Grassroots

What Grassroots does

Grassroots Advertising Inc. is a Toronto-based private guerrilla marketing and street-level advertising agency operating since approximately 1980. The company delivers integrated, multi-format out-of-home campaigns built around its registered WILDPOSTING® methodology — proprietary street-level poster placements in dense urban environments — and extends into projection advertising, mural advertising (including smog-eating photocatalytic murals), experiential marketing, mobile vehicle advertising, street teams, street frames (1,200+ inventory in Canada), backpack billboards, indoor placements, and stencil/chalk art. Campaign execution is project-based with custom quote pricing per scope, location, duration, and format, and the company supports both direct brand engagements and outsourced work for advertising agencies.

The company monetizes through professional-services revenue tied to campaign execution, billing on a quote-based model with multi-year contract cadence on larger engagements. Customer acquisition relies on enterprise field sales (direct outreach, website contact forms, agency referrals) targeting brand marketers, agencies, and organizations seeking street-level presence. The client base spans entertainment/music, fashion/lifestyle, food and beverage, retail/luxury, financial, technology, tourism, and nonprofit verticals, with named logos including Sony Music, McDonald's, Prada, Heineken, Molson, Maybelline, Nordstrom, BMO, DoorDash, and Bloomreach, alongside agency partners Havas Media, Jungle Media, Touché Media, and MEC Global. Geographic reach covers 17+ cities across Canada, the United States, and Europe, with claimed presence in Asia and Oceania. The company operates with 11–50 employees from a single Toronto headquarters/warehouse facility at 17R Atlantic Avenue.

Underlying technology is predominantly physical and operational rather than software-driven: registered WILDPOSTING® methodology, photocatalytic smog-eating mural coatings, interactive projection hardware (3D mapping, SMS interactivity, live streaming, large-format gaming), mobile billboard fleets, and a 1,200-unit street-frame inventory. The company has no mobile app, no public API, no SDK, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Its 40+ years of operating history, 11,000+ completed campaigns, 500+ clients, and 50+ award-winning executions constitute the principal commercial assets, with brand reputation and trademark-protected category leadership serving as the primary intangible value drivers.

Name

Grassroots

Legal name

Grassroots Advertising Inc.

Website

https://grassrootsadvertising.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Grassroots Advertising is a Toronto-based private guerrilla marketing agency that executes street-level outdoor campaigns — wildposting, projection, murals, mobile billboards, and street teams — for brand marketers and media agencies across North America and Europe, leveraging a registered Wildposting® methodology and 40+ years of execution history.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Out-of-Home Advertising Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (54185), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (541850)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Guerrilla & Street Marketing (MPAAAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Alternative OOH & Ambient Media (Guerrilla, Pop-Up Installations) (BPAFALAI), Brand Activations & Pop-Ups (Retail/Street/Guerrilla) (BPAFAGAF)

Keywords

• Guerrilla marketing services
• Out-of-home advertising
• Street-level advertising
• Wildposting campaigns
• Experiential marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Guerrilla Marketing Campaign Services: Project-based service revenue from executing guerrilla marketing campaigns including wildposting, murals, projections, street teams, mobile vehicle advertising, and experiential marketing. Clients include entertainment brands, music labels, fashion/lifestyle companies, government organizations, and agencies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Grassroots Advertising is a Toronto-based guerrilla marketing agency that plans and executes street-level advertising campaigns for brands and agencies. Its core offering is the proprietary Wildposting® street poster service, complemented by an integrated portfolio including projection advertising, murals, mobile vehicle/billboard advertising, street teams, experiential activations, street frames, backpack billboards, indoor advertising, stencil/chalk art, cling ads, and street washing. Campaigns are delivered across major markets in Canada, the United States, and Europe.

Product overview

Grassroots Advertising operates as a guerrilla marketing and street-level advertising agency with Wildposting® as its core proprietary product—a street-level poster advertising service that has delivered branded campaigns for over 40 years. The company functions as a one-stop shop for out-of-home advertising, offering multiple complementary service modules including Projection Media, Mobile Billboards, Street Teams, Experiential Concepts, PR Stunts, Street Frames, Food Trucks, Sampling, Gamification, and Chalk Art/Street Wash services. The portfolio is organized around the Wildposting® umbrella with sub-products (Singles, Dominations, Monsters, Mini-Monsters, Tear Away Posters) and supporting services (Mural Advertising, Projection Advertising, Experiential Marketing, Mobile Vehicle Advertising, Street Frames, Street Teams, Backpack Billboards, Indoor Advertising, Stencil/Chalk Art, Cling Alls, Street Washing) that can be layered together for integrated campaigns. The company primarily serves clients in North America and Europe across entertainment, fashion, food & beverage, and lifestyle sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wildposting®: Proprietary street-level poster advertising service that places branded creative across high-traffic urban environments in dense, urban areas to attract maximum attention.

Products and services

• Wildposting® Grassroots Advertising's registered, proprietary street-level poster advertising service that places branded creative across high-traffic urban environments in dense city areas to attract maximum attention. Delivered in multiple formats (Singles, Dominations, Monsters, Mini-Monsters, Tear Away Posters) for entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, and lifestyle clients.
• Projection Advertising Award-winning projection media service that brings full motion and interactivity to out-of-home advertising. Capabilities include SMS and interactive features, green screens, photo walls, live streaming, large-format gaming, sound, vehicle branding, and 3D mapping elements.
• Mural Advertising Large-scale mural advertising service that paints branded, themed, or social-issue murals on urban walls. Includes smog-eating mural technology using photocatalytic materials that neutralize airborne pollutants during the campaign.
• Experiential Marketing Real-time, in-person marketing service that creates memorable brand experiences for current or potential customers through innovative engagement techniques, product sampling, gamification, and interactive brand activations.
• Mobile Vehicle Advertising Solutions Mobile billboard advertising service featuring branded trucks, LED trucks, and display vehicles that travel targeted routes to deliver messaging, sampling, and brand activations directly to consumer audiences.
• Street Frames 24x36 inch framed posters positioned on the exteriors of variety, retail, and convenience stores in the busiest core Canadian markets, combining out-of-home and point-of-purchase impact. Over 1,200 frames in inventory.
• Street Teams Brand ambassador service where trained street teams interact with the public to promote products, services, or events, distribute samples and collateral, and generate buzz in target neighborhoods.
• Backpack Billboards Advertising Human billboard advertising service that combines mobile branding with on-foot consumer interaction, where ambassadors wear branded backpacks and engage the public as brand representatives.
• Indoor Advertising Solutions Indoor advertisement placement service targeting captive audiences in restrooms, malls, restaurants, bars, airports, elevators, and college or university campuses.
• Stencil and Chalk Art Advertising Stencil and chalk art advertising service that creates visually appealing, memorable pavement-level artwork in target urban markets to capture attention in high-foot-traffic areas.
• Cling Alls Lightweight adhesive advertising material that grips to practically any indoor or outdoor surface, available in varying colors, shapes, and sizes for vibrant, removable branded messaging.
• Street Washing Services Environmentally friendly guerrilla marketing service that creates semi-permanent branded images on dirty pavements, walls, and other surfaces by removing grime to reveal messaging.
• Poster Distribution Services Comprehensive poster distribution service including hand-to-hand delivery, shop drops, and bespoke distribution packages tailored to client creative ideas and target neighborhoods.

Quantifiable outcome

• 65% of ticket sales and attendance typically related to advanced poster campaign
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments7 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

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Colossal Media: Hand-painted mural advertising company operating across major US and Canadian cities. Closest direct peer—shares Grassroots' street-level mural/projection execution model and similar brand client roster (Prada, Heineken-tier CPG and fashion).
• Matte Projects: Projection mapping and experiential event production firm serving major brands globally. Directly comparable to Grassroots' Projection Advertising and Experiential Marketing service lines.
• Projection Artworks: UK-based projection advertising and experiential agency offering 3D mapping, interactive projections, and street-level activations. Mirrors Grassroots' projection media capabilities with European market presence.
• Sparks: Global experiential marketing agency delivering brand activations, mobile tours, and live engagements. Comparable service mix to Grassroots' Experiential Marketing and Mobile Vehicle Advertising modules.

Broad incumbents

• Outfront Media: One of the largest out-of-home media companies in North America, operating billboards, transit, and street furniture networks. Overlaps with Grassroots' OOH services but focuses on traditional static/paid media rather than guerrilla execution.
• Lamar Advertising: Major US-based outdoor advertising operator with billboard and transit inventory across North America. Broad incumbent in the OOH category where Grassroots' alternative/guerrilla formats compete for budget.
• Clear Channel Outdoor: Global outdoor advertising division of Clear Channel operating traditional and digital OOH networks across the US, Europe, and Latin America. Competes for the same advertiser budgets as Grassroots at much larger scale.

Regional players

• PATTISON Outdoor Advertising: Canada's largest outdoor advertising company with transit, billboard, and street furniture formats. Direct regional competitor to Grassroots' Canadian Street Frames and Wildposting operations.

Others

• Havas Media: Global media agency and existing Grassroots client/partner. Adjacent rather than competitive—often outsources guerrilla execution to Grassroots rather than building it in-house.

Emerging players

• Streetsense: Experience-focused agency with placemaking, retail, and experiential marketing practices. Comparable in serving lifestyle/entertainment brands with physical activations but with more consulting-led positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/grassrootsadinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/GrassrootsAdvertising
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grassroots-advertising-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Grassroots