Agency vs Firm?
- Started
- Last post
- 14 Responses
- randomname
Why are some larger work places called agencies and others are called firms?
What is the difference?
- akrok0
apples and oranges.
- monNom0
generally 'agency' = advertising
- fate0
Yeah, generally an agency only handles the creation and placement of advertising.
A "firm" is typically referring to a design firm or marketing firm. Might provide an array of services/solutions that aren't just advertising.
- raf0
Now, agency vs. studio?
- studio is smallermonospaced
- Studio could even be a one-man show.Continuity
- 99% of the time are these daysmoldero
- studio almost implies a one-man show, like it does an apartmentmonospaced
- formed0
Just words, nothing specific beyond personal association to meanings (ie what you've personally seen). Largely depends on the image you want to convey - "creative services", "corporate reliability", etc., etc.
- ideaist0
Word smithery...
- vaxorcist0
Maybe the billing practices? and/or their target market they're pitching to.....
Traditional Ad agencies billed 15% of the media buy... that's long gone, but some clients still assume that's the way it happens.... now it's far more variable and complicated.....
A "Firm" may bill by the hour, or at least more like a law firm...
- UKV0
It used to be a lot more salient; agencies were retainer based and set up for AOR (agency of record), but most of those shops are gone or have shifted to take on project work in response to being systematically disintermediated by clients. The bigger shops still handle media, where as few firms do (they can outsource, but outsourced media and creative is very inefficient).
- cannonball19780
The word "agency" generally refers to working on behalf of someone else, thus being their "agents". A "firm" just denotes a consolidation of employees.
- gramme0
I've heard of design firms being referred to as design agencies in the UK. It seems the terms can be interchangeable, depending on where one is located. But at least in the US, a firm does design – sometimes multidisciplinary, sometimes niche – while agencies focus on multimedia advertising. And sometimes an agency's client asks for identity, publication, or interactive design work that the agency sub-contracts to a firm or a freelancer.
I've always preferred the term 'firm' to agency. Sounds crisper and leaner. But maybe I'm biased, since I own a firm (studio?).
- gramme0
... And then there are many "cross-media" companies that are hybrids. They claim to have mastery of both advertising and design. This is rarely true.
- randommail0
I've always seen an "agency" as a company that would provide access to their resources, often non-employees. In old-school ad agencies, that would be directors, producers, writers, actors, production companies, etc. None of these are full-time employees, but there is usually a wide roster of these people and sub-contractors that the agency could manage and have work on behalf of their client. Technically, an agency (advertising, modeling, real estate, etc) represent a roster of professionals that a customer does not have direct access to.
A "firm" is generally a company headed by a principal(s) who manages a team of employees. And personally, I've always thought a firm consisted of 2 or more partners or co-owners, who manage their individual teams within the company, while sharing some back-office personnel. Pentagram is an example of this. And most law firms and architecture firms function this way.
- Horp0
An agency has a big smarmy grin and appalling taste in flash designer suits.
A firm had square headed hairy looking men who don't like having to chase overdue invoices.