What Putnam Partners does

Putnam Partners is a privately-held, Washington, D.C.-area political advertising and consulting firm that produces research-grounded television, digital, radio, and print advertising for Democratic political campaigns, Fortune 500 corporations, and advocacy organizations. The firm operates three service lines: Political Campaign Advertising (presidential, gubernatorial, Senate, House, and local races across 48 U.S. states and four overseas parliamentary campaigns), Corporate Reputation Services (crisis communications, product branding, and image turnaround for corporations and public utilities), and Issue Advocacy Campaigns (non-candidate advertising for unions, trade associations, and advocacy groups). Its work is anchored by founding partner Mark Putnam and a senior team of partners and SVPs with deep experience in Democratic political campaigns dating to 1987, and the firm has produced advertising for Presidents Obama and Biden, 11 U.S. senators, 12 governors, and 83 U.S. House members.

The firm generates revenue through professional services fees tied to campaign budgets, PAC spending, corporate communications budgets, and advocacy organization retainers. Pricing is bespoke and quote-driven rather than publicly disclosed, with engagements ranging from single-ad productions to multi-cycle strategic relationships. Putnam Partners sells exclusively through direct, senior-partner-led relationships — there is no intermediary distribution, no self-service channel, and minimal owned digital presence beyond a Vimeo page. Marketing is driven by earned media coverage in The New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Adweek, and Politico, and by 159+ Pollie Awards, two Cannes Lions Grand Prix Awards (2009), and three consecutive American Marketing Association Marketer of the Year awards (2012–2014).

The firm is independently owned and controlled by its founding partner and a small group of principals; no venture capital, private equity, or external institutional investors are disclosed. The company does not maintain public financial filings and operates without disclosed AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology products, or patent portfolio — its competitive position is built on the personal reputations of its principals, award-winning creative output, and entrenched relationships in the Democratic political and corporate communications ecosystems.

Name

Putnam Partners

Legal name

Putnam Partners

Website

https://putnampartners.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Putnam Partners is a Washington, D.C.-area political advertising and consulting firm producing research-driven TV, digital, radio, and print ads for Democratic political campaigns, Fortune 500 corporations, and advocacy organizations. Founded by Mark Putnam, the firm has served seven presidential campaigns and counts leading senators, governors, and advocacy groups among its clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Advertising Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Affiliate & Partner Marketing (Performance Partnerships) (BPAFACAE)

Keywords

• Political advertising services
• Campaign media strategy
• Issue advocacy advertising
• Crisis communications
• Corporate reputation management

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Political Campaign Advertising Services: Fee-based professional services for political campaigns at all levels, including presidential, gubernatorial, Senate, House, and local races. Services include strategic consulting, creative production (TV, digital, radio), and media buying. Revenue derived from campaign budgets, PAC contributions, and party committees.
2. Corporate Reputation and Crisis Communications: Engagement-based fees for corporate clients needing reputation management, crisis communications, and issue advocacy campaigns. Work includes TV, digital, print, and radio advertising for Fortune 500 companies, public utilities, and consumer brands.
3. Issue Advocacy Campaigns: Fee-based work for associations and advocacy groups including labor unions, non-profits, and cause-based organizations. Campaigns address policy issues, electoral advocacy, and member communication.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Putnam Partners is a political and corporate advertising agency that produces high-impact creative campaigns across television, digital, radio, and print. The firm provides strategic consulting, creative production, and media buying services to political campaigns at all levels (presidential to local), corporations facing crisis or reputational challenges, and advocacy organizations running issue campaigns.

Product overview

Putnam Partners is a political advertising and communications firm offering three core service lines: Corporate Reputation Services (crisis communications and brand image work), Political Campaign Advertising (presidential, gubernatorial, congressional, and local races across 48 states and international markets), and Issue Advocacy Campaigns (policy-focused advertising for associations, unions, and advocacy organizations). The firm produces television ads, digital content, radio, and print materials, combining research-driven strategy with creative production capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Political Campaign Advertising

Quantifiable outcome

• 57% to 31% drop in Pebble Mine support in Alaska after Bristol Bay Native Corporation campaign
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers31 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GMMB: GMMB is one of the largest U.S. political and public affairs advertising agencies, with a similar service mix spanning political campaigns, issue advocacy, and corporate/association work. It is Putnam's closest direct competitor for lead media roles on Democratic campaigns and Fortune 500 public affairs accounts.
• SKDK: SKDK is a top-tier Democratic-aligned public affairs, political advertising, and crisis communications firm. Like Putnam, it bridges electoral, corporate, and advocacy work, and competes head-to-head for high-profile political and corporate reputation mandates.
• Bully Pulpit Interactive: BPI is a digital-first Democratic political, advocacy, and corporate communications agency. It overlaps with Putnam on campaign advertising and corporate reputation work, with a stronger digital and data orientation.
• Hilltop Public Solutions: Hilltop is a Democratic political consulting and advertising firm offering campaign media, strategy, and advocacy services. It competes with Putnam for down-ballot and state-level Democratic campaigns and progressive issue advocacy clients.
• Precision Strategies: Precision Strategies is a Democratic political and public affairs consultancy that provides paid media, polling, and digital strategy. It is comparable in size and client type to Putnam Partners, often competing for the same progressive campaigns and advocacy accounts.
• Blue State: Blue State is a Democratic digital agency working on campaigns, advocacy, nonprofits, and brands. It overlaps with Putnam on the political and issue advocacy side and complements Putnam's TV-heavy approach with stronger digital fundraising and CRM capabilities.
• 270 Strategies: 270 Strategies is a Democratic political consulting firm offering campaign management, field organizing, and paid media. It is comparable to Putnam in campaign focus and Democratic alignment, often working on the same races as a complementary vendor.
• 76 Words: 76 Words is a Democratic political advertising and consulting firm founded by Obama campaign veterans. It is a direct competitor to Putnam in producing high-impact political ads and consulting on Democratic campaigns at the federal and statewide level.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: Edelman is the world's largest PR firm with a substantial U.S. public affairs and corporate reputation practice. It competes with Putnam for Fortune 500 crisis and corporate reputation work, but at much greater scale and with broader geographic and capability coverage.
• Weber Shandwick: Weber Shandwick is a global communications agency with strong public affairs, corporate reputation, and crisis practices. It is comparable to Putnam in offering corporate and advocacy communications but operates as a much larger, full-service incumbent rather than a political specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Putnam Partners