At Overdrive Interactive we were recently honored to be included in the Boston Business Journal’s list of the area’s largest advertising agency. But what really stood out to me is that we were the only 100% online agency on the list. Many major agencies were only 25-35 percent digital.
In Jim Collins’ great book, “Good to Great”, he discusses how companies go from being average performers in their industry to become the industry leader. If a 300-page book can be condensed to three words, his explanation would be that they “focus and execute”. And that’s what we do at Overdrive: we focus exclusively on online marketing and, because of that focus, execute effective programs for our clients.
At Overdrive, from the CEO to the newest intern, our sole focus is online marketing. It’s not 25% of what we think about, or 50%, or even 75% – it’s 100%. Every Tuesday morning the entire agency meets together to share the latest new opportunities in each of the online channels – search, social media, online advertising, marketing automation, etc. (And there are new opportunities – many of them – every week.) As a result of this single-minded focus, IMHO we do it better than agencies where their attention is divided.
Having recently won accounts away from major, traditional agencies, we’ve had the opportunity to see what is done when you’re not devoted to online marketing 100% of the time. The results/comments that we hear from clients include “we were paying $10,000 per lead”, “we got data from the agency but they were not pro-active in their recommendations” and “no, no one ever mentioned remarketing to us before”.
We have no doubt that traditional agencies do great work when it comes to TV, print, direct mail and other traditional channels, and we strongly recommend to clients that they continue to use them for that. And we’ll continue to focus 100% of our attention on delivering great results via digital channels.
We’re 100% sure that that’s what’s in the best interest of our clients.
Great article Louis. There are few 100% digital online agencies and even fewer that provide the specialized level of service and capabilities to optimize campaigns and improve lead guality. In online marketing it makes a lot more sense to specialize rather than generalize.
I like your thinking Louis, so few organizations spread their wings far beyond their core competencies, and then they wonder why they fail. In this digital word of integrated marketing, I think marketers and agencies alike fail to think about the core of marketing which boils down to right time and right place, and the relationships which enable purchase. Focus is key!
What sets Louis Gudema and Overdrive apart from other agencies is that they cut their teeth in the world of conventional “old-fashioned” marketing and have taken their skills, creativity, and expertise in how to communicate with prospects, customers and others who matter into the brave new digital world.
Having known and worked with Louis/Overdrive in the past— what impresses me is that they built on this solid platform by becoming very knowledgable about new marketing technologies, techniques and programs.
What distinguishes Overdrive:
Smart research and planning, Targeted outreach, Respectful engagement, Effective lead cultivation and conversion… Also, it doesn’t hurt that Louis & Co are friendly, responsive and easy to work with (vs. some surly, arrogant agencies I’ve had to endure).
Understanding and executing Digital Marketing is a tough biz. Louis gets results. ‘Nuf said.
I think Patrick Rafter’s comment makes a great point about the need to bring a core knowledge of how to communicate human-to-human (the “old fashioned” marketing skills) into the digital realm. Living and breathing digital 100% of the time doesn’t – in fact, can’t – mean ignoring the human dimension (otherwise, your end product won’t be either living or breathing). I haven’t had the pleasure of working with Overdrive, but Louis has always been one of the brightest guys I know, both in IQ and EQ, so it’s no surprise to hear how that plays out.