What AdSerts does

AdSerts is a full-service advertising, marketing, and in-store communication agency headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin, founded in 1984 by Michael Guest. The firm serves mid-market and enterprise multi-location retailers across the United States, with a concentrated niche in the Ace Hardware franchisee ecosystem, farm-and-ranch retailers, lumber and building-materials dealers, and independent grocers; named clients include Costello's Ace Hardware (62 locations), Great Lakes Ace (64 locations), Buchheit's (20 locations across five states), MG Building Materials (25+ year partnership), Brickman's Ace Hardware, and Gebo's. Service delivery spans eight integrated practice areas — brand strategy, creative services, digital services, content marketing, social media, paid media, print, and account management — plus a remotely controlled in-store digital signage system. Core technology assets include a proprietary Mobile Circular platform (mobile-circular.com) that digitizes print circulars for mobile viewing, custom web development, and digital ad production, all delivered without a unified SaaS product layer.

The business operates on a professional services, project-based and retainer revenue model with custom pricing determined per engagement and multi-year contracts; revenue, customer-count, and unit-economics data are not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, anchored by a free-consultation CTA, a 1-800 number, case-study-driven credibility marketing, and an active blog publishing marketing thought leadership through 2026. The firm is privately held and founder-led, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, subsidiaries, or M&A activity; leadership includes Managing Partners (Michael Guest, Jennifer Williams, Jenny Schwiner, Jared Krueger) and a broader team of ~24 specialists spanning creative, digital marketing, operations, and support. AI is used as an internal productivity layer for content ideation, drafting, and workflow automation under explicit human-oversight and brand-voice guardrails, rather than as a productized capability.

Name

AdSerts

Legal name

Adserts, Inc.

Website

https://adserts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AdSerts is a Brookfield, Wisconsin-based full-service advertising and marketing agency founded in 1984 that serves mid-market and enterprise multi-location retailers — particularly Ace Hardware franchisees, farm-and-ranch, lumber, and grocery chains — through integrated brand strategy, creative, digital, social, paid media, print, and in-store signage services delivered on a project and retainer basis.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising and Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181), Direct Mail Advertising (54186), Indoor and Outdoor Display Advertising (541850)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Advertising (Brand + Performance + Media) (BPAFAAAA)

Keywords

• Retail marketing services
• Integrated marketing agency
• Brand strategy consulting
• Creative advertising services
• Digital marketing solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Brookfield

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. Marketing Services (Project-Based): AdSerts generates revenue through delivering integrated marketing services including brand strategy, creative design, digital services, content marketing, social media management, paid media, print production, and account management. Services are priced per project or retainer engagement based on scope and client size.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AdSerts is a full-service advertising and marketing agency that provides integrated marketing solutions for retailers, with particular focus on Ace Hardware and hardware/home improvement franchisees. The company delivers brand strategy, creative services, digital marketing, mobile circular advertising, in-store digital displays, content marketing, social media, paid media, and print services tailored to multi-location retail businesses.

Product overview

AdSerts is a full-service advertising and marketing agency offering a comprehensive suite of marketing services rather than a unified software platform. The core offering centers on integrated marketing campaigns combining brand strategy, creative services, digital services (including mobile circulars, web development, and video), content marketing, social media, paid media, print services, and account management. Their Mobile Circular product digitizes traditional print circulars for mobile-first viewing, while their creative services span branding, print, out-of-home advertising, and digital content. All services are delivered through a coordinated approach with dedicated account management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Strategy
• Creative Services
• Digital Services
• Mobile Circular
• Content Marketing
• Social Media Marketing Social media strategy, management, and advertising services tailored for retail clients across major social platforms.
• Paid Media
• Print Services
• Account Management
• In-Store Digital Displays

Quantifiable outcome

• ROAS of $42.09 per store monthly average
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HenkinSchultz Creative: Sioux Falls, SD full-service creative agency serving regional and mid-market brands across digital, video, and traditional channels. Comparable scale, Midwest geography, and integrated service mix.
• Farm Journal: Agricultural media and marketing company serving farm-and-ranch brands with content, events, and integrated marketing. Comparable target customer base and channel mix to AdSerts' ag-retail practice.
• Paulsen Marketing: Sioux Falls-based agency focused on agriculture, rural retail, and farm-and-ranch clients. Highly comparable given AdSerts' significant farm-and-ranch retail work (Buchheit's, Gebo's).
• Space150: Minneapolis-based creative and digital agency with strong retail and consumer brand work. Comparable integrated creative + digital + paid-media offering for mid-market and enterprise clients.
• The Lacek Group: Minneapolis-based marketing and customer experience agency with deep retail and loyalty-marketing specialization. Highly comparable to AdSerts as a similarly sized, retail-vertical-focused full-service agency serving multi-location brands.
• Wray Ward: Charlotte, NC-based marketing agency purpose-built for the home and building-products category. Directly comparable to AdSerts' building-materials and farm-and-ranch retail book of business.
• Russell Herder: St. Paul, MN-based agency providing brand strategy, creative, digital, and media services to mid-market clients. Comparable size, geography, and full-service offerings to AdSerts.

Broad incumbents

• Mithun: Minneapolis-based integrated agency (formerly Campbell Mithun) serving national brands across brand, digital, and media. Larger Midwest incumbent with overlapping capabilities; competes for similar retail/consumer accounts.
• Marcus Thomas: Cleveland-based full-service agency serving a range of consumer and retail brands. A larger Midwest incumbent with broader portfolio; overlaps with AdSerts on integrated retail marketing.

Regional players

• Laughlin Constable: Milwaukee-based integrated agency with a long history serving regional and national brands. Comparable Midwest geography and broad integrated services; operates at a similar scale tier to AdSerts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 AdSerts