Commonground Marketing

What Commonground Marketing does

Commonground Marketing is a Chicago-headquartered digital marketing agency founded in 2004, operating with 51–100 employees in the United States. Per its firmographic profile, the firm offers SEO, content creation, and advertising services — i.e., a conventional services-shop model rather than a productized or SaaS model. The agency's principal web property, commongroundmgs.com, hosts a deeply cataloged surface-protection product taxonomy (paint protection film, window film, ceramic coating, marine, aircraft, residential/commercial, and antimicrobial lines) with regional variants for the Greater China market, an e-commerce shop for DIY kits and care products, a dealer-locator, a dealer login portal, training and certification pages, and conference/awards infrastructure. This strongly suggests Commonground operates (or has operated) as a marketing partner/agency-of-record for an automotive aftermarket and surface-protection client — most prominently XPEL, whose product portfolio, brand architecture, dealer program, and OEM partnership with Rivian are fully represented on the site.

Underlying technology on the site is the client's, not the agency's: XPEL's stack includes self-healing polyurethane PPF (introduced 2011), nano-ceramic window tint, molecular-bond ceramic coating, zinc-ion antimicrobial film, and the proprietary DAP pattern-design software. Commonground's role, as inferred from the input, is the digital front-of-house for that stack — building and maintaining consumer-facing product education, e-commerce, dealer enablement, regional go-to-market pages, and event/conference microsites.

The business model is agency services revenue: hourly/retailer/engagement-based fees for the design, build, and ongoing operation of the client's web and channel-marketing surface. No public pricing of Commonground's own services is disclosed, and the agency is private (no IPO data, no funding rounds, no parent company). Customer concentration is not stated, but the depth and specificity of the XPEL content on the property is consistent with a dominant single-client relationship — a structural concentration risk for a firm of this size, offset only by the long operating history since 2004.

Name

Commonground Marketing

Legal name

XPEL, Inc.

Website

https://commongroundmgs.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Commonground Marketing is a Chicago-based digital marketing agency founded in 2004 that provides SEO, content creation, and advertising services, with 51–100 employees; its web property hosts an extensive automotive aftermarket and surface-protection product catalog, suggesting a focused client-services role in that vertical.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital 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

Market Research, Analytics & Consumer Insights (BPAFAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marketplace & Retail Media Advertising (Amazon/Walmart/Instacart, etc.) (MPAAACAJ)

Keywords

• Digital marketing services
• Search engine optimization
• Content creation services
• Advertising services
• Marketing agency

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, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Paint Protection Film Sales: XPEL generates revenue through sales of paint protection film products including ULTIMATE PLUS, STEALTH, ULTIMATE FUSION, and related PPF products sold through dealers, installers, and e-commerce.
2. Window Film Sales: Revenue from PRIME automotive window tint and VISION architectural window film products sold through dealer network.
3. Ceramic Coating Sales: FUSION PLUS ceramic coating products for automotive, aircraft, and marine applications sold through authorized installers.
4. Care Products & Accessories: Aftermarket care products including PPF Cleaner, Ceramic Boost, installation tools, and lifestyle merchandise sold through e-commerce.
5. Dealer/Installer Network: Revenue generated through network of authorized dealers and certified installers who purchase XPEL products wholesale and install/services to end customers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Commonground Marketing is a for-profit digital marketing agency that offers SEO, content creation, and advertising services. The firm is based in Chicago, United States, and operates with 51-100 employees. It was founded in 2004 and serves business clients through its website at commongroundmgs.com.

Product overview

XPEL is a protective film and ceramic coating technology company offering a comprehensive product portfolio centered around paint protection film (PPF), window film, and ceramic coatings. The core product lines include ULTIMATE PLUS and STEALTH PPF (with hydrophobic ULTIMATE FUSION variant), PRIME automotive window tint (nano-ceramic, metallic, and dyed options), VISION architectural window film (solar, security, decorative, and specialty films), and FUSION PLUS ceramic coating (available in multiple formulations for automotive, aircraft, and marine applications). The company also offers specialized products including RX antimicrobial film, windshield protection film, headlight protection, ARMOR textured film, and regional variants (LUX, MPD, ASP, ARES for Greater China markets). Products are sold through a global network of certified dealers and installers, supported by proprietary DAP software for precision pattern design and professional installation training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ULTIMATE PLUS: Self-healing paint protection film with high gloss finish for automotive surfaces
• STEALTH
• PRIME
• VISION
• FUSION PLUS
• RX
• TRACWRAP
• ARMOR
• InvisiFRAME

Products and services

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Search engine optimization services to improve client visibility in organic search results, offered to business customers of the agency.
• Content Creation Content creation services producing marketing collateral for business clients of the agency.
• Advertising Services Advertising services for business clients of the digital marketing agency.

Quantifiable outcome

• Self-healing eliminates need for frequent polishing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RiviancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerXPEL and Rivian partnership provides custom vehicle protection directly through Rivian, bringing XPEL paint protection film to Rivian electric vehicle customers with custom-fit patterns designed specifically for Rivian models.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Straight North: Straight North is a Chicago-area digital marketing agency focused on SEO, paid advertising, websites, and lead generation. It is especially comparable given Commonground Marketing’s Chicago location and similar SEO/advertising service mix.
• Walker Sands: Walker Sands is a Chicago-based B2B marketing agency offering integrated marketing, PR, demand generation, and creative services. It is comparable by geography and broader marketing-agency model, though its B2B PR and brand focus is broader than Commonground’s stated digital services.
• SmartSites: SmartSites is a digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC advertising, web design, and related digital growth services. It is comparable as an independent agency competing for clients that outsource performance marketing and content-led acquisition.
• WebFX: WebFX is a digital marketing agency offering SEO, PPC, content marketing, web design, and analytics services. It is highly comparable because Commonground Marketing is described as a digital marketing agency providing SEO, content creation, and advertising services.
• 97th Floor: 97th Floor is a digital marketing agency focused on SEO, content, paid media, and creative campaigns. It is comparable because it targets similar outsourced digital growth use cases across SEO, content, and advertising.
• Disruptive Advertising: Disruptive Advertising specializes in paid search, paid social, lifecycle marketing, and analytics. It is comparable on the advertising and performance-marketing side of Commonground Marketing’s stated offering, though it is more paid-media specialized.
• Thrive Internet Marketing Agency: Thrive offers SEO, PPC, content writing, social media, and web design services to SMB and mid-market customers. Its broad digital agency model overlaps with Commonground Marketing’s SEO, content, and advertising positioning.
• Brafton: Brafton is a content marketing agency offering content strategy, writing, design, video, and SEO services. It is comparable because content creation is one of Commonground Marketing’s stated service lines, though Brafton is more content-specialized.
• Ignite Visibility: Ignite Visibility provides SEO, paid media, social, email, and digital strategy services for growth-oriented clients. It is comparable as a full-service digital marketing agency with overlapping SEO and advertising capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• NP Digital: NP Digital provides SEO, content marketing, paid media, and digital strategy services globally. It is comparable through its overlap in SEO/content/advertising, though it operates at a larger and more scaled platform-agency level.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights4 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/XPELPAINTPROTECTION
• Facebookfacebook.com/XPEL
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/commonground-marketing
• Instagraminstagram.com/xpel
• Xtwitter.com/XPEL

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Commonground Marketing