Advertising agencies fit a range of definitions.
By B. Candice Ray
Bermuda Sun, September 27th 2006
Owner/managing director Jennifer Ward said of hers: "emedia was built as a very small 'studio' type of company, which allowed us to take on smaller clients which typically felt lost in larger agencies."
Ms. Ward values the fact that many of these are long-term, like Bermuda Stripping & Refinishing, Pembroke Paint and Kodak Express, which have been with the firm either since its 2000 inception, or 2001.
"I like that we have grown slowly enough so that we now have the ability to handle a larger company's needs, such as Bermuda Air Conditioning and Argus," she said.
"We maintain great relationships with all of our clients, no matter what size, and manage them all with the same amount of hands-on attention."
But it's not just the clients who are important. A close team, every one of who plays an active role in the company's growth and is vital to its success makes up emedia. This translates into a feeling of 'being valued' and enhances their work environment.
No firm is without challenges, however.
"As we are a smaller company, we sometimes get overlooked by larger companies who are not aware of our potential," Ms. Ward said. "One of our largest clients, Argus looked past our size and included us in their list of potential agencies, and we were thrilled to have been awarded their account."
emedia regularly turns over materials on behalf of this client, among them the recent Concierge, 24/7 and Wellness ads.
Bermuda's small size is a counterpart to emedia's smallness. This correlates to competition.
"There is a limited pool of clients to work for, and with such a small network, it becomes difficult when competing companies come to you looking for assistance," Ms. Ward said. "We are loyal to the clients we have and do not choose to work for their competitors unless it is mutually agreed by both sides."
The agency maintains its appeal by staying true to what it does. This, according to Ms. Ward, continues to work in their favour.
Changes over the last few years have also moved the agency into a better position. Being able to email ads does away with the time-stresses of driving - on already tight deadlines - from emedia's out-of-town location to hand-deliver newspaper advertisements pasted on card.
Ms. Ward noted another shift: "In the past, our website development has been focused on more static HTML sites, and there is now a definite shift in to more database developed, functionality driven websites. We have expanded our team. It has allowed us to be able to quote on a wider variety of web projects."
One memorable project emedia took on was the Commemorative Book for the 20th Anniversary of The Not the UmUm Show.
Working on the Argus Group website was another.
"It was produced by a large team of which emedia was one of many," Ms. Ward said. "We were responsible for the design of the site, as well as all imagery and content placement."
Recent other works included Barritt's Crystal Clear 'cricket' labels and a custom-built website launching Kodak Express' PhotoExpress service.
Whether by print, broadcast or web, emedia works hard to get its clients' messages to the public.
"Most of the time, clients are able to show measurable results in terms of sales, but sometimes, it is more of a branding message," Ms. Ward said. "When a client can come back and say that they have hit a projected sales target, or that they have had 500 visitors to their site, that makes us feel good. It means that we are doing our job."