What Lawrence & Schiller does

Lawrence & Schiller is a full-service marketing communications agency founded in 1976 and headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with a secondary office in Minneapolis opened in 2024. The agency operates without a proprietary technology platform, instead leveraging standard industry creative, media, research, and digital marketing tools, and delivers integrated services spanning insights and strategy, branding and creative, performance-driven media, web/email/social, video production, in-house primary research, and public relations. It also operates L&S Studio, a proprietary creator network that connects brands with vetted Midwest creators for authentic user-generated social content.

The agency serves enterprise, government, and nonprofit clients across five core verticals: Travel & Tourism (Travel South Dakota, Visit Montana, Medora), Food & Beverage (Taco John's, Pizza Ranch), Retail & Consumer (Idaho Lottery, South Dakota Lottery, Lewis Drug, SCHEELS), Health & Wellness (Sanford Health, Monument Health, Horizon Health), and Education (Dakota State University). Revenue is generated through professional-service fees on a project and scope-dependent basis, with some retainer relationships, and is not publicly disclosed.

Lawrence & Schiller is a privately held corporation (Lawrence & Schiller, Inc.) governed under South Dakota law, with approximately 60+ employees and a Midwest regional footprint. In April 2025, the agency underwent a leadership transition in which Micah Aberson rejoined as CEO after a decade away, Laura Mitchell was promoted to President & COO, and Scott Lawrence stepped into a CEO Emeritus role after 40 years; long-tenured partners Mark Glissendorf and Dan Edmonds departed concurrently. The agency celebrated its 50th anniversary in May 2026, placing it among the rare 5% of ad agencies reaching that milestone.

Name

Lawrence & Schiller

Legal name

Lawrence & Schiller, Inc.

Website

https://l-s.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Lawrence & Schiller is a privately held, full-service Midwest marketing communications agency founded in 1976, serving enterprise, government, and nonprofit clients across travel, food & beverage, retail, healthcare, and education verticals from offices in Sioux Falls and Minneapolis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing and Advertising Services

NAICS

Marketing Consulting Services (541613), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer, Marketing & Sales Consulting (BPAHACAG)

Keywords

• Marketing communications services
• Advertising agency
• Branding and creative
• Media planning
• Video production

Headquarters

HQ city

Sioux Falls

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Advertising Services: L&S generates revenue through professional service fees for its full range of marketing capabilities including branding, creative, media, digital, research, PR, and video production. Pricing is project-based and scope-dependent, with ongoing retainer relationships for some clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Lawrence & Schiller is a full-service marketing, advertising and branding agency providing insights and strategy, branding and creative, performance-driven media, web/email/social, video production, primary research, and public relations. It also operates L&S Studio, a creator network platform for user-generated content.

Product overview

Lawrence & Schiller is a marketing, advertising and branding agency offering a comprehensive suite of services. The core offerings include Insights & Strategy, Branding & Creative, Performance-Driven Media, Web/Email & Social, Video Production, Primary Research, and Public Relations. The agency also operates L&S Studio, a proprietary creator network platform that connects brands with vetted creators across the Midwest to produce authentic user-generated content. The agency has won awards including American Advertising Awards, HSMAI Adrian Awards, W3 Awards, and Travel Weekly Magellan Awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• L&S Studio A proprietary creator network platform that connects brands with vetted creators across the Midwest to produce authentic user-generated content (social photos and videos) for social media channels. Priced per-project based on content type and volume.
• Insights & Strategy Uses observational data, cultural signals and behavioral patterns to uncover human truths that inform strategies across creative and media for clients.
• Branding & Creative Creative services including brand strategy, visual identity development, and campaign creative work resulting in nationally recognized advertising campaigns.
• Performance-Driven Media Custom-built media strategies driven by data and performance metrics, reaching audiences through innovative approaches that evolve with consumer habits.
• Web, Email & Social Digital marketing strategies for websites, apps, email, CRM systems, content marketing, and dedicated social media content creation.
• Video Production Award-winning audio and video production including motion design, in-house editing and audio suites, and an onsite photo and video content studio.
• Primary Research In-house primary research capabilities including ad recall testing, sentiment studies, and in-depth ethnographic research with actionable takeaways.
• Public Relations Brand confidence-building through earning trust, shaping public opinion, and moving people to action.

Quantifiable outcome

• Travel South Dakota email campaigns achieved 25.04% open rate vs. industry average ~20%, and 42.48% welcome journey email open rate vs. industry average ~20%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

AI capability2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carmichael Lynch: Minneapolis-based full-service creative agency with similar Midwest roots and integrated brand/creative/media/digital capabilities. Comparable size and client mix, making it the most direct peer in L&S's home geography.
• Periscope: Minneapolis-headquartered full-service agency offering brand strategy, creative, media, and digital services — a direct competitive comparable to L&S in the Twin Cities market with similar integrated-service model.
• Barkley: Kansas City-based independent full-service agency of comparable size serving consumer, healthcare, and QSR clients. Closely aligned with L&S on independent ownership, Midwest roots, and integrated offering scope.
• Hiebing: Madison, WI-based full-service agency with comparable headcount, Midwest positioning, and a similar mix of brand, digital, media, and PR services. Direct competitor for regional enterprise clients.
• BVK: Milwaukee-based independent full-service marketing agency of similar scale with strong healthcare and consumer verticals. Closely comparable business model and Midwest independent-agency positioning.
• Cramer-Krasselt: Midwest-headquartered (Milwaukee/Chicago) independent full-service agency with similar integrated services and regional enterprise client focus. Comparable independent ownership and integrated service model.
• Preston Kelly: Minneapolis-based independent agency offering brand, creative, and digital services. Similar size and integrated-services model, competing for the same Twin Cities enterprise clients.
• StoneArch Creative: Minneapolis-based healthcare-focused creative agency with comparable size and integrated brand/digital offerings. A direct competitor in the healthcare vertical where L&S has marquee clients like Sanford Health and Monument Health.
• Solve: Minneapolis-based independent agency of comparable size focused on brand strategy, creative, and digital. Directly competes for the same regional enterprise clients in the Twin Cities market.
• Curious Plot: Minneapolis-based full-service marketing agency of comparable size serving consumer, healthcare, and food/beverage clients. Closely comparable integrated services model and Midwest enterprise client focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/LawrenceAndSchiller
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lawrence-&-schiller
• Instagraminstagram.com/ls_advertising
• Xx.com/theextramile

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Lawrence & Schiller