Idea Rebel
Idea Rebel is a bootstrapped Canadian digital marketing agency (founded 2008, Vancouver) operating from Vancouver, Toronto, and Santa Monica, serving enterprise brands like 7-Eleven, NBA, Keurig, BMW, and BC Ferries with websites, e-commerce, mobile apps, VR experiences, and its proprietary Contest Rebel platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Idea Rebel does
Idea Rebel Interactive Inc. is a privately held, bootstrapped Canadian digital marketing agency founded in 2008 by CEO Jamie Garratt. Headquartered in Vancouver's Gastown district, the agency operates three North American offices (Vancouver, Toronto Queen West, and Santa Monica) and employs 11-50 people across multi-disciplinary teams spanning strategy, creative, UX, technology, and media. The company delivers full-service digital solutions to enterprise and mid-market brands, with a client roster including 7-Eleven, NBA, Keurig Canada, BMW, Ford, Converse, Hyundai, Air Canada, Roots, BC Ferries, Rogers, and Quiksilver. Engagement models are predominantly multi-year professional services contracts, supplemented by a proprietary SaaS-like product, Contest Rebel.
The agency's core technology competencies span web application development, native iOS/Android mobile apps, e-commerce platform implementations across Magento, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, SAP Hybris, Shopify, WooCommerce, and Oracle ATG, plus immersive experiences built on 360-degree video and VR hardware (Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift). Idea Rebel claims category-first innovation including the first 360-degree video in an app (BMW Become Electric) and integrated JATO automotive data feeds for dealer tools. Contest Rebel, launched in 2019, is a self-serve contest/fan engagement platform with Google Analytics integration and represents an attempt to productize internal capabilities into a recurring-revenue asset.
Revenue is generated almost exclusively through quote-based, multi-year enterprise engagements sold via direct consultative sales. The agency has been recognized with FWA Site/Mobile of the Day awards, AToMiC Awards Gold, BC Business Magazine Top Innovators (2012), and DesignRush rankings, supporting inbound demand from enterprise RFPs. There is no disclosed external funding, parent company, or acquisition activity, and Idea Rebel remains founder-owned.
Idea Rebel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Idea Rebel
- Legal name
- Idea Rebel Interactive Inc.
- Website
- https://idearebel.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Idea Rebel is a bootstrapped Canadian digital marketing agency (founded 2008, Vancouver) operating from Vancouver, Toronto, and Santa Monica, serving enterprise brands like 7-Eleven, NBA, Keurig, BMW, and BC Ferries with websites, e-commerce, mobile apps, VR experiences, and its proprietary Contest Rebel platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Idea Rebel industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Marketing Services
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design (MPAAAGAA), Activation/Experiential Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAO)
Keywords
Where Idea Rebel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Idea Rebel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Digital Marketing Services: Professional services revenue generated through creative and digital marketing engagements with enterprise clients. Services include website design and development, e-commerce development, app development, VR experiences, media planning and buying, SEO/SEM, social media, and experimental digital experiences.
- Digital Campaigns and Strategy: Project-based work for digital campaigns, brand experiences, and fan engagement programs. Typically multi-phase engagements with ideation, planning, execution, management, analysis, and re-targeting phases.
- Contest Rebel Platform: Self-serve software platform allowing companies to build digital campaigns. While primarily a service offering, the platform provides a SaaS-like capability for contest publishing and fan engagement.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise Digital Services |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Idea Rebel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Idea Rebel is a full-service digital marketing agency that designs, builds, and operates digital experiences and marketing programs for enterprise brands. Service offerings span website design and development, e-commerce platform implementations across multiple commerce stacks, native mobile app development, 360° VR and immersive experiences, UX and design, media planning/buying, and social media marketing. The agency also offers Contest Rebel, a proprietary self-serve fan-engagement platform for building digital campaigns such as contests, giveaways, surveys, and fantasy games.
Product overview
Idea Rebel is a digital marketing agency operating from Vancouver, Toronto, and Los Angeles offices. The company offers a portfolio of proprietary products and custom digital services. Its flagship proprietary product is Contest Rebel, a self-serve fan engagement platform for building digital campaigns. Custom work spans website design and development, e-commerce (with expertise across Magento, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, SAP Commerce, Shopify, WooCommerce, Drupal Commerce, Oracle ATG), mobile app development, 360° video and VR experiences, UX design, design services, media planning/buying across digital and traditional channels, social media marketing, and experimental emerging technology projects. The company serves major brands including 7-Eleven, NBA, Keurig, BMW, Ford, Converse, Hyundai, Air Canada, Roots, BC Ferries, and Quiksilver.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Contest Rebel: A proprietary self-serve contest publishing software that allows companies to build unlimited digital campaigns including contests, giveaways, surveys, and fantasy games.
Products and services
- Contest Rebel Proprietary self-serve SaaS-style platform that enables brands and agencies to launch unlimited digital campaigns such as contests, giveaways, surveys, and fantasy games, with customizable templates and integrated Google Analytics for goals, conversions, and source tracking.
- Website Design & Development Full-service website design and development including responsive design, conversion optimization, and enterprise web experiences for major brands.
- E-Commerce Solutions Platform-agnostic e-commerce development and redesign services with data-driven personalization, supporting Magento, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, SAP Commerce, Shopify, WooCommerce, Drupal Commerce, and Oracle ATG with omni-channel user flows.
- Mobile App Development Native and web application development for iOS and Android, including branded mobile experiences and VR-compatible applications.
- UX Design User experience design focused on improving customer experience through utility and ease of use, serving as the architectural foundation for digital products.
- Design Services Multi-discipline design including branding, environmental design, content production, webpage layout, and graphic design with responsive multi-device capabilities.
- Media Planning, Buying & Programmatic In-house digital trading desk with capabilities across social (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter), SEM/PPC, display, native, video, influencer, sponsored content, OOH, TV, and radio.
- Social Media Marketing Social media strategy and campaign execution leveraging platforms to engage audiences, drive traffic, improve SEO, and maintain consumer relationships.
- Experimental / Emerging Tech Experimental digital experiences development using AI, VR, Internet of Things, data-driven personalization, and second-screen experiences delivered with Rails, Angular, and WebGL technologies.
Quantifiable outcome
- Mobile conversion rates increased over 250% for Keurig website redesign
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Idea Rebel
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Idea Rebel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature5 records
Idea Rebel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.
- BC Ferriescore3-year strategic partnership for digital customer experience transformation. Idea Rebel helping BC Ferries evolve digital offerings including online properties, assets, and campaigns to increase quality of service and business growth.
- Big Brothers of Greater VancouverminorCharitable partnership for annual Wake Day event supporting youth in Vancouver. Idea Rebel coordinates wakeboarding events for Little Brothers with their Big Brothers mentors. Event includes professional demonstrations and hands-on wakeboarding experiences.
- Keurig CanadaflagshipDigital agency partnership for web, e-commerce, and digital campaign development. 2-year engagement commencing January 2016 for supporting Keurig's digital strategy and initiatives including Keurig Kold launch and sub-brands Van Houtte and Timothy's World Coffee.
- Tool of North AmericacoreStrategic collaboration with Tool of North America on multiple VR projects including Ford VR and BMW Become Electric campaigns. Tool of North America provided collaboration on innovative mobile VR experiences using 360-degree video technology.
- NBAflagshipOngoing collaboration for digital fan engagement campaigns throughout the basketball season. Custom model developed for NBA allowing agency and league to collaborate on fan engagement campaigns with sponsor integration and data capture.
- Salesforce Commerce CloudcoreTechnology partnership utilizing Salesforce Commerce Cloud for e-commerce implementations including Roots.com redesign. Powers omni-channel user flows and personalization capabilities.
- JATOcoreIntegration with JATO API for real-time automotive comparison data in Hyundai Dealers App. Provides up-to-date information for comparison between Hyundai models and competitor vehicles.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Idea Rebel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Jam3: Toronto-based digital creative agency known for award-winning interactive, immersive, and experiential work for global brands. Same headcount range and Canadian creative-tech DNA as Idea Rebel, with comparable FWA/Pentawards recognition.
- Critical Mass: Canadian-founded digital experience agency with deep enterprise transformation expertise, now operating globally under Havas. Overlap in digital design, e-commerce, and platform implementation for large brands similar to Idea Rebel's enterprise work.
- Mekanism: Independent creative agency producing integrated campaigns, branded content, and digital experiences for clients including Walmart, Peloton, and Visa. Closely comparable in size, independent ownership, and emphasis on creative-led brand work.
- Thinkingbox: Vancouver/Toronto digital creative agency producing campaigns, interactive experiences, and brand activations. Closely comparable in size, geographic footprint, and experiential digital capabilities serving enterprise clients.
- Sid Lee: Montreal-headquartered creative and digital agency with innovation-driven work and offices across North America. Similar mid-size boutique positioning, focus on tech-enabled experiences, and Canadian roots, now operating within the WPP/OGILY network post-acquisition.
Broad incumbents
- R/GA: Global digital creative agency known for innovation-led brand experiences, emerging tech, and connected product work. Larger and broader than Idea Rebel but shares the strategic emphasis on technology-driven creative for major consumer brands.
- Isobar: Global digital experience agency within Dentsu providing end-to-end commerce, content, and platform services. Larger and broader than Idea Rebel but directly competing for the same enterprise digital transformation mandates.
- Huge Inc. Brooklyn-headquartered digital experience agency with capabilities spanning strategy, design, marketing, and technology for global brands like Nike, Google, and Hulu. Comparable innovation focus and brand-experience depth, now part of IPG.
- Deloitte Digital: Global consultancy-backed digital agency arm offering strategy, design, technology, and marketing as a single-vendor alternative. Increasingly competes with mid-size agencies like Idea Rebel on enterprise transformation pitches.
Emerging players
- Unit9: Globally distributed creative production studio known for award-winning digital experiences, immersive content, and brand campaigns. Overlaps with Idea Rebel on experimental/experiential capabilities and Cannes/FWA recognition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Idea Rebel social profiles
Digital presenceIdea Rebel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Idea Rebel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Idea Rebel subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Idea Rebel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Idea Rebel M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Idea Rebel
What does Idea Rebel do?
Idea Rebel is a full-service digital marketing agency that designs, builds, and operates digital experiences and marketing programs for enterprise brands. Service offerings span website design and development, e-commerce platform implementations across multiple commerce stacks, native mobile app development, 360° VR and immersive experiences, UX and design, media planning/buying, and social media marketing. The agency also offers Contest Rebel, a proprietary self-serve fan-engagement platform for building digital campaigns such as contests, giveaways, surveys, and fantasy games.
Is Idea Rebel a public or private company?
Idea Rebel is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Idea Rebel founded?
Idea Rebel was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Idea Rebel based?
Idea Rebel is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Idea Rebel make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Digital Marketing Services are the primary driver. The others are digital Campaigns and Strategy and contest Rebel Platform.
Who are Idea Rebel's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Jam3, Critical Mass, Mekanism, Thinkingbox and Sid Lee. Broad incumbents are R/GA, Isobar, Huge Inc. and Deloitte Digital. Unit9 is listed as an emerging player.
Does Idea Rebel have an API?
No public API is recorded for Idea Rebel.
What industry is Idea Rebel in?
Idea Rebel's product category is Digital Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAA, Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies, with a secondary code of MPAAAGAA, Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design. Its SIC code is 7311.