What’s Up?

Stay up to date on our projects, people and blog posts with the Creative Brief, a monthly compilation of all things ABC.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Tips from a Recovering Client: What Makes an Ad Agency Worth it?

 • 

You did it. You landed your dream job as a marketing manager/director/czar. You’re making good money. Management has given you a sizable budget to work with. You know the company’s goals and objectives. And as you start to piece together a marketing strategy, you see it on the horizon: a rebrand. It’s inevitable. With that rebrand comes a new logo, a multimedia campaign launch, maybe a new website? The list of needs appears to grow exponentially and you’re starting to think you may be in over your head.



I recognize the pit you’re feeling in your stomach because I’ve been there. I’ve hired a slew of agencies over the course of my career, which means I’ve spent a lot of time convincing my bosses that the investment is worth it (spoiler alert – they all agreed!). Since I crossed over to the “dark side” of agency life, I see the value in what we do even more.

Here are three reasons why you should hire an agency for your next project.

You will never find a better collection of creative experts.

When you work with a full-service agency, you get multiple people dedicated to helping your company achieve its goals. Your account manager will tend to your every need and be your day-to-day contact. Behind the scenes, you’ll find a copywriter asking questions and crafting words that evolve into the voice and tone of your brand. There is a team of graphic and web designers taking those words and bringing them to life through art. There is a media strategist endlessly researching the best ways to reach your target audience.

You may read all of this and only see tons of dollar signs, right? But …

You will save money in the long run.

Oftentimes project budgets and/or agency retainers are actually less than what a typical organization may spend on staffing its own in-house marketing department. Get your calculator out and add up the salary and benefits for a graphic designer, web developer and social media manager. The overhead alone would far exceed a budget established for, in this case, a typical rebrand project.

It’s fun!

You can’t deny the exhilaration you feel when you are in a room surrounded by people whose sole job is to come up with creative ideas in order to make your business look, sound and ultimately perform better. And your bosses can’t deny it, either. An agency will make your team feel special and seen. Combine that with monetary savings, and the value is undeniable.

About The Author

Rachel brings her more than a decade of experience in marketing to ABC in her role as Director of Agency Operations. That experience spans work in nonprofit, health care, dairy, insurance and wholesale industries.

While spending most of her career on the client side, Rachel was drawn to the creative culture of agency life here at ABC. Through her understanding of the creative process, Rachel makes sure that all work that comes in and out of the agency stays on track.

Rachel works closely with ABC’s Creative Director and Account Managers to meet client expectations before, during and after each project.