What The Martin Group does

The Martin Group is a privately held, full-service integrated marketing and communications agency headquartered in Buffalo, New York, with additional offices in Rochester and Albany. Founded in 2001 (rebranded from Martin Davison Public Relations), the firm operates across three New York State markets and serves more than 150 clients, including blue-chip brands such as Nike, M&T Bank, New Era Cap, Under Armour, Wegmans, Kaleida Health, World Aquatics, and Syracuse University. The agency is organized around ten integrated service capabilities — Creative, Digital Marketing, Media, Production, Public Relations, Public Affairs, Research & Strategy, Social Media, Websites, and Custom Studios — and targets five primary verticals: Sports & Lifestyle, Healthcare, Financial, Food & Beverage, and Education, with additional work in nonprofit and environmental categories.

The company's underlying model is a professional services platform rather than a software product. Delivery combines in-house creative production, paid media buying, SEM, influencer activations, PR/earned media, and public affairs work, coordinated across its three offices. Strategic capability is augmented by wholly owned subsidiaries: Gramercy Communications (public affairs, acquired Feb 2021), Spiral Design Studio (creative/design, acquired Oct 2023), and Mr. Smith Agency (creative and digital, acquired May 2026). The firm benefits from a strategic equity investment by Hearst Newspapers, finalized in February 2020, which provides media industry expertise and capital. The technology stack is conventional marketing agency tooling with no disclosed proprietary platform, AI/ML pipeline, patents, or API offerings.

The Martin Group's business model is B2B professional services revenue, with custom enterprise pricing determined by project scope, retainer agreements, or multi-year contracts. Go-to-market is relationship-based direct sales targeting enterprise clients, supplemented by an extensive regional awards profile (e.g., 53 ADDYs in 2025, 29 ADDYs in 2026, 2018 Silver Anvil from PRSA) used as a credibility signal. With 101–250 employees, the firm sits in the mid-sized regional agency tier and derives revenue concentration risk from a small number of long-tenured anchor accounts (notably M&T Bank and New Era Cap) balanced across a broader 150+ client base.

Name

The Martin Group

Legal name

The Martin Group

Website

https://martingroup.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Martin Group is a Buffalo-based integrated marketing and communications agency operating from offices in Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany, NY. It serves 150+ enterprise clients across sports, healthcare, financial, food & beverage, and education verticals with ten coordinated service capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Buffalo

HQ country

United States

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Integrated Marketing Services: Full-service agency providing comprehensive marketing solutions including creative, digital marketing, media, production, public relations, public affairs, research & strategy, social media, websites, and custom studios. Revenue generated through project-based fees, retainer agreements, and consulting engagements with enterprise clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Martin Group is a fully integrated marketing and advertising agency that delivers end-to-end marketing solutions spanning creative, digital marketing, media planning and buying, production, public relations, public affairs, research and strategy, social media, website development, and custom studios. The agency serves enterprise clients across the Sports & Lifestyle, Healthcare, Financial, Food & Beverage, and Education verticals, delivering work through project-based fees, retainer agreements, and consulting engagements from offices in Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany, New York.

Product overview

The Martin Group is a fully integrated marketing and advertising agency offering a comprehensive suite of service modules including Creative, Digital Marketing, Media, Production, Public Relations, Public Affairs, Research & Strategy, Social Media, Website Services, and Custom Studios. The agency operates across multiple industry verticals including Sports & Lifestyle, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Financial, and Education. Rather than a software platform, the offering is a service-based integrated communications model where these ten service areas work together as an integrated team to deliver coordinated marketing solutions for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Services
• Digital Marketing Full-funnel digital marketing strategies including paid digital advertising, SEM, analytics, and online campaign optimization for enterprise clients.
• Media Services Media planning and buying services across traditional and digital channels for enterprise advertisers.
• Production Services Video production, photography, and multimedia content creation for marketing campaigns.
• Public Relations PR campaigns, media relations, press releases, crisis communications, and earned media coverage for enterprise clients.
• Public Affairs Government relations, stakeholder engagement, advocacy campaigns, and legislative communication strategies for enterprise and government clients.
• Research & Strategy Market research, audience insights, strategic planning, and data-driven marketing consultation for enterprise clients.
• Social Media Services Social media strategy, content creation, community management, and influencer marketing campaigns for enterprise clients.
• Website Services Website design, development, and digital experience creation for enterprise clients.
• Custom Studios Bespoke creative and marketing solutions tailored to specific client needs and unique project requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Galbani influencer campaign reached 15 million accounts, $1.2M earned media value, 20,000 shares
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 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

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Padilla: Independent integrated communications agency headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, providing PR, digital, brand, and marketing services. Comparable in integrated service mix and mid-size independent positioning, with public relations emphasis matching The Martin Group's PRSA-heavy award footprint.
• The Martin Agency: Independent, full-service integrated advertising agency headquartered in Richmond, VA, offering creative, media, digital, PR, and production services to enterprise clients. Highly comparable to The Martin Group in service mix, integrated model, and mid-size positioning despite larger geographic reach.
• Gatesman: Mid-size independent integrated marketing agency based in Pittsburgh, PA, offering advertising, digital, PR, media, and content services. Comparable to The Martin Group in service breadth, independent ownership, and regional U.S. mid-market positioning.
• MMGY Global: Integrated marketing agency specializing in travel, hospitality, and lifestyle verticals with creative, digital, PR, and media capabilities. Comparable in integrated service model and mid-size private positioning; the lifestyle/sports overlap makes it a relevant vertical peer.
• HLK: Independent integrated agency headquartered in St. Louis, MO, offering brand, digital, content, media, and PR services to enterprise clients. Comparable in independent ownership, integrated model, and similar client verticals.
• AMP Agency: Integrated marketing agency offering brand strategy, creative, media, digital, influencer, and production services to enterprise clients. Comparable in full-service integration and enterprise brand portfolio focus including sports/lifestyle.
• Bader Rutter: Independent integrated B2B marketing agency headquartered in Milwaukee, WI, offering brand strategy, digital, content, PR, and media services. Comparable in mid-market integrated positioning, with similar vertical depth in healthcare and agriculture.
• Laughlin Constable: Mid-size independent integrated agency based in Milwaukee, WI, providing brand strategy, creative, media, digital, and PR services. Comparable in integrated model, private ownership, and Midwestern U.S. enterprise client focus.
• Marcus Thomas: Full-service integrated marketing communications agency based in Cleveland, OH, with a similar mix of creative, digital, PR, and media services targeting regional and enterprise clients. Comparable in size, integrated model, and Midwest/Mid-Atlantic U.S. footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Dentsu Creative: Global creative and integrated communications network within Dentsu, offering brand, digital, media, PR, and production services at worldwide scale. Comparable in service offering but operates at significantly larger scale with multinational delivery that The Martin Group cannot match on enterprise pitches.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@martingroupco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/53643
• Instagraminstagram.com/martingroupco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Martin Group