What Gragg Advertising does

Gragg Advertising is a privately held, founder-led full-service direct response marketing agency headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas (with a secondary contact address in Kansas City, Missouri). Founded in 1992/1993 by Greg Gragg, the firm employs 40-100 staff and operates from a single Kansas City-area headquarters, providing integrated digital and traditional marketing services to mid-market and enterprise clients. The company is led by Greg Gragg (Chairman), Darryl Mattox (CEO), Mike Schuler (CIO/Partner), and Fred Frantz (COO), with functional directors across SEO, UX/UI development, digital media, social media, client services, and creative. The agency has been recognized as a Premier Google Partner (2025) and a Microsoft Solutions Partner.

The agency's core service offerings span nine productized lines: SEO Services (on-page, off-page, local, eCommerce, Amazon SEO), PPC/Pay Per Click Advertising (Google Search, Display, Video, Shopping, Mobile), Social Media Marketing (paid and organic across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X), UX/UI Design and Website Development (WordPress, Drupal, responsive design), Media Services (CTV/OTT, radio, outdoor, direct mail, print, video production), Creative Services (graphic design, brand strategy, copywriting), Pay Per Lead / Affiliate Aggregation (performance-based lead delivery via a 20+ year vendor network), Email Marketing (HubSpot, MailChimp), and Analytics Services. A recently launched proprietary offering, GraggBot, applies natural language processing and generative AI to deliver conversational marketing strategy, insights, and content recommendations. Underlying technology combines a custom proprietary PPL tracking system with mainstream digital marketing platforms (Google Ads, HubSpot, MailChimp) and content management systems.

Gragg's business model is professional services, with revenue derived from four streams: digital marketing services, creative services, media services (each billed as retainer or project-based engagements), and performance-based Pay Per Lead / affiliate aggregation. Customer segments are diversified across education (Sumner College, WTI, ABHES, ATC), automotive (Oakes Auto, Orange EV), manufacturing (B&W Hitches), retail (Topsy's Popcorn), healthcare (Bridgewater Retirement Community), and IT (Serviam). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with lead generation driven by Free Marketing Audit and Free Proposal CTAs. Operating geographies span Midwest, Southeast, and Mid-Atlantic US, with active campaign execution now extending into 12+ states beyond the Kansas City home market.

Name

Gragg Advertising

Legal name

Gragg Advertising

Website

https://graggadv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Gragg Advertising is a privately held, full-service direct response marketing agency founded in 1992 in the Kansas City area, serving mid-market and enterprise clients across education, automotive, manufacturing, retail, healthcare, and IT with integrated SEO, PPC, social media, UX/UI, media, creative, and Pay Per Lead services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Digital Marketing Services: Comprehensive suite of digital services including SEO, PPC/SEM, UX/UI design and website development, social media (paid and organic), email marketing, pay per lead/PPI programs. Services are billed as ongoing retainer or project-based engagements.
2. Creative Services: Graphic design, art direction, brand strategy, copywriting, video production. Billed as project-based or retainer engagements.
3. Media Services: Traditional media planning and buying including outdoor/billboards, CTV, video production, radio production, direct mail, print. Cross-channel media services with budget allocation and optimization.
4. Pay Per Lead (PPL) / Affiliate Aggregation: Performance-based lead generation where clients only pay for qualified leads received. Uses network of vendors and affiliate vendors to purchase leads on behalf of clients based on needs and demographic requirements. Cornerstone of business for over 20 years.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Gragg Advertising is a full-service direct response marketing agency that sells integrated digital marketing, creative, traditional media, and performance-based lead generation services to business clients. Core offerings span SEO, PPC/SEM, social media (paid and organic), UX/UI design and web development, email marketing, media planning/buying (CTV, radio, outdoor, direct mail), creative services, and pay-per-lead affiliate aggregation. Services are delivered through an omni-channel approach that combines digital and traditional tactics to convert prospects into customers.

Product overview

Gragg Advertising is a full-service direct response marketing agency offering a comprehensive suite of integrated digital and traditional marketing services. The agency provides SEO Services, PPC/Pay Per Click Advertising, Social Media Marketing, UX/UI Design and Website Development, Media Services (including streaming/CTV, radio, outdoor, direct mail), Creative Services (graphic design, brand strategy, copywriting, video production), Pay Per Lead (PPL/PPI) affiliate aggregation, Email Marketing, and Analytics Services. Additionally, the agency offers GraggBot AI, a custom AI chatbot tool that combines the Gragg team's marketing expertise with machine intelligence to provide marketing solutions. The services are delivered through an integrated, omni-channel approach combining digital expertise with traditional media capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SEO Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Topsy's Popcorn: 163% higher YoY clickthrough rate, 73% decrease in cost per click, 287% increase in conversions
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• American Heart AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 May 2017Tapped by American Heart Association to help raise awareness and critical funds for the 2017 Go Red For Women campaign.
• NYADI (New York Automotive & Diesel Institute)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 26 October 2016Agency of record for NYADI since 1992, preparing students for automotive/heavy duty truck and diesel and collision repair service market.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationPremier Google Partner with certified expertise across Search, Display, Video, Shopping, and Mobile Google Ads. Six employees completed Google Specialist Challenge receiving AdWords certifications.
• GreenlightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganic PPL vendor specializing in trade school programs used for ATC campaigns.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KlientBoost: Mid-sized performance marketing agency offering paid media, SEO, and CRO services. Direct competitor on PPC/lead-generation offerings, particularly for mid-market and SaaS clients.
• Power Digital Marketing: Full-funnel digital marketing agency of similar scale offering paid media, SEO, content, and creative. Recent PE-backed growth mirrors the strategic trajectory a Gragg investor might pursue.
• Signal Theory: Kansas City-based integrated marketing agency of similar size offering advertising, branding, digital, and media services. Direct competitor for Midwest mid-market accounts with comparable omni-channel positioning.
• Barkley: Independent Kansas City-based full-service agency competing for the same regional mid-market and enterprise clients with comparable integrated marketing capabilities.
• DEG: Overland Park, KS-based digital marketing agency offering similar omni-channel services (paid media, SEO, analytics, MarTech) to enterprise and mid-market clients. Closely comparable geography, size, and service mix to Gragg.
• WebFX: Full-service digital marketing agency of comparable scale offering SEO, PPC, social media, and web design with proprietary MarTech platform (MarketingCloudFX). Competes on similar mid-market digital engagements.
• Cardinal Digital Marketing: Performance marketing agency specializing in healthcare, multi-location, and education verticals with comparable paid-media and SEO capabilities. Particularly relevant given Gragg's education vertical exposure.
• Directive: B2B-focused performance marketing agency specializing in paid media, SEO, and content with comparable mid-market focus. Competes for similar performance-driven clients, especially in B2B and SaaS.

Broad incumbents

• VML: Kansas City-headquartered global brand, advertising, and digital agency (WPP-owned). Overlaps heavily on creative, media, and digital but operates at much greater scale and competes for similar mid-market enterprise clients.

Regional players

• HLK Agency: St. Louis-based full-service digital and creative agency with comparable service mix (paid media, content, brand). Strong Midwest peer with deeper consumer-brand portfolio but similar size and regional positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gowithgragg
• Facebookfacebook.com/graggadv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gragg-advertising
• Instagraminstagram.com/GraggAdvertising

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Gragg Advertising