what to expect if you hire us

Written by: Rob TinsmanVice President and Creative Director

Is hiring an ad agency worth the effort and  cost?
This will help you decide.

We've helped hundreds of businesses grow by implementing good marketing. Probably thousands. I've been with Avenue 25 for over a decade and the story is often similar — very similar. The client starts his or her business on a shoestring budget and sees success, momentum grows fast, but that also means being too busy to properly brand the company, design a great website or manage their marketing. Eventually things smooth out and there's time to breathe and seek help. And that's when they find us.

Author's note: The following is a mashup review of sorts. It describes a typical client situation and describes what an engagement with us often looks like. - Rob Tinsman

yes, My branding  was outdated…

I decided it was time for an updated logo and marketing materials. I’ve been in business in Phoenix, Arizona for 11 years and haven’t ever really thought much about branding — at least not enough to actively seek out professional help until recently. I’ve basically devoted all of my time to the business side of things (staffing, operations, purchasing, shipping, and accounting) the ones that keep the business going. I had a decent logo and some brochure sheets that I created that did the job fine. A networking friend referred me to Avenue 25. They basically did a branding audit for him and he said it was eye-opening. As he explained it to me, it seemed like it might be what I needed for my business too. So I gave them a call.  

Getting started

Being relatively thorough, I did some due diligence — read online reviews, checked BBB and looked at their work. Their website looked nice, had good client work examples and was easy to use.  Good start. I filled out a form on the website. Within a few minutes I had a call from Rachel. This was starting off well. She asked a lot of questions and there was an immediate rapport. This felt comfortable. We set up a meeting at their office. They’re  a boutique size firm — about 10 people —  as opposed to what I envisioned of a big corporate ad agency..  

Initial consultation

First impression: their office was so cute. Not stuffy or pushy, but cool and comfortable. Rusty, the marketing director and Rob, creative director  were friendly and knowledgeable. They asked about my brand strategy. I had to admit, I didn’t really have one — I had a business strategy, but thinking of branding in that way was new to me.  

Some more discussion about my customers, products, services, price point, competition, and so on. Then we reviewed some of my current materials. Uh oh, tires screeching sound! This is where I had my blinders removed. They laid it out plainly that my branding was lacking consistency. That would have been bad enough if at least something was accurately portraying my business. It wasn’t. None of it. I was all over the place and my customers (or the non-customers to be accurate) probably felt my business operated the same way. Here's the thing, a few years after getting started, my business focus shifted and, as it turned out, was misaligned with my logo. My tagline was generic and for what I was charging my customers, my materials just seemed amateur. I admit, they were.

Brand alignment

This was a big step, but one I know I needed. It was like I had been operating my business with the emergency brake on. I needed a business tune-up. A complete view of my business as it is right now. They called it Brand Positioning & Strategy. Rob equated logo design without it as an arranged marriage. It’s a commitment and you don’t really have the information needed to make an informed decision until it’s too late. On the other hand, with this new strategy I would have 100% of my brand all going in the right direction. I liked the idea of my marketing dollars actually being effective. It was an investment I was willing to make. I was on board!  

It only took a couple of meetings and they learned all about my brand —  my ideal customer, how people should feel after interacting with my business, tangible impact of customers, and how my business is uniquely different from my competition. They would then do research in my industry and we scheduled a time to present their recommendations and the completed logo design  and brochure design ideas.

Presentation

I couldn’t believe how well they zeroed in on all of the essential parts of my business. The presentation was about 1-1/2 hours and Rob detailed my brand voice, essence, promise and more. I was impressed. My brand was getting a complete makeover and I hadn’t even seen anything visual yet. There was even a part where I got goosebumps. They get this stuff. This was so cool.

The reveal: It was perfectly in line with my audience, my products & services, and it even sounded like my business.  

Then they got to my logo and several other visual examples of what my new brand would look like. This was a branding amusement park! Seriously, I never imagined my brand looking this good and the presentation so engaging. Not over the top-fancy or anything like that, it was perfectly in line with my audience, my products & services, and it even sounded like my business. The logo couldn’t have been more perfect and they showed me some examples of how a brochure could look, typefaces, photos, illustrations, business cards, and more. I had the biggest smile on my face. I would not be a good poker player. Just wow. Now I see why simply asking for a logo design would have been a mistake. My business was now  ready to soar.

Thanks Avenue 25. I wish I’d found you sooner.
Signed, another happy client.