Is bigger really better?

"The case for the small agency"

Goliath vs David.  Patriots vs Giants.  Chiefs vs Aces.  Large ad agencies vs. small ad agencies...

Many times in life (sports, war, etc.) there appears to be a sizable advantage, favoring one party over another.  The same goes for advertising.  The seemingly unexhaustible resources of large agencies make them more appealing to many potential clients.  But is bigger really better? Does choosing a large agency give a company a better chance of success?  

I say no.

After reading our latest book "One great insight..." by Advertising Hall-of-Famer Phil Dusenberry, we learned that insights can come from anyone at any time.  You don't need to bill in the billions or even millions, in order to uncover an insight and move the sales needle for a client.  

Although agencies of all sizes often face the same challenges (i.e. customer retention, the economy, ever-changing marketplace), small agencies can offer many of the following advantages:

• One-on-one attention
• Quickly moving projects
• More imagination in stretching the budget for the greatest results
• More agility on a project, campaign, and agency level
• More input on each project from ownership or senior management
• More focus on growing business and profitability - not agency politics

Although Harvest Moon Advertising may not have the billings of, or the internationally known reel of a large agency such as Fallon, BBDO, or J Walter Thompson - I do believe we are just as, if not more equipped to grow our client's business by following our staples of "No Surprises" and "We Grow Business."   

If you are a Harvest Moon team member - you've already had the kool-aid and know what I'm talking about.  If you are a client, I hope you agree, and would love for you to post your own thoughts.  However, if you are looking for agency representation, assistance on a new project, or even a fresh way of thinking - please give us a call at (608) 784-2356.  We would love to meet to learn more about you and your business, as well as share a little of the Harvest Moon Advertising "story."  

Press Play: The Pursuit of Knowledge

What makes a great surgeon? “There isn’t much to choose between surgeons in manual dexterity. What distinguishes the great surgeon is that he knows more than the other surgeons. It is the same with advertising agents. The good ones know more.”-Sir Hugh Rigby

Harvest Moon Advertising challenges their team members to become educated on skills both specific to their craft and to their personal interest. As a designer there are always new and cutting edge designs affecting the mainstream, often times more frequent than a Matchbook 20 song. Being a representative of the Creative Department, I have had the freedom to explore new forms of communication. In this new age world of design where black rimmed glasses, and a pair of tight jeans lends you creditability, I feel that if you’re really trendy, the “graphic” in designer can be omitted and one can just be referred to as a “designer” or “creative cool dude”. Why? Design software isn’t print media specific anymore. Most suites come with various forms of communication, such as web, animation, and even video editing, in addition to the printed “graphic” software’s. I think it is the responsibility of the Creative department to explore all assets of these mediums and to work toward finding the correct fit for our clients. As you may have seen, Harvest Moon does all of those things! Hooray!

There are not many places in the area that have access to produce Television. We can do anything from using a handheld camera, all the way to shooting high definition with proper lighting to make you feel like you’re on the set of America’s Next Top Model. We are constantly exploring new ways of expression for our clients on all mediums. You could think of us as the more educated surgeons in the first paragraph, but I would say that we’re more like Bad Boy Entertainment on account of “we can’t stop” and more importantly “won’t stop” So if you’ve got some questions on how we can communicate for you, give us a ring or email, and let’s make things happen.