Can your Indianapolis ad agency do what the big city agencies can?
Search online for Indianapolis ad agencies and one of the first results you'll get will be for an agency that only has offices in Detroit, Los Angeles and San Antonio. Search the American Association of Advertising Agency’s site for Indiana agencies and you will only get 9 listings – and two of them have “Detroit” in their names. Several of them are offshoots of agencies based in New York or Chicago. Seemingly a poor showing for Indianapolis ad agencies, design firms and marketing consultants. But let’s look deeper.
It used to be thought that New York, LA and Chicago were the places to go for top level advertising and marketing thinking. But in a more connected world, Indianapolis ad agencies are well placed to compete.
In a tough economy, New York, Chicago and LA agency rates of $200/hour and up can devour stretched marketing budgets very quickly. For a fraction of that rate, most Indianapolis ad agencies will be happy to work with you. Because the cost of living is lower here than in bigger cities, agencies pay less – and so do you. Ask about rate structures, too. The standard 15% media commission has given way to many newer compensation options. Saving on travel costs also helps you get more bang for your marketing buck. And there’s something to be said for meeting in person so nothing is lost in translation.
Lifestyle. It’s a word that is becoming increasingly important to coveted ad agency employees. In her recent Ad Age article, The Ad Industry’s Complicated Talent Issues: Money Isn’t Everything, Celeste Guidas noted that corporate culture and the balance between work and life are rising in importance to agency employees. Enter more approachable communities with more family friendly corporate cultures – like Indianapolis. It’s not uncommon for young marketing and creative types to move back after experiencing the 80-hour-a-week grind of big city agency life. That means you get the experience of the big leagues available to you right here. Bonus: the money you spend stays here in Indianapolis, helping our community continue to grow.
There are over 330 listings for ad agencies in Indianapolis on yellowpages.com. Picking the right Indianapolis ad agency or marketing consultant can be overwhelming. The best way to narrow the field is to talk to your friends at other local organizations whose advertising you admire. Learn about the successful marketers here in Indianapolis. Ask them who helped them with their advertising and marketing.
Talk to connectors like business consultants, executive search firms, or management consultants. They are wired in to the best Indianapolis marketing consultants and advertising companies. The Indianapolis chapter of the Business Marketing Association can also guide you.
Indianapolis agencies continue to compete against big city agencies, winning both creative awards and clients. The trend away from major market ad agencies started in the 80’s when firms in Minneapolis, Seattle and Atlanta started winning major creative awards. Smart clients continue to take note.
You may be surprised at what you find at Indianapolis ad agencies: high powered, smart marketing pros who chose to live in Indianapolis but offer the same level of expertise you used to think was only available on Madison Avenue.
- KEY TAKEAWAY: The reasons to seriously consider starting with or switching to an Indianapolis ad agency are many. Lower cost alone is enough to convince some. Further investigation shows that there is a wide variety of Indianapolis ad agency choices from which to choose – many with top talent formerly only available on Madison Avenue.
