What North Strategic does

North Strategic is a Canadian strategic communications agency founded in 2011 by Mia Pearson and Justin Creally, headquartered in Toronto with additional offices in Montreal and Calgary. The firm is a subsidiary of Publicis Groupe and positions itself as a boutique agency operating within a global network. Services span six practice areas: earned media strategy and media relations, thought leadership and personal branding, crisis and reputation management, experiential marketing and live events, influencer and creator marketing, and content production and integrated storytelling. The agency's go-to-market is B2B enterprise field sales, with senior leadership directly engaged in client development; named customers include Heineken, Birra Moretti, Club House, Cadillac Fairview, American Express Canada, Google Cloud, Canada Goose, Coty, CoverGirl, Sobeys, Home Hardware, McCormick, and Kruger, with revenue generated through retainer and project-based professional services engagements.

North's core technology is its proprietary Digital Brand Influence (DBI) offering, launched in December 2025 in partnership with Moov AI. DBI measures the frequency, accuracy, and sentiment with which brands are cited and characterized across AI systems and large language models, providing clients with visibility into how generative AI search results represent their brands. Content production is delivered through a branded "N2" partnership with sister agency Notch Video, allowing North to bundle strategic communications with on-set execution, post-production, and print development under a single offering. The firm's leadership includes CEO Jessica Savage, President Sarah Stewart-Browne, multiple Senior Vice Presidents, and a dedicated editorial and media strategy function led by former journalists from TorStar, Post Media, and CTV, which underpins the agency's earned-media credibility position.

The business model is professional services revenue from retainer and project engagements with large consumer brands across beverages, CPG, retail, fashion and beauty, toys and entertainment, real estate, and technology. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based per engagement. Distribution is direct, with no intermediary channels; client acquisition occurs through website inquiries, networking within the Publicis Groupe ecosystem, referrals, and thought leadership content publishing. Geographic scope is North America (Canada only), and the company reports compliance with GDPR, CCPA, and COPPA for the limited personal data it processes on its website.

Name

North Strategic

Legal name

North Strategic

Website

https://northstrategic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

North Strategic is a Canadian strategic communications agency headquartered in Toronto, operating as a Publicis Groupe subsidiary with offices in Montreal and Calgary. It provides earned media, influencer marketing, crisis management, experiential marketing, and content production services to enterprise consumer brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Relations and Strategic Communications Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Content Strategy & Planning (BPAFAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA), Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI), Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF)

Keywords

• Strategic communications services
• Earned media strategy
• Influencer marketing agency
• Experiential marketing services
• Crisis reputation management

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Services: Professional services revenue generated through retainer and project-based engagements for strategic communications, earned media strategy, influencer marketing, experiential marketing, content production, crisis management, and thought leadership services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

North Strategic is a Canadian strategic communications agency that sells retainer- and project-based services including earned media strategy, thought leadership, crisis and reputation management, influencer and creator marketing, experiential marketing, and content production. The agency complements these services with DBI, a proprietary AI-powered analytics tool launched in partnership with Moov AI to measure brand visibility and sentiment across AI search systems. Services are delivered by teams of former journalists and communications specialists, with sister agency Notch Video providing integrated video production under the N2 partnership.

Product overview

North Strategic is a strategic communications agency offering a portfolio of services including earned media strategy, thought leadership and personal branding, crisis and reputation management, experiential marketing and live events, influencer and creator marketing, and content production. The agency operates as part of the Publicis Groupe network, combining boutique agency agility with global scale. The primary AI-powered product offering is DBI (Digital Brand Influence), a proprietary service developed in partnership with Moov AI that analyzes brand presence in AI search results. The agency's service offerings are delivered through teams of former journalists and communications specialists, with sister agency Notch Video handling creative video production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Notch Video: A sister agency that provides creative rigor and technical precision to content production, working together with North as 'N2' to guide brands through seamless production journeys spanning on-set execution, post-production editing, print development, and creative advisory support.

Products and services

• Earned Media Strategy & Media Relations Strategic earned media and media relations services for large consumer brands, leveraging authentic journalist relationships to secure credible coverage across Canadian and North American outlets.
• Thought Leadership & Personal Branding Service for positioning executives, founders, and corporate leaders as industry voices through editorial development, speaking opportunities, and media engagement.
• Crisis & Reputation Management Crisis and reputation management services to protect and restore brand reputation during incidents, helping brands communicate credibly under pressure.
• Experiential Marketing & Live Events Experiential marketing and live event activations that bring brands to life through pop-ups, sponsorships, and culturally resonant in-person experiences for consumer audiences.
• Influencer & Creator Marketing Influencer and creator marketing services that build authentic partnerships between brands and creators to drive engagement and reach at scale.
• Content Production & Integrated Storytelling (N2 with Notch Video) Integrated content production and storytelling services delivered through the N2 partnership between North Strategic and sister agency Notch Video, covering ideation, on-set execution, post-production editing, print development, and creative advisory support.
• Digital Brand Influence (DBI) A proprietary AI-powered service that analyzes how brands are cited and characterized across AI systems and large language models, measuring frequency, accuracy, and sentiment in AI search results. DBI helps brands understand their digital footprint in the era of generative AI and own their narrative by identifying visibility gaps and misrepresentations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Heineken 0.0 Route campaign generated 35M+ impressions and 126 media features
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers23 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

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Moov AIcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2025Technology partnership for the development and launch of Digital Brand Influence (DBI), North Strategic's proprietary AI-powered tool that analyzes how brands appear in AI search results. Moov AI provides the technological foundation enabling DBI to measure brand visibility, accuracy, and sentiment across AI systems.
• Notch VideocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister agency partnership branded as 'N2' combining North Strategic's communications expertise with Notch Video's creative production capabilities. The partnership offers integrated content production services spanning ideation, on-set execution, post-production, and creative advisory.
• Publicis GroupecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorth Strategic is part of the Publicis Groupe global network, providing the agency with access to global resources, cross-agency collaboration opportunities (including recent work with Publicis agencies on CF Play Makers campaign), and the scale of a global network while maintaining boutique agency agility.
• TMG MacManus Canada Inc.minorOthersWebsite hosting and editing partner. TMG MacManus Canada Inc. is the registered office and website host for northstrategic.com, located at 111 Queen St East, Suite 305, Toronto, ON M5C 1S2. They are regarded as Data Co-Controllers for website operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Citizen Relations: Independent Canadian strategic communications agency of similar size serving consumer brands with earned media, influencer, and experiential services — the closest mid-market Canadian peer to North Strategic.
• Argyle Communications: Canadian independent PR and public engagement firm offering earned media strategy, content production, and brand communications to enterprise clients across Canada.
• StrategicAmpersand (S&A): Mid-sized Canadian independent communications consultancy with a comparable consumer-brand client base and earned-media/influencer service mix.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Canada: Canadian arm of the Edelman global PR network, competing for the same enterprise consumer-brand briefs with significantly larger global scale.
• FleishmanHillard Canada: Canadian operations of the Omnicom-owned global PR network, offering integrated communications services to consumer and enterprise clients in overlapping categories.
• Weber Shandwick Canada: Global IPG-owned PR network with a Canadian presence, competing for earned media, influencer, and corporate communications mandates across enterprise accounts.
• Hill & Knowlton Canada: Canadian office of the global WPP-owned communications consultancy, directly overlapping in consumer-brand PR, crisis, and earned media work.
• BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe) Canada: WPP-owned global communications agency with consumer and corporate practices that directly competes for North Strategic's core enterprise-brand accounts.
• Ketchum Canada: Canadian presence of the Omnicom-owned PR network, offering earned media, brand marketing, and influencer services to overlap with North's offering.

Emerging players

• Zeno Group: Boutique-ish PR and communications firm within Daniel J. Edelman, focused on consumer-marketed brands with earned media and influencer capabilities comparable to North's N2 model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/northstrategic
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@northstrategic
• Facebookfacebook.com/GoNorthNow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-strategic
• Instagraminstagram.com/northstrategic
• TikToktiktok.com/@northstrategic

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 North Strategic