Kuhl / Swaine
Kuhl / Swaine is a privately-held, St. Louis-based full-service advertising agency founded in 2011, providing brand strategy, creative campaigns, and integrated marketing to enterprise consumer brands including Bass Pro Shops, Stifel, Klipsch, and the St. Louis Blues.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersSaint Louis, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Kuhl / Swaine does
Kuhl / Swaine is a privately-held, St. Louis-based full-service advertising agency founded in 2011. The firm provides integrated marketing and creative services including brand strategy, campaign development, creative design, video production, social media, digital marketing, print advertising, and package design. Its portfolio spans diverse consumer-facing industries: outdoor recreation (Bass Pro Shops, Ascend, Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium), audio equipment (Klipsch), spirits (Old Forester for Brown-Forman), sports (St. Louis Blues NHL franchise and Stanley Cup campaign, Brine Lacrosse), musical instruments (Alvarez Guitars), financial services (Stifel), and consumer products (Bertucci Watches, Iron Age Boots). Headcount sits in the 11–50 range and the firm operates with no disclosed subsidiaries, parent company, or external funding.
The revenue model is professional services-based, with engagements structured as agency-of-record retainers and project-based fees for campaign work. Notable productions include Super Bowl commercials for Bass Pro Shops and multi-channel championship campaigns for the St. Louis Blues' Stanley Cup run. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: new business inquiries route directly to Ed Overy, Director of New Business, and the firm relies on creative reputation and portfolio-driven referrals rather than self-serve, marketplace, or channel partner distribution. Geographic footprint is described as Midwest US, though marquee client work (Bass Pro Shops, Stifel, St. Louis Blues) operates at national reach.
The firm is technology-light in the traditional sense — the company self-describes as 'Not applicable ... a creative advertising agency, not a technology company.' There is no evidence of proprietary software, AI/ML capabilities, APIs, or platform products; the deliverable is creative output. Strategic activity is concentrated on deepening long-tenured enterprise client relationships (notably Bass Pro Shops, where the firm has produced Super Bowl work, incubated the Ascend sub-brand, and built museum content for Wonders of Wildlife) and selective community-impact work such as the Swim On Foundation drowning-prevention campaign.
Kuhl / Swaine firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kuhl / Swaine
- Legal name
- Kuhl / Swaine Advertising
- Website
- https://kuhlswaine.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kuhl / Swaine is a privately-held, St. Louis-based full-service advertising agency founded in 2011, providing brand strategy, creative campaigns, and integrated marketing to enterprise consumer brands including Bass Pro Shops, Stifel, Klipsch, and the St. Louis Blues.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kuhl / Swaine industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advertising Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (54181)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Integrated Advertising (Brand + Performance + Media) (BPAFAAAA)
Keywords
Where Kuhl / Swaine is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Louis
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kuhl / Swaine business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Advertising and Creative Services: Kuhl / Swaine generates revenue through professional advertising and creative services, including campaign development, brand strategy, creative design, and integrated marketing solutions. As an agency-of-record for major brands, they likely earn through retainer arrangements and project-based fees for campaign work including Super Bowl commercials, brand films, and multi-channel campaigns.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Kuhl / Swaine product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kuhl / Swaine is a full-service creative advertising agency that develops integrated marketing campaigns, brand strategy, creative design, television commercials, digital and social media campaigns, print advertising, video production, and package design for enterprise consumer brands across outdoor recreation, audio, spirits, sports, financial services, and consumer products industries. The agency operates as agency of record for major brands and has produced Super Bowl commercials and long-tenure brand storytelling campaigns.
Product overview
Kuhl / Swaine is a full-service advertising agency offering integrated marketing campaigns and creative services. The agency's portfolio includes brand strategy development, creative design across print and digital media, television commercial production, social media campaigns, and package design. Their client portfolio spans diverse industries including outdoor recreation (Bass Pro Shops, Ascend), audio equipment (Klipsch), bourbon whiskey (Old Forester), sports (St. Louis Blues Hockey, Brine Lacrosse), musical instruments (Alvarez Guitars), financial services (Stifel), and consumer products (Bertucci Watches, Iron Age Boots). The agency has produced Super Bowl commercials and operates primarily in St. Louis.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Advertising and Creative Services Full-service advertising agency providing integrated marketing campaigns, brand strategy, creative design, social media campaigns, television commercials, print advertising, and package design services for enterprise consumer brands. Clients include Bass Pro Shops, Klipsch, Old Forester, St. Louis Blues Hockey, Alvarez Guitars, Brine Lacrosse, Iron Age Boots, Bertucci Watches, Stifel, Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, and the Ascend outdoor brand.
Companies that use Kuhl / Swaine
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Kuhl / Swaine technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Kuhl / Swaine partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Swim On FoundationminorKuhl/Swaine partnered with the Swim On Foundation, community leaders, and local artist Cbabi Bayoc to prevent childhood drowning. The grassroots campaign is designed to raise awareness and empower kids to learn to swim safely. Drowning is the number one cause of death among children aged one to four, with kids in African American communities at even higher risk.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Kuhl / Swaine competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- RPA: Santa Monica-based independent advertising agency of similar mid-market scale. Comparable independent full-service agency with integrated creative and media offerings to enterprise consumer brands.
- Preacher: Austin-based independent creative boutique. Comparable boutique-scale independent agency with strong creative reputation and integrated campaign capabilities.
- Fallon: Historic Minneapolis-based independent creative agency known for breakthrough creative work. Comparable independent creative shop competing for premium brand storytelling engagements.
- Barkley: Independently owned, Kansas City-based full-service advertising agency of similar size and Midwest roots. Comparable mid-sized independent competing for the same enterprise consumer-brand AOR briefs.
- The Richards Group: Long-standing Dallas-based independent creative agency with similar size and founder-led structure. Closely comparable model: independent, full-service, premium creative reputation.
- Mekanism: Independent creative agency with integrated brand storytelling capabilities. Comparable mid-sized independent competing for similar premium brand creative briefs.
- Carmichael Lynch: Minneapolis-based independent full-service agency, part of the independent agency network. Comparable Midwest independent with similar size and creative-led positioning.
- HLK Agency: St. Louis-headquartered independent full-service agency. Direct local competitor sharing the same city, talent pool, and St. Louis-based brand clients (e.g., past work with Anheuser-Busch).
- Colle+McVoy: Minneapolis-based independent agency. Comparable Midwestern full-service independent with similar client mix and integrated creative capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- Wieden+Kennedy: Larger Portland-based independent creative network. Not a size peer, but shares the independent creative-led DNA and premium brand storytelling positioning that Kuhl / Swaine aspires to; the leading independent benchmark in the U.S. creative agency market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kuhl / Swaine social profiles
Digital presenceKuhl / Swaine financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kuhl / Swaine leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Kuhl / Swaine funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kuhl / Swaine 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 Kuhl / Swaine
What does Kuhl / Swaine do?
Kuhl / Swaine is a full-service creative advertising agency that develops integrated marketing campaigns, brand strategy, creative design, television commercials, digital and social media campaigns, print advertising, video production, and package design for enterprise consumer brands across outdoor recreation, audio, spirits, sports, financial services, and consumer products industries. The agency operates as agency of record for major brands and has produced Super Bowl commercials and long-tenure brand storytelling campaigns.
Is Kuhl / Swaine a public or private company?
Kuhl / Swaine is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kuhl / Swaine founded?
Kuhl / Swaine was founded in 2011. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kuhl / Swaine based?
Kuhl / Swaine is headquartered in Saint Louis, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kuhl / Swaine make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising and Creative Services.
Who are Kuhl / Swaine's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are RPA, Preacher, Fallon, Barkley, The Richards Group, Mekanism, Carmichael Lynch, HLK Agency and Colle+McVoy. Wieden+Kennedy is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Kuhl / Swaine have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kuhl / Swaine.
What industry is Kuhl / Swaine in?
Kuhl / Swaine's product category is Advertising Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAAAA, Integrated Advertising (Brand + Performance + Media). Its NAICS code is 54181 and its SIC code is 7311.