ISD Group

What ISD Group does

ISD Group is a full-service digital creative advertising agency founded in 2004 and headquartered in Kyiv, Ukraine, with additional offices in London (UK) and Hamburg (Germany). The firm operates a 50-person team of strategists, creatives, and developers, organized around three service lines: Strategy (product, brand, communication, media, and UX strategy), Creative & Production (creative campaigns, brand development, new product development, web development, AI production, mixed reality), and Media & PR (media placement & analytics, social PR). Revenue is generated primarily through project-based professional services engagements with enterprise clients across multiple industries, including FMCG, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, banking, and consumer electronics, alongside a smaller stream of paid educational content (the Cannes Guide publication).

The agency's stated commercial differentiation rests on combining data-driven consumer insights with experimental production technologies — notably AI-generated content and mixed reality experiences — and on a selective client-engagement model that filters for "breakthrough" projects with visionaries willing to innovate. Core technology capabilities are described around AI production pipelines, mixed reality development, interactive experience creation (e.g., the "In the head of Vitya" interactive museum of creativity), and web development, rather than around a single proprietary platform.

ISD Group serves three core customer segments: large multinational and regional commercial brands (e.g., EBRD, EBRD-affiliated platforms, Carlsberg, P&G, Bayer, Beiersdorf, Philips, Vodafone/MTS, Reckitt Benckiser); international NGOs and development institutions (NDI, UNFPA, Ukrainian Institute); and government institutions (Ministry of Defence of Ukraine). Distribution is via direct enterprise sales with selective onboarding. The firm has been recognized multiple times by the Digital Champions League as Agency of the Year (2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020) and Most Creative Agency, and operates HASHTAG Digital Communications Agency as an adjacent subsidiary under CEO Maria Kochmaruk.

Name

ISD Group

Legal name

ISD Group

Website

https://isd-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ISD Group is a Kyiv-based digital creative agency founded in 2004, employing 50+ strategists, creatives, and developers across offices in Ukraine, the UK, and Germany. It serves enterprise brands, NGOs, and government clients with AI production, mixed reality, and full-service campaign development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyiv

HQ country

Ukraine

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Full-service creative agency providing advertising, digital products, brand strategy, creative campaigns, and digital development. Revenue generated through project-based engagements with commercial brands and organizations.
2. Educational Content Sales: Sale of Cannes Guide educational materials for marketing professionals and businesses seeking international market insights. Pricing tiers for corporate (4000 UAH), personal (2000 UAH), and student (900 UAH) use. Proceeds fund Young Lions & Marketers Competition winners' trip to Cannes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ISD Group is a full-service creative agency delivering advertising campaigns, brand strategy, creative production, digital products, web development, AI production, and mixed reality experiences. Their core services are organized into three pillars: Strategy (product, brand, communication, media, UX strategy); Creative & Production (creative campaigns, brand development, new product development, web development, AI production, Mixed Reality); and Media & PR (media placement & analytics, social PR).

Product overview

ISD Group is a digital creative advertising agency founded in 2004 with 50+ employees, operating from offices in London, Amsterdam, Hamburg, and Kyiv. The agency offers a portfolio of services organized into three main areas: Strategy (product, brand, communication, media, and UX strategy), Creative & Production (creative campaigns, brand development, new product development, web development, AI production, and mixed reality), and Media & PR (media placement & analytics, social PR). Their primary tangible product is the Cannes Guide, a paid publication about Cannes Lions festival insights. The agency works with both commercial clients (EBRD, IDS Borjomi, Vodafone, Reckitt Benckiser, Philips, NIVEA, Bayer, Carlsberg, P&G) and non-profit organizations (UNFPA, NDI, Ukrainian Institute).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Agency of the Year recognition in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2020 in Digital Champions League
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HASHTAG Digital Communications AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHASHTAG Digital Communications Agency is led by CEO Maria Kochmaruk and operates as a strategic partner to ISD Group, collaborating on digital communication projects. The partnership represents a core alliance in the digital communications space, with shared commitment to pioneering breakthrough projects that others consider unreal.
• Wieden+KennedycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Wieden+Kennedy on the EARTH7 project - a space rover destined for earth initiative. This represents a partnership between two creative agencies on an innovative breakthrough project.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wieden+Kennedy: Independent, award-winning full-service creative agency known for breakthrough campaigns and a selective, vision-driven client approach. ISD Group already partnered with Wieden+Kennedy on the EARTH7 project, confirming they operate as peers in the high-end creative category.
• Banda Agency: Ukrainian-founded independent creative agency with international offices, recognized for Cannes-level creative work and a similar boutique, selective-client philosophy. It is the most direct Eastern European creative peer to ISD Group in scale, geography, and positioning.
• Fedoriv: Leading Ukrainian independent digital creative and branding agency serving both Ukrainian and international clients. Comparable to ISD Group in operating geography, service mix (strategy + creative + digital), and blue-chip client base.
• AKQA: Global digital creative agency specializing in brand innovation, interactive experiences, and emerging-technology creative production. Directly comparable to ISD Group on AI production, mixed reality, and digital product/service offerings.
• Droga5 (Accenture Song): Independent-style creative network inside Accenture Song known for breakthrough campaigns and selective client work for global brands. Closely matches ISD Group's creative ambition, Cannes-level pedigree, and breakthrough-project focus.

Broad incumbents

• Ogilvy: Global full-service advertising and creative network competing for the same multinational client mandates (P&G, Unilever, Vodafone, GSK). Ogilvy competes with ISD Group in pitches for the same enterprise clients, but with vastly broader geographic and service scale.
• BBDO Worldwide: One of the largest global creative agency networks, repeatedly named most awarded agency in the world. Competes for the same FMCG, beverage, and healthcare briefs (Mars, PepsiCo, Bayer) as ISD Group but at a vastly larger scale.
• Dentsu Creative: Global creative network of Dentsu International integrating advertising, experience design, and technology services. Comparable to ISD Group's full-service creative + AI/mixed reality positioning, but operates at holding-company scale.
• McCann Worldgroup: Global advertising network with deep expertise in healthcare, consumer goods, and government campaigns, all verticals where ISD Group is active (Bayer, Reckitt Benckiser, Ministry of Defence of Ukraine). Competes on the same multinational RFPs.

Regional players

• Tabasco (TABASCO Creative Agency): Independent Ukrainian/CIS creative agency serving regional and international clients with brand and digital campaigns. Closely comparable in operating geography and creative positioning to ISD Group, primarily serving CIS-region accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/isdgroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/isd_group
• Xx.com/isdgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 ISD Group