What Preston Kelly does

Preston Kelly, which rebranded to Preston Spire in June 2026, is a Minneapolis-based, employee-owned, full-service creative advertising agency operating for approximately 75 years. The firm delivers integrated marketing services across five core practice areas — Strategy, Creative, Digital & Social, Production, and Media & Analytics — anchored by a proprietary values-driven methodology branded as Good Wins™. It serves enterprise and mid-market clients across seven primary verticals: Entertainment & Tourism, Home & Building Products, Financial Services, CPG + Food & Beverage, Retail, Healthcare & Health Technology, and Nonprofit.

The agency's revenue model is professional services, with project-based fees, retainers, and likely performance-based arrangements typical of full-service creative agencies; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. GTM is sales-led and direct, with enterprise outreach handled by phone and email from its Minneapolis headquarters at 105 South 5th Avenue, Suite 200. Documented client logos include UCare (Medicare Advantage), Second Harvest Heartland (food bank), NoDoz (Haleon), InSinkErator (Emerson), and Meet Minneapolis (appointed Agency of Record in June 2026). The agency also operates a sub-brand, Meerkat Studios, focused on experimental creative work.

In June 2026 the agency completed a major leadership transition: founder Chris Preston retired after 27 years as CCO, Dustin Black was named CCO and Partner, and CEO Jennifer Spire continues to co-lead. The rebrand, flagship AOR appointment, and 2026 Ad Age Creativity Awards (Best Work for Good) and AdFed Best of Show recognitions for the Project Lockdown campaign mark a deliberate repositioning of the 75-year-old firm.

Name

Preston Kelly

Legal name

Preston Spire

Website

https://prestonkelly.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Preston Spire (formerly Preston Kelly) is a Minneapolis-based, employee-owned, full-service creative agency serving enterprise and mid-market clients across healthcare, CPG, financial services, nonprofits, and tourism with strategy, creative, digital, production, and media services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minneapolis

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Agency Services: Full-service creative agency providing strategy, creative, digital & social, production, and media & analytics services to clients across multiple industries. Revenue is generated through project-based fees, retainers, and potentially performance-based arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Preston Spire (formerly Preston Kelly) is a full-service creative advertising agency that delivers integrated marketing services across five core practice areas: Strategy, Creative, Digital & Social, Production, and Media & Analytics. The agency combines values-driven brand building with measurable business outcomes through its proprietary "Good Wins™" philosophy, and serves enterprise and mid-market clients across verticals including healthcare, financial services, CPG, retail, nonprofit, and entertainment/tourism.

Product overview

Preston Spire is a fiercely independent, employee-owned, full-service creative advertising agency offering a comprehensive suite of integrated marketing services. The portfolio consists of five core service areas—Strategy, Creative, Digital & Social, Production, and Media & Analytics—that work together to deliver values-driven marketing with measurable impact. The agency also operates Meerkat Studios as a creative sub-brand focused on experimental and innovative work. The agency emphasizes its 'Good Wins' philosophy, combining purpose-driven marketing with business results across industries including healthcare, financial services, CPG, retail, nonprofit, and entertainment/tourism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Meerkat Studios: A creative studio offering or service under Preston Spire focused on creative content and production capabilities.

Products and services

• Strategy Services Strategic consulting services helping brands define positioning, target audience, and marketing approach to drive measurable impact.
• Creative Services Full-service creative development including advertising campaigns, branding, visual design, and content creation across multiple channels.
• Digital & Social Services Digital marketing and social media services including content strategy, social platform management, and digital campaign execution.
• Production Services In-house and managed production services for campaign materials across print, video, and digital formats.
• Media & Analytics Services Media planning, buying, and analytics services to optimize campaign performance and demonstrate ROI.
• Meerkat Studios A creative studio sub-brand under Preston Spire focused on innovative creative work and experimental marketing approaches.

Quantifiable outcome

• UCare moved from No. 4 to No. 1 Medicare Advantage plan in Minnesota in year one
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Meet MinneapolisflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 June 2026Meet Minneapolis appointed Preston Spire as Agency of Record to develop and execute a bold new tourism strategy and destination rebrand designed to elevate Minneapolis as a premier destination. This is a significant strategic partnership for positioning the Minneapolis tourism brand.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• 72andSunny: Independently operated creative agency with full-service offerings and award-winning purpose-driven work, comparable in independent positioning and creative profile.
• Carmichael Lynch: Minneapolis-based, independent, full-service creative agency serving similar mid-market and enterprise clients across healthcare, CPG, and consumer verticals. Closest geographic and structural analog to Preston Spire.
• Periscope: Minneapolis-based creative agency (now part of Dentsu) offering integrated brand, digital, and media services comparable to Preston Spire's full-service capabilities in the same regional market.
• Venables Bell + Partners: Independent full-service creative agency comparable in scale and model, with a similar emphasis on building brands through strategic and creative work.
• Anomaly: Independent creative agency with full-service capabilities including strategy, creative, and digital; comparable positioning as a sizeable independent alternative to network agencies.
• Mother: Independent global creative agency known for values-driven, distinctive work — comparable model as an employee-owned-style indie competing on creative excellence.
• Fallon: Minneapolis-based creative agency (now within Dentsu) historically known for purpose-driven, award-winning creative work — directly comparable in heritage, geography, and values-driven positioning.

Regional players

• Hub Strategy and Communication: San Francisco-based independent creative agency offering comparable strategy, creative, and media services to mid-market and enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• Wieden+Kennedy: Independent creative network at much larger scale, representing the benchmark for what an employee-owned indie agency can become — relevant aspirational comparable for Preston Spire's independent positioning.

Emerging players

• GUT Agency: Independent creative agency recognized for bold, purpose-driven work and rapid growth — comparable independent challenger positioning and creative profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/prestonkelly
• Facebookfacebook.com/prestonkellyagency
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/preston-kelly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Preston Kelly