What Serafin & Associates does

Serafin & Associates is a Chicago-headquartered, privately held public relations and public affairs firm founded in 1987 by Thom Serafin, operating under the integrated structure of three service modules: Message & Media (messaging strategy and media relations), Image & Reputation (crisis preparedness, reputation management and executive positioning) and Engagement & Advocacy (stakeholder relations and public affairs). Client work spans private-sector business leaders, non-profit organizations, labor unions and government/public sector entities, with a stated bipartisan approach and crisis-management emphasis. The firm has historically operated as a boutique regional practice anchored in Illinois relationships, but in November 2024 announced a merger with Mercury Public Affairs under the Mercury-Illinois banner, bringing in former Congresswoman Cheri Bustos to extend the firm's reach across North America.

The firm's commercial model is professional-services based: engagements are direct, consulting-led relationships delivered through personalized counsel rather than self-service or product channels. Revenue is generated through project-based and retainer arrangements with private, public and nonprofit clients, and pricing is not publicly disclosed. The GTM motion is sales-led and referral-driven, anchored on founder Thom Serafin's political/media background and long-tenured civic relationships. Distribution is primarily direct, regional in scope (Midwest) with national reach layered on through the Mercury partnership.

There is no proprietary technology platform underlying the core service; the only notable product asset is the Serafin Power Poll, an interactive (non-scientific) polling platform launched in 2020 that surveys Chicago's business, civic, media and political insiders and is published alongside a companion podcast. The firm maintains a corporate website, LinkedIn presence and the Poll as its principal content and engagement channels, alongside referral-based direct client relationships built over nearly four decades.

Name

Serafin & Associates

Legal name

Serafin & Associates

Website

https://serafin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Serafin & Associates is a Chicago-based, privately held public relations and public affairs firm founded in 1987, providing integrated communications, crisis management and advocacy counsel to private-sector, non-profit, labor union and government clients across Illinois and, via its 2024 Mercury-Illinois merger, North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Strategic Communications Consulting: Full-service communications firm providing integrated communications management, media relations, message development, reputation management, and engagement and advocacy services to clients across private, public, and nonprofit sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Serafin & Associates is a full-service public relations and public affairs firm that delivers integrated communications management to clients in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. Its work spans three service modules—Message & Media (storytelling and media relations), Image & Reputation (crisis preparedness, critical issues management and executive positioning), and Engagement & Advocacy (stakeholder engagement and public affairs events)—and is supplemented by the Serafin Power Poll, an interactive polling platform launched in 2020.

Product overview

Serafin & Associates is a full-service public relations firm that operates as a unified offering combining strategic communications services with its proprietary Serafin Power Poll product. The company provides three core service modules: Message & Media (strategic storytelling and media relations), Image & Reputation (brand protection, crisis management, and executive positioning), and Engagement & Advocacy (stakeholder relations and event creation). The Serafin Power Poll, launched in 2020, is an interactive polling platform that serves as both a thought leadership tool and client engagement mechanism, surveying Chicago's business, civic, media and political insiders on pressing civic issues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Serafin Power Poll: An interactive polling platform launched in 2020 that surveys business, civic, media and political insiders to produce valuable insight into what some of the Chicago region's most influential citizens think about pressing civic issues.

Products and services

• Serafin & Associates Integrated Communications Management Full-service public relations offering combining strategic communications services—Message & Media, Image & Reputation, and Engagement & Advocacy—for clients in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, extending each client's reach to key audiences and stakeholders, enhancing and protecting their brands, and creating new opportunities to fulfill their missions.
• Message & Media Strategic messaging and media relations service covering the who, what, where, when and why of establishing and communicating client stories to target audiences.
• Image & Reputation Services covering controlling the narrative in good times and bad, managing the unexpected, and positioning individuals and brands for success, including reputation management, critical issues management, crisis preparedness, and executive positioning.
• Engagement & Advocacy Services focused on growing solid relationships, creating events that resonate, and reinforcing client perspectives in the public affairs environment.
• Serafin Power Poll Interactive polling platform that surveys business, civic, media and political insiders to produce insight into the attitudes and opinions of the Chicago region's most influential citizens on pressing civic issues; described as non-partisan and strictly anonymous (not a scientific poll) and accompanied by a podcast.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mercury Public AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 November 2024After nearly 40 years operating independently, Serafin & Associates announced a partnership with Mercury Public Affairs, a leading national strategy firm with bipartisan network. The partnership provides strategic reach and resources throughout North America, enhancing capabilities in the Midwest and scaling national reach for Serafin's clients. Serafin will operate as Mercury-Illinois following the merger.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Hill+Knowlton: Global public relations and public affairs firm with deep government and corporate communications capabilities. Directly comparable in public affairs, crisis, and stakeholder engagement services Serafin delivers, but at international scale.
• Weber Shandwick: Global public relations and communications agency within IPG offering corporate reputation, public affairs, and crisis services. Comparable in service depth and senior-led engagement model, but with significantly broader geographic reach than Serafin.
• Ketchum: Global communications consultancy (now Ketchum + Brunswick Creative) within the Omnicom network offering corporate communications, public affairs, and brand strategy. Comparable as a much larger provider of the strategic communications services central to Serafin's offering.
• Edelman: Largest independent global PR firm offering integrated communications, public affairs, crisis, and brand marketing. Comparable as a provider of the same core services Serafin offers but at vastly greater scale and across all major geographies.
• FleishmanHillard: Global communications and public affairs agency (Omnicom) serving corporate, government, and nonprofit clients across public affairs, reputation, and crisis. Directly comparable service portfolio to Serafin's, but with national and international delivery.
• Ogilvy Public Relations: Public relations arm of WPP's Ogilvy network providing corporate communications, public affairs, crisis, and brand marketing. Comparable across full-service integrated communications but operates as part of a global network rather than as a regional specialist.
• Burson: Global communications and public affairs agency (formed from the merger of BCW and Hill & Knowlton's public affairs practice under WPP) offering strategic communications, crisis, and public affairs. Overlaps with Serafin's offerings across corporate reputation, public affairs, and crisis management.

Direct peers

• Mercury Public Affairs: National bipartisan public strategy firm with which Serafin merged in November 2024 to form Mercury-Illinois. Operates the same public-affairs, government relations, and strategic communications model across U.S. markets and is the most directly comparable peer by service offering and client profile.
• Jasculca Terman Strategic Communications: Long-established Chicago-based public relations and public affairs firm serving corporate, nonprofit, and government clients in the Midwest. Directly comparable to Serafin in geography, service mix (media relations, crisis, advocacy), and senior-led relationship model.

Emerging players

• Res Publica Group: U.S. public affairs and strategic communications firm serving corporate, nonprofit, and association clients with government-relations and communications services. Overlaps materially with Serafin's public affairs and engagement work, particularly for association and nonprofit clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WeAreSerafin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weareserafin
• Facebookfacebook.com/WeAreSerafin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Serafin & Associates