Adweek and Agencyfinder introduce new search service for marketing agencies.
June 10, 2005 — Adweek and Agencyfinder introduce new search service for marketing agencies.
New York, NY – In a move that will dramatically increase the visibility and hiring prospect for thousands of advertising agencies, public relations firms and related marketing companies, Adweek and Richmond, VA-based Agencyfinder have agreed to launch a new service dubbed the “Adweek Agency Namefinder™” and to feature the service on the Agencyfinder website (www.agencyfinder.com). The service will allow marketers looking for a particular agency to use any one of a number of ways to find that agency and retrieve an informative brief about the firm.
Mitch Tebo, Marketing Director for Adweek Directories, commented on the new partnership: “There are multiple reasons marketers research agencies and the Agencyfinder website with its agency recruitment process is an authoritative hub for agency information. For Adweek Directories to provide an expanded universe of agencies to meet the needs of these alternative requests is a substantive solution for the diverse Agencyfinder audience.
The “namefinder” feature is a natural extension of the Agencyfinder service. The online search
consultancy regularly provides a no-cost ad agency and pr firm search and review service, including candidate qualification, selection, invitation and follow-up. As part of that process, clients get detailed profiles of agencies that meet or exceed client-directed search criteria, but those profiles are first presented in a “blind” format, meaning searchers don’t immediately know the name of the agency whose credentials they are reviewing. “When we’re managing the sixty or so searches we run every month, we start by presenting detailed agency profiles without agency names,” explained Agencyfinder’s CEO, Charles Meyst. “We do that to give every agency a fair opportunity for evaluation by a client. Too often clients “think” they know an agency based on something they might have seen or heard and if they have that agency’s brand stuck in their head, they may pass over an equally good or better candidate just because they don’t recognize the name.”
“Ever since we started Agencyfinder nine years ago, we’ve been getting requests from people that just want to find information on one specific agency,” Mr. Meyst continued. “Many of these folks aren’t necessarily looking to hire an agency but rather to do a little due diligence on their own, ask some questions, re-establish old contacts. We hadn’t designed an easy way to meet those requests and since we don’t charge clients for searches, we didn’t want to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars necessary to build a database half as good as Adweek’s. Partnering with Adweek was a logical decision and we’re thrilled they were open to it.”
The Adweek Agency Namefinder™ Search
Once online at agencyfinder.com, searchers will find the new feature conveniently located on the website’s homepage. All that is required is part of the agency’s name and a click of the mouse to initiate a no-cost search for a particular agency. Essential information obtained from Adweek’s Agency Directory or from Agencyfinder’s database is presented – usually name, address, city, state, zip, etc. If the agency is registered with Agencyfinder.com, a more complete profile of the agency may be viewed which provides important credentials, capabilities and narrative essays with case histories.
By searching in both, Adweek and Agencyfinder combined have information on over 10,000 ad agencies, PR firms, marketing agencies, media buying services, associations and specialized boutiques from the US, Canada and other countries around the world.
Once a searcher has reviewed information on an
Adweek agency, a link to the Adweek Directories website (www.adweek.com/aw/directories/afindex.jsp) is provided if the searcher desires more information and is interested in subscribing to any of three on-line directories from the marketing trade publisher (The Adweek Directory, The Brandweek Directory and the Multicultural Directory). The directories are also available in print versions. Information provided in the printed directories and via the online subscriptions goes beyond the information available through the namefinder feature. Data includes web address, e-mail, names and titles, accounts, annual media expenditures, parent companies and subsidiaries, special sections featuring agency rankings, name changes, openings and closings, plus advertising awards, clubs and associations. “You’d be surprised how many people beyond clients and agencies, including media reps, service firms and start-up companies are looking for agency information. Our directories serve them extremely well,” said Mr. Tebo.
“Adding the namefinder feature to the Agencyfinder.com website takes us one step further in our mission to help clients find agencies,” concluded Mr. Meyst. “Thanks to Adweek, we’re able to continue providing a service to clients that is comprehensive, fast and free.”NOTE: An online demonstration of the service and/or an interview with Mr. Meyst can be arranged upon request.
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About Agencyfinder.com – Agencyfinder.com is a service of Business Partnering International, Ltd. and was founded in February, 1997. The service is unique in its match-making process for pairing advertising, public relations and marketing agencies with clients and is intended for use by companies seeking agency support for projects, campaigns or long-term relationships. Searching is free to marketers and supported with complimentary search consulting advice (telephone and on-site consultations) provided by BPI’s executive staff. Advertising agencies and public relations firms pay an annual fee to be part of the online database and eligible to participate in reviews.
About Adweek Directories – Adweek Directories has been the reference directory arm of Adweek, Brandweek and Mediaweek Magazines for twenty-five years. The authoritative industry source for information on agencies, brands and media it publishes the Adweek Directory of agencies, public relations firms and media buying/planning services; the Brandweek Directory of brands and marketers;
the Multicultural Directory of Hispanic/Latino, African American, Asian American and GLBT advertising, marketing and media communities; and Marketer’s Guide to Media detailing trends, rates and demographics for traditional media.
