"Our new business activity increased and recruiting became a bit
easier, but the real benefit was the momentum it created with
employees. It was the first great moment for our company," said
Andrew O'Dell, CEO & Co-Founder,
2010 Small Agency of the Year Pereira & O'Dell, started by
Brazilian ad exec PJ Pereira. The shop's gone on to win three Grand
Prix awards in Cannes.
After Ad Age named
its first-ever Small Agency Award winner in 2009, that agency,
Rockfish, was snapped up by WPP in short order.
Other past winners in this contest include
The Via Agency of Maine, North Carolina-based
Baldwin& and Nebraska-based
Bailey Lauerman. Last year the crown
went to San Francisco shop Muh-Tay-Zik Hof-fer.
"Becoming the Ad Age Small Agency of the Year transformed us. We
doubled our size--head count and revenue--in just one year," said
John Coleman, founder and CEO of Via, the 2011 Small Agency of the Year. "If you're
running a great agency, you must throw your hat into this ring."
Via, in fact, created a Stanley-Cup-like trophy to commemorate the
event and
handed it off to Baldwin& the following year, creating a
new tradition.
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The Small Agency Awards are becoming increasingly international,
as Ad Age showcases work from the best independent agencies around
the world. This year, Ad Age is working with Adlatina, Ad Age's
partner in Spanish-speaking Latin America, to increase
participation from the thriving independent agency sector in that
region. In 2014, two of the four international winners were from
Argentina, Nico Pimentel's +Castro and Coupe.
The 2014 International Small Agency of the Year was Swedish
agency Deportivo, and +Castro and South African
agency Volcano were the Silver Award winners. Coupe,
also from Buenos Aires, won the Pro Bono Campaign of the Year, a
new category last year, for "The Children Notwork" for Advertisers
Without Borders.
To keep the show accessible, all entry fees are under $350. The
deadline for entry is May 8. Submit here. (If you want to
gather everything you need before plunging in, rules and details can be
found here.)
As in years past, we'll award gold and silver for an Agency of
the Year -- Overall; Campaign of the Year -- Integrated; Campaign
of the Year – Digital; Campaign of the Year – B-to-B;
Campaign of the Year -- Pro-Bono; and Best Agency Culture. We'll
also award winners in three size categories for Agency of the Year,
plus regional winners (Southeast, Southwest, Midwest, West,
Northwest and Northeast) and international winners. In addition to
the international category, international agencies are also
eligible to compete for the integrated, digital, B-to-B and
Pro-Bono Campaigns of the Year.
The contest is open to independent agencies with staff of 150
people or less. Agencies that are at least 51% independently-owned
can enter. For questions about eligibility, head to our handy FAQ
page on the Small Agency Awards site.
"The Small Agency Awards not only gives small, independent
agencies a chance to showcase their work to us, but to marketers as
well," said Ken Wheaton, managing editor at Ad Age. "Judging by
testimonials from previous winners, marketers are definitely paying
attention. We've seen some shops grow too big for the awards show;
we've seen others fiercely hold on to the 'small' in small
agency."
Winners are announced in July at Ad Age's Small Agency
Conference and Awards Show, an annual event which travels to
vibrant ad markets around the country. For 2015, we're headed to
Boston, one of the most historic cities in America.
The event will be held July 29 & 30 at the Westin Copley
Place, in Boston.
Again, the entry deadline for awards is Friday, May
8. For complete details on how to enter the awards and to
register for the conference, head here.
