What The Mars Agency does

The Mars Agency, legally Mars Advertising, Inc. and operating commercially as Mars United, is a global United Commerce agency founded in 1972 and headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, with additional offices in London (EMEA), Sydney (APAC), and now New Zealand following its 2024 acquisition of The In Group. The firm serves two primary customer segments: enterprise consumer packaged goods brands (e.g., Campbell's, Conagra, Mars Wrigley, Henkel, Bacardi, Pepperidge Farm, Tillamook, Milk PEP, Brooks) and major retailers (e.g., Walmart, 7-Eleven, Sprouts, Tractor Supply), with additional engagements in electronics and adjacent verticals such as Samsung's livestream commerce program for Walmart. Its service portfolio is organized into four disciplines — Strategy & Analytics, Digital Commerce, Retail Consultancy (including Retailer CX and Customer Development), and Content & Experiences — supported by Marilyn®, a proprietary registered commerce marketing technology platform marketed as providing data precision and actionable insights. Revenue is generated through professional-services agency fees, typically retainer- and project-based, covering strategy, analytics, content creation, retail consultancy, and digital commerce including Amazon operations and commerce media buying. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with dedicated regional client leadership across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, and the firm positions itself around a 'Total Business Impact' philosophy that links shopper-facing execution to retailer and brand outcomes such as the cited 26% sales increase on a Samsung x Walmart livestream and 1MM incremental units moved for the All Good brand.

Name

The Mars Agency

Legal name

Mars Advertising, Inc.

Website

https://themarsagency.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Mars Agency, operating as Mars United, is a global commerce agency founded in 1972 that delivers strategy, digital commerce, retail consultancy, and content services to enterprise CPG brands and major retailers, supported by its proprietary Marilyn® commerce marketing technology platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commerce Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Shopper/Commerce Creative Agencies (Retail & Marketplace Creative) (MPAAAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Activation/Experiential Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAO)

Keywords

• Commerce marketing services
• Shopper marketing agency
• Retail media consulting
• Digital commerce services
• Brand activation agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Southfield

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Agency Services Revenue: The Mars Agency operates as a global commerce agency providing professional services to brands and retailers. Revenue is generated through retainer-based agency fees for strategy, analytics, content creation, retail consultancy, and digital commerce services. The company also offers technology platform (Marilyn®) as part of its service offerings.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Mars Agency is a global United Commerce company that sells integrated commerce marketing services to enterprise brands and retailers. Its offering combines four service disciplines—Strategy & Analytics, Digital Commerce, Retail Consultancy, and Content & Experiences—with its proprietary Marilyn® technology platform to turn brand experiences into commerce outcomes across omnichannel and retail media.

Product overview

Mars United (formerly The Mars Agency) is a global United Commerce company offering a unified platform of integrated service offerings rather than discrete software products. The core technology platform is Marilyn®, described as the world's preeminent commerce marketing technology platform providing data precision and actionable insights. The service portfolio comprises four main disciplines: Strategy & Analytics (research, insights, strategy development, analytics, and business leadership), Digital Commerce (commerce media and eCommerce services including Amazon operations), Retail Consultancy (customer development and retailer CX), and Content & Experiences (creative and production services). These disciplines work together under a 'Total Business Impact' philosophy to drive growth through shoppers for brands and retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Marilyn®: State-of-the-art commerce marketing technology platform engineered to drive business toward success with data precision and actionable insights.

Products and services

• Marilyn® Proprietary commerce marketing technology platform that delivers data precision and actionable insights to support the agency's strategy, analytics, digital commerce, retail consultancy, and content engagements for enterprise CPG brands and retailers.
• Strategy & Analytics Strategic consulting offering covering research and insights, strategy development, opportunity sizing, data analysis, business strategy and leadership, and annual strategy and planning for enterprise CPG brands and retailers.
• Digital Commerce Commerce media services (media strategy and content, media buying and optimization, media measurement, contextual commerce) and eCommerce services (sales and operations management, digital shelf, full-service Amazon team) for enterprise brands and retailers.
• Retail Consultancy Retailer-facing consultancy spanning customer development (omnichannel planning, joint business planning, retailer intelligence) and retailer CX (retailer media network development and optimization, shopper experience, shopper program development and management) for major retailers.
• Content & Experiences Creative services (concept development, experience design, brand activation) and production services (content development and asset execution) that bring commerce marketing strategies to life for CPG brands and retailers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 26% sales increase with single Samsung livestream for Walmart
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The In GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2024The Mars Agency acquired The In Group, New Zealand's leading brand activation agency, providing its first in-market operation in New Zealand. This acquisition strengthens capabilities in experiential marketing, retail media, ecommerce, and analytics across the ANZ region. The In Group is described as a leading brand activation agency.
• XPO BrandscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022The Mars Agency acquired Australian agency XPO Brands in 2022 as part of its international expansion into the ANZ region. This acquisition established the agency's presence in Australia prior to the New Zealand expansion.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• The Trade Desk: Demand-side platform for retail media and omnichannel advertising; an enabling technology partner adjacent to Mars United's Digital Commerce practice rather than a direct agency competitor, but increasingly shapes the agency's commerce media buying tools.

Broad incumbents

• Publicis Sapient: Publicis Groupe's digital transformation and commerce consultancy; overlaps with Mars United on Digital Commerce, eCommerce, and retail strategy work but operates at significantly larger enterprise scale.
• Advantage Solutions: Publicly traded provider of in-store and retail media solutions to CPG brands and retailers; comparable to Mars United's Retail Consultancy and shopper activation work but at materially larger scale and with a sales-rep delivery model.
• Merkle: Dentsu's data-driven customer experience and retail media agency at much larger scale; competes with Mars United for enterprise CPG data, analytics, and retail-media mandates while serving a far broader portfolio of services.

Emerging players

• Wpromote: Large fast-growing independent digital marketing agency with strong retail media and commerce practices for mid-market and enterprise CPG brands; emerging structural alternative to Mars United for digitally led commerce mandates.

Direct peers

• Geometry: WPP's global commerce and shopper marketing agency offering strategy, retail activation, and content experiences to CPG and retail clients; the most direct like-for-like competitor to Mars United's shopper and retail-media offerings.
• Catapult Commerce: Independent shopper and trade marketing agency focused on CPG brands and retailers; provides omnichannel planning, joint business planning, and in-store activation comparable to Mars United's Retail Consultancy offering.
• Momentum Worldwide: IPG-owned experiential and shopper marketing agency with global CPG and retail client rosters; closest peer to Mars United's Content & Experiences and brand activation capabilities.
• Tinuiti: Large independent digital commerce agency specializing in retail media networks (Amazon, Walmart, Instacart) and full-funnel marketing for CPG and retail brands; directly competes with Mars United's Digital Commerce service line.
• Saatchi & Saatchi X: Publicis Groupe's shopper marketing agency serving major CPG and retail brands across strategy, activation, and retail media execution; overlaps directly with Mars United's Customer Development and Retailer CX practice areas.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/14091
• Instagraminstagram.com/marsunitedcommerce
• Xx.com/marsagency
• Facebookfacebook.com/themarsagency

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about The Mars Agency