(Really) Short Agency History
Our original location,
the Terminal Tower
We got our start in Cleveland back in 1960, when founder John Ashby wore fedoras and a highball glass more often than he wore underpants. Go on; look at him up there with his bow tie. That right there is a man who understands the power of marketing—or the electronic spectroscopy of carbon chains. Either way, Mr. Ashby was cool and smooth, with a preternatural ability to get to the essence of his clients’ needs. It wasn’t exactly Mad Men, but in a duel of manly, we’re pretty sure Don Draper would end up loofahing Mr. Ashby’s back.
These days, the agency is led by President Lowell Dillon, whose hard work has diversified the agency far beyond the B2B base established by Mr. Ashby. Today, we work with manufacturers, law firms, professional service firms, software developers, financial services companies, and consumer products companies.
Your Brand, Amplified
You can sum up our entire approach to marketing and advertising with these three simple words. Why? Because your brand is your solemn promise to your customers, and every interaction with your customers needs to fulfill that promise and exceed their expectations.
Your brand is more than the product or service you sell…and we are scary-good at finding what makes yours different, unique, irresistible—and amplifying it.
We’re unlike a lot of other Cleveland marketing and advertising agencies. There’s no fancy hoo-ha, or pompous talk…and we don’t try to wow you with fancy offices or the latest mocha-choco-latte brew. No, at Ashby Dillon, it’s all about our clients, and how we can help enhance their brand equity and establish leading market share positions in the industries they serve.
There are a bunch of crazy-talented people here specializing in digital and inbound marketing strategies, lead generation, PR, website design, SEO, and social media. We have the technical skills, creativity and marketing know-how to take your brand and turn it into a business-boosting powerhouse.
We have a saying here at Ashby Dillon: “Be willing to walk through walls.” No matter what our clients need, whether it’s a last minute product launch mini-site, a press check at 2 AM or brownies after a long day working the tradeshow booth, we will come through for you. Please think of us as an extension of your own marketing department, because after 50 years in the business, it’s still how we think of ourselves.
We can’t WAIT to amplify your brand. Challenge us to create something brilliant for you today.
"What Do You Do Best?"
As far as interview questions go, it's much better than "If you could be any kind of vegetable, which vegetable would you be?" And we understand. We're a full service marketing and advertising agency, after all, but there has to be something we do better than just about anyone else, right? There are, in fact, two things. (For the record: Peas. They're climbers, but they stick together.)
Thing 1: Creativity
Anybody can make vodka and golf clubs and jewelry look good. But give us a tungsten carbide-tipped circular saw and we'll make it irresistible to engineers and purchasers. Heck, we don't even need Kate Moss.
Thing 2: Research
When it comes to learning about our clients' businesses and industries, our research is second to none—and we do it on our own dime. We've attended distributor training sessions, gone on sales calls, and checked out client competitors at trade shows. Frankly it's a little creepy, how far we go to become experts for our clients.
How We Work
No contracts, obligations, or strings attached. Commitment is the natural result of mutual respect, honesty, enthusiasm, hard work, and success. This is great for marriages, but also for client-agency relationships.
Unlike other marketing agencies, we don’t work on a contract basis or lock clients in to minimums. We quote on a project basis, outlining every deliverable and breaking out costs as much as possible.
