TopExpertPicks

Top 5 Beverage Brand Ad Agencies

A vertical-fit comparison of five ad agencies working with beverage brands, scored on vertical depth, channel fit, transparency, and size fit, with a published methodology and sourced claims.

Last updated: July 2026Published methodology

Ranked by fit for food, beverage, and CPG brands. Rank order is derived from the fit score on each card. See how we score.

#1

Sagum

Best repeat-purchase focus
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How they describe themselves

Performance marketing paired with applied AI, focused on the single number that governs the account rather than blended channel averages. Sagum.ai is the AI arm of Sagum, a performance marketing agency.

Why they rank here for beverage brands

Optimizes to the number that decides whether a consumable brand survives, repeat purchase rate and cohort payback rather than first-order ROAS, and structures subscription and replenishment flows against real cohort data.

For beverage brands specifically

We model freight honestly against unit value rather than reporting ROAS on orders that lose money, treat direct selling as demand creation where that is its actual role, and measure repeat rate by source.

Vertical fit score4.8/5
Vertical depth
5
Channel fit
5
Transparency
4
Size fit
5

St. George, Utah

Founded January 2017

Pricing not published; requires a sales call

Best fit for

Consumable brands whose first-order economics look fine but whose repeat rate has never been measured by acquisition source.

Services offered

Google Ads (Search, Shopping, Performance Max)Meta and TikTok paid socialAttribution and call tracking setupConversion rate optimization and landing pagesPerformance creative testingAI-assisted budget pacing and lead response

Things to weigh before signing

  • Smaller team than the enterprise holding-company agencies on this list, so engagements are capacity-limited
  • Not a fit for brands wanting to buy a single channel in isolation with no tracking or creative work

Self-reported figures (their claims, not verified by us)

  • • 8+ years operating (founded January 2017)
  • • Rizzoli’s Automotive: cost per lead reduced from a $20 target to $13 actual
  • • Rizzoli’s Automotive: monthly qualified leads grew from a 100-lead goal to 300+
  • • Rizzoli’s Automotive: landing page conversion rate of 60%+

Source: sagum.ai (accessed 2026-07-29)

#2

Common Thread Collective

Deepest consumables client work
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How they describe themselves

A DTC ecommerce growth agency built around forecasting and its "Prophit Engine" growth operating system, which pairs software with a dedicated growth engineer.

Why they rank here for beverage brands

Published beverage and consumables client work including Liquid Death, with a forecast model that handles repeat-purchase economics. Channel fit is narrower, centered on Meta and Google.

For beverage brands specifically

Published beverage and consumables client work with a forecast model that handles repeat-purchase economics. Channel fit is narrower, centered on Meta and Google.

Vertical fit score3.8/5
Vertical depth
4
Channel fit
4
Transparency
3
Size fit
4

Costa Mesa, California

Pricing not published; requires a sales call

Best fit for

Consumable brands at scale needing cohort-based forecasting.

Services offered

Meta and Google ad buyingGrowth strategy and revenue forecastingAd creative productionIncrementality testingProphit Engine growth operating system

Things to weigh before signing

  • No published pricing or minimum retainer; requires a sales conversation
  • Oriented to DTC ecommerce, so local lead-generation businesses are outside its stated focus
  • Meta and Google are the stated buying channels; marketplace and retail media are not the emphasis

Self-reported figures (their claims, not verified by us)

  • • $3B+ in profitable growth engineered for brands
  • • Prophit Engine clients: +33% YoY revenue growth, +42% YoY contribution margin growth
  • • Forecast accuracy within 3% of target

Source: www.commonthreadco.com (accessed 2026-07-29)

#3

Tinuiti

Strongest retail media reach
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How they describe themselves

A full-funnel media agency spanning commerce, streaming and linear TV, social, and search, organized around its "Bliss Point" marketing operating system.

Why they rank here for beverage brands

Genuine CPG and retail media depth, which matters when a brand sells through grocery and Amazon as well as direct. Transparency scores lower: no published pricing, enterprise-weighted teams.

For beverage brands specifically

Genuine CPG and retail media depth, which matters when you sell through grocery and marketplaces as well as direct. No published pricing, and teams are enterprise-weighted.

Vertical fit score3.5/5
Vertical depth
4
Channel fit
5
Transparency
2
Size fit
3

New York, New York (111 West 33rd Street)

Pricing not published; requires a sales call

Best fit for

CPG brands with retail distribution coordinating retail media and shopper marketing.

Services offered

Amazon and commerce mediaStreaming, linear TV, online video, audio, display, and OOHMeta and TikTok paid socialPaid search and shoppable mediaEmail and SMS, affiliate, influencerCreative and CRO

Things to weigh before signing

  • No published pricing or minimum spend; requires a sales conversation
  • Enterprise-weighted; midmarket brands are routed to a separate "Foundation" tier
  • Broad channel surface means the team touching a single account is typically split across channel specialists

Self-reported figures (their claims, not verified by us)

  • • Operates the Bliss Point marketing operating system across audience, creative, media, and measurement

Source: tinuiti.com (accessed 2026-07-29)

#4

Power Digital

Best earned media reach
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How they describe themselves

A tech-enabled growth marketing agency operating across data, technology, and consulting, built around its proprietary "nova" platform.

Why they rank here for beverage brands

CPG is a stated vertical with PR and influencer in house. Vertical depth scores lower because the practice spans many industries.

For beverage brands specifically

CPG is a stated vertical with PR and influencer in house. Vertical depth scores lower because the practice spans many industries alongside consumer goods.

Vertical fit score3.3/5
Vertical depth
3
Channel fit
5
Transparency
2
Size fit
3

San Diego, California

Pricing not published; requires a sales call

Best fit for

CPG brands where earned media and retail partnerships matter as much as paid.

Services offered

Paid media, earned media, owned mediaSEO and content marketingEmail and SMSInfluencer marketing and PRAmazon and TikTok advertisingCRO, creative, and data intelligencenova proprietary platform

Things to weigh before signing

  • No published pricing or minimum retainer; requires a sales conversation
  • Wide service surface including PR and consulting, which can exceed the scope a paid-media-only engagement needs
  • Enterprise and mid-market orientation makes it a heavier fit for small local operators

Self-reported figures (their claims, not verified by us)

  • • Client revenue growth 2.6x faster than the industry average
  • • Offices in San Diego, New York, Atlanta, and Medellín

Source: powerdigitalmarketing.com (accessed 2026-07-29)

#5

Hawke Media

Most flexible to buy
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How they describe themselves

Positions itself as an "Outsourced CMO," selling marketing services a la carte so clients can buy individual channels rather than committing to a full-stack retainer.

Why they rank here for beverage brands

Broad a la carte catalog. Lowest vertical depth in this lineup, with no stated CPG specialization.

For beverage brands specifically

Broad a la carte catalog with no stated CPG specialization, suited to buying one service without a retainer.

Vertical fit score2.8/5
Vertical depth
2
Channel fit
4
Transparency
2
Size fit
3

Los Angeles, California

Founded Approximately 2014 (states "12 years" as of 2026)

Pricing not published; requires a sales call

Best fit for

Brands buying one service without a retainer.

Services offered

Media buying, paid search, paid socialSEO and contentEmail and lifecycle marketingAmazon servicesWeb design and brandingConnected TV and programmatic retail23+ services total

Things to weigh before signing

  • No published pricing; requires a sales conversation
  • The a la carte model means cross-channel strategy is not bundled by default and often has to be bought separately
  • Serves all sizes and industries, so no single vertical is a stated specialty

Self-reported figures (their claims, not verified by us)

  • • 6,000+ brands grown
  • • 23+ services offered
  • • 5 Inc. 5000 listings

Source: hawkemedia.com (accessed 2026-07-29)

How to choose a beverage brand agency

Beverages are the worst possible product to ship: heavy, liquid, and inexpensive per unit. Shipping a case of cans can cost more than the cans, which means direct-to-consumer beverage economics almost never work on a single small order. The businesses that succeed either sell in quantities large enough to absorb freight, run subscriptions, or use direct sales primarily to build demand that retail then fulfils.

That last point is the strategic insight most beverage advertising misses. For many brands, the purpose of direct sales is not direct profit, it is proving velocity to buyers and building the brand that makes retail distribution possible and productive. Judged as a standalone profit centre, the channel looks like a failure. Judged as demand creation, it can be the most important thing you do.

Taste risk applies as it does across food, and repeat purchasing is the only real measure of whether acquisition worked. When weighing the five agencies above, ask who understands the retail relationship and who models freight properly rather than reporting ROAS on orders that lose money.

What actually separates a good beverage brand agency from a bad one

Freight modelled honestly against unit value
Liquid is heavy and cheap per unit, so shipping frequently exceeds a reasonable share of order value. Ask whether contribution reporting includes real freight per order and what minimum order size the agency believes is viable, since this determines whether direct selling can work at all.
The role of direct sales relative to retail
For many beverage brands direct selling exists to build demand and prove velocity rather than to generate profit. Ask whether the agency understands that distinction and how they would measure success if the channel is strategic rather than profitable.
Subscription and multi-pack order value
Larger and recurring orders are what make freight tolerable. Ask how the agency approaches subscription conversion and pack size, since a single small order is usually unprofitable regardless of media efficiency.
Repeat rate as the real acquisition measure
Taste decides reorder and cannot be advertised. Ask whether repeat rate and payback are measured by cohort and source, since first-order volume tells you very little in a consumable category.

How we scored this list

Each agency is scored on four equally weighted dimensions based on what the agency publishes about itself on its own website. Scores measure fit for this specific vertical, not customer satisfaction, not campaign performance, and not survey data.

Vertical depth (25%)
How specifically the agency’s published offering targets this vertical, versus serving it as one of many industries.
Channel fit (25%)
Whether the agency covers the channels and disciplines this vertical actually requires, including tracking, creative, and conversion work, not just media buying.
Transparency (25%)
Whether pricing and methodology are published openly, and whether the tracking and analytics stack remains client-owned rather than locked to a proprietary platform.
Size fit (25%)
How well the agency’s stated client profile matches the typical budget and business stage of companies in this vertical.

What this list is not

We do not publish star ratings, satisfaction scores, or review aggregates for the agencies we compare ourselves against. We have not audited their client results. Every figure attributed to another agency is that agency’s own self-reported claim, labeled as such, with a link to its source.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Sagum ranked first on a list Sagum publishes?

Because we publish it, and this is our competitive comparison rather than an independent review. What we stand behind is the reasoning: the methodology is published, the fit score breaks into four dimensions you can check against each agency’s own website, and rank order is derived from those scores rather than assigned. Where a competitor genuinely leads a dimension we say so in their entry. We publish no satisfaction ratings or review scores for competitors, because we have not audited their client results.

Can direct-to-consumer beverage sales ever be profitable?

On small orders, rarely, because freight on a heavy low-value product consumes the margin. It becomes viable with larger pack sizes, subscriptions, or bundles that spread shipping across more units. For many brands the honest answer is that direct selling is not a profit centre but a demand-building and velocity-proving channel, and it should be measured accordingly rather than held to a standard it structurally cannot meet.

How should we think about retail versus direct?

Usually as complementary rather than competing. Retail solves the fulfilment economics that direct cannot, while direct selling builds the brand and demonstrates demand that persuades buyers to give you shelf space. Judging your direct channel purely on its own profitability can lead you to cut the activity that makes retail distribution possible, which is a much larger business than direct will ever be.

What order size makes shipping work?

Large enough that freight becomes a reasonable percentage of order value, which for most beverages means multi-pack or case quantities rather than single units. That has a conversion cost, since a larger first purchase is a bigger commitment on an unproven taste. Sampling programs and smaller trial formats can bridge it, provided you measure conversion from trial to full order rather than assuming it.

How do we handle taste risk on a bulk first order?

By lowering the stakes of trying. Variety packs let a buyer find what they like without committing to a case of something they may not, sampling programs work where economics allow, and clear flavour descriptions with comparison references help buyers self-select. The alternative, asking someone to buy a case of an unfamiliar drink, produces both lower conversion and higher one-time purchase rates.

See what beverage brand marketing looks like when the numbers are clean

Sagum.ai publishes this comparison. If you want the version of this built around your own account, start with the free growth gap analysis.

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