After more than a decade inside corporate marketing — watching the playbook get written, refined, and weaponized — I got tired of who it was being used against.
Small and mid-sized businesses are competing against organizations with unlimited budgets, dedicated agencies, and infrastructure built over decades. The game isn’t rigged against them because they’re not good enough. It’s rigged because they don’t have access to the same tools, strategies, and systems that the other side takes for granted.
That’s the only reason ICG exists.
I know the plays. I know where the advantages are and where the weaknesses are. And right now — as corporations stumble through their own AI transitions, restructuring and laying off their way through uncertainty — there’s an opening.
ICG is how small businesses walk through it.
Every other agency leads with execution. We lead with honesty. Before we recommend anything, we find out what’s actually happening — because fixing the wrong problem is just expensive busywork.
We don’t build retainers around what we can bill. We build engagements around what you actually need. When the work is done, we tell you. No manufactured dependency, no inflated scope.
We’ve worked inside the corporate machine. We know the playbook, the tools, and the advantages that big brands take for granted. Now we use all of it for the businesses they’ve been running over for years.
Before we look at a single dashboard or ad account, we want to understand your business. What you’ve tried, what you believe is working, and what’s keeping you up at night. That context shapes everything that comes after.
We go through your marketing the way a good mechanic goes through an engine — looking for what’s actually wrong, not what’s easy to fix. You get a plain-language picture of reality before we recommend anything.
No templated strategies. No bloated scope. We put together a focused plan built around your specific business, your budget, and what will actually move the needle first.
When it’s time to work, we work. And we measure what matters — not vanity metrics designed to justify our invoice, but outcomes tied directly to your business goals.
I saw a better way to do this. Where everyone walks away happy, and with their dignity still intact. Decency doesn't have to be seen as a weakness. Disrespect shouldn't be a tool used to maximize revenue. We all deserve better. And that's what I am trying to do here.
Marcus Watts — Founder, Influence Creative Group
testimonials
Our Clients are Pretty Cool People
But we are not comfortable, or good at, taking compliments . . *tries not to make eye contact while walking away*
We had some questions about our agencies. ICG answered those with data and clear logic. Their findings helped us redefine and restructure the way our department, and company, operates. I’ve recommended them to every business owner I know.
I inherited a bit of a mess walking in. Marcus and his team offered to come in and take a look. Three weeks later I had a full report on my desk of what was working and what wasn’t. ICG has been a partner for two years now, and their work and contribution has been invaluable to the success of our brand.
I don’t know what that is . . . You can use it if you want, but I don’t know why you would.
Influence Creative Group
Ready To Have That First Conversation?
Just an honest look at where your marketing stands and whether we’re the right fit for each other.