Agency comparison · Minnesota

Carmichael Lynch vs Gearbox Functional Creative: Minnesota marketing agency comparison

Founded · Carmichael Lynch: 1962; Founded · Carmichael Lynch
Founded · Gearbox Functional Creative: 2010; Founded · Gearbox Functional Creative

Carmichael Lynch is a Minneapolis, Minnesota agency that lists branding and advertising. Gearbox Functional Creative is a St. Cloud, Minnesota agency that lists branding, web design and advertising. Only Gearbox Functional Creative lists Web design. Carmichael Lynch was founded in 1962, 48 years before Gearbox Functional Creative (2010).

Last updated October 16, 2026

Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative: the agencies

Carmichael Lynch (founded 1962): Minneapolis and Philadelphia creative advertising agency known for brand campaigns, with a media planning arm, for clients like Subaru, Bush's and Korbel.
Full profile
Gearbox Functional Creative (founded 2010): St. Cloud creative marketing agency doing brand identity, website development and campaign work for regional clients.
Full profile

Carmichael Lynch vs Gearbox Functional Creative: side by side

Each value for Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative comes from the agency's listing, its company facts or the platform named under it. Data as of October 16, 2026. No score or rank here; see the full ranking on the agencies page.

Carmichael Lynch vs Gearbox Functional Creative, side by side
Field	Carmichael Lynch	Gearbox Functional Creative
City and region	Minneapolis · Twin Cities	St. Cloud · Greater Minnesota
Headquarters	110 N. 5th St. 10th Floor, Minneapolis, MN, 55403Source: carmichaellynch.com	412 37th Ave N, St. Cloud, 56303Source: gearboxfc.com
Employees	201-500Source: builtincolorado.com	1-10Source: outsorcy.com
Founded	1962Source: carmichaellynch.com	2010Source: g2.com
Services	Branding, AdvertisingListing sources: carmichaellynch.com, glassdoor.com, carmichaellynch.com	Branding, Web design, AdvertisingListing sources: gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.com
Google rating	4.8 ★ (12 reviews)via Google · fetched October 12, 2026View on Google	5.0 ★ (29 reviews)via Google · fetched October 12, 2026View on Google
Yelp rating	Not published	5.0 ★ (1 review)via Yelp · fetched October 18, 2026View on Yelp
Publishes pricing	NoListing sources: carmichaellynch.com, glassdoor.com, carmichaellynch.com	NoListing sources: gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.com, gearboxfc.com
Awards	9 awardsCompany-stated Ad Age Best Places to Work · 2025adage.com Ad Age Best Places to Work · 2024carmichaellynch.com Star Tribune Top Workplace · 2024carmichaellynch.com	3 awardsCompany-stated AAF Central Minnesota Judge's Choice (3 consecutive years)gearboxfc.com AAF Central Minnesota Judge's Choice: Coborn'sgearboxfc.com AAF Central Minnesota Judge's Choice: BCI Constructiongearboxfc.com
Notable clients	12+ named clients on record Xfinity (case study)carmichaellynch.com Independence Blue Cross (case study)carmichaellynch.com Butterball (case study)carmichaellynch.com Subaru (case study)carmichaellynch.com Maker's Mark (case study)carmichaellynch.com	4 named clients on record Great River Children's Museum (testimonial)gearboxfc.com Full Circle Water (testimonial)gearboxfc.com Avon Hills Folk School (testimonial)gearboxfc.com BCI Construction (testimonial)gearboxfc.com
Leadership	Stacy Janicki (Chief Executive Officer)carmichaellynch.com Tracey Santilli (President)carmichaellynch.com Alissa Anderson (Executive Vice President)carmichaellynch.com	Not published
Case studies	4 (0 with stated results)Source: carmichaellynch.com	4 (0 with stated results)Source: gearboxfc.com
AI-assistant mention rate	Named in 3 of 431 answered runs (0.7%); 95% interval 0.2%–2.0%How AI visibility is measured	Named in 5 of 431 answered runs (1.2%); 95% interval 0.5%–2.7%How AI visibility is measured

Not published by either agency: Industries, Clutch rating, minimum project, hourly band, ownership, partner programs, certifications.

Carmichael Lynch listing sources

Gearbox Functional Creative listing sources

See how every listed agency is ranked

Carmichael Lynch vs Gearbox Functional Creative: where they differ

Location: Carmichael Lynch in Minneapolis and Gearbox Functional Creative in St. Cloud.
Founded: Carmichael Lynch 1962 and Gearbox Functional Creative 2010.
Employees: Carmichael Lynch lists 201-500 and Gearbox Functional Creative lists 1-10.
Only Gearbox Functional Creative lists Web design among its services.
Google: Carmichael Lynch 4.8 from 12 reviews and Gearbox Functional Creative 5.0 from 29 reviews.
Company-stated awards on record: Carmichael Lynch 9 and Gearbox Functional Creative 3.
AI mentions: Carmichael Lynch 0.7% and Gearbox Functional Creative 1.2% (within the margin of error).

Carmichael Lynch vs Gearbox Functional Creative: where they overlap

What Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative have in common as Minnesota agencies, from their listings and company facts:

Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative both list advertising and branding.

Carmichael Lynch vs Gearbox Functional Creative: AI visibility by assistant

In MN Agency Index's tests of 38 Minnesota buyer questions across 7 AI assistants (Oct 12–16, 2026; 431 answers), Carmichael Lynch was named in 3 answers (0.7%; 95% interval 0.2%–2.0%) and Gearbox Functional Creative was named in 5 answers (1.2%; 95% interval 0.5%–2.7%); the difference is within the margin of error.Below: share of each assistant’s answers that named each agency. 2 test runs pooled, Oct 12–16, 2026; repeated quarterly. Compare questions are excluded. Runs are correlated, so read each interval as a stability range. How AI visibility is measured.

ChatGPT
Carmichael Lynch
ChatGPT named Carmichael Lynch in 0 of 119 answers (0.0%).
Gearbox Functional Creative
ChatGPT named Gearbox Functional Creative in 1 of 119 answers (0.8%).
Gemini
Carmichael Lynch
Gemini named Carmichael Lynch in 1 of 119 answers (0.8%).
Gearbox Functional Creative
Gemini named Gearbox Functional Creative in 2 of 119 answers (1.7%).
Google AI Mode
Carmichael Lynch
Google AI Mode named Carmichael Lynch in 1 of 119 answers (0.8%).
Gearbox Functional Creative
Google AI Mode named Gearbox Functional Creative in 1 of 119 answers (0.8%).
Google AI Overview
Carmichael Lynch
Google AI Overview named Carmichael Lynch in 0 of 21 answers (0.0%).
Gearbox Functional Creative
Google AI Overview named Gearbox Functional Creative in 0 of 21 answers (0.0%).
Microsoft Copilot
Carmichael Lynch
Microsoft Copilot named Carmichael Lynch in 1 of 43 answers (2.3%).
Gearbox Functional Creative
Microsoft Copilot named Gearbox Functional Creative in 1 of 43 answers (2.3%).
Perplexity (Sonar API)
Carmichael LynchToo few answers for a rate
Perplexity (Sonar API) named Carmichael Lynch in 0 of 5 answers.
Gearbox Functional CreativeToo few answers for a rate
Perplexity (Sonar API) named Gearbox Functional Creative in 0 of 5 answers.
Gemini API (grounded)
Carmichael LynchToo few answers for a rate
Gemini API (grounded) named Carmichael Lynch in 0 of 5 answers.
Gearbox Functional CreativeToo few answers for a rate
Gemini API (grounded) named Gearbox Functional Creative in 0 of 5 answers.

Bar = share of that assistant’s answers naming the agency; whisker = 95% interval.

Carmichael Lynch vs Gearbox Functional Creative: common questions

How do Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative compare for advertising in Minnesota?

Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative both list advertising. Carmichael Lynch is based in Minneapolis and Gearbox Functional Creative is based in St. Cloud. Carmichael Lynch was founded in 1962 and Gearbox Functional Creative was founded in 2010. Listed team sizes: Carmichael Lynch 201-500 and Gearbox Functional Creative 1-10 employees.

How many Google reviews do Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative have?

Carmichael Lynch has 12 reviews (4.8 average) and Gearbox Functional Creative has 29 reviews (5.0 average). Review count isn't a quality measure.

Do Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative publish pricing on their own sites?

No. None of Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative publishes pricing on its own site.

Which clients do Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative name publicly?

Carmichael Lynch names Xfinity, Independence Blue Cross and Butterball (case studies); Gearbox Functional Creative names Great River Children's Museum, Full Circle Water and Avon Hills Folk School (testimonials).

What awards do Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative list?

As stated by each company: Carmichael Lynch lists 9 awards (most recent 2025) and Gearbox Functional Creative lists 3 awards.

How many employees do Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative list?

Carmichael Lynch lists 201-500 and Gearbox Functional Creative lists 1-10.

How many case studies are on record for Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative?

Carmichael Lynch 4 (0 with stated results) and Gearbox Functional Creative 4 (0 with stated results).

How often did AI assistants name Carmichael Lynch and Gearbox Functional Creative in MN Agency Index's test?

How comparisons are chosen and every field is sourced: methodology.

Carmichael Lynch vs Gearbox Functional Creative: also compared

Carmichael Lynch vs Colle McVoy vs Gearbox Functional Creative

Carmichael Lynch vs Gearbox Functional Creative: related Minnesota pages

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