Benefits of leveraging an Ad Agency's Experience
A successful advertising campaign requires the skills and services of a team of advertising experts. Few small to mid-size businesses have either the time or the in-house expertise to plan, develop and execute an advertising campaign.
An advertising agency assumes the responsibility for the campaign from conception and planning to production and launch. This frees the client to concentrate on their core competences while the ad agency focuses on theirs. By using an ad agency, the advertiser gains the advantage of accessing a team of professionals who are experienced in the advertising process.
There are many individual tasks that go into a professionally-produced advertising campaign. Unless the team that is working on the campaign is highly experienced in the advertising methodology there is a good chance that critical steps will be overlooked. Here are some of the essential tasks that an ad agency account manager oversees for even the most basic print ad campaign.
- Work with the photographer or illustrator to capture just the right graphical elements:
- Effective artwork enhances the printed message and reinforces the offer. Selecting the right graphics for a piece can be time consuming. Knowing exactly where and how to place the graphic for maximum effect is part art and part science.
- Work with the art director to specify font types and sizes based upon mechanical layout factors as well as the medium the ad will appear in:
- Font sizes affect the ads readability and the overall appearance of the ad.
- Work with the copywriter so the sales message is delivered to its best advantage:
- A professional copywriter knows how to push a reader's "hot buttons" to cause the desired action to occur. Unprofessional copy is one of the leading causes of campaign failure.
- Work with the layout artist to ensure that graphical elements and copy come together to produce the desired results:
- Once the graphics are chosen, the font types and sizes are established and the copy is written, the layout artist weaves everything together to create the final piece that will be presented to the public.
- Work with the media buyer to schedule and secure space at a favorable rate:
- Insertion orders are written, advertising rates negotiated and schedules established to ensure that the ad is seen by the public at the right time. Ad agencies are often able to secure better rates for display ads because of their relationships with newspaper and magazine publishers.
- Approve press proofs for content, accuracy and color quality:
- This is the final quality control step before the ad goes live. It takes a trained and critical eye to assure that all colors have been faithfully reproduced and that the ad looks like it was intended to look.
If any of these steps are overlooked, campaign failure is likely to occur.
When profits hang in the balance, there is no margin for error. That's why it makes sense to leverage an advertising agency's experience every time.