What Merkley & Partners does

Merkley + Partners Inc is a privately held, full-service advertising agency founded in 1993 and headquartered at 220 East 42nd Street, 12th Floor, New York, operating as part of the OMC network. The agency employs a team of 200+ collaborators organized without silos across client services, creative, and strategic planning, and is structured around three service pillars: DISCOVER (research, segmentation, cultural insights, AI Visibility Audits), DISTILL (brand and campaign strategy, media planning, AI strategy, data analytics, CRM, UX/IA), and DEVELOP (omnichannel creative, social content, web development, integrated production, media buying, performance marketing, SEO/SEM, AEO/GEO optimization). Merkley+Partners serves enterprise clients across automotive (Mercedes-Benz), pharmaceutical and healthcare (Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Dexcom, Alcon, Idorsia, Guardant Health), consumer products (BIC), food and beverage (White Castle, Florida's Natural), transportation (Uber), and financial services (JPMorgan).

The agency's business model is professional-services based, deriving revenue from custom, quote-based engagements for campaign development and execution across creative, media, digital, social, and AI strategy, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales anchored in New York, supplemented by organic content marketing through social channels and Vimeo-hosted case studies. In 2025, the firm expanded into B2B brand strategy and activation through the integration of Doremus+Co, adding a second primary customer segment alongside its consumer brand business. Strategic partnerships with Amazon Ads and PHD Media on streaming-platform campaigns indicate capability expansion into platform-direct media execution.

Merkley+Partners is privately held under the OMC umbrella, with no public listing, no disclosed funding events, and no disclosed revenue figures. Senior leadership includes CEO Alex Gellert, President Scott Gelber, Chief Client Officer Cynthia Davis, CFO Roger Morales, Chief Digital Officer Jennifer Cimmino, Co-Heads of Strategy Anderson Koeniger and Alex Grossman, and Executive Media Director Jamie Kozma. Operations are domestic, confined to a U.S. client base served through the New York headquarters.

Name

Merkley & Partners

Legal name

Merkley + Partners Inc

Website

https://merkleyandpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Merkley + Partners is a full-service New York advertising agency (founded 1993) employing 200+ collaborators to deliver creative, media planning, digital, social, and AI strategy services to enterprise clients across automotive, pharmaceutical, healthcare, CPG, and finance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Marketing Services: Full-service advertising agency providing creative strategy, media planning, digital and social services, brand strategy and activation. Revenue derived from professional service fees for campaign development and execution across multiple channels and disciplines.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Merkley+Partners is a full-service advertising agency that delivers omnichannel creative, brand strategy, media planning and buying, digital and social content, AI strategy, and analytics services to enterprise clients. Its work is organized across three service pillars—DISCOVER (research and insights), DISTILL (strategy and planning), and DEVELOP (creative production and execution)—with an integrated B2B brand activation capability added through the Doremus+Co integration. The agency's client base spans automotive, pharmaceutical, healthcare, CPG, QSR, fintech, luxury, and entertainment categories.

Product overview

Merkley+Partners is a full-service advertising and marketing agency (not a software/SaaS product company) operating across three core service pillars: DISCOVER (audience research, segmentation, competitive analysis, cultural insights, social listening, custom research, and AI Visibility Audits), DISTILL (brand strategy, campaign strategy, media planning, AI strategy, data analytics, CRM, consumer journey mapping, UX/IA design, social content strategy, and MarTech roadmaps), and DEVELOP (omnichannel creative, social asset creation, web design and development, integrated production, animation/CGI, media buying, performance marketing, SEO/SEM, AEO/GEO optimization, and advanced analytics). The agency also incorporated Doremus+Co, a B2B brand strategy and activation firm, expanding its service portfolio. With 200+ collaborators, the agency serves diverse industries including QSR, fintech, automotive, oncology, fashion, healthcare, finance, CPG, dining, and entertainment. Clients include Mercedes-Benz, Novartis, BIC, Dexcom, Uber, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Alcon, and White Castle, among others. The agency's differentiation lies in its collaborative operating model and focus on driving positive change for clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DISCOVER Services Research and insights service pillar providing audience research, segmentation, competitive analysis, cultural insights, social listening, custom research, and AI Visibility Audits for enterprise brand clients.
• DISTILL Services Strategy and planning service pillar delivering brand strategy, campaign strategy, media planning, AI strategy, data analytics, CRM, consumer journey mapping, UX/IA design, social content strategy, and MarTech roadmaps for enterprise brand clients.
• DEVELOP Services Creative production and execution service pillar delivering omnichannel creative, social asset creation, web design and development, integrated production, animation/CGI, media buying, performance marketing, SEO/SEM, AEO/GEO optimization, and advanced analytics for enterprise brand clients.
• Doremus+Co B2B Brand Strategy and Activation B2B brand strategy and activation service integrated into Merkley+Partners via the Doremus+Co acquisition in 2025, solving challenges and driving change across both consumer and business audiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 49% increase in engagement by turning social into lead generation tool
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 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

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Amazon AdscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Developed custom creative strategy for Mercedes-Benz USA's Prime Video NBA broadcasts campaign. Merkley+Partners handled strategy while PHD handled media investment. Mercedes-Benz served as presenting sponsor of 'NBA on Prime Saturday' games.
• Mercedes-Benz USAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerClient partnership on multiple campaigns including Prime Video NBA broadcasts. Created four vignettes featuring NBA analyst Dirk Nowitzki showcasing GLS features, with planned studio takeover airing later in March.
• PHD MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered on media investment for Mercedes-Benz Amazon Ads campaign.
• Doremus+CocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDoremus+Co is now part of Merkley+Partners. A leader in B2B brand strategy and activation, Doremus+Co brings valuable expertise into the Merkley portfolio of services, solving challenges and driving change across both consumer and business audiences.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• DDB: Sibling Omnicom full-service creative agency operating in the same New York market and serving similarly sized enterprise clients across automotive, CPG, and pharma. Most direct peer given shared OMC parent, comparable services (creative + media + strategy), and similar vertical mix.
• BBDO: OMC sister agency and one of the largest global creative networks; competes head-to-head on enterprise creative pitches and integrated campaigns for the same Fortune 500 brands Merkley targets.
• McCann: OMC sister agency with a deep pharma/healthcare roster (similar to Merkley's Novartis, BMS, AstraZeneca work) and global footprint. Direct competitor on integrated enterprise campaigns in pharma and CPG.
• TBWA\Chiat\Day: Omnicom-owned creative-led agency with comparable mid-to-large enterprise client base (Apple historically, McDonald's). Competes directly for integrated brand strategy and campaign work in the same verticals.
• Mother: Independent, mid-size creative agency headquartered in NYC with a comparable scale (~200 employees) and similar full-service offering. Most relevant independent peer benchmark given size and integrated model.
• Anomaly: Independent, mid-size full-service agency in NYC known for integrated creative + media + content work. Comparable in scale, structure, and pitch against enterprise consumer brands like Merkley's BIC and White Castle.
• MullenLowe: Full-service creative agency in IPG's portfolio with a comparable mid-market enterprise client base and similar integrated offering; directly competes on integrated pitches for consumer and B2B brands.
• SS+K: Mid-size full-service agency with strong brand strategy and activation capabilities; explicitly named in Merkley leadership bios as prior employer, indicating comparable operating model and pitch competition.

Broad incumbents

• Ogilvy: WPP-owned global full-service network with pharma, CPG, and B2B practices that overlap heavily with Merkley's verticals. Much larger scale and global footprint, but competes for the same enterprise integrated mandates.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Independent, large-scale creative-led agency (NYC, Portland) competing for the same enterprise brand campaigns as Merkley; relevant peer for senior talent recruiting and creative benchmark comparisons.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MerkleyandPartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/merkley---partners
• Instagraminstagram.com/merkleypartners
• TikToktiktok.com/@merkleyandpartners
• Xx.com/MerkleyPartners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Merkley & Partners