A closer look at Tank

Tank Creative Agency (Tank OÜ) is an Estonian independent creative agency founded in 1995 and based at Veetorni 4 in Tallinn. The agency was established by Joel Volkov. Tank is a full-service creative agency working across marketing strategy, branding, advertising, packaging design, film, social media and web design.

Thirty years is a long time in advertising, especially in Estonia. Over the years, we have created thousands of campaigns, hundreds of packaging designs and advertising films, won more than 120 Kuldmuna awards and been named Agency of the Year twice.

Tank has never worked for awards. Recognition has simply followed the quality of the work. We see ourselves as a strategic partner – one that not only creates advertising and design, but also thinks actively about our clients’ business objectives.

What we do

Strategy and strategic collaboration – brand strategy, brand positioning and communication platforms
Advertising and campaigns – integrated campaigns designed to support brand and business goals
Advertising films and production – films and animations, from the initial idea to final production
Design – visual identity, branding, packaging and graphic design, web design
Digital campaigns and social media – digital marketing, social media strategy and management
AI marketing solutions – using the most advanced technologies to make even the impossible possible

The core of Tank

Tank has never been built around just one person. Every person who works here matters. Ultimate responsibility for the agency lies with four partners:
Joel Volkov – founder. Joel is responsible for creative strategy and brand management, and also acts as the design lead on many projects. He has played a role in shaping hundreds of brands. His portfolio includes work for TalTech, Estonia’s leading university for engineering and technology education, and Saku, Estonia’s largest brewery.
Villem Valme – creative director. Villem joined Tank as a copywriter in 2001 and has been creative director since 2008. His main focus is brand communication platforms and advertising campaigns. He has worked long-term with dozens of clients, including Elisa, LHV, Kalev, Tartu Kaubamaja and Felix.
Marge Kari – CEO. Marge has been with Tank for over 12 years, starting as a project manager. She has also worked as brand manager at Enterprise Estonia. Since 2025, she has been a board member of the Estonian Marketing Association TULI, where she leads the “Better Marketing Procurement” working group.
Margus Žuravljov – strategic partner and business consultant. Margus has been a partner at Tank for more than 25 years. Since 2013, he has led Target One Consulting, a company focused on business consultancy. Before that, he worked 18 years in banking.

Tank has been a launchpad for many recognised designers and leading figures in Estonia’s creative industries, including internationally recognised illustrator Eiko Ojala, award-winning interior designer Jan Graps, film expert Karlo Funk, and director and actor Juhan Ulfsak, among many others.

Position in the Estonian market

According to Best Marketing / Äripäev’s Marketing TOP rankings, Tank was Estonia’s most successful advertising agency in 2023 and 2024. According to Rait Faktum’s positioning study, Tank is the best-known agency in Estonia over time. In the same study, 74% of clients cited strategic partnership as the main reason for choosing Tank.

Key awards and titles

Kuldmuna: Advertising Agency of the Year – 2012 and 2013
Kuldmuna: Digital Agency of the Year – 2020 and 2022
BalticBest: Grand Prix – 2018, Work in Estonia
Eurobest: shortlist – 2013
Kuldmuna awards in total – 124

Recent recognitions:
Tulimust 2025: Grand Prix and two category awards. Client: TalTech, admissions campaign 2025. Tulimust is the Estonian version of the international Effie Awards for advertising effectiveness.
Marketing Campaign of the Year 2025: Grand Prix. The same TalTech admissions campaign. Result: a 46% increase in admission applications, TalTech’s best admissions result in a decade.

Selected work

• Estonian brand – long-term collaboration with Enterprise Estonia, BalticBest 2018 Grand Prix
• NPNK: Hansabank youth bank launch (2005) – Marketing Campaign of the Year Grand Prix
• Euro adoption campaign (2010–2011) – commissioned by the Ministry of Finance and Eesti Pank
• Elisa repositioning (2018) – brand relaunch following the merger with Starman; over the years, our work for Elisa has won more than 20 Kuldmuna awards
• Coop repositioning (2022) – the “Coop is local” concept, including a personalised video campaign with 300 000 unique videos, which won gold in Data Use category at Tulimust 2024
• LHV image campaign, “Freedom to move forward” (2023) – two gold awards and one silver at Kuldmuna
• TalTech admissions campaign (2025) – 46% more admission applications, Marketing Campaign of the Year Grand Prix, Tulimust Grand Prix
• LHV “The future is yours” (2025) – pension funds campaign, two golds and two silvers at Kuldmuna

Clients

Over the years, Tank has worked with more than 200 companies, including Elisa, LHV, Starman, Kalev, Coop, Neste, Saku, Swedbank, EMT, Tele2, Kaubamaja, Tartu Kaubamaja, Ülemiste Centre, Euronics, Felix, Ikea, R-Kiosk, Thermory, Auroom, TalTech, TAI, Enterprise Estonia, KredEx, Töötukassa, PERH, Eesti Energia, Alexela, Kaitsevägi, RKIK, Kaitseressursside Amet, Threod, United Motors, Rahva Raamat, Eesti Ekspress, Porsche, LuxExpress, Tallinn Airport, Löfbergs, Anora, Lincona, Uuskasutuskeskus, Selver, Nordea Bank and many others. Many client relationships have lasted for more than 10 years, and some for over 25 years. In Rait Faktum’s “Positioning and Satisfaction Study of Marketing Agencies”, clients described working with Tank as follows:

“The agency helps define the strategy, monitors it and updates it periodically. The agency is not merely an executor, but also creative and goal-oriented.” “They understand the factors influencing our operating environment and know how to act accordingly.”

Chillitbäng

Between 2022 and 2024, Tank creative directors Joel Volkov and Kristjan Oden produced Chillitbäng, a podcast that won a Bronze Egg. The podcast ran for two seasons and 50 episodes in total. Guests included Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces Martin Herem, Archbishop Urmas Viilma, Chancellor of Justice Ülle Madise, conductor Kristjan Järvi, director Tanel Toom, actors Jan Uuspõld, Pääru Oja and Evelin Võigemast, musicians Koit Toome, Liis Lemsalu and Kadri Voorand, investor Rain Lõhmus and architect Vilen Künnapu. For the final ten episodes, the format changed, with creative directors from Estonia’s leading advertising agencies appearing as guests.

A few numbers

In 2024, Tank’s turnover was just over three million euros, with a profit margin of 6.6%. In terms of efficiency per employee, Tank ranks among Estonia’s leading agencies. Tank is a stable partner for clients who plan for the long term, having remained profitable through all four economic downturns the agency has experienced over the past 30 years.