Grad Media

What Grad Media does

Grad Media is a privately held Canadian student marketing agency founded in 1995 and headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, operating across North America under a "Local First" philosophy. The firm helps businesses of all sizes reach college and university students through on-the-ground activations run by hired local student ambassadors, supported by social media campaigns, video production, design services, web development, custom giveaways, and printing. Its flagship product, Campus Connect, is a Student Ambassador Program that sources local students — typically members of campus organizations, clubs, and student governments — to deliver brand messaging via Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Groups, and in-person events.

The company's service catalog is organized as modular offerings (Design + Production, Web Development, Social Media Management, Video Production, Custom Giveaways, Custom Campaign Solutions, Promo Card Campaigns, Influencer Team Services, Student Real Estate Marketing, Printing Services, and Brand Ambassador Street Teams). Operationally, Grad Media separates its go-to-market into U.S. and Canadian client portals with dedicated inquiry and payment flows, and it has worked with a mix of SMB food & beverage operators, larger real estate and brand clients such as Hazelview Properties and T-Mobile, and student housing operators.

Revenue is generated primarily through professional-services engagements scoped per campaign, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers, no software/SaaS component, no disclosed funding, and no public revenue figure. The firm carries no recorded AI/ML capability in its public material and does not list any regulatory actions, certifications, mergers, or leadership changes in the available data.

Name

Grad Media

Legal name

Grad Media

Website

https://gradmedia.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grad Media is a Canadian, North America-focused student marketing agency that helps businesses reach college audiences via local student ambassadors, on-campus activations, social media campaigns, video production, and custom giveaways through its Campus Connect program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Marketing Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Alumni Communications, Marketing & Publications (EDALAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Student & Alumni Communities (BPAMABAK)

Keywords

• Student marketing agency
• Campus ambassador programs
• Brand activation services
• Social media campaigns
• Student engagement marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond Hill

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Student Ambassador Marketing Services: Grad Media provides marketing services to businesses seeking to engage college and university students through on-campus activations, social media campaigns, and student ambassador programs. Services include promo card campaigns, social media management, video production, website design, printing, and branded merchandise.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Grad Media is a student marketing agency that helps businesses reach college and university students through the Campus Connect Student Ambassador Program, on-the-ground campus activations, social media campaigns, video production, web design, branded giveaways, and printing. The company hires local student ambassadors and works with campus organizations, clubs, and events to deliver authentic engagement for clients in the U.S. and Canada.

Product overview

Grad Media is a student marketing agency with over 25 years of experience, operating as a unified platform centered around Campus Connect — its Student Ambassador Program. The offering combines on-the-ground activation with digital marketing services, including Design + Production, Web Development, Social Media Management, Video Production, Custom Giveaways, and Custom Campaign Solutions. Additional services include Promo Card Campaigns, Influencer Team Services, Student Real Estate Marketing, Printing Services, and Brand Ambassador Street Teams. The portfolio is designed to help businesses connect with students across North American campuses through a mix of in-person and digital channels.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Campus Connect: Campus Connect is Grad Media's Student Ambassador Program that uses authentic student voices to build local connections, driving targeted promotion and trust within their communities.

Products and services

• Campus Connect Student Ambassador Program A coordinated network of local student ambassadors who run on-the-ground brand activations, social media campaigns, giveaways, and content creation at colleges and universities across North America on behalf of client businesses. The flagship offering, designed for brands that want authentic, student-led campus engagement.
• Social Media Management Campaign management, content creation, and documentation on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook Groups, including ready-to-post content packages. Designed for brands seeking student-facing social media presence and engagement.
• Video Production High-definition filming, drone footage, and editing services producing short social media clips through full-scale promotional videos. Aimed at brands running student-focused campaigns that need video content.
• Web Development Website builds ranging from campaign landing pages to full website overhauls, including e-commerce functionality and online stores. Targeted at brands running student-targeted campaigns that need supporting web infrastructure.
• Design + Production On-brand, high-quality design and production work fully adaptable to any campaign. Offered to brands running student marketing initiatives that need visual creative assets.
• Custom Campus Giveaways Sourcing of trending, high-impact promotional items and distribution by student ambassador teams on the ground at colleges. Designed for brands wanting physical, on-campus product exposure to student audiences.
• Promo Card Campaigns Promotional card campaigns for student marketing and brand promotion distributed via student networks and ambassador teams.
• Brand Ambassador Street Teams On-the-ground brand ambassador street teams conducting direct, in-person student engagement on campuses, including giveaways and promotional activities.
• Student Real Estate Marketing

Quantifiable outcome

• Increased lease inquiries by 35% for Hazelview Properties
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• T-MobileminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand partner featured on Grad Media's website as one of their business clients/partners for student marketing campaigns.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Spoon University: Student-run food media network that produces branded content and on-campus activations for CPG and restaurant brands — comparable to Grad Media's food & beverage student campaigns (Mecha Noodle Bar, Baskin Robbins).
• UNiDAYS: Student verification and marketing platform connecting brands with student audiences via discounts, ambassador programs, and content — overlapping with Grad Media's student audience targeting and brand activation model.
• The Tab: Student-led news and content network running on-campus ambassadors and branded campaigns for advertisers targeting college audiences — a parallel model to Grad Media's Campus Connect ambassador approach.
• Her Campus Media: College-focused media and marketing network powered by student contributors and ambassadors — directly comparable to Grad Media's Campus Connect model, serving the same audience with content and brand campaigns.
• Student Beans: Student identity verification and brand activation platform operating across multiple geographies — directly comparable in serving brands seeking to reach Gen Z student consumers with promotional campaigns.
• College Marketing Group: Student marketing agency offering on-campus activations, ambassador programs, and brand campaigns to reach college audiences in North America — directly comparable offering and customer base to Grad Media.

Broad incumbents

• Aspire (formerly AspireIQ): Influencer marketing platform with workflow, ambassador, and creator marketplace tools used by brands to run student-relevant campaigns — comparable technology and audience overlap but serves broader markets beyond college.
• Viral Nation: Larger influencer and social media marketing agency offering creator campaigns, ambassador programs, and content production — comparable services to Grad Media but at greater scale across multiple demographics beyond students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Grad_MediaU
• Facebookfacebook.com/gradmedia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/grad-media/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/grad_media

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 Grad Media