Filter
Filter LLC is a Seattle-based professional services firm that builds and operates embedded marketing, UX, and content teams inside enterprise clients. Founded in 1994, it is a subsidiary of Merkle within dentsu, now rebranding as SketchDeck.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1994
- HeadquartersSeattle, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Filter does
Filter LLC is a Seattle-headquartered professional services firm that designs, builds, and operates embedded marketing and experience-design teams inside enterprise client organizations. Founded in 1994 and acquired by Merkle in 2019, the firm operates within the dentsu organization and is now rebranding under the SketchDeck identity as of 2024. Its core offering is an "in-housing partner" model delivered through three service structures: Staff Augmentation (placing individual specialists and small teams inside clients), Managed Solutions (operating embedded studios, centers of excellence, and full agencies), and Consulting Services (strategic advisory on marketing operations and digital transformation). Underlying these are four service specializations: Experience Design (UX research, interaction design, design systems), Digital Marketing Services (multichannel campaigns, content production, channel activation), Emerging Technology Services (AI, VR/XR, new platforms), and Content Studios (scalable content authoring and design production). Filter is not a technology product company; its "technology" is a methodology of talent deployment, operational frameworks, and workflow integration. The firm makes money through custom, quote-based professional services engagements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by team size (2-200 specialists), engagement scope, and duration. Revenue is generated under three streams: professional services (Staff Augmentation, Consulting) and managed services (Managed Solutions). Go-to-market is exclusively direct enterprise field sales targeting CMOs and marketing leaders at global brands, supplemented by referral flow from Merkle and dentsu's broader enterprise client base. Filter's named customers include Nike, AWS, Microsoft, MSN, Cisco, a major social media platform, a leading outdoor retailer, a global nonprofit, a leading telecom, a VR technology leader, the world's largest search engine, and the world's largest e-commerce brand, indicating a horizontal segmentation approach across Fortune 500-grade enterprises rather than vertical specialization.
Filter firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Filter
- Legal name
- Filter LLC
- Website
- https://filterdigital.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1994
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Filter LLC is a Seattle-based professional services firm that builds and operates embedded marketing, UX, and content teams inside enterprise clients. Founded in 1994, it is a subsidiary of Merkle within dentsu, now rebranding as SketchDeck.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Filter industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Media Buying Agencies (541830), Media Representatives (541840)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Customer Journey Orchestration & Campaign Management (BPAFAFAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Customer Retention, Win-Back & Churn Reduction Programs (MPAAAIAH), Influencer Campaign Operations & Managed Services (BPAFAHAF)
Keywords
Where Filter is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seattle
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Filter business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Staff Augmentation: Embedding specialized marketing experts (designers, developers, content creators, channel specialists) directly within client organizations. Teams scale from 2 to 200 based on client needs.
- Managed Solutions: Full teams, studios, centers of excellence, and complete agencies integrated into client organizations. These operate on-site, off-site, or virtually, providing ongoing managed services.
- Consulting Services: Strategic advisory and implementation engagements aligned with client business growth priorities. Includes operational design, best practices, and transformation guidance.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels9 records
Filter product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Filter provides adaptive in-housing solutions for enterprise marketing organizations, embedding specialized digital marketing, UX, and content talent directly within client teams. The company offers three service models—Staff Augmentation, Managed Solutions, and Consulting Services—scaling from 2 to 200 specialists to power content, campaigns, experience design, media operations, and platform adoption. As a Merkle company within the dentsu organization, Filter serves global enterprise brands seeking to build in-house marketing capabilities while reducing the risks and challenges of doing it entirely themselves.
Product overview
Filter is a services company offering adaptive in-house solutions for marketing organizations. The company provides three primary service models: Staff Augmentation (embedded specialists and teams), Managed Solutions (teams, studios, centers of excellence, and full agencies), and Consulting Services. These are delivered alongside specialized service offerings in Experience Design (UX), Digital Marketing, Emerging Technology, and Content Studios. Filter operates as a Merkle company and part of the dentsu organization, positioning itself as an in-housing partner that builds and manages embedded teams and bespoke solutions for enterprise clients seeking to bring marketing capabilities in-house while reducing risks and challenges of traditional in-housing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Staff Augmentation Provides embedded specialists and teams to power content, campaigns, experience design, media, platform ops and other marketing capabilities. Delivers hard-to-find, highly skilled talent that integrates directly into client organizations, scaling teams from 2 to 200 based on client needs.
- Managed Solutions Provides teams, studios, centers of excellence and full agencies integrated into the client's organization, tools and workflows, operating on-site, off-site or virtually. Delivers managed operational services tailored to client needs.
- Consulting Services Strategic advisory and implementation engagements aligned with client business growth priorities. Includes operational design, best practices, and transformation guidance for marketing organizations.
- Experience Design (UX) User experience research, design, and strategy services including UX research, visual design, interaction design, and design systems development for enterprise clients.
- Digital Marketing Services Multichannel campaign support, content design and production, channel activation, and programmatic marketing services to drive customer engagement and business growth.
- Emerging Technology Services Expertise to fuel new product and program strategies including support for AI, VR/XR technologies, and other emerging digital platforms.
- Content Studios High-efficiency authoring, design and production studios for scalable content creation across digital channels and marketing platforms.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2.1x faster talent acquisition than industry standard
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Filter
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Filter technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Filter partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- MerklecoreFilter operates as a Merkle company, with Filter teams working seamlessly with Merkle practice leaders and specialists. The partnership operationalizes Merkle's class-leading digital, data, and CX transformation offerings as in-house capabilities for leading brands. Filter empowers and accelerates innovation while improving ownership and transparency of data.
- DentsucoreAs part of the global dentsu organization, Filter supports a blended agency model that seamlessly interweaves capabilities across creative, digital marketing, and media. This provides Filter clients access to dentsu's broader capabilities and global reach.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Filter competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Accenture Song: Global digital services arm of Accenture covering experience design, marketing transformation, and commerce. Overlaps with Filter across enterprise CX transformation and embedded capability builds, but at vastly greater scale.
- Publicis Sapient: Digital transformation consultancy within Publicis Groupe covering strategy, product, experience design, and engineering. Comparable to Filter on enterprise CX transformation and embedded digital teams for global brands.
- Deloitte Digital: Digital transformation practice within Deloitte, offering strategy, design, marketing, and technology services. Comparable to Filter on enterprise marketing transformation engagements and in-housing advisory.
Direct peers
- IDEO: Pioneering design consultancy focused on human-centered design, innovation, and digital experience. Comparable to Filter on UX research and design strategy services for large enterprises.
- Digitas: Publicis-owned digital marketing and media agency offering connected CRM, brand, and content services. Comparable to Filter on multichannel campaign execution and digital marketing operations for enterprise clients.
- Huge Inc. Digital experience agency offering strategy, design, marketing, and technology services to enterprise brands. Directly comparable to Filter in experience design (UX), digital marketing, and embedded-team delivery for Fortune 500 clients.
- R/GA: Global digital agency spanning brand design, experience design, and marketing transformation. Highly comparable to Filter in serving enterprise clients with creative, digital marketing, and embedded-team capabilities.
- Oliver Agency (Inside Ideas Group): In-housing specialist that builds and operates embedded creative, production, and marketing teams inside client organizations. The closest peer to Filter's core in-housing partner model.
- frog: Global design and innovation consultancy owned by Capgemini Invent. Closely comparable to Filter's experience design practice, particularly around enterprise UX research, design systems, and product design engagements.
Emerging players
- Slalom: Business and technology consulting firm with growing experience design and marketing transformation practices. Increasingly competes with Filter on enterprise embedded-team engagements, particularly in the US.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Filter social profiles
Digital presenceFilter financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Filter leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Filter funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Filter 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 Filter
What does Filter do?
Filter provides adaptive in-housing solutions for enterprise marketing organizations, embedding specialized digital marketing, UX, and content talent directly within client teams. The company offers three service models—Staff Augmentation, Managed Solutions, and Consulting Services—scaling from 2 to 200 specialists to power content, campaigns, experience design, media operations, and platform adoption. As a Merkle company within the dentsu organization, Filter serves global enterprise brands seeking to build in-house marketing capabilities while reducing the risks and challenges of doing it entirely themselves.
Is Filter a public or private company?
Filter is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Filter founded?
Filter was founded in 1994. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Filter based?
Filter is headquartered in Seattle, United States, in the North America region.
How does Filter make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Staff Augmentation is the primary driver. The others are managed Solutions and consulting Services.
Who are Filter's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Accenture Song, Publicis Sapient and Deloitte Digital. Direct peers are IDEO, Digitas, Huge Inc., R/GA, Oliver Agency (Inside Ideas Group) and frog. Slalom is listed as an emerging player.
Does Filter have an API?
No public API is recorded for Filter.
What industry is Filter in?
Filter's product category is Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAFAF, Customer Journey Orchestration & Campaign Management, with a secondary code of MPAAAIAH, Customer Retention, Win-Back & Churn Reduction Programs. Its NAICS code is 541830 and its SIC code is 7311.