We Have the Expertise to Help Educators & Students Thrive

Stout Heart is a full-service marketing agency made up of a team of well-versed advertising professionals with background in a diverse roster of industries. We have significant experience in the education sector for higher education, online colleges, and private schools but believe in the importance of approaching each client with fresh eye and unique attention to the details of each individual client’s objectives.

We work with mission-aligned businesses – those who are doing good in the world – and education falls comfortably within this realm. Because of this, we feel that we could be a tremendous partner for schools looking to provide their students and facilities great digital expeirences to help them thrive at learning and teaching. Please see below for a taste of our work and a bit about our philosophy.

MADE WITH HEART

Our Work

Lexington Academy

Branding | Digital | Traditional

Lexington Academy is the only dyslexia-specific education programs in the state, and was in the process of becoming a fully-accredited private school when they approached Stout Heart. The difference between Lexington Academy and other similar schools is that when others turn away students who have additional mental disorders as a result of their dyslexia, Lexington Academy takes them in with open arms. The challenge for Stout Heart was to create a brand identity that would establish its legitimacy with future parents and students, but also communicate that Lexington Academy is a place where students can feel independent and supported no matter what the barriers are.

The logo itself is a simple monogram formed by two intersecting diamonds, but the spirit of the brand comes through in its application. Stout Heart created an adaptive brand identity that does not rely on a fixes mark, but rather on the ability to reconfigure the “L” and the “A” in a variety of different ways while keeping the connection between them. By doing so, the brand is communicating an understanding that every child is different, processes information differently, learns differently, reads differently, and has his or her own unique challenges, but Lexington Academy is committed to getting every child on the path to success.

Skyline Community College

Strategy | Marketing | Social Strategy

Even though automotive technology is quickly increasing in sophistication, automotive careers are stereotyped as low-paying, dirty jobs. Because of this, the industry must combat major misconceptions to fill positions being left by an aging workforce with qualified and well-trained young people. Skyline College uncovered that this sentiment was widespread within their target market. As such, Skyline College needed a new strategy to reshape how automotive career options are viewed in the eyes of their target markets to drive enrollment.

Skyline College has asked for a strategy, marketing plan, and marketing toolkit to effectively target high school students, adult learners, parents, and educational administration for automotive careers. Stout Heart and Skyline College partnered together to leverage this strategy and marketing plan target, engage, and enroll students to bridge this gap in the workforce.

The Stout Heart team worked to create a multi-faceted marketing plan and toolkit targeted toward changing the misconception that automotive jobs are undesirable. Following the campaign launch, the Skyline College automotive program enrollment soared, and the college system was able to expand its training programming.

Meet the Stouthearted

Mariah Morgan – Principal, Strategist

Jared Smallride – Senior Developer

Lindsay Elitharp – Social Media Strategist

Jessica Stack – Director of Client Services

Bravery is a world rarely associated with the advertising industry. Yet it is, unequivocally, essential to leadership. In fact, Aristotle famously called courage the “first virtue”.

Port-recession, the advertising agency world has changed significantly and exposed the scarcity of this important quality. Uncertainty has perforated the agency-client relationship. Agencies, driven by fear, fall into a pattern of reactionary action, doing as they are told, rather than consulting with clients as equals and partners. Stout Heart is founded on the principle that bravery and spirit can turn the status quo of the advertising agency world on its head.

More often than not, advertising agencies are founded by creative people. Stout Heart’s founder is an account service professional by trade and instinct and, because of this, the agency’s model is relationship-oriented and business-minded. And, since the best creative work begins with comprehensive, solid planning, Stout Heart’s creative output flourishes from this sable foundation.

Great work starts when an agency and its client working as a team to ensure that shared knowledge and a thoughtful strategy guides the creative process to produce excellent outcomes. Applying this ideology, Stout Heart aims to act as true expert partner with our clients, operating with authenticity, integrity, and courage to reach targeted business outcomes.

What Makes Us Different

Expert personnel. Stout Heart strives to put the best people under one roof. This means experienced agency personnel with positive attitudes and egos that are checked at the door. Our teammates have a genuine passion for problem solving and are a pleasure to work with.

Small by choice. Where many agencies seek to grow indefinitely, Stout Heart is small by design. This enables us to provide personalized service to a limited, but carefully chosen, client list. Stout Heart’s smaller size keeps us flexible and nimble- a significant benefit to our clients.

Process. An agency founded by account service professionals is an agency founded in process. In an attempt to keep agency and clients on the same page, Stout Heart has a well-established process that hasn’t lost its ability to adapt to individual client needs.

Work. Creative, well-executed work is our priority. We like a challenge and we tackle each and every one as an opportunity to bring an outside-of-the-box solution to the world.