AC&M Group

What AC&M Group does

AC&M Group is a full-service cultural marketing agency founded in 2004 in Charlotte, NC, by two Wake Forest University MBA classmates, Jaime Cardenas (CEO) and Alfredo Amparan (Strategic Advisor). The firm connects brands with the increasingly multicultural U.S. consumer base through cultural insight-led strategy, creative and production, total-market media planning and buying (paid social, connected TV, programmatic, OOH), planning and performance analytics, and digital innovation including web/app development and augmented reality experiences. It holds minority-owned certified business status and operates dedicated verticals in cultural marketing, soccer/sports marketing (with 1,000+ youth club partnerships), Hispanic Pro contractor marketing for construction brands, healthcare communications, and a U.S. market launch practice for international brands.

The company's technology stack integrates Placer.ai for consumer behavior and foot traffic analytics, a self-managed omnichannel programmatic DSP for display, audio streaming, OOH and OTT buying, HubSpot as its CRM and marketing automation backbone (with Breeze AI for content and workflow generation), and Looker Studio for business intelligence dashboards. In 2023 it added a digital delivery team in La Plata, Argentina; in 2024 it acquired that long-standing partner, Axlot, to internalize web and app development, programmatic media and digital innovation capabilities. In January 2025 it opened a second international office in Monterrey, Mexico to serve North American cross-border clients, and in July 2025 it became a Certified HubSpot Solutions Partner, enabling productized CRM and AI-enablement service offerings.

AC&M monetizes entirely through professional services on a project- or retainer-based, multi-year contract model with pricing scoped to campaign deliverables, team composition, and media budgets. Its go-to-market is consultative direct selling targeting enterprise and mid-market clients across retail, healthcare, construction, food and beverage, sportswear, media, government, and nonprofit segments. Named enterprise clients include Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Lowe's, Sherwin-Williams, Volkswagen, adidas, Unilever, American Airlines, Family Dollar, Makita, DeWalt, Stanley Black & Decker, Telemundo, National Gypsum, CertainTeed, Builders Mutual, and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The company remains privately held and founder-controlled with no disclosed institutional funding or IPO plans.

Name

AC&M Group

Legal name

AC&M Group

Website

https://acmconnect.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AC&M Group is a full-service cultural marketing agency founded in 2004 in Charlotte, NC, that connects brands with multicultural and Hispanic consumers through strategy, media buying, creative production, and analytics, serving Fortune 500 clients across retail, healthcare, construction, sportswear, and international brands entering the U.S. market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising Agencies (54181), Media Buying Agencies (54183), Other Services Related to Advertising (541890)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lead Nurturing & Marketing Operations (List Management, Scoring) (MPAAAIAJ), Product & Brand PR (Consumer & B2B) (BPAFADAH)

Keywords

• Cultural marketing services
• Multicultural advertising agency
• Media planning buying
• Digital innovation services
• Sports marketing agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Marketing Strategy and Consulting Services: Cultural marketing strategy development, market research, consumer insights, and strategic planning services typically delivered through project-based engagements or retainer arrangements with enterprise clients.
2. Media Planning and Buying: Full-spectrum media buying services including paid social, streaming radio, connected TV, programmatic, television, print, and out-of-home advertising across traditional and digital platforms.
3. Creative and Production Services: Creative development including visual narratives, lifestyle videos, animations, graphics, photography, radio production, and multi-channel content creation.
4. Digital Innovation and Development: Website design and development, mobile applications, AR experiences, digital sweepstakes, and marketing automation implementation services.
5. Campaign Measurement and Analytics: Performance analytics services including KPI tracking, conversion rate monitoring, customer acquisition cost analysis, and real-time reporting dashboards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AC&M Group is a full-service marketing agency delivering cultural marketing strategy, total market media buying, creative production, digital innovation, and performance analytics to Fortune 500 brands and international clients. The agency specializes in connecting brands with multicultural, Hispanic, soccer, and diverse consumer segments through culturally resonant campaigns across paid social, streaming, programmatic, CTV, OOH, and traditional channels. It also provides digital platform development, augmented reality experiences, marketing automation, and U.S. market entry services for international brands.

Product overview

AC&M Group is a full-service cultural marketing agency founded in 2004, headquartered in Charlotte, NC with offices in Mexico and Argentina. The company operates as a unified offering combining six core capabilities: True Total Market Media Buying (traditional and digital media channels), Cultural Marketing & Strategy (research, creative, production, measurement), Soccer Marketing (specialized vertical leveraging 1,000+ youth club partnerships), Digital Innovation (web, AR, marketing automation), Planning and Performance Analytics (with Placer.ai and HubSpot integrations), and U.S. Market Launch Strategy. The company recently acquired AXLOT to expand its technological capabilities. AC&M is a Minority Owned Certified Business and Certified HubSpot Solutions Partner.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• True Total Market Media Buying
• Cultural Marketing & Strategy
• Planning and Performance Analytics
• Soccer Marketing
• U.S. Market Launch Strategy
• Digital Innovation

Quantifiable outcome

• COVID-19 vaccine messaging reached all 100 counties in North Carolina
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers38 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability8 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HubSpotcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2025AC&M Group became a Certified HubSpot Solutions Partner in July 2025. This partnership enables the agency to help clients set up CRM systems reflecting full sales and marketing funnels, automate key processes, build data pipelines connected to Looker Studio dashboards, score and segment leads using real-time behavior, and create foundations for AI tool integration. The agency leverages HubSpot's Breeze AI capabilities for generative AI features including auto-generating blog content, subject lines, workflow optimization, and campaign personalization.
• Placer.aicoreTechnology or IntegrationAC&M Group is a Placer agency partner, leveraging cutting-edge consumer behavior and foot traffic pattern data. The partnership enables precise targeting of marketing efforts, optimization of store locations, measurement of campaign performance, and trend forecasting. This is particularly valuable for retail clients seeking to drive foot traffic through integrated Out Of Home advertising with geo-targeted digital campaigns.
• AxlotcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAC&M Group acquired Argentina-based Axlot, a digital innovator specializing in web development, digital advertising, analytics, and digital innovation. The companies had an established partnership for more than eight years before the acquisition. The acquisition expands AC&M's digital and tech capabilities including web and app development, interactive experiences, programmatic media planning and buying, and marketing automation. It also creates career opportunities for Argentinian talent in the U.S. digital marketing industry.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lopez Negrete Communications: One of the largest independent Hispanic-focused marketing agencies in the US, providing full-service advertising, media buying, and digital services to Fortune 500 clients targeting Hispanic consumers. Closely comparable to AC&M in mission, multicultural specialization, and enterprise client base.
• Alma: Independent multicultural creative agency known for culturally fluent campaigns targeting Hispanic and multicultural audiences. Competes directly with AC&M for Fortune 500 multicultural marketing engagements and shares the 'cultural insights' positioning.
• Republica Havas: Multicultural creative and media agency within the Havas network, focused on Hispanic and Latino audiences in the US. Comparable to AC&M in client mix and cultural-marketing specialization.
• Conill: Hispanic full-service advertising agency (part of the Saatchi & Saatchi network) offering media, creative, and digital services for brands targeting US Hispanic consumers. Directly comparable in service mix and target audience to AC&M.
• Cultura Collective: Hispanic and multicultural marketing agency offering strategy, creative, and digital services to enterprise brands. Competes with AC&M in the same multicultural full-service space, with comparable client profile.
• Dieste: Independent Hispanic and multicultural marketing agency providing strategy, creative, media, and digital services. Directly competes with AC&M for multicultural campaigns targeting US Hispanic and Latin American audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Anomaly: Larger independent creative agency with growing multicultural and Hispanic practice. While broader than AC&M, it overlaps in cultural-marketing capabilities and competes for similar enterprise creative briefs.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Major global independent creative agency that increasingly engages in culturally driven work for brands targeting diverse US audiences. Overlaps with AC&M at the high end of cultural creative engagements for Fortune 500 clients.

Others

• HubSpot Solutions Partner Agencies: The ecosystem of HubSpot Solutions Partner agencies that offer overlapping CRM, marketing automation, and inbound marketing services. Directly comparable to AC&M's newly certified HubSpot practice and a peer for martech-enabled client engagements.

Emerging players

• Intersport: Sports marketing agency with capabilities in soccer marketing, fan engagement, and brand partnerships. Comparable to AC&M's soccer marketing vertical and a relevant peer for soccer-focused brand engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/acmconnect
• Facebookfacebook.com/acmconnect

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles31 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AC&M Group