What we do
The challenges leaders bring to us.
If you’re reading this, it’s probably because something has already shifted. The business is moving, but marketing hasn’t kept pace. What used to work feels less reliable. Your decisions take longer. And it’s harder to tell what’s driving performance (or what’s getting in the way.)
How we help.
We bring structure to moments that feel ambiguous. Our guidance helps leaders put clear language around the problem, understand the business impact and decide what actually needs to change. The result is a clearer path forward and a plan the organization can follow.
Executive marketing advisory.
Senior-level guidance that brings structure to your decisions.
Many companies feel the pressure of growth long before they’re ready for a full-time CMO. We fill that gap with a disciplined advisory model that helps leaders choose the right priorities, assess what’s working and identify the marketing decisions that move the business forward.
You get a partner that works like an extension of your leadership team. Someone who can bring you clear analysis, recommendations and accountability for results.
Who it’s for.
Leaders juggling rapid growth, stalled pipelines, unclear positioning, early-stage PR needs, brand inconsistency or fragmented internal teams.
Our signature programs.
Growth GTM Reset™
A structured approach that clarifies your go-to-market strategy and identifies the opportunities that will create the most meaningful impact.
Boardroom Marketing Clarity™
A focused communication tool that helps CEOs and boards understand marketing’s role in supporting revenue, growth and customer value.
Gap Intelligence Audit™
A diagnostic assessment that evaluates current marketing performance, identifies weaknesses and outlines the improvements that matter most.
Our services.
A flexible set of options you can layer onto any program — built to strengthen strategic clarity, support decision-making and move initiatives forward.
- Executive consulting
- Go-to-market strategy
- Product/marketing collaboration
- Fractional CMO services
- Qualitative interviews
- Custom surveys
- Market research
- Marketing strategy and sales audits
Related executive marketing insights.
CEOs often struggle to gain board approval for marketing initiatives. See how reframing the conversation around growth, financial impact and strategic alignment can turn brand investment from a debated cost into a board-approved driver of value.
Read the article
Explore how brand, performance and product marketing each solve different business challenges, and why choosing the right discipline at the right time can mean the difference between wasted marketing spend and meaningful growth.
Read the articleBrand strategy and renewal.
Brand platforms built for where your business is going next.
When your business shifts, your brand needs to shift with it. We build research-backed brand platforms that give teams a foundation to evolve, scale and communicate with confidence. Our work covers brand architecture, messaging systems, visual direction and the execution support needed to activate the brand both inside and outside the company.
Who it’s for.
Organizations navigating growth, product expansion, new leadership, acquisitions, competitive pressure or outdated brand assets.
Our signature programs.
Next-Gen Brand Blueprint™
A clear, unified brand foundation shaped by research, competitive understanding and business direction.
Employee Engagement & EVP Strategy
A structured approach to articulating your employee value proposition and building internal alignment.
Brand Voice & Messaging Playbook
A practical guide that helps teams communicate consistently and support your brand across every touchpoint.
Our services.
These programs bundle research, messaging and activation support into clear, ready-made solutions that give teams a unified foundation for brand change.- Brand strategy and positioning
- Product and company naming
- Employer branding
- Logo and brand identity
- Websites and digital presence
- UX strategy and web design
- Competitive audits and analysis
- Audience and market research
- Virtual and in-person workshops
- Employee and customer surveys
- Key decision-making cohorts
Brand strategy case studies.
See how we helped transform a more than 100-year-old agribusiness into a unified global brand platform that aligned employees, refreshed every touchpoint and supported more than $5 billion in growth.
We repositioned a category leader with a new brand platform, messaging and digital presence that clarified their value, modernized their story and set them up for long-term growth in manufactured housing.
Marketing activation planning.
Clear plans that turn strategy into performance.
A strong strategy means little if it can’t be activated. We help companies turn plans into measurable results through activation work that connects goals to campaigns, content, PR, media, partnerships and digital channels.
Leaders get visibility into what will move the business forward, which channels matter most and how every execution contributes to growth.
Who it’s for.
Businesses that have a direction but lack an execution plan that ties activity to measurable outcomes.
Our signature programs.
Momentum Mapping™
An activation framework that identifies growth opportunities and builds a focused plan for the year ahead.
Strategic Marketing Roadmap
A practical guide that connects business goals to marketing priorities so teams know what to do and when.
Conversion Stack Optimization
A detailed audit that evaluates your lead-to-client funnel, channels and content to identify the improvements that drive media performance.
Our services.
A flexible set of activation capabilities that can support any strategy, so every activity ties back to measurable outcomes.- Websites and digital presence
- Copy and design
- Email marketing and automation
- Social media management
- Organic and paid social content development
- Landing page creation
- Content development
- Production and execution
- Project management
- Photography
- Motion design
- Video production
- Integrated media planning
- Paid search, Shopping ads, Video, YouTube, Display, CTV
- Print, OOH/Billboard, Direct mail, Radio, Broadcast
- Social media
- Discovery
- Performance Max
- Collaborative management and optimization
- Custom analytics dashboards
- Industry best practices
- First-, second- and third-party data
- CRM audit and analysis
- Market and audience research
- SEM analysis and research
- AEO/GEO optimization
- SEO recommendations and content improvement
- Media plan audits
- Performance marketing
- Employee and customer engagement
- Integrated advertising campaigns
- PR strategy and execution
- Environmental and interior design
- Tradeshow strategy and presence
Marketing activation case studies.
We turned a spring jewelry collection into a cohesive “art of gifting” campaign, using catalog, digital and in-store moments to drive measurable sales for Borsheims.
We helped turn a reimagined business insurance brand into measurable growth with a three-phase rollout and multi-channel media test that tied brand work directly to revenue.
Trusted by Google for top media performance.
Ervin & Smith is a Google Partner, a distinction earned by top agencies worldwide. It means we’ve worked hard to become experts in campaign management so we can bring you effective media strategy that’s tied to measurable outcomes.
The principles that lead to clarity.
You have unique goals, so we adapt our proven processes to bring your vision to life. But, no matter what you’re up against, we use four key practices to help you reach your the next phase of growth:
Identify roadblocks.
We pinpoint barriers, then design an informed project plan that everyone can agree on.
Facilitate alignment.
We make it possible for your teams to rally around changes by educating on the functions of marketing and making them feel heard.
Create connections.
We identify hard-to-spot patterns in the data and create a marketing strategy that’s tied to your business goals.
Drive positive results.
We apply what we’ve learned to deliver custom strategies, tools and creative that achieves better results over time.
Let’s build a clearer path forward for your business.
From transformational growth to aligning internal teams, we’re marketing consultants with the expertise to help you define a plan that supports your most important business decisions.
FAQs
Do you offer branding and creative services?
Yes. We bring strategy to life through brand platforms, campaigns and messaging systems that move audiences and drive measurable results. We also offer media, public relations, social, content, partnerships and more.
Do you offer performance marketing or media buying?
Yes. Our team supports full-funnel media strategy, measurement and optimization for clients that need both strategy and execution. However, unlike media-focused digital agencies, we ensure media decisions ladder up to business goal — not just impressions or clicks.
Do you offer ongoing advisory or fractional CMO services?
Yes. Many of our clients retain us long-term as strategic advisors or fractional CMOs. We participate in leadership meetings, guide marketing direction and ensure the organization stays focused on the right priorities for growth.
What if my business doesn’t have a marketing strategy yet?
Perfect. That’s exactly where our consultancy model shines. We help companies build strong foundational strategies before investing in creative, media or technology. It prevents wasted spend and sets the organization up for sustainable growth.
What should I expect when working with a marketing consultancy like Ervin & Smith?
Expect clarity, structure and senior-level guidance — not chaotic brainstorms or a list of disconnected tactics. We begin by aligning marketing to your business strategy, establishing priorities and defining clear success measures. You’ll always know why we’re doing something, how it supports your goals and what impact it’s meant to drive. We do not disappear for weeks or surprise you with creative “ta-da” moments. You get partnership, transparency and accountability at every step.
How does an engagement typically start?
Most begin with a Strategy Diagnostic – our structured assessment that evaluates marketing maturity, identifies blind spots and aligns leadership around a focused plan for growth. It’s where clarity starts.
What does a typical engagement cadence look like?
Most engagements follow a structured rhythm:
Week 1-4: Discovery, alignment, and clarity (Strategy Diagnostic or GTM Reset)
Week 4-8: Planning, positioning and messaging
Ongoing: Activation, measurement and advisory check-ins
You’ll typically meet with our senior strategy team weekly or biweekly, with additional touchpoints for creative or channel execution if engaged.
How involved will our executive team need to be?
Enough to make the work meaningful, but not enough to feel burdensome. We guide the process, facilitate alignment and bring frameworks that simplify decision-making. Your leadership team’s role is to provide context, make timely decisions and engage in the early strategic conversations. After that, we carry the work forward.
How does Ervin & Smith measure marketing ROI?
We connect the dots between effort and impact. That means setting up dashboards that translate marketing performance into business metrics — revenue growth, customer value, lead quality and cost efficiency — not just clicks and impressions.
What makes a consultancy engagement successful?
Three factors have a big impact on creating a successful consultancy engagement:
Clarity: Clear objectives and business goals from the start.
Access: Availability of key decision-makers during early phases.
Commitment: Willingness to focus marketing efforts on the priorities that will make the biggest impact.
When those are in place, results come quickly and consistently.
What tools or platforms do you use?
We are platform-agnostic and advisor-first. Our strategy is never built around a tool – but we work comfortably across HubSpot, Google Marketing Stack, GA4, media platforms, CRM systems and analytics tools to meet your team where they are.