Guideline
Guideline is a global ad intelligence and media plan management platform leveraging $200 billion in annual verified advertising transaction data. It serves brands, agencies, publishers, and hedge funds with AI-driven market insights, pricing benchmarks, and operational planning tools.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersNew City, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Guideline does
Guideline is a global ad intelligence and media plan management platform that aggregates approximately $200 billion in annual actualized advertising transaction data across 65 countries, sourced from all 5 top US broadcasters, all 6 major agency holding companies, and 90% of top global media companies under a give-to-get data model. The company serves four primary customer segments—agencies, brands, publishers, and hedge funds and institutional investors—with enterprise subscription products spanning two suites: the Ad Intelligence Suite (Spend, Pricing, AI Agent, Reach, Insights, plus specialized products such as KPI Forecast 2.0, Market Monitor, Local Dynamics, UK Digital Pricing, and Global Programmatic Ad Intelligence) and the Media Plan Management Suite (MediaTools and Lumina-powered planning, governing, and execution tooling). The platform actively powers 60,000+ media plans annually for 10,000+ monthly active users, with named enterprise customers including Google, McDonald's, Adidas, American Express, Unilever, NBCUniversal, and Horizon Media.
Underlying the product surface is a combination of billing-level transaction data built on 40+ years of validated TV pricing benchmarks, machine learning, natural language processing, and an emerging agentic AI layer delivered through the MCP Server built on the open Model Context Protocol standard. Differentiated capabilities include AI Digital Placement Classification (standardizing inconsistent publisher placement names using NLP plus rules-based matching), conversational querying of campaign status and budget allocation via the AI Agent with customizable dashboards, and ticker-level predictive forecasting for institutional investors. Technology distribution is anchored by an exclusive media planning partnership with Mediaocean's Prisma platform via bi-directional API integration, plus API-first and 3rd-party integration products enabling embedded workflows.
The business operates on enterprise subscription pricing with annual billing cadences and direct field sales targeting large enterprises, supported by content-driven demand generation (Market Monitor podcast, gated research reports, industry events including Cannes Lions). The company was founded in 2013 and is headquartered at 99 Wall Street in New York, with additional offices in the Netherlands and Toronto, and a remote-first workforce spanning 15 countries. Following a December 2024 CEO transition to Vince Mifsud and a January 2026 senior leadership refresh, the company has executed a sustained product launch cadence into 2026 spanning AI-native platforms, new geographies (UK), and a new institutional investor segment under the Data Insights Service.
Guideline firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Guideline
- Legal name
- PC Dreamscape Opco, Inc.
- Website
- https://guideline.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Guideline is a global ad intelligence and media plan management platform leveraging $200 billion in annual verified advertising transaction data. It serves brands, agencies, publishers, and hedge funds with AI-driven market insights, pricing benchmarks, and operational planning tools.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Guideline industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advertising Intelligence & Media Plan Management
- NAICS
- Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Buying Agencies (54183)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Full-Service Media Planning & Buying (MPAAABAA)
Keywords
Where Guideline is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New City
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Guideline business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ad Intelligence Platform: Subscription-based access to real billing data on $200 billion of annual media spend, validated TV pricing benchmarks, custom research, post-buy reconciliation, AI insights, and structured data for institutional investors.
- Media Plan Management Platform: Operational backbone subscription for global media investment management enabling annual briefs flow through to actualisation, configurable to taxonomy, hierarchy, and approval structures.
- Subscription Reports (Local Dynamics, Market Monitor, UK Digital Pricing): Quarterly and weekly subscription research products providing transaction-level advertising investment analysis, benchmark reporting, and market intelligence across multiple geographies.
- Capital Markets Analytics (KPI Forecast): Analytics solutions for institutional investors providing ticker-level ad spend forecasting, designed to reduce mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) for revenue shift analysis.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise subscription pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Guideline product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Guideline provides ad intelligence and media plan management technology through two product suites: the Ad Intelligence Suite (delivering real billing data on $200 billion of annual media spend, validated TV pricing benchmarks, AI insights, and structured data for institutional investors) and the Media Plan Management Suite (operational backbone for planning, governing, and executing media campaigns across global markets in a single workspace). The platform serves brands, agencies, publishers, and hedge funds with subscription-based access to verified transaction-level advertising data, AI-powered analytics, and bi-directional API integrations with media buying platforms.
Product overview
Guideline is a global provider of ad intelligence and media plan management technology organized into two main suites: the Ad Intelligence Suite and the Media Plan Management Suite. The Ad Intelligence Suite delivers $200 billion in annual actualized global transaction data with validated TV pricing benchmarks across six named products including Spend, Pricing, AI Agent, Reach, Insights, and specialized solutions like KPI Forecast 2.0, Market Monitor, and Local Dynamics. The Media Plan Management Suite, powered by MediaTools and Lumina technologies, serves as the operational backbone managing over 60,000 media plans annually for leading agencies and brands. The platform connects planning with market intelligence through products like the MCP Server for agentic AI workflows, AI Factory for accelerating AI innovation, and customizable AI Agent dashboards. Additional products include SQADCosts Local for local pricing intelligence, UK Digital Pricing for UK-specific CPM benchmarks, and the Media Monitor Podcast for industry insights.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Media owner increased sell-through rate to 85% using Guideline's data to strategically shift ad spending
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Guideline
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Guideline technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
AI capability10 records
Feature7 records
Guideline partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- MediaoceancoreExpanded API integration between Guideline's MediaTools platform and Mediaocean's Prisma platform, enabling bi-directional data flow between planning, buying, and reconciliation workflows. Guideline is designated as Mediaocean's exclusive media planning partner. The integration automates campaign reconciliation processes that previously required manual spreadsheet comparison.
- NBCUniversalcoreExpanded partnership to strengthen NBCUniversal's data-driven advertising strategies. NBCU utilizes Guideline's total market data to proactively build strategies, capitalize on demand, get ahead of each quarter's scatter market, and better identify opportunities.
- Top US BroadcasterscoreAll five of the top US broadcasters leverage Guideline's data solutions as part of the company's give-to-get data model.
- Agency Holding CompaniescoreSix major agency holding companies partnered with Guideline, receiving data from and contributing to the $200 billion transaction dataset.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Guideline competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Comscore: Comscore is a cross-platform media measurement and analytics provider covering digital, TV, and theatrical ad effectiveness. It overlaps with Guideline in delivering ad spend intelligence and audience measurement for advertisers and agencies.
- Mediaocean: Mediaocean is the largest media buying platform and a partner/competitor in media plan management through its Prisma platform. Guideline has an exclusive partnership with Mediaocean but competes more broadly in the ad operations technology stack Mediaocean serves.
- Nielsen: Nielsen is the dominant legacy media measurement provider covering TV, digital, and audio ratings and ad intelligence. While broader in scope, Nielsen competes with Guideline in syndicated ad spend reporting, audience measurement, and cross-platform analytics for agencies, brands, and publishers.
- The Trade Desk: The Trade Desk is the largest independent programmatic DSP with broad-based advertising technology capabilities. Guideline's former CMO Susan Vobejda sits on both Guideline's board and has Trade Desk roots, indicating close ecosystem overlap despite The Trade Desk's distinct demand-side platform focus.
- Kantar: Kantar is a global market research and media intelligence provider with broad ad spend monitoring and audience measurement offerings. It competes with Guideline in syndicated ad spend data and serves a similar enterprise customer base across brands and agencies.
Direct peers
- Standard Media Index (SMI): SMI is a direct competitor in transaction-level ad spend intelligence, capturing over 95% of national brand spend across global markets. Guideline's Board includes James Fennessy (former SMI Global CEO), underscoring the direct overlap in offering, customer base, and methodology.
- MediaRadar: MediaRadar provides advertising intelligence covering traditional and digital ad spending, creative monitoring, and competitive analysis. It serves a comparable customer base of brands, agencies, and publishers with overlapping product capabilities to Guideline's Ad Intelligence Suite.
- iSpot.tv: iSpot.tv provides TV and cross-platform ad measurement, creative analytics, and spend intelligence for brands and agencies. It competes directly with Guideline's ad intelligence suite in TV ad spend measurement, pricing benchmarks, and competitive media intelligence.
- Vivvix (formerly Kantar Media): Vivvix is a direct competitor in syndicated ad spend intelligence and media planning data, offering competitive monitoring and pricing benchmarks across offline and digital channels. Both companies sell ad spend data to agencies, brands, and publishers using comparable transaction-level methodologies.
Emerging players
- Samba TV: Samba TV is a cross-platform TV measurement and audience analytics provider using first-party viewership data. It competes with Guideline on TV ad spend intelligence while taking a different approach through ACR-based viewership data versus transaction-level billing data.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Guideline social profiles
Digital presenceGuideline financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Guideline leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles15 records
Guideline funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Guideline M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Guideline
What does Guideline do?
Guideline provides ad intelligence and media plan management technology through two product suites: the Ad Intelligence Suite (delivering real billing data on $200 billion of annual media spend, validated TV pricing benchmarks, AI insights, and structured data for institutional investors) and the Media Plan Management Suite (operational backbone for planning, governing, and executing media campaigns across global markets in a single workspace). The platform serves brands, agencies, publishers, and hedge funds with subscription-based access to verified transaction-level advertising data, AI-powered analytics, and bi-directional API integrations with media buying platforms.
Is Guideline a public or private company?
Guideline is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Guideline founded?
Guideline was founded in 2013. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Guideline based?
Guideline is headquartered in New City, United States, in the North America region.
How does Guideline make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ad Intelligence Platform is the primary driver. The others are media Plan Management Platform, subscription Reports (Local Dynamics, Market Monitor, UK Digital Pricing) and capital Markets Analytics (KPI Forecast).
Who are Guideline's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Comscore, Mediaocean, Nielsen, The Trade Desk and Kantar. Direct peers are Standard Media Index (SMI), MediaRadar, iSpot.tv and Vivvix (formerly Kantar Media). Samba TV is listed as an emerging player.
Does Guideline have an API?
Yes. Guideline offers API integrations enabling bi-directional data flow between its MediaTools platform and third-party systems. The company launched its Media Plan Management MCP Server built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) open standard, allowing AI agents to connect directly to Guideline's platform for querying campaign status, budget allocation, and vendor performance without requiring custom API integration. Specific API details including authentication methods, rate limits, and versioning are not publicly documented in the source materials. Developer documentation is at No Information.
What industry is Guideline in?
Guideline's product category is Advertising Intelligence & Media Plan Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAABAA, Full-Service Media Planning & Buying. Its NAICS code is 541910 and its SIC code is 7372.