KWS

What KWS does

KWS (Kreativ im Krater), legally kws Werbe Service GmbH, is a German full-service advertising agency founded in 1987 by Alfred Karmann and headquartered at Stadelmüllerweg 21a, 86650 Wemding, Bavaria. The agency operates with a 13-person in-house multidisciplinary team and serves over 300 clients, with 500+ completed projects accumulated over nearly four decades. It is family-owned (current ownership/management: Jürgen Karmann as Inhaber & Geschäftsführer alongside Christoph Hach in Geschäftsleitung) and registered as a private GmbH in Augsburg, Germany, with no disclosed external investors or parent entities.

The agency's service portfolio spans web development and e-commerce (built on Shopware 6 for Möbel Karmann and WordPress for other clients), graphic design and print production, social media management and Google Ads, CGI/3D visualization, marketing strategy and campaign execution, and recruiting/employer-branding solutions with supporting hosting/maintenance and accessibility (KraterAccess) services. Core verticals include furniture retail (Möbel Karmann, JOBST Wohnwelt, Interliving, Möbel Steffens, FREY), trades and construction (EIGNER Bau, Graule, Hübler), sports (DBBL, Eigner Angels), gastronomy, and regional brands including Landkreis Donau-Ries.

Revenue derives from project-based professional services fees priced per engagement, with cost estimates provided in advance under standard AGB and net 14 or 30-day payment terms; no fixed pricing tiers are publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is direct sales to mid-market regional Mittelstand clients in the Donau-Ries area and selected national accounts (e.g., Interliving), supplemented by inbound interest from the agency's published portfolio. Distribution is solely direct with no reseller or marketplace channel. The firm's infrastructure integrates Google Analytics/Tag Manager/Ads for analytics and paid media, CleverReach for newsletters, and Mittwald for hosting; no proprietary platform or API surface is offered.

Name

KWS

Legal name

kws Werbe Service GmbH

Website

https://kreativimkrater.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KWS (Kreativ im Krater) is a German full-service advertising agency founded in 1987, serving 300+ SME and mid-market clients across furniture retail, construction, and regional brands with web development, design, print, social media, CGI, and recruiting services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wemding

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Marketing Services: Project-based fees for design, web development, social media management, marketing campaigns, CGI/3D visualization, and recruiting solutions. The agency charges per-project with cost estimates provided before work begins. Payment terms are 14 days or 30 days net per AGB. For work under 1,000 EUR, no prior cost estimate is required.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

KWS (Kreativ im Krater) is a full-service advertising agency that designs, builds, and executes integrated marketing campaigns for regional German SMEs. Its core services include custom website development and e-commerce (WordPress, Shopware 6), graphic design and print production, social media management and Google Ads, CGI/3D visualization, digital recruiting and employer branding portals, and multi-channel marketing strategy. The agency sells these as standalone services or as combined full-service packages on a project-by-project basis.

Product overview

KWS (Kreativ im Krater) is a full-service advertising agency offering a comprehensive portfolio of marketing and creative services. The core offering spans web development and e-commerce, design and print, social media management, CGI/3D visualization, recruiting solutions, and strategic marketing. The agency operates on a modular service model where clients can engage individual services (such as standalone web design or print design) or comprehensive full-service packages. Key products include Webseiten & E-Commerce (websites and online shops), Design & Print (graphic design and print production), Social Media & Google Ads (digital advertising), CGI & 3D Visualisierung (3D rendering), Recruiting (career portals and employer branding), Marketing (campaign strategy and execution), and Employer Marketing (specialized recruitment marketing). Supporting services include Hosting & Wartung (maintenance), Digitalprospekt (digital brochures), and Barrierefrei durch KraterAccess (accessibility compliance). The agency primarily serves the Mittelstand (mid-market companies) in the Donau-Ries region and beyond, with particular expertise in furniture retail, construction, sports organizations, gastronomy, and regional brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Webseiten & E-Commerce Custom website development and e-commerce solutions including responsive design, SEO optimization, and CMS integration, delivered to regional SMEs and retail clients.
• Design & Print Graphic design and print production services including corporate design, marketing materials, catalogs, and print advertising for retail and SME clients.
• Social Media & Google Ads Social media management and paid advertising services including content creation, campaign management, and performance analytics for SME clients.
• CGI & 3D Visualisierung Computer-generated imagery and 3D visualization services for photorealistic product renders, interior visualizations, and virtual room planning, primarily for furniture and interior retail clients.
• Recruiting Digital recruitment solutions including career portals, job posting integrations, online application systems, and employer branding for regional SME clients.
• Marketing Comprehensive marketing strategy and campaign development including brand positioning, media planning, and multi-channel campaign execution for SME and regional clients.
• Employer Marketing Specialized employer branding and recruitment marketing services targeting talent acquisition needs for SME and mid-market clients.
• Hosting & Wartung Website hosting and maintenance services ensuring performance, security, and uptime for client web properties.
• Digitalprospekt Digital brochure and catalog solutions offered as an alternative or supplement to traditional print materials.
• Barrierefrei durch KraterAccess Accessibility services ensuring website compliance with accessibility standards through the KraterAccess offering for client websites.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300+ satisfied customers with many starting with one project and continuing as ongoing clients
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers19 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

Integration8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• InterlivingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKWS serves as a creative partner for Interliving, supporting key visual development, POS materials, advertising, online adaptations, and magazine concept work. Interliving is a national furniture brand exclusive to regional independent furniture retailers and VME members. KWS participated in agency competitions for Interliving's magazine concept and contributes to the central marketing management system.
• Markenpartner Donau-RiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerKWS holds official 'Markenpartner' (brand partner) status for the Donau-Ries region, having contributed to the region's image campaign #Glückstreffer and created its own photography series of the region's landscapes to strengthen the emotional brand imagery.
• CID Donauwörth (Club der Industrie Donauwörth)minorOthersKWS is a member of CID Donauwörth, a business association for industrial companies in the Donau-Ries region, supporting regional networking and business development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Serviceplan Group: Largest independent German agency group, headquartered in Munich, with full-service creative, digital, and media capabilities across multiple specialist houses. Far larger than KWS but offers overlapping full-service advertising services to enterprise and mid-market German brands.
• Jung von Matt: Major German creative agency network with offices across Germany and Europe. Comparable on broad creative/marketing services but operates at a fundamentally larger scale and creative-tier focus than KWS.
• Havas Germany: German arm of Havas, providing advertising, media, and digital services. Operates at group level well above KWS but competes for the same broad marketing budgets German brands allocate.
• Scholz & Friends: Established Hamburg-based creative agency group offering brand, advertising, digital, and content services. Overlaps with KWS on integrated brand and digital work for German clients, but at significantly greater scale.
• DDB Germany: German operation of DDB Worldwide, a major creative advertising network offering strategic, creative, and digital services to enterprise clients. Indirect overlap with KWS on full-service marketing delivery.
• TBWA\Germany: German operation of the global TBWA network, providing creative, brand, and digital advertising services to enterprise clients. Indirect overlap with KWS on full-service marketing but focused on larger accounts.
• Publicis Germany: German operations of the Publicis Groupe, providing advertising, digital transformation, and media services. Wide footprint overlapping many of KWS's service categories but at vastly larger scale.
• GroupM Germany: Germany's largest media agency network (WPP), handling paid media planning/buying and digital performance for major brands. Indirectly relevant as a competitor for KWS's Google Ads and paid social media offerings but operates at fundamentally different scale.

Direct peers

• Wiethe Group: German full-service marketing agency headquartered in Karlsruhe that delivers integrated brand, content, digital, and e-commerce work for European clients. Most comparable peer to KWS on service mix, German Mittelstand customer focus, and full-service model — though materially larger (multiple offices and several hundred staff).
• Die Werbeagentur: German full-service agency providing brand, web, and advertising services to mid-market clients. Closely comparable to KWS in service portfolio and Mittelstand customer focus, though typically working in different regional pockets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kwswerbung
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kws-werbe-service-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/kreativimkrater

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 KWS