Ad Age Names O'Keefe Reinhard & Paul Small Agency of the Year

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Aug 3, 2015) - Advertising Age magazine named two-year-old start up agency O'Keefe Reinhard & Paul of Chicago as its Small Agency of the Year in an award ceremony that capped the magazine's 7^th year recognizing the successes of small agencies across the US and internationally.

Ken Wheaton, editor of Ad Age, noted the agency's success in bringing in big-name clients such as Yum Brands, Big Lots and Ace Hardware, and its "feisty" results-driven work for Big Lots as key to its standout year.

"We are really honored by this award and very proud to be recognized among a field of wonderful small independent agencies that inspire us to be inventive, nimble and aggressive," said Tom O'Keefe, CEO of OKRP. "We have built a great team and this is a real win for all of our employees, partners and clients who helped make this possible."

On selecting the small start-up agency for its account, Andrew Stein, SVP/Chief Customer Officer at Big Lots, told Ad Age, "For a company like Big Lots, given our budget, we would be a small fish at a big agency which would also mean we'd probably get the small-fish talent and attention. But with OKRP, we get the big-fish talent and the big-fish attention."

The agency was founded in 2012 on one simple promise -- to deliver big-brand creativity with the ingenuity of a start-up. As a direct response to sluggish and impersonal large-scale agencies, principals Tom O'Keefe (CEO), Matt Reinhard (CCO), and Nick Paul (President) set out to establish a new model of agency built for speed, efficiency and a commitment to service. The three partners, all expats from big agencies, saw a need to "practice the high art of selling" and embrace selling a client's product or service as the centerpiece to a creative solution.

The agency marks its success by its clients' growth. In its award entry submission they noted that Big Lots has posted five consecutive quarters of positive comparative sales since the agency began working with the retailer.

On selecting the small start-up agency, Andrew Stein, chief marketing officer at Big Lots, told Ad Age, "For a company like Big Lots, given our budget, we would be a small fish at a big agency which would also mean we'd probably get the small-fish talent and attention. But with OKRP, we get the big-fish talent and the big-fish attention."

About OKRP

Chicago-based O'Keefe Reinhard & Paul (www.okrp.com) is a new model advertising agency that delivers big agency brand creativity with startup ingenuity. With its belief that success as a new model agency relies on the ability to be nimble and to bring together the best talent for its clients, O'Keefe Reinhard & Paul has practiced the "high art of selling" on behalf of clients such as Big Lots, YUM Brands, ACE Hardware and Turtle Wax, among others. The independent agency is supported with minority backing from the Interpublic Group of Companies.