cards.

Name

Hirschen Group

Legal name

Hirschen Group GmbH

Website

https://hirschen-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hamburg-based owner-managed integrated agency group with 800+ employees across eight DACH-region cities, serving government ministries, pharmaceutical/biotech companies, and corporate brands with AI-powered advertising, communications, public affairs, and consulting services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Agency Services Revenue: Services in fields of advertising, communication, digital, social media, influencer placement, content marketing, editorial work, production, PR, and strategic and political consultancy. Remuneration typically on time-and-materials basis or project fees. Separate fees for brand development work with comprehensive use rights.
2. Production Services: Content and social production services. Production of advertising materials, campaign content, and high-volume asset creation (600,000+ assets per year).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hirschen Group is an integrated owner-managed communication agency group offering full-service advertising, marketing communication, digital, social media, influencer, content production, PR, brand strategy, and political/public affairs consulting to enterprise clients. The group delivers these services through eight integrated service pillars (KI², Studio, Health, Social, Public Affairs, Consulting, Campaign, Brand) backed by proprietary AI tools (KI² framework) and seven in-house production studios. Services are provided to government ministries, healthcare companies (Pharma, Biotech, MedTech), corporate brands, and organizations primarily across the DACH region.

Product overview

Hirschen Group is a German owner-managed agency group (over 800 people, 8+ cities) offering an integrated portfolio of creative, digital, and strategic communication services. The core offerings span AI-powered creativity (KI²), Studio content production, Health communications, Social/Influencer marketing, Public Affairs, Consulting, Campaign, and Brand services. The group operates through multiple subsidiary brands including 365 Sherpas (Corporate Affairs), Zum goldenen Hirschen (multi-location creative), RYSM (Employer branding), Health Angels, and others. The group emphasizes 'Impact First' strategy combined with 'KI hoch 2' (AI²) as both operational standard and strategic differentiator, delivering creative excellence with technological scaling across all service areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KI² (AI²): AI-powered marketing solutions combining creative impact with artificial intelligence (Kreativer Impact x Künstliche Intelligenz).
• Studio
• Health
• Social
• Public Affairs
• Consulting
• Campaign
• Brand
• 365 Sherpas
• Zum goldenen Hirschen
• RYSM
• Health Angels
• Hype Hart
• Freunde des Hauses

Products and services

• KI² (AI²) AI-powered creativity service combining creative impact with artificial intelligence, branded as 'KI hoch 2' (Kreativer Impact x künstliche Intelligenz). Delivers creative excellence with technological scaling through proprietary AI tools, data-driven campaign management, and AI-supported analysis for enterprise marketing clients.
• Studio High-speed content and social production service backed by seven specialized in-house studios with cutting-edge technology and 24/7 access. In-house team of creatives, creators, photographers, videographers, and editors enables instant execution with end-to-end production for enterprise clients.
• Health (Hirschen Health Group) Specialized healthcare communications service operating as a calibrated system for Pharma, Biotech, MedTech, and government health clients. Covers full lifecycle from pre-launch to post-market optimization with 800+ specialists across Strategy, Creative, Science, Public Affairs, and Production, navigating complex regulatory environments (AMNOG, HTAR, G-BA).
• Social Social media and influencer marketing service combining data-driven intelligence with authentic influencer matching. Includes strategy, content production, community management, influencer campaigns, and performance media across digital channels, backed by an Inhouse Creatorpool for brand moments.
• Public Affairs Political communication and stakeholder management service navigating EU, national, regional, and local governance. Includes legislative strategy, competition/antitrust advisory, and stakeholder engagement for positioning client agendas effectively in politicized markets.
• Consulting Strategic business consulting covering brand portfolio strategy, reputation management, CXO positioning, insights research, transformation management, innovation forecasting, and sustainability advisory for businesses, brands, and public sector clients.
• Campaign Political communication campaign service for ministries, authorities, and organizations. Develops creative ideas that take stands, tell stories, and drive debate through creative concepts, strategic thinking, and journalistic approach across digital, analog, live, and hybrid formats.
• Brand Brand development and brand management service connecting strategic depth with creative excellence. Includes strategy and analysis, positioning and portfolio management, creative concept development, and brand/campaign orchestration across all channels.
• 365 Sherpas (Corporate Affairs Beratung) Corporate-Affairs-Beratung (Corporate Affairs Advisory) consultancy; founded 2013 as a small Public-Affairs consultancy and developed into one of Germany's leading Corporate-Affairs Beratungen with 50+ team members across Berlin, Brussels, Hamburg, and Cologne. Recognized as Communications Consultancy of the Year 2025.
• Zum goldenen Hirschen (Berlin, Köln, Valley, SouthSouthWest) Multi-location subsidiary agency brand under the Hirschen Group umbrella specializing in creative, digital, social media, and influencer marketing services across Berlin, Cologne, Valley, and SouthSouthWest (Stuttgart). Zum goldenen Hirschen Valley employs 250+ staff focused on Social Media.
• RYSM (Central, Düsseldorf, Employer Strategies, Hamburg, Integral) Employer branding and employer strategy consultancy operating across multiple entities in Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Dresden. Provides comprehensive employer brand development and HR communications services.
• Health Angels Healthcare communications specialist within the Hirschen Health Group, focusing on specialized health sector communications and marketing services.
• Freunde des Hauses Advertising agency entity within the Hirschen Group, providing creative advertising services.
• Hype Hart Creative agency entity based in Cologne, operating as part of the Hirschen Group network providing digital and creative services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6% revenue growth against market trend
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability10 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Bully Pulpit International (BPI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner365 Sherpas, a Hirschen Group company founded in 2013, has joined Bully Pulpit International (BPI), a strategic communications and public affairs consultancy headquartered in Washington, D.C. Hirschen Group becomes the exclusive creative partner of BPI in Continental Europe. This creates a transatlantic platform for politicized markets, combining strategic consulting with creative excellence.
• WPPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWPP provides global media buying power to Hirschen Group, enabling 600,000+ assets produced per year and global reach for healthcare communications clients.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Serviceplan Group: Largest owner-managed agency group in Germany and Europe, headquartered in Munich. Directly comparable as an integrated, owner-managed German agency group offering brand, digital, healthcare, content and consulting services across multiple specialist houses.
• Scholz & Friends: Hamburg-headquartered owner-managed creative agency group with similar multi-brand holding structure. Directly comparable on geography, ownership model, and integrated creative/digital services.
• Jung von Matt: Owner-managed creative agency group with strong brand and digital offerings across DACH. Comparable in scale (~1,000+ people), ownership structure, and integrated creative + digital positioning.
• Fischer Appelt: Owner-managed German full-service agency group with strong corporate communications, public affairs and content production capabilities — closely matching Hirschen's integrated offering.
• Antoni: Berlin/Hamburg-based creative agency and part of the Scholz & Friends family. Comparable on creative-led communications and similar client mix across German enterprise and consumer brands.

Broad incumbents

• Ströer: Large German digital/marketing services company focused on out-of-home and digital advertising. Comparable on data-driven campaign execution and German enterprise client base, though more digital-out-of-home-focused.
• DDB Germany: Omnicom-owned creative network operating broadly in Germany. Comparable as a large, full-service creative/advertising competitor but as part of a global network rather than owner-managed specialist.
• BBDO Germany: WPP-aligned creative network in Germany with strong brand and advertising heritage. Competes for similar enterprise brand budgets but offers network scale Hirschen matches via its WPP media-buying partnership.
• GroupM Germany: WPP's media investment arm in Germany. Comparable on media buying and data-driven campaign capabilities, and is also Hirschen's media-buying partner — making it both a peer and a partner.

Emerging players

• SinnerSchrader: Hamburg-based digital agency with strong design, technology and digital marketing capabilities. Comparable on Hamburg location, DACH digital marketing focus and enterprise brand clients, though smaller in scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hirschen-group-gmbh
• Xx.com/hirschengroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries18 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 Hirschen Group