What a5 does

a5 Branding & Digital is a Chicago-based creative marketing and communications agency with a secondary office in Tampa, Florida, founded in 2007. The firm provides a full suite of brand and communications services — brand identity and graphic design, website and digital communications, social media management, public relations, video and motion graphics, multi-channel advertising, and community engagement — delivered primarily to government agencies (municipalities, villages, park districts, libraries, transit authorities, state agencies), non-profit organizations, and a smaller set of private-sector clients in architecture, real estate, financial services, healthcare, and education. The agency emphasizes outcome-oriented work, with documented client results including a 300% increase in helpline call volume for the Illinois Department of Human Services Problem Gambling Awareness Campaign and revenue lifts of 37.5% to over 100% across green fees, merchandise, practice range, and restaurant lines following the Heritage Oaks Golf Club rebrand for Northbrook Park District.

The agency's underlying technology is conventional creative and digital marketing tooling (design, web development, video production, social media management platforms); no proprietary software product, platform, or API is offered. Revenue is generated through project-based and retainer professional services engagements, acquired primarily through competitive RFP processes, direct consultative sales, and referrals. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Geographic focus is concentrated in the Chicago metropolitan area and Illinois, with selective national engagements (e.g., Johns Hopkins, Columbia University) and international capability demonstrated by work for The Faraday Institution in the UK. Notable reputational signals include Illinois Governor's Conference on Travel and Tourism awards in 2017 and 2018 for the Real Woodstock campaign, and Crain's Chicago Business thought-leadership contributions by co-founder John Harris.

A significant data caveat: source material includes a record of an April 2026 acquisition of an entity named "A5" by Accordion, described as a global Salesforce Summit Partner. The same source flags that this likely refers to a separate, homonymous Salesforce consulting firm rather than a5 Branding & Digital. This ambiguity should be resolved before any investment action; the analysis here is anchored to a5 Branding & Digital as a creative services agency.

Name

a5

Legal name

a5

Website

https://a5inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

a5 Branding & Digital is a Chicago-based creative marketing agency serving government agencies, non-profits, and select enterprises with branding, digital communications, public relations, social media, video production, and community engagement services across the Midwest and selectively internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing & Advertising Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Public Relations Agencies (54182), Graphic Design Services (541430)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital PR & Social Media Communications (MPAAADAJ), Naming & Verbal Identity (Taglines, Messaging) (MPAAAEAB)

Keywords

• Brand identity services
• Digital communications
• Public relations
• Community engagement
• Advertising campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Branding & Communications: a5 generates revenue through professional services engagements including branding, digital marketing, public relations, advertising, video production, and communications consulting for government agencies, non-profits, and private sector clients. Engagements include project-based work (e.g., rebranding campaigns, brand identity development) and ongoing retainer relationships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

a5 Branding & Digital is a Chicago-based design-driven marketing and communications agency that provides branding, digital communications, advertising, public relations, social media, video production, and community engagement services. The agency works with government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private sector clients on project-based engagements and ongoing retainer relationships, with a stated mission of building healthy, sustainable communities.

Product overview

a5 Branding & Digital is a Chicago-based creative marketing agency with an office in Tampa, Florida. The company operates as a single-service creative agency rather than a platform with modular products. Its core offerings include branding and brand identity services, digital communications and web development, social media services, public relations, video and motion graphics production, and multi-channel advertising campaigns. The agency specializes in community engagement and outreach as well as tourism and economic development marketing for government agencies, nonprofits, and commercial clients. The company was acquired by Accordion in April 2026 to expand Accordion's Salesforce consulting and AI capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Branding and Brand Identity Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 300% increase in call volume to 800 number for Illinois Department of Human Services gambling helpline
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers29 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Accordionmajor - acquisitionStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2026Accordion acquired A5, a global Salesforce Summit Partner, to bolster its Salesforce offerings, AI capabilities, and global delivery network. The acquisition enhances Accordion's support for enterprise clients and private equity sponsors in optimizing operations with multi-cloud solutions and advanced AI tools. This represents a significant strategic transaction where A5 becomes part of Accordion's platform.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Crosby Marketing Communications: Mid-size full-service agency that serves federal, state, and local government agencies plus healthcare and nonprofit clients with branding, advertising, and integrated communications — closely aligned with a5's public-sector and nonprofit mix.
• GMMB: Public affairs and public-sector advertising agency working with government, advocacy, and nonprofit clients on behavior-change campaigns and brand strategy — directly comparable to a5's government campaign work such as the Illinois DHS gambling awareness effort.
• R&R Partners: Independent agency known for destination and place branding (e.g., Las Vegas 'What Happens Here') plus public-sector and tourism marketing — a direct analog to a5's place branding and tourism work like the Real Woodstock campaign.
• Two Rivers Marketing: Destination marketing and branding agency serving tourism boards, municipalities, and outdoor/lifestyle brands — comparable in scale, vertical focus, and service mix to a5's tourism and economic development practice.
• Ologie: Branding and marketing agency focused on higher education and nonprofit clients — overlapping with a5's education and nonprofit engagements (Columbia, Johns Hopkins, MacArthur Foundation) and similar mid-size professional services positioning.
• Mower: Independent full-service agency with a dedicated public-sector and tourism practice serving state governments, municipalities, and visitor bureaus — directly comparable to a5's community and tourism client base.
• Marketing for Change: Social marketing agency focused on behavior-change campaigns, public health, and community engagement for government and nonprofit clients — closely aligned with a5's public awareness campaign work such as problem gambling awareness.
• Avalanche Creative: Destination branding agency for tourism boards, cities, and economic development organizations — a smaller-scale direct peer in the place branding space where a5 also operates.
• Res Public Group: Public affairs and civic engagement firm serving municipalities, public agencies, and advocacy organizations — comparable to a5's community engagement, municipal rebranding, and public-sector communications work.

Regional players

• Walker Sands: Chicago-based integrated marketing and PR firm serving B2B and technology clients in the same Chicago metro market as a5, with comparable mid-size full-service agency structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/a5inc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a5-branding-and-digital
• Instagraminstagram.com/a5branding
• Xx.com/a5branding

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 a5