Vagus Public Relations

Public Relations Servicesvaguspr.com

Vagus Public Relations is a privately held boutique PR and integrated communications agency founded in 2004 in Chicago, with a second office in Northeast Florida. It serves enterprise and mid-market clients in hospitality, food and beverage, culinary, veterinary, and nonprofit sectors across 12 U.S. states.

Company typePrivate
Founded2004
HeadquartersPonte Vedra, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What Vagus Public Relations does

Vagus Public Relations (legal name: Vagus, Inc.; DBA: Vagus PR) is a privately held, founder-controlled boutique public relations and integrated communications agency founded in 2004 by Beth Strautz in Chicago. The firm operates from two offices — its Chicago headquarters and a Northeast Florida (Ponte Vedra) office opened in 2021 — and delivers work across at least 12 U.S. states. Vagus provides a unified suite of services including public and media relations, influencer and ambassador campaigns, CMO-level strategic brand leadership, SEO, social media and content strategy, advertising and paid media, content marketing and thought leadership, and event marketing and experiential activation. Services are sold directly through founder-led sales and referrals, delivered as customized professional-services engagements under retainers or project-based fees, with no disclosed public pricing.

The firm's core technology is its human capital and media relationships rather than any proprietary platform. Beth Strautz's prior in-house roles at Hyatt, Marriott, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, and Darden underpin the agency's positioning in hospitality, food and beverage, culinary, wellness, restaurant concepts, arts and culture, and — more recently — animal health and veterinary innovation. Notable enterprise clients include Scarlett Hotel Group (engagement spanning nearly a decade), Eagle Ridge Resort & Spa (10+ years), Ben & Jerry's, Darden/Seasons 52, Lettuce Entertain You, and PDX Biotech/OraStripdx; nonprofit work includes Limelight Theatre and the St. Johns Cultural Council. The OraStripdx relaunch campaign earned a 2023 Gold VETTY Award and the Purina Pet Care Innovation Prize.

Vagus makes money through professional services fees on retainer and project engagements, with quotes customized to scope, duration, and complexity. There are no funding rounds, parent entities, or subsidiaries disclosed, and headcount is not publicly stated. The firm competes on founder relationships, brand storytelling capabilities, and a portfolio of top-tier media placements (Food & Wine, New York Times, Travel + Leisure, DVM360, ABC 7 Windy City Live, CBS Chicago). Geographic reach is documented across AZ, CA, FL, IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, NV, NY, TX, and WI.

Vagus Public Relations firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Vagus Public Relations
Legal name: Vagus Public Relations
Website: https://vaguspr.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2004
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: Vagus Public Relations is a privately held boutique PR and integrated communications agency founded in 2004 in Chicago, with a second office in Northeast Florida. It serves enterprise and mid-market clients in hospitality, food and beverage, culinary, veterinary, and nonprofit sectors across 12 U.S. states.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Vagus Public Relations industry classification

Industry

Product category: Public Relations Services
NAICS: Public Relations Agencies (541820), Media Buying Agencies (54183)
SIC: Services-Advertising (7310)
akta.pro primary industry: Consumer & Lifestyle PR (MPAAADAB)
akta.pro secondary industries: Event & Experiential PR (Launches, Stunts, Press Events) (MPAAADAM), Digital PR & Social Media Communications (MPAAADAJ), Product & Brand PR (Consumer & B2B) (BPAFADAH)

Keywords

Boutique PR agency
Hospitality public relations
Media relations services
Brand storytelling campaigns
Integrated marketing communications

Where Vagus Public Relations is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Ponte Vedra
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

Vagus Public Relations business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

PR & Marketing Services: Professional services revenue from public relations, media relations, social media management, content marketing, event marketing, and strategic brand leadership engagements. Services delivered through retainer arrangements, project-based fees, or ongoing agency partnerships.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Vagus Public Relations product offering

Product offering

Core offering

Vagus PR is a boutique public relations and brand marketing agency that crafts integrated communications campaigns for clients primarily in hospitality, food and beverage, culinary, wellness, arts, and nonprofit sectors. The agency delivers public and media relations, influencer and ambassador campaigns, social media and content strategy, paid media and advertising, SEO, content marketing and thought leadership, event marketing and experiential activation, and outsourced CMO-level strategic brand leadership. Engagements are sold as customized retainer, project-based, or ongoing agency partnerships scoped to each client's needs.

Product overview

Vagus PR is a boutique public relations agency offering integrated communications and brand marketing services. The company provides a unified suite of PR and marketing capabilities including Public & Media Relations, Influencer & Ambassador Campaigns, Strategic Brand Leadership (outsourced CMO services), Search Engine Optimization, Social Media & Content Strategy, Advertising & Paid Media, Content Marketing & Thought Leadership, and Event Marketing & Experiential Activation. These services are delivered as consultative offerings rather than modular software products, designed to be tailored to each client's needs whether working alongside in-house teams or serving as the primary marketing leadership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

Gold VETTY Award winner (2023)
+3 more outcomes

Companies that use Vagus Public Relations

Customer profile

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Vagus Public Relations technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Vagus Public Relations partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

PDX Biotech / OraStripdxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVagus PR partnered with PDX Biotech to execute integrated relaunch campaign for OraStripdx, a 10-second veterinary periodontal disease diagnostic. The partnership included KOL collaboration with veterinary dental experts (Dr. Jan Bellows, Mary Berg, Kara M. Burns, Dr. Wendy Hauser), conference-led go-to-market strategy at VMX and Veterinary Dental Forum, and earned media campaigns securing coverage in DVM360, Veterinary Practice News, and Pet Food Industry.
Kelsey MontagueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational mural artist behind Taylor Swift's iconic 'Angel Wings' mural collaborated on public art installation unveiling in Hastings, FL for St. Johns Cultural Council. Vagus PR led media strategy leveraging the artist's global acclaim to spark regional interest.
NFL's Robbie Gould Golf ClinicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCelebrity tie-in partnership at Eagle Ridge Resort featuring NFL kicker Robbie Gould golf clinic to expand resort reach and credibility to new audiences through sports celebrity association.
TODAY Show Fitness Expert Stephanie MansourminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with TODAY Show fitness expert Stephanie Mansour to elevate Stonedrift Spa as premier wellness destination through celebrity fitness programming and media exposure.
K9s For WarriorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCause partnership for veteran support - Ben & Jerry's 'Scoops & Service' fundraiser raised $10,000 for K9s For Warriors organization pairing service dogs with veterans. Campaign supported by local media coverage.
Bikers Against Bullies WorldwideminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity activation partnership for Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day featuring Bikers Against Bullies Worldwide charity integration, meet-and-greets, and the debut of 'Acts of Sweetness Wall'. Drew hundreds of attendees and generated earned media.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Vagus Public Relations competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

J Public Relations: Boutique PR agency specializing in hospitality, travel, and lifestyle clients with a comparable integrated service model. Closest direct competitor in the hospitality/culinary niche that Vagus PR anchors.
Walker Sands: Chicago-based integrated PR and marketing agency serving B2B and consumer clients with comparable size and Midwest roots. Strong geographic and service-model overlap with Vagus PR's Chicago base.
TURNER PR: Boutique lifestyle and consumer PR agency with similar mid-market positioning and integrated influencer, social, and event capabilities. Comparable to Vagus PR's lifestyle and consumer brand focus.
Gregory FCA: Mid-sized boutique PR firm offering integrated communications with comparable services (media relations, social, content). Similar boutique scale and full-service positioning.
The Pollack Group: Boutique PR and marketing agency serving lifestyle, hospitality, and consumer brands with integrated communications offerings. Directly comparable in size and vertical mix.
Marina Maher Communications (MMC): Mid-sized integrated PR and marketing agency with comparable consumer and lifestyle practice areas. Similar boutique-to-mid-market positioning and service mix.
Sunshine Sachs: Boutique PR firm focused on lifestyle, entertainment, hospitality, and consumer brands with senior-led account teams. Comparable boutique positioning serving similar verticals.

Broad incumbents

5W Public Relations: Larger full-service PR firm with dedicated consumer/lifestyle and hospitality practices competing for similar mid-market and enterprise clients. Wider portfolio but overlapping target verticals.
Edelman: Global communications leader with established lifestyle, food & beverage, and hospitality practices. Competes for the same enterprise hospitality and consumer brand clients at global scale.
Weber Shandwick: Global PR network with strong consumer marketing and lifestyle capabilities competing for enterprise hospitality and consumer mandates. Wider geographic and service breadth than Vagus PR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Vagus Public Relations financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Vagus Public Relations leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Vagus Public Relations funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Vagus Public Relations M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vagus Public Relations

What does Vagus Public Relations do?

Is Vagus Public Relations a public or private company?

Vagus Public Relations is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was Vagus Public Relations founded?

Vagus Public Relations was founded in 2004. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is Vagus Public Relations based?

Vagus Public Relations is headquartered in Ponte Vedra, United States, in the North America region.

How does Vagus Public Relations make money?

One revenue line is on record: PR & Marketing Services.

Who are Vagus Public Relations's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are J Public Relations, Walker Sands, TURNER PR, Gregory FCA, The Pollack Group, Marina Maher Communications (MMC) and Sunshine Sachs. Broad incumbents are 5W Public Relations, Edelman and Weber Shandwick.

Does Vagus Public Relations have an API?

No public API is recorded for Vagus Public Relations.

What industry is Vagus Public Relations in?

Vagus Public Relations's product category is Public Relations Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAADAB, Consumer & Lifestyle PR, with a secondary code of MPAAADAM, Event & Experiential PR (Launches, Stunts, Press Events). Its NAICS code is 541820 and its SIC code is 7310.