The last independent broker in Germany, ASS Werbe GmbH’s core competences are concept creation and media planning. It is the company’s expressed aim to provide its customers with a maximum result using a minimum budget. Its reference list boasts campaigns for Jaguar, Peugeot, Fiat and others in the automotive industry, along with Ralph Lauren, Deutsche Bahn and Warner Bros., as well as for the most recent Batman movie ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and ‘The Lego Movie.’
“We are the people for wacky ideas,” emphasizes Mr. Assenmacher. “We like to do things differently. For Converse we accomplished a complete branding of the Alexanderplatz underground station in Berlin.” Another example of ASS’ courage to tread new ground is its 48-hour campaign offer, providing customers with full 18/1 poster campaigns including print, distribution and sticking within just 48 hours, even on a nationwide level, after receiving the order.
ASS is also the inventor of PlakAR, the first interactive augmented reality app for billboards and print ads, which can be activated using a smartphone, and the organizer and sponsor of the BEST 18/1 Award, Germany’s most prized creative poster contest.
ASS was founded in Cologne in 1994 by Mr. Assenmacher himself. Today, the company has a subsidiary in Munich and is partners with Parisbased Media Keys for international projects. ASS employs 55 members of staff and turns over around 80 million EUR in advertising revenue annually, 35 to 40% of which is achieved abroad.
The company’s target groups are all trades that use advertising. While 70% of customers are acquired directly, the other 30% come to ASS via agencies. “What makes us successful is that to this day, we have kept our independence,” explains Mr. Assenmacher. “And that we make a point of treating small customers with the same care as the big ones. Also we are very straightforward. If we say something is possible, then it is.”
Thanks to all these strong points, its creativity, quick decision-making ability and reliable staff, ASS can boast many long-term customers, some of whom have cooperated with the company since its beginnings. With its positive past development, ASS is also looking positively to the future.
“I think many companies will return to out-of-home advertising,” says Mr. Assenmacher. “The ongoing discount skirmish is no fun, as we are providing a service, after all. But the show must and will go on. With our strong creativity, we will continue to offer new solutions and create new forms of out-of-home advertising.”