What C+C does

C+C (legal name Colehour Cohen Inc.) is a privately held, integrated communications agency founded in 2005 by Julie Colehour and Bryan Cohen in Seattle, Washington, with additional offices in Portland, Oregon and Boston, Massachusetts, and a team of approximately 100+ professionals. The firm operates across nine core service disciplines — Public Relations, Advertising, Branding, Digital + Social, Behavior Change, Market Intelligence, Multicultural, Utility Program Solutions, and Events & Outreach — delivered as integrated campaigns rather than modular services.

The agency specializes in behavior change marketing for purpose-driven clients, applying social science research, community-based social marketing methodology, and multicultural communications (with documented capacity in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, and Cape Verdean Creole) to drive measurable behavior outcomes rather than vanity metrics. It is not a technology company: it uses standard martech (Salesforce, project management, digital platforms) and has no proprietary software, AI systems, or patents. Its competitive identity rests on 20+ years of domain specialization, an experienced senior bench (including a former PRSA National Chair leading the Boston office and a strategic advisor who has coauthored 12 books and consulted with 100+ government agencies), and a portfolio of hundreds of industry awards.

C+C generates revenue through project-based fees and retainer engagements with government agencies (notably Washington State Department of Health, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, King County Metro, Washington Traffic Safety Commission), regulated utilities (Snohomish County PUD, Puget Sound Energy, Energy Trust of Oregon, NEEA), nonprofits (Salmon Defense, Vulcan Inc.), and select enterprises (REI, Alaska Airlines, Waste Management, Kwik Lok, Seattle Colleges). The go-to-market model is sales-led direct engagement, supported by content marketing, awards submissions, and conference speaking. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; prospective clients are routed through a "Let's Talk" form to the Marketing Manager. The company is founder-owned, privately held, with no disclosed external funding rounds or institutional investors.

Name

C+C

Legal name

Colehour Cohen Inc.

Website

https://cplusc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

C+C (Colehour Cohen Inc.) is an integrated communications agency founded in 2005 that specializes in behavior change marketing for government agencies, utilities, nonprofits, and purpose-driven enterprises across the U.S., with offices in Seattle, Portland, and Boston.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Communications Services: C+C generates revenue through project-based fees and retainer engagements for integrated marketing campaigns, behavior change communications, public relations, advertising, digital/social media, and market research services. The agency works primarily with government agencies, utilities, and mission-driven organizations on long-term campaign contracts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

C+C is an integrated communications agency that designs and executes behavior change marketing campaigns for government agencies, utilities, nonprofits, and purpose-driven organizations. It sells project-based and retainer engagements spanning nine service disciplines: Public Relations, Advertising, Branding, Digital + Social, Behavior Change, Market Intelligence, Multicultural, Utility Program Solutions, and Events & Outreach. Campaigns combine social science research, cultural engagement, and creative execution to drive measurable behavior change in public health, environmental sustainability, transportation, energy efficiency, and safety.

Product overview

C+C is an integrated communications agency offering a unified suite of marketing services rather than a modular software product. The agency's offerings are organized around nine core service disciplines—Public Relations, Advertising, Branding, Digital + Social, Behavior Change, Market Intelligence, Multicultural, Utility Program Solutions, and Events & Outreach—all designed to work together in integrated campaigns. Founded in 2005, the agency specializes in behavior change marketing for purpose-driven clients including government agencies, nonprofits, and utilities, focused on social issues in healthcare, safety, environment, transportation, and education.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Relations Media relations, crisis communication, media training, and message platform development to ensure client stories are told effectively across media channels. For government, utility, nonprofit, and purpose-driven clients.
• Advertising Creative advertising campaigns spanning full 360 campaigns to transcreated digital ads targeting diverse audiences including bi-cultural Spanish speakers and various demographic segments.
• Branding Brand positioning, promise development, personality definition, and visual identity creation for brands building from scratch or refreshing for new chapters.
• Digital + Social Strategic and creative digital content that drives engagement, clicks, sign-ups, purchases, and pledges across online platforms for purpose-driven clients.
• Behavior Change Community-based social marketing services led by internationally-acclaimed experts, using marketing strategies to drive real, lasting behavior change for government, utility, and nonprofit clients.
• Market Intelligence Research services including research audits, surveys, focus groups, and interviews to understand consumer behavior and motivations for client strategy development.
• Multicultural Integrated multicultural team services spanning languages, generations, and cultures to embrace audience differences and commonalities in campaign execution.
• Utility Program Solutions Programs designed to increase participation, spark behavior change, and increase customer satisfaction for energy utilities through innovative ideas and practical solutions.
• Events & Outreach Street teams, brand pop-ups, and door-to-door outreach services including permits, costumes, and bilingual brand ambassadors for client campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• 15 percentage point increase in vaccination rates among Black/African American community (67% to 82%)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Invisible CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for Salmon Warriors campaign, capturing video and photo content at 12 locations throughout the Salish Sea over 4-day shoot. Provided visual storytelling expertise for Indigenous-led salmon conservation campaign.
• The Anchor GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with The Anchor Group to assemble team of Black researchers, creatives, health educators, and community specialists for WeConsider COVID vaccine equity campaign targeting Black/African American communities in Washington State.
• Shep FilmsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduction partner for Prevent Overdose WA campaign, providing practical filmmaking for opioid harm reduction content. Worked on campaign to reduce overdose deaths through education and harm reduction messaging.
• James Beard FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFollowing initial Smart Catch launch with Vulcan Inc., partnership transitioned to James Beard Foundation for national program roll-out. C+C led communications for expansion from Seattle to 170 restaurants in 30 markets.
• GoProminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Alaska Airlines Great American Eclipse Flight campaign, intercepting the 2017 solar eclipse over the Pacific Ocean. GoPro cameras documented the experience for marketing content.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GMMB: Washington, D.C.-based public affairs and behavior change agency that runs integrated campaigns for political, government, and nonprofit clients — directly comparable to C+C's purpose-driven model with similar verticals (health, environment, advocacy) and similar reliance on earned-media + research-driven strategy.
• Fenton Communications: Social justice and cause-marketing agency serving nonprofits, foundations, and progressive causes with PR, advocacy, and behavior change campaigns — a near-direct comparable in size, vertical mix, and values-driven positioning.
• BerlinRosen: Public affairs and social impact communications agency working with causes, campaigns, and corporate clients on advocacy, PR, and digital — directly comparable in service mix and client verticals, though larger and East Coast–based.
• Purpose (dentsu): Purpose-driven creative and campaigns agency specializing in behavior change for social impact, now part of dentsu — directly comparable methodology and vertical mix, with the resources of a global network behind it.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: World's largest PR firm with a deep public affairs and health practices serving many of the same government and corporate clients as C+C — competes in RFPs but at vastly greater scale and with global paid-media capabilities.
• Hill+Knowlton Strategies: Global public affairs and communications agency with strong government and energy/utility vertical practices — overlaps with C+C's public sector and utility clients but offers global scale and integrated paid-media buying.
• Weber Shandwick: Major global PR network with public affairs, healthcare, and social impact practices — competes for the same government and purpose-driven RFPs as C+C but with significantly larger creative and paid-media resources.
• Ketchum: Large global PR firm with public affairs and energy practice areas serving utilities, government, and nonprofit clients — overlapping capabilities with C+C but broader portfolio and scale.

Emerging players

• Resonance: Boutique social impact and behavior change agency serving purpose-driven clients on advocacy, sustainability, and public health — comparable in mission and methodology though smaller and with narrower geographic reach.
• Salutem (formerly GMMB's advocacy arm / sibling firm positioning): Purpose-driven marketing and communications firm focused on social impact campaigns for nonprofits and government — a comparable boutique competing for the same RFP pool with similar mission-aligned positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/colehourcohen
• Facebookfacebook.com/colehourcohen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colehour---cohen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

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 C+C