It began with a cup of tea. A easy, pastel-colored cup, held delicately within the fingers of an Instagram influencer with flawless lighting and a understanding smile. However this wasn’t simply one other #SelfCare publish. It was the spark that ignited probably the most ingenious influencer marketing strategies in Germany.
In Frankfurt, the place monetary skyscrapers meet digital innovation, Fitvia didn’t simply promote tea—they constructed a life-style empire. They weren’t a family identify, nor did they’ve the deep pockets of company giants. However what they did have was a sharp-eyed CEO who noticed one thing others didn’t: the power of micro-influencers earlier than the time period even hit the mainstream.
With a finely tuned community of social media personalities whispering their model into the ears of their extremely engaged followers, Fitvia cracked the code of digital affect earlier than most manufacturers even knew the sport had modified.
This wasn’t simply advertising and marketing; this was a motion—a case research of how a CEO with imaginative and prescient can flip a distinct segment product into a global sensation. And in a metropolis buzzing with innovation, different influencer marketing agencies in Frankfurt took notes. On this article, we unveil the CEOs behind Frankfurt’s high influencer advertising and marketing companies—the masterminds reshaping digital promoting, one viral marketing campaign at a time.
High CEOs of Influencer Advertising and marketing Corporations in Frankfurt
In Frankfurt, the place finance meets innovation, a brand new breed of leaders is redefining digital affect. These influencer advertising and marketing CEOs aren’t simply operating companies—they’re constructing powerhouses that join manufacturers with audiences in genuine, game-changing methods.
1. Miriam Nadja Ernst
Miriam Nadja Ernst isn’t simply shaping influencer advertising and marketing—she’s elevating it. Via her management at Miriam Ernst Consulting, she has constructed an company that prioritizes genuine storytelling and strategic affect, serving to manufacturers throughout tourism, style, life-style, finance, and automotive industries flip digital affect into tangible enterprise progress.
Her success lies in her means to merge data-driven precision with emotional resonance. Reasonably than executing one-off influencer collaborations, she focuses on crafting immersive experiences that deeply join with audiences. Whether or not working with B2B or B2C manufacturers, she ensures that each marketing campaign aligns seamlessly with an organization’s identification, objectives, and values.
What actually units Miriam aside is her meticulous strategy to influencer partnerships. From expertise choice and content material briefing to real-time efficiency monitoring, she ensures that each element is fine-tuned for optimum engagement. Shoppers constantly reward her means to offer sensible, results-oriented methods that drive actual ROI in an trade typically dominated by self-importance metrics.
Past company management, Miriam is a revered voice within the digital advertising and marketing house, continuously contributing insights by means of trade interviews and thought management content material. With a rising crew and a fame for delivering high-impact campaigns, she stays one in every of Frankfurt’s most influential figures in influencer advertising and marketing—turning digital engagement into measurable success.
2. Stephan (Lukinski) Czaja
Influencer advertising and marketing is evolving quickly, and Stephan Czaja has been on the forefront of that transformation. Recognizing early on that digital affect was turning into as highly effective as conventional media, he expanded his modeling company, CM Models, into the social media house, launching Social Media One in 2018. This transfer positioned him as one in every of Frankfurt’s key gamers in influencer-driven model storytelling.
His deep understanding of media, advertising and marketing, and branding has earned him options on RTL, Pro7, Sat1, ZDF, and Enterprise Insider, the place he shares insights on digital affect, virtual influencers, and the intersection of style and social media. His means to anticipate market tendencies has allowed him to develop revolutionary methods for manufacturers trying to construct credibility and attain new audiences.
Past his work in influencer advertising and marketing, he has authored The Mannequin Guide, providing aspiring fashions a roadmap to success within the trade. His experience extends past social media campaigns—he’s actively shaping the way forward for how influencers and types collaborate.
3. Niels Verlemann
Niels Verlemann’s journey from undertaking supervisor to CEO of Envy is a testomony to his strategic imaginative and prescient and skill to drive tangible ends in influencer advertising and marketing. Since getting into the Managing Director position in 2020, he has remodeled the company’s strategy, turning influencer campaigns into performance-driven initiatives that ship actual enterprise affect for main manufacturers.
His management has been instrumental in crafting high-impact collaborations, such because the profitable marketing campaign with Cosnova’s L.O.V. model, the place his experience in brand-influencer alignment helped create an genuine and fascinating partnership. However for Niels, it’s not nearly inventive storytelling—his deal with data-driven decision-making has led to measurable success. The Audi Discovery Days marketing campaign, which achieved a 150% improve in visitors and a 50% conversion rate, is a first-rate instance, incomes Envy the distinguished ABC Award in 2020.
Past particular person campaigns, he has performed a key position in securing and increasing partnerships with powerhouse manufacturers like SEAT and CUPRA Deutschland. Underneath his management, Envy manages their digital advertising and marketing efforts, overseeing social media channels and influencer activations to make sure most viewers engagement.
With a background that seamlessly blends digital technique and artistic execution, Niels isn’t simply main an company—he’s redefining how manufacturers strategy influencer advertising and marketing in an period the place authenticity and ROI should go hand in hand.
4. Peter Finn
Constructing a profitable communications company requires a deep understanding of each storytelling and enterprise technique—two areas the place Peter Finn excels. Since founding Finn Partners in 2011, he has expanded the company into a worldwide power, now spanning over 34 places of work and 1,300 workers worldwide.
His background in literature from Brown and Columbia College has given him a singular means to craft compelling model narratives, an experience he honed whereas co-leading Ruder Finn, a agency co-founded by his father. His means to mix conventional PR with digital innovation has helped manufacturers navigate the evolving influencer panorama, making certain their campaigns are each strategic and culturally related.
Influencer advertising and marketing is a key pillar of Finn Companions’ providers, with the company specializing in genuine model partnerships that create lasting engagement. Whether or not by means of social collaborations, digital partnerships, or influencer-driven campaigns, his crew ensures manufacturers join with the best voices to amplify their message.
Past advertising and marketing, he stays actively concerned in cultural initiatives, serving as Co-Founder and Chairman of the Catskill Mountain Basis. His management continues to affect not simply the enterprise world but additionally the inventive industries that form public notion and model storytelling.
5. Kim Sophie Renker
The influencer advertising and marketing trade is crammed with companies chasing fast engagement, however Kim Sophie Renker is targeted on one thing extra sustainable—long-term model and creator relationships. Via 24hours Agency, she has constructed a enterprise that prioritizes strategic influencer matchmaking, making certain that manufacturers companion with content material creators who align with their values and viewers.
Her company makes a speciality of life-style, enterprise, and informational content material, serving to manufacturers craft campaigns that really feel each natural and performance-driven. From influencer choice to marketing campaign administration and information monitoring, her strategy ensures that manufacturers see actual affect past simply likes and views.
Her background in entrepreneurship extends past influencer advertising and marketing. As the previous President of the Entrepreneurship Initiative at Frankfurt Faculty of Finance & Administration, she has lengthy been dedicated to fostering innovation and serving to companies scale strategically. This expertise interprets into her management model, the place she combines enterprise acumen with inventive advertising and marketing options.
With influencer advertising and marketing turning into a necessary a part of model technique, she continues to push the trade ahead, serving to manufacturers transfer previous superficial metrics and towards significant viewers engagement.
6. Jörg Stark
For almost 20 years, Jörg Stark has been refining the way in which manufacturers strategy digital visibility, mixing influencer advertising and marketing with performance-driven methods at Online Digital X. His company makes a speciality of search engine optimization, SEM, and social media advertising and marketing, making certain that manufacturers don’t simply achieve publicity but additionally keep a robust digital presence lengthy after a marketing campaign ends.
With a background in Advertising and marketing & Communication from IMK Wiesbaden and Laptop Science from TU Berlin, he brings each inventive and technical experience to the desk. His strategy to influencer advertising and marketing is rooted in AI-powered analytics and strategic partnerships, serving to manufacturers join with genuine voices on Instagram, Fb, and YouTube.
Past operating campaigns, he’s a widely known trade speaker, having introduced at SEACamp 2019 and different digital advertising and marketing occasions. His deal with innovation has allowed his company to evolve with the fast-changing digital panorama, preserving his shoppers forward of trade tendencies.
With expertise throughout fintech, e-commerce, tourism, and sports activities, his methods are constructed for manufacturers that need extra than simply impressions—they need measurable, long-term digital success.
7. Jon Cook
Jon Prepare dinner’s management at VML has been nothing in need of transformative. Over almost three a long time with the company, he has performed a pivotal position in its evolution from a 30-person agency in Kansas Metropolis to a global marketing powerhouse with 28,000 workers throughout greater than 60 markets. Since getting into the World CEO position in 2011, he has been on the forefront of integrating influencer advertising and marketing into the company’s broader digital and artistic methods, making certain that manufacturers harness the complete potential of influencer-driven campaigns.
A key driver of VML’s success has been its proprietary Model Belief Community (BTN), which Prepare dinner helped develop to make sure strategic influencer choice, marketing campaign activation, and real-time efficiency monitoring. By leveraging an enormous ecosystem of over 4 million influencers—starting from area of interest nano-creators to globally acknowledged celebrities—VML has set a brand new trade benchmark for influencer advertising and marketing at scale.
Past influencer advertising and marketing, Prepare dinner’s management has positioned VML as a dominant power within the advertising and marketing world. His 2023 merger of VMLY&R and Wunderman Thompson created a unified company that seamlessly blends creativity, expertise, and information, making it an indispensable companion for trade giants like Microsoft, Ford, Nestlé, and The Coca-Cola Firm. The company’s means to execute influencer campaigns on a worldwide scale whereas sustaining authenticity and model alignment has earned it accolades, together with recognition because the 2023 Community of the 12 months.
8. Bettina Gebhardt
With a profession spanning over 25 years in communications, Bettina Gebhardt has been instrumental in serving to manufacturers craft compelling narratives by means of influencer advertising and marketing and PR. Because the Founder and CEO of Kontx Kommunikation, she leads one in every of Frankfurt’s most revered companies, providing a full suite of services, together with public relations, social media technique, and fame administration.
Her experience spans a number of industries, from B2B and B2C to disaster administration and multi-market campaigns. Earlier than founding Kontx Kommunikation in 2015, she held management roles at international companies like Grayling and Ketchum, the place she developed high-impact PR and digital methods for multinational manufacturers.
Her strategy to influencer advertising and marketing is very strategic, making certain that manufacturers collaborate with rigorously vetted creators who align with their values and messaging. Her company’s work extends throughout sectors like journey, style, meals, sustainability, and well being, creating genuine partnerships that drive viewers belief and engagement.
Past her company work, she has performed a important position in trade thought management, serving as an Advisory Board Member at Huperty and offering strategic steering on worldwide model communication buildings.
From fame administration to influencer collaborations, she continues to form the way in which manufacturers have interaction with audiences, proving that credibility and storytelling are on the coronary heart of each profitable advertising and marketing marketing campaign.
Shaping the Future: The CEOs Defining Frankfurt’s Influencer Advertising and marketing Panorama
From Fitvia’s viral success to the strategic masterminds behind Frankfurt’s high companies, the CEOs of those influencer advertising and marketing companies should not simply trade gamers—they’re trade shapers.
Whether or not it’s Gloria Haagmans’ Glowstaff redefining expertise partnerships, Stephan Czaja’s CM Fashions bridging style and digital affect, or Bettina Gebhardt’s Kontx Kommunikation crafting compelling model narratives, every chief has left a singular imprint on the advertising and marketing world.
These companies and providers transcend follower counts; they domesticate belief, engagement, and innovation. As influencer advertising and marketing continues to evolve, these CEOs show that Frankfurt isn’t simply maintaining—it’s main the cost.
