The Marketing Department

What The Marketing Department does

The Marketing Department, Inc. (DBA TMD Creative) is a full-service marketing and creative agency founded in 1999 in Salinas, California, that has specialized for over two decades in the agriculture and fresh food industries. The firm delivers strategy, branding, graphic design, web design and development, digital advertising (including A.I.-based retargeting and custom audience matching), photography, and video/animation — all executed in-house without outsourcing. Its client base spans enterprise produce companies (Earthbound Farm, Taylor Farms, Ocean Mist Farms, Del Rey Avocado, D'Arrigo, Berry People, Olinday Farms), government agencies (County of Monterey departments), and nonprofit foundations (Community Foundation for Monterey County, Natividad Foundation, ITNMontereyCounty, Semillitas, Alliance on Aging), with a concentration of work in the Salinas Valley and Monterey County region alongside additional offices in San Diego, Sacramento, Dallas, Yuma, and Tahoe.

The company operates TMD Technology Solutions as a wholly-owned subsidiary launched in October 2017, which productizes industry-specific applications — SpecFresh, Kiptraq, and the Gives App — for agriculture, food and beverage processing, and nonprofit fundraising; the Gives App is deployed across multiple county campaigns (Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Colorado Springs) and has been credited with raising over $2M for Monterey County nonprofits. TMD Creative also co-founded and markets the Organic Produce Summit (since 2016) and the Sustainable Produce Summit (with Farm Journal, launched 2020), positioning the firm as both a creative services provider and a category convenor in the fresh produce industry. Leadership transitioned in January 2022 from founder Nicholas Pasculli to Monica Tovar, who joined with prior senior roles at Entravision Communications, iHeart Media, and Stephens Media Group.

Name

The Marketing Department

Legal name

The Marketing Department, Inc.

Website

https://tmdcreative.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

TMD Creative is a full-service marketing agency founded in 1999 in Salinas, California, delivering in-house branding, digital, web, video, and photography services primarily to agriculture, fresh food, government, and nonprofit clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salinas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 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 Services (Project-Based): TMD Creative generates revenue primarily through project-based professional services engagements. Services include branding, graphic design, web design and development, digital advertising, photography, video production, and strategy consulting. Engagements are quoted and scoped individually, with no standardized product pricing publicly disclosed.
2. Digital Advertising Management: TMD manages digital ad campaigns for clients (display ads, social media, retargeting, A.I. targeting), charging for media planning, ad design, placement, and reporting services. Media buying is handled in-house as a full-service offering.
3. Platform/SaaS (Gives! App): TMD Technology Solutions (an affiliated entity) offers the Gives! App as a productized digital giving platform for community foundations and nonprofits, licensed or subscribed to by multiple county campaigns (Monterey, Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Colorado Springs).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Marketing Department (TMD Creative) is a full-service marketing agency that delivers branding, graphic design, digital advertising, photography, video production, and web design/development, all executed in-house. It also operates TMD Technology Solutions, a subsidiary providing industry-specific software products including SpecFresh, Kiptraq, and the Gives! digital giving platform used by community foundations to run county-level year-end fundraising campaigns.

Product overview

TMD Creative is a full-service marketing agency offering a comprehensive suite of creative services organized into six core offerings: Branding, Design, Digital, Photography, Video, and Web services. The agency also operates TMD Technology Solutions as a separate subsidiary providing industry-specific software products including SpecFresh, Kiptraq, and the Gives App for agriculture, food/beverage, and nonprofit sectors. Services are delivered through in-house teams with no creative work outsourced.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TMD Technology Solutions: Technology solutions division providing industry-specific applications for agriculture, food and beverage processing, and nonprofit foundations, including products such as SpecFresh, Kiptraq, and the Gives App.

Products and services

• Branding Services Strategic branding offering covering market research, trendspotting, logo design, brand guidelines, messaging development, and content creation to establish and communicate a client's unique brand identity.
• Design Services Graphic design services including logotypes and wordmarks, business systems, annual reports, brochures, illustration, packaging, tradeshow/exhibition collateral, signage and wayfinding, and retail promotions.
• Digital Services Full-service digital media buying and campaign management covering media planning and buying, ad design and messaging, A.I.-powered targeting and retargeting, custom audience matching, keyword targeting, and custom reporting and analytics.
• Photography Services In-house photography covering lifestyle, landscape, real estate, food and drink, portraits, aerial drone, product, and commercial photography for brand and editorial applications.
• Video Services Video production including commercials, short films, documentaries, animation, aerial drone footage, and scriptwriting for client campaigns and brand storytelling.
• Web Services Web design and development including mobile apps, SEO, CMS training and support, performance recommendations, and web hosting services.
• SpecFresh (TMD Technology Solutions) Industry-specific software application for the agriculture, food and beverage processing, and nonprofit-foundation verticals, provided through TMD Technology Solutions (a TMD Creative subsidiary).
• Kiptraq (TMD Technology Solutions) Industry-specific software application for the agriculture, food and beverage processing, and nonprofit-foundation verticals, provided through TMD Technology Solutions (a TMD Creative subsidiary).
• Gives! App — Digital Giving Platform (TMD Technology Solutions) Branded digital giving platform licensed to county community foundations for year-end fundraising campaigns (Monterey County Gives!, Santa Cruz Gives!, Santa Barbara, Colorado Springs); enables nonprofits to customize the look and feel of their campaign sites and allows donors to filter and donate by nonprofit category.

Quantifiable outcome

• ITNMontereyCounty exceeded its donation targets by 34% through TMD's A.I. digital solutions during Monterey County Gives!
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers19 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

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Farm JournalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020TMD Creative partnered with Farm Journal to plan and market the Sustainable Produce Summit, an international virtual event dedicated to sustainable fresh produce. TMD contributed educational strategy, secured keynote speakers, and developed the digital and print creative campaign including email, social media, print ads, and branding. The event attracted over 3,000 participants from 6 continents in its first year.
• Community Foundation for Monterey County (CFMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA decade-long partnership (as of 2024) providing graphic design services for the annual report and website redesign. The annual report is a vital communication tool highlighting the Foundation's philanthropy, grantmaking, and support for local nonprofits. The website refresh enhanced design, navigation, and functionality.
• Hartnell College Agriculture Business and Technology InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTMD sponsored the Fifth Annual Salinas Valley Ag Tech Summit, hosted by Hartnell College's Agriculture Business and Technology Institute in collaboration with the Monterey Bay Chapter of CAPCA. TMD's president, Nick Pasculli, served on the Ag Tech Summit Advisory Committee. The event doubled in size every year.
• Salinas Valley Chamber of CommercecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTMD Creative is a 25-year member of the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce and was honored for this milestone at the 104th Annual Awards Luncheon. TMD sponsored the event's artwork and design, creating the event logo and other visual assets.
• Monterey Peninsula Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTMD was recognized by the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce with a Business Excellence Award in Advertising, Marketing & Media Services, demonstrating the firm's standing within the regional business community.
• United Way of Monterey CountycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTMD Creative supports United Way of Monterey County through marketing services and team member participation. President/CEO Monica Tovar serves as Board Chair. TMD attended the annual Community Breakfast celebrating United Way's 25 years of advancing its mission in financial stability, housing, and child care.
• County of MontereycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTMD Creative was selected by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors as a trusted partner for crisis communications during the COVID-19 pandemic. TMD led a comprehensive public outreach campaign including digital ads, PSAs, and multi-channel messaging. TMD was subsequently recognized by the Communicator Awards for this work.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Barkley: Independent mid-size full-service agency with comparable in-house creative, media, and digital capabilities. A structurally similar independent peer competing for similar mid-market enterprise work.
• Mering: Sacramento-based independent full-service agency of similar size and scope, working across branding, digital, and integrated marketing for regional and national clients. Comparable California-based mid-market peer.
• Yes&: Mid-size full-service agency (formerly YorkeG) with comparable client mix including nonprofits, government, and consumer brands. Similar integrated service offering across branding, digital, and content.
• The VIA Agency: Food and beverage-focused creative agency with comparable vertical specialization and brand-building expertise. Highly relevant peer given TMD's ag/food vertical concentration.
• Lawrence & Schiller: Mid-size independent full-service agency with similar structure and capabilities across branding, digital, video, and web. Comparable peer for mid-market clients seeking integrated agency services.
• Drake Cooper: Pacific Northwest-based independent full-service agency of similar mid-market size (~150 employees), with comparable food/CPG and consumer client experience. Directly comparable to TMD in structure, full-service scope, and vertical specialization approach.
• Planit: Mid-size full-service agency with food/agriculture and CPG client experience. Similar structure to TMD with in-house creative, digital, and content capabilities serving mid-market enterprise clients.
• Signal Theory: Mid-size full-service agency specializing in food, agriculture, and CPG verticals. Highly comparable to TMD's ag/food focus and mid-market client mix, with similar in-house creative and digital capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/tmdcreative
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tmdcreative
• Instagraminstagram.com/tmdcreative
• Xx.com/tmdcreative

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 The Marketing Department