Saltwater

What Saltwater does

Saltwater is a full-service marketing and advertising agency headquartered in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire, operating as a subsidiary of the multi-agency parent 'Meet the People' under the legal entity Saltwater Advertising, LLC (also doing business as Saltwater Collective and Saltwater Collective LLC). Founded around 2010, the agency employs 40+ full-time marketing professionals and serves a horizontally diversified client base spanning healthcare (Wentworth-Douglass Hospital), education (Phillips Exeter Academy), financial services (Passumpsic Bank, BankNewport), retail and apparel (Timberland), sports (Boston Celtics), consumer goods (Jetboil, Grain Surfboards, Wellpet, Eureka!), hospitality (Nova Star Cruises, The Emerson Inn & Spa), and non-profit (Goodwill of Northern New England). Its service portfolio covers the full creative-to-execution lifecycle: brand identity and research, web design and development, advertising, video production and animation, social media, PPC, SEO, email marketing, marketing automation, media planning and buying, packaging, print design, and select emerging offerings such as augmented reality and database construction; no proprietary technology platform is disclosed.

The agency's go-to-market is sales-led and direct: prospective clients engage via website contact forms, RFP submissions, or outreach, after which Saltwater assembles a dedicated team tailored to client objectives. Revenue is generated through professional services fees, including project-based engagements and retainer arrangements; no pricing tiers or fee schedules are publicly disclosed. Saltwater holds certified partner status with HubSpot (Gold Partner), Google (Partner for 10+ years), and Hotjar, which it leverages both for client delivery and for its own marketing operations. The agency has been named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies for three consecutive years (2019, 2020, 2021) as New Hampshire's sole listed agency, and its 'Bank of the Wild' campaign for Passumpsic Bank earned an Emmy nomination (2023) along with Communicator, Gramercy Institute, and Internet Advertising Competition awards. Average client tenure exceeds five years, signaling stable, relationship-driven revenue rather than transactional volume.

Operationally, Saltwater operates exclusively in the New England regional market with no global footprint, integrates an in-house paid media arm (Swell Media) under shared leadership, and is privately held with no disclosed external private equity or venture capital financing. The leadership team is led by Chris Griffin (CEO), Mike Carella (Chief Growth Officer), Mike 'Sully' Sullivan (Chief Creative Officer and Chief of Staff), and Daisy Wu (VP Operations), supported by senior directors across design, account management, SEO, and digital experience. The company does not currently disclose revenue, headcount growth rates, or forward financial guidance in public materials.

Name

Saltwater

Legal name

Saltwater Advertising, LLC

Website

https://saltwaterco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Saltwater is a full-service marketing and advertising agency in Portsmouth, NH, with 40+ staff serving a horizontally diversified client base across healthcare, education, financial services, retail, sports, and consumer goods. It offers branding, web design, video, digital marketing, and paid media, delivered via certified partnerships with HubSpot, Google, and Hotjar.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing & Advertising Services: Saltwater generates revenue by providing fee-based professional marketing and advertising services to clients. Services span branding, web design and development, digital marketing, video production, social media, PPC, SEO, email marketing, and marketing automation. Revenue is derived from project-based fees, retainer arrangements, and ongoing service engagements, consistent with a full-service agency model.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Saltwater is a full-service marketing and advertising agency based in Portsmouth, NH that provides integrated creative, digital, and traditional marketing capabilities under one roof. The agency's core offering spans advertising, branding, web design and development, video production, social media, SEO, PPC, email marketing, and marketing automation, delivered through dedicated teams assigned to each client's objectives. The firm serves clients across diverse industries including healthcare, education, financial services, retail, hospitality, non-profit, sports, and consumer goods.

Product overview

Saltwater is a full-service marketing and advertising agency with over 10+ years of experience, offering comprehensive digital and traditional marketing capabilities under one roof. The agency's core offering encompasses a broad portfolio of services including Advertising, Analytics, Branding, Brand Guidelines, Content Marketing, Copywriting, Development, Email Marketing, Graphic Design, Illustration, Marketing Automation, Media Planning & Buying, Packaging, Print Design, Pay Per Click (PPC), Radio Advertising, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media, Web Design, and Video Production/Animation. Additionally, the agency provides specialized services such as Augmented Reality experiences, Database Construction, and Packaging Design. Saltwater operates with a team of 40+ full-time marketing professionals serving clients across various industries including healthcare, non-profit, retail, education, hospitality, financial services, and consumer goods. The agency has been recognized for its creative work, including an Emmy nomination for the 'Bank of the Wild' campaign for Passumpsic Bank.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marketing & Advertising Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Average client relationship spans more than five years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 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

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HubSpotcoreTechnology or IntegrationSaltwater is a HubSpot Gold Partner, providing HubSpot strategy, new client onboarding, and platform integration services to clients. The agency specializes in implementing HubSpot's CRM, marketing automation, and sales tools for businesses, including multi-agency environments.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationSaltwater is a Google Partner certified for more than 10 years, recognized for implementing industry best practices in PPC. The agency delivers pay-per-click services across Google's Search Network, Display Network, and YouTube through a team of Certified Pay Per Click Strategists.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Digitas: Global connected marketing agency within Publicis. Overlaps with Saltwater on advertising, digital, and media planning, but operates at enterprise scale with proprietary data and tooling advantages.
• Bounteous: Larger digital experience agency offering strategy, design, analytics, and engineering. Comparable to Saltwater's digital and web capabilities but at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Jack Morton: Global brand experience agency within IPG. Comparable to Saltwater's brand and creative work, particularly video and integrated campaigns, but with significantly larger scale and international reach.

Direct peers

• AMP Agency: Full-service creative, digital, and media agency of similar scale offering branding, content, performance media, and video. Comparable scope and target customer profile to Saltwater.
• SmartBug Media: Full-service inbound marketing agency and HubSpot Elite Partner providing branding, web, content, and revenue operations. Closely comparable business model to Saltwater, including the same HubSpot partnership tier.
• Rise Interactive: Performance marketing agency with strong digital media, SEO, and analytics practices. Overlaps with Saltwater's digital marketing and paid media capabilities, serving similar mid-market and enterprise clients.
• GYK Antler: Manchester, NH-based full-service creative and digital agency of comparable size serving regional and national brands. Most direct regional peer to Saltwater with overlapping capabilities in branding, advertising, and digital.

Regional players

• Small Army: Boston-based creative agency serving consumer, healthcare, and tech brands. Comparable full-service creative offering but focused on the Boston metro, providing regional overlap with Saltwater's New England footprint.
• Genuine: Boston-based digital creative agency combining brand strategy, content, and experience design. Comparable in service mix to Saltwater, with overlap in mid-market and enterprise engagements.
• MMB: Boston-based creative agency with integrated brand, digital, and media capabilities. Comparable to Saltwater in service scope and target market, though operating in the same New England geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/saltwaterco
• Facebookfacebook.com/Saltwater-Collective-155024917872103
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1213869

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Saltwater