Third Person
Third Person was a Milwaukee-based full-service advertising and web design agency (2001-2020) serving B2B manufacturers, national franchise clients, and Milwaukee arts nonprofits across television, print, outdoor, direct mail, and digital channels before closing in August 2020 due to COVID-19.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersMilwaukee, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Third Person does
Third Person, Inc. was a Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based full-service advertising, marketing communications, and web design agency founded in February 2001 by Michael Caughill. The firm served B2B manufacturers (including Brady Corporation, Signicast, Clysar, PS Furniture, and Carlson Tool & Manufacturing), national franchise organizations (Batteries Plus Bulbs, Sears Hometown Stores), professional services firms (65 Incorporated, Dedicated Computing), consumer brands (Harley-Davidson, Calderone Club), and Milwaukee-area arts and cultural nonprofits (Milwaukee Ballet, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Florentine Opera, Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee County Zoo). Its core offerings spanned strategic advertising across television, print, outdoor, direct mail, and trade show channels, alongside user interface and web design/development built on a CSS, PHP, MySQL, and AJAX stack, with content management systems, SEO frameworks, and e-commerce functionality.
The agency's commercial model was project-based professional services billing under a fixed-but-flexible pricing structure, with web design quotes delivered within 24 hours and direct client engagement via phone and a Milwaukee office at 205 West Highland Avenue. GTM was sales-led and consultative, anchored by a proprietary five-stage creative methodology called Experience Mapping™ that framed all work from the end-user's perspective — the literal meaning of the firm's name. Lead generation relied on the WordPress-powered 'Perspectives' blog, organic social (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), and direct sales outreach, with regional Midwest emphasis and select national reach (e.g., Batteries Plus Bulbs national TV campaigns). Notable recognition included a 2017 Silver Addy Award from the American Advertising Awards Madison Chapter for a Batteries Plus Bulbs television commercial co-produced with Spot Filmworks.
Third Person officially disincorporated in August 2020 after 19 years of operation, with the founder citing COVID-19 as the cause of business failure. No ownership changes, funding rounds, acquisitions, or institutional investors were disclosed in the source material; the company operated as a privately held independent agency throughout its life.
Third Person firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Third Person
- Legal name
- Third Person, Inc.
- Website
- https://third-person.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Third Person was a Milwaukee-based full-service advertising and web design agency (2001-2020) serving B2B manufacturers, national franchise clients, and Milwaukee arts nonprofits across television, print, outdoor, direct mail, and digital channels before closing in August 2020 due to COVID-19.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Third Person industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advertising and Marketing Agency Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (54181), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Direct Mail Advertising (541860)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Direct Mail Advertising Services (7331)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Direct Mail Marketing Services (Print, Postcard, Dimensional Mail) (BPAFAKAH)
Keywords
Where Third Person is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milwaukee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Third Person business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Advertising Services: Traditional advertising agency services including print advertising, television commercials, outdoor advertising, direct mail, and trade show design. Revenue generated through project-based client engagements.
- Web Design & Development: Website design, development, e-commerce design, and web portal creation. Approximately half of annual work involves user interface or web design/development projects.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Third Person product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Third Person was a Milwaukee-based advertising, marketing, and web design agency that delivered strategic marketing communications including print advertising, television commercials, outdoor advertising, direct mail, and trade show design, alongside comprehensive web design and development services such as corporate websites, e-commerce sites, and web portals. The agency's work was guided by its proprietary Experience Mapping™ process, which grounded every engagement in understanding the end-user (the "Third Person").
Product overview
Third Person is a Milwaukee-based advertising agency and web design company offering a unified portfolio of marketing communications services. The core offerings include strategic advertising services spanning television, print, outdoor, and direct mail channels, combined with comprehensive web design and development capabilities. The company's proprietary Experience Mapping™ process underpins both advertising and web development offerings, ensuring all work is centered on end-user needs. The agency also maintains a WordPress-powered blog for perspectives and industry commentary. Since opening in February 2001, the company officially disincorporated in August 2020.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Third Person Advertising Services
Companies that use Third Person
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Third Person technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Third Person partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Third Person competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hanson Dodge: Milwaukee-based independent advertising and digital agency serving consumer and B2B brands across web, brand, and social — a directly comparable regional boutique competing in the same metro.
- BVK: Milwaukee-headquartered independent advertising, marketing, and PR agency serving national clients across healthcare, consumer, and B2B — comparable scope, geography, and mid-market positioning.
- Hiebing: Madison, Wisconsin-based integrated marketing communications agency offering advertising, branding, digital, and PR; highly comparable Wisconsin independent agency of similar size and client mix.
- Core Creative: Milwaukee-based independent branding and advertising agency serving enterprise and mid-market clients; directly comparable local competitor with similar integrated service model.
- Laughlin Constable: Independent Milwaukee-based advertising agency offering integrated brand, digital, and media services; the closest direct competitor to Third Person in the same city and similar full-service mid-market positioning.
Regional players
- Periscope: Minneapolis-based independent integrated marketing agency offering advertising, digital, and brand strategy; comparable Midwestern independent agency serving similar enterprise and consumer verticals.
- Marcus Thomas LLC: Cleveland-based independent advertising agency providing brand, digital, and media services; comparable Midwestern independent agency serving enterprise and mid-market clients across multiple industries.
- Russell Herder: Minneapolis-based independent advertising and brand agency serving B2B and consumer clients; comparable Midwestern independent agency with integrated advertising and digital offerings.
- Brogan & Partners: Michigan-based independent advertising and PR agency serving B2B and consumer clients; comparable regional Midwest independent agency with integrated advertising and digital capabilities.
- Carmichael Lynch: Minneapolis-based independent creative advertising agency serving national brands; comparable Midwestern independent agency with full-service advertising, digital, and brand work.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Third Person social profiles
Digital presenceThird Person financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Third Person leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Third Person funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Third Person 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 Third Person
What does Third Person do?
Third Person was a Milwaukee-based advertising, marketing, and web design agency that delivered strategic marketing communications including print advertising, television commercials, outdoor advertising, direct mail, and trade show design, alongside comprehensive web design and development services such as corporate websites, e-commerce sites, and web portals. The agency's work was guided by its proprietary Experience Mapping™ process, which grounded every engagement in understanding the end-user (the "Third Person").
Is Third Person a public or private company?
Third Person is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently closed.
When was Third Person founded?
Third Person was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Third Person based?
Third Person is headquartered in Milwaukee, United States, in the North America region.
How does Third Person make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Advertising Services are the primary driver. The others are web Design & Development.
Who are Third Person's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hanson Dodge, BVK, Hiebing, Core Creative and Laughlin Constable. Regional players are Periscope, Marcus Thomas LLC, Russell Herder, Brogan & Partners and Carmichael Lynch.
Does Third Person have an API?
No public API is recorded for Third Person.
What industry is Third Person in?
Third Person's product category is Advertising and Marketing Agency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAKAH, Direct Mail Marketing Services (Print, Postcard, Dimensional Mail). Its NAICS code is 54181 and its SIC code is 7311.