Last year's
Small Agency of the Year was O'Keefe Reinhard &
Paul, while Wongdoody came in second with a Small
Agency of the Year Silver award. More about them and all the great
shops who took home honors last year can be
found here.
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This isn't just about having an awesome trophy to show off in
your office. Winning a Small Agency Award often helps bring in new
business and talent while lifting employee morale.
"Being named Ad Age Small Agency of the Year validated our
start-up agency model and approach to being 'agents' for our
clients in bringing in the best creative talent from within the
agency and outside to deliver original creative work and ideas to
our clients," said Nick Paul, president of OKRP.
Bohan Advertising CEO Shari Day said
that winning the
Silver Small Agency of the Year Culture award in 2015
sparked more new-business requests than ever for the shop.
"It is a seal of approval that justifies to clients why a small
agency in a city like Nashville needs to sit at the table," said
Ms. Day, Bohan's
first female CEO since its foundation in 1990.
"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 of 2010 Small Agency of the
Year Pereira & O'Dell, started by
Brazilian ad exec PJ Pereira. The shop has 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
Portland, Maine; Raleigh, N.C.-based Baldwin& Omaha, Neb.-based
Bailey Lauerman and San Francisco shop
Muh-Tay-Zik Hof-fer.
Last year, as the contest has grown increasingly international,
Nómades, a shop based in Mexico City and Buenos Aires, took
home the gold for Integrated Campaign of the Year for its "Soccer
Gentlemen" campaign for Tecate. Mexico City based Arrechedera Claverol took home a
silver in the same category. Señores, out of Sao Paulo,
Brazil, nabbed a silver in the Pro Bono category and Secret Little
Agency from Singapore grabbed one in the b-to-b category. Gravity Road, from London, was the
International Small Agency of the Year.
To keep the show accessible, all entry fees are no more than
$350. To enter, head here.
As in years past, Ad Age will 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 fewer. Agencies that are at least 51% independently-owned
can enter.
Again, this year's Ad Age's Small Agency Conference and Awards
Show, which this year will be held in Miami Beach, Fla.
In years' past, the Small Agency Awards & Conference has
been hosted in New Orleans, Denver, Minneapolis, Portland, Ore.,
Austin, Texas and Boston.
UPDATE:
The final deadline is April 27 at 11:59 p.m.
