The Adholics have taken a step toward proving their business model.
The freelance advertising collaborative last week signed up its first client, a local web startup company, which they don't plan to name for at least a couple more months.
The Adholics is the brainchild of Josh Fedie, a new business and account manager for various small and mid-sized agencies over the past decade.
The advertising industry is increasingly relying on freelancers. What's bothered Fedie in recent years is the lack of transparency around that trend. Clients are paying top dollar for an agency's work and often don't realize the work is being farmed out to the least expensive freelancers on the market, he says.
"That's not what's being sold to the client," Fedie says.
About six months ago, Fedie started scouting for freelance professionals to join a virtual agency. The result is a 17-member, full-service advertising and marketing shop. Its members' expertise covers most of the major disciplines, from web and graphic design to copywriting and social media strategy.
What separates The Adholics from other collaboratives, Fedie says, is its transparency. All of its
partners are listed on its website. It has a photography studio and one partner has donated office space, but the model eliminates most of the overhead associated with running a conventional agency.
Fedie believes the model will allow The Adholics to compete with any agency in town. He says the goal is to win business that would be out of reach for a solo freelancer:
"That's the number-one goal: to go after dream accounts," says Fedie. "We want to work for enthusiast brands. We want to go after those accounts that all of us have always wanted to work for and it's been hard to get to on our own, but I think with a group like this it's definitely in reach, and definitely within our capabilities."
Source: Josh Fedie, The Adholics
Writer:
Dan Haugen