What Imagination Publishing does

Imagination Publishing is a Chicago-based, privately-held B2B marketing agency founded in 1994, operating with 51-100 employees. The firm delivers integrated content marketing, brand strategy, demand generation, account-based marketing (ABM), digital experience, data and technology, and media services to mid-to-large B2B enterprises seeking to establish credibility and thought leadership with professional buyers. Its core offering is an omnichannel content marketing capability organized around journalism-driven storytelling, audience-centric design, and distinct brand point-of-view positioning, supported by the proprietary Thought Leadership Index® benchmarking tool that measures a brand's progression from category challenger to category leader. Sub-services span content strategy and planning, content creation and distribution, and content performance analysis.

The agency's revenue model is professional services-based, likely project and retainer engagements with mid-to-large enterprise clients across financial services, workplace solutions, and professional associations, as evidenced by case-study engagements with TD AmeriTrade, Staples, and PMI. Pricing is custom-quoted and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, leveraging thought leadership content, proprietary benchmarking tools, and case-study evidence (e.g., Thought Leadership Index) to drive discovery conversations with enterprise buyers through "Let's talk content" and "Contact us" CTAs. The firm also maintains a Global capabilities offering and claims international reach through partnerships, though specific international revenue contribution is not disclosed.

From a structural standpoint, the firm operates as an independent private agency with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity in the input data. Management is anchored by co-founders Rebecca Rolfes (EVP, Editorial) and Doug Kelly (EVP, Design), alongside President and CEO James E. Meyers. No patents, formal certifications, regulatory actions, or third-party benchmarks are documented in the available material, and the firm's technology differentiation is concentrated in the Thought Leadership Index® framework rather than in AI/ML or platform infrastructure.

Name

Imagination Publishing

Legal name

The MX Group

Website

https://imaginepub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Imagination Publishing is a Chicago-based B2B marketing agency founded in 1994 that delivers integrated content marketing, brand strategy, demand generation, ABM, and digital experience services to mid-to-large enterprise clients using journalism-driven storytelling and proprietary Thought Leadership Index® benchmarking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Content Marketing Services

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (54183), Direct Mail Advertising (54186)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Personal Finance & Careers Trade Publishing (MPAJAAAK)

Keywords

• Content marketing services
• Custom publishing
• Content strategy
• Thought leadership
• Brand marketing agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing Agency Services: Professional services revenue generated through consulting and execution of content marketing, brand strategy, demand generation, and digital experience services for B2B clients. Revenue is likely project-based or retainer-based.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Imagination Publishing is a custom publishing and content marketing agency that develops integrated marketing strategies for B2B brands. It delivers omnichannel content marketing services spanning content strategy and planning, content creation and distribution, content performance analytics, and thought leadership positioning, supplemented by brand strategy, demand generation, ABM, digital experience, media, and data and technology capabilities.

Product overview

The MX Group is a B2B marketing agency offering a comprehensive suite of marketing services organized as integrated capabilities. The core offering includes Content Marketing, which encompasses Content Strategy and Planning, Content Creation and Distribution, and Content Performance sub-services, supplemented by the proprietary Thought Leadership Index® benchmarking tool. Beyond content, the agency provides Brand, Demand (including buyer personas, sales/marketing alignment, and measurement), ABM, Digital Experience (covering website/app design, UX research, SEO/CRO), Data and Technology, Media, and Global capabilities. These services are designed to work together to help B2B buyers form connections with brands through credible, omnichannel content experiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thought Leadership Index: Proprietary tool that benchmarks progress as companies maintain or advance a thought leadership position from category challenger to category leader.

Products and services

• Content Marketing Omnichannel content marketing services that help B2B brands establish credibility, engage buyers throughout the lifecycle, and position the brand as a thought leader through journalism-driven storytelling.
• Content Strategy and Planning Aligns brand goals with buyer needs into comprehensive execution plans that can be implemented by internal teams, the agency's team, or a combination of both.
• Content Creation and Distribution Omnichannel content system that layers strategy, editorial, design, atomization, SEO and fact-checking to perform at every touchpoint.
• Thought Leadership Index® Proprietary benchmarking tool that measures progress for brands maintaining thought leadership positions or advancing from category challenger to category leader.
• Content Performance Ongoing analysis and data-driven insights that enable stakeholders to make decisions needed to achieve goals and maximize ROI.
• Brand Strategy Brand strategy and development services for B2B brands.
• Demand Generation Demand generation services including buyer personas, journeys, sales and marketing alignment, and measurement.
• Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Account-based marketing services designed to engage target accounts with personalized B2B marketing programs.
• Digital Experience Digital services including website design and development, app design and development, UX research and design, and SEO and CRO.
• Data and Technology Services Data and technology services supporting marketing operations, analytics, and tooling for B2B clients.
• Media Services Media services for B2B campaign planning, buying, and execution.
• Global Capabilities Global capabilities and international reach enabling multinational content marketing execution for B2B brands.

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Walker Sands: Chicago-based B2B marketing agency offering content, PR, demand generation, and ABM services. Direct overlap in geography, target market (mid-market and enterprise B2B), and integrated service portfolio.
• Velocity Partners: Specialist B2B content marketing agency serving technology and B2B clients. Closely comparable in service mix (content strategy, creation, distribution) and target buyer (mid-to-large B2B enterprises seeking thought leadership).
• gyro: Global B2B creative and content marketing agency. Comparable in serving enterprise B2B clients with omnichannel content and brand storytelling programs.
• Stein IAS: B2B marketing agency focused on brand, demand, content, and ABM for enterprise clients. Highly comparable in capability stack and emphasis on integrated B2B marketing programs.

Broad incumbents

• Ogilvy: Global advertising and marketing network with deep B2B, content, and brand capabilities. Overlaps on integrated B2B content marketing and ABM at large enterprises.
• Edelman: Global communications and marketing firm with significant B2B content and thought leadership practice. Comparable in enterprise storytelling and trust-based content, though much broader in scope.
• Jellyfish: Global digital marketing agency offering content, media, brand, and technology services. Overlaps across multiple capability areas but operates at significantly larger scale as part of the Brandtech Group.

Emerging players

• Skyword: Content marketing platform and services company helping enterprises build content programs. Overlaps on strategy, creation, and distribution for B2B brands seeking thought leadership.
• Contently: Content marketing platform combined with agency talent network serving enterprise B2B and B2C brands. Comparable on content strategy and creation; differentiated by its technology platform.

Regional players

• BBN International: B2B brand and content agency with global reach but heritage in European markets. Comparable in serving industrial and B2B technology clients with brand and content programs, though primarily Europe-based.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/orangemagazine
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/mxgroupb2b
• Facebookfacebook.com/ImaginationPublishing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/imagination-publishing
• Instagraminstagram.com/themxgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Imagination Publishing