Old City Media

What Old City Media does

Old City Media is a Philadelphia-based experiential marketing agency founded in 2004 that operates a two-sided in-store activation marketplace connecting home improvement and home services brands with high-traffic retail and grocery locations. The company runs two core programs: "Leads at Retail," a turnkey staffed activation service that places trained brand ambassadors inside retail partner stores to engage homeowners and capture qualified leads for brand clients, and "In-Store Partners," a retailer-facing program that monetizes existing foot traffic through brand-funded activations, generating guaranteed non-retail revenue for retailers with zero operational burden while delivering gift card rewards to shoppers.

The company's technology stack is minimal: it is explicitly a service-based business relying on human capital (brand ambassadors), retail relationships, and operational logistics rather than proprietary software or platforms. Brand clients include Pella, Renewal by Andersen, LeafFilter, Power Home Remodeling, Jacuzzi Bath Remodel, Great Day Improvements, and Clean Choice Energy. Retail partners include Walmart, Ace Hardware, Giant Eagle, Forman Mills, Grocery Outlet, Gabe's, and Save-a-Lot. Over 100,000 activations have been executed across the network.

The business model is sales-led with enterprise field sales teams engaging both sides of the marketplace. Brands pay per activation or through programmatic arrangements, while retailers receive guaranteed non-retail revenue per location per month from brand-funded activations. The company emphasizes no long-term contracts, allowing brands to pilot before broader rollout. Old City Media is privately held and bootstrapped, founded by Ray Sheehan, with no disclosed institutional funding rounds. The company has received industry recognition including The Silicon Review 50 Leading Companies of the Year (2024) and the Top 100 Stellar Marketing Award (2023), and maintains 100% five-star Google reviews from all partners.

Name

Old City Media

Legal name

Old City Media

Website

https://oldcitymedia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Old City Media is a Philadelphia-based experiential marketing agency founded in 2004 that connects home improvement brands with high-traffic retailers through staffed in-store activations, generating qualified leads for brands and non-retail revenue for retailers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Experiential Marketing Services

NAICS

Media Representatives (541840)

akta.pro primary industry

Place-Based / Retail & Venue Media (Malls, Gyms, Cinema, Office Buildings) (BPAFALAE)

Keywords

• Experiential marketing services
• In-store brand activations
• Retail lead generation
• Home improvement marketing
• Brand ambassador staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

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, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Brand Partner Activation Fees: National and regional home improvement brands pay Old City Media to execute in-store activations at retail partner locations. Brands include Pella, Renewal by Anderson, LeafFilter, Power Home Remodeling, Jacuzzi Bath Remodel, and others. Revenue is generated per activation or through programmatic/contract arrangements. Brands pre-purchase retailer gift cards which Old City Media manages as part of the activation logistics.
2. Retail Partner Revenue Share: Old City Media generates guaranteed non-retail revenue for retailers who host brand activations. Retailers earn income per location per month from brand-funded activations with zero operational burden. One cited metric: a retail partner with 200 stores generated over $300,000 in gift card redemptions, and a single partner generated $4 million+ in annual revenue through the program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Old City Media is a Philadelphia-based experiential marketing agency that runs two programs inside retail and grocery stores. Leads at Retail deploys trained brand ambassadors inside high-traffic partner stores to engage homeowners, educate them on home improvement products, and capture qualified leads handed off to the brand's sales team. In-Store Partners is the retailer-facing program that creates non-retail revenue for host stores through brand-funded activations while delivering gift cards and positive experiences to shoppers at zero operational burden to the retailer.

Product overview

Old City Media is a Philadelphia-based experiential marketing agency founded in 2004 that operates two distinct in-store activation programs: Leads at Retail, a turnkey branded activation and lead generation service for home improvement and home services brands deployed inside high-traffic retail and grocery locations; and In-Store Partners, a retailer-facing program that generates non-retail revenue for retailers by hosting those brand activations. Together, the two programs form a three-way value proposition — the brand gets qualified leads, the retailer earns non-retail revenue, and shoppers receive gift cards — all managed end-to-end by Old City Media's team.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leads at Retail: Turnkey in-store activation program for home improvement brands that places trained brand ambassadors inside high-traffic retail and grocery locations to engage homeowners and capture qualified leads.
• In-Store Partners

Products and services

• Leads at Retail Turnkey, staffed in-store activation program for home improvement and home services brands. Trained brand ambassadors are deployed inside high-traffic retail and grocery locations (e.g., Walmart, Ace Hardware, Giant Eagle) to engage homeowners, educate them about products, and capture qualified leads on-site for direct handoff to the brand's sales team.
• In-Store Partners Retailer-facing in-store partnership program that creates high-margin, non-retail revenue for retail locations by hosting brand-funded activations. National brands pay to activate inside partner stores; retailers receive guaranteed revenue per location per month, gift card volume, and basket lift with zero operational burden on their team.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100,000 successful brand activations executed to date
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 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

Feature2 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• WalmartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWalmart serves as a major retail partner in Old City Media's activation network. The partnership allows home improvement and home services brands to execute in-store activations within Walmart locations, reaching the retailer's substantial foot traffic of homeowners. Old City Media manages all logistics, staffing, and coordination while Walmart locations host brand ambassador stations.
• Ace HardwarecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAce Hardware is a key retail partner with multiple store activations across their network. The partnership has been cited in testimonials as an excellent ongoing relationship spanning several years. Brand partners including Renewal by Anderson have activated at Ace Hardware locations, with positive feedback from floor supervisors and store teams.
• Giant EaglecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGiant Eagle, a regional grocery chain, serves as a retail partner in Old City Media's activation network. The partnership enables brands to reach grocery shoppers in a different retail environment, expanding the types of locations available for home improvement brand activations.
• Forman MillscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorForman Mills, a home goods retailer, is featured as a hero brand partner on the homepage and represents a key retail relationship. The partnership showcases Old City Media's ability to work with home-focused retail environments where home improvement brands have natural relevance.
• Grocery Outlet Bargain MarketsecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGrocery Outlet provides another retail channel in Old City Media's activation network, expanding the geographic and demographic reach for brand partner activations beyond traditional home improvement retailers.
• Gabe'ssecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGabe's, an off-price retail chain, is included in Old City Media's retail partner network, demonstrating the company's ability to activate brands across diverse retail formats beyond traditional home improvement or grocery environments.
• Save-a-LotsecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSave-a-Lot grocery locations have hosted successful pilot activations, including a Pristine Home Care activation that is documented as a case study on the company blog, demonstrating Old City Media's capability with smaller-format grocery chains.
• Renewal by AndersoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRenewal by Anderson is a flagship brand partner actively executing in-store activations through Old City Media's Leads at Retail program. They are featured prominently on the homepage and have provided testimonials describing the partnership as excellent. The brand represents Old City Media's ideal customer: a national home improvement brand seeking qualified leads through retail activations.
• LeafFiltercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerLeafFilter is a major brand partner utilizing the Leads at Retail program for gutter protection lead generation. They represent the home services category within Old City Media's brand partner portfolio.
• Power Home RemodelingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPower Home Remodeling partners with Old City Media for retail-based lead generation across multiple markets. They represent the broader home remodeling category and demonstrate the program's scalability for large national brands.
• Jacuzzi Bath RemodelcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJacuzzi Bath Remodel utilizes Old City Media's activation program to reach homeowners at peak purchase intent for bath remodeling projects, demonstrating the program's applicability across bath and kitchen renovation categories.
• PellacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPella, a major window and door manufacturer, is listed as a brand partner, representing another category leader in the home improvement space utilizing Old City Media's retail activation network.
• Great Day ImprovementssecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerGreat Day Improvements is a home improvement brand partner utilizing the Leads at Retail program, representing regional/national brands seeking market-specific growth through retail activations.
• Clean Choice EnergysecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerClean Choice Energy represents Old City Media's expansion into energy services brands, demonstrating the program's flexibility beyond traditional home improvement categories to include home services and utilities.
• AT&TsecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerAT&T is listed as a brand partner on the Leads at Retail page, demonstrating Old City Media's ability to work with brands outside the home improvement vertical, though this partnership may represent a non-core or pilot relationship.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Angi (formerly HomeAdvisor): Home services lead generation platform connecting homeowners with contractors. Directly competes with Old City Media's Leads at Retail program for the same home improvement brand partner marketing budgets, though delivered via digital rather than in-person channels.
• Modernize: Home improvement lead generation platform serving contractors and home service brands. Competes for the same brand-side wallet as Old City Media's Leads at Retail in adjacent homeowner lead-gen channels.
• CraftJack: Lead generation platform specifically for home improvement contractors. Overlaps with Old City Media's lead capture model for home improvement brands, though delivered digitally rather than in-store.

Emerging players

• InMarket: In-store retail media and activation platform with location-based targeting. Partial overlap with Old City Media's place-based retail activation approach, though more tech-enabled.
• Grocery TV: In-store retail media network operating inside grocery environments. Partial overlap with Old City Media's grocery-channel activation footprint and place-based media approach.

Broad incumbents

• Sparks: Global experiential agency with retail and consumer activation capabilities. Competes with Old City Media for brand experience budgets and shares a similar hands-on execution model.
• MKG: Experiential marketing agency focused on brand experiences and consumer activations. Comparable scope of creative-driven retail and event activation work.
• PromoShop: Experiential marketing agency with retail and consumer activation focus. Comparable service offering and brand activation execution model.
• The Marketing Arm: Omnicom-owned experiential marketing agency with retail and shopper activation capabilities. Comparable execution model and access to brand-side budgets at scale.
• George P. Johnson Experience Marketing: Global experiential marketing agency that designs and executes large-scale brand experiences including in retail environments. Most comparable as a scaled competitor for brand activation budgets across consumer verticals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/oldcitymedia
• Facebookfacebook.com/OldCityMediaHQ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Old City Media