25 years of dietz.digital, digital agency Frankfurt

Hard to believe, but the launch of the agency dietz was 25 years ago

The agency business is always described as young and dynamic. Many startups, many young people, a lot of enthusiasm and a spirit of departure. Unfortunately, it is often overlooked that this can go wrong. For all the motivation, a significant amount of experience and business know-how is required to manage an agency successfully over many years.

I was a bit shocked myself when the first messages landed in my inbox congratulating me on the 25th anniversary. By entering the start date of the agency on XING on April 12, 1995, an anniversary post was automatically distributed. Especially in these times – Covid-19 and all the related issues are almost putting our society at a standstill – this was actually very positive news.

At first, the reaction was: That's it now, advertising, and digital anyway, is young and dynamic. Then I thought of our employees and realized: It’s exactly the opposite. We have a great mix of young and eager as well as older and experienced. I think that matches well. It always needs to be further developed, but we already know that from the long agency time. And today we are a top digital agency with top clients from the Frankfurt am Main area.

Then I had a bank meeting for other reasons, afterward, I spoke with the tax advisor. And everyone immediately signaled to me: Hey great, that’s something no one else has managed yet and the agency's creditworthiness is top-notch. So, all good. We’re on the right track.

dietz.digital, a digital agency since 2002 – is that even possible?

If you look back and know this time from afar, there was an internet hype that burst around the turn of the millennium. Many agencies went bankrupt and the internet was seen as a trend with a lot of money wasted. So everything related to digital was viewed more negatively. That was also called Interactive back then. Just like us: In 2002, I founded a subsidiary for Communications and launched Interactive with a partner.

Own GmbH, bank meeting with Dresdner Bank. It wasn’t about credit, but merely about a business account. The bank advisor asked me what we wanted to do, and I told him a lot about Interactive, websites, the internet, etc. The reaction was accordingly, I had a lot of trouble getting at least a business account for that. For an overdraft, I was supposed to deposit the same amount of money as equity. What a time! You can hardly believe it, but that’s how it was.

We started and soon got a great client in the Gillette Group Germany. Everything was very slow and with small projects, but maybe that was good too, as we were able to learn and develop. The German travel agency, now DER, was also one of these new clients, DERPART and ATLASREISEN as well. Smiths Detection came on board, etc. In fact, we were already a digital agency from Frankfurt am Main back then.

For the German travel agency and DERPART, it was also an ideal combination. We have always been strong in print and designed all decorations in travel agencies nationwide. Now, combined actions with print mailings and websites that personalized offers for end customers were added. Everything from one source, everything implemented by one agency. Print runs in the millions, controlling print productions at Bertelsmann & Co, and simultaneously starting digitally with databases, websites, and support. Even back then, the exchange of experiences with digital topics began. For Smiths Detection then with the RedDot CMS – that was something innovative back then – and the global website through our agency.

Digital agencies need innovations

Digitally fit and powerful. As a digital agency from Frankfurt am Main, we have established a strong name for ourselves. SEO, marketing automation, wireframes, social, targeting, re-targeting, website content, PIM, DAM, etc. All topics that occupy us today. But it also shows that you can only survive economically with innovations and a sense for the customers' challenges. A good example of this is the development of our products dynamicPIM® and dynamicDAM®.

Why innovation, what is the outstanding novelty?

Let’s start at the beginning. Over the years, we have programmed various databases and consistently recognized that no system on the market offers the flexibility we need. Additionally, we know the consumer goods market, FMCG, perfectly. 15 years at Procter & Gamble do not go by without leaving a trace. We have learned a lot and recognized that systems need to be not only flexible but also provide product information from logistics, sales, and marketing as well as media data of all kinds (images, videos, etc.) integrated and available in one place. And for all target groups with permissions accessible, such as internal, retailers, agencies, etc. Furthermore, this data should also be optimized and enriched to distribute to the respective stakeholders (Markant, GDSN, etc.).

The reality has always been different. Various systems, no content was right, everyone was doing their own thing. Each person only sees their area and not the big picture. Viewed from a helicopter perspective, as the popular saying of consultants goes, one notices that there are enormous efficiencies lying dormant here. It is a long journey to convince existing organizations to take different paths. Especially when they are named P&G, Unilever, Coty, or Knauf. We are convinced that good, correct, current, and timely content will be a crucial success factor in this market area.

So, we decided to develop our own products. A big step with a lot of sweat and tears. But it has paid off. The applications help provide optimal content where it is needed. We continuously optimize further and can optionally guarantee the necessary software security via escrow accounts, if desired.

Concept, strategy, and strength of a digital agency from Frankfurt am Main

Besides the core business (social, SEO, websites, content), we have thus created another pillar that provides us with economic strength and, especially in times of Corona, ensures that we have planning security. The operation continues unchanged as we can immediately become active and fully capable from home offices overnight. Just a digital agency that has long stopped having job servers internally and wouldn’t have to wonder how employees should access data. That has been running completely differently for three years.

In conclusion: You might hear it, I am extremely proud of my team. Of a super agency with great employees, the DNA of the agency. I look forward to the future, to a continuing wonderful time with great clients, important experiences, and excellent cooperation on all levels.