Outcast
Outcast is a San Francisco-based global strategic communications and marketing agency founded in 1997, serving brand clients across USA, UK, and France markets. It operates as a division of UK-listed Next 15 Group alongside sibling PR agencies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Outcast does
Outcast is a privately held strategic communications and marketing agency headquartered in San Francisco, founded in 1997. It operates as a division of Next 15 Group, a UK-listed communications holding company, sitting alongside sibling agencies MHP Communications, M Booth, and Activate. The firm positions itself as a global strategic communications and marketing agency serving brands it describes as 'shaping the future,' with explicit go-to-market coverage in the USA, UK, France, and additional regions. The agency employs 101-250 staff and is led by CEO Elizabeth McNichols, with an executive bench that includes a COO, senior VPs across Media Strategy and Corporate Reputation, and a Director of Marketing Analytics.
The agency delivers integrated communications, digital, and creative services to brand clients through a consultative, sales-led engagement model. Prospects initiate contact via a 'Contact Us' form on the Outcast website (thisisoutcast.com) that is segmented by target market (USA, UK, France, Other), after which engagements are scoped and priced on a bespoke basis. Pricing and contract structures are not publicly disclosed, consistent with professional-services norms; no subscription, usage-based, or self-serve revenue mechanism is offered. The firm generates revenue exclusively through agency service engagements with brand clients, and no revenue figures, customer logos, or pipeline data are publicly disclosed.
Outcast's technology footprint is minimal and is not a differentiator: the website deploys an AI chat assistant for prospect triage, but no public API, SDK, developer documentation, patents, certifications, or third-party technology integrations are disclosed. Core operations are human-delivered strategic communications rather than a software or platform business. Ownership is currently held via Next 15 Group, and private equity firm Epiris is reportedly planning to acquire Next 15's PR and marketing divisions — including Outcast — for approximately £230 million, a transaction that would shift Outcast's ownership to Epiris pending completion.
Outcast firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Outcast
- Legal name
- Outcast
- Website
- https://thisisoutcast.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Outcast is a San Francisco-based global strategic communications and marketing agency founded in 1997, serving brand clients across USA, UK, and France markets. It operates as a division of UK-listed Next 15 Group alongside sibling PR agencies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Outcast industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marketing & Communications Services
- NAICS
- Public Relations Agencies (541820)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Advertising (Brand + Performance + Media) (BPAFAAAA)
Keywords
Where Outcast is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Outcast business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Strategic communications and marketing services: Revenue generated through agency engagements delivering global strategic communications and marketing services to brands. Pricing and contract structures are not publicly disclosed, consistent with bespoke professional-services engagements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Outcast product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Outcast is an integrated marketing and communications agency delivering strategic communications, digital, and creative services to brands. The agency operates under the tagline "We're shaping brands that shape the future" and serves clients across three primary target markets (USA, UK, France) plus other geographies through bespoke agency engagements.
Product overview
Outcast is positioned as a single, unified service offering — a global strategic communications and marketing agency — rather than a platform with separately marketed modules or sub-products. Within the Next 15 Group, Outcast is one of the group's PR and marketing brands, sitting alongside peers such as MHP Communications, M Booth, and Activate. The agency's website presents one core brand, Outcast, offering strategic communications and marketing services under the tagline "We're shaping brands that shape the future."
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Outcast Strategic Communications & Marketing Services
Companies that use Outcast
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Outcast technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Outcast partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Next 15 Groupflagship - outcast operates as part of the next 15 pr and marketing division alongside mhp communications, m booth, and activate.Outcast is one of the PR and marketing divisions housed within Next 15 Group, sitting alongside sibling agencies MHP Communications, M Booth, and Activate. Next 15 has reportedly been undergoing a transition and issued a profit warning, and is focusing on its tech and data brands. The entire Next 15 PR and marketing portfolio — including Outcast — is the subject of a reported £230m acquisition approach by private equity firm Epiris.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Outcast competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- M Booth: Sibling agency under Next 15 Group alongside Outcast, also a PR and communications brand targeted in the same Epiris acquisition. Direct comparison on service mix, scale, and parent backing; serves as the closest internal benchmark.
- MHP Communications: UK-based strategic communications agency and another sibling in the Next 15 portfolio being acquired by Epiris. Directly comparable strategic communications and public affairs offering for UK and global clients.
- Brunswick Group: Independent global strategic communications advisory firm focused on corporate reputation, M&A, and critical issues. Comparable mid-to-large cap strategic communications positioning; competes for the same multinational brand and corporate clients.
- Activate: Sibling Next 15 agency in the Epiris deal scope. Closely comparable integrated communications and experiential offering; positioned as a direct peer within the same parent group.
Broad incumbents
- Ketchum: Omnicom global communications agency. Overlap on integrated brand communications, corporate reputation, and digital storytelling; similar mid-to-large brand client mix.
- FleishmanHillard: Omnicom-owned global PR network. Overlapping strategic communications, public affairs, and brand marketing services for global enterprise clients; comparable multi-market operating model.
- Edelman: Global strategic communications firm and the largest independent PR agency. Comparable in offering (corporate reputation, brand strategy, integrated communications) and global footprint; broader scale and longer list of Fortune 500 clients make it the category benchmark.
- Burson (BCW): WPP-owned global strategic communications firm (formed from merger of Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe). Comparable enterprise-scale strategic communications and corporate reputation offering.
- Weber Shandwick: Global PR and communications network within IPG. Direct overlap on integrated communications, corporate reputation, and consumer marketing engagements; comparable in serving multinational brand mandates.
Emerging players
- Zeno Group: Daniel J. Edelman-affiliated integrated communications agency with comparable integrated brand, digital, and corporate reputation services. Similar mid-scale positioning and growth orientation make it a relevant emerging peer.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks4 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Outcast social profiles
Digital presenceOutcast financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Outcast leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Outcast funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Outcast 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 Outcast
What does Outcast do?
Outcast is an integrated marketing and communications agency delivering strategic communications, digital, and creative services to brands. The agency operates under the tagline "We're shaping brands that shape the future" and serves clients across three primary target markets (USA, UK, France) plus other geographies through bespoke agency engagements.
Is Outcast a public or private company?
Outcast is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Outcast founded?
Outcast was founded in 1997. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Outcast based?
Outcast is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Outcast make money?
One revenue line is on record: strategic communications and marketing services.
Who are Outcast's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are M Booth, MHP Communications, Brunswick Group and Activate. Broad incumbents are Ketchum, FleishmanHillard, Edelman, Burson (BCW) and Weber Shandwick. Zeno Group is listed as an emerging player.
Does Outcast have an API?
No public API is recorded for Outcast.
What industry is Outcast in?
Outcast's product category is Marketing & Communications Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAAAA, Integrated Advertising (Brand + Performance + Media). Its NAICS code is 541820 and its SIC code is 7311.