A Guide to Advertising Agencies

What are Advertising Agencies?

Advertising agencies are companies that provide marketing and advertising needs for other organizations or companies. Advertising agencies offer a number of advertising services and advice based on popular culture, advanced market studies and complex sales techniques.

These advertising services are customized and subsequently attached to the particular business model or company who hires the advertising agency. All advertising agencies are independent from the client (hiring) company; as a result of this relationship, advertising agencies have the ability to be objective concerning the client’s promotional needs.

Advertising agencies perform a number of client-specific roles; advertising agencies produce corporate logos, create effective and attractive color schemes to attract a consumer’s attention and create commercials or online-based advertisements to draw attention to the client’s specific product or service.

The primary goal of all advertising agencies and the primary reason why they are incorporated into a company’s business model is to increase the exposure of an entity’s product or service. To achieve this goal, advertising agencies will prepare brochures and slogans, as well as construct copy or publications for sales materials.

In addition to profit-based entities or companies, advertising agencies are also hired by non-profit organizations. Advertising agencies, when delivering their services to non-profit companies, will produce public service announcements and issue press releases for the issuance of events, social services, products or new programs.

Advertising agencies, to fulfill their client’s needs, will use assorted forms of media to promote their respective clients’ goods or services, including an assortment of newspaper advertisements, magazine advertisements, television and radio commercials, web advertising and infomercials.

To create a more personal effect, advertising agencies will also plan events, set-up booths at conventions and offer complimentary promotional items to the public. Whatever the medium or strategy may be, all advertising agencies utilize these various communication efforts to increase public awareness concerning a particular good or service.

How do Advertising Agencies Work?

Advertising agencies conduct business by understanding their clients’ product or service; once the advertising agency gets to know their clients’ needs and respective products, the agency will determine which demographic provides the best audience for their strategy or promotion.

For example, if a company is selling designer clothing, such as handbags, the advertising agency will likely position the company’s television commercials during popular women’s programming or on channel’s that are geared specifically towards women.

There are a number of associations that advertising agencies may belong to; the Ad Council, the International Association of Business Communicators, the American Advertising Federation and the American Association of Advertising Agencies are the most reputable. When evaluating or choosing an advertisement agency, you should inspect whether they are members of any of the aforementioned associations and ensure that they belong to the Better Business Bureau. It is also helpful to ask advertising agencies for their previous work or their previous clients.