Adpublica

What Adpublica does

Adpublica (legal entity: ad publica Public Relations GmbH) is an owner-managed, full-service public relations agency headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, founded in 2001. The agency delivers strategic PR, social media relations, influencer marketing, digital marketing, content development, and specialized crisis communication services to corporate clients primarily in the DACH market, with international reach delivered through its membership in the ECCO International Communications Network (32 agencies across 40 countries, joined 2019). Its core client base spans Food & Beverage (Pfeifer & Langen/Diamant Zucker since 2009, Knorr/Unilever, Fürsten-Reform), Tourism & Hospitality (b'mine hotels, Weisse Arena Gruppe, SchattenSpringer), Telecommunications (LEBARA), and Consumer Appliances (Sage Appliances and LELIT from Breville Group). The agency has no proprietary technology platform; it operates as a traditional professional services consultancy, monetizing through retainer fees, project engagements, and consulting work, with pricing not publicly disclosed.

The management team comprises Managing Owner Heiko Biesterfeldt (psychology/sociology background, crisis communication specialist, ~20 years in PR), Managing Partners Martina Biesterfeldt and Sonia Garcia Köpper (the latter serving as HR director and the lead on the award-winning Diamant Zucker Community project), and Chief Digital Officer Jan-Philip Thie, who oversees digital media integration. The agency maintains a German/English bilingual operation, is GDPR-compliant with an external data protection officer, and has accumulated an extensive awards portfolio including the German Brand Award (2016, 2023), ECCO Award Campaign of the Year (2024), German Enterprise Awards PR Agency of the Year (2017), and Top PR Agency 2026 by Manage Marketing Magazine. It is certified under the Hamburger Familiensiegel family-friendly employer program since 2007.

In 2025 the agency launched the KI-Sichtbarkeits-Check (AI Visibility Check), a free diagnostic tool and advisory service line focused on Generative AI Optimization (GAIO/GEO), analyzing brand presence across AI search systems (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google Gemini, AI Overviews). This positions the agency to capture advisory work emerging from the disruption of search-driven discovery, though the offering is a consultancy wrapper rather than proprietary AI technology. The firm has 11-50 employees, no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no public listing.

Name

Adpublica

Legal name

ad publica Public Relations GmbH

Website

https://adpublica.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Adpublica is an owner-managed, full-service PR and communications agency headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, founded in 2001. It serves enterprise clients primarily in DACH markets with PR, social media, influencer marketing, digital marketing, and crisis communication services, delivered through its 11-50 person team and ECCO international network membership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Relations & Communications Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Public Relations Agencies (54182), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAFADAH

Product & Brand PR (Consumer & B2B)

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Public Relations & Communications

SECONDARYBPAFADAN

Reputation Management & Online PR

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Public Relations & Communications

SECONDARYBPAFADAM

Social Media & Community Management (PR-led)

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Public Relations & Communications

SECONDARYMPAAADAJ

Digital PR & Social Media Communications

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Advertising, Marketing & PR Services/Public Relations & Communications Agencies

Keywords

• Public relations services
• Influencer marketing
• Social media communications
• Crisis communication
• Digital marketing agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. PR and Communication Services: Revenue is generated through professional service fees for public relations, social media, influencer relations, digital marketing, and crisis communication services. As an agency service business, revenue comes from retainer agreements, project fees, and consulting engagements with corporate clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Adpublica is a Hamburg-based full-service PR and communications agency providing strategic public relations, social media relations, influencer marketing, digital marketing, crisis communication, and content development for corporate brands. The agency combines classical PR expertise with digital innovation and serves clients primarily in the DACH region across sectors such as Food & Beverage, FMCG, Lifestyle, Tourism, Telecommunications, and Hospitality. As an owner-managed agency and member of the ECCO international network, it delivers integrated communication strategies through retainers, project fees, and consulting engagements.

Product overview

Adpublica is a full-service PR agency based in Hamburg, Germany, founded in 2001. The agency operates as an owner-managed company and is part of the international ECCO network. The core offering centers on strategic communication services including Public Relations (PR), Social Media Relations, Influencer Relations/Marketing, and Digital Marketing. These services are unified under an integrated approach driven by strong content, trends, and data, creating visibility across all channels and disciplines. Supporting services include Crisis Communication (Krisenkommunikation), Content Development, and a specialized AI Visibility Check tool for assessing brand presence in AI search systems. The agency serves clients in sectors including Food & Beverage, FMCG, Lifestyle, Tourism, Finance, IT, and E-Commerce.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Relations (PR)
• Social Media Relations
• Influencer Relations / Influencer Marketing
• Digital Marketing
• Krisenkommunikation (Crisis Communication)
• KI-Sichtbarkeits-Check (AI Visibility Check)

Quantifiable outcome

• Diamant Zucker community grew to over 10,000 active members since August 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ECCO International Communications NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerECCO is one of the leading independent PR agency networks worldwide with 32 owner-managed agencies in 40 countries. Adpublica joined the network to enable international PR activities for clients and facilitate knowledge transfer with experts across all continents. Adpublica is the first agency in Germany with a B2C focus within the ECCO network. The partnership enables planning and implementation of PR activities outside home markets and facilitates international brand positioning in the German market.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Faktor 3: Hamburg-based PR and communications agency with a long track record in consumer, technology and lifestyle PR, directly comparable in geography, scale and service mix to ad publica.
• Schwartz Public Relations: Munich-headquartered German PR agency focused on technology, digital and consumer brands; comparable as a similarly-sized owner-led German communications specialist.
• Wilde & Partner: Munich- and Hamburg-based owner-led communications agency with a similar mix of PR, social media and content services for consumer and B2B brands, making it a direct like-for-like German competitor to ad publica.
• fischerAppelt: Owner-managed German full-service communications group offering PR, content, social media and influencer marketing — overlapping closely with ad publica on integrated consumer-brand communications.
• Storymaker: Owner-managed German communications agency in Munich and Stuttgart providing PR, content and social media services for consumer and B2B clients — directly comparable in positioning and size.

Broad incumbents

• Serviceplan Group: Largest owner-managed agency group in Europe, headquartered in Munich, with integrated PR, content and influencer offerings — a much larger but conceptually comparable owner-led German communications house.
• Edelman Germany: German arm of the world's largest PR firm, offering integrated communications, public affairs and digital services — a broader incumbent competitor that frequently pitches against boutique agencies like ad publica for enterprise mandates.
• FleishmanHillard Germany: German presence of global Omnicom-owned PR network, providing integrated communications across consumer, healthcare and corporate — a broader incumbent peer in the DACH market.
• Ketchum Germany: German operation of global PR network Ketchum (Omnicom), offering consumer, corporate and digital PR — competes with ad publica for large enterprise retainers in DACH.
• Hill+Knowlton Germany: German arm of WPP-owned global PR consultancy; a broader incumbent that competes for enterprise communications mandates in DACH alongside specialist boutiques like ad publica.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/adpublica
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adpublica

Compliance1 record

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 Adpublica