The Lacek Group

What The Lacek Group does

The Lacek Group is a data-driven loyalty, CRM, and customer engagement agency founded in 1993 and headquartered at 700 Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. Operating as an integral part of the Ogilvy One global agency network within WPP, the firm serves enterprise clients across travel, financial services, hospitality, cruise, retail, automotive, healthcare, telecommunications, and CPG. Named customers include Marriott Bonvoy, United Airlines, Carnival, Enterprise Rental Car, The Home Depot, Mondelēz International, Ford, H&R Block, and FNBO. As of 2025, the firm has more than 300 employees led by CEO Randy Gunderson.

The company's service portfolio spans six capabilities: Loyalty and Membership, Engagement Marketing (CRM), Experience Design, Creative Expression, Total Customer Value Management, and Personalization. These are supported by two proprietary assets: CODA, a content management platform that operationalizes atomic-content personalization across email, web, direct mail, and social channels; and the Brand Devotion framework, a loyalty paradigm that reframes customer relationships around emotional bonds rather than transactions. The firm also layers AI/ML — including WPP Open AI integration — for propensity modeling, customer lifetime value prediction, decisioning optimization, and content acceleration.

Revenue is generated through professional services engagements structured as agency of record relationships, strategic consulting, program design and build, and ongoing managed services, with project-based negotiated pricing for enterprise clients. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales complemented by client referrals from the Ogilvy One and WPP networks. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; the firm is a private LLC operating as a subsidiary of Ogilvy One.

Name

The Lacek Group

Legal name

The Lacek Group LLC

Website

https://lacek.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Lacek Group is a Minneapolis-based loyalty, CRM, and customer engagement agency serving enterprise brands across travel, financial services, retail, and CPG. Founded in 1993 and part of Ogilvy One within WPP, it combines proprietary platforms (CODA, Brand Devotion framework) with AI-augmented personalization, strategy, and creative services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Loyalty and CRM Marketing Agency Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Loyalty, Rewards & Retention Platforms (BPAFAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Loyalty Program Strategy & Program Management (MPAAAIAF), Direct Marketing, CRM & Lifecycle (Email, SMS, Loyalty) (BPAFAAAJ)

Keywords

• Loyalty marketing services
• Customer engagement agency
• CRM strategy consulting
• Brand devotion framework
• Personalization platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Agency Services - Strategic Consulting: Full-service agency offering strategic marketing consulting, loyalty program design, CRM strategy, engagement marketing, experience design, and creative expression services to enterprise clients across multiple industries including travel, financial services, hospitality, retail, automotive, healthcare, telecommunications, and CPG.
2. Program Design & Build Services: Design, build, and optimization of loyalty programs and CRM solutions for global brands. Includes technology consulting, ongoing program management, and campaign operations.
3. Technology Solutions (CODA Platform): Proprietary content management and personalization platform enabling consistent message creation and delivery across channels. Power-up for organizations delivering personalized messaging at scale.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Lacek Group is a data-driven loyalty, CRM, and customer engagement agency that designs, builds, and optimizes loyalty programs, CRM programs, and personalized customer experiences for global enterprise brands. Its service portfolio spans loyalty and membership strategy, engagement marketing (CRM), experience design, creative expression, total customer value management, and personalization, supported by a proprietary content management platform called CODA and the proprietary Brand Devotion loyalty framework.

Product overview

The Lacek Group is a data-driven loyalty, CRM, and customer engagement agency operating as an Ogilvy One company. It offers a portfolio of service capabilities — Loyalty and Membership, Engagement Marketing (CRM), Experience Design, Creative Expression, Total Customer Value Management, and Personalization — supported by two proprietary products: the CODA content management platform and the Brand Devotion Framework methodology. CODA enables create-once, deliver-anywhere personalized messaging at scale across channels, while the Brand Devotion Framework provides a strategic loyalty paradigm centered on emotional bonds and identity-shaping experiences. Services span loyalty program design and management, AI-powered CRM and engagement marketing, omnichannel experience design, and creative production. The company serves clients across travel, financial services, hospitality, retail, automotive, healthcare, telecommunications, and CPG sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CODA: A proprietary content management and personalization platform that enables consistent message creation, management, and delivery across channels (Create Once, Deliver Anywhere).
• Brand Devotion

Products and services

• CODA (Create Once, Deliver Anywhere) Proprietary content management platform that enables brands to create personalized messaging at scale by managing atomic content elements (headlines, images, copy, CTAs, URLs) that automatically adapt across email, web, direct mail, and social media formats, connecting to decisioning engines, engagement platforms, and analytics for consistent message creation, delivery, and measurement.
• Loyalty and Membership Services End-to-end loyalty program design, build, and management services including program strategy, membership design, partnership sourcing, financial services and co-brand card marketing strategy, ongoing program management, and lifecycle communications for global enterprise brands.
• Engagement Marketing (CRM) CRM capability offering that advances customer relationship management through AI/ML-powered tools for campaign operations, marketing automation, omnichannel communications, lifecycle communications, lead nurture, propensity modeling, and performance measurement.
• Experience Design 360-degree service for designing personalized, differentiated customer touchpoints across the journey, including custom web application development, journey mapping, experience activation, tier strategy, and UX/UI design for enterprise clients.
• Creative Expression Brand positioning, visual storytelling, content architecture, and data-driven creative production including copy, design, front-end development, and brand pull-through across channels for enterprise clients.
• Total Customer Value Management Next-generation customer value framework and consulting offering that incorporates customer emotion, experience satisfaction, and values alignment alongside traditional revenue metrics to predict and measure customer relationship strength and value.
• Personalization Services Tech-agnostic personalization service built around a six-stage framework (data collection, data curation, decisioning, design, delivery, and measurement) that includes automation, dashboard development, decisioning systems, dynamic message management, and structured content systems for enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wellness economy projected to exceed $8.5 trillion by 2027
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• FNBO (First National Bank of Omaha)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025The Lacek Group was named FNBO's agency of record for credit card marketing in October 2025. The partnership focuses on enhancing FNBO's co-branded credit card portfolio through innovative marketing strategies aimed at customer acquisition and engagement. This represents a significant AOR relationship for credit card marketing services.
• Ogilvy OnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lacek Group is an integral part of Ogilvy One, a global agency network that creates brand, business, and customer value by designing personal, data-driven relationships at the intersection of creativity and technology—now powered by AI. This is a key chapter in a bigger story as part of the Ogilvy network.
• WPPcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lacek Group operates under the WPP parent company umbrella, leveraging access to WPP's proprietary AI tools including WPP Open AI for persona development, market research, and data-driven insights. WPP matching programs support employee charitable giving and community engagement.
• WPP Open AIcoreTechnology or IntegrationProprietary WPP AI tool used by The Lacek Group for client projects including persona development based on stakeholder inputs, simulated focus groups, sentiment analysis, and data-driven insights. The tool accelerates strategy development and content creation processes.
• CODA PlatformcoreTechnology or IntegrationCODA (Create Once, Deliver Anywhere) is The Lacek Group's proprietary content management and personalization platform. It enables consistent message creation, management, and measurement across channels, allowing atomic content elements to automatically populate across email, web, direct mail, and social media formats.
• Hammer & NERminorOthersHammer & NER is a Twin Cities nonprofit dedicated to providing people experiencing intellectual and other disabilities opportunities to live life to the fullest. The Lacek Group's 2023-2024 community engagement partner. Employees receive 24 paid volunteer hours annually, and the company contributes financially and through fundraising to support the organization's mission.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Epsilon: Data-driven loyalty, CRM, and customer engagement agency within Publicis Groupe offering comparable strategic consulting, loyalty program design, and personalization services to global enterprise clients.
• Merkle: Global data-driven CRM and loyalty agency within Dentsu that competes directly with Lacek for enterprise AOR relationships in loyalty, CRM, and personalization across travel, financial services, and retail.
• Ansira: Independent marketing services agency specializing in loyalty, CRM, channel partner marketing, and brand experience with similar mid-sized agency positioning and enterprise client base.
• RAPP: Omnicom-owned global CRM, data, and direct marketing agency that competes for the same AOR loyalty and engagement engagements, particularly in financial services and travel.
• Kobie Marketing: Specialized loyalty marketing agency with comparable focus on loyalty program strategy, design, build, and managed services for enterprise brands across travel, retail, and financial services.
• ICF Next: ICF's marketing and loyalty arm offering CRM, loyalty, and customer engagement services to public sector and enterprise clients with overlapping capability sets in personalization and analytics.

Emerging players

• Relationship One: Smaller specialized CRM and loyalty agency focused on enterprise B2B and B2C relationship marketing with comparable services in loyalty strategy and engagement program design.

Broad incumbents

• Concentrix: Large global CX and digital services provider with overlapping loyalty and customer engagement capabilities, though broader in scope across BPO, contact center, and technology services.
• Wunderman: WPP sister agency under Ogilvy One's parent network offering broader CRM, data, and technology services; overlaps with Lacek in CRM and engagement but at greater scale and broader portfolio.
• Havas CX: Havas group's customer experience network offering CRM, loyalty, and engagement services at scale; broader portfolio than Lacek but overlapping enterprise client base in travel, retail, and financial services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/379152032099801
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-lacek-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/thelacekgroup
• Xx.com/juliebustos

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 The Lacek Group