For any marketer who has ever worked with one of the mega-ad agencies and endured the frustrations of being shifted from team to team, getting tired creative campaigns, and long turnaround times, it will come as no surprise to learn that many big brands are pivoting to small marketing agencies. In fact, AdAge recently revealed how small marketing agencies with fewer than 100 employees are winning massive accounts like GM, Häagen-Dazs, and Liberty Mutual Insurance. In this blog, we’ll dig into the reasons behind the shift and how Leap Group’s unique model gives clients the best of both worlds.
The Importance of Continued Marketing Partnerships
If your brand’s marketing budget has been the headlining topic of conversation in recent meetings, you aren’t alone. Corporations across the globe, no matter their size and scale, are feeling the effects of this prolonged financial downturn. The interesting lesson, however, is that in a few short years, we’ll begin to see which businesses chose wisely and continued to invest in strong marketing relationships, and which got too scared and pulled the plug.
Time and time again, history proves that the most prosperous brands are those that maintain robust marketing efforts through recessions or even well into depressions. And while it may not be financially feasible to pay for the support of a large external marketing partner, turning to small marketing agencies to handle your accounts might just be the perfect solution for long-term success.
Why Small Marketing Agencies Have Gained the Upper Hand
Small marketing agencies are all the rage thanks to their agility, niche specialization, personalized attention, direct access to creative talent, and innovative campaign strategies…but none of this is new information. Brands have always known that, although large agencies have access to more resources, littler outfits provide benefits because of – not in spite of – their size.
When AdAge asked the national brands mentioned above to elaborate on the reasons behind their switch to smaller agencies, they cited these critical factors:
Small marketing agencies gave them direct access to creative talent without the need to wade through frustrating corporate hierarchies
Tightly knit marketing teams are more nimble, more able to suddenly pivot when the time is right, and more effecient in delivering high-quality work
Fewer team members often means quicker decision-making, which speeds up innovation and leads to tighter deadlines
Leap Group: The Best of Both Worlds
In a creative space where agencies tend to fall staunchly into “big” and “small” sizes, Leap Group is a progressive anomaly. We successfully bridge the gap between large and small marketing agencies, meaning we can offer our clients the resources and results of a much bigger team coupled with the speed and agility of a smaller operation.
To best serve our clients and their multifaceted needs, we created four unique agencies under our bespoke network model.
This way, our clients can have a single contract, a single point of contact, and only pay for what they need.
(human)x: This branch of our small marketing agency network relies heavily on data-driven research and insights to create transformational brand experiences. Our work has propelled businesses in nearly every industry, from healthcare and education to government and automotive, toward meaningful consumer connections.
(spark): When you need the resources and experience of a full-service production agency to develop your next marketing campaign, you need the speed, agility, and collaboration of (spark). This team scales its services to meet your needs so you get the support you want at the price your budget can afford.
(matter): Dig deep into your brand’s target audience, understand their pain points, and provide timely solutions when you partner with (matter). This vital spoke of the Leap Group wheel takes our clients’ branding to new heights with award-winning graphic design and decades of evidence-backed success.
(amp): Last but far from least, (amp) houses our collective of social media experts who live and breathe targeted content. Using an “always on” approach, (amp) quite literally amplifies our clients’ campaigns and digital presence through strategic planning and lasting consumer relationships.
How Leap Group Maintains Speed and Agility at Large and Small Scales
It might sound prideful to detail the ways our four bespoke agencies are carving new creative paths in the small marketing agency space, but with 25 years of experience at our backs, we’ve got the data to back it up. Here’s a peek at the internal mechanisms that keep Leap Group functioning at such high levels.
Creative Sprints
One of the primary ways that Leap Group is able to fire on all cylinders and maintain our creative agility is because of our signature creative process that relies heavily on Leap Sprints. Sprints are designed to quickly get high-quality creative campaigns into the world; Leap Group brings its clients along on these creative sprints so they can respond quickly to current events and changing customer needs. We work in close collaboration with our clients during Sprints, giving them direct access to our process and creatives while we constantly refine our work for optimal results.
Investment in AI
Leap Group has also consistently invested in I learning, with proprietary data analytics software designed to give its clients a competitive edge. As a data-driven small marketing agency, we have always invested heavily in research, uniting our four agencies under the philosophy of “Market less, matter more.” Our passion for audience research not only drives us to uncover the secrets of consumer behavior, but it has also led to the development of our own proprietary data analytics software, Huamnview. Humanview uses AI technologies to accurately predict consumer behavior and give our clients a competitive edge.
Capture Big Wins for Your Brand with Leap Group's Bespoke Solutions
While many small agencies offer the flexibility and talent today’s brands are looking for, only Leap Group offers the unique structure that can help brands truly achieve and maintain forward momentum. Massive corporations like GM and Liberty Mutual have already recognized the power that a small marketing agency can wield, not to mention the cost-efficiencies and greater ROIs they deliver for your budget. Through simplified access to specialized agencies, the Leap Group network gives our clients the best of both worlds.
With so much competition in the global marketplace, there’s never been a better time to schedule a free consultation with Leap Group. Reach out today to explore all the ways our network can help your brand cut through the noise and matter more to your audience. With the speed, agility, and direct access of a small marketing agency but the AI investment of a much larger operation, Leap Group is truly your full-service solution – and you gain all these benefits with a single point of contact. Contact us today to start marketing less and mattering more.
