mc Group

The mc Group (Media Consulta International Holding AG) is an international PR and advertising agency. It was founded in Cologne in 1993 and has been headquartered in Berlin since 2000.

The mc Group is the largest German communications agency, number 1 in Europe, number 1 in the Middle East, number 8 in the Asia/Pacific region, and number 11 worldwide. It pursues an integrated communications approach and offers services in all areas of communications. The group includes over 80 agencies on all continents. It is the only agency worldwide that is represented in all 27 member states of the European Union. Its clients come from the fields of business (Generali, Lidl), politics (European Union, ASEAN, many national governments, such as Germany, Brazil, or France) and sports federations (football, Formula 1, tennis, golf, and the Olympic Games).

History

Media Consulta Deutschland GmbH has been inserted in the commercial register on 17 September 1993. As sports became increasingly important for the advertising industry, sports marketing developed into the main focus of the mc Group.

For example, the company took over the communication of major tennis tournaments, including the ATP World Tour, Davis Cup and Fed Cup. Another successful field of work was Formula 1. Media Consulta received then greater attention for its work in football: for example, on the occasion of the 1996 European Football Championship in England, they published a timer with a record circulation of 300,000 copies. The electrical appliance manufacturer Braun was positioned in the environment of the 1998 Football World Cup.

Campaigns for Politics

By the end of the 1990s, Media Consulta had become one of the leading German communications service providers in terms of turnover. In 1998, the German Bundestag became Media Consulta’s first political client. In 1999, Media Consulta received an order worth millions from the Brazilian Foreign Ministry and the United Nations to improve the country’s image in Germany. Political communication increasingly moved into the agency’s focus, as did public relations for large international companies and top business associations.

When the German Bundestag moved from Bonn to Berlin, Media Consulta opened an office in the capital. The company settled in a listed former shoe factory at Köllnischer Park in Berlin-Mitte. In addition, Media Consulta also further expanded its Cologne location.

politics

Internationalisation

After the turn of the millennium, “Media Consulta” became the “mc Group”. The company expanded to all member states of the European Union. For example, the mc Group designed the successful pan-European campaign “Feel Free to Say No” against smoking for the Directorate-General for Health. In the following years, a network of specialised agencies was built up, for example for classical advertising or film and television production. In 2005, the first offices outside Europe were opened in New York City and Moscow. Later, further offices followed in Brazil, China and India.

In 2006, the “Media Consulta International Holding AG” was founded to take account of the internationalisation. It acts as the holding company for the group of companies. The mc Group also gained further well-known clients in its home market, for example, the Office of the Federal President and the discounter Lidl.

Market Leadership

Internationally, the mc Group has been one of the leading service providers in the field of public relations since 2008 at the latest. In Germany, the company was the second-largest German communications agency after Ketchum Pleon for several years. In 2011, the mc Group overtook the competition for the first time. The largest budgets of recent years include the communication for the Germany Year 2013/2014 in Brazil as well as the international campaign “Make it in Germany” of the Federal Ministries of Economics and Labour. The mc Group also worked for Berlin Brandenburg Airport.

mc Group Recognized for Excellence in Customer Service and Innovation

We’re proud to share that mc Group has been awarded first place for “Customer Service” in the PR Agencies sector as part of the German B2B Award 2024, conducted by DtGV – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Verbraucherstudien. The survey evaluated 15 agencies based on customer satisfaction, service quality, and value for money.

Additionally, mc Group was recognized as the “Most International PR & Advertising Agency 2024” at the MarTech Innovation in Business Awards, reaffirming our global reach and strategic vision in the digital communication landscape.

These acknowledgments reflect the continued trust of our partners and the commitment of our team to deliver excellence—across borders and channels.

MC Foundation

Harald Zulauf, CEO and founder of the international communications network mc Group, established the MC Foundation on December 15, 2012, in Berlin. Shortly thereafter, it received official recognition. The initial endowment amounted to one million euros. The foundation pursues exclusively public interest objectives.

It supports educational initiatives in communication and marketing, promotes environmental and climate protection projects, fosters international exchange, and is committed to development cooperation with emerging and developing countries. Additional focal points include public health and sports.

The foundation’s purpose is primarily realized through the following activities:

  • Education: Awarding scholarships to talented students, for example as part of the Deutschlandstipendium at the Freie Universität Berlin. Programs encouraging study abroad are promoted to strengthen international dialogue and cultural exchange. After graduation, scholarship recipients have the opportunity to complete internships at one of the 82 mc network agencies worldwide to gain international professional experience.

    Harald Zulauf, CEO and founder of the international communications network mc Group, established the MC Foundation on December 15, 2012, in Berlin. Shortly thereafter, it received official recognition. The initial endowment amounted to one million euros. The foundation pursues exclusively public interest objectives.

    It supports educational initiatives in communication and marketing, promotes environmental and climate protection projects, fosters international exchange, and is committed to development cooperation with emerging and developing countries. Additional focal points include public health and sports.

    The foundation’s purpose is primarily realized through the following activities:

    • Education: Awarding scholarships to talented students, for example as part of the Deutschlandstipendium at the Freie Universität Berlin. Programs encouraging study abroad are promoted to strengthen international dialogue and cultural exchange. After graduation, scholarship recipients have the opportunity to complete internships at one of the 82 mc network agencies worldwide to gain international professional experience.

  • Environmental and Climate Protection: Supporting global projects and collaborations with organizations such as the Federal Ministry for the Environment, the European Commission, the United Nations, and NGOs, as well as through national and international awareness and prevention campaigns.

  • International Understanding: Conducting seminars, studies, and information campaigns both domestically and abroad.

  • Development Cooperation: Promoting projects in partnership with recognized agencies such as the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation, the United Nations, and the European Union.

  • Health: Implementing information and prevention campaigns to promote public health.

  • Sports: Providing financial support to sports clubs and initiatives encouraging physical activity, complemented by educational campaigns.

Structure

Legal form and committees

The parent company of the mc Group is “Media Consulta International Holding AG”. It is a public limited company under German law. According to its articles of association, the purpose of the company is “international communications work for business, media, politics and sport” as well as all related business. The share capital amounts to about two million euros.

The mc Group is represented by a board of directors consisting of one or more persons. It is currently occupied by Harald Zulauf. The company’s supervisory board must have at least three members.

Divisions and locations

Under the umbrella of Media Consulta International Holding, there are eight business areas, so-called units. These are specialised agencies for advertising (“mc Advertising”), digital communication (“mc Digital”), event marketing (“mc Event”), corporate publishing (“mc Corporate Publishing”), film production (“mc TV & Filmproduktion”) and sports marketing (“mc Sport & Entertainment”). In addition to the subsidiaries operating under the mc Group brand, there are three largely independently operating companies, Maximum Media GmbH, Global Translate GmbH, and Global Travel GmbH.

Since 2012, the international business has been bundled in continental hubs. There are currently seven of these in Brussels, Dubai, Johannesburg, Moscow, New York City, São Paulo, and Singapore. Worldwide, more than 80 agencies belong to the mc Group network.