What Zehnder Communications does

Zehnder Communications, Inc. is a privately held, full-service marketing and advertising agency founded in 1996 and headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. The firm operates four offices (New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Nashville, and Rosemary Beach) and serves enterprise and mid-market clients across five verticals: healthcare, travel & hospitality, food & beverage, financial services, and energy services. Named clients include Origin Bank, Walton County Tourism, Duly Health and Partners, Louisiana Fish Fry, and ONE Gas.

The agency's core offering is integrated marketing services spanning public relations, media planning and buying, video production, strategic creative development, and AI-enabled applications, delivered through a team of strategists, creatives, researchers, developers, and AI specialists. Its proprietary Beyond® methodology (a registered trademark) functions as the agency's positioning framework and is referenced in case studies and pitches. Zehnder is a member of AMIN Worldwide, an international network of independent agencies, which extends its delivery capacity globally.

Zehnder generates revenue through professional-services engagements priced via custom quotes tied to client scope, service requirements, and engagement type; specific pricing is not publicly disclosed. As of January 2025, the firm converted to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), Henry Chassaignac was promoted from president and executive creative director to CEO, and founder Jeff Zehnder transitioned to chairman of the board. The firm previously completed two acquisitions in early 2017 (Proofhouse and EMH Strategy) to extend its research and strategic capabilities.

Name

Zehnder Communications

Legal name

Zehnder Communications, Inc.

Website

https://z-comm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Zehnder Communications is a privately held, employee-owned full-service marketing and advertising agency founded in 1996, headquartered in New Orleans with four U.S. offices, serving enterprise and mid-market clients across healthcare, travel, food & beverage, financial, and energy verticals via integrated PR, media, creative, and AI-enabled services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising and Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Media & Community Management (BPAFAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer Journey Orchestration & Campaign Management (BPAFAFAF), Sales Promotion Campaign Design & Management (BPAFAMAC)

Keywords

• Advertising agency services
• Integrated marketing communications
• Brand strategy consulting
• Creative production services
• Public relations services

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Advertising Services: Full-service marketing and advertising agency providing integrated services including PR, media, video production, strategic creative development, and AI applications. Revenue is generated through professional services engagements with enterprise and mid-market clients across multiple industry verticals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Zehnder Communications is a full-service marketing and advertising agency that delivers integrated client services spanning PR, media buying, video production, strategic creative development, and AI-enabled marketing applications. The agency serves enterprise and mid-market clients across healthcare, travel & hospitality, food & beverage, financial services, and energy sectors, applying its proprietary Beyond® methodology to brand development, campaign execution, and digital experience work.

Product overview

Zehnder Communications is a full-service marketing and advertising agency providing integrated marketing services including PR, media, video production, and AI applications. They operate as a service-based agency rather than a software product company, offering their marketing expertise across multiple industries (Healthcare, Travel & Hospitality, Food & Beverage, Financial, Energy Services) through their proprietary Beyond® methodology. Their service offering encompasses strategists, creatives, AI specialists, researchers, and developers who work collaboratively on client projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marketing and Advertising Services Full-service integrated marketing and advertising offering that combines PR, media planning and buying, video production, strategic creative development, brand positioning, digital experience design, and AI-enabled marketing applications for enterprise and mid-market clients across multiple industries.

Quantifiable outcome

• Grew community bank to 50 locations and $9+ billion in assets
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AMIN WorldwideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerZehnder Communications is a member of AMIN Worldwide, an international network of independent advertising agencies. This membership provides access to global agency collaboration and resources while maintaining the agency's independent operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• BRG Communications: New Orleans-based public relations and integrated communications agency serving regional and enterprise clients. Direct geographic overlap and complementary service offerings in PR and communications, sometimes competing for the same local accounts.

Broad incumbents

• 72andSunny: Los Angeles-headquartered independent creative agency serving major consumer and tech brands with full-service creative, media, and brand strategy. Comparable independent ownership and creative-led positioning, though at significantly larger scale.
• R/GA: Global independent digital and creative agency offering integrated marketing, consulting, and technology services to enterprise clients. Comparable in the integration of creative, technology, and strategy, though at significantly larger scale.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Portland-based globally recognized independent creative agency serving major enterprise brands with full-service advertising, media, and digital. Represents the upper bound of independent agency scale and a long-term aspirational comparable for Zehnder's vertical depth.

Direct peers

• The Martin Agency: Richmond, Virginia-based independent full-service advertising agency of similar size (~200-500 employees) competing for regional and national enterprise clients in financial, healthcare, CPG, and tourism verticals. Highly comparable in independent ownership structure, vertical depth, and integrated service model.
• Peter Mayer Advertising: New Orleans-based independent advertising and public relations agency of comparable size, serving many of the same Gulf South enterprise and tourism clients. Direct geographic and vertical overlap with Zehnder's Louisiana operations.
• Lewis Communications: Birmingham, Alabama-based independent full-service marketing agency serving enterprise clients across healthcare, tourism, financial, and energy verticals. Highly comparable in size, independence, and vertical mix.
• Mering Cachina + Partners: Sacramento-based independent advertising agency similar in scale and independent ownership structure, serving enterprise clients across travel, healthcare, and consumer brands. Comparable integrated creative, media, and PR offering.
• Luckie & Company: Birmingham, Alabama-based independent marketing agency of comparable headcount, offering integrated advertising, PR, and media services to regional and national clients across healthcare, tourism, and consumer verticals. Similar independent, mid-sized profile.

Emerging players

• PadSquad: Digital advertising platform and agency combining programmatic media, creative, and AI-driven campaign optimization. Represents the emerging AI-native agency model that Zehnder must compete against as marketing services become more technology-mediated.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zehndercom
• Facebookfacebook.com/zehnder
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zehnder-communications
• Instagraminstagram.com/wearezehnder

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zehnder Communications