Key Messages
- Bucking the market trend, the international agency group is performing steadily and setting the course for future growth
- Recent account wins - including Hornbach, MediaMarktSaturn, Deutsche Bahn, and Westwing - confirm the Group’s positive performance
- Strategic focus for 2026/2027: Broad international presence and consistent AI integration with relevant client benefits
Stability as a Strong Signal: Serviceplan Group Holds Its Ground in a Challenging Market Environment
Munich, July 30, 2026 – The Serviceplan Group closed the 2025/2026 fiscal year with fee revenue of 873 million euros, once again surpassing the previous year’s record result of 866 million euros (+1%). In an international market environment characterized by economic uncertainty, cautious corporate investment, and high volatility, this stable performance sends a clear signal: The Serviceplan Group’s integrated business model is proving resilient - while also laying the foundation for profitable growth in the coming years.
Florian Haller, CEO of the Serviceplan Group, comments on the results: “In a market characterized by uncertainty, postponed budgets, and enormous pressure to transform, stability is a strong sign of substance. I am proud of our international teams: They have achieved strong results for our clients in a challenging environment while continuing to invest boldly in innovation, AI, and new client value. That is precisely where our strength lies.”
Florian Haller at CICC-OFF event in July 2026: ‘Explore More’ is Serviceplan Group’s guiding theme for FY26/27. It reflects the belief that growth in times of transformation comes not from waiting for certainty, but from exploring new paths, identifying opportunities early and turning them into action.
Fee Revenue by Discipline – Comparison of Fiscal Year 25/26 to Fiscal Year 24/25
Discipline | Revenue 25/26 | Change from Previous Year | Revenue 24/25 |
Total Fee Revenue Serviceplan Group | €873,000,000 | +1% | €866,000,000 |
of which “Creative & Content” (Serviceplan, Saint Elmo’s) | €239,000,000 | -2.4% | €245,000,000 |
of which “Media & Data” (Mediaplus) | €378,000,000 | +2.7% | €368,000,000 |
of which “Experience & Technology” (Plan.Net) | €235,000,000 | +1% | €233,000,000 |
of which cross-divisional revenue (including Überlab, among others) | €21,000,000 | +5% | €20,000,000 |
For the international agency group, the 2025/2026 fiscal year was marked by three key priorities:
- further expansion of the global media agency group
- strengthening the London office
- comprehensive implementation of the “House of AI”
1. Mediaplus Group as a global media agency group
In a market characterized by consolidation, cost pressures, and the rapid rise of AI, Mediaplus is positioning itself with a clear strategy: international expansion paired with AI integration and the strengths of an independent, partner-led agency model.
As part of its global expansion strategy, Mediaplus also strengthened its international leadership team last year, bringing on board, among others, Costin Mihaila as Global Chief Market Officer and Thomas Le Thierry as Global Chief Growth Officer. These newly created roles focus on the further development of global business, as well as the strategy and implementation of cross-market pitches and consulting standards.
In addition, the agency group invested in new markets: With Mediaplus Singapore and Mediaplus China, it expanded its presence in Asia, combining global media expertise with local market insights.
2. Consistent Internationalization: House of Communication London
The integration of Total Media as Mediaplus UK in London has not only further strengthened Mediaplus’s international footprint but also established a fully integrated “House of Communication” in the UK: In addition to Mediaplus, Plan.Net, Serviceplan, Silverside, and the creative agency Ace of Hearts are now active there. In a competitive market like the UK, the agency group aims with this comprehensive offering not only at local growth but also at generating international impact through clients operating globally.
3. Implementation of the “House of AI”
Integrated collaboration is in the Serviceplan Group’s DNA. That is why the “House of AI” was developed: a digital twin of the established “House of Communication” that seamlessly connects AI agents and tools across the entire marketing value chain. They can be deployed precisely to the extent that most effectively meets clients’ individual needs. In addition to the partnership with Luma AI, another key driver within the House of AI has recently been widely implemented: Plus.AI, Mediaplus’s new AI-based management system, which consolidates data, insights, AI applications, and media workflows into a single integrated environment, thereby enabling faster, more transparent, and more informed media planning, optimization, and analysis. Florian Haller explains:
“We are convinced that our House of AI offers the best solution on the market. Unlike other approaches, we deliver solutions that are consistently tailored to the needs of each individual client. This allows us to offer stronger creative solutions, faster responsiveness, and greater efficiency.”
Outlook: Setting the Course for Profitable Growth
The Serviceplan Group is looking ahead with optimism for the fiscal year that began on July 1. Market conditions remain challenging, but at the same time, growth opportunities are emerging, particularly where companies need to make their marketing models more efficient, data-driven, and AI-enabled.
Significant momentum is coming from recent client wins and new, forward-looking partnerships. For example, MediaMarktSaturn has appointed the Serviceplan Group as its Creative Solutions Partner for its entire European marketing process. At the heart of this collaboration is the development of MOMENTUM, an innovative, AI-powered production and content organization designed to support the entire marketing value chain across eleven European markets. In addition, recent client wins - including Changan, DB, Die Techniker, Hornbach, and Westwing - are providing strong growth momentum heading into the new fiscal year.
The agency group also sees significant potential in 2026/2027 in end-to-end offerings that support companies in transforming their marketing: In July, the Plan.Net Group established Plan.Net Agentic AI, an independent business unit dedicated to AI-powered marketing transformation in the enterprise environment. The unit supports international companies in embedding AI throughout the entire marketing value chain. As part of the Plan.Net Group, Plan.Net Agentic AI combines consulting, technology, data, and creative expertise into an integrated end-to-end offering. Florian Haller on the strategic focus for the 2026/2027 fiscal year:
“AI doesn’t just change the way we work - it redefines what’s possible. Through the deep integration of AI into our organization, our processes, and our client solutions, we will translate technological possibilities into tangible impact for clients and colleagues in 2026/2027, thereby setting new standards for better insights, better decisions, and better results.”
Despite challenging economic conditions, the fiscal year 2025/26 was a year of growth for the Mediaplus Group. With fee revenue of €378 million, the agency group increased its business by 2.7% year-over-year and generated more than 40% of the Serviceplan Group’s total fee revenue. Mediaplus also successfully defended its No. 1 position in the RECMA Germany quality ranking and recorded the second-highest agency growth of 2025 compared to the previous year in the Comvergence Global & Regional Billings Ranking.
Key growth drivers included numerous national and international account wins, including Changan, Playmobil, Westwing, Motel One, ZEISS, Verivox and Waterdrop, as well as Four Seasons in the U.S., Cecu in Spain, and iCar in Dubai. At the same time, Mediaplus successfully retained major accounts thanks to a consistently high international client satisfaction rate of around 90% and expanded fee volumes among existing clients, including the German Federal Government Press Office, ADAC, TARGOBANK, Giovanni Rana in Italy, and Chiquita and TransUnion in the U.S. Key international clients include the De’Longhi Group, E.ON, C&A, Hornbach, Bosch, the OTTO Group, and Siemens.
Another growth driver for Mediaplus is Plus.AI, the agency group's new AI-based operating system and the overarching intelligence layer of its House of AI. Plus.AI brings together data, insights, AI applications, and media workflows within a single integrated environment, enabling faster, more transparent, and better-informed media planning, optimization, and analysis. As a result, AI is evolving from a stand-alone tool into the operational backbone of media management and is playing a central role in accelerating the agency group's transformation into a data- and AI-first organization.
A key part of this transformation is Behave.AI, Mediaplus’ global behavioral science and AI unit. Originally established by Mediaplus UK, Behave was further developed into an AI-powered offering and rolled out internationally in May 2026 under the leadership of Global CDO Karin Immenroth. The unit’s AI solutions combine behavioral science models with data-driven analysis, enabling deeper insights into consumer behavior and campaign effectiveness.
At the same time, international expansion remains a key priority for Mediaplus. To further accelerate growth, the agency group strengthened its global leadership structure through several high-profile appointments: Thomas Le Thierry as Global Chief Growth Officer, Silke Übele as Executive Director CEE for the Eastern European market, and Costin Mihaila as Global Chief Market Officer. While Le Thierry is responsible for driving international growth and new business development, Costin Mihaila oversees the advancement of local markets and ensures global consistency across client consulting, products, and client management. Since March 2026, Uwe Roschmann has joined Barbara Evans as Managing Director of Mediaplus International, helping to further align the agency‘s international client business and new business development.
In addition, Mediaplus continues to invest in new markets. Through the Mediaplus Singapore joint venture with The Media Shop, the agency group is expanding its presence in Asia, combining global media expertise with deep local market knowledge. Mediaplus China was also relaunched at the end of 2025 to strengthen the agency group's presence in one of the world's most dynamic and digitalized markets, enabling deeper access to local innovation and platform ecosystems. In the UK, Mediaplus and the Serviceplan Group are continuing to advance integration efforts: with the launch of the House of Communication UK in December 2025, media, creative, and technology capabilities were brought together under one roof in London, following Mediaplus’ acquisition of the UK-based Total Media Group in 2024.
Mediaplus is also investing in nearshoring hubs through the expansion of its operations in Croatia, Tunisia, and the Middle East. Today, more than 80 specialists in these hubs manage campaigns across a range of digital disciplines, including ad management, programmatic operations, and paid social operations, serving numerous Mediaplus agencies in more than 10 countries. This specialization ensures consistently high campaign quality while enabling optimal workload distribution across teams, even during peak periods.
FY25/26 was also an exceptional year for creative media performance, with more than 300 award wins and top industry rankings worldwide. Mediaplus remains the world’s leading independent media agency in the international WARC Media Ranking. Campaign Germany and the Festival of Media Global named Mediaplus Media Agency of the Year. The agency was also awarded Media Agency of the Year at the German Media Award for the fifth time.
With fee revenue of €235 million in fiscal year 2025/26, the Plan.Net Group maintained its market position in a challenging economic environment and achieved growth of just under 1 percent compared with the previous year. This continuity is also reflected in relevant industry rankings: In the Internet Agency Ranking of the German Association for the Digital Economy (BVDW), Plan.Net ranked first for the fourth consecutive time and, for the first time, also led the “Digital Transformation and Strategy” subranking. In the latest Lünendonk Study for Digital Experience Services (DXS), Plan.Net was once again named one of the leading providers and secured the top position among DXS specialists for the second year in a row. The Plan.Net Group is thus continuing the successful trajectory of recent years – driven by a clear strategic focus, the systematic expansion of its end-to-end portfolio, and strong partnerships with leading technology providers.
This strategic direction was further developed consistently over the course of fiscal year 2025/26. It was also the first fiscal year under the leadership of Christian Schmitz, who has held the role of CEO of the Plan.Net Group since July 2025. Under his leadership, Plan.Net has continued to advance its transformation into a leading provider of AI-powered end-to-end models, while systematically strengthening the integration of consulting, experience, and technology expertise. The objective is to support clients in evolving their marketing organizations and value creation models in the age of AI.
The momentum generated by this development is also reflected in the client business: For example, the collaboration with the BMW Group was extended, and Plan.Net won the digital account of Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg GmbH (FBB) as part of an EU-wide tender. Additional account wins include Scalable Capital Vermögensverwaltung GmbH, Deutscher Ärzte-Verlag GmbH, Denner AG, and Bundesverband der Deutschen Volksbanken und Raiffeisenbanken. The Plan.Net Group also set important international milestones, including the further expansion of its UK business and targeted investments in the leadership and consulting expertise of Plan.Net Austria.
Another focus was the expansion of the AI business and the development of new, scalable service models. With the launch of Plan.Net Agentic AI, the group has created a dedicated business unit that supports international companies in AI-powered marketing transformation. The new offering specifically addresses the growing demand for scalable AI solutions in enterprise environments. Together with investments in the agentic-economy platform Sōkosumi, this underscores Plan.Net’s ambition to systematically advance the connection between AI, technology, and marketing, and to actively help shape the next generation of intelligent marketing models.
With fee revenue up 10 percent to €44 million, the Saint Elmo’s Group successfully continued its growth trajectory in fiscal year 2025/26. Driven by significant account wins and award-winning creative work, the agency group strengthened its position as an integrated boutique agency in the German-speaking market.
Under the leadership of CEO Kathrin Jesse, CCO Matthias Harbeck, and CFO Hannes Haller, Saint Elmo’s simultaneously drove the group’s international expansion and set the stage for its future growth strategy.
On the client side, Saint Elmo’s impressed with notable account wins, including Proviant, Artdeco, and Alright. With A1, Austria’s largest telecommunications provider and one of the country’s best-known brands, the agency also secured a strategically important new client for the Austrian market.
Particular focus was placed on the initial work for PENNY: With “Sheep Happens,” Saint Elmo’s not only achieved international creative success but also generated an extraordinary public response. The campaign was honored with two Bronze Lions at Cannes – the first Cannes Lions in Saint Elmo’s history since its founding in 2001 – as well as the “Best of Show” Award at the New York Festivals. The work was also among the most successful of the year at the ADC Germany: Of a total of nine awards for Saint Elmo’s, seven went to “Sheep Happens”, securing the campaign a spot among the top ten best works in Germany.
This successful track record was also reflected in agency awards: Saint Elmo’s received a Silver award at The Best Agency Award 2025 and was named “Agency of the Year” by the DDV.
In addition to its successes for PENNY, Saint Elmo’s also created creative impact for other clients: With “Balls for Balls”, the agency teamed up with Borussia Dortmund and FAQ YOU to turn testicular cancer screening into a fan campaign, resulting in more than 1,200 screenings conducted directly on game day, significant media attention, and several awards – ranging from gold in Montreux and at the Max Award to silver at the New York Festivals. For the Bavarian Red Cross, the successful campaign “Donating blood hurts less” was also continued; with its unconventional approach, it contrasts everyday cringe-worthy moments with the psychological barrier to donating blood. Creative initiatives were also launched in the tourism sector. The “Showroom Hotels” initiative created a novel win-win collaboration between the interior design brands Rolf Benz and Duravit and hotels in the Black Forest in need of renovation.
With the repositioning of Saint Elmo’s Boost, the agency strengthened its social media and performance marketing capabilities: Marcus Liprecht serves as Performance Director, and Karó Oganesian, who joined in November as Director of Social & SEO, is responsible for expanding the social media business and integrating it with SEO within the group.
To further strengthen its creative excellence, Saint Elmo’s also expanded its leadership team: With Corbinian Hennies as Creative Managing Director and Pedro Americo as Creative Director in Hamburg, as well as Dustin Kuhrt as Creative Director in Munich, the agency brought three highly acclaimed and exciting creatives on board.
The Serviceplan Group once again looks back on a highly successful awards year in 2025/26: With a total of 501 awards across all categories, award shows and markets, including 21 Grand Prix and 156 Gold awards, the Group ranks among the most successful independent agency networks worldwide.
Across all major communications disciplines, the Group secured leading positions in German and international rankings:
- Creativity: First place in the WARC Creative 100 ranking of Independent Networks as well as in the creative rankings of HORIZONT, W&V, Campaign Germany and ADC Germany.
- Digital: Ranked first in the BVDW Creative Ranking.
- Healthcare: Ranked first in the Healthcare Marketing Creative Ranking for the twelfth time.
- Media: Leading in the WARC Media 100 ranking of both Independent Networks and Independent Agencies.
- PR: Second place in the PR Journal Revenue Ranking.
In addition, the Serviceplan Group was honoured multiple times as “(Independent) Agency of the Year” and “(Independent) Network of the Year”, including at the LIA Awards, the Cresta Awards and Eurobest. At the Cannes Lions, the Serviceplan Group also ranks among the Top 5 Independent Networks worldwide.
For Saint Elmo’s, the fiscal year was particularly successful: At the New York Festivals Advertising Awards, PENNY’s “Sheep Happens” was named “Best of Show” as the most outstanding work among all Grand Award winners. At the Cannes Lions, Saint Elmo’s won its first two Lions.
The agency group’s international offices also contributed significantly to this success. Wien Nord Serviceplan once again secured third place in the “Creative Lead of the Year” ranking at the CCA Venus Awards and ranked first in HORIZONT Austria’s international ranking. Serviceplan Spain also won the first Cannes Lion in the agency’s history.
Below is a selection of the most important awards and ranking results from the 2025/26 fiscal year.
Creative Rankings
- ADC Germany: Serviceplan Group ranks first in the ADC Creative Ranking 2025. At the ADC Awards 2026, the agency group wins 27 Awards and Talent Awards: 3x Gold, 4x Silver, and 20x Bronze.
- ADC Annual Awards: Serviceplan Group wins Best of Discipline (Design for Good) for Herconomy’s “Breastmilk Money” as well as 1x Gold, 3x Silver, and 5x Bronze.
- CCA Venus: Wien Nord Serviceplan ranks third in the “Creative Lead of the Year” ranking and wins 1x Gold, 5x Silver, and 7x Bronze.
- Campaign Germany Creative Ranking: Serviceplan Group takes first place.
- Cannes Lions: The agency group wins 1 Gold Lion and 7 Bronze Lions.
- Clio Awards: The agency group wins 1x Grand Prix for Grindr’s “I WOOL SURVIVE” as well as 5x Silver and 12x Bronze.
- Clio Health: Serviceplan Group wins 3x Grand Prix for Herconomy’s “Breastmilk Money”, Somos Martina’s “The Period Uniform”, and Tiffany’s “1837 Tiffany Blue Conversation”, as well as 7x Gold, 8x Silver, and 8x Bronze.
- Cresta Awards: Serviceplan Group is once again named “Independent Network of the Year” at the Cresta Awards and wins 4x Gold, 9x Silver, and 1x Bronze.
- D&AD Awards: Serviceplan Group wins 1x Yellow Pencil, 7x Graphite Pencils, and 4x Wood Pencils.
- Eurobest: Serviceplan Germany is named “Independent Agency of the Year” for the third consecutive year. The agency group wins 2x Grand Prix for PENNY’s “Price Packs” and Herconomy’s “Breastmilk Money”, as well as 2x Gold, 1x Silver, and 2x Bronze.
- Healthcare Marketing Creative Ranking: Serviceplan Group is Germany’s most creative agency in healthcare for the twelfth time.
- HORIZONT Creative Ranking: Serviceplan Group ranks first in the 2025 Creative Ranking for the fourth consecutive year and also takes first place in the Triple-A Ranking.
- LIA Awards: Serviceplan Group is named “Global Independent Network of the Year” for the fifth consecutive year. In addition, Serviceplan Group is “Regional Independent Network of the Year” and Serviceplan Germany “Regional Independent Agency of the Year”. The agency group wins 1x Grand Prix for Schäferei Stücke’s “Rainbow Wool”, 4x Gold, 8x Silver, and 7x Bronze.
- Lovie Awards: Serviceplan Group wins 6x Gold and 2x Silver – and is honored with 6 “People’s Lovies.”
- New York Festivals Advertising Awards: The agency group wins “Best of Show” and 1x Grand Prix for PENNY’s “Sheep Happens”, as well as 10x Gold, 6x Silver, and 6x Bronze.
- PR Journal Revenue Ranking: Serviceplan Content Group ranks second in the annual revenue and employee ranking for PR and communications agencies.
- PR Journal Creative Ranking: Serviceplan Content Group ranks fourth.
- The Best Agency Award: Mediaplus, Serviceplan and Saint Elmo’s win 3x Gold, 2x Silver, and 1x Bronze.
- The Drum World Creative Ranking: Serviceplan Munich ranks first among the world’s most awarded independent agencies. Across all agencies, it ranks first in Europe and second worldwide.
- The One Club Ranking: Serviceplan Group is the world’s #1 Independent Agency Network, while Serviceplan Germany ranks #2 Independent Agency and #3 Agency worldwide. Serviceplan Germany also sets benchmarks as Europe’s #1 Independent Agency and #1 in the European Agency Ranking.
- The One Show: Serviceplan Group wins “Best of Creative Use of Data” for Herconomy’s “Breastmilk Money” and “Best of Experiential & Immersive” for Grindr’s “I WOOL SURVIVE.” The Group also receives 5x Gold, 5x Silver, and 4x Bronze.
- WARC Creative 100: Serviceplan Group ranks first among Independent Networks in the WARC Creative 100. In addition, Serviceplan is ranked the world’s most creative independent agency and second among the most creative agencies overall.
- W&V Creative Ranking: Serviceplan Group is the first agency ever to rank first for the fourth consecutive year.
Digital Rankings:
- BVDW Creative Ranking: Serviceplan and Plan.Net take first place for the seventh consecutive year.
- BVDW Internet Agency Ranking (Internetagenturranking): Plan.Net ranks first for the fourth consecutive year among Germany’s highest-revenue full-service digital agencies.
- Lünendonk List: The Plan.Net Group is among the market leaders for Digital Experience Services (DXS) and secures first place in the sub-ranking of DXS specialists for the second consecutive year.
Media Rankings:
- Festival of Media Global Awards: Mediaplus is named “Agency of the Year” and wins 5x Gold, 3x Silver, and 4x Bronze.
- German Media Prize (Deutscher Mediapreis): For the fifth time, Mediaplus is named “Media Agency of the Year” and wins 3x Gold.
- IAB: Mediaplus wins 2x Gold and 9x Bronze.
- MMA Smarties Global: Mediaplus wins 1x Silver.
- MMA Smarties Award DACH & Europe: Mediaplus wins “Best in Show” for “Screen2Save” as well as 4x Gold and 2x Silver.
- M&M Global: Mediaplus is named “Agency of the Year”, while “Screen2Save” is named “Campaign of the Year”, and wins 4x Gold.
- RECMA: For the seventh consecutive year, Mediaplus ranks first in the RECMA Germany Award Ranking and the Qualipack Report, making it Germany’s best agency and the world’s leading independent agency.
- Plaka Diva: Mediaplus wins 3x Gold and 2x Silver.
- The Internationalist Awards Digital Marketing Solution: Mediaplus wins 1x Grand Prix for “Screen2Save”, 2x Platinum, and 3x Gold.
- The Internationalist Media Innovation Awards: Mediaplus wins 2x Grand Prix, 1x Platinum, 4x Gold, and 1x Silver.
- The Internationalist Marketing Makes a World of Difference: Mediaplus wins 3x Platinum.
- WARC Media 100: In the WARC Media 100 ranking, Mediaplus is recognized as the world’s leading independent media agency and also ranks third among all media agencies worldwide. Serviceplan Group once again ranks first among the Independent Media Networks and places eighth in the overall Media Networks ranking.
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