At the annual Small Agency of the Year Awards held by Advertising Age in Austin, Texas on the 24th of July (last thursday), BOHAN Advertising and Tiny Rebellion both walked away with much coveted Gold awards. BOHAN was named Southeast Small Agency of the Year and Tiny Rebellion took home the Gold Award for Small Agency Of The Year in the 11-75 employee category. The awards, which took place at the close of Ad Age's sold-out small agency conference and identifies the hottest up and coming ad agencies from around the country, saw hundreds of entrants from agencies across North America. The awards were launched six years ago to honour outstanding work created by independent shops with 150 or fewer employees. Abbey Klaassen, associate publisher for editorial and audience at Ad Age said they were “Blown away by the incredible talent and powerful ideas coming out of the small agency community," and that "Their ambition and abilities” make them “Highly attractive to clients seeking creative and agile partners, and to potential acquirers."
The Advertising Age Small Agency of the Year Awards were launched six years ago to honour outstanding work created by independent shops with 150 or fewer employees
For BOHAN this latest recognition is the latest boon in a dramatic three-year growth period that has seen the agency doubling profits and increasing revenue by 42%. The agency, which was launched by David Bohan in 1990 with just one client out of a tiny office in Nashville, has grown exponentially over the last 24 years and is currently in the midst of expanding its headquarters in 'The Gulch' neighbourhood of 'Music City' as it adds staff to handle recent new business wins. Bohan himself said he felt “Honoured to be Ad Age's Southeast Agency of the Year." He praised his team, thanking the “Incredible group of people at the agency,” and said he was “Thankful for their commitment and hard work that is being recognised with an award of this magnitude."
The BOHAN Team
BOHAN recently triumphed over agencies more than twice its size to win the account of O'Charley's, the casual dining chain, and it also has national brands such as Dollar General and Jos. A. Bank on its roster. Perhaps the agency's biggest coup, however, was being named agency-of-record for Saint Thomas Health, one of the country's most prestigious health systems. Kerry Graham, CEO and vice chairman of BOHAN, said the agency “Never lose sight” of what has taken them this far, which she feels has been “The trust, collaboration and true partnership” they have with their clients. Shari Day, the agency's president and chief operating officer, meanwhile, believes that "Winning the small agency of the year award is a game changer" for BOHAN.
Abbey Klaassen, associate publisher for editorial and audience at Ad Age said they were “Blown away by the incredible talent and powerful ideas coming out of the small agency community."
Another agency to take home a Gold award at the ceremony last week was Tiny Rebellion, the “Positive change” ad agency with only 42 full-time employees. The Santa Monica, California-based agency won the Gold award in the 11-75 employee category thanks to its work for clients including TrueCar, Hotwire and Bolthouse Farms. Lucas Donat, Tiny Rebellion's CEO, said the award was “An important acknowledgement of the hard working, passionate people who are the soul of the agency,” and he felt especially honoured because “Ad Age is such a respected voice” in the advertising industry.
The Tiny Rebellion Logo
Donat co-founded Tiny Rebellion in 1991 with Amir Haque and the “Tiny” agency has been making waves in the industry ever since. Last month the agency was featured in the much coveted 'Portrait' column of AdWeek, and today they will be hosting 'Accelerator Day', an “Immersive, first of its kind event centred around this year's Cannes Chimera Initiative in partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.” The event will be held at the Santa Monica Art Studios with all normal agency business put on hold for the day while they create entries for Cannes Chimera. Donat says their mission is “Simultaneously both clear and daunting: to exponentially accelerate positive change on planet earth.” He thinks they're “Making great strides in that direction."
Official Tiny Rebellion Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK.
