Category: Blog

When Goldilocks wandered into the home of the three Bears in the woods, it took her a little time to find things in the house that were not too big and not too small, but just right. Many companies can find themselves searching for the same thing when it comes to advertising agencies.

Does your agency respect your deadlines? Do they treat your budget like it’s their own money they are spending? Do they value your time? Are they quick to respond to your requests? Do you have access to the people who are working on your project?

If your agency is too big to give you the attention you deserve or too small to provide all of the services that you want, maybe it’s time to give us a try. We’re not too big, not too small…maybe we are just right for you.

When you decide to work with an ad agency, it means you are willing to invest your company’s time and money in return for top-notch creative solutions. It’s an important relationship, with a lot at stake. Being on the agency side of these relationships for many years, we have a few tips that make life easier for everyone. And they can even help save time and money.

1. Give as much input to your agency upfront as possible. The more organized and comprehensive your information is, the better.
2. Get all necessary approvals for content before your agency begins its creative work. Every time copy or layout is revised, it impacts the cost of the project. And makes it take longer.
3. Share with your agency any assumptions and expectations you have about how you want your finished project to look. For example, if you have a preference for paper stock or color, let it be known before design work begins and printing estimates are started.  It’s best if those activities happen with your preferences in mind at the start.
4. Make any corrections at the layout approval stage. As the project moves through production, the more “final” it is, the more costly it becomes to make changes.

When clients work with us, we pledge to spend their time and money as if they were our own. That means we work in the most efficient and conscientious way we can. It’s part of our formula for success. We follow the four tips outlined above and projects tend to go very smoothly for both our clients and us. That means a lot less stress and way more happiness all around!

It has been our privilege to work with the good folks at YWCA Lancaster for 17 years, helping them engage the community in their excellent programs and services. This year, the YW is getting involved for the first time in “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes,” an event in which men strap on a pair of high heels to bring greater awareness to sexual assault prevention, treatment and bystander intervention.

We were happy to develop materials to support the event, including the logo, posters, postcard, sponsorship form and e-blast. And now we’re more than happy to help promote the event, It’s a fun time and a terrific cause. Proceeds from the event will benefit the YWCA Lancaster Sexual Assault Prevention & Counseling Center.

Here are a few particulars and where to find more information and sign up:

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes
Friday, September 18, 6 PM
Downtown Lancaster
www.walkamileyw.org

Sometimes we do work for clients and we never have the opportunity to know how well the piece performed or what the intended audience’s response was. But sometimes we get feedback that just makes our day. That’s what happened recently with the annual report we did for our client, Ephrata National Bank.

Craig Rodenberger, Marketing Director, described this year’s annual report as “a success,” adding, “Many are saying it’s our best annual report yet!” He also passed along comments from the bank’s CFO, Scott Lied, who emailed his praise:

Want to take time to recognize what we all see. The Annual Report looks Great! And that is from an Accountant’s perspective! Takes a lot to get us excited. Cover sells the Book. And the Color looks Great! Vibrant….makes us very alive and well.

Needless to say, we were quite excited to have stirred up such emotion from an accountant. Now we can look forward to the challenge of topping it all next year!