Why is advertising and marketing so crucial to businesses small and large? Why has advertising become a multi-billion-dollar industry? Does it really work?
Yes. It does.
Advertising agencies and marketing firms are experts in growing business and helping brands surpass and outperform the competition. But how do they do it?
By providing value.
That seems overly vague, we know. Allow an expert to explain.
Kimberly A. Whitler is a 20-year Veteran Chief Marketing Officer whose resume boasts names like P&G, PetSmart, and David’s Bridal. She argues that advertising agencies and marketing companies can provide limitless value, but states that contributions can be divided up into 4 categories or value propositions. In her interview with Forbes, which can be read here, Whitler explains that marketing and creative advertising have the potential to provide value in the following ways.
- Communicating an Outside-In Perspective
To put it in colloquial terms, sometimes business can get “too close to the fire to feel the flames” and suffer from over familiarity with the industry in which they work. Often times it can be beneficial to get an outside perspective, especially when it comes to marketing and the more creative sides of business. Advertising Agencies are masters of finding new perspectives and creative new spins on tried and true ideas. They reinvigorate businesses for a profession. Why struggle alone when you could easily partner with the right firm to rekindle the problem-solving flame?
- Differentiating a Company by Defining its Unique Truth
Along with that unique expertise and always-fresh outside perspective, a good firm or agency can provide value by “defining a unique truth about a brand or product”. In layman’s terms, this means positioning a product or service in a way that demonstrates how they are profoundly different from all competitors, or something about the product that a consumer may not have otherwise considered. A unique truth. This can be especially difficult to get right, but all-the-more rewarding when products in a certain sector are all similar.
- Telling Compelling Stories That Evoke Emotion
Anyone can attempt to create mediocre advertising (Trust us we review tons of portfolios.) The real magic in this business comes from storytelling that resonates with the target audience and evokes real emotion in their minds. The brilliance of storytelling is that when it’s done right, you aren’t just creating customers at the point of sale. If you can sell someone not just on a product, but an entire brand or even an ideology, that’s how lifelong customers are born.
- Introducing Strategic Vision into the Client’s Business.
Most reputable marketing firms aren’t just advertising factories. They are results agencies. To truly become an indispensable asset to any company, a firm must treat your bottom line like their own. In a way, an agency also becomes a business consultant, guiding a company or brand with strategy, hopefully towards profit.
A note from The PM Group:
We found this article to be profoundly interesting, both because it’s nice to see others articulating exactly what we do, and because it helps remind us of the value that we provide to our own customers.
Here at The PM Group, we try to deliver value in all of the ways above. If you or your business need a fresh outside perspective, maybe it’s time to consider the agency that has helped countless businesses to stand out and grow for over three decades.
About The PM Group: The PM Group was founded in 1988. Over the past 30 years, the agency has continued to grow and is currently listed as San Antonio’s Largest Advertising Agency by the San Antonio Business Journal. The PM Group’s client roster spans numerous industries including automotive, CPG, entertainment and sports marketing, legal, business services, nonprofit, real estate and fitness. In addition, the agency hosts an annual Charity Gala every February that to date has raised over $2.5 million for local San Antonio area nonprofit organizations in the last 15 years! It is our way of giving back to the community that we so humbly serve.
