# Spears Group

> Spears Group is a New Orleans-headquartered, minority-owned integrated marketing and advertising agency founded by Cleveland Spears III in 2008. It combines research, strategy, branding, public relations, paid media, social and influencer work with experiential marketing and event production. Its unusual proof point is the National Fried Chicken Festival, an owned event that functions as both a consumer business and a live demonstration of the agency's full stack.

- **Founded:** 2008
- **Headquarters:** New Orleans, United States
- **Founders:** Cleveland Spears III (Founder, President and CEO)
- **Products:** Research and analytics, Integrated marketing strategy, Creative and branding, Public relations and media placement, Social and influencer marketing
- **Notable:** Reports more than 300 clients supported and more than 160 industry awards., The National Fried Chicken Festival reports more than 500,000 cumulative attendees, 7,500 media placements, $6 million in publicity value, $10 million in economic impact and $2 million donated to nonprofits since 2016., Its New Orleans RTA work reports $4.7 million in annual generated revenue, 31,000 annual Le Pass downloads, 36,600 digital campaign conversions in 2025 and first-time cashless use by 50% of riders.

## Products & services

- **Research and analytics** — Market and trend analysis, audience insights, brand audits, focus groups, surveys, journey mapping and sentiment analysis.
- **Integrated marketing strategy** — Campaign planning that connects earned, owned and paid media with positioning, budgets, KPIs and performance reporting.
- **Creative and branding** — Naming, brand identity, design systems, advertising creative, web experiences and visual storytelling.
- **Public relations and media placement** — Media relations, narrative development, crisis communications, thought leadership and paid media buying.
- **Social and influencer marketing** — Content strategy, channel management, influencer partnerships and conversion-focused social campaigns.
- **Experiential marketing and event production** — Live, virtual and hybrid experiences plus in-house event concept and product development.
- **National Fried Chicken Festival** — An owned, produced and marketed consumer festival that also serves as a live demonstration of the agency's integrated capabilities.

## Achievements

- Reports more than 300 clients supported and more than 160 industry awards.
- The National Fried Chicken Festival reports more than 500,000 cumulative attendees, 7,500 media placements, $6 million in publicity value, $10 million in economic impact and $2 million donated to nonprofits since 2016.
- Its New Orleans RTA work reports $4.7 million in annual generated revenue, 31,000 annual Le Pass downloads, 36,600 digital campaign conversions in 2025 and first-time cashless use by 50% of riders.
- Super Bowl LIX work reports 1.5 billion in earned-media reach while supporting more than 20 major events.
- The Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine launch generated more than 320 media mentions, an estimated reach above 808 million and $702,000 in publicity value.
- I Am New Orleans murals produced by Spears Group won three Gold ADDYs and Best of Show at the 2024 New Orleans American Advertising Awards.
- Cleveland Spears III was named Agency Executive of the Year at the 2015 American Advertising Awards and received the Urban League's 2010 Rising Star Award.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — The National Fried Chicken Festival announced a three-day tenth-anniversary edition, extending the owned event's run that began in 2016.
- **2026-05** — Spears Group was named a finalist for the 2026 Morial Award for Small Business of the Year.
- **2026-04** — The agency published its 2026 marketing outlook focused on human-centered community experiences.
- **2025-08** — Katrina 20th anniversary campaigns for W.K. Kellogg Foundation and community partners generated more than 150 media placements and 300,000 digital impressions, according to the agency.
- **2025-02** — For Super Bowl LIX, the agency supported press operations for more than 20 official events and reported 1.5 billion in earned-media reach.
- **2024-10** — Houston Housing Authority awarded Spears Group communications work through a competitive procurement process, extending the agency's Houston-market footprint.

## Links

- Website: https://thespearsgroup.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/spears-consulting-group/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/thespearsgroup
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thespearsgroup/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thespearsgroup/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@spears.group

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/spears-group
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-23