Can a boutique digital and print marketing agency take on sizable projects for Fortune 500 companies? Possibly—if that company is PPA Agency. 

Since 1984, PPA has flexed its creative muscle to win and preserve long-standing relationships with major clients all over the country. Its quintessential client is a marketing professional looking for a high-quality, speedy execution of their vision at reasonable rates. 

“If someone has a strategy and plan in place, and limited internal resources to help build assets, or a fast deadline to meet, they call us,” says Kara Bottoms, president. “We can take brand standards and implement them quickly, because we’re small but mighty.” 

PUTTING CREATIVES FIRST

When Bottoms joined PPA as a graphic designer in 2016, she was fresh out of school with aspirations of owning a business. The agency’s former owner, Perry Passen, learned of her professional goals and mentored her while the company helped fund her MBA. In 2021, Passen retired and passed the baton to Bottoms. What she inherited was an impressive list of loyal clients and a roster of creative professionals who on average had worked for PPA for a decade—longer than Bottoms herself. 

“That’s almost unheard of in this industry,” Bottoms says. “Instead of high turnover, which is the norm, we have longevity, and I think that’s a testament to how skilled and talented our people are.” 

Rather than bury that talent under layers of bureaucracy, PPA puts its creative teams in the lead. Forget designated account managers; PPA’s vastly experienced copywriters, developers, and designers work and communicate directly with clients as they guide projects to completion. This structure eliminates time spent waiting on internal reviews and feedback from account managers, and that, in turn, reduces costs. It doesn’t matter the size or scope of the project: From branded assets to customized web development, PPA’s teams work closely with clients to achieve the most cost-effective and highest quality results. 

This kind of structure might not fly at other agencies, but it works seamlessly at PPA because its creatives also happen to be “people-people” who’ve spent years nurturing client relationships and honing their project management skills. Augmenting their client-focused approach is the fact that PPA is a faith-based agency and strongly upholds values of mutual respect, transparency, and honesty. “At the end of the day, our job is to serve others — to us, that means making our clients’ jobs easier and faster,” Bottoms says. 

It’s a winning strategy that has PPA poised to expand and serve companies looking for a long-term creative partner. “We’re eager to grow our client base while delighting those customers who’ve been with us for the long haul,” Bottoms says.