What Martin Agency does

The Martin Agency is a full-service advertising agency founded in 1964 in Richmond, Virginia, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Interpublic Group (IPG). The firm serves Fortune 500 and major consumer brand clients — including GEICO (25+ year anchor), UPS, OREO, Hershey's, Busch Light, CarMax, TIAA, Papa John's, J.P. Morgan, STIHL, and YMCA — across insurance, package delivery, food and beverage, CPG, financial services, retail, pharmaceutical, and nonprofit verticals. Services span advertising, brand strategy, design, digital, motion, social, performance marketing, PR/cultural intelligence, and in-house post-production through affiliated studio SuperJoy and design entity DesignAtMartin.

The agency generates revenue through client retainers and project-based fees negotiated per engagement, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Capabilities are organized into eight service verticals: Cultural Impact Lab (PR and cultural intelligence), Design (brand and packaging), Digital (production and app integrations), Motion (animation), Performance (data-driven marketing and DCO), Production (in-house post-production in Richmond), Social (always-on social teams), and SuperJoy (broadcast/long-form video production). Technical infrastructure includes a state-of-the-art production facility with 12 edit bays, an audio suite, and offline editing tools (Final Cut, Avid, Premiere) plus Flame/Smoke finishing capabilities. Headcount is reported in the 501-1000 range.

The agency's go-to-market is direct enterprise sales supported by a dedicated new business function. Commercial positioning leans heavily on cultural impact — measurable via outcomes such as $100M+ earned media on Solo Stove, 2.3 billion earned impressions on the GEICO 'Legend of the Lizard', and 423MM+ impressions on the Unisom Met Gala activation — and on sustained third-party validation including Ad Age Agency of the Year (2023), back-to-back Adweek Agency of the Year (2020, 2021), and three consecutive Fast Company Most Innovative Companies in Advertising (2023-2025). In March 2026 the agency will undergo a CEO transition with Kristen Cavallo returning to succeed Danny Robinson, who retires after 21 years.

Name

Martin Agency

Legal name

The Martin Agency, Inc.

Website

https://martinagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Martin Agency is a full-service creative advertising agency in Richmond, Virginia, owned by Interpublic Group, serving Fortune 500 brands across insurance, CPG, food and beverage, financial services, and retail with integrated advertising, design, digital, social, cultural impact, and in-house production services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising and Creative Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

Keywords

• Full-service advertising agency
• Creative campaign development
• Brand design services
• Digital and social marketing
• Cultural impact communications

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Client Retainer and Project Fees: The Martin Agency generates revenue through ongoing client retainers and project-based fees for creative services including advertising campaigns, brand design, digital production, social media management, and branded content. Revenue is derived from a roster of named brand clients across consumer goods, insurance, financial services, and retail verticals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Martin Agency is a full-service creative advertising agency that develops integrated advertising campaigns, brand design, digital production, social media strategy, performance marketing, and cultural impact activations for enterprise brand clients. The agency's offerings span a Cultural Impact Lab (PR/cultural intelligence), Design (brand identity, packaging, fashion), Digital, Motion, Performance, Production, and Social verticals, with in-house post-production through its affiliated SuperJoy studio.

Product overview

The Martin Agency is a full-service creative advertising agency offering a comprehensive suite of services including advertising, strategic planning, direct response, digital, data analytics, design and branded content. The agency operates through distinct service verticals: Cultural Impact Lab (PR and cultural intelligence), Design (brand and packaging design via DesignAtMartin.com), Digital (production and app development), Motion (animation and motion design), Performance (data-driven marketing), Production (in-house post-production), Social (social media strategy), and SuperJoy (full-service creative studio via WeAreSuperJoy.com). Their primary value proposition is helping brands impact culture in the U.S. and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advertising & Creative Campaigns Full-service integrated advertising campaigns and creative work for enterprise brand clients across consumer goods, insurance, financial services, food & beverage, retail, and CPG sectors.
• Cultural Impact Lab PR and cultural intelligence capability specializing in integrated campaigns, consumer brand and product media relations, cultural newsjacking, sponsorship programming, celebrity endorsements, and experiential activations.
• Design Services Brand design services for Fortune 100 companies including ribbon board design for football stadiums, clothing design with fashion brands, and packaging design.
• Digital Services Digital production team executing complex campaigns, delivering UX, front-end visuals, app integrations, AR filters, and digital touchpoints, including metaverse and VR exploration.
• Motion Services Motion design and animation services including concept development and design for 2D, 3D, immersive design, and stop-motion animation.
• Performance Marketing Data-driven marketing services combining insights with tested creative and messaging across CTV, DCO at scale, CRM insights, social media, and influencer marketing to drive user conversions.
• Production Services In-house post-production services including offline editing (Final Cut, Avid, Premiere), remote HD color correction, online and visual effects (Flame/Smoke) based in Richmond, Virginia.
• Social Media Services Social media and culture strategy with always-on social teams, rapid-response producers, content makers, and analytics experts for creating human-centered social messages with visual content.
• SuperJoy Production Studio Martin/IPG affiliated full-service creative studio producing photography, broadcast and long-form video, and social and digital executions, with state-of-the-art studio featuring 12 edit bays and an audio suite.

Quantifiable outcome

• Solo Stove generated $100M+ earned media value from a single campaign, with 500% rise in shopping searches, 70% revenue boost, and 22% lower acquisition costs
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers22 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

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SuperJoycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSuperJoy is a Martin/IPG affiliated full-service creative studio that produces photography, broadcast & long-form video, and social and digital executions. It features a state-of-the-art studio with 12 fully equipped edit bays, an audio suite, and serves as the agency's internal production capability.
• Fe Noel (Designer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIAA partnered with fashion designer Fe Noel to create 'The Dre$$' — a couture gown debuted at New York Fashion Week spotlighting the 30% retirement income gap. Fe Noel designed the 16-foot train ball gown titled the 'Dre$$'.
• Christian Siriano (Designer)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUnisom partnered with fashion designer Christian Siriano to create sleep-themed gowns worn by 20 models/micro influencers at the Met Gala 'Sleeping Beauties' themed event, driving 423MM+ earned impressions.
• Awake NY / Angelo BaqueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUPS partnered with Awake NY and its founder Angelo Baque to create the UPS x Awake NY collection and 'The Bodega' activation at New York Fashion Week, with all profits donated to a college scholarship fund supporting Latinx small business owners.
• McLaren F1 TeamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoogle Chrome partnered with McLaren's F1 team for the 'Maluma: Pit Stop' campaign, featuring Google's partnership announcement with the racing team.
• First Generation InvestorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIAA's 'Paper Right' campaign streams fund First Generation Investors, a nonprofit that teaches underserved students how to invest, creating a mechanism to drive real change.
• Snoop DoggminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSnoop Dogg served as the 'smokesman' for Solo Stove's 'Snoop Goes Smokeless' campaign, announcing he was 'giving up smoke' on social media as a teaser for the smokeless fire pit brand. The activation generated $100M+ earned media value.
• Shaquille O'NealminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShaquille O'Neal starred in Icy Hot's 'The Comeback Cavalry' campaign — the brand's first campaign from The Martin Agency.
• Action BronsonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCelebrity chef and influencer Action Bronson was one of dozens of influencers engaged for Miracle-Gro's '#GrowYourOwn' campaign, helping drive above-benchmark TikTok engagement.
• When We All VoteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNow Upon A Time's 'Princess & The Pea-tition' partnered with When We All Vote and She Should Run — national nonpartisan initiatives encouraging civic engagement and democratic participation among children.
• She Should RunminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNow Upon A Time's 'Princess & The Pea-tition' partnered with She Should Run alongside When We All Vote to drive civic engagement through the reimagined fairy tale project.
• Bugha (Kyle Giersdorf)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAXE partnered with Fortnite world champion Bugha for 'The Mistaverse' campaign, turning a viral Fortnite item resembling an AXE can into a branded creative map for gamers.
• Kenny GminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBusch Light partnered with Kenny G for 'Voice of the Mountains' campaign, featuring a saxophone rendition of the classic song that aired during the Big Game in select markets.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Droga5: Creative-led full-service agency (now part of Accenture Song) known for breakthrough campaigns (The Truth Is Worth It, Puma, HBO). Comparable in emphasis on creative excellence, cultural impact, and integrated production capabilities.
• Goodby Silverstein & Partners: San Francisco-based full-service creative agency with a similar mix of heritage brand work (Coca-Cola, Cheetos, BMW) and award-winning cultural campaigns. Directly comparable on creative reputation and integrated offerings.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Independent, Portland-based full-service creative agency renowned for culturally impactful work (Nike, Old Spice, Coca-Cola). Closely comparable to Martin Agency on creative-led brand transformation, cultural newsjacking, and Fortune 500 client roster.
• Mother: Independent creative agency network with offices in NY, LA, and London (Virgin, Kraft, Stella Artois). Closely comparable on creative reputation, independent positioning, and integrated brand-building work.
• Anomaly: Independent creative agency with a non-traditional structure serving Fortune 500 brands (Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Sonos). Comparable as a creative-led full-service competitor with a similar diversified client roster.
• 72andSunny: Full-service creative agency with offices in LA, Amsterdam, and Seoul, known for culturally driven brand work (Thanos Demands the Internet, Google, Activision). Comparable to Martin on cultural-impact model and brand-reinvention specialism.

Broad incumbents

• BBDO Worldwide: Global full-service ad network and IPG sibling agency (Snickers, Pepsi, Visa). Competes with Martin for many of the same Fortune 500 brands but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple global offices.
• Leo Burnett: Global full-service agency network (Allstate, Kellogg's, McDonald's) within Publicis Groupe. Comparable in its integrated creative, media, and production offerings but with broader geographic footprint and larger client roster.
• McCann: IPG sibling global network (Microsoft, Mastercard, General Mills). Overlaps with Martin on enterprise CPG and Fortune 500 brand work and competes for similar RFPs in the holding-company ecosystem.
• MullenLowe: IPG sibling full-service network (Acura, MetLife, Burger King). Comparable integrated agency offering and competes for similar enterprise client work, though typically with a heavier media-buying orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/martinagency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/themartinagency
• Instagraminstagram.com/martinagency
• Facebookfacebook.com/MartinAgency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Martin Agency