Four PR journalists have learned to know each other in the mid-nineties through their joint work in an institution division specializing in technology issues. Quite soon was clear: Not only in professional matters, but also on the notorious bigger picture, they were joined. The emerging discontent about the possibilities of customer care on the one hand, the growing joy of own design on the other and of course the obvious market opportunities, that ants in one’s pants and the desire to simply put something on the feet together, let them make a decision. The decision to set up ars publicandi.

After work, in felt countless night sessions at weekends and whenever they had time, they planned and designed, developed business templates and contracts. Just a few weeks remained for Andreas Becker as the chosen manager for preparing the foundation, including the hiring of agency premises, negotiating with banks. Even first equipment was purchased, editorials and media appointed – in times when one could not just download them.

On the 3rd of November 1997, finally the four companions met with a notary in Pirmasens, where the new PR agency should have its headquarters, establishing a limited liability company as their carrier. The share capital, still in Deutsche Mark, was then collated and reported  – now that sounds somehow after vintage and pioneering days, such as FC Schalke zero-four, or: ars nine-seven. In addition to the home office in Pirmasens agency premises were rented in Freilingen / Westerwald, Karin Ulrike Ledwon (†) was appointed as a second manager. At her side stood the senior consultants partner Martina Schmitz (today: Overmann), who moved 1999 into the new offices in Rodalben, and Thomas Müller, who left the agency in 2001. In 2003, the centralization of business at the Rodalben headquarters took place.

In the following years the product range has diversified. Once started as an agency for public relations, ars publicandi positions today as a modern communication agency with offerings in the fields of Communications, Media and Web. At the same time the target audience has diversified, both in terms of sectors as well as the regions. And finally, the online segment was added, considerable shares of sales are now made in connection with the internet. Already in earlier years budgets of foreign companies with the aim to establish themselves on the German markets were earned. From the associated regular cooperation with other European agencies a more closely contact with Spark Communications from London has developed; first joint projects came to life as at the end of the outgoing century.

ars publicandi stands, among other things, for the training of public relations volunteers and “merchants for marketing communication”, can look back on memberships in DDV / German Dialogue Marketing Association e. V. (historically), the Pirmasens markeing eV and the ZRW / ZukunftsRegion Westpfalz e.V.  The agency staffed the audit committee of the Chamber of Commerce for the Palatinate in training professional “merchants for dialogue marketing” and there is also a lecturer in adult education to the core issue of marketing & sales.

And the story of ars publicandi continues!