Services

Our services are the same as everyone else’s.
Our brains are not.
Strategy

Great creative is great only when it is based on superb strategy.

A lot of advertising and marketing agencies make claim to their own, proprietary strategic process. There's Brand DNA, Brand Lens, The Whole Egg, just to name a few. At Fechtor, we have our own strategic process, too. We call it, “common sense.” Because we believe that once you get past the clever names and window dressing, all good strategic approaches have the same basic steps:

  • Determine the client’s goals and how success will be measured.
  • Get to know the audience and what makes them tick.
  • Learn about the category and competitive environment.
  • Then implement, evaluate, refine, and repeat.

We also believe that strategy development is actually a creative pursuit. Yes, it takes research. And yes, it takes knowledge. But it also takes a special insight, a moment of inspiration, a creative twist, and a defining of both the rational and emotional benefits that will really connect with your customer. Sorry, we don’t have a fancy name for it. Let’s just call it Fechtorization. Or not.

Advertising

Everything is advertising.

We can sum up all of our services in one word: Advertising. At Fechtor, we believe that everything is advertising, and advertising is everything. TV? Advertising. A YouTube video? Advertising. A tweet? A blog? A Facebook post? A landing page? A website? It’s all advertising.

But nobody wants just advertising. They want great advertising. So what is that, exactly? Here's how we define it:

Great advertising starts with a great strategy.
It clearly and uniquely differentiates you from everyone else.
It builds an enduring identity for your product or company, and an enduring relationship with your audience.
It's single-minded.
It rewards you for interacting with it.
It takes intelligent risks.
It makes you think, feel or act differently than you did before.

Great advertising is worth more than other advertising. It works harder. It sells more. Therefore, it is good for business.

Advertising. It's a beautiful thing, really.

Branding

Branding is the only legal way to have an unfair competitive advantage.

“Branding” can be a confusing word. At Fechtor, here’s how we define it. Branding is not the logo. And it’s not the font. And it’s not the color palette. And it’s not the brand mark. Branding is the sum total of your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with a product, service, or organization. So, what are all those other things? At Fechtor, we think of them as “brand signals,” because they’re shortcuts to all those thoughts and feelings we want people to have.

Branding is so important, we give it its own strategy. A strategy that defines its purpose, its values, its positioning, its personality, and its promise. At Fechtor, we’ve created brands from scratch, evolved existing brands, and brought old, tired brands back to life. We’re good at it.

Digital

All advertising is interactive, if you do it right.

Digital experts are digital experts. Sometimes, they’re also marketing and advertising experts, or branding experts, or design experts, or conceptual experts, too. But often, they’re not. At Fechtor, we think it’s important to let strategy and concept take the lead — and then create digital solutions that integrate and work within them. That way, everything you do reinforces your brand and connects with your audience in the most relevant ways. And it works.

Design

Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Whether it’s digital, or print, or outdoor, or indoor, or big, or small, or flat, or dimensional, we love great design. We love it even more when it’s done in the name of advertising. Because that’s when it connects with people in a way that motivates them to act. Great design for the sake of great design is art. Great design for the sake of great advertising gets results.

People

Fechtor is a full-service branding and advertising agency headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. We’re smart. We work hard. We have really good bios.

And our clients love us.

Meet the Fechtorites

Some of us have dogs. Some have kids. Some like craft beers. Some ride electric bikes to work. But we all love partnering with like-minded clients and doing great work that sparks emotional connections with our audiences. And, on second thought, actually all of us like craft beers.

Michelle Snook / Unimpressed by titles

Michelle is the consummate account person. She is the calm in the storm. The unflappable in the wind. A grown up (mostly), who combines her love of insightful strategy with her love of the creative process and her love of working with clients to develop business-building ideas. She also loves her family, but that's a different kind of love. We think. 

Dave Rogers / Untitled #6

Dave is an art director and creative director with a great eye. Two of them, actually. And when they’re combined with his strategic ability and conceptual talents, the results are attention-getting, results-oriented, and memorable. Dave's work has been recognized by many award shows, and Dave is always quick to recognize them right back. Because, you know, he's got that great eye. Two of them, actually.

 

 

Mike Sanford / Title schmitle

Mike has been an Art Director. And a Copywriter. And a Creative Director. But in his 25+ years in advertising, you know what he’s never been? Happier than he is at Fechtor. With no actual job title. And a handful of brilliant, seasoned, funny, and irreverent coworkers. He loves camping, kayaking, and mountain biking. And losing to his son at basketball.

Rob Kidder / Title-free

Rob is an experienced account guy. With a wicked sense of humor. He’s a husband and a father of two. He’s a great cheerleader for his kids. And a superb problem-solver and insight-uncoverer for our clients. He’s led global accounts and launched products from Columbus, Chicago, and Nashville. Oh, and he’s a whiz on a whiteboard. Dry erase skills for days.

Kelly Widenhofer / Command-delete title

Kelly is an art director. No, wait, Kelly is a strategic, conceptual, personable unicorn of an art director. With amazing presentation skills and a perfectly offbeat sense of humor. She’s passionate about making a difference. For clients and her community. Kelly loves hiking, biking, and all kinds of travel. And you should see her website wireframes. They should be…framed.

Cailyn Driscoll / Officially Unofficial

Cailyn is a super talented writer who, in her own words “gives a sh*t about people and brands that inspire, empower, and make the world better.” We feel the same. Cailyn is smart, funny, irreverent, conceptual, strategic, and so many other things that make her a perfect fit for Fechtor. She loves biking, camping, and spending time with her awesome (and awesomely named) dog, Pony Boy.

Amy Thompson / Shuns titles

Right brain. Left brain. Middle brain. Amy’s got ‘em all. With a strong background in theater and broadcast production, she’s also a writer, project manager, and “keeper-of-the-peace,” managing the collaboration between creative and account teams and outside artists, as well as overseeing budgets and production schedules.  We call it the "whole brain" approach.

Stephen Fechtor / Will not be labeled

Steve is the father of Fechtor Advertising. He's also the father of four great kids. And a really cool dog. And a whole bunch of award-winning ad campaigns that you’d probably recognize. He's even written some jingles over the years. In fact, he got his first job in advertising by writing a song called "Don't forget my face." Ask him about it some time.

Contact