Finding the Advertising Sweet Spot

On Not Being an Agency: an Introduction to UpperNinety

Ad agencies are not the enemy. Each has its ups and downs, but to be surrounded by the energy and creativity that bursts from them is invigorating — even downright intoxicating. It’s truly remarkable to see the ideas that pop out of them on a daily basis, and being a part of that culture is often an enviable experience. Though we are no longer a day-to-day part of them, it sure is fun on the days we’re there.

But we left for a reason. Some of us were exhausted by the unpredictable nature of their employment. Some felt pigeonholed into certain types of work when we wanted to expand. But all of us wanted to do more than an agency could offer.

Here’s a lie agency employees like to tell themselves: a big client’s yearly scope is set in stone. This is no small fib, but it’s an essential one to tell to keep up morale. The truth is much different: a client’s marketing director is fighting for every ad dollar they can get, and sometimes they’re told “no.” It isn’t supposed to be a permanent “no,” so agencies hold their resources in anticipation of the next “yes.” But when the gap between the holding of resources and the desired “yes” becomes too large, the foundations of the agency begin to crack. Profits fall, payroll gets hard to make, and eventually, yesterday’s employees become today’s layoffs.

It’s not fair for either side of the coin. Agencies hate to see good people go, and clients hate taking the blame for loss of employment. And that right there is why we’re done with agencies. We love what they do, we loved being a part of them, and we even continue work for them indirectly, but we decided we wanted to be personally responsible for our own employment. We want to see if there was an advertising business model that could support all potential clients and employees at the same time.

Thus, UpperNinety was born. We adhere to two principle philosophies: We don’t ever want to lose an employee, and we don’t want to be anyone’s agency of record.

If Not an Agency, Then What?
If it walks like an agency and talks like an agency, how can it not be? It’s simple: we have all the capabilities of an agency without the need for making a single hire. Instead, we’ve cultivated a deep roster of smart, highly capable freelancers who know each other and work well together. We can assemble teams out of thin air to manage projects of any size, and we can shrink down to a single person if that’s all a job requires.

We are an idea collective: a close cousin of the agency world without the burdens of operating inside that world. We are a group of solo operators who simply play well together when it’s time to assemble. Each of us is backed by a high level of experience and strong portfolios, both as agency employees and as freelancers. If someone isn’t needed for an UpperNinety job, then no feelings are hurt, and no one can lose a job here because they were never technically employed by us to begin with. It’s like adding a touch of zen to the advertising world.

Yearly Scopes are for Agencies, Not Us.
At UpperNinety, we don’t want to be an agency of record, at least not in the way that title dictates. Instead, we work project to project. This accomplishes a couple things. First, it means we work hard — just because we’re not your agency of record doesn’t mean we don’t want you coming back. Repeat business is our bread and butter, and we want to prove our worth to you with every project.

Secondly, project-based gigs allows us to work with smaller businesses, startups and philanthropic/nonprofit entities. While a lot of agencies aren’t equipped to handle small projects and one-offs, UpperNinety can. If you just need some blog posts or a hyper-local social media campaign, we can do it. Or if you’re a startup with a great idea, but don’t have the funding needed to start branding yourself from the ground up, we can see what can be done. And we love the opportunity to work with groups dedicated to improving the social, economical and environmental lives of the people in their communities.

Lastly, this also allows us to work with the agencies that helped shape our love of advertising to begin with. Think of us as a freelance team to be called upon in a pinch, whether you’re over-scheduled already or you need a hand reeling in that next big piece of business.

UpperNinety: It’s Where You Aim When You Need to Win
Our name comes from, of all things, two small portions of a goal in soccer. The upper left and right corners — the upper 90s, if you will — are the best place to shoot at when the game is on the line. But it takes skill, experience and panache to get it just right.

That’s who we are. We can help you reach the upper 90 every time. And we look forward to working with you.