The Madison Melle Agency

What The Madison Melle Agency does

The Madison Melle Agency is a privately-held, founder-led creative design studio and marketing firm headquartered in Venice, California, with additional offices in New York City and a globally distributed remote team. Founded by Cara Federici, the agency specializes in branding, graphic design, interior design, performance marketing, and technology services for boutique, luxury, and independent brands, with a primary vertical focus on hospitality, food and beverage, real estate, wellness, retail, technology, and the arts. Its enterprise client roster includes Hilton Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, Brookfield Properties, Fast Company, Proper Hospitality, and Palisociety, supported by a long tail of luxury boutique hotels and lifestyle brands.

The agency operates through three primary divisions: a Design Studio (brand ideation, graphic design, lifestyle design), a Performance Marketing practice (SEM, SEO, social, PR, revenue management, web/app development), and a proprietary AI platform called citerya, co-developed with Tech Theory Group. citerya is a search and discoverability intelligence product designed to optimize brand visibility across AI-powered search experiences on ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity, offering structured data, knowledge graph, and content architecture services alongside its methodology. The agency's distribution is anchored by a 2025 Global Alliance Partner relationship with Preferred Hotels & Resorts, giving it preferred-provider access to over 1,100 member properties worldwide.

The Madison Melle Agency is a B2B professional services firm using a direct sales and field-sales GTM motion, with a contact-based pricing model offering full-service or à-la-carte engagements. Revenue comes primarily from professional services fees, with a planned recurring-revenue layer from citerya subscriptions. The company is WBENC-certified as a Women's Business Enterprise and is led by a senior management team with prior C-level operating experience at The Kor Group, Proper Hospitality, Palisociety, Standard Hotels, and Cachet Hotel Group. No external funding, revenue figures, or headcount growth metrics have been disclosed.

Name

The Madison Melle Agency

Legal name

The Madison Melle Agency

Website

https://madisonmelle.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Madison Melle Agency is a privately-held creative design studio and marketing firm founded in 2017, serving boutique, luxury, and independent brands across hospitality, food and beverage, real estate, wellness, retail, technology, and arts with branding, performance marketing, and proprietary AI discoverability services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Creative Design Studio Services: Full-service creative design including brand ideation, graphic design, interior design, and lifestyle branding disciplines. Services include naming, voice & tone, copywriting, programming, out of home advertising, website design, logos & typography, visual identity, and collateral design.
2. Performance Marketing Services: Marketing, strategy and technology services supporting brand development and scaling. Includes Google Ads/Analytics, SEM/SEO, social media, public relations, launch & scale, sales & revenue management, ChatGPT/AI training, owner's rep & expert witness, workflow mapping, web & app design, UI/UX design, and infrastructure design.
3. citerya AI Search & Discoverability: AI search and discoverability intelligence platform services including OpenAI/ChatGPT optimization, Claude/Gemini visibility strategy, AI search authority development, search behavior analysis, AI training & consultation, SEMrush/search intelligence audits, brand intelligence mapping, content architecture, structured data & technical SEO, and knowledge graph development.
4. The Arts - Art Consultancy Services: Full-service art consultancy including artist brand development, gallery representation strategy, portfolio and exhibition identity design, digital content systems, and strategic media relations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

The Madison Melle Agency is a creative design studio and performance marketing agency that provides branding, graphic and interior design, web/app development, and integrated marketing services for boutique, luxury, and independent brands across hospitality, food & beverage, real estate, wellness, retail, technology, and arts sectors. Its proprietary AI platform citerya offers AI search and discoverability intelligence to help brands be surfaced and recommended within AI-powered search engines and assistants. Services are delivered full-service or a-la-carte through direct, relationship-driven client engagement.

Product overview

The Madison Melle Agency is a multi-faceted creative design studio, lifestyle branding and marketing firm operating as a unified agency with specialized divisions. The core offering consists of the Creative Design Studio (branding, graphic design, interior design), Performance Marketing division (marketing strategy, technology), and AI Search & Discoverability (citerya). citerya is the agency's proprietary AI platform for brand visibility in AI-powered search. Supporting services include Technology (web/app development, UI/UX), Marketing (digital campaigns, SEO, social media), Strategy (advisory, revenue management), Branding, Graphic Design, and The Arts consultancy. The agency specializes in boutique, luxury, and independent brands across hospitality, food & beverage, real estate, wellness, retail, and technology sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• citerya: AI search and discoverability intelligence platform powered by proprietary AI technology, designed to help brands become visible, understood, cited, and recommended across AI-powered search experiences. Built by The Madison Melle Agency and Tech Theory Group, with a specialized focus on luxury and lifestyle brands.
• Creative Design Studio

Products and services

• citerya AI search and discoverability intelligence platform that combines proprietary AI visibility intelligence with brand positioning expertise to help luxury and lifestyle brands be surfaced, cited, and recommended across AI-powered search engines and assistants such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity.
• Design Studio Creative Design Studio division of The Madison Melle Agency supporting brand ideation, graphic design, and interior/lifestyle design disciplines, deploying proprietary strategies focused on emotional connectivity and customer experience prioritization.
• Performance Marketing Integrated performance marketing services covering marketing strategy, technology, Google Ads/Analytics, SEM/SEO, social media, public relations, launch & scale, sales & revenue management, AI training, owner's representation, workflow mapping, web & app design, UI/UX design, and infrastructure design.
• Technology Services Frontend and backend technology solutions including website and application design and development, UI/UX design, technology assessment and workflow optimization, and technology infrastructure design and deployment.
• Marketing Services Comprehensive marketing campaigns including Google Ads/Analytics, SEM/SEO, Social Media, Public Relations, CRM, Copywriting, storytelling, onboarding, and lead generation.
• Strategy Services Advisory services including launch and scale support, revenue management, ChatGPT & AI training, owner's representation, site selection, feasibility studies, turnarounds, and asset management.
• Branding Services Brand ideation, naming, voice and tone development, programming, and brand standards maintenance through product positioning and partnership development.
• Graphic Design Services High-quality graphic design and videography including logos and typography, visual identity, collateral design, packaging, signage, brand books, pitch decks, and print/digital production.
• The Arts Services Full-service art consultancy including artist brand development, gallery representation strategy, portfolio and exhibition identity design, digital content systems, and strategic media relations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Global Alliance Partner with Preferred Hotels & Resorts serving over 1,100 resorts & hotels globally
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers34 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Preferred Hotels & ResortsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAwarded position of Global Alliance Partner with Preferred Travel Group and Preferred Hotels & Resorts in 2025. The Madison Melle Agency serves as lead branding, website design, and performance marketing partner for over 1,100 resorts & hotels globally.
• Tech Theory GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developed citerya, an AI search and discoverability intelligence platform. Tech Theory Group brings specialized expertise in technology and AI systems combined with The Madison Melle Agency's brand positioning and hospitality expertise.
• Canary TechnologiescoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership announced for hotel technology integration. The Madison Melle Agency and Tech Theory Group partnered with Canary Technologies for hospitality technology solutions.
• MewscoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial partnership announced for property management and hospitality technology integration.
• BLLA (Boutique Luxury Lifestyle Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive partnership in Women in Travel & Hospitality Conference by BLLA & TIEWN. Sponsorship of BLLA events and participation in BLLA conferences. Cara Federici serves on BLLA Board of Advisors.
• Coral GardenersminorOthersHoliday donation partnership for coral reef restoration initiatives.
• Art StartminorOthers2024 Holiday donation partnership supporting arts education and youth programs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mother Design: Design arm of the Mother network specializing in brand identity, editorial, and packaging for premium and lifestyle clients. Comparable to TMMA in boutique positioning, brand-led work, and emphasis on craftsmanship.
• Trollbäck+Company: Brand and motion design studio known for hospitality and entertainment clients (e.g., Standard Hotels brand work). Closely comparable to TMMA in client mix, boutique scale, and brand-led creative approach to luxury hotels.
• Huge: Full-service digital agency spanning strategy, design, marketing, and technology. Comparable to TMMA's end-to-end service stack and track record with enterprise and consumer brands across multiple verticals.
• R/GA: Global creative and innovation agency offering brand, design, and technology services to enterprise clients. Directly comparable to TMMA's integrated design + performance marketing + technology model, with similar multi-disciplinary studio structure.
• Anomaly: Independent creative agency operating at the intersection of advertising, design, and digital product. Comparable in its non-network model, premium client roster, and integrated brand + tech offering.
• Work & Co: Digital product agency focused on designing and engineering web and mobile experiences for premium brands. Comparable to TMMA's Technology division in frontend/backend capabilities and luxury hospitality client base.
• Pentagram: Independent design firm with partner-led studios across brand identity, digital, and editorial design. Comparable to TMMA's Design Studio in its focus on elevated brand systems for premium clients including hospitality and lifestyle.

Emerging players

• Bokeh Agency: Boutique creative and marketing agency focused on hotels, resorts, and travel brands. Closely comparable to TMMA's hospitality specialization, with overlapping client types in luxury and independent properties.
• Manual: Independent creative and content agency with a strong focus on travel, hospitality, and lifestyle brands. Closely comparable to TMMA in vertical specialization, boutique scale, and brand-and-content-led offering.

Broad incumbents

• Wieden+Kennedy: Large independent creative network known for brand storytelling and integrated campaigns. Comparable in creative reputation and enterprise client quality, though significantly larger and broader in scope than TMMA's boutique model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/madison_melle
• YouTubevimeo.com/user166751342
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/themadisonmelleagency
• Instagraminstagram.com/themadisonmelleagency
• Facebookfacebook.com/themadisonmelleagency

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 The Madison Melle Agency