What Hager Sharp does

Hager Sharp is an employee-owned, Washington, DC-based integrated marketing and communications firm founded in 1973, serving federal health and education agencies and mission-driven nonprofit clients. The firm operates four practice areas (Behavior Change Marketing, Education/Labor/Economy, Health, and Integrated Communications) and delivers twelve service lines spanning branding and messaging, creative development, digital engagement, events and conferences, media relations, multicultural marketing, paid media, partnerships, research and evaluation, strategic planning, video production, and website development. It is not a technology company and does not develop proprietary software platforms; its offerings are professional services rendered through campaign execution, audience research, media buying, and creative production.

The firm sells exclusively through federal contracting mechanisms, holding multiple prime and subcontractor positions including the GSA Multiple Award Schedule (47QRAA22D0060), the FDA CFSAN Public Health Outreach BPA (Aug 2022 - Jul 2027), the DoEd PRESTO IDIQ (Feb 2023 - Feb 2033), the HRSA Marketing BPA (Sep 2023 - Sep 2028), the NIH PICS II IDIQ (through Dec 2024), and a subcontractor role to Abt Associates on the CDC OADC Health Marketing Support Services BPA (Sep 2015 - Sep 2025). Customers include CDC, NIH, FDA, USDA, the U.S. Department of Education, NAEP, Lumina Foundation, AARP Foundation, Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts, and the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Documented campaign outcomes include increased diabetes awareness from 8% to 90%, HPV vaccination rises among adolescents, 617 million media impressions on the HPV campaign, and 130 million impressions on the MyPlate program.

The business model is professional services revenue earned under cost-plus and time-and-materials task orders issued against federal contracts, with competitive bidding as the primary go-to-market motion. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm is headquartered in Washington, DC with 51-100 employees, is independently employee-owned with no parent company or external funding, and was recognized as a 2024 Top Workplace by The Washington Post.

Name

Hager Sharp

Legal name

Hager Sharp

Website

https://hagersharp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hager Sharp is a Washington, DC-based employee-owned integrated communications firm founded in 1973 that provides behavior change marketing, public health communications, and education outreach services to federal agencies (CDC, NIH, FDA, USDA, Department of Education) and mission-driven foundations and nonprofits under multi-year contract vehicles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health and Education Communications Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Advertising Agencies (541810), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social Media & Community Management (PR-led) (BPAFADAM)

Keywords

• Public health communications
• Social marketing campaigns
• Behavior change marketing
• Government contract communications
• Integrated marketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Communications Contracts: Hager Sharp generates revenue primarily through federal government contract vehicles including GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS), Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs), and IDIQ contracts. Services include strategic communications, social marketing campaigns, media relations, creative development, digital engagement, and research and evaluation for government agencies and mission-driven organizations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hager Sharp is an integrated marketing and communications firm that designs and executes social marketing and behavior change campaigns for federal government agencies and mission-driven nonprofits. The firm delivers strategic communications, creative development, digital engagement, paid and earned media, media relations, events, video production, multicultural marketing, and research and evaluation services through federal contract vehicles. Its work centers on public health, education, and community-impact initiatives for clients such as the CDC, NIH, FDA, USDA, Department of Education, and nonprofit foundations.

Product overview

Hager Sharp is a fully integrated marketing and communications firm providing professional services to mission-driven institutions, government agencies, and nonprofits. The company offers a comprehensive suite of service offerings organized under four expertise areas (Behavior Change Marketing, Education/Labor/Economy, Health, and Integrated Communications) and twelve core service lines (Branding & Messaging, Creative Development, Digital Engagement, Events & Conferences, Media Relations, Multicultural Marketing, Paid Media, Partnerships, Research & Evaluation, Strategic Planning, Video Production, and Website Development). Rather than a software platform or product suite, Hager Sharp delivers consulting and implementation services through client engagements, with film/video production as a specialized creative offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health Communications Strategic health communications and social marketing service covering disease prevention, health promotion, social media engagement, and national campaign development for federal health agencies and health-focused nonprofits. Includes health communication, social marketing, advertising, mass communication, social media, media outreach, health literacy, marketing research, and evaluation services.
• Education, Labor, and Economy Services Communications service supporting institutions dedicated to lifelong learning and talent development, providing subject matter expertise, journalism support, and policy communications for federal education agencies, NAEP/NCES, and education-focused foundations.
• Behavior Change Marketing Specialized social marketing service that integrates marketing concepts with research, best practice, theory, and audience insights to influence behaviors that benefit individuals and communities, including campaign design, audience research, and evaluation.
• Integrated Communications Full-service marketing communications service combining strategic planning, research, evaluation, creative development, digital strategy, media relations, and website development for organizations seeking a single, integrated engagement.
• Films (Video Production) Video content production service including animation, data visualization, live action, and low-budget productions for client campaigns, with a portfolio of Vimeo-hosted content showcasing work for USDA, CDC, FDA, NIH, NAEP, AARP Foundation, and other clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• HPV vaccination rates among adolescents ages 13-17 increased from 42% to 63% in males and from 60% to 69% in females over campaign duration
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers10 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

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Abt AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHager Sharp operates as a subcontractor to Abt Associates on the CDC Office of the Associate Director for Communication (OADC) Health Marketing Support Services BPA (Contract Number 200-2015-M-88158). This partnership enables Hager Sharp to provide specialized health communication, social marketing, advertising, mass communication, social media, media outreach, health literacy, marketing research, and evaluation services to CDC.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GMMB: Washington, DC-based advertising and public affairs firm focused on health, education, and social-impact campaigns for federal agencies and nonprofits. Directly competes with Hager Sharp on CDC, NIH, Department of Education, and foundation engagements with similar integrated communications offerings.
• DDC Public Affairs: Washington, DC-based public affairs and advocacy communications firm serving political campaigns, nonprofits, and associations. Comparable to Hager Sharp on government relations, advocacy communications, and integrated public affairs campaigns.

Broad incumbents

• Ogilvy Public Relations: Global public relations and communications agency with a substantial health and public-sector practice serving federal clients and large foundations. Overlaps directly with Hager Sharp on federal health communications and behavior-change campaigns, though within a much broader portfolio.
• Weber Shandwick: Global public relations firm with a strong healthcare and public-sector practice serving federal agencies, advocacy organizations, and foundations. Competes with Hager Sharp for federal health and education communications work but operates at significantly larger scale across commercial sectors.
• Edelman: Largest global public relations firm with a dedicated health practice serving federal health agencies, pharmaceutical companies, and global health foundations. Directly comparable to Hager Sharp on federal health communications campaigns but with substantially broader geographic and commercial reach.
• Ketchum: Global communications consultancy with public affairs and healthcare practices serving federal agencies, foundations, and advocacy organizations. Competes with Hager Sharp on integrated health and education campaigns, particularly social marketing and behavior-change engagements.
• FleishmanHillard: Global public relations and integrated communications agency with healthcare and public-sector practices. Overlaps with Hager Sharp on federal health communications, multicultural marketing, and behavior-change campaigns for government and nonprofit clients.
• Burson: Global public affairs and communications firm with deep federal and healthcare experience following the BCW merger. Competes with Hager Sharp for public health agency and education department work, particularly on policy communications and stakeholder engagement.
• APCO Worldwide: Global public affairs and strategic communications firm with significant federal, healthcare, and education-sector practices. Overlaps with Hager Sharp on public health campaigns, education policy communications, and stakeholder engagement for government and nonprofit clients.

Emerging players

• CURA Strategies: Washington, DC-based health policy and communications firm focused on advocacy, federal health agency clients, and patient/consumer health campaigns. Directly competes with Hager Sharp on federal health communications with similar mission-driven positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hagersharp
• Facebookfacebook.com/hagersharp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hager-sharp
• Instagraminstagram.com/hagersharpcreates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Hager Sharp