What Borrell Associates does

Borrell Associates, Inc. is a privately held U.S. research and data analytics firm operating since 2001 out of Williamsburg/Lightfoot, Virginia, with 11–50 employees. The company's stated expertise is quantifying what U.S. businesses spend on advertising and marketing in any local market, which it delivers through two core products: Compass, a market-level database tracking and forecasting ad spending across more than 20 million U.S. businesses at county-level granularity and across 100 business types and dozens of media/marketing expenditure categories; and Local Scope, which uses aggregated mobile-phone movement data to produce demographic profiles of a local business's customers and its competitors' customers. The technical stack is described as a database and analytics platform with self-serve login at compass.borrellassociates.com and a separate web app at localscope.com; no AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or SDKs are disclosed in the input.

The firm generates revenue primarily through annual subscriptions to Compass, supplemented by one-time sales of Local Ad Spending Reports (LASR), forecasts, and individual research papers, with a free research-alert newsletter functioning as a lead-generation funnel. GTM is sales-led and dual-channel: a self-serve Compass platform paired with direct account-based sales for enterprise engagements. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. Customers are concentrated almost entirely in local media and broadcasting — Nexstar Media Group, Salem Media Group, Cox Media Group, Townsquare Media, Dick Broadcasting, Hubbard Interactive, Trib Total Media, Beasley Media Group, 7 Mountains Media, Mediamint, and the 4As trade association — plus media consultants and local advertisers that use Compass for budget planning and go-to-market strategy. The firm serves only the United States; there is no disclosed international footprint, no disclosed funding history, and a single disclosed acquisition (Belden Interactive, 2010).

Name

Borrell Associates

Legal name

Borrell Associates, Inc.

Website

https://borrellassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Borrell Associates is a U.S.-focused, subscription-based research and data analytics firm that provides market-level intelligence on local advertising and marketing spend to local broadcasters, media groups, and advertisers via its Compass database and Local Scope mobile-data product.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Advertising Intelligence

NAICS

Directory and Mailing List Publishers (51314)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Marketing Database & Contact Data Providers (B2B/B2C Lists) (BPAFAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Direct Response & Database Marketing (Mailing Lists, Data Hygiene) (MPAAAIAK), Pricing, Revenue Growth Management (RGM) & Promo Analytics Services (CRAOAOAE), Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG)

Keywords

• Local advertising intelligence
• Ad spending forecasts
• Market research data
• Media market analysis
• Advertising spend tracking

Headquarters

HQ city

Lightfoot

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Services: Ongoing subscription access to Compass database and market-level data products. Subscriptions provide recurring access to local ad spending intelligence, forecasts, and market reports. Configurable by geography down to county level.
2. Individual Reports: Individual report sales for Local Ad Spending Reports (LASR), industry papers, research publications, and one-time insights available for purchase outside of full subscriptions.
3. Research Alerts: Free research alert list providing periodic insights, with premium content available to subscribers. Serves as lead generation for subscription conversion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Borrell Associates provides market-level data and intelligence on local advertising and marketing spend across U.S. markets through its Compass database, which tracks and forecasts ad spending for over 20 million U.S. businesses at the county level, and its Local Scope platform, which profiles local business customers using mobile phone movement data. The firm sells subscription access to these data products along with standalone Local Ad Spending Reports (LASR), forecasts, and industry research.

Product overview

Borrell Associates offers two key products that provide a view of what's happening in local markets: Compass and Local Scope. Compass tracks and forecasts ad spending for over 20 million U.S. businesses, customizable by geography, business type, and media type. Local Scope profiles local business customers using mobile phone movement data, including competitor profiling. The portfolio centers on market-level advertising and marketing data intelligence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Compass Market-level database offering directional insights on ad spending patterns for more than 20 million U.S. businesses. Customizable by geography down to the county level, across 100 types of businesses and dozens of media and marketing expenditure types. Sold as a subscription to media companies, broadcasters, and local businesses for budget planning and competitive analysis.
• Local Scope Platform that delivers demographic profiles for the customers of any local business based on the movement of millions of mobile phones. Can profile a competitor's customers and illustrate areas of overlap and opportunity for marketing campaigns. Sold to local businesses and media companies for customer profiling and competitive analysis.
• Local Ad Spending Reports (LASR) Standalone research reports providing detailed breakdowns of local advertising spending patterns by geography, business type, and media channel. Available via subscription or individual sale to media companies, agencies, and local businesses.
• Forecasts Forward-looking forecasts of local advertising and marketing spend, providing market-level projections used by media companies, broadcasters, and local businesses for strategic planning and budget allocation.

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BIA Advisory Services: Closest direct competitor; BIA provides local advertising forecasts, market intelligence, and valuations to broadcasters and media companies — directly overlapping with Borrell's Compass offering across TV, radio, and digital.
• SQAD: Provides local and national advertising cost data and benchmarking to media sellers and buyers. Closely comparable to Borrell's Compass on cost-per-point and ad-spend benchmarks at the local market level.
• Media Audit / Media Research Corp. Local market media research firm offering audience ratings, ad-spend, and consumer data for radio, TV, and digital — directly comparable to Compass in serving local broadcasters and advertisers.

Broad incumbents

• eMarketer (Insider Intelligence): Subscription-based digital advertising research and forecasts with a broader enterprise and digital focus. Comparable business model (subscription ad intelligence) but serves a wider buyer base beyond local broadcasters.
• Nielsen: Global media and advertising measurement incumbent. Overlaps with Borrell on ad-spend intelligence and audience measurement, though at much larger scale and across many more geographies.
• Kantar: Global market research and advertising intelligence firm. Provides ad-spend tracking and media monitoring across multiple geographies, similar in business model but far broader than Borrell's local US focus.
• Vivvix (formerly Standard Media Index / Kantar Media): Tracks advertiser spending across media channels globally. Overlaps with Compass on ad-spend intelligence but at greater scale and across broader channels (national + digital).
• Mintel: Global market research firm with subscription intelligence on consumer markets and advertising trends. Comparable subscription model and report-based distribution, though broader in vertical coverage than Borrell.

Emerging players

• Advertising Research Foundation (ARF): Industry research body producing advertising effectiveness and media research. Adjacent to Borrell's research publications; comparable as an advertising intelligence thought-leadership source rather than direct subscriber data product.
• SpotX (now Magnite): Connected TV / OTT ad platform with local market data capabilities. Overlaps with Borrell's newer OTT/local-TV forecasting work but from a programmatic platform standpoint rather than research-data standpoint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/borrellassoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/borrellassociates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/138362

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Borrell Associates