Small agencies have a future

Mark Cross (MW November 5) rightly points up a trend.

Ever since the serious amalgamation of large media agencies began a few years ago, not to mention the offloading of “unprofitable” clients, we too have found that their advertisers billing 5m and under have increasingly felt that they are getting a bad deal.

This has been particularly true of what we call the “launch-based” advertisers (those spreading their often quite significant, annual budgets over a series of short life-product launches).

On the whole, the volume-buying media agencies tend to give these advertisers less than the service they expect and deserve.

That is why, contrary to the received wisdom, there is a very real future for the small- to medium-sized media agency that gears itself to quality of service.

Mike Sell

Chief executive

Total Media

London

W1V 4AX