Advertising Agency

Advertising firms pride themselves on making others look good.

Occasionally doing so means not being paid for the services rendered.

The challenge, local advertising execs say, is deciding when to do pro bono work and who to do it for, because it can impact the bottom line.

But they say giving back to the community is a core business philosophy and part of being a good corporate citizen.

“We recognize we’re only as good as our community is, “ says Deanna Harms, an executive vice president at Greteman Group.

While pro bono work is common among Wichita’s advertising firms, it is one of many ways these companies give back to the community. They also donating to charities, financially and through volunteer work, serving on organizational boards, sponsoring professional development conferences and belonging to a number of organizations.

“I think there are a lot of very generous agencies in town,” says Shawn Steward, director of public relations at Associated.

Beyond ad agencies, Harms says, Wichita businesses are generous with their corporate dollars.

“I think our community as a whole is more giving than other communities,” she says.

That could be attributed to Wichita’s size, she says. Harms says the city is small enough that people still feel like they can make a difference, but large enough to have a variety of needs.

Giving back

Advertising firms often base their involvement on employees’ areas of interest.

“We try to put (corporate citizenship) in context about what it means to them.” Says Sam Williams, managing partner at Sullivan Higdon & Sink Inc.

SHS’ list of causes includes the Intrust Bank Arena and a “no casino in downtown” campaign.

At Jajo Inc., community involvement also reaches causes employees are passionate about.

Earlier this year, the company participated in the American Cancer Society’s “Shave to Save” fundraiser to collect money for cancer research.

Four Jajo employees, including managing partner Steve Randa, put their hair on the line to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The two – one of whom was Randa – who raised the most money got their heads shaved.

Randa says the fundraiser helped Jajo answer the question, “what do you stand for?” It’s something he says all organizations should answer.

Associated, meanwhile, has a long-standing relationship with the Wichita Children’s Home.

Steward says the firm prefers to hone its list of charities to a select few to allow for a more concentrated focus.

“If you can allocate more work to a client I think they are going to feel some tangible results from that,” he says.

Associated’s recent involvement also includes a denim drive that the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State University orchestrate

The company designed flyers and displayed information in its Old Town office promoting the drive, which collected old jeans that would be used for to make insulation for homes.

WSU collected more than 7,000 pieces of clothing, up from its initial goal of 2,500.

Like the others, Greteman Group has a list of organizations it is involved in. “We encourage our team members to provide leadership and support to a number of professional and civic organizations,” Harms says. “Whether it’s guest lecturing at a university, serving as president for a statewide nonprofit, or leading the city’s design council, we do all we can to make our industry and community the best possible.”