Slingshot

What Slingshot does

Slingshot, LLC is a full-service, fully independent advertising and marketing agency founded in 1995 by Owen Hannay in Dallas, Texas, operating under a "platform-plus-modules" architecture. The core platform comprises three integrated service pillars — Strategy (research, brand and digital strategy, communications planning), Media (platform-neutral planning and buying across broadcast, digital, OOH, paid social, SEM, and Google Ecosystem), and Creative (traditional, digital, social, brand identity, and production) — supported by two proprietary methodologies: Digitally Informed Planning™ (introduced 2008) and the Agile Creative Process (launched 2017). Surrounding the core, the agency operates three wholly-owned sister companies that extend capabilities into adjacent functions: Circa 46 (Boomer marketing), Speak No Evil (content and social media agency, founded 2018), and Insite (web development agency, acquired 2014). The firm also runs three vertical thought-leadership sub-brands — /Explore (travel), /Dig In (everyday dining), and /Live Well (health and wellness) — that publish quarterly consumer forecasts used as both content marketing assets and category authority signals.

The business monetizes primarily through agency retainers and project fees won via competitive pitches, supplemented by media planning and buying fees (transaction-based) and sister-company services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, though the agency pioneered an industry-first attention-quality-based media transaction model in 2016 using MOAT scores. Go-to-market is relationship-led, led by named leadership (President & COO, VP Strategy, VP Client Engagement, VP Media), with inside-sales intake via Client/Vendor Inquiry forms, and international reach delivered through the AMIN Worldwide alliance (50+ member agencies in 23 countries). Customer logos span Texas Tourism, Omni Hotels, Visit Dallas, CheapCaribbean, UT Southwestern, Taco Bueno, Mary Kay, Jack Daniels, Europcar, Terminix, American Home Shield, Joe's Crab Shack, and others. Headcount is self-described as 51–100 employees, and the agency is privately held with no institutional investors disclosed.

Slingshot's strategic posture emphasizes independent agency scale with global network reach, vertical thought-leadership depth, and proprietary process innovation. The firm is a Google Premier Partner, holds a PMP certification, and operates an in-house production studio ("Varnish"). It also maintains a 501(c)(3) Slingshot Charitable Foundation funded by $1 per billed hour from employees, supporting Dallas-area early-childhood education nonprofits. Notable industry firsts include placing the first HTML banner ad on the internet (1996), creating the first online media awareness guarantee (2003), launching Digitally Informed Planning™ (2008), and completing the first attention-quality-priced media transaction (2016).

Name

Slingshot

Legal name

Slingshot, LLC

Website

https://slingshot.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Slingshot is a full-service, independent advertising and marketing agency in Dallas, Texas, delivering strategy, media, and creative services to enterprise brand marketers across travel, dining, health and wellness, and other verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Agency Retainers & Project Fees: Core revenue from full-service advertising engagements covering strategy, creative, and media across retained client relationships and project-based work won through competitive pitches. Engagements span enterprise brand marketers (Texas Tourism, Omni, Visit Dallas, CheapCaribbean, UTSW, Taco Bueno, etc.).
2. Media Planning & Buying Fees: Revenue from media planning, buying, and campaign management across broadcast, digital, OOH, print, paid social, SEM and Google Ecosystem. Uses industry-standard buying tools (Freewheel/Strata, Sizmek, DCM) and an Attention Quality-based transaction pricing model. Has executed national network/cable TV buys (Super Bowl pregame, ACM Awards, March Madness) and local spot buys in nearly 100 markets.
3. Sister-Company & Ecosystem Services: Adjacent services delivered through sister companies within the Slingshot ecosystem: Circa 46 (Boomer-market expertise), Speak No Evil (content & social media agency, founded 2018), and Insite (web development agency, acquired 2014).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Slingshot is a full-service, independent advertising and marketing agency that delivers integrated Strategy, Media (planning and buying), and Creative services for enterprise and mid-market brand marketers. The agency combines proprietary methodologies (Digitally Informed Planning™, Agile Creative, attention-quality media pricing) with an in-house production studio (Varnish) and a sister-company ecosystem (Circa 46, Speak No Evil, Insite) to execute brand campaigns across broadcast, digital, OOH, paid social, SEM, and CTV/OTT.

Product overview

Slingshot is a full-service, fully independent advertising and marketing agency headquartered in Dallas, Texas, organized as a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core platform is the agency's three integrated service pillars — Strategy, Media, and Creative — which combine research, planning, paid media execution, and creative production to grow brands. Surrounding the core, Slingshot operates a portfolio of specialized sister-company modules: Circa 46 (Boomer marketing), Speak No Evil (content and social media, founded 2018), and Insite (web development, acquired 2014). The agency also runs three vertical thought-leadership sub-brands — Slingshot /Explore (travel marketing), Slingshot /Dig In (everyday dining), and Slingshot /Live Well (health and wellness) — that publish quarterly consumer forecasts. Supporting the platform are proprietary methodologies (Digitally Informed Planning™ introduced in 2008 and the Agile Creative Process launched in 2017), an in-house production studio called Varnish, and the Slingshot Charitable Foundation (501(c)(3) established 2010). Founded by Owen Hannay in 1995, Slingshot has been a member of AMIN Worldwide since 2013 and is a Google Premier Partner.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Speak No Evil: Comprehensive content and social media capabilities created for clients; sister company focused on content creation.
• Circa 46
• Insite
• AMIN Worldwide

Products and services

• Strategy Full-service brand and digital strategy offering covering Research (stakeholder interviews, focus groups, quantitative studies, field testing, usability testing), Brand Strategy (messaging, positioning, consumer insights, audience personas), Digital Strategy (customer journeys, competitive analysis, keyword research, analytics), and Communications (marketing plans, lead nurturing, email/content/social strategy, thought leadership) for enterprise and mid-market brand marketers.
• Media Platform-neutral, performance-driven media planning and buying service organized around Research/Strategy/Planning, Buying/Campaign Management, and Analytics/Performance Insights. Capabilities include investment modeling, audience analysis, broadcast (national/spot TV, radio, OTT/CTV), digital (programmatic, native, rich media, streaming audio/video), out-of-home, Google ecosystem (SEM, display, YouTube via Premier Partner beta access), paid social, print, A/B testing/optimization, dashboards/reporting, and operations/financials for enterprise and mid-market brand marketers.
• Creative Award-winning creative services spanning Traditional Media (print, TV, radio, OOH), Digital Media (display and rich experiences for desktop/mobile), Social Media & Content Creation, Brand Identity, Branded Websites & Landing Pages, Unconventional & Experiential (trade shows, branded installations, stunts), Production (photography, live action, editorial, motion graphics, audio, asset development), and the Agile Creative Process for enterprise and mid-market brand marketers.
• Circa 46 Sister company pairing Slingshot's full-service expertise with industry-leading knowledge of the Boomer market; specialized Boomer marketing services for brands seeking to engage older consumers who hold the majority of U.S. household wealth.
• Speak No Evil Wholly owned sister company founded in 2018 providing comprehensive content and social media capabilities for clients' customers; positioned as a content and social media agency within the Slingshot ecosystem.
• Insite Wholly owned sister company acquired in 2014: a Dallas-based web development agency composed of highly skilled digital experts providing web development services to Slingshot clients.
• Slingshot /Explore Travel-marketing thought leadership sub-brand delivering sights, insights, and quarterly Leisure Travel Market Forecasts for brand marketers in the travel and tourism vertical.
• Slingshot /Dig In Everyday dining marketing sub-brand delivering the Everyday Dining Forecast and insights into the secret ingredients everyday dining brands use to succeed, for brand marketers in the QSR/casual dining vertical.
• Slingshot /Live Well Health and wellness marketing sub-brand delivering the Health & Wellness Forecast and strategies for keeping health and wellness brands thriving, for brand marketers in the healthcare and wellness vertical.

Quantifiable outcome

• Texas Tourism campaign generated $4 billion in direct tourist spending, 7-to-1 sales-to-advertising ratio, and 4.75 million inquiries
• +10 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration15 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship alliance — referenced on homepage as a key differentiator, sister company — core to boomer-market positioning, sister company — content & social media capability, sister company — web development capability, premier partner — access to beta products, core buying system, preferred ad-serving platform, strategic — co-developed attention-quality pricing and core research/data partner.

• AMIN Worldwideflagship alliance — referenced on homepage as a key differentiatorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSlingshot is a member of AMIN Worldwide, an alliance of over 50 independent marketing agencies in the U.S. and around the world, with offices in 23 countries. AMIN's mission is to increase the reach of every member through shared insights, combined buying power, market-leading creative, and results-driven work. Slingshot has planned and placed media in 10 countries globally via AMIN partner agencies.
• Circa 46sister company — core to boomer-market positioningStrategic or Co-development PartnerSlingshot sister company that pairs Slingshot's expertise with industry-leading knowledge of the growing Boomer market. President Paul Flowers is quoted as a Boomer-marketing expert in Slingshot's blog content.
• Speak No Evilsister company — content & social media capabilityStrategic or Co-development PartnerSlingshot sister company founded in 2018 as a comprehensive content and social media agency, providing content and social-media capabilities "created for your customers, not robots."
• Insitesister company — web development capabilityStrategic or Co-development PartnerSlingshot sister company acquired in 2014 — a Dallas-based web development agency made up of highly-skilled digital experts.
• Googlepremier partner — access to beta productsTechnology or IntegrationSlingshot is a Google Premier Partner with full access to Google's marketing platforms (SEM, display, YouTube) and to beta products only available to Premier agency partners.
• Freewheel (Strata)core buying systemTechnology or IntegrationSlingshot holds licenses and subscriptions to Freewheel (Strata) including Eleven, S-Traffic, and all major electronic invoicing plugins for media buying.
• Sizmekpreferred ad-serving platformTechnology or IntegrationDigital ad-serving handled through Sizmek or DCM pending client preference.
• Google Marketing Platform (DoubleClick Campaign Manager / DCM)preferred ad-serving platformTechnology or IntegrationDigital ad-serving handled through DCM (pending client preference alongside Sizmek).
• MOATstrategic — co-developed attention-quality pricingTechnology or IntegrationIn 2016, Slingshot inked the ad industry's first deal based on MOAT's attention quality scores, paying only for digital units that delivered higher than established benchmarks.
• Nielsencore research/data partnerTechnology or IntegrationHolds licenses/subscriptions to Nielsen ratings in addition to SQAD Universe, SRDS, and Boohma for media-buying benchmarks and competitive pricing intelligence.
• Statistacore research/data partnerTechnology or IntegrationMarket-intelligence provider partnered with Slingshot to bring timely, actionable insights from every angle.
• eMarketer Procore research/data partnerTechnology or IntegrationMarket-intelligence provider used by Slingshot for consumer and digital trends insights.
• SpyFucore research/data partnerTechnology or IntegrationCompetitive keyword intelligence provider used for digital strategy and SEM planning.
• Momentive (SurveyMonkey)core research/data partnerTechnology or IntegrationMarket-intelligence provider used for consumer research and surveys.
• MRI-Simmonscore research/data partnerTechnology or IntegrationConsumer-survey data provider used by Slingshot for primary research (e.g., the 2023 consumer purchase intent analysis).
• GfKcore research/data partnerTechnology or IntegrationMarket-intelligence provider partnered with Slingshot for consumer insights.
• Kantarcore research/data partnerTechnology or IntegrationMarket-intelligence provider partnered with Slingshot for consumer insights.
• SQAD / SRDS / Boohmacore research/data partnerTechnology or IntegrationSlingshot holds licenses and subscriptions to SQAD Universe, SRDS, and Boohma for media-buying benchmarks.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Tombras Group: Mid-sized independent full-service agency headquartered in Knoxville, TN, offering strategy, media, creative, and analytics with comparable brand-marketer client base and similar agency scale. Comparable as a privately held, mid-sized independent competitor pursuing enterprise brand work outside the holding-company orbit.
• Moroch Partners: Dallas-based independent full-service agency of similar mid-sized scale with a strong multi-unit, retail, and consumer-brand client base. Comparable as a regional independent competing for the same enterprise and mid-market brand-marketer RFPs Slingshot targets, particularly in the Southwest.
• TracyLocke: Dallas-based integrated marketing and advertising agency of comparable size, focused on brand building, shopper, and content work. Comparable as a regional peer competing for the same Dallas-based enterprise clients (e.g., Frito-Lay, 7-Eleven ecosystem) and similar mid-market brand marketers.
• RPA: Independent, full-service advertising agency headquartered in Los Angeles with a comparable mid-sized scale and brand-marketer focus. Comparable as a privately held independent offering integrated strategy, media, and creative across consumer categories similar to Slingshot's verticals.
• Duncan Channon: Independent, full-service creative and media agency of similar scale based in San Francisco. Comparable as a mid-sized independent pursuing enterprise and challenger-brand work with integrated creative and media capabilities that mirror Slingshot's full-service platform.
• Mekanism: Independent creative and media agency of similar scale with a strong track record in brand storytelling and integrated campaigns. Comparable as a mid-sized independent competing for similar enterprise and consumer-brand assignments and leveraging proprietary creative methodologies.
• The VIA Agency: Independent, full-service creative, media, and digital agency of comparable mid-sized scale based in Portland, ME. Comparable as a privately held independent with vertically deep expertise in travel, food/beverage, and consumer-brand work that overlaps directly with Slingshot's verticals.
• Preacher: Independent creative and media agency based in Austin, TX with comparable mid-sized scale and brand-marketer focus. Comparable as a regional independent operating in the same Texas/Southwest talent market and pursuing similar enterprise creative-media engagements.

Broad incumbents

• Droga5: Global creative agency (Accenture Song) offering strategy, creative, and media capabilities across enterprise brand marketers. Comparable as a broader incumbent operating in the same category at significantly larger scale, often competing for the same marquee brand RFPs.
• Leo Burnett: Major global advertising network (Publicis Groupe) with integrated strategy, creative, and media capabilities at scale. Comparable as a broad incumbent often competing for the same enterprise brand-marketer clients as Slingshot but with global delivery infrastructure and procurement scale that exceeds Slingshot's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/slingshotllc
• Facebookfacebook.com/slingshotllc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/slingshot

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Slingshot