Brunner, a leading independent integrated marketing agency, announced its acquisition of AdSkate, an AI-powered creative analytics and marketing intelligence platform that helps brands and agencies optimize advertising performance through advanced creative insights. Brunner’s client ecosystem includes national brands such as Aerie, Church’s Texas Chicken, Fred Rogers Institute, and Mitsubishi North America, while AdSkate has worked with brands including Infosys, Abbott Labs, and Illinois Lottery.
Founded in Pittsburgh, with leadership and technology roots at Carnegie Mellon University, AdSkate was created to help marketers unlock the full value of their creative assets through artificial intelligence and machine learning. The platform analyzes advertising performance across images, video, messaging, and audience segments to identify the creative elements that drive engagement, conversion, and return on ad spend, transforming creative optimization from a subjective process into a data-driven discipline. As part of the acquisition, AdSkate’s technology, talent, and product expertise will be integrated into Brunner’s growing suite of marketing intelligence solutions, providing clients with enhanced creative testing, predictive performance modeling, audience insights, and AI-powered campaign optimization capabilities.
The acquisition brings together two Pittsburgh success stories: Brunner’s more than four decades of marketing leadership and AdSkate’s next-generation AI innovation. As part of the deal, AdSkate Co-Founder and CEO Akaash Ramakrishnan will become Senior Director, AI and Innovation at Brunner; Co-Founder and CTO Shreyas Venugopalan will join as AI and Technology Consultant; and Creative Technology Specialist Max Rosen will become Creative Technologist. Brunner is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with additional offices in Atlanta, Georgia.
KEY QUOTES:
“Marketing is entering a new era where creative intelligence is becoming just as important as media intelligence.”
“Today’s CMOs aren’t asking for more data; they’re asking for better answers. AdSkate has built an innovative platform that helps marketers understand not only what is performing, but why it is performing. By bringing AdSkate into the Brunner family, we will help clients make smarter decisions, move faster, optimize campaigns with greater confidence, and maximize the impact of every marketing dollar.”
Kevin Amos, Partner and Chief Media and Data Officer, Brunner
“From the beginning, AdSkate was built around the belief that AI could help marketers make better decisions and create more impactful work. Brunner shares that vision.”
“This partnership allows us to scale our technology, accelerate innovation, and bring powerful new capabilities to brands looking to compete in an increasingly complex marketplace. Together, we can help marketers move faster, learn faster, and achieve stronger business results.”
Akaash Ramakrishnan, Co-Founder and CEO, AdSkate
“AdSkate’s ability to break down ad performance and attributes is truly empowering. It provides insights that simply are not available at scale.”
Albert Thompson, Managing Digital Director, Walton Isaacson
