About
Aster Agency
Grounded in relationships. Built for what’s next.
Agency Elite Top 100
20+ Years
Retail technology focus
Top Places to Work (3 consecutive years)
5+ Years
Average client relationship
Top Places to Work (3 consecutive years)
Who We Are Today
Aster Agency provides strategic communications for modern commerce companies. Led by Managing Director Catherine Seeds and Executive Vice President Kirsty Goodlett, we bring over 20 years of exclusive focus in this space, providing our clients with deep industry expertise, enduring media relationships, and a partnership approach that makes our clients' jobs easier, not harder.
We work with companies that transform how the world buys, integrating deeply with their teams, thinking strategically about their goals, and delivering results that drive real business outcomes. Many of our client relationships span more than a decade because we operate as true partners, not vendors.
Our Evolution
You may know us as Ketner Group. Founded over 30 years ago by Jeff Ketner, the agency was built on exceptional work, deep industry specialization, and a culture where people—both team members and clients—come first. Catherine joined in 2002 and became CEO in 2019 as Jeff began his transition toward retirement.
In 2026, we became Aster Agency, a name that reflects both our roots and our future. Named for the hardy desert flower that thrives when others fade, it symbolizes the endurance, adaptability, and lasting relationships we've built our reputation on.
Same leadership. Same expertise. Same values. New name, new chapter.
A Hawke Media Company
Same team on your account, now with a full-service marketing agency behind us.
Aster Agency is part of Hawke Media, a full-service marketing agency founded in 2014, headquartered in Santa Monica with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. Named the top performance marketing agency in the U.S., Hawke works as an Outsourced CMO® for its clients and has grown more than 5,000 brands across 70-plus categories.
A launch or a rebrand usually takes more than earned media. When your program reaches that point, you can bring in a Hawke team member instead of starting another agency search: paid media, web and creative, SEO and GEO, lifecycle marketing, or Hawke AI, Hawke's performance analytics platform.
Your account stays with us. Your Aster Agency team lead scopes the work, brings in the right Hawke specialists, and owns the result, so you keep consistent points of contact and one plan.
How We Work
We're naturally curious people. We read voraciously, ask "why?" constantly, and dive deep into our clients' businesses until we know them as well as their internal teams. That curiosity drives better strategy, sharper storytelling, and ideas that actually move the needle.
We believe the best work happens at the intersection of strategic thinking and creative execution. We're not just order takers who execute your ideas; we bring strategic recommendations, challenge assumptions when needed, and find creative solutions when the obvious path won't work.
And we care deeply about relationships. Clients aren't just accounts. Team members aren't just resources. We send cookies for celebrations, grab coffee when we're in town, and build friendships that make work feel less like work. It's not forced; it's just who we are.
This approach means we're selective about who we work with. We look for clients who value partnership over vendor management, who want strategic thinking alongside tactical execution, and who believe that good work doesn't require sacrificing good lives.
Meet Your Team
Our team members are not only PR experts. We are also voracious readers, movie-lovers, food snobs and music fans. Learn more about what lights us up and makes us tick.
A Partner for the Long Run
Our clients describe us as strategic partners, not vendors.
Many of our client relationships span more than a decade. In fact, client contacts often bring us to their next company. That longevity reflects consistent delivery, genuine relationships, and the kind of trust that only builds over time.
We've been recognized by PR Daily as a top boutique agency, named to Ragan's Top Places to Work for three consecutive years, and included in PRNEWS Agency Elite Top 100. But the recognition that matters most? When clients bring us to their next company. When media recommend us to companies that need PR support. When peers ask “Who does your PR?”
Agency Elite Top 100
20+ Years
Retail technology focus
Top Places to Work (3 consecutive years)
5+ Years
Average client relationship
Boutique Agency List
Why Clients Stay
Decades of Trust. Recognized Everywhere That Matters.
"Ketner Group is a strategic, thoughtful partner. We have a complex business that relies heavily on content and thought leadership. Ketner crafts and executes a PR strategy that translates to meaningful gains in both quantity and quality of media coverage. Beyond their expertise, the entire team demonstrates a commitment to helping us accomplish our goals."
Kenny Juskowiak, Global Head of Product Marketing, NielsenIQ (NIQ)
"Ketner Group gets retail. Not surface-level familiar, but genuinely embedded in the industry, which means they understand our space. The results show up in the numbers: consistent SOV that outpaces our competitors. That sustained presence creates a real halo effect with our buyers and feeds AEO, which matters more every quarter."
Sarah Cascone, CMO, Appriss Retail
"Ketner Group brings something rare to retail PR: they understand the industry, not just the press. It is this industry depth that sets them apart. They speak the language of retail technology with genuine fluency, which gives them the ability to connect the right story to the right audience at the right time."
Greg Buzek, President and Chief AI Orchestrator, IHL Group
"What truly sets Ketner Group apart is their ability to put us in front of the right people at the right time. If you're a retail tech organization looking for a PR partner who truly understands the landscape and knows how to move the needle, Ketner Group is the team you want in your corner."
Doug Weich, Founder and Chairman of Sophelle and Connector for the Retail AI Council