What Civilian does

Civilian is a purpose-driven marketing communications agency headquartered in San Diego, California, with additional offices in Sacramento and Washington DC. Founded in 1999 as AdEase and rebranded to Civilian, the firm became a Certified B Corporation in 2018 and today employs approximately 25 team members serving government agencies and mission-driven nonprofit organizations. Its core service offerings span integrated marketing strategy, creative and design, media buying and planning, public relations and public affairs, social media marketing, and digital services, delivered under a six-step Proven Process methodology with a distinctive youth co-creation model.

The agency's revenue model is professional services-based, generating fees through multi-year project contracts with state and local government clients and nonprofit organizations. Civilian has secured three California statewide contracts covering youth suicide prevention (California Department of Public Health), adverse childhood experiences (Office of the California Surgeon General), and community choice energy (San Diego Community Power), supplemented by engagements with nonprofits such as KQED. Campaigns demonstrate significant scale, including 450M+ impressions for the Never a Bother campaign and 588M impressions for Live Beyond.

Civilian does not develop proprietary technology or AI products; its competitive position is built on community co-creation methodology, behavior change frameworks, award-winning creative work, and entrenched government procurement relationships. The firm has been recognized as one of Ad Age Best Places to Work 2024 and has won consecutive SMANA Social Marketing Awards alongside Hermes Creative, Shorty Impact, and PR Daily accolades. It is privately held and founder-led by Stacey Nelson Smith (Founder & CEO), with no disclosed institutional investment or M&A activity.

Name

Civilian

Legal name

Civilian

Website

https://civilian.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Civilian is a purpose-driven marketing communications agency serving California state government agencies and nonprofit organizations. It provides integrated strategy, creative, media, PR, and digital services across public health, mental health, and social impact campaigns.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Communications Services

NAICS

National Security and International Affairs (9281)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Diplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy & Strategic Communications (BPAIAIAE)

Keywords

• Social impact marketing
• Government marketing services
• Public health campaigns
• Non-profit communications
• Integrated marketing agency

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Communications Services: Civilian generates revenue by providing integrated marketing communications services—strategy, creative, media, digital, and PR—to government agencies and non-profit clients on a project contract basis. Revenue is derived from fees for client engagements, campaign development, and media execution, typically through multi-year government contracts (e.g., statewide campaigns for California state agencies).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Civilian is a purpose-driven, full-service marketing communications agency that designs and executes integrated social impact campaigns for government agencies and mission-driven organizations. Its offering spans strategy, creative, media, digital, public relations, and campaign measurement, with a particular specialization in behavior-change public health and youth-focused communications delivered through a structured six-step Proven Process.

Product overview

Civilian is a purpose-driven marketing communications agency (formerly AdEase, founded in 1999) that offers a comprehensive suite of integrated marketing services. The agency's offerings span strategic services (audience insights, custom research, brand strategy, creative strategy, integrated marketing plans), creative services (design and identity, campaign platforms, branded content, digital, social media, web design, TV/video), media services (media buying, campaign measurement), public relations and public affairs, and social media marketing. The agency specializes in social impact work, focusing on public health campaigns, mental health and suicide prevention, environmental sustainability, education, and economic development. Headquartered in San Diego with offices in Sacramento and Washington DC, Civilian is a Certified B Corporation that serves government agencies and purpose-driven organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marketing Strategy and Consulting Services Strategic marketing services including audience insights, custom research, influencer mapping, issue tracking, competitive analysis, brand strategy, creative strategy, message architecture, integrated marketing plans, and crisis/issues management for government agencies and non-profit clients.
• Creative and Design Services Full-service creative capabilities including design and identity, campaign platforms, branded content, brand development, digital design, social media content creation, web design, mobile design, and TV/video production for public health and social impact clients.
• Media Buying and Planning Services Comprehensive media buying, planning, and campaign measurement services across paid, owned, and earned channels for statewide and national public health campaigns.
• Public Relations and Public Affairs Stakeholder engagement, public relations, and public affairs services to build relationships, manage communications with key audiences, and generate earned media coverage for government and non-profit clients.
• Social Media Marketing Social media strategy, content creation, community management, and influencer marketing to engage audiences across platforms for public health and social impact campaigns.
• Digital Services Digital marketing services including web design, mobile design, microsite development, and integrated digital campaign execution for statewide public health initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 450 million impressions for Never a Bother campaign (as of September 2024)
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• California Department of Public Health — Office of Suicide PreventioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe California Department of Public Health's Office of Suicide Prevention partnered with Civilian to create Never a Bother, a statewide youth suicide prevention campaign. Civilian led research, strategy, creative development, media buying, and youth co-creation for this multi-year statewide contract.
• Office of the California Surgeon GeneralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Office of the California Surgeon General hired Civilian in 2023 to develop the Live Beyond campaign to increase public awareness of ACEs and toxic stress. Civilian served as the lead agency for this statewide public health campaign.
• San Diego Community Power (SDCP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivilian was hired by SDCP to develop a marketing plan for the launch and rollout of its Community Choice Aggregation program. Deliverables included brand identity, website, digital/social campaigns, direct mail, and stakeholder outreach.
• KQEDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivilian partnered with KQED as the venue and media partner for the Live Beyond Out Loud closing event in May 2026. KQED provided studio production, live streaming, and post-event content creation, extending campaign impact beyond the media buy through public media storytelling.
• ACEs Aware (California Office of the Surgeon General)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivilian partnered with ACEs Aware and their Youth and Young Adult and Parent Caregiver Advisory Boards for the Live Beyond campaign, incorporating lived-experience voices and indigenous perspectives into campaign strategy and creative.
• Megan Thee StallionflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerGrammy Award-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion partnered with Civilian for the Never a Bother campaign, sharing her personal mental health story on World Mental Health Day. The partnership generated exclusive coverage in Billboard and People, 4.4 million Instagram views, 347K+ likes, and over 5 million total views across her posts.
• See Change InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivilian partnered with See Change Institute, a research firm specializing in energy-related behavior change, to conduct audience research and test campaign messages for the San Diego Community Power launch.
• Drew LeagueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCivilian partnered with the Drew League (South Central Los Angeles basketball league) for Live Beyond campaign sponsorship, generating over 1 million hyper-targeted impressions through signage, events, social media, and athlete video interviews.
• Valkyrae (YouTube gamer/influencer)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCivilian partnered with Valkyrae, the most-streamed female gamer on YouTube, to authentically amplify the Live Beyond campaign message on her streaming channels, generating more than 150,000 views.
• Refinery 29minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCivilian worked with Refinery 29 on two special episodes of their Twitch gaming show 'Good Game,' pairing gaming influencers with subject-matter experts for the Live Beyond campaign, generating over 781,710 views.
• BLocal San DiegominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivilian is a proud member of BLocal San Diego, a network of B Corps in San Diego focused on using business as a force for good. The agency participates in community events and happy hours with this local B Corp community.
• Business for Good SDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivilian is a member of Business for Good SD and participates in joint community events and networking, strengthening its local ecosystem of purpose-driven organizations.
• 4As (American Association of Advertising Agencies)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivilian earned its Workplace Enlightenment Certification from the 4As, with all agency staff completing the program focused on inclusion across six intersecting identities.
• San Diego Airport, San Diego Padres, San Diego WaveminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCivilian partnered with local San Diego organizations including the San Diego Airport, San Diego Padres, and San Diego Wave to sustain SDCP's media presence and support the program's rollout through co-marketing.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GMMB: Washington, DC-based creative agency specializing in public health, advocacy, and cause-based campaigns for government agencies and nonprofits. Directly comparable to Civilian in target client (federal/state public health) and campaign-measurement approach.
• Burness: Communications agency serving nonprofits, foundations, and public-sector clients with campaigns for health, education, and social impact. Comparable business model, audience (mission-driven clients), and behavior-change focus.
• Hattaway Communications: Strategic communications firm focused on public health, social impact, and mission-driven clients, combining research and creative campaigns. Overlaps directly with Civilian's Discover–Engage process and public-health positioning.
• Fenton: Social impact communications agency working with nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies on public health and social justice campaigns. Comparable in client mix and campaign scope.
• Spitfire Strategies: Strategic communications firm specializing in social-change campaigns for nonprofits and foundations. Comparable in approach to behavior-change and audience research-driven campaigns.
• Blue State: Digital agency building purpose-driven campaigns for nonprofits, advocacy groups, and government. Comparable in digital-first execution and mission-driven client base.
• Resolute: Public affairs, advocacy, and communications agency serving associations, nonprofits, and government. Comparable in regulated-sector and government-facing communications work.
• Kivvit: Public affairs and strategic communications firm serving public-sector, corporate, and nonprofit clients. Comparable in public affairs and integrated campaign capabilities.
• Stanton Communications: Mid-sized PR and public affairs agency focused on health, nonprofit, and association clients. Comparable in mid-market professional-services model and public-health positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Burson (BCW / WPP): Global PR and public affairs holding-company agency. Competes on large-scale government RFPs and offers broader geographic and service coverage than Civilian; included as the dominant incumbent Civilian would face at scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/civilianagency
• Xx.com/civilian_agency
• Facebookfacebook.com/civilianagency

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Civilian