In this episode, Todd and Kelly talk about advertising and media budgets and why mid-market brands often struggle to get real attention from large agencies.

Smaller accounts are frequently handed to junior teams, while senior talent focuses on nine-figure budgets that can afford mistakes. With $100 million, errors can be absorbed. With $15 million, every dollar matters.

They also address the hype around AI. Tools can’t fix a weak plan. They simply make a good strategy better or a bad one worse.

If you manage a seven or eight-figure ad budget and aren’t seeing the results you were promised, this episode explains why. You’ll hear how agency economics really work, why some fee models fail mid-sized brands, and what to look for in a partner who treats your budget like it’s their own.

Chapters:

(00:00:00) - Retreat Revelations: Why We're Rethinking Everything About Mid-Market Advertising
(00:01:43) - The Underserved $5-25M Ad Budget Market
(00:06:00) - Why Small Budgets Can't Paper Over Mistakes
(00:09:00) - The Middle Market Dead Zone Challenge
(00:12:04) - AI Tools Won't Save Bad Strategy
(00:15:00) - The Dilution Effect: Big vs. Mid-Size Budgets
(00:18:00) - Room for Error: $100M vs. $15M Realities
(00:21:00) - Why Marketers Choose Big Agencies (And Shouldn't)
(00:28:00) - The Math That Doesn't Work: Fee Structures Exposed
(00:31:00) - Finding the Right-Sized Agency Partner

Links and Resources:

Kelly Maguire on LinkedIn
Todd Juneau on LinkedIn
Vuja Dé Digital

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