How a Creative Agency Keeps Growing - After 25 Years!

Barcelona Creative Group (BCG), a brand and marketing agency based in Burr Ridge, Illinois recently celebrated its 25-year anniversary. A major milestone for any small business, for a creative agency to still be growing and thriving after so many years in business is pretty rare.

“I founded the agency because I love creating something that produces results. Like when an ad or marketing piece is “spot on” and the client is excited to push it out there to the buying public,” states Tom Barcelona, founder and CEO. His approach must be working, because not only has BCG continued to add new relationships, a number of clients have been with the firm since it was founded in 1990.

So, what’s the secret to their success? When you ask Tom and daughter Juli Barcelona, BCG President and COO, they’ll tell you it’s a combination of things. Tom points out the work they do upfront to identify their client’s strengths and understand their challenges; while Juli believes their responsiveness and creativity are what keeps existing accounts moving forward and brings new clients to their door.

Overall, here are a few factors that Tom and Juli Barcelona view as contributing to the continued success of the creative agency:

• Embrace Change. Pay attention to trends in media and design and recognize that what got our client and our agency here is not the same as what it will take to get to the next level. Look for ways to apply the lessons experience has taught but never stop searching for new and better ways to help the client accomplish their goals.

• Benefit From Youth and Experience. In today’s world, the audience you need to reach is unique to every client. Sometimes you’re targeting “Baby Boomers” and other times you’re looking for “millennials”. Couple that with clients who often bring multi-generational perspectives to the table and you have a recipe that requires a mix of traditional and leading edge to achieve the desired outcome. Applying experience and insight to new, younger ideas really can become an agency’s core strength.

• Maintain Client Diversity. Stick with one industry and it’s easy to get stale and lose that flash of excitement needed to spark new ideas – new approaches. By targeting different types of clients, creatives stay engaged, alert and challenged to deliver fresh messaging and new approaches.

• Keep Creative Juices Flowing. The best way to spur creativity is to have FUN. BCG does things that take their team out of their heads and into experiences that are new and different. A client-centered field trip or team lunch are just a couple ways BCG strives to open up creative minds and give everyone opportunities to see things from the client’s perspective.

• Maintain a Strong Work Ethic. While its important to have fun and allow work styles to vary, the client always comes first. Being responsive to client needs as they arise and meeting deadlines establishes a foundation of trust. BCG clients know that their projects will be managed effectively and efficiently – always striving to deliver high quality results.

Barcelona Creative Group is proud to celebrate this milestone and thanks all of the clients, business partners and friends who have enabled them to do what they love for 25 years. Barcelona Creative Group – still creative after all these years.