What FORWARD does

Forward Advertising AG is a privately held Swiss digital advertising agency headquartered in Baar (Canton Zug), operating fully digitally with a roughly 10-person remote team under founder Sonam Wieland. The firm plans and executes data-driven online media campaigns for Swiss enterprise clients, with a documented specialization in the financial services vertical—encompassing banking, investment banking, asset management, wealth management, and alternative investments—and secondary work for NGOs, public-sector bodies, luxury/automotive brands, and auction houses. Named enterprise clients include Julius Bär, Vontobel, Baloise Asset Management, UBS, and VP Bank, alongside campaigns for Greenpeace Switzerland, Dargebotene Hand's Heart2Heart crisis line, Cryptonow, and Koller's T-Rex TRINITY auction.

The agency's service portfolio centers on three pillars—Digital Media Strategy, Data-Driven & Programmatic Advertising, and Financial Services Advertising—supported by service modules spanning consulting and strategy review, media planning and partnerships, programmatic buying, search engine advertising, social media advertising, and tracking/analytics. Core technology is built on certified integrations with leading ad-tech platforms (Google Partner, Facebook Business Partner, Microsoft Advertising Partner), augmented by proprietary audience modeling and targeting capabilities. The agency operates programmatic, search, display, video, native, social, and DOOH inventory, with tracking infrastructure anchored on Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and DoubleClick. Recent notable work includes the international Julius Bär NEXT Initiative campaign featuring AI-generated 'Glacier Dreams' artwork by Refik Anadol across Singapore, London, and Basel (2023) and the Cryptonow cryptocurrency mass-market campaign in Switzerland (2024).

The revenue model is professional services—project-based and retainer agency engagements priced per engagement, with an initial consultation offered free and no publicly disclosed pricing. Go-to-market is direct, sales-led enterprise engagement targeting primarily the Swiss financial sector, executed through a structured three-step process (initial consultation, project design, collaboration definition). Distribution is largely domestic Switzerland with selective international campaign execution. The company is bootstrapped and founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional backing, funding history, M&A activity, or parent holding company in the available data.

Name

FORWARD

Legal name

Forward Advertising AG

Website

https://forward-advertising.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Forward Advertising AG is a Baar, Switzerland-based digital advertising agency that plans and executes data-driven programmatic campaigns, with a primary focus on the Swiss financial services sector (banking, asset management, wealth management) and selective work for NGOs and luxury brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Advertising Services

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Paid Social Media Buying (MPAAABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Content Strategy & Planning (BPAFAIAG), Affiliate & Performance Creator Programs (BPAFAHAG), Thought Leadership & Executive Visibility (BPAFADAG)

Keywords

• Digital advertising agency
• Programmatic media buying
• Financial services marketing
• Search engine advertising
• Social media advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Zug

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Advertising Services: Professional services revenue from consulting, strategy development, campaign planning and execution, programmatic advertising management, search engine advertising, and social media advertising services. Operates as an agency model with project-based and ongoing retainer engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FORWARD is a Swiss digital advertising agency that plans, manages, and executes data-driven online media campaigns for enterprise clients, with a particular specialization in the financial services sector. It provides consulting, strategy, media planning, programmatic, search, social, and tracking/analytics services across channels such as Display, Video, Native, Search, and Social Media on platforms including Google, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Client engagements are delivered through a structured three-step process (consultation, project design, collaboration definition) on a project or retainer basis.

Product overview

FORWARD is a Swiss digital advertising agency offering a unified suite of managed advertising services. The core offering combines Digital Media Strategy, Data-Driven & Programmatic Advertising, and Financial Services Advertising as the primary service pillars. Supporting these are service modules including Consulting/Strategy & Review, Media Planning & Partnerships, Search Engine Advertising, Social Media Advertising, and Tracking & Analytics. The agency specializes in the Financial Services vertical with dedicated offerings for Investment Banking, Asset Management, Wealth Management, and Alternative Investments. Rather than a software product with modules, FORWARD operates as a full-service digital advertising agency providing strategic planning, campaign execution, and performance analytics as integrated managed services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital Media Strategy
• Data Driven & Programmatic Ads
• Financial Services Advertising
• Consulting, Strategy & Review
• Media Planning & Partnerships
• Search Engine Advertising (Suchmaschinenwerbung)
• Social Media Advertising (Social Media Werbung)
• Tracking & Analytics

Quantifiable outcome

• 61% increase in content views while maintaining constant quality for Baloise Asset Management

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Google PartnercoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified Google Partner agency with verified status (Partner ID: 2756720951). Enables access to Google advertising platforms, tools, and support resources for client campaign management.
• Facebook Business PartnercoreTechnology or IntegrationFacebook Business Partner (Partner ID: 24483641551268643) providing access to Meta advertising platforms and business solutions for social media campaigns.
• Microsoft Advertising PartnercoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Advertising Partner enabling management of Bing and Microsoft advertising campaigns for clients.
• Nord DDBminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative agency partnership on Cryptonow cryptocurrency campaign. Nord DDB developed the 'Einfacher als' (Simpler than) concept, while Forward acted as media agency.
• Financial Publications (NZZ, Finanz und Wirtschaft)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLong-term cooperation with financial media publications for content distribution, including expert opinions and advertising placements.
• Julius Bär (NEXT Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing strategic partnership with Julius Bär for digital campaigns including the NEXT Initiative featuring AI artist Refik Anadol. Includes collaboration on homepage takeovers with NZZ, Straits Times, Times, and New York Times.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Webrepublic: Swiss digital marketing agency offering programmatic advertising, SEO, SEA and social media services across the DACH region; directly competes with FORWARD for Swiss enterprise and mid-market digital mandates.
• Notch Interactive: Zug-based digital agency specializing in performance marketing, programmatic display and social campaigns for Swiss enterprise clients; same geographic and customer overlap as FORWARD.

Broad incumbents

• Dept: Global digital agency with a strong DACH presence and financial services experience; overlaps with FORWARD on integrated digital campaigns for enterprise financial brands.
• Jung von Matt: Leading German-speaking creative and digital agency with strong financial services and DACH enterprise clients; competes for full-service digital mandates where FORWARD provides media execution.
• Dentsu: Global advertising holding group with significant DACH and financial services advertising presence; represents another large-network rival for enterprise FS media mandates.
• GroupM (WPP): World's largest media investment group and principal competitor for enterprise FS media planning and buying mandates; represents the consolidation threat facing specialist Swiss agencies.
• Mediabrands (IPG): Interpublic's media holding company; competes for enterprise FS media planning and buying accounts and represents an alternative one-stop-shop for Swiss financial marketers.
• Publicis Media: Global media planning and buying network under Publicis Groupe competing for the same Swiss and international financial services media budgets as FORWARD.

Emerging players

• Hoosh: Financial influencer marketing platform and agency active in DACH; competes with FORWARD specifically on the financial influencer and thought-leadership use cases executed for Vontobel and similar clients.

Regional players

• Scholz & Friends: German-based creative and digital agency with FS sector experience; comparable in offering but primarily serves Germany rather than the Swiss market directly.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forward-advertising-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 FORWARD