Umbrellas on the Beach

What Umbrellas on the Beach does

Umbrellas on the Beach (UOTB) is a healthcare and MedTech-focused marketing agency founded in 1998 and based in the Chicago metropolitan area. The firm provides professional services organized around four pillars — strategy (positioning, messaging, brand and content strategy), creative (brand development, identity systems, sales enablement, packaging), digital (email, paid/organic media, social, website design, interactive sales aids), and video (product launches, testimonials, education, commercials) — with supplementary event/meeting support and employer branding offerings. Its documented client base spans Fortune 100 pharmaceutical and MedTech companies, with named engagements including Splenda (HCP relaunch creative), ZOLL (heart failure and brand video work), and nonprofit healthcare advocacy clients such as APTQI and the Latino Policy Forum.

The firm operates with a senior-only staffing model (11-50 employees) where every engagement is led by tenured practitioners — Managing Partner Drew Hardy, VP Strategy Kristen Paladino, Executive Creative Director Marianna Manley, and a bench of 20+ year veterans — distinguishing it from pyramid-model agencies. Revenue is generated through custom, quote-based professional services engagements; no pricing is publicly disclosed and there is no productized or self-serve offering. Go-to-market is direct relationship-based selling to enterprise healthcare buyers, supplemented by content marketing (Beach Buzz blog, LinkedIn newsletter), downloadable client tools (Marketing Cheat Sheet, Q4 Workbook), and selective industry event participation.

In 2024 the firm underwent an ownership transition when Drew Hardy invested to become Managing Partner and co-owner, paired with a full brand identity refresh (new logo, palette, website, Instagram, and "The Beach Buzz" newsletter) and an explicit expansion of service lines. The firm has operationalized generative AI internally across strategy research, creative ideation, AI-generated imagery for storyboards, and video refinement workflows, but explicitly positions AI as an augmenting tool rather than a client-facing product. UOTB is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or public listing.

Name

Umbrellas on the Beach

Legal name

Umbrellas on the Beach

Website

https://umbrellasonthebeach.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Umbrellas on the Beach (UOTB) is a Chicago-based healthcare and MedTech marketing agency founded in 1998, offering strategy, creative, digital, and video services to pharmaceutical, medical device, and healthcare advocacy clients including Fortune 100 companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hinsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing Services Engagements: Revenue generated through professional services engagements including strategy, creative, digital, and video production services for healthcare and MedTech clients. Projects vary in scope from campaigns to ongoing partnerships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Umbrellas on the Beach is a healthcare and MedTech marketing and design agency providing strategy, creative, digital marketing, and video production services to enterprise healthcare companies, medical device firms, and related advocacy organizations. Founded in 1998, the firm delivers brand strategy, campaign development, content creation, website design, paid/organic media, social media management, product launch and testimonial videos, event design, and employer brand support. Engagements are custom-built and quote-based.

Product overview

Umbrellas on the Beach (UOTB) is a healthcare and MedTech marketing agency founded in 1998, offering a comprehensive suite of services organized into four core pillars: Strategy (discovery, research, positioning, messaging, brand strategy, and marketing strategy), Creative (brand development, concepting, logo systems, style guides, traditional media, sales enablement, and communications), Digital (email, paid/organic media, social media, website design/development, and interactive sales aids), and Video (product launches, testimonials, education, webinars, and commercials). Additional specialized offerings include Event & Meeting Support, Employee Acquisition & Retention services, and client tools such as the Marketing Cheat Sheet and Q4 Workbook. The agency also incorporates AI tools to enhance strategic planning, creative ideation, and video production while maintaining human expertise at the core of service delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Services Strategic consulting including discovery and research, positioning, messaging, brand strategy, employer brand strategy, marketing strategy, content strategy, and integrated marketing communications strategy for healthcare and MedTech clients.
• Creative Services Brand development, concepting, logo and ID systems, brand style guides, traditional media, sales enablement, corporate communications, internal communications, internal training, event design and support, packaging, iconography, and illustration for healthcare and MedTech clients.
• Digital Marketing Services Email marketing, paid and organic media, social media management, website design and development, interactive sales aids, and clinical compendia for healthcare and MedTech clients.
• Video Services Product launch videos, testimonial videos, voice of the customer content, education and training videos, sizzle reels, webinars, live events coverage, and commercials for healthcare and MedTech clients.
• Event & Meeting Support Comprehensive event planning and execution support including design, logistics coordination, and on-site management for sales meetings, awards ceremonies, tradeshows, and conferences, primarily for healthcare clients.
• Employee Acquisition & Retention Services focused on talent acquisition strategies and employee retention programs, including employer brand development and internal communications, for healthcare and MedTech organizations.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AbelsonTaylor: Long-standing independent healthcare advertising agency based in Chicago, serving pharmaceutical and consumer health clients. Closely comparable in scale, vertical specialization, and Midwest roots to Umbrellas on the Beach.
• Dudnyk: Healthcare-focused agency emphasizing specialty pharma and rare disease marketing. Direct peer in vertical specialization and ability to navigate complex regulatory messaging.
• Patients & Purpose: Healthcare marketing agency with patient- and HCP-focused campaigns across pharma. Comparable in vertical specialization and ability to translate complex medical concepts into engagement-driven creative.
• Intouch Group: Healthcare marketing agency specializing in pharma and patient engagement. Comparable in MedTech and pharma focus, though larger in scale, providing a benchmark for UOTB's growth ceiling.
• Juice Pharma Worldwide: Independent healthcare agency with deep pharma and biotech client roster. Comparable in full-service offering (strategy, creative, digital) and healthcare-only focus.
• Harrison and Star: Healthcare and biopharma marketing agency known for specialty therapeutics and oncology work. Comparable vertical depth and enterprise pharma client base.

Broad incumbents

• Publicis Health: Global healthcare marketing network under Publicis Groupe serving major pharma and MedTech clients. Represents the scale of competition UOTB faces when enterprise clients evaluate global delivery.
• McCann Health: Global healthcare communications network within McCann Worldgroup. Comparable in pharma/MedTech focus but with significantly broader geographic reach and integrated offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/umbrellas-on-the-beach-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/umbrellasonthebeach

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Umbrellas on the Beach