When it comes to choosing advertising and marketing firms, there’s a common misconception that Big Brands must court Big Agencies. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Here are a few points of consideration for big brands:

It’s their way or the highway.

 Large agencies can be very challenging. Many brands are competing for agency attention all day every day. These big agencies can be, at times, inefficient and inflexible.  In order to effectively grow their agencies, they have relied on their time-tested methodologies for project and account management. Unfortunately for these big brand clients, the landscape changes fast and it can take forever to turn around the large agency ship. In fact, the current media landscape has changed more in the past five years than in the past 50 years and large agencies struggle to adapt. 

 So how can a small agency bring value to a big brand? The project management methodology can be built around each client, in order to best meet their needs. Smaller agencies are more nimble and able to stay ahead of innovation.

Does size matter?

If you represent a big brand, you may find it necessary to rely on the creature comforts that you have come to expect: a sizeable staff, a deep bench and full, in-house capabilities. If a large agency has 150-200 people on staff, the team you work with will likely be no larger than 15-20 people. If a small agency is made up of 15-20 professionals, each of those staff members is expected to bring a multidisciplinary approach to the table. By contrast, a large agency tends to silo individuals into specific tasks. Big agency staff members become a part of a large assembly line. Your brand will likely be very different than any other in the agency’s portfolio, so why would you want your brand to go through the exact same process as everyone else?

Small agencies often have fearless leaders. They typically come from large agencies and have decided to stake their claim and build a better mousetrap. These leaders surround themselves with other highly skilled people. (Less skilled people can’t “hide” in a small agency.) This often results in a team of tenacious people who are willing to cross disciplines for the benefit of their clients. There can’t be a “but that’s not my job” attitude at an effective, smaller organization. This tends to be a collaborative group that goes to great lengths to meet goals.

The overhead, my gosh, the overhead. 

Everyone knows when they walk into a large, posh agency that it’s the clients who are paying for it. To fill every position with in-house staff and maintain a deep bench can be a very precarious way to do business. So how do small agencies do it? They staff an all-star team with the best-of-the-best directors and managers to ensure success no matter the workload. So should a client be nervous if a small agency has to outsource a portion of the project? Absolutely not. A smaller agency is constantly building its reputation and holds its partners and vendors to the same high standards. In a highly connected world, smaller agencies can competently collaborate with external firms and deliver the best final product to the client.

People helping people.

In a large agency environment, individuals can be more concerned with their own advancement and less so about the overall success of the agency and its clients.  In a small agency, members are closely connected to one another. If one person hits a bump in the road, everyone feels it.  The entire agency can rally.  The agency truly becomes like a family where all members are valued, while being held accountable for everything they do. This model boosts collaboration, nurtures creativity and encourages problem solving.

 
So now what? 

The next time you have a challenging assignment, reach out to some small, all-star agencies and let them bring their ideas to the table.  You may find that you have been looking for success in all the wrong places.

-Tim Farrel

CPV New Biz Guy