Content agency Manifest is absorbing sister agency Aisle Rocket, forming a mid-sized independent with hubs in New York, Phoenix, Chicago, Boston, and Washington, D.C., the company told ADWEEK.
Both agencies were already owned by Miami-based ARS Advertising, which acquired Manifest in March 2024. At the time, it planned to operate both agencies separately while having them work on shared clients.
But as consolidation in the industry accelerates—and as more independents emerge—leadership saw an opening to create a mid-sized challenger focused on the mid-funnel.
“There really is this gap and opportunity in the middle for mid-size agencies, for those CMOs that are looking for something different, but still need a certain size and scale to be able to serve their business well,” said Melissa Bouma, managing partner and chief growth and strategy officer at Manifest. “We realized we could be stronger together.”
The agency will be led by CEO Ross Shelleman, chief growth and strategy officer Melissa Bouma, and chief experience officer Steve Slivka.
Both agencies bring distinct strengths. Manifest, founded in the 1980s, built its reputation on content marketing and brand journalism—publishing more than 10 million magazines a year at its peak—before evolving into performance marketing and digital storytelling. Aisle Rocket, meanwhile, specializes in creative technology, ecommerce and consumer brand campaigns.
Bouma said together, the agency can now target the “middle of the journey”—the point between awareness and purchase, when customer consideration widens and brands risk losing momentum.
“As you do your research, your consideration set actually grows,” she explained. “That’s where we need to educate, drive comparison, lock in brand preference, and help shrink that set back down. It’s so complex and tangly in the middle, and we’re here to help demystify that and actually accelerate that journey.”
The new Manifest employs about 200 people across New York, Washington, D.C., Boston, Chicago, and Phoenix. Net revenue is in the “strong eight figures, trending toward nine,” according to Bouma, and leadership is targeting 7% growth in 2026.
Nearly half of Manifest’s creative team come from journalism backgrounds, with alumni of outlets such as The New York Times’ T Brand Studio and The Washington Post.
“Instead of the classic two-person team of art and copy, you have art, copy, and journalism,” Bouma explained. “That story gets brought into the creative process and made to sing for the brand.”
Manifest’s clients include Whirlpool, Fiserv, CDW, and Primrose Schools. Bouma said the agency is pursuing new opportunities in healthcare, pharma, and consumer categories.
“When we go into an RFP, we’re up against holding company agencies all the time,” Bouma said. “But we inherently know how content should behave and move audiences, versus talking about formats or tactics or widgets. That’s been our experience and how we’ve been competitive.”