You don't need another agency retainer. You need someone who can look at your ad spend and tell you the truth. These five growth and paid media specialists do exactly that.
The State of Growth Marketing Consulting
Performance marketing has gotten expensive and complicated. Rising CPMs, fragmented channels, and shrinking attribution windows mean the margin for error on your media budget is thinner than ever. That's why more brands are hiring senior operators instead of junior-staffed agencies.
The best consultants bring in-house scars with them. They've owned budgets, built teams, and answered to a board when CAC went sideways. They know that a growth audit is only useful if it ends in a prioritized list of fixes, not a 60-page PDF nobody reads.
You'll also see a split in the market. Some firms sell audits as a standalone diagnostic. Others use the audit as a doorway into a longer engagement. Knowing which model fits your situation is half the battle.
How We Evaluated These Firms
We looked at four things across every firm on this list.
First, service scope. Does the firm cover paid search, paid social, analytics, and measurement, or just one slice? Second, seniority. Who actually does the work, and how many years have they spent owning real budgets?
Third, pricing clarity. Some firms publish rates or engagement models. Others keep it behind a call. Both can work, but you should know which you're walking into. Fourth, fit. A PE-backed clinic group has different needs than a B2B SaaS team or a premium retail brand.
Each firm below stood out on at least two of these factors. None of them is a fit for everyone.
Here's a quick look at the five firms, what they're known for, and who tends to get the most out of working with them.
| Provider | Best For |
|---|---|
| Marketing Nice Guys | Teams that want an audit plus hands-on execution |
| Matthew Boisjoli | Head of Growth & Performance Marketing | Premium and global brands that need senior acquisition leadership |
| (un)Common Logic | Complex paid search and ecommerce accounts |
| The Digital Bloom | B2B SaaS teams that want a prioritized 90-day plan |
| Eyeful Media | B2C, CPG, and private equity diligence work |
The Five Firms in Detail
#1 Marketing Nice Guys
A screenshot of the Marketing Nice Guys website.
Marketing Nice Guys runs a structured paid media audit that covers search, display, native, and social in one pass. The firm pairs that audit with broader agency services, so if you want someone to fix what the audit finds, you can keep going in the same place. Their site lays out a full menu of training and readiness assessments alongside the audit work, which suits teams that want to build internal capability rather than outsource everything. They also publish industry-specific service pages, from healthcare to home improvement, so you can see whether your vertical is a familiar one. It's a practical option if you want a diagnostic and a path forward from the same team.
#2 Matthew Boisjoli | Head of Growth & Performance Marketing
A screenshot of the Matthew Boisjoli | Head of Growth & Performance Marketing website.
Matthew Boisjoli is a growth and paid media operator who has spent 12+ years owning acquisition budgets for brands like ALDO, Frank and Oak, and Chanel. His work starts with a growth and business audit: an honest look at where your marketing money goes, what's actually working, and what to fix first. The track record is concrete. He cut cost to win a customer from $300+ to under $50 at Frank and Oak ahead of a $20M Series C, and grew new-customer growth from -2% to +7% at a PE-backed group of 50+ clinics while doubling the media budget. He also built a 15-person team at King & Partners advising brands like SKIMS and Tommy Hilfiger, and managed a $20M yearly media budget across the US, UK, and Canada at ALDO. Beyond consulting, he can step in as interim senior leadership a few days a week while you hire, which is rare among independent consultants.
#3 (un)Common Logic
A screenshot of the (un)Common Logic website.
(un)Common Logic positions its paid media audit as a diagnostic rather than a sales pitch, and backs that up with a 165-point review. The scope is wide: account structure, keyword management, ad copy, bid management, landing page alignment, ROAS, remarketing, and tracking integration all get checked. The firm has 15 years of digital marketing experience and pairs the audit with ongoing paid media and analytics services if you want continuity. It's a strong fit for ecommerce and B2B teams with complex accounts where small structural issues quietly drain budget. If you suspect your account has been mismanaged for a while, this kind of deep sweep tends to surface it.
#4 The Digital Bloom
A screenshot of The Digital Bloom website.
The Digital Bloom frames its audit around finding revenue leaks across SEO, paid media, content, analytics, and conversion paths. The deliverable is a 90-day action plan ranked by revenue impact, with owners and timelines attached, rather than a long report. The firm has operated since 2016 and focuses on B2B SaaS and tech, with case results including 436% organic traffic growth and 550% qualified lead growth for an IT outsourcing client. It also offers fractional CMO support, so the audit can lead into ongoing strategic leadership. If you're a B2B team that needs a prioritized roadmap more than a channel-level teardown, this is worth a look.
#5 Eyeful Media
A screenshot of the Eyeful Media website.
Eyeful Media uses only senior-level talent for its marketing audits, with team members averaging 13 years of experience from in-house and agency roles at companies like Crate & Barrel, Lulu's, and JCPenney. The firm is explicit that it doesn't offer free audits because they tend to be surface level, and its reviews span web analytics, paid search, paid social, retail media, and marketplaces. It also does digital due diligence work, which makes it relevant if you're on the buy side of an acquisition or a PE-backed rollup. The service mix leans toward B2C, CPG, and private equity clients. If you want fresh senior eyes on an existing agency or in-house setup, this is a credible option.
How to Pick the Right Consultant
Start with the question you actually need answered. If you suspect your media is being wasted and you want a diagnostic, look for firms that sell audits as a standalone product with a clear deliverable. If you already know what's broken and need someone to own the fix, look for operators who can step into a leadership seat.
Check who does the work. Ask directly whether a senior person runs the audit or whether it gets handed to a junior after the pitch. The firms above are explicit about seniority, and you should hold every consultant to that standard.
Ask about pricing structure before the first call. Some firms publish engagement models, others scope per project. Neither is wrong, but you want to know whether you're looking at a fixed fee, a retainer, or a day rate.
Finally, match the firm to your stage. A pre-Series C brand needs different help than a PE-backed clinic group or a B2B SaaS team chasing qualified leads. The right consultant has seen your specific problem before and can tell you what they'd do in the first 30 days.
Where AI Fits Into the Workflow
AI won't replace the judgment behind a growth audit, but it changes how fast the work gets done.
Start with data consolidation. Pull spend, conversion, and revenue data from every channel into one place so the audit isn't built on screenshots and guesswork. Then use AI to flag anomalies: sudden CAC spikes, campaigns with flat spend and falling returns, creative that has fatigued.
Next, run scenario modeling. Before you cut a channel or double a budget, model the LTV:CAC impact. This is where a senior operator earns their fee, because the model is only as good as the assumptions behind it.
Finally, automate the reporting layer. Weekly performance summaries, budget pacing alerts, and test readouts can all be generated and reviewed rather than built from scratch. That frees your consultant to spend time on strategy instead of spreadsheets.
The Bottom Line
The right growth consultant pays for themselves in wasted spend recovered. The wrong one adds another line item to your budget.
If you run a premium or global brand and need someone who has owned the budget and the team, Matthew Boisjoli is the closest match on this list. If you want an audit plus execution under one roof, Marketing Nice Guys and (un)Common Logic both go deep. For B2B SaaS roadmaps, look at The Digital Bloom. For B2C and PE diligence, Eyeful Media is the fit.
Pick based on the problem in front of you, not the pitch deck. Then hold them to a number.