Monday 27 July 2015
Decimal: The Making of Amazing Advertising Agencies
The definition of what makes anything “great” is usually quite relative, and in a room filled with people, it is rare that you will find two people who agree on one definition of “greatness”.
However, there are some experts who claim they know what it is that makes for exceptional advertising, created by phenomenal agencies.
With this in mind, we look at what some of these characteristics are, and what an advertising agencies actually has to offer in making your brand great.
Dictionary.com on Advertising Agencies:
“An agency employed by advertisers to plan, design, place, and supervise their advertisements or advertising campaigns.”
The British Version:
“An organisation that creates advertising material, contracts for publication space, and sometimes undertakes market research on behalf of its clients.”
The first acknowledged ad agency was started by William Taylor in 1786. Of course, there was also James White in 1800 that started an agency in Fleet Street, London. This evolved into the infamous “White Bull Holmes” recruitment agency that went out of business more than a century later. Volney B. Palmer started the first American ad agency in 1850, claiming the innovation of placing its clients’ ads in various newspapers. James Walter Thompson, of James Walter Thompson Company, started the first “Creative Department” by providing hired writers and artists to create its clients’ campaigns on their behalf.
These were the firsts of many agencies, and since then the fight for greatness has become a very real and serious one. These days, an ad agency is a service-based business employed to create, plan and handle advertising efforts on behalf of its clients. The agency is usually independent from its client, giving it an outsider’s perspective in the client’s communication effort.
A full-service, or Through-The-Line (TTL), agency generally offers the following services:
- Advertising and Marketing Strategising
- Graphic Design, Copywriting and Printing (including Brochures, Packaging and Various Media channels)
- Media Purchasing
- Web Marketing
- Social Media Management
- Tracking Results for Brand Identity Management
However, any TTL agency can offer these services. When choosing a creative partner in brand building, consider these 5 characteristics, according to advertising specialists:
- The Right Services: When you’ve broken a bone (or a brand), you need more than one type of medicine to heal the problem. The same is true for branding. You need an agency that understands total-branding solutions for any situation. An agency that has experience in traditional advertising, digital marketing, social media solutions and inbound marketing techniques. An agency that understands your needs better than you do. An agency like Decimal that has over 50 years combined experience in Marketing, Advertising and Branding Solutions
- Fresh, Creative Ideas: It is what is expected from any agency these days. While businesses work to get their financial strategies and forecasting spot-on, ad agencies are expected to be innovative and clever. These are the agencies that come up with out-of-the-box-ideas and produce genius campaigns that not only win awards, but win ROI too. Decimal Agency has a complete team of hand-picked creative geniuses that don’t just think out the box, they’ve re-packed the box and wrapped it in interior-decorator style designs.
- A Clear Process: A Creative Agency worth its weight in gold, doesn’t only come up with innovative ways to tell your brand story. It does so in a calculated, strategic way that will help your brand grow to its potential. Partner with a creative agency that realises the value in a comprehensive strategy that produces measurable results. Decimal Agency is proud of its strategic, proven process that has yielded great results for national and international brands
- Strong Project Management: Design is a lot, but it is not everything. Advertising is not just about preparing the message, but also about delivering it to the right people. This requires a team with the experience and processing skills to make realistic and reasonable requests deliveries. A good creative agency will make your life easier, not more difficult. With a dedicated traffic management team, Decimal Agency sets realistic goals and deadlines that the whole team work hard to meet, based on years of experience and effective time management.
- Measurable Results: If your agency understands goals, metrics, analytics and benchmarks as much as they understand composition, vectors, alignment, attention to detail and pantones, then you’ve hit the jackpot. Progress towards your goals should be measured every step of the way through tracking, analysing, research and asking the right questions at the right time. Decimal understands that reaching your goal is our goal, and we are as focused on your success as we are on our own.
Decimal is noted as one of the fastest growing agencies in South Africa, and is definitely a legend in the making. Contact us now for more information on how we can grow your brand to legendary status!
