In a press release published, leading integrated marketing agency Brunner has officially unveiled that it will be acquiring AdSkate, a cutting-edge platform for creative analysis and marketing intelligence using Artificial Intelligence. This deal brings together Brunner’s wealth of experience in strategy development for marketing along with the AI capabilities of AdSkate.
The acquisition marks a major evolutionary step for Brunner as modern Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) face mounting pressure to accelerate growth, squeeze inefficiencies out of budgets, and demonstrate precise return on investment (ROI). By absorbing AdSkate’s machine learning technology and technical engineering talent, Brunner expands its ability to transform raw campaign data into definitive business advantages, giving clients transparency into how distinct creative variables affect audience engagement.
Brunner’s client ecosystem spans high-profile national brands including Aerie, Church’s Texas Chicken, Fred Rogers Institute, and Mitsubishi North America. AdSkate has serviced marquee accounts such as Infosys, Abbott Labs, and the Illinois Lottery, alongside diverse healthcare and consumer brands. Moving forward, AdSkate’s technology layer will remain active for its historical clients, serve as a performance multiplier for Brunner’s existing accounts, and form the technological foundation for a new suite of AI-enabled solutions scheduled for near-term release.
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“Marketing is entering a new era where creative intelligence is becoming just as important as media intelligence,” said Kevin Amos, Partner and Chief Media and Data Officer at Brunner. “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.”
Rooted in Carnegie Mellon Academic Roots: Quantifying the Art of Creative Copy
Originally conceptualized within Pittsburgh’s advanced technology and academic research corridor—drawing on leadership and engineering lineage tied to Carnegie Mellon University—AdSkate was built to solve a historic marketing problem: the subjectivity of creative analysis.
The proprietary platform uses artificial intelligence and deep machine learning to evaluate multi-format asset assets across static imagery, video, messaging hooks, and targeted audience segments. Rather than relying on trailing metrics or high-level campaign summaries, the software pinpoints the exact visual and contextual attributes that drive conversions, customer retention, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
Following the closing of the deal, AdSkate’s core assets, software engineering capabilities, and personnel will be fully integrated into Brunner’s media and analytics division. Agency clients will gain immediate access to an upgraded service suite, which features:
- Predictive Performance Modeling: Algorithmic forecasting to determine how creative assets will perform across distinct channels before budget deployment.
- Granular Attribute Analysis: Automated breakdown of video frames, colors, ad copy lengths, and visual hierarchies to systematically identify what triggers customer response.
- Rapid A/B Testing & Optimization: AI-assisted validation of design iterations, reducing the time required to test, learn, and adapt digital campaigns.
- Advanced Behavioral Analytics: Rich consumer psychology insights mapped directly to cross-channel digital journeys.
“From the beginning, AdSkate was built around the belief that AI could help marketers make better decisions and create more impactful work,” said Akaash Ramakrishnan, Co-Founder and CEO at AdSkate. “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.”
“AdSkate’s ability to break down ad performance and attributes is truly empowering,” said Albert Thompson, Managing Digital Director, Walton Isaacson. “It provides insights that simply are not available at scale.”
Leadership Integration and Regional Economic Impact
As part of the structural transition, the key architects of AdSkate will take on new leadership mandates within Brunner to direct continuous product development:
- Akaash Ramakrishnan joins the agency as Senior Director, AI and Innovation.
- Shreyas Venugopalan assumes the role of AI and Technology Consultant.
- Max Rosen transitions to the agency team as Creative Technologist.
This acquisition successfully blends two distinct regional narratives: Brunner’s forty-year heritage as an independent marketing powerhouse and AdSkate’s bleeding-edge technological innovation. The combination solidifies Pittsburgh’s reputation as an accelerating global hub for both digital advertising excellence and applied artificial intelligence.