Subject Matter

What Subject Matter does

Avoq is a privately held, PE-backed national communications and advocacy agency formed through the 2023 merger of Subject Matter and Kivvit, rebranded under the Avoq name in 2024. The firm provides four integrated service lines to enterprise clients: Reputation & Senior Advisory, Policy & Public Affairs, Creative Content & Media, and Data Intelligence. Its 'Creative Advocacy' approach combines data-driven insights with strategic communications and government relations expertise to help corporations, nonprofits, and trade associations shape narratives, manage reputations, influence policy debates, and engage audiences. Named client work spans nonprofit commemorations (9/11 Memorial & Museum), healthcare advocacy (American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network), and trade-association policy campaigns (Semiconductor Industry Association).

The firm operates from five U.S. offices — Washington DC (headquarters), Chicago, New York, New Jersey, and Miami — with a combined headcount exceeding 200 employees. Avoq is owned in part by Coral Tree Partners, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm that invested in Subject Matter in February 2022 and backed the Kivvit merger. As a professional services firm, Avoq monetizes through customized B2B consulting engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed. Its primary go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting organizations requiring strategic communications, policy influence, and reputation management.

Avoq's distinctive asset is its annual Media Habits Report, a longitudinal survey of 300+ Washington D.C. policy insiders tracking news consumption and AI adoption patterns. The firm positions itself as an insights-driven advisor rather than a traditional PR vendor, with technology functioning as a supporting layer for analytics and research rather than as a core product platform. There are no publicly disclosed proprietary AI models, patents, or software products.

Name

Subject Matter

Legal name

Avoq

Website

https://teamsubjectmatter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Avoq is a PE-backed national communications and advocacy agency serving corporations, nonprofits, and trade associations with strategic communications, policy affairs, creative content, and data intelligence services across five U.S. offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Strategic Communications and Public Affairs Services

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (54182), Public Relations Agencies (541820), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Reputation Management & Online PR (BPAFADAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cause, ESG & Sustainability Communications (MPAAADAL), Healthcare & Life Sciences PR (BPAFADAJ), Data Journalism & News Intelligence Publishers (Indexes, Election/Market Data) (MPAJADAK)

Keywords

• Public relations services
• Government relations consulting
• Strategic communications
• Creative advocacy services
• Policy public affairs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Strategic Communications: B2B consulting engagements providing strategic communications, data analytics, government relations, and digital strategy services to enterprise clients
2. Creative Advocacy Services: Creative and content services including brand elevation, issue advocacy, and narrative shaping for organizations

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Subject Matter (rebranded as Avoq in 2024) is a strategic communications and public affairs firm that advises organizations on reputation, policy influence, creative advocacy, and data-driven communications. The firm sells integrated service engagements across four practice areas—Reputation & Senior Advisory, Policy & Public Affairs, Creative/Content/Media, and Data Intelligence—delivered to enterprise clients including Fortune 500 companies, large institutions, and advocacy coalitions.

Product overview

Subject Matter merged with Kivvit in 2023 and subsequently rebranded to Avoq in 2024. Avoq operates as a national communications and advocacy agency offering an integrated suite of services: Reputation & Senior Advisory (reputation management), Policy & Public Affairs (government relations), Creative Content & Media (content strategy and creation), and Data Intelligence (analytics and insights). The firm also produces the Media Habits Report as a research product. Together these services are positioned under the 'Creative Advocacy' approach, integrating innovative thinking, data-driven insights, and advocacy strategy to help clients shape narratives, manage reputations, influence policy debates, and engage audiences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Reputation & Senior Advisory Senior-counsel communications advisory practice providing reputation management and high-level strategic counsel to enterprise clients and institutions facing complex reputational or public-facing challenges.
• Policy & Public Affairs Government relations and policy-influence practice helping organizations engage policymakers, regulators, and advocacy coalitions to shape policy and regulatory outcomes.
• Creative, Content & Media Creative, content production, and media services practice producing campaigns, content, and media assets that combine brand-building creative work with advocacy-style persuasion.
• Data Intelligence Data-driven analytics and insights practice that underpins the firm's strategy and creative work, including proprietary Media Habits research on how audiences form opinions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2026 Media Habits Report: 96% of D.C. Policy Insiders Now Use AI Daily

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KivvitcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Merger of Subject Matter and Kivvit to form a leading national communications and advocacy agency. Combined entity has over 200 employees and nearly $100 million in annual revenue. The new firm operated under current brands with future rebranding planned.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kekst CNC: Strategic communications consultancy advising corporations and investors on M&A, crisis, and public affairs. Closely comparable to Avoq's senior advisory and policy practice.
• Edelman: World's largest independent PR firm offering strategic communications, public affairs, and creative services to enterprise clients globally. Directly comparable to Avoq across reputation, policy, and creative advocacy work.
• Weber Shandwick: Global communications and public affairs firm serving corporate, government, and NGO clients with integrated campaigns. Closely comparable to Avoq across strategic communications, public affairs, and content services.
• Burson: Global communications agency formed by the merger of Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe, providing public affairs, corporate communications, and creative services. Directly comparable to Avoq in policy advisory and corporate reputation work.
• Hill+Knowlton: International public relations firm specializing in public affairs, crisis communications, and policy advocacy for corporations and governments. Strong overlap with Avoq's policy and public affairs practice.
• Brunswick Group: Specialist communications advisor focused on critical issues, stakeholder relations, and public affairs for corporations and financial sponsors. Comparable to Avoq's senior advisory and policy work for enterprise clients.
• Finsbury Glover Hering: Strategic communications firm serving corporations, boards, and investors on reputation, public affairs, and crisis. Directly comparable to Avoq's reputation and public affairs offerings.

Broad incumbents

• FTI Consulting Strategic Communications: Global consulting firm with a large strategic communications segment serving corporations, boards, and stakeholders on reputation, public affairs, and crisis. Comparable service portfolio to Avoq within a broader consulting parent.

Emerging players

• Bully Pulpit Interactive: Digital-first communications and public affairs agency blending creative, paid media, and policy storytelling. Comparable to Avoq's creative advocacy and digital campaign work for advocacy-oriented clients.
• Targeted Victory: Data-driven public affairs and communications firm advising political campaigns, trade associations, and corporate advocacy clients. Comparable to Avoq's policy and digital campaign engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/subjectteam
• Facebookfacebook.com/teamsubjectmatter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/teamsubjectmatter
• Instagraminstagram.com/teamavoq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Subject Matter