Jeff Swartz
Henry Ford is believed to have said, “A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time.” Jeff Swartz, president and founder of Ethic Advertising Agency, couldn’t agree more—especially as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic. Jeff considers properly managed advertising an investment for generating revenue—not as an expense that can be cancelled or reduced to save money in the long run.
As a hyper-targeted digital advertising agency and creative shop, Ethic Advertising Agency is known for their in-house digital advertising capabilities, media buying expertise, and creative development of video, audio, animation, and graphic design. While digital advertising and creative development is their bread and butter, Ethic began as a full-service ad agency and still actively provides traditional media buying and holistic strategic solutions. The international, award-winning agency offers a fully remote work environment with the bulk of their team in Pittsburgh, PA; Columbus, OH; and Morgantown, WV. The group has received numerous recognitions from MarCom, Telly Awards, Pittsburgh Business Times, Hermes Creative Awards, ThreeBestRated, Expertise, and more. While the accolades are nice, Jeff and his team feel their greatest rewards derive from having happy, profitable clients.
In addition to his role as president, Jeff serves as the company visionary and head of business development, guiding Ethic Advertising Agency both culturally and financially. While operating on a self-served demand-side platform (DSP), directly with publishers, and wielding some of the same tools that large media vendors and trade desks use, Ethic Advertising Agency maintains low entry points for new clients with superb capabilities. Jeff explains, “Clients and other ad agencies come to us for their programmatic digital advertising needs because we offer competitive pricing and outstanding results. Our team takes the time to consult with clients to gain an understanding of their goals, help them problem-solve, and, ultimately, achieve success. At the end of the day, it’s always about discovering and doing what is right for the client and not just what is profitable for Ethic.” The agency’s multifaceted campaign-process includes communicating with clients regularly, conducting monthly digital audits of every campaign, and ensuring that clients receive personalized service and attention to detail.
Since its launch in 2014, Ethic Advertising Agency has seen steady growth in both team size and revenue. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency grew 16% with 2020 becoming their most profitable year to date. At the onset of the pandemic, Jeff’s first initiative was client focused. He immediately set out to personally review all client campaigns, develop a customized strategy for each, and pivot. His next step was to devise a strategic plan for expanding the agency’s business by evolving Ethic’s brand, logo, and website as well as increasing networking and advertising spend. He didn’t want to just survive the pandemic…he wanted to thrive during it. The plan not only equipped the agency to absorb any hits it took during the start of the pandemic, but it also enabled the agency to make up for those losses towards the end of 2020.
Jeff attributes the agency’s growth to its focus on company culture and client success. He sees his team as one of his biggest assets and has no doubt that Ethic Advertising Agency could not have grown without them. With that in mind, he was happy to share the prosperity of 2020 by sharing salary increases for everyone at the company. Jeff explains, “A good business leader focuses on what his or her team needs to be successful and encourages those around them to progress forward in all that they do. Good leaders trust, empower, and support their teams to be the best versions of themselves.” To put these beliefs into action, Jeff always promotes his “open-door policy” for speaking with his team and those outside of his organization.
Jeff’s professional path in advertising and entrepreneurship began at the University of Dayton, where he graduated in 2007. After earning a bachelor’s degree in communications, he held various media sales positions at CBS-TV in Dallas, TX and Pittsburgh, PA, as well as working in media buying and planning at Levenson and Hill (since closed) for large brands such as Zale’s Jewelry and Church’s Chicken. He also dabbles in real estate investing through house flipping and rental properties.
Contact:
Jeff Swartz
President and Founder
Ethic Advertising Agency
Website: www.ethic-ads.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreymswartz
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethic-advertising
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ethicadvertising
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ethicadvertisingpgh
Twitter: www.twitter.com/EthicAd
YouTube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCzGsMwgGTFwk8coMMzI9S2A
Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/ethic-advertising-agency-pittsburgh-3
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