10 Performance Marketing Companies in New York City

Performance marketing sounds simple. You pay for results, not impressions. But measuring those results has become much harder.

Privacy changes broke much of the old tracking. Platforms now grade their own homework. Google, Meta, and Amazon each claim credit for the same sale. A strong performance partner sorts out what actually drives growth.

This guide covers ten performance marketing companies in New York City. We group them by budget tier, because scale changes what you need. You will see each firm’s strengths, fit, and risks.

What Is Performance Marketing?

Performance marketing is advertising tied to measurable outcomes. Those outcomes might be leads, sales, app installs, or sign-ups. Spend moves toward whatever delivers results at the right cost.

A performance agency usually handles:

• Paid search and Shopping: Google, Microsoft, and Amazon ads.
• Paid social: Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
• Programmatic and streaming TV: Automated display, video, and CTV buying.
• Creative testing: Producing and testing ads at volume.
• Measurement: Attribution, incrementality tests, and media mix modeling.
• Budget allocation: Moving spend across channels based on results.

Why Measurement Separates Good Agencies From Great Ones

Most agencies can launch campaigns. Fewer can prove which campaigns create new revenue.

Look for agencies that use more than platform reports. Strong options include:

• Incrementality tests: Pausing or holding out spend to see real lift.
• Media mix modeling: Statistical models that estimate each channel’s impact.
• First-party data: Using CRM and order data instead of platform guesses.
• Server-side tracking: Tools like Conversions API to recover lost signals.

Ask every agency on your shortlist how they measure. Their answer tells you a lot.

Quick Comparison: 10 NYC Performance Marketing Agencies

No agency paid to appear here. Where a claim comes only from the agency itself, we say so.

The 10 Performance Marketing Companies in New York City

Enterprise Performance Agencies

1. Horizon Media – Best Independent Media Agency at Scale

Horizon Media was founded in 1989 and is headquartered at 75 Varick Street. It has more than 2,000 employees. MediaPost has named it Independent Media Agency of the Year.

Horizon plans and buys media across almost every channel. Its focus on data and insights supports performance goals at very large budgets. Clients include GEICO and Corona.

• Performance services: Media planning and buying, data and analytics, social
• Best for: Large advertisers wanting an independent alternative to holding companies
• Watch out for: Built for very large budgets

2. Tinuiti – Best for Measurement-Led Performance

Tinuiti is headquartered in New York City. It traces its roots to Elite SEM, founded in 2004, and has about 1,200 employees. It calls itself the largest independent full-funnel performance agency in the US.

Tinuiti owns Bliss Point, a measurement technology for attribution and media mix. It manages search, social, Amazon, retail media, and streaming TV. In 2026, it won media agency of record roles for Wolverine Worldwide and Serta Simmons Bedding.

• Performance services: Paid search, paid social, retail media, CTV, measurement
• Best for: Brands spending across Google, Meta, Amazon, and streaming
• Watch out for: Smaller accounts may get less senior attention

3. Brainlabs – Best for Testing Discipline

Daniel Gilbert left Google to found Brainlabs in 2012. The company is now US-based, with New York as its North American headquarters. It has about 1,060 employees after acquiring LA media agency Exverus in 2025.

Brainlabs is known for controlled experiments and automation. Teams test changes, measure lift, and scale only what works.

• Performance services: Paid search, paid social, programmatic, CRO, analytics
• Best for: Enterprise advertisers that value rigorous testing
• Watch out for: Better suited to large budgets

4. Kepler Group – Best for Data-Heavy Enterprises

Kepler Group has operated since 2012 and is headquartered in New York. It has more than 600 employees across ten offices. It is part of the kyu collective, alongside IDEO.

Kepler blends media buying with CRM, analytics, and technology consulting. It is a Meta Business Partner and an Amazon Ads Advanced partner. That suits brands that want media tied closely to customer data.

• Performance services: Media, CRM, Amazon, analytics, AI consulting
• Best for: Fortune 500 brands with complex data needs
• Watch out for: Not designed for small budgets

Mid-Market to Enterprise Agencies

5. Croud – Best for Flexible Expertise

Ben Knight and Luke Smith founded Croud in the UK in 2011. Croud opened its New York office in 2016. It has over 600 in-house experts.

Croud also taps an on-demand network of about 2,900 specialists. That lets it add niche skills, like local-language search, quickly.

• Performance services: Paid search, integrated media, data, creative
• Best for: Brands running campaigns across several markets
• Watch out for: Ask how network specialists are vetted

6. Wpromote – Best for Consumer Brand Growth

Michael Mothner founded Wpromote in 2001. It is headquartered in El Segundo, California. It built its New York team through acquisitions of Prime Visibility and Metric Digital.

Metric Digital was a New York performance agency focused on paid search and paid social. Search Engine Land named Wpromote SEM Agency of the Year in 2017.

• Performance services: Paid search, paid social, Amazon, performance creative
• Best for: Consumer brands scaling acquisition
• Watch out for: Confirm your team will be based in New York

7. Acronym – Best for Global Search Programs

Anton Konikoff founded Acronym in 1995. It is headquartered in the Empire State Building. It also has offices in Singapore, Toronto, and Berlin.

Acronym runs search, social, and analytics programs in more than 70 countries. It serves enterprise brands in travel, healthcare, technology, and retail.

• Performance services: Paid search, organic search, social, analytics
• Best for: Brands running campaigns in many countries and languages
• Watch out for: Headcount figures vary between sources, so ask about team size

Mid-Market and Growth Specialists

8. Direct Agents – Best for Cross-Channel Mid-Market Programs

Direct Agents was founded in 2003 and is headquartered on Fifth Avenue. It has about 148 employees and a second office in Culver City. It is independent and minority-owned.

The agency runs paid media, paid social, Amazon, and enterprise SEO. That suits mid-market brands wanting one team across channels.

• Performance services: Paid media, paid social, Amazon, SEO, analytics
• Best for: Mid-market brands wanting search and social together
• Watch out for: Ask who specializes in your main channel

9. Power Digital – Best for Data-Backed Mid-Market Growth

Power Digital was founded in San Diego in 2012. It has about 775 employees and an office in New York. It calls itself a tech-enabled growth firm.

Its proprietary platform, nova, analyzes first-party business data. That helps link ad performance to margins and customer value.

• Performance services: PPC, paid social, SEO, analytics
• Best for: Mid-market brands wanting performance linked to profit
• Watch out for: Ask which office leads your account

10. Voy Media – Best for Growth-Stage DTC Brands

Voy Media was founded in New York in 2016. It focuses on direct-response advertising for DTC and venture-backed brands. It also runs Amazon ads.

The agency pairs creative production with media buying. It says it uses proprietary software and targeting tools.

• Performance services: Paid social, creative, Amazon ads, campaign management
• Best for: DTC brands scaling paid acquisition
• Watch out for: Ask to see results at your spend level

How to Choose a Performance Marketing Agency in NYC

Start with your monthly media budget. It decides which tier of agency fits.

Use these steps:

1. Set your budget tier. Enterprise agencies rarely suit spends under six figures monthly.
2. List your channels. Pick agencies strong in the channels that drive your revenue.
3. Ask how they measure. Look for incrementality tests or media mix modeling.
4. Check creative capacity. Creative drives results on Meta and TikTok.
5. Agree on true goals. Use profit or new customer revenue, not just ROAS.
6. Confirm ownership. Ad accounts and data must stay in your name.

Here is a simple example. A Manhattan fintech app spends $150,000 a month across Google and Meta. Platform reports claim more conversions than the business sees. An agency that runs holdout tests can find which spend truly drives sign-ups.

How Much Do Performance Marketing Agencies Cost in NYC?

Fees usually scale with ad spend. Enterprise media agencies often negotiate custom fees.

Common pricing models include:

• Percentage of media spend: Often with a monthly minimum.
• Flat retainer: Fixed fees for defined channels and deliverables.
• Performance-based fees: Part of the fee tied to agreed results.

Measurement projects, like media mix modeling, are sometimes priced separately. Ask exactly what is included before comparing quotes.

Red Flags When Hiring a Performance Agency

Watch for these warning signs:

• Platform-only reporting: Each platform over-credits itself.
• ROAS without context: High ROAS can hide low new customer growth.
• No testing plan: Good agencies test creative, audiences, and bids continuously.
• Agency-owned accounts: You can lose history if you switch.
• Guaranteed returns: No agency controls auction prices.

Final Thoughts

New York has performance marketing talent at every budget level. Pick the tier that matches your spend, then judge each agency on measurement.

Choose Horizon or Tinuiti for enterprise scale. Pick Croud or Acronym for multi-market programs. Go with Direct Agents or Power Digital for mid-market growth. Shortlist two or three and ask how they would prove results.

Want an independent check of your tracking first? Talk to the Rankvise team about GA4, conversion tracking, and attribution.

FAQs

What is the best performance marketing agency in New York City?

It depends on budget. Horizon Media and Tinuiti suit enterprise spend, while Voy Media suits growth-stage DTC brands.

How much does a performance marketing agency cost?

Many charge a percentage of ad spend with a monthly minimum. Enterprise agencies often negotiate custom fees.

What is the difference between performance and brand marketing?

Performance marketing targets measurable actions like sales. Brand marketing builds awareness and trust over time.

What is incrementality testing?

It measures the extra sales caused by ads. Agencies compare groups that see ads with groups that do not.

How long before performance marketing shows results?

Paid campaigns can show data within weeks. Reliable optimization usually takes one to three months.