When we founded 99c in 2008, we believed in delivering exceptional value that surprises clients. Our name comes from a remarkable 1875 story: Chicago newspaper publisher Melville Stone faced a penny shortage that hurt his one-cent paper’s sales. His solution? Convince merchants to price goods at 99 cents instead of a dollar, forcing customers to make change. Sales skyrocketed – they’d accidentally discovered “charm pricing.”
Research shows sales increase 24% with 99-cent pricing because our brains anchor on the first digit, perceiving $9.99 as significantly cheaper than $10. We chose “99c” to embody this psychology: every campaign we create and every interaction we have delivers that unexpected extra value, tapping into fundamental human decision-making truths that have driven purchasing for 150 years.
Many agencies have forgotten they’re in the business of servicing client needs, rather than their own. Building 99c around our clients’ needs, and providing services that build their brands’ bottom line, fame, and market share, is what drives us.
That philosophy has led to 99c outperforming client-agency AOR relationship metrics by over 200% in many instances, with the majority of our client relationships having been in place for more than10 years and, in some instances, more than 15 years.
AI supercharges the creative process. It allows for speed and accuracy and reduces valuable time, clearing the way to producing extraordinary work. By utilizing the latest enterprise AI tools we are able to focus more time and effort on developing strong strategic thinking; original breakthrough creative; delivering content at scale; leveraging the latest trends, research and best practice; delivering valuable campaign and competitor insights; providing instant feedback; optimizing media and creative; and streamlining the agency-client communication environment.
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme. In the same way, generative AI can only respond to what’s come before, and what’s been done before. We believe that, in the age of AI, the role of the individual has never been more important. We don’t just talk about AI – we provide the very best enterprise AI tools for our people to produce work quicker and more efficiently. Equally, your customers are not robots – they are humans with emotions, fears and needs – and the best way to connect with them is through work that resonates, that makes them feel something, and that makes them do something. None of which is achievable through coding or algorithms alone.
KPIs and reporting requirements are agreed at the scoping process and provided according to each clients’ unique needs. Our team provides anything from daily to annual performance reports, competitor analysis, platform performance, and many more – each according to your needs.
Contracts are managed according to our client’s needs. From long-term retainer models to fixed-term contracts, to project-based remuneration, we design each engagement according to the outputs required. Speak to us to find out more.
99c has successfully scaled many times over the past 18 years in response to our client’s needs. Our ability to do so is a strength, and it’s never been more important to be able to do so than in the current environment. Whether it’s more headcount to manage increased workloads, or additional tech to manage new platforms or opportunities, we believe your agency should be aligned with your brand’s ambitions and ready to maximize every opportunity.
We believe in partnering with clients, not simply providing services. Because of this, we shape our relationship around clear, open and honest communication. If we drop a ball, we’ll own up and fix it.
If you’re unhappy, we’ll work hard to understand why. If we’re not producing to the standards you expect, we’ll expect your criticism. And then we will fix it.
Campaign development is never linear, so it’s our responsibility to adapt to any changes required to any brief.
We are a full-service creative agency so if you are a client seeking an agency that can do anything from mass-market broadcast media, to niche digital platform expertise, we do it. And if you are only looking for specialized services, the chances are we already offer it too. Search on our website here for a full breakdown of what we offer.
Each client’s process differs slightly, and each brief’s requirements vary, but the fundamentals are consistent across all the work we do. Our client service team work with clients to distill a clear brief. This is often more complicated than it seems – but if it’s not done right it impacts the entire process.
Creating the right context within which the creatives must work provides the best chance of success. Where our strategy, research and data teams can influence the direction the creative takes. Where the creatives have sufficient time and knowledge to develop and expand their ideas, and where client service and strategy can review and guide the work. Innovation is hard-wired into the whole process because innovation drives originality, impact and salience. And creating work that works requires both extreme effort and inspiration.
When an agency tells you they understand your brand, your market, and your competitors as well as you do, it should be a red light. We will never understand the dynamics, intricacies, or nuances of our client’s business as well as they do. What we can do, however, is provide a mirror and an objective view – much like that of your customers – that can be vital in unlocking value.
We work incredibly hard to utilize all available data, research (both internal and external), and our tools to develop the strategies needed to achieve our client’s objectives. We don’t measure strategic success on the number of PowerPoint slides we produce. We prefer to work pragmatically to unearth genuine insights that lead to breakthrough work that delivers results.
We prefer to manage as much as possible in-house. But, from time to time, we do need to bring in qualified freelancers or contractors to help with specific campaign needs. This is always done internally and transparently, and any short-term resource works under strict control. 99c will never outsource any project, or part of a project, to any third party, unless it’s for specialized outputs (such as external commercial directors) or non-retainer-related services.
When you deal with 99c you’re dealing with people invested in the success of their clients, not their shareholders. We have no masters dictating how we do things, nor do we have misaligned agendas. Put simply: why deal with costly global media enterprises who treat clients based primarily on the profits they may generate when you can work with an agile, client-centric agency focused on creating long-term value for their customers?
Each client team is built on their unique requirements and put in place according to their specific needs. Each department at 99c is headed by industry leaders who use their vast experience to orchestrate each client’s output. Whether it’s dedicated professionals responsible for the day-to-day management of your needs, or specialized shared services, our clients always have world-class talent at their disposal.
In addition, we at 99c prioritize staff wellbeing and we strive to create the most supportive environment possible for our people to excel. This leads to longer tenure, greater institutional knowledge, and stronger relationships with clients. All of which leads to better work and better outcomes.
99c has over 18 years’ experience in many fields, so chances are we do. And where we don’t, we have successfully managed gaining the necessary experience by bringing in suitably experienced talent. More importantly, our business philosophy, processes and systems provide the framework to provide clients of any industry the work they deserve. If you’d like to know more, drop us an email and we’d be happy to discuss.
We are happy to work either way. Whether you require strategic and campaign platform development, or our ability to expand, scale, or produce creative assets, we have a solution for you. Our production and production services arm, including editing and post-production, is also a key component of our offering and we have vast experience in working with clients and other agencies to bring their ideas to life.
99c is a full-service, omnichannel, and fully integrated advertising and marketing services agency offering everything from traditional to digital, CRM, media, influencer marketing, production, and post-production. We provide specialized service oversight across integrated account and creative teams, ensuring speed, agility, and efficiency.
At 99c we believe each client is different. Which means each requires a bespoke solution. Although longer-term contracts provide better value, better long-term results, and increased understanding of your brand and customers, we are happy to tailor contracts that suit your needs. It’s much the same with notice periods.
Every employee at 99c is subject to stringent NDA requirements, and all client information is securely managed within our independently audited database infrastructure. We pride ourselves on managing sensitive data and information seriously and are happy to cooperate at any time with any client wishing to review our security protocols.
From our first day we have avoided working with clients who are competing in the same industry. Over the years, however, the convergence of many aspects of brand’s total presence has meant some overlap occurs. Where this happens organically, we ensure there is no cross-pollination or transfer of knowledge between teams, and we work hard to ringfence any IP.
When it comes to new business we are extremely sensitive to competing interests and we won’t openly pursue multiple clients within a single industry unless it can be managed from separate branches and only with the permission of all client parties.
Although we operate in a new and ever-changing environment, our philosophy follows time-tested traditional values. Contracts, costs, and operational matters are openly available to clients to review and, because 99c is independent, there are no hidden or opaque agendas.
Our processes have been developed over many years to ensure optimal communication at all times, while our systems for providing up-to-the-minute updates and work statuses are constantly being evolved to ensure our clients are always appraised and updated on everything to do with their campaigns.
Among many reasons, independence creates the freedom for 99c to do the right thing for our clients; to make decisions that may hurt the agency but benefit the client when it’s the right thing to do; to adapt immediately to changes in tech, platforms, the market, or client needs without layers of approval or time-consuming bureaucratic processes; and to invest in our people and tech stacks according to our mutual benefit rather than any shareholder’s.
Another key difference is our ability to produce quality work, in a hyper-personalized way, at speed. We have no legacy systems, or archaic centralized ways of working. This agility provides clients with work they require at a scale and a level of responsiveness and value that only an independent can provide.
When you commission work from 99c and it’s executed, it’s yours.
We have many long-term relationships with clients who have provided us with references we’d be happy to share. We also have many case studies across multiple brands available to view here. Simply contact us and we’ll gladly have a conversation.
Our suite of tools is evolving all the time, and our investment into the latest enterprise technology stacks has enabled us to create a robust internal ecosystem that allows for rapid utilization throughout all stages of campaign development, rollout, and post-campaign analysis. This unified strategy, utilizing holistic reporting for multi-channel insights assists campaign effectiveness and strategic decision-making.
Please contact us for more specific questions about your unique requirements and needs.
Building long relationships with clients is our strength. It’s why the majority of our clients have been with us for so long. The longer we work – and grow – with them, the more institutional knowledge we gain and the more value we can provide.