Campus Service

What Campus Service does

Campus-Service GmbH is a Cologne-based media company founded in 2001 that operates Germany's largest campus media network, reaching approximately 2.9 million students across more than 100 university partnerships. It sells multi-channel advertising and marketing services into the student demographic, combining physical formats (posters, XL formats, guerrilla marketing, sampling, mailings) with a digital layer of more than 700 DOOH screens within roughly 6,000 media channels across the network. Employer branding and student-recruitment campaigns sit alongside classical brand advertising, giving the company exposure to both consumer-brand and HR/recruitment buyers.

The underlying technology stack centers on the proprietary Campus Medienmanager platform for media planning and booking, an integrated ERP system for client and campaign management, an internal verification tool, and a programmatic DOOH booking interface. A first-party research layer — CampusPulse plus ongoing student surveys — feeds audience insights back to advertisers and agencies, and the company holds a FAM quality seal and a climate-neutral certification that are referenced as procurement-relevant credentials. The platform is operationally integrated rather than modular SaaS: campaigns are scoped, planned, and executed through a single in-house system rather than sold as standalone software.

The business model is project-based and transactional. The company publishes a EUR 1,000 minimum order value and prices campaigns against media placement and execution fees across the physical and digital footprint. It sells principally to enterprise brand advertisers (e.g., Telekom, Siemens, Samsung, Red Bull, Coca-Cola, Vodafone), recruitment-focused employers and public institutions (Bundeswehr, Fraunhofer, Porsche, Bosch), and the agencies serving them. Revenue is derived from media placement and campaign execution services rather than recurring SaaS subscriptions; the company is privately held at the GmbH level, founder-owned, with Stefan Hönnemann and Torsten Schäfer as Managing Directors, and does not disclose financial results.

Name

Campus Service

Legal name

Campus-Service GmbH

Website

https://campus-service.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Campus-Service GmbH operates Germany's largest campus media network, reaching 2.9 million students across 100+ universities through 6,000+ media channels and 700+ DOOH screens, serving enterprise brand advertisers and recruitment-focused employers with multi-channel campaign execution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Campus Advertising Media Sales: Sale of advertising space on campus media including DOOH screens, posters, premium walls, guerrilla marketing, and sampling. Pricing based on media type, location, and campaign duration. Minimum order volume of 1,000 EUR. Payment terms: 50% upon contract conclusion, 50% within 10 days of campaign start.
2. Employer Branding & Recruiting Services: Consulting, strategy development, media planning, and campaign execution for employer branding purposes targeting students and graduates
3. Brand Marketing Services: Crossmedia marketing campaigns, research, and strategy services for brands targeting Gen Z students
4. Student Verification Tool: Digital verification service for brands to confirm student status for exclusive student offers and discounts

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Campus Service sells access to Germany's largest exclusive campus media network (~2.9 million students reachable across 100+ universities and studentenwerke via 6,000+ media touchpoints, including 700+ DOOH digital steles and screens, posters, XL formats, guerrilla media, mailings, display advertising, university job boards, recruiting stands and the STUDYBOX sampling program). The offering is split between two divisions: Employer Branding/Recruiting (helping corporate employers build awareness and recruit graduates) and Brand Marketing (helping consumer brands reach Gen Z students). Supporting services include strategy consulting, professional media planning, research with audience insights, campaign documentation, and proprietary tools such as the Campus Medienmanager platform, an agency planning tool, a production cost calculator, and a 3-way student verification tool.

Product overview

Campus Service operates as a university campus marketing platform offering a comprehensive suite of advertising media and services for employer branding and brand marketing targeting students. The portfolio includes both physical media (DOOH digital steles and screens, poster advertising in CLP/A0 formats, XL large-format displays including Premium Walls and giant posters, guerrilla marketing tactics, recruiting stands, and the STUDYBOX sampling program) and digital channels (email mailings, programmatic display advertising, job board multiposting, and student verification tools). The offering is structured around two main divisions: Employer Branding/Recruiting (solutions for talent acquisition including employer awareness, applicant funnel optimization, and HR events) and Brand Marketing (targeting students as customers for product marketing and brand rejuvenation). Supporting services include strategic consulting, professional media planning, research with audience insights, campaign documentation, and proprietary tools (Campus Medienmanager for partner management, planning tools for agencies, and production cost calculators). The company uses its own exclusive campus media networks across German universities, reaching 2.9 million students through over 6,000 media touchpoints.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home) — Stelen & Screens Digital advertising screens and steles placed throughout German university campuses for targeted, high-visibility brand and employer messaging, with real-time content updates, programmatic booking availability and measurable reach across 700+ DOOH units.
• Plakatmedien (Poster Media) Poster advertising in CLP and A0 formats, including bulletin board postings at high-traffic locations across university campuses.
• XL Formate (XL Formats) Large-format advertising including Premium Walls, vinyl banners, giant posters (Riesenposter) and building wrap coverings (Folierungen) for maximum visual impact on campus.
• Guerilla Marketing Non-traditional on-campus advertising including CLP Mover, Bike Ads, Door Ads, chalk stencils (Kreidestencils) and dormitory activations (Wohnheimaktionen) for attention-grabbing campaigns.
• Mailings Direct email campaigns targeting students, faculty departments and professors at universities, primarily for HR and employer-branding purposes.
• Display Advertising Online advertising including programmatic placement and retargeting to reach students across digital platforms.
• Hochschule-Jobbörsen (University Job Boards Multiposting) Multiposting of job advertisements across university career portals to reach students and graduates seeking employment.
• Recruiting Flächen (Recruiting Spaces) Exclusive on-campus career and promotion stands, recruiting areas and roadshow locations for direct student engagement.
• Sampling — STUDYBOX Product sampling and distribution on campus, including the STUDYBOX (annual distribution to 100,000 students with product samples worth €18–25), hand-to-hand distribution and dormitory distribution.
• Verifizierungstool (3-way Student Verification Tool) Three-way real-time student-status verification via university ID, email address or student ID card, with ~5-minute integration and shop-system plugins, enabling exclusive student offers and discounts.
• Employer Branding Strategieberatung (Strategy Consulting) Expert consulting for developing customized university marketing and employer-branding strategies, optimizing recruitment campaigns based on employer status quo, goals, target universities and budget.
• Mediaplanung (Media Planning) Professional media planning for cross-media campaigns using Campus Service's ERP system, providing regional or nationwide campus media recommendations and bookable media plans.
• Dokumentation (Campaign Documentation) Campaign documentation including detailed online reports and on-site photo documentation for transparency and performance tracking.
• HR Events Event promotion services including targeted email invitations to students and graduates, event announcements to student organizations and professors, and on-campus media amplification.
• Geschlossener Marketing- und Sales Channel (Closed Student Marketing & Sales Channel) Exclusive student-only marketing and sales channel that ensures special offers are visible only to verified students through campus and online advertising, gating discounts through the student verification tool.
• Gen Z als Neukunden gewinnen (Gen Z Customer Acquisition) Brand marketing solution targeting Gen Z students as new customers, leveraging their high customer lifetime value and multiplier effects to rejuvenate brands' customer bases.
• DOOH Expansion — University of Münster Digital steles, Premium Walls and Riesenposter (giant posters) added at the University of Münster as a new exclusive contract partner, covering 42,500 students.
• DOOH Expansion — Campus Rostock 15 new digital steles and screens added at the Campus Rostock location. The media became bookable immediately and available programmatically from 01.08.
• DOOH Expansion — Kiel, Lübeck and Flensburg New DOOH steles and screens added in three new cities — Kiel, Lübeck and Flensburg — extending campus media reach to 38,000 additional students.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100,000 students receive STUDYBOX annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers31 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Studentenrabatt.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for student discount programs and joint marketing activities related to student targeting
• PersonalcomminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for job board multiposting services for universities
• Westfälische Universität MünstercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term advertising partner since several years. Collaboration described as professional, reliable, competent, engaged, and friendly. University values Campus Service's knowledge of higher education market, versatile modern advertising formats, and individual solutions.
• Goethe Universität FrankfurtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration continued with personal, professional, and successful partnership
• Studierendenwerk Erlangen-NürnbergcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSatisfied with analog and digital media, professional collaboration, and uncomplicated contact. Partnership spans several years.
• Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAU has been marketing their poster spaces since 2019 with Campus Service. Collaboration described as uncomplicated and Campus Service as a reliable partner.
• Over 100 German Universities and StudentenwerkecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership network including universities and studentenwerke across Germany for exclusive campus media marketing rights. Partners include: Studentenwerk Augsburg, Bielefeld, Bochum, Bodensee, Cottbus-Senftenberg, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Essen-Duisburg, Halle, Hamburg (NIT, University), Kaiserslautern, Mainz, Oldenburg, OstNiedersachsen, Reutlingen, Rheinland-Pfälzische TU, Rostock-Wismar, Saarland, Siegen, Stuttgart, Thüringen, Tübingen-Hohenheim, Ulm, Wuppertal, Würzburg, Münster, Frankfurt University, EBS, and others.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Wall GmbH: German OOH media operator (now part of Ströer) specializing in street furniture and city-light posters. Comparable to Campus Service in OOH/poster media sales, but focused on urban public spaces rather than university campuses.
• Clear Channel Outdoor: One of the world's largest outdoor advertising companies with extensive DOOH and billboard inventory. Comparable to Campus Service in OOH media sales mechanics, though portfolio is broader and not student-focused.
• Lamar Advertising: Large US-based outdoor advertising operator with billboard and digital out-of-home inventory. Comparable in OOH media sales model and DOOH transition, though primarily US-focused and broader in audience than student-only.
• Ströer: Germany's largest OOH/DOOH media operator with a national footprint of street furniture, billboards, and digital screens. Comparable to Campus Service as a DOOH/poster media sales operator, but operating across urban environments rather than specializing in the campus niche.
• JCDecaux: Global leader in outdoor advertising and street furniture media, with a significant German presence. Directly comparable as an OOH/DOOH media sales operator but operates at city-wide scale rather than focused on university campuses.

Emerging players

• Unidays: Global student verification and discount network connecting brands with verified students. Comparable to Campus Service's student verification tool in functionality, but operates globally as a digital-first platform rather than as a campus media operator.
• Student Beans: UK-based student verification platform offering student discounts and exclusive offers to verified students. Directly comparable to Campus Service's verification tool, though operates as a digital-native platform without the physical media network.
• Crossvertise: German digital advertising platform offering self-service programmatic ad buying across DOOH, display, and social channels. Comparable to Campus Service's DOOH/display advertising portfolio but broader in format and not campus-specialized.
• Hyype Media: German DOOH startup operating digital screens in retail and urban environments. Comparable to Campus Service in DOOH media sales mechanics, but at earlier stage and not campus-focused.

Direct peers

• e-fellows.net: German platform for student marketing and employer branding targeting students and graduates at top German universities. Directly comparable to Campus Service in addressing the same target audience (students, graduates) with employer branding and brand marketing services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Campus Service