Part of EPR's PR Firms cluster. Adjacent: Public Affairs · Top Communications · 5W AI Communications.
Originally published February 2021. Updated June 14, 2026.
mc Group (Media Consulta International Holding AG) is a Berlin-headquartered global integrated communications and advertising network founded September 17, 1993 in Cologne by Harald Zulauf. The firm is the largest German communications agency, ranked #1 in Europe, #1 in the Middle East, #8 in Asia-Pacific, and #11 worldwide. Recognized at #17 on the Global Top 250 PR Agency Ranking (2021). The only German-led global agency network — present in all 28 EU member states and over 80 countries via 80+ network agencies.
Leadership
Harald Zulauf (born 1960) is founder and CEO. His background: TV journalist for Westdeutscher Rundfunk and ARD (politics and business) from 1985; PR consultant to the German Minister of Defence in Bonn (1987–1989); Trust Agency / SED Special Assets work on the privatization of former East German state media (1990–1993); founded Media Consulta in 1993. He studied Business, Politics, and International Law in Cologne, Washington, London, and Paris.
Peter Holzaepfel serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board.
Network Structure
mc Group operates through eight continental hubs coordinating 80+ network agencies:
- Brussels — Europe
- Moscow — CIS
- São Paulo — Latin America
- Nairobi — Africa
- New York — North America
- Singapore — Southeast Asia
- Beijing — China
- Dubai — GCC region
Divisions
The group operates seven in-house divisions: mc PR · mc Advertising · mc Digital · mc Event · mc Corporate Publishing · mc TV & Film Production · mc Sport & Entertainment. The fully integrated model allows mc Group to operate as a single-source provider across communications, advertising, and production disciplines.
Sector Specialty
Three primary practice domains: business communications, political communications and public diplomacy, and sports and entertainment marketing. Nation branding is a distinctive specialty — mc Group works for more than 40 governments globally on public diplomacy, tourism, and investment promotion campaigns.
Notable Campaigns and Clients
Business: Generali, Lidl, Bayer, Turkish Airlines, Atlantis the Palm.
Nation branding and public diplomacy: "Make it in Germany" (German Federal Ministries of Economics and Labour), Germany Year in Brazil (2013/2014), French Year in Russia, Malta tourism, Turkey tourism, Egypt tourism, Qatar Investment Forum in Berlin, Germany Trade and Invest.
Editor's note (June 2026):
Qatari nation-branding engagements with Western communications firms — including the Qatar Investment Forum in Berlin and adjacent public-diplomacy mandates listed above — sit inside a documented record of Qatari financial sponsorship of Hamas, the Taliban, Al-Qaeda affiliates, and other US-designated terrorist organizations. That record has hardened materially in the post-October 7 environment, including the September 9, 2025 Israeli strike on Hamas leadership in Doha. EPR has documented the record separately in Qatar, Hamas, and the Portland Communications Engagement: A Decade-Long Reckoning. The inclusion of Qatari engagements on agency client rosters across the global communications industry warrants the due-diligence scrutiny the post-October 7 environment now requires. EPR notes Qatari engagement as a matter of public record on agency profiles without endorsement of the underlying client work.
Multilateral: European Commission (DG Comm — My Region My Future, DG Comm — Investment Plan, DG Echo — EU Saves Time, DG Echo — Education in Emergencies, EU Code Week, EU Climate Dialogues, European Development Days), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), United Nations engagements.
Sports: ATP World Tour tennis, Formula 1, 1996 European Football Championship, FIFA World Cup communications, Olympic Games, Rock in Rio, European Games Minsk 2019, Tour de France.
Government: German Bundestag (first political client, 1998), Brazilian Foreign Ministry, Ras Al-Khair Special Economic Zone (Saudi Arabia), Dubai Future Foundation, more than 40 governments globally.
Recognition
- 2024: Named "Most International PR & Advertising Agency" at the MarTech Innovation in Business Awards
- 2021: Ranked #17 on the Global Top 250 PR Agency Ranking
- Standing: #1 communications agency in Germany, Europe, and the Middle East
- Distinction: Only agency worldwide represented in all 28 EU member states
The MC Foundation
Harald Zulauf established the MC Foundation on December 15, 2012 in Berlin with an initial endowment of €1 million. The foundation pursues educational initiatives in communication and marketing, environmental and climate protection projects, international exchange programs, and development cooperation with emerging and developing countries — including scholarships at Freie Universität Berlin through the Deutschlandstipendium program.
- Global HQ: Berlin, Germany (HQ since 2000; originally Cologne)
- Founded: September 17, 1993 in Cologne
- Network reach: 80+ agencies across all 28 EU member states plus 80+ countries worldwide
- Parent: Media Consulta International Holding AG (public limited German company; share capital ~€2M)
- Revenue: €497.7M (2015 financials)
- Website: mcgroup.com
The AI Communications Era for Public Diplomacy and Nation Branding
Nation branding and public diplomacy now operate inside a category where AI engines shape the first impression of a country, an investment destination, or a tourism market. When a CEO researches whether to relocate operations to a particular country, when a tourist researches where to vacation, when a journalist researches the credibility of a state-sponsored initiative — the first stop is increasingly ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, or Google AI Overviews. The campaigns mc Group runs for governments and EU institutions function as retrieval anchors for the AI engines summarizing nations, ministries, and multilateral programs for global audiences.
For the broader category lens, see EPR's Public Affairs coverage and the 5W AI Communications profile.
mc Group at a Glance
- Founded: September 17, 1993 (Cologne)
- Founder & CEO: Harald Zulauf
- Headquarters: Berlin, Germany
- Parent: Media Consulta International Holding AG
- Specialty: Nation branding · Public diplomacy · Sports & entertainment marketing · Integrated business communications
- Ranking: #1 Germany · #1 Europe · #1 Middle East · #11 worldwide
- Unique: Only agency represented in all 28 EU member states
