While Boston has long earned recognition for its robust business district, this Northeastern capital has recently greater traction in the tech realm. It’s no secret that Boston has become a startup hotspot, brimming with tech newcomers spanning a wide range of industries. Whether they’re dabbling in fintech or healthtech, Boston’s top-notch tech companies are doing their part to turn this historical powerhouse into a fierce tech capital.
Many industries have been indelibly changed by the advent of the digital age, and one of them is advertising. This marriage between advertising and technology, known as adtech, has become an integral component of the nation’s tech industry. Considering adtech’s continuous growth, it’s no surprise that Boston is home to countless advertising agencies. From developing influencer-led campaigns to driving digital transformation, Boston’s many advertising experts have what it takes to help brands discover what makes them unique and share it with the rest of the world.
Here’s a look at advertising agencies in Boston forging powerful connections between brands and consumers.
Advertising Agencies in Boston to Know
- LiveRamp
- Cybba
- Funnel
- Digitas
- Allen & Gerritsen
- Sapient
- MMB
- Genuine
Founded: 2017
What they do: Cybba develops advertising and marketing solutions designed to help companies advance the customer journey. The company’s suite of solutions includes audience targeting, ad campaign optimization, in-depth analytics, social media advertising, customizable branding, email remarketing and display retargeting. Cybba helps organizations drive traffic, increase conversions and gain greater insight into their customer base.
Who they work with: Oracle, Motorola, Virgin Hotels, Luxair, Ad Age and Modern Healthcare.
Founded: 1985
What they do: Allen & Gerritsen is an independent advertising agency that works with a broad range of clients. The agency specializes in a variety of services such as branding, content creation, audience insights, brand strategy, business intelligence, ecosystem and journey mapping, influencer marketing, and reputation and brand management. Allen & Gerritsen’s mission is to foster and facilitate powerful connections between brands and consumers.
Who they work with: Citrix, First Citizens Bank, Philadelphia Flyers, Sunoco and Safety 1st.
Founded: 2005
What they do: LiveRamp offers a data connectivity platform in an effort to help companies transform customer experiences and generate more valuable business outcomes. The company’s platform enables organizations to drive relevant, personalized interactions with audiences by connecting data across all touch points including devices and other IDs. LiveRamp’s solution allows businesses to reach their target audiences and measure results while maximizing their ROI.
Who they work with: Marketo, HomeServe USA, Alliant Audiences and more.
Founded: 2015
What they do: Funnel has created a platform that helps marketers automate their data collection. The company’s platform integrates with existing marketing and advertising platforms to automatically collect data before cleaning, mapping and grouping it and feeding it directly into an organization’s choice of data tool. Funnel’s data automation solution enables organizations to understand the impact of investments, preserve full data granularity, reduce the number of marketing support requests and more.
Who they work with: Coinbase, Skyscanner, Superdry, Trivago, Samsung and Publicis Groupe.
Founded: 2001
What they do: Founded by Fred Bertino and Jamie Mambro, MMB is an independent advertising agency that specializes in cultivating modern, multidimensional brands. The agency offers a wide range of solutions encompassing photography, videography, social media, print advertising and public relations. MMB’s past projects include a celebrity-led campaign for eyewear brand Foster Grant and a platform redesign on behalf of supermarket chain Hannaford.
Who they work with: Foster Grant, Hannaford, Toyota, ESPN and Boston Children’s Hospital.
Founded: 1980
What they do: Digitas is an agency dedicated to helping brands more closely connect with consumers. The agency’s specialties include data analysis, brand strategy, content creation, media campaign development, research and development, paid advertising, social media, and CRM and marketing automation. Digitas boasts a global network spanning over 30 countries.
Who they work with: Sephora, CVS Health, Goodyear, and Delta Air Lines.
Founded: 2005
What they do: Genuine is a digital agency that focuses on strategy, creative design and technology. The agency offers a broad range of services such as target audience research, persona development, go-to-market planning, multi-channel campaign creation, brand guidelines, CMS implementation, content maps, videography and applied machine learning. Genuine’s client base spans a diverse range of industries including retail, pharmaceuticals, tech and entertainment.
Who they work with: Audible, Johnson & Johnson, Kronos, Mintz Group, Truth Initiative and Reebok.
Founded: 1970
What they do: MullenLowe is an advertising agency that focuses on a variety of disciplines. The agency’s expertise encompasses brand strategy, social media, digital transformation, videography, public relations, CRM, performance analytics and media planning and buying. MullenLowe’s client base spans a variety of sectors including media, finance, food and beverage, and aviation.
Who they work with: E*TRADE, Boston Globe, Burger King, JetBlue and Whole Foods Market.
Founded: 1968
What they do: Hill Holliday is an advertising agency that works with clients from a broad range of industries. The agency offers a variety of services including videography, social media, print advertising, web design, influencer marketing, content creation and digital strategy. Hill Holliday’s previous projects include an anniversary menu launch for restaurant chain Cracker Barrel and an online campaign on behalf of Bank of America.
Who they work with: Bank of America, Strayer University, Cracker Barrel, KAY Jewelers and Novartis.
Founded: 1990
What they do: Sapient is an advertising agency that focuses on developing integrated, immersive stories for brands. The agency’s specialties include strategy and consulting, customer experience and design, cloud engineering, microservices and APIs, enterprise platform creation, enterprise strategy, and roadmap and digital product innovation. Sapient also offers its clients a variety of digital tools and assets such as a virtual event platform for online conferences and a holistic framework for measuring digital transformation.
Who they work with: The Coca-Cola Company, Lufthansa, Target, Falabella and Grocer Carrefour.
Founded: 2002
What they do: Small Army is an advertising agency dedicated to strengthening relationships between brands and consumers. The agency offers a broad range of services including communications audits, audience research, content creation, persona development, brand benchmarking and impact reporting. Small Army’s client base spans a variety of sectors such as healthcare, finance and retail.
Who they work with: Country Bank, Boston Medical Center, MegaFood, Netscout and Leica.
Founded: 2011
What they do: Inphantry is an advertising agency that specializes in a broad range of strategies. The company’s expertise encompasses design and branding, copywriting, social media, environmental design, videography, web design, motion graphics and VR / AR. In the past, Inphantry has collaborated with brands on events, brand activations, product launches and retail environments.
Who they work with: Google, The Trade Desk, Delta Airlines, Comcast and Cambridge Crossing.
Founded: 2006
What they do: Holland-Mark is an advertising agency dedicated to building meaningful brands. The company’s specialties include content marketing and development, web design and development, social media management, visual design, public relations, media planning and buying, email marketing and videography. Holland-Mark also offers a variety of marketing automation, management and execution services such as e-newsletter design, lead scoring and landing page design.
Who they work with: Trove Data, Notch Brewing, Kimball Farm and Bedrock Automation.
Founded: 2004
What they do: Forge Worldwide is an advertising and digital agency that focuses on helping organizations reach their business goals through creative solutions. The agency’s capabilities include brand positioning and architecture, digital strategy, acquisition campaign development, analytics and tracking, campaign implementation, videography and photography. Forge Worldwide works with clients from a variety of industries including education, tech and hospitality.
Who they work with: Cisco, Boston University, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Grameen Foundation.
Founded: 2003
What they do: OnCampus Advertising specializes in helping brands reach students at universities across North America. The company offers a variety of services such as audience targeting, influencer marketing, print advertising, email marketing and event marketing. During past projects, OnCampus Advertising has assisted brands with college recruitment campaigns, product launches and more.
Who they work with: Chevron, Unilever and the University of Pennsylvania.
