Vertical Media

What Vertical Media does

Vertical Media is an Italian B2B digital agency operating since 2009 as a brand of FORWARD SRLS, an Italian società a responsabilità limitata semplificata with €1,000 share capital and registered offices in Florence. The company provides integrated digital marketing, web design, social media management, paid advertising (Meta, LinkedIn, Google Ads, programmatic), SEO/SEM, and brand/strategy consulting to enterprise and institutional clients in Italy, with operational offices in Florence (headquarters) and Milan.

The agency's service portfolio is organized around four pillars: Strategy & Content (digital strategy, brand identity, social channel management, content production), Advertising & Performance (paid social, Google Ads/PPC, SEO/SEM, email marketing, programmatic on premium publishers), Design & Development (websites, e-commerce, iOS/Android mobile apps, UI/UX, landing pages), and Strategy Consulting. Execution is delivered by a compact named team of approximately nine professionals covering CEO, social media, copywriting, front-end development, graphic design, Google Ads management, and SEO/SEM — there is no proprietary technology platform and the offering is professional services rather than productized software.

The client base spans tourism and hospitality (Destination Florence, Galleria dell'Accademia, Visit Rimini, Toscana Aeroporti, Federalberghi), wine and food (Consorzio Vino Chianti Classico, Brunello di Montalcino, Probios, Ali Supermercati), cultural institutions (Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi), retail (Cosmoprof), and government (Comune di Firenze). Notable long-tenured engagements include a 10-year relationship with Palazzo Strozzi and continuous service to Chianti Classico since 2010. The commercial model is direct B2B sales with project-based fees and retainer engagements; no public pricing is disclosed and no external funding has been raised.

Name

Vertical Media

Legal name

FORWARD SRLS

Website

https://verticalmedia.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vertical Media is an Italian B2B digital agency (brand of FORWARD SRLS, founded 2009, ~9–50 employees) that provides digital marketing, web design, social media management, paid advertising, and SEO/SEM services to enterprise and institutional clients across tourism, wine, cultural, retail, and government sectors in Italy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Marketing Agency Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Buying Agencies (54183)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAFAAAE

Social Media & Community Management

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Full-Service Advertising Agencies

Keywords

• Digital marketing agency
• Social media management
• Web design services
• Search engine marketing
• Performance advertising

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Marketing Services: Professional services revenue from strategy consulting, social media management, advertising campaigns (Meta, LinkedIn, Google Ads), SEO/SEM, and email marketing. Project-based and retainer engagements for B2B clients.
2. Web Design & Development: Website and e-commerce development services including mobile apps (iOS, Android), UI/UX design, and landing page creation. One-time project fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Vertical Media is an Italian digital marketing and web design agency that delivers professional services across four pillars: strategy and consulting (brand identity, SEO/SEM), social media marketing (channel management, content production, live reporting), advertising and performance (Meta/LinkedIn/X ads, Google Ads, PPC, programmatic, email), and design and development (websites, e-commerce, mobile apps, UI/UX, landing pages). The agency serves enterprise and institutional clients primarily in the Italian tourism, wine and food, cultural, retail, and public sectors.

Product overview

Vertical Media is a digital marketing and web design agency offering a comprehensive suite of services rather than a unified software product. Their portfolio consists of four main service areas: Social Media Marketing (channel management, content production, live reporting), Advertising & Performance (paid social, Google Ads, programmatic), Website & E-commerce Development (websites, mobile apps, UI/UX design), and Strategy & Consulting (brand identity, SEO/SEM, data analysis). All services are delivered as professional agency services rather than standalone software products or platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy & Consulting Digital strategy consulting, brand identity and awareness development, SEO and SEM optimization, and data analysis covering brand, traffic, engagement and sales for enterprise and institutional clients.
• Social Media Marketing Management of social channels, social media live reporting, and content production including copy, graphics, and photo/video shooting for social platforms on behalf of B2B clients.
• Advertising & Performance Paid social advertising across Meta, LinkedIn and X, Google Ads and PPC campaigns, search engine marketing, email marketing (DEM & Newsletter), and programmatic advertising on premium international publishers.
• Website & E-commerce Development Design and development of websites, e-commerce platforms, mobile applications for iOS and Android, UI/UX design, and high-converting landing pages for B2B clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.8 million visits and 7 million page views over 3 years for Palazzo Strozzi
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Firenze Convention & Visitors BureaucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2017Vertical Media was involved from the inception of Destination Florence project, creating the brand identity, logo, and platform for Florence's official tourism portal. The agency handles all digital activities including web marketing strategy and development.
• Comune di FirenzecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 January 2017Partnership with Florence municipality for Destination Florence official tourism destination portal, launched as a unified promo-tourist offering for the city covering both business and leisure segments.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Jakala: Milan-headquartered martech and data-driven marketing services group operating across Italy and Europe. Directly comparable as a mid-to-large Italian competitor offering digital marketing, data analytics and customer experience services to enterprise clients in similar verticals (retail, FMCG, finance).
• TSW (Gruppo TSW): Italian digital agency group with offices in Rome, Milan and Turin providing branding, web, social media, content and digital advertising. Closely comparable in service mix, Italian footprint and enterprise/client mix.
• Conversion (Aleph): Italy-based digital performance marketing agency (now part of Aleph) specializing in Google Ads, paid social and programmatic for enterprise brands. Comparable on the paid-media and performance side of Vertical Media's offering.
• We Are Social: Global socially-led creative agency with strong Italian presence (Milan) focusing on social media strategy, content production and advertising. Direct overlap with Vertical Media's social-media management and creative services for premium brands.
• H-57: Milan-based digital agency focused on branding, web design, content and social media for Italian enterprise and consumer clients. Closely comparable boutique-scale agency with similar service portfolio.
• DLV BBDO: Italian creative and digital agency within the BBDO network, providing advertising, digital, social and content services. Comparable on full-service creative and digital execution for Italian enterprise and institutional clients.
• Mediaplus Italy: Independent European media agency with Italian operations focused on media strategy, planning and buying across digital and traditional channels. Directly comparable on the media-buying and performance side of Vertical Media's portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Publicis Groupe Italy: Global advertising holding company with large Italian operations (Publicis Italia, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi). Competes for the same enterprise and institutional RFPs as Vertical Media but at materially greater scale and with broader capabilities.
• Dentsu Italy: Global advertising and media network with Italian offices (Dentsu Creative, Dentsu Media) offering end-to-end digital marketing services. Overlaps with Vertical Media's full-service offering but addresses multinational clients.

Regional players

• Iaki (Publicis Media): Italian agency specializing in influencer marketing, social media and brand content, now part of Publicis Media. Comparable to Vertical Media's social-media and influencer-adjacent work for premium brands in Italy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/verticalmedia
• Instagraminstagram.com/verticalizza
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/verticalmedia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors2 records

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 Vertical Media