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Cutwater 

San Francisco ,  United States
5.0
2 Reviews
Founding Year 2006
Team Size 10-49
Hourly Rate Undisclosed

CUTWATER: BUILDERS OF DISTINCTIVE BRANDS 

At Cutwater, we hone and sharpen a brand into something more distinctive so it has a better chance of cutting through, being heard, and standing apart. Because we believe that distinctive brands are the ones more people care about. And because we know distinctive brands are the ones that drive growth and preference.

We Are:

  • Based in SF (with a satellite office in NYC) 
  • Independently owned
  • An experienced team
  • Creators of famous campaigns that move the needle

We Believe In:

This profile is managed by Sar** Nav****  (s************@cutwatersf.com)

Last online: over a year agoResponse Unlikely
EXO ScoreEXO Score
OVERALL SCORE
44 + 17pts
Average
65/100
Reviews
0/100
Awards
100
Claimed
60/100
Description
0/100
Portfolio
39/100
Other
EXO Score Summary

Cutwater's profile is rated Average: it offers a few useful screening signals, but too little delivery evidence for a confident shortlist. The profile lists 5 services and 3 focus areas; only counts are available, so buyers cannot identify the delivery layers or technologies Cutwater covers. Its profile is domain-verified and lists 2 offices. The 2 reviews average 5 stars, a positive but anecdotal signal. There are no portfolio cases or TechBehemoths Award editions to assess. The stated team is 10-49 people, but target client size is unspecified and one account manager is listed. Worth considering, but request relevant case studies and references, and confirm client fit, current service coverage, technical stack, and project staffing before committing.

Reviews Summary

The profile shows 2 reviews with a 5-star rating. That is a positive response, but the volume is anecdotal and too small to establish a dependable pattern across clients or projects. Buyers should treat the rating as an initial signal, not a strong basis for choosing a provider. Ask for references tied to work similar to your project and weigh their feedback alongside the limited review record.

Awards Summary

No TechBehemoths Award editions are listed, so platform recognition adds no evidence to the profile. This is an absent signal, not a negative verdict on delivery; many companies do not actively engage with the platform's awards. Buyers should base their assessment on demonstrated work and references instead, particularly because the profile has no published portfolio cases to review.

Claimed Summary

The profile is claimed and verified through a business email matching the company website domain. This is a strong accountability signal: someone at Cutwater has verified control of the listing, giving buyers more reason to rely on its profile information than on an unclaimed page. Verification does not validate every service or capability claim, so confirm project-specific details directly before making a decision.

Description Summary

The profile has a moderate-length self-description, so buyers get some orientation rather than a bare listing. Length alone does not show what Cutwater does best or how it approaches delivery, and the available profile evidence here does not establish those specifics. Treat the description as an introduction, not proof of expertise. Before shortlisting, ask for a concise account of the work most relevant to your project and how the team would approach it.

Portfolio Summary

There are no published portfolio cases, leaving buyers with no examples of Cutwater's delivered work to assess on this profile. That is a major evidence gap: you cannot judge relevance, scope, or execution from the portfolio, and the other profile signals do not substitute for project evidence. Request case studies that match your brief, including the team's role and outcomes, before shortlisting. The absence of cases says nothing by itself about delivery quality, but it leaves little here for a buyer to evaluate.

Other Summary

The clearest supporting signals are the listed services and 2 offices, which give buyers some view of the offering and footprint. The gaps are more consequential for selection: there is no portfolio, target client size is unspecified, and the 10-49 person team has one account manager. The profile fills 6 of 8 supporting areas, but the missing client-fit and platform-contribution signals leave the overall picture incomplete. Request relevant case studies and confirm project scale and team coverage before shortlisting.

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Locations

Cutwater has 2 offices. The head office is in San Francisco, United States.

2 Offices

Company Speciality

Where Cutwater's expertise concentrates - services, technologies, and which clients they fit best.

Services provided

Focus(%)

100%

Focuses & Technologies

Brand strategy Brand messaging Corporate identity

Industry Focus

  • Financial services
    40%
  • Consumer products & services
    30%
  • Business services
    10%
  • Retail
    10%
  • Other industries
    10%

How Cutwater compares with other companies in United States

Benchmarked against every other company in United States. See exactly where Cutwater ranks.

How Cutwater compares to other companies based on profile strength?

Cutwater's profile carries a Poor information-strength label, placing it in the lower tier of San Francisco listings. The local distribution leans toward poor, below-average, and very-poor labels, and the national pattern is similar; this is not an outlier position, but it leaves buyers with less profile evidence than they can find on many alternatives.This label concerns how much information the profile presents, not service quality. For a shortlist, treat the profile as an incomplete basis for comparison and request the essentials directly: relevant case studies, named services, team and delivery details, and references. A profile may simply not be actively maintained, but the missing evidence still needs to be supplied before evaluation.

How much does Cutwater charge for their services compared to other companies in United States and San Francisco?

Cutwater publishes no hourly rate, so its price position cannot be placed against San Francisco or US providers from this profile. Peer listings span multiple disclosed rate points, including lower and higher price bands, but that comparison says nothing about Cutwater's own fees. Buyers cannot use this profile to screen for budget fit; ask for the applicable rate or project pricing and what it covers before comparing proposals. The lack of disclosure is a practical comparison gap, not evidence that the rate is high or low.

How many services does Cutwater provide compared to other companies?

Cutwater lists 3 services or focus areas, a compact offering near the low end of the San Francisco distribution, where profiles cluster around zero or five listed items. Nationally, the same lower-count pattern is common, while a smaller set of profiles lists much broader portfolios. Cutwater is therefore more focused than broad, not an unusually extensive provider on the evidence shown.That narrow profile can make a specialist fit worth testing, but the listing does not identify which capabilities are deep or central. Buyers should ask which of the three areas best matches the brief and request relevant work, team experience, and delivery examples for that specific service. Do not treat a longer competitor list as proof of greater capability.

When was Cutwater founded?

Founded in 2006, Cutwater sits within the established middle of the US founding-year distribution, whose strongest concentration is among companies founded from the early 2000s through the late 2010s. San Francisco founding-year comparison data is unavailable, so its position can be judged only nationally. This is mid-tenure rather than a newly founded profile or one with decades of market history.The date gives buyers an established operating history to examine, but it does not prove delivery quality or current team continuity. For a shortlist, test that history against relevant work delivered by the people who would handle the engagement, and ask for references from comparable projects. Treat founding year as context for diligence, not as a substitute for evidence of fit.

See the work before you reach out.

No Portfolio Yet

A portfolio is the only direct evidence of work this company has actually delivered. Without one, you cannot verify quality, style, or scope before committing budget. We recommend prioritizing companies with a documented track record, or requesting work samples directly before proceeding.

Reviews

Reviews summary

Cutwater's five-star record is anecdotal: 5.0 from 2 reviews, both 5-star, dated 2016-2017. The reviews are dated, so they show past rather than current feedback; the source split is not supplied, which limits how much weight to give the score.

Reviewers praise a creative, friendly and professional team, with one describing the agency as full-service. One account is from talent on a produced spot rather than a purchasing client. For a $75,000+ engagement, ask for a recent client reference on comparable brand or media work and confirm the scope and results.

5.0

From 2 Reviews

The reviews are collected on TechBehemoths, Google, Trustpilot and other resources.

5
4
3
2
1
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Dennis Dawson

5.0on 18/12/2017
I was the "talent" for a spot produced by Cutwater. I had a wonderful time working with this friendly, creative, professional team.

Richard Tubman

5.0on 21/09/2016
Amazing creative team. Full service shop with an outstanding roster of clients, small and independent, a stalwart of the San Francisco advertising community.

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