What Merlicek & Partner does

Merlicek & Partner Werbegesellschaft m.b.H. is a Vienna-based, owner-operated full-service advertising and communication agency founded in 1986. The firm operates under a three-partner, three-generation structure with managing directors Franz Merlicek, Rosa Merlicek, Peter Mayer, and Johannes Newrkla, and is registered at Kirchengasse 3, 1070 Wien. It serves Austrian enterprises and select international clients across food and beverage, banking, insurance, retail, fashion, cosmetics, construction, technology, and NGO verticals.

The agency's service portfolio spans four integrated core areas: branding (identity systems, typography, brand guidelines), packaging design (notably a 1,000+ SKU programme for Ja! Natürlich and the full BIPA private-label family), multi-channel campaign management (TV, radio, OOH, print, digital, social), and digital/performance marketing (Meta, Instagram, TikTok). Underlying execution is traditional creative and production capability with no proprietary technology platform — the firm relies on standard agency tooling, third-party platforms (e.g., Meta for performance campaigns), and external collaborators including photographers (Rankin, Andrea de Santis, Jean-Philippe Delhomme), illustrators (Prinz Apfel), and production partners (Giant Ant, LWZ). Its 2025 Mindful Thiefluencer campaign for ESSECCA won Silver and Bronze Venere awards at the Austrian cca advertising awards.

The business model is professional services — revenue derives from project-based, quote-by-quote fees tailored to each client's scope, with no public pricing tiers or productized offerings. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales augmented by the agency's own portfolio website (case studies organized by Branding, Packaging, Kampagnen, Digital), Instagram (@merlicek_inofficial), YouTube, and earned media via Austrian industry awards. Customer concentration sits across a diversified roster of 50+ named brands, with anchor relationships at large Austrian enterprise clients (Ja! Natürlich, Bank Austria, ERGO, Mautner Markhof, BIPA/REWE Group), complemented by international engagements for Microsoft Surface, Aperol, Elizabeth Arden, Volkswagen, Nike, and McDonald's. The agency has no disclosed subsidiaries, parent company, or external investment.

Name

Merlicek & Partner

Legal name

Merlicek & Partner Werbegesellschaft m.b.H.

Website

https://merlicek-partner.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Merlicek & Partner is a Vienna-based, owner-operated full-service advertising agency founded in 1986, delivering branding, packaging design, multi-channel campaign management, and digital/performance marketing for Austrian enterprises and select international brands across diverse consumer and B2B verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising and Communication Agency Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Experiential, Event & Sponsorship Marketing (BPAFAAAH)

Keywords

• Advertising agency services
• Brand identity design
• Packaging design
• Integrated campaign management
• Digital marketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services — Creative and Communication Services: Merlicek & Partner generates revenue through client engagements for branding, packaging design, campaign creation (TV, radio, print, digital, OOH), and digital services. As an owner-operated advertising agency, revenue comes from project-based professional service fees tailored to each client's scope of work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Merlicek & Partner is a full-service advertising and communication agency (Werbegesellschaft m.b.H.) that delivers integrated branding, packaging design, multi-channel campaign creation (TV, radio, OOH, print, digital, social media), and digital performance marketing services. The agency combines strategic brand work with creative execution across all media for Austrian and international enterprises.

Product overview

Merlicek & Partner is a Vienna-based advertising and communication agency (Werbegesellschaft m.b.H.) offering integrated branding, campaign management, digital marketing, and packaging design services. Their service portfolio includes brand identity development, multi-channel campaign execution (spanning TV, radio, OOH, print, and digital), social media marketing across platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and comprehensive packaging design for consumer goods. The agency serves prominent Austrian and international brands across food/beverage, retail, financial services, and personal care sectors. Their work integrates traditional advertising with digital-first strategies, and they specialize in performance marketing campaigns with measurable outcomes. The agency operates with a three-generation, three-partner ownership structure and positions itself as a lead agency with fully integrated digital capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Silver Venere award in Social Media category and Bronze Venere award in Influencer category at Austrian advertising awards (cca) for the Mindful Thiefluencer campaign for ESSECCA

Named customers20 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Giant AntminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMerlicek & Partner collaborated with Giant Ant to produce TV, radio, OOH, print, and social media content for the Mautner Markhof campaign.
• Michael WittmannminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Michael Wittmann (advertising copywriter, football enthusiast, and tropist) on a campaign for Greenpeace.
• Salon AlpinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with Salon Alpin on the GREENPEACE ENDVOLUTION campaign, which visualized 100 million years of Earth's evolution.
• Jean-Philippe DelhommeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIllustrator Jean-Philippe Delhomme collaborated with Alexander Kellas on the Residenz Josefstadt branding campaign, creating illustrative pictures for Swiss residential real estate.
• Prinz Apfel (Barcelona)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Barcelona-based illustrators Prinz Apfel to create a poster and print campaign for CliniClowns, designed for placement in hospitals and doctors' offices.
• Andrea de SantisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist Andrea de Santis created unique key visuals for each metropolis as part of the Elizabeth Arden #travelwitharden sense-of-place campaign, depicting destinations as beauty cases with iconic elements in country-specific colors.
• LWZ (directed by)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 'From Manner with Love' content promotion was directed by LWZ for the Manner brand's Viennese cultural content campaign.
• RankinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRenowned photographer Rankin served as photographer for the Life Ball 2018 awareness campaign created for the LIFE+ association, featuring stories of two globally known individuals on their skin.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Serviceplan Group: Munich-based, Europe's largest independent creative agency group providing integrated branding, campaigns, digital, and media services. Comparable as a DACH full-service creative competitor, though larger and more networked than Merlicek & Partner.
• Scholz & Friends: Hamburg-based independent creative agency with strong integrated branding and digital capabilities serving DACH clients. Comparable as an independent DACH full-service creative agency competing for similar mid-to-large brand mandates.
• Grabarz & Partner: Hamburg-based creative agency known for integrated campaigns and brand work for major German-speaking brands. Comparable as a DACH creative competitor pursuing similar brand-building mandates.
• Zum goldenen Hirschen: Berlin-based independent creative and communications agency operating across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with full-service branding, PR, and campaign capabilities. Comparable as an independent DACH creative peer with overlapping service mix.
• Jung von Matt: Hamburg-based independent creative agency offering full-service branding, campaign, and digital services across the DACH region. Directly comparable as a German-speaking, owner-influenced creative agency competing for similar mid-to-large brand mandates.
• Demner, Merlicek & Bergmann: Historic Austrian creative agency founded by the elder Merlicek family branch, offering full-service branding and campaigns in Vienna. Comparable as a direct Austrian creative peer with overlapping family heritage and category experience.
• Wien Nord: Vienna-based independent creative agency offering branding, campaigns, and digital services to Austrian brands. Comparable as a direct Austrian creative competitor operating in the same local market and customer segment.

Broad incumbents

• DDB Germany (DDB Wien): Part of the global DDB network with a Vienna office offering full-service advertising and digital. Comparable as a larger networked incumbent competing for the same Austrian enterprise brand budgets.
• Publicis Austria: Austrian arm of the global Publicis Groupe offering advertising, media, digital, and communications services. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the Austrian creative services market with a larger portfolio of capabilities.
• BBDO Austria / Proximity Austria: Vienna-based office of the global BBDO network offering advertising, digital, and communications services. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating in the same Austrian market with broader network resources.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqlZGENk0pOaHgXh2iUb0XA/featured
• Instagraminstagram.com/merlicek_inofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/merlicek-partner

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Merlicek & Partner