Powell tate
Powell Tate is a Washington, DC-based public affairs and integrated communications firm serving enterprise, government, healthcare, energy, technology, and nonprofit clients. Founded c. 1990 by former White House press secretaries, it operates as the DC public affairs unit of The Weber Shandwick Collective within IPG.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersWashington, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Powell tate does
Powell Tate is the Washington, DC-based public affairs and integrated communications unit of The Weber Shandwick Collective (itself part of Interpublic Group), founded c. 1990 by former White House press secretaries Jody Powell and Sheila Tate and operating legally as CMGRP, Inc. The firm serves enterprise, government, healthcare, energy, technology, and nonprofit clients with a vertically-organized practice structure spanning public affairs, corporate affairs, healthcare, energy, social impact and sustainability, geopolitics, technology, public sector, B2G, and B2B mandates, paired with functional capabilities in analytics and intelligence, creative and content, earned media, paid media, crisis communications, and issue advocacy.
The firm runs a custom professional services engagement model acquired through direct business development, RFP responses, and referrals across the Weber Shandwick Collective network. Underlying delivery is a data-driven platform combining proprietary AI-powered Narrative Intelligence (developed through approximately three years of joint R&D with leading AI model providers, used for narrative threat detection across news, mainstream, and deep-web sources) with Stakeholder Intelligence tools and machine-learning-based campaign measurement. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; engagements are large multi-workstream initiatives rather than commoditized products.
Powell Tate monetizes primarily through professional services fees, including retainer-based strategic counsel and project-based integrated campaign execution that frequently includes paid media activation (e.g., the CDC "Wild to Mild" campaign produced 55M+ impressions via paid media, and the USAA "Face the Fight" campaign produced 982M+ earned impressions and $58K in direct donations). The firm employs between 51 and 100 people across Washington DC and Brasília, Brazil, and claims a roster covering nearly half of the Fortune 100, with named clients including USAA, Verizon, Humana, CDC, HealthCare.gov, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the National Education Association, and the American Association of People with Disabilities.
Powell tate firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Powell tate
- Legal name
- CMGRP, Inc.
- Website
- https://powelltate.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Powell Tate is a Washington, DC-based public affairs and integrated communications firm serving enterprise, government, healthcare, energy, technology, and nonprofit clients. Founded c. 1990 by former White House press secretaries, it operates as the DC public affairs unit of The Weber Shandwick Collective within IPG.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Powell tate industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Consulting
- NAICS
- Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Administration of Economic Programs (926), International Affairs (928120)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)
Keywords
Where Powell tate is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Washington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Powell tate business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Strategic Communications Consulting: Professional services revenue generated from providing strategic communications counsel, campaign development, public affairs advisory, crisis communications, and integrated marketing services to enterprise clients including government agencies, corporations, and nonprofits.
- Integrated Campaign Services: Creative and execution services including earned media, paid media, social media, content creation, and digital campaign management delivered as integrated client engagements.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels7 records
Powell tate product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Powell Tate is a DC-based public affairs and strategic communications agency operating as the premiere public affairs unit of The Weber Shandwick Collective. The firm provides integrated communications counsel, campaign development, public affairs advisory, crisis communications, reputation management, and data-driven marketing services to enterprise clients including government agencies, corporations, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations across sectors such as healthcare, energy, technology, and B2B/B2G.
Product overview
Powell Tate is a DC-based public affairs agency and the public affairs unit of The Weber Shandwick Collective. The company offers a comprehensive suite of integrated communications services organized around sector expertise (Public Affairs, Corporate Affairs, Healthcare, Energy, Technology, Geopolitics, Public Sector, B2G, B2B, Social Impact & Sustainability) paired with functional capabilities (Analytics + Intelligence, Creative & Content, Earned Media, Paid Media, Crisis Communications, Issue Advocacy, Research). The agency uses data-driven approaches including proprietary AI tools for narrative intelligence and threat assessment to help clients navigate complex political, policy, and reputational challenges. Core offerings include reputation management, stakeholder engagement, grassroots mobilization, policy analysis, and integrated campaign development across earned, owned, paid, and digital media channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Public Affairs Strategic counsel and support for businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits navigating complex policy, political, and stakeholder environments with data-backed tools, policy expertise, and integrated media capabilities.
- Corporate Affairs Reputation building, strengthening, and protection services including corporate narrative articulation, executive visibility, and earned media strategy for large corporations.
- Reputation & Narrative Intelligence AI-backed narrative shaping services including strategic planning, threat assessment, issues tracking, and crisis response to help clients anticipate and counter threatening narratives, including mis- and dis-information detection.
- Energy Sector Communications Communications support for companies across the energy spectrum including renewable, carbon-free generation, electrification, transmission, technology, data, AI, advocacy, and energy policy.
- Social Impact & Sustainability Purpose-driven strategy services helping clients lead with creative solutions, decode complexity, and influence social and environmental progress.
- Healthcare Communications Healthcare public affairs including patient advocacy, public health campaigns, behavior change initiatives, and global health communications across federal, state, and international agencies.
- Geopolitics Consulting Strategic counsel helping companies navigate complex geopolitical landscapes including US-China relations, trade controls, sanctions, and cross-border tensions.
- Public Sector Communications Creative campaign development for federal and state governments and agencies to educate, inform, motivate, and change citizen behavior to achieve policy objectives.
- B2G (Business to Government) Communications Marketing and communications services at the intersection of policy, government, and marketing to influence federal legislative, regulatory, and procurement decisions.
- B2B (Business to Business) Marketing Business-to-business marketing communications driving outcomes through full-funnel performance and B2H (Business to Human) strategies.
- Technology Sector Communications Technology innovator communications including stakeholder intelligence, reputation management, coalition building, digital advocacy, issue advertising, and policy analysis.
- Crisis Communications Crisis preparedness and response services including plan enhancement, simulations, and boardroom support to protect reputations during critical moments.
- Paid Media In-house paid media services in Washington, DC using leading technologies for social web advocacy with strategy, execution, measurement, and insights capabilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 293 media placements with 982M+ impressions for USAA Face the Fight campaign
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Powell tate
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Powell tate technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature3 records
Powell tate partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Collective Senior AdvisorscoreOn-demand global network of external experts drawn from media, technology, policy and society. Offers critical capabilities across all six advisory areas to help leaders build institutional muscle memory for anticipating threats and executing with confidence.
- KRC ResearchminorSpecialized market research firm partner developing communications insights that reach, engage, and persuade audiences. Provides primary and secondary research capabilities including audience segmentation, environmental scans, and message testing.
- ResoluteminorPartnered with Resolute to develop the Face the Fight landing page for USAA campaign where all campaign information is housed.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Powell tate competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- MSL Group: Publicis-owned global public relations and integrated communications agency. Comparable on corporate reputation, public affairs, and healthcare communications for global enterprise clients, with shared holding-company scale dynamics.
- Hill+Knowlton: Global public affairs and communications consultancy with deep government-relations heritage. Directly comparable on policy advocacy, crisis, and corporate reputation work for multinational and government clients.
- FTI Consulting (Strategic Communications): Strategic Communications segment of FTI Consulting offering public affairs, corporate reputation, and crisis services. Comparable on Fortune 500/government client mix and on integrating data analytics with stakeholder engagement.
- Edelman: Largest independent global PR firm with deep public affairs, corporate, healthcare, and technology communications practices. Competes head-to-head for Fortune 500 government-relations and policy-campaign budgets and has comparable bipartisan US/international bench.
- FleishmanHillard: Omnicom-owned global PR firm with strong public affairs and healthcare practices. Competes directly with Powell Tate on integrated public affairs campaigns for corporations, nonprofits, and government clients.
- Brunswick Group: Specialist critical-communications and public affairs advisor to leading corporations on M&A, crisis, geopolitical, and stakeholder issues. Comparable on Fortune 500 client profile, executive visibility programs, and policy-driven campaigns.
- BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe): WPP-owned global communications agency formed from the merger of Burson-Marsteller and Cohn & Wolfe. Directly competes in public affairs, healthcare, crisis, and corporate communications with comparable Fortune 500 and government client roster.
- Weber Shandwick: Parent network and direct operating sibling within The Weber Shandwick Collective. Provides the same integrated communications services (public affairs, corporate affairs, healthcare, energy) and shares client relationships with Powell Tate. Most directly comparable on portfolio and capability footprint.
- Ogilvy Public Relations: WPP-owned PR network with strong public affairs, social impact, and corporate reputation capabilities. Directly comparable in offering integrated communications across earned, owned, paid, and digital media for multinational clients.
- Ketchum: Omnicom-owned global PR firm with established public affairs and healthcare practices. Competes with Powell Tate on integrated campaigns combining earned, paid, owned, and shared media for Fortune 500 and government clients.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Powell tate social profiles
Digital presencePowell tate compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Powell tate financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Powell tate leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Powell tate subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Powell tate funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Powell tate M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Powell tate
What does Powell tate do?
Powell Tate is a DC-based public affairs and strategic communications agency operating as the premiere public affairs unit of The Weber Shandwick Collective. The firm provides integrated communications counsel, campaign development, public affairs advisory, crisis communications, reputation management, and data-driven marketing services to enterprise clients including government agencies, corporations, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations across sectors such as healthcare, energy, technology, and B2B/B2G.
Is Powell tate a public or private company?
Powell tate is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Powell tate founded?
Powell tate was founded in 1990. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Powell tate based?
Powell tate is headquartered in Washington, United States, in the North America region.
How does Powell tate make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Strategic Communications Consulting is the primary driver. The others are integrated Campaign Services.
Who are Powell tate's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are MSL Group, Hill+Knowlton, FTI Consulting (Strategic Communications), Edelman, FleishmanHillard, Brunswick Group, BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe), Weber Shandwick, Ogilvy Public Relations and Ketchum.
Does Powell tate have an API?
No public API is recorded for Powell tate.
What industry is Powell tate in?
Powell tate's product category is Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHACAN, Public Sector & Policy Consulting. Its NAICS code is 921 and its SIC code is 8700.