Shaker Recruitment Marketing

What Shaker Recruitment Marketing does

Shaker Recruitment Marketing is a third-generation, family-owned full-service recruitment marketing agency founded in 1951 by Joseph R. Shaker as a newspaper rep firm. Headquartered in Oak Park, Illinois (with operations anchored at its Chicago Vision Lab), the firm has evolved across every major era of recruitment advertising — from newspaper classifieds and electronic ad transmission in the 1980s to digital-first marketing in 1990 and today's programmatic, analytics-driven model. The company serves Fortune 500 and Fortune 10 enterprise clients across QSR, retail, healthcare, telecom, professional services, aviation, beverage, and technology, including McDonald's, DoorDash, TJX, KPMG, Wendy's, US Cellular, Ace Hardware, and Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits.

Shaker delivers four integrated service pillars: Branding (EVP articulation, employer branding, DEI consulting via the proprietary Lived Experience Survey and Inclusive Ethos Report, career site design), Talent Attraction (programmatic, paid social, paid search, content and social media, sourcing), Martech (consulting, career site development, candidate experience strategy, technology selection and integration), and Analytics (real-time Track-to-Hire dashboards and dedicated data strategists). Underlying technology consists of third-party martech and HR tech integrations — ATS, CRM, chatbots, email/SMS — assembled around proprietary methodologies rather than a single unified platform. The Shaker Unfiltered podcast, The Vision Lab event series, and The Vision Report research publication serve as the firm's primary thought leadership and community channels.

The business operates on custom, quote-based agency engagements — retainers, projects, and multi-year contracts — sold through direct consultative sales to talent acquisition leaders, CHROs, and employer brand strategists. Distribution is amplified by Google Premier Partner status (top 3% of agencies) and OneAgent consortium membership (North American partner since 2019), enabling global employer branding reach. Following a 2023 headcount doubling and two acquisitions in 2025 — exaqueo (behavioral research) and JobAdX (programmatic job distribution) — the firm employs over 250 people, with no disclosed external institutional investment and continued family ownership.

Name

Shaker Recruitment Marketing

Legal name

Shaker

Website

https://shaker.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Shaker Recruitment Marketing is a third-generation, family-owned full-service recruitment marketing agency offering Branding, Talent Attraction, Martech, and Analytics services to Fortune-level enterprises across multiple verticals. Founded in 1951 and headquartered in Oak Park, Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Marketing Consulting Services (541613)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Employer Brand & Recruitment Marketing Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employer Brand Strategy & Talent Branding (BPAFAEAH), Talent Acquisition (Recruiting) & Applicant Tracking (ATS) (BPACAPAD)

Keywords

• Recruitment marketing agency
• Employer branding services
• Talent attraction campaigns
• Recruitment advertising agency
• Employer value proposition

Headquarters

HQ city

Oak Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services / Agency Retainers: Full-service recruitment marketing agency providing ongoing strategic and executional services to enterprise and mid-market clients. Services span employer branding, talent attraction campaigns, martech consulting, and analytics. Operates on retainer, project, and campaign-based engagement models typical of agency relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Shaker Recruitment Marketing is a full-service recruitment marketing agency delivering four integrated practice areas: Branding (employer value proposition articulation, employer branding, DEI consulting, career site design), Talent Attraction (programmatic, paid social, paid search, content marketing, sourcing), Martech (consulting, candidate experience strategy, integrations), and Analytics (real-time dashboards and funnel reporting). Engagements are sold as custom, retainer- or project-based agency services to enterprise and mid-market employers.

Product overview

Shaker Recruitment Marketing is a full-service recruitment marketing agency offering four core integrated service pillars: Branding, Talent Attraction, Martech, and Analytics. The Branding pillar includes Employer Value Proposition articulation, employer branding strategy, DEI consulting with the proprietary Inclusive Ethos and Lived Experience Survey, creative executions, and career site development. Talent Attraction encompasses digital marketing (programmatic, paid social, paid search), content marketing and social media management, traditional media channels, sourcing strategy, and internal communications. Martech provides consulting, career site development, and candidate experience strategy. Analytics delivers comprehensive dashboards with dedicated data strategists for real-time recruitment funnel visibility and optimization. The company also produces the Shaker Unfiltered podcast as a thought leadership platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding Services Comprehensive employer branding capabilities including Employer Value Proposition articulation, employer branding strategy, DEI consulting with the proprietary Inclusive Ethos Report and Lived Experience Survey, creative executions, employee engagement strategy, and career site design and development. Sold as a custom engagement to enterprise employers.
• Talent Attraction Services Multi-channel talent attraction capabilities including programmatic digital marketing, paid social, paid search, content marketing and social media strategy, traditional media (newspaper, out-of-home), sourcing strategy and tools, and internal communications. Sold as a custom engagement to enterprise employers.
• Martech Services Marketing technology consulting including ATS, CRM and career site selection and integration, candidate experience strategy, and career site development. Sold as a custom engagement to enterprise employers seeking to optimize their recruitment technology stack.
• Analytics Services Data-driven analytics capabilities providing personalized dashboards, real-time recruitment funnel visibility, dedicated data strategists, performance reporting, and ongoing optimization across media performance, budget allocation, candidate journey analytics, and source contribution across paid and earned channels.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20–25% increase in external candidate applications year over year for a healthcare client over five years, resulting from employer brand-led recruitment marketing approach.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OneAgent ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Shaker joined the OneAgent consortium in 2019 as the North American partner, gaining access to the world's largest network of independent creative and employer branding agencies. This partnership enables Shaker to deliver global employer branding reach for clients needing coverage beyond North America.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationShaker is a Google Premier Partner — among the top 3% of agencies globally recognized for strong performance, advanced product expertise, and delivery of results in Google advertising platforms. This status provides early access to new Google tools, features, industry reports, training events, and ad formats for the benefit of Shaker's clients.
• Thousands of Global Media and HR Tech PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationShaker has strategic partnerships with thousands of global media and HR tech partners across categories including: national/niche advertisers & media, pay-per-click, programmatic, social media, music streaming, events, localization & retargeting, sourcing, resume databases, SMS, pay-per-app, broadcast & out-of-home, and local advertising. These partnerships support their full-spectrum recruitment marketing services and enable tailored solutions for clients.
• ExaqueocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2025 to strengthen behavioral research, employer brand, and candidate and employee experience strategies. The acquisition expanded Shaker's capabilities to deliver a more strategic, holistic approach across the full talent funnel — from uncovering authentic employer brand insights to bringing those brands to life across every touchpoint of the talent journey.
• JobAdXcoreTechnology or IntegrationAcquired in 2025 to strengthen job distribution capabilities with a values-aligned team. The acquisition brought greater transparency to the programmatic landscape and created a strong roadmap for future innovation in job ad distribution and programmatic recruitment advertising.
• Rada AdvertisingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2009 to expand market share and capabilities, marking an early phase of Shaker's growth through strategic acquisitions.
• Matte Black StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2016 to enhance creative services, adding specialized creative capabilities to Shaker's service offering.
• The Arland GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2018, The Arland Group was a specialized recruitment marketing agency based in St. Louis. The acquisition expanded Shaker's geographic presence and specialized recruitment marketing expertise.
• ExaqueocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharleston-based exaqueo was acquired by Shaker in 2025. The acquisition expanded Shaker's behavioral research, employer brand, and candidate and employee experience strategies, enabling a more strategic, holistic approach stretching across the full funnel.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Radancy: Radancy (formerly SmashFly Technologies) is a recruitment marketing technology and services company offering employer branding, CRM, programmatic advertising, and analytics to enterprise employers — the closest direct competitor to Shaker across branding, talent attraction, and analytics.
• Cielo: Cielo is a global RPO and talent acquisition partner that includes employer brand and recruitment marketing services alongside its RPO core — directly competing with Shaker for enterprise TA marketing and employer branding engagements.
• Alexander Mann Solutions: AMS is a global talent acquisition and RPO firm with a dedicated employer brand and creative practice, serving large enterprise clients across multiple regions — overlapping Shaker on global employer brand strategy and candidate experience work.
• Hudson RPO: Hudson RPO delivers recruitment process outsourcing and talent acquisition services to global enterprises, including employer branding support — directly comparable to Shaker's enterprise talent marketing offering.
• Universum: Universum is a global employer branding agency offering research, strategy, and creative services to employer clients — directly comparable to Shaker on employer brand research, EVP, and global employer of choice rankings.

Emerging players

• Phenom: Phenom is a talent experience platform providing CRM, career site, and AI-driven recruitment marketing automation — competing with Shaker's martech and analytics pillars via a SaaS-led model that some clients may substitute for agency services.
• iCIMS: iCIMS is a recruitment marketing and ATS platform that competes with Shaker's martech and career site development services — particularly when clients consolidate vendors around a single talent acquisition software stack.
• Eightfold AI: Eightfold AI is a talent intelligence platform using AI for talent acquisition, personalization, and recruitment marketing — adjacent competitor that may displace traditional employer brand and talent attraction agencies with AI-native offerings.

Broad incumbents

• PeopleScout: PeopleScout (part of TrueBlue) is a large-scale RPO and talent solutions provider offering Affintus employer brand services — competing with Shaker on enterprise recruitment marketing while operating a broader workforce solutions portfolio.
• Kforce: Kforce is a staffing and professional services firm with marketing services capabilities serving enterprise clients — a broader incumbent that occasionally competes with Shaker on integrated talent marketing engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL-IIuhm9432noCqqg1tmNEzcDAFf3VMgE
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shaker-recruitment-marketing
• Xx.com/shaker_ad
• Facebookfacebook.com/shakeradvertising

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Shaker Recruitment Marketing