The James Agency, Scottsdale’s women-led, insights-first marketing agency, wants clients to “get lost.”
The agency, which specializes in strategic development, paid media, creative, web development, public relations and social media, is expanding its business model in 2023.
The move comes with its own brand — “Stratagem” — TJA’s identification for the realignment of its agency model. Stratagem focuses on the future of client needs, weathering upcoming economic conditions and positioning the agency for consistent future profitability.
Getting Lost with Clients
According to the agency’s market research, in 2023 and beyond, clients are prioritizing consultative oversight and expertise over traditional tactical execution. Stratagem allows TJA to dive deeper into the discovery process, leading with continuous client understanding as part of its core competency.
Rather than creating the typical “set it and forget it” campaigns that are signature of the average marketing agency, TJA spends time — upfront and ongoing — to discover, strategize and research on behalf of the client to ensure certainty in uncertain times.
TJA will put an increased focus on “getting lost” with its clients, taking time to experience total brand immersion to better inform its strategy and ongoing execution for each client.
“We’ve found that, more and more, clients are seeking TJA’s consultative expertise throughout the entirety of our engagements, not just at inception,” said Megan Simoes, President of The James Agency. “That starts with knowing the client’s business like the back of our hand. It allows our team to understand our clients and provide in-depth strategic direction that positively impacts their bottom line. While our office will be off-site, we will dive into the client’s business so deep that our teams work seamlessly — effectively becoming their in-house marketing experts.”
Positioning for Success Beyond 2023
During the COVID-19 shutdown and into mid-2021, client demand pivoted TJA’s forward-thinking business model into a more tactical approach. As marketing dollars were some of the first to be slashed as the pandemic’s economic ramifications became apparent in March 2020, clients were less willing to spend marketing budgets on non-deliverable, strategic work.
TJA rose to the occasion by quickly delivering clients recovery tactics, health-first messaging, updating collateral and shifting media budgets to accommodate clients whose audience needs had changed drastically.
“In March 2020, we lost half of our revenue in just 45 minutes,” said Veronique James, CEO of The James Agency. “It was a truly unprecedented time, and while that was out of our control, I vowed to never let it happen again. That’s why our 2023 agency repositioning is so exciting. This is a strong step to being bulletproof in these uncertain economic times.”
In 2023, TJA is focusing its business development strategy on attracting and retaining recession-proof businesses in a variety of verticals. The agency will also put an emphasis on how future clients fit with the TJA team, which is known for its industry-leading culture. Notable clients recently added to the agency’s roster include a large East Coast semiconductor provider, a low-speed electric vehicle manufacturer, and a renewable drinking water hydropanel product.
Scaling up for Success
TJA has consistently landed on the industry’s leading lists of best places to work, including securing a spot in the “micro” category from the Phoenix Business Journal for 10 years in a row. The business is continuing to expand its team and is now seeking applicants for copywriter, digital media buyer and project manager positions.
TJA added Fox Restaurant Concepts and SOURCE Global to its list of clients in the first month of 2023. Additional longstanding clients include Hotel Valley Ho, Fiesta Bowl, Travel Costa Mesa, Octane Raceway, Mavrix and Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.
