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Film und Medien Stiftung NRW➝Media Region NRW➝Media Branches NRW➝Advertising

Advertising

NRW is the advertising hub with the highest turnover in Germany. Apart from the leading advertising and media agencies, important concerns 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 per cent 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 as the location with the highest advertising turnover
  • top players: BBDO, Grey, TBWA, Ogilvy, DDB, Ogilvy, Havas, McCann, Saatchi & Saatchi
  • leading German media agencies: MediaCom, OMD, Wavemaker
  • two of Germany‘s largest event agencies: Vok Dams and Uniplan

More information:

Advertising in NRW

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.
Steffen Gentis
Chief Production Officer BBDO Germany
Düsseldorf is an ideal place for those of us making commercials - also because of the dense network. So, we founded our production unit Craftwork here. In Düsseldorf, we have produced TV commercials which everybody knows.. This is where international top directors work and the industry meets - like at our "BBDO Directors' Lounge" which we host twice a year.
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.
Ruber Iglesias
CEO McCann Worldgroup / MRM/McCANN Germany
North Rhine-Westphalia is able to constantly invent itself anew. For McCann, this is where the heart of trade, fashion and cosmetics beats, and it's here where MRM//McCann find digital trendsetters and new innovative talents.
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.
Marianne Heiß
CEO BBDO
Düsseldorf and Cologne are the urban centres of an economically important region. They stand for communication and creativity, internationality and digital dynamics. And they attract top talents. This is a place where we can work successfully for our clients.
Kristina Weng
CEO TBWA Düsseldorf
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.
Susanne Grundmann
CEO OMD Germany
NRW is diverse, creative and curious. The dynamic environment is an important factor for our work because this is a place where we can contribute to the business success of our clients in a fast and flexible way.
Vanessa Kerkhoff
Managing Director Havas Düsseldorf
NRW has one of the most exciting cultural scenes in Germany and one of the fastest developing creative regions in Europe. Düsseldorf is undoubtedly a jack-of-all-trades - advertising stronghold, media metropolis, capital of art, fashion and trade fairs. This is where ideal local conditions come upon a progressive character and creative excellence.