When people hear about advertising agency, many are uncertain about how these agencies operate. How does it all work?
This article will provide an overview of advertising agencies and explore the advantages of partnering with one for your advertising campaigns. Let’s dive into the world of advertising with Smartcom.
1. What Is an Advertising Agency?
Day by day, we’re exposed to a multitude of advertising campaigns, whether on the streets or across various social media platforms. However, we often remain unaware of the creators behind these advertisements.
Typically, companies turn to an advertising agency for assistance when they lack the necessary human resources or expertise in this field. These agencies specialize in marketing and offer their promotional services to numerous other companies.

After receiving a client’s brief, an advertising agency crafts efficient, demand-driven communication solutions. This encompasses ideation, planning, and executing advertising campaigns tailored to your objectives, needs, and, crucially, your budget
Many advertising agencies are operating in different industries to meet the diverse needs of clients, such as:
There will also be “all-in” agencies – taking all the different aspects of advertising.
2. Types of Advertising Agencies
An advertising agency can be divided into several types, which include:
a. Above The Line (ALT)
Above The Line is an advertising agency that specializes in creating and managing advertising campaigns targeting a broad audience. Each strategy developed by Above The Line may require a significant portion of the client’s budget.
b. Below The Line (BTL)
In the digital era, Below The Line (BTL) doesn’t always receive substantial budgetary support, but it continues to play a crucial role in the overall communication strategy.
To produce impactful advertising materials, agencies specializing in ATL advertising must directly handle and categorize various types, including
- Regional advertising,
- Text ads,
- Copy,
- Banner ads across different media.
c. Through The Line (TTL)
Among the three types of advertising agencies, Through The Line (TTL) is perhaps the most popular and represents a harmonious combination of BTL and ATL approaches. TTL agencies are currently highly sought after in the advertising industry.
3. Communication Methods of The Advertising Agency

a. TVC
TVC is an abbreviation for Television Commercial, which refers to a form of visual advertising, specifically television advertising. TVC ads typically have durations of 6 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, or longer. To secure prime time slots, brands often invest heavily in advertising costs. As television remains a major source of entertainment, TVC is widely recognized as one of the most popular and effective forms of advertising.
In the present era, TVC has evolved into a new branch, known as iTVC – advertising clips that appear on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and other social media outlets, attracting a large and diverse audience.
b. Print Ad
Print Ads are a form of advertising in print media. When reading a newspaper or magazine, you’ll frequently encounter print ads featuring images and text to convey the brand’s message.
These ads typically emphasize either visuals or text, depending on the creative ideas of the advertising company
c. Outdoor advertising
Outdoor advertising, often abbreviated as OOH (Out Of Home), is a highly popular form of advertising in Vietnam. It is known for its effectiveness in boosting brand awareness while offering cost-effective communication.
OOH advertising takes various forms, including buses, bus stations, taxis, billboards, and more. Large companies and corporations frequently prioritize and select OOH methods for their campaigns.
d. Content Marketing
This is a form of content marketing that involves creating product-related content designed to engage and excite consumers.
Popular forms of content marketing today include news, digital content (such as images and videos), infographics, and case studies.
4. Reasons to Collaborate with an Advertising Agency for Your Media Campaigns
After a thorough analysis of the services offered by the advertising agency, Smartcom will highlight several key benefits that customers can enjoy when choosing reputable advertising agencies for their services
- Professional Services: Advertising agencies possess the expertise to optimize your marketing campaigns, turning them into real revenue for your business. Their professional skills ensure the success of your advertising efforts.
- Experienced Workforce: Most individuals working at an advertising agency have high qualifications and extensive experience in handling various tasks and challenges. This wealth of practical experience enhances the completeness and effectiveness of your business’s advertising initiatives.
- Cost Savings: When businesses attempt to manage advertising on their own, they often need to experiment with different campaign types and strategies to find the most effective solutions. Advertising agencies specialize in this field, allowing them to save businesses money by efficiently optimizing advertising campaigns and reducing the need for costly testing.
- Market Analysis and Efficiency: A Reputable advertising agency employs modern tools to analyze the market, reducing the workload for your in-house employees and improving overall efficiency. They also stay up-to-date with the latest marketing trends, which can elevate your business to new heights.
By working with a trusted advertising agency, businesses can benefit from the expertise, experience, and efficiency that these agencies bring to the table.
To contact and learn more about Smartcom‘s advertising services, you can leave your information here.
FAQs
1. What is an agency?
An Agency model refers to a business that provides specialized services for brands needing support in marketing, advertising, or communications. Agencies typically have experienced teams skilled in strategy, creativity, and campaign execution.
Depending on their focus and capabilities, agencies may operate as Full-service, Digital, Creative, PR, Media Buying, or Social Media Agencies, each tailored to different business needs.
2. What does it mean to run advertising through an agency?
Running advertising through an Agency means a business partners with a professional firm that provides marketing solutions and campaign execution.
The agency analyzes the market, recommends strategies, develops messaging, and manages advertising activities aligned with the brand’s goals.
Its role is to help businesses enhance brand visibility, promote products, and maximize communication effectiveness through its expertise and proven experience.
3. Why do businesses need an agency?
Businesses need agencies because they provide expertise, technology, and experience that internal teams often cannot fully supply.
Advertising and digital marketing agencies understand user behavior, platform algorithms, and data analytics, allowing them to optimize budgets, improve ROI, and minimize risk.
Agencies also bring creative talent, planners, media buyers, and designers, helping companies save recruitment costs while maintaining continuous innovation. As a result, businesses can strengthen their competitiveness and achieve better performance across marketing campaigns.
4. What types of advertising agencies are there?
The Vietnamese agency landscape has expanded rapidly, offering a wide range of specialized models. The most common types include:
- Advertising Agency: handles mass advertising, TVC production, media planning, and OOH campaigns.
- Digital Marketing Agency: leads digital strategies, SEO, Google Ads, social media management, and data analytics.
- Creative Agency: focuses on ideas, concepts, key visuals, and multimedia content production.
- Branding Agency: manages brand positioning, identity systems, and long-term communication strategies.
- PR & Communication Agency: manages media relations, reputation, and crisis communication.
- Media Agency: plans budgets, forecasts reach, and optimizes advertising effectiveness through data.
- Integrated Marketing Agency: provides unified solutions combining digital, PR, creative, and media to deliver consistent and cost-effective campaigns.
These agency models reflect market demand and the evolving expectations of modern consumers.
Conclusion
In an increasingly competitive market, partnering with a professional advertising agency enables businesses to optimize resources, enhance communication performance, and shorten the time needed to reach target customers.
From strategic planning and content creation to budget management and multi-channel execution, agencies bring the expertise and real-world experience required to elevate the effectiveness of every campaign. Choosing the right partner not only reduces costs but also ensures that your message is delivered consistently, creatively, and in line with market trends.
If you are looking for a trusted partner who can support you from strategy to execution, Smartcom is the reliable choice for brands aiming for sustainable growth.

