Marketing Partners

What Marketing Partners does

Marketing Partners, Inc. is a privately held professional services firm founded in 1992 and headquartered at 176 Battery St., Burlington, Vermont. The firm provides strategic marketing and communications services to mission-driven organizations, with a stated focus on government agencies, nonprofit organizations, membership associations, and impact-focused businesses. Its service portfolio spans six core practice areas: Brand Strategy and Positioning; Content Strategy and Development; Digital Strategy and Web Design; Integrated Marketing Communication; Public Interest Communication (including social marketing, nonprofit communication, and government public outreach); and Traditional Marketing (advertising, graphic design, marketing collateral, events, and public relations). The firm publishes the Change Conversations blog as a content marketing and thought leadership platform covering message framing, behavior change communication, inclusive language, and social marketing.

The firm's core methodological differentiator is domain specialization in social marketing—a discipline distinct from social media marketing that applies commercial marketing principles to behavior change for social good—and a proprietary Strategic Message Framing methodology grounded in cognitive science. Marketing Partners helps impact organizations frame complex social and environmental issues in ways that avoid triggering defensive audience reactions, and has institutionalized this expertise through published frameworks and a multi-author content platform. The firm operates with a small team of 11-50 employees led by founder and President Pat Heffernan, with no disclosed external investment, parent company, or subsidiary structure.

Marketing Partners generates revenue through custom professional services engagements priced via individual proposals and written agreements, typically structured as multi-year contracts based on scope of work. The go-to-market motion is consultative and sales-led, targeting decision-makers at impact organizations primarily within the Northeast USA. The firm has begun adopting AI tools (research, brainstorming, content drafting, administration, design support) under a published AI Governance Framework based on NIST AI standards that mandates human review of all AI-generated outputs prior to publication, positioning AI as an internal productivity layer rather than a client-facing product.

Name

Marketing Partners

Legal name

Marketing Partners, Inc.

Website

https://marketing-partners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Marketing Partners is a Burlington, Vermont-based professional services firm founded in 1992 that delivers strategic marketing and communications services—including message framing, social marketing, and behavior change communication—to government agencies, nonprofits, membership associations, and mission-driven businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Communications Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Experiential, Event & Sponsorship Marketing (BPAFAAAH)

Keywords

• Brand strategy services
• Content marketing agency
• Social marketing communication
• Public interest communication
• Integrated marketing communication

Headquarters

HQ city

Burlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: Marketing Partners generates revenue through providing professional consulting services including brand strategy, content development, digital marketing, integrated marketing communication, public interest communication, and traditional marketing services to government agencies, nonprofits, membership associations, and mission-driven businesses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Marketing Partners is a mission-driven marketing communications agency that provides strategic consulting and implementation across brand strategy and positioning, content strategy and development, digital strategy and web design, integrated marketing communication, public interest communication, and traditional marketing. Services are delivered to government agencies, nonprofits, membership associations, and mission-driven businesses through custom engagements, with message framing and behavior change communication serving as the firm's core methodological differentiators.

Product overview

Marketing Partners is a mission-driven marketing communications agency that offers a comprehensive suite of professional services organized around strategic communication and behavior change. The portfolio includes Brand Strategy & Positioning (with brand audits, visual identity, and verbal identity sub-services), Content Strategy & Development (content marketing and inclusive messaging), Digital Strategy & Web Design (advertising, web development, SEO, video, and social media), Integrated Marketing Communication (research, planning, analytics, training), Public Interest Communication (social marketing, nonprofit and government outreach), and Traditional Marketing (advertising, graphic design, PR, events). The agency also publishes the Change Conversations Blog as an educational content platform. All services are designed to help impact organizations express their values and advance their missions through strategic communication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Strategy & Positioning Strategic consulting services including brand audits and assessments, visual identity and logo design, and verbal brand identity and messaging, helping organizations define and communicate their positioning.
• Content Strategy & Development
• Digital Strategy & Web Design
• Integrated Marketing Communication
• Public Interest Communication
• Traditional Marketing

Quantifiable outcome

• MPI has coached Rock Point School since 2012, helping them effectively reach prospective students and families despite being a small school in a competitive media environment.

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Burness: Mission-driven communications firm serving nonprofits, foundations, and philanthropies with strategy, PR, and storytelling services—directly comparable in client base (nonprofits, foundations), service mix (strategic communications, content), and mission orientation.
• Fenton Communications: Social change communications agency serving nonprofits, foundations, and advocacy organizations with PR, digital, and campaign strategy—comparable in mission-driven client focus, behavior-change communication expertise, and integrated service offering.
• Spitfire Strategies: Strategic communications firm focused on social impact nonprofits and foundations, offering message development, campaign strategy, and training—directly comparable in mission-driven positioning and message framing expertise.
• M+R: Nonprofit marketing agency providing digital fundraising, advocacy, and communications services to nonprofits and associations—directly comparable in nonprofit client concentration and integrated marketing communications offering.
• GMMB: Full-service communications firm specializing in campaigns for causes, nonprofits, and public-sector clients—comparable in mission-driven client focus and integrated advertising/communications services.
• The Raben Group: Public affairs and strategic communications firm serving nonprofits, foundations, and corporate social impact clients—comparable in mission-aligned client base and integrated communications strategy.
• Russ Reid: Marketing and fundraising agency for nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and charitable causes—directly comparable in nonprofit client focus and integrated direct/digital marketing services.
• Resonance: Brand strategy and creative agency for nonprofits, foundations, and purpose-driven brands—comparable in mission-driven client base and brand positioning/strategy specialization.
• DDC Public Affairs: Public affairs and advocacy firm serving nonprofits, associations, and corporations on government outreach and stakeholder engagement—comparable in advocacy, public interest communication, and association client segments.

Broad incumbents

• APCO Worldwide: Global communications and public affairs consultancy serving corporations, governments, and nonprofits with PR, public affairs, and issue advocacy—comparable in social impact communications practice but operating at much greater scale and geographic breadth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChangeConvos
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWRotFqFDcGJPksJ1yvsPCg
• Facebookfacebook.com/Marketing.PartnersVt
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marketing-partners-inc.
• Instagraminstagram.com/changeconvos
• Pinterestpinterest.com/markpartners

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 Marketing Partners