Lunar Cow Publishing

What Lunar Cow Publishing does

Lunar Cow Publishing is a privately held destination marketing and publishing company headquartered in Akron, Ohio, that serves destination marketing organizations (DMOs), convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), chambers of commerce, and economic development organizations across the United States. The company provides turnkey production of visitor guides, community guides, relocation guides, business directories, and other tourism marketing publications, combining graphic design, copywriting, photography, editorial production, advertising sales, and printing into a single managed service. It reports supporting over 400 clients and maintains a print network of over 750 G7 master-certified printers using heat web offset presses. Founding is stated as 2000 in firmographic data, with copyright evidence confirming operation at least by 2016; headcount is in the 11–50 range.

The company's technology surface centers on three proprietary products built on responsive HTML5 architecture: GoGuide, a mobile interactive digital publishing platform using page-flipping technology with multi-language support, embedded video, analytics, and social sharing; iMap 3.0, an interactive community mapping product (listed as patent pending) offering trip planning, itinerary building, calendars of events, turn-by-turn directions, and Points of Interest data; and Kiosk, a self-standing 22-inch vertical 4K touch-screen hardware unit with Kioware protection software and printing capability. Production follows a documented "Barnstorming Summit" five-step process that the company states incorporates elements of ISO and Six Sigma methodologies. Integrations include YouTube and Vimeo (embedded video) and Weather.com (map weather data).

Revenue is generated through three mechanics: comprehensive publishing agreements with DMOs and chambers (the core service, quote-based), advertising sales within publications to local and regional businesses (with digital ad inclusion in GoGuide and iMap), and standalone à-la-carte technology licenses (GoGuide at $2,500, iMap 3.0 at $5,000, and Kiosk at $7,500) for clients not on full publishing agreements. Go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, using dedicated account executives, "Get a Quote" and "Schedule a Demo" CTAs, corporate/board presentations, downloadable lead-generation reports, portfolio showcases, and client testimonials, complemented by an inside-sales phone channel and a self-serve path for standalone products. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Lunar Cow Publishing

Legal name

Lunar Cow Publishing

Website

https://lunarcow.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Akron, Ohio-based destination marketing company providing turnkey visitor-guide publishing, tourism advertising sales, printing, and digital products (GoGuide, iMap 3.0, Kiosk) to destination marketing organizations, chambers of commerce, and convention and visitors bureaus across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Akron

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Publishing Services: Full-service destination marketing publishing including visitor guides, community guides, relocation guides, and tourism marketing publications. Revenue generated through comprehensive publishing agreements with destination marketing organizations.
2. Tourism Advertising Sales: Selling advertising space within publications to local and regional businesses. Advertisers receive digital advertisement inclusion in GoGuide and iMap at no additional cost.
3. Technology Products (Standalone): GoGuide ($2,500), iMap 3.0 ($5,000), and Kiosk ($7,500) available as standalone purchases for clients not using full publishing services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Lunar Cow Publishing is a destination marketing company that produces visitor guides, community guides, relocation guides, and tourism marketing publications for DMOs, chambers of commerce, and convention and visitors bureaus across the United States. It delivers turnkey publishing services encompassing graphic design, copywriting, photography, advertising sales, proofing, and commercial printing, complemented by proprietary digital products GoGuide and iMap 3.0 and a self-standing Kiosk hardware unit. The company also generates revenue through in-house tourism advertising sales executed on behalf of its publishing clients.

Product overview

Lunar Cow Publishing operates as a destination marketing company offering a comprehensive platform of publishing services and mobile interactive technology products. The core offering centers on Visitor Guide Publishing—a turnkey service that combines award-winning graphic design, advertising sales, editorial production, photography, proofing, and printing with G7 master-certified printers. The product portfolio includes three primary technology products: GoGuide (a mobile interactive digital publishing product with page-flipping technology for viewing publications on any device), iMap 3.0 (a mobile interactive mapping technology with trip planning, itinerary building, and Points of Interest functionality), and Kiosk (self-standing 4K touch screen displays). All technology products are built using responsive design and HTML 5, and can be offered as part of the publishing agreement at no additional cost or purchased à la carte. The company also provides advertising sales services, creative design, commercial printing, community maps, and website development as complementary service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GoGuide: Mobile interactive digital publishing product with page-flipping technology for digital editions.
• iMap 3.0
• Kiosk

Products and services

• Visitor Guide Publishing Full-service annual visitor guide publishing for destination marketing organizations, convention and visitors bureaus, and chambers of commerce across the U.S., bundling graphic design, copywriting, photography, advertising sales, proofing, printing, and digital distribution.
• GoGuide Mobile interactive digital publishing product with page-flipping technology and responsive HTML5 design that lets users view visitor guides, activity guides, community guides, business directories, resource directories, and community maps on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. Supports multi-language (7 languages), social sharing, advertising analytics, embedded video, search, and lightbox popups.
• iMap 3.0 Mobile interactive mapping technology enabling trip planning, itinerary building, calendar of events, turn-by-turn directions, and Points of Interest (POI) data access from businesses within a community or region. Includes weather integration (weather.com), advertising with free placement for print advertisers, analytics, social media integration, and printable content.
• Kiosk

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400 clients served across the United States
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• G7 Master-Certified Printers NetworkcoreOthersNetwork of over 750 G7 master-certified printers across the United States. Heat web offset presses producing highest quality products with great efficiency and innovation. Complimented with local and regional printers to keep printing business local whenever possible.
• Freight CarriersminorOthersPartnership with freight carriers for delivery of printed publications with proper equipment including pallet jacks, lift gates, and inside delivery capabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tempest: Destination marketing agency providing strategic planning, branding, content, and digital marketing services to DMOs and tourism clients. Comparable in serving the same DMO vertical with a similar full-service marketing offering.
• Madden Media: Full-service destination marketing agency producing visitor guides, magazines, and digital content for DMOs, CVBs, and tourism boards across the U.S. Directly comparable in serving the same DMO customer base with similar print + digital publishing services.
• Miles Partnership: Destination marketing agency offering publishing, media planning, and digital services to DMOs and tourism organizations. Closely aligned with Lunar Cow in target customer (DMOs) and integrated print + digital service model.
• Two by Six: Destination marketing agency focused on tourism and economic development clients, providing branding, content, and digital strategy. Comparable in serving DMOs and economic development organizations.
• Paradise Advertising & Marketing: Full-service advertising and marketing agency specializing in destination, travel, and tourism clients. Directly comparable in serving DMOs and CVBs with integrated advertising and publishing services.
• Quest Digital Media: Destination marketing agency offering visitor guide publishing, digital marketing, and advertising sales for DMOs and tourism organizations. Directly comparable in niche focus on DMO publishing.

Broad incumbents

• Bernstein-Rein: Long-established independent advertising agency with a destination and tourism practice. Comparable in serving DMOs but as a much larger full-service agency with broader industry exposure.
• Barkley: Independent advertising agency with destination and travel marketing capabilities. Comparable in providing integrated marketing services to DMOs, but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple industries.

Emerging players

• CrowdRiff: Visual content marketing platform for travel and tourism brands, including DMOs. Comparable in serving the same destination marketing customer base with a more digital-first, software-centric offering.
• Simpleview: Leading CRM, CMS, and digital marketing platform purpose-built for DMOs. Comparable in serving the same DMO customer base but as a software platform rather than a publishing services firm — represents both a partner and a competitive threat.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCfrh92fpEsIGjJkI-mwJgaQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/lunarcow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lunar-cow-design
• Xx.com/lunarcow

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Lunar Cow Publishing