Media Matters’ year was marked by massive growth as the agency searched for ways to continuously improve itself and its client work.

The female-owned agency grew its billings from $65 million in 2020 to an outstanding $170 million, doubling its workforce and revenue in 2021. Part of the agency’s growth came from adding clients including Proactiv, Alteryx, Nutanix, Chime and Glassdoor to its roster.

The agency also brought on executives from large media agencies—including Sarah Owens, formerly at Wavemaker, who joined to lead Media Matters’s analytics and data science team. Owens is spearheading the creation of the agency’s “Agile Mix Modeling” tool with a team from UC Berkeley, an AI-centered tool that uses 25 unique data points to forecast and fine-tune media campaigns. 

Media Matters infused financial services company Chime into pop culture by launching a campaign that included a #WhyIChime social media challenge and YouTube videos featuring NFL players Cee Dee Lamb, Josh Jacobs and Eddie Jackson sharing financial stories. Chime also found itself featured in two DJ Khaled music videos and sponsored UFC fighter Kamaru Usman's episode of Complex's “Hot One's Truth or Dab.”

All the efforts delivered more than 612 million impressions, 477 million video views and reached more than 40 million unique users. Chime saw a 23% lift in search terms for individual YouTube programs, and Chime's net brand sentiment grew by 8%, according to the agency.

Media Matters utilized its Impact Index methodology to help beer brand Sierra Nevada identify ways to gain traction against competitors, such as putting more of an emphasis on nationally targeted partnerships. And it helped GlassDoor launch its first branding campaign, which delivered a nine-point lift in unaided awareness and four-point jump in consideration.

Beyond its work for clients, the agency also improved some of its own employee benefits, including increasing time off for new parents by 20 days.