CICERO COMMUNICATIONS

What CICERO COMMUNICATIONS does

Cicero Kommunikation GmbH, trading as cicero Agentur & Verlag, is an owner-operated hybrid communication agency and independent publishing house headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany. The company was founded by Dr. Dirk Becker in 1994 as a design and communications agency and extended into publishing in 2004. The agency side delivers full-service brand, corporate identity, interactive design, brand strategy, photography, film, spatial communication, editorial design, and audio-walk projects to mid-market and enterprise clients. The publishing side produces four magazines (VivArt, VivArt Lebenszeit, VivArt Lovestory, THE PROPERTY), four audio-walk products (Hörwald, Hörmal Limburg, Hörmal Koblenz, Hörmal Bad Vilbel), and commemorative books, with more than 350,000 print products issued annually.

The customer base spans aviation (Fraport), real estate developers and family offices (d.i.i. Deutsche Invest Immobilien, Benner Holding, Brück Immobilien, Finvia), luxury retail (Juwelier Oberleitner representing Patek Philippe), prefab housing (Bien-Zenker), architecture, gastronomy, cultural foundations, and municipal government (Stadt Limburg, Grünflächenamt Wiesbaden). Revenue derives from three streams: professional services (agency retainers and project fees), advertising sales across VivArt and THE PROPERTY titles, and direct sales of publications through subscriptions, retail, and the vivart.de shop. The company has won multiple German Brand Awards (2022-2025), Fox Awards, and Focus Open Silver, reinforcing its premium positioning in the Rhein-Main region with selective national reach.

Name

CICERO COMMUNICATIONS

Legal name

cicero Kommunikation GmbH

Website

https://cicero-kommunikation.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cicero Kommunikation is an owner-managed Wiesbaden-based hybrid agency and independent publishing house delivering premium branding, design, editorial, and audio-walk services to Mittelstand, real estate, luxury, cultural, and municipal clients across the Rhein-Main region and Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Communication & Design Services (with independent magazine publishing)

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Brand Campaign & Integrated Communications Agencies (MPAAAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts, Culture & Literary Magazines (MPAJAEAN), Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Brand communication services
• Corporate design agency
• Editorial design services
• Independent magazine publishing
• Spatial communication design

Headquarters

HQ city

Wiesbaden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Agency Services: Full-service communication and design agency offering branding, corporate identity, interactive design, brand strategy, photography, film, spatial communication, editorial design, and audio walks. Services delivered to mid-market and enterprise clients.
2. Publishing House: Independent publishing house producing over 350,000 print products annually including lifestyle magazines (VivArt, VivArt Lebenszeit, VivArt Lovestory), THE PROPERTY magazine, and books. Publishes regional cultural magazines for the Rhein-Main area.
3. Advertising Sales: Revenue from advertising space sales in VivArt magazines and other publications. Quarterly circulation of 60,000+ copies for VivArt magazine across multiple regions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CICERO COMMUNICATIONS operates as a hybrid communication agency and independent publishing house based in Wiesbaden, Germany. The studio delivers brand communication services — including corporate and editorial design, photography, film and video, spatial communication/installation design, and audio walks — for corporate, real estate, luxury, cultural, and public-sector clients, while also producing and distributing its own consumer magazines such as "Auserlesen" and "Geschichten von Goethe." The company sells project-based creative work to organizations and publishes/sells magazines directly to consumers.

Product overview

Cicero Kommunikation is a hybrid agency combining a full-service design and communication agency with an independent publishing house. The portfolio includes four magazine products (VivArt, VivArt Lebenszeit, VivArt Lovestory, and THE PROPERTY), four audio walk products (Hörwald, Hörmal Limburg, Hörmal Koblenz, Hörmal Bad Vilbel), book publishing services, and six core agency services spanning branding, interactive design, photography/film, spatial communication, editorial design, and brand strategy. The company operates primarily in the Rhein-Main region of Germany, serving clients in luxury retail, real estate, hospitality, culture, and institutional sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VivArt: Magazine for culture and lifestyle published in six regional editions (Wiesbaden, Mainz, Frankfurt, Limburg, Darmstadt/Mannheim, Berlin) with quarterly circulation exceeding 60,000 copies.
• VivArt Lebenszeit
• VivArt Lovestory
• THE PROPERTY
• Hörwald
• Hörmal Limburg
• Hörmal Koblenz
• Hörmal Bad Vilbel

Products and services

• Corporate & Brand Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 350,000 print products published annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Dr. Dominik Benner / Benner HoldingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded THE PROPERTY magazine with Dr. Dominik Benner. Cicero handles editorial, design, production, and distribution while Benner provides content and advertising acquisition. Quarterly publication targeting property owners and family offices.
• Stiftung Rat für Formgebung (German Design Council)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCicero was selected to produce 'The Major German Brands 2025' publication focused on circular design transformation. Both as publishing house (producing Fraport book example) and as agency delivering the main publication.
• Fraport AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple projects including centenary book (100 Jahre Fraport), Fraport Skyliners commemorative book, and ongoing communication projects. Long-standing client relationship.
• d.i.i. Deutsche Invest ImmobiliencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership for multiple real estate projects: Acht Morgen (Wiesbaden), Viktoria Viertel, UHli Berlin. Cicero provides complete branding, naming, editorial, and sales materials.
• Grünflächenamt WiesbadencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership for municipal environmental communication including Friedhöfe Wiesbaden website, Terra Levis burial forest branding, Hörwald audio walk, and other green space communications.
• Bistum and Stadt LimburgminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for 'Hörmal Limburg' audio walk project telling stories of Limburg through QR-code accessible audio content.
• Wiesbaden Congress & Marketing GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRedesign and editorial production of 'Wiesbaden im Rheingau' magazine for city tourism marketing.
• Zaeske ArchitektenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinued collaboration on Viktoria Viertel project following initial partnership for architectural branding.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Serviceplan Group: Europe's largest independent owner-managed agency group, headquartered in Munich, offering integrated brand communications across multiple specialist houses. Comparable to Cicero as a German owner-operated integrated agency, but significantly larger and operating across multiple European markets.
• FGS Global: Large global communications and public relations firm with a strong German presence (formerly Finsbury Glover Hering). Comparable to Cicero's communications and PR-adjacent work, but operating at much greater scale and offering strategic communications rather than design-led agency services.
• Scholz & Friends: Larger, established German creative agency network headquartered in Hamburg with integrated brand, advertising, and content capabilities. Comparable as a full-service German agency serving premium brands, but operates at much greater scale and broader geographic reach than Cicero.
• Burda Forward GmbH: Major German media publisher (Hubert Burda Media) producing regional lifestyle magazines and content. Comparable to Cicero's VivArt publishing business as a regional lifestyle magazine publisher, though Burda operates at much larger scale and with digital-native offerings.

Direct peers

• Strichpunkt Design: Stuttgart-based brand and design agency specializing in corporate identity, editorial design, and digital brand experiences for premium clients. Closely comparable to Cicero's agency work in branding, editorial design, and premium positioning for German brands.
• KMS Team: Munich-based brand and design agency known for corporate identity, brand strategy, and design work for premium German and international clients. Comparable to Cicero's premium brand development and design-focused agency offering.
• Peter Schmidt Group: German brand and design agency, part of the BBDO network, specializing in corporate design, packaging, and brand strategy. Comparable to Cicero as a Germany-based creative agency serving premium brand clients with similar design-led services.
• November (Agentur): Berlin-based creative agency offering branding, corporate communications, and editorial design. Comparable to Cicero as a mid-sized German agency with strong editorial design and publishing-adjacent capabilities, similar in scale and target market.

Regional players

• Faktor 3 AG: Hamburg-based PR and communications agency serving B2B and consumer brands. Comparable to Cicero's communications and PR capabilities, with overlap in corporate publishing and editorial content for clients, but focused on PR rather than design.
• mm magazine + medien harmonie GmbH: Independent regional lifestyle magazine publisher in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region (Mannheim/Heidelberg). Comparable to Cicero's VivArt regional editions as a regional lifestyle magazine publisher with similar audience demographics and content focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Cicero-Kommunikation-GmbH-1915474561813772
• Instagraminstagram.com/cicero_agentur_verlag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 CICERO COMMUNICATIONS