Castenow

What Castenow does

Castenow GmbH is a privately-held German communications agency headquartered in Düsseldorf, with additional offices in Munich and Berlin, operating in the employer branding and corporate communications segment. The company was founded circa 2000 and pivoted to a focused Employer Branding practice in 2009, since when it has built a portfolio spanning large enterprises (AIDA Cruises, REWE, Deichmann, August Storck KG, All for One Group, SUPER RTL), federal and state government institutions (Bundeswehr, Justiz.NRW, Öffentlicher Gesundheitsdienst NRW), and industry associations (Unsere Bayerischen Bauern e.V.). The agency serves mid-market and enterprise clients through consultative, project-based sales, and generates revenue via professional services fees for strategy, creative production, and campaign execution.

The agency's core intellectual property consists of three proprietary frameworks: Castenow Connect (a 360-degree People Experience methodology covering the candidate and employee lifecycle), Connecting Culture (an integrated agency concept combining employer branding, corporate content, and regenerative organizational development), and Castenow Balanced Branding® (a trademarked analysis tool for employer positioning). Its service delivery is organized around specialized teams — Employer Branding (Düsseldorf), Corporate Communications and Content Marketing (Munich), Corporate and Public Affairs (Berlin), plus cross-functional units for video/motion (Special Forces) and editorial (Redaktion). The agency has no disclosed software platform or proprietary technology stack beyond standard marketing, analytics, and messaging tooling (Matomo, YouTube, MessengerPeople), and delivers services directly to clients through account teams.

Castenow makes money on a project-based, fee-for-service basis with no public pricing; the company is founder-managed (Sabine Castenow, Managing Director; Peter Johannes, Managing Partner, Munich) with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or M&A activity. Notable campaign outcomes — including the Bundeswehr 'Explorers' TikTok series (599M contacts, 85M TikTok views), the 'Die Rekruten' YouTube series (Deutscher Digital Award, ADC Grand Prix), and 165.1M contacts in the 17-35 target group on the 'Mach, was wirklich zählt' campaign — underpin its brand in the DACH employer communications market.

Name

Castenow

Legal name

Castenow GmbH

Website

https://castenow.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Castenow is a Düsseldorf-based German employer branding and corporate communications agency with offices in Munich and Berlin, serving large enterprises, government institutions, and industry associations through proprietary strategic frameworks and award-winning creative campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employer Branding & Corporate Communications Services

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) & Belonging Consulting (BPAHAGAJ)

Keywords

• Employer branding services
• Corporate communications
• Brand management
• Content marketing
• Corporate affairs

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Employer Branding Services: Castenow provides end-to-end Employer Branding services including strategy, brand identity development, creative production, social media, video content, and campaign management. Revenue is generated through project-based consulting and creative service fees.
2. Corporate Content & Communications: Creation and production of corporate content across social media platforms, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, newsletters, and print for internal and external communication.
3. Regenerative Organisationsentwicklung: Organizational development consulting services delivered in partnership with Susanne Preiss to help companies develop a relationship-oriented and constructive culture.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Castenow is an agency that provides employer branding, corporate communications, and corporate affairs services to enterprises, government institutions, and industry associations. Its core offerings span strategy and EVP development, brand positioning, content creation, social media management, video production, and campaign execution across the full employee lifecycle. The agency's deliverables are sold as project-based professional services engagements.

Product overview

Castenow is an employer branding and brand management agency with three German locations (Düsseldorf, Munich, Berlin) offering a unified service portfolio anchored by its proprietary 'Connecting Culture' methodology and 'Castenow Connect' 360-degree People Experience framework. The core offerings include Employer Branding (strategy, EVP development, brand identity, internal/external communication), Corporate Communications (journalistic content and marketing), and Corporate Affairs. Supporting service lines include Content Marketing & Social Media, Regenerative Organizational Development, and specialized teams for Video & Motion (Special Forces) and Editorial (Redaktion). The agency also employs its own CASTENOW Balanced Branding analytical tool for positioning development. Castenow operates as a full-service agency rather than a software platform, providing strategic consulting, creative concept development, content production, and campaign execution across the entire employee lifecycle.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employer Branding Services Strategic and creative solutions for positioning employer brands, including employer brand identity development, EVP creation, workshops, and internal/external employer communication. Delivered from the Düsseldorf office to enterprise and public sector clients.
• Corporate Communications Combines journalistic craft and marketing expertise to shape corporate culture through strong content, delivered from the Munich location. Covers corporate communications, content marketing, stakeholder communications, and public relations.
• Corporate Affairs & Public Affairs Communications development at the intersection of political positioning, strategic communication, and societal relevance, operated from the Berlin location. Addresses Corporate Affairs and Public Affairs for clients needing political and societal positioning.
• Content Marketing & Social Media Internal and external communication across B2C and B2B channels, including always-on and campaign approaches, cross-media strategy, social media formats, community management, SEO, websites, and newsletters across YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, and print.
• Regenerative Organisationsentwicklung (Regenerative Organizational Development) Supports companies in developing and living a relationship-oriented and constructive culture through consulting partnerships, complementing employer branding and corporate content engagements.
• Video & Motion Production (Special Forces) Specialists in social and new media, video, ecosystems, internal communication, and design who work in interdisciplinary teams to produce video and motion content for client campaigns across platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Bundeswehr 'Explorers' campaign achieved 599M total contacts (E14+), 87% reach in target group, 225M+ contacts and 5.5M+ interactions during campaign period.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Unsere Bayerischen Bauern e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCastenow has managed the complete communications for Unsere Bayerischen Bauern since the association's founding, handling member communications, stakeholder relations, and public-facing campaigns including the 'Fleischi entdeckt' YouTube series. The association represents approximately 100,000 farmers across over 60 member organizations in Bavaria.
• adlicious (Digitalagentur)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDigital agency adlicious supports Castenow in the deployment and targeting of the All for One employer brand campaign across online channels.
• Denkwerk (Digitalagentur)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDigital agency Denkwerk was responsible for implementing the redesigned career page for August Storck KG, in support of Castenow's employer branding campaign.
• Spin TVminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCastenow led content production with Spin TV for the Bundeswehr TikTok series 'Explorers', managing the creative direction while Spin TV handled production execution for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Unbound MediaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUnbound Media handled media planning and coordination for the Bundeswehr campaign, working in collaboration with Castenow's creative strategy.
• Media-Agentur (for Unsere Bayerischen Bauern)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCastenow collaborates with a media agency for media deployment and campaign optimization for the Unsere Bayerischen Bauern account.
• KreativkaderminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCastenow partners with Kreativkader to offer a dual traineeship program in Creative Concept, Content & Copywriting. The program combines theory at Kreativkader with practical agency experience at Castenow, leading to certification as 'Kreativkonzeptioner*in'.
• Susanne Preiss (Regenerative Organisationsentwicklung)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCastenow partners with Susanne Preiss for regenerative organizational development services, helping companies develop a relationship-oriented and constructive culture.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Universum Global: Global employer branding research and strategy firm that helps organizations attract and retain talent through data-driven employer brand insights. Comparable to Castenow on the strategy/research side of employer brand work, but with a stronger data/research orientation.
• EMBRACE: German agency focused on employer branding, HR marketing, and talent communication for mid-market and enterprise clients. Closely comparable scope to Castenow's Employer Branding practice.

Broad incumbents

• Serviceplan Group: Germany's largest independent agency group, providing integrated brand, employer branding, and corporate communications services across multiple specialist houses. Broad incumbent competing with Castenow on large enterprise mandates.
• Scholz & Friends: Established German creative agency network offering brand strategy, employer branding, and corporate communications. Competes with Castenow for enterprise brand and HR marketing budgets at greater scale.
• Jung von Matt: Major German creative agency group with strong employer branding and corporate content capabilities across multiple offices. Larger-scale competitor with broader service portfolio, frequently awards-recognized for employer and brand campaigns.
• Territory (T-Systems): Germany-based agency network (owned by T-Systems / Deutsche Telekom) offering employer branding, content marketing, and corporate communications at scale. Competes for large enterprise mandates with similar employer branding capability.

Direct peers

• Kolle Rebbe: Hamburg-based creative agency offering brand strategy, employer branding, and corporate communications. Award-recognized German creative peer with overlapping client segments.
• H&H Strategy (Havas): German employer branding and corporate communications agency (part of Havas) focused on employer brand strategy, EVP development, and recruiting campaigns. Direct competitor to Castenow's Düsseldorf offering for enterprise HR marketing budgets.
• TLGG: Berlin-based agency specializing in digital communications, employer branding, and corporate content for enterprise clients. Direct competitor in the German employer branding and corporate communications space, with comparable multi-disciplinary service offerings.
• Antoni (JVM): Berlin-based creative agency within the Jung von Matt network with a strong track record in employer branding, recruiting campaigns, and content production for German enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/castenow-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/castenow
• TikToktiktok.com/@castenow
• Facebookfacebook.com/castenow

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 Castenow