What MKR does

MKR (MKR, Inc.) is an independent, full-service creative marketing agency headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with a second office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The agency was formed from the merger of Mortenson Kim and Raidious and has operated in the healthcare marketing space for nearly 50 years, although it serves clients across a diversified vertical mix that today includes healthcare, sports and entertainment, CPG, aviation, government, retail, nonprofit, and technology. Its core offering is organized around four service pillars: Strategy (brand positioning, campaign strategy, research, and journey mapping), Creative & Production (concepting, content, design, and asset production across TV, print, digital, social, and experiential), Media & Social Media (planning, buying, persona development, and optimization across traditional and digital channels), and Marketing Technology (analytics, A/B testing, website development, and automation). MKR's go-to-market is enterprise field sales and direct client engagement, with named relationships across at least 15 brands including Community Health Network, Anheuser-Busch (Michelob Golden Light), Republic Airways, LIFT Academy, Notre Dame, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hoosier Lottery, GoDaddy, LIDS, and Bass Pro Shops. The agency's proprietary methodology is the Audience First Approach (A1A), which combines research, data, and audience insight to inform creative and media, and it uses Google Analytics for internal traffic measurement. The firm generates revenue through project-based and retainer professional services fees, with no disclosed productized software, API, or subscription offering, no parent company, and no external investors identified.

Name

MKR

Legal name

MKR, Inc.

Website

https://mkragency.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MKR is an independent, full-service Midwest creative marketing agency (Indianapolis + Milwaukee) serving mid-market and enterprise clients in healthcare, sports, CPG, aviation, government, and retail with strategy, creative, media, and martech services under its Audience First Approach.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising and Marketing Services

akta.pro primary industry

Nonprofit & Cause Communications (BPAFADAK)

Keywords

• Creative marketing services
• Media planning buying
• Brand strategy consulting
• Marketing technology services
• Advertising agency services

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing Services Revenue: MKR generates revenue through professional marketing services including strategy consulting, creative and production services, media planning and buying, and marketing technology consulting. The agency operates on a project-based and retainer fee model typical of full-service marketing agencies, working with clients across various engagement scopes from campaign work to ongoing AOR relationships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

MKR is an independent, full-service creative marketing agency that delivers strategy, creative and production, media planning/buying, social media, and marketing technology services to mid-market and enterprise clients. The agency's core is its Audience First Approach (A1A), which combines research, data, and analysis to develop differentiated creative and integrated multi-channel campaigns that drive measurable outcomes such as brand awareness, ticket sales, leads, and conversions.

Product overview

MKR is an independent, full-service creative marketing agency based in the Midwest (Indianapolis and Milwaukee). The agency offers a unified suite of four core service pillars: Strategy Services (brand positioning, campaign strategy, research using their Audience First Approach A1A methodology), Creative & Production Services (concepting, content creation, design, and asset production across all channels), Media & Social Media Services (planning, buying, and optimization across traditional and digital channels), and Marketing Technology Services (audits, analytics, testing, website development, and automation). The agency serves diverse clients across healthcare, aviation, sports, entertainment, government, CPG, home building, retail, and technology sectors, and maintains an educational blog covering marketing insights. No standalone software product or API offering exists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Services Brand positioning, campaign strategy, workshops, communications planning, journey mapping, and research services built on MKR's Audience First Approach (A1A) methodology. Targets mid-market and enterprise clients seeking audience-driven brand strategy.
• Creative and Production Services Creative concepting, platform and campaign development, content creation, graphic design, and asset production across television, print, radio, out-of-home, digital, social, video, and web channels.
• Media and Social Media Services Audience profile and persona development, competitive media positioning, media planning and buying across TV, print, radio, out-of-home, direct, digital, social, and experiential channels, with ongoing monitoring and optimization.
• Marketing Technology Services Website and martech audits, data collection and analytics, usability and A/B testing, website design and development, and marketing automation services to streamline marketing operations and improve business results.

Quantifiable outcome

• Community Health Network campaign achieved 78% increase in video views, 10.5% lift in ad recall, 156% increase in impressions YoY
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Republic AirwayscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRepublic Airways is one of the largest regional airlines in North America, operating 900 daily flights to over 80 cities in the U.S. and Canada for American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines. MKR partnered with Republic Airways on the Welcome Aboard recruitment campaign for pilots, developing media plans and creative campaigns across CTV, paid social, paid search, and airport advertising.
• Anheuser-BuschcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnheuser-Busch is a major brewing company and parent of Michelob Golden Light brand. MKR has worked extensively with Anheuser-Busch brands on marketing campaigns, including the Michelob Golden Light brand perception transformation campaign in Minnesota.
• Black Onyx ManagementminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBlack Onyx Management provided implicit bias training for all MKR employees and executive team on equitable and inclusive hiring and management best practices. MKR also partnered with Black Onyx to offer pro-bono marketing services through the @IndyBlackBusinessesMatter campaign.
• Indy AccompliceshipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMKR joined Indy Accompliceship, uniting with more than 10 other businesses in an ongoing pledge to improve the Black community in Indianapolis through collective action and commitment.
• Milwaukee Art MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMKR served as media strategy, planning and buying partner for the Milwaukee Art Museum's annual Art in Bloom event, helping exceed visitation goals by over 6%. The agency also helped produce creative materials including social media posts, emails, and event programs.
• LIFT AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLIFT Academy was founded by Republic Airways Holdings Inc. and trains students for commercial airline pilot careers with a clear pathway to Republic Airways. MKR developed a marketing and communications campaign representing the authentic LIFT Academy experience.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• VMLY&R: Global, WPP-owned brand and customer experience agency network offering strategy, creative, media, and martech. Overlaps with MKR across all four service pillars but operates at vastly greater scale and competes for the same Fortune 500 RFPs.

Direct peers

• Brownstein Group: Philadelphia-based independent creative, brand, and content agency. Comparable on independence, integrated services, and mid-size operation with enterprise clients in healthcare, CPG, and B2B.
• Tombras: Knoxville-based independent agency offering full-service creative, media, and data-driven marketing. Comparable on independence, full-service offering, and data/analytics emphasis that mirrors MKR's Marketing Technology pillar.
• The Richards Group: Dallas-based independent, full-service agency with brand strategy, creative, and media capabilities. Comparable on independent ownership, integrated service pillars, and similarly sized enterprise client base.
• EP+Co: Independent creative and media agency (formerly Erwin Penland) with integrated strategy, creative, and media capabilities. Comparable on independence, full-service delivery, and similar client scale.
• LPK: Independent, full-service brand agency headquartered in Cincinnati with comparable size and Midwest roots. Competes for similar mid-market and enterprise creative, brand strategy, and digital engagements across CPG and healthcare — directly overlapping MKR's core verticals and service mix.
• Barkley: Kansas City-based independent agency known for full-service creative, media, and brand work. Comparable independent operating model and Midwest heritage, with similar mid-market and enterprise client orientation across CPG, healthcare, and sports.
• Doe-Anderson: Independent, full-service agency based in Louisville with a long operating history. Directly comparable on independence, integrated service offering, and emphasis on healthcare, food/beverage, and consumer brand work.
• Brunner: Pittsburgh-based independent agency offering integrated strategy, creative, media, and analytics. Similar in size and operating model to MKR, serving comparable mid-market and enterprise clients across the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic.
• Marcus Thomas LLC: Cleveland-based independent, full-service agency of comparable size offering strategy, creative, media, and digital. Closely comparable on geography (Midwest), independence, and the four-pillar integrated model MKR delivers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MKR_Agency
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEbRKLzdCLLQ9U-TR9gNrPA
• Facebookfacebook.com/mkr.agency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mkragency
• Instagraminstagram.com/mkr.agency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 MKR