Rhodes Branding

What Rhodes Branding does

Rhodes Branding is a private, bootstrapped marketing and branding agency founded in 2019 by brothers Austin and Thomas Rhodes and headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina. The firm operates exclusively in the education sector, serving K-12 school districts, charter school networks, intermediate school districts, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) organizations across the United States. Its service offering is organized into three interconnected pillars: Strategy (community and stakeholder research, brand audits, positioning, messaging frameworks, brand immersion workshops); Marketing & Advertising (enrollment marketing campaigns, recruitment advertising, digital media buying, email marketing, SEO, content marketing, community engagement); and Creative (visual identity development, graphic and web design, video production, copywriting, motion graphics). The company does not sell a software product; it delivers customized, project-based engagements with measurable outcomes documented in case studies — e.g., a 105% year-over-year enrollment increase for Texans Can Academies, a successful $25M+ CTE millage campaign for Washtenaw ISD, and a full brand overhaul for Rutherford County Schools' 51,000-student district.

Rhodes Branding monetizes through professional-services fees quoted per engagement, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers or retainer structure. Its go-to-market is consultative and sales-led: the firm markets itself through an insights blog, education-industry events and conferences, thought leadership on AI, branding, and CTE, direct outreach via website contact forms, and referral within the education community. Notable customers include Texans Can Academies, Rutherford County Schools, Washtenaw ISD, iCEV, New Hanover County Schools, Portland Public Schools, Bastrop ISD, and Richland One Middle College. The leadership team comprises co-founders Austin and Thomas Rhodes, President Dan Wyar, VP of Operations Ginny Kowalski, and Executive Creative Director Michael Ho. The firm maintains no proprietary technology platform, no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, and no subsidiaries; ownership remains with the founding Rhodes brothers.

Name

Rhodes Branding

Legal name

Rhodes Branding

Website

https://rhodesbranding.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rhodes Branding is a Columbia, South Carolina-based marketing and branding agency founded in 2019 that serves exclusively the U.S. education sector — K-12 districts, charter networks, ISDs, and CTE organizations — via strategy, marketing/advertising, and creative services delivered through project-based engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Marketing & Branding Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Communications, Marketing & Government/Community Relations Administration (EDADAKAN)

Keywords

• Education branding services
• Enrollment marketing campaigns
• School district marketing
• Career technical education
• Brand strategy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Branding and Marketing Services: Rhodes Branding generates revenue through project-based consulting engagements with educational institutions. Services include brand strategy development, creative services, marketing campaigns, and video production. Engagement types include comprehensive rebranding projects, enrollment marketing campaigns, and ongoing marketing support.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Rhodes Branding is a branding and marketing agency exclusively serving the education sector. The company delivers three interconnected service pillars: Strategy (research, brand audits, positioning, messaging frameworks), Marketing & Advertising (enrollment campaigns, recruitment advertising, digital media), and Creative (visual identity, website development, video production). Clients are K-12 school districts, charter school networks, intermediate school districts, and Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs seeking to grow enrollment, attract educators, and elevate community perception.

Product overview

Rhodes Branding is a branding and marketing agency exclusively serving the education sector. The company offers three interconnected service pillars: Strategy (research, brand audits, positioning, messaging, workshops), Marketing & Advertising (enrollment campaigns, recruitment advertising, digital marketing, SEO, content marketing), and Creative (visual identity, website development, video production, graphic design, motion graphics). These services work together as a unified offering—strategy informs creative direction, which is then deployed through marketing campaigns. The company does not offer a software product or platform but rather delivers customized campaigns and brand development projects for education clients including school districts, charter networks, and CTE organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 80%+ enrollment increase for partnered schools
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 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.

• Micah ParsonsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 August 2023Dallas Cowboys All-Pro linebacker partnered with Rhodes Branding and Texans Can Academies on a back-to-school video for current students. The video generated over 1,460 views and became the highest engagement organic social content for Texans Can Academies.

Scale indicators10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• GALE: GALE is an independent, full-service advertising and marketing agency with a dedicated education vertical serving K-12, higher education, and edtech clients. It is one of the closest mid-size independent peers to Rhodes Branding given similar full-service capabilities (strategy, creative, media) and education-sector focus.

Broad incumbents

• Ogilvy: Ogilvy operates a dedicated Education practice within its global network, serving colleges, universities, and edtech clients on brand strategy, advertising, and PR. While much larger and broader, it competes for the same education-sector branding RFPs and represents the global-incumbent alternative to a specialized boutique like Rhodes.
• Edelman: Edelman is a global communications and PR firm with a strong education sector practice spanning K-12, higher education, and education policy. It competes directly for the strategic communications, enrollment marketing, and brand reputation work that Rhodes pursues, particularly with larger districts and advocacy organizations.
• McCann: McCann is a global advertising agency network with an established education practice covering K-12, higher education, and learning brands. It is relevant as a large incumbent that competes for institutional education accounts with similar brand-strategy and campaign-execution capabilities.
• The Martin Agency: The Martin Agency is a large, independent creative agency based in Richmond, Virginia (close to Rhodes' Columbia, SC market) with significant work in education, public-sector, and purpose-driven brands. Comparable as a regional-to-national independent that competes for K-12, higher education, and public-sector accounts.
• R/GA: R/GA is a global digital and brand experience agency with education-sector work spanning K-12 and edtech. Relevant as a broader incumbent competing for digital-first enrollment marketing and brand experience engagements for educational institutions.
• Anomaly: Anomaly is an independent global creative agency with public-sector and education-sector engagements. Comparable as a strategically-led independent that competes for the brand strategy and creative development work at the heart of Rhodes' offering.
• 72andSunny: 72andSunny is an independent creative agency known for culturally resonant brand campaigns, including work in education and public-sector categories. Comparable as a brand-led independent that competes for higher-profile education brand work where reputation and creative differentiation drive selection.
• Droga5: Droga5 is a global creative agency within Accenture Song that has handled education-sector and purpose-driven campaigns. Relevant as a top-tier creative incumbent competing for high-profile education brand assignments and as a potential acquirer of specialized agencies.
• Wieden+Kennedy: Wieden+Kennedy is an independent global creative agency with selective work in education, nonprofit, and public-sector categories. Comparable as an elite independent creative incumbent that occasionally competes for high-profile education branding engagements.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rhodesbranding

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Rhodes Branding