The most basic function of advertising agencies is to determine what, to whom, how, and when to say it. In other words, determining what needs to be said about the product or service, defining the target audience that the ad wants to influence, melting the characteristics of the target audience and the advertising message in a crucible, determining the tone of the ad and delivering it to the target audience with the right media strategy is the task of the advertising agency.
Advertising agencies differ from each other according to the needs of the brand according to the services they offer in their field of activity.
Types of advertising agency:
- Full service advertising agency
- In-house agency
- Limited service advertising agency
1. What is a full service advertising agency?
Agencies that can offer at least some of the activities such as marketing research, sales promotion strategy development, public relations activities and announcement planning, packaging design, organization of sales meetings to their customers are defined as “Full Service Advertising Agency” (Weilbacher, 1983: 9- i O).
Full service advertising agencies can appeal to all companies operating on general lines. Still, some companies operating in specific sectors such as health, tourism, and industrial products may want to work with agencies specialized in that field. Under the need for such specialization; There are many reasons, from the effective use of specific media to the correct jargon of texts. Agencies with this type of specialization often show full service features.
Full service advertising agencies dominate the entire communication process of the brands they have partnered, create advertising campaigns in accordance with the determined strategies, and share their reports with the company. Although such a way of working is effective for the branding process, it usually continues under an annual contract.
2. What is an in-house advertising agency?
Businesses may also choose to solve all or at least some parts of the advertising business within their own structure. This kind of structuring is called “InHouse Agency”. This method, which is often criticized as an approach away from efficiency, can also collect advertising awards, as seen in Diesel. The main reason why in-house style work is preferred by advertisers is the belief that media buying and other advertising functions can be made cheaper.
3. What is a limited service advertising agency?
Another type of advertising agency is “Limited Service Advertising Agencies”. These agencies work on certain parts of the services that full service agencies offer. For example; “Boutique” (Creative Boutiques) style agencies provide their clients with services related only to the creative part of advertising. Media planning companies can similarly be divided into planning and purchasing.
Companies working with limited service agencies put a huge burden on advertising. Many tasks undertaken by full service agencies, from the strategic planning function to the operation of the advertising effectiveness control mechanism, are now under the responsibility of the advertiser. Companies that have adopted this style of work need effectively structured advertising and public relations departments (Weilbacher, 1983: 10-11).
Unfortunately, another way of working in our country is to provide the advertising production process through the media. This way, which is generally preferred by small-scale, local companies or companies with low advertising budgets, is frequently used because of its cheapness. The advertisements produced by radio, newspapers, magazines and television channels through their employees meet with the target audience after a short process of creation and production. While it is impossible to talk about the strategic aspect of the work that has emerged, the advertiser generally does not have such an expectation.
Which advertising agency to choose?
Advertising agencies differ from each other in terms of their activities and prominent features. You can find the opportunity to work with the most suitable advertising agency for you, taking into account the basic needs of your brand and the points you want to be positioned. In general, you can start a long-term branding process for your company by choosing an advertising agency that can set up the right strategy to suit your brand needs and manage the campaigns to be created in all its processes.
