Getting ahead of the digital technology curve has been the key to success for Biggs|Gilmore advertising agency, which recently was named Top Agency at the Internet Advertising Competition (IAC) for the third consecutive year.
"It's basically one of the premier interactive-advertising competitions at the national level," says Jane Tamraz, chief executive officer with
Biggs|Gilmore.The agency took home a record 23 awards -- 11 for Best of Industry and 12 Outstanding awards.
Tamraz said her agency is into its second year of "pretty phenomenal" growth. Growth has been steady for the last five years, she says.
"This year we're looking at 35 percent growth, which is on par with last year," Tamraz says.
"We happen to be in the right part of the industry at the right time. We made the transition from a regional full-service agency to a digital agency in 2006-07. We have a nice history in interactive and we've worked with some great brands like Kellogg, Heinz and Kimberly-Clark."
These are consumer brands which have continued to invest in marketing and advertising despite tough economic times, Tamraz says.
Biggs|Gilmore, founded in 1973, has about 125 employees in its Kalamazoo and Chicago offices. By the end of this year the agency will likely add 25 more people to its staff, says Mike Gerfen, president of Biggs|Gilmore.
"It's not anything revolutionary," Gerfen says of the company's continued success. "We continue to evolve. The types of companies we work with continue to look at new things and technology. We talk a lot about evolution and not revolution."
Writer: Jane C. Parikh
Source: Mike Gerfen, Biggs|Gilmore, Jane Tamraz, Biggs|Gilmore
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