Don’t Get Lost in Oz: Marketing Agency Red Flags You’ll Miss

Magic? Rocket science? Just weird? Describe the marketing and advertising world how you wish. What we know is that it takes a growth marketing agency to make a brand or company stand out. We didn’t love the buzzword ‘growth hacker’ or ‘growth hacking consultant’ at first, but let’s face it, that’s exactly what we do. And we do it better than anyone else.

Here’s how we see our competition– those other “top advertising agencies in Austin, TX” (we’re sarcastically air quoting really hard right now)… They all fall into one of a few familiar characters. Remember the Wizard of Oz? Lovable and musical, yes, but you don’t want to hire most of these characters as your advertising agency.

Take a look. If your Austin ad agency partner looks like one of these characters, there are a LOT of red flags soon to show themselves, leaving you with a pain in your ass and a stab in your back.

The Brainless Dance-Around-the-Bush-ers: Scarecrow

These ad agencies (in Austin too, yes) haven’t got a brain. Their pitches, ideas, and “results” are not based on any real work or science. They have zero proof to back up their claims. You’ll get ROI reports from them that manage not to have any numbers in them. And the phrase you’ll hear most often is “We did well, trust us.” At the end of the day, you’ll somehow be feeling fine about the partnership even if you haven’t made any more money or upped your brand presence in any real way.

The Rusty Workhorse: Tinman

Tinman Austin creative agencies have no heart. Zero. They’re rusty and flaky with old practices. They do things the way they’ve always been done. But that’s not the way to get your brand to the top and off the charts. If you like playing it safe, getting lackluster results, and you live by the phrase “We’ve always done it this way,” Tinman marketing firms in Austin are for you.

The Fake King: Cowardly Lion

These are the Austin marketing agencies that never go for it. They never pitch crazy ideas or take a shot in the dark. They never have a hunch or innate talent. They don’t trust their guts or believe in their team. If mediocrity is your sweet spot, go ahead with the cowardly lion branding agencies in Austin.

The Money Melting: Wicked Witch

Ah yes, the Wicked Witch-like growth hacking agencies in Austin. The case study hiders, the evil-doers. The white-hat wearing, hack market villains that have angry past clients and lawsuits in their closet. They stay afloat through vague contracts, pre-paid projects, and low prices to lure in the people that take a gamble on the company that doesn’t have any references (or so they thought). When they ghost you, fail on every project, or take the prepaid money and run, you might hear a cackle in the distance.

Rock Candy Media is who you’re looking for. We’re Toto– revealing what’s behind the curtain making your brand look like magic.

But it’s not magic — it’s expertise. It’s a team built based on innate talent and a passion for purpose. It’s a rejection of norms and regulations. It’s a habit for the wild and a tendency towards the weird (that’s why we’re the best creative ad agency in Austin).

In your search for the best ad agency in ATX, the Yellow Brick Road leads to us: no gimmicks, no red flags, no cackling. Just a loyal and perceptive canine companion. Get on the list, and we’ll show you the “magic” — what’s really behind the curtain.

Or better yet, sit down with our CEO for a positioning analysis. Let us know if she reminds you of The Good Witch… but we think not.