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NRW is the advertising hub with the highest turnover in Germany. Apart from the leading advertising and media agencies, important corporations with large advertising and communications budgets are based in NRW, including nine DAX-listed companies. With its combination of small and large agencies, fashion and art, as well as the film and music industries in an economically strong environment, NRW offers the ideal infrastructure for the advertising and communications industries.

 Facts & figures

  • around 12 billion euros turnover in NRW
  • leading advertising hub: around 40 percent of the overall turnover generated by the German advertising industry
  • around 7,000 companies and freelancers in the field of advertising
  • more than 61,000 employees
  • Düsseldorf: location with the highest advertising turnover
  • big players: BBDO, Grey, TBWA, DDB, Ogilvy, Havas, McCann, Saatchi & Saatchi
  • leading German media agencies: MediaCom, OMD and Wavemaker
  • two of Germany’s largest event agencies: Vok Dams and Uniplan
  • centre for successful PR and digital services
  • prestigious training and qualification institutions

More information:

Advertising in NRW

Dr. Nicole Prüsse
COO EMEA Publicis Media
We appreciate NRW for its reputable media, the large number of companies operating in advertising, and its training institutions. As a media network we are right behind the development of the communication location NRW, so that we are explicitly involved – for example with our Germany bursary – in promoting the young generation.
Thomas Hinkel
COO OMD Germany
The cities of Düsseldorf and Cologne stand for a unique and exciting mixture of art and culture, architecture, fashion, media, communication and advertising. The resulting release of creative energy combined with the prevailing zest for life here make the hub so attractive for companies and employees.
Christian Zimmermann
Group CEO Uniplan
We have been at home in NRW since 1960 and connected with Cologne ever since. The vibrant art and cultural scene and the Rhenish lifestyle make Cologne into a magnet, the creative scene is strong and constantly bring forth new talents. We profit from this as a live communications agency when hiring new colleagues.
Udo Müller
Founder and CEO Ströer Media
Ströer has always been connected with Cologne. We are experiencing the dynamism of digitalisation here to a considerable degree. Digital media have strengthened NRW as a location in a sustainable way and represent a relevant economic factor for the region.
Oliver Schrott
Founder and CEO of Oliver Schrott Kommunikation (OSK)
Cologne has been the home and headquarters of our communications agency since 1993. The city's creative and digital scene and its special lifestyle attract many young people who provide us with invaluable impetus for our projects all over the world.
Christian Rätsch
CEO Saatchi & Saatchi
NRW has always been an important centre for advertising. No other federal state handles more advertising budgets. Moreover, the state capital is becoming a key international player. The major global advertising budgets of recent years went to NRW.
Kristina Weng
COO HeimatTBWA\
The cultural diversity in NRW always offers new perspectives, inspires unconventional action and promotes creativity. The perfect place to be since we see culture as being the No. 1 growth driver. The only place where media, business and culture are so closely connected.
René Coiffard
CEO OMD Germany
NRW means so much to me - apart from being my personal home, it stands for new impulses, regional diversity and a fascinating advertising industry. This unique environment. characterised by creativity, culture and people's joie de vivre, brings us and our work lasting success.
Peter Mergemeier
CEO Havas Group Germany
The creative industry is the unmistakable heartbeat of NRW and provides impulses in all of the region's economically relevant sectors. Moreover, no other federal state trains more qualified, creative professionals than NRW - an essential contribution to securing the region’s economic power.