What Burrell Communications does

Burrell Communications is an independent, full-service advertising and marketing agency headquartered at 303 E. Wacker Drive in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1971 by Tom Burrell, the firm operates as Burrell Communications, LLC (with operating names Burrell Communications Group and BCG Worldwide) and currently serves as the largest Black-owned, full-service advertising agency in the United States. Following its January 2024 acquisition by an equity consortium led by FVLCRUM Funds and Channing Johnson, the company is now led by Chairman Channing Johnson and CEO Tara DeVeaux, and operates under private-equity ownership while retaining its Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) certification.

The agency's service offering is organized into six core capability areas — Research & Analytics, Creative & Production, Earned & Paid Media, Public Relations, Experiential, and Strategic Partnerships — which together cover the full lifecycle from research through launch. Its differentiation centers on "subcultural" and multicultural marketing: the firm combines identity mapping, influence forecasting, and targeted media planning/buying to connect brands with culturally influential communities, with a particular emphasis on Black and other diverse audiences. The agency maintains an in-house executive bench including CSO God-Is Rivera (joined April 2025, formerly of X, Disney, VMLY&R, and ESSENCE Ventures), CCO Khari Streeter, CFO Mike Mitchell, and heads of Operations, Business Development, HR, and Account Management.

Commercially, Burrell generates revenue through professional-services engagements — including project-based fees, retainer agreements, and campaign-based compensation — delivered to enterprise clients across more than ten verticals. Named clients include Toyota, Microsoft, McDonald's, PUMA, ANTA, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Comcast NBCUniversal/Xfinity, Foot Locker, Deloitte, Fidelity Investments, P&G, Walmart, Merck, Gilead, OWN, plus nonprofit and government accounts such as NAACP, American Red Cross, and Battle Creek Public Schools. Distribution is direct enterprise sales led by a dedicated Head of Business Development, with no self-serve or marketplace channels; the firm supports client acquisition through organic social, industry thought leadership (Ad Age, Campaign US, shots, SHOOTonline), and a news/blog content channel. Geographic operations are concentrated in the U.S., with recent client work for ANTA signaling emerging international reach.

Name

Burrell Communications

Legal name

Burrell Communications, LLC

Website

https://burrell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Burrell Communications is an independent, full-service advertising agency founded in 1971 and headquartered in Chicago, serving Fortune 500 enterprise clients with multicultural and subcultural marketing services spanning research, creative, media, PR, experiential, and strategic partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising & Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Transcreation (Creative Copy & Concepts) (MPAAANAA)

Keywords

• Multicultural advertising agency
• Brand strategy services
• Media planning buying
• Creative campaign production
• Public relations services

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Marketing Services: Burrell generates revenue by providing comprehensive advertising and marketing services to brand clients. Services include research and analytics, creative and production, earned and paid media, public relations, experiential marketing, and strategic partnerships. Revenue is generated through project-based fees, retainer agreements, and campaign-based compensation for enterprise clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Burrell Communications is a full-service advertising and marketing agency that delivers end-to-end campaign services from research through launch, including research and analytics, creative and production, earned and paid media, public relations, experiential marketing, and strategic partnerships. The agency specializes in connecting brands with multicultural and diverse audiences by leveraging subcultural influence, identity mapping, and influence forecasting to drive mass demand. Services are delivered to enterprise brand clients through project-based engagements, retainer agreements, and campaign-based compensation.

Product overview

Burrell Communications is a full-service advertising and marketing agency, not a software product company. The agency offers a comprehensive suite of services organized into six core capability areas: Research & Analytics (Qualitative Research, Quantitative Research, Customer Segmentation, Social Listening, Brand Tracking, Campaign Optimization); Creative & Production (Brand Strategy, Content Strategy, Creative Design, Concepting, Social and Digital Campaigns, Production); Earned & Paid Media (Media Planning & Buying, Media Strategy, Social Studio, Campaign Performance); Public Relations (Influencer & Talent Relations, Crisis Communications, Media Readiness, Media Relations, Stakeholder Relations, Employee Relations); Experiential (Planning, Event Activation, Sampling); and Strategic Partnerships (Community Outreach, Influencer/Talent Relations, Product Placement). These service offerings do not represent discrete product modules or named software products—they represent the agency's professional service capabilities delivered to clients. Burrell positions itself as a 'Subcultural Agency' specializing in connecting brands with diverse audiences through cultural insights and influence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research & Analytics Research and analytics services covering qualitative research, quantitative research, customer segmentation, social listening, brand tracking, and campaign optimization, delivered to enterprise brand clients to inform multicultural marketing strategies.
• Creative & Production
• Earned & Paid Media
• Public Relations
• Experiential Marketing
• Strategic Partnerships

Quantifiable outcome

• Won ANA Multicultural Excellence Award for Fabric of Hip Hop campaign for PUMA

Named customers20 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• Roc NationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoc Nation collaborated with Burrell on the Fabric of Hip Hop campaign for PUMA North America, contributing to the cultural programming and activations celebrating Hip-Hop's 50th anniversary across seven markets.
• Dapper DanmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStreetwear icon Dapper Dan was a collaborator on Burrell's Fabric of Hip Hop campaign for PUMA, contributing cultural credibility and influence to the HH50 product launch activations.
• The Marathon ClothingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNipsey Hussle's The Marathon Clothing partnered with Burrell on the Fabric of Hip Hop campaign, contributing to the cultural authenticity of the PUMA activation.
• Slick RickmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHip-hop legend Slick Rick collaborated with Burrell on the Fabric of Hip Hop campaign for PUMA, contributing to content and experiential activations celebrating Hip-Hop culture.
• Slum VillagemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHip-hop group Slum Village was featured as collaborators on Burrell's Fabric of Hip Hop campaign for PUMA, contributing to the musical and cultural programming.
• Flau'JaemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmerging artist Flau'Jae partnered with Burrell on the Fabric of Hip Hop campaign for PUMA, bringing contemporary hip-hop relevance to the HH50 celebration.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• GSD&M: Independent full-service agency (Austin, TX) with a long-tenured Fortune 500 client base (e.g., Southwest Airlines, BMW, U.S. Air Force). Comparable independent-agency model and enterprise client caliber.
• Allen & Gerritsen: Independent, full-service creative and media agency serving major brands in retail, financial services, and consumer goods. Comparable independent agency positioning with a similar enterprise client roster.
• Leo Burnett: Chicago-headquartered global creative agency (Publicis) with deep enterprise relationships including McDonald's — a Burrell client. Comparable in size, Chicago base, and Fortune 500 brand portfolio, while also being a competitor on shared clients.
• McCann Worldgroup: Global advertising network (IPG) with deep multicultural and global brand capabilities. Competes with Burrell on global enterprise RFPs across overlapping CPG, tech, and consumer clients.
• The Martin Agency: Independent, large-scale creative agency based in Richmond, VA, with deep Fortune 500 client relationships (e.g., GEICO, OREO, UPS). Comparable in being an independent full-service agency of similar or larger scale competing for the same enterprise clients.

Direct peers

• Alma: Independent, Hispanic-focused full-service creative agency serving major CPG, retail, and tech clients. Comparable to Burrell in being a culture-led, non-holding-company independent with a specific multicultural focus, and a direct rival in the same client-pitch processes.
• UniWorld Group: One of the longest-standing multicultural (specifically African-American and Hispanic) full-service advertising agencies in the US. Direct competitor to Burrell for the same Fortune 500 multicultural marketing budgets and similar client roster.
• The Community: Independent, multicultural-focused creative agency serving major brands across consumer verticals. Culturally-fluent, mid-sized independent — comparable to Burrell in agency positioning, scale, and Fortune 500 client targets.
• Essence Communications: Multicultural marketing agency focused on Black, Hispanic, and Asian-American audiences, now part of GroupM/WPP. Direct competitor on multicultural AOR pitches and on large CPG/tech client rosters overlapping with Burrell's.
• Lopez Negrete Communications: Largest independent Hispanic-focused advertising agency in the US. Comparable business model — independent, full-service, multicultural-specialist — competing with Burrell for the same enterprise multicultural marketing budgets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Burrell_Comm
• Facebookfacebook.com/burrellcommunications
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burrell-communications
• Instagraminstagram.com/burrell_comm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Burrell Communications