What Thornley Fallis does

Thornley Fallis Communications is a privately held, integrated marketing communications agency founded in 1995 by Joseph Thornley (Chairman and CEO) and Terry Fallis (Vice-Chairman) in Ottawa, Ontario. The firm operates from three locations — Ottawa (headquarters), Toronto, and Chicago — and serves public, private, and not-for-profit organizations across Canada with horizontal coverage of government, healthcare, automotive, financial services, transportation, and non-profit verticals. Its service offering is organized around three pillars: We Provide Insight (SEO, usability testing, Google Analytics, social tracking and measurement), We Create (video content and production, graphic and digital design, web and app development), and We Connect (public relations, public engagement, content marketing, social media, media training).

The firm's technology and product surface is anchored by three wholly-owned sub-brands: 76design (creative services and web development using PHP, Java, MySQL, React, NodeJS, AngularJS, Drupal, and WordPress), 76engage (a proprietary digital public consultation platform providing virtual town hall capabilities launched in 2013), and 76BrandFilms (a full-service video production practice launched in 2009). Social media analytics leverage third-party tools including Sysomos MAP, Sysomos HeartBeat, and Salesforce Marketing Cloud. The firm received IABC Silver Leaf Awards of Excellence in 2017.

Thornley Fallis generates revenue through professional service fees, project-based engagements, and retainer arrangements acquired via direct sales, business development, and referrals. Pricing is quote-based and project-specific with no publicly disclosed tiers. The firm has 11-50 employees, no external institutional investors, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds. Its named client base spans Health Canada, City of Ottawa, Library and Archives Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa Public Health, Metrolinx, Toyota, GM Canada, Eli Lilly Canada, Rogers Communications, Allstate Canada, Commissionaires, Genomic Health, CARE Canada, WaterAid Canada, and Confederation Centre of the Arts.

Name

Thornley Fallis

Legal name

Thornley Fallis Communications

Website

https://thornleyfallis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Thornley Fallis Communications is a privately held, integrated marketing communications agency founded in 1995, serving public, private, and not-for-profit organizations across Canada and the US from offices in Ottawa, Toronto, and Chicago through PR, digital, video, and web services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Communications Services: Integrated communications agency providing services including public relations, content marketing, social media management, video production, web development, SEO, and analytics. Revenue generated through professional service fees, project-based work, and retainer arrangements with clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thornley Fallis is an integrated marketing communications agency providing strategy-driven services across three pillars: We Provide Insight (SEO, analytics, social tracking), We Create (video, design, web development), and We Connect (PR, public engagement, content marketing, social media, media training). The firm serves public, private, and not-for-profit organizations through its wholly-owned sub-brands 76design (creative services), 76BrandFilms (video production), and 76engage (digital public consultation platform).

Product overview

Thornley Fallis is an integrated marketing communications agency operating as a single unified offering with three interconnected service pillars: We Provide Insight (research and analytics), We Create (creative content production), and We Connect (communications and engagement). The agency is supported by subsidiary brands including 76design (creative services and web development), 76engage (digital public consultation platform), and 76BrandFilms (video production). Services span PR, social media, content marketing, SEO, usability testing, Google Analytics, graphic design, web development, video production, and media training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 76design: Creative services division that designs and builds smart communications products and content.
• 76engage
• 76BrandFilms

Products and services

• Thornley Fallis Communications Agency Integrated marketing communications agency providing strategy, creative, and connection services to public, private, and not-for-profit organizations through three pillars: insight (research/analytics), creation (video/design/development), and connection (PR/social/engagement).
• 76engage Digital public consultation platform providing a virtual town hall for organizations to engage citizens, stakeholders, clients, and customers. Features participation tools, news/information sharing, engagement management, community fostering, and customizable reporting.
• 76design Creative services division designing and building smart communications products and content, including advertising, graphic design, digital design, and website development.
• 76BrandFilms Award-winning full-service video production practice offering creative concept development, script writing, pre-production, full production, post-production, and promotion and analytics.
• Media Training Interactive media training workshops for spokespersons, conducted by former journalists and news leaders using real-life scenarios and practical exercises to prepare participants for media interviews.

Named customers20 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 76engagecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 201376engage is an online public consultation platform launched in 2013 that helps organizations engage people in purposeful conversations. Part of the Thornley Fallis group of companies providing organizations with full-range integrated communications services including digital public engagement capabilities.
• 76designcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 200076design is a creative services partner company that designs and builds smart communications products and content. Launched in 2000 as Thornley Fallis expanded from traditional PR into digital marketing capabilities. Works seamlessly with Thornley Fallis to provide full-range integrated communications services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NATIONAL Public Relations: Canada's largest owned PR firm, headquartered in Montreal with offices across Canada including Toronto and Ottawa. Directly comparable to Thornley Fallis as a Canadian-headquartered integrated communications agency serving public, private, and not-for-profit clients across similar service lines (PR, public engagement, content, digital).
• Cossette Communications: Canadian-headquartered integrated marketing communications agency offering advertising, digital, design, media, and PR capabilities across Canada. Direct competitor for Canadian enterprise and government accounts with overlapping service pillars.
• Citizen Relations: North American PR and influencer marketing agency with offices in Toronto and other major cities. Direct competitor for the same enterprise and consumer PR, content, and social mandates that Thornley Fallis pursues.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman: The world's largest independent PR firm, with global offices including Toronto and a full suite of communications, public engagement, content, and digital services. Comparable to Thornley Fallis across virtually every service line but operating at materially larger scale.
• Weber Shandwick: Global integrated communications agency offering PR, public affairs, social, content, and digital strategy with Canadian operations in Toronto and Montreal. Overlaps with Thornley Fallis on government, healthcare, and corporate communications engagements at significantly larger scale.
• FleishmanHillard: Global communications consultancy with Canadian offices (Toronto, Montreal) and practice areas spanning public affairs, healthcare, and integrated marketing — directly comparable to Thornley Fallis's service mix, especially in regulated and government-facing engagements.
• Hill+Knowlton: WPP-owned global communications firm with a long-standing Canadian presence. Competes with Thornley Fallis on public affairs, public engagement, healthcare, and corporate communications with a larger bench and broader geographic reach.
• Dentsu: Global advertising and communications holding company with significant Canadian operations (Dentsu Canada). Competes with Thornley Fallis for integrated marketing communications engagements as part of a much larger network offering creative, media, PR, and digital services.

Emerging players

• CitizenLab: Civic engagement SaaS platform used by municipalities to run online consultations, polls, and participatory projects. Comparable to Thornley Fallis's 76engage platform in the public-engagement technology category, though CitizenLab is a pure software vendor rather than an integrated agency.
• Bang the Table: Online community and civic engagement platform serving government and planning organizations globally. Direct functional overlap with the 76engage platform and a benchmark for the SaaS trajectory Thornley Fallis could pursue with its proprietary engagement product.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thornleyfallis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Thornley Fallis