Smak

What Smak does

Smak, operating as Smak Impact Agency, is a Toronto-based employee and consumer engagement agency founded in 2003 by Claire Lamont. The firm designs and executes experiential marketing campaigns, brand activations, PR activations, employee engagement programs, and cultural events for enterprise clients across retail (Canadian Tire, Toys R Us Canada, Starbucks, Nike, Nordstrom, Topshop), automotive (Toyota), banking and financial services (HSBC, RBC, Manulife, Wealthsimple), gaming (Nintendo), utilities (BC Hydro), tourism (Destination Toronto), and adjacent sectors. Its service stack is anchored by a proprietary Purpose Workshop methodology that establishes organizational purpose as the strategic foundation before any activation work begins, followed by integrated Employee XM, Consumer XM, Experiential Marketing, PR & Communications, Cultural Engagement, and Brand Activation offerings. Notable execution examples include a 235-day national Nintendo Summer Tour across Canadian Science Centres and malls, an 18-day Halifax-to-Vancouver Golden Stick Tour for Canadian Tire, a 60-foot Toyota Wishmaker Advent Calendar fulfilling 24 holiday wishes, and a 10-year ongoing BC Hydro Team Power Smart partnership.

The business operates as a boutique B2B professional services firm with a headcount of 11-50 employees, structured as a privately held, founder-led company with no disclosed institutional investors, M&A activity, or external funding rounds. Revenue is generated through custom project-based pricing with multi-year contracts quoted on scope, duration, and complexity, and the go-to-market is direct enterprise sales targeting named decision-makers (CEOs, Marketing Managers, Directors). Geographic operations are primarily anchored in Canada with selective cross-border activations in the United States and international markets. In 2023, the firm rebranded from Smak to Smak Impact Agency to emphasize purpose-led positioning. The technology stack is service-based rather than software-based, with no disclosed AI/ML tooling, API platform, or proprietary software product; differentiation rests on codified methodology and 20+ years of accumulated experiential marketing expertise.

Name

Smak

Legal name

Smak

Website

https://smak.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Toronto-based employee and consumer engagement agency founded in 2003 that designs experiential marketing campaigns, brand activations, and PR programs for enterprise clients including HSBC, Toyota, Canadian Tire, Nintendo, and Manulife, anchored by a proprietary Purpose Workshop methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

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

Revenue model

1. Experiential Marketing Services: Project-based agency fees for designing and executing brand activations, consumer experiences, employee engagement programs, and PR campaigns. Services include strategic workshops, campaign development, event production, and on-ground execution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Smak is an Employee and Consumer Engagement Agency that designs and executes experiential marketing campaigns, brand activations, employee engagement programs, and PR campaigns for enterprise clients. The agency's work is anchored by a proprietary Purpose Workshop methodology that helps organizations discover and define their brand purpose, which then guides all subsequent employee experience, consumer experience, and cultural engagement initiatives delivered through national tours, pop-up installations, corporate events, and community programs.

Product overview

Smak is an Employee and Consumer Engagement Agency that operates as a service-based consultancy rather than a software product. The agency offers an integrated suite of engagement services centered around a proprietary Purpose Workshop methodology, which helps organizations define their purpose before executing integrated Employee XM (Employee Experience), Consumer XM (Consumer Experience), Experiential Marketing, PR & Communications, and Cultural Engagement programs. These services work together as a unified offering—the Purpose Workshop establishes the strategic foundation, which then informs all subsequent employee engagement, brand activation, and experiential marketing initiatives delivered across diverse channels including national tours, pop-up installations, corporate events, and community programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Employee XM (Employee Experience)

Quantifiable outcome

• 18% higher productivity, 12% happier customers, 22% boost in profitability when companies live up to their values
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Mosaic North America: Mosaic is an experiential marketing agency within Omnicom Group focused on brand experience, shopper, and event marketing. Directly comparable offering to Smak's Experiential Marketing and Consumer XM services, but with the backing of a major holding company's media and creative capabilities.
• Jack Morton Worldwide: Global brand experience agency owned by Interpublic Group, offering experiential marketing, events, and brand activation for enterprises. Comparable because it serves the same enterprise experiential marketing brief (e.g., brand tours, employee engagement) as Smak, but at vastly larger global scale.
• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: George P. Johnson (GPJ) is a long-established global experiential marketing agency producing brand experiences, trade shows, and customer events for enterprise technology and consumer brands. Comparable to Smak's Experiential Marketing and Brand Activation offerings but at global holding-company scale (Project Worldwide group).
• Leger (Event Management): Leger is a Canadian research and experiential marketing firm offering brand experiences, events, and engagement services. Comparable to Smak as a Canadian full-service experiential offering for enterprise clients in retail, finance, and consumer categories where Smak is active.

Direct peers

• Sparks: Sparks is an experiential marketing agency delivering brand experiences, pop-ups, and integrated events for global brands. Comparable to Smak as a direct experiential-marketing peer offering similar consumer-experience and event-activation services to enterprise clients like Smak's HSBC, Toyota, and Nintendo rosters.
• Citizen Relations: Citizen Relations is a North American PR and integrated communications agency within the H+K global network. Comparable to Smak's PR & Communications and Brand Activation work, particularly around purpose-led and employee engagement programs, and serves similarly named enterprise brands.
• Strategic Objectives: Strategic Objectives is a Toronto-headquartered PR and integrated communications agency offering PR, brand activation, and employee engagement services. Highly comparable to Smak as a Canadian boutique agency serving enterprise clients with an integrated PR + activation model in the same Toronto market.
• Touché! (Touché Advertising): Touché! is a Quebec/Canada-based advertising and media agency offering integrated creative and brand activation services. Comparable to Smak as a Canadian mid-market agency with similar integrated marketing and brand activation capabilities for enterprise clients.
• Bensimon Byrne: Bensimon Byrne is a Toronto-based independent creative + PR agency serving Canadian enterprise and consumer brands. Directly comparable to Smak's positioning as a Toronto-based integrated creative/PR/experiential shop targeting mid-to-large enterprise clients in Canada.

Regional players

• Constantine & Fisher (PR & Activations): Constantine & Fisher is a Canadian PR firm specializing in brand activations and consumer PR. Comparable to Smak's PR & Communications service line for similar enterprise clients in Canada, though smaller and more focused on PR than full experiential marketing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wearesmak
• Facebookfacebook.com/wearesmak
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wearesmak

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Smak