What Mars United Commerce does

Mars United Commerce is a global commerce marketing agency that delivers integrated strategy, technology, and execution services to major consumer packaged goods brands and retailers. Founded in 1973 by Marilyn Barnett as The Mars Agency and recognized as the world's first shopper marketing agency, the firm rebranded in 2024 to Mars United Commerce to reflect its evolution into a global United Commerce company. The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Publicis Groupe, employing more than 800 people across offices in the United States (Troy, NYC, Chicago, Minneapolis, Stamford, Rogers, Seattle), Canada (Toronto), the United Kingdom (London), Germany, Australia (Sydney), New Zealand, and South Korea. Its client base includes Fortune 500 names such as Walmart, Target, Samsung, 7-Eleven, Bacardi, Campbell's, Conagra, Henkel, Mars Wrigley, MilkPEP, Pepperidge Farm, Sprouts Farmers Market, Tillamook, Tractor Supply, Brooks, Lowe's, Sam's Club, Walgreens, Best Buy, Keurig Dr Pepper, Mars Petcare, and Smithfield Foods.

The company's core product is Marilyn®, a proprietary commerce marketing technology platform that serves as the connective tissue across its service lines. Marilyn comprises multiple specialized modules: Budget & Program Management (automated tracking, planning, and reporting), Opportunity Sizer (market and retailer-level growth analysis), Commerce Marketing Mix Modeling (ROI measurement by brand, retailer, program, and tactic), Journey Mapper & Influence Optimizer (shopper behavior analysis), Ecommerce Insights Suite (digital shelf analytics), Sales & Media Dashboard (cross-retailer campaign performance), and the VendorFusion module for retail media network operations. These modules support four service disciplines: Strategy & Analytics (research, insights, opportunity sizing, annual planning), Digital Commerce (commerce media planning/buying, contextual commerce, ecommerce account management, full-service Amazon team), Retail Consultancy (Customer Development for brands and Retailer CX for retailers, covering JBP, retail media network build, omnichannel planning), and Content & Experiences (creative, production, brand activation, AR/VR commerce innovation). The firm manages more than $1 billion in commerce media budgets, executes 3,000+ programs annually, and reports a 21% average increase in media performance for clients, with 100% of clients engaging Strategy & Analytics offerings. Integrations span LiveRamp, Circana, LinkedIn, Topsort, Symbiosys, Magnite, and Koddi.

Mars United Commerce generates revenue through professional services and managed media engagements sold to enterprise B2B customers under annual contracts with retainer or project-based fee structures. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based. Distribution is exclusively direct enterprise sales targeting Fortune 500 brands and major retailers, supplemented by an active thought-leadership apparatus that includes the quarterly Retail Media Report Card (the most cited cross-network assessment in the industry), industry event presence at Shoptalk, Groceryshop, and P2PI summits, and an extensive webinar and content library. The company operates with the strategic intent of consolidating previously fragmented commerce marketing disciplines (media, retail consultancy, content, technology) into a single accountable entity.

Name

Mars United Commerce

Legal name

Mars Advertising, Inc.

Website

https://marsunited.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Mars United Commerce is a Publicis Groupe-owned global commerce marketing agency serving Fortune 500 CPG brands and retailers with strategy, digital commerce, retail consultancy, and content services built around its proprietary Marilyn technology platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commerce Marketing Agency Services

akta.pro primary industry

E-commerce & Retail CRM (Customer Data, Loyalty & Personalization) (HDAEAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Customer Success (Adoption, Retention & Expansion) (EDABABAG)

Keywords

• Commerce marketing services
• Retail media planning
• Shopper marketing agency
• Retail consultancy services
• Digital commerce management

Headquarters

HQ city

Southfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commerce Marketing Agency Services: Full-service commerce marketing agency providing Strategy & Analytics, Content & Experiences, Retail Consultancy, and Digital Commerce services to CPG brands and retailers
2. Retail Media Network Services: Managed services for retail media networks including planning, negotiating, managing, executing, and measuring retail media network campaigns

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mars United Commerce is a global commerce marketing agency that helps CPG brands and retailers drive growth across physical and digital retail through Strategy & Analytics, Digital Commerce, Retail Consultancy, and Content & Experiences service lines. The company's proprietary Marilyn® technology platform provides data, analytics, and measurement capabilities that connect strategy, media, content, and retail media network execution. Services span shopper marketing, commerce media planning and buying, ecommerce account management, retail media network build and optimization, and customer development/retailer CX consultancy.

Product overview

Mars United Commerce operates as a global commerce marketing agency built on a platform-plus-services model. At its core is Marilyn®, described as 'the world's preeminent commerce marketing technology platform,' which serves as the strategic technology foundation connecting all services. Marilyn encompasses multiple specialized modules: Budget & Program Management (automated workflow), Opportunity Sizer (market analysis), Commerce Marketing Mix Modeling (ROI measurement), Journey Mapper & Influence Optimizer (shopper behavior analysis), Ecommerce Insights Suite (digital shelf analytics), Sales & Media Dashboard (campaign data visualization), and VendorFusion™ (retail media network operations). The agency delivers four core service disciplines that leverage Marilyn: Strategy & Analytics (research, insights, strategic planning), Digital Commerce (commerce media and ecommerce management), Retail Consultancy (Customer Development for brands, Retailer CX for retailers), and Content & Experiences (creative, activation, production, and commerce innovation). Supporting offerings include retail media network consulting, in-store media planning, and agentic commerce guidance. The company also publishes the Retail Media Report Card as a periodic industry research product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Marilyn®: The world's preeminent commerce marketing technology platform that serves as the strategic cornerstone of the company, providing data analytics, media management, and commerce insights across all service offerings.

Products and services

• Marilyn® Commerce Marketing Platform Proprietary commerce marketing technology platform described as 'the world's preeminent commerce marketing technology platform,' connecting data, intelligence, and results across Mars United's services. Includes modules for budget and program management, opportunity sizing, commerce marketing mix modeling, shopper journey mapping, ecommerce digital shelf insights, sales and media dashboarding, and VendorFusion for retail media networks. Sold to enterprise CPG brands and retailers.
• Strategy & Analytics Comprehensive strategic partnership service covering long-term business strategy, campaign-level creative strategy, and in-depth data analyses for CPG brands and retailers. Includes Research & Insights, Strategy Development, Opportunity Sizing, Data Analysis, and Business Strategy & Leadership. 100% of Mars United clients engage with Strategy & Analytics offerings.
• Digital Commerce End-to-end commerce solutions combining commerce media and ecommerce expertise. Services include commerce media strategy and content, media buying and optimization, media measurement, contextual commerce, sales and operations management, digital shelf optimization, and a full-service Amazon team.
• Retail Consultancy Consultancy services for brands and retailers covering Customer Development (omnichannel planning, joint business planning, retailer intelligence) and Retailer CX (retail media network development and optimization, shopper experience, shopper program development). Backed by 140+ employees, 400+ direct retailer relationships, and 150+ in-market experts.
• Content & Experiences Commerce-first creative services including brand activation, customer-specific activation, production design, brand and commerce content, retail and experiential design, and commerce innovation covering AI, AR, VR, and emerging technologies.
• Retail Media Report Card Industry's most informative cross-network assessment guide evaluating retail media network capabilities. Published quarterly for the U.S. market and periodically for Canada, Europe, Australia/New Zealand, and Latin America. Available as a public thought leadership product.
• Retail Media Report Card Canada Regional edition of the Retail Media Report Card assessing Canadian retail media networks across 90 capabilities critical to efficient retail media activation.
• Agentic Commerce Consulting Strategic guidance on agentic commerce covering AI systems that take multi-step actions in retail decision-making, platform realities, and strategies for brands to win in AI-driven discovery environments such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Amazon Rufus, and Walmart Sparky.
• In-Store Media Planning Services Strategic planning services to incorporate in-store media into upfront strategic planning, with creative development tailored for in-store environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 21% average increase in media performance
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers33 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability13 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Smithfield FoodscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 April 2026Mars United Commerce serves as one of the lead agency partners for Smithfield Foods' integrated marketing and growth strategy team, alongside Leo Chicago, LaForce, and Kelly Scott Madison Media. The partnership focuses on strengthening brand presence, consumer engagement, and product innovation across Smithfield's portfolio including Smithfield, Nathan's, and Eckrich brands.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Channel Bakers: Specialized Amazon and e-commerce agency that overlaps with Mars United's Digital Commerce / Full Service Amazon team offering. Smaller scale, but competes in the same RFP pool for marketplace management and Amazon media services.

Others

• LiveRamp: Data collaboration and clean-room technology partner that Mars United explicitly integrates with for closed-loop measurement and audience targeting. An ecosystem enabler rather than direct competitor, but its capabilities compete with aspects of the Marilyn platform.
• Circana: Market data and analytics provider that Mars United explicitly cites as a data partner for "Rest of Market" analysis. Adjacent ecosystem player whose measurement capabilities substitute or complement parts of the Marilyn platform.

Direct peers

• The Integer Group: Long-established shopper and commerce marketing agency acquired by Omnicom; serves many of the same CPG clients and retailers as Mars United with a similar mix of strategy, retail media, and shopper activation services. Direct competitor in commerce marketing agency RFPs.
• Wpromote: Mid-to-large independent digital commerce and media agency with strong retail media and marketplace capabilities. Competes with Mars United across CPG and mid-market enterprise commerce engagements, particularly in media buying and digital commerce.
• Flywheel (Omnicom Commerce): Omnicom's dedicated commerce media agency, competing directly with Mars United for global enterprise retail media and marketplace management assignments. Highly comparable technology-enabled commerce media service model.
• Saatchi & Saatchi X: Global shopper marketing agency within Publicis Groupe's creative network, historically a pioneer in the category alongside Mars United (which was the original Mars Agency). Overlapping service lines in retail activation, shopper marketing, and in-store experiences for CPG brands.
• Catalyst (Publicis Commerce): Publicis's other flagship commerce marketing agency; directly competes with Mars United Commerce for the same CPG and retailer clients, and shares the Publicis Groupe parent relationship. Operates an integrated brand-retailer commerce model highly comparable to Mars United's Customer Development and Retailer CX offerings.
• Tinuiti: Independent commerce and retail media agency focused on Amazon, Walmart, and omnichannel performance marketing for CPG and retail brands. Competes directly with Mars United's Digital Commerce and Commerce Media services for shared client budgets.

Broad incumbents

• GroupM (WPP Commerce): World's largest media investment group, with significant commerce, retail media, and shopper marketing capabilities through GroupM Nexus and Essence. Competes with Mars United on enterprise CPG and retailer media assignments, but as a much broader media network rather than a focused commerce agency.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=Mars+United+Commerce
• Facebookfacebook.com/marsunitedcommerce
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marsunitedcommerce
• Instagraminstagram.com/marsunitedcommerce

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Mars United Commerce