Zilla

What Zilla does

Zilla Medienagentur GmbH is a strategic communications agency headquartered in Dortmund, Germany, offering an integrated portfolio of B2B and B2C communication services. Founded in 1995 by Jürgen Wallinda-Zilla, the agency has operated for nearly 30 years, building expertise across crisis communication, content marketing, social media management, SEO, corporate publishing, public relations, video production, and strategic network consulting. Since 2021, the firm has operated as part of the CPTR-Gruppe, a diversified German corporate group. The agency employs approximately 10 staff and serves enterprise and mid-market clients across financial services, utilities, technology, and municipal infrastructure sectors, with named clients including Dortmunder Volksbank and Wasserwerke Westfalen.

The business operates a horizontal service model with a sales-led go-to-market approach, acquiring clients through direct outreach, founder-led referral networks, and inbound website inquiries. Service delivery is custom and project-based, with no publicly disclosed or tiered pricing; engagements are scoped through non-binding initial consultations and typically structured as multi-year professional services contracts. The agency operates two specialized extensions: DABKOMM, a training and education subsidiary focused on municipal infrastructure companies, and GenZAK, a sub-brand targeting Gen Z demographics with AI-informed and 360-degree communication strategies. Recent service additions include sustainability communication consulting.

The agency has no proprietary technology platform; the offering is human-delivered consulting, content production, and media relations. An in-house video production unit provides multimedia content creation supported by an external network of camera operators, sound, and editing technicians. Marketing channels center on the company website, SEO, social media presence (Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest), and thought-leadership blog content on communication trends. Geographic reach is concentrated in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with no disclosed international expansion.

Name

Zilla

Legal name

Zilla Medienagentur GmbH

Website

https://www.zilla.de/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zilla Medienagentur GmbH is a Dortmund-based strategic communications agency offering integrated B2B and B2C services including crisis communication, content marketing, PR, SEO, social media, and video production. Founded in 1995, it serves enterprise clients across Germany and operates under CPTR-Gruppe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Communications Consulting Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (54182), Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer Engagement & Messaging (Email, SMS, Push, In-App) (BPAFAFAI)

Keywords

• Strategic communications consulting
• Public relations services
• Content marketing agency
• Crisis communication consulting
• Corporate publishing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dortmund

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, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Consulting: Customized communication consulting services for B2B and B2C clients, including digital communication, video production, and classical PR. Revenue is generated through project-based professional service engagements.
2. Content and Editorial Services: Content marketing, corporate publishing, social media management, and corporate newsroom services provided as ongoing retainer or project engagements.
3. Crisis Communication Consulting: Specialized crisis communication consulting with over 25 years of experience, including crisis manual development and training services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Zilla is a strategic communications agency offering integrated communication consulting services including content marketing, online and social media communication, corporate newsroom setup, SEO, corporate publishing, crisis communication, video production, and public relations. The agency combines traditional PR with digital strategies to serve both B2B and B2C clients, with an additional focus on training and consulting for the municipal infrastructure sector through its DABKOMM division.

Product overview

Zilla Medienagentur is a strategic communication agency offering integrated B2B and B2C communication consulting services. The agency provides a comprehensive portfolio of communication services including Content-Marketing, Online-Kommunikation, Social Media-Kommunikation, Corporate Newsroom, Suchmaschinenoptimierung (SEO), Corporate Publishing, Krisenkommunikation, Video-Produktion, Public Relations, and Strategische Netzwerk-Beratung. The services work together as an integrated communication ecosystem: content marketing and social media form the digital foundation, supported by SEO and corporate publishing; crisis communication and PR provide reputation management; video production offers multimedia content creation; and strategic network consulting adds relationship-building expertise. The agency also operates GenZAK as a sub-brand targeting younger demographics, and offers sustainability communication services. Since 2021, Zilla has belonged to the CPTR-Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GenZAK: Brand under which Sebastian Ahrweiler leads a young team focusing on the future of the agency, with focus on AI and 360-degree communication.

Products and services

• Content-Marketing Strategic content marketing services including data-based website analysis, target audience definition, KPI development, channel optimization, and content creation for B2B and B2C clients.
• Online-Kommunikation (Online Communication) Digital communication services covering all online activities within a content strategy to reach specific target audiences through various digital formats and channels.
• Social Media-Kommunikation (Social Media Communication) Social media communication services including channel strategy development, content creation, community management, and performance monitoring across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
• Corporate Newsroom Corporate newsroom installation service that centralizes stakeholder communication on the company website, combining press releases, images, videos, and company news for journalists and other target audiences.
• Suchmaschinenoptimierung (SEO) Search engine optimization services to increase website visibility in organic search results, including technical SEO, content optimization, and machine learning-driven algorithm adaptation.
• Corporate Publishing Corporate publishing services covering all publications and content issued by a company, including annual reports, customer magazines, specialist articles, and employee newspapers to strengthen corporate identity.
• Krisenkommunikation (Crisis Communication) Crisis communication consulting services including crisis manual development, media training, interview training, and step-by-step support for acute or impending communicative crises.
• Video-Produktion (Video Production) Video production services ranging from smartphone filming to high-class productions, including pre-production planning, filming, and post-production with an extensive network of camera operators, sound, and editing technicians.
• Public Relations Public relations services including strategic product, location, and corporate communication, press campaigns, press office functions, and media relations with journalists across press, radio, TV, and online.
• Strategische Netzwerk-Beratung (Strategic Network Consulting) Strategic network consulting services to build and maintain business relationships with key decision-makers, leveraging over 25 years of experience and memberships in various Dortmund societies and associations.
• Nachhaltigkeitskommunikation (Sustainability Communication) Sustainability communication consulting covering ecological, social, and economic aspects of corporate communication, advising on authentic internal and external communication strategies.
• DABKOMM Training and Education Programs Specialized training, further education, and consulting services for municipal and communal infrastructure companies through the DABKOMM division, addressing political influence on value creation and critical infrastructure communication needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully developed and implemented social media communication strategy for Dortmunds largest cooperative bank with approximately 298,000 customers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CPTR-GruppecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021CPTR-Gruppe is the parent company of Zilla Medienagentur. Since 2021, Zilla has been part of the CPTR-Gruppe, which provides strategic alignment and potentially shared resources across communication and related service companies.
• Dr. Guntermann GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSebastian Ahrweiler completed his Volontariat (traineeship) at Dr. Guntermann GmbH approximately 10 years ago. Zilla maintains a very partnership-like and friendly relationship with this company, which represents a professional connection that generates ongoing collaboration opportunities.
• DABKOMM (Deutsche Akademie für Bildung und Kommunikation in der Kommunalwirtschaft GmbH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDABKOMM is a specialized division of Zilla focused on training, further education, and consulting for municipal infrastructure companies. It operates as a strong partner for communal companies and all firms working in municipal economics, offering branch-specific training programs and individual solutions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Faktor 3 AG: Independent German PR and communications agency headquartered in Hamburg with offices in Cologne, Berlin, and Frankfurt. Comparable to Zilla as a full-service B2B/B2C communications consultancy offering PR, content marketing, social media, and corporate publishing for mid-market and enterprise clients.
• Fischer Appelt: Hamburg-based German communications group with multiple specialized agency brands covering PR, content, corporate publishing, and live communications. Direct competitor to Zilla in integrated mid-market and enterprise communications consulting, with comparable service breadth.
• LoeschHundLiepold Kommunikation: Independent Munich-based PR and communications agency focused on B2B technology, healthcare, and consumer clients. Comparable to Zilla as a mid-sized, owner-led strategic communications consultancy offering PR, content, and social media services.
• Fink & Fuchs AG: Wiesbaden-based German PR agency specializing in B2B technology and digital communications. Highly comparable to Zilla in terms of mid-market positioning, content-led PR, and digital communication services for enterprise clients.
• PIABO PR Studio: Berlin-based digital PR and communications agency focused on technology, digital, and consumer brands. Comparable to Zilla as a mid-sized German PR consultancy offering content marketing, social media, and corporate communications.

Broad incumbents

• Scholz & Friends Group: One of Germany's largest independent creative and communications groups headquartered in Hamburg. Comparable to Zilla across the integrated communications value chain, but operating at much larger scale with national and international reach.
• Serviceplan Group: Europe's largest independent owner-managed agency group headquartered in Munich, offering advertising, digital, content, PR, and media services. Comparable to Zilla's integrated communication offering but at enterprise scale with pan-European footprint.
• Ketchum Germany (Plexus Communications): German arm of the global Ketchum PR network, operating as a major PR and communications consultancy. Comparable to Zilla in offering PR and integrated communication services, but with substantially larger scale and international reach.
• Edelman Germany: German subsidiary of the global Edelman public relations network. Overlaps with Zilla on PR, content, and corporate communications, but operates at much larger scale serving DAX and multinational clients.

Others

• DABKOMM (Deutsche Akademie für Bildung und Kommunikation in der Kommunalwirtschaft GmbH): Zilla's own training and education subsidiary focused on municipal infrastructure and communal economy companies. Included as a peer reference because it operates as an adjacent training/event business within the same corporate parent, illustrating the agency's vertical specialization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Zilla