| Rating Your Agency's Rates
How do your advertising agency's hourly fees stack up against the competition? A recent industry-wide survey might have the answer.
The survey of 196 agencies found that average hourly fees increased 17 percent (from $99 to $116) from 1998 to 2002. The Rubel Surveys annually measure ad agency charging practices. Agencies, including Semaphore, from the United States and Canada with gross incomes of between $150,000 and $75 million were asked to participate in this most recent survey. Overall, the largest agencies, based on annual gross income, saw smaller percentage increases from 1998 to 2002, but continued to charge more in each billing category, the survey found. Medium-sized and smaller agencies, meanwhile, saw varied results depending on location and annual income. "We think that The Rubel Surveys, to which we subscribe every other year, continue to be an excellent benchmark for establishing competitive fees in our market," said Cynthia Gilliam, Semaphore's president. "This industry-wide survey shows that our fees are reasonable for clients in this area of the country." |
