A great agency for one business can be the wrong fit for another. Get past the pitch and compare the kind of work, thinking and partnership your team actually needs.
Start with the fit.
For B2B marketing, consider Carbon, Godfrey, The MX Group, Pretzl, Stein and Walker Sands. CerconeBrown is a related option when communications, PR and experiences lead the brief. Compare the assignment and supporting work first, then confirm the team, scope and commercial terms.
Start your shortlist
Six options below explicitly position around B2B work; CerconeBrown adds a communications-led alternative. We explain why each is here so you can build a shortlist around your actual assignment.
| Agency | Published focus | A reason to explore |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon | Research, brand and digital | A team that wants customer understanding, brand expression and digital execution connected. |
| CerconeBrown (CBC) | PR, communications and experiences | A brief led by communications, public visibility or experiences, including a mix of business and consumer audiences. |
| Godfrey | Industrial B2B specialization | A B2B company selling technical products into a complex buying process. |
| The MX Group | Connected brand and demand | A team bringing several B2B marketing disciplines into one coordinated program. |
| Pretzl | Buyer journeys and integrated activation | A B2B organization joining customer-journey strategy with multiple activation channels. |
| Stein | B2B brand and demand | A B2B business connecting brand-building and demand activity across a broader program. |
| Walker Sands | Integrated B2B marketing and PR | A team that needs communications, demand activity and operational support connected. |
On a small screen, swipe the table to compare. Follow an agency name for the detail and source links.
Get to know the options
Use the profiles to choose a few conversations worth having. Then ask each agency to respond to the same brief.
Research, brand and digital
Carbon connects research, brand strategy, creative, websites and media. Its published work includes UFP Technologies and HubSpot, and its buyer research explores how B2B decision-makers evaluate partners.
PR, communications and experiences
CerconeBrown’s current site emphasizes media relations, influencers, events, strategic counsel and creative storytelling. Its visible portfolio includes consumer brands and Cleary Insurance. This is a communications alternative, not an industrial-specialist designation.
Industrial B2B specialization
Godfrey offers strategy, creative and demand services for industrial B2B organizations. Its engagement options include larger partner programs, ongoing monthly programs and individual projects.
Connected brand and demand
The MX Group’s B2B offering spans brand, demand, content marketing, ABM, digital experience, data and technology. Its published work covers both industrial and broader business audiences.
Buyer journeys and integrated activation
Pretzl presents a full-service B2B model built around customer insight, AI and creativity, spanning strategy, communications, experiences, media and technology. Velocity’s site now states that Velocity is becoming Pretzl.
B2B brand and demand
Stein describes its approach as Brand-to-Demand Experience, connecting strategy, creativity, content, digital and media for B2B brands. Its public positioning emphasizes international brand and demand work.
Integrated B2B marketing and PR
Walker Sands brings together strategy, PR, creative, content, digital marketing and revenue operations. Its public offering covers growth-stage and enterprise B2B businesses across technology, manufacturing and other sectors.
Choose agencies above to make your own shortlist.
The shortlist tool works in this page. It does not send your choices to Carbon. You can also download the complete worksheet without selecting agencies.
Work backward from the work
Bring the business decision behind the rebrand: a new audience, an acquisition, a crowded category or a changing offer. Ask how research would shape the creative direction.
Bring it into the conversation: Look for the reasoning behind the work, not only the finished campaign.
Define the buying group, qualification rules and sales handoff. Ask how content, paid media and the website work together around those requirements.
Bring it into the conversation: Compare responsibilities and measurement before channel lists.
Separate the jobs of earned media, brand creative, events and performance marketing. They can reinforce each other, but they have different deliverables and measures.
Bring it into the conversation: Ask which part of the brief the agency will lead and where other partners are needed.
From browsing to briefing
Use the same five questions with every agency. Specific answers make it much easier to compare proposals later, especially when one agency leads with strategy and another leads with channels.
| Discuss | Ask | Look for |
|---|---|---|
| Business fit | What would you need to learn before recommending a program? | A short list of consequential decisions, not a preselected package. |
| Evidence | Can you walk us through a comparable assignment? | The original challenge, choices made, actual deliverables and documented outcomes. |
| Team | Who will work with us after the pitch? | Names, roles, responsibilities and a clear day-to-day contact. |
| Scope | What is included, excluded and dependent on us? | Deliverables, review rounds, content needs, media and technology responsibilities. |
| Measurement | What would progress look like? | Business-relevant measures, a starting point and an agreed review process. |
Use this as a conversation guide, then record each agency’s actual answers. A blank field means “ask,” not “the agency cannot do it.”
Seven agencies, source links and space to compare evidence, team, scope and the quote. Open the editable CSV in Excel or Google Sheets.
How we chose the agencies
We reviewed first-party agency websites on September 17, 2026. This is a curated set for B2B marketing teams, not a complete list of the market or a scored test of delivery quality.
Agency services, teams and terms can change. Verify the current details before hiring. Tell Carbon about a factual correction.
Before you reach out
There is no universal winner. The useful question is which agency has relevant evidence, a suitable working team and an approach that fits your assignment. These seven options are arranged alphabetically, not ranked.
It can be when PR, communications, creative storytelling or experiences are central to the brief. Carbon’s published B2B offer connects research, brand, websites and media. Compare recent work, the proposed team and the exact deliverables; the agencies are not interchangeable for every assignment.
Velocity’s website says it is becoming Pretzl, and Pretzl presents the current broader B2B offering. We treat that as one option here. Confirm the current team and contracting arrangement directly with the agency.
Yes, when both could meet the brief. An integrated approach can connect several workstreams; specialists may fit a tightly defined task or an existing partner team. Ask who will coordinate the work and own the handoffs.
This guide does not estimate competitors’ fees or contract terms. Ask each agency for a current quote against the same brief. Carbon works on a retainer or project basis. Retainers start as low as $5,000/month; projects receive a custom quote based on needs and timing. Scope and inclusions are agreed separately.
No. Carbon researched and published this guide and is one of the agencies included. The other agencies have not endorsed this comparison. Their linked websites are the sources for descriptions; suitability notes are Carbon’s editorial judgment.
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