What Pinnacle Advertising does

Pinnacle Advertising is an independent, full-service advertising agency headquartered in Schaumburg, Illinois (Chicago metropolitan area), with a secondary office in Scottsdale, Arizona. Founded in 1998 by Michael Magnusson, the agency serves enterprise and mid-market clients across Direct-to-Consumer, Retail, Automotive Aftermarket, B2B, and B2C segments through integrated strategy, creative development, media planning and buying, digital, performance analytics, and production services. Its deepest vertical specialization is automotive aftermarket, supported by 28+ years of leadership experience in that category and a flagship 12+ year relationship with WeatherTech that includes 10+ consecutive Super Bowl campaigns. The agency has also held multi-decade relationships with Garrett Popcorn (20+ years) and AutoNation (17 years), and added Lumber Liquidators as a new agency-of-record in April 2025.

The agency's service delivery rests on a proprietary technology ecosystem that includes One:One (a household-level personalization platform integrating first-party data, POS, and loyalty signals), InterTwine (an integrated media model that connects paid, owned, and earned teams under centralized strategists to eliminate channel silos), and INFITIUM (an in-house full-service production studio with 3 edit suites, 3D animation, audio booth, colorist capabilities, and AI software tooling). One:One is overseen by Chief Technology & Data Officer Jon Berna, who joined the executive team in December 2025.

Pinnacle generates revenue through professional service fees, media commissions, and multi-year retainer arrangements with enterprise clients; pricing is custom and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales led by Chief Growth Officer Jules Boasberg, supplemented by referral and inbound demand driven by case study outcomes such as a 400% sales increase for MetroVac and the largest Opening Day race crowd in history for Arlington Racecourse. The company is privately held and founder-controlled with no disclosed institutional or holding-company backing, and it expanded its service surface in May 2025 with the launch of CIMA, a wholly-owned multicultural marketing subsidiary targeting U.S. Hispanic consumers.

Name

Pinnacle Advertising

Legal name

Pinnacle Advertising and Marketing Group

Website

https://pinnacleadvertising.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Pinnacle Advertising is an independent, full-service advertising agency founded in 1998 in Schaumburg, Illinois, serving enterprise and mid-market clients across automotive aftermarket, retail, and DTC verticals with integrated creative, media, technology, and in-house production services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Schaumburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Marketing Services: Full-service agency providing integrated strategy, creative, media planning/buying, digital, and performance services. Revenue is generated through professional service fees, media commissions, and retainer arrangements with enterprise and mid-market clients. Services include brand strategy, campaign planning, creative development, video/broadcast production, media investment management, owned & earned media, performance analytics, and website/landing page support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pinnacle Advertising is an independent, full-service advertising and marketing agency that delivers integrated brand strategy, creative development, media planning and buying, in-house production, and performance analytics under one roof. The firm serves enterprise and mid-market clients with specialization in automotive aftermarket, retail, and direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, supported by proprietary platforms (One:One personalization, InterTwine integration model) and an in-house production studio (INFITIUM).

Product overview

Pinnacle Advertising operates as an independent, full-service advertising agency rather than a software or SaaS product company. The agency offers traditional advertising services including creative development, media planning and buying, strategic planning, and in-house production capabilities. Their proprietary platforms mentioned are internal operational tools (One:One for personalization, InterTwine for media integration) rather than standalone product offerings available to external customers. Services are delivered through human-led teams rather than technology products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• One:One: The unified personalization platform with full-service execution that turns data into one-to-one experiences, drilling down to the household level to reveal attitudinal behaviors, lifestyle triggers, and media preferences.
• Infitium
• InterTwine
• Direct-To-Human

Products and services

• Creative Services
• Media Investment (Planning and Buying)
• Strategic Planning
• INFITIUM In-House Production Studio
• Performance Analytics
• One:One Personalization Platform
• Owned and Earned Media Services
• CIMA Hispanic Marketing

Quantifiable outcome

• 400% sales increase for MetroVac (85-year-old local brand built into national brand)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• CIMA (Hispanic Marketing Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025Pinnacle launched CIMA, a multicultural marketing agency focused on connecting brands with U.S. Hispanic consumers. CIMA is an internal agency initiative under Pinnacle's umbrella, led by Director of Hispanic Marketing Liz Pedraza, designed to serve the growing Hispanic market segment for Pinnacle's existing and new clients.
• Lumber LiquidatorsflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Pinnacle Advertising was selected as agency of record for Lumber Liquidators in April 2025, announced via the Buzzworthy news section. Pinnacle will lead brand strategy, creative, and media for the flooring retailer.
• WeatherTechflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Pinnacle Advertising's largest and longest-standing client relationship. For 12+ years, Pinnacle has served as WeatherTech's lead agency for brand strategy, creative (including 10+ consecutive Super Bowl commercials), and media. Under Michael Magnusson's leadership since 2009, Pinnacle drove WeatherTech's expansion from niche automotive enthusiast brand to household name.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fallon: Independent, Minneapolis-based creative-led full-service agency. Comparable to Pinnacle on independent ownership, mid-sized scale, and integrated creative plus media model targeting major brands.
• Team One: Independent, Publicis-affiliated full-service agency with a strong luxury and premium brand focus. Comparable to Pinnacle on integrated creative/media model and brand-building expertise for high-profile clients.
• The Martin Agency: Richmond, VA-based independent full-service agency recognized for creative excellence and integrated campaigns. Comparable to Pinnacle on independent ownership, mid-market-to-enterprise client mix, and integrated creative/media model.
• Zimmerman Advertising: Fort Lauderdale-based independent full-service agency with deep automotive and retail specialization. Closely comparable to Pinnacle on vertical mix, scale (mid-sized independent), and integrated creative-plus-media model.
• The Integer Group: Omnicom-owned retail-focused marketing agency serving multi-location consumer brands, with strong shopper and promotional capabilities. Comparable to Pinnacle on retail vertical expertise and multi-location client model (50–5,000 doors).
• GSD&M: Austin-based independent full-service agency with integrated creative, media, and digital capabilities, founded in 1971. Comparable to Pinnacle in size, ownership structure, and integrated service offering for major national brands.
• Richards Group (TRG): Historically independent Dallas-based full-service agency (now operating as TRG) with comparable scale, creative reputation, and vertically diversified client mix including retail and DTC. Direct comparable on independent full-service positioning.
• RPA: Independent, full-service advertising agency in Los Angeles with a long-standing Honda account and strong automotive credentials. Directly comparable to Pinnacle on independent ownership, automotive specialization, and integrated creative/media capability.
• Cramer-Krasselt: Independent, Chicago-headquartered full-service agency with similar Midwest roots, mid-sized scale, and integrated creative, media, digital, and production capabilities — a direct regional competitor to Pinnacle.
• Doner Partners: Independent full-service agency founded in Detroit with automotive heritage (Mazda, national accounts). Pinnacle's CCO Jac Mansour began his career at Doner, and both agencies compete for similar automotive OEM and aftermarket accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pinnacle-advertising
• Instagraminstagram.com/pinnacleadvertising
• Xx.com/pinnacle_ad
• Facebookfacebook.com/pinnaclead

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Pinnacle Advertising