1893 Brand Studio

What 1893 Brand Studio does

1893 Brand Studio is a student-run marketing agency affiliated with The Daily Tar Heel newspaper at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Established in 2016 under a brand name that references the newspaper's 1893 founding year, the studio is staffed primarily by UNC journalism and media students and operates from Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It serves local small businesses and organizations in the Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Raleigh Triangle area, with secondary engagement in adjacent regional markets. The firm functions as an educational-professional hybrid, providing student operators with paid client work experience while delivering agency-grade deliverables to local clients.

The studio offers a full-stack marketing service suite organized into six core lines: Campaigns, Design, Storytelling, Multimedia, Web Development, and Social Media. Underlying technology is standard industry tooling with no proprietary platform, API, or SDK disclosed. The firm uses Adobe Audition for audio editing, social media and design platforms for creative production, and integrates client-side stacks including WordPress, Mailchimp, OptinMonster, and podcast distribution networks (Spotify, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud). No AI/ML capabilities are documented in the source material.

Revenue is generated through professional services fees on a project and retainer basis, with quotes customized per client engagement scope; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The customer base skews toward local food and beverage SMBs (restaurants, bars, cafés), with secondary exposure to wedding and events, nonprofit, local media, real estate, and sports marketing verticals. Documented client outcomes include 800% Instagram growth in three months for Voodoo Wings, 100% Facebook growth in the first semester for Trolly Stop, and a single Instagram reel reaching nearly 2,000 accounts for Grata Café. Ownership is tied to The Daily Tar Heel; no external investors, funding rounds, or independent corporate structure are disclosed.

Name

1893 Brand Studio

Legal name

1893 Brand Studio

Website

https://1893.dailytarheel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

1893 Brand Studio is a student-run marketing agency affiliated with The Daily Tar Heel at UNC-Chapel Hill, delivering branding, social media, web development, content, and multimedia services to local small businesses across the Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Raleigh Triangle area.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio) (BPAFAAAF)

Keywords

• Marketing services
• Brand strategy
• Social media management
• Content creation
• Web development

Headquarters

HQ city

Chapel Hill

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. Marketing Services: Client-based service fees for marketing services including branding, social media management, web development, content creation, and campaign management. Services are customized and quoted per client engagement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

1893 Brand Studio is a student-run marketing agency that provides customized branding, social media management, web development, content creation, multimedia/video production, SEO storytelling, and campaign execution services to local small businesses and organizations in the Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Raleigh areas. Services are delivered by UNC-Chapel Hill journalism and media students under professional supervision, with each client engagement scoped and quoted individually.

Product overview

1893 Brand Studio is a student-run marketing agency affiliated with the UNC-Chapel Hill Daily Tar Heel that offers a comprehensive suite of marketing services organized into six core offerings: Campaigns, Design, Storytelling, Multimedia, Web Development, and Social Media. The studio provides integrated marketing solutions for local Chapel Hill and Triangle area businesses, combining strategic planning with creative execution across digital and traditional channels. Services include social media management, website design, video production, SEO content writing, podcast editing, brand strategy, and influencer marketing—all delivered by UNC journalism and media students under professional supervision.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Campaigns Strategic marketing campaign development and execution including event planning, promotional activities, and targeted marketing initiatives for local businesses and organizations.
• Design Graphic design services including logo design, brand guides, visual identity systems, social media graphics, posters, and promotional materials.
• Storytelling Content creation including blog writing, SEO-optimized articles, vendor spotlights, feature stories, and multimedia storytelling to build brand narratives.
• Multimedia Video production including social media reels, promotional videos, behind-the-scenes content, commercial production, and photography services for marketing purposes.
• Web Development Website design and redesign services including responsive layouts, mobile optimization, landing pages, and user experience improvements.
• Social Media Social media management including content calendar planning, daily posting, engagement strategies, influencer marketing, and platform-specific content creation.
• SEO Content Package SEO-optimized blog writing and vendor spotlight content with a six-month timeline of monthly releases designed to improve search visibility, delivered for clients such as Forever & Company.
• Podcast Production Services Professional podcast editing including intro/outro music, audio cleanup, formatting, transitions, and brand consistency using Adobe Audition; distributed to Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and SoundCloud.
• Lead Generation Audit Marketing analysis to identify lead generation improvements and optimize conversion strategies for target audiences, leveraging OptinMonster, Mailchimp, and WordPress integrations.
• Brand Strategy & Rebranding Comprehensive brand overhaul services including brand guides, visual identity redesigns, and messaging strategy for transitioning organizations.
• PR Outreach Public relations services including media relations, press releases, and community engagement for local businesses.

Quantifiable outcome

• 800% Instagram growth in 3 months for new restaurant (Voodoo Wings)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Visiture: Charlotte-based digital marketing agency focused on SEO, paid media, and analytics for mid-market and SMB clients. Comparable full-stack digital services for SMBs, though operating in a different NC metro.
• The Variable: Raleigh, NC-based full-service creative agency offering branding, design, and digital marketing to consumer and SMB clients. Comparable as a regional full-service creative in the same Triangle market competing for similar local accounts.
• Walk West: Raleigh-based marketing and branding agency serving regional businesses with branding, digital, and content services. Direct competition for Chapel Hill and Triangle-area SMB marketing accounts.
• AdShark Marketing: Raleigh-based digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, paid media, and web services for SMBs. Overlaps with 1893's SMB web/social service lines on similar Triangle-area customer profile.
• Looking Glass Creative: Raleigh creative agency providing brand strategy, design, and digital storytelling for consumer and SMB clients. Closely matches 1893's storytelling + design + digital service mix at a comparable regional scale.

Broad incumbents

• HubSpot: Broad marketing software and services platform with deep SMB focus via solutions partners and agency ecosystem. Competes for the same SMB marketing-services wallet share that 1893 targets, and increasingly offers self-serve tooling that disintermediates agency work.
• McKinney: Durham, NC-based creative advertising agency (now part of McKinney Tirrell Lyday). Long-established Triangle incumbent serving national brands; comparable creative discipline but at much greater scale and budget than 1893.

Regional players

• Redpepper: Nashville-based creative and digital marketing agency offering branding, web, and content services. Comparable full-service creative agency profile for SMB and growth-stage clients, though operating in a different regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/1893brandstudio
• Facebookfacebook.com/1893BrandStudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/1893brandstudio
• Instagraminstagram.com/1893brandstudio/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
• TikToktiktok.com/@1893brandstudio?_t=8hm5qnJYBhL&_r=1

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 1893 Brand Studio