Big agency Vs small agency - does size still matter?

* min read

Why Big Clients Are Turning to Smaller Agencies

In the past, brands and larger businesses would often gravitate toward large London agencies when looking for a new agency partner. But times are a'changing and smaller, regional agencies are showing time and time again that a bigger team, a bigger office and a bigger name, doesn’t mean a better result.

Here at Abstrakt, we’re being approached by and are adopting clients who have historically worked with larger agencies, but now want something different. And that something isn’t a price reduction! These days agency rates are linked to quality, shared experience and individual team members expertise, rather than size. We come up against larger London agencies all the time and have lost out more than once because the client has gone with a cheaper option!

What they’re looking for and not finding in the bigger agency world is flexibility, humanity and commitment. They want an agile, dynamic team who can work at pace, who is willing to take risks and who is as passionate about their project as they are.

So why can smaller agencies work faster, pivot quicker, be riskier and give more? Well, here’s our take on it...

We are privately owned and closely held. We don’t have any investors watching over us nor do we have anyone to answer to but ourselves - and we don’t serve anyone but our clients. Our clients get the best of us because their objectives are genuinely our only concern.

We don’t have to take on every project. Without the overheads of a large team and an even larger studio, we have the luxury of only taking on projects we are confident we can do an exceptional job for. Because not every project makes it into our studio, the ones that do receive our best efforts.

We want to make a name for ourselves. We strive to be the agency brands and businesses go to when they want something special. We want to be known as the best because we give the best to every client, every project. Our team has the freedom and time to explore and stretch creative boundaries, to develop one-of-a-kind ideas and to always deliver the extraordinary.

We’re interested in long-term partnerships, not short-term profit. When we take on a client we become as invested in their business as they are - their success becomes our success. Our clients often become our friends and we will literally move mountains when they need us to.

Our clients work directly with the team delivering their project too. In larger agencies clients tend to be kept away from the creatives, with all comms going through an account manager. We foster the relationship between the delivery team and the client - it’s faster, it’s clearer, it’s more streamlined and it’s less open to interpretation.

Our team members have full accountability - with fewer team members, a person’s contribution matters ten times as much - in a small studio there really is nowhere to hide. The level of responsibility for each team member is vastly amplified, and so everyone is always determined to produce amazing work; work that they are proud to put in front of both their colleagues and our clients.

There is no “B” team. We don’t hire juniors and we don’t accept interns - every member of our team is an expert in their respective field and they have full autonomy over their area. Every project is handled by this team regardless of size, scale or scope, so you know you’ve got our best, every time.

We can change directions fast. There’s no layers of bureaucracy, no red tape, no one to get approval from. If a client or projects needs change or it becomes apparent that we will achieve better results if it is approached from another angle, then we do it. Without the pain of box-ticking, we can move faster and smarter - there’s no huge ship to turn around.

We work at pace. And I mean fast! The stereotypical idea of a creative space is a loud and lively environment and don’t get me wrong, it can be, but 90% of the time it is laser focused concentration as we’ve all got a job to do. I am constantly amazed by what our team is capable of delivering in a day.

We pride ourselves on providing a stellar service to our clients. We never ever underestimate the value of our clients to our business and know without them we are nothing. We go above and beyond always, we do what we say we will do and we deliver every time, even if that means that we take a hit.

We’re an open book. OK this one doesn’t apply to every agency but it certainly does to Abstrakt and it is one of the things I value the most, and I know our clients do too. We are 100% transparent and completely open, with each other and with our clients. There’s no smoke and mirrors, no fancy facade. Openness fosters trust and trust means more effective collaboration and better results.

Ultimately both big and small agencies and every size in between have their pros and cons and choosing an agency partner is a very personal decision. But give a project to a small agency and they’ll throw all their passion, creativity, dedication, experience and expertise into it. You won’t be disappointed!

Think your project needs a small, agile team? Get in touch and have a chat with our team to see if we would be a good fit.