The Useful Group

What The Useful Group does

The Useful Group (legal name: Useful Group) is a specialized performance marketing agency founded in 2016 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with an additional address in Aurora, IL. The firm serves private equity-backed multi-location brands operating in complex, heavily regulated industries — primarily healthcare (veterinary, autism therapy, orthodontic, pediatric, urgent care), with adjacent exposure to finance and regulated consumer products. Named clients include PetVet Care Centers (450 locations), BlueSprig Autism (160+ locations), and BSN Sports/Varsity Brands, with the firm reporting management of 1,000+ locations, $20M+ in media under management, 12X+ ROAS, and 80% better-than-target CPL performance.

The agency's service stack is full-funnel and execution-oriented: paid media management across Google (Search, PMAX, YouTube, Display), Meta (FB/IG), Programmatic, LinkedIn, and Reddit; closed-loop attribution built on Meta CAPI and GA4 signal enrichment with custom attribution models; location-level performance analysis for multi-market portfolios; executive-grade boardroom reporting; structured creative testing; and growth strategy/GTM planning. Its technology backbone spans Node, React, Laravel, PHP, JavaScript, Ionic, WordPress, Drupal, Contentful, AWS, and Salesforce, with proprietary intellectual property including the "Atomic Design & Atomic Development Methodology" created by CTO PeterJohn Hunt, and Spend-to-EBITDA attribution that closes the loop from first ad impression to revenue impact. The company holds Certified Premier Google Partner and Certified Premier Meta Partner status, granting it early access to platform betas and direct product-team engagement.

Useful Group generates revenue through professional services engagements delivered on a quote-based, multi-year contract model targeting enterprise clients. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales to C-suite leadership (CMOs, CFOs, CEOs) and PE operating partners. The firm is privately held with no disclosed outside investors, no parent entity, and no public funding rounds; ownership is concentrated with the partner group including CTO PeterJohn Hunt (joined as partner in 2016) and James Kinnard (Founder & CEO), alongside senior leaders Ken Merlino (regulatory/compliance), Nadia Vostrikov (digital media), Nate Schwenk (digital strategy), Anya Short (creative), and Elise DiPaola (paid media). The firm is trusted by KKR, Shore Capital, and Webster Equity Partners for portfolio marketing, though these are client relationships rather than ownership stakes.

Name

The Useful Group

Legal name

Useful Group

Website

https://usefulgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Useful Group is a Chicago-based performance marketing agency serving PE-backed multi-location brands in regulated industries, connecting paid media spend to EBITDA via closed-loop attribution, location-level analytics, and boardroom reporting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performance Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAAABAA

Full-Service Media Planning & Buying

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Advertising, Marketing & PR Services/Media Planning & Buying Agencies

SECONDARYMPAAABAD

Paid Social Media Buying

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Advertising, Marketing & PR Services/Media Planning & Buying Agencies

Keywords

• Performance marketing agency
• Paid media management
• Marketing attribution analytics
• PE portfolio marketing
• Multi-location brand marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Performance Marketing Services: Full-funnel paid media management and digital marketing agency services for PE-backed multi-location brands. Services include paid media management, closed-loop attribution, location performance analysis, boardroom reporting, creative strategy, and growth strategy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Useful Group is a full-funnel performance marketing agency that builds, manages, and measures paid media programs for private-equity-backed multi-location brands in healthcare, finance, and regulated consumer products. Engagements combine paid media management, creative production, web and landing-page development, and a proprietary closed-loop attribution model that ties media spend to CAC and EBITDA outcomes for the client's portfolio leadership.

Product overview

Useful Group is a specialized performance marketing agency providing full-funnel, full-stack marketing services for PE-backed multi-location brands in healthcare, finance, and regulated consumer products. The company connects media spend to CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) and CAC to EBITDA, delivering boardroom-ready reporting. Core service offerings include Paid Media Management (across Google Search, PMAX, YouTube, Display, Meta FB/IG, Programmatic, LinkedIn, Reddit), Closed-Loop Attribution (Meta CAPI, GA4 signal enrichment, custom attribution models), Location Performance Analysis (market-by-market diagnostics), Boardroom Reporting (executive-grade analytics connecting media investment to EBITDA), Creative Strategy & Testing, and Growth Strategy (GTM planning, portfolio rollups). No distinct branded software products or modules are offered; services are delivered as integrated consulting and execution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Paid Media Management Full-funnel paid media buying and management across Meta, Google, TikTok, programmatic, and connected-TV, executed for PE-backed multi-location brands and measured through the firm's Closed-Loop Attribution System that connects media spend to CAC and EBITDA outcomes.
• Closed-Loop Marketing Attribution Proprietary attribution system that uses Meta Conversions API and GA4 signal enrichment, combined with custom attribution models, to tie paid media spend through CAC to portfolio EBITDA outcomes for healthcare, finance, and regulated consumer products clients.
• Creative Production (Atomic Design) In-house creative production built on The Useful Group's proprietary Atomic Design methodology, producing ad creative assets for PE-backed multi-location brand paid media programs.
• Web & Landing Page Development (Atomic Development) Conversion-focused web and landing-page development executed via the firm's in-house Atomic Development process, supporting paid media programs and multi-location brand sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• $20 M+ media under management
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified Premier Google Partner with direct access to internal platform product teams. Enables closed-loop attribution implementation and platform betas before widely available.
• MetacoreTechnology or IntegrationCertified Premier Meta Partner enabling Meta CAPI implementation, closed-loop attribution, and early access to platform features.

Scale indicators4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Emerging players

• Triple Whale: Marketing attribution and analytics platform used by performance agencies and brands; not a direct agency competitor but increasingly overlapping on the attribution layer that Useful Group monetizes as a differentiator.

Broad incumbents

• WPP: Global advertising holding company with significant performance media and healthcare marketing exposure; competes for PE-backed multi-location client mandates across its agency brands.
• Publicis Groupe: Global advertising holding company with deep performance marketing, healthcare, and PE-adjacent capabilities through agencies like Digitas and Publicis Health; broader portfolio but overlaps directly with Useful Group's enterprise and healthcare PE work.

Direct peers

• Acceleration Partners: Performance marketing agency specializing in partner/affiliate programs and full-funnel paid media, often engaging with PE-owned consumer brands in adjacent categories.
• Adtaxi: Data-driven digital marketing agency emphasizing paid media and attribution, serving enterprise and PE-backed clients with similar multi-location brand needs.
• Power Digital Marketing: Full-service performance marketing agency with PE backing and a similar mid-market to enterprise client mix; competes for PE-backed growth-stage marketing mandates.
• New Engen: Digital performance marketing agency with paid media and analytics capabilities; previously employed several of Useful Group's team members and competes in similar verticals.
• Wpromote: Performance marketing agency with a strong digital media buying practice and Fortune 500 / enterprise clients, competing for the same PE-backed multi-location brand engagements as Useful Group.
• Titan Growth: Performance marketing agency focused on paid media, SEO, and analytics for mid-market and enterprise brands — directly competitive for similar PE-backed multi-location engagements.

Others

• Skai: Enterprise marketing and media intelligence platform (formerly Kenshoo) with paid media and closed-loop attribution technology; an enabling/infrastructure layer that Useful Group uses and that could be substituted by competitors.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/usefulgroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 The Useful Group