Cologne/Berlin, December 3rd, 2018 – Oliver Schrott Kommunikation (OSK), Germany’s leading agency for automotive and technology PR, is expanding its Berlin office and aiming to become one of the top addresses for PR and communications consultancy in the German capital, too. The focus of the offering is consultancy services at the interface of PR, content and technology as well as the development of new digital products and tools.
The seed corn for the expanded offering is digital agency, Compuccino, acquired by OSK in 2014, which will now operate as OSK Berlin.
“Compuccino is one of the pioneers among Berlin’s digital agencies. It has created groundbreaking solutions such as the first iPhone app for a German daily newspaper and intelligent platforms for content logistics,” explains Oliver Schrott, Founder and Managing Director of OSK. “Based on these years of experience and development expertise, we are now building the OSK Group’s first digital factory and making that clear to the outside world through the name change.”
The team of around 30 in Berlin, which is based in the former British embassy in Berlin-Mitte, consists of UI/UX designers and software engineers as well as specialists in video streaming and augmented reality. Its award-winning reference products include the live PR platform developed for Mercedes-Benz, “Mercedes me media”. Its brand-new multi-angle stream and other intelligent features, which enable journalists and influencers to attend and work on Mercedes live events from any location, have made the platform the current benchmark in live broadcast technology.
For U.S. retailer Perfumania, a client of OSK New York, the Berlin office developed a digital sales assistant that combines offline and online experiences and is an important component of a new store concept developed by OSK. Following a successful pilot at Denver Premium Outlets, the new shopping system is now being rolled out nationwide.
“Our customers are increasingly asking for support at the interface of PR, marketing and sales,” explains Michael Kemme, Consultancy Director for OSK. “PR is taking on a growing number of functions in marketing and sales environments because content-driven and journalistic formats are being linked with sales channels. Many of the solutions for this are technology driven. This is where OSK Berlin’s consultancy services come in – paired with its strong in-house expertise in development and implementation.”
The breadth of agency services includes apps, websites and digital tools such as chatbots for digital storytelling or AR/VR applications. OSK Berlin has developed a dashboard called “kiOSK Influence” for evaluating relevant influencers. This custom solution enables clients to recognise influencers relevant to them across multiple channels and to evaluate and categorise them both qualitatively and quantitatively.
The operational management of the Berlin office has been shared since this summer by joint directors Rafael Bolte and Gregor Schermuly. Rafael Bolte, 43, has been with OSK in Cologne for 15 years and, as Account Director, is responsible for the digital projects of several clients. Gregor Schermuly, 31, joined Compuccino two years ago, heading up the development team for the “me media” digital platform. The Commercial Director of OSK Berlin is – as for parent company Oliver Schrott Kommunikation – Marc Wolter.