What Bully Pulpit International does

Bully Pulpit International (BPI) is a Washington, DC-headquartered strategic communications and outcomes agency operating at the intersection of business, politics, and policy. Founded in 2009 (originally as Bully Pulpit Interactive, LLC), the firm serves Fortune 500 corporations (Walmart, McDonald's, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Uber, Waymo, Micron, Instacart, Hyatt, Levi's, Patagonia), advocacy organizations and nonprofits (Ad Council, OneTen, Jed Foundation, WK Kellogg Foundation, Nuclear Energy Institute), and political leaders, delivering integrated campaign-style engagements spanning corporate affairs, brand reputation, public affairs, crisis communications, message testing, and culture-change work.

The firm operates a proprietary technology stack branded around five core products: ChangeOS (AI-driven analysis platform identifying which news and content actually shifts opinion), Agenda Setter (stakeholder/policymaker targeting), Orbit (audience segmentation), Vantage (campaign outcome measurement), and Decibel (competitive intelligence). BPI pairs this stack with polling, focus groups, and message-testing services, and uses data clean rooms with major US publishers for audience targeting. BPI Labs, led by Managing Director of Product Joe Ste.Marie, is the engineering and product development arm, and includes an AI Innovation Manager role.

BPI is a privately-held professional services firm monetized through project-based engagements and retainers sold via direct enterprise sales to senior client leadership. Following a 2023 recapitalization led by Broad Sky Partners (with Svoboda Capital Partners retaining a minority stake), BPI has executed an aggressive roll-up: BOLDT (Dec 2023, European platform), Propper Daley (2025, culture-change), Seven Hills and Message House (2024-2025, UK communications and insights), Agado Communications (2025, sports), and 365 Sherpas (May 2026, Germany). The firm operates 19 offices across the US, UK, Germany, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, and Australia, and is led by Founder/CEO Andrew Bleeker, President Ben LaBolt (former White House Communications Director), and President, Europe Jo-ann Robertson (ex-Ketchum CEO Global Markets).

Name

Bully Pulpit International

Legal name

Bully Pulpit Interactive, LLC

Website

https://bpigroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Bully Pulpit International is a Washington, DC-headquartered strategic communications and outcomes agency serving Fortune 500 corporations, advocacy organizations, and political leaders with integrated campaigns combining political campaign precision, proprietary AI-driven targeting and measurement technology, and global presence across the US, Europe, and Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Communications & Public Affairs Consulting

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Reputation Management & Executive Thought Leadership (MPAAADAK)

Keywords

• Strategic communications consulting
• Public affairs services
• Corporate communications agency
• Integrated campaign services
• Crisis communications consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Consulting: Full-service marketing and communications agency providing strategic counsel, campaign development, and integrated communications services to corporate and advocacy clients. Revenue generated through project-based engagements, retainer agreements, and ongoing campaign management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bully Pulpit International is an outcomes agency that provides strategic communications, public affairs, and integrated campaign services to corporations, advocacy organizations, political leaders, and NGOs. Core offerings span strategic planning, policy and cultural intelligence, political advocacy, niche audience targeting, message development and testing, creative and content production, multi-channel campaign deployment, and outcomes measurement. The firm combines political campaign precision with corporate communications expertise, supported by proprietary AI-driven platforms including ChangeOS, Agenda Setter, Orbit, Vantage, and Decibel.

Product overview

Bully Pulpit International (BPI) is an outcomes agency operating at the intersection of business, technology, culture, politics, and policy. The company offers an integrated campaign model combining data-driven strategy and political intelligence with creative execution, powered by proprietary technology including ChangeOS (AI-driven analysis), Agenda Setter and Orbit (targeting), Vantage (measurement), and Decibel (competitive intelligence). BPI's service portfolio spans strategic planning, niche audience development, message development and testing, stakeholder engagement, culture change, creative and content development, multi-channel campaign deployment, outcomes measurement, and optimization. The company has expanded through acquisitions including 365 Sherpas BPI (Germany's leading corporate affairs consultancy), BOLDT BPI (European public affairs team), Message House BPI (European insights), Propper Daley BPI (culture change), and Seven Hills BPI (UK communications). The organization operates globally with offices across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific through alliance partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ChangeOS: AI-driven analysis platform for preparing and responding to emerging threats based on understanding of which news and content shifts opinion
• Actionable Impact

Products and services

• ChangeOS

Quantifiable outcome

• Double-digit increases in favorability for major corporate clients
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers27 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 365 SherpascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Berlin-based public affairs agency acquired from Hirschen Group in May 2026. Named Germany's Communications Consultancy of the Year 2025. Combination strengthens BPI's transatlantic corporate affairs offer with deep expertise in public affairs, corporate communications, crisis management, and executive positioning.
• Hirschen GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Germany's leading independent creative agency. BPI entered into exclusive strategic partnership with Hirschen Group to integrate creative execution more closely with strategic advisory and campaign development, reflecting the growing convergence of policy, communications and media.
• Seven HillscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025UK-based communications consultancy acquired as part of BPI's European expansion. Builds campaigns for changemakers shaping the future - organizations and leaders across tech, finance, professional services. Now core part of BPI's communications team.
• Message HousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025UK-based global message testing and narrative development experts acquired as part of BPI's European expansion. Specializes in message testing, narrative development, brand positioning, audience segmentation, issues mapping, crisis communications, and new product innovation and testing. Now BPI's European insights team.
• Agado CommunicationsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Acquired by BPI to strengthen sports offering strategy and growth, with Mark Jones appointed to lead the sports offering.
• Propper DaleycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Culture-first impact agency acquired to create change through culture-first strategies. Collaborates with high-profile individuals to drive meaningful change through philanthropic partnerships and activations. Now BPI's culture change team.
• BOLDTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 December 2023European consultancy firm acquired by BPI in December 2023. BOLDT retained its brand and became BOLDT, a BPI Company. The acquisition added over 50 professionals across Europe and enabled BPI to serve both American and European clients under the unified Bully Pulpit International umbrella.
• Mandala PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance partner providing immediate access to economics, policy and strategy advisory services. Economics, strategy and policy advisory firm combining top-tier consulting methods with leading data analytics. With offices across Australia and deep expertise in Asian markets like Singapore and Japan, the firm includes former advisors to prime ministers and senior officials.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Brunswick Group: Specialist corporate communications and public affairs firm advising CEOs and boards on reputation, M&A, ESG, and crisis. Highly comparable to BPI in senior-counsel positioning and Fortune 500 client base, with stronger depth in financial-services and M&A-related communications.
• Edelman: Largest independent global PR firm serving Fortune 500 corporations on reputation, brand, and policy communications. Directly comparable to BPI in enterprise clientele, integrated campaign model, and global reach, though Edelman's scale and broader service portfolio exceed BPI's.
• Teneo: Strategic communications and advisory firm operating at the intersection of business, politics, and policy. Closely comparable to BPI in its "CEO advisory" positioning, Fortune 500 C-suite clientele, and integrated communications-plus-advisory model.
• Burson (BCW + BWS merger): Global strategic communications firm formed from the merger of BCW and Burson-Marsteller; multiple BPI senior leaders (Kim Axelrod, Matt Carter, Tanvi Arora) previously worked at Burson, indicating direct talent and client overlap with BPI's offering.
• SKDK (Stanton Public Affairs): Democratic-aligned political consulting and corporate communications firm. Closely comparable to BPI in political-talent bench, Fortune 500 corporate affairs work, and integrated advocacy/policy positioning; one of BPI's most direct competitors for blue-chip Democratic-aligned mandates.
• FTI Consulting (Strategic Communications): Strategic communications division of FTI Consulting advises corporates on litigation communications, crisis, and public affairs. Directly comparable to BPI's recently-launched litigation communications offering led by Elizabeth Alexander (formerly of FTI's litigation practice).

Broad incumbents

• Hill+Knowlton Strategies: Global strategic communications firm under WPP; founder Andrew Bleeker previously led H+K's global digital practice. Comparable to BPI in Fortune 500 clientele and corporate affairs focus, but materially larger and operating as part of a holding-company portfolio.
• Weber Shandwick: Large global communications firm under Interpublic serving Fortune 500 on corporate reputation, public affairs, and brand. Jo-ann Robertson (now BPI President, Europe) previously held senior leadership at Weber Shandwick, indicating talent and client overlap with BPI.
• FGS Global (Finsbury Glover Hering): Global strategic communications firm specializing in corporate reputation, financial communications, and public affairs. Comparable to BPI in C-suite advisory focus and high-stakes corporate affairs work, with deeper financial-services and M&A communications depth.

Emerging players

• Global Strategy Group: Democratic-aligned public opinion research, polling, and corporate communications firm. Comparable to BPI's Message House BPI insights offering and broader political-to-corporate communications positioning, though smaller and US-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bullypulpitintl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bully-pulpit-international
• Xx.com/bpimedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/bullypulpitinternational

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

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

M&A5 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Bully Pulpit International