Serviceplan, Europe's largest owner-managed communications agency, closed the 2017/2018 financial year with great success.

For its 47th financial year, which began on July 1, 2017 and ended on June 30, 2018, it is today presenting its preliminary figures - seven times more successful than the majority of German advertising and communications agencies. At this year's GWA Spring Monitor, they had seen the future with a one percent increase in sales.

The Serviceplan Group's balance sheet figures show an increase of seven percent. The group generated gross income (fees and commissions) of 415 million euros (2016/2017: 388 million euros). Staff numbers were also increased in the past year. The agency currently employs around 4,000 people nationally and internationally. The number of employees thus increased by 600 compared to the previous year. (2016/2017: approx. 3,400) This sharp increase is mainly due to the expansion of international locations. Sales per capita were just under 104,000 euros (2016/2017: 114,000 euros). International sales for the past year totaled 91 million euros, an increase of almost ten percent on the previous year; in 2016/17, they reached 83 million euros.


    Florian Haller, Managing Director of the Serviceplan Group: "In the past financial year, a dream came true not only for our agency group, but also for me personally. On May 1, we started out in the middle of the Big Apple with a communications house, and are now also offering our unique, integrated agency concept in the USA. It's a great success, but it's also a great motivation to be able to offer our innovative services to our customers now and in the next fiscal year at all major locations around the world."


All the pillars of the Serviceplan Group on the road to growth

All the agency group's divisions recorded significant growth rates and maintained their sales levels in a difficult market environment. The digital communications agency group, managed under the Plan.net brand, was the strongest pillar of the past financial year. At 103 million euros, it contributed 25% of the Group's total sales.

The media agency, which operates under the Mediaplus brand and contributes around 23% to the Group's total sales, increased its sales by 6.8% to 94 million euros (2016/17: 88 million with the same share of sales). This includes the results of the Facit group.


Saint Elmo's achieved sales of 19 million euros this year, contributing around 5% to total Group sales with growth of 58.3% (2016/17: 12 million; 3.1%).


The Serviceplan brand remained at the same high level in the year under review, generating a fee volume of 92 million, a share of 22.2% (2016/2017: 92 million; 23.7%). A significant loss of customers was successfully offset in the year under review.


Serviceplan Solutions generated sales of 12 million euros in the year under review. This represents year-on-year growth of 9%. In addition to the Serviceplan, Plan.Net, Mediaplus and Facit brands, the Serviceplan Group created the fifth "Solutions" pillar in spring 2016. Last but not least, this reflects the importance and weight of the business sector, as transcreation, adaptation and verification of communication are subject to ever-increasing demand.


Serviceplan Consulting Group, founded in spring 2016 and still in its start-up phase, has been very well received by customers and is growing to reach 5 million in sales.


The Group's successful growth is largely due to the expansion of business with existing customers and the acquisition of over 400 new customers and budgets, both nationally and internationally. In Germany, the following brands, among others, were acquired or taken over: Becks, BSH, Bausparkasse Schwäbisch Hall, Clever fit, Nürnberger Versicherung, Dr. Beckmann; Telekom T-Systems, MAN, Almdudler, BMW Aftersales and Krauss Maffei. The most important customers acquired on international sites are Tencent (China), Auchan (France), Ferrero (Italy) and Netflix (Spain).


In the year under review, international sites contributed 21.9% of total sales and 91 million (2016/2017: 83 million; 21.4%) to a significant and steadily growing share of total sales.


Serviceplan Group wins nine lions at Cannes, 8 golds at Comprix and is the most frequently awarded media agency at the German Media Prize 2018.


At the 65th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June 2018, Serviceplan Group received three gold lions, three silver lions and three bronze lions each, winning a total of nine of the coveted statuettes. With this result, the Serviceplan Group currently occupies second place in the ranking of German agencies.


    Alexander Schill, Global CCO Serviceplan Group, comments: "ÜberCreativity is at the heart of everything we do, and our campaigns at Cannes this year are good examples of this philosophy for me. Personally, I'm particularly pleased that DOT, a project that goes far beyond traditional advertising, has won two gold awards. It has the potential to change the lives of millions of blind and visually impaired people around the world."


Numerous other awards and distinctions were won during the last financial year:


The DOT project was also recognized in the Good Report, and the Serviceplan group ranks 9th among the 20 most successful networks in promoting charitable projects. The Good Report celebrates the world's best campaigns for social responsibility and environmental protection. The first edition of the report was published in spring 2018, and Serviceplan Group ranks 9th among the 20 most successful networks in promoting charitable projects. Among the "Top 40 most successful campaigns for good causes", Serviceplan ranks 5th with DOT The First Braille Smartwatch (the first Braille-Smartwatch, a campaign by Serviceplan Munich and Korea) and 12th with Virtual Crash Billboard for Sécurité routière IDF (Serviceplan France).


At the Best Awards in Spain, Serviceplan won the Grand Prix for Geoplato MAKRO and two gold medals for Geoplato and El Pelotari y Fallera, as well as two bronze medals. At the London D&AD, Serviceplan won WOOD (bronze) six times, along with Ravensburger, PENNY and Sécurité routière IDF.


In the creative ranking of trade magazine Werben & Verkaufen, the Serviceplan Group ranked third in 2017 and second in the professional title HORIZONT.


    Alexander Schill adds: "The past year has shown that not only are we running highly successful national campaigns, but we're also scoring more and more points internationally with major projects. The award-winning projects were created in a wide variety of locations around the world. We've moved closer to my vision of being among the top three local creative rankings in all locations."


In February 2018, Plan.net and Serviceplan were named the top-performing agency for the fourth time in a row in the German Association of the Digital Economy's (BVDW) ranking for digital creative.


At the German media industry's most renowned award, the German Media Prize, three Mediaplus Group works were recognized as the most creative media ideas of the year. Once again, Mediaplus was the most awarded agency of the evening.


In Rome, at the Festival of Media Global Awards 2018, Mediaplus Group was awarded the title of "Independent Agency of the Year". Mediaplus had already received this prestigious RECMA award the previous year.


Mediaplus also performed well in the Gunn Report: the Mediaplus Group is the only German media agency to feature in the top ten of the global Gunn Report, finishing 8th.


Plan.net Group was also able to defend a leading position: in the 2018 Internet Agency Rankings of the German Digital Industry Association (BVDW), it ranked second among the best-selling full-service digital agencies in Germany with total annual sales of €96.5 million.


Thanks to its successful internationalization strategy, Serviceplan rose from an excellent start to 22nd place in the global sales rankings of the US advertising medium Advertising Age, with annual sales of US$602 million in 2017.


Collaboration, sustainability and corporate culture within the Serviceplan Group


A first in the New Work segment: For the first time, a hotel group and an agency group embark on common paths. RUBY and Serviceplan create a joint venture with a Co-Working Space. In January 2018, at the Haus der Kommunikation in Hamburg, the hotspot for creativity, agility and innovation was inaugurated.


Serviceplan Group presents its Sustainability Image Score (SIS) for the seventh time. Every year since 2011, this study has shown the influence of sustainability and corporate responsibility on companies' image, willingness to buy and customer loyalty. Above all, it shows how consumers perceive and evaluate sustainability communications. This year's survey reports two key findings: Around 70 percent of consumers attach importance to sustainability when buying a product. And: Consumers base their perception of sustainability not on a company's sector, but on its corporate culture. The top five companies in the 2017 SIS ranking are Miele, Erdinger, Radeberger, Landliebe and Kneipp.


The Corporate Culture Award is new, however: the Serviceplan Group is launching this award and, together with corporate culture expert deep white and human resources and transformation consultancy Promerit, is launching the Corporate Culture Award (CCA), the first prize to be awarded to a German company with an outstanding corporate culture. The CCA will celebrate its premiere in autumn 2018 and will be presented annually in future. In a two-stage procedure, a renowned jury made up of representatives from science, media and business assesses the culture of companies and executives from medium-sized and large companies.


Expansion of the Mediaplus Group and RECMA's top-rated media agency

The internationalization of the Mediaplus Group continues to accelerate: Over the past year, investments in Italy (Mediaplus Italia), Ukraine (IQ Mediaplus), Switzerland (Mediaplus Suisse AG) and the UK (Total Mediaplus) have enriched the Group's portfolio. In Germany, the Nayoki Mediaplus joint venture was launched. The Mediaplus Group is now represented in 35 countries worldwide and, with over 1,500 employees in the EMEA region, can offer the proven Mediaplus range. BMW, Hornbach, WMF and the Adelholzener Group are among the Mediaplus Group's international customers.


In Germany, too, Mediaplus continues to focus on growth: in Berlin, Elke Reibetanz as new Managing Director strengthens the agency's expansion, in Cologne the new directors Matthias Hinzmann and Tino Reinecke. Within the Mediaplus Group, the Cologne site stands out not only for its classic range of services, but above all for its expertise in the field of Geo Intelligence Excellence. The Managing Director of Mediaplus Cologne is Esther Busch. Mediaplus Berlin is managed by Esther Busch and Andreas Fuhlisch.


In the semi-annual media agency rankings of the independent French market research institute RECMA, the Mediaplus Group continues to rank as the highest-rated media agency in Germany, extending its lead over its competitors. In the overall quality assessment of all media agencies, the Mediaplus Group was once again the only media agency in Germany to receive the "Dominant" label. The Mediaplus Group was once again convincing in the German media industry's most prestigious award, the German Media Prize. Three Mediaplus Group works were honored as the most creative media ideas of the year. Once again, Mediaplus was the most frequently awarded agency.


In the annual Gunn Report of Media, Mediaplus was the only German news agency to feature in the world's top 10. In the rankings published by media and marketing consultancy WARC, the Group came 8th, and the "Independent Agency of the Year" award at the Global Festival Media Award in Rome was another success.


Andrea Malgara, Managing Director of the Mediaplus Group, explains: "The past financial year has brought us many good things. In addition to sustained international growth, Billings' international business exceeded the 200 million euro mark. We won numerous accounts, such as Brax, Ekornes and Schwäbisch Hall, and defended others, such as the BMW account. We have always remained true to our image as an innovative agency for branded media. For MINI's online audio campaign, for example, we used for the first time the intelligent combination of dynamic, individualized spot broadcasting with synchronized banners. To me, all this shows that we're on the right track, and I'm sure we'll be among the leaders in the next financial year too."


10 years of Facit digital

Facit Digital celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2017. To mark the anniversary, the research company, which specializes in user research and user experience consulting (UX consulting), selected the Top 10 UX Fails from its ten-year pool. In another study, Facit Digital, in cooperation with voice interface agency VUI.agency, investigated the acceptance and use of voice interfaces, using Amazon Echo as an example. Facit Digital was founded in 2007 by Christian Bopp and Michael Wörmann as a user experience research and consulting company within the Facit Group. Since then, the two managing directors have built up a team of 20 UX experts, and count Amazon, Consorsbank and Sky among their customers.


In addition to Facit Digital, Facit Research, Facit Media Research and Facit Buiness Intelligence are also part of the Facit Group. Facit Research published studies on the role of the CMO and corporate sustainability with Serviceplan Corporate Reputation and Serviceplan Consulting Group last year.


Plan.net Group celebrates record sales of 103 million euros and opens Plan.net Innovation Studio

With sales of 103 million euros, the Plan.net Group closes the financial year with a new record result. This positive development is mainly due to growth in the fields of media, business intelligence, content marketing, programs, digital platforms and e-commerce. In addition, consulting projects in the field of digital transformation were increasingly implemented.

To strengthen its position as a partner for success and future viability, the agency group has further expanded its range of services. The opening of the Plan.net innovation studio in Munich was a milestone in this respect. Here, a framework is created for customers, employees and external partners, in which rapidly tangible solutions in the fields of digital communication, products and services are developed using modern working and thinking methods such as design thinking and/or agile methods. In addition, Plan.net UX, an agency for user interface development, was launched at the Haus der Kommunikation in Hamburg. The Berlin site has also been expanded in terms of staff and strengthens the Group's capabilities in the two areas of digital platforms and digital public campaigns.


All these areas have already won customers or implemented projects. In addition, the Group's positive result was achieved thanks to profits from new accounts, such as those with Bahlsen, Beck's and HolidayCheck, as well as the expansion of business with existing customers.


The agency's performance was confirmed by its leading positions in the rankings of the German Association of the Digital Economy (BVDW): on the one hand, the Plan.net Group ranked second in the 2017 Internet Agency Ranking among the best-selling Internet agencies in Germany. On the other hand, Plan.net, together with Serviceplan, was able to defend first place in the digital creative ranking for the fourth time in a row.


Site presence was also strengthened. The Berlin team has been strengthened, and Plan.net is also growing internationally: the merger with the Tott agency has opened a site in Belgium. Another presence has been established in Ukraine.


    Manfred Klaus, CEO of the Plan.net Group: "The positive business trend confirms our positioning as a partner for success and sustainability in the digital age, which we have consistently pursued with the expansion of our service offering last year. Managing partner Klaus Schwab adds: "In the coming year, we will be continuing our efforts in particular in the areas of data-driven communication, marketing automation, personalization and end-to-end marketing solutions. In this way, we are ensuring our customers' success today, and at the same time their future viability in the years to come."


Serviceplan opens a House of Communication in New York - The Group's internationalization continues on the path to success


Over the past ten years, the Serviceplan Group has not only enjoyed continued financial success and awards, but has also expanded rapidly internationally. In 2006, Managing Director Florian Haller began implementing his vision of becoming the first global agency group to have its origins in Germany. And since 2011, Markus Noder has been responsible for the internationalization of the agency group as Managing Director of Serviceplan International. On January 1, 2018, he was appointed the new Managing Director of the Serviceplan Group and, in this capacity, is responsible for the internationalization of the agency group.


In addition to the German locations in Munich, Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin, Frankfurt and Cologne, the Group now has communications offices in Vienna, Zurich, Milan, Brussels, Dubai, Paris, Lyon, Moscow and Madrid, as well as subsidiaries in Delhi, Beijing, Shanghai and Seoul. The aim is to develop communication houses at all locations that bring together all communication disciplines under one roof.


In May 2018, the Serviceplan Group had two great occasions to celebrate: it ranked for the first time in the US industry media Ad Age - alongside mega networks and management consultancies entering the market - and, with its successful internationalization strategy, it rose from corporate status to become the world's 22nd-largest US advertising media (Ad Age), with annual sales of US$602 million in 2017.


At the same time, the Haus der Kommunikation opened its doors on May 1 in the heart of New York, at 102 Madison Avenue, the three well-known pillars of the Serviceplan Group are represented under one roof: Serviceplan, MODCo/Mediaplus and digital agency T3. Serviceplan New York currently has 65 employees and is run jointly by Stefan Schütte, Nick Johnson, Jay Benjamin and Nick Chapman, MODCo/Mediaplus by Erik Dochtermann and Eileidh Bamford. Digital agency T3 is a partner agency, headed by Ben Gaddis.


Thanks to close collaboration with other partner agencies, the Serviceplan Group now has a presence in the world's major economic centers. Thanks to a close relationship with the Creston group of agencies, the Serviceplan Group is also represented in Great Britain (London). Latin America is served with partner Ariadna at sites in Buenos Aires, Bogota, Lima, Mexico City, Miami, Panama City, Santiago de Chile and Sao Paulo.


And it's the other minds in the Serviceplan Group who are driving the internationalization theme forward: Jason Romeyko, Marcus Schnarr and Christoph Kunzendorf have held management positions at Serviceplan International since July 1, 2017. Jason Romeyko, a multi-award-winning creative who has been part of the Serviceplan Group since the end of 2016, took over the newly created position of Global Creative Executive Director (WWECD) on July 1, 2017 with the aim of promoting the reputation and perception of the House of Communication model even more creatively around the world.



Marcus Schnarr, who has been with the Plan.net Group for 14 years - most recently as Head of Business Development - with the aim of bringing central content and resources from the Serviceplan Group internationally, became the new Chief Marketing Officer International (CMO International) in the last financial year. His vision: the consolidation, development and professionalization of international business development. For him, the aim is to make the Serviceplan brand even more visible and well-known in foreign markets, in collaboration with the communications companies. Christoph Kunzendorf is also a member of the Serviceplan Group. Since the beginning of July 2017, he has been Chief Financial Officer for the international business. He has been with the Serviceplan Group since 1989 and holds a degree in economics with a specialization in finance. He started here as a consultant and was promoted to Managing Director and Partner - most recently as CFO at Serviceplan Agenturholding. As CFO International, Christoph Kunzendorf ensures the profitability of the agencies and the financial strength of the Serviceplan Group internationally.

"Successful brand development in key emerging markets - a practical guide to targeted brand growth in China, India, Russia and Brazil".


With the publication of the Springer Gabler guide "Successful Brand Building in the Major Emerging Markets", the Serviceplan Group's knowledge is also manifested in a handbook: Florian Haller, Managing Director of the Serviceplan Group, and Niklas Schaffmeister, Managing Partner of management consultancy globeone, explain in it how targeted brand growth is successful in China, India, Russia and Brazil. The book, published in February 2018, fills a gap by highlighting the cultural, social and economic complexity of these markets.


Employees as partners

In the area of people, there have been many initiatives in the agency group. Here too, a large number of programs and initiatives were launched to reduce staff turnover for the fourth year running, and to maintain a high level of satisfaction among colleagues regularly collected in digital form. Under the leadership of Winfried Bergmann, Head of Human Resources, career development plans have been put in place, to be agreed in partnership. In addition, a large number of other training and development measures were developed, such as part-time courses and an update of the in-house CAMPUS training program, special management training for middle managers and the international integration of human resources. In addition, Human Resources launched an interdisciplinary "New Work" working group in 2017 to accompany and support change processes in the Group towards agile working models.


Outlook

Florian Haller, Managing Director of the Serviceplan Group: "In the past financial year, a dream came true not only for our agency group, but also for me personally. On May 1, we started out in the middle of the Big Apple with a communications house, and are now also offering our unique, integrated agency concept in the USA. It's a great success, but it's also a great motivation to be able to offer our innovative services to our customers now and in the next fiscal year at all major locations around the world."